My Dad, Sam, served with the Royal Canadian Artillery 4th Field Regiment in WW2.
He enlisted as a Gunner and was discharged a Captain. The French awarded him the Croix de Guerre avec Etoile de Vermeille. His brother Alec, a pilot, was shot down over France. Dad never, ever picked up a gun again.
Now, as we witness the rise of violence, anger, fear and fascism I am reminded again of those classes on WW1 and 2 taught by the brilliant History Professor Stewart Robson at Trent University. I remember well the realization that the rise of Hitler was preceded by injustice, intolerance and fear. The Allies did their best to beat the German people into submission with impossible demands for financial retribution and national emasculation, paving the path for the Nazi’s. I wondered what might have happened if we met the ordinary German people with kindness, compassion and understanding instead?
As I watch in horror the election of Donald Trump, the Brexit vote in the UK, the murder of young people of colour, the rise of violence against women, ethnic and religious minorities, I am again reminded of the politics of peace that arose in the 1960’s, during the height of the Vietnam War.
I remain ever more convinced that it is the job of ALL of us to counteract fear with love and understanding, to offer meaningful assistance to those who have been denied equality, whose water has been poisoned, whose lands have been stolen, whose homes have been bombed, whose sons have been murdered, whose daughters have been raped, whose jobs have disappeared… Not until we learn to offer compassion and equality will the world be ready to step away from this insanity and heal.
I know healing is possible, even for those who have been traumatized by war and injustice, but only when we acknowledge that we are all in this together and treat everyone as we would wish to be treated. EFT and Matrix Reimprinting have been successful used to help many people to heal from their wounds: with numerous survivors with PTSD, including Veterans in the US, young people orphaned by the genocide in Rwanda and my own work with survivors of childhood emotional, physical and sexual abuse. When we are finally ready to ensure that everyone’s basic need for safety and emotional and physical health are provided, to eliminate oppression THEN will we gradually eliminate the ‘righteous’ anger of those who have been oppressed by our governments and war mongering, polluting corporations.. Then, we will finally find peace.
On THIS Remembrance Day in Canada, where ever it is that you live around the world, please offer some solace, healing, understanding and assistance to those who have less than you do. In honour of all the Fathers and Mothers who fought for ‘freedom’, consider donating to an organization that helps refugees, or battered women, or abandoned children, or young men at risk… Choose peace NOW, while continuing to tap your own fears away.
