I've been absent from this site for quite a few days, and as I feel the tremendous need to reply to numerous posts & PM's, I can't get over this nagging need to post my thoughts on something that has been troubling me for the last few days.



I don't know if many in Australia know about our U.S. government's push for torture on terrorists, but it is now & has been for the last eight years since the Bush administration, a subject of controversy here in the U.S.



This is something I've struggled with for years, because I'm torn between my human limitations & my spirituality. My human self feels that our government should do whatever is necessary to protect our country from the acts of terrorism, & ensure that these monsters know in the future, that this(torture) is what they might face if caught by the American government. But then the soul part of me knows full well that any act of torture is wrong(but knowing what I know spiritually, this is also confusing because I really don't believe in sin, so exactly what is wrong anyway?). However, I do know that on the Other Side(heaven,or the afterlife) there is no right or wrong, we have only created this concept for our boundaries here on earth. So when it comes right down to it, the torture we inflict on others here on earth, is only punishable here on earth as well. I don't think that one who tortured another here on earth, is going to suffer for it in the afterlife unless that person wills it so, by carrying human limitations with himself into the other dimensions when he leaves this earth.



So now what do we have? We have a spiritual dilemma, & I dare not say "moral dilemma" as it is our very "morals"(read rules) that create yet more limitations on our spiritual decisions here on earth, and block the universal lessons that I believe we are supposed to learn during our soul's stay here on earth. What lesson is that? To live & let die. Is it really our jobs as human beings to inflict unspeakable acts on other human beings to get the truth out of them? Are we as individuals, or as a country so blind as to not see the redundancy in this, as per our soul's growth? Or how about choosing when another human being should die? Is that also our right as individuals, or as a country? Or the death penalty in various states? Are these really decisions that the human race should be in charge of, & appointed by who, with what right I might ask?



Don't get me wrong, I feel both sides of the coin here, I am an American, a mother, a wife, a sister, and as all of these people that I am, I want to protect the ones that I love from anything that will harm them. The human side of me does anyway, but my spiritual side keeps reminding me that protecting them from any dangers that they might face will also inhibit their human & spiritual growth. So really what does one do when they would on a human level, do anything to protect the ones they love even if it meant killing another human being? But on a spiritual level, also knowing that it is not our job to decide when another human being dies.



I've struggled w/these questions for most of my latter life, as in my youth I was a strong supporter of the death penalty. But as I've spiritually evolved, I've started to realize that it is never my right to decide when another human being's life should end. Especially when I believe in Karma. But then this also leads to more confusion, as Karma seems to be a natural "human" law of attraction, which leads me to believe that in order to have Karma in play, we would have to let such atrocities as terrorism & torture occur naturally, to let Karma do it's thing. Please don't mistake my comprehension of Karma to be as directed as only in the negative, I know that Karma also works in the attraction of positive energy as well. I am just specifically talking at the moment about the negative Karma that negative actions attract. So all in all, If we aren't punished on the other side for these actions that we deem here on earth as "wrong", then the only logical answer seems to be that the "wrong" is only punishable here on earth, & if that's the case, are we stopping Karma from serving it's purpose, by killing or torturing others that have done something wrong? Or are we in fact helping to create the Karma that comes back to bite them in the *ss, by being the catalysts for their Karma by being part of their demise?



It really is a tough question, because we inadvertently act on a human level first it seems, then after the initial human thought of "Kill anyone who threatens to hurt the ones I love!" passes, the thoughts from my soul that is of a higher consciousness say, "But is this your decision to make?" Then I remember that each soul living here on earth, has already chosen their time of death and the manner in which they will experience death. And so you have to again ask, if a soul has chosen to die through murder let's say, is the person who murders them going to suffer negative Karma for committing this negative act, or should the murderer be held in reverence for helping the murdered person reach & fulfill the death, that that particular individual chose to experience? In the human scheme of things it could be said that the murderer should be punished for this act, but in the spiritual aspect of things, these two souls actually agreed to live out this murder for each of their soul's growth, & each have contracted the roles that they will play to achieve this. So is it really punishable at all on any level when a "wrong" act against another human being is committed? Since on a soul level, we have all agreed on & actually picked the obstacles that we will overcome here on earth such as the people that will wrong us while we are here, the people we will wrong, the lessons we will learn, & the specific pains & losses that we will suffer while here? When thought about in that way, why would we punish the very souls that agreed to help teach us these lessons, I mean we are the ones who in fact recruited them in the first place, right?



Then when we do punish these individuals here on earth for their acts, are we in fact creating bad Karma for our selves? If we take it upon ourselves to punish, torture & kill others for acts that are only considered "wrong" here on earth, are we in fact pulling our own bad Karma towards us by this, or are we actually becoming their bad Karma as we take part in the horrible things that will happen to that person, that might in fact be considered their Karma? And in turn will we be punished through yet more bad Karma, or will we be revered for the contracts that we helped them fulfill on a spiritual level by being part of their life lesson & possibly their demise?



Ultimately is it right on a human level to punish, torture, & kill those who harm us & the ones we love? By punishing them, are we interrupting their own Karma, or are we helping to enforce their Karma? And last but not least, do we attract that same bad Karma back to ourselves, by promoting & being a part of someone Else's bad Karma by the acts we commit in retaliation?



Something to think about, all comments are welcome so please feel free to discuss. I don't believe that there is a right or wrong answer to this, or even one answer for that matter. So don't feel hesitant to share, as controversial as the subject is. You will not be judged here.