A monster in the flowers

The NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade should be a reminder that the war in Yugoslavia is the tragic result of a society that is spiritually bankrupt. Societies everywhere have forgotten their priority in life with the natual world and our Sacred Mother Earth.

Our lessons in life are sometimes extremely painful but they mustn’t be ignored. The war, and the actions of sick students in Denver, Colorado and Taber, Alberta this spring should motivate our own society to understand that we are facing a spiritual crisis. As stated by the grieving father of a slain high school student in Tabor, “May God have mercy on this broken society.”

Everywhere today in the world people show the after-effects of generations and centuries of aggression, hostility, war and rape. The pain and disappointment from broken peace and loss of life have left our children lost, sick and dangerous. The media deliver us the images — violence, pain, suffering and cruelty — but can’t treat the cancer of war.

How long before Canadians feel the pain and suffering falling from the skies on their own children?

I believe there can never be peace until justice is created for everyone in the world. Our true strength will come from our own voice for peace and harmony.

The elders say that when the world was new, we were as flowers in a garden. There are roses, morning glories, tulips and daisies. Some are short, some are tall, some are blue, some red and some orange. But they are all flowers and when you put them together in an arrangement, they make a beautiful bouquet.

Our job as human beings is to arrange ourselves like a bouquet of flowers, and in order to do that, we must eliminate the tools of war, notably bombs. We have to learn again that the Earth is our Sacred Mother.

We must learn to protect, honour and respect this Sacred Mother Earth from which we all receive nourishment and beauty. Only if all the people of the four directions of Mother Earth learn to be interested in peace and harmony can there be a chance for us to survive.

The elders say that a monster is eating at us all and that we must turn to our sacred medicines and ceremonies in order to stay strong. We must be healthy in order to keep our minds focused on the purification that will come.

We hope that the bombs will stop falling from the sky and that they will never fall on us. Our thoughts, prayers and actions must be for beauty and peace and not for hate, revenge or war. We must come home at night in peace and not bring anger into our homes. We should try to make each other happy in beauty because the Great Spirit and Sacred Mother Earth can feel our love and pain.

If we do our best to make good with our life, then all of Creation will be satisfied with our actions.

Sincerely,

Danny Beaton
Kahniakehaka (Mohawk Nation)
Toronto