A friend and I toured the new section of the National World War II Museum and experienced the “Final Mission” submarine endeavor based on a true event in the Pacific Ocean. We also saw “Beyond All Boundaries,” an epic which has come to be my number two favorite film after “Gandhi.” Tom Hanks narrates the enormous effort of World War II, simply indescribably moving.
This was a terrible war in the twentieth century which resulted in hundreds of millions of deaths–more civilians than combat deaths.
The twenty-first century must be different. Gandhi certainly pointed us in the right direction. It’s time for all of us to understand and believe that God made each of us and all of us with a mind, body and a “little piece of God.” We are all world citizens and children of Almighty God.
This even pertains to the dictator Assad. But that does not mean that Assad should be allowed by those around him to kill other world citizens.
Because every world citizen has a mind, body and “little piece of God,” we have a deep need to love and respect ourselves and others.
Nonviolence, reason, wisdom, truth, and kindness–the positive values–must overcome the negative values of selfishness, revenge, hate, greed and envy.
Remember, there were more civilian deaths than combat deaths in World War II, and each life lost was precious. That pertains to those people in the Damascus suburbs who lost their lives by chemical means. It’s sad, very sad.
But will more killing bring them back? Should we seek revenge, or instead launch an all out media and diplomatic attack on Assad (the selfish, ruthless and unworthy person in this awful drama).
We have a longing for others to value us. They also seek to be validated. So each life is precious. Assad should be stopped, but by modern means, not primitive killing.
