Ask the Purpose of All Things

There is no meaning in anything we do lest we ask the purpose of our action.

And, all action comes from thought, so we need only ask the purpose of our thought.

Purpose then, gives meaning to all we do.

And so, for every relationship we have, we need to ask ourselves what purpose the relationship holds in our mind of thought.

From defining this purpose, the trials within the relationship are understood. Because the trials and tribulations are a direct result of the purpose we see for the relationship. For example, if we see the relationship’s purpose as one of finding and keeping love, we will see the absence of acts of love as a ‘trial.’ Otherwise, the actions of the person would not matter, if the purpose was not defined in our mind.

But in truth there are only really two purposes on earth for anything, which is the same as saying there are only two purposes in our mind, since this is where all thought begins, and eventually takes form on earth.

There is either the purpose of finding God (through the Holy Spirit ) or the purpose of serving the smaller self, the ego (which ‘we’ gave us.)

In all things, in all relationships, in every thought projected outward, we choose between these two. There is nothing that does not require a choice between these two. And you can never choose both at one time. It is the same as light and dark, they cannot co exist.

There is only one purpose for the Holy Spirit. His purpose is to teach us the right way and most efficient way Home to God.

And, there is only one purpose for the ego. To obscure our view of God and our ability to find Him, keeping us as separate entities, apart from God.

Both states of mind’s purpose is a choice we make each moment in our lives. And so each relationship has its expectations based on its purpose, and will serve one or the other purpose…to help us find God, or to obscure Him from our awareness.

The 'way' of Spirit makes us joyful in all circumstances, regardless of what they are, viewing all from a state of perfect Oneness, lacking nothing, and giving all.

The way of ego is a roller coaster ride of varying states, never fully joyful or peaceful, always vulnerable to ‘attack’ and ready to ‘defend.’

The fact that we have two choices means every time a brother ‘wrongs’ you in your mind, you will either see it as an opportunity for forgiveness and truly seeing it as nothing but an error that does not affect Spirit, neither in you, nor in him.

Or seeing it as reason and justification for your condemnation and anger, creating a gap between yourself and a brother that is but an illusion that you have placed there. Because if God made us all with the Holy Spirit, there is no gap between us, but what the ego wishes there were.

If we don’t see our Oneness, we cannot see Him.

With the Holy Spirit, Jesus taught that forgiveness is the tool to awareness of God’s Love within ourselves. There is nothing else that will remove the blocks the ego has made to obscure this state of mind.

And so, we have these trials in our lives, in our relationships, but now we have a purpose for the relationship (going Home, or staying in ego) and realize the effects of whichTeacher we choose, ego or Spirit, will determine whether they are trials, or lovely stepping stones to Heaven!

DLP 9-17-05

Perception is not Truth

TRUTH

As unique as is the color yellow,
does man, perception hold as true.
from this view can yellow,
be both hues of red or blue.

For man does think to change the truth,
as though some way, he might
But truth is nothing if not true
nor skewed by change in hue.

In the mind does truth lay quiet
A kingdom is but known.
Perceived, it cannot ever be
for Truth revealed is owned.

Diane L. Perretto

Groundhog Day on the Screen of Life

FROM CHRISTIAN TO COURSE-TIAN!

I recently heard a wonderful analogy that helps to explain one of the major changes in perspective that occurs in a person from a traditionally Christian background, as they began to entertain the ideas embraced non dualistic thought, such as A Course in Miracles. The analogy itself was borrowed by Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D, a renowned scholar of the Course, from Plato’s writings over 2500 years ago, using slightly different symbols.

When at the movie theatre, the images on the screen begin to bounce up and down. So, do we go up to the screen and try and fix the images? No, we wouldn’t but we would, instead, go to the projection screen booth and tell them of the problem. We don’t ask them to fix the images on the actual screen, do we? Instead, we leave it up to them, to know how to fix the problem where the problem is.

In believing that it can be fixed at the effect (the screen), we are, in essence asking Him to solve the problem of the bouncing screen, at the screen instead of fixing it truly, and eternally, which can only be done at the source of the problem. And in addition to petitioning this from the wrong place, we are petitioning Him to do just what we think needs to be done! This includes and cannot help but to include our little crinkles in the screen of life, as well as the big rips!

