[at-l] At-L (*OT): Something to DO

[janl2@mindspring.com (Jan Leitschuh)]

Got this letter from a friend. Too much stuff going around, but it makes
enough sense to me to risk sending it along.

We all want to "do" something but feel helpless with global decisions
really no longer in our hands. Its easy to feel impotent, but there ARE
things we can control.

We can start in our backyards, for one. It seems to me that making
someone feel safe and included goes a long way toward uprooting fear,
which is a big taproot of reactive trouble. I mean, it deals not only
with the fear in the "other,", by stepping up to the plate we deal with
the fear in us...
Anyway, made enough sense I wanted to share...
J


"I stopped for gas yesterday at my usual service station. It was unusual 
to 
find all of the pumps available, but I didn't think much of it until I 
went inside to pay my bill. Then it dawned on me - the owner is an Arab. 
Every time I have been there he and another swarthy man have been
engaged 
in animated conversation in a language so foreign to me that I am unable 
to decipher even an isolated word, but yesterday he was alone. 
He has never been particularly friendly during our transactions, but 
rather aloof and abrupt. No small talk. No cheery, "Have a nice day." 
Just 
a small business owner doing his job. 
In light of Tuesday's events and the concerns of backlash targeting 
innocent people, I made a conscious and insistent effort to engage him
in 
conversation. He was not inclined to answer my questions, clearly 
suspicious of my motives. Finally I related to him that I had spent 3 
months traveling over land across the Middle East and would never forget 
an incident that occurred in Baghdad. 
It was an incredibly hot day - 120 degrees F, I was later told - and so 
arid that body fluids were sucked out of pores so aggressively that
sweat 
never formed, so one did not even notice the loss. I had run out of
water 
and was unaware of the severity of my escalating dehydration and 
hyperthermia, only of the pounding headache that was fogging my mind. 
While crossing a major road in the heart of the city, I lost 
consciousness 
and crumpled to the pavement. The next thing I knew I was seated on a 
bench, propped up on both sides by passersby, and a man was holding a 
bottle of lemonade to my mouth, encouraging me to drink. These Iraquis 
could not have been more kind or solicitous if they had been my own 
family. More drinks arrived for me. One was a glass of water, but the 
fellow who had apparently carried me from the street pushed it away, 
conveying to me that this water would not be safe for me to drink. They 
would not allow me to compensate them for what they had spent on my 
behalf, though they were clearly people who did not have money to spare. 
This incident occurred prior to the Persian Gulf War. During the bombing 
of Baghdad my thoughts dwelled on the individuals who had been so kind
to 
me, hoping that they, their families, and decent human beings like them 
were safe from harm. But throughout those days I knew that they were all 
enduring horror they did not deserve. 
The demeanor of the service station owner underwent a noticeable change. 
He finally confided that his business has fallen off sharply and that
his 
family, while not receiving overt threats, are being treated with thinly 
disguised hostility and distrust. They are afraid for their long-term 
safety and livelihood. 
I assured the man that I would continue to patronize his establishment 
and 
would encourage others to do so. I gave him my name and phone number in 
case he and his family need help. I will check in on him weekly and will 
do whatever I can to support them. 
The point of this letter is to urge that while we mobilize to vanquish 
terrorism, we do not simultaneously become terrorists ourselves. It is 
not 
enough to avoid being cruel, leaving those at risk vulnerable to those 
who 
are vindictive. We must, as individuals, take action and seize the 
opportunity to befriend and protect people around us who are likely to
be 
unfairly targeted by ignorance and bigotry. This is a superb opportunity 
for all of us to educate ourselves about cultures and beliefs we know 
little about - Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and others. What ARE the 
teachings of the Koran? How many of us know? 
Resist the temptation to criticize cultures that "create" monsters like 
the ones who perpetrated this week's bombings. Our own culture has 
suckled more than its share of monsters - Charles Manson, Richard Speck, 
Jeffrey Dahmer, Tim McVeigh, Eric Rudoplh, the UnaBomber - the list is
long. Remember that evil is not 
a cultural attribute, but a behavioral choice made by individuals. 
Also resist the temptation to promote your spiritual beliefs as
superior. 
To do so would be the most profound manifestation of disrespect and 
intolerance. It is the kind of insolence that contributed to the climate 
resulting in the current situation. Be open to the value of new thoughts 
and ideas. 
My hope is that everyone who reads this message will seek out and 
befriend 
an individual or a family of Middle Eastern origin or descent. The years 
ahead promise to be frightening for all of us. Being at war with a
vague, 
undefined enemy means being fearful of everyone. Give yourself the gift 
of 
understanding who is NOT your enemy. 
Respectfully, 
Dr. Sherie Zahn 
-- 
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    Jan Leitschuh Sporthorses Ltd.

http://www.mindspring.com/~janl2

E-mail:  mailto:janl2@mindspring.com

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