Most observers suggest that the current conflict in West Asia is escalating with an unpredictability about its consequence as USA has come froward to support Israel unequivocally. It was after reading the news paper I went to the feeding corner inner garden. The morning news was about a distressing situation due to the land battle that has commenced between Lebanon and Israel.
Usually two armies facing each other have more killing instinct than when they send out missiles to distant sites. I sense that peace has lost a chance as of now. With Israel forbidding the UNO general secretary travelling to Israel, the language of defiance and invasion is publicly declared.
What did I see at the feeding corner! A squirrel having its feed. About five minutes later, one Bulbul appeared on the branch above and it moved to the root stand and later to the feeding bowl. Seeing this movement of the Bulbul, the squirrel turned back to climb the tree, leaving the bowl for the Bulbul to feed from.
Normally it would have been a conflict prone scene, each trying to assert its right and entitlement.
In about three months, the birds and squirrel have come to the habit of turn taking and choose the path of give and take.
I feel truly fulfilled in seeing a 'war like' situation overcome by the sober behaviour of Bulbuls and squirrel. They turned the feeding time to be an experience of pleasure and social communication.
Anna and I feel good that our garden is a place where birds of different species and squirrels can meet and share their meal time ! It becomes a table of harmony!
I am naive to think this way, but I cannot but do it - why is the intelligent and wise leaders of nations war prone in their thinking and action? It is a complex situation with years of hostile history behind, that such a question will be dismissed as a childish response!
Let me suggest that that these leaders have also destroyed the corridors of peace for the future by this impulsive behaviour of tit for tat! No nation wins or looses, but it is the civilians who loose a life time of prospects. In fact wars make some nations even more stronger, because of which they strategise to fight to grow stronger!
The catholic bishops and lay people are in their synod meeting in Rome currently! They are followers of Jesus of Nazareth, who restored the temple at Jerusalem to be a place of prayer from having been used as a place for merchandise!
Prayer and peace are two sides of the coin. I wait to see how the synod would respond to the threat of a global war!
I read now from the visionary passage from the book of prophet Isaiah in the Bible: 11: 6-10.
" The wolf will be with lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with bear, their young will lie down together and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra's den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the
earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples, the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious'
I do not understand or comprehend this visionary proposal. But I find seasons in the life of some nations when something in this direction took place. Japan recovered from the nuclear holocaust; Germany moved out of its antisemitism drive; slavery was abolished globally, civil rights were restored for black Americans in the USA , the Berlin Wall fell uniting the nation of Germany..... !
There is place and time for peace and conciliation! That is my hope!
Let the global leaders pause and consider: war would have killed thousands, destroyed peoples homes and livelihood and the thousands spared would be left to live their lives with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder!
Give peace a chance!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
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