back-words... more thoughts...

Wednesday, August 8, 2007
more thoughts...
i have a close friend who lives in another country overseas. we talk regularly about different things so that we can learn more about each other and our cultures. i like gaining a better understanding; i think it improves our relationship. i think gaining a better understanding in general can promote better relationships with all ppl, which leads me to the point of this entry: today she was asking me what i thought about iraq and afghanistan, but i feel she also wanted to know my views on war and conflict, in general...

this was my reply:

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i wish everyone could get along...

in the 70s, there was an old coke-a-cola commercial that featured some hippies singing: "i would like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony..." the point they were trying to make was that there would be harmony if everyone could learn to simply work together. i do not think that is an impossible notion as long as ppl are willing to try.

now, what does the world do when not only someone is not willing to try to get along with everyone else, but also is doing things to hurt ppl and they wont stop? do you turn away and let them continue to do something bad or do you stand up and try to help? while i may not support war, i also do not support letting ppl get away with doing bad things that hurt other ppl.

you can say "stop it!" but most ppl will not obey. sometimes you have to make a person stop. that is why there are parents, teachers, police, and even military... this world has seen many mean ppl who would not stop what they were doing, many very bad ppl, and virtually every time this country has had to help. this country has come to be know as the police of the world, which isnt such a bad thing- at least ppl know theres someone out there who will do something about what is wrong. has this country always handled every situation perfectly? no, not really, but least theyre trying to get something done about it and they dont give up trying to help. i think that is important to keep in mind.
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now, im not having a persuasive argument. im not pushing my point of view on anyone. this is not something i am willing to debate as i rarely even voice my opinion about such things since ppl tend to get way too personal in such discussions, so please, take your flame war somewhere else. if you disagree with me, write about it on your own blog- not mine. thank you...

as one can probably guess i could have gone on further in my reply. i could have even tried to ensure that my point was not only valid, but correct via persuasive debating. as it was, i did make some concessions. nothing in this world is perfect, but i think it is worth the effort to try to make things better than what they are if we see something bad happening. in the past i have heard of ppl practicing "in the eyes of a child," which means, asking a child for their opinion of something. usually the reply can be quite eye-opening. i think if we can maintain a portion of that frame of mind we can be more at peace with ourselves when we wish to solve difficult situations. would you let a bunch of thugs beat on a little old lady? no, you would try to help. why would it be any different if that bunch of thugs were nazis or an entire of country? the answer is it really wouldnt be any different. you would still try to help in any way possible. sometimes it isnt the best way possible, but you still have to try and you can always sit around and discuss an issue til youre blue in the face, but a perfect resolution may never be reached and in the the time that has transpired without action, a lot of harm could have been done. that wouldnt weigh very well on the conscience would it? no, it wouldnt feel good at all. we all need to try to understand that we are all trying for the benefit of a cause. we all need to try to understand each other so that we all can get along better, and by "we all" i mean every single one of us in this world. just try- its not hard to do. dont be afraid, just try...