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Advocate for Social Justice
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Hunger, Drugs, and Nuclear Weapons On a worldly level (in a world with an imagined past and future), I've worked to eliminate nuclear weapons, free the world from the need to use mind altering drugs, and eliminate world hunger. The conclusion I drew from this work is that fear is the motivating factor behind these "evils." There appears to be scarcity; it appears that there is not enough to go around; it seems that there are those who are less deserving or more deserving; it seems that we must take steps to defend ourselves from "others" or the "starving masses." When this happens, charity goes out the window, and in come police, armies, and nuclear weapons. I submit that fear of scarcity or threat is at the heart of the evils we perceive around us. Can this be changed? A key element is certainly my own personal willingness to face my own fear and release it with the help of the Holy Spirit. Having done that, perhaps it will be unnecessary to teach and advocate peace and love to others. Perhaps peace and love will already be everyone's everyday reality. I'm working on that. In the meantime, my suggestion to all of us is to bless the world with charity and love. As the world's wealthiest nation, the United States needs to, and can afford to, model a greater sharing of abundance, compassion, and defenselessness. Our pre-emptive attack on Iraq is an example of the unilateral use of military might to compel desired behavior in other countries. But war begets war. An alternative approach is to join together with others in the United Nations to seek peaceful approaches first and to choose war as a last alternative. An example of war here at home is the "War on Drugs." I believe that U.S. society could respond more gently and effectively to the issues of drugs, crime, and punishment. Fear and revenge motives and strategies do not produce the results we want. There are many inmates of all ages and backgrounds in our jails and prisons who, just like us, are looking for a better way to live. Most are there because of their addictive use of alcohol and other drugs, but they are hardly mere "thrill seekers." Most have had lives of severe abuse, deprived of loving support. Most use alcohol and other drugs as a means to escape from worldly pain and from harsh self judgments. (I believe that each of us can relate to this in some way.) The jail is an excellent intervention point. Compulsive drug use -- and the great number of crimes committed to obtain drugs -- incur major social and economic costs. We could reduce this cost through a combination of Drug Courts, combined with on-demand pre-release and post-release drug treatment and with other needed social services, such as Life Skills training and support. In so doing, we would also demonstrate to all the world that its wealthiest nation can provide real justice to all citizens. Marianne Williamson, a well-known teacher of A Course in Miracles, says "We're to ask for a miracle. A miracle here would be a shift from perceiving prisons as houses of punishment to perceiving them as houses of rehabilitation. When we consciously change their purpose from fear to love, we release infinite possibilities of healing." The War on Drugs can be truly won. Peace can rest on all people and on all things. |