FIXING THE SCREEN AT THE SCREEN

The little things on the screen of life which we pray for change are that our uncle Joe stop being a jerk , instead of joining on the side of Jesus, who would only want Joe to figure out why he is behaving as such a jerk, and thus change his behavior to everyone, due to genuine healing and love. And by the big rips in the projection screen, I mean praying that someone we love who is sick, doesn’t die of cancer, or does not suffer if he does die of cancer.

This means we think we can direct Jesus’ benevolent love and care onto who we choose as being worthy of this.

Wouldn’t God want everyone healed and certainly not need our request for it to be done? After all, would the Father actually think of one of his kids as more worthy than another?

The problem in the movie theatre is not on the screen and neither is the problem we see in our life, ‘in the world’ or in a particular group of people, or any one person! Just as in the case of the person with cancer; the cancer is the effect of the problem and means nothing, but that we have placed the blame upon it, as a ‘problem.’

ASK HIM TO TRULY 'SEE' WHAT THE PROBLEM IS!

Ask only that we see what the problem is and not that He come down here right now and fix it!
In non dualistic thought, the problem can never leave the source, and our problems must then be part of Who we are ~ or a choice we are making. Thus does the Course explain to us, that all problems are in the mind that is viewing the world. In other words, it is in the projection booth!
In non dualistic thinking, which is what A Course In Miracles is, this means that the Holy Spirit, represented by the Christian world as Jesus as well as in the Course, is living in the mind of God’s Son, Who is YOU, and ME and all of us! He is within, not anywhere else, and yet everywhere else.


GROUNDHOG DAY, ALL OVER AGAIN!
This scenario we find ourselves in is not unlike Bill Murray who in Ground hog Day, kept trying to fix the screen, instead of the problem! Until about half way through the movie, when he figured out the problem was in his mind. Then, his ‘deeds’ changed because they were motivated by an awareness of genuine love within. Once he chose love, the ‘projection’ on the movie screen changed.

He found out that love and happiness come from the mind of the one choosing it and the effects …which is the world we see, are the effects of either Spirit, or ego, in our mind. It is in only in the mind that is aware of the choice between what is real and not real, Spirit or ego, that real change occurs, in the mind.

So, like Bill Murray’s character, every day, we need try once more to get to the source of problem, and stop seeing the problem as out there on the screen. Change the channel on the projector from ego to Spirit and feel the peace that ego never knew existed. Then share the love that is who you are.

Diane L. Perretto

Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D is responsible for the analogy, borrowed from Plato’s original one, of the screen and the projection room. Ken has been a scholar of the Course since its delivery to the world, and has spent 30 years helping others understand what it is saying.

HYPOCRISY MOCKS DEMOCRACY

HYPOCRISY MOCKS DEMOCRACY

This outrageous declaration of a rather predominant right wing Christian spokesperson and televangelist, Pat Robertson, to assassinate Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is a flawless example of hypocrisy. And I for one am not surprised at all that conservative so-called Christian group leaders have not responded. They most likely, silently agree.
And if it is even considered to have any sort of intelligence behind it, it is just one more nail in the coffin of democracy in our country....with the blatant Neo Nazi attitude of justifying murder, for any reason. Although we claim to be a Christian-founded democracy, it is statements like this from people who claim to be Christian that shows the problem of allowing someone in power, or a spokesperson for our nations’ religious right, to use Christianity as a sword, and calling it ‘righteous’!

Perhaps someone else would, but Jesus, the Prince of Peace would not conquer the American Indians, nor slay the non Christians as we did during the Crusades. He would not hang African Americans from trees till they died as the Christian KKK has done, and he certainly would not assassinate anyone. When will we begin to wake up and see that today's 'Christianity' is not what it Christ intended, at all? And we as a country who claim it as our 'ethical' foundation, are basing ethics on hypocrisy, especially if Christianity continues to think war is righteous, Priests can molest and continue to be a Priest, and we can justify any sort of attack on any other country, as Christian. It is not.

