It is almost incumbent on every London blogger to put down in words what the events of 7/7 mean. This is, right now, a fruitless task. However, it is happening already and we can already see the accusations flying, the causes, motivations and implications of the event conjured up whilst the dust is still settling.
What is more important is recognising that the rejection of war and terrorism arrives only from tirelessly working towards peace. Something few peoples and nations are achieving.
There is an important and poignant fact neglected by the world's excited journalists and serious politicians. Tavistock Square Gardens, situated next to where the last bomb exploded - the bus bomb, is London's peace park. You can get great panoramic views of the gardens here.
In the centre of the gardens is a statue of Gandhi sitting in the lotus position. In the cove at the base of the statue you can usually find notes and flowers dedicated to the Mahatma and those like him; notes left by people dedicated to doing small peaceful things. The well kept gardens also include a monument dedicated to conscientious objectors of war. Alongside the memory of radicals dedicated to building a peaceful world, is a memorial to the victims of Hiroshima, victims of one of most viscous acts of war in the history of humanity.
In the light of the cowardly acts perpetrated near these Gardens, it is the vision of a peaceful world that must endure. A vision that a short, reflective walk through Tavistock Square Gardens inspires.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Peace in London and the world
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6 comments:
It is indeed important and poignant that the location of one of the bombs was actually an area specifically designated for peaceful contemplation, and you're right that that fact has not been widely covered. For many journalists and news producers, wild speculation takes precedence over presentation of facts, reflection and sober analysis -I know this, because i work for a major news organisation and have spend the last day arguing with several idiots.
I agree with your underlying focus on peace. However, it is not simply a 'vision' of a peaceful world that is essential right now; it is a dedication towards achieving this peace. This world is a reflection of who we are and what we (as a society) have become. We should refrain from using peace as a slogan and attempt to generate meaning for it every moment. I feel that this begins with a recognition of the VALUE of peace. When we devote our lives to cultivating peace in ourselves, only then can we outwardly project this honorable vision. Peace begins with the Self… This is a simple expression of some floating thoughts I had.
I don't see how the notion of peace can help this particular situation. The kind of people who become Islamist terrorists are suggestible individuals whose minds have been bent by irresponsible 'religious' leaders who preach a desperately perverted interpretation of Islam. They are led to believe that the Western way of life is bad by the very virtue of its liberalism and quid pro quo its multi-cultural harmony. All we can do as individual Londoners is to do our best to ignore it, but ignoring it won't make it go away in this case. We need direct action by people in Muslim communities across the whole world to flag up and beat down the kinds of people brainwashing these youngsters and focusing their anger on entirely mis-guided causes. The people who carry out these sick attacks may not be true Muslims, but I fail to see how a solution can come from anywhere but Muslim communities themselves.
(Our bombing of places like Iraq and our exploitation of the Arab world in general of course perpetuates the problem, but if all that ceased tomorrow the problem would remain.)
It's very easy to be all Ghandi about things, but there are always going to be impressionable young folk and impressioned older folk that will always fall out the bottom of society. We cannot preach peace to terrorists no more than we can teach a chicken quantum mechanics.
Human nature is human nature - those who govern cannot control those who rebel. Once again we see religion to be the real killer.
The peace park link has been copied on opendemocracy:
http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict-terrorism/gandhi_2700.jsp
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