Reflections on America at War
Peacemaker Community USA Director Fleet Maull

Not knowing; Bearing Witness; and Loving Action
Three Tenets of the Peacemaker Community

Yes, we are at war, and though I find it extremely difficult to use the words "we" and "our" in relationship to this war, I know I must. Part of me deeply wants to call this George Bush's war, the U.S. government's war, the neo-conservative, far right wing of the Republican Party's war, or the corporate or multinational's war ... and yet in my heart, I know it is our war ... my war. Despite all the wonderful things we are capable of as human beings and human communities, despite all of our amazing accomplishments, despite the wonderful advances in international aspirations for justice, human rights, and a compassionate, global civil society, despite the real signs of extraordinarily positive evolution in human society ... at this time in our history, this war is in one sense the best we are capable of as a collective human society. It represents at least on part of the picture of where we are in our evolutionary path as a human culture and world society. It is easy to see this as a war directed by a twisted, confused, and greedy elite bent on world domination; and there is a certain degree of truth in that, maybe a lot of truth.

At the same time, are not the people prosecuting this war mere actors in the human drama that represents our collective best/worst scenario at this point in time. In the long-term or on the cosmic plane, this war may be part of a decline into darkness and the eventual destruction of civilization as we know it. On the other hand, it may be the beginning, middle or end of the last throes of a dying system of nationalist and imperialist domination, that will soon give way to a new era of global civil society based not on control and deterrence but on partnership, cooperation, sharing, interdependence, love and compassion. As we stand in "shock and awe" at the tragic ignorance overtaking our world, are we witnessing an end or a beginning, or both? It's impossible to know, and yet as we stand here in fearful and mournful witnessing, sick at heart over the violence and destruction being perpetuated in our name and the very personal, real, and tragic suffering brought down on so many children, women, and men, the innocents and the combatants alike, is there any hope but to completely own this unfolding tragedy as our own ... as my tragedy ... my war?

Clearly when I look deeply at my daily life and state of mind, I cannot escape the fact that I perpetuate this same violence, ignorance, greed and suffering continually in thought and deed. Perhaps not on anything like the scale we are now witnessing, but is this tragic war anything other than our collective ignorance played out on the world stage? To the extent that we assign blame for this tragedy to someone else or to some other force, to that same extent do we not give away our individual and collective power to do anything about it? As human beings, we find ourselves struggling daily for our piece of the pie. We fear there will never be enough ... enough love, enough food, enough land enough success, money, fame… we struggle to have enough to feel secure and happy. This scarcity-model, fear-based psychology seems to be the unavoidable fate of taking birth in a human body. We call those who completely transcend this psychology saints. The time has come for us all to realize or at least aspire to sainthood, and we have to get there together ... our brothers George, Saddam, and Osama included.

In these dark times, it is difficult to know what to feel or think, much less how to act or to have confidence in the skillfulness or ultimate benefit our actions can produce. I want to march and yell ... and I do. I want to stand silent and meditate and pray ... and I do. And like most of you, I never feel certain that my actions are ultimately skillful or beneficial. Like all of us, I pray this war will be over quickly with as little loss of life and damage as possible. And yet I begrudge George Bush and his confederates in ignorance the "victory," which will likely be the only way to a quick end to the war. Part of me almost wishes "their" war would turn into a protracted quagmire that would bring down the Bush regime; but I certainly can't wish that when I realize it is my war ... our war. I want our war to end immediately, and if that means a perceived victory for the Bush regime, so be it. It is our duty to not fall asleep again and to insist that our democratic processes function as intended and bring people to office who share the same values as most of humanity ... the desire for peace and happiness secured not by force, but by sharing, partnership, generosity, and a global civil society that will outlaw war, or better yet transcend the need for or even the possibility of war.

"Victory over War," one of the more potent phrases or slogans with which my teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche summed up his teaching and our collective purpose, is a victory won in the human heart, not on the battlefield, a victory won both individually and collectively, in the depth of aloneness, hopelessness and darkness and in the light of enlightened partnership and enlightened community ... enlightened society. We will all find our own way to answer both the call to action and the call to silence and prayer in these dark times. With considerable hesitation and humility, I would like to be so bold as to call on all of us to stand up and be counted, to join together in the streets, on the internet, on the airwaves and refuse to be silent, refuse to let this tragic violence go unwitnessed and unchallenged ... and somehow find the way to do so while cultivating a peaceful heart, a heart that can hold the highest possibility of goodness for all of us, George, Saddam and Osama included. Marshall Rosenberg the author and proponent of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), insists that even the most despicable and horrific acts committed by human beings are for that person the most wonderful and beautiful way they have to meet their needs at that moment ... a hard message to swallow when talking about terrorists, rapists, or sex offenders ... examples often used by Marshall. We think our argument or outrage is with the person, with their character, heart or motivation, with who they are; but in reality our argument is with their strategy for meeting their needs. We all share the same basic needs. His Holiness the Dalai Lama reminds us again and again that what unites all of us, without exception, as human beings is our desire for happiness. Violent, damaging, twisted strategies for meeting our common needs for security and happiness are known to be born from wounds and trauma; and until we give empathy to those whose strategies we abhor, we cannot expect or hope for them to even question much less change their destructive strategies. The answer, as we've been told for eons, is love ... empathy, understanding, compassion. How can we love George enough to call forth his highest good, how can we love ourselves enough to call forth our highest good. My personal daily dilemma at this time is how to raise my voice as vigorously as possible in opposition to this war and have that voice be a genuine expression of love and empathy for all, especially our brother George. The answer seems to be in some very challenging integration of inner and outer work, some formula for spiritual or spirit based activism that still eludes us. I know we are all trying our best and stumbling our way together toward realizing that integration or formula in any given moment. Perseverance furthers.
Peace and blessings.

May all beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness;
May they be free from suffering and the root of suffering;
May they not be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering;
May they dwell in the great equanimity free from passion, aggression and ignorance.