Good job Rick , well balanced (except for the crazy huggin' saint bit - just nutzo) and it reminds me of why Fairfied was voted one of the 10 best places to live in US by mother earth magazine or something.
OffWorld --- In [email protected], "Rick Archer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of Peter > Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 9:32 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: [FairfieldLife] Anybody get the ledger today...? > > > > Rick, can you post a link to it? Thanks > > I don't think they put the editorial page online, but I posted the letter > here. Here it is again, in case you didn't see it. Mr. Ed can post his. > > In response to Sabrina Eklund's and Wilda Hadley's letter ("Fairfield can > survive without M.U.M.," Feb. 21): > > Of course it could. And most of us could survive without one of our kidneys. > But I'd rather have two. I agree with their contention that the "campus is > not the only thing that makes this town golden," but I think they > underestimate the influence of the meditating community, of which the campus > is only a subset. > > In response to their question, "If our town wasn't thriving before, why did > you come here?," the obvious answer is that a bankrupt, deserted campus was > available at a bargain hardly a symptom of a "thriving" town. The > community was eager to see it occupied, and welcomed the meditators with > open arms. That welcome may have been abused on occasion, sometimes > egregiously, but the meditators' net effect has been overwhelmingly > positive. They have created or imported businesses that have employed > thousands over the years, and have been a driving force behind many events > and accomplishments of which all Fairfielders can be proud. > > Clashes are inevitable whenever cultures intermingle. But over time, > friendships, marriages, business partnerships, and simple proximity blur the > lines of segregation, and eventually, separating the cultures becomes as > difficult and potentially as lethal as separating conjoined twins. We have > long since reached that point in Fairfield. "Born and raised here" now > refers to hundreds of younger meditators, many of whom are having children > of their own. Meditators have been here for 35 years and couldn't leave en > masse if they wanted to, nor would most leave even if MUM were to shut down. > But hypothetically, if they did leave, Fairfield's economy and culture would > be devastated. > > In case you think that all meditators are of one mind, they are actually a > very diverse, eclectic group. Most are not vegetarians, they are among the > congregations of most local churches, many are politically conservative, > many don't care which way their houses face, and many don't even meditate > anymore. I, for instance, have been meditating since the '60's, but am no > longer part of the TM Organization. They booted me out five days after 9/11 > for being involved with Amma (the "Hugging Saint" who comes to Iowa each > summer). > > We don't live in a black and white world. If you want to be true to yourself > and to reality, avoid simplistic generalizations. Every person, group, > community, religion, and nation is an intricate mix of virtue and vice, > wisdom and foolishness. We all tend to fortify our egos by regarding our own > group as superior, but in fact, none of us has all the pieces of the puzzle, > and we'll never solve it until we learn acceptance and cooperation. > > > > > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.21.7/1328 - Release Date: 3/13/2008 > 11:31 AM >
