They Did What !

String theory is a Physics term and my understanding of things scientific is rudimentary at best. But hearing those words struck a chord with me. They evoke an image of how thoughts sometimes start and then just go on and on like a long piece of string. It loops every so often when light bulb moments occur and then continues, frequently winding up in unexpected places.

A recent “string” experience started when I came across William R. Brody’s address at the Johns Hopkins University 2007 commencement. He said, “…the truth shall make you free. Yet the truth will not necessarily make you successful. And most assuredly, the truth will not always make you popular.” He might have added that it may also not always make you happy.

Brody went on to talk about how living in America gives us the freedom to choose “not to know” even though we have more access to the truth than any other place in the world. He refers to this choice as “willful ignorance.” It has nothing to do with being mistaken. Rather it means giving in to “the very real and understandable human tendency to ignore or subvert facts and findings of science that discomfort us for reasons of ideology, politics, religion, or personal taste.” Brody warns against such willful ignorance as “… the herald of society’s doom. A fact, even if we do not like it, is still a fact...” Reading this speech put a loop of considerable size in my string!

That was not the end of it, because the very next day, while channel surfing, I came across John Perkins discussing his new book, "The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption." There was an immediate connection to Brody’s speech. Here, certainly, was something I did not want to know about, much less believe. How could my country be a major contributor to so much misery in the world? How could we do such harm to others to further our own interests, not for our survival but for our excesses? The choice to “not know” was very tempting. It would be so easy to just deny the possibility and go no further with it. But Brody’s words were too fresh… I ordered the book.

When we look at occurrences in hindsight, we all seem to have 20/20 vision. All the clues and warning signs are so clear; we shake our heads in wonder that we could have missed them. With the string I’m now following, I need to go on to find the other loops which can bring me to the truth, even if I do not like it when I find it.

I have said in the past that I love America warts and all. This string forces me to put my money where my mouth is and it is not at all comfortable. But what kind of love is based on a choice to not know the truth - a very conditional love at best; a total lack of genuine love at worst.

Posted by Trish Purcell at 05:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dick Cheney is back in the news but it isn’t new news. It is a re-exposure of what he has been doing for years – hiding stuff, claiming rights he does not have, and most important, getting away with it. Now they are appealing to the Attorney General to make a ruling on Cheney's claims of exemption from the law. Isn't that good news!

This is the man who seems confused over whether he is the President’s Counsel or the people’s Counsel. The same man who can’t recall what he does from one day to the next. Knowing that such a man is in charge should certainly reassure us that Cheney will not be allowed to hold himself above the law. I know I will sleep better knowing the decision is in the hands of such a man.

Then there is the news about the Democrats and their run for the Presidency. Isn’t it an interesting paradox, while everyone is calling for change, the frontrunner, Hilary Clinton, represents “more of the same” to a larger degree than any other candidate.

Bush developed an imperial presidency. Hilary Clinton’s imperiousness is legendary so we can be assured she will continue what Bush started. Then there is the attack issue. Clinton was under attack for his entire term in office. Bush has been under attack during his entire term in office. So why wouldn’t we want to put a Clinton back in the White House to assure the attack mode will be maintained. After all, divisive, vitriolic politics accomplishes so much; we certainly don’t want to do anything that would bring it to a halt.

Posted by Trish Purcell at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It is difficult sometimes to go on believing that each of us can make a difference, that each voice really does matter. Often I feel like I’m talking to myself but I can’t seem to stop when I see what is going on. Our world seems to be caught up in rampant violence. Our own country has gone from being a shinning example of respect for human rights and individual freedom to one that uses fear and intimidation in the name of national security to cover human rights abuses and the erosion of civil liberties.

Good people, people who consider themselves moral and right thinking, seem to be accepting and making excuses for behavior they would have condemned before 9/11. Many people seem to have slipped into a fear based mentality that says the end justifies the means. Others are taking advantage of this mentality to advance their own agendas. Perhaps it is not surprising that our political leaders are caught up in these societal convulsions. But it is surprising and disappointing when those who claim Christian beliefs allow fear to take precedence over morality.

The adaptability of humans is a good thing and it contributes largely to the ability to survive. But just like a coin adaptability has another side and it is not so good. It is the strong tendency to rationalize. And rationalization is a sly dog. It wraps itself in noble sounding motives and masquerades as truth not only to others but to us. We become so immersed in our rationalizations that they become our reality and we seem unable or unwilling to recognize our self-deceptions.

To check for self-deception ask yourself if you agree with the following statements:
It is all right for my child to lie, cheat and steal to achieve his goals.
It is all right for my child to be incarcerated indefinitely without legal recourse.
It is all right for my child to be tortured.

Not many, I venture, would agree with such statements. So, since everybody is somebody’s child where does the basic Christian tenet “do unto others” fit into this picture? If we would not agree with or excuse these things for our own children, how can we, in good conscience, do so with the children of others? And yet, that is exactly what we agree to when we allow "the end justifies the means" to be the basis on which our government conducts the business of our country.

Posted by Trish Purcell at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)