Killing any living things, especially other human beings, is wrong. It seems that there are only a small number of people whose logic is primarily based on compassion who condemn such horrific act taken by the U.S. government.
To speak up against tyranny of the majority and the government when their actions cause suffering is my karmic task in this lifetime. I talk specifically about incidents of civilian killings in Afghanistan which caused me so much heartache and sorrow. The loved ones, either young, old and anyone in between, are taken away from their families and friends. Their possessions, either plain brown houses made out of mud, old clothes, simple kitchen tools, or childhood pictures, are destroyed.
This is my voice that speaks from the first-hand experience during a short eight-month period in the Afghan-Pakistani border along the Durand Line. I met a young 13-year old girl at a NATO hospital in the very first morning after her mother became part of collateral damage in a blotched NATO night raid. Her mother was alive before they all went to bed less than twelve hours ago.
Earlier in my career with the government, I dealt with the defense industry which contributed a surplus to the country's financial well-being. Later, my government career taught me a thing or two about how to manage the country's reputation in the world. Before I retired, my last assignment was to learn about our enemies in Afghanistan. Instead, these enemies taught me that they wouldn't hurt a fly, or me.
The United States and its karmic enemies: Afghanistan and, now, Pakistan, I believe, have to give each other a dose of compassion and a lot of forgiveness and open its heart to accept one another despite all of the differences. Like the way we treat others at personal level -- those whose skin color is lighter than ours; those who speak a dialect; those who worship trees and animals; those whose standard of living is far superior to ours. The list goes on.
I know the pain of being humiliated, looked down upon, spoken of harshly, and ignored. Suffering from losing a family member, a prized possession makes me human. Disappointment, unfulfilled goals, illnesses, physical discomfort, financial debt bring me close to depression. Achieving a career milestone and recognition, raising beautiful and smart children, manage certain things well, or hearing back from someone I care about make me smile. I don't know for sure, but I won't be surprised that all of these are repeated in every lifetime both past and future.
Death happens to everyone. But the journey can be the beginning of another lifetime that brings one an enlightenment, or the end of accumulated past wisdom that leads to circles of suffering all around. One can stop that karmic wheel from spinning.
No comments:
Post a Comment