The demise of materialism will be difficult for some. For without money, what do the greedy possess?
If it all crumbles – the high rises, the wall streets, the war machine, the false values by which so many define themselves – the greedy will have lost everything. This is when the peaceful may stand upon the rubble and begin to rebuild the human spirit. The strength to heal our world is within all of us. Governments and economies may crumble, but love and compassion always endure.
-Sandra Walter
The Magic Pager, 1999
A letter to Iran: November 14, 2010
Dear peaceful people of Iran,
On behalf of peaceful Americans, we would like you to send you this message of peace. Feel it in your hearts; our intentions are loving and true.
Please know the actions of our government are not a reflection of everyone here in the United States of America. Many of us see the manipulations being put in place to attack your country. Funds end up in the hands of those with violent agendas. Mysterious bombs turn up from Yemen, billions of dollars of military planes are sold to the Saudis, and we are not sure what is really happening with Israel and our government; that is an old and mysterious relationship. There are many distortions of the truth being presented as an excuse to invade your country in the name of democracy, freedom or justice. Many of us see the signs of a possible invasion. We hope that our government will stop this nonsense in the name of greed. We know war is fabricated to make profits for the greedy. War is nothing but a game for those who want to control others, and some in your government might be convinced, or paid well, to play the game. Most of these decisions have nothing to do with us, which is sad and troubling for all of us.
Know that many of us want peace. These endless wars kill our people and yours, destroy your land and lives, crush our economies, and benefit no one but corporations in the business of war. We feel your pain. We know that you are not to blame for everything the corporate and government media tells us. The manipulation is so deep that we don’t know the truth about each other. How are we to believe anything we hear about you, or you about us? How can we trust sources that have connections to the war profit machine? Why do a few people end up representing an entire population in the news? We are not all wealthy and ignorant, just as you are not all terrorists and fanatical. These stereotypes are so misleading, it is unbelievable that they have worked for so long in keeping us separate. All that we hear is negativity from our media and government. It may be the same for you – you might hear the same terrible things from your media or leaders in order to create anger and fear and justify war.
Many of us know this cycle of war and violence is wrong. We don’t want to invade you, or help anyone who wants to control or harm you. Many of us are told we are crazy to think peace is possible. That is only their opinion. We can think for ourselves. We all have the right as human beings to live our lives as we choose, if we respect and support each other in nonviolent ways. Sometimes our leaders and governments make that very difficult, but we have to persist in our journey toward a truthful and tolerant world. We are all one. We are all united in the experience of living on this Earth.
Know that many of us send you love and peaceful thoughts each day. We have faith that someday soon we will be able to share our stories, dreams, laughter and creativity with you. There is so much beauty to be shared. The human heart is capable of so much joy and love. Know that many of us are trying to spread understanding in order to dissolve these manipulations which keep us separate.
We wish you strength of spirit during these difficult times. Thank you in advance for wishing us the same.
Love to you and your families,
Many peaceful Americans
