Political Higher Consciousness
by Robert
Rabbin
OpEdNews.com
"During the 5,600 years of
written history, 14,600 wars have been recorded."
James Hillman, A Terrible
Love of War
It is self-evident that peace among
nations will never grow from the blood-soaked and stained earth of
war. When will we realize that killing others never ends the cycle
of killing, that vengeance and retribution never bring peace? When
will we lose our appetite for killing, for war, for slaughter, for
murder? When will we find another way towards peace and justice?
It must be now, if we are to leave anything worth leaving to our
children. We cannot listen to or be persuaded by those whose
absolutism is unguarded by wisdom.
How are we to do what has never been done before? How are we to find
another way to peace? First, we must be willing. We must first
decide that we have had enough of killing. Regardless of how popular
it might be, we have to decide to stop killing as a way to establish
peace. It has never happened, and it will never happen. It was
obvious to Albert Einstein, and it must surely be obvious to us,
that "we can not solve a problem at the same level of
consciousness that created the problem." This is a scary
notion, I admit. It isn't popular. It won't win elections. But it is
essential to understand that killing does not bring peace. I believe
that something within each of us knows this, feels this, and
understands this to be true. We have to find the courage and faith
to lift our consciousness to another level of understanding, one in
which a killing mentality is no longer acceptable.
"Terrorism cannot be overcome by the use of force," says
the Dalai Lama. He shows us the texture of higher consciousness:
"It is no longer realistic to expect that our enemy will be
completely destroyed, or that victory will be total for us. Or, for
that matter, can an enemy be considered absolute. We have seen many
times that today's enemies are often tomorrow's allies, a clear
indication that things are relative and very inter-related and
inter-dependent. Our survival, our success, our progress, are very
much related to others' well being. Therefore, we as well as our
enemies are still very much interdependent. Whether we regard them
as economic, ideological, or political enemies makes no difference
to this. Their destruction has a destructive effect upon us. Thus,
the very concept of war, which is not only a painful experience, but
also contains the seeds of self-destruction, is no longer
relevant."
The very concept of war is no longer relevant. Beautiful, wise
words, but who can show us what they look like in action, when anger
and fear are burning holes in people's minds, when the call to kill
is a national anthem, when shrill shouts of patriotism hide soulless
pursuits. One example happened just over 26 years ago, when Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat flew to Israel in 1977 to meet Israeli Prime
Minister Menachem Begin. It was an inconceivable thing that he did.
But he did it, nonetheless.
In his address to the Israeli Knesset on November 20, 1977, Sadat
said, "I have chosen to set aside all precedents and traditions
known by warring countries. No one could have ever conceived that
the president of the biggest Arab state, which bears the heaviest
burden and the main responsibility pertaining to the cause of war
and peace in the Middle East, should declare his readiness to go to
the land of the adversary while we were still in a state of war. We
all still bear the consequences of four fierce wars waged within 30
years. All this at the time when the families of the 1973 October
war are still mourning under the cruel pain of bereavement of
father, son, husband and brother."
There was as much smoldering sadness in Egypt as there is in the U.
S. today. There was as much fear, as much rationale for more
violence, more war, more killing. But Sadat found something within
him that wanted to live on higher ground: "We must rise above
all forms of obsolete theories of superiority..."
What came from Sadat's unprecedented action and riveting speech? The
historic peace accords at Camp David. The Nobel Peace Prize, shared
with Menachem Begin. The legacy of higher consciousness trumping
ancient hostilities, militarism, and war.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there are moments in the lives of
nations and peoples when it is incumbent upon those known for their
wisdom and clarity of vision to survey the problem, with all its
complexities and vain memories, in a bold drive towards new
horizons. The example taken and experienced from ancient and modern
history teaches that missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot
establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security
build."
I am sad that Anwar Sadat is not alive today. I would want to hear
him speak, and I would want to see what he would do. I wonder what
distance he would be willing to travel--geographically,
psychologically, and spiritually--to establish peace? I would want
to see how he might "shock and awe" an amazed world with
the kind of vision and courage and daring whose legacy is not mounds
of dead people and ruined cities and torn-apart souls, but a peace
and friendship between all peoples that endures because it bears
witness to the miracle of creation itself.
Anwar Sadat is not here. But you and I are here. What shall we
say? What shall we
do?
_________________________________________________
Robert Rabbin is
a writer, speaker, and spiritual activist. He is the author of
numerous books and articles, and the creator of TruthForPresident,
an online spiritual activism center. For contact information, please
visit www.robrabbin.com or www.truthforpresident.org.
_________________________________________________
© 2004/Robert Rabbin/All
rights reserved
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