Thanks to Empty is Form for bring to my attention another reason to dislike Microsoft: ‘I would have thought that Microsoft’s $300+ billion market capitalization might have allowed them to put ethics in front of profit. What a message they would have sent to the Chinese government, other corporations and western governments if they would have refused to cater to China’s requirement that they censor MSN China. Unfortunately, the supposed arch-supporter of freedom and democracy has provided another barrier to keep the Chinese people from information related to banned key words such as “freedom”, “democracy” and “human rights.”’

The terrorists hate our values and lifestyle, they want to control us and destroy our freedoms. This is the perceived wisdom on the logic behind the terrorist actions in New York 9/11, Madrid and now London. This wisdom is wrong.

During 1995 I was in Israel, working as a volunteer on Kibbutz in the Golan heights. I am not Jewish or partisan to middle east causes in any sense. I am an open and interested person who wished to take in for himself a little of what was going on in that part of the world.

I used to hitch-hike a lot to get around. In Israel this was done out of necessity to some extent yet also because I have made a choice often to get around that way and enjoy the benefits of free association with whoever should offer me a ride. One day whilst hiking to town with two friends, a German and an American. A Jeep stopped with two Palestinians in the front and another in the back. We jumped in the back and set off at which point we could not fail to note the large number of rifles and sub machine guns in the back of the vehicle. The mood was cool.

Quickly I identified myself to them as an Englishman and Sandra as German before lastly and quietly pointing out that Jeff was American. The mood lightened somewhat. “So what have you guys been up to today?”, I asked. “Hunting wild Boar”, one said and the collectively giggled. I thought we were in the presence of terrorists who had been looking for Israelis to shoot.

The conversation turned to Jeff and America. Our temporary hosts did not like America. They did not like the injustices of economics and war of the modern way of doing things. They sensed deeply the responsability of America for these things, as the self-proclaimed leader of the “free” world.

“How can you make America take notice, pay attention?”, One of them asked, “Why don’t they see what is happening in the world?”. Jeff pointed out that some American’s did see what was going on and tried to do something about it and that banketting the whole country and people with their views was not accurate. They were pleased at this, they could see it was true and important. “They will see eventually”, I said, “no one can ignore the truth forever.

The truth about terrorism is that terrorists sense the deep injustices of this world. They feel deeply powerless about it and in their anger and distress consider violence to be the only message that might get through to people they see as basically barbaric for allowing and promoting the economics of win/lose.

So they see us as barbaric and we see them as barbaric. They kill a few hundred or tens or thousands from time to time. The western political and economic values which are so fundamental to our societies accept the deaths of 30,000 children every day from needless poverty or disease, easily cured with a little food or medicine.

Since 9/11 approximately forty million persons have died in this way needlessly. We do not have to worry as much as we do about this war on terrorism - by death count alone we are “winning” it hands down - our economic theory tells us a few hundred or thousand deaths is worth the price. Yet until we solve the issues of economic and political lies, create more equal and harmonious societies and care for other humans wherever they be and be they pink, brown or a shade in between, we will not “win” this war. In essence the war is a just, even if I do personally disagree with the means (which I do).

Tony Blair, in response to the London Bombings this morning, said that he would be coming to London but that the other G8 leaders would “remain and have the discussions we were going to have and reach the conclusions we were going to reach”.

Mr Blair, discussions are what lead to conclusions. The discussions have to come first. If you know in advance they will reach the presumably pre-organised conclusions without you, these discussions are not what you say they are. They are part of the problem that leads to the anger and resultant explosions of the terrorists: a small number of powerful, largely white, men secretly coming to self-congratulatory conclusions that protect the status quo whilst pretending to lead to change.

The news this morning of several Bombs throughout London focused on the transport system may perhaps bring small comfort to Paris for losing the 2012 Olympics. It is not yet clear who or why but one of the two obvious candidates for reason are to highlight London’s weakness and vulnerability following the win of the Summer Olymics yesterday. If this proves to be the logic Paris has presumably been spared it’s own attack.

The other perhaps more obvious reason would be to highlight the continued agenda of terrorists right at the start of the G8 summit meeting. Although Edinburgh might have been a clearer target for this it would be much more difficult to carry out such coordinated bombings without being caught in what is a relatively small regional city in comparison. The result would be less media-worthy too and gain less publicity and kudos for the terrorists..

One of my main objections to the Olympics is the winner/loser mentality it promotes. Much fuss has been made on British television in the last 24 hours about how it is all about inspiring the children. Every ten year old in the East End of London must by now be convinced they will get a chance to go for gold in their sport in front of the world. Of course most will be disappointed if they have not grown out of their delusion over the next seven years. And even the few who get to have a go will mostly not win anyway.

This problem is the same problem of modern economics that is a fundamental driver of terrorism. Economic theory says that we all gain most by openly competing for what we desire. Nash proved it’s not true: We all gain most if we compete and collaborate, if we bear in mind our own goals and those of our community. Economics and politics have yet to square this into a practical third way that can lead to peaceful societies.

As long as the winner/loser mentality is the driver of economics, sport or indeed any field there will be losers ready to feel beaten and ready to get angry. As long as there are angry people there will be explosions and other terrorist outrages.

