Essay by John Robbins, last part

Thu, 8 Nov 2001 10:12:16 EST

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There is a terrible irony here. The United States has long been a major=20
supplier of food aid to Afghanistan. But now it is U.S. bombing that is=20
destroying roads and making it impossible for substantial food aid to be=20
delivered. If we were to make a dramatic effort, now, to get meaningful=20
amounts of emergency relief to these people, it would make a great differenc=
e=20
to their survival. If we don't, it will only cement in the minds of the=20
world's masses the image of the U.S. as indifferent to the needs of the poor=
.

While the vast majority of Americans care deeply about the welfare of their=20
fellow human beings, the foreign policies of the U.S. government have for=20
some time now been seen by much of the rest of the world as arrogant and=20
selfish. And it is a sad fact that we have far too often given them cause fo=
r=20
such a view. It is hard to be proud of our country for standing nearly alone=
=20
among nations in refusing to sign the treaty banning land mines; for being=20
one of only four nations (the others are Libya, Syria and Iraq) who refuse t=
o=20
comply with a global treaty to eliminate chemical weapons; and for almost=20
single-handedly blocking U.N. efforts to reduce the use of children as=20
soldiers, even when two million children have been killed in armed conflicts=
=20
in the past decade.

Our nation has also done many wonderful and generous things. We have at time=
s=20
behaved with honor among nations, and been a beacon of freedom. But the worl=
d=20
has seen our other side, too. It's not easy to feel grateful to the United=20
States for being one of only two nations (the other is Somalia) to refuse to=
=20
ratify the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, and one of only three=
=20
nations (the others are Libya and Iraq) to oppose the U.N. being able to=20
investigate and prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes=20
such as rape and sexual slavery.

There is an enormous disconnect taking place between the will of the America=
n=20
people and the foreign policy of our government. The American people are for=
=20
the most part honest, decent, and compassionate. But few U.S. citizens are=20
aware of how much U.S. foreign policies have betrayed our caring and our=20
humanity. How many Americans know that we are far and away the world's=20
leading arms merchant? Or that, in the last fifteen years, the U.S. share of=
=20
the worlds arms trade has increased from 16% to more than 70%? How many=20
Americans know that even before September 11th we were spending 18 times mor=
e=20
money on the military than the combined spending of all of the nations=20
identified by the U.S. government as potential enemies (Cuba, Iran, Iraq,=20
Libya, North Korea, and Syria)?

President Bush began his term by withdrawing from almost everymultilateral=20
agreement and international treaty that came up, except those that in the=20
short term served to enhance American profits and power. From the outset, hi=
s=20
administration angered and alienated the world community by disengaging from=
=20
treaties attempting to deal with global warming, nuclear disarmament,=20
population control, trafficking in small arms, and chemical and biological=20
weapons, to name just a few.

This is not a matter of partisanship. Both Republican and Democrat=20
administrations have come all too often to define American self-interest=20
almost without regard for the concerns of other nations. It's sad but true=20
that to assure American access to oil and other natural resources around the=
=20
world, and to provide a constant pool of cheap labor, the U.S. government ha=
s=20
frequently supported undemocratic and repressive regimes that have been hate=
d=20
by their own populations. We have massively supported governments that have=20
engaged in widespread terrorism against their own people. Instead of=20
supporting human rights and self determination, we've sold hundreds of=20
billions of dollars of weapons to a string of tyrannical governments as long=
=20
as doing so provided us with cheap oil and access to their markets.

But now, suddenly, we are realizing that we desperately need the help of the=
=20
world. There are signs of hope. As a London newspaper recently commented,=20
"Colin Powell, in a stunning and rare display of humility for an American=20
official, now acknowledges that in order to fight terrorism effectively the=20
U.S. is going to have to be more sensitive to the concerns of other cultures=
."

Might the United States remember in all of this that our national purpose is=
=20
greater than the construction of a McWorld, and that we have a deep and=20
paramount interdependence with the wellbeing of all of the world's peoples?=20
As the president of the State of the World Forum, Jim Garrison, puts it: "If=
=20
out of the present crisis the United States emerges more connected with the=20
rest of the world, more willing to live cooperatively within coalitions than=
=20
outside them, then light will have truly come from out of the darkness and=20
redemption out of the recesses of hatred and war. In one of the deepest=20
paradoxes of contemporary history, the present crisis might compel America=20
to=E2=80=A6 (realize) no country is an island unique unto itself=E2=80=A6and=
 the only=20
solution to hate is to stop the underlying causes that produce it, working=20
within the community of nations to achieve goals that benefit the poor as=20
well as the rich, the south as well as the north, the developing nations as=20
well as those more advanced. Achieving this, America will fulfill the deepes=
t=20
yearning of one of its founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, who wrote that h=
e=20
believed the real destiny of America would not be about power; it would be=20
about light."

