17-SEP-2001

Friends:
 
"What do you think of the situation?" is the most common question these days. I specially get asked this because I had worked in WTC at some point - in one of the buildings that collapsed.
 
My common answer is: "I am ashamed of myself for being a human."
 
The whole world is shocked. Any civilized person can easily see that this was a major crime. Probably like most people, I feel frustrated, shocked and concerned about what happened. But what worries me the most, aside from all the precious lives that were lost, all the families that were torn apart, and the marvelous buildings that were destroyed, is that all this happened in the name of god. Those criminals who committed these atrocities were utterly convinced that they were serving god. This is what most worrisome - that after thousands of years humans are still killing each other because of a belief.
 
Why humans - despite their magnificent scientific and technological advancement - have not been able to solve the problem of conflict and war? Why has there always been war, conflict, killing on earth? A few religions come along and make promises that some day, one day, there will be peace. No way. We've never had peace, and if we do not have peace now, we will never have it - what indication have we that time will change things? We will be as we are now unless we change now. Any change will have to come about in some "now". So the future is now.
 
What can you and I do in the face of these crises?? We can donate money to the New York Firemen's Fund or to the Red Cross, and we can also look within. It seems clear to me that the root of all conflict is in the working of the human mind - in the mechanism of our thinking - and any fundamental change has to start there - through observation, learning, and right education. The technical reason for why the root of conflict is in our thinking is that thought is limited because it is based on limited experiences, memories, as prejudices, conditionings. Also, thought is a material process (as chemical activity in brain-cells which is physical/material). And matter is limited energy. So being based on limited experience, and being matter which is limited energy, thought is limited. That which is limited is divisive - it brings division. In the scientific, practical, technical realm, this division is necessary for understanding: you must break things up to understand them. But in the psychological realm, in relationship with people, things, and ideas, this divisive characteristic causes havoc.
 
As a whole, humanity has not evolved psychologically and is still as barbaric as 1000's of years ago (look at the tribal fights at football games for example, or the backstabbing that takes place in the so called respectful business environments, or the everyday gossips). Can this be related to the fact that the human mind has been too occupied with divisive thought? Thinking seems to be the pre-dominant activity of the mind. When the brain is quiet of its activity of thinking - which in relationship gives birth to division, prejudices, and blind beliefs - then it can be in a state of love, compassion, understanding, and empathy. When the brain is quiet, it can perceive that which is beyond thinking. Love can only be when that which is not love is eliminated.
 
When we end conflict in ourselves, that is bound to effect the consciousness of the human specie (there are some interesting scientific experiments which tend to support this). As such, peace in the world starts. The Leaders by themselves can not bring peace. All religious, political and economic systems have failed to bring peace. On the contrary, no matter how well-intended, organized systems have further divided humen. But we can do it. When one person understands and ends conflict in his or her self and relationships, it goes a long way.
 
I hope the Leaders do not take fragmentary action which will lead to further fragmentation. I heard a recent prayer that said: may the Leaders realize the wisdom that they didn't even know they had !
 
Kind Regards
Reza Ganjavi
www.rezamusic.com
 
(PS - I try to keep mailings to a minimum but if you still like to be removed from my mailing list simply send an email with "remove" in the subject). 

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I've been thinking about your recent letter regarding the horrible tragedy last week.  I didn't have time to respond immediately but I want to tell you that you said MANY wonderful things in the letter, all of which I believe in.  It's too, too bad that so many people in the world get so self-righteous such that they can rationalize doing insane things. Jack

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Reza, It's nice to hear from you.  I enjoyed your letter, I just wish the rest of the world would learn to love one another. Holly

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You seem to have a flair for 'writing'. i think you have rich ideas and you can articulate them really well. Flo
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Dear Reza, Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings. What you say is so true....love, Vesta
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Dear Reza, In the moment I sit in an internet cafe in sarajevo, where my wife is coming from. So I am very shocked about this what happened in the USA. Thomas

