As I have mentioned in other articles on this blog, the 21st Century will be, and already is to some extent, characterized by increasing interspiritual dialogue. Catholic writer Wayne Teasdale has coined the term "Interspirituality" to describe this meeting of the world's major religious traditions. One of the most significant encounters between faith traditions is the one beginning to occur between Buddhism and Christianity.

British historian Arnold Toynbee, one of the greatest minds in his field of study, has said that when history looks back on the 20th Century, it will not be atomic power or the personal computer that will be seen as the most significant event. According to Toynbee, the most vital occurrence of the century just ended will be the meeting of Christianity and Buddhism. If you reflect on Toynbee's remark for a moment, you will see that he must have had something incredible in mind when he uttered those words. Certainly, the computer and atomic power have had major impact. At least as of now, we must still ponder what the significance of the exposure of Christianity to Buddhism and vice versa might be.

Buddhism is a remarkable tradition and one that most Christians are fairly ignorant about. Many sincere believers think that Buddhists are godless atheists who sit around mumbling and bowing before idols. Not only is this a highly false view of Buddhism, it is also highly insulting. Buddhism has produced some of the greatest minds in the history of humankind and continues to do so. I have studied Buddhism deeply for over 30 years and can say without reservation that I consider this vital tradition one in which all Christians could learn a great deal about love, compassion, and overcoming self-centeredness - all consistent, by the way, with the central teachings of Jesus.

Whenever I post something of an interspiritual nature two things happen. First, I get nasty comments from Christians who feel that I am at best an apostate or, worse still, a brother of Beelzebub himself. I would ask that if you are considering leaving such a comment, please refrain. I say without reservation that I do not hold to the notion of Christian exclusiveness and I am well aware of all of the scriptures used to support such a view. "No one comes to the Father except through me," and on and on, and etc. I don't think Christ was referring here to himself as a person, but as a process. I don't want to get sidetracked into that discussion here. The second thing that happens is the number of views on my blog dips for a few days as readers who don't agree with my take on other religions feel that somehow I might pollute their minds. If this is how it has to be, well, so be it. I think the issue of religious tolerance is highly important in our age and if some believers do not think their faith is strong enough to handle exposure to another tradition, I can do little to change that.

With that said, let's move on.

Fanaticism is rightly identified as one of the curses of our world. Fanatic followers of any sort of doctrine, political, religious, economic, or sociological, can create chaos and turmoil in our world and often do exactly that. Even the most superficial survey of history will bear this out.

 Whenever a group feels that they possess the one and only truth, the result is they want it to be your truth as well. This has especially been the case in the Islamic and Christian traditions, although religious zealots can be found in just about all traditions.

 One of the most attractive characteristics of Buddhism is its lack of dogmatic insistence on its validity. From the beginning Buddha stressed the importance of tolerance of other traditions and also the necessity of verifying principles for oneself. His primary advice could be summed up like this: Try it and see.

 Another reason Buddhism has been less prone to religious intolerance and violence centers on the reality that Buddha never claimed to be a God or god, however you might want to define that term. Buddha only claimed to be a man, albeit an “awakened” man. Through the enlightening revelations that came to him while meditating under the famed Bodhi tree, Siddhartha realized that we are all part of an interconnected web of existence and to do violence to or exert undue pressure on any one aspect of this web would have deleterious effects on every other part. All of these principles cited above are reasons why Buddhism is such a tolerant faith as a whole.

 One final aspect to consider is the place scripture holds in the Buddhist tradition. Although the various sutras (suttas) are considered sacred writings, they are not to be considered infallible or above questioning. Once again, Buddha stressed the need for seekers to verify the veracity of his teachings, which later became scripture, for themselves. How refreshing when you think about it.

 In contrast, “People of the Book,” a term often used to describe Jews, Christians, Muslims, and to some extent, members of the Baha’i’ faith, have a view opposite of Buddhists. The Torah, the Bible, the Koran, and the sacred writing of Bahaullah are seen as “the Word of God.” In the Christian tradition, a significant number of denominations require its members to adhere to the view that the Bible is not only the literal Word of God, but that it is also infallible and without error.

Viet Namese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, has developed 14 Mindfulness Trainings for his world wide community known as the Order of Interbeing. If one studies these 14 points, he or she comes away with a positive impression of what it means to be a truly spiritual person. The first of the 14 Mindfulness Trainings is pertinent to the subject at hand:

Aware of the suffering created by fanaticism and intolerance, we are determined not to be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist teachings are guiding means to help us learn to look deeply and to develop our understanding and compassion. They are not doctrines to fight, kill, or die for.

