Dear friends far and near, [I have shared this with Leaders in the USA and Mideast,]
I am deeply profoundly affected by the horrific degradation of her partially unclad person followed by heartless inhuman decapitation of 22-year-old brilliant creative Ms. Shani Louk by some of the Hamas soldiers who attacked the Peace Concert. I extend my sincere condolences to her family. I am speechless and grief stricken when I read the statement made by the President Isaac Herzog to the family of Ms. Shani Louk.
I received this response from President Biden to my recent post [Oct 30] on WH Portal:
President Bidens response to my post on WH portal.my (velandymanoharmd.com)
It is most regrettable that one inarticulately undiplomatically phrased sentence uttered by UN SG Hon A. Guterres has adversely affected the Secretary General’s stalwart efforts to pause the hostilities and replenish critical supplies, facilitate the extraction of hostages and foreign national in safe and unhindered passages. The EU at the end of their summit called for continued rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures, including humanitarian Corridors and pauses for Humanitarian needs.
I am profoundly grateful to the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem especially the His Eminence Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, for your powerfully humanitarian, eloquent, succinct memorandum on the escalating Humanitarian Crisis issued on 10 13 23. I wholeheartedly endorse the full memorandum, particularly these propositions.
“…We call upon the State of Israel, with the support of the International Community, to allow humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza so that the thousands of innocent civilians may receive medical treatment and basic supplies. Moreover, we call upon all parties to de-escalate this war to save innocent lives while still serving the cause of justice.
Finally, in support of all those who have suffered in this war and of the families reeling from the violence, we call upon the people of our congregations and all those of goodwill around the world to observe a Day of Prayer and Fasting on Tuesday, October 17th.
“There is yet time to stop the hatred.” It is high time for the healing to begin… Immediately for atleast a week. There is much work to be done to organize the healing processes that is vital and long overdue.
This proclamation is in harmony and appears to be derived from this Encyclical formulated by Pope Bendict XVI : Caritas in veritate (June 29, 2009) | BENEDICT XVI (vatican.va).He spoke of the three theological virtues, Caritas [Charity=love], Faith, and Hope and the principle of Caritas in Veritate: Caritas in veritate” is the principle around which the Church's social doctrine turns, a principle that takes on practical form in the criteria that govern moral action. I would like to consider two of these in particular, of special relevance to the commitment to development in an increasingly globalized society: justice and the common good. This is reflected in the Proclamation of the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem especially the His Eminence Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. The Common Good is addressed in the Encyclical. “To love someone is to desire that person's good and to take effective steps to secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of “all of us”, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society. To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity. To take a stand for the common good is on the one hand to be solicitous for, and on the other hand to avail oneself of, that complex of institutions that give structure to the life of society, juridically, civilly, politically and culturally, making it the pólis, or “city”. The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbors, the more effectively we love them. Every Christian is called to practise this charity, in a manner corresponding to his vocation and according to the degree of influence he wields in the pólis. This is the institutional path — we might also call it the political path — of charity, no less excellent and effective than the kind of charity which encounters the neighbour directly, outside the institutional mediation of the pólis. When animated by charity, commitment to the common good has greater worth than a merely secular and political stand would have.
I offer these documents that have been helpful in identifying and addressing the needs of those devastated by massive disastrous ordeals especially those who have absolutely no say in their lives and in the ever-expanding theaters of wars.
These documents are posted to my website: velandymanoharmd.com as well. May these and other relevant links be helpful.
A.
Gaza Israel War- Human Cost and resources that must be deployed in organized equitable humanitarian ways (velandymanoharmd.com). One of the resources I have cited is the Center for Mind Body Medicine- Dr. James Gordon and his teams have organized and implemented parallel programs in Israel and Gaza for 20 years to offer professional interventions to offer hope by initiating and sustaining healing in the midst of turmoil. Building Resilient Communities in Gaza - CMBM. This information is in the website Home - CMBM which I have mentioned in this document.
I have also cited the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine [NICABM]. [NICABM - YouTube] They offer well-designed instructive, helpful courses and students can have access to stellar faculty on Trauma. They provide great training and data sheets with graphics that can help patients to work on specific strategies during therapy. This is a couple of their renowned experts Bessel van der Kolk, MD Judith Herman, MD and colleagues. They may be able to design based on needs and resources to train staff in Gaza and Israel to engage, care for and provide effective treatment acutely and overtime for civilians of all ages as well as those in Uniform, the bereaved family members of the heroic fallen or wounded survivors with traumatic experiences. https://www.nicabm.com/contact/
B.
DisasterresponseResources-StoptheBleedPsychologicalFirstAid
C.
