Tolstoy's words of wisdom and some thoughts on reincarnation

In his 19th century essay "Christianity and Patriotism," Tolstoy writes of the senseless historical repetition of the war habit that has prevailed for centuries on Earth. Mark Twain wrote something of the same nature in his essay, The War Prayer. Here are Tolstoy's words (if only we would heed them!):

"The bells will peal, the drums will sound, the priests will begin to pray for successful slaughter--and the old, well-known and terrible story will begin all over again. The editors of the daily press will start virulently to stir up men by hatred and manslaughter in the name of patriotism. Manufacturers, merchants, and contractors of military supplies will hurry joyously about their business, expecting double profits. And smothering despair within their souls by songs, debauches and liquor, hundreds of thousands of simple-minded, good-natured people, torn away from peaceful labor, from their wives, mothers and children, will march, with weapons of murder in their hands, anywhere they may be driven. They will march to freeze, to starve, to be sick, or die from disease, and finally they will arrive at the place where they will be killed by the thousands, or kill other thousands themselves--men they have never seen before and with whom they have no quarrel. And again will men become infuriated, brutalized, and bestialized, and love will wane in the world."

In 1938, Andre Maurois wrote a review of J.B. Priestley's reincarnation play "I Have Been Here Before," saying, "The subject of this play is the Eternal Return, the idea that the same events occur over and over again, that people find themselves, after millions of years, in situations which they have previously encountered, and that, each time, they make the same mistakes which cause the same tragedies. But the author of this play admits that certain individuals, at the moment when they find themselves on the threshold of their drama, remember confusedly their previous misfortunes and find in this memory the strength to thwart destiny by a free action which breaks the fatal chain." Maurois went on to apply this to the suicidal wars in which mankind is repeatedly involved, and which are based, he says, on the erroneous belief that after a period of violence a new golden age will dawn for mankind because a particular class or race has triumphed. In the name of this false ideal men cut one another's throats, asphyxiate one another, and willingly undergo the most horrible torments. Such is the cycle which humanity has already traversed a great many times. May we hope that it will at last say to itself, I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE and that it will eventually find the wisdom to renounce self-destruction." (from the book Reincarnation: A New Horizon in Science, Religion and Society by Sylvia Cranston and Carey Williams)

I highly recommend the book by Cranston and Williams - it is the most comprehensive book on the subject of reincarnation and contains words of reputable scientists, theologians, historians, and experts of all philosophies as well as quotes throughout history from famous people who were/are convinced reincarnation is factual and offers an illuminating solution to problems that have resisted understanding and treatment by orthodox religions. Here are just a few words from the book, adding to the ideas presented above by Tolstoy and Maurois:

"To be able to say, with authenticity, 'I have been here before,' could that not in itself help us to find the wisdom to renounce self-destruction? We would then declare, when viewing the mistakes as well as the glories of the past: "These are our footsteps on the sands of time, not someone else's. When wars and holocausts are perpetrated against the human race, instead of repeating the cliche 'See how history repeats itself,' we would say 'We are repeating ourselves.' How unnecessary, how dreadfully stupid, how boring, how catastrophic in its consequences--the wasted lives, the nullification of humanity's noblest dreams--and now the destiny of the planet hangs in the balance. ...In the light of rebirth, we cannot destroy our enemies. They will only reincarnate and be our enemies again. But if we destroy the entire earth in a nuclear holocaust, what then? If reincarnation is true, humankind will not be destroyed--it will only have committed suicide. It will have to start all over, in a new world, with all the old problems awaiting resolution. In the light of such possibilities, how wise are these words of Jesus: 'Do not let the sun set before you make peace with your adversary.'"

An online article today tells the tragic fact that every 80 minutes an American soldier commits suicide in today's world. From the article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/02/suicide_n_1070491.html : Military suicides have increased since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a Center for a New American Security Suicide report. In the fiscal year 2009 alone, 1,868 veterans of these wars have made suicide attempts, according to armytimes.com. "America is losing its battle against suicide by veterans and service members," authors Dr. Margaret C. Harrell and Nancy Berglass concluded. "And as more troops return from deployment, the risk will only grow."

Will this kind of pattern have to be repeated over and over again before we finally awaken to our real nature and outgrow the philosophies and religions that keep us bound? A little curiosity on this subject can go a long way toward liberating us, one by one, from the old ways and ideas that don't work, that never have worked, and that never will work.

In his memoirs, MY Land and My People, the Dalai Lama expressed the opinion that deep-seated conviction in rebirth "should engender a universal love, because all living beings in the course of their numberless lives and our own, have probably been our friends, or may have been our beloved parents, children, brothers or sisters. This should encourage tolerance, forbearance, charity, and compassion. If belief in afterlife is accepted, religious practice can provide preparation for one's future incarnation. By whatever name religion may be known, its understanding and practice are the essence of a peaceful mind and therefore of a peaceful world. If there is no peace in one's mind, there can be no peace in one's approach to others, and thus no peaceful relations between individuals or between nations."