On May 16, 5:02 pm, Charlie Springer <R...@regnirps.com> wrote:
Is it something to do with Australia being settled involuntarily versus the
US being settled by less reluctant newcomers?
Okay. It's obvious at this point our views are opposing, and I know
I'm not going to change my mind. We could debate this until either one
of us tires of it, or gets offended and angry.
I'll just point out that my views are my own, and are not
representative of an "Australian View". My views are not born of
patriotism; if they were, they would be quite different, and probably
a lot closer to yours.
Instead I share with you a quote, from an individual for whom I have
the most profound respect, which sums up the way I look at the world,
and when I think about it still brings a tear to my eye:
"The world is like a ride at an amusement park. It goes up and down
and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly
coloured and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people
have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: Is
this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered,
and they come back to us, they say, "Hey - don't worry, don't be
afraid, ever, because, this is just a ride..." But we always kill
those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And
let the demons run amok. Jesus - murdered; Martin Luther King -
murdered; Malcolm X - murdered; Gandhi - murdered; John Lennon -
murdered; Reagan... wounded. But it doesn't matter because: It's just
a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It's only a choice. No
effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now,
between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks
on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love,
instead, see all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change the
world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money that we spend
on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and
clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would many
times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space,
together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace. "
-- Bill Hicks. Born December 16, 1961, Valdosta, Georgia, USA