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Thursday, September 13, 2001 5:01 AM

[nhne] Part 2 of 2: The Attacks on NY & Washington

 

 

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> NHNE: Part 2 of 2: The Attacks on NY & Washington

> Thursday, September 13, 2001

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> CONTENTS:

>

> PART 2:

>

> 7. OTHER VOICES

>

> - Deepak Chopra

> - Paul Von Ward

> - Michael Moore

> - Gary Zukav

> - Sharif Abdullah

> - Lama Surya Das

> - Marianne Williamson

> - Steve Hassan

> - Doug Carmichael

> - Jennifer Hadley

> - Nicholas Longo

> - 11

> - John Perry Barlow

> - Chris Stout

> - Mark Gerzon

> - Halim Dunsky

> - John Atlee

> - Diana Morley

> - Vicki Robin

> - David La Chapelle

> - Neale Donald Walsch

> - Tom Atlee

> - CarTheo

> - Pennie Stasik O'Grady

>

> ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

>

> 7. OTHER VOICES:

>

> THE DEEPER WOUND

> By Deepak Chopra

>

> [Thanks to John Steiner <steiner_king.]

>

> As fate would have it, I was leaving New York on a jet flight that took

off

> 45 minutes before the unthinkable happened. By the time we landed in

> Detroit, chaos had broken out. When I grasped the fact that American

> security had broken down so tragically, I couldn't respond at first. My

wife

> and son were also in the air on separate flights, one to Los Angeles, one

to

> San Diego. My body went absolutely rigid with fear. All I could think

about

> was their safety, and it took several hours before I found out that their

> flights had been diverted and both were safe.

>

> Strangely, when the good news came, my body still felt that it had been

hit

> by a truck. Of its own accord it seemed to feel a far greater trauma that

> reached out to the thousands who would not survive and the tens of

thousands

> who would survive only to live through months and years of hell. And I

asked

> myself, Why didn't I feel this way last week? Why didn't my body go stiff

> during the bombing of Iraq or Bosnia? Around the world my horror and worry

> are experienced every day. Mothers weep over horrendous loss, civilians

are

> bombed mercilessly, refugees are ripped from any sense of home or

homeland.

> Why did I not feel their anguish enough to call a halt to it?

>

> As we hear the calls for tightened American security and a fierce military

> response to terrorism, it is obvious that none of us has any answers.

> However, we feel compelled to ask some questions.

>

> Everything has a cause, so we have to ask, What was the root cause of this

> evil? We must find out not superficially but at the deepest level. There

is

> no doubt that such evil is alive all around the world and is even

> celebrated.

>

> Does this evil grow from the suffering and anguish felt by people we don't

> know and therefore ignore? Have they lived in this condition for a long

> time?

>

> One assumes that whoever did this attack feels implacable hatred for

> America. Why were we selected to be the focus of suffering around the

world?

>

> All this hatred and anguish seems to have religion at its basis. Isn't

> something terribly wrong when jihads and wars develop in the name of God?

> Isn't God invoked with hatred in Ireland, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan,

> Israel, Palestine, and even among the intolerant sects of America?

>

> Can any military response make the slightest difference in the underlying

> cause? Is there not a deep wound at the heart of humanity?

>

> If there is a deep wound, doesn't it affect everyone?

>

> When generations of suffering respond with bombs, suicidal attacks, and

> biological warfare, who first developed these weapons? Who sells them? Who

> gave birth to the satanic technologies now being turned against us?

>

> If all of us are wounded, will revenge work? Will punishment in any form

> toward anyone solve the wound or aggravate it? Will an eye for an eye, a

> tooth for a tooth, and limb for a limb, leave us all blind, toothless and

> crippled?

>

> Tribal warfare has been going on for two thousand years and has now been

> magnified globally. Can tribal warfare be brought to an end? Is patriotism

> and nationalism even relevant anymore, or is this another form of

tribalism?

>

> What are you and I as persons going to do about what is happening? Can we

> afford to let the deeper wound fester any longer?

>

> Everyone is calling this an attack on America, but is it not a rift in our

> collective soul? Isn't this an attack on civilization from without that is

> also from within?

>

> When we have secured our safety once more and cared for the wounded, after

> the period of shock and mourning is over, it will be time for soul

> searching. I only hope that these questions are confronted with the

deepest

> spiritual intent. None of us will feel safe again behind the shield of

> military might and stockpiled arsenals. There can be no safety until the

> root cause is faced. In this moment of shock I don't think anyone of us

has

> the answers. It is imperative that we pray and offer solace and help to

each

> other. But if you and I are having a single thought of violence or

hatred

> against anyone in the world at this moment, we are contributing to the

> wounding of the world.

>

> ------------

>

> THE DAY THE WORLD CHANGED

> By Paul Von Ward

> September 11, 2001

>

> http:www.vonward.com

>

> [Thanks to Chester Hatstat.]

>

> Today is my birthday. When the phone began to ring, I thought it would be

a

> child or loved one calling with a happy birthday wish. The first calls

were

> from a sister, a loved one, a child and then friends. But the birthday

> wishes took a far second place. I was breathlessly asked if I had heard

the

> World Trade Center and Pentagon had been bombed, by planes crashing into

> them. Shocked, I turned on the TV as the callers, frightened and sobbing,

> inquired if my son and ex-wife were safe in DC and if a former lover and

> friend who worked in lower Manhattan was alright.

>

> I had no idea how to respond; I had been repainting a bathroom wall.

Trying

> to absorb the devastating news, I frantically started making calls. With

no

> success in New York or Washington. Circuits were jammed or the numbers

were

> busy. I had no idea of their fates, and was forced along with millions of

> others to await the news of friends and relatives caught in the two

separate

> explosive and fiery maelstroms of death.

>

> My mind and limbs were like water. The cries and moans of the dying and

> wounded reverberated throughout my cells. A part of my own being seemed to

> perish with each soul's departure. While one part of me was fighting to

> express its anger at the deaths and wounds of friends and former

colleagues,

> their names not yet known in both cities, another was feeling the anguish

> and emptiness that their relatives will experience when they get the news.

>

> At the same time I felt a different sharpness cut through me, the source

> being another form of soul pain -- the level of despair that causes one to

> maim and kill a fellow human. My whole being was a microcosm of the

> self-inflicted pain members of our species inflict on others. Why does the

> human family live in such a way as to die the way so many of us have to

do?

> It was so clear to me that we were all parts of the same body, but it was

> not clear to me why this body had turned on itself.

>

> All my adult life when I have mentioned my birthday, I have said I was

born

> along with World War II, as Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939 and

> Britain and France had to declare war on Germany in the defense of the

free

> world. From that date the world changed forever. From now on my 62nd

> birthday will mark another date of the world shifting directions. We have

no

> idea where it will end and what global society will be like when the

> consequences of the principle of cause and effect work their way

throughout

> the human race. The direction it takes will be the legacy this generation

> leaves to the next.

