Daily Lessons from Life 05 July 2009

"Statue of Liberty crown reopens Jul 05, 2009 - Reuters

The crown of America's Statue of Liberty reopens for July 4th, after being closed to the public since the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre."

Yesterday was the 4th of July, the 233 Independence Day of the USA. It is fitting that the Statue of Liberty crown reopens after closing down for 8 years due to security concerns as the stairs were narrow and there is NO escape route at the top! Nevertheless many people still want to be up there and are willing to take the risk! Strange!!

Lessons for me are:

1. this statue is a symbol of USA, the land of the free and justice for all! Especially for the early settlers from the USA and after the WWII!! And soon, of course, the waves of migrants from Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand and many other countries. So for it to be opened is a powerful and meaningful gesture;

2. the USA perhaps has found its feet a little after the brutal and tragic 911 attack where many nationalities who worked in the Twin WTC Towers perished. Its confidence were shaken then and this provided, unfortunately, an opportunity for the hawkish folks and President Bush the II to take the offensive in the Muslim world and any nations that do not endorsed their brand of 'hard ball diplomacy'!!;

3. with President Obama's less radical and more tolerant and embracing pragmatic approach to the world outside USA, the USA is beginning to win back some fans and friends. Gone are the arrogance (of course, the disastrous financial tsunami triggered by the sub-prime crisis and the unsustainable intoxicating over-leveraging humbled it too) that it is USA-way-or-No-way!! This is heartening to learn. Though a lot of parents of soldiers who were lost in Iraq are questioning what if Iraq goes to the dogs again after the Yankees pulled out? Well, it is their country. Their people eventually have to make a choice - last internal peace or never-ending civil war?

I like the American ideals. I do not like the arrogance of the past, the illogical argument of you are either with me or against me on topics that are not life and death. It is getting better now. You always win friends when you mutually respect each others. The appropriate way to move forward is get consensus when the interest of the majority, who are right based on moral ground, are involved!