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| Strike against Terror Thich Nhat Hanh http://www.plumvillage.org/TNH/Strike%20Against%20Terror.htm Terror is in the human heart. We must
remove this terror from the heart. Destroying the human heart, both
physically and psychologically, is what we should avoid. The root of
terrorism should be identified so that it can be removed. The root of
terrorism is misunderstanding, hatred and violence. This root cannot be
located by the military. Bombs and missiles cannot reach it, let alone
destroy it. Only with the practice of calming and looking deeply can our
insight reveal and identify this root. Only with the practice of deep
listening and compassion can it be transformed and removed. Darkness cannot be dissipated with more
darkness. More darkness will make darkness thicker. Only light can
dissipate darkness. Violence and hatred cannot be removed with violence
and hatred. Rather, this will make violence and hatred grow a thousand
fold. Only understanding and compassion can dissolve violence and hatred. "Strike against terror" is a
misleading expression. What we are striking against is not the real cause
or the root of terror. The object of our strike is still human life. We
are sowing seeds of violence as we strike. Striking in this way we will
only bring about more hatred and violence into the world. This is exactly
what we do not want to do. Hatred and violence are in the hearts of
human beings. A terrorist is a human being with hatred, violence and
misunderstanding in his or her heart. Acting without understanding, acting
out of hatred, violence and fear, we help sow more terror, bringing terror
to the homes of others and bringing terror
back to our own homes. Whole societies are living constantly in fear with
our nerves being attacked day and night. This is the greatest casualty we
may suffer from as a result of our wrong thinking and action. Such a state
of confusion, fear and anxiety is extremely dangerous. It can bring about
another world war, this time extremely destructive. We must learn to speak out so that the
voice of the Buddha can be heard in this dangerous and pivotal moment of
history. Those of us who have the light should display the light and offer
it so that the world will not sink into total darkness. Everyone has the
seed of awakening and insight within his or her heart. Let us help each
other touch these seeds in ourselves so that everyone could have the
courage to speak out. We must ensure that the way we live our daily lives
(with or without mindful consumption, with or without discrimination, with
or without participating in injustice) does not create more terrorism in
the world. We need a collective awakening to stop this course of
self-destruction. - Thich Nhat Hanh Shanghai 19 October, 2001 |