Pastor Robertson’s thoughtless words must sound obviously hypocritical to everyone.... one would think! They have nothing to do with Jesus’ true message which was far removed from violence, not to mention that it strongly advocated forgiveness as a ‘way’ to obtain eternal life in Spirit, and peace, being the result.

Jesus said; “Seek and you shall find,” not “Seek and destroy.” And he stood firmly in his beliefs when he spoke of our brothers, whether we see them as an enemy or not when he implored us to learn to “Turn the other cheek’ not “Turn the missiles to his other cheek.”

If we are so threatened by the 'evil' of everyone else but us (sarcasm), let's be honest. We can protect ourselves without going outside of our country and purposely killing other human beings or threatening revenge and retaliation for similar threats to our own nation’s officials. Ask any survivor of a Nazi camp; the only true freedom is within ourselves, and can’t be given nor can it be taken away. One can find this out by finding a peace within despite terrorist acts without oneself.

But the purity of Christ’s true message, far more outlasting than any government or person on earth does need to be corrected when it is defaced by hypocrites such as Robertson.
So, please, Mr. Robertson, you silly man, either stop calling yourself a Christian, or stop speaking at all!
Diane L. Perretto

Walk a day in your brother's shoes?

It’s been said we can join with a brother when we walk a day in his shoes.

But truth be known, two men cannot walk in the same shoes. So, it must be that things of the body, things of this world that make us separate, we must shed, for joining can only be of the mind.

To join in mind, there is no skin to have a color. There is no face to show an age. There is no body to define the sex, and there are no hands with which he labors, no eyes to see wrongly, no ears to judge words harshly.

As prophets of old have long foretold, joining with our brother requires a releasing of oneself from attachment to the body and its limitations, its judgments and its pain.

We cannot join if two cannot walk in the same shoes. Either the shoes must be kicked off, or we must remain in separate worlds.

Dlp 8-17-05

Who are you?

The truth about us is known in moments too fleeting to grasp, and yet too real to forget.

When you look upon your brother with compassion for deeds too horrid to ‘forgive’, you have felt the light of Who you are and remembered It clearly.

When you have seen the murderer, and his eyes begged of you to give him light, and you responded with light, you have seen Who you are.

When you have looked upon the terror that is running rampant in the world, and realized that it is the effect, and not the cause of fear, you have seen Who you are a part of!

When you have heard of the ‘innocent’ tortured, and felt not sadness, but remembered Jesus words….“Forgive them Father, they know not what they do’, you have believed in a life eternal, and realized the Truth about your own Identity.

When you have laughed at your own seeming sins in joy at the folly of them, and seen the same innocence in every brother you meet, you are free indeed!

And life becomes a treasure of immeasurable love and forgiveness for all.

This alone is salvation. This alone is Who you Are.

Remember?

Profiling is NOT OK

PROFILING IS NOT OK........THIS IS NOT NAZI GERMANY

For the citizens of any country, for all of mankind, we cannot justify the practice of profiling to help stop terrorism. This could only add to hate crimes, and further dissent among citizens, and change the face of America forever.

Let’s be realistic with what the truth of the matter is. Most white, right wing Christians, who live in the south are not in the KKK. However, most KKK members are white, very conservative, right wing Christians and live in the southern U.S. If we were to profile these particular sorts of people, the average white, conservative Christian, we’d be harassing an inordinate amount of people in this country since many of us are white, and Christian, but not killers.

My point is that I would venture to guess that the amount of people in our country or who count themselves citizens of their native country, who have dark skin and wear Muslim clothing that are actual terrorists, are equally as small in number relative to the suggested ‘profile’, as the amount of white conservative Christians that are Klu Klux Klan members.

What I have been really amazed at lately is the suggestion that since most terrorists fit a profile, we should let those who are ‘obvious’ non profile fitting types, go without checking their belongings, as though we insult the ‘good’ citizens of our country. Actually, isn't it possible that profiling allows the terrorists to find ways to beat the system ~ where non-profiling, check everyone, lets nothing get by?

TERRORISTS AND SHOPLIFTERS!

