Samantha Atkins wrote:
> I don't want to be part of "the global community". We have a precious
difficult
> enough time preserving human freedom and having a more or less open and
just
> society within our own borders. Arguably, most of us don't understand or
have
> a grasp on the bedrock of what makes for a free society. In the world at
> large that grasp is much, much more tenuous.
### If you refuse to interact with and be a part of the environment (as when
you hide in a closet), you will not have any say in the goings-on around
you, you won't spread your ideas about "human freedom" and other pet
projects, and preserving whatever freedom you have will one day become even
more difficult. Somebody will come knocking on the door of your closet
whether you want it or not.
One if the best methods of alienating other people is writing them off as
having "no grasp" of the basics. If you are not willing to impart them your
knowledge, others will convice them to follow other ideas, with a much more
tenuous relation to the truth.
Being a part of the global community doesn't mean losing your independence
to the faceless masses but rather the ability to shape it to suit your own
preferences. "The Lexus and the olive tree" is a good reference on this
subject. In the long run, smart global participation costs less American
money and brings more for everybody than the alternative.
Rafal Smigrodzki, MD-PhD
smigrodzkir@msx.upmc.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Oct 12 2001 - 14:40:57 MDT