sen·si·bil·i·ty

sen·si·bil·i·ty (sĕn´sə-bĭlʹĭ-tē) noun
plural sen·si·bil·i·ties

1.     The ability to feel or perceive.

2.     a. Keen intellectual perception: the sensibility of a painter to color. b. Mental or emotional responsiveness toward something, such as the feelings of another.

3.       Receptiveness to impression, whether pleasant or unpleasant; acuteness of feeling. Often used in the plural: “The sufferings of the Cuban people shocked our sensibilities” (George F. Kennan).

4.     Refined awareness and appreciation in matters of feeling.

5.                 The quality of being affected by changes in the environment.  

In a perfect world we would all respect the feelings and sensibilities of our neighbors.  In a perfect world we would respect the religious practices of one another.  In a perfect world we would respect the mores of our brothers and sisters around the world.  In a perfect world the rich would not exploit the poor, but seek to lift them out of poverty so that they too could enjoy the fruits of their labor.  In a perfect world there would be no need for hand guns, the sole purpose of which is for the taking of human life.  There would be no need for prisons.  There would be no need for police, a standing military force, or lawyers. 

Problem, we don’t live in a perfect world.  We live in a place where intolerance, bigotry, and ignorance control the actions of people, and the policies that we live under.  “We will not negotiate with terrorists.”  That’s the policy of the U.S government.  News flash to some of you; all over the world there are nations within the sovereign states.  Many of those nations feel that their state government is not representative of them.  When those feelings of abandonment reach the boiling point they spill over into civil war, or into what we call terrorism, one of our many exports.

I don’t know much, but I do know one thing for sure; not talking about problems real or imagined will only lead to more conflict.  Now people can tell me, dude the past is the past let it be (It also interesting that the bringers of inconvenience are the people who say that he most).  What I see, however; is a planet full of people unwilling to talk about how we got to where we are.  People seem to think that by simply ignoring the past we can move into the future.  I have to ask what kind of future they foresee.  All of our problems are rooted on the past.  I’m sure you all know the quote “Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”  So, we can all go shove our heads in the sand and pretend that everything is all right, or we can look at the past see where mistakes were made, and what resentments those mistakes have caused.  WE can then have a conversation about that past, and figure a way to reconcile with the past and each other.

Failing that, we can just keep on going the way we’re going; pretending that nothing is wrong, that the future of humanity will be just peachy.  Well, I think that we will find that ignoring where we have been is a big mistake. Opportunities to start conversations on past injustices, and miscalculations appear almost daily.  Selfishness, power, and ignorance shut the door on those opportunities almost as quick as they appear.  It’s up to us to put our collective foot in the door, and demand that it be kept open. 

People may read this and say, “Oh that dude Worf is at it again.”  Everyday I deal with unreasonable people in some form or fashion.  I have learned in my short time on this planet that picking up a weapon to solve a problem does not work.  Nobody wants to be abused, sometimes though, being abused is part and parcel of the healing process.  “ If a man strikes you on the check, turn to him the other one also.”  Peace and Long Life

Love Worf