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Hi Doug,<br>
<br>
If you're asking my view on this;<br>
<br>
This is not quite as clear cut, but the idea is the same. If by
preventing <i>them </i>a stage, it would actually prevent the
killing, then that might be an act of protection. Somehow i doubt that
would be the case although i could see that having the stage might
motivate a more gruesome approach. And the other side of it is the idea
that the publication of things like this allow the general public the
opportunity to make decisions with more knowledge. <br>
<br>
To me, what individuals can do as a start, is to refuse to watch. If
absolutely no
one ever went to the website once the content was known, then the
perpetrators would actually be getting the opposite of what they
wanted. When we respond in anger, or fear, or hatred we are giving them
exactly what they set out to create. If we can respond from a place of
compassion for all life, which would of necessity require not giving
such displays of violence any energy at all, then there efforts are
truly diffused. There is no more motivation for doing it. This is just
like raising children. If we respond by giving them attention when they
fight amongst each other, they learn that to get Mommy or Daddy's
attention all they have to do is hit Sister... If however, we explain
that we don't want to be around such behaviour and remove ourselves,
they learn that hitting Sister deprives both of them the attention.
(This also means that Sister won't be motivated to instigate...)<br>
<br>
I recognize that it is much harder to retain clarity around an issue
such as someone brutally beheading a human being. My first reaction
when i first heard of it on the car radio was intense sadness, followed
by rage. I also recognize that the rage is actually a biological
reaction, a reaction of the nervous system, a fight or flight response.
The sadness is felt for both the victims and the perpetrators.<br>
<br>
Now, for those who actually have direct power to act and who can act in
the moment, it may be very appropriate to act. For example, the ISP who
provides the connection to the Internet could simply cut it. Again this
is not clear cut and i could argue both sides but my interpretation is
that by providing the connection, the ISP is condoning the behaviour.
Where that condoning ends is a gray area. Where does it stop being a
protecting of the victim and become an imposition of will and
vengeance? Is this really a question for the government? Certainly to
invade a country because it might possibly at some indeterminate time
in the future be a threat of unknown quantity is not self-defense or
protection of others who are not strong enough to protect themselves.
To stand at the shore and physically repel an aggressive invader is.
But where is the demarcation? That is literally, the question of the
millennium. <br>
<br>
So, to me the bottom line still comes back to individual integrity. If
you, and you, and you, and i all act from a place of service to other
(or all) then we will not contribute to conflict. This is never
neutral. If we are not contributing to conflict then we are
contributing to peace by default and vice versa.<br>
<br>
I facilitate workshops in what i call "energy self-defense". This is
the "energy" or feeling of personal interaction when you remove the
physical and emotional component from it. All human interaction
involves an exchange of energy. This is either in the form of synergy
or a win/win; or it is a win/lose exchange. Either all are increased or
someone walks away up and someone walks away down. A hierarchy is
inherently self-serving.A hierarchy is an entity that is aware of
itself and is motivated by its own self-preservation and growth and is
devoid of its own conscience. This is not to say that the members or
management (which includes royalty or dictators as well as CEOs) of a
hierarchy have no conscience, they may well have, but the hierarchy,
the structure itself does not. This is one of the reasons i'm drawn to
Open Space. OS inherently, at least in the moment, removes hierarchy
and brings the energy exchange back to a personal level where heart
plays as well as head. The point of this subtle (or perhaps blatant)
plug is that in the jargon of the context, we either radiate energy or
we absorb it, neutral is not an option unless one is alone on a
deserted island.<br>
<br>
If we act from a motivation of serving others/all, then we inherently
become "beacons of light in a world of darkness". (i hope that doesn't
sound preachy...<span class="moz-smiley-s4"><span> :-P </span></span>
it's meant to be a metaphor) In this we contribute to peace. As soon as
we try to force others to behave in a similar fashion, we are in fact
attempting to control them. In trying to control others (which is what
the terrorists are trying to do by invoking fear) we are trying to take
power or energy away from others. This may sound very nebulous or even
"New Agey" (yuk!) but just think about the rush you get when you win an
argument and how the loser feels. It is an actual shift in the personal
energy levels of each person. Now think about how you felt when you
first heard about the website that provoked this discussion. At first,
you were probably charged, ready for battle, ready to conquer the
offending foe (fight or flight). And then when you concluded that you
were powerless in the situation, you probably felt drained, exhausted.
In other words, the tactic worked. They "stole your energy". And you
can pretty much count on it that they feel charged knowing that it has
this effect on people.<br>
<br>
If we, as individuals, can stand in our own integrity and compassion
and therefore cease to "feed" the egos of these people trying to invoke
fear and hatred, then we cease to feel drained. We begin to feel
empowered. We realize that we do have real power over our own choices.
We can choose, in this moment, to create peace in our own little
microcosm of the world. This may seem small but it is not. The power of
force or control over others is external and is not real power. At the
very best it is fleeting. The power of knowing that no matter what the
situation, no matter what anyone else can do to you, including cutting
your head off, you can choose in that moment to live compassion, that
is real power. It is not fleeting and cannot be taken away by anyone,
ever. Ok, now i am getting preachy so i'll stop.<br>
<br>
duff<br>
<br>
p.s. (ok, i tried to stop <span class="moz-smiley-s1"><span> :-) </span></span>)
As for praying, the same thing applies. Are you praying from compassion
and service or are you praying that those SOBs will stop behaving that
way and live the way you want them to?<br>
<br>
p.p.s. And, i never said all of this was easy. I certainly go through
my own internal battles when i (rarely) allow my self to watch the news
or read a paper or get cut off on the highway. It is a constant
exercise in coming back to center and clarity.<br>
<blockquote cite="mid200411241936_MC3-1-8F61-F6D9@compuserve.com"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">
You have clarified my thinking on this, you and HO and Phil and Steve and
others: true, it would be wrong to use a virus or other means to attack the
attackers. So that has taken my question the next step to ask, What if we
used some wholly legitimate means to deny a stage to those who are not only
not helping all, but in fact killing innocents? I do not know what those
means might be, but surely there are things, short of government
intervention, which would make it more difficult for these people to
advertise their horror? Can individuals do anything, including praying,
that would make a difference?
</pre>
</blockquote>
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