There Is Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself

The world has been rightly preoccupied with the plight of people in the countries currently being occupied by the US / NATO armies, which are understood to be the countries they are at war with. No one seems to recognize that the countries most occupied by these forces are the US, followed by their allies.

No, these people are not having bombs dropped on their heads as they starve in toxic environments. But I still cannot ignore the despair and hysteria in some of the people on the internet today. These people were brought up as the chosen ones. They have been told all of their lives that they are the superior race, everyone wants to be them, and everyone hates them for their ‘way of life’. They have been taught to fear and have contempt for all other people in the world. They have been discouraged from ever listening to a viewpoint outside their country on the grounds that it was ‘propaganda’ (old) or ‘biased’ (current).

They have lost all of their personal freedoms and dignity in the name of ‘national security’, because everyone else is jealous and coming to get them. They have lost their homes, their health, their jobs, and the money to buy food, and that is the fault of other countries, probably China. Like a rescued feral animal, these people are not going to view the overthrowing of the MIC and the rise of democracy as anything good. In the minds of these people, all that is standing between them and certain death or worse, is their big strong army, ‘the finest fighting force in the history of the world’.

Like we saw with the civil rights movement, people bred on hate cannot understand that the people they have harmed the most may not want them destroyed. They who cannot forgive, do not understand the potential for forgiveness. This week, they are genuinely terrified. All they can see is that someone is taking away their big strong shield and leaving them at the mercy of all these people who hate them and want to kill them.

We come in peace.

From Martin Luther King, an expert on the subject:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies – or else? The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.