>

> We now must recognize that the world is one place, that all humans are one

> family, that no country can be independent of others, and that when the

> world is finally safe for one it will be safe for all. The academic

> discussions of interdependence has now been made real; everyone in the

world

> is within two or three relationships of at least one person who lives or

> works in New York City or Washington, DC. When some of us are harmed all

of

> us are hurt. The new direction the world takes must deal with this

reality.

> Conscious humans everywhere will work to keep this reality in our full

> awareness.

>

> As we seek justice, as we seek understanding, as we seek revenge, as we

seek

> forgiveness, and as we seek the path to a better future, let us remember

> that whatever we do consciously and energetically will come back to us

> manyfold. As we do unto others, so we do unto ourselves. That which we

reap

> one day is the result of that which we have sown on a previous day. May we

> be filled with love and compassion for all those who were wounded or died,

> and for their famiiles, for giving us another opportunity to make a

> different choice for our collective future than we have exercised in the

> past.

>

> The calls are finally in; though shaken to the core by the horrors

witnessed

> or sensed, members of my extended family are physically safe. My heart

goes

> out to those whose homes tonight are left with places at the dinner table

> that will never be filled again. But to the survivors are left the task to

> make sure that those who did not survive did not die in vain. To honor

them

> we must strive to create a world in which justice and peace are the

> birthright of all people, and in which the many are not left needy due to

> the way some of us live. To be truly human we must rise above the emotions

> that divide, accept our part of the responsibility for the whole and learn

> from today how to create a better tomorrow.

>

> ------------

>

> DEATH, DOWNTOWN

> By Michael Moore <mmflint

> Wednesday, September 12, 2001

>

> I was supposed to fly today on the 4:30 PM American Airlines flight from

LAX

> to JFK. But tonight I find myself stuck in L.A. with an incredible range

of

> emotions over what has happened on the island where I work and live in New

> York City.

>

> My wife and I spent the first hours of the day -- after being awakened by

> phone calls from our parents at 6:40am PT -- trying to contact our

daughter

> at school in New York and our friend JoAnn who works near the World Trade

> Center. I called JoAnn at her office. As someone picked up, the first

tower

> imploded, and the person answering the phone screamed and ran out, leaving

> me no clue as to whether or not she or JoAnn would live.

>

> It was a sick, horrible, frightening day.

>

> On December 27, 1985 I found myself caught in the middle of a terrorist

> incident at the Vienna airport -- which left 30 people dead, both there

and

> at the Rome airport. (The machine-gunning of passengers in each city was

> timed to occur at the same moment.)

>

> I do not feel like discussing that event tonight because it still brings

up

> too much despair and confusion as to how and why I got to live. A fluke, a

> mistake, a few feet on the tarmac, and I am still here -- there but for

the

> grace of.

>

> Safe. Secure. I'm an American, living in America. I like my illusions. I

> walk through a metal detector, I put my carry-ons through an x-ray

machine,

> and I know all will be well.

>

> Here's a short list of my experiences lately with airport security:

>

> * At the Newark Airport, the plane is late at boarding everyone. The

counter

> can't find my seat. So I am told to just " go ahead and get on " -- without

a

> ticket!

>

> * At Detroit Metro Airport, I don't want to put the lunch I just bought at

> the deli through the x-ray machine so, as I pass through the metal

detector,

> I hand the sack to the guard through the space between the detector and

the

> x-ray machine. I tell him " It's just a sandwich. " He believes me and

doesn't

> bother to check. The sack has gone through neither security device.

>

> * At LaGuardia in New York, I check a piece of luggage, but decide to

catch

> a later plane. The first plane leaves without me, but with my bag -- no

one

> knowing what is in it.

>

> * Back in Detroit, I take my time getting off the commuter plane. By the

> time I have come down its stairs, the bus that takes the passengers to the

> terminal has left -- without me. I am alone on the tarmac, free to wander

> wherever I want. So I do. Eventually, I flag down a pick-up truck and an

> airplane mechanic gives me a ride the rest of the way to the terminal.

>

> * I have brought knives, razors; and once, my traveling companion brought

a

> hammer and chisel. No one stopped us.

>

> Of course, I have gotten away with all of this because the airlines

consider

> my safety SO important, they pay rent-a-cops $5.75 an hour to make sure

the

> bad guys don't get on my plane. That is what my life is worth -- less than

> the cost of an oil change.

>

> Too harsh, you say? Well, chew on this: a first-year pilot on American

Eagle

> (the commuter arm of American Airlines) receives around $15,000 a year in

> annual pay.

>

> That's right -- $15,000 for the person who has your life in his hands.

Until

> recently, Continental Express paid a little over $13,000 a year. There was

> one guy, an American Eagle pilot, who had four kids so he went down to the

> welfare office and applied for food stamps -- and he was eligible!

>

> Someone on welfare is flying my plane? Is this for real? Yes, it is.

>

> So spare me the talk about all the precautions the airlines and the FAA is

> making. They, like all businesses, are concerned about one thing -- the

> bottom line and the profit margin.

>

> Four teams of 3-5 people were all able to penetrate airport security on

the

> same morning at 3 different airports and pull off this heinous act? My

only

> response is -- that's all?

>

> Well, the pundits are in full diarrhea mode, gushing on about the

" terrorist

> threat " and today's scariest dude on planet earth -- Osama bin Laden. Hey,

> who knows, maybe he did it. But, something just doesn't add up.

>

> Am I being asked to believe that this guy who sleeps in a tent in a desert

> has been training pilots to fly our most modern, sophisticated jumbo jets

> with such pinpoint accuracy that they are able to hit these three targets

> without anyone wondering why these planes were so far off path?

>

> Or am I being asked to believe that there were four religious/political

> fanatics who JUST HAPPENED to be skilled airline pilots who JUST HAPPENED

to

> want to kill themselves today?

>

> Maybe you can find one jumbo jet pilot willing to die for the cause -- but

> FOUR? Ok, maybe you can -- I don't know.

>

> What I do know is that all day long I have heard everything about this bin

> Laden guy except this one fact -- WE created the monster known as Osama

bin

> Laden!

>

> Where did he go to terrorist school? At the CIA!

>

> Don't take my word for it -- I saw a piece on MSNBC last year that laid it

> all out. When the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan, the CIA trained him

and

> his buddies in how to commits acts of terrorism against the Soviet forces.

> It worked! The Soviets turned and ran. Bin Laden was grateful for what we

> taught him and thought it might be fun to use those same techniques

against

> us.

>

> We abhor terrorism -- unless we're the ones doing the terrorizing.

>

> We paid and trained and armed a group of terrorists in Nicaragua in the

> 1980s who killed over 30,000 civilians. That was OUR work. You and me.

> Thirty thousand murdered civilians and who the hell even remembers!

