The diamond-shaped girdle of Venus prominent on my right palm says that I have a very highly developed sixth sense. My Mars line is also prominent on both hands, dictating a high degree of sensitivity to my surroundings that is not only innate (left hand) but that I am living up to my potential (right hand).
I am sensing and sensitive, and sensibly so.
Open to new ideas but with my code of ethics intact, I enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone to stretch my senses, to experience all of that which Life has to offer and to discover ways of keeping that spark lit. I have allowed that spark to be extinguished once, and I suffered a complete breakdown. Never again will I permit my spirit to be dampened by another. Yet that agreement with myself comes with a comprehension that only I have the power to maintain, nourish and permit that spark to grow into a fire that pushes me into new experiences and out of comfortable complacency.
I cannot depend on any other to make me sense Life; others can only strengthen or discourage this power, depending on the positive or negative influence they exert over me.
I can give pages of examples of when my sixth sense has told me that somebody close was in grave danger, or has saved my life. Some stories I have to tell I may, one day, weave into a perhaps rather narcisstic short story collection. I can experience physical manifestations of pain and the great trials of my loved ones, those with whom I share a multi-leveled bond. In my musician days, I permitted that the music would enter my being and carry me; indeed I was not a master of technique but instead it was my ability to sense and learn to make others feel the music I could offer that made me a good musician.
I allowed my senses to empower me rather than to hold me back. Yet there is a certain degree of maturity and being open to learning new ways that must accompany this sensing. And I cannot speak for all here, as we are all following different paths, but the numbing of my senses through medication or a dictatorial brainwashing of right vs wrong that does not jive with my inner being creates in me conflict so great that I feel forced into hiding, away from that which I feel is a true danger to the good in my soul, to the marvelous and unique creation that I am.
If I inhibit, or allow the inhibition of, my power to sense, how will I be capable of feeling?
Trusting my senses guides me, most often than not, toward a path that I might not normally have taken. The free will of decision still exists, but that intuition exerts great influence over which steps I take next. This often is the fabled "road less traveled" so alluded to by Frost, but I have seen from an early age how that does, in fact, make all the difference.
*---*
In a combined thematic writing effort shared with The Quest for T and The Exception, this is the first theme put forth. I had so many thoughts I first typed, then deleted, then tried again. Some of those thoughts might come forth later--we shall see. This topic will be discussed throughout the week, I am sure, in posts and comments; for any parties interested in becoming involved or posting on this same topic, please link in so we all can derive the maximum benefit from each other's points of view.
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta llectures. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta llectures. Mostrar todas las entradas
domingo, 26 de octubre de 2008
martes, 26 de agosto de 2008
life lessons from Wall-E
This movie made me cry, Wall-E.
A birthday gift for Young Prince from She-Ra Fairy Godmother and her clan, we all went smuggling sippy-cups filled with water and snackie-bags of M&Ms into the old movie theatre (yes, vinyl seats and NO CUP HOLDERS! Imagine that...they still exist), Mama Llama with her small canister of soy-free treats and settled over two rows of seats. We did buy popcorn (one large bag that we split into six little plastic canisters for each child...canisters we REUSE from our home supplies), and the lights were never turned off in our theatre, so I personally think She-Ra should have had a partial discount.
At the very least on the popcorn.
I am not even quite sure how to begin all I felt while watching this movie. For an animated "children's" summer flick, I found it extremely profound, evoking anger, resentment, sadness, idealistic desires to Change The World that I once upon a time felt when living in Ecuador, frustration and a deep empathy.
I could write on the varying degrees of symbolism, satire, social statements and the priceless personification of the loveable robots and their cucaracha friend. Equally easy would be to reflect upon what I already do to play my part as a global citizen and what more I can do to be better.
As I cannot simply let a movie with a moral just be...
I asked my children what they took from the movie. Paraphrasing La Princesita (6 3/4 years), she was most taken by the lazy people who were so fat that they could hardly even walk. They would talk on screens to people who sat right next to them on floating chairs that transported them from one place to another, sipping their soda pop, unaware of anything else that was going on around them. Their only realities were what was flashing on the TV screens in front of them...until Wall-E interrupted two of them, who then became aware of this radical situation and these two came to see the beauty of their surroundings and enjoy the actual physical presence (as opposed to the virtual personality) of each other.
She also mentioned that no exercise and bad eating is just not good for you.
