Love Is More Powerful Than Might And Right

Stereo Brains Vs. Mono Brains

On August 27, 2010, Paul Moses wrote, in his CNN opinion piece On Islamic Center, What Would Pope John Paul Do?, “The late Pope John Paul II has been described as the inspiration for a possible compromise to the dispute over the proposed Islamic center and mosque in the World Trade Center vicinity — that it be withdrawn and built elsewhere, much as the late pontiff had canceled plans for a convent near the Auschwitz concentration camp.” Pope John Paul got it right, and this is why. He was a stereo thinker, or one who could use his whole mind, not just the small part of it most of us are using now. Most of us are mono thinkers, that’s why we’re having so much trouble solving these thorny issues.

We Have A New Mind For Our New World. Let’s Use It.

This Post is not a political nor religious one. It is about how learn to use our whole mind to solve the many new problems we face in our new world. What is offered here is a review of this issue in a way that highlights a new,Twenty-first-Century mind we all have, to see, understand and be set free. As we use this new mind, we will be able to resolve our major issues and save our global family from a whole lot of suffering.

Emotions Will  Always Win Over Intellectual Arguments

I believe the intentions of the proponents of the Islamic center are good, but so was the intention of the child that pulled the fish out of water so it wouldn’t drown. Good intentions are often misleading. The connection between “Ground Zero” and Islam is the most powerful of connections, an emotional one; and, it will not be resolved by throwing salt in open wounds. It certainly will not be resolved by building anything Islamic within two blocks of it. The Islamic community has a chance to show compassion even in the face of their inalienable right to build wherever they choose, wherever they choose. Because we have the right to do something, doesn’t mean that we should. The anger of the protesters who lost loved ones in the attacks is understandable even though irrational, as is all fear and anger. There are two instances, I know of, when parents forgave the murderers of their children, but these are highly evolved and very rare. There are also family members of those who died in the 911 attacks who expressed acceptance of building the Islamic center, but these, too, are few and far between.

Love Is More Powerful Than Right And Might

Intellectually and logically, we understand that those who carried out the 911 attacks were sick human beings and Islamic in name only, not in spirit; but logic is not in charge of the minds of most of those who lost loved ones. The struggle to build the center will go on for many years. It will eventually be built but will become a symbol, not of hope or tolerance but of insensitivity and the might of right over compassion. It may be even become a target of American terrorism. If the proponents of the center would agree to build it somewhere else and show compassion and sensitivity, that would go a much farther in promoting the tolerance and unity that they hope to achieve.

The purpose of this Post, then, is to show that our mind is capable of seeing the big picture but only if we are able to move beyond the thoughts that creates fear, mistrust, anger and hate. In this case, the people that are in the best position to do that are the proponents of the center, because they are not embroiled in the painful emotions caused by the violent death and loss of loved ones. Of course, they have the legal right to build, but is it intelligent to stir up pain and passion that will end in only more sorrow and suffering? Love is much more powerful than might and right.

© 2010, sgscalese