{Spam?} Re: A Note from a Young Friend

Shay Ben Yosef shayby at communitynet.co.il
Tue Aug 8 00:08:38 PDT 2006


Dear OS colleagues

Yes, I also love the song Imagine, but in our reality it's look like a distant fantasy. The war is still around us, we are paying high price for learning some lessons about the illusion of CONTROL.   The tragedy is much bigger when we think that nor the Israelis neither the Lebanese people having any reason to fight. We are leaf at the storm of world wide war.

Here is some thoughts that I shred with my friends here in Israel:

 

There are reasons for anger, there are reasons for blaming others, there are reasons for shame and above all looms the question - 

Where is this direction leading?

 

In spite of everything this situation holds an unusual opportunity for the Israeli society. We are painfully disillusioned of three assertions:

-         Solution can be obtained by force - our military strength will provide a bearable solution.

-         Solution can be obtained via dialogue - if only we could gather around the table for negotiation we could agree on a solution which will enable prosperity for all involved.

-         The conflict is a local matter - between us and the Palestinians/ Arab countries.

 

These three are false:

-         The use of strength does not lead to surrender nor to adding strength to the peace parties on the opposing side.

-         The dialogue has not been able to stop the opposing side from striving towards our annihilation, and the more dialogue partners we find, the more powerful the Islamic Jihad forces become.

-         We are in the midst of a worldwide conflict. The exact routes for the separation fence or the Lebanese border are entirely irrelevant. The conflict is between a combative Islam which does not acknowledge the order of a republic, and the post-colonial west civilization battling over the remains of world hegemony based on financial forces and international organizations.

 

We are now perplexed,

I believe it is far better than being delusional.

 

I encourage us to converse out of the perplexity, not out of anger or false certainty.

 

So, lets meet at the day after, open wide circles just to ask: what can we, the civilians, do at the front line of worldwide war to bring some hope for our children?  

 

Shay

 

Ofra, Israel

 

 

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Argene Carswell 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 5:24 AM
  Subject: Re: A Note from a Young Friend


   Harrison and Jon,

  A personal note of thanks for your notes. I recently returned from Beirut (less than two weeks before the conflict). When I read your emails tonight, I had just completed one of my own to one of my Lebanese colleagues, and was feeling quite helpless. In fact, I have felt quite helpless over the past few weeks as I communicate with my Lebanese colleagues and friends by phone and email.

  Jon, your words regarding demonstrating "huge respect" and the power of just "connecting" brought such comfort at this moment. It makes me think that what I offer my Lebanese friends just might have some real value after all. And while it does not involve a typical open space and large circles - I hope that as I try to exhalt THEM, and connect with passion, "maybe human love can be seen at its highest" - even if just for a fleeting moment.

  Harrison, I now feel less helpless. And I know you are right, the fever has to run its course - it is sometimes just so hard when it hits so close.

  Many thanks,

  Argene

  Carswell and Associates
  1235 Jefferson Davis Highway
  Suite 1600, #141
  Arlington, VA 22202

   
  -----Original Message-----
  From: hhowen at adelphia.net
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
  Sent: Mon, 7 Aug 2006 11:57 AM
  Subject: Re: A Note from a Young Friend


  Jon -- thanks for the note. I presume you also meant this for OSLIST, so I will send onwards.

  ho

  Harrison Owen
  7808 River Falls Dr.
  Potomac, MD  20854
  USA
  301-365-2093
  207-763-3261 (summer)
  website www.openspaceworld.com
  Personal Website www.ho-image.com

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Jon Harvey 
    To: Harrison Owen 
    Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 10:57 AM
    Subject: RE: A Note from a Young Friend


    Thank you for sharing that with us, Harrison.

    It has never been more important than now to create the spaces for people to
    come together, and through dialogue, be reminded that we are all human and
    what joins us is so much much more than what divides us. Like Dania I
    sometimes despair and hear with disbelief the vacuuous statements by our so
    called leaders. But then I get back in my saddle - believing that if I can
    help just two people to really hear and listen to each other - and
    rediscover their common humanity - then it is still worth carrying on.

