A reminder worth thinking about in this war-torn, intolerant world:
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” (Mother Teresa of Calcutta)
Tag Archive for peace
“Grow up!” says God
So many people say that God has told them what He demands to be done in order to honor and obey Him: kill all non-believers; convert people to your concept of Him, and do so by whatever means necessary; enslave people of specific ethnic groups or gender; kill people who kill others (except, of course, when in the process of “cleansing” the Earth); occupy land because He promised you a homeland, then proclaim it as the specific location He promised; treat people of different religious beliefs as inferior and misguided; and interpret the Koran or Bible or whatever your holy book is to support such actions.
Well, God talks to me, too, and I hear Him saying this: What I really want is peace among all My children. Grow up, people, and work on getting along rather than destroying My creation!
Simple Strategy for Peace in the Mid East
Hey, Mr. President, I have a strategy for you that would bring peace to the Mid East and lessen fears throughout the world. Please get the world leaders working on it.
It’s simple, really. All major nations are skilled in spying and sabotage. Put those skills to work by creating a huge rift between ISIS/ISIL and the rest of Al- Qaeda. Convince each that the other is evil and that God wants them extinguished. Then stand back and let them destroy each other.
Oh, and, one more thing, Mr. President–just talk to the world leaders about this; do NOT try to get Congressional approval or the process will take ten years.
My 2014 Wish for You
Dear Readers and Other Friends,
May 2014 bring peace to every corner of your world. Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Jackie
JFK’s Dream: Peace
“He kept the peace.” That’s what JFK said he wanted as his epitaph. And that’s what his short presidency focused on. His promotion of a ban on nuclear weapons helped bring about the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. After being President for only three months, he faced the Bay of Pigs—a situation caused by the previous (Eisenhower) administration, who wanted the U.S. involved in Cuba. He tried to avoid involvement in Laos (also set up by the previous administration) by signing a neutrality agreement. He negotiated with the Soviet Union and fought his own military and intelligence people, who proposed a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. Khrushchev came to respect him. But a year later JFK found himself in the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK also fought against our intervention in Viet Nam because he knew it would escalate, and, once we were there, he planned to get us out as soon as possible.
For details about these events and how JFK handled pressure even from within our own government and pushed for peace, read Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s “John F. Kennedy’s Vision of Peace.”
Today, as I think about that senseless death fifty years, and the violence caused in our world by self-centered, power-hungry people and governments, I’m thankful for the short period of time when we had a champion of peace. I don’t enter into debates over what JFK would have done with his Presidency had he lived. I care only that his dream of peace be carried on by future leaders and that the world come to its senses.
Let’s Create a Fitting Memorial
On this day, I pause to remember the men and women who died fighting America’s wars, including all those “wars,” “police actions,” “peace-keeping missions,” or whatever. Their goal was to liberate different parts of the world from tyrants and regimes that treated people like insignificant, disposable, unworthy, non-humans. This was their contribution to upholding the dignity of man and working toward peace.
A fitting memorial to these people would be to carry on their mission. Not by running off to a far-away land and fighting, but by living our daily lives as though those around us and those foreign to us both near and far, those with different skin colors, religions, socio-economic status–everyone–were human beings made in the image of God. Such a peaceful, tolerant attitude must start with us individually, in our homes, schools, and workplaces and spread to our cities, states, nation, and, ultimately, the world. Maybe such a global attitude will prevent tyrants and hate-groups from getting a foothold.
I know this is idealistic, but so were all those who died fighting our battles. Carrying on their idealism is an appropriate way to honor them. Even if we succeed only in making a more peaceful, tolerant piece of the world in our own lives, that, too, is a fit memorial to them. Today is an excellent day to begin!
Thoughtful Thursday: Finding Peace
“Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not, himself, find peace.” — Albert Schweitzer, physician/Nobel Laureate.