Peace in time of war

Peace in time of war

December 6, 2001

Greetings, Gentle Reader,

This is the season when the thoughts and yearnings of all Christendom turn to the birth of Him Whose name we bear. His message is one of peace, which is of great importance to Americans this year.

Americans do not glory in war. We are not a warlike people at heart; we have no desire for conquest, no drive to control other peoples and countries. We wish them well, but want them to work hard enough, wisely enough to control their own destinies.

Perhaps that is why it is literally impossible for us to understand those who are determined to control other peoples and countries. We are inclined to call those who glory in conquest and battle "sick." Since we can’t figure them out, we decide they must be crazy. Surely, some few are, but a much greater percentage are evil, purely and simply.

Hitler thirsted for power long before he seized control of Germany and used it as a vehicle to conquer Europe, killing untold millions in his quest for absolute power. And Stalin didn’t just wake up one morning and wander around, absentmindedly enslaving Russian and all her satellites while he decided what to have for breakfast. He had an all-consuming hunger for power, and he and his evil henchmen slaughtered even more millions than Hitler while gaining it.

Of course, they murdered each other in the bargain, but that, too, is a common pattern of truly evil people. They have the "lobster" mentality, in that they turn on each other as viciously as they do the innocent.

Throughout history, the pattern has always been the same; conquerors have had an obsessive drive for power, glory and fame, and a determination to create such a paralyzing fear in others that they submit to enslavement.

Some Americans insist we must talk to those who attacked us, so we can understand why they don’t like us. The problem? We already know why they attacked us. If we have any questions, we can look at the history, both recent and ancient, of their dealings with neighbors. It is one of continual conquest. If a neighbor is weak, or can be weakened, it will be attacked.

Now, they are attempting to weaken us, so they can attack us, which means we can expect more terrorist attacks. Why would be expect them to behave any differently towards us than they do towards their own neighbors?

The youngest male children in the Middle East have been, and are being, trained to live for jihad, and especially, to focus on suicidal acts of war. No country that concentrates on war and aggression will ever be truly concerned with the welfare of its people, especially the weak and poor, who are only tolerated for what they can provide those in control. The wealthy and powerful are very important, while all the others are no more than potential cannon fodder.

In many of these countries, the few wealthy are multi-billionaires, while the millions of poor are starving to death. Could these powerful people lift their countrymen to a higher standard of living? Of course, if they wanted to do so.

Will there ever be peace in the world, in the literal sense? No, not while it is inhabited by evil people, who equate peace with weakness. But each of us can have peace within ourselves, provided we have a capacity for peace.

The formula is simple: Love one’s neighbor as oneself, and prove it by treating him accordingly, which just naturally tends to bring us closer to a God Who love us and can and will give us peace, if we are willing to reach for it.