On 13 September 2001 21:28, Kakki [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] wrote: > is going through right now. But what kind of friend would I be to Paz to > sit here quietly as he was being brought into something he did not deserve? Michael Paz is the most loving, open, kind-hearted, and generous man I have ever had the good fortune to know and I feel very blessed that such a great soul is part of our list. He has been and continues to be an inspiration to me to strive to be more open, more loving, and more generous in my interactions with other people. Like Joni, Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, and his mother, Ruth Paz, I think he is one of those people who shows us what is possible - a light in the world. Marcel is also a very generous person and a talented musician. He went to the trouble to buy and send me as a gift a portable cassette tape recorder that I can use when I perform or when I'm just fooling around on the guitar at home. It was his idea to do this - he said "I want to do this for you" and he did. I was very touched by this gesture. Our political views are completely opposite, but I think the goals we have for ourselves and our families are not that different - we just see different paths/means to achieving the same ends. I can disagree with his politics without disliking him as a person. I am very sad to hear that he has been banished and I wish Les would reconsider his decision. It takes at least two people to have an argument and I don't think Marcel is the only offender here. Whenever the flame wars begin, I usually feel surprised, usually in the very beginning, by what sets people off. Often my interpretation of a post that has upset somebody else is totally neutral or indifferent. Isn't it well known that the way we put words together can cause problems in communication with others because we all have such totally different realities and different emotional buttons? I think it would help in the future if we would all resolve to give each other the benefit of the doubt and not just immediately react in a negative way to something that we might not have understood. Ask questions: "What did you mean by this?" "It seems like you were saying xxxxxx - is that right?" I usually don't read the arguments, because I don't have the energy to try to understand them. But I felt at one point that Michael was attacked because he called Marcel his friend. Well I call Marcel my friend. Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean that I can't like them. Just because I like someone you don't like doesn't mean that I don't like you. We all have the right to call friends whomever we choose and we all have the right to have our choices respected. We are all in a state of emotional shock and I think at this point, forgiveness is what is needed - of Michael, of Debra, of Marcel, of Azeem, of me for writing this post which is probably outdated and stupid by now, of ourselves. This is a dark time and we don't need to be making it any darker than it already is. Sincerely, Marian Vienna