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Hi Reza Jon, Well said. I enjoyed reading your ideas. We can't be too ashamed of ourselves as humans if at least one us thinks so clearly. Do stay safe, Mahroo
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Guess you felt the need to get your thoughts to others.  Glad I was there to serve as your "ear."  Arline
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Religious fundamentalism is and always has been a chronic condition among the human race. Some believers kill for their beliefs. Most do not. They hold to their fundamentalist beliefs like a lifeboat in a storm... Spencer
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Reza...    I agree totally with your observations.  The world is in a major state of transition and one that had to happen.  We are on the precipice of major change and our Country has the opportunity to respond to the recent carnage in a way that sets the standard for the world.  I hope that our leaders find the wisdom that will be needed. However, I also agree with you that real change will only come when we are able to effect change within ourselves...in our hearts, minds and souls.  I am still working in that direction personally but find it a far more difficult process than I ever anticipated. Regards. Barry
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Reza, I am so glad to see your name and this message.  Where are you now?  Take care of yourself and keep spreading good will. Stephanie
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Thank you for your thougts about the terror Moni
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Reza dear: A perfect response to my way of thinking--it's what i spend my life writing books for young adults about. Thank you for sharing your letter.  I hope you send it to The Link. Love, Dale
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Dear Reza, It was very sad what happened in New York.  I think the basic problem is that our society has done a very good job in eliminating God from our thoughts, schools, workplaces, and homes.  Our own human frailties have filled that void....Our country was founded with God in mind, but has radically departed from our founding fathers intentions.  Much to our demise.... God Bless, Paul
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> Dear Everyone:
> Here is something that may interest you. Bruno was a 16th Century philosopher of the Italian Renaissance.
Yours
Jaya
>"How easily it has become a custom for our people to deem it an offering
> to the gods, when we have subdued, slain, conquered, and murdered the
> enemies of our faith; no less than all the others when they have done the
> same to us.  And with no less fervor and conviction do the latter thank
> God for having the light through which they expect eternal life, than do
> we render thanks for not being in their blindness and darkness...."
>
> - Giordano Bruno, La Cena de la Ceneri (The Ash Wednesday Supper),
> London, 1584.
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Hello,
Thanks for your message "on war and peace" and your last request. I did appreciate being on your mailing list and was surprised to realise that you show great interest in so many fields like health , diet, artistic life, etc. Curt
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Friedrich: Fundamentalists always succeed because they’re so determined.

…search for security - as reason for not psych evolution - also: a wrong turn? It just is.
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Hi Reza,  Thanks for your thoughtful essay.  It's good to hear from like-minded souls,  especially since we represent such a minority.  Alice

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Hi Folks,

As a true patriot of America, I have attacked the number system since it of
Arabic derivation.
Henceforth I will only use Roman Numerals.

I have also attacked the rosettes, on all of my Moorish influenced guitars,
and will be ordering new spalted maple ones soon.

Really folks, while all of Europe needed a bath and general literacy,
ancestors of our Arab friends were mapping the world, the stars and
expanding the collective mind of our planet.

Please take care in these horrifying times and Happy Trails,
Larry


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well, when
one goes that eye for an eye
route - you end up with blind people. Fran.

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Hello Reza,  it's good to hear a loving voice with the cry for
revenge, and all the flag waving.  It seems that most folks do
not see this wholistically - this is a crime against humanity,
not simply U.S.

 To pause, to let this settle in, to allow those who have done
this to see the magnatude of the ugliness, and perhaps change,
does not appear to be possible - the news media is behaving exactly
like the 'old brain' - repeating the pictures, over and over,
showing the ugliness again and again, so as not to forget.

 You are one of humanity's loving children - and I am so glad
our paths have crossed.

Be well dear

Verna

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Hello Reza,
Quite Rightly said. Well thought Statements  and ideally speaking , the loss of justice leads  life  towards a materialistic world resulting  in such frustration.The saying of Hazrat Ali in Nahjul Balagha  rightly suggest so.(you might be aware of).
 
Regards,
Mohammad Raza

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RIGHT ON REZA !
This crisis as any other needs to be responded to on different levels:  The outer, inner, and meditative, in order to effect the consciousness of mankind.  This we can do in many ways on a daily basis, and must do in order to change the violence being constantly perpetuated.  That is all one can do, and it is the only thing to do. 

Driving home from Las Vegas last Friday, on a local radio station during a few minutes of silence in all the schools, they played:  IMAGINE  and over it softly short excerpts from Pres. Bush calling for war.  It was a powerful statement.  Then on public radio they put on a recent program on non-violence, passive resistance and how to bring about peace in the world from a convention of university, religious people, writers, etc.  So there is always a movement that is helping the good in consciousness to be. 
IN LIGHT AND LOVE,   GABIE


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HELLO!
 
Thank you for our message !
I think that one of the ways to put all this into pratice is to perform yoga regularly, in our every day life.
 