The “First Foundation of Mindfulness” reminds us that no teaching, even those of the Buddha, is perfect. With this in mind, along with Thich Nhat Hahn’s belief in pacifism, it is easy to see why the Order of Interbeing does not condone fighting, killing, or the willingness to die for a philosophy.

 Given the age in which we live, not only is such a view as espoused by the First Foundation refreshing, it may, indeed, be a necessity. I know that I have learned much from my study of Buddhism and, if the truth be known, it was through the study and practice of Buddhism that I finally came to appreciate the Christian tradition I had grown up in.

 As we move forward during this exciting and challenging century it is imperative that we fully understand that we are part of a global community. Economics, politics, religion, culture, and all other aspects of humanity's collective existence are part and parcel of a larger reality - a reality in which all the parts are interconnected and interdependent. Now more than ever, one part cannot be affected in isolation from the other parts. This is not some arcane, cosmic theory; it is a fundamental fact. The crude but accurate analogy I often use is raisin Jell-O - yes, you read that right - raisin Jell-O. If you take your index finger and thump one of the raisins, all of them move.

 If we indeed live in such a global collective it stands to reason that we should do all that we can to understand each other, including our various religious worldviews. Any other approach is both myopic and theologically incestuous.

(c) L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved

Dalam bagian pendahuluan buku terakhir bertajuk the creative class yakni, The flight of the creative class (2007), Florida menyajikan 4 buah gambar hasil olahan statistik dari analisis the creative class-nya yang 'mengejutkan' (sejumlah gagasannya dinilai kontroversial dan menerima kritik yang cukup banyak dan tajam, bahkan tudingan-tudingan miring terhadapnya). Duduk di atas  gagasan the world is flat-nya Friedman, Florida mengungkapkan bahwa ternyata dunia yang kini ibarat 'satu panggung sandiwara itu ternyata 'cuma' menjadi ajang pergulatan strategik dari sekelompok kecil bangsa atau kota. Ini dinilainya setidaknya berdasarkan 2 indikator yang menunjuk penting atau strategisnya suatu lokasi dunia dalam era ekonomi pengetahuan. Pertama, pada jumlah hak intelektual yang didaftarkan pada atau berasal dari daerah/kota tertentu. Kedua, jumlah kaum cerdik pandai kreatif yang tercatat bermukim di daerah/kota tertentu. Pada dua indeks itu, menara menjulang (baca: frekuensi yang tinggi) hanya terkonsentrasi pada kota-kota penting di AS, Eropa Barat, dan Jepang.  Ada sinyal-sinyal penting dari sejumlah wilayah di Eropa dan Australia yang mengindikasikan tantangan baru dari beberapa kota berprospek strategik ke depan,  misalnya disebutkan dari kota Wellington di Selandia Baru yang menjadi lokasi pemusatan pembuatnan trilogi The Lord of the Rings, sebuah seri film berdimensi teknologi tinggi dan merupakan hasil karya kaum kreatif. Jadi, bagi Florida, negara-negara atau tepatnya kota-kota penting dalam peta dunia yang akan mendominasi kemajuan dunia adalah tempat berkonsentrasinya para cerdik pandai atau kelas kreatif dunia. Di kota-kota ini, kaum cerdik pandai yang dimaksudkannya itu bukan cuma mereka-mereka yang berasal dari tempat itu sendiri, tetapi kebanyakan mereka berasal dari belahan dunia manapun yang berkumpul di situ karena daya tarik lokasional dari tempat tersebut. Jadi, menambahkan analisis Toynbee tentang pentingnya the creative minority dalam kemajuan peradaban, Florida menilai dunia yang datar ini memungkinkan terjadinya mobilitas berskala global dari kelompok kreatif ini dari suatu lokasi ke lokasi lain yang menawarkan 'imbalan' strategik bagi mereka, barangkali itu adalah air pelepas dahaga kreatif mereka, di samping tentu imbalan-imbalan bernilai ekonomis. Paling tidak, kesimpulan besar kita adalah, kelas kreatif inilah yang akan menjadi penggerak dominan dalam perekonomian dunia di 'abad baru', abad ekonomi pengetahuan, ekonomi kreatif.

