The hope for success and an end to the Iraq war (see September 8th Posting)seems brighter. The Petraeus report in September seemed to dash hopes for me - there just did not seem like enough success at that time.
But luck has been with the U.S. and it comes from no other than Al Quida. They went into Iraq - a huge mistake for them and now the U.S., if it plays its card right, can snatch a victory from what was a black hole of death. Nothing can unite a people more than a common enemy and the Iraqi's found out they had one in Al Quida. They came together enough to drive this enemy out. The violence has gone down in Iraq, in Anbar but of more significance,in Bagdad.
Hope springs eternal. During this time, with the U.S. help, the security in the country has improved. The hope is that this is not just a respite from success in driving out Al Quida. Have the factions realized that outside insurgents are a greater threat to their peace and well being than the historical hatreds they have harbored and from which they have sought such bloody revenge? To me, the outcome now seems brighter.
It is ironic that Al Quida made the same mistake the U.S. did. They went into Iraq with the intention of causing violence and death. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of this long nightmare and the U.S. can soon begin the long process of repairing the damage it has done to itself in the world ( after Vietnam, it took 30 years). Now do things correctly and concentrate on necessary solutions like properly fighting terrorism, joining the Kyoto Protocol, work with the world in reducing the nuclear threat and find alternative sources of energy. Hope springs eternal.
Aime Casavant
November 26, 2007
November 24, 2007
Thoreau on Wisdom
"All worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of one wise person" - Henry David Thoreau
November 17, 2007
Global Warming and Other Thoughts
From all I read and understand, global warming caused by human activity is real. Its happening and from what I can tell, is not only real, it is moving faster towards an inevitable extinction of most life on earth that most of us realize.
It seems I'm becoming more accepting of this, less concerned. I'm not sure why, maybe it is accepting the inevitable, like one who is experiencing terminal illness and has reached the stage of acceptance. It is difficult to imagine the end of human existence, with the earth becoming warmer until it is one hot desert incapable of supporting life. I think what makes it difficult, is that it is humans that are causing it, in light of Carl Sagan's attempts to enlighten humankind of the pale blue dot.
When I think about it when using more concrete reasoning, I think of this: First, one only needs to understand the Chicxulub Impact of the large meteor about 65 million years ago that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. That is, mother nature (which includes the cosmos) can do to the world whatever it wants, whenever it wants to. A second or contributing cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs were volcanic eruptions. Mother nature, with a comparatively "flick of the hand" can end it all with nary a flinch. My reasoning: we are just beginning to explore the pale blue dot, there will not be enough time, so accept reality.
Third, humankind might destroy itself first through nuclear weaponry, because our advancement at social thought ( ability to live together in harmony) is at least several thousand years behind technological thought. That is, we have developed the capability of splitting an atom, but we have not learned how to live together as a species. The pre-dark age mentality of terrorist with nuclear weapons is an example of this. Albert Einstein, when he realized the destructive capability of the nuclear bomb said, "my god, what have we done?" He knew.
So it really does not matter. It seems, we should take the unknown amount of time we have left, try as much as possible to turn around the human contribution to the shortening of life on earth and do all that we can just to explore the pale blue dot in relation to the universe and understand this: That this brief existence we have known has been great and just love one another with our lives, with liberty and in the spirit of that pursuit of happiness.
It seems I'm becoming more accepting of this, less concerned. I'm not sure why, maybe it is accepting the inevitable, like one who is experiencing terminal illness and has reached the stage of acceptance. It is difficult to imagine the end of human existence, with the earth becoming warmer until it is one hot desert incapable of supporting life. I think what makes it difficult, is that it is humans that are causing it, in light of Carl Sagan's attempts to enlighten humankind of the pale blue dot.
When I think about it when using more concrete reasoning, I think of this: First, one only needs to understand the Chicxulub Impact of the large meteor about 65 million years ago that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. That is, mother nature (which includes the cosmos) can do to the world whatever it wants, whenever it wants to. A second or contributing cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs were volcanic eruptions. Mother nature, with a comparatively "flick of the hand" can end it all with nary a flinch. My reasoning: we are just beginning to explore the pale blue dot, there will not be enough time, so accept reality.
Third, humankind might destroy itself first through nuclear weaponry, because our advancement at social thought ( ability to live together in harmony) is at least several thousand years behind technological thought. That is, we have developed the capability of splitting an atom, but we have not learned how to live together as a species. The pre-dark age mentality of terrorist with nuclear weapons is an example of this. Albert Einstein, when he realized the destructive capability of the nuclear bomb said, "my god, what have we done?" He knew.
So it really does not matter. It seems, we should take the unknown amount of time we have left, try as much as possible to turn around the human contribution to the shortening of life on earth and do all that we can just to explore the pale blue dot in relation to the universe and understand this: That this brief existence we have known has been great and just love one another with our lives, with liberty and in the spirit of that pursuit of happiness.
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