bicyclemark

Explaining The World to my Nephew

Just got off the phone with my dear brother in New Jersey… asking about how things are going for his household, and of course, my dearest 2 year old nephew known as A-Ren. Throughout the latest events transpiring between Israel and Lebanon, I’ve been thinking about how people explain things to their children, or what lessons children learn by observing the behavior of nations. Although it’s not really something a 2 year old needs explaining, I can imagine at the more inquisitive ages, say 5 or 6, kids will have lots of questions about why things are happening this way or perhaps they will in some way be effected in the long run, in terms of their behavior in relation to conflict.

That said, the following is a brief letter from ME to A-ren… which I imagine him reading maybe when he is 6 years old or so. If you don’t like the letter, please keep in mind, it’s not for you.. it’s for my nephew, and the internets can read it if they want to.

———-
Dear A-Ren,

Hi buddy. I write this email to you from the year 2006.. summertime actually. I’m over here in Amsterdam, and I know you’re over there in New Jersey, swimming alot and playing outside. What you probably don’t notice, but lot’s of people are watching – is the news. All over the world people are pretty concerned, as alot of people are in danger and really scared.. while other people are very angry and trying to hurt them.
I know when you read this, you’ll be in elementary school, and learning new things everyday. You’ll have lots of friends to play with, and sometimes maybe some children will not be nice to you. There might even be another little boy or girl who try to make you mad, take things from you, or hurt you in some way.
Other kids might tell you to do something bad to them.. to be mean to them back. You might even get really mad and feel like throwing something at them in the playground.. or pushing them. But I want to give you some really important advice:

When you get really mad like that… take a deep breath. If you feel like yelling… yell. If you feel like running.. run. But if you feel like hurting someone… do not do it. I know how it feels to be angry with other people… I had that too in school. I would get very angry and stamp my feet and yell alot. To tell you truth, I even used to bang my head against the wall when I got angry… pretty dumb huh?

The important thing to always remember, no matter how angry you are, is that hurting someone will not make it better. And if you do hurt someone, you are now just as bad they are, and they might want to one day hurt you back to get revenge.

Speaking up for yourself and standing up for yourself is very hard sometimes, and lots of people will tell you it is important to do it. But there are different ways to do it. Some friends might tell you that in order to stand up for yourself, you have to hurt others. The bad thing is, now you’re hurting someone, and maybe you’re behaving just as bad as the other boy or girl.

Anyway, I’m sure your dad told you all about this. But when you watch the news sometimes, you might see something different. Grownups have lots of disagreements, and lots of them think that hurting others in order to stop them from hurting you is the best answer to fix disagreements and stay safe. No matter what you see on TV or hear from other friends, this way of doing things is no good. The sad part is, they’ve been doing it this way for many years, and they still think one day it will work. The really really sad part is, they keep hurting each other, and many people get hurt.. and even die.. because many grownups don’t learn from the mistakes they made before… just like on the playground.

I hope this isn’t too much advice from your old far-away uncle. I just want to make sure you know that you’ve got lots of help whenever you have a problem, and with a family like ours, we can find the right way to solve it- together.

love,
Uncle BM

Frisbee Has lots Of Peaceful Conflict Resolution

I’ve spent the past 2 long, sticky, blazing hot days volunteering for Amsterdam’s beloved frisbee association during the biggest annual tournament we’ve got. And while sometimes it seemed as though no one was paying attention to or even remotely troubled about the events unfolding in the world, within the tournament and the games, I took notice of all the different countries and how wonderfully we all came together for this purpose.

There were plenty of disputes, plenty of cultural differences. Yet it was exciting to see how these conflicts were resolved and differences were never allowed to become excuses for huge bitter disagreements. In the end, we all speak this common language – ultimate frisbee.

I just wish the citizens of the world could do similar… seriously decide to speak the language of understanding, mutual respect, and peace. Instead of pretending these are the goals which can only be achieved through death and destruction. Such a concept is a wonderful political tool for creating many open-ended wars.

A podcast is forthcoming. Many interviews this week before I disappear to Portugal. The conversation with Afghanistan is coming very soon… the rest.. just stay tuned.. or better yet.. subsribed in your favorite newsreader.

bmtv14 Heatwave Reflections 2006

Watch the video

Despite all the sun and fun… my focus remains on Lebanon and this disaster of humanity.

