This is the nature of war:
it turns us into enemies. People who have never met kill each other out of fear. War creates so much suffering -- children become orphans, entire cities and villages are destroyed. All who suffer through these conflicts are victims. Coming from a background of such devastation and suffering, having experienced the French-Indochina War and the Vietnam War, I have the deep aspiration to prevent war from ever happening again.
It is my prayer that nations will no longer send their young people to fight each other, not even in the name of peace. I do not accept the concept of a war for peace, a "just war," as I also cannot accept the concept of "just slavery," "just hatred," or "just racism." During the wars in Vietnam, my friends and I declared ourselves neutral; we took no sides and we had no enemies, North or South, French, American, or Vietnamese. We saw that the first victim of war is the person who perpetrates it. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind."
A Personal Peace Treaty
To make a personal peace treaty we can write: "Dear Self, I promise to practice and live my daily life in a way that will not touch or water the seed of violence within me." We are determined in every moment to protect ourselves from negative thinking and to nourish loving-kindness within us. We can also share this commitment with our beloved ones. We can go to our partner, our son or daughter, and say, "My dear, my beloved one, if you really love me, please do not water the seed of violence in me. Please water the seed of compassion in me. I promise to do the same for you."
Source: Daily Om
Jan 11, 2008
The Nature of War and a Personal Peace Treaty
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4 comments:
Truly inspiring Carol!! And oh so true,so true!!
I pray for peace daily. I don't think we will have peace until we don't have politics anymore.
The war that makes me so mad is war over religion.
www.pafundi.com
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Number of Operations Iraq Freedom and Enduring Freedom casualties as confirmed by U.S. Central Command: 4375
Hey Jackie and Ted,
Peace in the truest sense of the word is probably never gonna happen as you say Ted, politics and religion are great obstacles. We can, however, start with ourselves and maybe spread a little peace.
Hi Carol,
what a beautiful post! If we can accomplish that in our personal relationships, to help each other become more compassionate and bring peace to our own world, that will be the first step towards Global peace. And make our own relationships that much more fulfilling..
I so agree with you on those horrible effects of war.. next to that, the fact that the survivors, have had to watch their loved ones being raped and/or slaughtered, will have an incredibly saddening effect on their own lives, and even that of future generations. I greatly admire those that work on healing those wounds..
Thank you for sharing these inspiring words,
a peaceful weekend to you,
Ellen
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