Will the day come when the United States fulfills our true national purpose=20
and achieves lasting national security?

We'll know we've begun when we break our addiction to oil, and develop an=20
economy based instead on hydrogen, wind power, solar power, and other=20
non-polluting, safe and renewable sources of energy.

We'll know we've begun to create true national security when we define the=20
greatness of our civilization not by our military capabilities, not by our=20
ability to inflict massive damage and punishment, but by our ability to brin=
g=20
out the best in ourselves and others, and by the quality of life we leave ou=
r=20
children.

We'll know we've begun when we stop thinking there is such a thing as "smart=
"=20
bombs or "sophisticated" weapons. "Sophisticated" means having the ability t=
o=20
use our intelligence, empathy and imagination to solve serious and complex=20
problems. "Smart" means realizing that when these bombs kill civilians they=20
leave them just as dead, their families just as heartbroken and enraged, the=
=20
spiritual fabric of the world just asshredded, and the human heart just as=20
violated.

We'll know we've begun to defeat terrorism when we see the connection betwee=
n=20
the $5 trillion the U.S. has spent on nuclear weapons since World War II and=
=20
the homeless children shivering in the cold, the battered women who have no=20
shelters, and the families broken by grinding poverty; when we see the=20
connection between the $1 billion a day we've spent every day for decades on=
=20
the military and the hungry people who have no hope, the children dying from=
=20
preventable diseases, and the families who sell their daughters into sexual=20
slavery because they see no other way to survive. We'll know we've begun to=20
create a world where terrorism can't find a foothold when we commit ourselve=
s=20
and our resources to the building of a peaceful world with as much dedicatio=
n=20
as we've committed ourselves to war.

We'll know we're on the right track when we begin producing and eating food=20
that is healthy for our bodies and healthy for the Earth, and when we no=20
longer find acceptable the existence of human hunger anywhere on the planet.

We'll know we're upholding the human spirit when the power we seek is the=20
ability to nurture and befriend, rather than to conquer and subjugate; and=20
when the success we pursue is one in which all beings share because it is=20
founded on reverence for life.

We'll know we've begun to create a safer and kinder world when we design our=
=20
public policies and personal lifestyles not just for individual advantage,=20
but for the greater good of the whole Earth community. Then we will ask God=20
to please hear the prayers of the people in prison, of the homeless, of the=20
refugees walking on roads because a war has forced them from their homes. We=
=20
will ask God to hear the prayers of those who hunger and are not fed, and=20
those who are despised by their fellow humans because they are somehow=20
different. We will ask God to feel the exhaustion of those living too close=20
to the edge of their physical and spiritual resources. Then our religious an=
d=20
spiritual lives will make us more human, more humble, and more able to live=20
with respect for all beings.

In times of fear, most people step back and wait to see what others are goin=
g=20
to do and what's going to happen. Some people, though, see the situation as=20
an opportunity to step forward and take a stand. The more of us who in our=20
hearts and lives take a stand for the creation of a thriving, just and=20
sustainable way of life for all, the less likely it is that the bin Ladens o=
f=20
the world will accomplish their purposes, and the greater the chance that it=
=20
will be love and not fear that will prevail. Then those who perished in the=20
September 11th attacks will not have died in vain, but will live on in the=20
flourishing of human hope and well-being.

The bitter historical events that came to fruition on September 11th did not=
=20
come from nowhere, but developed over decades and even centuries. Likewise=20
the peace and understanding that we seek, and which alone will make us truly=
=20
safe, need to be nurtured and cultivated over generations of time.

It is to the planting, nurturing and harvesting of fruits worthy of all that=
=20
is good and beautiful in us that we must now, as never before, dedicate our=20
lives. Because now, as never before, the world needs our wisdom, our=20
cooperation, and our understanding that all humanity is connected.

