A Dreadful Cure

Instead of interpreting this post in a political sense, I ask that it be viewed in a Universal sense as it applies not just to the situation at hand, but to life in general.

We have been talking so much about ego fantasy and the frustration and destruction caused by flawed strategies for achieving personal peace. So I was struck by how clear an example of this was displayed by President Bush's comments after touring the Israel Holocaust Memorial.

(read the article here.)

Having been moved to tears he is reported to have said to Condoleeza Rice that the U.S. should have bombed Auschwitz during World War II as an appropriate response to intelligence confirming the operation of the death camps. His response is astonishing because it verifies that he has learned nothing from his experience as a world leader. It seems any option outside of brute force escapes him as a possible solution. Even more telling is his flippancy about second guessing the decisions of leaders a few generations ago with only a molecule of hindsight to base it on.

If he were not the President of the U.S. his narcissism would be merely unfortunate. But in light of his position and power it is downright gut-wrenching. This incident really sums up the demeanor of his entire political career. He is a man who is sincere in his compassion but deeply flawed in his response to the point of absurdity. Sadly, he may never understand that violence can't end violence any more than alchohol can cure alcoholism.

Now before you cast the first stone, consider how many times you do the same thing in your own contradictory pursuits. Do you find yourself working longer hours so you can afford to take time off? Do you try to calm angry people with more anger? Do you rely on the opinions of others to determine your own self-worth? All of these ridiculous strategies for happiness are far too common.

In most cases it would be better to do nothing at all, which ironically you may discover can be the hardest thing to do.