Editor,
I have been following the letters in the Daily Lobo recently and felt compelled to speak.
Not to agree or to disagree with any of the writers, but merely to offer an idea that may have escaped the attention of so many emotionally-charged minds.
It seems apparent that this country is headed off to war. I wonder if any of you understand what that means? I wonder, can you set aside your emotions for a minute and look at it with a clear and still mind?
War is death. And not the death of just soldiers or terrorists. It is the death of innocents. It is the death of normal people with no policies to defend, borders to police, or political ambitions to fuel. It's not just soldiers who die in war; it's everyone. To ignore that truth is to live in blindness.
You look into your televisions and you see only people being packaged to be your enemy. You don't see the man in love, the child at play, the joke being told, the meal being cooked, or the garden being tended.
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You see six seconds of children jumping for joy that so many Americans have died, and endless footage of turbaned leaders calling for "holy" war. As if there could be such a thing.
Do not misunderstand me. I have no concern for politics. To me it is just as deviant to destroy buildings full of people as it is to kill thousands with economic sanctions. One of your writers closed his letter with, "All civilized peoples must stand against and ruthlessly destroy this evil."
I wonder, what would happen if all civilized people stood and refused to destroy at all?
He continues with. "It does not deserve careful consideration of whatever `reasons' might have resulted in this specific attack.
It is wrong, it has changed our nation and it should pay."
Perhaps this is true. But one thing is certain. When it comes time to extract "payment" for these wrongs, it will not be just those who have committed these actions and those who harbor and support them who pick up the tab.
It will be people. Regular everyday people, just like you and me. A whole new batch of suffering, and this eternal movement of conflict within the human consciousness will go on and on. Make no mistake, killing the innocent during the seeking of revenge is still killing the innocent, even when you innocuously label them "collateral damage."
I am told that a group of students once approached Mother Theresa about participating in an anti-war march they were organizing. When she declined, they were aghast. How could this woman, considered so saintly, decline to march against war?
"I will not march against war," she told them. "But, if you ever have a march in support of peace, I will walk beside you proudly."
I wonder. Can we do this? Not Americans or Afghanis or whatever foolish labels we apply to ourselves, but "us" the regular people. Can we cease this endless need to oppose and destroy what we dislike and instead promote what we do?
Hudson Bedell
Ordained Taoist Priest
