12-11-2001, 10:47 PM
...I grieve for members al Qaida, followers of a deluded dream, who must die for no real purpose. I grieve for the human race which cannot seem to get along. I grieve for the needless pain and sufferings and deaths that must take place, and for those that took place recently. The irony of it all is that so much of the greatest troubles throughout human history have been needless. When belief systems collide we have war. When economic interests collide we have exploitation or war. If logic prevailed, and resources were more efficiently utilized and waste were curtailed we would surely have far fewer problems. Perhaps it is the destiny of humankind to always struggle through troubled times. Or perhaps one day advances in technology and greater efficiency will combine with psychological maturity, and we will live more in harmony and peace, and the greatest struggles will be struggles to learn more rather than struggles against other humans or a perpetual struggle for money. The potential is there like a far-off shining star...maybe in about 300 years the world of today will be as ancient as the world of the Babylonians appears now to us. Who can guess what it will be like? Better, worse, or simply different. It will come, and it might even be virtually unrecognizable--advances accelerate, and it may be more incredible by far than we would seem today to the Sumerians of old. Or it might be the same old story in a different setting...just a few thoughts, a deep somber sense of something, I know not exactly what...and time to play poker. May the cool night air soothe and bring a sense of life and mystery, and help clear some of these deep somber feelings, on the 10-minute drive to Foxwoods.