(John Robbins is the author of many best-sellers, including Diet For A New=20
America, and his recently released The Food Revolution. He is the founder of=
=20
EarthSave International, and can be contacted through the website=20
http://www.foodrevolution.org)

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Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Language: en

<HTML>There is a terrible irony her=
e. The United States has long been a major supplier of food aid to Afghanist=
an. But now it is U.S. bombing that is destroying roads and making it imposs=
ible for substantial food aid to be delivered. If we were to make a dramatic=
 effort, now, to get meaningful amounts of emergency relief to these people,=
 it would make a great difference to their survival. If we don't, it will on=
ly cement in the minds of the world's masses the image of the U.S. as indiff=
erent to the needs of the poor.
 
 While the vast majority of Americans care deeply about the welfare of th=
eir fellow human beings, the foreign policies of the U.S. government have fo=
r some time now been seen by much of the rest of the world as arrogant and s=
elfish. And it is a sad fact that we have far too often given them cause for=
 such a view. It is hard to be proud of our country for standing nearly alon=
e among nations in refusing to sign the treaty banning land mines; for being=
 one of only four nations (the others are Libya, Syria and Iraq) who refuse=20=
to comply with a global treaty to eliminate chemical weapons; and for almost=
 single-handedly blocking U.N. efforts to reduce the use of children as sold=
iers, even when two million children have been killed in armed conflicts in=20=
the past decade.
 
 Our nation has also done many wonderful and generous things. We have at=20=
times behaved with honor among nations, and been a beacon of freedom. But th=
e world has seen our other side, too. It's not easy to feel grateful to the=20=
United States for being one of only two nations (the other is Somalia) to re=
fuse to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, and one of on=
ly three nations (the others are Libya and Iraq) to oppose the U.N. being ab=
le to investigate and prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war c=
rimes such as rape and sexual slavery.
 
 There is an enormous disconnect taking place between the will of the Ame=
rican people and the foreign policy of our government. The American people a=
re for the most part honest, decent, and compassionate. But few U.S. citizen=
s are aware of how much U.S. foreign policies have betrayed our caring and o=
ur humanity. How many Americans know that we are far and away the world's le=
ading arms merchant? Or that, in the last fifteen years, the U.S. share of t=
he worlds arms trade has increased from 16% to more than 70%? How many Ameri=
cans know that even before September 11th we were spending 18 times more mon=
ey on the military than the combined spending of all of the nations identifi=
ed by the U.S. government as potential enemies (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nor=
th Korea, and Syria)?
 
 President Bush began his term by withdrawing from almost everymultilater=
al agreement and international treaty that came up, except those that in the=
 short term served to enhance American profits and power. From the outset, h=
is administration angered and alienated the world community by disengaging f=
rom treaties attempting to deal with global warming, nuclear disarmament, po=
pulation control, trafficking in small arms, and chemical and biological wea=
pons, to name just a few.
 
 This is not a matter of partisanship. Both Republican and Democrat admin=
istrations have come all too often to define American self-interest almost w=
ithout regard for the concerns of other nations. It's sad but true that to a=
ssure American access to oil and other natural resources around the world, a=
nd to provide a constant pool of cheap labor, the U.S. government has freque=
ntly supported undemocratic and repressive regimes that have been hated by t=
heir own populations. We have massively supported governments that have enga=
ged in widespread terrorism against their own people. Instead of supporting=20=
human rights and self determination, we've sold hundreds of billions of doll=
ars of weapons to a string of tyrannical governments as long as doing so pro=
vided us with cheap oil and access to their markets.
 
 But now, suddenly, we are realizing that we desperately need the help of=
 the world. There are signs of hope. As a London newspaper recently commente=
d, "Colin Powell, in a stunning and rare display of humility for an American=
 official, now acknowledges that in order to fight terrorism effectively the=
 U.S. is going to have to be more sensitive to the concerns of other culture=
s."
 
 Might the United States remember in all of this that our national purpos=
e is greater than the construction of a McWorld, and that we have a deep and=
 paramount interdependence with the wellbeing of all of the world's peoples?=
 As the president of the State of the World Forum, Jim Garrison, puts it: "I=
f out of the present crisis the United States emerges more connected with th=
e rest of the world, more willing to live cooperatively within coalitions th=
an outside them, then light will have truly come from out of the darkness an=
d redemption out of the recesses of hatred and war. In one of the deepest pa=
radoxes of contemporary history, the present crisis might compel America to=
=E2=80=A6 (realize) no country is an island unique unto itself=E2=80=A6and t=
he only solution to hate is to stop the underlying causes that produce it, w=
orking within the community of nations to achieve goals that benefit the poo=
r as well as the rich, the south as well as the north, the developing nation=
s as well as those more advanced. Achieving this, America will fulfill the d=
eepest yearning of one of its founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, who wrote=
 that he believed the real destiny of America would not be about power; it w=
ould be about light."
 