Profiling is done in security positions all over the world, there is no doubt. But, there a logic in this whole concept that really doesn't work in this situation.

Recently, on talk shows and at the water cooler, I have heard avid support from the average person for not checking the baggage of little old ladies and young children, or the average housewife type because they don’t usually blow up subways. But, there is no average terrorist; they can take the form and shape and place and economic status of any person, because they are here; they are citizens, and behind the scenes, before the bomb is blown up, there are many faces of terror.

So, in the case of an international or internal terrorist, unlike simple robbery or car thief cases, there is no geographical or economical common denominator to judge the typical criminal. For instance, in retail theft, it is true that people who steal are usually low income people. As stats show, the cities are places that invite low income people to get a start on life, economically, due to job availability, and the fact that they don't usually own their own car, and can take public transportation. The reasons are many. And many times black or hispanic immigrants fit in this catagory, trying to get ahead with little or no education. So, when security employees monitor their cameras, they look for hispanics and blacks, not because of their skin color which might mean something entirely different in a different area, but because they happen to fit the profile for poor people, who are more apt to commit a crime in a city area. If the same security office were looking for a thief in a Walmart in the hills of Tennessee somewhere, they’d be looking for 12-17 year old female, white girls.

THE FACE OF A TYPICAL TERRORIST

The sort of mind that believes that fear is the way to win over people's bodies/minds/hearts, does not pick and choose who to win over; they will try anyone, anywhere, willing. And those that fall into this sort of mindset themselves, don't have a particular face. Terrorists train all kinds and now that they think we think they don’t train little old ladies, they will certainly seek some out!

The media has been rather silly enough to suggest that we only check the bags of what they have decided is a typical terrorist, and so you can be sure there will be plenty of crazy people of all races, all genders and all ages with nothing better to do than find a ‘purpose’ for their lives, such as being the bringer of terror to people they hate. And like anywhere, there are enough angry, hateful people who are white, black or purple, to do the job....no doubt.

My point is...profiling doesn’t always work and if we choose to single out only the ‘obvious’ skin colors, or clothing, or religious background, we are foolish because most Muslims and dark skinned people have nothing to do with radical terrorist activities just as most right wing conservative Christians have nothing to do with the KKK.

THE 'RIGHTEOUS' JUDGEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN CRUSADERS, THE INTOLERANCE OF THE KKK AND THE SLAUGHTER OF NATIVE AMERICANS IS NO DIFFERENT AND PERHAPS EVEN MORE DEVASTING TO OUR AMERICAN FOUNDATION OF FREEDOM AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS THAN ANY TERROR ACT YET
Hate crimes have killed or terrified more people than radical Muslim’s EVER did before 911 in our country. The hate was already here; it was just internal and often ignored as such. The Christian Crusades, the KKK, the colonists who killed the Native American people, the Popes who condoned killing in the name of Jesus, have done more to put terror on the map than any Muslim has in our country. We do not need to hate another group; they are all equal in their hate, and in their crime. One is not to be tolerated more than another. One should not be profiled and singled out more than another as well. An most importantly, rather than hate the group who hates, lets try to bridge the gap we have that creates the hate. If we have not been able to do it in our own history, with the aforementioned groups, how will begin with this new hateful group of radicals? To this mindset, they are but another reason to hate; to kill, no different than them, no different than the 'righteous' beliefs of the Christian Crusaders.

ORGANIZED RELIGION DIVIDES US

So, in the end, our new security problems and our own fear of public places is what the need to evangelize religion (and killing those who don’t agree) has done, in the name of ‘love’ and ‘Christ.’ The radical Muslims are no different than the Christian right wing fanatics who blow up abortion clinics, the KKK group members, and the Christian Crusaders who killed thousands, as well as the Nazi’s who killed the Jews. They are coming from the same hateful mindset.

And so, we have no choice now that we allowed our need for separate religious beliefs to cause hate as did all the above mentioned groups, to be imprisoned by fear. In truth, there is no freedom in religion since by its nature, it divides.

One God, one People, will never happen when we decide that some look more capable of terror than another. If one person has to have their bags checked at the airport, ALL people need have their bags checked. If we allow our government to tell us that certain people, don’t appear threatening, but dark skinned Muslim’s do.......Nazi Germany is not far from our new reality.

