Thanks, Karen. I haven't given up hope, either, though I am feeling less optimistic about the US than ever before in my lifetime. This country is being hurt -- hurting itself, as you so correctly put it -- in so many ways and so deeply that we think it will take one or two decades to undo the bulk of the damage, both domestically and internationally. For those who want to make a positive difference in the world, this poses an immediate personal challenge: do we go on working on the long-term good projects that we have running, or do we divert energy into mitigating the harm currently being done? If we ignore the current harm, we risk seeing the very platform upon which good things can happen being eroded. If we divert energy to try to hold the platform together, our beneficial projects suffer. What is the solution, then?
Work harder at it, I suppose. But then we risk exhaustion. Form new and more expansive synergistic alliances with another...this is probably what we have to do. Your thoughts would be very welcome. Cheers, Lawry > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Karen Watters > Cole > Sent: Sat, August 30, 2003 7:26 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [Futurework] Will Bush become a Shia Moslem? Threats and > defenses.... > > > LdB wrote: "Our efforts to learn about the world, > to learn foreign languages, to travel with curiosity, to invite foreigners > into our homes were trivial, and we are now paying the cost in ignorant > policies and attitudes toward others." > > Thank you for saying so simply and eloquently what is the genesis of the > problem, in my opinion, > that we have lost our curiosity and sense of discovery, whether bred by > arrogance or pride, both manifested in provincialism. > We have become our own worst enemies in this way. > But I have not given up hope that we will regain the energy to explore, > rather than just stagnate culturally. > > -KWC > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of > Lawrence DeBivort > Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2003 1:54 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [Futurework] Will Bush become a Shia Moslem? Threats and > defenses.... > Good points, Brad. But I think this is much a self-inflicted > fear; we were > welcome world-wide after WWII, but in our arrogance also decided that this > meant we could do whatever we wanted. Our efforts to learn about > the world, > to learn foreign languages, to travel with curiosity, to invite foreigners > into our homes were trivial, and we are now paying the cost in ignorant > policies and attitudes toward others. > > This seems like a great tragedy to me. I do believe that the world could > have used our contribution (described in an earlier email), and we theirs, > and that together we could have created a pretty positive world for > ourselves and our children. In a profound way, I fear that the US has > removed itself from the society of cooperative peoples, and that not only > are we facing greater and greater isolation, but we, and the rest of the > world will be the worse off for the division. > > Best regards, > Lawry > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
