Re: [A-List] Moderator's note

["Salaam Blackmore" <blackmore@xxxxxxxxx>]

Michael

Thank you!

And I am quite happy to accept your rules.

"Sectarianism" - who wants it? - although I must make plain that my work
lies in the field of spiritual development (I adopt this oblique formula to
avoid frightening people...)

"Imperialism" - not my scene, either...

"Red-baiting" - another no!no!, besides which it is, in my view, both cruel
and inhumane...

And I imagine that we are likely to find ourselves in broad agreement in
certain areas.

We would agree, I think, that, wherever possible, the world should be a
place of harmony and peace, rather than of warfare and killing.

We are also likely to agree that the community, as a whole, should care and
look after all its citizens, not just the sick, the unemployed and the
vulnerable. The objective, so far as is possible,  should be to do more than
aim at the minimum for existence. We should try to do more, namely, to help
people enjoy rich and satisfying lives.

Where we may disagree, is that, for me, true satisfaction must include a
spiritual element.

If we restrict ourselves to material desires, it would seem to me that there
is no natural limit to what we want.

If, however, in addition to our material necessities, we discover how to
combine this with a spiritual element, only then are we likely to experience
that sense of repleteness, that sense of rightness, that is inherent in true
satisfaction.

I hope you will forgive me for bringing this matter up, but I feel it is
better for me to put my cards plainly on the table.


Salaam




----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>
To: <a-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003 9:10 AM
Subject: Re: [A-List] Moderator's note


> Salaam writes:
>
> I do not support Marxism - but it has some good points, just like the
Roman
> Catholics. It is just that in neither case can I accept all the dogma.
Both
> groups proffer their own individual Weltanschauung. From their respective
> points of view, you either accept it - or you don't.
>
> -----
>
> While the orientation of this list is primarily Marxist, we have lots of
> different non-Marxist perspectives present. All I ask is that we avoid
> sectarianism, apologias for imperialism, and red-baiting. Mark and I are
> clear that the urgency of the tasks facing us require us to ditch a lot of
> old baggage (that for too long was needlessly carried anyway) and appeal
> beyond the traditional confines of Marxist circles. That said, I believe
> that without a Marxist basis, our analytical and political work is
unlikely
> to succeed (to put it mildly). Hence the list's primary orientation.
>
> It's good to have you aboard.
>
> Michael
>
>
>
>