London calling

[Raffi Aftandelian]

Dear Brendan,

Thank you for this humbling reminder.

> Gandhi said it well, in words that sounded like:
> Unless I recognise that the evil that I see in my enemy also exists within me
> and that the good that I know is within me also exists in my enemy,
> I have no way of sustaining a commitment to nonviolent solutions.
> 
> This is for me one of the most powerful reasons for continuing to open 
> space for dialogue - naming the capacity for evil and hate within myself 
> and recognising the humanity of others - regardless of the acts of violence 
> they feel compelled - or inspired - to perpetrate

This is a tall order. And at the same time such a simple one.

I did not know Colin before. I looked at his blog today.
And this was a reminder that what (may have) happened to him, could
easily happen to me or anyone of us.

I am not sure Paul that I would want to join your conversation with
Masud on "muslims" in Halifax (as intrigued as I am by it). I am not sure it will go anywhere. Yes, it is quite possibleI will say this: like Masud I also have the firsthand
experience of living in a muslim country.

I lived in Iran from age 3 to 12, and was fortunate to see and
experience the Iranian Islamic Revolution at the tender age of 9. And
I was equally fortunate to be required to shout "Death to America,
Death to Carter. Allah is great" before school for 15 minutes a day.

And for me that brainwashing I experienced as a child is little
different from the brainwashing of US McDonald's anesthesia of the
mind culture. Maybe the McDonald's brainwashing is a little bit more
subtle and effective. But it's all about the same thing: inculcating
passivity in ordinary people, people who are meant for bigger and
greater things.

And at the end of the day, all we have is Open Space, as banal as that
may sound. So, I may butterfly into a session on muslims and read your
report...

warmly,
raffi

                          mailto:raffi at bk.ru

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