An open letter to those interested in peace or war ...

[Julie Hotard]

A friend sent me this description of a vision from someone of the Choctaw
Nation of Oklahoma.  I don't claim to understand it, but it is intriguing.
Any comments?

Julie

Subject: [pf] Fwd: An open letter to those interested in peace or war ...
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 01:23:57 -0400

Rabid called me on the phone today to tell me about his vision concerning
the terrorist attack.  It was the first time I'd ever heard his voice,
though we've shared many intense emails over several years crossing 3 lists.
He and I are polar opposities politically.  He gets really nasty sometimes
about knocking left wing philosophies and political correctness.  He knows
John Ashcroft personally and thinks highly of him.  He originally argued for
a heavy military response the attack, and as you might imagine, he and I are
at odds much of the time.  We've argued loudly, even angrily before.  But it
never mattered to our friendship which has only deepened over the years.
I've never been able to do that with anyone else before.

Rabid taught me to regard our differences as like being on opposite sides of
a universal hoop, that includes all of us, our emotions, our thoughts, our
actions, everything.  He explained that both voices are necessary for the
intent of trying to find our way to the center of the hoop for balance.  As
he explained it, for every warrior crying for blood, their must be a healer
crying for the life of her child.  We are able to discuss and accept our
differences in that context, which leads to respect for opposing views,
instead of judgement calls of right and wrong.

After I heard what Rabid wanted to tell me this morning, I sat down to try
to get in touch with the "other" inside myself.  The easiest way I find to
do this is to sit down with blank paper and a pencil, write my question
down, focus on the question, listen for an answer, and then write it down.
I haven't had any real success in doing this for the last 5 years, and I
figured it was because I couldn't get quiet enough to listen.  But today
after Rabid's call, I had no problem at all with it, and didn't even need to
try to quiet myself.  The words flowed easily.  I don't really know who I am
talking to, it may really just be my own mind, but I don't think so, because
what comes back often makes no sense to me or I can't understand what it
means.  The session today was no different.

I include Rabid's email below that includes the gist of what we discussed
this morning and then I include the words that came to me in my personal
session.  I thought maybe this would resonate with some of my friends
here...

From: "HLahantubbe"
Subject: An open letter to those interested in peace or war ...
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 21:19:56 -0500

My Name is Jim RabidWolf Hickinbotham, I am an indigenous man of North
America (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma). What I speak, I speak for myself and
no one else. I represent no one, no one tells me what to say. I think for
myself.

I ask only that you read what I have written, give it a fair hearing, then
act upon it as seems right in your heart.

You may do what you will this - disseminate it as you will, print and copy
it; delete it if that suits you. I ask only that if it is passed on, it be
done so with out addition or deletion.

This is my vision, it was gifted to me, and I give it you as freely.

Recent events have brought the world to the brink of war and destruction,
such has never been known in the histories of the world, written or oral.
People have begun to polarize, calling for war or peace, justice or mercy,
revenge or forgiveness. Each knows himself or herself to be right, not
understand why others cannot see it their way.

What has happened to me began three nights ago with a dream of my third
great-grandfather. He had but one thing to tell me, "If you cannot see the
other side, guard your sight jealously, for you are already blind in one
eye."

Two nights later, I had the vision that I share with you now.

We are, ALL OF US, wrong. If you have been crying for peace, you are wrong.
If you have been crying for war, you are wrong. If your stand has been for
justice, you are wrong. If you stood for revenge, you are wrong. All of us
are wrong.

There are no clean hands in all of this. We are about to all pay for our
arrogance.

There are no choices, no options.

If America retaliates, there will be war, perhaps in the entire world. If
she does not, then she will be provoked until she does. If Bin Laden is
taken, arrested, 25 or more atrocities will be committed to regain his
freedom, if he is killed, at least one - and we will go to war in either
case.

Do not wonder why America had such machinations in the last presidential
election; it is because George Bush has been placed there for this very
purpose. I am not saying that he is "God's man," I am saying that he there
because he would behave exactly as he is doing. I don't not believe any of
the other candidates would act as he does or will.

Usama Bin Laden is where he is for exactly the same reason, no more no less.

Read nothing more into those statements than what is there.

We cannot go to war. The cost is too high. Neither can we turn our backs. We
cannot arrest whom we assume to be guilty - there is no justice on our
courts throughout the world. We have allowed them to become a mockery of any
just law or ethic. We have twisted them into a tool of our own misshapen
senses.

