This past week has been extraordinary. Many of us feel like we are living headline to headline, and the stockmarket….what can I say?….has been in a nosedive, but, it will rise again. So what can be said for terrorism, hatred, lack of communication, and fear? Over the next few months I think we are all going to get a crash course on these terms.

The dilemma that we face is, do we want peace, or do we want war? Both cannot coexist together. It is understandable the amount of anger that is raging through the homes of the United States these past two weeks. Still, we are faced with a problem. If it is war that we choose, we must understand where we are going, and how to end it, otherwise, it’s Vietnam War Part Two. I’m sure we don’t want that. I am a believer that violence begets violence…..but I also believe that justice must prevail. Each side has a story to tell…..hate does not grow overnight, and it may not end in one day…..but, if we are intelligent, we can listen to all sides.

People have lost loved ones. The destruction I have witnessed firsthand at the World Trade Center….it is nothing short of a scene from a horror movie. Reflection will set in over the next few weeks……and perhaps we will be able to see a wider scope of why this happened.

The most powerful position on a battlefield is the place where a table and chairs sit. That is the position where arms are laid down, and minds, opinions, and most of all, logic, prevails. The key to peace is logic. Opinions can be argued…..but eventually one and one equals two. If at that point, one side throws logic out the window, hope diminishes. The side that fears logic, refuses to hear. Evil is Evil…..but many wars are fought over different points of view, and lack of communication. Is it in this case? We’ll only know at the table and chairs. If the nations of the world, especially those involved in the conflict, sit down, share their thoughts, and allow logic to flow through the air, the truth eventually will show its face. No one will not be seen……

Throughout history, the wise men who have graced this planet have left us pearls of wisdom, to help us through the darkest nights. Here are a few of their thoughts:

“An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.”
— Ghandi
“If I don’t share dialogue with Chairman Kruschev, the whole world will end.”
— President John F. Kennedy
“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt
‘”I will travel to Israel to listen to its people…enough blood has been shed.”
— Anwar Sadat
“He who is without sin, cast the first stone.”
— Jesus Christ

At the table and chairs, all can be heard. The world can witness everything right before its eyes. The peacemakers, the destroyers, those on the fence, and those who don’t care, will be revealed. Without dialogue, we have nowhere to go but to violence.

Break bread,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon