Ah, yes, of course, of course.

There are many things to learn from this, so many things.

When you unleash the dogs of war, it is foolish to think that they can then be controlled. This is what happens. When you set out on a path of carnage and death, it is corrupting; it twists people and makes them do what they would not otherwise do. When you ask people to kill, no matter how you paint it righteously, you are asking them to turn against their better nature, and the result will be a blossoming forth of much of their shadow side.

For the force of war is a force of fear, not a force of love. And fear drives people to do many cruel things. If you will think on your own life, and the people you have known who have done things which were hurtful, you will see fear lurking in the background, urging them on. Fear of all kinds, driving them to do the unimaginable.

And when you look back on your own life at the foolish decisions you have made, at the hurtful things you have done, you will see also there, fear as the driving force. You can hear him now, whispering in your ear, telling you that this was necessary for your survival. But it was not true.

Fear does not tell the truth. Fear lies. And so of the many lessons to be learned from this, of the many things mirrored here that can teach all, this is the greatest: act of out of fear at your peril.

And of course these children were afraid. They were afraid for their lives. They were afraid of punishment. They were afraid of authority. They were afraid and this is how fear acted upon them.

And there is a deep lesson to be learned here as well, a very deep lesson to take to your hearts. You know that these children were not evil. You know this. And yet, they did things which could easily be considered evil. And so, seeing this and knowing this, what can you say about the other people, your so-called enemies who do apparently evil things? Are they not also misguided children, doing what they do out of fear and out a lifetime of training in the ways of fear? When you see your own children doing unspeakable things, does it not help you to understand better those who hurt you?

Begin by replacing fear in your own heart, in your own life. Begin by replacing it with love and acting from love, coming from love in all situations. Begin with yourself and then let the light of love shine out.

This is not an easy thing. You may agree to do this, only to find that it takes great courage to act from love instead of fear. It takes the courage to stand up and let yourself be heard, to go against what you have been trained to do, to go against what others tell you to do. For you are surrounded by fear, and are guided to follow fear every day in many, many ways.

And so, today, be aware of fear. See it around you. When you read the newspaper or watch television, be aware of how fear is being marketed and sold to you. When you listen to your government, whatever government that may be, see how fear is standing in the back with a broad grin upon his face. Be aware.

And then, in your own life, see what you can do to speak truth instead of fear and doubt, to act out of love and compassion and caring. See what you can do, in your own small way, to shed light instead of standing in darkness.

Begin here, in your own life and learn what fear looks like in his many disguises. See how he disguises himself as stress, for example, and that what you call stressful situations are so often those times when the underpinnings of fear have begun to overwhelm you: fear of poverty, of losing your job, even though you do not really like it, fear of losing love, fear of going unrecognized through life. And of course, fear of death.

Shine the light in your own life. See it clearly. Expose fear for the fraud that he is. Listen to him clearly and begin to sort out his lies from the truth.

And when you are about to act in some major way, to make a decision, a choice which matters, stop and make sure that you are not deciding out of fear. Stop and fill your heart with love and see how the choice looks then, with fear removed.

And then, with your own life, ask yourself: What would I do now if I had no fear? What choice would I make if I were full of love and faith instead of fear? How would I live? How would I spend my time? And let this answer shine out as your goal, to live this way, to head in this direction, taking a deep breath and filling yourself with courage, enough courage to actually live this way. It is not an easy path, but it is the path, the path you are meant to walk, and the path toward a fulfilled life.

And in your heart of love, forgive. Forgive everyone. Know them all as acting out of fear and forgive them. And know that they are all forgiven by the great loving universe, held gently in loving hands, cared for and comforted and surrounded by love. All of them: your friends, your enemies, those dearest to you and strangers you may think of as evil. They are all deeply loved in their struggles.

Begin with yourself. Shine out as the light you are. Open yourself to truth, love and forgiveness. Observe and learn.

If you have a question you believe might interest other Quado readers, please send it to carriehart@msn.com

Visit www.carriehart.com for meditation CDs, healing services, music and more. To hear samples from the Quado Meditation on Self-Love, go directly to http://www.carriehart.com/meditations.htm

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Copyright 2004 by Systematique, Inc.

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