Every war begins….

“Every war begins with the same mistake: failing to see the other as kin.”

Another life taken. Another moment of violence.

While this is tragic, it is not isolated. Every day, lives are lost — in wars between nations, in conflicts on city streets, in battles over power and resources. It has been this way since long before our time.

What we see now — in politics, in economies, in communities — are two sides of the same coin. One side speaks of belief, the other of control. Both forget the same truth: humanity cannot survive if we no longer see ourselves in each other.

Murder is not sovereignty. Violence is not freedom. War — whether with weapons, words, or wealth — is not the way forward.

What is being asked of us is not new, but it is urgent: to remember our shared humanity, to refuse to see the “other” as enemy, and to live as though every life matters equally.

The choice remains with each of us.

Whisper of Kuan Yin

The other is not enemy.
The other is mirror.
To remember this
is to heal the world.