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An Uneasy Peace: The World Needs a
Blueprint for Love Now More Than Ever

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When I sat down to write April’s column in mid-March, I worried that the war with Iraq might have already begun by the time the April issue of The Monthly Aspectarian was distributed. Now, as I write the May column, that war seems to be ending. Peace, even an uneasy one like this one, is a good thing. And yet, it is not a time to breath a sigh of relief and go on with business as usual. There are at least two reasons for this.

First, there are too many questions that have been left unanswered. Will the U.S. keep its promises to the people of Iraq, to the Kurds? Has the war opened a Pandora’s box filled with anti-U.S. sentiment and terror-attack types of repercussions? And what about democracy and freedom of the press in our own country? Are the very people who taught the establishment of democracy in Iraq, undermining our freedoms in the U.S.?

Second, whether you supported or opposed the war, it must be obvious that there is a worldwide Golden Rule deficit, specifically in the area of loving one’s neighbor as one’s self.

The second reason, of course, fits nicely into a column about spirituality. But what about the first one? The answer: We are all interconnected spiritual beings. Sticking our heads in the sand just won’t work. Doing so could result in losing the very spiritual freedoms we value. Vigilance is necessary. And then comes the tricky part. We must act, not with hate, however, but with love — and that leads us directly to reason number two.

Some of the questions listed under reason one can’t be answered right now. We will just have to wait and be vigilant. However, events that could undermine democracy here at home are already happening. The firing of Peter Arnett by NBC and National Geographic is one example. The firing was based on an interview with state-controlled Iraqi television about U.S. war strategy failures. Bad judgment on Arnett’s part? Perhaps. But the firing action is being seen abroad as another example that journalists in the U.S. are about as free to print as journalists from Pravda in the old cold war Soviet Union days. Arnett was quickly hired by the Daily Mirror in Britain. The headline: “Fired by America for telling the truth ... hired by Daily Mirror to carry on telling it.” When contacted by CNN, Daily Mirror Editor Piers Morgan stated, “Peter is one of the most respected journalists in the world, and we are delighted he is joining us to expose the truth about a war increasingly dominated by propaganda.”

In the meantime, MSNBC’s coverage went from being at least somewhat thoughtful, to something more akin to cheerleading. Even more disturbing was a broadcast during the fall of Baghdad in which a news anchor gleefully announced that politicians who opposed the war and President Bush were now in for a lot of trouble.

They aren’t the only ones, it seems.

The United Way of Tampa Bay, Florida, cancelled their April 11, 2003 charity event featuring actress Susan Sarandon because of three dozen complaints about her position against the war. Sarandon’s response: “It’s so ironic that we should be quote unquote liberating another country and giving them a democracy when we’re telling people here if they open their mouths, they’re not allowed to participate.”

From the Dixie Chicks and Martin Sheen to Tim Robbins, stars who speak out against President Bush and the war in Iraq are seeing repercussions. For example, a Baseball Hall of Fame event April 26 to celebrate the movie Bull Durham has been canceled because Sarandon and Robbins, who have been vocal in their criticism of President Bush, were to be featured. States Robbins: “If we let people like this bully and intimidate through me millions of people who disagree with this president, we are headed into a dark area.” Other incidents include:

Calls and e-mail have come in threatening to boycott ABC and its advertisers if Janeane Garofalo’s sitcom Slice O’Life gets on the schedule.

A Lipton iced tea ad featuring the Dixie Chicks may be in jeopardy — creators are at work on a backup ad idea — as the public continues to react to Natalie Maines’ anti-Bush comments four weeks ago.

The Internet is proving to be a good place to go if you’re concerned about issues like these. I mentioned some of the sites that try to provide alternate or expanded points of view last month. Here are a few more:

Newsworld International (www.nwitv.com): If you have Direct TV or DISH, you can tune into the Canadian international 24-hour per day news network. The coverage is balanced and there are a number of thoughtful in-depth investigative report and talk programs. Also, they feature news broadcasts with voice over translations from Germany, France, and Mexico. The website features in-depth information about their programs and scheduling.

CNN International (www.cnn.com/world): CNN’s coverage before and at the start of the war was poorly balanced. However, after the Arnett firing, things seemed to have changed. A wide spectrum of international reporters and experts (international as from other countries, not U.S. people who claim international expertise) have been added to the interview mix. The website reflects network coverage and also features stories from other parts of the world that aren’t being covered much due to the extensive amount of war coverage. CNN should be applauded for returning to more balanced coverage.

The Writings of Gregg Palast (www.gregpalast.com): Palast, a well-known reporter for the Observer newspaper in London, has just published the American edition of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, a book that focuses on scandal, fraud, corruption, and lies in the highest seats of power in the U.S. His website features a variety of columns on controversial topics.

Free Republic (www.freerepublic.com): Type in the key word “Sarandon” and read a variety of perspectives about Susan Sarandon and other celebrities and ordinary folks in the entertainment business who fear that a 1950s McCarthyism-style blacklist may be in the works for anyone who dares to disagree with the government.

In addition, it might be a good idea to send emails supporting freedom of speech when you hear of someone who is jeopardy.

Reason #2: Love

Tina Turner’s song asks, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” If you’ve been reading my column, you know that I think it has a lot to do with how the world should and could work. I just started reading All About Love: New Visions by African-American feminist writer Bell Hooks. The book has made me aware of a paradox. A flood of scientific projects designed to study the positive effects of love have been funded, a break from the traditional disease model in science research, and yet, as Hooks points out, the public messages, especially to and from young people, “declare the meaninglessness of love, its irrelevance.” Hooks believes that love is crucial and I am looking forward to reading and then sharing some of her ideas in next month’s column. In the meantime, the good news is that I am one of the scheduled presenters at Works of Love: Science and Religious Perspectives in Altruism in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 31–June 5. You can find out more about this important conference at www.metanexus.net. This international, interfaith, and interdisciplinary conference is sponsored by the Metanexus Institute on Science and Religion and the Institute on Research on Unlimited Love. The lead-in page for the section on the Words of Love Conference states:

“Unselfish love for all humanity is the most important point of convergence shared by the world’s great spiritual traditions. We marvel at the ways and power of love and find in it the best hope for a far better human future. People from all walks of life, often those disadvantaged themselves, excel in loving kindness, not just for their nearest and dearest, but also as volunteers and advocates on behalf of the stranger. How do our complex brains, unique imaginations, communicative abilities, reasoning powers, moral sense, and spiritual and religious promptings give rise to this remarkable yet not at all uncommon practice of unselfish love for our neighbors, or for those we do not even know? If we could answer this question and harness the extraordinary power of love, the world might well erupt into hope.”

Perhaps conferences like this and the research they underscore can make a contribution to world transformation. Those of us who are dedicated to the concept can only keep on trying.

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Mary Montgomery-Clifford is a certified web author and developer. Her company, Montgomery Media Enterprises ("Freelancing with Finesse!"), specializes in public relations, events, promotions, writing project and web authoring, development and publicity. Ms. Montgomery-Clifford has a Master's Degree in religious studies from Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) in June 2002 and is working on a Ph.D. with a focus on the new scholarship of Unlimited Love and the Other Regarding Virtues in the Fall of 2002. She is also in the process of completing the Morris Pratt Institute Course on Modern Spiritualism. Contact her via e-mail at Monty764@aol.com, by phone at 773-235-8821 or at her web site at www.montymedia.com.

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