A “We” or “Me” World?

The focus of this post is Maryam’s commentary following the map. Maryam is a long time good friend who grew up in the Middle East, and is long time American, and shares her important insights. She expands on a brief passionate commentary she made at a meeting I attended on June 4. Please take the time to read and reflect on what she says so powerfully…. (Ironically, on the same day I am publishing this piece, Russia (Putin) and North Korea (Kim) have expressed dangerous solidarity with each other, and the major headline of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes “Iran set to triple nuclear capacity“.)

Very recently – within the last week – I was sorting papers and came across a file folder labelled simply “Gaza 2008-09“. The file was mine, now 16 years old. It had been an active file for me back then. (FYI, here are the pertinent contents of that file: Gaza 2008-09.)

16 years. How time flies. When disaster happened in Israel near Gaza seven months ago, October 7, 2023, I had to review for myself where and what Gaza was. Sixteen years ago, Gaza had also been front page news in the U.S.

In the file was a long commentary I had submitted as an op ed to the Minneapolis paper, along with letters to various officials, political and religious. The op ed wasn’t published. What surprised me is that I had forgotten about it. I suppose this might be due to the fact that we are so inundated by “breaking news” that one event bleeds into another, and benumbs us, unless the “breaking news” directly and immediately affects us – an unfortunate and dangerous reality.

June 4, about two weeks before I discovered the file, I had been at the meeting referenced in the first paragraph. Maryam, who grew up in Iran, and has lived for many years in the U.S., gave a brief but impassioned commentary on her view of our view of the contemporary situation in the Middle East and world generally. She was speaking from the heart – you can tell.

I asked her if she would be willing to commit her thoughts to writing, and if I could share them. I felt her words held much grist for thought and discussion. She agreed, and what she said follows, below.

I am grateful for her writing, and I hope it leads at least to thought and discussion. First, a map of the Middle East from Goode’s World Atlas (19th Edition 1995 Rand McNally p. 182). Note “Gaza” on the map.

Maryam: I joined CGS [Citizens for Global Solutions] because I wanted to help inform typical Americans of their responsibility to make better decisions and vote with information and knowledge of the consequences of that vote to the rest of the world.

I want people to understand that no single president of the United States or someone like Netanyahu from Israel can address and resolve political, religious, society, cultural, economic issues that have existed for over 3000 years [in the Middle East]. This is particularly true when there is little understanding of the root issues, and what series of decisions by superpowers in the world have brought us to this point in time, most likely have created even more of a complex reality to address. We ignore basic facts at our peril

I believe most Americans vote and make decisions based on a single, or very few, issues, to satisfy their own immediate needs and wants, without considering others, including the impacts results of U.S. voting can have all over the world. This mindset comes from our being uninformed about world history and cultures, The USA does not seem to have a culture of encouraging teaching about the world and how the USA fits as one country within that world [now 195 nations].

In the largest and richest democratic republic in the world, in the 21st century, we have minimal information and knowledge about our role and responsibility in the world. We can not have “peace in this world ” without putting away our selfish and one issue thinking. As a country that impacts the lives of so many with every decision made, we MUST be more conscientious about our values, how we vote and who we put in power. We are responsible for how we impact lives everywhere. This is not saying we are responsible for others lives, but how we can positively impact on and influence their choices.

We are living in a world that, more than ever, has interdependencies of economies, religious practices, societal standards, financial stability, health & safety of the earth, food and water availability and politics. We have to account for all those elements.

Since the U.S. education policy seems to be ever more constrained, even about our own history, the only way I know of to inform and educate the future generation of leaders is to require them to go and live, for at least a year, in a country that does not speak English and is very different culturally/economically, than where they come from, and require them to figure out a way to survive, make money, and complete their expected tasks no matter what. This might be a program similar to the Peace Corps. I know the growth they experience will completely change their attitude about life, culture, money, needs, honor, ethics, purpose and more.”

POSTNOTE: We saw a phenomenal concert by the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall today (Thursday) which will be aired live Friday night June 21 at 8 p.m. CDT on PBS. I think this may be available by livestream anywhere. The program is “Celebrating Pride” featuring pieces by Dame Ethel Smyth, Poulenc and Tchaikovsky.

For those of the French-Canadian persuasion who live in the Twin Cities area, on Tuesday evening June 25 at 6:30 at the Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall; and Wednesday evening June 26 at 6:30 at St. Paul Central Library, 90 W 4th Street, Christine Loys will show her film En Avant L’Etoile du Nord ou “Le Joie de Vivre”. Christine will be in attendance at this showing. I have seen both the original and the current version. Both were excellent. The approximately one hour film explores the rich French in America heritage in this area.

Finally, there have been some other posts in the last two weeks: Fascism (6/12) and Country School (6/15) have comments; Bump Stock (6/16) has a recent commentary about gun violence which I consider particularly worthwhile and from an unexpected source.

COMMENTS:

from Larry: Thank you for this. I have believed for a long time that every young person should have to do two years of service after high school, in another country or culture. Paid for minimally, with room and board, like old time military service. Then when they’re done, college or trade school etc paid for similar to the idea of GI bill. Military would be one option, but also Peace Corps and many other service efforts. The Veterans program at Roseville Rotary had several Veterans speaking to what Maryam says – several were doctors and their military service was on an Indian reservation, or obviously in another country. Plainview, Minnesota just put in a monument/memorial to the Peace Corps.

response from Maryam: I wish the foreign experience could be mandatory in the U.S.. the people here truly need the experience to become world citizens.

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