More gruesome images and videos hit the street today. This time it was an unlucky citizen of the U.S. who had his head cut off. As horrific and grisly as it is, it is but a symptom of a much deeper problem which is growing like a cancer in the hearts of people the world over. The cycle of violence continues to spin out of control. Some people, it seems, love to have a reason to be filled with hatred and anger and fear, which so often leads to acts of violence and destruction and terror.

So, once again a crisis appears and challenges the world with its frightful implications. However, this crisis, like so many recent crises, can also be used as an opportunity. It is an opportunity for the human species to come to an entirely new, higher level of consciousness. It is an opportunity for humanity to re-discover the eternal spiritual truths that are so often smothered by overly simplistic either-or models of thinking. It is an opportunity for everyone to start uprooting the world’s fears and start planting seeds of love in their place.

Evil, if it exists in form at all, ultimately cannot be overcome by being destroyed with violence. It must be transmuted and uplifted and redeemed for something much higher. This can only be accomplished by using the infinite power of divine, spiritual, Love.

It’s time to start thinking outside the bomb. Everyone has a part to play in the global transformation and the rising of consciousness. Some are born to lead; others are destined to follow. Religions and politics and the corporate news will not provide the leadership that is required. False prophets are deceiving many with their belligerent calls for violence and death.

The answers to all these problems lie within each one of us and can be accessed with prayer and meditation. Despite its appearance, the best qualities of life are often hidden inside us where we’re most afraid to look. By loving yourself and then the world, as horrible at it may appear to be, you immediately become part of the solution to the many deep rooted problems that haunt our planet today. When enough people come to understand this simple truth, a movement will begin to usher in a new age of reason and enlightenment, filled with peace and prosperity, embracing the awesome power of Love and nonviolence.

Don Hodges
May 12, 2004

Article by the father of the man who was beheaded in Iraq.