You are or young or indoctrinated. What do you realy know about communism and regimes, one thing is idea and daily unjustice quite something else. There is no black and white in real world, there are no country where you have only two categories of people: ordinary and terorists, there are no inteligent bombs,
but there is too much prejudice, too much superficiality and above all all consuming and invading materialism.
Do you know how many inocent people were executed? If one of them were yur brother or child?
Do you know how many inocent people are at the moment inprisoned nowdays in free Europe and America ?
Do you know how many monuments, churches and nature monuments have been lately destroied by war ?
Do you think that for a mother whose kid was shot down or died of hunger is important some UNESCO world herritage monument ?
Paulo is giving us questions to open our mind, to see the life from different side, to search within us answers for better world, to fihgt and never give up…
That is how I understand his questions. They provoke reactions, very often they make us face our limits and I LOVE IT, and I am open and ready to change if needed be?
Now tell me what is the truth ? What is wrong or right ? What is ugly or beautiful ?
I have no answers, if you do, lucky you !

I know one thing for certain that ever since the war every morning I am full of joy and thankful to God (I am cristian-catholic as my parents and grand parents were even in Tito’s communist SFR Jugoslavija)to be here in my home, on this lovely planet Earth.
I consider myself fortunate and glad that destiny brought me out of that enormous sea of books possibility to know Paulo Coelho work.
Do not accept answers without searching your heart first.

Luce

P.S. Thanks and love to you Paulo for waking up our conscience

“Where are human rights in Guantanamo?In Iraq?”

The people being held at Guantanamo are known terrorist. I’m not sure who you’re referring to when you mentioned Iraq, are you referring to the terrorists, or the citizens of this country. If it is the citizens you’re talking about, then their human rights are being protected by the “invading forces” , they were not the ones that destroyed the mosques to begin a civil war. As for the terrorist whether in Iraq, Guantanamo or anywhere else they exist, they gave up their rights as humans when they decided to act against humanity. “For they are just like their father the devil, destroyers of life and purvoyers of evil.”

I’m sorry about the suffering caused upon you by the war. Sometimes suffering is not as obvious in times of “peace”, as for example the entire reign of communism, but the suffering was and is still being perpetrated against the slaved masses of these regimes.

I’m an ill-treated child, and I’m here…
I know what violence is, as many children.

But I think sometimes, and rarely, what could give me anger is Hypocrisy. Moreover when people pretend to love and be really enlightened, while they are not compassional in real, but believing they are. Or just dreaming about to become. Behaving as indifferent persons.
Indifference makes victims…
And victims could become persons that have nothing to lose in a day.

Is anger violence?

I think that Stanford University experiment is worth nothing,well, maybe something in USA but in world’s dimension it does not prove much.

I am recovering from the war that pushed my country and me personaly backward for centuries, but still I do believe that violence
can not be cured by violence. It can only generate more violence, hatered and destruction of single person, families or society.

Thank you Paul from Austria, for reminding us the simple truth about children and future…
Children are “treated” by mass media so the brainwashing is almost complete.

Love to all peacemakers and pacifists, people who still believe in positive energy, to all of us who never give up !

Luce
Dubrovnik, Croatia

I think evil behavior is unconscious and destructive - not preserving, sustaining or developing

Is evil ever necessary, and is the death penalty ever justifiable? That’s a moral question. It cannot be reason by intellect alone. If you’re a Christian and you follow the commandment “Thou shall not kill” then you can’t decide it applies only to “good” people and not “bad” people. Christianity is not the only religion that follows this belief, most major religions of the world have this in common.

What about war, is war ever a necessary evil? I believe the answer is yes. When there are human rights violations, and when a mad man, or a totalitarian government wants to steal from millions of people our God given rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and ultimate takes their lives, we can’t just sit back and watch this happen and not take any action. By all means try the non-violent approach first, but in most cases mad-man doesn’t respond to anything other than violence (that’s why they’re mad) and the only choice is to raise our arms against them. What are the “peace keepers” at the UN doing about Darfur? And human rights violations in China, in so many countries in Africa, and the Middle East, and in Cuba (by the way in this country there is a doctor, Dr. Biscet, serving a 25 years sentence for trying to do what Gandhi and Martin Luther King did, bringing change by non-violent means, and most of the world don’t even know his name)

To answer your question directly though, would be extremely complicated and as I’m not a psychologist, or an Attorney, I cannot make a qualified comment, and I’m also not sure this is the right place. Of course those who commit crimes of this nature, should be immediately separated from the public at large. I unfortunately doubt that there is a pertinent and successful therapy which could allow a person (in this specific case) to be set free ever again. The law may see his differently however.

One thing is certain, so many people look away and are either not aware of what is going on right under their noses, or even worse, they just don’t care (even close Family!). This is especially prevalent in developed (I cannot possibly use the word civilized) countries. If have mentioned this in a previous thread, SOCIAL COURAGE is what is needed, and we should all ASK QUESTIONS! Our instinct always tells us when something is not quite right.

So I put the question into the room..who is to blame?

Lots of Love, Paul xxx