Nick Arnett Tue Sep 11, 2001 2:51 pm Subject: Anger (RE: News Flash 2 Planes crash into NYC World Trade Center) At a personal level, anger indicates something wrong in a relationship. I hope and pray that the anger that led to and has resulted from today's attacks leads us to seriously consider what is wrong in our global relationships. And I don't mean that in terms of beating up on ourselves for what we might have done differently, but for all involved. I'm very, very shaken by this. The images on the television are bringing back childhood nightmares of nuclear war. Nick Nick Arnett Date: Tue Sep 11, 2001 10:06 pm Subject: RE: Attack > Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] [snip] > I have spoken to _four_ professors of International Relations at the > Kennedy School of Government today who thought that a nuclear response > would be appropriate, were this an act of state-sponsored terrorism. How depressing. [snip] > Nothing we did caused today's attacks. Nothing possibly could. They > happened because there are evil people in the world who hate the United > States. The American government failed today. It must do something to > begin to repair that. The first thing it can do is make sure that those > who did this pay - _whatever it takes to make that necessary_. The gloves > _should_ come off. That's the sort of self-righteousness that will perpetuate hate and violence, in my opinion. We should not be afraid to look at ourselves, to take some responsibility for the relationship we have with those who did this terrible thing. Not that we should not hold them accountable; however, taking the attitude that "we have done nothing wrong" is poison to any relationship, personal or global. We have done nothing to deserve or justify this, without doubt, but let's not be afraid to take *some* responsibility for the international relations in which this occurred. Nick There's what you wrote. You hope that 'we' consider what is wrong in our global relationships. 'We' have to take some responsibility for the international relations in which this occurred. How else should anyone read those? Because of our 'relationship' with these evil people, we are responsible for what happened? Here is a clue from personal relationships: I am not responsible for your feelings. I can do anything I want to 'make' you mad, but it is still your decision to 'be' mad. That is probably 90% of what psychologists deal with when helping patients. It is your decision on how you feel, no one makes your feelings. There is an analogy I'm not going to use, but it has been rejected as a defense, you cannot use outside stimuli to justify your actions. So those evil people who hate America: we don't 'make' them hate us. What do they hate about us? Because of our advertising their children want to drink coke, their women want to wear shorts? If their religion is so strong they shouldn't have to worry about outside influences. Seriously, the Amish see electricity and cars every day. Yes they lose members but they can't be mad 'at' America. Yes they can 'be' mad, they can decide to be mad, but it isn't America's fault that they become mad. So America bears no responsibility for what happened. We did not bring this on ourselves in any way. Kevin Tarr
