Headlines, Part 3- 'bush War Adviser Says Draft Worth a Look.'

The headline reads, 'Bush war adviser says draft worth a look.' The article goes on to say that due to the fact that 'frequent tours for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have stressed the all-volunteer force,' it may, in fact, be 'worth considering a return to a military draft, President Bush's new war adviser said Friday.' Now, I'm sure those men and women waging war in those two lands are extremely stressed out and pushed beyond any normal, sustainable, healthy human limits but what makes you, Army Lt. Gen. Lute, believe for a moment that I, or any other life-loving human being, would take part in this or any other war? I mean why, on this beautiful earth, would I knowingly or unknowingly brutalize my fellow human beings, no matter where they are, what they look like, or what they may have done? Clearly our brains have not been trained in the same form of perception. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually hold absolutely nothing against the men and women in uniform, it breaks my heart that each of them must endure what they must endure on a daily basis, it is truly unimaginable! Those in uniform are not the problem, they are beautiful human beings just like the rest of us. The problem stems from a much deeper source, and that source is within each of us.

Now, this is obviously a sensitive subject for a lot of people. To me, the degree of sensitivity surrounding this subject is equal to the degree of ignoring the open, honest investigation each responsible individual must take part in. Or, the sensitivity stems from having a friend or loved one in a war zone right now. To you, I apologize profusely for my part in the failing to make this open investigation happen on a national level. Who among us understands what leads to the point of seeing war as even an option, let alone the way, the right way, the human way? Who among us sees our own unwillingness to honestly reflect on our own actions, hidden motives, hatred, animosity, greed, selfishness, fear...? Because, before there are others to blame there is the one pointing the finger. If you or I am looking at others and seeing ignorance or greed it is only because we haven't looked at ourselves to discover the same seeds sprouting within us. Let me be clear, I am not of any anti-war camp, which is equally as ridiculous, sorry. There is no need to fight or resist ANYONE when you understand yourself. We act the way we act because we keep death at arms length instead of understanding the total movement of life, which is inseparable from that of death. In keeping death FAR away we cling neurotically to life and it is this neurosis, this disease of mind that twists life into the brutal dance we take part in on a daily basis. Resistance is no different than war, it gets you no where. Now, I can hear all the age-old arguments, 'if you don't love this country you should leave it,' 'if you're not willing to fight and die why should anyone else fight or die for you,' 'countless people have died for you to be able to speak your mind as you presently do'...blah, blah, blah. They are simply empty arguments, hiding all those things the one arguing has ignored. Every argument simply points that much more concisely to the fact that it is the one arguing who hasn't investigated themselves, not the other way around. And this is the only problem facing humanity today, my unwillingness to address what is actually operating within the field of my very own consciousness.

I can't believe how painfully obvious the solution to our mess of a world actually is. What is it you may ask? Open, honest, persistent, challenging investigation into the nature of mind and the process of thought-feeling-experience-memory-reaction-adjustment-action. This indivisibly mechanical process involving the brain, body, and mind, when on autopilot as has been its nature since the beginning, is our end unless we become conscious of its total activity. When conscious of its total activity you may discover the individual actually lies outside of this movement, completely, instead of within it, directing it, wanting it, needing it, protecting it. And if in fact the individual lies outside of this process then a totally different life is possible. Now, I'm not talking about changing the world, it cannot be done, and that is not the solution to the mess I spoke about. The attempt to change the world is called war. No, I'm talking about understanding the individual that, through their relationships, creates the world. But maybe you don't believe this is a viable action to take, there's something about blowing people apart that makes it seem more real, more important, more substantial. And yet, clearly something is not working correctly if we come to the point where we need to force, or draft, unwilling people to wage war, or pay for it through their taxes for that matter.