Best greetings,
 
Marie-Paule.

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Reza,
Christianity does promise peace.  Not in this world but in eternal salvation.  In heaven, there is not crying or moaning.  Choose Jesus and you will have inner peace now and eternal peace later.  Thanks for the letter.
Cindy

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Dear Reza,
 
it's a long time ago, that we see us, but I never forget you. Thanks for mailing.
I'm afraid about the situation, but afraid is the opposit of Love, I think. A wise man from Frutigen says: "Krishna will arranged it. The biggest swindler needs a swindler above, and this is Krishna ( or however you call him)".
That gives me courage. I'm not on the side of USA, and aso not of the other. I think it's the beginning from a great change. And will be onlooker.
 
Love, Marianne

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Reza,
I was late in reading some emails. Although it may be late to say, thanks for sharing your views.
Neetu
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Q1. Reza: Thank you for your insightful words.  But, are you saying that if we all just stop thinking this will violence will stop? Eric
 
A1. There is certainly a purpose for the facility of thinking, for thought. Its purpose is for practical, technical matters. Thought's tendancy to divide due to its limited nature - as explained in part 1 - is useful in practical/technical matters: the basis of scientific understanding is our ability to break things up to their components. When thought enters relationship - which we propose is where it does not belong - that divisive tendancy becomes destructive. To take this one step deeper, psychologically, thought creates the "me" through memories, identifications, and images, and divides that from the "non-me". How psycholocally thought creates division can be easily examined and verified in daily relationships. It is healthy to relate with a silent mind, without the noise and residue of the past, which means there are no images. A "silent mind" can not come about through execution of methods, programs. When there is order in one's life, quietness comes naturally, effortlessly. Effort is noise! Order comes as a result of understanding disorder. When disorder, dissonance, friction - internally as the conflict between what I am and what I should be, and externally in my relationship with my partner, neighbor, colleague, things, ideas, etc., - is understood, then I stop contributing to violence. If there is fight in myself and in my relationship, I am contributing to violence in the world.
 
When I change, my relationships, the world around me changes. One might think, what effect can one small person have on a big big world. Only
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Dear reza, I have read your beautiful e-mail messege about peace, that influenced me a lot. There is still a question remianing in my mind and I would like to ask you: Did you have the same feeling when you heard or cared to hear, before this recent event, about the murder and massacre of millions of people in other parts of the world, or this only happened to you when you heard about the Americans death? I think this is the responsibility of all the enlightened people of the world to answer very honestly and carefully to this very significant question.  May we desire deeply a worldwide peace for all the people regardless of their natiionality, religion, wealth and .... I wish you success and happiness, if there is any place for happiness at all. Bye. Yours sincerely, Forouz
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Dear Reza: Many thanks for your kind message. You have deeply studied the wisdom of Krishnamurti. Jaya

