openness

The arrest of Wikileaks founder mr Assange has sparked much debate about freedom of speech and the way governments run their business. Now the fact that mr Assange has been arrested (and is likely to be extradited to Sweden on an alleged rape charge) we can see that rumors do not just spark, opinions are very much divided and many people have stong feelings about this case. Is the rape charge not just simply a cover up to stop Wikileaks and make readers believe they are baddies? Is Wikileaks not just another form of terrorism? What is it really that needs protecting? 

Only the ignorant believe that military and political groups are there to protect our safety. Think about this carefully. Does anything really need protecting at all? If there's nothing to hide then there should be no problems in the information coming to the surface, so why have this existing system anyway. Who does it really benefit?  

(Note: I'm not advocating going on a rampage of deliberately releasing information without thinking through what the impact will be. The debate here is not so much politics or individuals/idealistic groups but very much Ethics.)

It looks that the way Politics have been run is changing: with online media available to practically everyone on the planet, news spreads like wild fire. Trying to control this would be a mistake and only leads to one action: either severe conflict to try and gain control again (a very old school approach) or perhaps it would be novelty to start afresh by being transparent. This openness could mean that we all could accept that we are indeed all earthlings instead of sticking to our little individual agendas. Short term thinking and ego driven actions are simply on the way out. The new flavor of the day is a strong desire for genuine behavior build on mutual respect and trust.

The danger today is that all of us are still looked upon as potential terrorists. At airports we are screened, soon iris photos will be taken to identify everyone and unless we say no you can bet on it they will come up with a way to convince us all that having a chip injected under your skin would be so beneficial to your health and protection. (Flu injections anyone?) More and more people wake up and clue in on the fact what is really happening around us. We have started to realize how things work: what we are told daily (what we are fed) and we get an idea on the vast enormity on what we are not. 

We are choosing a new way to look at things, a new way to run our own lives and do this respectfully and transparently. Wikileaks may have done this in a very controversial manner. The fact it touches so many nerves should tell us something. Perhaps one day in the future we can say that the reason this happened because it sparked the debate that was needed to move forward and clean up our act. Governments will find they will have to change tack, as their people simply do not wish to participate in the old ways anymore. The world has become too small for that.

From today's 'the New York Times':

"Mr. Assange depicted WikiLeaks as a proponent of what he termed scientific journalism, which “allows you to read a news story, then to click online to see the original document it is based on.”

“That way you can judge for yourself: Is the story true? Did the journalist report it accurately?” he wrote. “Democratic societies need a strong media, and WikiLeaks is part of that media. The media helps keep government honest.” (...)

As of Monday night, the group had released fewer than 1,000 of the quarter-million State Department cables it had obtained, reportedly from a low-ranking Army intelligence analyst.

So far, the group has moved cautiously. The whole archive was made available to five news organizations, including The New York Times. (...)

Justice Department prosecutors have been struggling to find a way to indict Mr. Assange since July, when WikiLeaks made public documents on the war in Afghanistan. But while it is clearly illegal for a government official with a security clearance to give a classified document to WikiLeaks, it is far from clear that it is illegal for the organization to make it public. (...)

In recent months, WikiLeaks gave the entire collection of cables to four European publications — Der Spiegel in Germany, El País in Spain, Le Monde in France and The Guardian. The Guardian shared the cable collection with The New York Times. (...) The five publications have announced no plans to make public all the documents. WikiLeaks’ intentions remain unclear."

From excellent shirky.com:

"Over the long haul, we will need new checks and balances for newly increased transparency — Wikileaks shouldn’t be able to operate as a law unto itself anymore than the US should be able to. In the short haul, though, Wikileaks is our Amsterdam. Whatever restrictions we eventually end up enacting, we need to keep Wikileaks alive today, while we work through the process democracies always go through to react to change. If it’s OK for a democracy to just decide to run someone off the internet for doing something they wouldn’t prosecute a newspaper for doing, the idea of an internet that further democratizes the public sphere will have taken a mortal blow."

Exactly. 

Further news on this story: 10th Dec:

Great read on Wired.com:

• About EasyDNS, a company accused and backlashed for supporting Wikileaks and then pulling the plug; alas they were confused with a similarly named company. Now they do support Wikileaks. The story: click here
• Dutch teen of 16 arrested for aiding Wikileaks. About how Wikileaks is organized and who works for them: groupforming. Read more here.

Further news: Reuters: 15th December:

Reuters: 

• Assange back in jail as Sweden appeals bail> read here
• U.S. Air Force blocks NY Times and Guardian over WikiLeaks > read here

treatment

I like writing about people, not about individuals in a gossipy manner, but how all of us are exploring this vast universe, our world, our private thoughts, our interactions with others. One of my goals is to offer information about these explorations to many people who are looking for it, to meet others and to share knowledge. I would be the first to say: hello you! I'm learning too!

