by Evan Mehlenbacher
I’ve been troubled by the on-going war in Iraq with no apparent end in sight.
Most every day the front page of my local newspaper highlights more deaths in the war zone. Soldiers fight and are attacked, suicide bombers are committing mass murders in public places, guerilla warfare rages uncontrolled, and hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing the cities with their families to seek safety in remote regions of their country. The human carnage and displacement of children, mothers, fathers, and neighbors is seriously heart rending.
I don’t have a brother or sister enlisted, but I know of many families with children and relatives in the Mid-East fighting this war. My heart goes out to every one of them, regardless of what side they are fighting on.
There has to be a better way to resolve conflict in this world than through killing and war! My heart knows this is true.
So what can we do to prevent wars?
I know this is a huge question, but doesn’t it need to be answered? Isn’t there a voice within each of us that protests alike: “There has to be a better way to work out mankind’s disputes other than resorting to bombs and bullets!”
I’ve decided to take a long run approach to stopping war in the world. I’m not the President of the United States, or a mullah in Iran, or some other high ranking official that can command hordes of followers to desist and stop fighting. I’m humble little me located in Richland, Washington, population 45,000. I rejoice in commanding our dog to stay in the yard and having her actually obey! But nonetheless, I know I have a vital role to play in the bigger picture of global affairs. You do, too.
“Love one another,” is an answer to world conflict.
Delegations can draw up treatises, leaders form pacts, and generals silence the guns, but if there is still an underlying hatred and anger in people, the incubus for war still resides at large. Political peace is temporary.
It’s deep down love settled into the hearts of humanity that will avert violent clashes in the future. War will stop when hatred and anger cease. And this happens as we all love each other more.
Love is God, and it’s the most powerful agent for positive change known to mankind.
I’ve seen its effects firsthand. A very angry man entered my office one day and declared he wanted to harm his girlfriend. They had bitterly fought that morning. I’m not sure of his true intention, but I took the opportunity to bring more peace to the world through pacifying this man’s temperament.
I listened to his complaints. And then I suggested that the most important issue facing the couple was remembering all the good they had in common, and not to let a temporary disagreement shove the mutual affection they shared to the background of thought.
I loved him and helped him love more.
The man quieted down, left my office in peace, and soon made up with his girlfriend. I felt the world was a bit better off as a result. There was one less war going on.
I’m reminded of a song I like by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller. It starts off with these words, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on Earth, the peace that was meant to be.”
I wish I had a magical switch I could flip and suddenly have all people never hate again and love each other unselfishly. I haven’t found that switch, but each of us can contribute to world peace by settling wars in our own lives and community of influence. Every unselfish deed, every kind act, every tender word and caring thought contributes to a universal climate of global love.
I’m heartened to remember that Christ Jesus loved one person at a time and changed the world for the better.
Each of us can, too.
May 20th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Agree with the artcle 100%. It has to start with each individual loving his neighbor as himself. Jesus loved everyone that he met including those that hung him to the cross. That is our example that we have to follow.
May 21st, 2007 at 3:06 pm
To George,
Yes, yes, and I’m happy to be out here where the action is loving one neighbor after the other, just like you, and millions of others around the world are doing, until every last vestige of hate, anger and ill-will is dissolved and replaced with love, compassion, and forgiveness.
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:59 am
Evan,
Thank you so much for your inspirational blog–the messages you share have really made my day! Instead of feeling very distressed about the wars in the Middle East and Africa, I’m greatly encouraged to make a strong stand for the power of divine Love to govern my thoughts and actions as well as the motives and actions of others. Then, instead of adding to the world’s sadness, I’m making an effective contribution towards global healing! Wow!
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:17 pm
To Elizabeth,
Amen! We all can make a difference. Why wait??
June 7th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Hi Evan
You article reminded me of an idea that came to me recently about global warming: All the passion being manifested around the world, generates a lot of HEAT, and Christian Scientists affirm that our thoughts affect our experience. So, if we want to cool off the world, one way to do that would be to LOVE UNIVERSALLY; refuse to hate anyone, even if it seems humanly justified.
After 9/11, the thought came to me that the people who did “that,” were saying to us, “There’s no love here, because I don’t love you!” And that we have a choice. We can agree, and say, “You’re right, there’s no love here, because I sure don’t love you after what you did.” But if we do that, we are agreeing to feel separated from love, deprived of love, and letting someone else make that decision for us. On the other hand, we can disagree with that statement, and say, “No, love — Love — IS here. Why? BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Why can we love those who do such things? Because they are ideas of God even as we are. We don’t love what they do, but we recognize that the wrong done us is not from them, but just a mistake they are making about who they are and who we are.
June 7th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your insightful comments! You are right. Anger, ill-will and hate create a lot of “heat” around the world only escalating the very problems we’re trying to solve. Establishing a peaceful state of thought, by loving more and hating less, goes a long way to finding practical solutions to everyday problems, including the global warming concerns. I’m glad you’re on the spiritual side of the debate! For your perspective makes a positive healing difference.
