If We Want An End To War…Someone Has To Stop Fighting
“…to walk peacefully on earth is the real miracle.” Thich Nhat Hanh
There is a whole world out there called “new agey” and it’s most often met with a lot of judgment. Humanity has been trained to operate with a rich bias against anything new. Fighting for tradition, fighting for rights, even fighting for peace weaves through culture, language and belief systems as if fighting is “the normal way”.
Fighting is familiar and effective to be sure … but effective at what?
“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein
Leaders of humanity have suggested the ending of war several times. Often these leaders walked in the path of a religion or were packed into a belief system. The message has been delivered, but the construct of a religion or belief still invites conflict from those who prefer to believe differently. The message gets filed as someone else’s propaganda.
A man argued with me that it is possible to fight for peace - the US fought with Japan and there has been peace ever since. Is fighting to the point of total domination what generates peace?
“Peace is more than the absence of war. Peace is accord. Harmony.” Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke And Bone
Harmony is not static. It is a dynamic state where all parts are playing, fully engaged with each other. A symphony does not work when the strings are fighting the woodwinds, when the horns dominate the soloist. Music does not go hunting, muting itself and destroying the composer because one instrument is out of tune. Music invites awareness that a note is off and action to return it to harmony. Harmony generates beauty, flourishment, evolution.
The shift for humanity is to recognize that fighting is effective for survival. Humanity mastered survival with the advent of farming. Perhaps it’s time to graduate to something greater.
“I don’t believe you can threaten people into goodness.” Cassandra Clare
Humanity is unique in all of nature with the ability to choose to go against one’s nature. A long history of domination and subjugation has woven into common belief that fighting is normal. That which is common is not necessarily normal.
Beyond all religion or political belief is each individual’s opportunity to walk in harmony. Harmony is normal, but it is not yet common among humanity. It takes the courage of each individual to do something new, to express what feels good, to share that expression as a contribution to harmony.
All are welcome to fight, but this seems like a good time to wonder, is it your natural expression to work so hard at something so ineffective for the evolution of a species? Harmony is called “new agey” and often judged into muted expression. But what could be more pragmatic than the courage to be honest with yourself and the willingness to flourish?
