"Evolution of democracy is not possible if we are not prepared to hear the other side." -Ghandi
See what I mean about silence being my friend. When I remove all the ranting and raving, what could be coined negative thought (but what is positive and what is negative anyway), the judgments, the criticism, the me vs. you thought, I feel energized.
I have heard the other side of me, and now I'm going to let it go...
4 comments:
I just wrote a comment and it was lost!! So try to piece it together again!
Beautifully written and straight from the heart. I have many qualms of this nature too about Americans and also why I do not call myself an American. Because I know some of the labels for Americans as you wrote and I know from venturing into the foregn countries, it does put me to shame but yet somehow happy when those foregniers say, "You do not act or think like an American!"
It's 9/11 today (as I wrote this). Not reading/listening to the news or media just because I am tired of the media these days. But I am sure words like NYC towers, survivors, terrorists, President Bush, bombs, and so on are out there today across the headlines in one form or another. But what gets me is no one remembers 7/7, the date when the London atrocities occurred several years back (or any other date of some such atrocities that are not linked to the American soil). I know this date well just because I was there in London when that fateful day of the bombings occurred so I got to see first hand the effects and the play out of what occurred. What got me is that they handled it so well as people. And also on the anniversary date/time there is about a three minute pause where everyone stops in their tracks to stop, pause, listen, reflect. I know this because my dad is over there and experienced it first hand. Everyone, everything stops... it is amazing as he says. Cars, trains, buses, people on phones, computers going, and everyone is stopped in their activity to pause. Do such an event occur here in the US? If it does, not being broadcasted well. But just think of people across America doing just that for three minutes to pause, stop. I cannot even imagine it! But on a greater scale, what if the world just paused for three minutes or so to listen to the real music that is being supressed with all of the activity in daily lives?
Ingrid,
That is so beautiful- I am ready to go to England on 7/7 just to experience that!
Tragedy really is the turning point for greatness- I am just waiting for the greatness to come out of ours....
It may be awhile!
Thanks so much for taking the time to rewrite your thoughts- I know how frustrating that can be!
You might be waiting a long time, Rachel, and maybe not in your lifetime. I hope so though.
I was in London a week after the 7/7 bomb, and it was eery when a siren would go off, everyone stopped to watch and listen.
I get what you're saying, because our equity in the world is awful now. But maybe we need to start being louder about being Americans so people will see that there are other kinds of Americans. I remember Uncle Hank saying once that he wanted to reclaim the American flag from conservatives. "Since when does only patriotic blindness represent America?" was his implication. I like that.
You know, I just had to get it out there, and that's all the negativity I'm going to spout off for how long I don't know.
I need to become the change I want to see, and I realize that ranting and raving about Americans really isn't helping.
Back to my positive high vibration- won't all Americans join me. Just turn off your mouths, radios and TVs, lie on your back, place a bolster under your knees, close your eyes and visualize world peace.
Post a Comment