Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Tue, Oct 26 2004
Today A Lunch Box: Tomorrow Rocket-Propelled Grenades?
It's seems that emotions run high in Taiwan Parliament meetings, and in the last day or so they had a good old-fashioned food fight. With that kind of violence in the parliament chamber, aren't we just a wee bit afraid of what they'll do with all those weapons we plan to sell them?
posted at: 16:31 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
It's seems that emotions run high in Taiwan Parliament meetings, and in the last day or so they had a good old-fashioned food fight. With that kind of violence in the parliament chamber, aren't we just a wee bit afraid of what they'll do with all those weapons we plan to sell them?
posted at: 16:31 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
Winning Isn't Everything, Or Is It?
Between extreme points of view there are often subtleties that have bounced off both sides and become dynamic glimpses of truth. It's interesting to read all the politcal bantering here in the US and then read this blog written by someone who is living and working in Iraq.
It's so easy when we opt to describe someone in extreme terms. He/she is a liar, a saint, a soldier, a draft-dodger, a savior, a heathen. Labels are convenient, and they do help us communicate our ideas more clearly, but when is enough, enough?
Labels and extremist thinking become more acceptable during times of war. We need a way to villify the one who opposes our point of view. We need to deny that portion of him (or her) that might otherwise allow us to become emotionally vulnerable. We've all done it. What's usually the first thing that happens when we argue with an individual? We start using terms such as "always" and "never". We tell the other person they're wrong and we're right. Sometimes we stoop to name-calling. That's how we manage to shut off our vulnerability and get through the fight. Yes, it works very well, but only for that particular purpose. It doesn't necessarily help us win over the person. It doesn't necessarily help us appreciate the other person's feelings or allow them to maintain respect in our eyes. It doesn't help us think about what steps might build a better relationship with that person in the future. I'm not sure it even makes us want to build a better relationship at all. But we're likely to get our way, in that moment, for that conflict. I just can't help but wonder if getting our way is really worth what we give up to get it.
posted at: 10:00 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
Between extreme points of view there are often subtleties that have bounced off both sides and become dynamic glimpses of truth. It's interesting to read all the politcal bantering here in the US and then read this blog written by someone who is living and working in Iraq.
It's so easy when we opt to describe someone in extreme terms. He/she is a liar, a saint, a soldier, a draft-dodger, a savior, a heathen. Labels are convenient, and they do help us communicate our ideas more clearly, but when is enough, enough?
Labels and extremist thinking become more acceptable during times of war. We need a way to villify the one who opposes our point of view. We need to deny that portion of him (or her) that might otherwise allow us to become emotionally vulnerable. We've all done it. What's usually the first thing that happens when we argue with an individual? We start using terms such as "always" and "never". We tell the other person they're wrong and we're right. Sometimes we stoop to name-calling. That's how we manage to shut off our vulnerability and get through the fight. Yes, it works very well, but only for that particular purpose. It doesn't necessarily help us win over the person. It doesn't necessarily help us appreciate the other person's feelings or allow them to maintain respect in our eyes. It doesn't help us think about what steps might build a better relationship with that person in the future. I'm not sure it even makes us want to build a better relationship at all. But we're likely to get our way, in that moment, for that conflict. I just can't help but wonder if getting our way is really worth what we give up to get it.
posted at: 10:00 | category: /Religious and Spiritual | link to this entry
