Thank you very, very much for your post. Brenda
On 23 Oct 2001, at 11:13, Janene Otten wrote: > Friends, I WAS there at Madison Square Garden and the first thing I will say is > that transcriptions, TV stations, newspapers, etc... are selective in what they > report and DON'T YOU FORGET IT! =) The second thing is that by the time Richard > Gere took the stage, many folks were very drunk. I don't know about you but I've > been in a bar with lots of drunk firemen/policemen downtown and WHOA!! Boo one > minute, hugging each other the next. I just thought that it I should say that > because alcohol does factor into the equation here. Not to mention the high > energy that was almost tangible in that room. Richard Gere, while I admit I > can't phrase word-for-word, said that at this time of violence we can channel > our energies towards love and compassion [the crowd began to yell "BOO" and > curse him] to which he replied "that's a common reaction right now, that's okay" > in a very comforting, calm manner. He never mentioned anything about embracing > our enemies. Although this is of course my own feeling on the matter, I thought > what he did was a very courageous thing because in the long run I truly believe > that humanity will begin to understand that violence breeds violence no matter > whose side your on. Acts of kindness are pure and breed good things even though > we may not live to see that day. The severity of terrorist actions are so > shocking to the free world because we abhor the fact that they operate with such > evil intent. During military action, our troops are acting on what they (and > many of us) believe is noble and honest intent, in defense of our own freedom; > our very lives, which we try to protect vehemently. Of course I won't go into a > whole philosophical debate here but I wonder every day if people consider the > fine line between "revenge" and "defense"? To defend is to protect from danger. > Revenge is to inflict injury (in this case death) in return for (death) or to > avenge. I think there was a mixture of both feelings which prompted our military > action and also prompts the reactions like that of the booing crowd Saturday > night. > Also, all of the other celebrities made their feelings known so why is it that > when people disagree with something they become selective in their own > criticism. Personally I was a bit upset to hear fireman Mike Moran tell the > crowd that "in the true spirit of the Irish, Osama can kiss my royal Irish ass" > and "If you [Osama] want me, I live in Rockaway Beach, Queens - BITCH!" I saw > the anger, the pain in that man and it made me uneasy and sad but also wanting > to reach out to him so that he could turn that anger into something more > positive if only to fuel the seeds of love in him not the seeds of the evil that > makes him angry. I saw the weariness in the eyes of the families of the > uniformed men and woman there. Perhaps Richard Gere did reach a few of the weary > there. Maybe they can find love in their heart to take the place of the anger. > Love will make them less weary. I would bet on it and if he reached one person > that is good. I did not lose my brother but I lost my cousin, a firefighter, at > the WTC and also a few friends. I don't like that people make their own > judgments about how much suffering each person feels based on their relationship > to a lost loved one. I live and work here in NYC every day but I still believe > in the goodness of God's grace to lead us to act with compassion and love, not > retaliation and defense. Now again, this is based on MY OWN PERSONAL RELIGIOUS > BELIEFS but I think deep in our hearts most of us know that no matter what your > personal beliefs, good people are not always rewarded and bad people are not > always punished. I think Richard Gere understands this perfectly which is one of > the reasons why I applauded loudly as my arena neighbors shouted obscenities. > When I read what one of you wrote about Richard Gere making a fool of himself I > thought about Jesus, and yes I am comparing this aspect of Richard Gere to > Jesus. Supporting others and helping others heal, which WAS the point of the > benefit concert, was Gere's intent. Jesus' intent was to save our souls and even > though Jesus did perform miracles to heal people's bodies, the contrasting > lessons that Jesus taught were to open our hearts and our minds so that we may > see God's glory in ALL THE WORLD. Even in the darkness their must be light, even > at the hour our death, especially at the hour of our death, God is there. Even > Jesus was made to look like a fool as people crowned him with thorns, spit on > him and crucified him, which in those days was considered to be the ultimate > condemnation, but because of his example and the example of people like Richard > Gere, the Dali Lama or even our own President Bush, our faith can only be > strengthened by truly listening for God's message in their words and by their > deeds. I do appreciate the sacrifice made by anyone who has the intention of > helping others so even though I pray for peaceful solutions, I am still tortured > by my gratefulness for my freedom and how it may be achieved. I ask myself every > day, "Is it because the US Military is fighting evil that I am safe and is it > God's intention for me to feel safe? What does God want me to do? How should I > love even my enemies when the enemies' intentions are evil?" I suppose this is > my rambling but I honestly haven't rambled on too much since the tragedy and > there are moments when my prayers need to be supported by some good ole' > therapy. Writing is like therapy so if you'll all forgive me for including you > in my session, I would be grateful. May you all be blessed with love in your > hearts, Janene > > > Janene Otten > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.RockDaily.com > www.RockNews.com > "I stood unwound beneath the skies > And clouds unbound by laws. > The cryin' rain like a trumpet sang > And asked for no applause" - B. Dylan
