Time to press for unity regardless of whether ‘for’ or ‘against’ war on Iraq
As the war gathers momentum, many around the world fear the worst. American and British troops have experienced serious setbacks, unexpected casualties and deaths. Even President Bush looked unusually grave as he warned the nation that “this is just the beginning of a tough fight.”
But fear is the worst emotion we can give into, for it is the greatest divider. Fear divides people from one another. It paralyzes them and drives them over the edge. But fear doesn’t have to do all these things. It can also drive us to each other in the certainty that we can do something about this war. And I don’t mean peace marches.
I have great respect for everyone who has recently attended a vigil, protest march or peace rally. I have participated in dozens over the last four decades. But I am also concerned about the tensions, the divisiveness and even open violence that are often a part of these gatherings.
Yes, war is wrong; yes, killing is wrong. I will never waver from that. Shortly before the crucifixion of Jesus, after one of his disciples struck off the ear of a soldier, Jesus told him to put away his weapon, saying, “He that takes the sword shall perish by the sword.” Jesus was clearly no advocate of armed force. But neither did he condemn those who used it – even against him. On the contrary, he prayed for them, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
What about us, who contribute to war in so many ways, every day of our lives, with our greed and materialism, our backbiting and gossip, our unfaithfulness and family feuds, our arrogance, our general selfishness and our disregard for others? How can we stand on the sidelines and condemn those who have planned this war, and those who are now fighting it?
The war in Iraq calls each of us who oppose it to make a choice. We can criticize the White House and the Pentagon. We can condemn the soldiers, sailors and airmen. We can antagonize those we disagree with. We can rub salt into the wounds of families who have lost loved ones.
Or we can show them love, as we have never shown love before. We can listen to those who are angry. We can encourage those who are hurt or bitter. We can take time for the children around us. Many of them will go to bed tonight with the images of a war that is thousands of miles away, but still scares and confuses them. And we can support the troops on both sides of the battle by praying for their safe return and for a speedy end to hostilities.
I am not talking about waving flags, or calling them home and hoping they’ll get over their nightmares. (As someone who has counseled veterans of every major war in the last century, I have learned that no soldier ever “gets over” a war.) I am talking about recognizing them for what they really are: the beloved parents, spouses, children, brothers and sisters of families no different from yours and mine. Regardless of the choices they once made, which have since landed them in the Iraqi desert, they are now cogs in a huge machine.
I am also talking about the need to support them once the last shot has been fired, and they start showing up in AA meetings, emergency rooms and psych wards.
There’s plenty of talk about heroism and sacrifice, God and country. But what’s going to happen once the war is over, and everyone has moved on to the next big thing on the screen? Who’s going to be there for the veterans of this war when they start turning their weapons on themselves?
The time is past when one can simply be “for” or “against” war. As this one rages on, each of us has surely felt drawn into it. Only a heart of stone could stand aside.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peace makers.” As the war in Iraq continues, let us remember his words. As we continue to work for an end to the violence, let us (to quote Gandhi), be the change that we wish to see in the world. Let us not condemn any man or woman, or say or do anything that spreads division or fear. Let us rather do what we can to sow seeds of peace.
Johann Christoph Arnold is an author and a senior minister with the Bruderhof movement.