>

> We fund a lot of oppressive regimes that have killed a lot of innocent

> people, and we never let the human suffering THAT causes to interrupt our

> day one single bit.

>

> We have orphaned so many children, tens of thousands around the world,

with

> our taxpayer-funded terrorism (in Chile, in Vietnam, in Gaza, in Salvador)

> that I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised when those orphans grow up

and

> are a little whacked in the head from the horror we have helped cause.

>

> Yet, our recent domestic terrorism bombings have not been conducted by a

guy

> from the desert but rather by our own citizens: a couple of ex-military

guys

> who hated the federal government.

>

> From the first minutes of today's events, I never heard that possibility

> suggested. Why is that?

>

> Maybe it's because the A-rabs are much better foils. A key ingredient in

> getting Americans whipped into a frenzy against a new enemy is the

> all-important race card. It's much easier to get us to hate when the

object

> of our hatred doesn't look like us.

>

> Congressmen and Senators spent the day calling for more money for the

> military; one Senator on CNN even said he didn't want to hear any more

talk

> about more money for education or health care -- we should have only one

> priority: our self-defense.

>

> Will we ever get to the point that we realize we will be more secure when

> the rest of the world isn't living in poverty so we can have nice running

> shoes?

>

> In just 8 months, Bush gets the whole world back to hating us again. He

> withdraws from the Kyoto agreement, walks us out of the Durban conference

on

> racism, insists on restarting the arms race -- you name it, and Baby Bush

> has blown it all.

>

> The Senators and Congressmen tonight broke out in a spontaneous version of

> " God Bless America. " They're not a bad group of singers!

>

> Yes, God, please do bless us.

>

> Many families have been devastated tonight. This just is not right. They

did

> not deserve to die. If someone did this to get back at Bush, then they did

> so by killing thousands of people who DID NOT VOTE for him! Boston, New

> York, DC, and the planes' destination of California -- these were places

> that voted AGAINST Bush!

>

> Why kill them? Why kill anyone? Such insanity.

>

> Let's mourn, let's grieve, and when it's appropriate let's examine our

> contribution to the unsafe world we live in.

>

> It doesn't have to be like this.

>

> ------------

>

> COMPASSION OR REVENGE?

> By Gary Zukav

>

> [Thanks to Diana Brock Makes <diana.]

>

> The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are occasions of

> great significance. They are opportunities for you to feel inside, to find

> those parts of yourself that are in fear, and to make the decision to move

> forward in your life without fear. That is the challenge for each

individual

> on this planet today. The pursuit of external power -- the ability to

> manipulate and control -- creates only violence and destruction. The

painful

> events in New York and Washington are living examples of that reality.

>

> The causal chain that created this violence is one in which compassion and

> wisdom are absent. Are wisdom and compassion present in you as you watch

the

> television, and read the papers? It is important to realize that you do

not

> know all that came to conclusion, or into karmic balance, as a result of

> these events. Because you are not able to know all that can be known about

> them, you are not in a position to judge them.

>

> When you are able to look at the events of the Earth School from this

> perspective, you will see clearly the central importance of the role that

> you play in it. That role is this:

>

> It is for you to decide what you will contribute to this world. Many will

> be asking your opinion of these events. Each question is an opportunity

for

> you to contribute to the love that is in the world or to the fear that is

in

> the world. This is the same opportunity that presents itself to you at

each

> moment.

>

> If you hate those who hate, you become like them. You add to the violence

> and the destructive energy that now fills our world. As you make the

> decision to see with clarity and compassion, you will see that those who

> committed these acts of violence were in extreme pain themselves, and that

> they were fueled by the violent parts of ourselves -- the parts that judge

> without mercy, strike in anger, and rejoice in the suffering of others.

They

> were our proxy representatives. If you can look with compassion upon those

> who have suffered and those who have committed acts of cruelty alike, then

> you will see that all are suffering.

>

> The remedy for suffering is not to inflict more suffering.

>

> This is an opportunity for a massive expression of compassion. It is also

> an opportunity for a massive expression of revenge. Which world do you

> intend to live in -- a world of revenge or a world of compassion?

>

> ------------

>

> OUR WAR WITH " THE OTHER "

> By Sharif Abdullah

>

> http://www.commonway.org

>

> [Thanks to John Steiner <steiner_king.]

>

> Prayers for the Departed; Compassion for the Injured:

> First, I think all of us should take a break from the television and

> radio broadcasts, light a candle and say a few prayers:

>

> First, for our friends, families, loved ones, business associates,

> travel companions and others who have departed in these attacks -- our

> prayers on the rest of their journey.

>

> Next, those of us who have been injured -- physically, mentally,

> emotionally and spiritually -- our compassion and prayers for healing.

>

> For the rest of us -- hope that our compassion and understanding exceeds

> our fear, our anger and our desire for revenge.

>

>

> CHICKENS COMING HOME TO ROOST:

>

> There are some very, very angry people out there in the world. Part of

> their anger is in not being heard. People who do not feel heard will do

> ANYTHING to get one's attention.

>

> Some of those angry people live here in the US; some are in other parts

> of the world. Some look and act just like you.

>

> In general, Americans have no idea that such anger exists. It's not

> that people aren't screaming at you, its that you're programmed not to

> see or hear them. Or, if you do hear them, you think they are saying

> something other than " I am angry at you " .

>

> Or, you hear the anger yet ignore it -- these people can't possibly hurt

> you in your middle-class, gated community, your gated lives. " We " feel

> " protected " by our " security " .

>

> The US government has ignored these angry people, calling ANY attack

> against the US or its interests " unprovoked " .

>

> The United States, directly and indirectly, supports violence throughout

> the world. Denying it won't make this truth go away. We seem unable to

> understand the anger of someone who had their village leveled by

> American cruise missiles, or whose family was killed by a US-backed

> government. Believe me, they are angry and they feel powerless. Anger

> and powerlessness is the root of violence.

>

>

> CULTURE AND CONSCIOUSNESS:

>

> A few years ago, when I was in the Sri Lanka war zone, we passed two

> young men who were acting in a way that I believed was consistent with

> Tamil Tiger attack spotters. I mentioned this to my Sinhalese

> companion, who said, " That's impossible; those boys are Sinhalese. " I

> asked him, " Is it possible for a Sinhala person to be in sympathy with

> the Tigers? " He looked at me as though my head had jumped off my

> shoulders and flew around the room.

>

> Like the Oklahoma City bombing, the first (and predominant) thought is

> that the perpetrators are Islamic fundamentalists, America's favorite

> " Other " . We are programmed to not hear or understand them. Americans

> were in " shock " when the " foreign terrorist " turned out to be blue-eyed

> Timothy McVeigh.