The Young Prince's (almost 4) synopsis was that Wall-E was stuck cleaning up the mess that the people had made, but the people didn't want to clean up their mess so they left Earth to go make a mess somewhere else.
He also really like when "the white robot" and Wall-E were in love.
Twinkies, pop culture references, Mass Shopping Giants and technology were interwoven into the plot to bring to mind all that we do today to trash this Earth. I found it ironic that the B&L (play on BJs?) giant that had taken control of not only the minimal clean-up "effort" on Earth but had also created the outer space utopia upon which brainwashed humans could survive (not *live*, mind you, but merely survive, a distinct difference noted by the Captain of the spaceship) ended up being the same entity that had initially created Wall-E, who in turn opened the eyes of the ignorant humans, created allies among robots previously programmed to merely complete their tasks, and empowered the humans to return to Life...and to bring life back to Earth.
Perhaps this is a statement as to what some of these powerhouses can do now so as to stave off the inevitable.
My children, in the meantime, remain even more staunch proponents of cars that run on trash, not gasoline.
A birthday gift for Young Prince from She-Ra Fairy Godmother and her clan, we all went smuggling sippy-cups filled with water and snackie-bags of M&Ms into the old movie theatre (yes, vinyl seats and NO CUP HOLDERS! Imagine that...they still exist), Mama Llama with her small canister of soy-free treats and settled over two rows of seats. We did buy popcorn (one large bag that we split into six little plastic canisters for each child...canisters we REUSE from our home supplies), and the lights were never turned off in our theatre, so I personally think She-Ra should have had a partial discount.
At the very least on the popcorn.
I am not even quite sure how to begin all I felt while watching this movie. For an animated "children's" summer flick, I found it extremely profound, evoking anger, resentment, sadness, idealistic desires to Change The World that I once upon a time felt when living in Ecuador, frustration and a deep empathy.
I could write on the varying degrees of symbolism, satire, social statements and the priceless personification of the loveable robots and their cucaracha friend. Equally easy would be to reflect upon what I already do to play my part as a global citizen and what more I can do to be better.
As I cannot simply let a movie with a moral just be...
I asked my children what they took from the movie. Paraphrasing La Princesita (6 3/4 years), she was most taken by the lazy people who were so fat that they could hardly even walk. They would talk on screens to people who sat right next to them on floating chairs that transported them from one place to another, sipping their soda pop, unaware of anything else that was going on around them. Their only realities were what was flashing on the TV screens in front of them...until Wall-E interrupted two of them, who then became aware of this radical situation and these two came to see the beauty of their surroundings and enjoy the actual physical presence (as opposed to the virtual personality) of each other.
She also mentioned that no exercise and bad eating is just not good for you.
The Young Prince's (almost 4) synopsis was that Wall-E was stuck cleaning up the mess that the people had made, but the people didn't want to clean up their mess so they left Earth to go make a mess somewhere else.
He also really like when "the white robot" and Wall-E were in love.
Twinkies, pop culture references, Mass Shopping Giants and technology were interwoven into the plot to bring to mind all that we do today to trash this Earth. I found it ironic that the B&L (play on BJs?) giant that had taken control of not only the minimal clean-up "effort" on Earth but had also created the outer space utopia upon which brainwashed humans could survive (not *live*, mind you, but merely survive, a distinct difference noted by the Captain of the spaceship) ended up being the same entity that had initially created Wall-E, who in turn opened the eyes of the ignorant humans, created allies among robots previously programmed to merely complete their tasks, and empowered the humans to return to Life...and to bring life back to Earth.
Perhaps this is a statement as to what some of these powerhouses can do now so as to stave off the inevitable.
My children, in the meantime, remain even more staunch proponents of cars that run on trash, not gasoline.
martes, 10 de junio de 2008
Fujimori
I am not a political pundit, but someone I find an interesting figure in world politics is Alberto Fujimori. He is currently on trial in Perú for violation of human rights during his presidency, which is argued to have been more of a dictatorship than a presidency.
When trekking around the mountainous and altiplano region from Cusco south to Titicaca back in 2000 with a girlfriend, we noticed there was a great deal of local support for Fujimori in the upcoming elections against Alejandro Toledo, a man with indigenous roots who did, in the end, win the election. When inquiring to people about what made them favor Fujimori over Toledo, I was overwhelmingly responded to by one word: El sendero.
