To the editor:
The Centre for Spiritual Living Kelowna sends our blessings and our prayers go out to Boston today after, yet again, another senseless act of violence perpetrated on innocent people. Once again, I find myself asking that each of us take a moment and pray for those afflicted, and once again, I ask that we pray for our world and our advancement into a peaceful unity and mature response to these heinous and destructive acts. It is obvious that the traditional responses that we as a world society have implemented for thousands of years have become, and possibly always were, both ineffective and counter- productive. Violence begets violence! The consciousness of vengeance is contagious. The motivation for much, if not all, of the violence we are experiencing is born from an inane and immature sense of revenge. The perpetrators are seeking revenge for the perceived injustices of their lives and when we react to their actions from a mind-set of vengeance we feed the act.
The commonplace violence that we currently are witnessing is a symptom of a much larger cause and the solution has not been found in our traditional way of handling it. It is time that we begin to look for deeper solutions, as opposed to falling back into our traditional response. So I ask everyone to remain calm and clear, to practice understanding and love. This does not mean that the Centres for Spiritual Living condone these inhumane acts, nor does it mean we allow them to go without penalty.
Centres for Spiritual Living believes that everything in our world begins with a thought, an attitude and a frame of mind. If we live in a violent society, reflecting the vengeance that initiated the act in the first place will do nothing to stop the violence. It may stop the current perpetrators but it will not end future violence. It is up to us to be proactive and focus our attention on peace and respect for life. It is unrealistic to expect others to do it if we are not prepared to do it ourselves first. It is time that we face the bigger issue, and that is not just what humans will do to other humans, but how tirelessly they will justify it.
Rev. Dr. Kenn Gordon,
spiritual leader,
Centre for Spiritual Living,
Kelowna