How many right wing Christian white people do you know blew up an abortion clinic, or killed another person because they were black? And how many dark skinned people who wear Muslim garb do you know that placed a bomb under your seat on the bus? Both are equally unlikely, or likely. Either way, we cannot profile one and not the other.

Diane L. Perretto

The Terrorist Within

TERRORISM....

The only way to stop terror is by not being terrified.

The only way to not be terrified is to not think death is terrifying.

The only way to not think death is terrifying is to realize we are more than our body.

If we are more than our body, our body's demise is not terrifying.

Sound incredibly simple, and yet completely out of reach, right?

Maybe it is. But perhaps it is time for all people to begin to awaken to the idea, and believe that this just might be true.

By denying the possibility that it is true, refusing to even entertain this high spiritual understanding, we lose our ability to rise above this world, and find true and lasting peace, within....and eventually, without.

The kind of peace that body knows nothing of.

Let's entertain the thought that our body is but our own belief... a mistaken identity! It is the belief who we are is but a body that takes up space on earth. This mistaken identity is a sure way to assure we can never 'win.' Because if this is true, someone else is capable of taking our peace from us, by killing our body. And then, we could never have peace, could we?


With the belief that terrorists can truly 'kill' us, we are indeed in Hell.

THE REAL MESSAGE OF CHRIST ENDS ALL TERROR

After all, what could be worse than being but a body, vulnerable to destruction at every turn in the road? Within this mindset, life is spent just putting off our own demise, in various ways, all the while conscious the inevitability of it's end, and of the ability of anyone else to simply 'take' our very life, in a violent way; and our fears fanning hatred all around.

In such a place, we are not listening to Christ's message nor any prophet of God. Instead, we are like a ship lost at sea. We scream and kick and demand that we 'find a way!' to be safe from the violent terror, away from winds of hate, all the while a futile attempt to remain afloat on a turbulent, powerful sea.

While in the violent sea, I believe Jesus would tell us, to do what ever we will, but do it from the state of mind and understanding that the body is not where our true freedom lies, and we come from a power much greater than the earth's power. And what is true and eternal cannot be taken from us. And what is true and eternal is the only thing of value.

THE CALMING OF A VIOLENT SEA

It might do us all well, to remember one of the most famous stories about Jesus' ministry while on our Earth. It was about the time when the Apostles yelled to Jesus as he slept during a terrrible storm at sea, afraid for the lives of their bodies. He got up, and told them not to worry, because 'the Son of Man has the power to calm the sea!' He also reminded them that they were men of little faith. It was not faith in him they lacked, but in the Higher Power, within THEM.

Then, he calmed the sea with the power of his faith in Who he was. The power of the mind to NOT choose terror, NOT choose the illusion of time closing in on their lives, but instead choose the belief that we are connected to a far greater Power, our Father, God, Who is NOT a body, knows not of time, nor death, nor fear.

That 'Son of Man' is you. And me. The sea is the world where terror seems to strike us dead. It is our fear, it is our need to protect what is not eternal and thereby deny our True Identity as Sons of God, that keeps us prisoner to fear, and to terrorists acts.

PRACTICAL FAITH of WINNING A WAR

While believing we are but a body, subject to the laws of death and the illusion of time, we will believe we need to protect our country, our children, to defend, keep out, and alert others, this is true. And so we should, but from a different, more evolved state of mind, for we are not ready quite yet to rise above the fear. And so, as it has been said, 'When in Rome, do as the Roman's do.'

But, henceforth, we will be wiser, more compassionate, calm and less and less afraid of losing that which is temporary. Faith such as what Jesus spoke of, comes through internal understandings and experiences that cannot happen without a willing heart.... a heart willing to trust in the message of the one Son, who figured it all out.

A task we as ego's cannot do, but we CAN ask a Higher Power that we begin to undersand this concept, truly. And begin to live it.

Obviously, like the Apostles, we cannot always remain in the state of mind Jesus would have us be. Like the Apostles, we may fall asleep in the Garden of Gethsemany, but we can join in an effort not to!

