Carol H Tucker Passionate about knowledge management and organizational development, expert in loan servicing, virtual world denizen and community facilitator, and a DISNEY fan
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beladona Memorial Be warned:in this very rich environment where you can immerse yourself so completely, your emotions will become engaged -- and not everyone is cognizant of that. Among the many excellent features of SL, there is no auto-return on hearts, so be wary of where your's wanders...
Today is the 5th day of the 33rd week, the 17th day of the 8th month, the 229th day of 2017, and:
Baby Boomers Recognition Day
Balloon Airmail Day
Meaning of "Is" Day
National #2 Pencil Day
National Black Cat Appreciation Day
National I LOVE My Feet Day
National Nonprofit Day
National Thrift Shop Day
National Vanilla Custard Day
Quote of the day:
“Understanding is a three edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth.”
~ J. Michael Straczynski
I think that we are in agreement that these are dangerous times for the United States. At the very moment we are wracked by polarization and a paralysis at the federal government level, it would appear that our basic liberties are under assault, especially our ability to speak
Free speech always came with limits – the example that used to be used back in the day was that while you had the right to say anything that you wished, you could and would be held accountable for the harm that would be caused if you suddenly screamed “FIRE” in a crowded theater. That was a simple example, easily understood and one that most people could agree on. But what about incendiary and hate speech? Do we assume that like pornography, we’ll know it when we see/hear it? Who gets to be the arbitrator, who gets to decide, who is the gatekeeper going to be? Where is the line to be drawn? Are we being sucked into the cesspool by not drawing a line? At what point did we stop teaching folks to think, to assess, to make up their own minds? Are we saying that humankind is untrustworthy and willing to descent to the lowest common denominator so we have to shovel pap at everyone to digest?
"We must take positions. Our weakness in the West is born of the fact of so-called 'objectivity.' Objectivity does not exist - it cannot exist!... The word is a hypocrisy which is sustained by the lie that the truth stays in the middle. No, sir: Sometimes truth stays on one side only." ~ Oriana Fallaci, an Italian journalist, author, political interviewer, and a partisan during World War II
We cannot let hate win
But I fear that as we try to stamp it out, we will find ourselves becoming that which we do not wish to be, that we will build a world in which we do not wish to live. To mix my metaphors with a heavy hand: the pendulum swings, but I am very much afraid that our course correction may send us off the rails completely.
Right now? As much as I have poked fun at the image, I wish we could all clasp hands, join in a circle and sing Kumbya.
CEOExpress
