Opinion

Time to change our way of thinking

When Americans reach a certain age -- I don't know if it's 18 or 21 or later -- we seem to believe that we should be perfect.

We seem to think that we should have learned everything we need to know and to even reflect on our understanding of the world, let alone change our own behavior, means we've failed or we've lost out to someone else who is "right."

How can this attitude serve us? We might as well continue to light fires by rubbing two sticks together because to change and use a match or a lighter would mean we were wrong!

Einstein said it best: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

I think most of us agree that our world, not just the United States, has major problems. Perhaps we need new thinking to solve them. Perhaps the best use of America's tremendous power is to lead the way to new thinking and thus to solving the problems.

Considering our own part in the current state of the world does not mean we "blame" ourselves for what happened on 9-11, does not devalue the lost lives of our sisters and brothers, does not make the terrorists right, does not nullify the heroism of the rescue personnel.

Considering our part can be a way to recognize our power and -- while protecting ourselves as necessary -- to use that power to help change the direction of the world. It can open a door -- that we seem determined to keep closed -- to new ideas, new actions more likely to gain the results we want.

Why can't we open that door? Are we so desperate to be right at any cost? Are we so fragile that we can only see cooperation or compromise as loss of face? Can't we see that learning new ways is in our own best interest?

I am not so naïve as to think that we can suddenly reach out in love and understanding and have everyone rush to join us.

It takes time to undo what has been created by the thinking of the past and I suspect that many of the world's spiritual traditions remind us of the equivalent of "trust God and tie your camel."

But we must begin moving in new directions! Yes, we must protect ourselves from those who would destroy us -- though we need to evaluate what is "protection" and what is aggression -- but our focus must be to help lead the world to a new level.

Creating what columnist Capt. Eisenbeis' ("The blame game," The Nugget, March 13) calls the "largest economic empire on earth" is a great achievement of the past; it's not enough now.

As Eisenbeis says, "What if instead of devoting his considerable intelligence, determination, and wealth to hatred and destruction, Osama bin Laden had devoted his resources to education, agriculture and economic development? What if we had helped him?"

But it works both ways! Yes, what if bin Laden had devoted his resources to better things and we had helped him!

But also, what if we devoted our resources to new thinking, new solutions?

And what if the rest of the world helped us?

Editor's note:

Andrée Shelby is a resident of the Sisters area.

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