Islam, Christianity, Judaism are all three peoples of the same God. All
three teach compassion, justice, and tolerance. Yet all three have brought
us wars and injustice, not through their teachings but by those who call
themselves followers and have twisted them to their own devices.

We are left with no choices, no options. This is by Creator's own hand. He
has made it so. The only alternative is not to participate. We must each
take a step, whether left or right, forward or back, one step to the center
and STOP.

We do not have the luxury of continuing as we have.

If you have been slinging dirt, trying to show others why this has happened,
STOP.

If you have been calling for peace, even marching in the streets, STOP.

If you have been standing for justice, STOP.

If you have been seeking revenge, STOP.

Regardless or what we do, it will bring only war. If you defame and
demonstrate, you tell this man he has already won - there is a breach in our
resolve.

If you call for war, you give him what he desires and again he has won.

If you call for "justice" in the courts of the world, he knows himself that
they are twisted beyond ethical recourse, and he has won.

To follow the way of love is always a good thing, but that presupposes that
the other party is capable of understanding or even caring.

Remember, "Never fight a battle you cannot win. Second, ALWAYS choose your
battles."

The only hope we have is to not participate. Either we all learn this
lesson, together, at the same time, or we perish.

We must allow Creator to do what he is doing. Take your hands away from this
thing. In that he has given us no choice, Creator has taken away our
responsibility. In that way, he has given us the opportunity to avoid
falling into the traps set by all parties concerned.

Let all things be what they are and what they wish to be.

Jim RabidWolf Hickinbotham
Belleville, Illinois, USA
September 22, 2001
-------------------------------------------------
If you can't see the other
side, guard your sight jealously,
you're already blind in one eye.
--------------------------------------------------

---begin tully's personal session
Me:  Rabid says that both sides are wrong.  Is that true?
Other:  Of course it is.
M:  Are both sides right?
O:  They think they are.
M:  So that get's us back to the "no such thing as right and wrong" that we
talked of earlier.
O:  Right and wrong is a human invention associated with judgementalism,
which depends on the perspective brought to that judgement.  When one
omni-directional perspective is seen, it of course doesn't matter.
M:  But was this a test of us by you?
O:  Not a test as such, more a way to help you see.
M:  So you did set us up!
O:  You being judgemental?
M:  I don't know.  I'm confused.
O:  That is good.
M:  Good?
O:  Yes, confusion is not a bad place to be.  What comes from it can be.
M:  What are you expecting us to see from this setup?
O:  Confusion is good for starters.
M:  How can confusion be good?
O:  It can lead you to seeing other perspectives.
M:  Like Rabid's "If you can only see one side, guard your sight, since you
are already blind in one eye?"
O:  That's part of it.  The problem is when you come out of confusion with
"the" answer.  There really is no answer persay, short of love.
M:  But that is what I was trying to express to the world, that we must let
this bring us to love, not more war.
O:  So you would not retaliate against the wrongdoers?
M:  No, I would wish for us to apologize for wrongs we committed that lead
up to this.
O:  Wouldn't this lead to more terrorism?
M:  I believe in the good of people and I don't think it would.
O:  Many are not "good" as you say.
M:  Did you really say that?
O:  Of course I did.  That is what evil as you define it is.  It is
necessary in order to distinquish the good.
M:  But surely the people doing the "evil" don't see it as such.
O:  That's true.
M:  Then it just seems we are going round and round, assuming evil to be
anything that doesn't agree with us.
O:  Oh yes.
M:  But what if we truly do see the wrongs we have committed and we express
our regret?
O:  That would be a loving thing to do, but it would be dangerous as it
leaves you vulnerable to those not so disposed to love.
M:  Better that than being evil ourselves.
O:  Even if it ended up wiping all of you out?  Isn't survival important,
too?
M:  You tell me.  You were the one who let Jesus die on the cross.
O:  And look what came from it - 2000 years of awareness of Jesus's words -
a martyr.
M:  And crusades...
O:  It is the dance.

I was lost for words after that.  I don't understand the "omni-directional"
reference, am disillusioned about the "not so disposed to love" part and am
wondering more about this dance.  But I am no longer afraid.  I think Rabid
is right that Creator's hand is in this and that has stopped my anger and my
fear.

It has opened my heart and I feel freed.  I thanked Rabid for his gift.

*
*
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