Bergerak ke belakang, Florida juga menyajikan statistik-statistik tertentu pada konteks perekonomian Amerika sebagai sebuah giant economy yang digambarkannya sedang mengalami pergeseran dari ekonomi industri dan jasa konvensional ke perekonomian kreatif (creative economy). Bayangkanlah pusat-pusat information technology dunia seperti Silicon Valley atau Bangalore yang menjadi pusat daya cipta hi-tech. Nah, kira-kira begitulah gambaran sebuah konteks perekonomian yang disebut sebagai creative economy. Cuma, daya cipta kan tidak cuma di sektor IT kan? Di bidang-bidang lain seperti farmasi, petrokimia, bahkan seni pun kita bakal melihat berbagai bentuk kreativitas dan inovasi penting pada abad baru ini. Pokoknya segala yang serba knowledge intensive-lah, atau penemuan-penemuan baru sebagai hasil atau buah dari pergulatan riset/pengetahuan yang intensif, untuk gampangnya. Bidang-bidang itu pulalah yang akan menjadi merupakan pusat-pusat investasi ekonomi besar-besaran melalui aktivitas riset dan pengembangan (R&D), pengembangan SDM, walaupun saya kira semua bidang berpeluang untuk menjadi lahan daya cipta jika semua orang mau berpikir 'out-of-the-box' dan 'evidence-based'. Jadi nilai ekonomi maupun manfaat-manfaat baru lainnya diperoleh karena orang berupaya seoptimal mungkin dalam memberi nilai tambah baru pada sesuatu ide, model, produk, dll karena bergulat pikir atas hal-hal tersebut. Kembali ke soal statistik itu, diungkapkan Florida bahwa 47% perekonomian Amerika telah digerakkan oleh sektor-sektor kreatif ini. Luar biasa!!! Namun, dari segi ketenagakerjaan, ekonomi kreatif masih lebih kecil dari ekonomi jasa. Namun sebagai konsekuensi logisnya ia memrediksi bahwa akan terjadi pergeseran strategik dalam tahun-tahun ke depan. Kesimpulan sederhananya, "the ruling class will be the creative class."

Cukup atau barangkali sangat kontras, misalkan, membandingkan gambaran itu dengan Indonesia yang dari segi perekonomian masih didominasi oleh sektor manufaktur dan dari segi ketenagakerjaan masih terkonsentrasi di sektor pertanian. Pendeknya perekonomian kita masih terkonsentrasi pada sektor-sektor atau produk-produk primer, belum atau bukan mendekat ke arah wilayah ekonomi kreatif yang dibayangkan Florida. Mungkin karena itu, lalu kota-kota penting di Indonesia cuma tampak penting dalam peta-peta yang dibuat Florida pada kriteria kota dengan penduduk terpadat di dunia dan kota dengan konsumsi energi yang besar (seperti Jakarta). Lainnya, Belanda makin jauh, buunngg....!

Dalam dunia yang datar, the creative class digambarkan akan sangat tinggi mobilitasnya. Mereka akan mengalir ke tempat-tempat seksi di manapun, kapanpun. Misalnya, Florida mengambil contoh seorang peneliti nomor wahid di bidang stem-cell yang pindah dari Amerika Serikat ke Inggris. Lebih jauh, Florida membaca gerakan-gerakan strategik dari pemerintah-pemerintah negara dan kota tertentu untuk menjadikan lokasinya sebagai magnet baru bagi the creative class ini. Bukan apa-apa, karena perekonomian dunia ternyata digerakkan oleh kelompok ini, bukan oleh sekedar modal keuangan, modal mesin, modal manusia (yang diukur oleh angka terdidik formal, misalnya), apalagi hanya oleh okol. Di lokasi di mana kalangan kreatif ini ada, nilai kontribusi riil mereka ruar biasa. Karena itu, misalnya, digambarkan oleh Florida bahwa kota-kota tertentu di Amerika seperti New York dan Los Angeles pun kalau ditakar nilai ekonominya bisa melampau ekonomi skala negara. Florida mengatakan, Amerika menguasai 40an posisi perekonomian raksasa dunia jika kota-kotanya juga dihitung sebagai entitas ekonomi setara negara bersaing melawan negara-negara (Di  sumber lain,  lihat misalnya Rugman dan Hodgetts, 2000  yang mengutip data UNCTAD, kita bisa melihat dominasi perusahaan-perusahaan multinasional Amerika Serikat (bersama Uni Eropa dan Jepang - the triads), yang ikut mendominasi 100 besar ekonomi dunia, dalam perbandingannya dengan negara-negara). Kota-kota di Amerika tersebut disebutnya dibanjiri oleh imigran-imigran kreatif dari berbagai belahan dunia. Misalnya, siapa tidak kenal sekarang Sergey Bryni- penemu Google yang aselinya berasal dari Rusia. Florida malah mengungkapkan orang nomor satu di banyak perusahaan raksasa dunia yang berlokasi di Amerika pun cukup banyak yang datangnya dari negara lain. Simpel-nya, kota-kota, negara-negara, tempat-tempat di Amerika itu telah menjadi lahan migrasi entrepreneurs kelas dunia. Dan, trend mobilisasi kelas penting dalam masyarakat ini akan terus berlanjut, namun akan bergerak ke tempat-tempat penting baru di dunia.