 Will the day come when the United States fulfills our true national purp=
ose and achieves lasting national security?
 
 We'll know we've begun when we break our addiction to oil, and develop a=
n economy based instead on hydrogen, wind power, solar power, and other non-=
polluting, safe and renewable sources of energy.
 
 We'll know we've begun to create true national security when we define t=
he greatness of our civilization not by our military capabilities, not by ou=
r ability to inflict massive damage and punishment, but by our ability to br=
ing out the best in ourselves and others, and by the quality of life we leav=
e our children.
 
 We'll know we've begun when we stop thinking there is such a thing as "s=
mart" bombs or "sophisticated" weapons. "Sophisticated" means having the abi=
lity to use our intelligence, empathy and imagination to solve serious and c=
omplex problems. "Smart" means realizing that when these bombs kill civilian=
s they leave them just as dead, their families just as heartbroken and enrag=
ed, the spiritual fabric of the world just asshredded, and the human heart j=
ust as violated.
 
 We'll know we've begun to defeat terrorism when we see the connection be=
tween the $5 trillion the U.S. has spent on nuclear weapons since World War=20=
II and the homeless children shivering in the cold, the battered women who h=
ave no shelters, and the families broken by grinding poverty; when we see th=
e connection between the $1 billion a day we've spent every day for decades=20=
on the military and the hungry people who have no hope, the children dying f=
rom preventable diseases, and the families who sell their daughters into sex=
ual slavery because they see no other way to survive. We'll know we've begun=
 to create a world where terrorism can't find a foothold when we commit ours=
elves and our resources to the building of a peaceful world with as much ded=
ication as we've committed ourselves to war.
 
 We'll know we're on the right track when we begin producing and eating f=
ood that is healthy for our bodies and healthy for the Earth, and when we no=
 longer find acceptable the existence of human hunger anywhere on the planet=
.
 
 We'll know we're upholding the human spirit when the power we seek is th=
e ability to nurture and befriend, rather than to conquer and subjugate; and=
 when the success we pursue is one in which all beings share because it is f=
ounded on reverence for life.
 
 We'll know we've begun to create a safer and kinder world when we design=
 our public policies and personal lifestyles not just for individual advanta=
ge, but for the greater good of the whole Earth community. Then we will ask=20=
God to please hear the prayers of the people in prison, of the homeless, of=20=
the refugees walking on roads because a war has forced them from their homes=
. We will ask God to hear the prayers of those who hunger and are not fed, a=
nd those who are despised by their fellow humans because they are somehow di=
fferent. We will ask God to feel the exhaustion of those living too close to=
 the edge of their physical and spiritual resources. Then our religious and=20=
spiritual lives will make us more human, more humble, and more able to live=20=
with respect for all beings.
 
 In times of fear, most people step back and wait to see what others are=20=
going to do and what's going to happen. Some people, though, see the situati=
on as an opportunity to step forward and take a stand. The more of us who in=
 our hearts and lives take a stand for the creation of a thriving, just and=20=
sustainable way of life for all, the less likely it is that the bin Ladens o=
f the world will accomplish their purposes, and the greater the chance that=20=
it will be love and not fear that will prevail. Then those who perished in t=
he September 11th attacks will not have died in vain, but will live on in th=
e flourishing of human hope and well-being.
 
 The bitter historical events that came to fruition on September 11th did=
 not come from nowhere, but developed over decades and even centuries. Likew=
ise the peace and understanding that we seek, and which alone will make us t=
ruly safe, need to be nurtured and cultivated over generations of time.
 
 It is to the planting, nurturing and harvesting of fruits worthy of all=20=
that is good and beautiful in us that we must now, as never before, dedicate=
 our lives. Because now, as never before, the world needs our wisdom, our co=
operation, and our understanding that all humanity is connected.
 
 (John Robbins is the author of many best-sellers, including Diet For A N=
ew America, and his recently released The Food Revolution. He is the founder=
 of EarthSave International, and can be contacted through the website http:/=
/www.foodrevolution.org)
 </HTML>

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