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As September 11 quickly approaches here [in the United States], I simply want to say that my prayer is for peace, with everyone, everywhere, in the world. What a wonderful day it would be for there to be no killings. This evening, I read of an Israeli doctor and his 20-year-old daughter, who was to be wed today, being killed in a suicide-bomber, terrorist attack at a cafe where he and she were sitting together talking on the eve of her wedding. He had come to the U.S. to lecture on handling the crisis of terrorist attacks, and was always in the forefront of triageing and treating them as a doctor. I was struck by this account and deeply saddened. It wasn't that he/they were on one side or the other, but rather that theirs were more innocent lives lost. Each death was particularly tragic in its own way, yet in another way no more tragic than any other death in this horrific, ongoing conflict. His life had been dedicated to helping others live through the very circumstances that resulted in the loss of his. She was about to venture in a whole, new direction with her young life. I will bypass the temptation to comment on the proposed $87 billion expenditure by Bush and simply say that as tomorrow here approaches, I pray for a peaceful day, in as many lives worldwide, as the day, and the hatred that prevails, will allow. May your day, and that of those you know and love, be safe as well.

Love, Elizabeth

Keep praying lizzytsh, I am with you on that one.
Pray for our leaders in this country and around the world. Peace will not happen over night.
It was not just Sept. 11, so much has led up to that date.

thank you for praying Lizz : Iam with you too in that

Dear Lizzy

A noble sentiment well expressed to the memory of people, who are caught up in the world's continuing tragic events, in which we should remember the human cost and senseless loss to the mindless propaganda of the policies first and people second.
Your noble thoughts have the tone of an anthem, antiphonically (echo) against a theme in the world 's theatre of violence. People pay lip service to such ideals of good and positive because these attributes have much prestige associated with them, but are pragmatically instantly ignored for needs must.

Although it is a far cry from your initial statement, I do believe if you can not quantify the discussion, many people will question the validity of an honest emotion. From the scientific work I am presently formulating just now, the chances of obtaining someone who is competent and good is about 4 / 5 percent - Parento's Law - Business Model and Feigenbaum Universality Constant of 4.669……. - Science Model from Chaos Theory so you can see the magnitude of the problem. This leaves me wondering if without some how upgrading the world's moral consciousness there can be little hope things will improve in the near future. However, hope must always spring eternal.

Kind peaceful regards

Ben

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful response, Ben.

Parento's Law/Science Model from Chaos Theory ~ mind boggling in even their simplest form.

~ Lizzy

Hi Lizzytysh~

Prayer is good when purified of all rancour. It is impotent when tainted by any tendency to impugn the motives (and even the faith) of those burdened with duties and obligations few can imagine, comprehend or bear. "Whatever makes a soldier sad will make a killer smile"LC

I am reminded of another leader who weathered the most vicious attacks and ridicule from an opposition happy to leave people in slavery.
The following are some memorable, and very apropos, ('scuse my pseudo French) quotes from the Father of our Union,
Abraham Lincoln:-

"True patriotism is better than the wrong kind of piety."

"I would be the most presumptuous blockhead upon this footstool if I for one day thought that I could discharge the duties which have come upon me,since I came to this place, without the aid and enlightenment of One who is stronger and wiser than all others."

"Important principles may and must be flexible."

" The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."

"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present."

"God selects his own instruments, and sometimes they are queer ones; for instance, He chose me to steer the ship through a great crisis."

"Reports are often false, and always false when made by a knave to cloak his knavery." (Funny how this reminds me of NY Times/BBC et al)

"The Presidency, even to the most experienced politicians, is no bed of roses." (My favourite understatement)

***"Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the Government nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let us have faith that Right makes Might, and in that faith, let us, to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it. --(From address at Cooper Institute, New York, Feb 27, 1860)

Now, one from 'The Book', for good measure;

"Blessed are you when men hate you , and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake.
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! for so their fathers did to the Prophets" Luke 6:22,23.

Here are the 'twin' proverbs I call 'The catch 22 of Wisdom';

"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes."
Prov.26:4,5.

Finally, a classic from Honest Abe:

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt".

~ Makera
"With malice toward none, with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right,........"

( Thank the Almighty for America, and her constant struggle to live up to her ideals down through history)

Makera ~

It appears that we simply come from a different, basic premise on it all. However, that doesn't undermine the quotes themselves that you've placed here.

~ Lizzytysh

Hi Lizzytysh~

I am somewhat bemused as to what "basic premise" you are referring; the 'subject' or the pretext? The purported subject/"premise" was clearly belied by the ploy of claiming to "bypass the temptation" to comment, but mentioning the subject anyway. A subject for which you hold undisguised antipathy. That is the 'rancour' that makes a mockery of any claims of "prayer", especially one for "peace".

And you see no incongruity in that?! First, the choice of the Poetry Forum for what was not a poem; then the pretext of "prayer" to vent a little spleen you thought no-one would call you on.

What you miscalculated was the misuse of what some people hold sacred and not just give lip service to sound sweet and "noble".

If you had chosen a more appropriate forum for your political venting (though I can't think of one on this website) I would not have bothered.
It's when you mess in my territory that I take umbrage. If you would not desecrate a holy site, or throw a pork chop into a synagogue, why would you think it OK to try to hide a political snipe behind a show of piety?(If you have fooled some it is your shame, not theirs.) If you believe you can refute my imputation, I would remind you of your acceptance of a bit of pseudo-intellectual 'scientific' babble in support of your politics.It did not go unnoticed, for what it was, did it?
The non sequitur, apparently, did. QED

I presented the quotes for perspective, on both subject and pretext, to help with awareness of propriety and self-discipline.( I'm only sorry I didn't have my favourites from Khalil Gibran, the Gita or the I Ching.)

Remember, if you resent this reprimand, that you chose to 'speak' with an attempt to dismiss my first counsel as some difference about the "basic premise of it all". (?!) In a word: disingenuous.

This is our poetry forum. You want to post a prayer? Write one as they have always been written, as a poem.

'Here endeth the lesson'

~Makera

Hi Makera ~

Poetry comes in all forms, including free-form. As the Member's Poetry section is the most "personal" of the sections, it's the one I chose. If prayer is reserved for only those already totally at peace with the world and how it is, then few ~ perhaps none ~ would ever pray. There are those who pray solely for "peace in my heart." To suggest that because I have strong feelings about the politics of the situation, means I cannot pray for the welfare of innocent beings, is setting a restriction that even the greatest of gurus would find antithetical. There was nothing disingenuous. I was sincere.

I chose to bypass because there are other threads where the topic has been discussed at length and in depth by many. It seemed pointless and absurd to include it at this juncture. There are many who joined in at that time, as it affected many of our lives, and continues to do so.

So, you consider yourself a teacher?

~ Lizzytysh

Hi Lizzytysh~

A: Only of what I Know.

Those who will see, can see.

True "Authority" comes only from Knowing; you cannot Know what you haven't experienced; you shall not experience what you do not want to know.

~Makera

Hi Makera ~

I think that's probably a pretty common position for people, with regard to teaching. With regard to prayer, some people also pray for the ability to forgive.

According to your comment that's in parentheses, it appears we disagree on America and what her ideals are or are not, and have been throughout her relatively short history.

~ Lizzytysh