Mad World

Hello again, and a very happy new year to you all. I hope the new year brings peace, good health, and happiness to everyone who reads this space.

2004 was a tiring year. We saw history working overtime to record some of the most important changes in human history. For me it was a year in which I learned that, above all, humanity is the most important component of our existence, because it is the awareness of our humanity that can prevent the destruction of this planet and our fellow humans being. What inspired me to begin my email epistles and eventually to get up into the blogosphere was the simple idea that I could use the cold efficiency of the internet to stimulate in friends and family the desire to promote and participate in human endeavors. Because, ultimately, when we look to the interests of humanity, we act in accordance with that which is compassionate and unconditional; by sharing in the struggle to escape from unnecessary suffering we transcend sympathy and even empathy, and see the Other as the Self.

I can only hope that 2005 will be a year in which that ambition is realized to a greater level. Perhaps we can resign ourselves to four more years of hypocritical policies and the like, but we should not forget that politics is not the be all and end all of human existence. I hope that each and every one of you enjoys the sweet fruit of human kindness every day for the years to come. I hope that from your hands and hearts passes the love of one person for another, devoid of the hatred we came close to drowning in.

That said, I read an article in today's NYT about discussions on blogs that have turned into fights. The debates surround left-wing Bush-hatin' Dems alluding to the notion that the tsunami in S.E. Asia was the result of U.S. military ventures and somehow related to the Bush administration. Nothing ticks me off more than people who cannot separate their politics from their person. With a tragedy of such a nature there is no room for the pithy, pubescent angst of the politically addicted. Over 5 million people have nowhere to go today and may never have what they once possessed in terms of material goods and then some. Though the current body count hovers around 150,000-175,000 we know that this is a bare estimate, since most of the dead—children and the elderly—will never be found.

Please put an end to this sort of idiocy if you encounter it. Remind people that people are suffering because of a natural disaster that no one could have stopped. America is many things, and Bush has much power, but to assume that this has anything to do with America or Bush is a pathetic exercise in demonstrating ignorance.

With that, I urge you all to get involved with this relief effort and to raise the issues in your communities. Help. There is no reason not to.

Here is the NYT article.

[Misha's note: I must say that the article, at least (if not the actual democratic underground posts), made the orignal post sound innocent enough. It's perfectly reasonable to ask if our actions may be affecting the Earth's tectonic plates. I, myself, have wondered if our drilling for oil uses up a resource the Earth needs for something—the Earth is a balance—how delicate we don't know.]

Once again, may the powers that be watch over you all and ensure that 2005 is a memorable and meaningful year for you all.