endless war
War has been with us since the beginning of history, yet, since the beginning of history people have wanted peace. The great majority of humans have always wanted peace and many have dedicated their lives to work for peace. Yet we see that there has been war and conflicts going on somewhere in the world continuously as long as we have had records and memory. Why?
the conflict
What is the root cause of conflict? It is simply false identity. Though we are all eternal spiritual beings - complete with perfect knowledge to experience ever increasing bliss - we falsely identify ourselves as our temporary material bodies. In these temporary bodies we experience death instead of eternal life, illusion instead of knowledge, and dissatisfaction and suffering instead of happiness.
We are spirit. As eternal spiritual beings we can never die, but under the spell of material illusion we struggle for bodily survival in this temporary world. We compete with others to stay alive personally - or we even attempt to attain immortality through the extensions of our bodies: family, tribe, race, nationality, etc. This inevitably leads to conflicts.
No one in this world is truly happy, secure or satisfied. This is because we are spiritual beings caught in a material dimension, like fish out of water. It is easier to blame others for our fear and dissatisfaction than it is to find the real cause and cure. Many wars have been started by leaders redirecting the frustrations of their people into enviousness and hate for their neighbors. This always leads to conflicts.
the illusion
Many people say, 'We want peace! It's the 'other guys' who are causing all the trouble!" But who are these 'other guys'? We are all spirit souls, part and parcel of the same Supreme Lord, all children of the same Father. But due to the trance of material existence we see ourselves as these temporary bodies and see differences between ourselves and our brothers. This perception leads to divisions and conflicts.
the solution
A person is falsely thinking: "I'm an American, I am a Christian or a Muslim; I am white, I am black, I am old, etc." He then identifies with other bodies like his own and feels separated and distrustful of persons in different bodies. Today, various Americans are proclaiming, "It's the young, Iranian, Muslim, brown persons who are the cause of all our troubles! We need to defend ourselves against them. We need to get rid of them!" At the same time, many of young Muslim Arabs support Al Qaeda terrorists because they believe white American Christians threaten their happiness and security.
Once we understand the root cause of conflicts and wars, we can begin to find the real solution. We must change our consciousness if we want to change the world. Because false identity is the cause of our conflicts, we must find a process to realize who we are. We must regain our spiritual identity - we must come to know that we are not these bodies, but eternal sparks of the Supreme. We must again experience the fully satisfying and uninterrupted happiness that is our natural condition. We must break the trance of material illusion. If we truly wish to work for peace we must work to spread spiritual realization throughout the world. Otherwise, there is no chance for a peaceful existence.
The easiest and simplest method of re-attaining our spiritual identity is to chant the Names of God. Any Name of God will do. Chanting is not a sectarian religious activity. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, an avatar of God and a great social, religious, and spiritual reformer who appeared some 500 years ago in India, recommended this process above all others. He predicted that the chanting of God's Names would spread to every town and village in the world and that this would reverse the world's descent into chaos, quarrel, and confusion. We humbly request that you join us in this simple and joyful activity. Please chant for peace - for peace within yourself and peace in the world.