I just returned from Hawaii where we “survived” the now infamous ballistic missile threat that understandably created some degree of chaos & hysteria!
No one knew what to do. I was setting up for Playing the Matrix in Waikiki and my family was a block away in bathing suits at the beach. Even though the Matrix has been credited with “saving” many lives in the past, I knew I’d met my match!
I actually found the threat hard to believe since there were no air raid sirens blaring (having spent a few years as a kid in Hawaii I knew these existed). My wife later told me she instinctively looked to the sky when the alert came -- not a bad idea we later learned, as it would only take 12 minutes between launch and impact. Not that seeing it coming would make any difference.
No matter what any of us thought, everyone whose phone received the alarm was forced to imagine what a real threat would be like. The message said to take immediate shelter. But even the locals knew that there’s no such thing for nuclear blasts.
My mind has been dwelling upon two realizations from that experience, John, the first is very obvious: No child in a bathing suit at a beach should ever have their life threatened because of scared, armed adults. Second, and not so obvious: Nothing is worth starting a war over, not even the perceived threat of annihilation. Starting a war to avoid a war really doesn’t make much sense, and neither does the rationale typically implied for a preemptive attack: that it’s OK to kill someone who otherwise might kill you.
This may seem naïve, but: Aren’t we here for an extremely short time anyway? Aren’t we all of God? Aren’t we eternal spiritual beings? And wouldn’t it be better to transition from these hallowed illusions with an olive branch in our hand (because we wanted peace so much we’d risk dying for it), rather than a weapon (because we wanted peace so much we’d kill others for it)? After all, we’re going to spend a lot more time on the other side of life’s curtains than here.
This is not about surrendering to bullies or doing nothing, it’s about how to energetically maximize chances of peace while other means are also pursued.
Whoa! Heavy! Well… my family and I were just threatened with a ballistic missile 😉 Plus, all of my work and the daily Notes are spiritually rooted. How could I not talk about the issues (and how to influence them) that are in our very midst. Besides, I figure, you, John, as much as anyone, if not more so, know that our thoughts can change and save lives.
So, I reasoned that if just a few people rethink how we can best live in peace, these thoughts were worth sharing. Best case scenario… more peace and some enthusiastic replies. Worst case scenario… more peace and a few angry replies. SEND!
Happy February! The month of love! Let’s send some to every corner of our gorgeous, little world.
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