>

> Let's not rush to see " the Other " as in any way different from

> yourself. The people who steered those planes aren't " crazy, cowardly

> fanatics " . They are people whose spiritual emptiness and frustration

> led them to commit these acts. Let's not think that their emptiness is

> any different than our own.

>

>

> FORGIVENESS AND WEAKNESS:

>

> We may find it difficult to forgive, because many of us equate

> forgiveness with weakness. In the face of attack, we want to attack

> back. We want to find the perpetrators and make them hurt, the way that

> we are hurting. We believe its the only way we can relieve our pain.

>

> We have to find another way.

>

> Many of us have been talking about a change of consciousness. Many of

> us think that it is THE OTHER who must change; it is THE OTHER who must

> change their consciousness. They point to their favorite " Other " ;

> people of different ethnicity, class or power status.

>

> It's not " the Other " who must change first -- its " us " .

>

> Beefing Security and Preventing Terrorism:

>

> There is no way to stop a coordinated suicide attack. I repeat: there

> is NO WAY to stop a suicide attack. The suicide attackers in Sri Lanka,

> in the Middle East, and now in the US have a way of making their point,

> with ever increasing accuracy and deadliness.

>

> The ONLY way to prevent such an attack occurring in the future is to

> de-fuse the attacker before the attack begins. We must work to remove

> the ROOT CAUSES that drives the suicide attacker. Our intelligence must

> be geared toward identification, understanding and transformation, not

> technology and retribution. We clearly have the capacity to punish: so

> far, that punishment has given us ever-escalating rounds of violence and

> terror. We must generate a much greater capacity to transform " the

> Other " .

>

> We cannot do this without the capacity to transform ourselves.

>

> ------------

>

> DISARMING THE HEART

> By Lama Surya Das

> Wednesday, September 12, 2001

>

> http://awakening.to/war.html

>

> [Thanks to Gary Gach.]

>

> Buddha said that hate is never overcome by hate; hatred is only overcome

by

> love. With today's tragic events we may be on the brink of an escalating

war

> in the Middle East. I think that we must look into our hearts and minds

and

> see what we -- individually, collectively, societally -- are doing to

> alleviate or to perpetuate these problems, and how we might become part of

> their eventual solution. I think an eye-for-an-eye retaliatory approach is

> not the most measured response at this time. But do our leaders agree?

>

> Religion is supposed to further peace, happiness and harmony, not

contribute

> to hatred and prejudice, intolerance, bigotry, violence and war.

Nonviolence

> is the first precept of Buddhism, and a fundamental tenet of many world

> religions; yet look what actually happens in the world, recently in the

> Middle East and Bosnia, in Belfast and Sri Lanka, as well as throughout

> history. Even here at home in America, guns in the schools and at home

> continue to harm us. Violence both at home and abroad, even in our schools

> and homes and neighborhoods, has come to the fore in our time as a major

> focus of concern, but we have not made much progress in averting or

dealing

> with it.

>

> Martin Luther King said that we have two choices: to peacefully coexist,

or

> to destroy ourselves. Do you know how many countries in the world are

> experiencing war right now? Dozens, literally; yet we remain for the most

> part insulated from that terrible reality. Here in America we don't

usually

> feel as much first-hand evidence of the recent twentieth century's war

death

> toll, although we certainly did during the several wars of the twentieth

> century. But I don't think that war begins outside somewhere, on a

> battlefield, along some disputed border, or in a diplomatic conference

room

> or economic summit meeting; war begins with the cupidity, hatred,

prejudice,

> racism, ignorance and cruelty in the human heart. This is because the true

> battlefield is the heart of man, as Dostoevsky says. If we want peace in

the

> world -- and I firmly believe that we all do -- we need to face this fact.

> We must learn how to deal with anger and hatred, and to soften up and

disarm

> our own hearts, as well as work in larger contexts towards nuclear

> disarmament and peace in our time. We need to think globally and act

> locally, beginning with ourselves and each other -- at home, in the

family,

> as well as outside at work and in the community, reaching out more and

more

> in broad, all-embracing circles of collective caring and responsibility.

> This is the path to a more peaceful future for all of us.

>

> Today is a time for prayer, reflection on what is most important in our

> lives, and to think about what steps we might take towards nonviolence

> within ourselves and our own lives as well as towards a more peaceful

world.

> I myself am thinking about what the Buddhist wisdom tells us about how to

> deal with anger and hatred, grief and loss.

>

> What we experience today is a tragic event of monumental proportions,

> comparable perhaps to Pearl Harbor. And yet, the fact that it hits us in

the

> heart of NY and Washington could remind us that it is the kind of thing

that

> happens during conflicts in other countries and their capitals, and which

we

> Americans have for the most part been mercifully insulated from. I'd like

us

> to reflect on that as we continue to pursue our national goals and

policies,

> realizing more and more deeply our connectedness with the peoples and

> ongoing conflicts in other parts of the world.

>

> ------------

>

> SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST FOR THE ATTACK ON THE UNITED STATES

> Marianne Williamson

> Global Renaissance Alliance <Office

> September 11, 2001

>

> During this awful hour, we pray for those who lost their lives and the

lives

> of their loved ones in today's tragic attacks. May God's love and wisdom

> prevail. Please, dear God, protect the people of the world.

>

> May the pain and sorrow that we feel today, and witness in others, be the

> spiritual springboard for powerful prayers for peace. In each of us, there

> lies a divine connection to a power more powerful than hate or violence.

> Today is the day to attune to that power, and use it on behalf of peace on

> earth.

>

> Join with others in your own family or community to allow the power of

" two

> or more gathered " to call down the miraculous elixir of a loving God. May

we

> not succumb to thoughts of violence and revenge today, but rather to

> thoughts of mercy and compassion. Our God is a God of justice, and His

> justice is rooted in love. " Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord " means that

> God has His own way of righting wrongs, and they are not our ways. We are

to

> love our enemies, that they might be returned to their right minds.

>

> Dear God,

> Please bring your Light

> Into the darkened corners

> Of our world today.

> May Divine Love

> Cast out all fear,

> And peace prevail on earth.

> Forgive us,

> Oh God,

> For our errors.

> Forgive others for theirs,

> As well.

> Please help us, God.

> Amen

>

> God bless you all. I am joined with you in prayer.

>

> ------------

>

> TERRORISTS? CAUTION: RESIST JUMPING TO " EVIL " CONCLUSION

> By Steve Hassan

> Freedom of Mind Resource Center

> September 11, 2001

>

> http://www.freedomofmind.com/sep11_01.htm

>

> When trying to understand today's horrific events, it might be helpful to

> understand cult psychology, " cult expert and author Steven Hassan says.

>

> " Members of terrorist organizations are in fact members of a destructive

> mind control cult. The use of influence techniques to create a fanatic are

> essentially the same. There are many similarities between the way people

are

> programmed in a cult which can result in an act of suicide bombing. Many

> people while in a destructive cult, including myself, can tell you that we

> were ready to die for the cause, if necessary. "

>

> How can a human being reign horrific death and destruction, as they have

> today? Are they evil?

