I wrote a friend of mine a few days ago a heartfelt message summed up in one line to him–“I am so gravely concerned that our government is being duped into a war with Syria.” This blog post is not a political statement but rather a deeply spiritual message to our President and leaders of all governments.

First, years ago our government was certain there were WMD (weapons of mass destruction). They were convinced. They were positive. Sure. It was only after the fact that they and we discovered this wasn’t the case. There was a knee-jerk reaction and left-over hard feelings for an attack on our country’s citizens that most likely instigated a most costly war. I am so hopeful that we learned from this and will not repeat it. The same rhetoric heard those many years ago is what I’m hearing again.

Dear Mr. President and all world leaders, this is a time to step back and take a breath. It is not a time for knee-jerk reactions. If we engage in war against another Middle Eastern country the ramifications are sure to shake the world. I say this with no military intelligence but from a simple, heart-felt love for humanity and all life on the planet.

Unreasonable actions will never be made right by unreasonable actions. This is a time we must learn from past mistakes, not repeat them. We no longer have the luxury of repeating past boggles thinking the outcome will be different. At some point we must approach such atrocities with something other than violence. Haven’t we seen that more violence is NEVER the way to make long-lasting, positive change?

My soul weeps for the cruelty we bestow upon each other, upon animals, plants…the planet. I so long for leaders that will take us beyond the eye-for-an-eye mentality into a new and better way. I beg our leaders to stop and consider that they might be biting the proverbial hook, baited with the use of chemical weapons. It screams of ‘set-up’ but then I know nothing of politics.

Dr. President Obama, members of Congress, leaders in all countries, I beg you to ignore this ‘hook’ and put your most excellent problem-solvers to the task to find a better way. Rise above the violence to a creative solution that will change the world for the better. You have the potential to use this pivotal point to catapult the world into a new way of relating and being. Thank you.