Warfare Source: Distempers of the Human Mind

PROLOGUE:

Behold, how war and peace are so aligned.
Haply appearing sometimes as comedy.
At other times to sadly all remind;
there’s sometimes joy and often tragedy;
specter of death leaving some maligned.

Consider this our human fault:
Man is by nature oh so obstinate;
harboring deadly sins that never halt.
He’s thus his subject and his predicate.
Wherewithal he would his soul assault.

Grant us, dear Lord, in times of war,
to aid the wounded back to wholeness.
Remove from us our outer blindness;
to turn within with greater boldness;
loving even those we would abhor.


EPILOGUE:

The mind of each brave soul at its core,
while often viewed as private domain,
projected outwardly at our front door,
reveals conflicts with many a stain.
Peace marred: “Al-Nakbah’s” scar a festering sore.

Imagine two girded loincloth warriors;
both of them cast now out of Eden,
the two for sake of inner conflicts;
in confrontation with each other;
in wrathfulness; and not in shalom.

Two distempered warriors battle;
 irony of irrational man!
In fierce battle out of Eden;
in armed battle with each other.
And in greater conflict with the Self.

This is an ancient archetypal battle,
distempered man in warfare with his nature;
in counter-attack nature with himself.
Of man, once united, now greatly divided;
of man now divided  within and without.

Consider archetypal man’s birthright.
Archetypal “I-Man” with Pandora’s Box.
The gift of gods requiring insight;
with blinded “I-Man” opening it.
The chance of losing all; even Hope.

Hope to heal all bitter wounds;
all the hatred, all the pain;
all hunger, warfare; poverty and death;
all diseases of the human soul;
created by man’s evil ego mindset.

Observes War and Peace author, Leo Tolstoy, of blinded  “I-Man,”
 “existing consciously for sake of ego,
being an unconscious instrument,
in ignorance of his autonomous Self;
unbeknownst ironically to him.”

Liminal man in his existence;
inhabiting at once two worlds.
The world within and that without.
Liminal man gifted with choices.
Remaining in the betwixt and the between.

This is “I-Man” existing between states;
between cognitive states of war and peace.
This is “I-Man” facing history;
searching to find directions;
blinded in his searching.

This is “I-Man” censoring.
Censoring just to justify
the outcomes that he favors.
His voice — and no others matters.
His ego — beyond all others.

As American General George S. Patton Jr. once bragged famously;
asserting his ego beyond that of the enemy’s;
rallying his army to be a unified force of mind:
“The object of war is not to die for your country;
but to make the other guy die for his.”

Here is Sir Winston Churchill’s affirmation;
concerning a course which has been adopted by war:
“A man must answer ‘Aye’ or ‘No’
to the great questions which are put;
and to that decision he must be bound.”

This is the act of cognitive warfare.
To manufacture unanimous consent.
And thereby persuade public opinion;
by deliberate acts of  ‘mind scalping’
to have consensus converge, not diverge.

Our history does repeat itself.
That is itself for us pure irony.
Having no lasting insight,
we are bound to repeat it.
All of us, as accessors of warfare.

Hear numinous voices muttering.
Outer voices echoing, echoing.
Echoing, echoing pleading voices.
Chorused  voices uttering, uttering.
Outer voices pleading:

“Help us, help us, all in blindness.
Help us, please with all your might.
Help us, help us; give us insight.
Help us, help us in our plight.
Help us, help us; make things right.”

Hear yet distempered man complaining:
“What is that rumbling noise I hear.
Distracting me with righteous bearing.
Continuously; as if I’d care,
Persistently — and within my very ear.”

This is the issue that confronts us:
How to abide that inner voice;
how to listen; pay attention;
how to turn within ourselves;
How to heed our pleading inner voices.

Ignoring this his wiser Self,
that  Self we know as conscience,
mankind bemoans his outer fate.
His ego waxing, proud man bellows;
asserting sophomorically: “I’ll fix it!”

Once more mockingly the “I” is heard.
Ego posturing with feigned pretenses.
Its  “I” empty yet of wholeness.
Its focus aiming only outwards;
and never, never inwards.

Blinded brothers we are in battle wrestling,
 like Jacob with twin brother Esau;
our ego fighting Holy Spirit;
that’s dwelling deep within us;
leading us to make projections.

Projected on a worldwide stage of players,
we see ourselves subjectively in history;
charted outwardly with dates, locations;
outwardly projected on a time scale;
reflected sadly now to haunt us.

But this, while it is our bloody history,
is also a  cautionary human tale.
To find peace first  within ourselves.
And with this inner finding,
extend it outwardly to  others.

While dressed in Eden’s loincloth,
favoring yet our armored garments,
seeking peace, prepared for battle,
help us Lord to turn within,
Help us Lord to seek your counsel.

For while war separates us from peace,
for equity, fairness, and decency,
the inherent moral ethics of mankind,
guide us all to mobilize for wholeness.
This is the essence of Shalom.

Pray we all Lord for peace among us.
In Palestine and in the State of  Israel.
Let us pray for peace in every nation.
Let us pray for every form of justice.
For peace in every human heart.

“Behold, how good it is;
and how so pleasant it is;
when brethren can gather together;
when friends and enemies can gather;
when mankind can  gather together in unity.”