The Path Beyond War
Sharing radical hope from the Heart
“The struggle between 'for' and 'against' is the mind's worst disease.”
— Seng Ts’an
For me all wars are grave tragedies for everyone involved.
No one wins in war.
Innocent children's lives are cut short in brutal ways.
In my heart I know there are wiser ways for mankind to deal with one another.
Though many would call me an idealistic fool, I prefer to hold radical hope in my heart for mankind to transcend war altogether. I pray that we may remain open to divinely peaceful solutions and cease to assume that violence is ever the 'only way.'
One child's senseless death is too many. Every child and every life is precious. We are all connected to everything that happens on this planet. We all feel the agony on some level.
Cyclical retributive violence further entrenches generational karmic curses and radicalizes next waves of violent extremists. It does not honor the dead, it perpetuates the nightmare.
The Zen master Seng Ts'an once said, "The struggle between 'for' and 'against' is the mind's worst disease."
It is surely a tall order, yet I believe that if mankind can learn to 'take no sides' and cease to define any being as an enemy, this is the path beyond war.
In my heart of hearts I do not believe there are any true enemies in this existence. Everyone we see is our own self in another disguise. Our own innocent child. Every being’s innermost heart holds the same fire of unblemished radiance.
If mankind can move toward realizing this, we can begin to discover the transcendent all-embracing Love that is the end of war. This Love first ends the war within oneself, and then ripples out from there.
I pray that we may honestly face and feel in our hearts the senseless brutality we inflict on one another. This goes beyond war; violence shows up in a million subtle ways in how we treat ourselves and those around us.
I feel and know in my heart that there are wiser pathways we can discover as a species. May our hearts see clearly, remain open, offer prayers for peace, and hold radical hope for divinely peaceful solutions.
With Love,
Jordan
Amen 🙏