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Friday-- May 17, 2002—Ground Zero Plus 248

Birthing Your Spiritual Vigilance
by
Cliff McKenzie
Editor, New York City Combat Correspondent News 
 

        GROUND ZERO, New York City, May 17--Tears will flow tonight as Spiritual Vigilance is born.   Into the world will come those "children of the spirit" who have vowed to protect the Spiritual Vigilance of the children--Mothers and Fathers of Spiritual Vigilance.
        One of those Soldiers of Vigilance, armed only with their Faith, will be my older daughter.  She will receive her Masters of Divinity in graduation ceremonies with her classmates at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
       There is something special about the idea one of your children has dedicated his or her life to guarding the "spiritual" side of humanity.   Religious distinctions aside, to achieve any growth of Vigilance one must have the Faith to face his or her Fears, and more Faith to overcome the oppressive Intimidations issued by a world designed to compare one's status with another's, and, finally, Faith must play a great role in helping one overcome his her Complacency to remain in the rut of life where it is safe, secure and non-confrontational to one's inner being.
       Terrorism claims to be driven by Faith.   The jihad principle--war against the infidel--suggests that to purify the earth one must rid the world of the "devils," the "satans of society."    Under this twisted cloth of religious duty, the Terrorist is promised a life in eternal bliss as a reward for the wanton killing and slaughter of those who oppose or threaten the security of their narrow, razor-sharp dogma.
       They enjoy a "Fascist Faith," fueled by hatred rather than love, motivated to extreme by compulsion rather than compassion, and conflagrated by passion rather than harmonic purpose.
       I say this because as our daughter is graduated today to a life of scholastic as well as physical and emotional service to the underprivileged of the world, so too somewhere is a young man or woman graduating from a Terrorist camp training program, armed with weapons of destruction including how to strap on a bomb and walk into a crowd of innocent people and blow them up indiscriminately.
       These are graduates of Spiritual Terrorism, for they are anointed as Messengers of Death and Destruction rather than as architects of Love and Life.  One believes that taking life away from others rids the world of evil, and the other believes that taking the evil out of life rids the world of Terror.
        Yet both claim spiritual sanctification for their acts of Love and Violence.   Both believe they are duty-bound to make the earth better--one by destroying and the other by rebuilding fractured souls.
        I wonder about a parent of a Terrorist who watches his or her son graduate from Terrorism school.   How can such a parent sit and cheer their child as he or she is given the fuse to ignite the C-4 or dynamite strapped to his or her chest as part of the graduation ceremony?    It seems insane to imagine a parent being proud of a child who has chosen to die for his or her cause, but I must not think that such a scene is not happening or that it won't happen.
       It has in the past, and, most probably, will continue into the future.
      Those who graduate in today's Terrorism climate with degrees in spiritual ministering have an additional thrust to their responsibility of preaching Faith.    To neutralize their counterparts being graduated with diplomas comprising bombs and bullets, the "spiritual graduates" must address the issue of both Physical and Emotional Terrorism with the same, if not greater passion, as those who believe riding the world of "spiritual satans"       

       The world is not short on religious viewpoints seeking to purify it.   The statistical pie to the right reveals the relative size of major religions worldwide.   It suggests that religious viewpoints permeate the vast majority of the world's 6 billion current residents, and while one might claim to be a member of a certain Faith or Belief System, that membership does not necessarily mean one is committed to the idea of Peace and Love.
      Some factions believe that War and Hate are the bricks that line the road to spiritual purity.   At least, we know this is true of the Terrorists who flew their planes into the heart of America's business and military structures on September 11th, 2001.  And, were it not for the bravery of passengers aboard the flight heading for the White House, that the Terrorists would have struck the viscera of America's political might.
       To battle Terrorism, we not only need to have the strongest national defenses against its insurgency, but also the strongest possible "spiritual vigilance" to protect our children and their children's children from the ravages of  Internal Terrorism.
       Only Faith can achieve that goal--a Faith in the belief that Good overpowers Evil, that Right dominates Wrong, that Selflessness has more power than Selfishness.
       It isn't so much a matter of religion as it is a committed way of life.
       A Parent of Vigilance does not have to swear allegiance to a particular flag or symbol of government.  He or she merely needs to understand the role of Vigilance includes upholding his or her Faith in the future of his or her children, and vows to pass that Faith down to them in a non-violent, non-combative manner.
       That role involves fighting Fear with Courage, Intimidation with Conviction, and Complacency with Right Action.  In a way, each parent who vows to this primary purpose of parenthood, becomes a Minister of Vigilance.
        While I'm not promoting a religious viewpoint, I am considering Vigilance a religious effort.   It must come at the top of the food chain to be effective.   Vigilance must dominate all actions, all thoughts so that Terrorism cannot slip in the back door when no one is looking.
         And it doesn't mean we won't make mistakes.  We will.  But if we are "vigilant" about Vigilance, we can correct those errors.   We can have the "Courage to Change."
         This afternoon, at 4p.m., my daughter will receiver her degree as a Master of Divinity.   She will be giving birth to her Spirit of Vigilance in a public ceremony, filled with people who have devoted their lives to carrying the message of Vigilance.
         But each parent and loved one of children can achieve the same status by simply vowing to protect their children, and their children's children from the Fears, Intimidations and Complacencies that life sets before us all on our journey to become happy, joyous and free.
         By taking the Pledge of Vigilance, by vowing to become a Guardian of Vigilance, each of us can give birth to our Spirit of Vigilance and nurse our children on a path of Courage, Conviction and Right Action so that one day Terrorism will find its victims far too protected to be ravaged by its Fear, Intimidation and Complacency.
         Graduate yourself.   Give birth to the Spirit of Vigilance within, so that the world around you and your children can be safer now and in the future.
      
 

G0 TO:  May 16--ER Hall Of Terror