To the editor:

Confused by fear, greed and ignorance, the mind shrinks and sees few solutions to problems. Insightful decisions are unlikely.

Our government suffers from such confusion. We are being asked to narrow our vision to the one-solution scenario of war.

Imagine this: a multilateral, continuous U.N. inspection and monitoring process in conjunction with (1) extensive humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people and (2) facilitation of a diverse Iraqi opposition trained and educated in the ways of nonviolence and participatory government.

Imagine the long-term safety resulting from sowing seeds of compassion rather than seeds of suffering, hatred and ill will. This is the deep wisdom of our religious traditions. What are the ways in which we can demonstrate such maturity and demand it from our leaders?

Doug Hitt

Lecompton