It is the odd intersection of religion and technology. And it has to give Steve Jobs reason to smile:
The Google guys, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, are involved. So is Archbishop Desmond Tutu, among many others. It is the curious mix of technology, entertainment and religion:
“…The Charter for Compassion project on the Internet at www.charterforcompassion.org springs from a “wish” granted this year to religious scholar Karen Armstrong at a premier Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference in California.”
link: World asked to help craft online charter for religious harmony
link: Charter for Compassion
It is a collaborative effort. It calls for all people - all faiths. You are invited.
Catherine Forsythe
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) began as an educational effort and not really a technological effort. OLPC wants to foster learning and provide educational opportunities for children of developing nation. The educational project may find itself as a means of ending a war effort.
More and more government leaders are recognizing that the unconventional war in Afghanistan is not winnable, for either side. It is not a geo-political war. It is a religious war. And the role of the OLPC project is that, hopefully, education can overcome violence:
“…If we can invest in our youth, with ICT (information and communications technology) and with a quality education, it will make a huge difference in the future of Afghanistan.
I think it will help us to stop them from joining groups like the Taliban.
How can it be that hundreds of people are so easily brainwashed to blow themselves up? It’s because of a lack of education.”
link: How the OLPC can help beat Taliban in Afghanistan
History has shown that education can help defuse hatred. Victory in this conflict is not claiming some geographic territory or a change in governments. Victory is the end of violence and building understanding. Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently stated this conclusion: “We cannot kill our way to victory“. We can put a laptop in the hands of every child in Afghanistan and show those children that we are not evil. A little laptop may do what bullets and bombs cannot.
Catherine Forsythe
In South Carolina, automobile license plates may be a statement of religious faith:
“…The state plans to issue plates featuring a Christian cross and the words “I Believe,” but a group advocating the separation of church and state says that goes too far.”
link: South Carolina plans license plate for Christians
If this precedent goes forward, wouldn’t other religions and faiths be entitled to state their affiliations on South Carolina license plates? Secular interests would have a strong argument that they too deserve a statement on license plates. South Carolina may have a strong argument from corporations like Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, Starbucks and so forth. If South Carolina allows a religious statement on automobile identifiers, it opens the space on millions of license plates to other interests who want to express a ‘personal message’.
Catherine Forsythe
The war in Iraq has reached a sad milestone: the death of four thousand military personnel. The war continues and each day there are news stories and television reports of recent tragedies. The politicians argue about whether to push on or whether to withdraw the troops. Each faction believes in the correctness of their position and believes fervently.
One persistent argument is that this war must be won. However, that statement is not expanded. What constitutes victory? In some previous armed conflicts, victory meant that one side surrendered. The leaders surrendered. Peace treaties and economic agreements were signed. One side conquered more land. More cities were seized. And one side had more casualties.
However, this is not that kind of war. It matters not what cities are taken or what leaders are displaced. This war is a religious conflict. It is not a conflict based on economic doctrine or fanatical leadership. It is a conflict based on what is sacred. Each side invokes the god that they know. One faction’s heroes are the other faction’s terrorists.
It is five years that the war in Iraq has raged. Soon, a first grade student will have grown up completely in a war culture. Will their lifetime be defined by war? It might be if this conflict continues forward to a victory that is difficult, if not impossible, to define. What might be less nebulous is defining the peace. And perhaps a simple place to start is a day when no one dies - on either side.
Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster
