* Inspiration: Imagination in World Affairs
The 9-11 commission report rang with one phrase that seemed to sum up our lack of foresight into the possibility of an attack against our country–”Failure of Imagination.” The same phrase was used by President Obama when he gave his first speech about the possibility of a world without nuclear weapons. He suggested that while we did not want to be naive, neither did we want to fall short because of a ”failure of imagination.”
I’m steadily moving toward a conclusion that inspiration and imagination are inexorably linked. To be able to see a future that is unlikely, or that would not be seen from available evidence…this capability seems to be necessary to the ability to inspire others.
This week, I received the following note from one of the Forum Participants, Zaman Stanizai. Dr. Stanizai is a native of Afghanistan, and sees the war there from a different perspective from most. He wrote the following:
“Dear Friends,
Many solutions have been offered to solve the Afghan war. Here is mine. I know that it is out of the mainstream of today’s political thought, and as a friend commented on it, “It is a great plan, but nobody will act upon it because it makes too much sense.” This reminded me of an old debate in which Sheikh Qunawi asked Rumi: “I wonder how you turn complex philosophic terminologies into simple language.” Rumi replied: “I wonder why must you turn such simple ideas into sophisticated incomprehensive expressions.” I am offering an alternative, in its simplicity, to the various military options currently under consideration by the Obama Administration for Afghanistan. I am proposing a Peace Option. A peace option that has not been given any consideration so far and it probably won’t see the light of day unless we give it momentum by making it a part of the media debate if not the White House debate. I have an extensive peace alternative in works that can help us win through peace in Afghanistan without losing the war. A condensed version of that plan appears in ArticlesBase.com under the title: ‘How to Win Peace in Afghanistan For Half the Price of War.’
Your comments on the article on the website can contribute to an effort in saving humanity in some of us. You may also want to forward it to friends and those affiliated with the media so that at least the thought of peace can get some notoriety and this ‘unconsidered alternative’ is given some consideration. You could google the article under Zaman Stanizai or go to the ArticlesBase.com . Here is the link:
Yours in peace,
Zaman Stanizai”
I found his views refreshing and coming from a totally different perspective from the norm….and probably doable. But the fact that he sees such a solution in his imagination, not bleary-eyed but practical, is inspiring.
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This was written by
terry. Posted on
Friday, October 30, 2009, at 3:42 pm. Filed under
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Inspiration. Tagged
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