If you would live by yourself all the time, like a hermit, what would you learn really? Don't we learn most when we are interacting with others? At times, the more friction, or upset, the more we can learn, although I wouldn't advocate starting arguments or wars in order to achieve that progress. I read somewhere that the people who challenge us the most, who touch us deeply or simply piss us off beyond belief, are our best teachers. I think this is very accurate.

Instead of perceiving other people as the ones who I'd never like to see again and stay far away from, I have found that it actually doesn't bother me anymore, quite literally too, if I do run into them on occasion it's all fine with me. This is a funny thing and surprisingly: offers great freedom. I can actually wish them well, even if I choose not to be friends with them anymore. I guess we can only be "free" from those, if we have learned to let go of the notion  that we somehow have to "be right" at the end of the conversation, or the silly idea that we always know best. I prefer to think of it as a wise and mature approach, and whenever I catch myself being stuck in an "ego" debate I try to look past whatever it is and "get over it" by realizing I'm being petty or that I don't know all the details.

Being right has never brought anyone anything, except ignorance and arrogance. Haven't we got better things to do? Aren't all of us here to do the same thing? To experience, to grow, and to have fun in a loving and preferably more or less safe environment? I like the idea of treating everyone I meet as if they were related to me in some fashion. This automatically meant I would treat them well, support them in whatever they do and help them if asked for. I will not ask them for anything, as I have all I need inside of me and everyone has got enough to do already. Still, many manage to surprise me with their love, friendship and honesty. To me, that is the most valuable thing of all.

The art of silence

There’s a funny thing about saying sorry. If I feel justified in my opinion I have a very hard time getting those words out just to make polite amends. If I’m wrong and know it I’ll say it straight away. Still, one has to be wise and ‘get over it’. Whatever ‘it’ is. I upset people from time to time. 'It's a funny thing', but not literally. Lately I found I have done it deliberately which is a change. Heck I’ve managed to upset a few people. You know consciously pushing some buttons. It's been interesting. I never used to do that. What does that tell you?

Apparently:
“Bottling up your feelings is not a good way of managing stress. In most cases, this leads to resentment, frustration and pent up anger. If something or someone is bothering you, learn to express your feelings in an open, yet respectful manner”

Uhuh. I think the key is in the respecting. That and learning to shut up at appropriate times? Most of all it can be sensible to not react and just choose to not say a thing at all. Not because I think I'm so right because that actually doens't matter so much, no, more because my energy is better spend elsewhere instead of some arguing. It's simply not worth it. I may still need an additional course in Zenny centering and shuttupping anyway, just to round me off and send me on my merry way.

Why did I tick several people off lately? (I made a lot happy too so my brownie points are sitting brightly on the top shelf.) I think because a) I needed to get it off my chest to feel I could continue to look the other person in the eye and b) I notice I say things when something happens that is either unethical to me or when I have the impression no effort has been made. You see, I rather am in the business of liking people opposed to disliking them. There's a difference between having respect for someone and agreeing with them. I never used to consciously upset people as unharmonious settings gave me stress. Because things change so much it's the more important to choose ones priorities carefully and not be taken off the path we are wanting to follow. I always focussed much on other people and their welfare, Nico and I agreed it's time to focus on ourselves more. We need to be there for us now.

Making clear choices and sticking to my guns makes me more straightforward in my communication. Sorry about the bouts of honesty but it makes me not having to attend anger management classes etc. etc. which is lovely as I enjoy spending my time at home looking after the fuzz man Zodiac and my dear husband. Also I don't have the habit of relying on friends to share stories or vent. So to prevent any inner injury I might as well say things from time to time. Don't worry I say plenty to myself too. Also I am seriously thinking of taking up karate. It may not be Zen but I do like to able to use my muscles well.

Trust and respect

What does trust mean? How can you measure someone’s honesty? How do you prove your own?
Bottom line: trust and reliability depend on the following factors:

a) Showcasing by actions
b) Genuine body language
c) Tone of voice
d) Showing respect
e) Vibes

Actually the vibes you emit will give you away any day of the week.
There is no quick cure for the wounded trust. The only thing you can do is reflect and behave accordingly to your new set out intentions.

I am in a situation now where I have to rectify my behavior. Why? I have been caught up in my own life and simply had too much to think about and juggle. Not being the best planner in the world is a bugger but still I make the best of it. My husband has been therefore at the losing side. I don’t want him to be affected by my irregular antics so will have to shape up my planning. This way he will see that I do mean what I say and that he is still fortunate to have married me (hopefully).

Babe I’m sorry. I mucked up, it wasn’t nice of me. I love you.

(When in doubt what to do: admit you’ve been a doodly twit -which is true- and hope for forgiveness.)