David's austerities
Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 10:13:25 -0500
From: Nan Hildreth
To: positive-futures@igc.org
Subject: Re: [pf] Excellent Article on Military Spending
At 11:33 AM 09/10/1999 -0700, John Gear forwarded:
>><snip> Putting military spending on "automatic" <snip>
<snip> Protecting our way of life
Thanks John, for reminding me about peace issues.
The old mentality of defense is "mine is mine". Too often we try to
prevent change or force our way, and so become the victim/abusor.
Righteous, we add to the spiral of violence. Ugh!
Defending our "way of life" can lead from "mine is mine"
to "yours is mine too". They say a thief is someone who only thinks
about money.
The Army War College intellectuals talked in 1993 among themselves, that
times have changed and the army should have a paradigm shift. That our
real threat is misery in the globe leading to desperately going beyond
living off the interest but also spending our natural capital just to
survive. And thus empoverishing our future.
They said the army could have a paradigm shift to focus on the root causes
of war. But worried that we the people wouldn't go along with it.
Famous government policy teacher/lecturer Brzezinski said much the same.
But also feels like the one sane voice crying out in the wilderness. Is
it part of the transformation that so many of us feel like lone sane
transformed and visionary voices? But feel frustrated about talking sense
into the other six billion knuckleheads?
On the other list, Jamie talks of "Simply acting as participants and
contributors to 'the whole'."
Would you support our shifting our notion of defense to nurturing
the health of the whole? Would you be willing to give up much of the junk
and clutter in our lives to make sure no more friends get cancer, no more
East Timors, no more stealing from the future? As long as
you didn't have
to give up the precious intangibles: community, safe streets, happy kids, health?
Not going so far as living in tipis, or David's austerities, but ...
Personally, I wonder if I wouldn't have some trouble with it. It's easy
for me to be knee jerk, compulsive, stubborn, and stupid. (Oh, yes,
righteous.) I "lost" my purse (with both car keys) yesterday and had a
temper tantrum looking for it.
But then I relaxed and had a weird idea. Ride the bus?
Nan Hildreth Nan.Hildreth@pdq.net
Houston (713) 864-7108
"Humor is the WD-40 of healing." -
George Goodstriker, Kainai (Blackfoot) Elder Canada quoted in
Native Wisdom for White Minds, by Anne Wilson Schaef
This is: http://www.oocities.org/Athens/Delphi/3142/David-s_austerities.html#top
Return to Athens/Delphi: David's Pi_ge
Return to RainForest: David's Page