Article June 14, 1993 Issue

"Can I contribute to eliminating violence?"

Love may seem like an unusual response to violent behavior, but love has a power that heals.

Antonio Omar Blando

Original in Spanish

One afternoon when I was at work, a terrifying noise shook the center of the city. When we went to the office window, we could see a thick clould of black smoke. Confusion and then panic spread throughout the place. A few minutes later, the media broadcast the news that unknown terrorists had set off a powerful bomb in a foreign embassy. The building was totally destroyed. Private residences, offices, a kindergarten, a senior citizens' home, a church, and automobiles had been severely damaged. There were many wounded and dead.

Deeds such as this occur all too often around the world. Sometimes it seems as though violence is the norm. Sadly, this isn't news to anyone. Appearing in different forms at different times, such incidents have had to be dealt with by humanity throughout history. Possibly you yourself have felt powerless and unprotected at some point. I know that more than once I've asked myself, "How can I find protection from various manifestations of evil?" "How can I contribute to eliminating the violence that seems so prevalent in the world?" Sometimes I've felt that this is impossible; what could I possibly do? But even if our limited, fearful sense of things suggests that there are no options, there is a healing solution.

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