I received a lot of comments
from readers last week [Msg-3-Nov-2015;
Fear and Response After Paris]. With her permission I want to repeat an
email conversation between a reader and myself:
I have given this much thought.
I actually physically feel the pain that is going on in this world...not
just in other countries, but here as well.
There are gangs and violence.
There is hunger and homelessness…. There was a time when you could
actually pick up a hitch hiker. That is no longer a safe thing to do. It's not about fear, it's about intelligence.
I would love to open my home to a family that is homeless. And I did at one time. I was robbed and taken to school!...
As far as the immigrants....How do we turn our backs on them? And yes it is true that not all of them are
bad. But what if just 1% of them are
terrorists? Can we open the door to 5000
terrorists and bring that danger to our children and grandchildren. It seems an easy decision to help others,
until you personalize it. Would you not
stand and fight someone who was trying to harm your grandchildren? I know I would.
Yes it is very unfair to the 495,000 that are not terrorists. But we
must protect our families and that is one hell of a gamble.
I agree that violence is not the answer, but when someone is holding a
gun to my grandchild's head, I will definitely respond by shooting them and
saving my grandchild. This isn't about
anger and fear, it is about love and protecting ones that you love.
There are people in this world....LOTS AND LOTS of people in this world
who have been brainwashed into wanting to kill us. You cannot ignore this and think you can just
love that person enough to get him/her to put down their gun and not kill your
grandchild.
And the thing that is so sad about all of this, is that they are doing
it in the name of religion. They believe
they are following God's plan. And just
like any religious zealot [including those in the U.S.], you cannot convince them that their beliefs are wrong.
I think we all have the responsibility to share love and
understanding. To give love completely
and unconditionally. But that doesn't
mean that we should love the person who enters the theater and starts
shooting. It means we should love all of
the others in that theater and stop that one violent person.
Yes love is the answer. But
protecting those you love is also love.
Lock your doors at night. Don't
pick up hitch hikers. As far as solving
the world's problems...I wish I had the answer.
But unfortunately I do not. I
give and share love, but I also try to make informed decisions that will insure
my safety and that of others that I can help.
Dear _______: Thank you for your
comments….
I am constantly reminded of the ACIM
axiom that states every thought and action I take is either increasing love or
fear. However, I live in this 3-D world of separation and dualism. Although I
believe I am an already-loved eternal spirit having a human experience, I still
drive on the right side of the center-line of the highway - and hope that the
car approaching me does the same. I still contain my anger when I see unfair
and unjust occurrences in this world. I do not go and throw bombs or bricks at
a judge who allowed some minor legal technicality to let some guilty person
walk free or to refuse to hear evidence indicating someone has been wrongly
imprisoned. I try to manage my money and live within my means. I always find I
have enough to allow me to share. And I try to ask the Holy Spirit to guide me
to be able to look on anger and fear as a call for love. I ask Him to help me
in what to say, or not. I still need to do a lot of work on myself with that.
To me responding to ISIL/ISIS
and responding to the refugee situation are two different things. The political
response on the Right and the Hawkish Left gloms the 2 issues together. I want
to keep them separate. I also am trying to raise everyone’s consciousness to
the blatant self-serving fear mongering that serves to distort my perception of
reality - and maybe yours as well.
The Paris terrorists were not
Syrians. They are French and Belgian citizens. In 1935-40 we refused and threw
out thousands of Jewish refugees from the growing menace of Nazi Germany. We
were afraid they might be communists or fascists. They were sent back to
Germany, where boxcars waited for them. We know what happened.
Anything I can do to prevent a
recurrence of that kind of phobic reaction I want to do. Yet, this too is a
form of fear.
Something else to think about: 23,092
– The number of Syrian refugees the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) has interviewed, checked, and referred to the U.S. Refugees
Admission Program. 7,014 – The number of Syrians the Department of Homeland
Security has interviewed since FY 2011. 2,034 – The number of Syrian refugees
who have been admitted since FY 2011. 0 – The number of Syrian refugees
resettled in the U.S. that have been arrested or removed on terrorism charges.
The process From UNHCR to
admission to the U.S. is 18-24 months. So, in reality, we are vetting and
admitting only 10% of the UN’s prior vetting.
Blessings, Don
I appreciate your comments, but would like to clarify mine
somewhat....my thoughts were not directed to just the Paris attacks. My thoughts and pain for this world is about
those who bring evil into the world and make it such an unsafe place that they
leave us with the terrible decisions to make about trying to be safe. I reiterate, this is not about fear, it is
about love and making intelligent decisions to protect ourselves and others.
I too am a spiritual being having a human experience. And I believe we are all where we are meant
to be. I also believe that I should use
my faith and love and strength to stand up and protect those that I can, even
at great personal cost.
Fear is fear – whether or not I
can justify it. My personal fears are the most difficult issues for me to
recognize and “own.” When I think of texting drivers, distracted drivers, or
drunk drivers, I would be forced to never let my grandsons into a car, where
the statistical odds of being hurt or maimed or killed are greater than those
of being attacked by terrorists or a “Sandy Hook” shooter. When I am trying to
protect or prevent, I am in fear. I agree with you that sometimes in this 3-D
world that is appropriate. Regardless, however, I need to be aware of what I’m
doing and why. I will never be rid of all my fears. That is not my spiritual
goal – it is, however, the spiritual target that I aim for. The only way I know
how to keep my eye on that target is to be conscious of the fear swirling
around me and inside me.
I am slowly (and I emphasize
“slowly”) beginning to understand how important it is for me to simply allow
myself to quiet my mind. I used to try to meditate while trying to understand
that the fear/response motivating ISIS/ISIL for example, is the same
fear/response that is motivating biblical fundamentalists or white supremacists
or anti-abortionists or me. It’s a fear that has attached itself to some form
of religious principle or to a form of being “right” and appears to provide people
a little solace. If I could just believe that thought fully enough, it would
provide me some peace. All it ever did was put me at war with myself, which is
not very peaceful.
Just being quiet and letting the
fear – and everything else (including my sense of being “right”) – go has
offered me more little slices of peace and serenity than anything else I have
found. In essence, that is what the Course in Miracles calls for me to do. Just
be still and observe my thoughts with no investment in them. There’s an old West
Texas adage: “You can’t stop bad thoughts from entering your head, but you can
stop pulling out an extra chair and inviting them to sit and visit.”
But that is so hard for me to do
sometimes! I’m glad I’m only a work in progress – striving for spiritual
progress not spiritual perfection.
Although these messages are
mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this
message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual
journey.
Blessings to each of you as you
wrestle with this.
Don
#4 Nov 2015
Copyright 2015
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