Remember craggy old Curly, played by Jack Palance in 1991's City Slickers? He claimed the secret to life was just one thing. To my recollection I never came away knowing what that one thing was and, frankly, didn't give it much thought beyond the theater exit.
In the last few weeks, however, I've come to give it more thought. During yet another patch of human history spattered with the blood of hundreds of people throughout the Middle East I'm inclined to think I've come to realize at least one thing: The key to peace on earth in so many of these conflicts requires just one thing. People everywhere need to recognize that this is it. This isn't the warm-up act. We won't be passing this way again. No heaven, no hell, no sitting on clouds strumming golden harps, no 40 virgins, no happy reunions. Until people realize that the life they have is not protected by, endorsed by, warranted by, or fully refundable by any being or entity, they are going to continue to kill and die in the name of religious belief. Until people realize the life they have is unique and precious and fully dependent on coexistence with other human beings, there will be no peace, no care-taking, no security.
Maybe that's more than one thing, I lost track. But it all starts with realizing there is no life other than the life you know. It applies to how you grow and develop your mind and body. It applies to how you manage resources. And it applies to how sacred you hold life and living.
John Lennon said it best but, alas, so far it is hard to Imagine.
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