The Shining Path is a Maoist--and extremist--rebel organization that, in short, believes the path to true communism to be through a cultural revolution that would extend world-wide. There is a very sendero-esque group that has recently taken political control of Nepal.
The Sendero Luminoso began to show its public face in 1980 when, for the first time in years, the military force governing Perú permitted open elections. Ballot boxes were burned and, soon thereafter, dead dogs were found hanging from streetlights and the terror-filled battle for power began. The popularly-elected president at the time, who happened to be the great-uncle of a personal friend of mine, was wary of giving the military too much control to nip this in the bud as it was a dominant military that had ended Belaúnde's presidency in a coup before. So the Sendero gained strength, mainly in the Andean highlands, marking its force with brutal massacres that did not exclude women and children.
A Peruvian who has studied the actions of the Sendero in great detail for intelligence training in the 1990s taught me a lot about the Sendero. It was the children of the Sendero that would first lead the group into a community. The children would draw the attention of the citizens, who would come out and be met by the men, and then the women. The women are colder and more calculating, it was explained to me, than the men so they were often the masked killers as they were least likely to exercise mercy and would carry out much of the actual brutality.
The violence was not limited to the Andes. Over time it filtered into what had been popularly been considered the "untouchable" cities, with deadly car bombs in the districts I now visit regularly when I visit Perú. It is hard to imagine the terror that kept limeños off what are now such busily bustling streets.
How does Fujimori enter this picture? Upon election to the presidency, he established a forceful military power with right to fight the Sendero. The military, upon (apparent) orders from above, carried out various human rights violations, killed many more civilians than necessary and made themselves, in essence, look worse than the Sendero.
My informant was also behind the design and planning of the liberation of the Japanese Prime Minister's residence in Lima of 1997. Interestingly, I was in Japan at the time, watching everything unfold surrounded by a completely different cultural context--that of a horrified Japanese public who suddenly felt themselves almost as under attack as they had in the bombings of WWII, but this time without reason. The MRTA behind this seizure, a militant group similiar in ideology to the Sendero. The tunnels...the signals...everything in that liberation was so carefully timed, tunnels so painstakingly dug, the details of how they managed to drill without the rebels hearing the noise...amazing details...only (if I remember correctly) three deaths in the rescue.
Fujimori had the support of many because it was realized a very firm, dictatorial hand was required to put this group down. It is not like Colombia's FARC. The FARC are kidnappers with motives to raise funds for its survival, thus its involvment not only in the cocaine trade but also in the secuestros of high-profile individuals. The Sendero are killers. The only way to revolutionize is to annihilate and start clean with new ideology in place. There was no way to reason with them. Was Fujimori acting within his bounds in his military orders? Was he too firm of a hand? That will be for the judges hearing his case to find. I think that, when all is said and done, history will see Fujimori as the one who brought peace back to Perú. At a price, mind you, but there is a freedom and a peace that did not exist for over 15 years there. Can Alan García keep this up? We shall see. His economic policies are sure to reestablish a passionate fire amongst the Maoist groups.
What happened? When top Sendero officials were captured, the group went in different directions as "peace talks" were requested. Some wanted to go that route, others did not. The central driving force was gone. However, militant factions continue to exist. There is the Proseguir movement which sounds driven by many similar motivations as the FARC. Plus, there are a generation of children who have been raised with this Maoist mentality who are now coming of age and power. Captured senderistas are ending their terms and are being released. There is a degree of reorganization, with spotty activity in the highlands mainly north and east of Lima.
So where will I go in 16 days? Not into Huánuco or Ayacucho. This time I will stay closer to Lima but still head out to the highlands to explore. I had wanted to go to Trujillo but have been warned against that; even Peruvians consider Trujillo extremely dangerous right now for various reasons. The province also borders Huánuco region. Much in how I would love to explore Colombia or Venezuela, now is just not the time to go to certain places, and the State Department can only tell you so much with their list.
When trekking around the mountainous and altiplano region from Cusco south to Titicaca back in 2000 with a girlfriend, we noticed there was a great deal of local support for Fujimori in the upcoming elections against Alejandro Toledo, a man with indigenous roots who did, in the end, win the election. When inquiring to people about what made them favor Fujimori over Toledo, I was overwhelmingly responded to by one word: El sendero.
The Shining Path is a Maoist--and extremist--rebel organization that, in short, believes the path to true communism to be through a cultural revolution that would extend world-wide. There is a very sendero-esque group that has recently taken political control of Nepal.
