(This is Part 2 of a 4-part article. Go back to Part 1.)
Remember our preamble: Love is the ultimate solution to every problem.
Let's look now at an example in the external world: I'll take my favorite, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Suppose the prime minister of Israel were to say publicly one day, and continue to say, and back it up with action:
"The Palestinians are not our enemies; they are our brothers and sisters. They are related to us more closely than any other peoples on earth. And they are suffering.
"Instead of occupying them, let us give them the land they are asking for, the occupied territories, to enjoy as they see fit. Instead of bulldozing their houses, let us help them build houses. Instead of imposing restrictions on them, let us help them be a free and prosperous people, alongside a free and prosperous Israel."
What do you suppose would happen? My guess is that the terrorism would go away, because the terrorism is only a symptom of a dis-ease, it's not the dis-ease itself, which is the suffering and anger of the people.
There might be many who would say it couldn't work; it doesn't recognize the realities "on the ground," as the saying goes. But how do we know? Has it ever been tried?
Or suppose the Palestinian Chairman said, and backed it up with action: "The Israelites are not our enemies; they are our brothers and sisters. They are more like us than any other peoples on earth.
"Instead of terrorizing them, let us do whatever we can to help them feel secure. They belong here too, just as we do. Let us recognize it; nay, let us rejoice in it. Instead of sending suicide bombers, let us send delegates with flowers to help them mourn the suffering they have endured and ensure them of our good wishes towards a secure and bright future."
Impractical? Immature? Unrealistic? How do we know? Has it ever been tried?
My guess is that the Israelis would soon awaken to the idea that they don't want to occupy the land of their brothers and sisters, but rather, they want to assist them in any way they can towards a free and fulfilling existence.
As with terrorism, the occupation isn't the problem; it's a symptom of the problem, which is Israel's feeling of insecurity. Only by approaching the problem at its root can it be solved in a more permanent way.
Can the problem be solved by war? Of course. The two combatants can wreak so much destruction on each other that a peace will eventually result from sheer exhaustion. But it's not a very good solution, because it involves further misery and suffering on both sides, and because the problem will soon arise again.
Which brings us to the guide itself:
The Guide For Living: Always look to the larger context.
In our example, for instance, it would mean looking beyond the suffering of one's own tribe to embrace the suffering of both peoples. Only in that larger context can the problem truly be solved.
And it only takes one: Either one, the prime minister or the chairman (or others, for that matter), could start the ball rolling down the hill in a new direction, and that ball would gather momentum from both sides as it continued to roll. —Just a little fantasy of mine.
Now let's take a larger example:
On September 11th the president of the U.S. gives an address to the nation, and effectively to the world. What if he said something like this:
"Let us rally around the flag today. Let us rally around the flag of the world today, understanding that this fragile and beautiful world is actually one people, one tribe, one energy, in effect one nation.
"Let us halve our defense budget, and then halve it again, and use that money in a different way. Where there is poverty, let us lift it. Where there is disease, let us attempt to alleviate it. Where there is impure water and unclean sanitation, let us help to cleanse it. Let's begin a mighty effort to do this, all the nations in one noble cause.
"Let us look to our mother the earth. Let us all, all the peoples of the world, look to cleanse her streams and rivers and replant her forests. Let us put real intention into developing renewable sources of energy so that our mother does not suffer from excessive heat.
"Let us, all the peoples of the world, rally around this flag: To help one another live in peace and fulfillment, so that the earth returns to the Garden of Eden that it was meant to be, and among all the galaxies people will point to this small, fragile but lovely planet as an example for all."
My guess, for what it's worth, is that if we followed that speech and others with sincere acts and real deeds, that "terrorism" against the U.S. and other countries would melt away like cold, frozen ice in the warmth of the sun.
Impractacle? Unrealistic? How can we really know? Has it ever really been tried?
The guide for living: Always look to the larger context.
In Part 3 we'll look at how this guide might apply in our personal affairs.
(This is the end of Part 2. Go to Part 3.)
—jim sloman, 9/09/02 for 10/27/02
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