In a message dated 2/19/2006 4:52:15 A.M. Central Standard Time, eyost1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: But can't bring myself to read any of it anymore. Not a single word of it. Can't even bear to look at it. Hi, I know. I can (sometimes) be pretty harsh with words and I was with one of my friends who is a peace-loving forgiving soul. (one of the Unity Teacher types) I think my friend who was a Holocaust survivor and who has done a lot of library programs for us here helped me work through a lot of those emotions as she was constantly asked if she hated the Germans and how in the world she could go back to her little village (who had done some horrible things and had also now rebuilt her synagogue and where many of them tried to gloss over their action (or inaction). But, she's had many many years to work through it and is, I think, pretty unusual. She is an extreme pacifist now--maybe that is one way she dealt with it. Kind of the Victor Frankl method of dealing with horrific events--what is it he says gets people through things? (the Logo therapy that he proposed) There were three methods that he decided as he watched and analyzed ... and the one which probably is what I have seen mostly is those who then decide to 'do' something productive about similar sorts of situations so that it will not happen again to someone else. In this 9-11 situation, i suppose it could take many different forms--one of which would be to bomb the whole religious world of Islam into smithereens so that it does not ever happen again. That may, actually, be what is driving a lot of the extreme anti-Islamic sentiment (which is huge--and it would not matter if there was a moderate Muslim or an extreme fundamentalist in the area--I think it is the World Society of the Future of Religion [not the right name, I think] which has done some studies on that sort of sentiment amongst Americans since 9-11.) Or, it could be some shifting to the whole 'get rid of all weapons/bombs/etc and take no chance that any of them can even come close and, an 'oh, too bad so sad' attitude if some of the moderates get killed in the line of fire-- I think those involved in the whole Emergent Movement (which began on all sides and all religious groups prior to 9-11 and much of it as a reaction to Fundamentalists in each of their religious traditions--were not surprised and it just solidified the thought that they had really better get busy and move a little faster--and they have. Many of them are all kids/grandkids of some of the top fundamentalist leaders -- and their Elders are not too happy--but as they have not left their traditions and do not advocate that--it's an interesting twist.) All I can say is--I know. I'm not ever saying that any of us here is to be involved in that movement--but it is, to me, interesting because it IS happening and it IS going to eventually have a strong impact. I wanted to be clear that there are people who, somehow, had already reached the conclusion and were doing something about it--to extremism within their religious traditions. To show that there are people reacting to things in different ways-- I don't know how my friends who were in charge of the Salvation Army area in NYC at the time of 9-11 can have their oh--whatever it is that they have--the stories of the littles [they took care of many of the little ones who lost both parents that day and others who had lost one but they had no idea who the other parents was--] They were in the thick of it -- maybe because they were actually "doing" something? I don't know. I just watch and listen and see what they are doing next. So, okay--we'll see what happens in the next twenty years inside of you towards this. Maybe by then the great percentage of folk who are seeking identity will find it in the Emergent Movement (or have died... but left only the non-fundamentalists to interact with...) I don't speak much with my friend who was the one who cautioned a bunch of us towards not reacting off-the-handle not long after 9-11 and I was not the only one who got tipped over the edge towards her. Maybe she could process grief a bit faster--I don't know. But, just because you do process it--does not mean you forget or that you are not aware of the ones who go to the extreme mean side. For me, maybe it has helped that I knew the two different types because of having known so many of the moderate types in one city and so many of the extreme horribly mean ones in another. (Still think that the Claritas/marketing people would have done a service to have figured that one out and wonder if they had...) There were so many mean ones in that one town -- but in the other, they were already in that appreciative mode. Don't know, yet, what makes one gravitate towards one or the other...but i know that I definitely have the tendency to throw the baby out with the bathwater (so to speak) when I get burned...so I understand...if I didn't have a child, I would have slapped on a burkha (and had my friend who owns the language school that rivals that of Monterey teach me the language) and headed to the hills to figure out who to get...well, that was also my child's idea but I decided that it might not be the wisest course of action at the time...) It's more that it is interesting to see what is happening--and what some Others are doing...NOT to recommend that course of action...just to Watch... Best, Marlena in Missouri