Hello , I'm a bit surprised to see the conversation on the bomb being continued. David brings up the old social codes and is certainly entitled to some "upheave" regarding its final evil flowering in Japan circa 1945. Ken defends US actions in such a way that my list of Statements of Truth regarding the nuclear Holocaust in Japan is increased. The notion that Japan "had it coming" because they failed to negotiate a truce with the atom bomb of America, is joined by another clear truth. America was afraid and angry. Those two armies--those two groups of warrior males--were locked together morally like two cars that merge in a head on collision. From the highlands above that roadway, it was more historical road-kill. But from the level of the historian we get the code or moral score on the matter itself and its place in "the history of Mankind project" that historians refer to. I'm sort of one of those historians. A photojournalist in a way. My takes on history have been focused on one particular character in the movie of American history. SAM. This also ties in to the subject of the month: Self. SAM represents a particular giant of the social level. By anthropomorphizing this, I'm just tieing into something somebody else started. This character of Uncle Sam. The view I come away with is that SAM has been utterly ruthless in what might be looked at as his plan for America and the world. Please understand that my view is deeply influenced by the American Indian. For me, SAM first appeared in America by the mythical Peace Maker who was said to have joined the first aboriginal people into a federation or larger tribe. This social framework was the peaceful attempt to modify all the dynamic activity that was to come as Europeans migrated in. Here, people from all over were going to compete for land and life. The giant had unity in mind and would achieve it by whatever means necessary. Scary, bloody giant! SAM really loved the human diversity and would even permit slavery if that would bring him Africans. The giant loved Indians and Causations and Africans and Asians. Just loved them all. This picture of an imagined social over-soul or Self appears ever-ripe with appetite for the world's cultural diversity. SAM wanted everybody at the party even if he knew there were going to be some fights. There was this manifest destiny at hand, all of this biological urge driving Mankind, and SAM wanted it channelled into a particular format. It seems clear to me that in 1945, the giant was not happy about the prospect of being denied his Japanese! The highest moral thing about America's bombing of Japan might be that it brought about a quick and powerful unity between both nations. Such a unity was always possible through the wisdom of Peace Maker, but like always, biological man was found immature and forced SAM's hand. In some of our Indian circles, we like to believe that Peace Maker has watched all of this merging of humanity with both joy and a cringe. For those of us who get to that highland above the social and biological levels, we can understand this over-soul a bit. But our involvement with Self goes beyond such figments as SAM. The ancient Rishis of India came to see that Self was inherent in the universe. The subtlest instance of Spirit (DQ) appearing on the neutral soul (fine SQ) brought about what they called ANU. This is said to be true at each level and in general. The only problem with this was the shadow it all cast. But it was also thought that every bit of this by-product of the grand event was re-claimed by the force of Dharma and contained within something way out there called "the days and nights" of Brahmin. I think what this means on the individual level is that we might come to understand and know the ultimate specter of Self at the deepest level. God is said to be the nearest of the near and the dearest of the dear. On the social level, the reclamation project means that we learn from our mistakes. The willingness of this group to give full appraisal to the ultimate value of America's setting off of the lone nuclear war events is very much welcome. We owe it to everyone to know what was good and bad about it! Well, so much for this fruity loop...(throwing hand forward in the stereotypical gay style and with all the gushing enthusiasm I can imitate) "oh Luke...if you could only experience the power of The Bright Side"... But seriously, on behalf of that ugly American SAM and its counterpart in the highlands, have a safe and sane 4th. Bill Best regards, elg14 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] MOQ Online Homepage - http://www.moq.org Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/ Unsubscribe - http://www.moq.org/md/index.html MD Queries - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
