To shakuhachi list members,
It's good to hear the varying responses of people to this tragedy. My
thoughts and sympathy go out to those whose lives were shattered or
affected in some way by the horrific attacks. It must be so overwhelming
for people ...so shocking, the loss of life and destruction so terrible.
To know that we can do something to try and relieve the pain of the victims
still alive...volunteering if we are there, or sending contributions, and
praying in remembrance of those whose lives were suddenly eclipsed in
collapsing buildings...and for the many brave people who went in there to
rescue people and who in turn became victims themselves, and for the plane
passengers, including those who resisted at the danger to their lives. How
can one even presume to play shakuhachi for so many souls suddenly
extinguished? I don't know, but maybe it's something we have to do as
inheritors of the komuso tradition... Concerning the differences of
opinion being expressed in this list, I don't understand why people are
dropping out of the list. Everyone agrees this is a horrible tragedy, a
day of deep sorrow for all Americans, and that such terrorist acts against
innocent people can never be justified. That being said, however, we must
realize that these events didn't just come out of a vacuum. We must look
carefully at root causes and conditions and try to understand how people
can have such hatred against the United States as to be able to blow
themselves up in the equivalent of kamikaze missions. Yes, there is evil
in the world, but has the U.S. been totally without blame in its actions
overseas? It is true we have worked for peace in the Middle East, one
thinks of Camp David, and the years of negotiations, but we have also armed
nations against each other and helped to overthrow governments, and have at
times tended to be one sided in our support for some nations over others.
We've made big bucks selling weapons of death, and in a recent meeting on
small arms control and the problems of small arms proliferation held at the
U.N., we didn't want to impose any limits on those sales. I don't think
Phil's comments were "out of line"; the good thing about the United States
is that you should be able to bring valid criticism to bear without fear of
reprisal, and with hope for changes in policy. But I guess if you were at
the center of that maelstrom in NYC and saw that death and destruction all
around you, you would say "kill the bastards" as a gut response. But that
can get out of hand. I read on the Net yesterday that some Americans were
targeting Sikhs, people of a totally different tradition, as they were
wearing turbans that they associated with bin Laden, and of course
targeting Arab-Americans who had nothing to do with the incident. Maybe we
should ask what we as a people can do to reduce the disparities between
wealth and poverty, between the powerful and the powerless, between the
haves and the have-nots in this world, as these growing gaps inevitably sow
seeds of resentment among those less fortunate which perhaps bloom into
terrible acts, especially when fanatics take advantage of such disparities
and command those who perhaps have only known hatred and hardship in their
lives. Did the CIA really train bin Laden? I know we once supported
Hussein in the Iraq/Iran war...talk about arming the wrong guys (well,
maybe there were no right guys either). Peace training should be given at
least as much emphasis as training in the arts of war. I think Jesus
Christ said something like "turn the other cheek," but nobody seems to
listen to that kind of talk anymore. He also said "he who is without sin
cast the first stone" in the case of those men who caught a woman in the
act of adultery, so before we start bombing Afghanistan back into the Stone
Age let us consider matters carefully and examine our own motives and
actions, trying to see ourselves from the viewpoint of the others, of those
whom we know that our policies will affect, before taking resolute action.
The armed forces should at least try bring this bin Laden guy back alive
and keep him in prison for life so that he can't hurt anybody else, along
with any others who had responsibility for the terrible attacks; a martyr's
death is too good for those guys, it will just bring them more followers...
but for that scenario we'd probably need a Hollywood cast. I fear it is
going to be a long and protracted conflict. Play for peace and guidance.
I'd like to second the uncursing of the ROs.
Dan
Ribble
Kochi,
Japan
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jan 08 2002 - 09:19:36 PST