Periphery

a record of mundane things that have stuck in my mind, and what they may mean.

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

stuff

There's a lot to worry about these days. Listening to NPR yesterday afternoon, I realized that every important news story is a reason for distress. They talked about Tariq Ramadan's visa revocation--reporter seem to think it was a good thing. French journalists are being held in Iraq and the captures are demanding an end to France's headscarf ban, or they're ready to behead them. Israel and Palestine, Sadr, lies of a conservative commentator. UGG!

There was a long period after 9/11 where I refused to listen to the news. Tuned in to the run-up to the war, tuned out when it started. Only tuned back in for the primaries, mostly cuz of Dean. But it's stupid to not follow the news. But it's also crazy to listen to it. Here I am with all this comfort around me, and then there's the world's reality. Either I blacken my heart with apathy, or I work to do something about it.

2 Comments:

At 2:00 PM, Calm_cool_collected said...

Salams:

Yes, it's hard. But part of the solution, apart from doing something, as you suggested, is to look for good news. That's where I've found some solace.

Here are some good places to go for some alternative viewpoints that are not hateful (you may already know them, but it helps to check them out every week at least, to get a different perspective):

www.alternet.org
www.counterpunch.org

And for good measure:
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

 
At 10:41 AM, Anonymous said...

very true--"Here I am with all this comfort around me, and then there's the world's reality."

Sadr's forces demands from France really scared me. Sometimes I wonder if he's a Muslim but like the ustadh said, 'There is a lot of bad in this nation, just like there is alot of bad within the Muslims--stuff that will fill you with shame--but there is also good.'

mujahida

 

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