HAPPY ARMISTICE DAY

The original purpose of Armistice Day was to celebrate peace. It has gradually morphed into a holiday which has the unmistakeable quality of honoring the military and glorifying war. When it officially changed to Veteran's Day the change was almost complete. Don't get me wrong I have no resistance to honoring veterans. I am a veteran. I encouraged my Sons to join. However, we need to work towards peace and not let our good intentions to honor veterans get twisted into honoring war.

War is our most horrible failure to live on this Earth as honorable people. There is nothing honorable about war. War is always the result of innocent people being manipulated to fight other innocent people for the benefit of the rich and powerful.

When World War I ended with the millions killed it was felt by many that war had become too awful to risk again. Hence Armistice Day was thought of the celebration to end war. Oh! Were we ever wrong. And colossally wrong.

If we are looking at the surface of things it appears we have never been more warlike. We have leaders that have no compunction against threatening other countries with violence. We spend more on military preparedness than for anything else. We have a media that turns a blind eye to the slaughter of innocents in Yemen and elsewhere. I have noted some media coverage of Yemen just recently but where have they been for the last five years. The slaughter continues in some African countries with very little coverage. Where are the politicians voices?

How can we live in a world where military preparedness is more important than education, medical care, decent housing and nourishing food for the people?

My eyes are open to the continuing horror, but I also see something else. I see a growing number of people who hold the original message of Armistice Day in their hearts. They may never have heard about the original message of Armistice Day, but they know deep in their being that peace is not only possible it is attainable. They can see in the eyes of those around them that love is where it is at.They know that the vast majority of folks have no interest is war. They can discern that the only people who are pro-war are those who benefit from it or are seduced into it through their fears.

So despite the chaos I see on the idiot box I remain optimistic. I see love wherever I look. I see people 'seeing' for the first time and realizing how crazy the world has been. Individually and collectively we are waking up. We know we can have the World we want.

Collectively, to grow, we need to see where our error in thinking has taken us. All that we need to do is turn on the TV to see what a horror we have created with our negative thinking. We have been doing it for a very long time. It boils down to the simple choice of love or fear with every thought we hold on to.

We do not want a World created by fear. We don't need to listen to leaders who use fear in their messaging. If an idea has any glimmer of fear it needs to be rejected.

We can use our military to bring food to the hungry, to build houses for those that need shelter and repair the the failing infrastructure of a tired world.

We will change the World by choosing only thoughts of love to hold dearly.

So let us celebrate PEACE! LOVE and JOY will follow.

Love and Peace, Gregg