Comments on: Time for The Arab People to Accept Responsibiity for Failed Nations http://www.jeffersoncorner.com/time-for-the-arab-people-to-accept-responsibiity-for-failed-nations/ America's Speaker's Corner Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:38:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 By: bob baydoun http://www.jeffersoncorner.com/time-for-the-arab-people-to-accept-responsibiity-for-failed-nations/#comment-67 bob baydoun Sun, 09 Dec 2007 10:05:51 +0000 http://www.jeffersoncorner.com/time-for-the-arab-people-to-accept-responsibiity-for-failed-nations/#comment-67 good article and i wanna add some information that the failure of many governments is because they are linked to external other countries, they execute other countries orders not their own people and the same persons came to the parliament and government each election , no new people , the election law must be changed to give people aged 18 years the right to vote and to restrict being candidate to maximum 2 times in life and there's a problem too that anyone in lebanon leave the parliament or government stay earning a lifetime salary which is hard on the lebanese economy , this must be restricted and make this salary valid only for some years since all government or parliament candidates don't pay any expenses as electricity , phones etc... and people in lebanon don't pay taxes on salaries , this must all be changed good article and i wanna add some information that the failure of many governments is because they are linked to external other countries, they execute other countries orders not their own people and the same persons came to the parliament and government each election , no new people , the election law must be changed to give people aged 18 years the right to vote and to restrict being candidate to maximum 2 times in life and there’s a problem too that anyone in lebanon leave the parliament or government stay earning a lifetime salary which is hard on the lebanese economy , this must be restricted and make this salary valid only for some years since all government or parliament candidates don’t pay any expenses as electricity , phones etc… and people in lebanon don’t pay taxes on salaries , this must all be changed

]]> By: Maz http://www.jeffersoncorner.com/time-for-the-arab-people-to-accept-responsibiity-for-failed-nations/#comment-38 Maz Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:45:27 +0000 http://www.jeffersoncorner.com/time-for-the-arab-people-to-accept-responsibiity-for-failed-nations/#comment-38 From an individual's perspective, seeing the huge mess, historic sectarian allegiences, many failed reform attempts, and the initial price to pay to go against those in position of power, one is deterred from getting involved. So the good and capable people keep to themselves, pursue perdiviual and family endeavors, often by immigrating to countries more stable, structured and respectfull to the individuals. Taking responsibility for all the mess? hardly. We were born into it. It's been around for generations. The mid-east history tell us that the 'locals' very rarely had a say, as some ruler impose himself with his army be defeating the previous ruler. The locals kept essentially to themselves, working to care for their family, naively sticking to religion to feel better about their lot in life. We see that little has changed, as religion is now occupying a very important part of many people's lives. We're feel powerless and insecure so we seek protection in religion. Last year a friend told me that many women in here lebanese town wore the hijab for the first time in their life because they came to the conclusion that, with so many bad things hapening around us, god must be angry with us. God is angry with us, because we don't follow our religion's edicts, so god is punishing us!! So we ware the headscarf, pray regularly, go to hajj etc.. and things will get better. God may spare me and strike the sinner instead! Well that sound pretty similar to the sales pitch of the bible. 'obey me, your god Yhwe, and I will spare you...'. So did our collective psyche change since times immemorial? I doubt it. There is plenty to be pessimistic about. And this is not new. It's been going on for a long time. But... One must always look for hope. But hope that is grounded in reality. Information flows better, and at the grass root level. So it is a little harder to mislead people. Many societies have improved the way they treat the weaker and needy, this will eventually have an effect on the mid-east. Eventually that is... I guess each individual should try every now and then to do a little thing that is helfull. Not expecting anything in return. Maybe the cumulative effect will do something in the middle east. From an individual’s perspective, seeing the huge mess, historic sectarian allegiences, many failed reform attempts, and the initial price to pay to go against those in position of power, one is deterred from getting involved. So the good and capable people keep to themselves, pursue perdiviual and family endeavors, often by immigrating to countries more stable, structured and respectfull to the individuals.

Taking responsibility for all the mess? hardly. We were born into it. It’s been around for generations. The mid-east history tell us that the ‘locals’ very rarely had a say, as some ruler impose himself with his army be defeating the previous ruler. The locals kept essentially to themselves, working to care for their family, naively sticking to religion to feel better about their lot in life.

We see that little has changed, as religion is now occupying a very important part of many people’s lives. We’re feel powerless and insecure so we seek protection in religion. Last year a friend told me that many women in here lebanese town wore the hijab for the first time in their life because they came to the conclusion that, with so many bad things hapening around us, god must be angry with us.

God is angry with us, because we don’t follow our religion’s edicts, so god is punishing us!! So we ware the headscarf, pray regularly, go to hajj etc.. and things will get better. God may spare me and strike the sinner instead!

Well that sound pretty similar to the sales pitch of the bible. ‘obey me, your god Yhwe, and I will spare you…’.

So did our collective psyche change since times immemorial? I doubt it.

There is plenty to be pessimistic about. And this is not new. It’s been going on for a long time.

But…

One must always look for hope. But hope that is grounded in reality. Information flows better, and at the grass root level. So it is a little harder to mislead people. Many societies have improved the way they treat the weaker and needy, this will eventually have an effect on the mid-east. Eventually that is…

I guess each individual should try every now and then to do a little thing that is helfull. Not expecting anything in return. Maybe the cumulative effect will do something in the middle east.

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