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January 27, 2007
Undecided
I am jealous of decisive people. Those who can be patriotic and imagine that whatever a country does is morally correct, those who can be religious and say that all other religions are wrong, those who can adhere to a point of view, a doctrine, a proper set of pre-defined morals, and then easily dismiss everything else. Those who can say that they are against evolution because their church says so, those who can say they are against shaking hand with ladies because their imam says so, those who oppose abortion because their political party says so, those who think women should be bound and feminist movements should be crushed because their political leaders say so.
I have always been liberally wobbly in my beliefs. Too relativist I have been called. I never saw anything wrong with feeling at home in four different countries and seeing good and bad points of all of them. I like Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism, Manichaeaism, Islam, and Baha'ism. They are all interesting and they all have good points. I think monarchists have a very good reason for supporting the existence of a monarch. Socialist insistance on the responsibility of the government on protecting all of the citizens (No One Left Behind?) is noble. Republicans have a good point about not letting the government get too big, Greens have a great point when they insist that the government should control how big businesses do business. Democrats are wise in chosing to give more rights to the individuals and insist on secularism. Those opposing Turkish style forceful secularism have a point that you cannot change the political traditions of a region by force, while I have seen with my own eyes that religion can be "das Opium des Volkes ".
I like all languages and want to learn the ones who are becoming extinct (Scotish Gaelic anyone?), but at the same time think that official languages, as manufactured as the idea of a nation-state, are necessary for the upkeep of the nation-state. I support education in local languages, but don't think that every little dialect should be taken as the sign of a need for independence. I grew up with a very strong mother and pride myself in often understanding those "female whines" and what causes them, but at the same time don't think all men are misogynists. I like to study hard and I enjoy my subject, but I also enjoy a good play, a good film, or a good concert.
I really envy the Sunni Conservative Pan-Islamists, Southern Baptist Republicans, Orthodox Pro-Israel AIPAC supporters, Hindu Nationalists, and Basque seperatists. I think the world is becoming more and more a place where you stick to an idea, however extreme, and manage to do anything and everything just because your religion/party/country/leader/guru says so.
Posted by Khodadad at 12:53 PM | Comments (2)
January 08, 2007
Warmongering
First, this comes out: http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00E11F63E550C778DDDAB0994DE404482
Then this is casually announced: http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=010707_somalia_invasion_chaos.htm
And in the middle of it all, a friendly hand: http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=5896460
Honestly, only the Brits can do this: http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/News/news0801075.htm
And now we have this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6332319,00.html
I wounldn't go that far, but maybe? http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1072-2535977,00.html
Some are trying to point it out: http://allafrica.com/stories/200701040952.html
Honestly, do we need such a clear statement? http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/16409419.htm
Posted by Khodadad at 10:35 PM | Comments (3)