Meditation - could it work?

Recently, I received an e-mail from an acquaintance with an attached message that the escalation of the war in Afghanistan will cost us $1,000,000 per soldier per year. It asked me to get involved... to work together for Peace. It also suggested attention to the Brave New Foundation www.bravenewfoundation.org

The e-mail mentioned Wayne Dyer's book, There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem. The sender of the email believes there is enough knowledge about compassionate communication (non-violent communication) that enables peace to be a reality and, with the ability to achieve solutions through meditation, there is no excuse.

It ended with the request to create create Win/Win solutions. Where the mind is at, the body will follow.

This was a thought-provoking message, not to be easily dispatched with a click of the Delete key (which I almost did).

My first thought? I was reminded of a joke I heard a few years ago, before the word "terrorist" was so prominent in our language. The joke?

Q. What's the difference between a woman with PMS and a terrorist?
A. You can negotiate with a terrorist.

Only you cannot negotiate with Osama bin Laden. You cannot negotiate with a religious fanatic whose only goal is to remove a scourge from the earth by killing you. How do you negotiate with a suicide bomber?

And so, is the solution to send 30,000 additional soldiers in Afghanistan (at $1,000,000 each, if that figure is correct or even anywhere close)? Probably not. Well, how about 50,000? Or 100,000? No, that won't work, either.

When Osama bin Laden meets his Maker and gets his 27 virgin brides, or whatever he believes awaits him, 50 or 100 radicals will step forward to replace him. And then we'll need 200,000 soldiers over there.

And more over here, protecting our buildings, bridges, subways, elevated trains, planes, highways and people.

So what is the solution?

Maybe, instead of blowing off Wayne Dyer's book, we need to seriously consider just how powerful the Mind is. What if Meditation would work? I mean, would work to bring about Peace.

In 1982 I heard a story about Amway distributors in Chico, California, who had won a trip that included a ride on Amway's LearJet. They were to be picked up in Chico; the only problem was that in July, the plane could land but would not be able to take off. The high temperatures at Chico (100+ degrees F.) and the length of the runway meant the trip would be delayed.

The couple told Amway headquarters to go ahead and send the plane. They said to tell the pilots that the temperature would drop to 88 degrees, so that the plane could take off. Yeah, sure...

All the distributors in that group set to work and focused on the temperature in Chico for that afternoon. The plane flew in and landed and the prize-winning distributors boarded. It was time to leave.

And the temperature dropped to 88, so that the plane could take off!!!

Even groups in the United States have caused crime rates to drop in cities by meditating - focusing their minds - on peaceful co-existence, calm, safety.

Would the terrorists change their ways, if enough people on the planet focused on peace? There is only one way to find out.