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Briefs & Commentary The War on Virtues September 11th, 2001 will forever mark the minds and books as one of the most horrific days in history. The acts that took place on this day were simply unimaginable horrors carried out by persons with absolutely no regard for the lives of thousands of innocent civilians÷and if this isnÌt sick enough, all of it was done by terrorists in the name of Allah/God. (I am not going to attempt to get into the minds of the terrorists here, but suffice it to say that they have blasphemed Allah/God to almost the entire world including the vast majority of Moslems). Why does evil exist in the world, an American child asks? A tempered response attempts to explain both sides, for without it there is only an empty second question, ÏHow could they do that?Ó We try to honestly inform our children of both sides to important issues. We have taught them the virtue of forgiveness. How do we forgive this heinous act? We have taught them the virtue of Ïright action.Ó They believe in justice and feel obligated to come to the aid of another and/or to act in preventive ways to save the lives of many. These are our heroes and this is the stuff that makes America the great country that She is. We have many heroes that stood up and continue to stand up for our virtuesÛour values. Still, we have often the appearance of conflicting virtues. We accept the power of forgiveness and know that we must forgiveÛit is not ours to judge. Yet, we must act to end the possibility of another terrorist horror. This action may involve so-called collateral damage (the loss of civilian life). ItÌs a war---and terrorism must be stopped regardless of who perpetrates it or where in the world it rises itÌs vile head. We must do this in the world and we must be able to reconcile it in our homes and neighborhoods. Most of us have felt emotions we could only describe as Ïsick.Ó Most have probably also felt the grip of anger rise up from within. I have often used this achronym for anger: a=a; n=nasty; g=getting; e=even; r=response (a nasty getting even response). Getting even is never appropriateÛbut I must personally admit that it would be denial if I failed to recognize the anger I experienced. Denial is also not in our best interest. We feel what we feel and itÌs important to recognize those feelings. It is also critical that we channel those feelings in positive and constructive waysÛand itÌs okay to just cry. Balancing virtues is what the Western world knows in spiritual circles as the Ïmiddle pillarÓ and what the Eastern world thinks of as the Ïmiddle path.Ó We can all hold ideals until theyÌre tested. Perhaps there exist evil in the world so that we may know the truth by not just balancing hypothetical, but by expressing the balance in our lives, our feelings and our actions. I am reminded of a popular story about a Samurai warrior who is charged with protecting his leader. The leader is slain and the warrior seeks to destroy the assassin. In time the Samurai stands with his sword ready to cleave the body of the villain. He cannot and the assassin asks why his life is being spared. The warrior states that he cannot kill this man for he is full of rage and anger. The code of the Samurai prevents killing in anger. What must be doneÛmust be done. Let it be done without anger. Let it be done out of mercy for all of those who would otherwise become victims of terrorists. Intuitive or lucky? Some years ago a friend of mine asked me for my opinion regarding video games. She wanted to please her seven-year-old son and get him a major brand video entertainment station--but she felt uneasy about the nature of games that were available. My intuition guided my answer and I was candid about the source. I explained my intuitive response using some inferences from observations and scientific data, but nevertheless, emphasized the Ïpure opinion/speculationÓ aspect. I spoke with my friend a few days ago and we talked about her son. He is now fifteen and doing some wonderful things. She thanked me for the video gaming decision and made some comparisons to other young people. Synchronicity or something had us on the same page. I had just put down an article with the headline, ÏHeavy Video Game Use by Kids May Slow Brain Development.Ó It seems that a Japanese study carried out at Tohoku University by Professor Ryuta Kawashima demonstrated that game playing children used only those parts of the brain associated with vision and movement while children performing simple mathematics showed activity in both the left and right hemisphere in areas associated with learning, memory, emotion and impulse control. Critics assert that this was not a fair comparison. Perhaps not, but definitely an informative consideration for any parent out there. (Holmes 2001) DonÌt laughÛyour dogs laughing. According to research reported by Patricia Simonet of Sierra Nevada College, recordings of a panting sound made by dogs can trigger playfulness. A distinct broad range of frequency panting sound made by your dog may just be the dog version of laughter. (Milius 2001)
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