Want Peace? Let's Stop Shitting in the Pool

mountain view pool water abstract

On this 10th anniversary remembrance of 9/11 I am stuck for what to do... my friend Leslie lost her sister Katie in the twin towers. And although I never knew Katie, I now know her whole family and I know how much they dread all the drama around the date- they'd rather remember how she lived not how she died. Even when Bin Laden was killed I knew it would bring mixed feelings for them. Relief on one hand but no reason to celebrate at the same time. Leslie is a doctor and brings life in to the world as a ob-gyn, she would never celebrate the death of another human. 

So how to honor those who we've lost, and those who have been lost since fighting wars in the name of justice, and all the rest who serve as our everyday heros? Well I believe the way to do that is to take an inventory of what energy we are putting into the world. The world's surface is made up of 70% water and it is truly like one big pool that we all swim in together. Why should we care about someone half way around the world with AIDS; why should we worry about inner city kids getting a good education when we live in the suburbs and our kids are getting a great one; why should pollution in China matter in Chattanooga?

Because our shit- and by this I mean everything from our pollution, to financial corruption, to racism, to negativity, to violence- all eventually floats over to other parts of the world and pollutes the pool of humanity. Those kids we don't educate because they live on the other side of the tracks- wouldn't education by better investment then incarceration later? That "other" religion we think is so full of violence and hatred, can you say yours hasn't done the same throughout history?

We can all honor not only the ones we lost on 9/11 but the children that live on in their parents absence and all children in the generations to come by getting our shit together and handling it responsibly. Violence in our home- get help. Discrimination at our workplace- take a stand. Hypocrisy in our place of worship- stop supporting it. And whatever you and I need to clean up in our own lives- lets make that our contribution to peace in the world.

It is not Pollyanna-ish to say we can have peace in the world it just takes a lot of work. What if after 9/11 we would have gotten religious leaders all together to speak out on violence against any people, instead of which religion is better and more righteous then the other. What if we would have taken even a small chunk of the money we spend on defense spending (including billions on fighter planes we've never used) and invested in education and technology to come up with not only alternative fuel solutions but drugs and agricultural solutions for struggling parts of the world. If the huge changes in the Middle East during the recent Arab Spring proved nothing it is that technology and transparency overthrows dictatorial and corrupt governments faster, more efficiently, and cheaper then any military action ever could.

Shit floats and also infiltrates all aspects of our lives, we need to responsibly handle our messes as individuals, as countries, and as simply citizens of the world.

Peace to All.

[in memory of a truly loving soul Katie McCloskey]