The answer, according to my daughter

[william becker]

I now have a daughter who is 25, studying law full time and holding down a
full-time job at NBC, and it sems only yesterday that she was your
daughter's age and gave such youthful and insightful suggestions,
observations.  In the short intervening 15 years she is now an adult and
more realistic.  A benefit of experience.

Yet there is stong merit in your daughter's insight.  It is not a matter of
either or.  America can do both, build the Mosk and get rid of the
irrational think people who did it, who plan to do more, and others like
them.

Most families have a relative that who suffers from emotional or mental
illusions.  These terrorists  have an illness that short of a puting them
under lock and key and heavy sedation, can not be cured with our spiritual
and medical knowledge and skills as of today.

It is one thing to turn the other cheek, and an entirely different thing to
expose one's backside in the process!

I undersand we are the biggest contributor of aid to Afghanistan ($125
million) as it is.  This has not stopped them from becoming a breeding
ground for terrorists.

In the meantime, your daughter is right.  Feed the monster.  And, so is our
effort to rid ourselves of all the monsters.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Corrigan" <corcom at interchange.ubc.ca>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2001 5:57 AM
Subject: The answer, according to my daughter


> My daughter Aine and I were walking in the woods today playing a game.
> She was pretending that there were monsters in the forest and that they
> were coming to eat us.  We had to be vigilant.  We had to defend
> ourselves.
>
> I asked her "What is the plan? What are we going to do if we see one of
> the monsters?"
>
> She replied, "Feed them."
>
> "Feed them?" I said.
>
> "Yes," she said. "If we feed them they won't want to eat us."
>
> I think she has the answer there.  Imagine if George Bush took that $40
> billion that Congress gave him and used it to feed people.  Heck, take
> $20 billion to fix up US security and clean up New York and use the
> other half to feed people.  And not just feed them with food.
>
> What if we decided that people's spirits needing feeding too?  What if
> we chose to take $1 billion and build the biggest, most beautiful mosque
> in the world, right in the heart of Kabul.  And what if we gave it as a
> gift, no quid pro quo, as a place for people to feed their spirits?
>
> What would the reaction be?  What do we want the reaction to be?  We
> have choices
>
> Seems we could bomb innocent people to death and celebrate, mirroring
> the images of this week, and thereby satisfy our thirst for vengence.
> But what would that get us?  A world that so admired the West that it
> wanted to emulate it in every way and celebrates it;s way of life?  Or
> would a large part of the 5 billion people that don't live in the west
> see things differently?  Would more people feel as if vengence was the
> only possible response, and figure out more simple and effective ways to
> terrorize?  We can have that kind of world if we choose it.
>
> Or we can take Aine's advice and feed people.  And what would that get
> us?  There is no better way to rob the world of it's anger and
> bitterness, jealousy and hate, than to feed people
> unconditionally...feed their bodies, minds and spirits.  Build places of
> learning, places of spirit, places for healing and nourishment, places
> of community.
>
> Take that $40 billion dollars and spend it in every neighborhood in the
> world.  Put the world to work growing food, healing people, restoring
> land and water, building communities, creating the thin fibres of
> connection between peoples, families, communties, cities, nations....
>
> "If we feed them they won't want to eat us."  Can you think of a better
> form of security?
>
> Love to all,
>
> Chris
>
>
> --
> CHRIS CORRIGAN
> Consultation - Facilitation
> Open Space Technology
>
> http://www.chriscorrigan.com
> corcom at interchange.ubc.ca
>
> RR 1 E-3
> 1172 Miller Road
> Bowen Island, BC
> Canada, V0N 1G0
>
> phone (604) 947-9236
> fax (604) 947-9238
>
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