Organizing & Productivity Consultant
Certified Life Coach
Issue 19
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911 Special Edition: The Deeper Wound |
Attack on America
In this time of horror, heartbreak, and great sorrow for America and the rest of the freedom-loving world, I believe it's critical that we get back to living life and moving forward. Our strength as individuals and as a nation will not be diluted by these terrorist acts.
When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened. As I think about the future, John F. Kennedy's words come to mind: "Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future." That's why I publish this Paauwer Tools newsletter...to help you reach your dreams by taking responsibility for the future.
Since the horrific tragedy that took place on September 11, I've thought to myself, "How can I take responsibility for the future? What can I do to help? I'm just one person and the need is so great." Then I remembered this quote from Mary Manin Morrissey: "If you ever think you are too small to be effective, then you have never been in bed with a mosquito." Each one of us can make a difference! Aside from the obvious of giving blood or sending money for the relief efforts, there is something else each of us can do -- right here, right now -- WE CAN PRAY. We can also search our own hearts for thoughts of violence or hatred against anyone in the world at this moment.
Another way that I can make a difference is by offering my services as a certified life coach. I am offering to provide my coaching services at no charge to any victims of the terrorist attacks. Victims include family members of those who were injured or killed or witnessed this horrific event, as well as rescue workers, police officers, firefighters, etc. I want to do whatever I can to assist in the long road to healing. If you or someone you know feels a need to talk with someone who is trained to listen and provide support, please invite them to contact me. They can either e-mail me at orgcoach@gte.net or call me at 425-881-6627.
In the midst of the world's tragedy, Deepak Chopra has been barraged with questions from the media requesting his perspective. His response is worth passing on...
The Deeper Wound
As fate would have it, I was leaving New York on a jet flight that took off 45 minutes before the unthinkable happened. By the time we landed in Detroit, chaos had broken out. When I grasped the fact that American security had broken down so tragically, I couldn't respond at first. My wife and son were also in the air on separate flights, one to Los Angeles, one to San Diego. My body went absolutely rigid with fear. All I could think about was their safety, and it took several hours before I found out that their flights had been diverted and both were safe. Strangely, when the good news came, my body still felt that it had been hit by a truck. Of its own accord it seemed to feel a far greater trauma that reached out to the thousands who would not survive and the tens of thousands who would survive only to live through months and years of hell.
And I asked myself: Why didn't I feel this way last week? Why didn't my body go stiff during the bombing of Iraq or Bosnia? Around the world my horror and worry are experienced every day. Mothers weep over horrendous loss, civilians are bombed mercilessly, refugees are ripped from any sense of home or homeland. Why did I not feel their anguish enough to call a halt to it?
As we hear the calls for tightened American security and a fierce military response to terrorism, it is obvious that none of us has any answers. However, we feel compelled to ask some questions.
Everything has a cause, so we have to ask:
What was the root cause of this evil? We must find out not superficially but at the deepest level. There is no doubt that such evil is alive all around the world and is even celebrated.
Does this evil grow from the suffering and anguish felt by people we don't know and therefore ignore? Have they lived in this condition for a long time?
One assumes that whoever did this attack feels implacable hatred for America. Why were we selected to be the focus of suffering around the world?
All this hatred and anguish seems to have religion at its basis. Isn't something terribly wrong when jihads and wars develop in the name of God? Isn't God invoked with hatred in Ireland, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine, and even among the intolerant sects of America? Can any military response make the slightest difference in the underlying cause?
Is there not a deep wound at the heart of humanity? If there is a deep wound, doesn't it affect everyone? When generations of suffering respond with bombs, suicidal attacks, and biological warfare, who first developed these weapons? Who sells them? Who gave birth to the satanic technologies now being turned against us?
If all of us are wounded, will revenge work? Will punishment in any form toward anyone solve the wound or aggravate it? Will an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and limb for a limb, leave us all blind, toothless and crippled?
Tribal warfare has been going on for two thousand years and has now been magnified globally. Can tribal warfare be brought to an end? Is patriotism and nationalism even relevant anymore, or is this another form of tribalism?
What are you and I as persons going to do about what is happening? Can we afford to let the deeper wound fester any longer? Everyone is calling this an attack on America, but is it not a rift in our collective soul? Isn't this an attack on civilization from without that is also from within?
When we have secured our safety once more and cared for the wounded, after the period of shock and mourning is over, it will be time for soul searching. I only hope that these questions are confronted with the deepest spiritual intent. None of us will feel safe again behind the shield of military might and stockpiled arsenals. There can be no safety until the root cause is faced. In this moment of shock I don't think anyone of us has the answers. It is imperative that we pray and offer solace and help to each other.
But if you and I are having a single thought of violence or hatred against anyone in the world at this moment, we are contributing to the wounding of the world.
Love,
DeepakPlease join us at the prayer circle boards at http://www.chopra.com/.
Offering
a prayer of peace for the world,
Kathy
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