Dogs and Cats, Living Together

Precedent:

Function: noun
1 : an earlier occurrence of something similar
2 a : something done or said that may serve as an example or rule to authorize or justify a subsequent act of the same or an analogous kind b : the convention established by such a precedent or by long practice
3 : a person or thing that serves as a model

Since the beginning of the farce called the war on terror, the practice of invading other countries for the sake of another nation’s security has become widely accepted. Obviously if you read this blog, you know I don’t agree with such a theory or practice, as the long term and short term results are both filled with death, destruction, and vengence. Yet the reality is, I am only a blogger/podcaster/vlogger… and it would seem my values are fringe-minority and considered naïve.

So now we sit back and watch; those of us who aren’t being blown up or recruited to blow someone up. Today I’m reading about Somalia, where you may have heard a more fundamentalist type muslim government has surfaced from what was once a stateless state. So Ethiopia, which shares a boarder with Somalia and has a rather capable military force, has reportedly crossed into the country in order to stop this government which they believe will cause problems, on various levels.

Now of course, many will shout at me and say — WELL SOMETHING MUST BE DONE BM! Expressing their support for this type of preemptive military invasion.
Yet while I agree that all nations should view one another as neighbors and work to ensure no one is subject to murder or suffering carried out on a national scale, where I don’t agree with these voices – is on the idea that the use of violence… that bombs and guns and killing to teach not to kill.. this will somehow ensure a peaceful future.

There is always debate whether or not the world is a safer place after such action. Or then again… what debate can there be? If nations continue to see their neighbors as a threat and invade them out of fear… how can such a perpetual cycle end?

Like a Heat Wave, Burnin Through Europe’s Heart

Well.. another successful day without spontaneously combusting. I’m sure you probably heard, here in the Europe, there’s another one of those heatwaves where everything gets messed up and some people even die.

Believe what you want about global warming. But I’m telling you Amsterdam can’t handle this, so something must be up.

If you wander through the usually green and lovely Vondelpark, which is like our Central Park.. it is now one big cloud of dust. It is as if thousands of pigpens have ascended on the park and kicked up as much dirt as possible. After a leisurely jog through there Im sure my face turns a shade of brown.

But nevermind the surface details. This heatwave really slows down the normally bustling pace of life in the netherlands. At work these days, we’re told to go home at four oclock, because the hot weather and lack of air-co is considered dangerous for our health. Whenever I hear this I think of all the little chinese children in factories who make my clothes… they would probably find this policy amusing or simply.. hard to believe.

Fortunately almost no one has airconditioning anyway, and a majority of this city’s citizens ride their bikes as the primary mode of transport. So at the very least, we’re not responding to a temperature crises by putting extreme strain on the power grid ala France or Florida. Oh wait.. we probably are anyway.

Tonight at the vlogger meetup, Gabe B spoke of rain tomorrow night. Rain, I laughed, it will never rain in Amsterdam again… thats so pre-global warming.

While They Point Fingers, People Die

It’s very hard to consider blogging about anything else when every hour that goes by, so many people’s lives are being destroyed. Of course that can be said for everyday that goes by, but the present situation involving Lebanon, Occupied Palestine, and Israel is just dark with seemingly no light at the end of no tunnel.

photo by Richard Bluestein On hardtalk last night, the only program on BBCWorld that is truely exciting, the chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority was on. I thought the man was going to break down crying. He threw up his hands and admitted all hell had broken loose. When questioned as to why the PA had lost control, he used an anecdote, saying: “It is as if, I tie your hands, I cut off your legs, I throw you in the water and then ask – why can’t you swim.” Saddest of all, as an old man, he talked about how he has lived most of his life under the occupation and he would most certainly die in it, and that in his life he had never seen it THIS BAD.

A quick look at the latest developments features lots of finger pointing. Lots of people will most certainly buy into it. The equations and connections that they point to: Syria this, Iran that, Lebanon this, Hezbollah that, Israel this, North Korea that…. how the hell did they manage to tie North Korea into it? Seems like anything goes these days. All the evangelical politicians who never have to pull a trigger or even get any blood on their suits, are rushing to attain their beloved armageddon.

Seriously though, the one thing I keep thinking about his how history will view this. Considering the death tolls, the bombings, the missiles, the refugee camps, the starvation and psychological trauma… could you imagine how this compares to other moments in history when large amounts of people were suffering or under attack, and other nations stood by and did nothing? It feels like one of those moments. A Rwanda. A Khmer Rouge. Yes, I don’t mind saying it, a holocaust. No its not the same. Its never the same. It has a different look, a different story, and naturally, it never seems like it is comparable. But in the end, the results are not so different. Large numbers of innocent people are murdered by the use of conventional weapons or driven from there homes en masse, in the name of some political or military objective, while in the wealthier part of the world, we go to work, take a vacation, or if you’re me- ride around in a little red boat all evening.