Spotted in a newspaper advert: "The President of the United States has claimed, on more than one occasion, to be in dialogue with God. If he said he was talking to God through his hairdryer, this would precipitate a national emergency. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes the claim any more ludicrous or offensive." - Sam Harris, author of Letter to a Christian Nation.
This really amused me. Some people in the UK think that Americans are all similar, but a short visit there provides plenty of evidence of an enormous range of thought and opinion - so refreshing!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Holocaust memories on UN International Day of Peace
As I am again in Washington DC outskirts, I felt it appropriate to visit the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. What a day... four hours passed in a moment, and then I was outside in the air and sun again. For four hours, I didn't think about eating, or even drinking - nothing is allowed there, so my normal water-bottle companion was left behind. Once inside, my thoughts were entirely absorbed by the exhibits.
It is a monumental display and I was moved to tears many times, despite a grim determination to stay calm. Film footage of the British going into Bergen-Belsen, and the 10,000 unburied bodies they had to quickly deal with was harrowing. All naked and SO thin - being dragged to huge burial pits by their former SS guards, in order to reduce the outbreak of disease.
Odd how small things hit you hard - I watched a lady who survived describing liberation day. An American soldier asked what he could do for her. She requested sugar and long socks, as she was so cold, despite the warm May weather. When he returned, she poured the sugar into her mouth and then cried as she put the socks on and discovered they could not stay up - she had no calf muscles left, just skin over her bones. He then held the door open for her, and this gesture of normality had a huge impact - she had forgotten this was how human beings could behave.
A profoundly thought-provoking experience... There is an exhibit devoted to Darfur and how it is all happening again. Why is man-kind so un-kind?
It is a monumental display and I was moved to tears many times, despite a grim determination to stay calm. Film footage of the British going into Bergen-Belsen, and the 10,000 unburied bodies they had to quickly deal with was harrowing. All naked and SO thin - being dragged to huge burial pits by their former SS guards, in order to reduce the outbreak of disease.
Odd how small things hit you hard - I watched a lady who survived describing liberation day. An American soldier asked what he could do for her. She requested sugar and long socks, as she was so cold, despite the warm May weather. When he returned, she poured the sugar into her mouth and then cried as she put the socks on and discovered they could not stay up - she had no calf muscles left, just skin over her bones. He then held the door open for her, and this gesture of normality had a huge impact - she had forgotten this was how human beings could behave.
A profoundly thought-provoking experience... There is an exhibit devoted to Darfur and how it is all happening again. Why is man-kind so un-kind?
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
More from the USA
I discovered an amusing quote this morning, written in 1920; a statement which is now interpreted by many as predicting the Bush presidency:
"When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental — men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack or be lost... All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
This was written by Henry Louis Mencken (1880–1956), an American journalist and social critic.
"When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental — men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack or be lost... All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
This was written by Henry Louis Mencken (1880–1956), an American journalist and social critic.
Back in Washington DC
I'm back in DC for a week - time to switch off normal life and take time out to read and write - it feels like 'renewal' time. I've had much to provoke thought in recent days:
- a coaching workshop where Sir John Whitmore described one of the roles of coaching - essentially to inject conscience into business - it was fascinating to hear him dismiss capitalism as failed and certainly not a 'final' economic system
- at the same workshop, Carol Wilson described the excitement of working for Sir Richard Branson some years back - a culture of empowerment, taking risks, encouraging mistakes as part of progress etc.
- then a 'Christopher Howard' weekend which inspired a room of 1200 people to overcome limiting beliefs; to believe they can succeed at their dreams. Some beautiful and powerful music accompanied key moments,including a favourite of mine from http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/.
And now, in DC, I am being inspired by books I am reading and intrigued by newspapers I glance at. People around the world hold all Americans accountable for what they see as a huge mess, but in minutes, it is clear that many disagree profoundly with the actions of their government. An example, from today's USA Today: a full page advert for a campaign to drive out the Bush regime... protests across the country on 5 October, organised by http://www.worldcantwait.org/. At this website, I am fascinated to learn about the Bush Crimes Commission which is calling for public events to expose and denounce the Bush administration's war crimes and crimes against humanity. Strong words, and comforting - regardless of my views on Bush, it is good to recognise that people here can, and do, dissent and that they have the time, inclination and energy to campaign for things they believe in.
This is a good time for me...
- a coaching workshop where Sir John Whitmore described one of the roles of coaching - essentially to inject conscience into business - it was fascinating to hear him dismiss capitalism as failed and certainly not a 'final' economic system
- at the same workshop, Carol Wilson described the excitement of working for Sir Richard Branson some years back - a culture of empowerment, taking risks, encouraging mistakes as part of progress etc.
- then a 'Christopher Howard' weekend which inspired a room of 1200 people to overcome limiting beliefs; to believe they can succeed at their dreams. Some beautiful and powerful music accompanied key moments,including a favourite of mine from http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/.
And now, in DC, I am being inspired by books I am reading and intrigued by newspapers I glance at. People around the world hold all Americans accountable for what they see as a huge mess, but in minutes, it is clear that many disagree profoundly with the actions of their government. An example, from today's USA Today: a full page advert for a campaign to drive out the Bush regime... protests across the country on 5 October, organised by http://www.worldcantwait.org/. At this website, I am fascinated to learn about the Bush Crimes Commission which is calling for public events to expose and denounce the Bush administration's war crimes and crimes against humanity. Strong words, and comforting - regardless of my views on Bush, it is good to recognise that people here can, and do, dissent and that they have the time, inclination and energy to campaign for things they believe in.
This is a good time for me...
Thursday, September 07, 2006
UN International Day of Peace - 21 September
Having recently visited Washington DC, I felt inspired to write a lengthy September newsletter, all about peace - to coincide with the UN International Day of Peace on 21 September. See http://www.ambitioncoach.com/62652/89229.html. Whilst researching this, I came across some wonderful people and organisations, such as http://nswas.org/rubrique22.html - a village in Israel, consisting of Jewish and Arab families living together in peace, teaching their children to grow up in peace.
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