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Good Morning

After a bomb blast, there are often a few moments of absolute silence. Only then do the cries, the sound of people running and the screams of children begin. I experienced this when living in Sri Lanka during its civil war. Recent news of missile attacks on the children’s hospital in Kyiv, and, in Gaza, on Nuseirat School and a camp for displaced people makes me relive it and attunes me to the horror of the present. All these locations have traditionally been deemed safe and protected by International Humanitarian Law because they housed non-combatants, women and children. But all were pierced with blood and the cries of the bereaved.

It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of this suffering and to turn our attention to football, tennis and cricket – and I certainly watched the match last night. Yet, as a Christian deeply influenced by Buddhism, I can’t turn my eyes away from suffering. One project that I’m involved in aims to promote restraint during armed conflict, so that non-combatants are protected. In this project, Buddhists and scholars, working with the International Committee of the Red Cross, have examined principles and practices that can help adherence to International Humanitarian Law by governments and the military, such as the letting go of resentment and hatred, the development of empathy towards faceless enemies, the practice of mindfulness and compassion towards those who are suffering. Dialogues have happened with army personnel and army chaplains and this has had an impact on the training of soldiers in some Asian countries.

Projects such as this may not help the victims of recent air attacks in Ukraine and Gaza. Humanitarian aid and political will are also necessary. But they show that religious communities have a role in the slow, long-term process of changing our world so that the innocent, particularly children, do not suffer in war.

Jesus once called a child to him and said to his disciples that they should welcome and emulate children, adding that if any of his followers caused a child to stumble it would be better for them if a great millstone were fastened around their necks and they were drowned in the sea. It’s one of Jesus’s most violent and shocking sayings. Perhaps, though, we need a saying like this. For it can be applied to different contexts, including that of war. The ‘little ones’ of our world will guide our societies when we are gone. We are responsible for their protection and nurture. Those who harm them must bear that weight and responsibility.

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