What is true about the Inukshuk is true about people.
Inukshuks in themselves are the product of cooperation. The hands and efforts of an entire group were required to build these massive stone sculptures. They are the result of a consensus of purpose, of focused action by a group united in its goal and labor. The inukshuk reminds us that as good as our individual efforts may be, together we can do even greater things.
Each individual stone in an inukshuk supports, and is supported by, the one above and the one below it. No one piece is any more or less important than another. Its strength lies in its unity. Its significance comes from its meaning as a whole.
Each individual, by themselves, is significant. As part of a team each of us supports, and is supported by, another. We are united by our common goals, and together we are part of a greater whole.
The stones which make up the Inukshuk are secured through balance. They are chosen for how well they fit together. The removal of even one stone would destroy the integrity of the whole. So, too, with a team. Each individual in a team is necessary for the realization of the team's purpose. The removal of even one person will result in the weakening of the structure. What holds the team together is the balance - the complementary nature of the individual skills.
The Inukshuk are a symbol of the human spirit. They recognize our ability to succeed with others, where alone we would fail. Remind us of our need to belong to something greater than ourselves. Prompt us to reconnect with our individual responsibility to invest our efforts today so we may all have a better tomorrow. Ask us to heed the knowledge of our inner knowingness, hear the voice of our intuition and move to the harmonious music in our heart and spirit. Inukshuk convey the importance of personal contribution and reinforce our ability to commit to common goals. They implore us to share the fruits of our learning, our wisdom with one another.
The Inukshuk is a reminder for all of us that our efforts towards the common good of our earth community are appreciated. It is an enduring symbol that invites us to speak with one another on a higher level, from our hearts and spirit, about what really matters in life.
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(P2) Political
Words Of Wisdom re. Iraq
In the end, what the president asks is for our military to be committed to an open-ended Iraqi civil war. Let us not forget that over 35,000 troops died in Vietnam after General Westmoreland stated, "Backed at home by resolve, confidence, patience, determination, and continued support, we will prevail in Vietnam."
Many have threatened that there will be chaos, a bloodbath, when the United States redeploys from Iraq, and this in fact may be the case. But it will not happen as a result of U.S actions, but rather as a result of Iraqi inaction. It is up to the Iraqis to decide. If they continue to choose to spill blood it will not be on the conscience of the U.S. and its heroic military. It will instead be a continuation of decades of its own conflicts, which they and they alone can solve.
This administration has again given the American people a false choice: EITHER we stay in Iraq indefinitely OR, they say we face chaos, genocide, and an Iraq whose biggest export is terror not oil. There are many other choices that haven't been tried, such as concerted regional diplomacy coupled with strategic redeployment of troops. I believe redeployment is the way forward. They say, 'what happens if we leave?' and I say 'what happens if we stay?'
-Rep. John Murtha (9-17-07)
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(P3) Poetical (sort of)
I wrote this ditty a couple of years ago before the Democrats won control of the congress. Since that victory doesn't appear to have made much difference (except perhaps to a few like Murtha), the song seems even more pertinent today:
Where Have All TrueDemos Gone? (sung to the tune of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?")
Where have all true Demos gone?
we must be asking.
Where have all true Demos gone,
since Roosevelt?
Where have all true Demos gone,
conciliating placators?
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Where are all the radicals?
we must be asking.
Where are all the radicals?
since days of rage
Where are all the radicals?
Gone suburban every one.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Where have all idealists gone,
Since late Sixties?
Where have all idealists gone?
So long behind
Where have all idealists gone?
Gone believing what they hear
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Still unchanging.
Where have all the soldiers gone?
this time again.
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to greedy oil wars.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
What of all their families?
lost and grieving.
What of all the families?
All deprived of hope.
What of all the families
Are you all still listening?
When will they ever learn?
When will you ever learn?
(Ed Coletti – edcoletti@sbcglobal.net)
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