Love Is The Answer
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As the editor of a new age publication I should have something perceptive to say about
September 11. Actually I've been agonizing and chewing on it for two months and am still
conflicted about what we should be doing. I asked Carol Harrison to see what some of our psychics thought it was all about and asked Janet Booth to look at it from an astrological perspective. I've reviewed a ton of stuff on the Internet and listened to what our New Age leaders have to say. The conclusion seems to be metaphysically that this needed to happen and those who gave their lives did so, at some higher level, willingly for the rest of us. Metaphysically when something this horrific happens it is because we have ignored lesser warnings. Let's hope we don't ignore this one. My heart dropped when the bombing started. At the level of consciousness of our country it was inevitable, but it still hurt. An eye for an eye has never worked; things only escalate. Yet we still haven't learned - it's resolved nothing in Israel, Ireland or Bosnia. It's probably just what bin Laden hoped we would do. The longer it lasts the more the Arab world will come together in their hatred of us. They'll see the civilian casualties and think of us. They may overthrow governments they see as American puppets, seize the oil supply and create a global depression or a third world war. We give them hate and they give it back. The Green Party and most conscious groups are calling for the bombing to stop. Everyone else points out that bin Laden & Co. have to be punished (an eye for an eye) and we have to ensure the evil ones can't do it again. I don't believe in evil, as such. People and governments do bad things, but they aren't evil. Our government does bad things that hurt many people and bin Laden calls us evil. He does bad things to us and we call him evil. The other side is always the evil one and God is always on my side - whether George Bush or bin Laden is speaking. It's much easier to hate when you know the other side is evil. There is a statement out of the Course in Miracles literature that comes to mind whenever I'm cogitating on tough moral problems. "Love is the answer; now what's the question?" Okay. If Love is the answer then that is how we should be responding to September 11. Love your enemies. Easy when its vague, but love bin Laden? We'll have to work up to that. After it happened I thought a lot about how it would really shift the dynamics of geopolitics if, as a nation, we came together and forgave the terrorists. What a paradigm shift that would create. This is not to say we shouldn't hold them responsible for their actions or take steps to protect ourselves, but what an opportunity for change! What message would that have delivered to the Muslim world about Americans? Oscar Wilde said, "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." Meanwhile the terrorists, our government and our media are doing all they can to create fear in us. Interesting both sides seem to be working together on that one. But this is one problem we can deal with as individuals. If we see someone who lives in fear and hate what do we think? We see someone who is hurting themselves and eventually will create serious health problems. Hate and fear destroy us spiritually by separating us from God, emotionally by separating us from love, mentally by separating us from peace and physically by weakening our immune system. What does it do to us as a nation? How would we counsel someone like that who asked our help? Love is the answer, now what was the question? We might tell them to choose love. The ability to choose is one of the most powerful tools we have. Most of the Americans living in fear and hating the evil ones don't realize the harm it is doing them and that they have the power to choose something else. To love. For when we love there is not room for fear or hate. You who read this do know you have a choice. So if you find yourself fearful find something close to you that's easy to love - a child or a pet. Pay attention to that love. Feel it. Visualize it. Bring it into your consciousness every day. And turn off the television. When someone says terrorist or anthrax and the fear creeps in think about that love. When you are feeling more secure open up and love more. Love your neighbors, love the firefighters and policeman we are calling heros, love those who have lost loved ones. Feel it. Visualize it. Bring it into your consciousness every day. When that becomes comfortable spread it further. Love your country and everyone in it. Love the president, love the CEO's, love those who don't understand you. Feel it. Visualize it. Bring it into your consciousness every day. Then spread it further. Love the world and everyone in it, including the terrorists. They aren't evil, just on a very different path. Which doesn't make their choice okay, nor do we allow it to happen again. Bad things are going to happen, but by choosing love we control how we react to these events and that becomes our reality. What should we have done? Tighten security, unite the world in condemning terrorism and those governments who support it, turn the enforcement over to the United Nations, shut down the financial networks, break up the cells, turn suspects over to an International court, isolate countries who support terrorists while offering aide to their people. Offer love, but tough love. Maybe I am naive and simplistic, but I choose not to live in fear, I feel good about my choices and hey - history shows an eye for and eye doesn't work. We've never tried love, so how can we be so sure it won't work? - Jon Roe |