Lawrence Upton writes
<political capturing of a popular wave of sentiment can sometimes
<lead to change for the worse - Adolf Hitler, Le Pen, Greater
<Croatia, Greater Serbia, Cyprus, Margaret Thatcher...
yes, point taken
<I will just emphasise for meditation the word _capturing_
Not the best choice of words I could've used, on reflection. What I
tried pinning down is that (often political) impulse that changes
history.
<I remain to be convinced that the downing of the berlin wall *was*
<necessarily good -
Well I can't comment on political repercussions in Germany, from this
distance. The image I'm trying to communicate is one of new
beginnings, entered with trust, hope, good intentions....
<we as a species could have sensible change if we wanted it and
<this isn't it ... had we done justice to our rationality then
<there wouldn't have been a berlin wall in the first place
Mmmm...
I'm not good at comprehending the possibilities for change within
society. I can understand personal involvement in social issues,
putting yourself at the coalface in an attempt to make things work or
at least allow some light / breathing space for attitudes that perhaps
might not normally see the light of day ... I can understand fighting
for the particular from the perspective of the personal, but the
pragmatist in me can't come to terms with generalisations for us as a
race, nation etc. You're more optimistic than me.
Best wishes,
Ralph Wessman
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