Given my previously noted dislike for the Olympics I could not have been more surprised to find myself shedding tears of joy at the announcement of London’s success in Bidding for the 2012 games. The tears were not of joy at the win per se, far from it as my objections have not changed: it is environmentally unsound and housing for local people much more important. The tears were in empathy for those who invested so much in the bid and were so obviously delighted at the win. Oh what an emotional fool I am.

Different Religions Week 2005 is July 15-22. Nathan Black started the movement in 2003 to help curb people’s widespread ignorance of other faiths, which often leads to intolerance and which sometimes ultimately results in - or is used to justify - violence (consider, for example, 9/11 or the Bosnian conflict). More information about the how and why of the movement is available at www.differentreligionsweek.org.

Although as a Buddhist I am atheist and believe most “religions” to be full of mumbo-jumbo and hocus-pocus (including most forms of Buddhism) I am all for open-ness and exchange. I think this is a good idea. I am going to investigate Sikhism during the week which apart from it’s theistic nature I find to have much in common with Buddhism.

One Billion Stems of cut flowers are exported from Kenya to Europe every year. It’s not their only market. One farm alone, featured today on The BBC’s Breakfast Program employs 5,000 staff and has the biggest packing facility in the world with 1050 staff packing and shipping one million stems a day if I remember right.

Trade is the right of the free man but is it good that it is his obligation? Let’s take a look at the “hugely important” Kenyan flower industry. That one farm employs 5% of the workers employed in the sector in the whole country. It is a good microcosm. Each flower takes land and a great deal of precious water. It takes human effort, fuel to transport and refrigerate. It flies to Europe on a plane using untaxed aviation fuel causing damage to the high atmosphere. It is only profitable because of this lack of tax. The industry has been accused of human rights abuses.

The land could be used to grow food for Africa. Fewer men would get rich but more families would get fed. The aviation fuel saved would reduce global warming. Africa would be doing something for itself, not putting flowers on the rich mans table. Governments would not earn foriegn currency to pay debt or buy weapons.

Freedom would encompass debt write off. Freedom would encompass land reform. Freedom would encompass less but better government. Freedom would encompass some trade through choice but not enslavement to a world financial system. Freedom would encompass an end to mass weaponry and a choice to live in peace. Freedom would encompass every man and woman seeing and realising this choice for peace for themselves.

We have heard much this week about Live 8 and the attendant protests to the forthcoming G8 summit meeting in gleneagles Scotland. The theory goes that politicians can no longer ignore the cries of protest of thousands of (larrgely) white faces clamouring for an end to poverty in the (largely coloured) third world.

This hope is rather naive in reality. Politicians have ignored the hopes of their electorates and hidden their intentions from them successfully since democracy was invented. A circus of folk dressed in white parading around Edinburgh will change nothing. The reasons for this are fairly simple and it is not all the fault of politics:

* Politicians think they are cleverer than “ordinary folk” who they assume to be universily uncomprehending.

* Politicians want power and the concomitant ego boost of their trade but few are really motivated by doing good. It’s better than getting a real job, old chap.

* Politicians hide behind a veil of secrecy that allows them to say one thing and do another with impunity.

* Ordinary folk would soon vote out any politician who told them the truth.

This weekend a total of tens of millions will have been spent in the western world putting on these events, by attendees travelling and gulping soft drinks and providing the cocaine and other goodies for performers. Oh well, even if it doesn’t lead to change, at least the crack was good. And Pink Floyd reformed which must make today’s crop of corpses of needless victims of poverty know just how important they are.

The horrendous experience of having my body deteriorate around me is driving me to crazy thinking. After a year spent to all practical purposes bed-bound I now clearly have had enough. I am thinking of suicide. At first this was in a desperate sort of fashion, along the lines of “I can’t stand this anymore maybe I could just jump out of that window” - (My bedroom is on the seventh floor and has a clean drop to the concrete below).

Then these thoughts took a slightly more serious turn along the lines of “well I should do such and such first, clean up before I go”. Today it was my nephew’s birthday. I haven’t jumped from the window because it would be a bummer for him. And that is why I will not, I suspect, ever act on these impulses. If I die from some natural cause or the complications of the deterioration of my body Oliver won’t be confused by it. If I took my life he would be. This I can never clean up before I go.

It’s not the first time this child made such an impact on me. Before I remembered I had been raped as an infant I had a couple of “nervous breakdowns”. After one I went and lived with my sister and her family for a year. Oliver was two years old at the time and characterised by the utter openness and honesty of psychologically healthy children at that age. He used to look at me and smile and ask simple questions and give simple hugs and love. Uncluttered and unsullied this cut through all my crap and reminded me of the joys of life. He kept me going.

It is the consequences of suicide beyond my own death that stop me, frankly. It is oliver being upset and confused. It is the things I will not be in a position to do. The Buddha banned suicide for all except enlightened arahants in exceptional circumstances. It’s just another form of craving (see Assisted Suicide from a Buddhist Perspective by David Truong Thanh Duong). As I am not yet enlightened this is not an option. And if I were would I want to? I doubt it.