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09-27-01 ||
thoughts on warIf you hold a real weapon in your hand, you will feel its character strongly. It begs to be used. It is fearsome. Its only purpose is death, and its power is not just in the material from which it is made, but also from the intention of its maker. It is regrettable that weapons must be used, but occasionally, survival demands it. The wise go forth with weapons only as a last resort. They never rejoice in the skill of weapons, nor do they glorify war. When death, pain and destruction are visited upon what you hold to be most sacred, the spiritual price is devastating. What hurts more than one's own suffering is bearing witness to the suffering of others. The regret of seeing human beings at their worst and sheer pain of not being able to help the victims can never be redeemed. If you go personally to war, you cross the line yourself. You sacrifice ideals for survival and fury of killing. That alters you forever. That is why no one rushes to be a soldier. Think before you want to change so unalterably. The stakes are not merely one's life, but one's very own humanity. "Thought on War" Deng-Ming Dao, a taoist monk several thousand years before Christ FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CREATIVE EXPRESSION and how it relates to war, visit the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum which is located in Chicago, Illinois "Why do these people hate Americans?" | part one: the money angle Before I start, let me make one thing clear. I have nothing against being rich, even immensely rich. And if a million, or tens of millions, or even a billion dollars in wealth fell into my lap to manage, I wouldn't turn it away. Not in a heartbeat. There have been some really neat people who are rich....For instance... Malcolm Forbes, who lived life on a grand style, had fun with his money, was gracious and generous, and well liked around the world [he was gay, too, but that's a different matter]. Ted Turner, who gave away a billion dollars to support thoughtful international causes. Too bad that CNN has become a sleazy war propaganda machine since Ted sold it off. And lesser known, but similarly rich people such as Nettie Marie Jones, who parlayed her husband's fortune into the humanitarian values and goals of the W. Alton Jones Foundation, championing cancer research, environmental protection iniatives and "working to eradicate nuclear proliferation." Other generous humane rich people include Stewart Mott, the MacArthurs (who founded the MacArthur Grants so greatly prized and coveted). Some nefarious and nasty rich people, Andrew Carnagie, John Rockerfeller, Armand Hammer, to name only a few, apparently felt guilty after stealing from the rest of the world and gave huge fortunes to benefit humanity in general, if not the people whom they had originally screwed while getting rich. Hell, even Bill Gates has become more generous of late, funding research into education and medical treatment innovations, after decades of ripping off other peoples' inventions to amass his wealth. But in general, it seems that, throughout the course of human history, the rich have a pretty poor track record at paying their dues to society, be it to the local economies where they gained their wealth, or to the societies and cultures where they lived and counted their coins... or paid others to count them for 'em. Thus, we ought not be surprised at the Biblical dictum that it is easier to run a camel through an needle's eye that for a rich man to get into Heaven. And so, it is with this latter thought in mind that I embark on my own wanderings and quest to answer the question raised Thursday night in USA President Bush's first official War Speech, namely "Why do these people hate Americans?" Now, I'm not certain if it is American people who are hated. My guess it has more to do with what the terrorists think American represents. And that, sorry to say, is wealth, privilege and power. All things that, if one is trying to incite others to justifying acts of violence, are easy targets to hate. Simply remind people that they are the things that most people simply do not have, and have little or no chance at ever obtaining. |
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DESTRUCTION include: Related Stories: 
my reaction on 9-11
Ultrasparky writing from New York City
Terror in the USA; from a perspective in India
justin's links from the undergroundGo to: rondak.org web essayists Media / Journals / e'Zines site index search engines
since 12 June 1999
about "Short Notes"
"Short Notes" was the title of a column I wrote while
working for a newspaper in the Adirondack Mountains some years ago.
The format was similar to what you'll find here, except augmented
with pictures and maps. The subject matter shall sometimes be personal,
at other times comments on events or situations of which I am aware. Comments,
suggestions welcomed but not always acted upon.
LEGAL & DISCLAIMER NOTICE: © 2000 / Will Brady I hope you've found this site interesting, even thought provoking || Occasionally some images come from commercial sources and are reproduced here under fair use guidelines of US Copyright law || Please don't write to me about the content of other peoples' sites linked from here || On the other hand, please let me know of any inactive links || Constructive comments, suggested links to add, are welcome. This website is maintained by Will Brady / wbrady@connix.com / Last update: see most recent entry |