[alicebot-aiethics] (no subject)

Thu, 13 Sep 2001 23:10:13 -0700 (PDT)

Well said, Tamara. I don't think I could have put it
better. Everyone's praying for the dead right now. I
feel myself compelled to think of this in a different
way. I'm an atheist, but I find myself praying
(surreptitiously) that we will find our way through
this without destroying our souls. I've cried for
hours facing the absolute horror of all of this. I
know I'm too clouded at the moment to be rational. But
I am clear enough to know that we cannot combat
terrorism by becoming terrorists. To do so will damn
us all. 
Right now we have to face down the demons that hunt us
in this world, but not until we hunt down and silence
the demons in our hearts. We have to do this
cautiosly, carefully, and most of all compassionately.
Revenge is evil, and evil begets evil.
It DOES matter how we look at this. It was not an
attack on the United States alone. It was an attack on
human life and spirit. It was an attack on the world.
King wrote about the effects that terrors inflicted on
small groups have on the rest of the world, and some
of us were paying attention. The things he was saying
in that letter weren't just about bigotry, but also
about human tragedy. If a horrible thing happens to
someone, everyone is harmed. I would like to point out
really wonderfully so much of the world has responded
to our hurt. That response is bred from the same
source that our own most heroic responses are
nurtured: human response to a shared pain. 
Now more than ever, in an age of "globalization" (god
I hate that word), with the greatest weapons ever
leveled at the american people being fired from
international airports, we must realize that the
problems of one country (or one people) are the
problems of the human species, and that we have to
take care of each other the best we can.

Okay, now I'm rambling. You really did say it better
than I could, Tamara. I give you hella credit for
this.

Eric

--- Tamara Thompson <txt5593@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Well, yeah, okay. all that.  agreed.
> 
> I put my flag out tonight in respect.  I lit my
> candles for the dead and the
> hopefully-will-be-recovered-soon.    I said my
> prayers.  I cried.   I am glued
> to the tv which is unusual for me, hoping to hear
> more good news of survivors.
> 
> How can you or would you ask a people who have
> barely begun to cope with what
> has happened, to punish an as yet not quite defined
> attacker?  To possibly
> enter a global war?   Or did you not insinuate that?
> 
> My child is my best 'flag'--she is the strongest
> reminder and symbol of my
> dedication to global peace and this world's future. 
> To get emotional now,  to
> react out of anger or frustration, might endanger
> the future.  Our children.
> The world's children.
> 
> To inspire people to react, to emotionally ennervate
> people to rally about a
> war cry and retribution cause right now, is to
> inflict more pain on the
> american people that you realize.  We will defend
> ourselves, we will seek and
> find justice, we just don't have to endanger the
> world with our reaction.  I
> think Americans are going to be smarter than that.
> 
> Oh, but yeah.  I live in the same world where Ghandi
> and Martin Luther King had
> their lives cut short for speaking of peace. 
> Christ.
> 
> I hope we all keep cool heads right now.  Our
> actions and our words have far
> ranging impact.
> 
> peace,
> Tamara
> 
> 
> 
> LilBwana wrote:
> 
> > Dear Group,
> >
> >         I have read for the last day the responces
> from some people on this
> > forum.  I have heard from other places that We
> should Strike back, we should
> > take affirmative action to kill all involved.  And
> I have heard things like
> > this : "Nationalism" is that emotional thing that
> can be raised in people
> > when tragedy strikes.  It's not neccessarily the
> most reasonable approach to
> > world situations.
> >
> >         The truth is that no matter how you look
> at it, this was an attack
> > on New York, This was an attack on The Pentagon,
> and both of which are
> > located in the country that was attacked.  This
> was a blatent and outright
> > attack on The United States.  The United States
> which while we may have our
> > problems is still the backbone of Democracy in the
> world.  Which cuts to the
> > bottom of what has happened.  This was an attack
> on the very principles that
> > this Nation stands for.  The very freedoms that
> allow people to speak out
> > against their own country.  Or to live your life
> the way you see fit.  Or to
> > sit and try to see the humanitarian way to do
> things.  The truth is that we
> > have been forced to participate in an activity
> where we do not make the
> > rules.  We face a situation where we have to play
> by the rules that have
> > been set.
> >         When the rest of the world learned of
> guerilla warfare, the only way
> > to combat it, and defeat it was to learn to adapt
> to the rules then set.
> > When we hit the age of tanks we found that men
> were not as good as they once
> > were, now we live in an age of missles and bombs,
> and the levels have
> > stepped up.  Terrorism is a threat to not only the
> US, but to any nation in
> > the world, friend or foe.  And to make sure that
> more innocent lives are not
> > lost in such a manner, we must eliminate
> terrorism, or the next time it
> > could be the very ones you love, or yourself. 
> This is not a personal
> > opinion issue, this is a moral and ethical dilema
> that affects the whole
> > world.  And the safety of the whole world.
> >         Nationalism is that which helps to bring
> together a nation so all
> > men women, black and white, no matter the race,
> religion, or sex, can come
> > together and realize the same thing, and stand
> united, It is one of the
> > greatest accomplishments that humanity has.
> >
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