Namun, Florida menilai bahwa migrasi kelas kreatif ke Amerika agak tersendat belakangan ini. Disajikannya data soal visa yang ditolak, lamanya urus visa, dan sejenisnya yang menjadi hendikep bagi terus mengalirnya the brilliant minds ke Amerika, orang-orang mana yang telah menjadi sumber dominasi ekonomi AS di dunia. Ia membaca bahwa negara dan/atau kota tertentu seperti Finlandia di Eropa atau di Australia (Sydney, misalnya) dan New Zealand (Wellington) dapat menjadi kota penting ke depan, melihat mobilitas masuk kalangan cerdik pandai muda yang barangkali akan terus menetap dan menggerakkan perekonomian kreatif di lokasi-lokasi itu. Ini bisa terjadi karena upaya strategik dari lokasi-lokasi itu (dhi. pemerintah, universitas, dll) untuk menarik minat datangnya the young great minds ke situ, hal mana masih sulit terbayangkan di kepala saya bagi negara seperti Indonesia yang justru mengalami kerugian karena out-flow dari the young talents. Pengalaman pribadi saya hidup di Belanda; Norfield, Minnesota; dan Sydney paling tidak memberi gambaran sederhana pada saya bahwa arus migrasi mahasiswa-mahasiswa asing ke tempat-tempat itu bisa menjadi indikator awal, walaupun migrasi kaum peneliti, seniman, IT-geeks, dan para professionals atau experts lainnya mungkin terjadi dalam angka yang terus meningkat tetapi luput dari amatan dan pengetahuan saya. Singkat kata, pikiran nakal saya bertanya, apa jadinya kota-kota Indonesia yang sama sekali tidak ada upaya serius untuk memertahankan dan apalagi menarik sumber daya manusia penting untuk berkecimpung dalam perekonomian kreatifnya? Jangankan menarik, jarak jauh antara kampus-kampus dan lembaga-lembaga penelitian dari dunia perekonomian riil pun sangat nyata. Kampus jarang meneliti bagi penemuan ide, model, aplikasi baru bagi kemajuan perekonomian; pengelola perekonomian pun masih menganggurkan kapasitas mereka agar lebih kontributif dalam mendorong laju perekonomian. Gak usah jauh-jauh, di Salatiga, kota kecil di Jawa Tengah tempat saya bernaung pun ibarat ada dua kerajaan yang hampir saling terlepas satu sama lain (mutually exclusive) yakni kerajaan pemerintah kota Salatiga yang mengomandoi ekonomi lokal dan kerajaan Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana yang menguasai aset-aset pengetahuan masa depan. Di banyak tempat lain di Indonesia saya kira podo wae. Kapan ada sinergi????

Oya, terkait dengan itu, Florida dan dua rekannya juga menilai pentingnya universitas dalam pemroduksian the creative class dan produksi pengetahuan (bahan ini bisa mudah ditemukan di internet, sama juga dengan berbagai analisis Florida dan pihak lain seputar ide/teori Florida). Peran ini akan terjadi sejauh universitas menaikkan ratingnya ke posisi sebagai sumber inovasi (engine of innovations), walau mereka mengritik pandangan sempit universitas sebagai engine of innovations yang juga sedang berkembang. Di sini peran penggodogan kreativitas dan inovasi menjadi penting. Di sini, investasi pada penemuan2 baru menjadi berperan. Di sini, pokoknya segala hal berkaitan dengan persemaian pikiran dan tindakan baru menjadi tidak ternilai. Sikap dan tindakan mematikan hal-hal itu justru adalah sebuah bunuh diri bagi masa depan.

