Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Every time I think back about my time in primary and high schools, I always feel sad. Not because those were sad times. Actually, you all would agree that primary school and high school were the best time of our life – we were young and only did eating, sleeping, schooling and playing. But most of the boys of that time of mine died very early, during various stages of the war – many at 18, some a little older, 20, 22… By the time I was 20, I could hardly have any friends left. College time was a lonely time. I felt all alone in the city – a couple of friends still alive were in the army, but you never knew when one would drop dead.

Once in a long while a guy would come back to the city on leave and I would take him on my Honda motorcycle to wherever he wanted to go. And they always told me: “You are the only friend we have in the city. Try to study hard. Don’t go into the army. We need you in the city to have at least one friend to hang out with, when we’re on leave.” I always felt little sad and responsible when hearing that kind of fateful talk.

During those times, I always felt pitiful for the women – the moms, the wives, the lovers of the soldiers faraway. You never got any news from your man. And when the news came, it was bad news. There wasn’t any good news in war.

I hated the war. I guess the entire country (Việt Nam Cộng Hòa, so to speak) hated the war. That was why Trịnh Công Sơn’s anti-war songs took the country by storm. That kind of songs made you hurt and cry when listening.

I prayed to God often: “God, please give us peace. I don’t care what side wins, just please give us peace. This war is brutal and bloody. So much death and misery. Please give us peace.”

Now, peace has come a long time ago, but I can’t forget the friends who died young, without a chance to understand what life is. And I feel sad. And I miss them. Dying young as babies.

So, I want to be a peacemaker. And it is hard. Because when there is so much injustice before you, it seems peace means you have to fight against injustice for peace to come. Like, the road is too ragged that cars can’t come through, you have to pave the road for cars to come. That means, you have to do war before you gain peace. It is an obvious conflict of logic, most often used by warmongers to advocate war.

Anyway, talking as the Buddhists, you don’t grasp onto any idea. Let your heart be free to know what is the right thing to do in the circumstances at hand. Even good monks beat up robbers to save victims.

I think I am truly a peacemaker in heart. I don’t want to see war in the world. But war happens not because people don’t want peace. War grows out of injustice. When there is so much injustice, injustice gives birth to war. We cannot do anything to stop that natural process.

So, be just, my friends. Be just for the world’s justice and peace.

Peace of the world comes from peace in our own heart.

With compassion,

Hoành

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