Friday, July 03, 2009
End the craziness of nuclear weapons
Does it seem dangerously crazy to you that previously insignificant, possibly unstable governments have nuclear power now and are developing nuclear weapons? To me it is crazy that any government has nuclear weapons. I don’t think humans have enough intelligence to be trusted with weapons with the potential to destroy the planet.
It seems I’m not the only one who thinks like this. If you agree too, perhaps you can sign the petition and show your support.
Does it seem dangerously crazy to you that previously insignificant, possibly unstable governments have nuclear power now and are developing nuclear weapons? To me it is crazy that any government has nuclear weapons. I don’t think humans have enough intelligence to be trusted with weapons with the potential to destroy the planet. It seems I’m not the only one who thinks like this. If you agree too, perhaps you can sign the petition and show your support.
It seems I’m not the only one who thinks like this. If you agree too, perhaps you can sign the petition and show your support.
Does it seem dangerously crazy to you that previously insignificant, possibly unstable governments have nuclear power now and are developing nuclear weapons? To me it is crazy that any government has nuclear weapons. I don’t think humans have enough intelligence to be trusted with weapons with the potential to destroy the planet. It seems I’m not the only one who thinks like this. If you agree too, perhaps you can sign the petition and show your support.
Labels: AVAAZ, Barack Obama, politics
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Islamic dominoes
On Sunday night I watched the BBC's review of the week's news. It showed the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan along with Barack Obama showing their solidarity and talking about the need to suppress the Taliban in these two countries. And of course there is the suggestion that is so often raised that if the Taliban take control of Pakistan they will have access to Pakistan's nuclear weapons. The thought is planted in our minds but no one seems to want to take this suggestion any further. We are left with the thought to do what it will in our minds.
I want so much to give Barack Obama a chance. He talked about the need for change and he talked about withdrawing from Iraq. Is this man sincere? I hope so, but...
And then it dawned on me. Change? Nothing has changed.
I cast my mind back to the late 60s and early 70s, to the time of the Vietnam war. The justification for that war was the domino theory—if one country fell to communism all the others would fall too like a row of dominoes. We were inculcated with the fear of communism to entice us to accept that war just as now we are inculcated with the fear of al-Qaeda and extreme Islam so that we support today's wars.
Did the communist dominoes fall as we were told they would after Vietnam won the war?
'If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand.
If you want to get rid of something, you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to take something, you must first allow it to be given.
This is called the subtle perception of the way things are.'
Ajahn Sumano Bhikku
Monk in the Mountain
I want so much to give Barack Obama a chance. He talked about the need for change and he talked about withdrawing from Iraq. Is this man sincere? I hope so, but...
And then it dawned on me. Change? Nothing has changed.
I cast my mind back to the late 60s and early 70s, to the time of the Vietnam war. The justification for that war was the domino theory—if one country fell to communism all the others would fall too like a row of dominoes. We were inculcated with the fear of communism to entice us to accept that war just as now we are inculcated with the fear of al-Qaeda and extreme Islam so that we support today's wars.
Did the communist dominoes fall as we were told they would after Vietnam won the war?
'If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand.
If you want to get rid of something, you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to take something, you must first allow it to be given.
This is called the subtle perception of the way things are.'
Ajahn Sumano Bhikku
Monk in the Mountain
Labels: Barack Obama, Buddhism, Islam, propaganda, religion, terrorism, US, Vietnam
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Do we need a miracle worker?
Congratulations to Barack Obama on his decisive win in the recent US presedential election.
To the rest of us I say: Please be patient. Barack Obama is an intelligent man. Hopefully he also has integrity and seeks what is best for the US and the world. But he is not a miracle worker.
The US (and through it, the world) has been badly mismanaged for the past eight years, perhaps longer. It has been exploited by bankers and others with more money than they need but not enough to satisfy their greed.
What can this man do? I don't claim to know.
What can we do? First, let's not put Barack Obama on a pedestal. He alone can not fix the problems of the world. Perhaps he will make mistakes. He is, after all, human. But if his intentions are good and he is prepared to acknowledge and correct his mistakes, we can all learn and move forward.
The world can only move ahead if we all work together. That doesn't mean we have to agree with each other. I'm talking about intention. What are your goals? Are your goals about working towards making the world a better place for everyone? Or are they about making it better for you? I believe the world has got where it is because too many people chose the second option. I hope Barack Obama is choosing the first option. And I hope you are too.
To the rest of us I say: Please be patient. Barack Obama is an intelligent man. Hopefully he also has integrity and seeks what is best for the US and the world. But he is not a miracle worker.
The US (and through it, the world) has been badly mismanaged for the past eight years, perhaps longer. It has been exploited by bankers and others with more money than they need but not enough to satisfy their greed.
What can this man do? I don't claim to know.
What can we do? First, let's not put Barack Obama on a pedestal. He alone can not fix the problems of the world. Perhaps he will make mistakes. He is, after all, human. But if his intentions are good and he is prepared to acknowledge and correct his mistakes, we can all learn and move forward.
The world can only move ahead if we all work together. That doesn't mean we have to agree with each other. I'm talking about intention. What are your goals? Are your goals about working towards making the world a better place for everyone? Or are they about making it better for you? I believe the world has got where it is because too many people chose the second option. I hope Barack Obama is choosing the first option. And I hope you are too.
Labels: Barack Obama, news, politics, US
