More than disappointment

I had to wait a few days to calm down my feelings of astonishment and anger after what ended happening at Columbia University. So happy I was, admiring the intellectual maturity of inviting to dialogue, of opening a space for expression to someone that has very different views... so big was proportionally my shock as i listened to the embarrasing welcome speech of the president. I put myself in the shoes of someone who goes to a country that is a big adversary, gets invited to speak in one of the top academic institutions - and then, like in a trap, gets attacked in the very welcome speech, publicly. For those that have travelled into other cultures, the value of showing respect in public is unparallelled, and constitutes one of the most offensive acts. I couldn't believe my ears, that such a high positioned academic executive would use words like petty, lack of intellectual courage, etc. Was this necessary? Probably, for political reasons, not to lose funding, as i heard the day before that funding should be suspended to someone who opens doors to such a person. This was, in my perspective, even worse. Because it felt like a trap. Invite me, and they you slap me publicly in the face. What i think was poor judgement, was that it also put the student, faculty and employee population of the university into risk. Offending the president of another country is a symbol, and every person walking into Columbia becomes a symbol of the offender. In times where we hear daily how individuals don't hesitate to sacrifice their own lives to send a message, to attack or make a statement, this behavior was to me dangerous, irresponsible and definitely not setting an example for how to deal with different views. I once read when in doubt, think what your mom taught you. And to top it all, i was frozen by the lack of reaction in the media to such a poor behavior. Am I the only one seeing it? I want to quote the Seven Questions for a better World, developed by a global community of artists, lawyers, mothers, activists and professionals at the first International Women's Susstainability conference. "Every time you make a decision, you affect your community and ultimately the world. The following seven questions were developed to act as a guide for making sustainable decisions. 1. How does it create conditions conducive to life? 2. How does it make me/us proud? 3. How does this create a legacy? 4. How have we listened to diversity of voices? What voices have we left out? 5. How have we changed the rules of the game? 6. how does it contribute to blended value? 7. How have we considered the whole system?

If not dialogue, what

I was puzzled this morning to hear about the debate, whether Columbia's University decision to host Iranian President was right or wrong. How can an institution grant a space for someone to speak, if that person holds points of view that are not shared by others? Also if that person behaves in ways that others don't find fair, acceptable, right? But then, if an educational institution leaves out of its campus those that hold points of view that are not shared by others - the challenge becomes to identify who are the "others"that indicate what points of view are the 'right'ones. Who will define what is fair, acceptable and right? That is a further challenge. Specially if we take into account that there may be multiple perspectives from where to evaluate it. What is right for some is wrong for others. So what do we do with all those who don't think and act as we like it? As I look back at what I've been taught at school, how history dealt with this problem, I see that depending on the power available, and of the threat perceived, sometimes it was solved using force - guns, fire, encarceration, expulsion. The spectrum goes from one extrem - extermination of the other - to the other extrem: denial of the presence, pretending the other doesn't exist. In some rare cases, though, the way to deal with differences was peaceful yet persistent, searching for understanding and dialogue. An example thereof are the bushmen of the Kalahari, who have as a rule to talk and talk until an agreement is reached that satisfies both parties. Gandhi, Mandela, M.L.King are a few of those. Pretending the other doesn't exist, closing doors to dialogue, to listening, may be a bit too much of magic thinking - that the differences that I don't hear of, don't exist, and will soon dry off. I have had so far a different experience: the less that I listen to something, the louder it gets.

Can't help to think Spring

I grew up in the Southern hemisphere, and September means the month of Spring. Yes, it begins on the 21st, but just saying September has a feeling of balmy air and flowers. So although i'm in another hemisphere now, September still has the same meaning for me. And this morning i felt so much Spring. I woke up hearing about Clinton's new book Giving - How we each of us can change the world, and was very intrigued about the title. I knew he has been doing charity organization around the world, but what was this? It resonated so nicely with my steady message : we are all leaving a footprint, we may well choose what it can look like.... So i went into the internet and ordered the book, and was thrilled to see it was being sold at Wal- Mart.Yes! the more public it is made, the better!! I hope it is written in a nice, inspiring way. Then Ichecked CNN/impact, a website I heard advertised on TV. Surprise! Check it out. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/ The wonderful initiative of organizing and rating different ways to contribute, make it more accessible. Do you want to donate money? choose from the best rated charities, by category: poverty, animals,refugees, children, planet in peril, natural disasters... Do you want to volunteer time, or objects? Find support in how to channel your idea. I loved it!! I was observing the mutually stimulating initiatives: Keeping them honest, the program of A.Cooper, CNN/heroes to make public the small private great individuals who do little great things for others; now this IMPACT site, the book.... Ahhh. This is just beginning .