1. TraumaticBrainInjuryPredictionTreeModel
2. TramaticBrainInjuriesPrimarySecondaryTertiaryBlastWaves
3. TraumaticBrainInjuriyPTSDDoDPracticeGuidelines
D. ChronicPain. Management of Pain in near term and Long term.
E. https://www.cnn.com/world/how-to-help-humanitarian-efforts-in-israel-and-gaza/index.html. This link offers a list of vetted Organizations that can facilitate the pivot from Hate to Hope
Impact Your World has gathered a list of vetted organizations. You have click on “learn more about Non-Profits tab to get to the list that are on the ground responding e.g. IRC, . The Link provides detailed information on these organization and the means to make your donations to achieve the common good for the people in Gaza by opening our hearts and joining our generous hands with people from all over the world to offer hope, comfort, and solace to all those tragically affected by Catastrophic events that have overtaken their lives abruptly and overwhelmingly.
I am grieving for the traumatized members of all groups of siblings of Ishmael and Isaac. May God have mercy on us. May God constrain us all from our own malfeasance.
I offer this teaching of St. Matthew 25:35-40 "For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me. I was ill, and you comforted me, in prison and you came to visit me. I assure you, as often as you did it for the least among you, you did it for me." to remind us of our responsibilities to one and all. This reaffirmed by this precept from Genesis: “So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. [1:27]”
Can we all commit ourselves to fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah 11:6 KJV ?: The Wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the Leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the Calf and the young Lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them “by obeying forthwith this injunction of Jesus from the Gospels: And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
In the opening scene of the Bard of Avon’s play “All’s Well that Ends Well”, published 400 years ago in 1623, a mother shares this exemplary quote with her son,” Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. If there's one rule to live by, it's to always show kindness and never do anything to hurt others because Wm Shakespeare believed that every single person, regardless of background, is worthy of love. But he also cautions us to be wise about who we put our trust in, because trust is something to be earned. While we may not be able to control the actions of others, we can control how we treat people.
Ms. H. Keller offered this hope sustaining insight, “The world is full of suffering, it is full of the overcoming of it.”
FDR cautions us, “The only limit to our realization of our tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
Mr. Caeser Chavez lived this plea: “Grant me the courage to serve others for in service there is true life.”
After seeing the heart-rending horrifying videos from OCT 07 23 and the awful devastation wrought by total war against resident of Gaza and the constant barrage of rockets terrorizing the residents of Israel I have personally a really difficult time accepting Ms. Anne Frank’s very hopeful assessment of the core character of Human beings from 1944, but I will hold it up like a beacon to keep me grounded in my own spiritual life: “I still believe, that is spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” This past June on the 12th Ms. Anne frank would have been 94.
This faith is sustained by Ms. Maya Angelos’s enlightened vision, “ I am a firm believer that there is no place where God is Not”
Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt raises this concern, in the midst of all the disastrous consequences of Total War, “When will our Consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than Avenge it.
I am joining with others who are sharing our perspectives to promote Interpersonal harmony and religious tolerance that Ms. Betsy Williams, who was an office worker in Belfast toiled bravely and creatively for her goals and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 at age 34. She instructed us, “Peace in the world is everybody's business, no matter where you live or what you do.” She founded the “Community of Peace People’ after she was traumatized by violence in Northern Ireland especially after witnessing three children killed in an incident between British troops and an Irish Republican Army terrorist, Williams devoted herself to promoting interpersonal harmony and religious tolerance throughout an Ireland harshly divided between Protestants and Catholics. The roots of the conflict go back to the 12th Century when English and Norman invaders launched a conquest of Ireland. The violence in Northern Ireland was especially severe sectarian violence that sharply divided Protestants and Catholics. Who among the residents of Palestine and Israel can emerge as the contemporary visionaries who are willing to do what Ms. Betsy Willimas did and start a Peace movement to promote religious tolerance, amity and civility among individual persons of all faiths who reside in the region from Syria and Lebanon to the Sinai, much like Ms. Williams did in the midst of a horribly brutal 30-year sectarian war.1968-1998 before the Blessed Good Friday Peace Accords stopped horror and pivoted from striving to harm the other to begin the work of healing oneself and others of both faiths in northern Ireland.
May God constrain us all from our own malfeasance.
This is a prayer that I offer every day to help me build collaborative relationships to find common ground: “May the wicked become virtuous, May the virtuous attain tranquility. May the Tranquil be freed from bonds. May the liberated help undo the bonds of others.” This has relevance to the relationships between people, between people and their leaders.
I return to Bard of Avon who has left us with the wise counsel Polonius bestows on his son Laertes which addresses the responsibility we have to constrain our own predilection for personal malfeasance [Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 78–82] “ After giving examples of intemperate and imprudent behavior that could be detrimental and disadvantageous to Laertes he asserts:
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!
The Bard on Avon appears to be saying that ." Take care of yourself first, and that way you'll be in a position to take care of others. To secure blessed outcomes that add value to lives of those around us we need to make the choices that contributes to mitigating harm and foster healing of those around us.
