Grief Comes In Many Faces

by Robert Wilkinson

As readers of this column know, honoring the dead is a pretty big deal with me. Well thank Spirit MSM (mainstream media) has decided to promote what sounds like a worthy effort by young ones of conscience to honor those who are dying despite White House policy preventing us from seeing grim images of war dead due to media blackouts on such things. This movie is yet another effort by those of us who witness and honor Souls who have passed on.

Some courageous video producers of conscience created "Vermont Fallen" which we are told "is a collection of interviews with members of 25 families that have lost a soldier. It's nothing fancy — just people, young and old, talking from the bottom of their broken hearts." (Link to the CBS site where you can view a part of the video) It's a movie aimed at helping us remember that life is precious by offering interviews with those who loved and had to say goodbye.

Through very moving footage, it reminds us that we have no business sending men and women to their death in the futile, useless and destructive meatgrinder we call War. These are courageous interviews and powerful footage that reminds us that "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again....

It's bad enough that our children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, even fathers, mothers, and other loved ones are sent to die by selfish, cowardly politicians far away from the death machine, given how tough life can be anyway. War is a grossly destructive, ineffective way to achieve any form of existence on Earth. And I will note that those who are most "for war" (for whatever insane reason) are NEVER the ones to volunteer their bodies or encourage their loved ones to go to their death. Here I can't help but think that if Dubya's girls were drafted and had to spend 90 days on the front lines, do you think our government might reconsider our foolish, short-sighted, and anti-life policy we call War?

© Copyright 2007 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[DianatheHuntress]

YES, Robert! I've been wanting to share this link, and this is the perfect time it appears..... recently caught a great documentary on sat., and for those who haven't seen it yet, PLEASE check it out!

{whywefightmovie.com}
It has been said that 'The Oil-Grubbing War' will be our
GRANDCHILDREN'S legacy...... LIKE HELL, I say......

Keep on 'Doing it in the name of Love'........ D. } ------

[michele]

ah...yes, when will main stream consciousness learn, realize and understand that peace is not gained via war...

sometimes, it really disheartens me when i observe where we are "at" in main stream consciousness......

i do know that all we do individually, and collectively through connecting on blogs like this and other forms of liked minded connected for higher good is helping.

we are helping to transform our lives and this filters to the mainstream.

thanx robert

hugs and namaste

michele

[Robert]

Hi Dianathehuntress and Michele - Well, we are the ones who are striving to make the thoughtform of "no more war" real, unlike any other generations before us for many thousands of years, with a few exceptions here and there. And like the proverbial drops of water on stone, eventually even an immovable object will cease to be. Thank Heaven the stream of drops is eternal.

[Rachael]

Hello There!

I really enjoy reading your views and very in depth perspectives on astrology. I have leaned quite a bit.

Today however, I have 2 questions for you. How many children do you have?

And the other is in response to this statement

{It's bad enough that our children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, even fathers, mothers, and other loved ones are sent to die by selfish, cowardly politicians far away from the death machine, given how tough life can be anyway}

I believe i the current conditions there is no draft. All participation is voluntary and beyond that ....ultimatly is any form of (fighting) not voluntary? I mean can't you always choose not to participate??

[Robert]

Hi Rachel - Two, one living and one dead. I've had other losses as well, and also had too many friends die young one way and another. As for my statement, yes, we're ALL volunteers here except the very young and very old. That's why my position has always been that each volunteers to create their own thoughtforms. That's the blessing of "free will," however misguided or enlightened it manifests.

However, many who are now getting killed and maimed by the meatgrinder were sold a fraud. They were sold images of going to college on the cheap, or making a little weekend dough pretending to be "soldiers," and when signing the paper they were told they'd only have limited tours, could get out in a year, and so forth. Very persuasive offers. Here we must also take into consideration the criminal behavior of more than a few recruiters who outright lied to the teens, prompting a nation wide review and re-training of ALL military recruiters due to national scandals.

As for noncooperation, unfortunately, legally our "volunteer army" put their rearends in a perpetual sling, since once the military has you they can and DO change the rules as they see fit to define things like "national emergency" and "executive order." I reported on legal developments and challenges to this devious form of government enslavement extensively at my now-defunct political blog. And if you choose not to participate in their legalized murder, then a)you do time in their jails, or b) a + your picture, name, family are plastered all over the newspapers as you wend the tortuous way of the byzantine military "justice" system. They got there through government sanctioned deceptive marketing, have government immunity on the fraud, and so I stand by saying that a whole lot of loved ones are being ground into psychological and physical dust by cowardly politicians and their opinionated followers who do NOT volunteer their rearends or coax their kids into joining up. After all, the example seems to be "having more important things to do," a la Dick Cheney. And now you know why I took a hiatus from political blogging.

