Replying to LO29201 --
Dear Organlearners,
Jan Lelie <janlelie@wxs.nl> writes:
>In Dutch, the word "war" has to do with confusion, loss
>of coherent thought. A bit like "worrying", but that word
>seems to imply more focus on one issue. So warrying.
Greetings dear Jan,
I have looked up the etymology of the English word war in Skeaton. It may
have come from the Saxon word "warre" which meant to confuse. But it may
also have come from the Saxon word "werre" which meant to fight. I think
that "weer" is like in Afrikaans also a Dutch word. It means to defend
oneself.
>Terror, fear, angst has that effect on people: it confuses.
>So warrying is the natural response to terror. But it is an
>action-reaction response.
>From our own South African experiences with terrorism during the last
twenty years of apartheid, this instigation of "warrying" was the main
strategy of the terrorists. A "warrying" community slips backwards on al
walks of life until anarchy takes over.
>It is not very creative, to say the least. And it just brings
>more of the same: destruction, fear, confusion.
I agree. I have had the same thing in mind when I wrote early Saturday
morning and en essay with the title "Can problems be solved with
destructive creativity?". I will link it to your essay.
>I like to invite you all to use the five disciplines on
>this issue.
(snip)
Thank you for a valuable exposition on the five disciplines of a LO during
times of terrorism. Thinking back on those last twenty years of apartheid,
the lack of learning, or rather, the rigid prescriptions of what society
must be and how it must act was very common here. What is very peculiar is
that these very prescriptive leaders could not cope any more with the
pressures. They were the first to give in. Many white South Africans can
still not forgive them for "selling out" to the terrorists.
>I believe that these acts of terrorism do not cause the
>war. The war is caused by warrying. Acts of terrot
>somehow start the avalanche. What should interest us is:
>1. keeping out of the way of the avalanche - run for the hills
>2. managing the warrying when it is still small.
>
>Any suggestions?
I think that war is caused by something else of which "warrying" is also
another outcome. But that is besides the two points which you are making.
Both of them requires profound, authentic learning.
The acts of terrorism caused far greater "warrying" (per head count) in
metropolitan areas than in rural regions. The reason was that people in
rural regions were far more willing to learn how to avoid such acts and
how to cope with their after effects should they happen.
Unfortunately, people get lax. Since the New South Africa emerged in 1994,
the number of murders on farms had been steadily increasing. It now stands
at some 1200 per year. Just yestardy I learned that 51% of these murders
concerned white people and 49% black people. So it is not a racial issue,
although the racial ratio of whites to blacks are 1 to 8. Whereas learning
had been a key element in the strategy against terrorist acts, it is not
so much the case any more against farm murders. The reason is that the
South African society have changed so much that many farmers have
withdrawn them- selves to their farms to escape from a society which they
now consider to be alien. Recluse in anything else than learning is no
recluse.
With care and best wishes
--At de Lange <amdelange@postino.up.ac.za> Snailmail: A M de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre Faculty of Science - University of Pretoria Pretoria 0001 - Rep of South Africa
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