Thanks
June 7th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
What a great insight, Jim! I’m going to be thinking about this because I really want to do what I can to help combat global warming and I think you’ve hit on something really important.
June 19th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Evan,
I really appreciate what you write here about there being a better way than war. I’d like to share some thoughts that I’ve gleaned from my experience as a soldier in combat. First, I think it is important for our soldier’s to know that we appreciate what they are doing and that those that are serving this country over seas and engaged in combat operations can do so with full confidence that they are never out side of God’s reign.
I, like many other young men and women have felt a strong pull to serve in the military and in doing so have learned so much about myself and ultimately my relationship with God. As a Platoon Leader in Baghdad, I was leading 30 Soldiers in combat operations everyday for a year. To say the least I came to terms with the question “is there a better way than war”. Of course the answer is yes, however I found that this answered does not necessarily mean we take no action in the face of what appears to be evil.
While deployed to Iraq, I studied and sought some peace in my thought about the duties my platoon was carrying out each day. As has been the case in each aspect of my life when I turn it over to God, I was not left comfortless. One of the ideas that I worked with was being able to do my duty without suffering mentally or physically. Two Bible stories were helpful in this spiritual freedom. First was the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo and how they, through their understanding and trust in God, walked out of the fire without even the smell of smoke on their clothes. The second was the story of David and Goliath. What struck me was that David, again having his full trust in God, stood and faced the Goliath problem. He countered evil right where it stood and was victorious. What started to dawn on thought was that when we are acting in Truth and Love we succeed in the endeavor.
I found that it was helpful to look at how Mary Baker Eddy uses Principle and Love together so often in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. With out Principle, love would be indulgent, permissive, negligent and self-centered. With out Love, principle would be harsh, unforgiving, intolerant and cold. The reality is that God is divine Principle, Love which is pure, complete and balanced.
I think we need to be careful not to stand on the platitude of love, but instead stand firm on Truth and Love in demonstrating that understanding. It is important to stand up to evil or error every time, at every turn with out fail. It would not be our best work if we only went as far as saying God is All-in-all but did not demonstrate that by dealing directly with a Goliath type problem. I think Mrs. Eddy says it well in Science and Health on page 268, “Materialistic hypotheses challenge metaphysics to meet in final combat. In this revolutionary period, like the shepherd-boy with his sling, woman goes forth to battle with Goliath.” Christian Science has opened the door to Truth, Love and Principle and we gain ground as we demonstrate this understanding.
I told a young Soldier before he was deployed to Baghdad for the first time this summer, to remember three things. First, that no matter what this material view throws at you, or what your eyes tell you is real, God loves you and causes your very being. Second, you can do what it is your duty to do without fear when, like David, you recognize that God is your source of life and nothing can last that tries to defy God. David rebukes Goliath in I Sam. verse 45 when he says to Goliath, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” Last, you cannot kill God’s man. You can only destroy the false error.
It would be my hope that each of us deals squarely with evil, and that those who are currently deployed or going to be deployed gain some peace as they experience the challenges of being at war, turning to God and the Divine Comforter to better demonstrate Principle, Love.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:38 am
Josh,
Thank you for your courage, for being where you are and for sharing those God-inspired thoughts with fellow soldiers. You are bringing a sense of God’s great love where it’s most needed. Here in the States I work each day to “love the hell” out of each terrorist, on whichever side in this situation, and to know the attraction of real Love is irresistible. The calm warmth of Love can and does dissolve mountains of cold, hard hatred.
Gratefully,
Joanne
July 2nd, 2007 at 5:40 pm
I have often thought that one of the worse gods we serve inadvertently is the god we call patriotism. Love for country is so strong in most countries, especially in America, but that love can be blind and lead to a vision of man divided, and not universal, and create hate and wars and injustice.
I don’t often hear of patriotism as being an error, but it has been clear in my thinking, that patriotism has caused so much pain and suffering throughout history in the world and should be denounced, in favor of the one universal family of man, spiritual, whole, united, without boundaries and self interests and false pride.
July 7th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
I have struggled with how to work with this stuation prayfully and I have to say that the comments made by Josh really help. Thank you. I love the idea that you cannot kill God’s man. He/she is perfect and complete. This has helped me to be able to love each one of my so called enimies and see them as God does. Seeing them any other way, to me, is contrubuting to war not solving it. I worked this way with a military leader in Africa, holding to his true selfhood I was able to see - from thousands of miles away - a change in his actions, from hate and evil to repentance and peace. Thank you to all who have shared and to Evan for bringing up the important issue! And to all of our “Christian soldiers” thank you for each of your spiritual battles bringing every thought into the “obeidence of Christ”.
Peace and love to all