Which nationalities feel most at ease on iPeace, and anyone feel uncomfortable for anything they read or see here? Living out of my country, and receiving many international guests, I have experienced many occasions where I myself, or others make, let's call them "mistakes" because I or others don't know the customs of a country. There may be an uncomfortable feeling because one of us says or does something that is not customary. These are just a few of my own personal experiences and others I have never learned exactly what the reasoning behind them was.

l. A Russian guest visiting in Italy, rather than wait for me when I went to say hello to a friend in a cafè, completely disappeared (he walked back silently to his hotel).

2. I, in another country (English speaking) was told that perhaps my (totally innocent) pun offended people and I should probably watch it next time

3. Here, my Chinese friend stopped iPeace after one day, which he and I were sorry about. Even though he was interested in knowing about other nationalities and their thoughts, perhaps the direct mail to him expressed things he didn't feel comfortable in discussing, and that he didn't agree with.

The list goes on, and anyone who has traveled, or lived most their life out of their home country understands this more than others.

If you read the majority of discussions and blogs here, you will see that certain countries do not partecipate actively. This is to be expected.

I am thinking though, that probably some people would even like to comment on things, or bring up discussions, but only observe and learn about the rest of the world through their reading and remain on the "outside".

I am wondering if perhaps, some are scared off by some of the more, let's say, original and provocative writings and photographs. Although they may be interested, attracted to, and even in agreement with what they see and read, their own cultures may almost prohibit them to express themselves without being perhaps judged as being too liberal.

NOW having said that - I have learned through my own experience, especially in China, that my friends there were very interested in every single thing about me and my life. It was all new to them, "I" was new to them. But if I would have shocked them with details, news, experiences, photos, whatever, right from the start, I think I may have lost them, without being able to get close at all.
Things exist, nudity, erotic writing, sensuality, and here, people are getting close, some of them pretty close, I believe. But many iPeace members, I believe, are definitely not used to these things in "their world" and it may be something that, rather than inform them of these things, and the ease in which many many countries of the world discuss it, view it, show it, makes them decide to immediately leave, without continuing at all.

This is a shame, and may be summed up by these people with a negative idea like "it is too libertal" or "I don't agree with this kind of thinking". Getting out for good, they will lose all the wonderful things they could have gotten here.

On a lighter note, it's a little like Italian television, for those living in Italy you know what I am talking about. Women news reporters when giving the news, often wear very low cut shirts and jackets. Even during the war in Kosovo, I noticed that their attire was the same or even "worse" in order to get more viewers. It was extremely noticeable, and in terrible taste due to the subject they were reporting. Finally someone somewhere must have said STOP, and the day after the lowcut shirts got buttoned up a bit more. Perhaps someone realized that they had to think about the general public (including children!) who were in front of the television.

Should we put a few more buttons on iPeace in order to attract the more timid, conservative, traditional countries and give them a chance to slowly learn what "our glorious world" is all about? What are your thoughts?

