Understanding AND Action

In your post, "Being a Demonstration of Peace," you write, "What concerns me about what you post is that it is so similar to things I would read way back then [35 years ago]." I want to respond to this, but I don't know to what in my post it refers, as I said quite a few things.

You go on to write, "for me personally, putting my focus there, it is a distraction to our taking further steps." To this I can only respond by repeating my idea of optimal response to societal or world problems: "Taking a good measure of the situation is only a first step. First, assess the situation, then calibrate one's response, then act to effect the desired change. But first and foremost, have a good look. Don't get hung up on that first step. We need to have that good look, without which we shall not understand the problem very well, and will not be able to come up with an optimal solution."

Yes, take "further steps" by all means. But I maintain that the clearer we see the situation, the better idea we will have as to just what steps will be optimal.

If one is shot by an arrow, I agree totally that "the important thing is getting that arrow out, where it came from does not really matter." But, again, we have to have a good look to determine if it's an arrow. And its placement may bear a good deal on the optimal approach to removing the arrow. I continue to insist that the clearer perception we have of any given situation, the better will be our response.

You ask, "Where would the civil rights movement be today, if Martin Luther King had only stayed with 'the first step' in that speech?" Not very far. But he did a good deal besides take appropriate action. He had a deep grasp of the situation, which could only have come from close inspection and deep analysis. Furthermore, (step 2) he calibrated his response. He devised strategies based on deep and clear understanding, not only of the situation, but of human nature, American society, Christian theology, moral philosophy, and Thoreau's and Gandhi's profound ideas of civil disobedience. He didn't consider all of this "distraction"; it was preparation. But of course all we see is his marvelousl action, but this action was all preceeded by much preparation. I maintain, that effective action, in fact, is rightly the last step to be taken. Gary Ryan, a skilled maintenance man I once worked with, once told me that 95% of any job he did was preparation. After the preparation was complete, then he would do the job, i.e., go into action.

So yes, let's have right action. But let's have it be effective. Let's have it based on clear understanding. Both/and, not either/or.