The results 2000 years ago, of falling asleep, were the death and destruction of our very Breath of Life, but we can try, and try ...until we all remain awake, and sure that we are more than our body; without fear, without anger, without a need to 'fight back' an enemy this is fear itself.

We cannot win a war in which the 'enemy' has already won. Once one feels fear, they have been defeated. Fear not, for someone overcame the world for us, and overcame all fear and hate, and in his life and teachings we can all do the same.

DLP
7-24-05

All it is....is this

I was sitting one day when I had a ‘light bulb moment’ as I have come to call them. After one such moment, I am changed in some small way, forever. Like the darkness changes to light; no in between is possible.

I heard within, regarding the state of unhappiness….“All it is, is this: We blame others for our existence.”

And so I thought, why would we blame another for what we think is good? Existence must then not be ‘good’ in some way I do not yet understand.

And so my Self then thought to my self…. Existence is this; a huge defense against our Perfection.

Our bodies, our sickness, our world, is a world made up of many, to prove we are unique individuals. We are not. We are one. And 'One' is the definition of unique because it alone is truly One! So, that which we seek...to be unique, we already are.

Oh my!
Diane L. Perretto

Empathy can change the world, by changing you!

THE REASONING OF TRUE FORGIVNESS

Empathy and forgiveness the same thing to me. To have empathy is to be able to feel and think from another’s perspective. To forgive is not to pardon a mistake. If that were true, it would involve unfair judgment, dependent upon one’s own view, one’s unique perspective, or even mood for that day. No, forgiveness is truly divine because it does not and cannot involve a judgment as to whether or not something is worthy to be overlooked. It is to understand the behavior as the acting out of that person’s fear and pain. Jesus did not condone a ‘sinners’ behavior, telling them what they did or did not do was ‘ok’ and go right ahead and continue. I would imagine Jesus telling the person in error that doing what they were doing was not beneficial to their own, or anyone’s life, but all that needed to be changed in this situation was their mind. A mind without fear, produces actions that are loving. For to have judgment produces fear and guilt. Hold no grievance, made no judgment and you have no fear. Jesus was simply able to empathize with all of mankind. Simply? Did I say that? It is not so simple as we all know.

COME TOGETHER
This morning on my bike ride the song ‘Come Together’ came to me, by the Beatles. I am not a Beatles fan. I don’t even care for that song. And, I really have no idea what it is actually about. But, the thought occurred to me after that song played out in my head, that the saving of all mankind is when we put the puzzle back to together again, realizing we are all pieces of the same mind. So, the drug addict, the prostitute, the saint, the mother, the child, even all the murderers, and the rapists, the scientists, the teachers, the whole world of personalities…..are split off pieces of ourselves. You are not a separate you. You are part of me, and I am part of you, but we are acting out like little individual egos; some of us thinking we are ‘better’ or more healthy than others. Some of us nicer, kinder, more evil. But we aren’t . The healing of one mind will take the coming together of all minds. There is no room for judgment when it is yourself you are attempting to put back together in one piece.

There is nothing new under the sun. This phrase has new meaning for me, because there is nothing, no emotion, not a thought in your mind or mine that has not been felt collectively by all of mankind. So let’s get off our high horses, and ‘come together’ once and for all. Healing is a joint effort which occurs one way; forgiveness. There is no other way.

Diane L. Perretto

Public Display of Religious Doctrines

PUBLIC DISPLAY OF RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES

The specific issue in the news today is regarding whether or not to display the 10 commandments in our governmental buildings or any religious doctrine in a public place. One has to be honest about what one wants it to accomplish to determine whether or not it is helpful and also necessary.

Here is a simple example. The love we have in our minds and hearts for our children cannot be shown or displayed to anyone else. A picture of them is but a suggestion to others that we love them. Yet, a child molester could just as easily plaster pictures of their ‘beloved’ one all over their office. My point is obvious. The display itself is really meaningless; it is in the reason behind the public display and the meaning that we as observers give to it, that is really the issue here. Beauty is not the only thing that is in the eye of the beholder! All meaning is in it.