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   WOW,,,DID YOU HAVE A LOT TO SAY,,,I'M GLAD YOU WERE NOT DOING
BUSINESS THERE SEPT. 11, 2001
I WAS THERE IN 87' MY BROTHER HAS HIS WEDDING RECEPTION ON THE
110-FLOOR AT THE GOV SUITE,,,YOU KNOW IN BUILDING (1) WITH THE POINTED TOWER,,,THE WINDOWS WERE DOWN TO THE FLOOR,,SO YOU COULD WALK OVER AND SEE YOURSELF SWAY BACK AND FORTH AS YOU LOOKED WAY DOWN AT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY,,WOW WHAT A SIGHT,,,TO BAD THOSE MENS HEADS GAVE THEM THE WRONG REASONS THAT AFTER DEATH I WILL BE AWARDED FOR KILLING THE INFIDEL,,,THERE HEARTS WERE DEAD AND NOT GIVING A CHANCE TO LIVE,,,INSTEAD OF GOING BY THEMSELFS THEY TOOK MANY,,,BUT AS BLOOD RUNS THEY WILL OT GET REWARDS,,,THEY WILL BE SHAMED BY PEOPLE THAT HAVE HEARTS THAT ARE NOT DEAD,,,JUST AS I BRING UP A DOG AND TELL HIM EVERYDAY THAT I'M GOING TO SHOOT HIM IF HE EVER BITES ANOTHER PERSON AND HE MUST THINK O'BOY MY MASTER IS
GOING TO SHOOT ME IF I BITE SOMEBODY,,,THAT SOUNDS GOOD,,,,REZA WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS NOT GOING TO BE PRETTY,,IT'S NOT SUPPOSE BE,,,BUT THE BIG GIANTS HANDS ARE UNTIED NOW AND HE FEELS LIKE STRIKING ANY WHERE AND HE WILL BUT IT WON'T DO ANYGOOD,,,AND HE WILL STRIKE AGAIN AND AGAIN AND IT WON'T DO ANY GOOD,,,HELP THE HEARTS THAT ARE DEAD NOT IN A GOD'S NAME BUT IN A HUMAN'S LOVE JUST AS YOU SAID I DON'T THINK WE WILL LEARN NOT IN THIS WORLD,,,WE LIKE SEEING BLOOD TO MUCH,,,AND WHEN IT HITS HOME WE WANT MORE OF ANYBODY'S,,,JUST AS LONG AS WE HAVE MORE,,,,MY BROTHER LIVES 1-MILE FOR WTC AND HE'S OKAY,,,THE GIRL HE LIVES WITH IS A CPA AND WORKS IN TIMES SQ,,,,THE SUBS WERE NOT WORKING SO HE WALKED FROM 14 TO 28,,TO GET HER,,,HE HEARD A LOW FLYING PLANE COMING OVER,,ALMOST COULD HEAR THE TURBINES RUNNING,,AND OF COURSE THE REST IS HISTORY,,,OUR GOOD O'USA HAS BEEN STRUCK,,AND WILL WE STRIKE BACK YES AND WILL IT MAKE IT BETTER NO AND WILL WE STRIKE AGAING YES UNTIL ALL THE DEAD HEARTS ARE GONE,,, I JUST HOPE IT DOESN'T TAKE YOUR ARE MY FAMILIES WITH EM,,,,STAY REAL MY FRIEND AND LOVE FOR YOU IS STRONGER THAN ANY HATE AND I LOVE YOU,,,WOULD I STILL PULL THE TRIGGER YES,,JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY WAS BITE,,,I DON'T MEAN THAT BUT IT SOUNDS GOOD,,,HAVE A GREAT WEEK WHERE EVER YOU ARE,,,TMAC


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Dear Reza,
the world appreciates all efforts in the direction of explaining what we are, and then laughs
and keeps acting as it does.
If organized religions hadn't joined people together, though, smaller groups would have decimated the populations in numberless smaller wars. I think we need to use that wisdom you mention, in order to prevent religious phanatic minorities from trying to solve whealth unequalities with vile, cowardly terror acts.
Education is to be redifined globally. When one swears on the Cross or the Coran he didn't commit a crime, should that be believed?
Religion must tie people, not separate them; yet it's foundations are still interpreted as grounds to be different...
Religious thought should be absorbed in its essence.
Probably religious books, used as they are as law books are by lawyers... should all be burned !
Keep going, my friend

O.

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Hi Reza,
thank you very much for your round-letter. It is good to know you are so concerned about the catastrophy, and also about the consequences. I signed a petition to the US government yesterday, asking for considerate reflexion and action. Who wants to get involved into a world war, caused also by mutual communication deficits!
The best for you, and hoping to see you sometime soon
Sincerely                                                  Eckart.

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I would just like to make a comment on your remarks. Although we are all disgusted with what happened, we must not blame this on religion. If you look at all the troubles in the world, it is almost always over land. People use religion however to gather support for their cause because it is a unifying factor (like language, skin colour, race etc). Look at the Northern Ireland situation, Israel/Palestine conflict,
Iran/Iraq war, Iraq/Kuwait war: They were all because of land and had
nothing to do with religion or God. None of these people are fighting for their religion or beliefs. They are all fighting because they want a piece of land somewhere! There are lots of other "religious" causes round the world (e.g Chechnia) but no one gives a
damn because the land is not important!

Nader

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Thanks Reza, Well put. There is a growing support for such sentiment and
I hope that George Bush does not continue…. He is in a very tough position and therefore my guess is that he will choose to act tough… I'm not sure there's a clear answer to all this, but, I hope that there is a continued effort to pull nations together to help make the decision. This has become a world issue and will only become more so. This act has broken all boundaries of humanity. I don't believe that anyone can
really justify something like that as a religious act, at least
from what I know of the common ground shared by every religion
that I've learned of…I hope you are well and that your friends, relatives, etc. are all safe from harm. For all those that did not make it...may they rest in peace and help to guide our leaders to a peaceful resolve. Take care, Scott

