Response to Thomas and Kurt

[barbara100 at jps.net]

I think it was pretty clear that I meant "We" in the collective sense of the word:  

"I just think the fewer people, the fewer countries, the fewer powerful countries we have participating in violence around the world, the less we'll see horrors like the holocaust."

"I feel like you (and Kurt) are forcing me into some boxed mode of thinking where I might draw up lines of karmic debt according to race, sex, religion, and national origin.  I'll leave that for Man and the Almighty (read all the sarcasm into that you can stomach)." 

"I didn't mean to assign them any particular blame, no more blame in fact than I assign myself."

"So as a member of the species, as a being on this planet--and this was the point I was trying to make with the Jews--I think I have no choice but to accept a certain responsibility for the horrors inflicted on mankind." 

But you're on to something with your nation state idea.  I doubt Karma will follow our fair logic, but I do see a certain wisdom in the idea of allocating responsibility according the level of power of nation states. Seems pretty obvious to me that he who holds the most power stands the best chance of affecting change.  So far it's worked pretty well with negative change; perhaps America would like to try her luck with a little positive change, eh?  



Original Message:
-----------------
From:  MalignD at aol.com
Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 18:39:01 EST
To: pynchon-l at waste.org
Subject: Re:  Response to Thomas and Kurt


<< because for all the dirty games we been playing, and lessons we been 
ignoring, I can't help but see a Cosmic kind of fairness in it. >>

I'm coming late to this karma discussion, and I'm a bit confused.

Barbara seems to believe that karma happens to nation states and that the 
horrific deaths of (e.g.) those people killed in the trade centers or in the 
jet over Pennsylvania were earned by them via the policies of the nation of 
whom they happen to be citizens?  This seems to me a peculiar coupling of 
Buddhism and realpolitik.  It also seems to me patent nonsense.  What am I 
missing?

 

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