Comrades, "Times of crisis focus and awaken a community's awareness of its central vision of life. It is during such moments of crisis that the integral and inherent truths that shape, guide, and center the life-cycle of that community's vision take on a dramaturgical quality within the minds of its adherents and followers. We are living in such a time." - Steven Craig Hickman Now that I have some time in my hands to wonder around in my own world of conscience and reality checks, I have decided to do a reflective analysis of where the fight against tyranny in the Gambia on Gambia-L is heading. I have come to the conclusion that a lot needs to be taken care of in our own backyards. This is not, by all means, veered towards any individual or group. It is my personal reflections triggered by recent exchanges within our very own circle of comrades. I must admit that some of what I have mentioned here does apply to myself in all counts. That is the crux of this write up. To reflect upon ourselves and how our actions and deeds impact our messages. For it is only through such reflections that we will............(well, you tell me). "Do as I say not as I do". We've all heard this concept before don't we?. We often wonder why others are able to break the rules while we can't. Today, we often see this same policy active in government, mainstream religion, the workplace, etc. We still have trouble grasping this double standard. How do we deal with it? We are often a self-congratulatory lot, patting ourselves on the back that we have the solution to our individual political quandaries, we are very aware, we are "light-bringers" and so forth. We espouse truth - speak honestly and with sincerity! We claim to accept and respect each other, for who and what we are, regardless of who/what that may be. We proudly proclaim that we are more tolerant than others. We adamantly proclaim that we are a caring, close-knit community, open to any and all who think like us or have the same feelings like us. I would love to say that this is all true...but it isn't. In reality, we are just like other people. Some of us lie. Some of us cheat. Some of us are intolerant, or disrespectful, even closed-minded. We sometimes fail to come to the aid of others, even when their need is right before our faces - not because we have prior obligations or legitimate reasons for holding back, but because it is inconvenient for us to lend assistance. We fall into the trap of jumping to conclusions about others' actions and words, eager to suspect the worst. Too many disagreements are waged simply because one person's approach is different from another's. How many of us commonly say ugly or degrading things about someone who is not present to defend her/himself? How often would we actually say those things TO the people of whom we are speaking? Let's admit it...we haven't found a font of wisdom which can be absorbed by osmosis, then followed effortlessly. I've been actively reminded that we don't always practice what we preach. It's a relatively easy thing to open one's mouth and have words fall out. It is a different thing altogether to actually change one's life accordingly. Likewise, seeing contradictory behavior in others is easy; being aware of one's own mistakes is a far more difficult task. As for the subject of inter-personal bickering, it is a disease that can cripple or even destroy whole communities. But only if we allow it to infect us. In or out of a lab, if a virus can be isolated, it can be stopped. The only way to kill a rumor is not to repeat it. The only way to satisfy a doubt is to go to the source and ask a direct question. The only way to stop pettiness is to rise above it. The only way to avoid negativity is to embrace positive pursuits. We are only human, and we fall prey to these ugly sores sometimes. Does that mean we have to let Gambia-L be dragged down by them? Nope. Never. Here's hoping we can all grow into greater awareness and away from senseless infighting, both as individuals and as larger communities. Abdoulie A. Jallow www.dalasigram.com Making sending funds home more fun than hassle. [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] 402-639-1105 _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------