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I appreciate you sending this to me and it is wonderful and will share it
with some of my friends with your permission.  You still have five more CD's
with me…. These have been devastating times for me, as so many of us.  I find myself
heart broken and in tears most of the time.  The image of the 2nd plane
hitting the tower is constantly with me and the people.  I don't know how
much of this time will heal? none of our lives will be the same again! Keep safe and well. Shahri
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Dear Reza.......since that terrible day, 11th September 2001, i've been in a kind of limbo. it is hard to explain. belong to another discussion group (holo-interest. to do with stan grof's stuff), and people there have been discussing about what has and is happening, but i chose not cause i can't find words to. yours is the first response from me about this horror.

the image which keeps haunting me is where the third plan seems to actually disappear into the tower and then explodes;. it caused me to feel physicalysick. and of couse all of the other horror. it was just so awful to watch against that startling blue sky. and i watched and watched every image like i was maganetized to having to do so.

i am thinking of the New Yorkers who are now trying to keep their city going, but all the time (specially at night) knowingthat there may lie thousands of bodies - some maybe hanging onto life - beneath grim stinking poisonous rubble.

of children without parents and all the rest. it is truly unbearable.

one of the confusing hings i've had to face is the conflicting emotions within myself. previous to this i was well awareof the violence of capitalism, and its damage to the environment, yet my heart went out to how fragile it all is, and how human are its victims, and how i would much much sooner that than the barbaric regimes under Islamic law. for one, being GAY, they'd probably persecuteand even kill me, or at least make my life as miserable as possible, and how can they treat women the way theydo. it is the dark ages (previous to this event i had read a lot of ecofeminism, and how patriarchal society has denigrated women. Islam s hundreds ofyears behind in this regard. what with the men with their long patristic beards,and the women peering out of stifling coverings.

i notice you choose to promote the philosophy of Krishnamurti to try and understand the situation? well my crisis with him, and paeting, was after reading about his "private" life. not a good advertizement for what he preached i haveto say. allowing people to believe hewas not needing sexuality like the restof us. the way he formed a gossipy clique against his "friend" who had worked his booloks off to keep the K. show on the road. what thanks did he get but lies, cheated on, and grief?
IF he practised what he preached, why did
he treat him like that???

the disillusion with K. is what led me tothe ecofeminists, and their pointing out about the real political reality underpinning our servitude. it can't be just a case of "working" on oneself as K assumed. there is a lot of deception in that ...but i'm getting lost herein wordswords words aren't i. fundamnetally i am in a state of not knowing. i suddenly realize post that awful day justhow complex it all is!

Julian

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Hi Reza,
 
I'm glad you made it. It makes me want to enjoy every minute of life even more.  What a crazy tragedy.
 
Take care,
love
Payam 

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Hi Reza,
 
Yours was the 1st well thought out commentary I have recieved in my e-mail on the horrid events in the last 6 days. Pass it on to those who do not know any better, and are ruled by their anger instead of their true higher selves.
 
Susie
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Dear Reza,
 
Thank you for your above reflexion. What happened is horrendous, but I have the impression that it makes many people reflect upon many things and I hope that something positive will come out finally. I am an undestructible optimist. I agree fully with you that peace starts with peace within ourselves and with ourselves. I hope we will have in the near future the opportunity to meet, when you come to Geneva. Unfortunately I cannot help you for an appartment. We are looking ourselves to hire a studio for my son who will marry next 10th of october in Damascus. In Geneva we have a shortage of appartments. Anyway, if eventually something turns up, I will let you know.
 
Kind regards,
 
Latifa

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What can you do to help convince the heads of all the world's religions that
they must now and immediately remove any possibility of religious authority
for acts of violence from the entire canonical literature.

Those who preach violence in the name of some religious consideration must be
brought to public light, publically repudiated and defrocked (or the
equivalent), and turned over to secular authorities for prosecution. 
Religion must divest itself of the prerogative to sanctify violence of any
kind.

Only then will these sorts of activity and agenda be stripped of the massive
cultural support provided by religious sanction, and reduced to the level of
local and individual madness that it really is.

Can you show anything that will adequately (fully and completely,
actually...) address this problem, short of the measures I recommend?  If so,
would you put it up for consideration?

