Now as the Persian Gulf crisis seems to be winding down, there is clearly
much more to do before peace can truly become a reality.

Life is full of contradictions.  Society is full of injustice.  Despite all 
appearances to the contrary, human society is dominated by the animalistic 
principle that the strong devour the weak.  War is the symbol of that 
principle.  Even in ordinary society, the strong despise and look down upon 
the weak and torment them.  And the weak cling to the strong as they torment 
those who are still weaker.  Perhaps it is this chain of evil, if you will, 
that has been the unchanging karma of the human race since ancient times.

Even those who are supposed to protect and save those in trouble act in the 
opposite fashion, using their position to arrogantly exploit and sacrifice 
others in the interest of their own egoistic self-protection.

Politicians tend to be haughty and pompous toward the general populace.  And 
they may resort to trickery in seeking to secure fame and fortune for 
themselves.  Lawyers are in the best position to protect persons who are 
suffering and in trouble.  But in spite of this, there are many lawyers who 
take the opposite stance of lording it over their clients. (How well do I 
know this to be the fact!)  Clergymen may use the power of religion to 
elevate themselves and look arrogantly down on their believers, viewing them 
as a means to their own personal ends.  

There are similar examples in other fields as well where the appearance and 
the heart are mutually contradictory; in a word, this is falsehood.

What can be done about these contradictions and deceptions?  Is there 
nothing for us to do but give up in the face of the structure of evil?  It 
is true that since changes in the system alone will never in themselves 
succeed in altering human nature, the same tragedies will simply go on 
repeating athemselves?

Your response is welcome and much appreciated.
                                                              Kiyoko
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  What is going on out there in VAXLAND?  Was Kiyoko's mail message about the
middle east so thought provoking that no one can put their thoughts in a tidy
package or does responding mean taking a chance and showing inner feelings
that we are not willing to share?  Right now, I claim both but have given
Kiyoko's comments serious thinking time..... Makes me define my position
on some of the things that count in life.  

                                          Jerry

First of all, I thank you very much for those who took time to respond to
my mail sent last week, namely, Mike Albaugh, John Ray, Bonnie Bike, Bridget 
Erdman and Gary Stark.  I thank you to Jerry Lichac for your this morning's
response.

Here is an another familiar topic on which I would like to address to ponder
...

The recent beating of an unarmed citizen by a group of Los Angeles police 
officers has shocked a city and a nation.  

I've been taught that the three impurities of our age are greed, anger and igno-
rance.  Greed causes disharmony between people and the environment.  Anger 
causes disharmony between people, and ignorance or complaining causes dis-
harmony within our very body or illness.  The sight of uncontrolled anger
shown on the video taped beating of Rodney King was a horrifying example of the
world of Anger.  And this comes just after humankind's greatest expression of 
Anger, the war in the Middle Eas!  People in the world of Anger may hate
others simply because they are of different race or religion.

One of the books I recently read states "...he who is in the world of Anger,
motivatd by the warped desire to be better than everyone, is forever 
belittling others and exalting himself.  He is like a hawk sweeping the sky 
in search of prey.  He may outwardly display benevolence, righteousness, pro-
priety wisdom and good faith, and even possess a rudimentary moral sense, 
but his heart remains in the world of Anger."

Controlling our negative impulses is the only way we can survive in a civilized
sociery.  My memtor in life explained that one of the major functions of
religion is to foster self-control and self-restraint.  He said that "the 
building of lasting peace depends on how many people capable of self-straint
can be fostered through religious guidance.  If a religion is worthy of the
name, and if it is one that can respond to the needs of contemporary times,
it should be able to nurture in its followers the spiritual base for becoming
good citizens of the world."

Society is a living thing.  It is a process, a series of changes. We live in a 
world where national borders are bridged by communication and travel in ways 
never before dreamed of.  we need to work on building bridges to link people in
humanistic ways.  For us to create lasting harmony, we must become the broad-
minded, self-controlled and intelligent individuals needed for the new century.
We must become bigger than our problems! 

Thank you for allowing me to express my passion for bettering our world. 
April 26 is my last day at Atari.  If nothing else, at least, I am so very
delighted to hear from those people who responded to my passionate
appeal (!?) and I truly believe they are among many who teach or will teach 
their children to be the leaders of our nation and of the 21st century. 
Thank you! 

Wish you all the best, good health and a long happy life!  
Remember that the happiness is our Right, not a privilege!

                                                                  Kiyoko

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