Take a breather

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

Take a breather

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> Steel Panthers World At War & Mega Campaigns >> Take a breather

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

Take a breather - 9/14/2001 12:33:00 AM

achappelle

Posts: 150
Joined: 5/11/2001
From: Vancouver, BC
Status: offline

Firstly,
Tuesday's attack was and is a terrible event of the highest order. The loss of life and the emotional cost are so great, I hope we can, as a human race recover. I live in Canada, and my girlfriend cannot even look at the news or a paper without crying, and she's one tough broad normally. 5000 Miles away and with no direct personal attachment and still we're so deeply affected.
I see on this forum, and others, emotionally charged and inflammatory comments, and why not. This action was so evil, so terrible, we can't even fathom how someone can inflict so much pain intentionally on innocent people. Myself, I have so much rage inside, I want my pound of flesh. Revenge is foremost on so many minds. Let's make sure that what we do is a reckoning of justice, not blind revenge. Let's not propogate the misery on innocents by indescriminant, mass killings. Now, I'm not naive, I know innocents will be hurt, and killed, such is the nature of war. But, some posts I've seen imply the wiping out of anyone who reads the Koran. Let's not repeat the mistakes of the past, ie the Japanese internments of WW2. Make no mistake, the guilty MUST be punished, those that support them, civilian or otherwise, MUST be punished. All this hurt that has been caused saddens me, this forum which has become a sort of online family is now tearing itself apart, people who joined it for a common camaraderie, are now at each other's throats. It is no longer a vehicle for people to express their interest in a common topic, now it is a forum for venting on the situation and each other. Let's not attack each other, there are more important things to do, helping those that are hurt, healing the emotional wounds, and finding justice.
I think I'm going to take a break from this forum for a while, there's enough anger and hate out there in the real world. I don't want my cyber world to be invaded and terrorized by it also.

_____________________________

"Molon Labe" - Leonidas @ Thermopylae (Come Get Them!!)

Post #: 1

- 9/14/2001 12:50:00 AM

Truckeye

Posts: 141
Joined: 6/11/2001
From: Columbus, Ohio
Status: offline

well said. with emotions so high right now, even the intelligent and "tolerant" are prone to spout off with a knee-jerk comment or 2. before we start generalizing and stereotyping over each others countries pasts and faults we ought to take a breather. it would not bother me a bit to have the administraters of the board lock up many of the threads in the interest of preserving this great collection of international comerades.

_____________________________

In the Last days its said the Lion will lay down with the Lamb. Even on that day, I would want to be the Lion. Ben Gurion

(in reply to achappelle)

Post #: 2

- 9/14/2001 1:29:00 AM

Paul Vebber

Posts: 11430
Joined: 3/29/2000
From: Portsmouth RI
Status: offline

One of the primary modes of therapy for post traumatic stress syndrome is to talk. That almost universally begins with rage and anger. It is natural human reaction. Talking through this rage and anger, and hearing others - both close to the tragedy and more detached respond, is a crucial healing mechanism. Before you take too critical a view of those who have responded emotionally, realize that talking through the period of rage, in a medium where it is moderated and not amplified, means that it is far less liley to "go critical" or to be internalized to the point of becoming deep seated hatred. America is deeply scarred - physically and emotionally by this. Nothing like this happened in this country since the Civil War. The very nature of the attack from the shadows makes this even more frustrating. One of the reasons this board stayed open is to offer a vehicle for that sort of moderated disscussion. Moderated in the sense that a wide variety of viewpoints is presented from around the world - not in the sense of censorship - no posts have been deleted. While it may seem that on the surface this is divisive, that wll only occur if viewed in teh context of "normalcy". Conditions are not normal, and both those who are detached and those deeply affected need to work through this constructively. Those that rage need to understand their rage. IT is natural and constructive, provided it is expelled verbally, and not acted upon. Those who condemn the rage and anger must understand that like the shouts and rantings following a gunshot wound, or stabbing, these posts represent an emotional outcry or EXTREME pain - not physical, though emotional it may be. ALL MUST READ AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND. From that wll come the foundation of the real solution to this crisis. The realization of the extent, the vulnerability, and power of globalization. A solution that will undoubtedly involve military force used in anger, and over which more blood will inevitably be spilled by all sides. Used in anger, not rage. In the final analysis, country's that have harbored terrorists and overtly or covertly supported them will find that they must cease. The US and NATO will help countries that can't do this themselves to do it. That will change the current international status quo. No longer will countries be allowed to ride the fence between the civilized world and those hiding in the shadows The US and NATO will HURT countries that refuse to cooperate. The scope of that hurt will depend on the circumstances and the evidence yet to be uncovered. No option in that scope is off the table. President Bush has declared the focus of his presidency to use the full resources of the United States to eradicate terrorism. That is of course impossible to do entirely, but it is possible GREATLY reduce the threat of terrorism worldwide. As long as terrorism had remained relatively "low profile" the cost of a full court press against it could not be justified. That turns out to be a short sighted strategy, the lack of the ounce of prevention, costing us in pounds of flesh. The community in the shadows are known, in some cases specifically, and in many only in general terms. Every nation in the world has its presence there, and in some way can be viewed as responsible for letting that shadow zone fester. It may well demand some soul searching by the civilized countries about the manner in which they have played there, or the way they have averted their gaze there. But the lights will be switched on, and the rats that hide there will suffer for it grievously. Some will find darker corners to hide in, but the light will stay on and shadow zone will be drastically reduced. The civilized world has tolerated this too long, and those who are reveling in their "finest hour" will, as America's past enemies have, find in it the seeds of their ultimate demise. Read about, TALK ABOUT IT, but don't judge too harshly. I will be moving all the threads related to the tradegy to the "Art of Wargaming" forum. [ September 13, 2001: Message edited by: Paul Vebber ]

_____________________________

http://www.matrixgames.com/images/sig-logo-02.gif

(in reply to achappelle)

Post #: 3