The Way of the Warrior: Holding Space for The Fourfold Way

[David Koehler]

In a message dated 9/24/01 12:07:47 PM Central Daylight Time,
mherman at globalchicago.net writes:


> .  i think i watched the planes and buildings come down on tuesday and
> didn't *really* dismay until i heard cnn and others label the whole thing
> "attack on america"... attack seems to demand counterattack.

michael, Harrison and everyone:

The words we use are so important because they can convey emotion and feeling
and actually lead us in our actions.  That's why I try to avoid using words
that convey conflict or combat.  I understand and recognize the need and the
right we have in bringing the perpetrators of 11 September to justice, and
that this will not be without some bloodshed.  But in order to actually
change hearts and minds (including our own) we are going to have to
aggressively "wage peace."  (That's what Aine's monster story is all about.)

Waging peace, which for me is active nonviolence, means doing the things that
we should have been doing all along, like feeding people and providing
medical care.  Right now, in fact would be a great time, as some have
suggested, in helping the Afghani people who are trying to flee their
homeland.  The old story about when your only tool is a hammer - how all your
problems look like nails, will come true for us if we believe our only or
best weapon is our military might.

What concerns me is that our thinking continues to be on an inadequate level.
 The events of 11 September we horrific and unimaginable, but nevertheless
genius.  No countries army or air force could have ever penetrated our
borders, which shows how much in the wrong paradigm we were in.

And then our response of "Infinite Justice" just proved that all the more so.
 Let's see, if our problem in the world is that people perceive us as
arrogant and full of self-importance, then let's challenge Allah in
dispensing "Infinite Justice."  Not only was that offensive to Muslims
everywhere, it was offensive to any person of any faith.  (Fortunately,
someone in Washington figured that out, so we won't hear that phrase
anymore.)

What we have is a global opportunity to use the positive energy generated by
this horrible incident, to come together as a world community and to open
space and talk about those important and passionate things that we all share.


There may be a time for war as well as a time for peace, but how do we know
which is which.  Gandhi was an absolute crazy person for thinking he could
fight a mighty army without guns.  Most would have thought of that situation
as a time for war.  What time is it now for us?

Dave Koehler




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