The Sendero Luminoso began to show its public face in 1980 when, for the first time in years, the military force governing Perú permitted open elections. Ballot boxes were burned and, soon thereafter, dead dogs were found hanging from streetlights and the terror-filled battle for power began. The popularly-elected president at the time, who happened to be the great-uncle of a personal friend of mine, was wary of giving the military too much control to nip this in the bud as it was a dominant military that had ended Belaúnde's presidency in a coup before. So the Sendero gained strength, mainly in the Andean highlands, marking its force with brutal massacres that did not exclude women and children.
A Peruvian who has studied the actions of the Sendero in great detail for intelligence training in the 1990s taught me a lot about the Sendero. It was the children of the Sendero that would first lead the group into a community. The children would draw the attention of the citizens, who would come out and be met by the men, and then the women. The women are colder and more calculating, it was explained to me, than the men so they were often the masked killers as they were least likely to exercise mercy and would carry out much of the actual brutality.
The violence was not limited to the Andes. Over time it filtered into what had been popularly been considered the "untouchable" cities, with deadly car bombs in the districts I now visit regularly when I visit Perú. It is hard to imagine the terror that kept limeños off what are now such busily bustling streets.
How does Fujimori enter this picture? Upon election to the presidency, he established a forceful military power with right to fight the Sendero. The military, upon (apparent) orders from above, carried out various human rights violations, killed many more civilians than necessary and made themselves, in essence, look worse than the Sendero.
My informant was also behind the design and planning of the liberation of the Japanese Prime Minister's residence in Lima of 1997. Interestingly, I was in Japan at the time, watching everything unfold surrounded by a completely different cultural context--that of a horrified Japanese public who suddenly felt themselves almost as under attack as they had in the bombings of WWII, but this time without reason. The MRTA behind this seizure, a militant group similiar in ideology to the Sendero. The tunnels...the signals...everything in that liberation was so carefully timed, tunnels so painstakingly dug, the details of how they managed to drill without the rebels hearing the noise...amazing details...only (if I remember correctly) three deaths in the rescue.
Fujimori had the support of many because it was realized a very firm, dictatorial hand was required to put this group down. It is not like Colombia's FARC. The FARC are kidnappers with motives to raise funds for its survival, thus its involvment not only in the cocaine trade but also in the secuestros of high-profile individuals. The Sendero are killers. The only way to revolutionize is to annihilate and start clean with new ideology in place. There was no way to reason with them. Was Fujimori acting within his bounds in his military orders? Was he too firm of a hand? That will be for the judges hearing his case to find. I think that, when all is said and done, history will see Fujimori as the one who brought peace back to Perú. At a price, mind you, but there is a freedom and a peace that did not exist for over 15 years there. Can Alan García keep this up? We shall see. His economic policies are sure to reestablish a passionate fire amongst the Maoist groups.
What happened? When top Sendero officials were captured, the group went in different directions as "peace talks" were requested. Some wanted to go that route, others did not. The central driving force was gone. However, militant factions continue to exist. There is the Proseguir movement which sounds driven by many similar motivations as the FARC. Plus, there are a generation of children who have been raised with this Maoist mentality who are now coming of age and power. Captured senderistas are ending their terms and are being released. There is a degree of reorganization, with spotty activity in the highlands mainly north and east of Lima.
So where will I go in 16 days? Not into Huánuco or Ayacucho. This time I will stay closer to Lima but still head out to the highlands to explore. I had wanted to go to Trujillo but have been warned against that; even Peruvians consider Trujillo extremely dangerous right now for various reasons. The province also borders Huánuco region. Much in how I would love to explore Colombia or Venezuela, now is just not the time to go to certain places, and the State Department can only tell you so much with their list.
domingo, 2 de marzo de 2008
food for thought
Ben Stein. He is just a God in my eyes. I love his manner of teaching. Here is a podcast from him, about 50 minutes worth--but if you like his way of speaking and what he usually has to say, this is worthwhile. You will laugh, you will cry...and you will wonder what is happening to us!
http://wordforword.publicradio.org/
I can't seem to embed, but here is the direct link...you can either download, podcast or listen streamed from the site.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think.
http://wordforword.publicradio.org/
I can't seem to embed, but here is the direct link...you can either download, podcast or listen streamed from the site.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think.
miércoles, 10 de octubre de 2007
a blur
The week passed so rapidly that I feel I can hardly see straight. The Monday off always throws my entire being into confusion for a week, feeling a day behind that in which I am supposed to be existing.