Dalam konteks itu, Florida mengeluarkan 3 rumus penting, yakni 3T: technology, talent, tolerance. Penelitian Florida dan teman-temannya itu menunjukkan peran universitas yang besar pada ketiga faktor kunci itu: satu pada kontribusi penting pada cutting-edge technologies, attract creative talents, dan karena asalnya dari macam-macam tempat dan latar belakang, maka, ketiga, menjadi sebuah melting-pot budaya dan menghasilkan manusia-manusia yang menghargai toleransi. Namun, soal toleransi ini dapat dilihat juga dalam soal keberterimaan kita terhadap 'tindakan-tindakan beresiko' dalam hal ekspresi ide-ide baru dan eksperimentasi hal-hal baru. Jadi, kalau suatu tempat justru discourages toleransi pada hal-hal tersebut, ya ia hanya menjadi tempat yang dijauhi the creative class. Sama jugalah dengan universitas yang 'mengerangkengi' kebebasan berpikir.

Florida dan teman-teman kemudian menyebut universitas sebagai a creative hub. Saya menilai ini lalu mendorong pergerakan ke universitas yang penuh kegiatan dan hasil kolaboratif dalam bidang riset (research-university) yang pemanfaatan hasil-hasil tersebut dapat menjadi sumber daya ekonomi bagi universitas-universitas yang kreatif atau inovatif, menjadikan mereka entrepreneurial atau innovative university.

Jika kita merenung dan mengritisi pandangan/teori Florida ini, maka pertanyaan kepada kita perlu diajukan soal keseriusan kita (negara, kota, universitas, perusahaan, organisasi, etc.) untuk menjadikan diri kita sebagai lokasi target berdomisili dan berperannya the creative class ini dan sekaligus menjadi pusat kegiatan kreatif. Khusus bagi universitas dan organisasi, keseriusan pada pencarian, pengembangan, dan pemeliharaan manusia-manusia kreatif sebagai sumber daya strategik ke depan ini menjadi soal. Khusus bagi universitas yang secara potensial menjadi penyuplai the creative class ke masyarakat dan organisasi, apa iya yang digodognya adalah the creative class. Barangkali, ada banyak pertanyaan yang perlu diajukan, termasuk pertanyaan balik pada pemikiran-pemikiran Florida (tulisan ini tidak atau belum mau diposisikan ke arah situ). Pendek kata, apakah kita adalah tempat yang akrab bagi the great minds untuk menetap?

Dalam konteks itu lalu, saya teringat kembali diskusi tentang Intellectual Capital di Pusat Studi Kawasan Timur Indonesia di UKSW tempo hari yang bagi saya masih menyisakan sejumlah PR pribadi dan mestinya PR bagi siapapun yang concern pada pengembangan kelas kreatif, great minds, atau sederhana-nya sumber daya manusia yang berkualitas, beserta pengembangan sumber daya organisasional, dan sumber daya relasional untuk membangun dan mengembangkan modal intelektual organisasi dan masyarakat kita bagi sebuah kemajuan.

But, if the Jews had a claim to be given a piece of territory, this should have been done at the expense of the Western nation that had done its worst to exterminate the Jews..

If the creation of a new state of Israel was judged to be a legitimate form of compensation to the surviving Jews, the territory for this state should have been taken from the Europeans, not from the Arabs.

The new Israel should not have been carved out of Arab Palestine; it should have been carved out of Central Europe.

This point seems to me to be simple and obvious. But, once, when I made it in a lecture in a Western country, (not Germany, not Britain), it was received with shouts of laughter.

The people who laughed were not Jews; they were non-Jewish Westerners, and the country was one that has been traditionally opposed to colonialism.

Yet, they laughed because it seemed to them preposterous that a Western nation should be made to pay for its own crimes with its own territory, when the West's moral debt to the Jews could, so it seemed to these Westerners, be settled by giving the Jews the territory of a non-Western people that committed no crime at all against the Jews.

This laughter shocked me because it revealed to me what seems to me a shocking persistence of the colonialist attitude of mind. A guilty Western people's territory was to be sacrosanct, because, though guilty, they were Westerners.

An innocent non-Western people's territory could, it was held, legitimately be given away to the Jews by the victorious Western powers.This amounts to the declaration of the inequality of the Western and the non-Western sections of the human race.

It is a claim that Westerners are privileged, however guilty they may be. It is a denial of those universal human rights that, in truth, are possessed by every man, woman, and child in the world, irrespective of differences in civilization; religion, nationality and race.

