To take one living example, how hard do you think that Nelson Mandela
would laugh at your comments, and to take one physically dead example, how
much Mother Theresa would be saddened by such sentiments.

Martin William Smith wrote:

> Dan Koenig writes:
> > Martin, this post really puts all of your posts and the responses to
> > them in perspective.  Some people have values to which they are
> > deeply committed about making the world a better place by making
> > positive contributions to it, no matter how small and, yes, perhaps
> > sometimes efforts that prove to be futile (but not always so).
>
> I don't know what you mean by "deeply committed".  I have seen a
> lot of activists, but I have seen very few I would say were deeply
> committed.  I think most of them would say they are deeply committed,
> but that sort of indicates that the term "deeply committed" has lost
> meaning over the years.  Maybe some of the people on this list are
> deeply committed, but it isn't likely that a person who is deeply
> committed to some task would get upset when someone like me implies
> they aren't deeply committed.  I have come to see that when I get
> upset about what someone says about me, it usually means what they
> said is true.
>
> > Others are either too cyncical or self absorbed to care enough to
> > actively commit themselves and their energies to making a
> > difference.  I think that the future of the world lies with the
> > former rather than the latter.
>
> If there are a few people who are deeply committed to making the world
> a better place, then it is more likely that the future lies with the
> majority who are not deeply committed.  You can hope that the deeply
> committed minority succeeds, but simply declaring that the future lies
> with that minority won't make it so.  I've declared my disagreement
> with Chomsky's statment about this.  I think it is unwise and even
> unethical to waste time protesting in these cases.  I am deeply
> committed to that.  Should I spend my time trying to stop deeply
> committed protesters from protesting?
>
> > Unless there is clear evidence of a willingness to change,
> > responding to the nit-picking of the latter serves no purpose other
> > than diverting time and energies from positive contributions that
> > can be made.  Choose your camp and good luck to you.  Dan Koenig
>
> I have chosen.
>
> martin