Wednesday, December 3, 2008

A Precious Child, A Community in Mumbai and New York

Recently I wrote a comment to the pages of Chabad.org in response to an article on the terror murders at Nariman House, Mumbai

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/777699/jewish/I-Loved-Them-Like-My-Own-Children.htm

My comment:

Nariman House Will Rise Again
The heartrending sobs of little Moishe Holtzberg at the funeral ceremony of his slain parents (whose only crime was to love their faith, their family and their community) should be enough to silence the terrorists.

Sadly it will not be so. I have made a modest donation to support Chabad Lubavitch Nariman House in my beloved city of Mumbai, a city that has given so much, suffered so much and has the gritty courage to continue.

That precious child is my inspiration. Ethical Democracy starts and keeps going, with the least among us, the most vulnerable among us.

Chithra KarunaKaran
Ethical Democracy As Lived Practice
http://www.EthicalDemocracy.Blogspot.com
=====================================================================================

The Beginning of the End of U.S. Unipolarity and Exceptionalism?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/opinion/04thu1.html
Gloom But Not Doom
NYTimes unsigned Editorial
Published: December 3, 2008
-----
My Commment: #49.
December 04, 2008 9:52 am

Link

December 4, 2008 1:30 am
"Dreaded multipolarity?" The New York Times "dreads" many and diverse faces and voices at the table of the 21st century?

The writer(s) of this editorial confound cause with consequence (example coercive power, greedy consumption, unrelenting meddling can ignite pathological retaliation) and the writers fail to recognize that US supremacist unipolarity and exceptionalism are the root cause of much dissent and suffering across geopolitical regions and within sovereign nation-states.

The NYTimes editorial concludes:
Their (NIC) report on the concept states that “leadership is not an entitlement; it has to be earned and sustained. Leadership that serves common goals is the best way to inspire the many different peoples of the world to make shared commitments.” That is a good place to start.

But this conclusion reiterates what has gone before, instead of repudiating U.S. exceptionalism. The US continues to see itself as a pre-emptive leader instead of engaging in empathic consensus for the Greater Collective Good. Does the rest of the world need to be "inspired" by the U.S. sitting at the head of the table, or can we project the possibility that even the least of individuals, groups and nation-states can get their fair share when they come/are allowed at the table?

In fact, the beginning of the end of the "dreaded" unipolarity of US exceptionalism is cause for cautious celebration and audacious hope.

Are we there there yet?

Chithra KarunaKaran
http://www.EthicalDemocracy.blogspot.com
Ethical Democracy as Lived Practice