Calling all peace activists! Important question for you here!
Please, only answer this question if you have a strong opinion on President Bush (and that means that you think he’s a brainless egomaniac), and if you want the war in Iraq to end. You know. Bring the troops home.
Now, ask yourself — Do you really want the war to end peacefully?
Are you sure? If you had a wish, would you wish for a perfect resolution to the war under Bush’s watch, even if it meant that Bush’s approval rating soared up to 95% and he was considered an international hero and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the Republicans were elected for the next eight presidential terms?
Or do you secretly harbor a desire that the war continues to be a flop, that history proves that Bush was an idiot?
Be honest.
If you do secretly (or not so secretly) hold a desire that Bush is proven to be a miserable failure , what are you really wishing for? What is it you want to hear on the news each day? Do you fervently hope that you hear that Bush’s plans are working wonderfully and everyone is happy and peaceful, or do you hope that there is darker news, so that you can say ‘See, I told you so.’?
You can ask this sort of question about almost anything in your life. It applies to arguments with other people, to social issues, to our relationship with ourselves. Do we really want the most peaceful resolution possible, or do we really want to fight for our side of the issue, and know that we were ‘in the right’?
It’s easy to wait for the next election, to frown on Bush, and to think that things will get fixed after he’s gone. But how many people will die in the war before the next election? Why don’t we wish that Bush’s plans all work out perfectly from here on out? Why don’t we wish that we hear on the news tomorrow that everything is on the up-and-up? Why don’t we wish for peace itself, instead of putting conditions upon it?
It’s easy to put peace off. Whether it’s after Bush is out of office, or after our wife sees that it’s her fault, or after we lose 20 pounds. Then we can have peace in Iraq, peace in our marriage, or peace with ourselves. But this type of peace is really a secret desire to claim victory, to see something or someone suffer so that we can be proven right.
Let’s all wish that Bush’s efforts bring peace tomorrow. Let’s wish that our wife is absolutely right. Let’s wish that we (and others) can see the beauty of fuller-formed people.
If we stand for continued conflict, let’s admit it. If we stand for peace, then let’s really stand for peace.
When we’re honest with ourselves in this way, then we move from self-delusion toward awareness. And with awareness, we discover new and profound ways to implement change.
Kenton,
I’m stunned. This shines a totally different light on a lot of things I’ve been doing…
I’m not an american, and this issue in particular doesn’t affect me as much as other folks, but i must say that it gets me thinking. Time for me to realign with true peace, in every aspect, in every expression.
There are elements to this dance we are in that are scary.
One is President Bush. I have observed him over the last eight years to be absolutely stubborn. Mr. Bush charged us into a war that has been a disaster predicated upon lies- the result of which has been the loss of life and limbs for thousands of men, women, children and our forces in uniform. Yet, he is seemingly unaffected by this.
President Bush has a veneer of self-righteousness that is infuriating.
Our country has suffered under his administration (and I do mean suffer)
the erosion of privacy, the loss of international respect, the loss of economic stability, the set-back of scientific progress in stem-cell research and on combating the threat of global warming, gasoline prices that are alarmingly out of control, the explosion of terrorists vowed to destroy the United States, torture as he thumbs his nose at the Geneva Convention…
I could go on and on.
Now, having said all this, Kenton, your point about just what my personal wishes are regarding the outcome of all this is well taken. If I am completely honest I must say that I do wish that all would come to a peaceful, successful conclusion. But, given what has transpired over the past eight years that is in fact, I believe, an impossibility. Therefore, it is pointless to wish for peace and happiness under the current circumstances.
As I said at the top of my discourse, there are scary things afoot in the thing we call Ourselves. What I can wish for is that someday the sleeping Giant, (Us) will awaken and decide that the way of suffering must end. That there has been enough of the Way in which we now come to realize Nirvana, (suffering) and institute a state of never ending bliss in which the beings can exist in harmony and enlightenment.
But, when one considers the topic you have introduced, that seems a long way off. However, I totally ‘get’ your point about being in a peaceful mindset. I just find it difficult to consider Mr. Bush and Peace in the same context.
Greetings Jerry,
If we sat down and talked, we’d probably discover that we agree on much of what you said. I’ve had some surprised questions from my friends, who know I don’t approve of Bush’s agenda or methods (scary is a word I might use, as you did), and thus there was some surprise at my apparent framing of him in this writing.
However, I think you also caught the ‘heart’ of this article, which really had nothing to do with Mr. Bush. I think your vision of an end of suffering can be a reality, but it will take the act of discovering our own active contributions to the world’s conflict, especially among those of us who feel we are acting for peace.
Like all of us who desire peace, Mr. Bush very well might believe that his actions will lead us toward a peaceful world. In his case, his contribution to violence is blatant and easy to see.
Others of us might also feel we are acting for peace, while our attitudes actually create situations in which we promote subtle but significant brands of conflict. If we can develop an awareness of our own conflict-creation, we can cease to use misguided methods and truly become active contributors toward the vision you describe.
This is the self-honesty and clarity I was pointing toward in this article.
Sweetwater,
Kenton
As always, Kenton, your clarity cuts through the confusion. I fully understand your statement that out own attitudes and actions, even though we are on a small stage, can have significant ripples which may resonate conflict and trouble. Thanks for this bit of enlightenment! I see that my own negativity, however well-intended, contributes to unease in the whole. I really want to strive to be a positive influence toward the greater good and peace in the world. This lesson certainly contributes to moving me in that direction.
Thanks!
Jerry