[Nancy]

Someone mentioned the words "main stream consciousness". WHen you say words like this, they are basically used to separate people (ie WE are the conscious, enlightened ones and THEY are the mainstream or "slower" ones). This has always been one of my gripes about the "new age" movement.We all have degrees of consiousness/unconsciousness. I think people who know nothing of the new age movement can be just as conscious as those who are involved. I would never be so arrogant to assume that anyone who claims to have all the answeres or half the answers to life's puzzles actually does. Everyone does the best they can and no one really has answers for another.
Having said this,I think alot of"mainstream" people have known the war is wrong and dangerous, but sometimes denial is easier. We all have pockets of denial, but unfortunately this type of denial is quite dangerous.

[Robert]

Hi Nancy - You've opened up some legit grounds for dialogue. I believe Michele uses that phrase not in an elitist way, but to differentiate what many have awakened to that is not addressed or even accepted by Mainstream Media, (MSM) a legit phrase in journalism to describe the state of the media. There is such a beast as "mainstream Western cultural values," if we are to believe the official propaganda of our nation.

In any culture, there are those who follow the accepted values, no matter how toxic, and those who chart their own course, usually with consequences. For example, no matter how hard I tried to fit into the mainstream value systems, I was unable, and have not received the favor from this culture that one who does insider trades and gets away with it would. Who is rewarded more, Generals or teachers? That says a lot about mainstream thinking.

As I read it, Michele affirmed that the vast multitude would "learn, realize and understand that peace is not gained via war..." If our present world situation is any indicator, she's fairly accurate to claim "the mainstream" still considers war a viable option to international relations. Too much violence globally to dispute that. I know her to be an extraordinarily sensitive and tireless worker for what many who follow a "spiritual path" would call human goodwill, and is aware that as we transform individually, it will affect the collective.

I don't think I'm an elitist to claim I am more aware than Dick Cheney. I believe many are. I do believe our un-elected preznit is unintelligent, if intelligence is the ability to adapt to realities outside of inertias of conditioning. And yes, I'm enough of a Gandhian to know that we should not be hung up on our differences, but to explore our commonality.

You're right that many who wouldn't know "new age" from sauerkraut still can be very enlightened, whether in art, science, or philosophy. But they are also outside the "mainstream" since they bring new ideas and breakthroughs. No one conforming to the official cultural biases has ever come up with a new idea, since that would put them outside of the norm. To step outside, even once, puts you out of step with the accepted inertias. And just because someone knows a bunch of "new age" jargon does not free them from the usual traps of human ego development. Many "new agers" have few answers for what ails our world.

I do believe there are those who have evolved to such a degree that they are outside of any bagism. And to admit that some are more evolved than others, and may have more answers than others, is also not elitism, but the facts of evolution. A whale knows more about the sea than a tadpole. And a Horowitz certainly knows more about music than most, by virtue of his diligence in exploring the craft. So I must disagree with your statement that "no one really has answers for another." That's just not true in my experience and the experience of millions who have found Art, Science, Philosophical, and Spiritual teachers and teachings.

Some people DO have answers that work for that vector of existence. To cite just one example, Buddhism has definitive answers about how to end human suffering that work for anyone who practices them; George Bush does not have answers for how to end suffering, or he would not want to send people to the meatgrinder of war. And collective denial of the horrors of war might be less if the mainstream media didn't agree to promote the administration agenda due to our state-sponsored corporatism.

[crawl or fly]

Yes, we have a volunteer military--And many of those who volunteer are poor, as Robert states, and in choosing the military they are engaging in a wager--Betting they can serve without being killed, and survive to receive education benefits they might not otherwise be able to have.
Those in charge of deciding where the miltary goes––what it does, what the risks are to life and limb––have a responsibility to imagine themsleves in the position of these volunteers before they commit our military to any campaign they would not personally undertake. Long ago, the leader of a people was expected to fight alongside his soldiers, showing that he understood the risk and was taking it along with his soldiers. I often think that if this policy were in effect today, the US invasion of Iraq would not have happened. I think a few days in Iraq for all of the Plan for the New American Century guys would sour them on the idea of taking the middle east by force. Wish we could include them all in the surge.

