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In Reply to: Thought-provoking quotation posted by Alan on October 01, 2003 at 06:12:07:
That's deep. Also scarey. There are days when I feel very much afraid over the state of affairs in this country. It is only because of my higher power that I do not slide into absolute despair over what I see happening.
Many of us lived through the social upheaval and political repression of the late 60s and early 70s. It was just that social and political instability that gave rise to cults like TF/COG. You will notice that they tend to do well in socially and politically unstable parts of the world.
I think we're in the abudance-selfishness stage...not sure we're at complacency and apathy. People do seem to care about what's happening, but they're also very wrapped up in their own affairs and driven by the need to hang onto what little they've got.
I do sense a certain complacency, however, over the daily loss of American lives in Iraq. This is the cost of freedom, we're told. What does freedom mean in this case? The freedom to avoid the hard decisions that come with formulating a sustainable national energy policy? Freedom from the terrorists over there converging around our troops rather than over here on the homeland attacking us civilians? Freedom to maintain a relatively carefree lifestyle at the cost of Iraqi women and children trying to survive with a nearly complete loss of civil order?
Who is really paying the price for my freedom? Certainly not me. Why should I care what it's costing someone else? <ironic voice>
