I am a sports fan. Though that may not appear to bear any relevenace to the topic at hand, bear with me.
I have found that the difference between the teams that win championships and the "also rans" is that the teams that win NEED to win. It consumes them, it craves their very existence, it drives them to a level of performance they might not otherwise have known.
For those who have not heard the news, seven more bombings in Iraq today, four in Bagdad, six of the seven targets were churches during evening prayers. It is almost certain that the casualty count from this apparently coordinated series of attacks will be significant, almost completely unlikely that it will be otherwise.
While I am one who will not hesitate at times to engage in a spirited debate, that is all it is, all it will remain. I cannot for a single moment imagine despising you to the point where I would actually want to seek the lives of you or any of your family members. Life is precious, and short, and noone should have to worry about being deprived of it due to political ideology, of all things.
This is where the opening of this article comes in to play. I believe it is not enough to want peace; to end this ridiculous, senseless violence, we need to learn how to NEED peace. It needs to consume us, to fill our very existence. Every thought and action that we undertake should be dedicated to the idea of creating and spreading peace.
For the record, peace does not necessarily mean unity. This is a large enough, and diverse enough planet to accomodate a great deal of ideologies and lifestyles. We can still retain our individuality and our corporate and communal identities without resorting to the destruction of individuals that are unlike us. We do not need to NEED unity, but we do need to NEED peace.
Too many people have died over all this pettiness (I would call it silliness, but it's not. The end result is far too tragic to methaphorically compare with the playful antics of a child. People are dying, and people will continue to die, over what? Since 9/11, we have taken our eye for an eye, and then some. And they have taken theirs. And who has won?
This is not, never will be, a "last person standing" situation. When people die, everybody loses. We are cheapened as a society. We can only win if we win together.
I no longer want peace, folks. I NEED peace, and I will do what I can to obtain it. This doesn't mean I won't debate, or hold controversial opinions. But this means I will attempt to focus on the OPINIONS, not on the person presenting them, in my rebuttals. Won't you join with me in needing peace? It's long overdue, folks.
signing off,
Gideon MacLeish