Revised: Nov 23, 2023
World peace often seemed like an unattainable dream, too far-fetched to become a reality. The prospect of ending all wars and achieving global harmony seemed impossible. Although I had witnessed the end of several wars during my lifetime, it didn’t seem to bring us any closer to world peace. Merely putting an end to wars wasn’t enough.
From my perspective, the world was in a state of chaos. Even the natural world seemed to be in turmoil. Chaos was everywhere I looked. However, it felt like world peace was more needed than ever. Everything appeared to be moving away from world peace rather than toward it.
My passion for finding a solution to reduce suicides had evolved into an obsession, and I was determined not to give up now. Throughout this long journey, I had learned that if I thought about something long and hard enough, with enough energy and sincerity, an answer would eventually reveal itself.
I had discovered that the principle of “ask, and you shall receive” didn’t work for me when I asked for material possessions or wealth. When I asked sincere questions, answers would emerge from seemingly nowhere. When I asked with genuine intent and emotion, I would inevitably receive an answer, often unexpectedly. This reinforced my belief in the power of asking and receiving answers.
Unintentionally, I had confined myself to a box. I had often declared to others, sometimes casually, “Nobody wants peace more than a veteran.” I genuinely believed that statement, but my belief alone wasn’t enough to bring us closer to world peace.
One day I simply asked myself, “If it is true that nobody wants peace more than a veteran, and you are a veteran, then what are you doing about it?” It hit me right between the eyes! It was a stark realization. I had spoken it, believed it, but hadn’t taken any action.
But what was I doing about it? It did not matter what other veterans weren’t doing about it. It was me telling others that nobody wants peace more than a veteran. It was me saying it, believing it, and not doing anything about it. That was a rather rude awakening.
I began to ponder what world peace truly meant. After all, we had to define it before we could hope to achieve it. I remembered the protesters who had yelled, cursed, and spat at us when we returned from Vietnam. They claimed to be advocating for peace while protesting against the war. However, the observable truth was that their actions didn’t bring us any closer to world peace. In many cases, their protests even added to the violence that was already occurring. They mistakenly believed that stopping a war would automatically lead to peace. What I observed was that merely standing against war doesn’t bring world peace; it often resists achieving it. Standing for something is more likely to help achieve it.