Looking at this peaceful scene , it is easy to believe that war does not exist. Yet it reigns throughout the world, including America. There is the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa and many other unnamed locations.
Today the war in America is Fort Hood, Texas. I awoke to scenes from yesterday’s massacre of people who started the day loving their families, doing assigned jobs, and planning for the week-end. Thirteen of those people will never see it. Why? I am sure this question has been asked many times by the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands and children of those shot down in yet again, another senseless act of violence. How does one protect himself from such acts? The answer lies in the understanding of one’s view of safety.
Before approaching the meaning of safety, I would like to express my deepest sympathy for those individuals who lost a loved one, those suffering from physical injuries, and those trying to heal emotional scars from this experience. No human words can touch the depth of your pain. Also, to the family of the young man who believed destruction was the answer to his pain, our thoughts include you.
Before answering the question “How can we protect ourselves from such acts of violence?” one needs to discover the source of such violence. Thus, I go back to my initial question: Where is the war that mankind is fighting? It is within himself. Is this what Jesus meant when he stated emphatically that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21)? No! How does this kingdom differ from what was going on inside of the man who held the gun that snuffed out the lives of 13 people, and the kingdom Jesus spoke of? The kingdom that Jesus spoke of is harmony, peace, tranquility–a state of thought untouched by earthly thoughts, values and actions. It’s a consciousness “at one with God.” There is no anger, bitterness, violence or mental agony–only goodness and love. Picking up a gun and firing it in the face of an individual, will never enter this level of thought. Whereas the level of thought experienced by the gunman, was self-motivated, self-directed and self-initiated. His only thought was how he felt–what he wanted, what someone said or did to him. Everything was all about him! Here was a man whose job was to help others clarify their thoughts, and he did not have a clue as to how it should be done. The human mind has no answers, and until the world acknowledges this, these acts will continue. The only mind is “the mind of the Lord.” One reaches the mind of the Lord by focusing on thoughts that align themselves with something outside of human logic. I call it God. You can call it what you choose, but it must be elevated above human thinking! “Me-ism” rules the world of human thought, but spirituality rules the consciousness of divine thought. I recognize that their are those who do not believe in anything outside of humanity. I say to you, “Let God be your Judge.”
How does one protect himself from such acts of violence? I yield to the level of David’s thinking in Psalms 91: 9-11). “Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling, For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” Each morning before I start the day, I enter this “habitation” mentally. By so doing, I know that I am protected by love, not confusion, and if for some reason, my human life is taken, I will be moved to a higher level of existence. This knowledge gives me a sense of peace.
The war within mankind begins with “self”–weeding out the seven cardinal sins: lust, greed, pride, gluttony, envy, sloth,and wrath. When he does this, the war inside will cease, because it is replaced with “the kingdom of heaven.”