>

> This is a question people are likely to be asking themselves on this

darkest

> of days in most American people's lifetimes.

>

> " Thinking of the perpetrators merely as evil people may be a mistake, "

says

> Hassan, " as it is exactly that type of simplistic thinking that ultimately

> can lead to this type of behavior. "

>

> " Part of the cult mentality is that people see things in terms of black

and

> white. Everything gets reduced to extremes belief of " good versus evil "

and

> " us versus them. " Cult members are indoctrinated to exercise strict blind

> obedience to the charismatic figure atop the pyramid structure of their

> group. They are in a form of trance. "

>

> " Basically it's mind control. The recruit is given a new identity (in the

> diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association, it is referred

to

> a Disassociative Disorder NOS 300.15). Destructive mind control cult

members

> often change names and take on a new language system; they have different

> beliefs and usually different clothing. Reality is redefined: for instance

> the Heaven's Gate followers didn't believe they were committing suicide,

> they thought they were just leaving their vehicles behind and traveling to

a

> waiting spaceship.

>

> " Cult members believe that they are part of an elite few, that they are

> chosen by God for a special purpose, that they will always be remembered

as

> heroes for what they have done. "

>

> Suicide bombers go through an intense indoctrination: they are put into a

> coffin and buried, and told that they are dead already. Then they have no

> choice but to follow the plan: they believe that they are already dead.

> They're in a trance, confident of their redemption as they die, along with

> all the victims of their actions.

>

> ------------

>

> Doug Carmichael:

>

> The Mayor of New York says, " this was an unprovoked act against innocent

> men women and children. "

>

> I write to use all means available to simply say, there is no cause

> without a cause. The creation of terrorism must be understood and dealt

> with at the root of what creates people whose lives are pained enough to

> make this kind of move. Everything is provoked. We must understand the

> deeper picture of human reality.

>

> ------------

>

> Jennifer Hadley, Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence:

>

> " The price of freedom is constant alertnesss and the willingness to strike

> back with Consciousness. "

>

> ------------

>

> Nicholas Longo, CEO of CoffeeCup Software:

>

> This is Nicholas Longo, the CEO of CoffeeCup Software. As you may have

heard

> the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked about 45 minutes ago.

>

> The Team at CoffeeCup would like to send our heart felt sorrow to those

that

> perished in these attacks.

>

> We would like to also say on record that if any country is found

responsible

> for these attacks, we call for that country's complete destruction and

> annihilation.

>

> Do not let terrorism which is designed to create fear and stop

production,

> halt your life or work.

>

> Stay focused and do not stop what you are doing.

>

> May God bless us all and the decisions we must make.

>

> ------------

>

> 11

> Author unknown

>

> [Thanks to Raya.]

>

> The date of the attack: 9/11 - 9 + 1 + 1 = 11

> September 11th is the 254th day of the year: 2 + 5 + 4 = 11

> After September 11th there are 111 days left to the end of the year.

> 119 is the area code to Iraq/Iran: 1 + 1 + 9 = 11

> Twin Towers - standing side by side, looks like the number 11

> The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11

> State of New York: The 11 State added to the Union

> New York City: 11 Letters

> Afghanistan: 11 Letters

> The Pentagon: 11 Letters

> Ramzi Yousef: 11 Letters (convicted or orchestrating the attack on the WTC

> in 1993)

> Flight 11 - 92 on board: 9 + 2 = 11

> Flight 77 - 65 on board: 6 + 5 = 11

>

> ------------

>

> Posted on Dave Winer's Scripting News

>

> http://www.scripting.com/

>

> [Thanks to John Steiner <steiner_king.]

>

> John Perry Barlow compares today's events to the burning of the Reichstag

> that led to the Nazi takeover of the German government in 1933. He said in

a

> published email " Within a few hours, we will see beginning the most

vigorous

> efforts to end what remains of freedom in America. Those of who are

willing

> to sacrifice a little -- largely illusory -- safety in order to maintain

our

> faith in the original ideals of America will have to fight for those

ideals

> just as vigorously. "

>

> ------------

>

> Posted on Dave Winer's Scripting News

>

> http://www.scripting.com/

>

> Chris Stout:

>

> " Hate caused this disaster; more hate will not make it go away. "

>

> ------------

>

> AN EMERGENCY CALL

> By Mark Gerzon

> September 11, 2001

>

> [Thanks to " Halim Dunsky " <halim.]

>

> " After something like this, there will be a desire to strike back. What

will

> be hard for us, given our national psyche, is that we cannot. We don't

know

> who, or where, to strike. "

>

> -- General Norman Schwartzkopf

>

> How do we respond to this emergency call? Even our most renowned general

> recognizes that we cannot strike back. We must find something to do with

our

> anger and our fear.

>

> We that many voices will call for increased military spending, massive new

> investments in intelligence-gathering, and the creation of a domestic

> security state. So it is important that of us whose work involves

> alternatives to violence have an important challenge ahead of us. We must

> find a way, an EFFECTIVE way, to make clear that a vital part of our

> response must be to understand the sources of the rage against the

> superpower we call home and to respond with wisdom. In addition to

whatever

> military and security measures are taken, we absolutely must reflect on

why

> we have become a target.

>

> In my view, there are three primary sources of rage. The first is because

> much of the Muslim world believes that the United States is the enemy of

> Islam. There are religious, geopolitical, and cultural reasons for this

> hatred, all of which are intensified by the targeted assassination of

> Palestinian leaders. But we can no longer afford to pretend that this

> hatred results 100% from the ideological fanaticism of militant followers

of

> Islam.

>

> The second source is the widespread view of the United States as a symbol

of

> wealth and power, and hence the enemy of the poor and powerless. To what

> degree this is true is obviously debatable, but what is beyond doubt is

that

> the perception runs deep and wide throughout much of the world,

particularly

> in the South. Yes, we are still a symbol of freedom and democracy, but we

> cannot afford to let this historic role camouflage the fact that we are

also

> profoundly hated as a symbol of superpower arrogance and privilege.

>

> The third source of rage is more diffuse, but it relates directly to the

> growing protests against the World Bank, IMF and WTO. As symbolized by a

> series of actions in which we are the Lone Ranger (Kyoto accords, Durban

> racism conference, etc), we are rapidly isolating ourselves from the world

> around us. While on the one hand we are the most " international " global

> nation on earth, we are on the other hand the most isolationist. Like the

> World Bank, IMF and WTO, which we played a pivotal role in creating, we

are

> seen as orchestrating a world that suits our national interest, regardless

> of the consequences on other nations. This view is increasingly common in

> Europe, which is culturally closest to us. If that view can take hold

there,

> just imagine how much more strongly it can grip other parts of the world,

> such as the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

>

> Rage, of course, is no excuse for mass murder. What the terrorists did in

> New York, Washington and Pennsylvania is itself an outrage. But now we, as

a

> people, have to choose. Just like the Serbs and Croats in the Balkans, the

H

> utus and Tutsies in Rwanda, and Tamils and Sinhalese in Sri Lanka, the

> Indians and Pakistanis in Kashmir, and the Protestants and Catholics in

> Ireland, WE HAVE TO CHOOSE WHAT KIND OF NATION WE WANT TO BE.

