Archive of
Positive Commentaries
February 2007
Archived Positive Commentaries
Tuesday, February 6th 2007
The
Inter Press
news service reports that Richard Wade Vague, co-founder and CEO of First USA Bank who describes himself as a 51-year-old "conservative" corporate executive, is now spending much of his time and resources on another enterprise—trying to persuade other "conservative" businessmen around the country that Bush's "global war on terror" has been a disaster and rally them in favor of an entirely different approach. "War will not rid the world of terrorism," he argued in his 41-page report, "Terrorism: A Brief for Americans." In his report he also stated, "Force does not subdue, it enrages," and added, "We have the opportunity to lead the world out of this danger by building up, not tearing down." He has drawn a number of lessons from his life-long love of history from which he cites in his report. He believes the most important causes of extremism that leads to terrorism are foreign occupation and oppression, both of which result in the inability of the powers-that-be to provide the mechanisms—a voice in government, property rights, personal freedom, and, in some circumstances, even security—necessary for economic and social progress. He believes Washington's efforts should focus much more on responding to the economic, political and social needs of the population from which the terrorists recruit than on crushing the terrorists militarily. Vague also calls for an enhanced effort to reach a mutually acceptable settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he calls "one of the ...under-recognized keys to reducing global terrorism."
"The maintenance of world-wide civilization is dependent on human beings learning how to live together in peace and fraternity. Without effective co-ordination, industrial civilization is jeopardized by the dangers of ultraspecialization: monotony, narrowness, and the tendency to breed distrust and jealousy." (
The URANTIA Book
, p. 911); Growing out of the limited perspective of nationalism and into the larger viewpoint of a global family with the Creator as the head of the family can help redirect goals to be for the benefit of others.
Monday, February 12th 2007
Catherine Makino, writing for Women's eNews, reports that members of the National Chauvinistic Husband's Association in Japan are serious about becoming modern-style spouses —learning how to communicate better with their families, have a relationship based on equality, and become loving husbands. Their Three Principles of Love are: saying "sorry" without fear, saying "thank you" without hesitation, and saying "I love you" without shame. The founder of the association, 54-year-old Shuichi Amano, shared his experience of when he realized his wife was contemplating divorce. Reflecting on his past relationship with his wife and daughters, he recognized as a busy writer and editor for a publishing company, he was a typical chauvinist and, furthermore, he took pride in it. "I realized I had only communicated three things to my wife: 'furo,' 'meshi' and 'neru,' which mean 'bath,' 'dinner' and 'sleep,'" he said. "It is the typical way for a strong husband to communicate with his family." Amano began a program of "self-improvement." He washed dishes, took out the garbage, cleaned the bathtub, and paid attention to his wife.;The association, which started off with a few members in 1999, expects to grow to 16,000 members throughout Japan this year. "If husbands will not change, the future will be very dark for Japan, so we are enticing men to join our group and learn to change their attitudes," says Amano. "Families will adjust and then Japan will change in a positive way."
The URANTIA Book
reveals that men and women do indeed need each other in complementary roles—in this life and beyond. "...always will these two basic variations of humankind continue to intrigue, stimulate, encourage, and assist each other; always will they be mutually dependent on co-operation in the solution of perplexing universe problems and in the overcoming of manifold cosmic difficulties." (p. 939)
Monday, February 19th 2007
Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser continues to fight Monsanto claiming their genetically modified food is destroying human health, the environment, and the social fabric of rural Canada. ; Schmeiser, the international spokesperson for farmers' rights, spoke about the control Monsanto wields over Saskatchewan farmers, who, he said, are coerced into signing contracts saying they can't use their own seeds; they must buy their seeds from Monsanto, and they must allow "Monsanto police" onto their land. Schmeiser became an international symbol for the anti-genetically engineered movement when Monsanto sued him for patent infringement after discovering their genetically modified canola growing in his fields. Yet the full destructive power of GMOs is on the horizon, he said, referring to two new genes now being developed by Monsanto to monopolize seed supply: the "terminator gene" and the "cheater gene." A cheater gene is used to grow a plant and the terminator gene then destroys a crop's fertility—a process Schmeiser called "the greatest assault on life as we know it on the planet today." He said Canadians must fight to save the integrity of our air, water, and land for future generations, and ensure farmers don't become "serfs of the land, in a feudal system" controlled by trans-national corporations like Monsanto. "As long as we have life in us," said Schmeiser, referring to his wife, Louise, "we're going to go down fighting for the rights of all farmers all over the world."
"Problematic situations, coupled with exertion stimuli, conspire to produce those activities of mind, soul, and spirit which contribute mightily to the achievement of worthy goals of mortal progression and to the attainment of higher levels of spirit destiny." (
The URANTIA Book
, p. 1740); Love of the planet and of humankind can stimulate individuals to speak out and act against destructive practices.
Monday, February 26th 2007
The Associated Press recently featured Ishmael Beah, a 26-year-old man from Sierra Leone now living in New York. ;Beah is the author of
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
, a book about his experience as a child soldier and his struggles to regain his humanity. Beah, like many children in Sierra Leone, was, at age 13, forced to take up arms and fight. Both sides of the conflict—the army and the rebel forces—used captured children, sometimes the only survivors of their families, to fight. Beah was one of the more fortunate ones—after three years of fighting, killing, and being drugged up, he was taken to a UNICEF rehabilitation center for child soldiers. In 1998, Ishmael came to live with an American family in New York City. He completed high school and was subsequently accepted to Oberlin College. In May 2004, Ishmael completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Throughout his undergraduate education, Ishmael continued his advocacy work to bring attention to the plight of child soldiers around the world. Now living in a Brooklyn apartment surrounded by African art, he enjoys Shakespeare and hip-hop, yet also stated in the interview, "The process of recovering from a war, recovering from having lived through a war ... it's not a one-two-three step; it's a process that you have to do for life."
Providing a ministering atmosphere can aid in the healing process that all individuals need to go through at some level—some much more so than others. "Let every man make sure that the intellectual and moral foundations of character are such as will adequately support the superstructure of the enlarging and ennobling spiritual nature, which is thus to transform the mortal mind and then, in association with that re-created mind, is to achieve the evolvement of the soul of immortal destiny." (
The URANTIA Book
, p.1738)