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Chapter
X The Strategy for Victory Over Global Conflict We
entered the new millennium with apocalyptic predictions followed by
giddy relief when we strode into it unscathed and relieved. All that has
changed. A foreign legion without uniforms, homeland or flag invaded
our country. An aerial attack, destroyed the capitol of world commerce.
When the twin towers crumbled, our nation trembled. This act of
aggression invaded every home. The stench of death, the chill of fear is
everywhere. In
the aftermath of the terrorist attack, the question haunting us is,
“How can we win this new kind of war against this fanatical,
suicidal foe?” We can’t. If there is any lesson for this millennium
from those that preceded it is: wars are never won. Only peace can be
won. In the most civilized proclamation ever made, Jesus said,
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the sons of
God.” Recent
history teaches that to “win” a war is still to lose. Against Korea
in the 50’s and Viet Nam in the 60’s, in Iraq in the 90’s and in
our present ongoing conflict, we
declared ourselves “winners.” Retreating from Viet Nam, we contend
we were “not losers.” In every case, nobody won. Measured in terms
of misery and death everybody lost. Each war “won” increased
global danger and hostility. When the enemy is half a world away, it is
easy to pick up our arms and walk away proclaiming myopically, “We
won.” But the world cynically smiles knowing it is not true. Even the
“triumphant” warriors, with wounded bodies and souls, know that our
pyrrhic victory was no victory at all. Learning
From Successful Peacemakers Take
heart. Now is our
opportunity to enter this “war on terrorism” with the will to win
the peace. The eminent military historian Sir John Keegan points out
that this war is different than any before it. Always in the past, he
observes, war has been related to nations, government policies and
armies. That is not the case in this war. “Terrorism,” says Keegan,
“in the name of Islam, is fundamentally an idea. Only a cleverer and
more flexible idea will defeat it.” What is that cleverer idea? Where
do we find it? First
we must learn how to wage peace not war. That demands wisdom and
statesmanship. We must be committed to compassion and humanity, not
rhetoric and politically motivated warfare. We must learn from past
successful peace wagers, the triumphant peacemakers. None is more
appropriate to our present conflict nor more worthy of emulation than
St. Francis of Assisi. St.
Francis of Assisi From
the 11th through the 14th centuries, our European forebears fought
against Islam. The Crusades were an ongoing three hundred year
slaughter in the name of God. The purpose of this Christian jihad was to
win back the holy sites in Palestine from the “infidel Moslems.” It
is one of the darkest periods of the Church’s history. In that
conflict, Francis holds humanity’s medal of honor as a peacemaker.
While popes, kings and princes declared war against Islam, Francis
declared peace. With
his first faithful follower, a physician he renamed Juniper, he crossed
the Mediterranean to North Africa. There they stood before rank upon
rank of Crusaders. “You bear the cross on your armor,” he
proclaimed. “Place it rather in your heart and remove your armor. Lay down your weapons and live in peace!” They laughed at
“God’s troubadour,” as he called himself. They called him “pazza,”
crazy. A short time later, while walking in the desert, the two were
taken prisoner by Muslim soldiers. The peacemakers were taken to the
commanding general and sultan, a descendent of Mohammed. After
questioning the two monks, he said, “You are mad. But your madness is
divine.” Whereupon he released them, but not until the sultan had
given them a personally authorized paper granting them free access to
all the holy places in Palestine the crusaders had been fighting and
dying to regain. The crusaders lost the war. Francis won the peace. Many
are familiar with the peace prayer attributed to this servant of Peace.
Although there is no historic evidence that he in fact wrote it, the
words accurately reflect his spirit. They define his Master strategy
for peace. Lord,
make me an instrument of Thy peace; Where
there is hatred, let me sow love; Where
there is injury, pardon; Where
there is doubt, faith; Where
there is despair, hope; Where
there is sadness, joy. He
lived this prayer. It is our challenge to live it, too. A
Modern Peacemaker Conquers Muslim Terrorism A
20th Century
peacemaker is Dr. Frank Laubach. Through his EachOneTeachOne
literacy program, he taught over one hundred million people in the third
world to read and write. It was Lowell Thomas, the Walter Cronkite of pretelevision
radio, who said that Laubach was “the most noble personality of the 20th
Century.”
Early
in his global ministry, Laubach lived on the island of Mindanao in the
Philippines. Muslim Moros were killing Christians wherever they found
them. Laubach refused to be their enemy. In a letter to his father he
said, “Their faith calls them to do the will of Allah. Unless I can live
to do the will of God as passionately as they do, I have no right to share
God’s love with them.” He knew what God’s will was. “Love your
enemies...” was the directive of the world’s greatest peace
strategist. “Bless those who curse you; bless and curse not.” But how
practical are such pronouncements? When debated by those who are not
committed to waging peace they are readily discredited. As lived by
Laubach, they proved invincible. A
few weeks after he had written of his resolve, he was walking through the
jungle near the edge of a river. A
large dugout war canoe filled with Moro warriors approached the shore near
where he stood. In the boat was a mullah, a Muslim priest who recognized
him. He approached Laubach and said, “We know you to be a true servant
of Allah. Will you please come down to the river and pray His blessing on
these men?” And he did. Today,
Muslim radicals in the Philippines are still pillaging and killing, so
it only seems fair to critically observe that Laubach didn’t bring
peace. However, on the contrary, he did. Most significantly he brought
peace to his own heart. Of cosmic significance, millions of people caught
a glimpse of a world of love and peace through his vision. This is the
impact of one man which will lead to winning the peace. And we can learn
from the terrorists how to make this vision a reality in our collective
lives. The
Terrorists’ Strategy In Peacemaking These
fanatical Jihad warriors don’t work and plan alone; cells exist
throughout the world. They don’t seek publicity. Quite the contrary. A
key to their success is anonymity. In these secret circles lies their
power. Their power and effectiveness was demonstrated on the morning of 911.
