[Peace-discuss] AWARE

[C. G. Estabrook]

I thought that that was what you did for me, John, "...to hold, as 'twere, the 
mirror up to nature"?

But (from a Louse to a Mouse) Rabbie Burns came closer to my condition when he 
wrote,

	Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
	O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
	Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
	Wi' bickering brattle!

--WSCTB


John W. wrote:
> O wad some gift the Giftie gie us
> To see oursels as ithers see us!
> 
> --Robert Burns, I believe
> 
> 
> On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 12:34 PM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at illinois.edu 
> <mailto:galliher at illinois.edu>> wrote:
> 
>     "...intervention by leadership"?  AWARE has leadership?  When &
>     where has it
>     "intervened"?
> 
>     Do I understand correctly that you're objecting to debate on a
>     discussion
>     list...?  Or saying just that "pontificators" have to shut up?
> 
>     (A pontificator -- I have to hurry to point it out before Wayne does
>     -- is
>     literally a bridge-builder, and that surely is something we need to do.)
> 
>     Yet you conclude, "May the conversation continue..."  OK.  --CGE
> 
> 
> 
>     jgeo61 at comcast.net <mailto:jgeo61 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>  
> 
>         I would be happy to.  As I understand, the AWARE group was
>         created to tackle the issues of Peace and Justice and be an
>         outlet for folks living in the area
>         to feel they had a voice and to take action.  The goals of the
>         AWARE group
>         are in theory decided upon by the membership via, ie: surveys,
>         board recommendations etc.  When I see only 3 - 4 people on the
>         peace-discuss list serve pontificating for weeks and months at a
>         time and when the conversations become so heated that there
>         needs to be an intervention by leadership, I
>         understand clearly that the "discussion" has ceased to exist and
>         in fact has
>         slipped to a typical "I'm right, your dead wrong" situation. We
>         as longtime
>         peace activists, know first hand how distructive this is to the
>         work that
>         needs to be done.  It is an unecessary distraction.
> 
>         I am tired of the situation where we are contuously losing
>         members due to their frustration and unmet needs.
> 
>         In my mind, to have a meaningful discussion, not a debate, to
>         explore the "root causes" of war requires intensive listening on
>         both sides. Which is clearly, quite clearly, not in practice here.
> 
>         May the conversation continue.
> 
>         Joy George
> 
> 
>         ----- Original Message ----- From: "C. G. Estabrook"
>         <galliher at illinois.edu <mailto:galliher at illinois.edu>>
>          To: jgeo61 at comcast.net <mailto:jgeo61 at comcast.net> Cc:
>         peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>         <mailto:peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> Sent: Wednesday,
>          September 2, 2009 9:23:29 AM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
>         Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] AWARE
> 
>         Would you be willing to be a bit more specific?
> 
>         What are "the goals and needs of the entire group" that are not
>         reflected on
>          peace-discuss?  And what is "the entire group"? AWARE members?
>          All those in
>          favor of peace?
> 
>         If the list doesn't reflect such views, the solution would seem
>         to be inclusion, not exclusion, viz. "those who want to have the
>         ongoing debate discussions find their own regular venue..."
> 
>         The "work to be done" seems to me importantly to include
>         understanding what we're doing and why.  --CGE
> 
> 
>         jgeo61 at comcast.net <mailto:jgeo61 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>  
> 
>             This is quite an accusation.  You make it sound as if we are
>             pouting, taking our toys home, since we didn't get our way
>             on the playground.  My concern is that this discussion group
>             does not reflect the goals or needs of the entire group and
>             in fact the current behavior has driven away
>             existing/potential members.
> 
>             If we want to "make a difference" in the peace effort, we
>             must stick together to be a unified force, otherwise we
>             appear only to be squabbling chickens.  I strongly believe
>             that if those who want to have the ongoing debate
>             discussions find their own regular venue and talk until the
>             cows come home. There is work to be done and there is no
>             time like the present to get back to it.
> 
>             Joy
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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