>

> Do we intensify the cycle of retaliation and revenge, or do we open

> ourselves to the heart of the hatred?

>

> If, as the Dalai Lama has said, we have moved from a century of war to a

> century of dialogue, then our choice is clear. On a scale never before

> imaginable, we must know our enemy -- not forgive them; not excuse them;

and

> not appease them -- but KNOW them. We must know them in our hearts and

> respond to them with a wisdom that passeth all understanding.

>

> ------------

>

> Halim Dunsky:

>

> To Mark Gerzon's comments I would add a challenge to further our knowing

> of ourselves: we must take up the painful question, How are the horrific

> acts perpetrated today similar to acts -- fast and slow -- perpetrated

> within recent memory and every day by the United States, other nations

> with similar blindnesses, and transnational corporations? Can we come to

> acknowledge our share of culpability in fostering the conditions that have

> nurtured the rage and determination we saw today?

>

> Meeting the heart of the enemy means being willing to see ourselves. New

> wisdom in response to a new understanding will demand that we change our

> lives -- not in order to seek greater security, but to stand down from the

> ongoing provocations for which we have been responsible.

>

> ------------

>

> John Atlee:

>

> Real defense

>

> I'd like to see a national campaign for the US to donate a small part of

> the proposed national missile defense to economic aid to the Palestinians.

>

> ------------

>

> Diana Morley:

>

> I'd like to see us become independent of Middle Eastern sources of oil.

> It's because of our commercial interests in the oil that we interfere

> militarily. It's because of our attack on Iraq during the

> Gulf War that Osama bin Laden initially turned against the U.S. (combined,

> of course, with our lack of concern for Muslim victims of war, as in

> Bosnia). Maybe the horrific suffering caused in yesterday's attacks will

> help get our attention so that we might see conserving energy and seeking

> out alternative sources, especially renewable sources, as a small price to

> pay for freeing up our commercial and military interests.

>

> ------------

>

> Vicki Robin:

>

> As I watched the World Trade Towers collapse this morning and as the shock

> works its way through my body, I am aware that people everywhere will be

> grappling with what this means. I encourage all of you to join me in

> being aware in these next days and weeks of this meaning making activity,

> knowing that how we understand this event governs how we will respond.

>

> If people recoil into fear, vengeance and scapegoating we are in for very

> dark times. Our conversations right now make a big difference in whether

> we as people, as a nation can grieve, search our souls, stay connected to

> all that is good in us. If not, if we as people and as a nation seek to

> relieve our pain through blame, then many, many people here who have

> challenged the status quo will be hurt and the conviction that we must

> live in a police state will not be far away.

>

> Please join me in compassionate conversation with as many people as

> possible -- not instructing others in how to respond but in listening and

> feeling together and discovering what our responses might be. May we use

> the power of our words and our inquiry into the soul of " the other " to

> heal. May we flood our streets with love rather than fear.

>

> Thank you for listening.

>

> ------------

>

> TURNING POINT

> By David La Chapelle <dlachape

> September 11, 2001

>

> I woke this morning after three days of increasing tension in my body...

>

> I woke knowing that I am not separate from the occurrences across this

> planet...

>

> there are many lines of destiny that cross through our lives...

> occasionally they join in a moment that cannot be denied.

>

> what I know this day

> is that it is not good to be alone...

> alone and dying in a street, or town, or tower, or in a town...

>

> violence is born of unbonded hearts

> however that violence unfolds is the agony cry of loneliness...

>

> compassion in action is never more truly tested

> than in times like these...

>

> understanding the whole out of which this particular has arisen

> is as important as the gesture we make to those closest to us on this day,

> and the gesture we make

> is as important as the understanding of the whole...

>

> I see no easy answers

> in a system that is weighted so largely by the forces of such pasts,

> I have heard of a dream

>

> that we might know a better world...

>

> now would be a good time

> to wake into that dream

> in each action...

> in each thought...

> in each breath...

>

> attention is the sword that sharpens souls

> in times when fear swirls and reaction is so easy grasp....

>

> this turning point

> has turned us,

> who do we see now?

>

> this is what becomes truly interesting,

> and the great affair of these times...

>

> who have we become?

> and what is truly possible when the worst is imagined into being?

>

> if such fear can manifest

> what of our most cherished hopes for this world and our lives?

>

> it is with this hope

> near my heart

> that I lay down to sleep tonight

> I cannot repay such sacrifice with anything but a holy hope.

>

> ------------

>

> DEAR FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD

> By Neale Donald Walsch

> September 12, 2001

>

> http://awakening.to/war.html

>

> The events of this day cause every thinking person to stop their daily

> lives, whatever is going on in them, and to ponder deeply the larger

> questions of life. We search again for not only the meaning of life, but

the

> purpose of our individual and collective experience as we have created

> it-and we look earnestly for ways in which we might recreate ourselves

anew

> as a human species, so that we will never treat each other this way again.

>

> The hour has come for us to demonstrate at the highest level our most

> extraordinary thought about Who We Really Are.

>

> There are two possible responses to what has occurred today. The first

comes

> from love, the second from fear.

>

> If we come from fear we may panic and do things-as individuals and as

> nations-that could only cause further damage. If we come from love we will

> find refuge and strength, even as we provide it to others.

>

> A central teaching of Conversations with God is: What you wish to

> experience, provide for another.

>

> Look to see, now, what it is you wish to experience-in your own life, and

in

> the world. Then see if there is another for whom you may be the source of

> that.

>

> - If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.

>

> - If you wish to know that you are safe, cause another to know that they

> are safe.

>

> - If you wish to better understand seemingly incomprehensible things,

help

> another to better understand.

>

> - If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness

> or anger of another.

>

> Those others are waiting for you now. They are looking to you for

guidance,

> for help, for courage, for strength, for understanding, and for assurance

at

> this hour. Most of all, they are looking to you for love. This is the

moment

> of your ministry. This is the time of teaching. What you teach at this

time,

> through your every word and action right now, will remain as indelible

> lessons in the hearts and minds of those whose lives you touch, both now,

> and for years to come.

>

> We will set the course for tomorrow, today. At this hour. In this moment.

>

> There is much we can do, but there is one thing we cannot do. We cannot

> continue to co-create our lives together on this planet as we have in the

> past. We cannot, except at our peril, ignore the events of this day, or

> their implications.

