by [email protected]
Many of you have written, have called to express your
concern, your solidarity with us, New Yorkers and all Americans, during
this sad time of loss, of grief and mourning. The devastating and tragic
blow suffered by thousands of innocent people....Americans, as well as
others from countries all around the world, has forever scarred our
souls. We can never be the same. But if we believe, as many do, that
there is a reason for everything that happens, then we must not squander
this moment in history, or surely it will become nothing more than
another page in a history book.
Towers of steel have crumbled, thousands of innocent
lives have been lost; the tribute to them must not simply be further
destruction and the venting of anger with retaliation and revenge for
surely, that will only continue the horrific cycle of violence. Albert
Einstein said that we cannot solve a problem at the same level of
thinking that was used to create the problem. We have a unique
opportunity to bring about change, to help our society evolve to a
higher consciousness. How can we stay focused and committed to the task
at hand? How can we bring about a shift in thinking, a change of
perception and being in the critical mass? How can we create a new
paradigm for the way we relate to one another and the rest of the world?
For those of us who fight for human and animal rights, we know this is
the sine qua non.
There are no easy answers to the question "how do we do
it?" But if we ask "how do the firemen do it? how do doctors, soldiers,
foreign correspondents in a war zone do it?" we realize that they do it,
that you and I do it, with a courage and conviction that comes from deep
within, because the message, the action, the instinctive wish to save
from harm, be it in helping an individual or in changing the world, is
greater, is more important than our own pain and fear. And sometimes it
requires sacrifice. But there can be no time or place for moral
exhaustion or self-pity... that would sap us of all the energy we need
to go on. We must of course, take time to grieve, to mourn, to protect
ourselves and seek justice, but then we must keep our eye on the
bouncing ball, remember our goal and keep focused on how to achieve it.
Unfortunately, that's how the terrorists do it! And we can do it
too...but with love and compassion that will overcome evil...because
that is the true calling and inner desire of the human spirit. Vengeance
and retaliation are primitive and barbaric impulses that only lead to
more destruction and despair... so many innocents are made to suffer and
for what? Think of Ireland, of Israel, of Bosnia, of Rwanda....! There
can be no place in an evolved society for ethnic cleansing, for
religious crusades, for holy wars, for business and politics as usual.
I believe we must make a concerted effort to concentrate
and focus all our spiritual energy on that which is primary in our lives
and in the world... the expression of love and peace, for without it
there is nothing; that it is only by being love itself, by extending
compassion in the face of anger and fear that we can hope to end the
downward spiral of violence. Each one of us must take time to pray, to
meditate, to look inward, to reflect and ask: what can "I" do to bring
about change? what can "I" do to help society heal and evolve to a
higher consciousness? what can "I" do to end violence and hatred in
order to bring peace into my own heart? We have already seen this
happening in the wake of the tragic events, just 2 weeks ago today. We
must seize the moment and keep it growing.
Each day, I try to do something meaningful and powerful
to help others; I engage in action; but perhaps even more important, I
also meditate and pray for peace and healing in the world, for humankind
to evolve to a higher consciousness. You can do this in your own home.
Just think of the powerful force such healing energy could have in the
universe if we were ALL to do the same!
Zelda Penzel, President,
PEACE/People for the End of Animal Cruelty and Exploitation
Go on to "Archie" A
Bedtime Story
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