Many friends continue to call concerning Deepak's well being . The Chopra family are all safe.
In the midst of the world's tragedy, Deepak has been barragedwith questions from the media requesting his perspective. Here's hisresponse that he also wanted to share with his Namastefriends.
As fate would have it, I was leaving New York on a jetflight that took off 45 minutes before the unthinkable happened. Bythe time we landed in Detroit, chaos had broken out. When I graspedthe fact that American security had broken down so tragically, Icouldn't respond at first. My wife and son were also in the air onseparate flights, one to Los Angeles, one to San Diego. My body wentabsolutely rigid with fear. All I could think about was their safety,and it took several hours before I found out that their flights hadbeen diverted and both were safe.
Strangely, when the good news came, my body still felt that it hadbeen hit by a truck. Of its own accord it seemed to feel a fargreater trauma that reached out to the thousands who would notsurvive and the tens of thousands who would survive only to livethrough months and years of hell.
And I asked myself, Why didn't I feel this way last week? Whydidn't my body go stiff during the bombing of Iraq or Bosnia? Aroundthe world my horror and worry are experienced every day. Mothers weepover horrendous loss, civilians are bombed mercilessly, refugees areripped from any sense of home or homeland. Why did I not feel theiranguish enough to call a halt to it?
As we hear the calls for tightened American security and a fiercemilitary response to terrorism, it is obvious that none of us has anyanswers.
However, we feel compelled to ask some questions.
Everything has a cause, so we have to ask, What was the root causeof this evil? We must find out not superficially but at the deepestlevel. There is no doubt that such evil is alive all around the worldand is even celebrated.
Does this evil grow from the suffering and anguish felt by peoplewe don't know and therefore ignore? Have they lived in this conditionfor a long time?
One assumes that whoever did this attack feels implacable hatredfor America. Why were we selected to be the focus of suffering aroundthe world?
All this hatred and anguish seems to have religion at its basis.Isn't something terribly wrong when jihads and wars develop in thename of God?
Isn't God invoked with hatred in Ireland, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine, and even among the intolerant sects ofAmerica?
Can any military response make the slightest difference in theunderlying cause? Is there not a deep wound at the heart ofhumanity?
If there is a deep wound, doesn't it affect everyone?
When generations of suffering respond with bombs, suicidalattacks, and biological warfare, who first developed these weapons?Who sells them? Who gave birth to the satanic technologies now beingturned against us?
If all of us are wounded, will revenge work? Will punishment inany form toward anyone solve the wound or aggravate it? Will an eyefor an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and limb for a limb, leave us allblind, toothless and crippled?
Tribal warfare has been going on for two thousand years and hasnow been magnified globally. Can tribal warfare be brought to an end?Is patriotism and nationalism even relevant anymore, or is thisanother form of tribalism?
What are you and I as persons going to do about what is happening?Can we afford to let the deeper wound fester any longer?
Everyone is calling this an attack on America, but is it not arift in our collective soul? Isn't this an attack on civilizationfrom without that is also from within?
When we have secured our safety once more and cared for thewounded, after the period of shock and mourning is over, it will betime for soul searching. I only hope that these questions areconfronted with the deepest spiritual intent. None of us will feelsafe again behind the shield of military might and stockpiledarsenals. There can be no safety until the root cause is faced. Inthis moment of shock I don't think anyone of us has the answers. Itis imperative that we pray and offer solace and help to each other. But if you and I are having a single thought of violence or hatredagainst anyone in the world at this moment, we are contributing tothe wounding of the world.
Love,
Deepak
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