anotherlook

Mahatma Gandhi once said “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

Paul Boese once said, “Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.”

Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, a moral thinker, novelist and philosopher once said, “Let us forgive each other – only then will we live in peace.”

I say forgiveness is a powerful vehicle needed to move forward towards the goal of peace. Forgiveness helps you to move past what has been and takes you to a place where old wounds begin to heal. It opens up the avenues of communications, to your heart and your soul; it allows you to see things from a clearer perspective but most importantly, forgiveness is for the benefit of the forgiver as opposed to the person being forgiven.

For all you people who doubted change would come, based on Obama’s choices for his cabinet, I say open your eyes and see, your ears to hear the changes that Obama is attempting to inspire not only here in America but across the world. Indeed, with the same old people, attitudes may change with the leadership of the man.

Never have I seen a president attempt to settle the problems in the world with conversations and a worldwide view of an extended hand of welcome. For me, Obama’s approach to the crisis in the Middle East, with Muslims all over the world, is fresh and a study in human nature which I can not wait to see how it works out.

Communication is so very important. The way he is talking in simple terms; “America is not your enemy”, then taking steps to prove this point, may be effective in taking the first steps towards a reconciliation of spirits not only with Americans and the Muslims of the world but with people everywhere.

Towards this end, an unconfirmed rumor has it that Russia may have halted a plan to retaliate, in the anger brought on my George W. Bush, with his push to deploy interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic.

While the White House has not made any decision to change this policy, since according to the Bush administration these systems were needed to protect from potential missile strikes by “rogue states” such as Iran and North Korea, Russia may have halted it’s plan to retaliate against the proposed missile defense shield by rethinking the threat to station its own missiles near Europe’s borders.

These are outstanding accomplishments. It may take a moment for Muslims and others as well, to extent a hand of welcoming back to Obama but at least Obama is putting what is important out on the wind and it is blowing around the world and possibly affecting other nations. I love it!!

This has never happened before and the simplistic nature of the conversation should touch the hearts of all involved. The leaders may attempt to keep the chaos going but, over time, people are going to see them for what they really are. People who just want to keep things going, for no reason, even when peace is offered, are not going to be respected for long.

When I think about how long I have waited to hear these words, open, honest, real, how I’ve wondered how those words would be accepted in the world, I thank the Lord that Obama was elected.

His ability to be able to state, in truth, that he knows Muslim people to be decent with the same goals we all have based on his “associations” with them in the past, humanizing them in the eyes of non-believers, is a powerful thing.

It brings a level of understanding to the table. I’m sure on some levels, some Americans are getting a little nervous about this “association” Obama has claimed with Muslim people, but for me this just could work - maybe not all at once but over time, definitely so.

When I think of what Obama is putting out there, on the wind, in terms of peace I can almost feel that I may live to see a change in the world towards that all elusive state of being, called peace. I look forward to the change I feel is in the making and my prayers are with Obama as he has the courage and wisdom to put this change into motion.

May Peace and Wisdom remain in your heart President Obama and though I am on my way out of this life, having more days behind me than in front of me, I will leave behind children and grandchildren that will, hopefully, benefit from the changes you are setting in motion today and I truly thank you for the effort.

And that’s the way I see it!!!

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