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And the Thanksgiving that followed September Eleventh
14 years ago
My mother's brother, Gordon, and my aunt Fran hosted for the Thanksgiving that followed the September Eleventh attacks. I greeted my aunt with a hug and said something to the effect of: "The world is not ready."
It was my way of saying that September Eleventh was a historical step backwards from reaching world peace. I knew that a majority of the people in this country wanted retaliation. I hardly knew anything of Buddhism, at the time, but I had learned enough from Jesus, Gene Roddenberry, and a single conversation with an Islamic person, to be enlightened enough to feel that there must have been a better answer than retaliation.
When I met and started going out with Stacy, my mate, the following Spring, she introduced me to what she had learned from books written by Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. I was impressed. Jesus says, love your enemy. Thich Nhat Hanh says that understanding and loving are the same thing. If we learn to understand our enemies, then we can learn to love them, and they will no longer be our enemies.
Why does anyone attack anyone else? It is because they feel wronged. The "wrong" must be extremely serious, if one is willing to commit an act of terrorism. Take enough time, and I'm sure we can all see how the west has effected these people, to feel that we have served them, and still are serving them, a great injustice.
If we take the time to understand each other, we will want to stop hurting one another, and there will be peace.
It was my way of saying that September Eleventh was a historical step backwards from reaching world peace. I knew that a majority of the people in this country wanted retaliation. I hardly knew anything of Buddhism, at the time, but I had learned enough from Jesus, Gene Roddenberry, and a single conversation with an Islamic person, to be enlightened enough to feel that there must have been a better answer than retaliation.
When I met and started going out with Stacy, my mate, the following Spring, she introduced me to what she had learned from books written by Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. I was impressed. Jesus says, love your enemy. Thich Nhat Hanh says that understanding and loving are the same thing. If we learn to understand our enemies, then we can learn to love them, and they will no longer be our enemies.
Why does anyone attack anyone else? It is because they feel wronged. The "wrong" must be extremely serious, if one is willing to commit an act of terrorism. Take enough time, and I'm sure we can all see how the west has effected these people, to feel that we have served them, and still are serving them, a great injustice.
If we take the time to understand each other, we will want to stop hurting one another, and there will be peace.