As far as the intention behind the display; do those who are adamant about having the 10 Commandments very visible and other such things need to ‘see to believe’? Or maybe they feel the need to show others that they believe? If a person is truly spiritual, they realize that the love of God is written on the hearts of each person; whether or not it is written on some wall somewhere else just doesn’t matter. Those who fight to have religious pictures or sayings in public places need to think about the purpose they are hoping to have it serve.

On the other hand, if the purpose is honestly to remind us of our historical religious background as a nation and it is thus perceived by onlookers as such, then let it be in that spirit that it is displayed, along with other historical documents with or without religious connotations. If they were part of what helped to form the U.S. Constitution, they should be equally displayed.

And those against doing this should honestly examine what it is that offends them about it. Is it offensive to them to represent and display what formed our founding father’s ideas on what an ideal society should be? Keeping in mind, the 10 commandments were an integral part of our founding father’s ideologies but also that our spiritual/religious views are changing and growing, as we as a nation, change and grow with more spiritual understanding and new insights from other paths, which may also some day be up for discussion as to whether or not to publicly display them.

AN ANALOGY
Maybe it would help to look at the government as the company for which you are employed. Your employer might display the original owner’s family picture on the wall who happen to be Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist (you name it) and are wearing some token of one of those beliefs in the photograph or painting. Do we get upset and think “But those are not my kids, nor my beliefs! This means this company is against my kids, and me. I can’t work here, or they have to take those down.”

All those photographs mean is that those people founded the company you work for and that is their photograph. Nothing more and nothing less. It means they are honoring the founding father’s of your employer who is giving you the ability to make a living on a daily basis. One could hardly be angry or object to their right and their desire to place a picture, or maybe even a pledge by them, to you, as an employee or a pledge to uphold the moral standards of their personal belief system in all endeavors.

The point being, there is no wrong or right in regards to the public display of things of a personal or spiritual nature. There is only the balanced or imbalanced interpretation that we give these displays that make the problem. In these interpretations, we see our fears and prejudices. Fear that someone can take away what is forever etched within our hearts. Fear that if it is not displayed for all to see, it doesn’t exist and doesn’t hold true for us. If we are Buddhist in this country, do we feel offended by pictures of Jesus? If we are Christian, should we feel offended by one who wishes to honor Buddha? Both are rightly part of our society and one cannot threaten nor demean the other.

Personally, the whole argument helped me to see that I do hope there is a day when we welcome the representation of all religions in public places, keeping in mind that to honor a religion is not the same as enforcing it. But rather as a show of gratitude for how they helped to build our society in various ways and perhaps at differing stages of our evolution. Although Christianity was our founding father’s religion, it is not the same Christianity that today is unfolding. Today we are learning that all the great religions say the same thing and so to honor one above the other is meaningless. I hope for a day when we don’t feel threatened or in any way bothered by the presence nor the absence of the display of our society’s spiritual paths, knowing that it is in our hearts and minds that we represent them, not in the things we choose to represent them anyway!

So, the only real thing we need to be bothered about in this on going American issue, is our own intentions in the need for display, not the display. We give meaning to what we are viewing. It cannot be the other way around.
Diane L. Perretto

The Silly Moral War

Read at your own risk. If you have high blood pressure, or are a staunch conservative or passionate liberal, push delete immediately. If you are tough, open minded, and love a good debate from both sides, and of course, care about the subject of our country's divided mind set...read on.

“Rove, the architect behind President Bush's election victories, on Wednesday night told a gathering of the New York Conservative Party that "Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." Conservatives, he said, "saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war." Yahoo News

THE COMMENT
And Democrats are supposed to be offended by this comment? Is it not a good thing that a group actually wanted to think first, before declaring war? I think it is a bit of an exaggeration and a generalization to say that any group thought one thing, and one thing only. Republican or Democrat. To say Democrats wanted only to understand our attackers is just silly. After all, none of them are Jesus yet and if they could only feel that way, they'd all be Jesus! Would that be a bad thing? Is war the thing he would think first and foremost? If your answer is 'I don't necessarily want to follow his lead'....I guess the point is lost on you, but perhaps there are other good reasons to not think that way? Ghandi, for example?

