E.J. Dionne Jr.: A call for national service - The Washington Post
In this opinion piece, published in the Post's July 4 issue, Dionne reminds us that the founding vision of the United States is of a community in which citizens care for each other. National service--not necessarily military service, but an environment in which young people spend a year helping to improve their community through many avenues of service--is a way to realize that vision.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The August 2013 issue of Harper's includes a transcript of a speech given by Mark Kingwell in which he states:
The amazing thing is that millions of Americans send that message every day.
You can either use a pillow or a gun to kill a person, but people with guns kill more people than do people with pillows. Marshall McLuhan was correct: the medium really is the message.What is the message? It is not complicated. If you own a handgun or, certainly a semi-automatic rifle, the message you are sending is that you are willing to kill another human being at your own discretion. That is the only reason to own such a weapon. One can make the case that the message is that the gun owner will protect him/herself at any cost, but the end result is the same. Gun owners tell us: I will kill you if I feel personally justified in doing so.
The amazing thing is that millions of Americans send that message every day.
Letter from Bill and Melinda Gates - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Letter from Bill and Melinda Gates - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The annual letter from the Gates Foundation focuses less on what the Foundation has done over the past year and more on three myths that we need to overcome in order to realize the full potential for growth around the globe.
The myth that resonates most with me is the idea that poor countries are doomed to stay poor. Adherence to that myth contributes to the idea that the U.S. is falling behind in the world when, perhaps, a better analysis might be that we are all becoming more equal. As Fareed Zakaria wrote, we are witnessing "the rise of the rest."
Americans need to become comfortable with the idea of global equality as a goal. Robert Reich has a movie entitled "Inequality for All." In fact, inequality for anyone IS inequality for all. We need to work toward global equality just as we did in the 1960s for equality among Americans. This is not a goal where war can help. It is a goal that is best pursued through compassion and a willingness to see ourselves as part of a larger family.
The annual letter from the Gates Foundation focuses less on what the Foundation has done over the past year and more on three myths that we need to overcome in order to realize the full potential for growth around the globe.
The myth that resonates most with me is the idea that poor countries are doomed to stay poor. Adherence to that myth contributes to the idea that the U.S. is falling behind in the world when, perhaps, a better analysis might be that we are all becoming more equal. As Fareed Zakaria wrote, we are witnessing "the rise of the rest."
Americans need to become comfortable with the idea of global equality as a goal. Robert Reich has a movie entitled "Inequality for All." In fact, inequality for anyone IS inequality for all. We need to work toward global equality just as we did in the 1960s for equality among Americans. This is not a goal where war can help. It is a goal that is best pursued through compassion and a willingness to see ourselves as part of a larger family.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Living versus Touring
We are just back from what is becoming our annual vacation trip to Ogunquit, Maine. We went the first time on our honeymoon in June 1972. We had stopped in Boston to visit friends (who treated us to a memorable Bloomsday tour of Boston and surrounds) and then started for what we thought would be a trip up the coast of Maine. Our first stop was Ogunquit, where we found a nice bed and breakfast for the night. The next day, we decided to stay the week. On our last night, our host introduced us to another honeymoon couple from Quebec and sent us out for dinner and a show. While they spoke only French and we mostly English, we had a great time. It was a memorable stay. We had not been back since then, but in 2011 we drove up for another June visit and then went back again in September. We missed last year because we had just moved into our new house, but we couldn't wait to get back this past week. Ogunquit has grown, but it has kept the spirit of an artists' retreat and high-end resort town. But the real draw is the ocean, the Marginal Way path along the rocky coast, and the little restaurants, galleries, and museums that dot it and the surrounding area--the Yorks, Wells, and Kennebunkport. No sooner had we returned than we booked another four nights in September. I am sure we will do it again every year as long as we can handle the 9-hour drive.
Of course, we've already heard the complaint: Why do you always go back to the same places? There is a big world out there. Why not try something new? It is a question worth exploring a bit.
Sure, the world is big. But what is better, to skim the surface of many places or to get to know a few places that speak to you and, at whatever level you can, become a part of them and find within them whatever reflection they may have of the universal? I've been to a lot of places over the years--every continent except Antarctica--and while I have enjoyed new sights and sounds, I much prefer when I can to linger, to get to know a place, to become familiar with it and to enjoy its essence. Touring is interesting, but not satisfying.
This is true in other areas of life. For instance, I've pretty much stayed with one area in my career--changing with technology, but keeping to the vision of how we use technology to connect people and ideas. As a result, I think--or at the very least, I hope--that I've been able to make a greater contribution because I came, over time and by dealing with change within the field, to understand the underlying realities of the field. I also became part of an ongoing and vibrant professional community and developed both professional relationships and friendships with colleagues from many places around the world who are connected by our shared commitment to the profession.
The world is a big place. While we need to be reminded of its diversity, we also need to understand what holds us together. We can best understand it, perhaps, not by trying to see it all, but by trying to experience a few parts of it as deeply as possible.
Of course, we've already heard the complaint: Why do you always go back to the same places? There is a big world out there. Why not try something new? It is a question worth exploring a bit.
Sure, the world is big. But what is better, to skim the surface of many places or to get to know a few places that speak to you and, at whatever level you can, become a part of them and find within them whatever reflection they may have of the universal? I've been to a lot of places over the years--every continent except Antarctica--and while I have enjoyed new sights and sounds, I much prefer when I can to linger, to get to know a place, to become familiar with it and to enjoy its essence. Touring is interesting, but not satisfying.
This is true in other areas of life. For instance, I've pretty much stayed with one area in my career--changing with technology, but keeping to the vision of how we use technology to connect people and ideas. As a result, I think--or at the very least, I hope--that I've been able to make a greater contribution because I came, over time and by dealing with change within the field, to understand the underlying realities of the field. I also became part of an ongoing and vibrant professional community and developed both professional relationships and friendships with colleagues from many places around the world who are connected by our shared commitment to the profession.
The world is a big place. While we need to be reminded of its diversity, we also need to understand what holds us together. We can best understand it, perhaps, not by trying to see it all, but by trying to experience a few parts of it as deeply as possible.
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