Although the purpose of the peacemaker is the opposite of the
terrorists’, the strategies are the same. Across
this country and on every continent, groups prayerfully meet to learn and
share the principles of peace. They assemble in homes, churches and
temples, at offices and schools. They represent no particular religious
affiliation. Coming from a diversity of religious persuasions, there is
no intention to proselytize. As “peacemakers anonymous” their goal
is to discover inner peace and share it. They are like the leaven to which
Jesus referred: “The Kingdom of Heaven (where peace alone is found) is
like the leaven a woman places in a large amount of flour until it works
throughout the whole loaf of dough.” This is the invincible strategy of
these groups. Polarization
And The Triumph Of Light Over Darkness Many
live under the illusion that the world is getting worse. Fear is epidemic.
Peacemakers know better. What superficially appears to be a world
descending into darkness, is simply a process of polarization. The Light
is growing brighter while the shadows grow more pronounced. Forces of
Light don’t fight. They don’t need to. Shadow mercenaries governed by
Fear scream in rage and hatred. But their increasingly ugly attacks are
powerless against our united spirit. The oncediffused rays of Eternal
Light are unifying and becoming laserlike. Through the prayers and
purity of purpose of these Emissaries of Light, the dawn of peace is upon
us. Light shines in the present darkness and the darkness can’t
extinguish it. Rather, the darkness is being extinguished by the Light. “The
Little Church That Stood” The
shadow cast by the missing Twin Towers still darkens the spirits of
those ignorant of this reality, but those possessing true vision see
beyond the shadow. They have stilled their minds and heard a message of
hope from Ground Zero. They remember what New Yorkers have come to call
“The Little Church That Stood.” One short block from The World Trade
Center stands St. Paul’s Chapel. President George Washington knelt in
prayer within its walls. Built ten years before our nation was established,
it lived to see the destruction of the giant cathedral of trade and
commerce that dwarfed it. Amazingly, it is unscathed, standing amidst
total devastation. Not a single window was so much as cracked. Today it
continues to serve the physical and spiritual needs of a grateful community.
It stands as a silent witness to a LightSource terrorists can’t touch
and terrorism can’t extinguish. The
Currency Of Peace Power Pragmatists
continue to believe that the currency of success is power and that it is
minted in corporate boardrooms and in the halls of government. It is not.
It is printed in the minds of individual souls. Only there do we find the
power to love, the power to forgive and the power to create a vision of a
world at peace; where swords are beaten into plowshares and where war will
be waged no more. This lofty goal, prophesied long ago, will be achieved
by changing minds, one person at a time. It is a matter of choice, not
fate. Herein lies its power. I join with you in choosing the Way of Peace.
Together we will bring peace to our world within. Then we will demonstrate
to others through lives that have faced their Shadows, and by forgiveness
of every antagonist and our will to build sacred Self Images, how peace is
found and lived. With one accord we will sing from our souls, “Let there
be peace on earth and let it begin with me....” Questions
and Answers from Step III: Q:
Why does the idea of being a cocreator
with God seem arrogant and unrealistic? A:
Because our ego feels separated
from our Source and it is. However, you are not separated, not the
Real you. If you remain on the level of the ego’s mad spiritual
isolationism, you cannot be a cocreator with God. That role can be
assumed only by your soul.That spiritual part of your being knows that
this role is both humble and infinitely realistic. Q:
How can I let my soul be in charge
so that it may assume the cocreator role? A:
When you want your soul to be in
charge more than you desire the escapes found in egoinspired fantasy
games of selfish sex, money or power, you simply will it. By that act,
your soul becomes your Chief Operating Officer and the Holy Spirit your
Chief Executive Officer. Q:
What makes the soul so important in
reModeling my life? A:
Because your soul is the
only part of your consciousness that can reModel you. In the
task of developing your lifescript, in selecting your New Model, and
creating its reality in your mind, your subconscious/conscious self
doesn’t have the necessary knowledge or power. Only your soul has such
knowledge and power. Q:
Why bring Jesus into the Picture?
Isn’t that too “Christian?” A:
Yes, it is too “Christian,” if
you ignore his definition of himself in the dialog. There he describes
himself as the one who gave his perfected consciousness to everyone. More
than this, he said he became Everyperson blazing the Path to that Divine
Identity for each person still bound by the illusion of separation,
regardless of their faith, or lack of it. That is hardly too
“Christian.” Rather, it is too magnificent.
Q:
What is the role of the Holy Spirit
in building a new Lifescript Model? A:
He provides the perfect picture of
both your specific need in Model correction and how you can successfully
make that correction. He then directs you to the right set of
circumstances and people to make it hap pen. All you need to do is will
it. The Holy Spirit will do the rest. Q:
How can I ever expect to see world
peace with hostility and fighting everywhere? A: By seeing and living it within yourself. "Everywhere" is "out there." Your world is an inner reality. Peace must be inner peace. People everywhere are discovering this truth. It doesn't make headlines, but it is making headway. Peace is the final destiny of this earth because it is the final God-given condition of your mind, OUR ONE MIND, FOR GOD I LOVE AND LOVE IS PEACE
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