    So - here's to large circles and deep listening, wide openness and huge
    respect! Defragging the world may take time - but we can get there!

    "Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and
    the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its
    highest. Live in fragments no longer" (E M Forster)

    Jon Harvey
    Oxford, UK



    -----Original Message-----
    From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Harrison
    Owen
    Sent: 07 August 2006 15:28
    To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
    Subject: A Note from a Young Friend


    Some of you may remember that during the Congress of Rabbis and Imans I met
    a wounderful young lady from Indonesia. I heard from her again today and
    thought our exchange might have some relevance for OSLIST.

    Dania wrote:

    Dear Mr. Owen,
    How are you? I'm Dania from Indonesia. I was a participant of the world
    congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace in Seville, Spain, as a student of
    Children of Abraham. I met you there. I hope you're still remember me
    Mr. Owen, I'm very concerned about the war between Hezbollah and Israel in
    Lebanon.. I read the news about it everywhere. Yesterday,  I found a
    newspaper on my boss' desk. I stole it (hihihihi) while she was having lunch
    and read the news about Hezbollah and Israel. People died in Lebanon, most
    of them are children and old people. They bombed houses, buildings.. oh my
    God, I couldn't stand read it. I saw the news on the TV, too. They showed
    the picture of the victims in lebanon, the children, the amunitions, people
    suffered...
    On my way back home from the office, I turned my radio on and heard the news
    about Hezbollah and Israel (again and again and again!).after the news, they
    played one of my favourite songs, Imagine, sang by 2 singers, an arabic man
    and a french woman. they sang the song in 3 languages: arabic, french, and
    english. it was beautiful. i've heard this song many times, but when I heard
    it yesterday, I cried.. I was very upset about this war and all. whjat is
    wrong with this world?? why do they do that? what for? Can't they stop the
    war, make peace, and live happily together? what's wrong with peace? why do
    they reject peace? what do they want now? when is it going to be over?
    Can we do something to stop the war, Mr. Owen? Me, you, and the Imams and
    Rabbis who attended the congress in Seville? Can we take action? What can we
    do to stop the war? what can we do to make them realize that war won't do
    any good?
    I can't find any answer for these questions.. I feel hopeless.
     Dania

    I replied:
    Of course I remember you! And with great affection!! As for Hezbollah and
    Isreal. . . I am afraid that this may be one of those times in Human history
    when all the things we should done and did not, along with all the things we
    should not have done and did -- now come due. It is rather like the
    situation when we do not take care of our health and suddenly we find that
    we have a bad infection and a fever. That fever will now run it's course.
    Sooner or later it will break but whether that break occurs before major
    damage has been done, or after, remains to be seen. Being a Human Being is a
    constant learning process, and sometimes that learning can be very painful.
    But the greatest tragedy would be not to learn. So for my self, I feel
    neither helpless nor hopeless. To be sure I do not have the power to
    separate Israel and Hezbollah, nor do I think that those who may think they
    have the power (Presidents, Kings, Imams, Rabbis, etc) could do any better.
    And even if they were to be successful in Lebanon -- the underlying causes
    would remain, and the fever would break out again. So what to do? Speaking
    only for my self, I intend to keep opening space so that wonderful people
    such as you can experience that "playground" (as you called it) in which
    real people with real differences can meet each other with respect. And if
    you are looking for something to do right now -- you could try the same
    thing.

    God Luck! And thank you for remembering me!!

    Harrison



    Harrison Owen
    7808 River Falls Dr.
    Potomac, MD  20854
    USA
    301-365-2093
    207-763-3261 (summer)
    website www.openspaceworld.com
    Personal Website www.ho-image.com

    * * ==========================================================
    OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To subscribe,
    unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
    oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
    http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about
    OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist



  * * ========================================================== OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "pr.atwola.com" claiming to be Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

  * * ========================================================== OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist 


------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  Internal Virus Database is out-of-date.
  Checked by AVG Free Edition.
  Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/361 - Release Date: 6/11/2006

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20060808/4cd2d8de/attachment-0015.htm>


More information about the OSList mailing list