William

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Thanks Reza, very well said. Kirstin

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Good to hear from you.  Peace be with you my brother.  My only addition to your thinking is that we must each take leadership in our communities across the world and make a stand against all fanatiscm.  Both in the world and at home.  We have all seen it, we can no longer sit idly by and watch we must act.  For in the act those that would oppress lose their edge, fear.  We can as a people stop it if each human in all communities of the world stand up to be counted.  Yes, some of us may lose our lifes but I would rather lose my life that stand watch innocent people be destroyed.

We the world stand together to fight the evil.  Enough said from me.  Don
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Hi Reza,
thanks for your email.
More than ashamed, I am upset.
I don't think this cruel event that took place last week should be vaguely tied to "humanity" in a generic way.
I am upset specifically at those militant extremists who decided to initiate what will now become the third world war.
I am upset with the muslims who, despite calling themselves religious people are terrorizing others and then running away to hide in holes.
this act has little to do with being human, i think.
The Costa Rican people in Central America, the Australian people, the Thai people, the people in Nepal, and the Portuguese people have nothing to do with such violent act.
We can not generalize and say "let's be ashamed of humanity" just because some specific segment of the population has reacted in such pathetic way.
I pray to God, asking Him/Her that whatever the solution is, we find it, and we find it soon.
If the solution is to kill the terrorists who did this, then let it be.
There is a saying that's widely used in latin america: "muerto el perro se acaba la rabia".
 stay healthy and strong.
 Mauricio

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Hi,
I am still in MA.
I tried to listen even closer to your words.....
You seem to be against the concept of thought and the concept of…
What ever happened with Einstein's famous advice, "think"....?
Or with Descartes flow, "I think, therefore I am"?
Do you believe that understanding the world necessarily means losing touch with oneself?
Doy you believe that to be in a state of love one must give up the learning method, the academy?
I was just curious to find out what your answers to these questions are......
Thanks again, and let me know when you'll be near here....
bye,
Mauricio 
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Thanks Nader.
I am not clear about this.
I think belief is the ultimate driving factor of suicide terrorists - isn't it?
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Nader
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 7:23 PM
Subject: Re: On War & Peace
> Thanks Reza for sharing your thoughts. I think that we live in an imperfect
> world with a lot of desperate needy people who are over powered by a
> few with money and greed. Your idealogy can not work well when the basic
> structure is flawed. May be one day peace will mean that everyone is
> satisfied with comforts of having the things to feel like a human and
> not an animal that gets kicked around for the desperate actions they
> take in order to survive in having things like food and shelter.
>
> Just a thought
>
> Nader
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Reza,
Thank you for the note. I totally agree that it is all in the mind. From 'Good Thoughts" come "Good Words" and from that comes "Good Deeds". This was the message of Zarathushtra. Happiness, sadness, worry, anxiety, etc are all a state of the mind. When people fall in love, the fact of the matter is that at that moment they are in love with themselves. The mind reacts that way when they have the feeling of love or compassion.
Keep up the good work. In your para you mentioned the horror of destructive mind. That is true; many innocent people died. Then, there is the other side of the coin, that shows the cause of such an action taken. Call it desperation or awakening or whatever one likes. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This was a theory put forward by a guy called Issac Newton.
Live and let live, is all I can say.
Cheers 
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Hi Reza,

Hope you are well.  I heard you're in Europe now.

Saying that this happened in the name of god, or belief,
does not really help us understand why 18 people, who are
apparently somewhat educated and farily well to do, decide
to kill themselves and thousands others on the same day.
For one thing, some of them were apparently drinking heavily
in the days leading to the attack.  This shows they probably
didn't have a very strong faith in their god.

Anyway, here is a link to an interesting article that appears
in the current issue of the Nation:

shAd zi,
- Arash
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Reza,
 
Thanks for the thoughts.  I still feel like I just got kicked in the stomach
as a result of the images of September 11.  I agree that our Leaders should
not take fragmentary action.  This is an extremely complicated matter.
 
Sincerely,
 
John

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Religions has so often been misused for selfish and ambishous business.
There's no God urging to kill and to destroy.
My faith forbids me to do bad, and I can't understand to murder in the name
of God, to think of doing well.
Virtues aren't wellcome on earth, that's why I often retire on the moon.
I read parts of the Apocalypse, and there are interesting parts in
Nostradamus' work.
Peace is a rare treasure today and was it even years ago. I think that most
people don't have peace with themselves. How could they be friendly to each
other? And people to other peoples?
Life is a sad story with some amusing parts in it.
Keep all your good memories in heart, where they never can be stolen nor
destroyed.
I feel pity with all families and friends of the victims of the desaster in
New York and Washington, but also with the women in Afghanistan.
Life goes on and time runs through our fingers.
I am not afraid of death; it belongs to life and it's a part of nature, of
eternity.
...even the moon hides her face not to see the pain on earth - petra

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     The primary source of strife on this planet in the past and in
the present is 'institutionalized bigotry', either of the form that
says some races are inferior and should thus be enslaved like we had
with the blacks, eradicated like we had with the native indians and
Jews, or just plain suppressed like we have with women.

