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At the same time, my feelings of sadness and patriotism don't translate into automatic support for an all-out military assault on anyone and everyone the White House doesn't like. I want the perpetrators of these vicious murders brought to justice. I want measures in place to protect America from further terrorism. But I don't want husbands and daughters and parents on the other side of world to be thrown into agony simply because their innocent loved ones, like workers at the World Trade Center, were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We won't see these families sobbing on CNN, my friends will not be describing those scenes in e-mail, but it willbring more sadness into my world just the same.

War is probably inevitable, given our political leaders and the psychological dynamics of the global power structure. Still, it seems important for us to remember that responding to terrorism with bloodshed on an even larger scale will only make us less safe. Every new escalation of violence provokes more of the same. It is not unpatriotic to talk of peace. There are good ways to show our strength, to honor those killed, and to ensure national security other than waging war and siphoning massive amounts of money to the military. This view may be wildly out of tune with the American public at this moment in history, but later, as the flames of revenge cool down in people's hearts, many more will understand that a lasting and honest peace is the best protection against new waves of terrorism.

Satish Kumar, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi who walked around much of the world in the 1960s on a pilgrimage for nuclear disarmament, was staying with my friend Ron in Greenwich Village at the time of the attack. They rushed outside after hearing the news and from a sidewalk on Seventh Avenue saw the second jetliner smash into the World Trade Center. Satish, who is editor of the English magazine Resurgence, offered his thoughts in an article for the Mother Earth News Service: 'Governments must provide for the security and defense of their citizenry. But parallel with that protection, we must create a new international culture of peace. Peace is the ultimate security, greater than that provided by any government or any armed entity. We spend so much money on our armed forces and weapons. If half of those resources could be devoted to resolving conflicts peacefully, then we might see some good out of the horrific act we recently have experienced.'

That's the glimmer of hope I hold through this dark time. As the mightiest military power the world has ever seen, we might gradually come to see that there is more to be ultimately gained from learning the arts of peace than from perfecting the technology of war. Offering this lesson to the world would be the truest mark of America's greatness.

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