THE MORALITY WAR
But more to the point of my point....this ridiculous morality fight between Democratics and the Republicans is a war in itself that will divide and destroy this country if we are not careful. We need to see past the labels once and for all. Both sides are equally 'righteous' in their attacks on each other. Our country loses in the end due to the discord it causes in the House and Senate and in our own world.

To pit one group against another in an attempt to make one seem more moral is unbelievably childish; it’s first grade stuff. We are all guilty of doing it sometimes, but these people are running our country; they represent us to the world. I am beginning to be concerned. Ok, I've been concerned for a while! Dean does it, Rove does it....they are all beginning to sound like kids in a sandbox and it seems to be escalating lately. I would comment on Dean's comments about Republicans, but I lost the fervor of the moment since it was a while back. Maybe he'll be quiet for a while now....we all hope.

Back to Rove. He said the Republicans reacted to savagery with preparation for war, as though that were the 'moral, right thing to do' ...that is funny to me, in a sick way.
Our reactions to savagery do not define our morality. Our reactions to savagery define a reaction to our human condition; vulnerability to emotional and physical attack by others.
In truth, we all felt vulnerable, and we all felt scared. But there was a myraid of feelings that day and since that day for all of us. Some of us, Republican and Democrat, did want to understand the minds of those who blindly, randomly kill, and realized perhaps rather abruptly that day in September, that we must begin to meet half way in some areas with different cultures and figure out a way to live together on the same planet, harmoniously, with varying beliefs and ways. And I don't think Democrats hold the ticket to peace and open mindedness...or the Republicans. To think one does is just plain silly. I like the word silly I guess.

And please don't yell back with your hands on your hips "But they don't try to understand us, so why should we?! They hit us first!!"

FIGHTING THE BULLY
Punching the bully on the playground may make sure he doesn't bother you again (til he forgets about it, with his short attention span (did I say that?) but it does not fix his mindset, and it surely doesn't mean he won't bother someone else as soon as you look the other way. And 'someone else' DOES matter, in a global economy and world. So, we protect ourselves from his punch, and be clever and kind in our dealings with him to help him to change and grow with the relationship you both are now defining. And we can afford to define it in our way when we are protecting ourselves from harm while doing it. In other words... you can't bully a bully! It's just silly. (that word again!) Both sides win when neither has a motive to fight. Don't give him a chance, or motive.

To do this, is not to condone bad behavior as Rove suggests. It is to understand it. Be able to work with it so no one feels they have lost. We can better defend, and better make peace with a real understanding of other's beliefs, their passion and even specifics about their religion while protecting ourselves from infiltration of terrorists.

EDUCATING OUR KIDS
In the U.S. the Muslim religion, or really any other religion is never talked about or taught to our young children so most of them have absolutely no idea what a Muslim is. This means they are unable or most likely unwilling to understand that to say 'all Muslims believe in violence' is as silly as saying all Christians blow up Abortion clinics and all Italians are Murdering Mobsters. This is a big mistake on the U.S. educational system's behalf.
To teach is not to condone or agree with what you are learning. It is to educate and broaden minds about all facets of life. And it might just give a child the knowledge, patience, kindness, tolerance, and intelligence to see beyond one's religious beliefs and see a human being.
But tolerance, understanding and using the power of knowledge does not mean we don’t also want to feel protected while we are moving in the direction of those pursuits, knowing it may take hundreds of years of effort, but must be begun at one time or another.

WAR OR NOT
Protection, yes…in the form of defense. Offensive war, maybe. But not the knee jerk reaction of ‘war for sure' that Rove suggests the Republicans felt. Maybe I am not in touch with the average Conservative thoughts today, but I doubt most wanted war immediately and might have also had thoughts wanting to understand the basis for their attack, while at the same time, feeling a need to protect our soil. Protect, not offensively attack immediately, or perhaps, ever.

THE BIGGEST MYSTERY
What I have trouble really understanding, almost as much as how or why people kill and go to war …is how on earth people like Rove, or Howard Dean, with ignorant and childish comments, ever got into the positions they hold!
Diane L. Perretto