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A NEW BASIS FOR PEACE
Love that arises in the human heart is the only true basis
for peace, whether between nations or between persons.
When it is recognized that each heart is part of a greater
Heart, then peace will prevail.
It seems obvious, yet is not obvious at all to most, that one cannot make peace through war, or even through maintaining the armaments of war. Such armaments maintain a temporary peace based in fear of reprisals, rather than altering the underlying motivation toward peace which is the only thing that would ensure its permanence.
In times past, when nations were more evenly balanced in terms of the weaponry and military power they carried, a calculated risk could more easily be taken toward the possibility of winning a war. Today, when nuclear powers proliferate, the chance of standing up to one who holds nuclear power while remaining without it oneself is non-existent. Therefore, without the inner motivation toward peace, one is left to the logical conclusion that one must acquire nuclear weapons oneself.
The world has not yet come to the conclusion that the inner motivation toward peace can and must be altered. There is not enough hope yet in humanity, and not enough trust in the healing capacity of love. These things are considered luxuries or utopian hopes at times of peace, but not necessities as a foundation of trust between nations. For as long as the fear of reprisals remains the main inducement to peace, nations who feel unsure of their relationships with each other or who mistrust another will seek, secretly or openly, to develop a mightier armament of power with which to ensure their safety in a world in which they do not feel safe.
But what of a world in which all could feel safe? This has not yet gained credibility within or between governments, and so it is considered impractical as a means for determining policy or negotiating relationships.
A world in which all can feel safe cannot be ensured by the power of military armaments, whether nuclear or other. It can only be ensured by fostering the motivation within each heart to turn toward hope, peace, and respect as a way of meeting others with the anticipation of finding common ground. Once hope and trust are lost, then there is no basis for finding common ground, and weaponry is the only answer. However, it is necessary at this time, when fear remains so present, and nuclear empowerment by those who are not so empowered is growing, to see what options are open to us as a human family.
How do we create safety for all? Is it possible to do?
The answer to this question must come at two levels. On the one hand, there must be the willingness to exchange fear for trust in the uniform desire of each heart to seek the common goals of peace, security, love, and freedom. On the other hand, that willingness must be supported by an action of the Divine which creates a renewal of love within the heart, allowing it to release its former fears and hatreds.
We live at a time when such Divine action is beginning to manifest through the increased potency of spiritual light upon the Earth. For this reason, we need to begin to think of new possibilities for peace and to deconstruct the idea of intractable ‘enemies’ who wish us harm, understanding that even such ‘enemies’ have more complex motives than simply those of hatred.
We have been proceeding on the basis of history to define practices which will restrict the movement of nations that threaten us. Now, we must begin to create a new history that is based on new calculations, new premises. These premises are connected within one larger view, namely, that of the unity of all individual hearts within a greater Heart and Consciousness that contains them all.
Such a vision of unity is the only firm foundation for peace. It is based in trust that all hearts want essentially the same thing. To pursue this, we must begin to lay down our arms and allow the language of love to replace the language of war. All that is needed is to make a beginning, for the Divine impulse of light will begin to do the rest if we allow more light to enter the picture.
It is true that opposition may occur among some who are opposed to light and who benefit from conflict and war. It may also come from those who find, through anger and hatred, a familiar vehicle with which to discharge age-old feelings of helplessness and fear of abuse. Nevertheless, we must make a start in at least allowing the language of love, trust, and respect into the public arena, while simultaneously laying down the inducements to fear that we have felt were necessary in order to maintain ourselves.
This shift in outlook may not show results immediately, but it will show results if we are patient and trustful. For anger only breeds anger, fear breeds fear, and love breeds the presence of love as it moves from heart to heart and expands outward into the world.
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