Peace ambassadors

[arpad]

I am greatly impressed by Albert Schweitzer's life and achievements. He is a human being of higher caliber than my humble self. And still I can't get rid of a feeling... feeling of complete futility of his cause.

The same thing I feel about the unlucky peace activist from Italy.

It is not a logical feeling. Neither it is anti-Christian.

It is just feeling that what we see as "unselfish help" can actually be harm. Feeling, that there are times when a wall can better a bridge. Feeling, that honest exploitation can better welfare. Feeling, that honest rejection can better compassion.

Because that compassion is somehow very very false.

Comments

[franz-josef.livejournal.com]

Could you please somehow explain your "somehow"? ;-)
What do you think this falsehood is about? What does it look like? What is its origin?

[arpad.livejournal.com]

O, I can. I just don't want :)

I do seriously think that rationalizing is a wrong tool here.

As for origin of my feeling - it is non-proved. But somehow, yes just "somehow" :), I am sure that in undeveloped world people who come under influence of Western humanitarian ideas, hate the Western civilization with burning passion.

[franz-josef.livejournal.com]

In undeveloped world people who come under influence of Western humanitarian ideas, hate the Western civilization with burning passion.

Quite a Kiplingian (or Cecil-Rhodesian, if you want ;-)) conclusion. Why not? As for me, I don't know, I just ask...
I think that one of the main dilemmas the modern world meets is whether adherents of different civilizations have any common background (and it means that they possibly could solve their conflicts peacefully, at least in theory) or the ways these people see the world, their habits, their thoughts and their aims are completely incompatible. The second possibility seems to be more likely now.

[arpad.livejournal.com]

Kiplingian? Quite opposite I would say. I do beleive that contact is possible. More than that - I do beleive that contact is easy. More than that - I do not beleive that there is some "alternate way of human civilization development". Japan voluntarily mirrored so many of western values not because of being satellite to the West.

But to reach contact you should stay in situation where you have a shared goal. And if you don't - don't pretend that you are. This is a major fault of humanitarian missions, of humanitarian propaganda - a false claim of brotherhood.

Our "feeling of incomparability" just comes from pushing three-pronged plug into two-holed socket.

[pilpilon.livejournal.com]

It seems to me Kiplingian. He beleive in contact, obviously.

[arpad.livejournal.com]

In contact via imperial framework. Certainly. But not in equal contact on power terms or in deep contact on cultural level.

[franz-josef.livejournal.com]

But to reach contact you should stay in situation where you have a shared goal. And if you don't - don't pretend that you are.

Exactly! So, you've rationalized it. You didn't want at first but then you did it ;-))

[arpad.livejournal.com]

rationalize = simplify = no good ;)

[franz-josef.livejournal.com]

OK, but we have either ratio or belief at our disposal. Not very big choice ;-)

[mstislavl]

>you should stay in situation where you have a shared goal. And if you don't - don't pretend that you >are.

I don't think that Albert Schweitzer's life was full of pretence. He did have a shared goal with "undeveloped" people. They want to be healthier, live longer etc. and he'd been helping them.
What can be more simple?

[arpad.livejournal.com]

Of pretence - certainly not. But somehow I can't forget that European civilization come into two bloodiest wars right after he left it. May be, not only people of Gabon needed urgent help...

As for sharing goals - really - Shweitzer just throw out his previous life and picked up a new one.

[mstislavl]

I wish it was as simple as "leave the natives alone and let them hack the heads off each other". In XXI century "uncivilised" societies are not quaint coloured people dancing half-naked after a successfull hunt, these societies tend to export their ideology and other unpleasant stuff to the West. for example, 3/4 of UK heroin had been grown in Afghanistan under the Talib regime. and this is the best scenario. the worst - Chechnya's invasion to Ingushetia, Iraq's invasion to Kuwait e.g. intervention. even if 'we' leave them alone, 'they' will come to get us. and the military solution is not ideal - just look at US-led occupation of Iraq or Russia's straggle in Chechnya. in the long, very long run "Shweitzer's solution" is better. Incidentally, Gabon is not in the news - there is no civil war or famine. it would have been to simplistic to attribute this fact to Shweitzer but think his life have helped

[elinai.livejournal.com]

Благие намерения...

[arpad.livejournal.com]

Да вроде бы как раз благие дела. В этом и проблема...