Kindness & Compassion

gregc

I don't mean to come off sounding all rude, mean, and disrespectful, but how?!?!?! Should I show kindness and compassion towards the Israeli gov't and IDF or is it ok if I take a neutral stance and not really care about them, just speak ill of them and criticize them, but never wish anything bad upon them? I have a fear in the back of my mind that some of my friends may be subjected to cancer and other health effects from this conflict, I have done all I can (I'm a Christian Buddhist, well, maybe a Muslim Buddhist later on) in prayer and charity for Lebanon, I've done all the well wishing I can do, I've protested against the war, I've raised awareness about the war and I've done everything I can to support peace for everyone in the region. It's the source of my depression and pain I was fighting a couple of weeks ago, but for the time being, all my friends with family outside of Lebanon have fled, but quite a few have remained, I just don't know what to do anymore, even though I am not worrying much for them anymore by their own wishes, my friend kept telling me "don't worry about me, we just ignore everything going on, we live with it".

zenmonk_genryu

Who is them?

gregc

them = Israeli gov't and IDF, a Christian friend of mine in Beirut keeps telling me to have no hate against Israel....

simplelayperson

Hi Greg'
War has sickened me my whole life, and I see no end soon. When I was much younger I thought it was just the old folks that couldn't get along. (I'm slow sometimes).
Its just as the Zen Monk said. I can't see this war as "us and them". It's what ignorant (of the Truth) people do. Isn't it true what we do to each other we do to ourselves?
But what really trys my patience is people that hold the view; I'm only one person, what I do has no effect overall, or something like that.
Everyone is suffering from this war, as all wars, and some of us actually realize it on a deeper level. A certain group of cyber friends comes to mind.
Greg, I could go on and on about the "little things" I do to oppose this war and all wars, but I'll just remind you that your voice for peace is heard, that your actions for peace are felt, and that the world is getting smaller all the time. Someday dropping a bomb on "them " will be the same as dropping a bomb on "us".
You help my resolve, thank you.

edit spelling

gregc

You're very welcome, I'm a very active pacifist, my girlfriend is too, we were both involved in protests, she protested in her city while I contributed to the protests in Warsaw. I understand what you mean by "us and them", to me, they already are dropping bombs on "us".

Palzang

As long as there is an "us" and a "them" there will be war. When you come to the realization that "they" are "me" and "I" am "them", how can there be war?

Palzang

zenmonk_genryu

Wot he said.

Simonthepilgrim

Gregc, dear warrior for peace,

The 'us' are the people of the Lebanon and of Israel, suffering and dying under bombardment. What does it matter if the rocket comes from Hezbollah or the IDF when your family is dead, buried under rubble?

We will not bring peace through hate, even our own hatred of war.

not1not2

I believe that His Holiness the Dalain Lama said that we should not look for blame, but for cause. I think this distinction is the key to disarming our own inner military in favor of a different form of diplomacy.

_/\_
metta

globalbuddhist

Your enemy is your greatest teacher...
Buddha