Rally for Peace?

The main difficulty in catalysing any change is obtaining a large audience, the larger the better (any media knows this). Audience quality is next importance. In a large crowd you will always have a percentage of high quality. These rallies possess the more thinking individuals. You must attend one before dismissing it, people know we are lambs being led to the slaughter. To call a 'road block' to 600,000+ people would get enough participants to overthrow the government! No probs! Power is in these crowds, must use it.

Mitch

An army is also a crowd. Have a good look what they do and WHY. Isn't the mess made by those who LEAD the crowd? How did those "leaders" get there?

So many "revolutions" on Earth finished in bloodshed and eventually lead NOWHERE. Most of them resulted in a system not any better that the system they tried to change.

At present (2003) all parliaments urgently introduce laws that give "special police" extra powers. Shortly after Stalin and Hitler introduced similar laws (KGB, Gestapo) concentration camps (lagers) were created to "accomodate" growing number of those who could be "legally" detained indefinitely without reason.

In Australia the process had already begun. ASIO bill has been put in front of the parliament and it is expected to pass quickly by a scared flock of political puppets. In the meantime, new "detain centers" are being designed and approved, some of them near nuclear dump and nuclear test sites. Can you guess WHY?

In view of the above, a good plan and a good goal, desirable by nearly everyone are both necessary. As history clearly demonstrates, without them humanity has a very little chance against a well-organized mob.

You can begin discussions with your friends, before they become "illegal".

Tom

How would you put forth a picture of a frightening reality (in order to show people that we are about to be lead to the slaughter) without using fear to persuade them like you counsel against in the FoC?

Lachie

I try to do my best here at this Forum. I try to point out lessons from recent history and illustrate them with currently observable events. I try to inspire people to consider consequences of their attitude toward leaders who betray their trust - and get away with it. Hitler got into power by "democratic means", didn't he? Do you remember what happened next?

As for fear, have you read page 41? Fear can get hold of people only if they believe warmongers propaganda and cannot imagine an intelligent way out.

You shouldn't also forget, that fear can motivate some people to heroic action. Unfortunately, many people choose to become obedient puppets who strengten the newcoming regime. Needless to say, people's choices are determined and limited by their intellect...

The bottom line is: whether people feel afraid or not, it is their Freedom of Choice WHO do they want to become. What is your choice?

Tom

I attended the rally yesterday just to hear what the ‘leaders’ of the organisation would say to the crowd. It was all about frustration, anger and mourning about the death of innocent people. I am sympathetic of their sincerity. It would be a great blow to their morale if they are defeated. A possible consequence of this is that people would accept the fact that they couldn’t do anything even their governments decided to do something against the will of majority. That’s what I am afraid of. BLAME OURSELVES. The leaders are elected by people. How many of us really call our leaders wise? Are there any wise people in the government? How do we know someone is wise enough to lead a country during an election? There are the questions we have to ask ourselves for the coming election.

There are numerous people who think that this war is rightful. They said Bush is doing the world a favour by making the world more secure. He is seen as ‘hero’ by freeing the Iraqis from Saddam’s oppression. Laughable. Hasn’t history demonstrated that violence breeds violence? Are we conditioned by the example of World War 2 where war can really solve the problem?

I heard from an Iraqi that ‘democracy’ was once practised in Iraq and people were highly educated before Saddam's regime. How can Saddam come into power in a country where ‘democracy’ was once practised? I really wonder.There is something important we can learn.

peacekeeper

Everything you mention indicates that LEADERS are directly responsible for the mess. This includes Bush, Howard and leaders of terrorist organizations - everyone who considers violence as means of achieving their goals.

How did these narrow-minded warmongers get elected? By WHOM? Why they are tolerated?

Leaders of peace rallies are also important. They are directly responsible the total lack of success of their rallies. They do not even know what they are aiming for and WHY. They do not know what to do and what to say to inspire people and politicians to THINK.

How do we find people of the caliber of Ghandi and Martin Luther King? Anyone heard about someone who can be trusted?

Tom

Well, to be quite honest, I look at many available sources of information and try and make up my mind.

I am trying very hard to base my decisions on love and not fear, it's been revealed to me how fear-based decisions tend to breed more and more fear, but it's not easy to love someone when they are beating you senseless.

Frightful situations don't really scare me because I don't fear death anymore. However, on (at least) one particular issue I choose to believe someone who gives me a short summary of the information and his opinion on what is going to happen. That person is you, Tom. The situation is the environmental disaster that is coming.

This illustrates an important point; once I had seen that your motives were pure and good, and that you had no wish to extract money or control from me it became easier to believe your words. However, I will forever be trusting your words on this subject because I don't have the knowledge (or the ability to attain the knowledge) to verify your comments on the environmental disaster. Yes, with every newspaper report of an earthquake or a typhoon or a tidal wave my belief in it gets stronger but it can ultimately only be a belief. It's the same with many things.

Lachie

Please continue to verify your beliefs while advancing yourself, until you can say that you KNOW. I am only human and can be mistaken...

I am glad that you have gained conscious control over fear. Conscious control expands your Freedom of Choice.

Tom