Rene:

Well said! 

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: [log in to unmask] 

> To sacrifice is a will. It is the will to have the strength and conviction, 
> and also the tendency to have a selfless desire to change the course of an 
> event; to change the course of history. And, to sacrifice is to change the 
> course of an event for the good, and for a cause whose motivation is 
> transcendental. 
> 
> It may be difficult to fathom why people do make sacrifices; to 
> sacrifice their time, energy and money to pursue a common goal or to promote an 
> ideal. What motivates a doctor, who instead of a lucrative practice in a 
> wealthy 
> industrialized country, opts to go back to his impoverished native country to 
> offer his services for a pittance? What motivates an intellectual, a well 
> educated person, who denies himself/herself the opportunity to secure a highly 
> placed and financially gainful job, only to devote his/her time and energy in 
> promoting a cause, an ideal, that doesn't add much to his/her material 
> benefit? 
> 
> The question of motivation, therefore, is a unique experience that guides 
> an individual's sense of purpose; that guides an individual to do something 
> good or react to that which is not good in something. Thus people make 
> sacrifices; they sacrifice for a cause, for an ideal and for a belief, and 
> challenge themselves to bring out the best in their humanity as they challenge 
> others 
> to bring out the humanity that is best in themselves. And there are many 
> convincing reasons why a person should promote this course of action; to keep 
> the faith in doing something good where the fate of something good being done is 
> perilous. 
> 
> At a time when ordinary circumstances demand a response that is not 
> ordinary, people of goodwill and sincere convictions should build an enterprise 
> that is both challenging and productive; an enterprise that does not build on 
> our fears, but on our hopes and aspirations. 
> 
> The sad stories of poverty has undignified so many lives; the 
> hopelessness and wretchedness that so many lives are undignified, and the 
> social and 
> economic alienation of the poor, and the marginalized, summons our will to 
> sacrifice. A sacrifice that can change the lives of people for the better; an 
> innate disposition to affect the lives of people for the better as it also 
> affects for the better the lives of those people. 
> 
> Against the above backdrop, the fervent desire and a will to sacrifice 
> among Gambian Diaspora's, can positively respond to a national issue which 
> alerts our consciousness to safeguard jealously our common heritage. We should 
> never surrender our voice. The violation of the basic tenets of our 
> constitution, the abuse and wanton disregard for the rule of law, the assault on 
> civil 
> liberties and freedom of expression, has and should arouse a patriotic fervor 
> among Gambian Diaspora's to create the vehicles for the legitimate 
> expressions of our dissent. The many online Gambian newspapers and discussion 
> forums, 
> the emerging Diaspora groups, and a debate on our different political 
> orientations, our culture and our politics, can augur well in creating an 
> environment 
> that will impact positively our socioeconomic and political reality. 
> 
> What the Gambian Diaspora needs, I believe, is to organize our 
> collective dissent; to frame the agenda and discussion around alternative 
> objectives, 
> and try to impress upon one another a Gambian mindset that is attuned to the 
> conceptual development of a value system that is people centered and action 
> oriented. 
> 
> There is a lot of talent among Gambian Diaspora's, some eloquently 
> expressed in their artistic beauty, and others in their technical and 
> innovative 
> ingenuity; there are many academicians and intellectuals, all of whom has to 
> be agents of a deliberate and conscious effort to harness the progressive 
> spirit for a search for better alternatives. Every one of us should endeavor to 
> be part of something, either to be among those who organize or to be willing 
> participants among those to be organized. Let us support and be part of the 
> organizations that are organized around some of the values that we celebrate. 
> What we must not accept is to forever remain as willing spectators in a 
> political drama that will never foster the growth of a mature democracy. 
> 
> 
> Rene 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> **************Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video on AOL Living. 
> (http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/ 
> 2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598) 
> 
> いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい 
> To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web 
> interface 
> at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html 
> 
> To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: 
> http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l 
> To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: 
> [log in to unmask] 
> いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい 
> 

いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい