Comments on: Milosevic is Dead and My Twenties

by: Lou

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 03:49:28 +0000

I was there with you through some of your 20s. The 20s were good times. I remember being in Shanghai and seeing Bill’s book, “Life and Death in Shanghai” and wanting so desperately to read it because I had just heard of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. There are so many atrocious things happening out there in the world that go on right under our noses while we are watching “Lost” or going to the supermarket to buy tampons. Even if we knew about all of them, there is only so much that many of us can do with limited funds. I think it’s important to be aware of the justice and injustice occuring around us and to help in whatever small way you can. Maybe you can pick a project in your own community or help on a grander scale and know that if you are doing something, even if it’s something miniscule in this great big giant world, that little thing means something to someone.

by: jen

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 12:36:53 +0000

My comment is a few days late, because I was out of town.

Your comments were great.

I often wonder if its a Mormon thing. Are we really busy with church and callings while others are surfing CNN? Are we less politically minded in college than others (I went to BYU –hardly anyone talked politics)? Are we more interested in the eternities than the recent future? In reference to Hellmuts last comment, hopefully there are enough good people who care so we can continue in our happy oblivian.

The least we can do is be concious of what’s going on so we can make and educated decision on how to vote. An educated decision means that we play out the heavy weights instead of defaulting to simple lesser evils.

by: Hellmut

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 22:37:54 +0000

The dilemma is that as individuals we cannot make a difference. On the other hand, if everyone acts like us then we will end up in a pretty miserable world.

by: Starfoxy

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 21:23:40 +0000

I’ve no doubt that my generation, and my children’s generation are going to be the ones to pay (quite literally) for what goes on now, but that doesn’t change the fact that few, if any of us, have the time or energy to put into politics. I’m sure you’re thinking that I should *make* the time for it because it is important. There are a jillion other things I should be doing right now for when I’m older, (and if I don’t do it right now it will be too late!). IRA’s, 401k’s so I’m prepared for retirement, excercise so I don’t get heart disease, eat healthily so I don’t have bad cholesterol and high blood pressure, weekly dates with my spouse so we don’t hate eachother in ten years, a years supply so when disaster strikes we’ll have food to eat. I agree that I can’t put *everything* on the backburner, but I have to put at least *something* on the backburner or I won’t be able to handle it all. My world is small, I know, but I’m not ashamed of it. I’m still growing.

by: Rich

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 20:23:29 +0000

I understand all about priorities of a young family, but consider this — the current administration has increased the national debt by over 50%. Guess who gets to pay for it? Not the generation of lying war-hawks who grew it on the ignorant gullibility of the average American, but the 20-somethings and their kids (and probably their kids). You can’t afford to put everything on the back burner these days, or the boil-over is likely to make a heck of a mess in your new kitchen!

by: Starfoxy

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 16:55:08 +0000

As one who is a 20 something (I’ll be 23 on Monday wohoo!) I think it is along the lines that you mention, that the 20’s are for getting in order. Last year at this time the only thing that concerned me was whether or not I was going to graduate in May, finding a job, finding an apartment, finding a doctor, and having a baby. Now my biggest concern is getting a loan for our house, whether or not I’m managing the family finances well, and wondering just how soon I want to get pregnant again. In a few months it will be paying for that house, and wondering if we’ll have enough money to get some furniture to put in it.
Part of me knows that I’m being self-centered when I say that I really don’t think about foreign policy all that much. At the same time I’m still figuring out how to really take care of myself, and my own. If I can’t take care of me and mine, how do I expect to be any good for anyone else? Isn’t more important for me to learn how to make a doctor’s apointment for my baby, and what our insurance covers than it is for me to know just who is really running Iraq right now?

by: Hellmut

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 03:34:30 +0000

That’s distressing, isn’t it? It’s worse when you are aware of what is going on and can’t deal with it. Sometimes the best that one can do is to try inspite of certain failure.

On the other hand, there has been progress. For the first time in history heads of government like Slobodan Milosevic and Charles Taylor have to face the music in court. That’s not enough but a lot more than nothing.