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| A Larger View |
| Another Approach to Current Events |
| Volume XIII Edition 2 |
March/April |
2008 |
In this issue:
Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans: The Long Arm of War
Plastic Surgery At The mall: What Does It Mean?
The Story of Eva Kor: The practice of Forgiveness
Globalization, China And The Price of Wheat: How They Affect Us
Website of Interest
To Ponder On
Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans:
The Long Arm of War
We've been there before, after the Vietnam War. Now we are there again with young men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and a recent study by the New York Times makes one wonder what have we learned? They studied 121 cases of veterans who had committed crimes since returning. It may be easy for some to dismiss such behavior as that of what some may call wacko-vets. It would, however, be falling prey to the misunderstanding and ignorance that keeps us as a society from addressing some of the mental health problems of people who have witnessed or been part of combat. Robert J. Lifton, a psychiatrist famous for his work in trying to get PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) recognized, says, "When they’ve been in combat, you have to suspect immediately that combat has had some effect, especially with some people who haven’t shown these tendencies in the past. Everything is multicausational, of course, but combat, especially in a counterinsurgency war, is such a powerful experience that to discount it would be artificial." William C. Gentry, an Iraq veteran and San Diego prosecutor also makes a powerful point about how combat can affect returning soldiers, "You are unleashing certain things in a human being we don’t allow in civic society, and getting it all back in the box can be difficult for some people."
While each case may be viewed as unique, there seems to be threads that jump out like red flags for us to think about or do something about. One is the lack or meager screening for PTSD after discharge. As troubling is the lack of understanding about what it means and how it affects behavior. Saddest of all are the prejudices surrounding it. One case recounted in the Times study is of a rural Nebraska young man who shot another in a small town of less than a 1000. A psychologist who examined him after the shooting felt that his behavior was linked to his combat trauma leading his mother to start a group to try to spread awareness of PTSD. That in turn led to her being criticized by the victim’s parents. In a small town, as one observer is quoted, it tore the town apart. But the veterans themselves have a hard time with the notion that they may be suffering from PTSD and that complicates recognizing there is a problem and seeking help.
Brockton D. Hunter a Minneapolis criminal defense attorney sums up a key issue during a lecture at the Minnesota State Bar Association, "To truly support our troops, we need to apply our lessons from history and newfound knowledge about PTSD to help the most troubled returning veterans. To deny the frequent connection between combat trauma and subsequent criminal behavior is to deny one of the direct societal cost of war and to discard another generation of troubled heroes." If we are to inject compassion into the problem, Mr. Hunter’s point is something we are going to have to think about.
Plastic Surgery At The Mall:
What Does It Mean?
Who can argue with looking better? Fact is though we equate looking better with looking younger, and are convinced of it, so much so we are willing to put our money where our beliefs are. The result is a surge in cosmetic surgery. According to the aesthetic plastic-surgery society, from 1997 to 2006 surgical cosmetic procedures rose 98 percent. What is called non-invasive treatments such as Botox rose 747 percent. The rise is due to TV shows like Extreme Makeover and Nip/Tuck but even more to aging baby boomers. The recent death of Kanye West’s mother following complications with plastic surgery does not seem to be a deterrent. What observers in this field say is that the risks are often overlooked by patients eager for the results of a younger looking face.
Cost and convenience seem to matter more than expertise, credential and experience. That may be why medical spas have sprung up in many cities and now what had started in Las Vegas in 2002, is in Massachusetts, New York and Florida, and some can be found in upscale shopping malls. After all why not go shopping, out to lunch and drop in for a chemical peel? The Medical Spa Association estimates that there must be 2000 to 2500 med spas throughout the nations, up from 25 in 2002. Med spas can be half the cost of more orthodox plastic surgery performed in a surgeon’s office.
On an everyday level it all sounds like progress, a need being answered. But when looking at it through the broader perspective of a spiritual view, one must ask is it really? What values does it reinforce? Is looking good more important than being good? Usually that is not what we teach our children, but if it is what we practice, how we go about life, what message are we sending? For one thing that we are confused and do not practice what we preach. And if that is so then why should our children listen to us about other things?