I would like to share with you two songs that have been influential in my spiritual journey in all of my endeavors.
Two inspirational evocative songs that have been influencing my choices in all settings (velandymanoharmd.com). Both songs are in the Hindi Language.
I have offered the Lyrics of both songs with English Transliteration and translation and videos of the two songs. One of the two songs is Vaishnav Janato composed in the 15th Century by Narsinh Mehta. This was a favorite Bhajan of Mahatma Gandhiji. All the verses offer a blue print for all of us to shape our responses to the circumstances we are encountering in our journey . The last two verses of Item I.A. “Aye Maalik tere bande Hum” is most directly connected to the event that have been overwhelming destructively the residents of Palestine and Israel “When we are faced with atrocities O Lord, hold us firm.” The next lines offers a message replete with the spirit of reconciliation and equanimity in the face of grave threats.
I have come to understand that humility and grace can enhance our chances of achieving our goals while trudging on the Sadhana Path of our choice while being ever mindful of how we are carrying out our responsibilities to our family and community around us in some of the difficulty circumstances where everything you hold most dear is on the line.
The concepts infused into these songs are in harmony with this precept offered in Verses 13 and 14 of XII discourse between Lord Sri Krishna in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita offers guidance to all seeking transcendental experiences while living our ordinary everyday lives. “Those devotees are very dear to Me who are free from malice toward all living beings, who are friendly, and compassionate. They are free from attachment to possessions and egotism, equipoised in happiness and distress, and ever-forgiving. They are ever-content, steadily united with Me in devotion, self-controlled, of firm resolve, and dedicated to Me in mind and intellect.”
I offer a link to the Foundational Truths exemplified in the eBook Sadhana Path (velandymanoharmd.com) that have guided me during my spiritual journey through the most dire circumstances, but none have been as excruciatingly distressing as the events that burst into our consciousness on OCT 07 23. This whole profoundly disturbing experience is exacerbated by the 85th anniversary of Kristall Nacht Falling on Nov 10-11. This heralded the beginnings of the Final Solution that lead to the planned and organized Genocide. Painful memories among survivors and their descendents especially those living through the catastrophic events that are emerging and repeating themselves ad infinitum to everybody’s detriment can be triggered and exacerbated by reports about the Nuremberg War Crimes trial which began on Nov 20, 1945 where 24 high ranking Nazi Leaders were confronted with their horrific war crimes particularly Genocide by Jurists from the USA, UK, France and the USSR.
I derive strength from this insight offered by William Faulkner especially in the context of his literary creations for which he was honored with Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949. I offer you this quote from a 1956 interview with “The Paris Review,” in which he was asked whether he’d ever want to make another movie. “Yes, I would like to make one of George Orwell’s ‘1984,’” Faulkner responded, adding, “I have an idea for an ending that would prove the thesis I’m always hammering at: that man is indestructible because of his simple will to freedom.” Thus, the urgent need right now to organize and implement restorative, healing and reparative parallel programs in Gaza and Israel especially if the constant rain of rockets can be stopped which keeps everybody on edge and establishes a Tinder box like traumatized mind set people are frozen into for the past two decades in both Gaza and Israel, Lebanon, and Syria that can, and has exploded into dreadful conflagrations in an instant to the great detriment of millions of people. We must pivot from causing harm to preventing misery and from avenging harm to fostering healing of hearts and minds.
Please feel free to share.
I welcome your responses that can achieve reconciliation between parties of the bitter conflict, mitigation of the extreme suffering in every way by every individual regardless of their faith tradition and residence, and pausing unspeakable, unacceptable escalation of destruction of property and way of life, and especially halting of the loss of thousands of irreplaceable innocent lives.
Warm regards,
Respectfully submitted.
Velandy Manohar, MD.,
Distinguished Life Fellow, Am. Psychiatric Association,[APA]
Associate Member- Harvard Medical Alumni Association
Member of Steering Committee and Founding member of the Psychotherapy Caucus of the APA.,
President Asian American Caucus of APA,
Founding member NE Chapter of Indian American Psychiatric association and
President of Indian Am. Psychiatric Association
Aetna: Member National Quality Assurance Committee.
Founding Member Community Resilience Collaborative of Mx County, CT. [Focus on long term consequences of Childhood Trauma]
Member, Middlesex [CT] Coalition for Children.
CT. Psychiatric Society: Member – Legislative Committee.
CT State Medical Society:Member of Ethics, Quality of Care and Disaster Preparedness Committees.
Founding member, Chair of Board of Trustees CT. Valley Hindu Temple Society and past Priest of Sree Satyanarayana Temple, Middletown, CT.
American Health Council–Best in Medicine- 2018
Chair, Community Engagement and Outreach Standing Committee, Comm. Advisory Council, Office of Health Strategy, CT