Mission Statement:
to save the world from ignorance,fear and prejudice
blog rules
no purposeful stupidity please
respect yourself,respect others
if you want to bitch take it somewhere else
1st subject for discussion
the Arab spring
I see a hope in the world that brings people out of their houses,schools,workplaces to face guns and tanks in the streets where they live,work and play
this inspires great respect in me for those people who continue to face great danger and death every day in simple actions such as the search for bread
what would make a person face such peril?
is it a search for dignity for the self,the family ,the state?
is it a hope for prosperity,for education?
is it a love for others,a human social instinct?
or is it a basic human response to the presence of evil in the world and a clash between good and evil on the most basic level?
evil being represented here by the will to use indiscriminate violence in order to retain hegemony over another person,place,nation or state without the inclusion of discussion,reason or purpose
I will be inviting people I know who have displayed intelligence ,reason and goodwill to me in the past to join this blog and offer their opinions,hopefully it can grow into something with use and purpose and can help us all educate each-other about ourselves,our hopes and our abilities,
so thank you for looking in,please feel free to post as you will
please respect the basic laws of decency regarding language,links,pictures etc and take into account that,hopefully,people of all religions ,age-groups,professions,sexuality etc will be using this site and act in accordance if you can
think before you act
Hey Friday
ReplyDeleteNice Blog :)
Arab Spring: Has a manly free scent, but women want it too.
ReplyDeleteI should hope so :)
ReplyDeleteFirst I think we should for the most part agree Dignity isn't the cause.
ReplyDeleteDignity isn't a base desire to most, and although it doesn't cover everyone as every man is different, most would protect their loved ones even if in the process they were regarded as scum.
I think it is a mixture of a love for others and thought for the future which also fall into the former, as prosperity in education etc and the general future well being is done out of love for children and a bond with the entire race that most of us feel.
Obviously the current state takes president over the future as without a present there is no future, so a healthy balance of 70:30 to 80:20 I'd say.
Did you know 87% of statistics are made up on the spot ;D
you learn something new every day
ReplyDeleteI feel dignity is a natural state for a man,woman or child and I think the denial or interference with that natural feeling of peace,health,love etc causes disease in body and soul
however if people are well enough supplied with security,food and basic comforts (say by a nation or strong 'charasmatic' leader)then they can overlook the loss of dignity that can come from belonging to a larger group/nation etc or accept a balance between the 2 things
I feel that time is coming to an end now,that nations no longer seek war with each other to dignify the principles of one man or a group of men and that a birth of a truely new world order is coming to light
I didn't say it wasn't a natural state, I simply said it was secondary to the others.
ReplyDeleteWe all have a priority order for all of these aspects, without it, we'd never make decisions.
ok,
ReplyDeleteif you are a free libyan and gaddafi is gone,the whole country is united,what do you do next?
Survival - the most primitive driving force of any animal.
ReplyDeleteI think the prevalence of modern communication is at the root of it.
ReplyDeleteIn the past people tended to live within dictorships (benign or otherwise), autocracies, theocracies or other forms of coercive government because they had little knowledge of any other forms of government except what the state newspapers told them, or the local head honcho of whatever system they were under chose to tell them, most of which would have been propaganda.
in fact throughout history most of the surges forward in technology and new thinking (which often go hand in hand) have led to revolutions or one sort or another.
Think of the rennaisance leading onwards to the reformation - a massive revolution in religious thought.
Think of the enlightenment leading on to nationalism which led to the break up of many of the old european empires such as the Austro hungarian empire because people wanted mre direct say in their government.
The internet and satellite communications have made it very difficult for countries to limit knowledge of what is going on in the outside world. Communications and modern transport mean people have access to each other quickly in a way that would have been impossible even 50 years ago.
Its hardly suprising that people want more say in how their lives are run, even medieval peasants in England had uprisings against their lords and kings. It's a basic human desire to have (or believe one has) some imput into how things are organised.
I think it boils down to a human need to have some control over what happens to them in their own homes, localities and ultimately in their own nation.
It'll take years for Arab Spring (or reformation) to end, but ultimately it'll be for the better. Dignity (along with autonomy, opportunity) is a crucial element at work. I've seen it stated specifically from many in the younger twitter ranks who are involved on the ground. And older folks are coming along as fear subsides and they realize there are more who can and will speak up with them. The best part though is that the tools being used by the people on the ground will help insulate against any new dictators arising next. Even if they could come to power fundamentalists would never be able to put a cork on this any differently then secular dictators can.
ReplyDeletewell said
ReplyDeletedo you think it's in only in arab nations that this realisation is occuring or do you feel it's happening in europe too?
ReplyDeleteI think what's really happening is a departure from old patriarchal,phallo-centric views and systems,
ReplyDeletetrue womens lib if you like
as females realise that they do not need to be defined by a man or any part of man and that they have identities of their own regardless of sex
I am hoping this site will be recognised beyond being a single posting entity
ReplyDeletehaven't got the cash to set up a streaming service and invite people in
ReplyDeleteYou have created a very noble looking Blog and i sincerely hope it will help to educate and pacify ALL who read it
ReplyDelete(Good luck and best wishes Pops)
wow,thanks dude (peace out)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope something starts educating people! It worries me greatly that there are still people out there who believe in white supremacy and other things of that ilk. I had hoped the world was growing up a bit. I am hopeful the the Arab reformation is a step in the right direction however.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed by the impact ,power and force that the demonstrations in Tahrir square had but it worries me that the momentum appears to be being lost.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure if I was in Daraa I would not feel that way but that's how it appears from my comfortable chair in the uk
I am really not sure where Arab Spring is going? I am not even sure if the term Arab Spring is proper term for what we are witnessing, since it limits the time and space for the event that is taking place. I see this a little more globally and historically. I can only remember three other times in my lifetime that I had witnessed a similar phenomena. First, around 1959 (coincidentally the year that I was born), 1968 and then around 1979. The countries involved in these events were from different regions of Earth.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe we can understand these events in the full yet either.
ReplyDeleteThe advent of global communication forums has turned our planet into a small village where everyone knows what his or her neighbour is doing.
This alone is bringing some very ugly things into the light but also some amazing and beautiful things.
The only outcome that I can foresee in the first instance is the end of tyranny and deception made possible by the promotion of fear in a population
and that I celebrate.
I can not say how saddened I am by the vain hopes of a few small minded people to cling on to the past in these matters although I see it in the politics of many countries not only in Arab nations but in my own in the behaviour of many people every day in the street.
It appears to me that many many people are happy to be afraid and live in fear if that belief will give them a superiority over others or maybe some kind of religious kick,I just don't know.
It is a very disappointing thing to me having been raised in a nation that supposedly enshrines the values of fairness and free speech to see the things I see every day,sometimes I wish I was in Libya with a gun and had a fighting chance to make myself heard,although I understand really how lucky I am not to have to.
Please don't be afraid to post in here,I'm really interested in hearing what people are thinking above and beyond the everyday stuff that happens :)
ReplyDelete