[Robert]

Hi COF - Yes, the PNAC bunch are responsible for the ruination of this country and plunging millions into the chaos of war, mass murder, and disaster (but I repeat myself!) If any of them had ever served, maybe they wouldn't be so quick to send millions to hell on Earth.

Yet we WILL see "war no more." At least, that's what we've been told by some of the most ancient documents on Earth. And why I remind us all from time to time that the BIG graduation day is probably a few dozen thousand of years to come, which from one point of view is only about 315 million hours, and we'll either be disincarnate or asleep for quite a bit of that period. Isn't life great?

[giverny]

Here in Australia we are fast becoming the 51st state of the usa if not already!!as John COWARD ruins our country too while being Bush's little lap dog just waiting for a pat. It's all part of the New World Order but some can see straight through this and will not be brainwashed or bribed so I call that evolved not elitist like Robert said many are smarter than the Dick Cheney's of the world who i KNOW are elitist ego maniacs who just reward their loyal followers! I believe that more people are 'waking up' to the many impacts of war which are affecting EVERYONE increasingly as the effects of the depleted uranium are behind all the increases in cancer diabetes,birth deformities, mental illness and the list goes on(go to Dr Alan Cantwell's articles on the net and be enlightened even further or just type in depleted uranium side effects!!!) the DU dust is settling over us ALL and poisoning us as we speak!!! I call that GENOCIDE!! It's criminal in every way and then we go to global warming which the government scientists tone down for big monetary rewards!! Yes Robert what a life? We ALL have to do something and Michelle is spot on it DOES filter throught to the mainstream consciousness and the individual can have an effect... the micro in the macro.....my daughters teenage male buddies are talking about going to the army because they think it's a cheap way of seeing the world!!! So I have been on a mission to peel away the facade and let them know the reality of WAR but as we know it's appealing to the disadvantaged teens who are at a vulnerable age. My daughter is a circus performer so we together are encouraging them to join the circus instead. I believe things will start to get better as we near 2012 as the ancients teachings say I live in hope.

[Robert]

Hi giverney - To which I can only add "may there be war no more." As soon as possible. And may no one go hungry as soon as possible amen. Our governments are irresponsible war criminals in a world where 30,000 children die each day needlessly. But that's another example of why I had to quit political blogging for the time being.

[Juliet]

Food for thought...

give your energy and thoughts to the war and it will increase that negative energy

give your energy and thoughts to peace and it will increase that energy

See the peaceful resolution - align your energy with peace at all times - this too shall pass...

[Robert]

Hi Juliet - To repeat myself, now you know why I took a break from political "discourse." I have always believed in the goodness of humanity, and though I am fairly adept at flogging corruption, it's very wearying to the Soul. That's one of the reasons this blog exists, and why I am no longer blogging in the "political forum." Though aware of the massive and rampant corruption of the body politic, I believe in the goodness of the human condition, and KNOW there will come a time of "war no more." Thanks for the reminder to us ALL where our better interests are.

[chrispito]

I apperciate this, Juliet. My father always says "Nothing lasts forever." Indeed, it doesn't.
Incidentally, he spent a great deal of time in Australia in the circus in the 1950s...after leaving the British army. Oh, the beauty of the timing of these posts!
I love Giverny's idea of screwing the idea of joining an army and joining the circus instead (not least because my beloved Dad did). I have Saturn in Leo, and I am just wrapping up my first SR. I highly approve this useage of play and performance.
Bravo, Giverny! I love it, and will do what I can to amplify your voice. It is a beautiful vision!

[Rachael]

Robert.......

I am so very touched by your loss. There could be nothing greater than that. Words escape the profound effects that has on ones soul.

I am also touched by your comment and yes is agreement. Politicians are NOT my subject of choice.

I have been on a profound journey myself, And as I am yet a nocice to the complex science I see that I have Chiron conjucunting this eclipse and Iknow it has a very large message for me and maybe you could perhaps shed some further light into my life ..just to give you a clue I have the sun adn4 other plants in Vigo in the 8th(arghhh).

Namaste

Rachael

[Robert]

Hi Rachael - That's why I offer what I can regarding the importance of grief work, to heal into our greater Self. These eclipses should be opening a new Chironic response while shutting down an old one, and you're definitely shedding much of your old Virgo patterns. Demonstrate your light and functional expertise as you open to new metaphysical paths and healing energetics. Your old values will shut down, which will be demonstrated by how you respond to challenges of regenerating.