     Most of these issues have been resolved in present time, the
'civilized world' has pretty much won that game and except for a few
stragglers who don't really stand a chance, the world is well on its
way towards legal equality for all.

     But there is still an area of bigotry that has not been resolved
and which is older than old, and going to be really hard to eradicate.
That is bigotry engendered when a religion teaches that some people go
to hell forever and others go to heaven forever.

SNIP

     The idea that some people can not redeem themselves to everyone
else, keeps us comfortably numb in our righteous hate, as long as we
hate the proper people.

SNIP

     Worse though are the religions that teach that deeds do not
determine who goes to heaven or hell, but mere acceptance of ideology,
doctrine or particular prophet, messiah or savior.

     No matter how good the Jew is, if he doesn't accept Christ on his
death bed as his savior, off to hell he goes.

     We call these Cults of Personality or the Cult of the True
Believer.

     We call them Cults of the 'True Believer', because the fate of a
being after death depends only on what they believe, not on the
inherent goodness or love in their heart, the quality of their lives,
or the repentence we all feel for our sins once we recognize the
craziness of our ways and the ill effects they have had on the
Cosmic All.

SNIP

Homer
===============================================================
Reza,

An interesting take on the psychology of conflict.  I saw the attacks as
manifestations of the worst in human nature.  The worst actions fueled by
ideas taken to the worst extremes, and made worse yet because the horrific
loss of life was executed by and upon some of the best examples of man's
productive mind.  The aircraft and the skyscraper; two of the finest
examples of what can be produced when man lives in a system that rewards
his intellect, creativity, and productive achievement.

In my own personal terms, the attacks were counter-intuitive to the
philosophy by which I have chosen to live my life; that of objective
thought, reason, and productivity.  Ayn Rand described her own philosophy
as "..the idea of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the
moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest
activity, and with reason as his only absolute."  These men were neither
heroic, moral, productive, or reasonable.  They were, conversely,
deplorable, depraved, destructive, and above all irrational.

I agree with your theory thusly, if reason was man's only absolute, there
would be no conflict.  Cognitive dissonance must be resolved and cannot
exist in a reasonable, rational mind.  Mysticism creates cognitive
dissonance and quite clearly, drove these men mad.

I hope we can perpetuate more reason in the world.

Best Regards,
Michael
=============================================================
Hi Reza,

I'm glad to know you're safe and healthy. I had no idea you could have
been in WTC, but was worried about you being in NYC.

I do agree with most of what you said, but am not ashamed of being a human being. We should not allow the barbaric actions of a few crazy (for lack of a better word) people bring our whole existence into question. I also think that the roots of actions taken by this crazy people should be addressed since chopping off one of their heads will cause multiple heads to reappear.

Hoping for the days where peace, fairness and prosperity rule the world,

Bahman

===============================================================
I was wondering when I would get such an interesting email from you on this
subject. I agree with you. Particularly your comment in your second-last paragraph was interesting. You may remember the (original) Star Wars film. There's a scene when a whole planet is destroyed by Darth Vader's "Death Star" (I believe that's what it was called), and Alec McGuinness (Obi Wan?) felt it from light years away via "The Force".
I'm not one normally to feel so emotional about such disasters, when it concerns people I don't know (I'm unsure whether I should be ashamed to admit this) but I fell into a brief depression last week and only recovered when I had an intensive work-out at squash on Friday (maybe it was the endorphins, adrenalin, noradrenalin, cortisone etc which get released). I still feel shocked, saddened, and concerned for the future, of course, but my at least emotional state is no longer at such a low ebb, something I can't allow right now.
I assume your "scientific evidence" refers to the theory of Rupert Sheldrake's "Causative Morphology" (or was it "Morphological Causality"?)
Please KEEP me on your mailing list.
G
- Indeed I was referring to Sheldrake.
=============================================================
These people are ANIMALS...
& should be punish for what they did, regaless of their power, money .
Alan
=============================================================
Dear Reza
I recieved all your emails.Each of them was so
great!Mehran send an e mail for you too.I dont know
did you get it?where are you right now?we are happy
youare safe,bcause Meharn told me you worked in trade
center several yaers ago and may be you came back to
new york?I had atrip to Tehranfor one month.itwas
wondar full!But I was worry because all the Air Lines
cancelled their flight on that times for afew days,and
mehran was
in canada .It is terrible tragedy!We hope see you
soon.say hello to Shadi.   ROYA

