One of the most important lessons I have learned is how to detach views and criticism from affecting one personally.

For example remember way back when - when you told me to go straight to he-- because you thought I was racist?

Do you think that bothered me? Not a bit. In fact, to be honest I got a smile out of it the same way "Satan" gets a laugh out Seppi's reactions to his awful miniature historic recreations in the Mysterious Stranger. One has to be very confident in one's beliefs and understandings, so as not to let others views or reactions emotionalize one.

For example, you will be able to tell when I get off the beam a little - if I become more emotional in my descriptions of activities or events I find distasteful or wrong. I am at my best when I can -with a smile - take a satiric swipe.

I will admit that sometimes I have spells of more emotional posts and I let these items or events bother me. I am personalizing these events -0 when they are indeed not personal.

As soon as I recover my balance - I can again view things in a more infinite manner and see the learning experiences being partaken of by all.

If your neighbor is rabidly anti-abortion and comes to you expecting a sympathetic ear - one must not let someone elses actions spur imbalance or overcompensation in your own. Just as I should not lose equilibrium when I post about these things. (Though I do fairly often ;-)

Yes, persuasion is far more powerful than extremism. I find that rational discourse can eventually open up minds slowly to new ideas and concepts. I could explain how and why this works harmonically - but I will spare everyone that.

Eventually you will be able to take this one step further and realize that we are all homing and sending beacons. We attract and transmit data in all the events around us - every minute and every second.

You may find this hard to believe but you have put yourself in an environment of religious extremists and other fanatical or imbalanced positions so as to better develop this sense of balance.

Yes, even your position as a librarian is almost custom suited to dealing with all sorts of people - and finding a common ground and balance with all.

This balance is hard to achieve when things hit very personal notes. When something one holds dear is attacked - it is even harder to remain objective.

This is why it is a tough job to send folks to war or even to pass judgement upon another and do so using logic and reason and not just as an emotional response.

In the middle east this balance is very often almost a completely foreign to them. The Koran is all about emotional and reactionary behavior and laws. In the far east the folks seem much less inclined to violence and vendettas and reactionary behavior due to the prevalence of Buddhism and Hinduism which incorporate distorted remnants of this scientific principle, and their influence on many generations.

Indeed, the US will someday be less reactionary as well, as we blend our technological knowledge with this advanced mental understanding. A scientific psychological revolution greater than Freud will help sweep in these understandings over a short period in the not-so-distant future.

I am genuinely glad to see you posting here again Mary Anne. You add a great deal to the discussions, as do the others here.

SDAI-Tech1