Replying to LO30168 --
Nick,
Thanks for the web page address. I read the 1983 article. It does not
overcome my pessimism. In light of human actions these past two years, my
voice and the voice of some others speaking in the name of peace,
understanding, integration, and learning, sound naive in the extreme.
Media seduce me into thinking that just as easily as images come my way --
images of behaviors, outlooks, "otherly" knowledge -- as easily can
information flow the other way, in some way. Data to information,
information to knowledge, knowledge to life skill. But no. My filters,
it seems to me, correspond in no way to the filters on the other end of
the ostensible communication. What I think, even in the depths of my
heart, changes its shape, color and texture in transmission.
It's as if I, along with those outside my world view, have
encryption/decryption machines, but our code books in no way resemble one
another. Even at the level of heart, of truth, levels we have believed
are profoundly UNIVERSAL in meaning and content, irreconcilable
differences prevent understanding.
My childhood dream relies on magic carpets. These would in one day mix
and match humans everywhere, flying them hither and yon into places they
have never seen or known, to meet other humans in myriad situations of
existence, and there to conduct dialogs of the heart. Such childishness.
I'll repeat what I said recently. Imagine the world 100 years ago as a
pie, one very small slice of which represented the crazies of our species
who seek power with which Love cannot co-exist. There were such people.
Some, who were monsters of the first order, affected humankind. But we
animal humans were few enough on the planet, dispersed incommunicado, that
the slice of pie mostly had less effect than today.
Today, the pie itself is much, much larger. Grown, too, is that slice of
crazies. The definition of the word 'crazies' itself has blurred -- the
pie slice's contents drip this way and that. Gaps between people, both
physical and communication, disappear quickly. But the contents of this
slice have more and growing effect on the rest of us than ever before.
So what do we do?
Got suggestions? Got milk? Got hope?
Each is food for thought.
Cheers,
Barry
-- Barry Mallis The Organizational Trainer 110 Arch St., #27 Keene, NH 03431-2167 USA voice: 603 352-5289 FAX: 603 357-2157 cell: 603 313-3636 email: theorgtrainer@earthlink.netLearning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <Richard@Karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>
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