[Blindtlk] fw: seeking applicants for the Main Menu team

[Gary Wunder]

Hi Jewel. Striving for inner peace is indeed a worthwhile pursuit. It is one
in which I join with you every day. I don't think anyone was being critical
of that. My take on what was being said was that, from a distance, all
strife looks foolish. From the heavens, why would humans war among
themselves? Why would humans divide themselves into small groups and then
contest over resources that would go further were there but a little
cooperation. From a distance, how can there be hunger in one part of the
world and obesity in another? How can one part have so many resources and
another have nothing but sand--or should the question be how one part of the
world can have the gold under that sand and the rest of the world be so
dependent on it.

I do not want to stand for the promotion of strife but suggest that when one
is involved directly and not viewing at a distance, what seems petty
suddenly becomes as important as ones livelihood and even his or her life.
How often have we Americans laughed at people in the middle east with the
thought that, if they are constantly at war, this is what they deserve. It
is easy to think that way because there is then no complexity. We can just
remain above the fray and write-off those engaging in them as somehow
foolish and just a bit less blessed with common-sense than the rest of us.
By not understanding their arguments, we, quite unintentionally, dehumanize
them.

Mike has said he will answer any questions about differences between our
organizations off list, and I agree it would do little good to use the list
to try to air them here. Even if we did a stellar job at covering them, we
would, at best, be using an NFB list to tell the story, and this in itself
would be enough to make many question the objectivity of what they read.

On Christmas day, let us all struggle for inner peace and acceptance of
those who think and feel differently from us. My grandson came to me with a
take on an observation I thought I knew well. He said, "Never judge another
man until you've walked a mile in his shoes." Then he said, without missing
a beat, "If you then want to judge him, you'll be at least a mile away, and,
you'll have his shoes." Okay, not the funniest joke I've ever heard, but
pretty good for a nine-year-old.

Merry Christmas,

Gary