TheDarkRaven wrote:
rawls2 wrote:
TheDarkRaven wrote:
I put it to you - perhaps they are being seen and heard, but they are not Muslims. They do not hold dear the core values and principles of Islam, and it is most of the "Western world's" ignorance that causes the misrepresentation of Muslims and the public's misunderstanding of Islam. Islam it not at war with itself - it is at war with people who I like to call "free radicals" (see my other posts on similar threads if you wish to know more). The problem never spilt onto "your turf" is beyond me - "westerners" provoked it and interfered in situations beyond your understanding and comprehension. It's a crying shame Christians (which I am presuming you are) cannot follow the principles of Jesus and show compassion and take the peaceful path.
An interesting reply. I must admit it made me smile - if only so I could surprise you now. I'm not a Muslim - never have been, probably never will be. Indeed, I'm an atheist (born into a Christian Methodist family) who chose his own path. I'm 15 as well - could you have guessed that, too? But you know what - I care about what others believe and wish to understand them before I can comment on them (let alone hurl a tirade of abuse at them). So no, they are not "my believers" - they are my fellow man who I feel compassion for. But I guess knowledge is not something you crave. "Sucks to be you", as you so eloquently put it.
I too was once young and had great ideas of what the world was and where I fit in. Truth is life makes you cynical and the only "world" that matters is the one that surrounds you immediatly, ie. friends, family, and country. It's funny that you think I lack the thirst for knowledge just because of my personal views. To each his own. We'll see were your compassion level is in a few years when you've had a chance to experience what's really out there.
Please, sir, do not patronise me. I have come close to death several times, I've had to figure out what I hold dear to me. But it's always in a constant state of flux. It is ironic that you say the "truth" is "cyniscism", as wouldn't the cynical viewpoint be that there is no truth? Quite, and the core belief in cynicism constrains thoughts to get nowhere. People have to place a faith in something, which is why I respect all religions for what they are. I may share more in common with some, and may prefer the beliefs of others - but I will never lose my respect for them all.
I must ask, sir, why do you enclose what is dear to you so? You say that your country is important - yet it is vast beyond measure. Why do you feel the need to stop there? Is it because people further afield are different to you and you feel uncomfortable accepting them as important to you because they differ slightly in their life experiences. We are all the same people - we differ in what life has made us, and what life can still make us.
And like I said, sir - I've nearly died. I have suffered ever so much pain, sir - the world has done to me much of what it can. Whatever I am yet to experience, I know that I'll never give up my compassion for the entirety of humanity - even if someone were to kill me in cold blood, I wouldn't hate them. I'd forgive them for what they had done - it is one of the supposed teachings of Jesus that I find most humbling.
There is a word that you may wish to study, sir, being a Christian as I believe you are - agape. Ponder on that, would you kindly?
Preach on brother Raven!
I just had this discussion yesterday about why I was so selective about my fellow American friends who are expatriates in the communities where I end up. Admittedly, I am snobbish...I like people "not in the bubble".
"Bubble Americans" - live and work in a foreign country, but have nothing but real disdain for the local populace. Near as I can tell, its a sort of "disconnect" and firm belief in American exceptionalism. Those generally working for embassies that live in little gated communities or tightly controlled missionary kids fit this bill, but there are others.
"Out of the Bubble" - live and work in a foreign country, but have absolutely no problem in trying to deal with the locals. They try very hard to understand the similarities and differences between their own culture and others and fight very hard the ingrained American exceptionalism.
The truth is that there is very different types of cynicism, and it has to do with maturity. Some people retreat into the bubble as they get older, in some vain attempt to simplify their lives or their ideals. Myself, after living and working all over the world, have come to see it with eyes more widely open every day. The power of my American homeland is awesome and deserves respect, but at the same time that respect can only come if that power is wielded responsibly. The last 7 years has seen horrific mismanagement and squandering of this power, and all I can do is watch from the sidelines in horror and then numbness. My regret is that the great USA has embarked on a path to Empire with only extremely painful ways of turning back, and history is NOT kind to militant empires. We will have another turning point, like the British once did, when our domination is at the apex, a choice of letting go the power of empire to benefit the republic - or not, but for now the path is set.
The truly cynical are those that want to profit in some way, financially, militarily, spiritually from the carnage that is being created. Those that know full well the destruction that they reap or advocate and like it. These people profit from the weak-minded, capitalize on the blind consumers, take advantage of the illiterate, and manipulate with impunity their loyal followers. They are psychopaths, and while their mental illnesses deserve sympathy, there still should be some karmic reckoning and balance for the damage they do to the American psyche and the world at large. That is why I still write, that is why I still *think*, that's why I haven't crawled into the bubble to rot and will never do so. It is ultimately futile possibly, but the fight goes ever on.
