h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

well i posted the first part of this to the forum, and the second part sounds like i was in a leetle bad mood, so it's getting demoted to journal entry:

i'm interested in humanity. i think that for the most part, people reflect each other, returning anger for anger or kindness for kindness. this system is likely to reach an equilibrium (are we there?), converge, or diverge. it's similar to asking whether the universe will end in heat death or a "big crunch" -- will hostility escalate until we destroy ourselves, or will kindness unite us into an indestructable utopian society? alternately, are we stuck with things the way they are?

i'm interested in politics. go see fahrenheit 9/11 and then tell me what you think. i'm collecting opinions on michael moore's work in general. give me reasons to hate bush. and answer me one question: should i bail out on the states on the grounds that it's full of conservative, irrational and slow-witted hatemongers, or will i be disillusioned with whatever place i run to because i'm not yet able to leave the planet?

Have you seen this? A1101420 (and related threads at the bottom of the page)

Amy

Hi

I saw Farenheit 911 last night, found it to be a moving and powerful film. Do you really *need* me to give you any more reasons to hate Bush? The friend I went to see the film with asked me an interesting question afterwards: "I know you're a Buddhist, and don't see violence as a solution to problems, but given the perfect opportunity to kill that man, would you?" I had to think about that, because he's one person who challenges that aspect of my belief system and I often think the world would be a much better place without him. I wouldn't kill him,(even if I had the invisible Sword of God to do it with) because the one good thing that I suspect will come of his reign is that it'll not be possible to abuse the power of the US presidency in the multiple ways he has again. I hope. I'm incapable of envisioning the world with him re-elected for another four years, so I might just be wishful thinking. I kinda view him as having the same type of effect Hitler had, which was to make the rest of the world far more vigilant and compassionate than it had been. Perhaps these types of figureheads are necessary catalysts for human development.

On leaving the US in disgust: No. All that can do is diminish the proportion of sane and thoughtful citizens, and leave a greater balance of power in the hands of those who truly don't give a shit about anything beyond maintaining their own comfort level and standard of living no matter the cost on a global level. I think it's a higher goal, and ultimately more productive, to stick it out and focus your talents on creating change from within. Do your best to try to sway just one person who would otherwise vote for Bush because 'he's a good Christian' or because 'we need him to protect our national security'. Many lifelong republicans have already decided to vote democratic this time to get that dangerous man out of office. Many others are still undecided. If each of us can get through to just one of them then there's hope. Personally I chose hope, though I live with shame for the violations our government has committed.

hi! thanks for your message. i was unhappy with my attitude in this passage but i don't want to go around deleting all the things i don't like anymore, because i do that to hide. know what i mean?

killing bad people always carries the risk of martyring them and making more people follow their ways. plus, i don't think you can get to good ends through bad means. there is simply no way other than to accept people and/or try to help them take more information into consideration when they make decisions -- sometimes they need to learn that there is other information, how to undo things they do to block it out, and so forth. i think on this path, we have to take the attitude of "no one left behind," and not give up on people. no one is beyond positive change.

on the other hand, there are many things about the u.s. that make me very unhappy and that will not change in my lifetime. bush is not oen of these things, unless he rigs some serious constitutional change during his reign. but the american attitude of worldly isolation, the mindless christianity, the intolerance -- some melting pot. the problem is that i think there is no place to go. all nations divide people into groups, and psychologists have demonstrated many times that the simple and random division of people results in hatred, bigotry and the equivolent of nationalism, even when the random assignment is known to all. people need to expand their groups until they contain all people, possibly all living things or all the universe, before they will stop being hateful and destructive. in that sense, you can't leave any countries behind either. but i know that i won't be around for this type of change -- so what can i do?

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all the 'bad' stuff in our melting pot, too. The thing is, that's not the whole of it. There's a lot of positive, good stuff in here too. I'm at a point now where I try to remember that I really can't control anyone else, but that I *can* control myself, with practice. That's pretty empowering, gives a manageable starting point to work from. Also, though I can't control others I *do* have a capacity to affect them, so when I'm conscious of what I'm doing in my interactions with others I can send out little ripples. I usually don't get to see the effects of that, but once in a while someone comes back and tells me how I was able to change the way their day went, turn a bad mood into a good one. That's something.

There's an international Buddhist organization--SGI--that's aim is to create world peace through individual happiness. Since you're studying Buddhism, look them up. There's almost certainly a group that meets in your area. www.sgi-usa.org will help you to locate them. I've been involved with them for a couple of years now, have been very impressed with the way they're taking action to promote peace and compassion within their communities as well as on a global level. Though we might or might not be around for the kind of change you're looking for, it's exciting to be a part of making it happen.

http://www.sgi-usa.org/thesgiusa/findus/

then, you do think that things can change and we're not bound by our natures to be hateful and have wars and violent crime?

I think we're bound by our nature to have free will and the power of choice. Just because most people generally seem to make decisions based on expedient means doesn't mean they *have* to do that. It just seems easier, at the time. If we don't, as individuals, make love-based choices then we're condoning and propogating a system that breeds our lowest, basest qualities as human beings. I think things can change and will, because that's the nature of life. And I believe that each of us has the power to create great ripples, if we will. Jesus, Ghandi, King, Mother Teresa and Buddha as well as countless others who've chosen to live lives of compassion were once just folks, like you and me. They just had the courage to drop big stones into the pond. But look what came of their ripples.

i'm not really convinced that jesus did more good than harm... and what's to keep just as many people from leaving really bad influences behind?

Probably nothing but choices made out of compassion rather than desire for power over others. That brings us back to the beginning.