It is now 2:00 a.m. Sigh. 3rd sleepless night in a row. It has been a stressful week on many levels. I wish I could compartmentalize everything that occurs in my life, allowing at the end of the day all the little Drawers of Events to close as my eyelids drop...but oh, that would be way too convenient now, wouldn't it?
*--------------*
My eldest started Kindergarten this year. She is adjusting well, making new friends and really reading with enthusiasm and true enjoyment. My youngest thrives in his new Preschool class three mornings a week. It provides him with just enough time to be away from Mama Llama to still appreciate her when she comes to get him at noon. I am so proud of my babies.
*--------------*
I was told to watch out not to get suckered into volunteering for too much at school, as so many opportunities would be pushed toward me. I have naturally always been a leader but prefer to do so in a quiet manner (except while teaching...HA!) and, upon noticing that the school needs a Recycling Coordinator, I jumped at the chance. Honestly I thought this would involve going a couple times a week and doing some "dirty work" by collecting the bottles and cans that are collected in the teacher's lounge or the front office and somehow arranging for them to be included on Thursday morning recycling rounds in this town. I have been given quite an education in PTA protocol, however; this effort has involved the school board, the Town Council, the various levels of school administration and the custodial staff--and I am to work to coordinate the various parts in order to initiate a not-yet-existing program.
I feel strongly about recycling, so in my opinion this is a worthwhile investment of time and energy, and is "behind-the-scenes" enough for me. This Friday will be the Grand Initiation of the recycling program, at the school's annual "Sock Hop" which I will (gulp) attend with one, if not both, of my little monkeys. I guess we shall see what becomes of this, and what exactly I will have to do. The PTA president is an amazing lady--it seems she really has everything all in place, all necessary and important parties notified and involved accordingly, and I merely work under her direction. I suppose that is good now; being such a newbie to the school and the system as a whole, I have a lot to learn, not only about protocol but also about the simple things like, say, who exactly is the vice-principal.
*----------------*
The wind is blowing fiercely tonight. The weather is changing. I, the Human Barometer, can feel each gust in my sinuses. Fall is finally descending upon us, and with a sudden blast that has us tumbling from 90º temperatures on Tuesday to what are supposed to be in the 60s today. Time to put away the shorts once and for all. I am definitely going to be wearing a sweater today. And perhaps long underwear.
It is now 2:00 a.m. Sigh. 3rd sleepless night in a row. It has been a stressful week on many levels. I wish I could compartmentalize everything that occurs in my life, allowing at the end of the day all the little Drawers of Events to close as my eyelids drop...but oh, that would be way too convenient now, wouldn't it?
*--------------*
My eldest started Kindergarten this year. She is adjusting well, making new friends and really reading with enthusiasm and true enjoyment. My youngest thrives in his new Preschool class three mornings a week. It provides him with just enough time to be away from Mama Llama to still appreciate her when she comes to get him at noon. I am so proud of my babies.
*--------------*
I was told to watch out not to get suckered into volunteering for too much at school, as so many opportunities would be pushed toward me. I have naturally always been a leader but prefer to do so in a quiet manner (except while teaching...HA!) and, upon noticing that the school needs a Recycling Coordinator, I jumped at the chance. Honestly I thought this would involve going a couple times a week and doing some "dirty work" by collecting the bottles and cans that are collected in the teacher's lounge or the front office and somehow arranging for them to be included on Thursday morning recycling rounds in this town. I have been given quite an education in PTA protocol, however; this effort has involved the school board, the Town Council, the various levels of school administration and the custodial staff--and I am to work to coordinate the various parts in order to initiate a not-yet-existing program.
I feel strongly about recycling, so in my opinion this is a worthwhile investment of time and energy, and is "behind-the-scenes" enough for me. This Friday will be the Grand Initiation of the recycling program, at the school's annual "Sock Hop" which I will (gulp) attend with one, if not both, of my little monkeys. I guess we shall see what becomes of this, and what exactly I will have to do. The PTA president is an amazing lady--it seems she really has everything all in place, all necessary and important parties notified and involved accordingly, and I merely work under her direction. I suppose that is good now; being such a newbie to the school and the system as a whole, I have a lot to learn, not only about protocol but also about the simple things like, say, who exactly is the vice-principal.
