|  When
accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, Jimmy Carter said that we cannot
create peace in the world by killing one another's children. If we
are to create peace in this world, going to war is not the most effective
strategy.
We do have a war to fight,
and that is a war against poverty, against social injustice, and against
the destruction of the environment. A war on Iraq solves none of the
above. Imagine if we devoted all of our resources, our money and talents
and intelligence, our spirit and our devotion to this task. We are
in a position due to our technological progress to end hunger in the
world. To provide education for all human beings. To create true democracies
based on true human values that all of us cherish: the equality of
each being, the right of all beings to have access to medical care,
to have housing and food, to pray to who they feel prayerful towards,
or to not pray at all. We have the capacity in our hearts to devote
ourselves to the cultivation of compassion and care. If we devote
ourselves to the creation of a world where there is no hunger and
no poverty, we will dismantle terrorism for there will be very few
who will want to martyr themselves and very few who will perceive
Americans as enemies.
If we begin to export
a culture of care and compassion, rather than a culture of violence,
sex and materialism, we will dismantle terrorism. Because there will
be very few who will hold us as enemies.
Imagine if we devoted
our resources (what does it cost these days to fight a war?? billions)
to the effort of ending poverty and hunger, to the effort of creating
a kind and just world. Imagine.
© Nina Wise
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