>

> It is tempting at times like this to give in to rage. Anger is fear

> announced, and rage is anger that is repressed, and then, when it is

> released, that is often misdirected. Right now, anger is not

inappropriate.

> It is, in fact, natural -- and can be a blessing. If we use our anger

about

> this day not to pinpoint where the blame falls, but where the cause lies,

we

> can lead the way to healing.

>

> Let us seek not to pinpoint blame, but to pinpoint cause.

>

> Unless we take this time to look at the cause of our experience, we will

> never remove ourselves from the experiences it creates. Instead, we will

> forever live in fear of retribution from those within the human family who

> feel aggrieved, and, likewise, seek retribution from them. So at this time

> it is important for us to direct our anger toward the cause of our present

> experience. And that is not necessarily individuals or groups who have

> attacked others, but, rather, the reasons they have done so. Unless we

look

> at these reasons, we will never be able to eliminate these attacks.

>

> To me the reasons are clear. We have not learned the most basic human

> lessons. We have not remembered the most basic human truths. We have not

> understood the most basic spiritual wisdom. In short, we have not been

> listening to God, and because we have not, we watch ourselves do ungodly

> things.

>

> The message of Conversations with God is clear: we are all one. That is a

> message the human race has largely ignored. Our separation mentality has

> underscored all of our human creations.

>

> Our religions, our political structures, our economic systems, our

> educational institutions, and our whole approach to life have been based

on

> the idea that we are separate from each other. This has caused us to

inflict

> all manner of injury, one upon the other. And this injury causes other

> injury, for like begets like and negativity only breeds negativity. It is

as

> easy to understand as that. And so now let us pray that all of us in this

> human family will find the courage and the strength to turn inward and to

> ask a simple, soaring question: what would love do now? If we could love

> even those who have attacked us, and seek to understand why they have done

> so, what then would be our response? Yet if we meet negativity with

> negativity, rage with rage, attack with attack, what then will be the

> outcome?

>

> These are the questions that are placed before the human race today. They

> are questions that we have failed to answer for thousands of years.

Failure

> to answer them now could eliminate the need to answer them at all. We

should

> make no mistake about this. The human race has the power to annihilate

> itself. We can end life as we know it on this planet in one afternoon.

>

> This is the first time in human history that we have been able to say

this.

>

> And so now we must direct our attention to the questions that such power

> places before us. And we must answer these questions from a spiritual

> perspective, not a political perspective, and not an economic perspective.

>

> We must have our own conversation with God, for only the grandest wisdom

and

> the grandest truth can address the greatest problems, and we are now

facing

> the greatest problems and the greatest challenges in the history of our

> species. It is not as if we have not seen this coming. Every spiritual,

> political, and philosophical writer of the past 50 years has predicted it.

> So long as we continue to treat each other as we have done on this planet,

> the circumstance that we face on this day will continue to present itself.

>

> The difference is that now our technology makes our anger much more

> dangerous. In the early days of our civilization, we were able to inflict

> hurt upon each other using sticks and rocks and primitive weapons. Then,

as

> our technology grew, it became possible for clans to war against clans

and,

> ultimately, for nations to war against nations.

>

> But even then, until most recent times, it was not possible for us to

> annihilate each other completely. We could destroy a village, or a town,

or

> a major city, or even an entire nation, but only now is it possible for us

> to destroy our whole world so fast that nothing can stop it once the

process

> has begun.

>

> That is what makes this point in our history different from any other. And

> that is what makes this call for each of us to have our own conversation

> with God so appropriate and so important.

>

> If we want the beauty of the world that we have co-created to be

experienced

> by our children and our children's children, we will have to become

> spiritual activists right here, right now, and cause that to happen. We

must

> choose to be at cause in the matter.

>

> So, talk with God today. Ask God for help, for counsel and advice, for

> insight and for strength and for inner peace and for deep wisdom. Ask God

on

> this day to show us how to show up in the world in a way that will cause

the

> world itself to change.

>

> That is the challenge that is placed before every thinking person today.

>

> Today the human soul asks the question: What can I do to preserve the

beauty

> and the wonder of our world and to eliminate the anger and hatred-and the

> disparity that inevitably causes it -- in that part of the world which I

> touch?

>

> Please seek to answer that question today, with all the magnificence that

is

> You.

>

> I love you, and I send you my deepest thoughts of peace.

>

> ------------

>

> WHAT SHOULD WE DO IN THIS CRISIS?

> By Tom Atlee <cii

> Tuesday, September 11, 2001

>

> " What should we do? " Elliot was calling from work, having just heard

about

> this morning's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We are

> housemates in a 9-person collective house into which I moved a month ago.

>

> My partner Karen, my daughter Jennifer, Adin (another housemate) and I had

> been talking about the crisis for over an hour. We wondered about

Elliot's

> question. One thing we could do was write to you -- my list of 800 people

> -- who have so many important connections into the world. But what should

> we say?

>

> We thought of sharing a lesson we'd all agreed on: " We can't be secure

> when we are doing so many things that lead people to hate us. " We

wondered

> about saying more. We looked at the role of greed, and then at how greed

> was just one form of power-hunger, and how power-hunger derives from

> insecurity which, in turn, arises from disconnection from other people and

> life. People don't exploit, neglect or terrorize things they love and

> vibrantly relate to.

>

> But, one of us said, there's more than individual motivations at work

> here. The systems we live in and use -- the social, economic, political,

> and other systems -- support greed, power-hunger, insecurity and

alienation

> in thousands of subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Someone else commented

that

> the systemic and the individual dynamics feed back into each other.

> Another person suggested there are many positive initiatives that could

> change both the system and the individual behaviors. I suggested evidence

> that -- right now -- the world has the resources and know-how to create a

> just and sustainable world that works for all, but they just aren't being

> used for that.

>

> As we explored all this, we noticed that our individual contributions were

> painting an ever-fuller, richer picture of what was going on and how to

> understand it. We decided that this situation has so many facets that

> high-quality reflection and dialogue -- thoughtful exploration among

> diverse perspectives, such as we were doing -- may be the ONLY way to

> comprehend and creatively address incidents as profoundly important as

> these. In the absence of dialogue and reflection, we oversimplify. All

of

> us do. We blame an enemy -- perhaps terrorists or " the system " -- or we

> focus on one small part of the web of causation -- perhaps " greed " or

> " revenge " or something else that we particularly understand.

>

> But the significance of this realization reaches beyond today's attack on

> the World Trade Center and the Pentagon: This horrible incident is but

one

> in an ongoing chain of incidents of profound social significance. Each

one

> is an opportunity to think, to feel and to talk -- to deepen and learn --

> so that we can act more effectively and wisely, both individually and

> collectively. We saw that hope lies in the kind of " learning together "

> that generates engaged wisdom -- rather than in the kind of reactivity

that

> supports our weakest and worst responses.

