Reply #5: "Blessed are the peace makers..."

[LeftHander]

I understand your frustration. And apreciate your thoughts ideas about why. It is really difficult to understand why people can feel nothing at U.S. bombs tearing apart innocent Iraqi familes in their sleep and yet can go to church every Sunday and profess themselves to be "good" christians.

In my understanding it boils down to a deep seeded selfishness and prideful self awareness. Conservative Americans beleive they are "blessed" by God for all that they have and thus if "God" has allowed them to be so enriched then it is okay for others to suffer on thier behalf.

From time to time I encounter a pro-war, flag waving, gun toting American and if the discussion about war comes up I simply tell them that we have no rights as a human being to purposefully take the life of another. War is no exception. Period. I tell them that nothing is gained from the deaths of others.

Usually the conversation ends as they cannot possibly comprehend life without an enemy. They will then call me an out of touch peacenik wacko, a soft bleeding heart. I could call them war mongering selfish bigot. But that would just inflame them. They already have choosen me as an enemy. I try to not do the same.

As long as humans create enemies we will always have war. When there are oppressors there are the oppressed and there will be hate and death.

Conservatives will argue that that is human nature and we need to get the goods before they do.

The best that people of peace can do is to keep pointing out how wrong killing is. Keep predicting and voicing the outcome of policies that promote war. Keep showing those that will listen and even those who won't accept any alternative to war.

War does not bring out the best in people. Peace does.