I would like to start with a prayer, a prayer for the souls of humanity, and ask Dear God to let love and harmony flow from the hearts of all men and women throughout the planet, throughout the universe. I would say a prayer for even those who have such destruction in their hearts as to have committed this horrendous act. I would pray and ask for the Light to descend, so that their souls, too, can be changed and enlightened. I would also pray for the successful outcome of our world struggle with evil, rooting out the head and foot of the terrorist organizations quickly and expeditiously, bringing harm to as few as possible. And then I would ask for a Marshall Plan for the entire world.

After the defeat of the Axis, the defeat of Hitler, Mussolini and the nations they had swallowed, Secretary of State George C. Marshall instituted a plan to rebuild these countries out of their utter destruction. As such, he, along with President Truman, created a bulwark against Communism. This enlightened plan prevented what might have been the creeping spread of a dictatorial Soviet stranglehold. At the same time, the United States sponsored friends, people of contentment and independence and resistance to the spread of an ideology that led in its time to despotism and lack of freedom.

When the utter horror of the World Trade Center catastrophe occurred, I had a flash thought, "A great deal of good, nevertheless, will come out of this." And so I still believe. It is as if God had said, "In Noah's time, I was tired of humanity. But I promised that I would never again destroy it as I did after the flood. At this time, though, some message is necessary in order to bring to light the self-indulgence, the self-centeredness of the Western civilization. Something must come as a wake-up call to resound throughout." And so it came! And much goodness has been raised from the hearts of men and women throughout the land, throughout the world. Under common threat, nations have come together.

Former enemies have allied themselves. And out of this alliance will come meaning and an understanding of each other. At this time of danger from the threat of terrorists, it is good to know that we are doing what we can to give food and sustenance to the refugees from Afghanistan and even the refugees within Afghanistan. From the ashes of this destruction arises the Phoenix of Love and Unity and Planful Togetherness. Again, the prayer from the Course in Miracles resounds, saying, "I will be healed, as I let Him teach me to heal." "We will be healed, as we let Him teach us to heal."

Additional Reflections:

During the morning of October 7th, I sat in a four-hour workshop on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is the prolonged anxiety that lingers after a severe emotional shock. Much of the reference, at this meeting, was to the World Trade Center disaster and its continuing effects on the emotions of people far and wide. There was much knowledge gained at this meeting, and I was glad that I was there. I went through a series of emotions, but finally achieved balance.

What I experienced, is, I believe, characteristic of what we all feel, for at bottom we are all alike. My inner struggle and the balanced view that I finally achieved seems relevant to so much that is going on in the world now: the war, and the fight for the minds of men and women. By the end of the seminar, 12:30 p.m. on that same day, the attack on the Taliban by our forces had begun.

During this workshop I inwardly bemoaned the fact that in the overview by a much-esteemed lecturer, we humans seemed divided like property into diagnostic categories. I (inwardly) lamented the fact that it seemed so superficial a view of the human being; there seemed to be so little understanding of what human struggle might lie underneath the symptom to bring about varied reactions and mixed outcomes. I thought, "This kind of superficiality is all too characteristic of society as well as psychiatry." But then as the material further revealed itself, I learned also the value of this highly organized and disciplined approach, which put psychology aside for the time being. New understanding of chemistry emerged, giving promise of healing through the use of chemistry along with a promise of a directed technique for the relief of the severe anxiety that underlies PTSD. I felt a new respect, and I was glad. But I also remained convinced that there is an abiding need for empathic understanding of all people, as individuals and as groups. We need to cultivate that, too, in science and in our relations with each other. Such deeper understanding is hard, for it requires a bold approach of understanding the self. It demands that we take time to meld with our fellow human and his or her point of view. We have such a need for spiritual psychotherapy, or more correctly speaking, such a need to sponsor deep and authentic personal growth toward spiritual realization. That can be achieved in the professional office or in the course of all human relationships.

We must understand the need for balance on a worldwide basis. We must apply the yardstick of disciplined, even mechanical, thinking as it is reflected in military operations. We must apply strength against strength in the fight against terrorism. But we must also understand each other and the mindset of the other. In so doing we must empathize with the hardships that have led so many to stand behind the terrorists. We must feed them as we are doing. We must assist the peoples across the world to become prosperous in their own terms. And we must with empathy take time to spread the message of love, even to our "enemies," through enlightened efforts and the raising of the personality--individual, national, and world-wide—to the pursuit of common interest and common love.

Having thought, after the bombing of the World Trade Center, "A great deal of good will come of this," I see some realization of that, even in these first days of military action. We are, using understanding and empathy, fighting for the minds of the Muslim world with humanitarian attention to dropping food and medicines to the refugees in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and by our continued diplomatic communications with the peoples of the world.

It is a war—a war between Cosmic Good and Cosmic Evil joined with us as the delegated actors on earth. With this balanced view of strength and understanding we can and will spread enlightened Love and Good.