Every now and then, a certain theme will creep into life in various ways. This past week, justice and the role humanity plays, has been one such theme.

It started out with the podcast, "A forgotten History of How the U.S. Government Segregated America," which left me fully frustrated and at a loss on what to do. On what role I can play.

This one, "Null and Void," cheered me up a bit.

Should a juror be able to ignore the law? From a Quaker prayer meeting in the streets of London, to riots in the streets of LA, we trace the history of a quiet act of rebellion and struggle with how much power “we the people” should really have.

Not only does it offer some hope that the power still resides in the people - the conscious of America - it is an honest portrayal of the complexity of mankind. And I love that.

The discussion near the end is one of the best things I've ever heard on a Podcast - an sincere discussion, with strong disagreements, yet fully civil and appropriate.

Later in the week, I was shown this video from a young brilliant mind, Davis Campbell. His thoughts on the matter are worth reading.

The video is worth watching.

Like the " . . . U.S. Segregated America," podcast above, this video left me fully frustrated and at a loss on how to change the rules of the game.

This TED Talk helped a bit.

I don't have any answers to these seemingly impossible problems, except this. And it comes from the philosophy of J.R.R. Tolkien: All I have to decide is what to do with the time that is given me and to do what is good for all, not just myself.

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff : Humanity : History

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Photos by Gabriela Herman for The New York Times; Ian Langsdon/European Pressphoto Agency

PARIS — Sixty-five writers and artists have joined with the advocacy organization PEN America to send an open letter to President Trump, criticizing his executive order banning citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States and urging against further measures that would impair “freedom of movement and the global exchange of arts and ideas.”

“Vibrant, open intercultural dialogue is indispensable in the fight against terror and oppression,” the letter reads. “Its restriction is inconsistent with the values of the United States and the freedoms for which it stands.”

“Preventing international artists from contributing to American cultural life will not make America safer, and will damage its international prestige and influence,” it adds.

The sentiment reminds me of another article by the NY Times entitled, "Diversity Makes us Brighter." In it SHEEN S. LEVINE and DAVID STARK found, "When surrounded by others of the same ethnicity or race, participants were more likely to copy others, in the wrong direction. Mistakes spread as participants seemingly put undue trust in others’ answers, mindlessly imitating them. In the diverse groups, across ethnicities and locales, participants were more likely to distinguish between wrong and accurate answers. Diversity brought cognitive friction that enhanced deliberation" (emphasis mine).

"Creativity is an antidote to isolationism, paranoia, misunderstanding, and violent intolerance," the letter to Trump adds.

But first we must be willing to listen. Especially to those who bring cognitive friction. With respectful friction comes a refined truth and understanding. Silence and isolation exacerbates ignorance and hatred and fuels global conflict.

The Chinese character for listening, or undivided attention, is this:

Listen with your ears, your eyes, and your heart, while treating them like a king.

Here is the letter:

President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:
As writers and artists, we join PEN America in calling on you to rescind your Executive Order of January 27, 2017, and refrain from introducing any alternative measure that similarly impairs freedom of movement and the global exchange of arts and ideas.

In barring people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days, barring all refugees from entering the country for 120 days, and blocking migration from Syria indefinitely, your January Executive Order caused the chaos and hardship of families divided, lives disrupted, and law-abiding faced with handcuffs, detention, and deportation. In so doing, the Executive Order also hindered the free flow of artists and thinkers — and did so at a time when vibrant, open intercultural dialogue is indispensable in the fight against terror and oppression. Its restriction is inconsistent with the values of the United States and the freedoms for which it stands.

The negative impact of the original Executive Order was felt immediately, creating stress and uncertainty for artists of global renown and disrupting major U.S. cultural events. Oscar-nominated director Asghar Farhadi, who is from Iran, expecting to be unable to travel to the Academy Awards ceremony in late February, announced that he will not attend. Syrian singer Omar Souleyman, who performed at the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, may now be prevented from singing at Brooklyn’s World Music Institute in May 2017. The ability of Adonis, an 87-year-old globally celebrated poet who is a French national of Syrian extraction, to attend the May 2017 PEN World Voices Festival in New York remains in question.

Preventing international artists from contributing to American cultural life will not make America safer, and will damage its international prestige and influence. Not only will such a policy prevent great artists from performing, but it will constrict the interchange of important ideas, isolating the U.S. politically and culturally. Reciprocal actions against American citizens, such as those already taken by the governments of Iraq and Iran, will further limit the ability of American artists to move freely.

Arts and culture have the power to enable people to see beyond their differences. Creativity is an antidote to isolationism, paranoia, misunderstanding, and violent intolerance. In the countries most affected by the immigration ban, it is writers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers who are often at the vanguard in the fights against oppression and terror. Should it interrupt the ability of artists to travel, perform, and collaborate, such an Executive Order will aid those who would silence essential voices and exacerbate the hatreds that fuel global conflict.

We strongly believe that the immediate and long-term consequences of your original Executive Order are entirely at odds with the national interests of the United States. As you contemplate any potential new measures we respectfully urge you to tailor them narrowly to address only legitimate and substantiated threats and to avoid imposing broad bans that affect millions of people, including the writers, artists and thinkers whose voices and presence help foster international understanding.

Sincerely,

Anne Tyler
Lev Grossman
Jhumpa Lahiri
Norman Rush
Chang-rae Lee
Jane Smiley
Janet Malcolm
John Green
Mary Karr
Claire Messud
Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket)
Siri Hustvedt
Paul Auster
Francine Prose
Paul Muldoon
David Henry Hwang
Jessica Hagedorn
Martin Amis
Sandra Cisneros
Dave Eggers
Stephen Sondheim
Jonathan Lethem
Philip Roth
Andrew Solomon
Tobias Wolff
Robert Pinsky
Jonathan Franzen
Jay McInerney
Margaret Atwood
Azar Nafisi
Alec Soth
Nicole Krauss
Colm Toibin
Patrick Stewart
Philip Gourevitch
Robert Caro
Rita Dove
J.M. Coetzee
Anish Kapoor
Rosanne Cash
Zadie Smith
George Packer
John Waters
Art Spiegelman
Susan Orlean
Elizabeth Strout
Kwame Anthony Appiah
Teju Cole
Alice Sebold
Esmeralda Santiago
Stacy Schiff
Jeffrey Eugenides
Khaled Hosseini
Rick Moody
Hanya Yanagihara
Chimamanda Adichie
John Lithgow
Simon Schama
Colum McCann
Sally Mann
Jules Feiffer
Luc Tuymans
Michael Chabon
Ayelet Waldman
Orhan Pamuk

(Excerpts from RACHEL DONADIO FEB. 21, 2017 - New York Times)

For more on . . .

On Living : Humanity : -N- Stuff : Conflict

Marriage. And Race Shouldn't Matter.

The Game is only a fun if you win. And there are a lot of losers.

An Open Letter To Trump. Signed by 65 Writers and Artists.