Hope

I’m in interested Robert: are you following @podblanc the white supremacist and rascist? He is following you – and with his tweets re: Adolf Hitler, I’d like to know your response to responsibility of social media to align our social values along with our “we media” distribution channels. (my link goes to the Twitter podblanc racism blog post). Is auto-follow such a good idea in this case? If you are not following him, could you also let us know? – I noticed that other (social) media entities are…

Hope is a big word and different peoples understand it differently. Nice post, I think the peace will come soon to Israel.

Robert,

Great post. More posts like this across the blogosphere would go a long way.

We as Americans and Western Europeans take so much for granted what with our nice homes, toys, cars, fast Internet connections, etc.

Displaced children the world over need posts like this to bring them to the attention of people who can help them get ahead.

Jesus willing, these kids will grow up in peace and work towards the same for the betterment of their world and ours. They are, after all, the future.

I would love to see you follow up on these kids if you can at some point. Perhaps some photos, another story, etc. What would be doubly cool would be to see some of these kids sponsored to come to the US to study and see what’s possible for them. Adoption is another great idea for displaced kids. There are so many of them who truly need our love and attention.

Way to go, Robert!

So I guess you aren’t emotionally broke-up over Microsoft’s telescope software anymore?

Laurel: I have blocked him.

I work with the Caring for China Center. One of its goals is to get China to stop funding the violence in Darfur.

I would appreciate any help you could provide getting the word out. I am still working on the website, but wanted to mention it while you were on the topic.

I have been to Israel and its good. But like any other country it has its share of problems. Guide told us not to go to Arab villages. But its a beautiful place

Robert, in following you on twitter, you never leave me without questions and wonder. I could only dream of having the oportunities youv’e had while overseas promoting technology. I tip my hat to you for this article you have been humble enough to share with the rest of the people that like to read what you have to say. I was blessed to travel to the far east of Russia multiple times and did see some similar situations as you. Thank You, I just wish the human race would just remember that the children are the worlds future, quit making more hurdles for them and help them go further than any generation before!

Robert, just adding to the kudos here. As a full-time Darfur activist/community organizer, I want to thank you for posting this touching entry. I hope you will share any updates you get about the Rogozin kids! Thanks again.

Thank you dear, I’ve updated my blog post on Twitter and Racism. <3 Laurel/SilkCharm P.S. I just spent a week in Saudi Arabia teaching Arabic women about social media. We should compare notes o.O

Just when I was pining for the old Scoble you pen this touching experience. Thank you for sharing a segment of this crazy world I would have otherwise missed. Reminds me of how powerful a blog can be.

At least he is alive to talk about it!

Dont forget the eyes of the kids who witnessed the holocaust….

…or the many other horrors in our society over the past century

I hate to do this:

I am by instinct, but,

“Hope without pragmatism = idealism.”

The problem with many of the sentiments here is they are just that, the same naval-gazing sentimentality that permeates much of the blogosphere.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/04/gaza200804

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=164441&title=jeffrey-sachs&byDate=true [@ 3.40, but try watching all]

The problem I find with our western culture is that our politicians and interest-groups have indulged our ignorance and emotion, to encourage being quick to judge and condemn, sometimes nothing more than xenophobia, sometimes self-interest.

For example how many people in America knew before 2 years ago that Israel had Nuclear Weapons. that they jailed a man who informed the world for 20 years and still won’t let him talk to the press (a democratic country, or like burma?), The fact that the founders of Israel were terrorists who killed jewish people; that everyone claims to be an ally of Israel, and it claims to be an ally of everyone who’s support it needs, yet has repeatedly acted duplicitously with subterfuge and just disloyalty/spying against those same countries.

That’s just the surface of Israel.

Move on to Africa/Darfur and there’s even more detail and ethics involved there. That sentimentality that wants to blame the nearest large player is as mis-directed and naive as much else, where getting panicky might get in the way of emotional manipulation, blaming big bad rich foreign evil china.

No one is innocent. It helps to know the details.

How much of america still believes in the right to travel how they want as often as they want, oil in america is amongst the cheapest in the world; 5% of it’s population yet 20% of it’s waste, has been for decades, yet china/india start to come pass it and it almost immediately wants to blame them before it will do anything itself, let alone the bigotry of anti-free-trade.

Where to start, where to end.

With all this information, we are becoming more stupid -at times; and at other times, with the younger/interweb generation, we are more able to coalesce as a culture, but the simple fact that culture is a liberal one (“lets all be happy, but you have to accept everything we do”, Our Human-Rights definitions) in terms of our mind-share, rather than an agnostic one,, ruled by said sentimentality, that then can create it’s own conflicts.

The truth will set you free.

If you want peace in the world, first accept that it’s almost impossible, but you ‘ll keep trying, then accept your faults, then move from there, IF you want peace. It took Australia how many centuries to fully officially apologise for its crimes against the aboriginies (and they still live in poverty); it wasn’t until the latter part of the last century when America started belatedly compensating native Americans; When Israel does the same and publicly gains the humility to admit to itself and the world what it has done for the absolute cause of zionism, to apologise and pay compensation, then and only then will their be peace -If america simply said it’s not our business, They’d be around a negotiating table within a beat, not choosing as any colonialist, WHO they negotiate with.

The rest of us are lucky that most of the world doesn’t count the blood we have on our hands -we do live in democratic societies, right?!?

Peace doesn’t come from easy self-satisfying quick platitudes.

Yours kindly,

History and Humility – Always in Hope!!

Robert-

Excellent post, its good to see you moving in the direction of becoming a philanthropic traveler!

Consider this story…

Marc Gold was set on the path he now travels when he was just a child, when his father, photographer Albert Gold, explained “the meaning of life.” He took the 8-year-old into the bathroom and had him look in the mirror. Gold recounts the conversation:

Albert: ”What do you see?’
Marc: ‘I see myself.’
Albert: ‘Okay. How old will you be in 70 years?’
Marc: ’78.’
Albert: ‘Okay, when you are 78 years old, look in the mirror again and ask yourself one question, because by then your life will be almost over: ‘Did you live a life that made this a better world or not? Very simple. If the answer is yes, I am proud of you, and if not, I am disappointed.’
Marc: ‘But how am I going to make this a better world?’
Albert: ‘That’s your job. You figure it out.’

Learn More:
http://tinyurl.com/5qra5n

Robert : thank you for the post. It’s time for us alltogether to stop thinking about ourselves. And start thinking about our children’s children’ Earth. It’s time to think about the people.

Hope starts the conversations. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Perhaps you might be interested in the Dalai Lama’s webcasts from his Seeds of Compassion http://www.seedsofcompassion.org/.

There is also a movement to create a Department of Peace http://www.thepeacealliance.org/.

Namaste and peace be with you always.

Hi Robert,
This is indeed interesting and exciting. I reported my own little experiment in social networking with kids at my post titled “open their minds. Break the borders” here: http://or-tal.com/?p=17
I was excited at how quickly they realized the value of social networking, introduced to them at the Jeff Pulver networking breakfast. They are looking for ways to connect to other people for the sheer pleasure of connecting and learning.

May Israel will start being more human to the refugees in oppose to what they are!…

Thank you robert for your article.
Eran

Thank you for this article. I’ve lived things like that on my trips, it really “puts you in your place”. Great blog, take care