The Story of Eva Kor:
The Practice of Forgiveness
It’s easy to be moved by the story of a Holocaust survivor, but in the case of Eva Kor one is moved and inspired, so much so it’s easy to come away wanting to be just like her.
She was 10 when she was taken to Auschwitz with her parents and siblings. There she received poisonous injections for almost a year, secretly of course, as part of a Nazi medical experiment. After the allies liberation of the camp she moved to Israel. There she met a fellow survivor and with him moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, where she has been working as a realtor.
In the late 70’s Kor began searching for her twin sister (whom she eventually found and who died of cancer in 1993) as well as for other twins who had been involved in Mengele’s experiment. Her work apparently brought her to the attention of Boston College as well as to Hans Munch, the Nazi doctor who had performed the experiments.
One day Eva Kor received a letter from Hans Munch asking her as well as other survivors for forgiveness. She did not know how to respond to him at first. Then 10 months later, she decided she would write her own letter to him. At the urging of a friend she decided to forgive all the Nazis who had worked under the now infamous Josef Mengele who had headed the experiments.
Before her Boston College presentation and as part of it she had traveled to Germany to meet Munch. That is how the idea of the letter first came about. Munch who himself said he had lived "with the nightmare of the holocaust" everyday of his life, agreed to write his. He had been tried by a war crimes tribunal in 1946 where former prisoners testified that he had treated Jews humanely and refused to pick people to be sent to the gas chamber, and was later acquitted. Then at the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1995 their exchange of letters was formalized and both officially signed their letters. Kor said that after signing she "....immediately felt a burden of pain lift." She now travels addressing congregations and groups about forgiveness. Munch died in 2001.
For many the Nazi crimes are unforgivable, and the idea of forgiveness unthinkable. Kor too thought she couldn’t but no longer agrees. "All victims are angry and hurt..." I discovered that I had this tremendous power to forgive.
Globalization, China And The Price of Wheat:
How They Affect Us
The organic whole-wheat pasta I buy has gone up 29 cents. It’s a 30 percent increase but to me and to those I know small enough to be absorbed without being noticed. In fact I wouldn’t have unless I had read of food price hikes in many countries, leading to pasta riots in Italy, tortilla ones in Mexico, and onion protests in India. After weeks of trying to bring the problem to the attention of decision makers, people like the director of the FAO are finally being heard. In fact it was a topic at the Global Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland last January. One reason the subject is now being noticed in many circles is that globalization does not make these increases or these riots local issues. People in China, for example are consuming more meat and intend to do so even more. That has led the government of China to enter into agreements with Brazil. To raise more cattle Brazilians need more pasture lands, and that not only threatens the land intended for crops to go for the manufacture of ethanol, it also threatens the Amazon because to get more land to cultivate or graze Brazil cuts down more forest. And that, if one is environmentally conscious, affects us all. Since climate change, population growth and migration among other factors are making arable land much scarcer than it used to be, growing enough food to meet the increasing demand is now much more complex than it was. Right now there are few solutions, one being the use of crops genetically altered to be hardier to withstand more difficult growing conditions. Assuming that answer is viable to governments and consumers, it wouldn’t begin to affect production for 2 or 3 decades.
At the present, the situation seems laden with issues and problems far more than it is with opportunities. Nevertheless one thing it does afford us is our inevitable interconnectedness.
Website of Interest: www.gutenberg.org
Downloading Books in the Public Domain
It’s a site everyone who loves books and particularly literature ought to know about. It centers on books in the public domain, that is Shakespeare, Dickens, Balzac, old masters who have long inspired us not only in literature but also in fields such as science. Darwin is there, for example. It also has works that are less known, some that may arouse our curiosity and some we may not care about. And for those who drive a lot it has a section of audio books. All can be downloaded free.
To Ponder On
The Power of Hunger?
"Peace begins when hunger ends."
From a Heifer International pamphlet
A Larger View is published by the Inner\Outer Partnership, a tax-exempt educational organization probing how trans-religious spiritual principles can be agents of individual and societal change. We are funded through donations. Please send any - as well as any comments - to P.O.Box 1293, Pac. Pal. CA 90272-1293. Also contact us by email at alargerview@earthlink.net or call 310-836-7710 or visit our web site at www.innerouterpartnership.org
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