War, and our part in its creation

Listening to the world news one hears again about the ceaseless wars in the middle east. Both sides sight right on their side and so the death and destruction continues. This is not an intellectual discussion this is a fact is it not?

Both sides are loosing as suffering is taking place and this will continue as one side tries to quash the other. There is no victor in conflict, there is only conflict and all the insecurity and fear that that brings.

It is too easy to take sides however supposedly rationally one comes to ones decision. In fact taking sides is surely the root of the problem. To decide that one side is right and the other is wrong is almost certainly based on ones own beliefs and conditioning which is rarely based on fact.

Do not all human beings irrespective of nationality, religion, ethnicity, tribe, culture and society have the same rights?

 If we cannot destroy the opposition, and this is not being recommended, how are we to resolves these conflicts wherever they exist? Firstly in the human sense how are they created? Surely they are created by the will of the individual being exerted outwards. The individual who wants power, who wants their way of life to continue, to prevail over others ideas of how they would like to live, and they, in turn, are doing the same.

This comes from our sense of individuality, of having what we want for ourselves and following our own desires. In most societies this is encouraged; to pursue our own interests, or the interests of our group, be it family or nation etc, without much concern for others needs. This activity of reinforcing the self, forcing our will and beliefs on others causes the conflicts that eventually lead to death and destruction.

It is therefore self centred activity that ultimately causes war and that selfish activity is the action that leads each one of us to to take sides and therefore create enemies.

Without enemies there is no war so perhaps the first thing to do is understand that it is each one of us who creates enemies when we choose a side that suits us according to self centred preferences.

In defence of the realm

Words like realm, kingdom, majesty, sovereignty, supreme power and authority seem to conjure up such images of solemnity and seriousness that have tremendous weight and overrule words like humility, integrity, sensitivity, forgiveness and awareness. It is no accident that those in authority use the words that conjure the images of solemnity and seriousness when motivating its members to action.

At times of stress we get angry with the gentle words. Our patience is thin and we want resolutions and external actions that support our rationalised cause irrespective of the facts and the others views. We see a solution, not in the modification of our own behaviour but in the modification of the others.

Our nations and religions behave as we do for they can only be an extension of what we are. They are not a separate entity; they are a reflection of or own contradictions, fragmentation and hypocrisy. We defend ourselves, our egos, with all its self centred desires, against others who have a different point of view and lose contact and communication and this is what nations and religions do in time of disagreement because there can be not other outcome or course of action if we ourselves are in conflict and fragmented. What is inside is outside, it is one. For the concerns of the world to be remedied the internal concerns have to be deeply understood not externalised so we can blame somebody else for our problems.

The fear of losing security, whether it be ones partner, one’s home or job has to be understood not just blindly defended because it is a personal possession, the tradition or ones conditioning.

It is sometimes difficult to find the words with which to express oneself deeply with. Perhaps words are too full of imagery rather than real meaning, loaded with easy illusions that do not explain the truth.

What is trying to be said here is that our individual lives are in conflict and so too therefore must be our national and religious lives with their habits and rituals, dogma and controls. It is not being said that one should be against the individual, state or religion but one cannot be part of something that controls and conditions one into fear for in fear are the actions that lead to conflict, hate and war.

What is surely required is complete responsibility in relationship. In complete relationship there is no enemy; one is in discussion as with a friend.