My soul is not for sale...Is yours?
Terrorism that leads a people to perpetual war and hate degrades us as human beings. It wittles away at our souls until there is nothing left, and is also then the cause of great emotional, spiritual, and mental anquish. No society can truly prosper in a state of perpetual war and violence.
No people can truly be free.
Leaders who sing sweet platitudes about their violent actions bringing, "freedom," are only pulling the wool over your eyes. For violence begets violence, and once that cycle is enacted it never ends as long as the atmosphere it thrives upon continues. That is now where we find ourselves not only as a people, but where the world now stands. It is fact, that if those who purport to lead nations truly wanted peace, we would not be at war. If those who purport to care for our poor truly wanted them to prosper, they would not send them to die in their wars.
The first step to us realizing the peace and prosperity we seek, is ridding our government of those who speak warm and fuzzy words yet practice just the opposite. They are truly one of the main root causes of terrorism... Those whose souls lack the integrity to seek new ways to bring about peace.
The world now sees the United States of America as an outlaw bully nation whose people give mandates to those who espouse preemptive war, torture, terrorism, and violation of the rule of law. We have surely lost our way as recent events have proven.
Consider the inauguration of this phony that took place just three months ago... People knowing the lies told that sent our children to die, and Bush was still treated like a King. Is that truly the American way? The human way? Spectacles with marching bands and parade floats to lull the people into a false sense of security and pride are the most heinous form of propaganda.
Americans need to look beyond that to the world, and to see the stark reality of what we have done. That is the first step to renewing these days. Unfortunately, more than half of the population of this nation has now been brainwashed into thinking that to perpetuate violence ends it. They believe that the way to end poverty is simply to kill the poor. They believe that murder is justified if they can say God told them to do it. They have then become soulless creatures who only act on the whims of their masters. They are then themselves victims of terrorism.
There is a sickness in the soul of America, and this sickness will not be healed with only outward actions or lofty words. It will also not be healed no matter how many times you step into a church to simply step out of it again practicing the same hypocrisy. It will require an introspection that goes far beyond tanks, bombs, parades, fake smiles, nationalism, fearmongering, and using religion for political expedience. It will require a spiritual catharsis taking place in this country unlike any other. And that is not along the same lines as invoking the name of Jesus Christ in every other sentence as if that absolves you from your sins. It is a true change in mindset that frees your heart to never commit the sin. It requires empowering our children to that mindset as well. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon.
And by spiritual, that to me means looking into your very soul to the true morality that guides you. It means coming to terms with your own imperfections and seeing the world not only from your own perspective, but from the perspective of others and learning to live in concert with those perspectives. It is realizing that the hatred in this world you seek to face will never be extinguished with hateful actions disguised under catch phrases. It is also coming to terms with the fact that our world is our home, and the only home we will ever have. What we do in this home not only effects us all now, but will effect those who come to see it as their home for years to come. Spiritual responsibility is not about going to church, it is about living our lives in a way that preserves human dignity no matter where we are.
This is a statement from the Dalai Lama regarding the root causes of terrorism. It is definitely worth the read: Dalai Lama
There will always be good and evil in this world, that is just the way of it. The sooner we come to terms with that and start working on ways to pool our resources to go towards worthwhile endeavors that bring peace and tolerance ( which also means taking a vital role in the lives of our children and what we teach them), the sooner we will see the answer. However, again that will also require a change in spirit and communicating that spirit globally, which of course, to defense contractors and the politicians in bed with them is much harder on their profit margins than dropping bombs on defenseless people.
Terrorism, war, environmental degradation, subjugation of the weak and the poor, and using lofty words to justify those actions does nothing to move us forward. Our leaders who continue along this road are not leaders who espouse freedom, they enslave. They do not espouse Democracy, they warmonger. They do not cherish this Earth, they destroy it. Perpetual war is war no matter how you wrap it, and it is the ruin of all Democratic societies. And as long as we continue to allow it to go on our souls too are degraded, and we will never truly be free. And for me that is simply unacceptable.