One of the first reactions to the death of Benazir Bhutto came from Hillary Clinton. She called for an international investigation into the assassination. That made me stop and think……

What if the tables were turned, and for instance, imagine it’s 2 weeks before the November 2008 election and the democratic candidate is assassinated. Would you, Mr. And Mrs. America, enjoy hearing that China wants to launch an international investigation of the deed? Wouldn’t you be terribly offended that China would even deign to interfere with what is obviously an American problem/concern? (And also, would you think the election, two weeks away, should be postponed or canceled?  Interesting question, that one!)

But then I realized…..that is emblematic of the nationalist/ethnocentric thinking that we have to overcome if we are to survive as a species. Humans, that is. We cannot let our nationalistic fervor, our ‘us vs. them’ mentality, continue in a time that knows nuclear proliferation. If we are ever to overcome wars and prejudice, we must come to realize the oneness of all beings. We must validate this truth: that beneath all the bluster, all the differences of race and religion, we all want the same things from life: health, love and a better future for our children. Everything else is but a difference that allows us to judge and find someone lacking, and this is the attitude that must change.

Seen in that light, the assassination this week is but another chance blown, another conflict that we failed to resolve in a manner that promotes the future of the species, another in a long list of religious or ethnocentric failures. If we are to learn anything in a postmortem, let it be this:

What goes around, comes around.