*----------------*
The wind is blowing fiercely tonight. The weather is changing. I, the Human Barometer, can feel each gust in my sinuses. Fall is finally descending upon us, and with a sudden blast that has us tumbling from 90º temperatures on Tuesday to what are supposed to be in the 60s today. Time to put away the shorts once and for all. I am definitely going to be wearing a sweater today. And perhaps long underwear.
lunes, 11 de septiembre de 2006
news fast
In the past few years I have begun the custom of taking "news fasts". They are becoming noticeably more and more prevalent in my life, not only as my children grow older and more inquisitive but also as my personal degree of stress rises with the horrific news items with which I daily find myself bombarded.
Today and this weekend has been no exception. As one who always has a radio on in the house, with music to accompany my every step, I decided on Sunday to turn off the radio altogether, as the remembrances of 9.11 began to flood the airwaves. This was a tragedy in our country, a wake-up call from the innocence and very sheltered existence in which most of us Americans lived--and perhaps continue to live--and it also brings me back to a very sad and shaky point in my personal life that I almost daily try to forget. However, when my 4-year old (going on 15, I might add) starts to ask questions like, "Mommy, what is terrorist?" or "What does bombing mean?" I know it is time to turn OFF the radio and turn ON the parenting.
The events of 9.11.01 and the subsequent occurrances have inundated and invaded our private homes since. Maybe we have no right to expect otherwise--we have, admittedly, lived in ignorance for so long while so many other world citizens have had to awaken and fall asleep under the reign of terror. Neither do we have the right to pity ourselves. Neither do we have the right to drop bombs on a country that has no tie to this attack, sacrifice our own citizens and those of other countries who stand as guards of our own while paid piddly wages, when it has been precisely in the name of vengeance of 9.11 that this war was initially waged.
The current government states that we who are not supporters of the war are thus not supporters of America, not supporters of the troops and are, in essence, consipirators with terrrorists calling for the demise of the American union. This is not true. I am shocked and astounded at the closed-mindedness with which this Administration has dealt with post-9.11 issues, both domestic and international, and often find myself having to defend myself as US citizen when abroad or speaking with those from other countries. Yet this is not a situation in which the answers are black-and-white. We need, therefore, to pray for the ability to listen to the wisdom of other countries and cultures, especially those who have had to deal daily with such terrorist issues; to pray for the open-mindedness of our leaders to accept, consider and apply such wisdom; to pray for the dissipation of arrogance amongst our leaders which leads to a closed-minded, narrowly-focused and often misbalanced approach to possible solutions; and to pray for the ability to listen and act in an educated manner.
Today and this weekend has been no exception. As one who always has a radio on in the house, with music to accompany my every step, I decided on Sunday to turn off the radio altogether, as the remembrances of 9.11 began to flood the airwaves. This was a tragedy in our country, a wake-up call from the innocence and very sheltered existence in which most of us Americans lived--and perhaps continue to live--and it also brings me back to a very sad and shaky point in my personal life that I almost daily try to forget. However, when my 4-year old (going on 15, I might add) starts to ask questions like, "Mommy, what is terrorist?" or "What does bombing mean?" I know it is time to turn OFF the radio and turn ON the parenting.
The events of 9.11.01 and the subsequent occurrances have inundated and invaded our private homes since. Maybe we have no right to expect otherwise--we have, admittedly, lived in ignorance for so long while so many other world citizens have had to awaken and fall asleep under the reign of terror. Neither do we have the right to pity ourselves. Neither do we have the right to drop bombs on a country that has no tie to this attack, sacrifice our own citizens and those of other countries who stand as guards of our own while paid piddly wages, when it has been precisely in the name of vengeance of 9.11 that this war was initially waged.
The current government states that we who are not supporters of the war are thus not supporters of America, not supporters of the troops and are, in essence, consipirators with terrrorists calling for the demise of the American union. This is not true. I am shocked and astounded at the closed-mindedness with which this Administration has dealt with post-9.11 issues, both domestic and international, and often find myself having to defend myself as US citizen when abroad or speaking with those from other countries. Yet this is not a situation in which the answers are black-and-white. We need, therefore, to pray for the ability to listen to the wisdom of other countries and cultures, especially those who have had to deal daily with such terrorist issues; to pray for the open-mindedness of our leaders to accept, consider and apply such wisdom; to pray for the dissipation of arrogance amongst our leaders which leads to a closed-minded, narrowly-focused and often misbalanced approach to possible solutions; and to pray for the ability to listen and act in an educated manner.
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