Edited by author 05-09-2003 04:28 AM

The poet, Marianne Moore, claimed "The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence; / not in silence, but restraint." The desire for peace is one of the deepest feelings within us all, but also one of the most diffficult to fulfill. We cannot "do" peace; we can only "be" peace, which probably explains why the people who want to "do something" about international conflicts often resort to war.

I realize evil exists in this world, but I don't believe we will ever rid ourselves of it by physically attacking others. Humanity has been trying to solve conflicts through armed aggression since the day a troglodyte picked up a bone and smacked someone over the head so that he could have the cave (or some other possession) to himself. Millions of years later, we demonstrate our ingenuity by inventing new weapons, but our stupidity through primitive means of conflict resolution. We can only evolve as individuals, and progress as a species, if we dedicate ourselves to peace, not war. And we can only achieve peace through justice, not the brute force of the strong imposing their will upon the weak.

I admire those who demonstrate their strength, courage and character by resisting the temptation of attacking others, particularly those who are weaker than them. As Shakespeare told us long ago, "They that have pow'r to hurt and will do none [...] They rightly do inherit heaven's graces."

We've tried solving problems through war for long enough... it's time for AlohaNow!

R.W. Burniske
Honolulu, Hawaii