...more recent posts
I've mentioned AKMA, the highest profile theologian blogger, a few times before. Here's an interesting email exchange between him and Stewart Butterfield. Stewart is part of Ludicorp which is creating The Game Neverending, a massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG.) He is looking for AKMA's advise on how religion should work in their virtual world.
Anti-war march thread. I'll post in the comments here if I can get a signal on my mobile. Others should feel free to do the same.
These are some complex and distracting times. The television assault is mind numbing. The repitition of certain phrases and images wears you down. But it's important to keep trying to think critically. Having to write about it helps.
If you've been following along here you know I got some, uh, negative feedback. I'm surprised this hadn't happened before. Probably the best response is no response ("don't feed the trolls") but of course I appreciate the supportive comments even while hoping they don't egg on our new friend. I'd perfer him to be one of those friends you don't ever have to spend any time with.
As I said before, I'm sure my position is infuriating to many. But my feeling is that I am not actually in opposition to these people. I mean, even though they think I am. For instance, I believe Sadam is a bad guy. I believe the world will be a better place with him removed from power. I would myself, under certain conditions, participate in a military action.
So what's the beef? I think the problem is that the excitement of war narrows people's focus. The barrage of television coverage allows some to forget that this situation is embedded inside a larger global situation, and the consequences of our actions in Iraq will travel far beyond that country. Do we want Sadam gone? Of course. Will we do anything to get that result? I, for one, don't think so.
Consider (and I don't mean to make light of the situation): If an asteroid struck the earth killing all life, that would remove Sadam from power. But obviously people don't want that to happen. I make this extreme case on purpose, just to establish that we wouldn't do just anything to accomplish our goals. Some courses of action are too costly. While the present situation is much more complex then my extreme example, I think that this present campaign is also too costly. My point with the asteroid is just to show that calculating costs like this is necessary. The gung ho "whatever it takes" attitude is obviously wrong in some cases, and so the debate should be going on as to whether this is one of those cases.
The cost is the destruction of the global framework of cooperation among countries that has been represented by the UN. In other words, the cost is the destruction of fraternity among the people of the world. The cost is the isolation of the U.S. from the concerns of all mankind.
I consider myself a patriot. But maybe there should be a new term? I don't know. I know I differ from many who call themselves patriots, and I think I know the difference. Some so called patriots would place the interests of the United States above the interest of all foreign individuals and nations. This made sense at a certain point in the past. But today, with the U.S.'s overwhelming military and economic power, we have a new responsibility. Perhaps a responsibility that no other nation has ever had to shoulder. The responsibility to look out for the interests, not just of ourselves, but of the whole world.
This will take great sacrifice. And great complexity of thought. But we are strong enough to do it. Unfortunately, our present government doesn't seem to have much interest in this. Isolationists to begin with, I think they were so scared (either personally or politically) by 9/11 that they vowed to protect this country "at all costs." But again, some people need to continue to think critically, and point out that some costs are indeed too high. Especially when your country is the undisputed leader of the world, and as such cannot morally think only of ourselves.
I think we should immediately stop this war. Our leaders should step down or be impeached. (I don't really care if they are prosecuted for war crimes, but probably they could be.) And then a new government should be elected, and we should begin the long difficult process of rebuilding our global alliances. Rebuilding the work in progress that is/was international law.
And then we should return - as a unified world - to the question of dangerous rouge regimes everywhere. We should attack these problems diplomatically, and where that doesn't work, with a global force sanctioned through international law. Is this road more difficult then "going it alone"? Yes. Much. But that is no argument against doing it.
Let's be strong.
I'm off to the protest. Maybe I'll see you there.