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Robert
you are such a good writer and also a good thinker. You took the discussion into many important branches.
I especially liked the part about traditional ancient cultures and our "enlightened western culture". So very true of course. That is why travelling or reading about cultures is so important. That is what makes iPeace an incredible place to learn about other cultures.
Funny, I here have been taken for being Italian, just because I live in Italy. I am American. But living in Italy so long, I had trouble understanding what your phrase about "carrots" (on your third line) meant. Even in our selection of words here we should perhaps realize that if we want to comunicate with ALL people, and not native born English speakers (or people like me even) then every word we chose could mean that not all people will understand the meaning. This happens all the time to me in Italy, I must chose the simplier words and expressions with people who want to speak to me in English, or they just won't understand. Even writing to someone here, whose English is quite good, he did not understand the word "necktie". We have to keep this factor in mind when we write, IF we want EVERYONE to understand.
Now I have taken this to another discussion, but I really do hope that people are interested to discuss the above since I wrote it with sincere concern that as many people as possible can feel they can comfortably share their thoughts with the world here on iPeace.
Thanks Robert for your intelligent insight. Interesting reading.
Stephanie
Ruth
I think that it is extremely important to tell about where we are each coming from to understand what we bring with us out into the world. I liked your telling about you and manners. Thanks for writing.
Very good positive thoughts, thanks.
Steph
O.. darling, you do belong here. I remember Jesus saying something like this, but it was never put into the Bible for some reason. It was his teaching about community. You see, Jesus never founded a building (church), or a hierarchy of doctrine & dogma. He founded a community of the called-out ones--those who would separate themselves from mass consciousness. Realization is simplified through clear consciousness. And you, Mary sound like you have clear consciousness. The common task is General Welfare. Cooperation must be based upon sound rules. Rules equal orderliness. Orderliness equals rhythm. Rhythm is a reflection of the great laws governing the universe. From childhood, we should pattern ourselves (no matter what country you live in) after orderliness. We should let children become accustomed to it as a continuous expression of the sacred labor. We cannot have our children in the midst of our community grow up in the ways of the world, in idleness & in the need to be constantly entertained. The greatest destruction of the potential of the soul is to allow children or yourself to spend their free time seeking entertainment from without instead of from within. It is like quicksand because children & even some adults gravitate toward entertainment like ants toward honey. Not like bees, because bees belong in honey, but like ants, who go after honey in the same way that kids go after entertainment. If a child or young adult is not encouraged to be creative, you can see it as life-threatening to the soul. Let the better evolution be built upon labor as the measure of value. But labor must be voluntary. Like cooperation must be voluntary. Community must be voluntary. Labor must not be enslaved by force. The condition of voluntary agreement must be laid into the foundation of advancement. Communism, in theories taught by Marx & Engels, is the diabolical counterfeit of the Community of the Holy Spirit. America should long ago have been a Community of the Holy Spirit, but the beasts of selfishness & sensuality has torn the essence of community from America. That is why America is so screwed up! Today we have more parasites in the land then we have ever had, & one problem is MOTIVATION. Motivation by the threefold flame (love, wisdom, & power in the heart) the flame in the heart is missing in America. We count upon the Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts & the minute men & women of St. Germain to go out & motivate the community, motivate the people back to offering the voluntary services that they love to give. We especially need to motivate them to apply the ethic of work. This nation was built on the ethic of work & the desire for excellence & the elimination of mediocrity. When mediocrity is tolerated, it is so sickening to the soul that it destroys even the desire for work or for a sacred labor. Mediocrity intrudes as a poison in the water, & it is water with a stench. It begins to smell like a sewer, & then no one wants to become part of the great River of Life. Workers, builders, high-soaring eagles--images of flying & birds relate to the mind & to consciousness. Whenever you come across images like this, relate them to consciousness. It means that while our bodies are engaged in the sacred labor, our consciousness must be high soaring. Many falsehoods have been piled around the concept of labor. What an outrage this is--this regarding of labor is harmful! Not labor is injurious but the ignorant conditions surrounding labor. You will find that people who do not exercise or work with their bodies get very stodgy in their minds. Saint Germain says, "Your motive in alchemy must be for the service of humanity. Otherwise, your alchemy will not work." We must start over in our communities throughout all nations. We must restore that individual desire for excellence & eliminate welfare as much as possible. We have to inspire (not force) people to contribute to the commonweal. And so long as people do not learn to defend the merit of their fellow-workers they will not achieve the happiness of Common Good. The true union is the mutual defense of the laborers of one another, which is established first by your defense of your own integrity & internal community. You have to defend your soul's relationship to your I AM Presence to keep that community identity established. And sometimes you have to defend it against what seem to be your best friends--parts of your consciousness you are accustomed to but which are human relationships & human conditionings & human habit patterns. You will need to teach children loyalty within the family without being abusive at it. Brothers & sisters may tease one another publicly or betray one another's weaknesses before their friends as a means of controlling one another. So, you have to train children to honor the family. The family has to stick together. Once this integrity is established, you can extend it to the community. Here's a little something you may not know about Jews. They are very cliche people. However, learn from them (without causing wars) but get my basic point of noticing how they stick together, help each other, lend each other money & see that each Jewish family is provided for. They see to it that no Jew is the victim of what they consider to be the hostility of a Gentile world. Christians, don't do this, BUT they should! Christians have no idea they are brethren. Why? Because they've replaced community (the called-out ones) with the word, 'church.' Christians in western society come together every Sunday morning because that's their understanding of 'church.' IF CHRISTIANS WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD CHURCH TO MEAN COMMUNITY, THEY WOULD LONG AGO HAVE UNITED FOR THE VICTORY. Defending one another's merit is very important--standing up for one another, not criticizing one another but counseling with one another in areas that could stand improvement. Each one contributing his own best aptitude. What is the warmth of the heart, & how do we bring it forth? By gently loving one another including loving ourselves honestly. Allow the naturalness & warmth of the heart to flow freely from us. Where basic cooperation is a law & a way of life, the warmth of the heart flows because there is a mutual trust of friendship & because the fear of injury & persecution or attack has been transmuted. As El Morya says, "Community is where hearts can blossom, flowers can bloom & birds can sing, for we all understand what we are about & what we are agreed upon." Within the community, we have options that enable us to have spherical vision & to embrace the whole universe.

