Firstly I wish to extend condolences to all those involved in the tragedies at the World Trade Centre, and Washington. But I would like to comment on a note made earlier-" In our dancing, we can affirm that love and compassion still exist." Violence and terrorism have roots and often occur in response to other injustices. That is not to say that I support violence, but the key to resolving it lies in understanding the roots. For example, New York is the site of terrorism of all kinds-in the form of homelessness, poverty, and racism. The US. has the highest infant mortality rate, of any developed nation. The US. has turned a blind eye to terrorism in other countries. The US. has, unfortunatley been involved in training death squads and hence promoting violence and terror in other countries, etc. My point is, by understanding the system that generates violence, we may be able to act to create change. This can take the form of social change, for example. Ultimately, as humans , we ALL have the capacity to act on inner aggression, and understanding this leads to mourning whereby we give up the Pollyannaish notions that through "peace and love " all will be resolved. This mourning (ie acceptance that we all carry inner potential for hate and aggression) can be expressed via the Tango. Remember, tango emerged as an expression of despair, from suffering and exploited peoples.Through the dance, one can meditate on the naive view that terrorism occurs only in discreete acts and give up the fantasy that good and bad exist in distinct forms. This is what leads to mourning,and ultimately to the development of a more mature position viv a vis our own human nature. With this awareness, sad or angry as it may make us,we can begin to appreciate that terrrorism is everywhere-as I said earlier, in our own cities, in our own backyard and is perpetuated by simplistic views of ourselves as "all good". People need to mourn their idealization of their systems and reflect on, for example, that a homeless person in New York faces death continuously. For him, destruction of the World Trade Centre may mean little in terms of loss or change-he never shared in the wealth or the prosperity represented by the Centre, to begin with. To not appreciate this broader view, is to have a naive view of the world and of human nature, and this promotes inaction and myopia, lack of change and perpetuation of injustice. Only when we understand this, can we begin to extend meaningful compassion. I urge you all to think and act as human beings. I think of Sting-"Fragile" and "History will teach us Nothing" and "They Dance Alone"-reflections on how we are all vulnerable, and how we develop narrow views of nationalism and of ourselves as blameless and "all good" instead of addressing sufferring as it applies to the human race. Sincerely, Tatiana
------ Original Message ----- From: "Julie Friedgen" <[email protected]> > Many people have called to ask if Los Angeles' Saturday night milonga, EL > ENCUENTRO, will be open this Saturday, September 15th. > Yes, we will dance. > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >
