War and Peace

People say there are no atheists in foxholes. A lot of people think this is a good argument against atheism. Personally, I think it’s a much better argument against foxholes.  Kurt Vonnegut

The ego has quite an arsenal to defend it from intruders. All our afflictive emotions are locked and loaded, ready to strike in a flash—with little or no discernment. When we feel threatened, we either pull the trigger of our emotional reaction or seek some spiritual remedy. Both approaches assume there is something to fight and we are hunkered down in a foxhole hoping we don’t get harmed.

The foxhole of ego grasping is reinforced by the desire, anger, pride, greed, and envy born of forgetting our natural wisdom. They are maladaptive reactions to an ever-changing world beyond our control. Buddha suggested we just chill out for a moment and recognize what is happening. We begin to hear a sweet voice barely audible in the din of our distractions. It is an echo of timeless awareness linked to the immutable law of impermanence.

When we settle our mind and realize nothing can be controlled, we naturally see nothing truly exists in the way we think. We cease reacting or looking for spiritual bandaids. The war is over. No need for foxholes. Genuine peace breaks out.