Vedanta, a spiritual philosophy from ancient India, is the last thing on one's mind when thinking about war, as unnecessary as the recent Ukraine-Russia (U-R) conflict.
But it is precisely what we need in these troubled times.
Before we explore the "solutions," redefining the conflict's actual nature is vital.
By the nature of its design, the media has to report any critical event, such as the war, in terms that is palatable to its audience. The audience, ordinary people, are conditioned and trained in a certain way of thinking and are attuned to specific words and phrases, like any trained animal.
War needs a villain, A reluctant hero, a wrongful enemy, an underdog, a victim, a struggle, helpful neighbors, bravery of ordinary people, atrocities committed by the enemy, righteous players, wrongdoings, moments of brilliance, and at the end, peace, victory, healing, parades, punishments, etc.
After the war, pause and wait for the next conflict. Rinse and repeat.
Putin is the villain. Zelensky is the reluctant hero. Polish people are helping their neighbors. The West is attempting to avoid escalation while doing little to prevent it. utterly helpless Ukrainian citizens, whose plight is totally imaginable.
All of this is true and wrong.
IT IS TRUE that reckless Putin started the war, but Zelensky stepped up, Poles and others opened their hearts and homes to the refugees, and the West did offer assistance. All this is true, reported, recorded, and verified.
It is wrong that the underlying causes that caused this human tragedy did not get enough attention and respect they needed.
So, the war ends without a winner or a solution, but it stops because everyone is tired. Each side's media calls this a partial victory for their side.
The horrible drama will be postponed to another date and time.
Now let's re-understand the war.
Leaders decide on wars. Seldom do people want war. The army fights the war, and the people suffer the most. Neither Ukrainians nor Russians want the war. Neither of them will be free from the repercussions.
Everyone knows that the war is coming. Russia placed its army division along the Ukrainian border, and media outlets everywhere endlessly reported the imminence of war. There is NO surprise. The so-called West did little to stop it.
The country that mattered, the USA, did nothing. Neither the American media suggested otherwise.
Underneath this silence, there is a strategy. After the fall of the Soviet Union, America decided to be the sole power in the world. The Soviet Union collapsed. The cold war ended. Leaders on both sides came and went.
Us (the USA) needs to weaken them (Russia). Us (the NATO) expands close to them (Russia). The WEST (whatever that means) is righteous, and they (whoever the West thinks) are wrong.
What did not die? Us vs. Them.
There is no WEST. It is fiction. A fictitious place conjured out of nowhere. To denote whatever one wants.
It is MAYA! A Vedantic word denotes unreal, fictitious entities for all intent and purpose that appear and function as Real.
Out of this fiction, a real division was created.
This is the fundamental reason for the U ⚔ ️R conflict.
The existence of NATO and its expansion are both unjustified. NATO creation had a purpose; world war II. The purpose was redesigned for the cold war. OK granted. What is the main objective of a security alliance like NATO now? Protection from what and whom? It is an indirect admission that Russia is still a threat. China is an upcoming threat.
Vedanta says very clearly as long as you see the other person differently from yours, divisions are guaranteed. All divisions lead to conflict.
More positively, there is no division if you see the same divine residing in others.
Applying this principle to the U ⚔ ️R conflict, there is a conflict with Russia as long as there is a NATO expansion to Ukraine. As long as the WEST (unreal entity) treats a real country (Russia) as a threat, Russia becomes a threat.
The whole thing is bizarre. Fighting for unreal things leads to 'real' people dying and families torn apart. Untold horror is unfolding. This grotesque display of utterly unnecessary war being let continued by the WEST is a shame.
The outcome of this war, irrespective of who wins, is already grim and dangerous. If Russia wins, whatever that 'victory' means, Ukrainians lose freedom, land, and culture. Russia is now more confident and wants more. If Ukraine wins or stops losing, Russia will lick its wounds and get back on its feet.
Another leader, another time, and another conflict are all but assured. Again, the media repeats the same storyline, and humankind's endless march toward violence never ceases.
The central goal of Vedanta is to stop these endless cycles.
The only way this is possible is to realize that "Us Vs. Them" always leads to division.
There is no WEST, and there is no EAST. These fictitious entities should not exist in any conversation.
There is no NATO, no expansion, and Russia feels no threat.
Ukraine is a free country, and free people.
There is no US; therefore, there is no THEM, and as a result, there is NO WAR.
Ekum Sat, there is only ONE truth.
