============================================================== |SJD's Fifth annual conference is June 30-July 2, 2000. We're| |almost there. Please help the hosting crew by registering if| |you plan to attend the conference. Log on to the conference | | homepage at http://www.satjadham.net/sjd5sd/ | ============================================================== Sabaidee thook qon, Hope everyone doing fine on this good Wednesday morning. Anyway, it seem like some of us had enjoy, like and dislike my analysis on psycolinguistic perspective on Lao cultures. No... I mean Sociolinguistic perspective on Lao culture. Lately, I have lot of free times on hand, I will add more to it later on. As for now, I have another peice of writing to share with everyone. Feel free to make comment and add more to it, if you like. Ways of Information With the proliferation of homepage and linkage of computer networks across the globe, the world is also conveniently getting smaller. It's much more realistic and stimulating to use these new technological engines in order to get at the information. Realities are only figments of our imagination. William Shakespeare, the notable masterpiece writer of tragic-comedies who had ventured upon the virgin territory of the human mind, had once said that "nothing is right or wrong except thinking makes it so". With the advent of computer and communication technologies, this old adage has become much more evident as we are about to fully experience the path of the information highway. Indeed, realities can necessarily be virtual. They depend more on the level of perception at which they are being viewed and deployed. Each one of us has a unique set of experience, in terms of images, associated responses, and learned behaviors. The way in which the information is being registered is as important as the substance of the information itself. The knowledge of the classes and types of information combined with the currently available communication technology will give us the capabilities, facilities, and freedom for better human expression. Altogether they'll become heightened psychological stimulus that tends to liberate man from the bad elements of human perception itself. Transcending the laws of the human mind is only a matter of getting that knowledge and walking the way of the information. Discipline is only a moral casting of that perception over a long stretch of time and democracy is vastly a more preferred way of the future. Now, it's the best time of our life to take on the long journey that should prove to be more exhilarating, invigorating, and fresh. A set of new challenges and opportunities are awaiting us to take the necessary steps in order to positively play the information scenarios of the 21st century. We're not in our good old Laos anymore. Regardless of what we do for living, it's always a smart thing to use the information network and the currently available computing technology. And regardless of who we claim to be, the environment in which we are living is always testing us. It only goes to prove that we deeply depend on each other, in spite of the awareness that each one of us is unique in our own special way. So, the more we interact and exchange our point of views, the more we'll become connected. Things are not the same as they were in Laos. In fact, they are now different in all over the places. I used to get up to the sweet sound of Mor-Lum (Laos opera). Now, I am being awakened by different sets of broadcasts, talk shows, and network news. It doesn't matter at all. It's a different prism of cultural alternatives. The flavor, accentuation, and semantics are all rich in contents, style, and formats. As long as we don't become too extreme in the expression of our rightful sentiments, we shall continue to enjoy the passions of our life the way it was meant to be from the very start. We just don't know what to expect whenever we click on that highlighted hyperlink. Shocks, surprises, and total astonishment can become our state of mind. We can say that we're totally amazed, fascinated, and even addicted by the amount of information, which is being produced and transmitted over the Internet. So, by all means, go after the information. Whatever we do or about to undertake to make the journey more meaningful and rewarding, always look for the pertinent information that is relevant to the issues on hand. Whatever the interests are, do not be so consumed by the opinions of our fellowmen. Let us be, however, more guided by the rationale of better moral and mental reasoning. As long as we learn to share, a natural inclination, which is being reflected here on SJD, one does not need to worry about the outcome. The pearls of the human spirit do not necessarily come from a particular bend of personal aptitude, a rightful set of cultural circumstances, or a rich environment of favorable privileges. If there's a will, there's also a way. And the way of the information is invariably the magic wand to extract inherent values, personal achievement, and inner happiness. Japan is a country of rocks and stones. But, it still manages to retain the number one rank in many fields of human endeavors. Malinowski, the famous Polish anthropologist at Yale University, confirms, "upon the principle that in every type of civilization, every custom, material object, idea, and belief fulfills some vital function, has some task to accomplish, represents an indispensable part within a working whole". A more legitimate question should be raised in this SJD discussion board of like-minded participants. Are we in this together for real? It all depends on where we're coming from and on how we're looking at life. "To banish realities is to sink deeper into the real". In short and simple way, that Buddhist scripture says it all. It warns us about the karmas of life cycle. But, it also gives us challenges and even clues for eventual resolutions that we need to find for ourselves during our lifetime on planet earth. From fighting abject poverty to catching up with the economic agendas of the 21st century, from choosing a suitable career to avoiding on becoming welfare recipients, from drifting in the dark to sniffing a new breadth of fresh air, it seems like it's always easy to say. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it's also much easier to do. It's only a matter of making up our mind. Let's do this thing together as a team. Just because we have been kicked in the butt, it simply does not give us the excuse to become revengeful and take up the animal instincts of our opponents. A lot of time will be lost and many more valuable opinions will become muted. Building a better political and economic framework for human relationship is more exciting than flexing muscles, moving tanks, and trying to modify public opinions at the expense of moral integrity and truthfulness. What can we do as responsible citizens, Laotian nationals, or lovers of justice to bring peace, prosperity, and to teach and to preserve our Laos culture and pass it on to our young Laotian? I think we should hope to be in this kind of interactive mode for the long run. Besides, Rome wasn't built in one day. Most countries in Asia are relatively new to the concept of human rights, social justice, and democratic principles. And Laos is no exception to the rules of traditions, outmoded thinking, and rigors of ritual tribalism. There are fewer risks in seeking the way of the information because there are many nations, which have gone before us to champion the cause of social justice, civil liberty and the rights of man. For Laos, it's only a matter of replication, reconstruction, and faith in honest works. We've seen how the apparatus of democratic system of government is being run in the United States. We know it's not miracles. Billions of dollars of taxpayer's money are being poured into defense, education, agency administration, social security, and simple justice for ordinary citizens in America. The internet that we're using at this moment to view this posting on SJD’s board is the end product of that initiative by the US Department of Defense in the early 1960's. It's all activities, communication, and creative expression of the man at work. My personal opinions are that if one puts honest efforts into one's own creative search for the truth, one ends up making contributions to one's own development and the human communities, regardless of what one does in life. Whether he be the President of the United States or someone who regularly collects garbage’s down the streets in the neighborhood, our contribution depends more on the authenticity of our thought process and the honest content of our heart more than the political position or socio-economic level one has attained in one's lifetime. Have a wonderful day, Amp _____________________________________________________________ = You want FREE web-based email ? = You want your own @qon.lao.net address?? = Then you want LaoNet's WebMail ! = Get it at http://webmail.lao.net !! _ ***************************************************************** To reach ALL SJD members, please send to sjd@satjadham.net ... Do NOT include any other addresses when sending to the list... 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