===============================================================


thanks for your email. was wonderful to read. I agree with what you said and
even if i already heard about that idea, it was a good thing for my soul.
thanks for everything. you're a wonderful person who gives so much to me..
hope seeing you a s soon as possible for you
Sonja

=============================================================


reza.
pretty interesting observations.
and you are right,  so many crimes have
been done in the name of god,  over the last 3000 years.
all religions have been guilty.
did you know that prior to the jewish god
god was a woman?
and that up to the time of christ many female god were still worshipped.
later they were replaced by mary, mother
of god.
meant to reply earlier.
have been pretty busy at work.
gary

===============================================================

Dear Reza, Thanks for your thoughts. I agree with you wholeheartedly that each individual must be responsible for changing themselves now into a less fragmented self [ RG: is or isn’t self by definition fragmented?] , I disagree with you strongly that this will happen via stilling the mind and therefore calming chemicals in the brain. 

=============================

(1 Sep 01)

Dear friend,
thank you for your mail - I appreciated it very much -

There was a song about 25 years ago, I remember the title "This world today is a mess" - is it? To some extend one has to say yes - but what, if we say that and go back to business as usual? The world has in all times been a mess in some way. Think of crusades, of the Spaniards in the Inka-Kingdom….examples are numerous. It's the acceleration and the flood of information what makes things more than ever unbearable. The humans have always been each others enemies - and still I wish for the sake of our children to believe, that this is not all. The older I get, the more I believe that there is only love and fear. All that happens can be reduced to these two elements. I have spent some time in courses with Chuck Spezzano and Psychology of vision and the more I learn about myself and about me being connected to all humans, the more I understand how important my thoughts are. I understand, that thoughts are a reality as well as things I do and as long as I judge others I attack the hidden parts in myself - as we are all one. You say, that thoughts are limited matters coming from limited experience. Is it not so, that if we go back to the very roots of ourselves that we find unlimited love? During our lives we cut ourselves off here and there because of misunderstandings and mistakes. If we change our thinking and don't let it be influenced by all, what separates us from love - new levels are possible. And the more people become conscious of that fact, the more it's possible to heal the earth. As the spiritual mind does not function like the material world, 1 and 1 gives hundreds - energy is flow, love is flow and to forgive others is to forgive ourselves the mistakes. It's possible to change our thoughts - to reconnect to the source, to join the flow. I can forbid thoughts out of my brain - but sometimes it's so much easier to let the old patterns take over. It needs the power of the will and the belief, that there is something better and that things are possible if we do them. Call it miracles somehow…

Something very impressive happened two years ago in our family. Always at Pfingsten we put a big candle in the middle of the morning-table and we put 12 candles on it and everybody of the family or guests can lit a candle for somebody or something. My daughter was 14 at that time, she is very sensitive and she said: "I know, I should lit a candle for Milosevic. But you all would not approve it." Our guests looked astonished and we finally decided that her thought was just the right ting to do and we lit a candle for this man. Two weeks later the first peace-making discussions started. I think no one of us is so simple to think, that this one our candle had one direct connection - but there was a shift in consciousness which connected with others on the spiritual level and things became possible - a seed of forgiveness maybe.

If conscious people manage to build up a network of love over the planet, there might be a chance for a change - because never has the world been so close to a major leap forward in it's development - but every single one has to stop any attack, has to change the "normal" thoughts, to let love and light flow. It might all sound very esoteric- I think it's not - it's just a reality we do not explore easily and one has to "meet" it at some point of her or his life.
I can only start with myself - no way to change others.
That's why I think, our thinking is not limited - our brain is not limited - our experience, yes but we have to overcome the experience and trust the root experience of unconditional love.
It would be great, to discuss matters like that in a circle…
I brought these thoughts to paper, they are spontaneous and as that they are in some ways not clear and finished- and the matter is very complicated… - but there is a delete-Button on the computer….

I love to hear from you again sometimes…..
love and light-greetings

agnes

Today is the first day of our future -