>

> This isn't the first crisis to hit our society. And it definitely won't

be

> the last. We all know that crises like this can evoke the worst --or the

> best -- in ordinary folks, in leaders, and in whole societies. What can

we

> do to help the best, the wisest and most useful responses emerge?

>

> Usually in crisis most people watch the news and wait like spectators to

> see what various leaders and governments will do, as if the drama were a

> football game. Meanwhile, those leaders and governments are caught up in

> dynamics which -- to say the least -- do not enhance their wisdom. More

> often than not, their actions -- and our spectatorism -- lead us all into

> even worse problems.

>

> To change that, we need widespread, healthy conversations that generate

> deeper insight and the kind of creative engagement that makes a difference

> in the world. Ultimately, we need to make such conversations part of the

> structure of our culture -- especially of our political and governmental

> systems (see www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol_Index.html and

> www.democracyinnovations.org).

>

> But today we can find people we trust and care about, and gather in

> circles, speaking and listening from our hearts. We can listen well to

> those who disagree with us, and ask questions that deepen shared

> understanding. And, for the long haul, we can advocate the

" infrastructure

> of dialogue " that our democracy so sorely needs -- places we can go for

> high quality public conversation, publicly available facilitators and

> technology, and diverse citizen councils who explore important issues with

> high quality dialogue in full public view, whose findings and

> recommendations have a real impact on public policy and public activity.

>

> We find ourselves in a moment of great danger. It contains seeds of great

> opportunity. Let us each do what we can to promote healthy dialogue that

> motivates wise action at all levels of our society. That one change would

> change everything else: With each successive crisis, we would find

> ourselves moving away from ultimate Disaster towards a world that works

for

> all, a world that is actually a joy to live in.

>

> ------------

>

> QUESTIONS FOR DIALOGUE ABOUT 9/11/01

> Tom Atlee <cii writes:

> Wednesday, September 12, 2001

>

> Dear friends,

>

> I offer these questions -- formulated today with my daughter Jennifer --

as

> a resource for those of you wishing to organize conversations around the

> current crisis.

>

> Use whatever conversational process and venue you are most comfortable

> with. If you would like a suggestion, gather 2-20 people for a listening

> circle (aka talking circle or council, ref

> <http://www.co-intelligence.org/P-listeningcircles.html>). You can do it

> at home, at work, at your place of worship, in a library room, wherever.

>

> Read over the list of questions below. Add any others that come to you,

> avoiding leading questions and questions that invite simple, shallow

> answers (e.g., yes or no). Pick one or more questions and have people

> speak from their hearts about it.

>

> To choose questions, you might place your own favorite dozen questions in

a

> hat, then have a participant pick 1-3 questions out of the hat, which

> everyone then speaks to. Or put up a list of a dozen or so and take 5-10

> minutes with the group brainstorming some other questions that interest

> them. Then have each person choose their favorite half of the list

(e.g.,

> their favorite ten out of a list of 20). Pick the question with the top

> votes, and have everyone speak to that.

>

> Or do something else. Feel free to use these questions in any way you

> wish, including for your own reflection or to ask your friends and family.

>

> I hope they prove useful for you.

>

> ...........

>

> INQUIRIES ARISING FROM THE CRISIS OF SEPTEMBER 11th

>

> - What could lead someone to do something like this?

>

> - What might we do differently so that fewer people hate Americans?

>

> - What response would move us to a world in which this kind of thing

> wouldn't occur?

>

> - How well do revenge and punishment serve us?

>

> - How can the media be most helpful in these times?

>

> - What constitutes real safety and security?

>

> - What is the worst response we could have in this crisis?

>

> - How do we deal with personal and communal suffering?

>

> - What ways of dealing with our emotions serve us or make things worse?

>

> - What can we learn from this? What are the most important lessons?

>

> - What is the place of anger in this situation?

>

> - What are you feeling in your body right now?

>

> - What could have prevented this?...what else?...what else?...

>

> - What consequences would result from each of those actions?

>

> - What good could come of all this?

>

> - What are you most scared of right now?

>

> - What is most important to you right now?

>

> - What would be the advantages or disadvantages of waiting until all the

> evidence was in before deciding who did it and how to respond?

>

> - How should we relate to people who applaud this act -- what difference

> would it make?

>

> - How does our society deal with trauma? What would help our society

deal

> better with trauma?

>

> - What do we need our leaders to do? To what extent are they doing that?

>

> - How can we effectively communicate with our leaders?

>

> - What would we be feeling if it were proven that this was done by a

white

> US citizen?

>

> - What would we be feeling if this were done to another country by an

ally

> of ours? Has anything like that ever happened?

>

> - What would have to change for there to be no terrorism?

>

> - To what extent are we responding in automatic ways or in conscious,

> creative ways? How do we feel about that?

>

> - What outcomes of this could make you feel it has been worth it?

>

> - To what extent do you trust what the government and/or media has been

> saying about this?

>

> - Who do you know that was directly effected by this? What is your

> relationship to those people? How has their story affected you?

>

> - What is the relationship between business as usual and crises like

this?

>

> - If you were the ruler of the world, how would you handle this problem?

>

> - What does this mean for our everyday lives?

>

> - What can one person do about this? What can people do together?

>

> - What changes in the system would help us?

>

> - How should we talk with children about this?

>

> - What responses to this have you heard that upset you or inspired you?

>

> --Where do you think those perspectives come from?

>

> - What does all this mean about our future?

>

> - What does this mean about who we are as human beings?

>

> - What does this mean about who we are as a society?

>

> - What other questions need to be asked?

>

> - What would have to happen for people's responses to these questions to

> make a real difference in the world?

>

> ------------

>

> From <CarTheo:

>

> My fantasy is that in a speech to the nation President Bush will say, " No

we

> are not going to retaliate. We want all violence to stop. Let it begin

with

> us. I call upon all corporations to stop making weapons of war. I call

upon

> Congress to make their manufacture illegal, and to find ways to help

weapons

> industries transfer to other products. I call upon all nations to stop the

> trading of weapons across their borders. I also call upon all nations to

> join in a universal covenant to disarm -- not only our own national

arsenals

> but those of any violent groups within our borders, acknowledging,

finally,

> that there are better ways to settle disputes than by the killing and

> maiming of innocent men, women and children -- and to now turn our

attention

> to saving our planet from ecological disaster. "

>

> ------------

>

> Pennie Stasik O'Grady <pennielink:

>

> I see a world looking back on Sept 11, 2001 as the turning point which

> transformed America and its decision making on international policy to one

> of careful consideration of the needs of ALL people in the world -- and

all

> life on this planet. I see an America remembering with full awareness and

> regret its former status as a Most Feared Nation. And I see an America

> relieved and grateful for the lessons learned and wisdom gained through

this

> most tragic expression of unmet needs.

>

> ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

>

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>

> ------------

>

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