Thank you, Justin ! Inspiring, reminding ... the best of what international virtual community members can give to each other.
On Mar 23, 9:46 am, Justintruth <[email protected]> wrote: > Kierkegaard on despair: > > Just as the physician might say that there lives perhaps not one > single man who is in perfect health, so one might say perhaps that > there lives not one single man who after all is not to some extent in > despair, in whose inmost parts there does not dwell a disquietude, a > perturbation, a discord, an anxious dread of an unknown something, or > of a something he does not even dare to make acquaintance with, dread > of a possibility of life, or dread of himself, so that, after all, as > physicians speak of a man going about with a disease in him, this man > is going about and carrying a sickness of the spirit, which only > rarely and in glimpses, by and with a dread which to him is > inexplicable, gives evidence of its presence within. > > Su Kyi on fear: > > It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts > those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who > are subject to it. ... > > The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit, born of an > intellectual conviction of the need for change in those mental > attitudes and values which shape the course of a nation's development. > A revolution which aims merely at changing official policies and > institutions with a view to an improvement in material conditions has > little chance of genuine success. Without a revolution of the spirit, > the forces which produced the iniquities of the old order would > continue to be operative, posing a constant threat to the process of > reform and regeneration. It is not enough merely to call for freedom, > democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination to > persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring > truths, to resist the corrupting influences ofdesire, ill will, > ignorance and fear... > > Within a system which denies the existence of basic human rights, fear > tends to be the order of the day. Fear of imprisonment, fear of > torture, fear ofdeath, fear of losing friends, family, property or > means of livelihood, fear of poverty, fear of isolation, fear of > failure. A most insidious form of fear is that which masquerades as > common sense or even wisdom, condemning as foolish, reckless, > insignificant or futile the small, daily acts of courage which help to > preserve man's self-respect and inherent human dignity. It is not easy > for a people conditioned by fear under the iron rule of the principle > that might is right to free themselves from the enervating miasma of > fear. Yet even under the most crushing state machinery courage rises > up again and again, for fear is not the natural state of civilized > man. > > The wellspring of courage and endurance in the face of unbridled power > is generally a firm belief in the sanctity of ethical principles > combined with a historical sense that despite all setbacks the > condition of man is set on an ultimate course for both spiritual and > material advancement. It is his capacity for self-improvement and self- > redemption which most distinguishes man from the mere brute. At the > root of human responsibility is the concept of peffection, the urge to > achieve it, the intelligence to find a path towards it, and the will > to follow that path if not to the end at least the distance needed to > rise above individual limitations and environmental impediments. It is > man's vision of a world fit for rational, civilized humanity which > leads him to dare and to suffer to build societies free from want and > fear. Concepts such as truth, justice and compassion cannot be > dismissed as trite when these are often the only bulwarks which stand > against ruthless power. > > Jane Goodal on understanding (Oh yes she knows a little something of > chimps...! ;) ) > > Thinking back over my life, it seems to me that there are different > ways of looking out and trying to understand the world around us. > There's a very clear scientific window. And it does enable us to > understand an awful lot about what's out there. There's another > window, it's the window through which the wise men, the holy men, the > masters, of the different and great religions look as they try to > understand the meaning in the world. My own preference is the window > of the mystic. > > Jane Godal on Hope > > There is the terrible pollution around the world, the balance of > nature is disturbed, and we are destroying our beautiful planet. There > are fears of new epidemics for which there will be no drugs, and, > rather than fight the cause, we torture millions of animals in the > name of medical progress. But in spite of all this I do have hope. And > my hope is based on three factors. > > The Human Brain > > Firstly, we have at last begun to understand and face up to the > problems that threaten us and the survival of life on Earth as we know > it. Surely, then, we can use our problem-solving abilities, our > brains, and, joining hands around the world, find ways to live that > are in harmony with nature. Indeed, many companies have begun > "greening" their operations, and millions of people worldwide are > beginning to realize that each one of us has a responsibility to the > environment and our descendants, and that the way each one of us lives > our life does matter, does make a difference. > > The Determination of Young People > > My second reason for hope lies in the tremendous energy, enthusiasm > and commitment of a growing number of young people around the world. > As they find out about the environmental and social problems that are > now part of their heritage, they want to fight to right the wrongs. Of > course they do - they have a vested interest in this, for it will be > their world tomorrow. They will be moving into leadership positions, > into the work force, becoming parents themselves. Young people, when > informed and empowered, when they realize that what they do truly > makes a difference, can indeed change the world. > > The Indomitable Human Spirit > > My third reason for hope lies in the indomitable nature of the human > spirit. There are so many people who have dreamed seemingly > unattainable dreams and, because they never gave up, achieved their > goals against all the odds, or blazed a path along which others could > follow. As I travel around the world I meet so many incredible and > amazing human beings. They inspire me. They inspire those around them. > > The Resilience of Nature > > My fourth reason for hope is the incredible resilience of nature. I > have visited Nagasaki, site of the second atomic bomb that ended World > War II. Scientists had predicted that nothing could grow there for at > least 30 years. But, amazingly, greenery grew very quickly. One > sapling actually managed to survive the bombing, and today it is a > large tree, with great cracks and fissures, all black inside; but that > tree still produces leaves. I carry one of those leaves with me as a > powerful symbol of hope. I have seen such renewals time and again, > including animal species brought back from the brink of extinction. > > So let us move into the next millennium with hope, for without it all > we can do is eat and drink the last of our resources as we watch our > planet slowly die. Instead, let us have faith in ourselves, in our > intellect, in our staunch spirit. Let us develop respect for all > living things. Let us try to replace impatience and intolerance with > understanding and compassion. And love. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. 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