Quote:
Originally posted by Neruda
I think that you guys are touching on one of the reasons we're so hated in some parts of the world. You're right, we are spoiled. millions of people spend more money than those people will see in their lifetimes on trivial items like shoes or clothes. our country is so wealthy it's almost disgusting. Heck, I live here too, I'm not saying that everyone else has made a mistake except me. But heck, can you blaim some of those people for hating us? We have no idea what it's like to suffer. Obviously I'm not saying that the attack on the WTC was justified by any means, but it's true that before now we never knew what it was like to have true fear about whether or not we were safe. many of the people in the middle east or Africa or many other places fear every day about whether or not their family will starve to death or whether or not their homes will be bombed or set on fire during the night. Yeah, we're definitely spoiled. And every time I think about that sort of thing I feel terrible pangs of guilt. What really sucks is that i don't know what to do about it. Any thoughts that i have about what to do are implausible simply because very few Americans are willing to let go of the wealth and protection that we have. |
Neruda,
What you say is generally true, most of us who participate in this forum do not understand what life is like for most people living in places like Afganistan. One gentleman who works for me spent time in Afganistan. Even though he experienced "life" over there, he was able to leave it behind and return to his previous life. The people who were born into that situation, do not know any other life, and their suffering is relative for them. They, no doubt find great pleasure and relief in things we would consider abject poverty and depravation. We live in different worlds. My wife and I spent seven years of our lives as missionaries trying to alleviate the suffering of others and endured suffering ourselves as a result. That was a drop in the bucket compared to the personal sacrfice that some willingly make with their whole lives. Look at the sacrifice that someone like Mother Theresa made with her entire life to serve others and to help alleviate the suffering of others. Yet... The world is still what it is. I offer the following thoughts I shared in another thread;
What is Good? What is Bad? What is Right? What is Wrong? Are there any Absolutes? Is everything Relative?
To one, that which is good is perceived as bad by another. It is a good thing for us to live by our convictions. Unless we are convicted that it is bad to allow others to live by theirs.
Is there an absolute right and wrong? Is there an absolute good and evil? I believe there is, and I also believe in allowing others to seek these absolutes for themselves as long as they do not impose upon the right of others to do the same for themselves. I believe in demonstrating that which is good by example, thereby helping others to see the same.
These are sad times we live in. Times in which people are not willing to listen to, and consider one another. Times in which people are not willing to rejoice in our differences as well as our commonality. Times in which some feel the need to force their will upon others who are not imposing upon their own.
These times are unfortunately not too unlike all other times recorded in the course of humanity. There have been such people among us since Cain. Whether the story of Cain and Abel is allegory or fact, matters not as much as the demonstrated fact that it is unquestionably exemplary of the human condition.
Given this human condition, in human terms, there is no easy solution to the problems we see in this world in which we live. I Pray for peace.
Last night Neruda, my wife and I met for the first time at a restaurant. We had a wonderful time. We shared a few tunes on the cans. We enjoyed Neruda's musicianship, and I enjoyed his jammin' 401's.
We learned from each other. We ate a modest meal (to us) that many in this world will never see the luxury of. We came away from that meeting with a thanksgiving for our good fortune to have met and to have learned from one another. What more can we ask from one another than mutual acceptance and understanding? What better thing to do in this life than the maintain a sense of wonder and thankfulness for the things we are able to enjoy in this life and to live out a desire to help others to enjoy theirs.
By all means, let us do what we can to help alleviate suffering when and where we can, but above all, let us not take part in causing the sufferiing of others.
Peace.
