[Grovenet] A Keystone Kops comedy ? ? ? ?

[David Morelli]

On Feb 14, 2007, at 11:38 AM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> ...
> I believe that's one of the highest responsibilities of a civilized  
> community: it allows those who have been pushed into an emotional  
> state to scream out as they need to, but the community refuses to  
> allow them to act out their instinctive responses. We know that  
> their choices are likely inappropriate and damaging. The community  
> members who are not emotionally involved make the decisions that  
> are best for the individual and the community. Those are the so- 
> called "cooler heads" every functioning community looks to in times  
> of crisis, whether that community is a family or an entire country.
>
> And there is no betrayal so great as someone who would use that  
> trust to manipulate those who are caught up in their emotions for  
> their own selfish ends. I think that's what happened to us in the  
> USA after 9/11; I believe that there were those in positions of  
> power who took advantage of the situation to herd the American  
> people into their choice of action for their personal gains. The  
> President may have been one of them, or he may have been one of the  
> afraid who was herded along. I don't know.
>
> It was a time when we trusted "cooler heads" in our government and  
> we were betrayed.
>
> One way to avoid giving those who would use our emotions against us  
> is to avoid allowing our emotions control us.
>
> Ron D'Eau Claire

Yup!

We should still remain emotionally involved in our community by  
holding it with care and concern, enjoying the company of others,  
believing in the future, and all those other emotions that are  
associated with parents as they watch their offspring grow.  But, Ron  
is correct, in times of crisis it is important that we release our  
cry of anguish and then look with clear eyes to see our necessary  
course and instead of allowing paralysis, we need to move.   
Unfortunately, in the confusion of crisis, we can fall prey to those  
who have been waiting for such an opportunity to lead us in their  
chosen path rather than our best path.

David