Hugs & Smiles,
Michelle
Hi Michelle, I agree with you about America and misunderstandings about the value of labor, the quicksand of continuous entertainment, and general erosion of values. I have seen some Christian communities take care of their own at least as well as the Jewish people do- the 7th day Adventists and the Jehovah Witnesses. Muslims also generally fail to take care of each other, though some localities are better than others. Have a peaceful day.
Being from Norway, I'm not very good stating my mind in English words. But I can read and understand well. I just want to say that a agree with you, Mary, .... in everything :)
And I will add .... we can be understood well, just by the way we look at ... and how we act to people. I LOVE being on iPeace, even if I'm not that activ as I want to be :) I'm learning a lot!

Thank you all for iPeace! :) :) :)

May your days be beautiful as a lotus, and mysteriouse as a childs...

AnjaRa :)
i agree with you, robert when you say that one needs to develop a personal relationship with those they intend to share their views and thoughts.
in fact on the whole ,i generally agree with your response.
love the use of the language! "carrots from their arses" LOL!

cheers!
sukania(suki)
I have told a female friend who is fond of low-cut blouses that she shouldn't think that men will look up to her by looking down at her. :)
michael

Dear Mary. Seems that "THE TOP SECTION" of the femenine body is the most attractive for men, no matter of what culture we belong to. And some women, especially the artists, use and abuse of their enchantments. We can see it in the calendars. No girl appearing in a calendar wears a full buttoned blouse. By the contrary, many of them appears topless. Just now came to my mind a very old film performed by Anita Ekcberg and Marcelo Mastroiani. (La dolce vita) In one of the scenes, when she appeared on the door of the plane, he exclaimed: "QUE TETAS" Now I am thinking, it is normal that the beauty of the women attracts men. But what a girl feels standing in front of another girl wearing a low cut blouse. Finally, if breasts, big or small help to bring peace, welcome the breasts. Warm hugs, Horacio.
Hi Michael,
My father used to say, "If you advertise, someone will answer the ad." Of course men are going to look at women who show their beauty (especially those who show what most will cover). For me I don't want to be judged that way. I'd rather people "see" my mind through my expressed thoughts.
Many people here seem to assume that if you aren't comfortable with public nudity, there is something wrong with you and you don't appreciate the beauty of the human form. Maybe some of us (and some cultures) simply feel that our human dignity requires that our beauty be reserved for those we are actually close to and choose to show our beauty to. Have a peaceful day.
thanks for this discussion dear stephanie cos you have raised a pertinent point -- that all must feel at ease on ipeace since we are here to learn, share about peace and find like-minded people to create opportunities for peaceful co-existence.

i will share a true story. about a decade ago, there was a peace conference in mt abu, india. there were a few hundred participants from a number of countries representing many varied cultures. they had their own views about creating a peaceful world. as the sessions went on, some were getting rather edgy about the views of the others!

seeing that the conference wasn't as peaceful as it should be, the organisers decided to have a few minutes of silence. in those few moments all were united and peaceful :)

peace is about being. a forum may not be the best option. it is a bridge to bringing about that state.

anyone, who comes ipeace would have to come from a place of peace first, in an accepting mode. as one of the writers pointed out, i may not agree with what is said but i will understand that it is that person's stand on peace. i will respect his/her opinion.
namaste
i request creator of this network to ban those members who have put nude pics.i can't open such a wonderful site before my kids.if u can't do this make me administrator i will do it for ipeace.
amit
www.spiritualsoul.ning.com
Peace is about respecting the views of others without taking offence, any who take offence from the practices or views of other cultures should examine why they have taken offence.

All humans are anatomically the same, with obvious gender differences, but we create our own taboos. If a lady wishes to wear a low cut blouse she should feel free to do so without fear of persecution, however, if she feels compelled to wear a low cut blouse by reason of fashion, peer pressure, her job or whatever, then that is unacceptable.

Two things that I personally find offensive:

1. Deliberate harm to a living being..

2. A culture that represses its people to the extent that it considers the human body to be offensive.

Although I follow no religious or political persuasion, the code of the Wiccans has a lot to recommend it: "Do what you will, SAVE THAT IT HARM NONE."

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