Letters October 4, 2004 Issue

letters

with contributions from Kim Kilduff, Lorna Richards, Anne Anderson

As a long-time employee of the United States Department of Defense, perhaps I'm too apt to feel accusatory fingers pointed in the direction of me and my colleagues. Rosalie Dunbar's article, "Moral Courage: The antidote to groupthink" (August 23), brings out the necessity to think independently and act for higher good. May I point out another kind of thinking that can cause just as much trouble as groupthink—the inclination to judge all members of a group as being of one particular thought-mode.

The grand thing about Mind is that it is God, one infinite source of unfolding good. Mind is never truly anything else. When tempted to focus on errors in the ways of others, I have found that a humble prayer of "Father, show me what You are doing right here, right now, through these people who are Your very expression," invariably brings a new and happier perspective on people and events.

In the days since 9/11, my respect, compassion, and gratitude for others in my agency, our military, and our elected officials have increased in a way I never imagined. This has come about as I have prayed to break the mesmerizing picture of what human beings are doing—or not doing—and to understand more that God's great mercy and goodness are already present, active, and whole.

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