Editorial by Sally Van Vleck
By the time you receive this newsletter, the war may have started. At this point, we are waiting, with growing anxiety, for the news that the first bombs have been dropped. As I experience increasing apprehension, I wonder how the people of Iraq are coping with everyday life. How many children are being awakened by nightmares of bombs dropping on their homes? How many adults lie awake at night listening ... waiting ... for the war to begin. I can't imagine what they are feeling.
I have been trying to understand the war mentality. The idea that it is justified to kill innocent people (referred to as "collateral damage") and the belief that violence is a necessary and acceptable means to solving conflicts are incomprehensible to me.
The deep and rich language of Sanskrit has provided me with some new insights which have been helpful in trying to understand how George Bush is thinking. One is the Sanskrit word avidya, which means literally "incorrect comprehension" or "misapprehension". One of the characteristics of avidya is that it is an unconscious state&emdash;the sufferer is not aware of his/her false perception. It is the result of the accumulation of many unconscious acts. Everyone suffers from some level of avidya; it only becomes dangerous when people in power have an over-abundance of it and it affects their critical thinking. It is useful to apply this concept to George Bush and his advisors for several reasons. First, it helps me to be more compassionate and less angry about the decisions he is making if his mind is clouded by avidya. He really does think that he is doing the right thing. More important, it gives me hope because avidya can be reduced, resulting in vidya, or "correct understanding". So, if Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the others would take up a serious practice of yoga, meditation and contemplation (some of the methods for reducing avidya), they might discern a better path than one leading to war. However, once I reduce my own avidya and realize that this is not likely, I am still comforted by the idea that there exists the possibility of a change of perception in the heads of our government as well as in Saddam Hussein's.
Another useful concept is the Sanskrit word parinamavada. This word represents the idea that all form and all content are in a constant state of flux. It helps me in the current situation to think that nothing is set in stone, that change is constant, and with it the opportunity that a new, more peaceful solution might be discovered.
Perhaps it seems that I am "clutching at straws" in my attempt to find any hope in the current situation. That may be true. I do not believe that war is inevitable. Those of us who are called to be peacemakers need to remain strong and steadfast and to know that there are unseen and unforeseen forces at work of which we are unaware. There are also visible forces for peace at work, including millions of people who oppose war. In the words of Gandhi: "When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fail. Think of it ... always." May it be so.