-- Arnold Toynbee, Two Aspects of the Palestine Question, in Arnold Toynbee, Importance of the Arab World (1962).

So, fellows out there, whatever happened that the once mighty US economy—once contributing to 40% of Gross World Product (GWP)—is now drifting downwards, producing now just 22% of GWP?  That the EU would itself catch up with the USA and equally produces 22% of GWP, though EU’s money is bloodily mightier than Uncle Sam’s once mythical Dollar?

As a matter of realistic forecasting, if trends today would continue across the globe, Asia would overshadow both the US and EU, as follows: China will overtake each one of them by 2015; India, by 2022; ASEAN, by 2030.

While the US ‘real economy’ keeps on contracting (and the EU’s stagnates), the Asian economies are still expanding. 100 years ago the Western thinkers Oswald Spengler and Arnold Toynbee already forecast so sharply the ‘decline of the West’, while Daniel Bell foresaw in the 1950s-60s the rise of Asia-Pacific and its overtaking of the US 60 years hence (2005-2015 period). No one listened to them.

If we all recall, in the 1930s the great statesman Franklin Delano Roosevelt launched the ambitious New Deal. This program initiated gigantic growths in the ‘real economy’, solved unemployment, and led to high-growth and high-wage trends for sustained periods. By ‘real’ is meant the most productive sectors, namely: manufacturing/industry, agriculture, infrastructures, S&T, and transportation & communications.

By 1971, with enormous pressures from the financial cartels, the famed ‘gold standard’ was junked, the fixed exchange rate system was likewise junked in favor of ‘floating rate’, and after which serial liberalization of economic sectors and the bureaucracy went on in very radical fashion. This led eventually to the rise of the ‘virtual economy’ led by predatory finance, featuring hedge fund operations and ‘vulture funds’ to salve crisis-ridden financial enclaves more so overseas.

The ‘gambling economy’ based on speculation, conceit, lies, rather than based on the real value of consumable articles of trade, became the dominant modality in the USA. Debts and more debts piled up, since having no debt was moralized as bad behavior. Debs quadrupled in just a few decades, resulting to $5 Trillion worth of debts today.

How can an economy that churns out merely $12+ Trillion a year pay up for debts worth 4 times the GDP? It’s madness, blatant madness! The US economy is largely now a bubble, so gigantic that when it bursts, it can reveal the real flaws behind the ailments, and the weakness of the ‘real economy’ altogether.

The message to the next President & VP of the USA is to take down that ‘gambling economy’ or ‘virtual economy’ and quickly bring back the powerful ‘real economy’ in place. Failing to do that, Uncle Sam will be faced with many mass out-migrations beyond 2010, as true-blue Americans leave for more stable and promising jobs and businesses offshore. They’ve already began doing that in fact.

[Writ 05 June 2008, Quezon City, MetroManila]

Arnold Toynbee, Civilization on Trial

REDAN UNDER det första Libanonkriget jämförde dåvarande statsminister Olof Palme staten Israel med Nazityskland och civila araber likställdes med judar i Warszawa-gettot. Premiärminister Menachem Begin, som förlorade större delen av sin familj i Förintelsen, likställdes systematiskt med Hitler. Demoniseringen av den judiska staten som ett anti-Krist och efterträdare till Nazityskland har dock rötter som går tillbaka till 1940-talet och början av 1950-talet. En av de mest inflytelserika rösterna bakom detta tankegods var den välkände men kontroversielle brittiske historikern ARNOLD TOYNBEE.

Toynbee, som motsatte sig våldsamt återupprättandet av den judiska nationalstaten, hävdade att det judiska folket var en död "fossil" eftersom det judiska folkets historia inte passade in i Toynbees etnografiska modeller över nationers mönster och livscykler. Den återupprättade judiska nationella civilisationen utmanade således Toynbees ståndpunkt om att det judiska folket var likt romare och babylonier ett utdött historiskt folkslag. När det återupprättade Israel blivit ett faktum 1948, ägnade Toynbee mycket tid och energi på att vid varje givet tillfälle demonisera den judiska nationen genom att likställa det judiska folkets nationella frihetsrörelse, zionismen, med nationalsocialism och fascism.

DET VAR TOYNBEE som för drygt ett halvt sekel sedan sådde fröet till den idag utbredda och mytologiska vanföreställningen om samarbete mellan tyska nationalsocialister och judiska zionister under andra världskriget. Toynbee expanderade successivt sina redan rabiata och historielösa teorier om det judiska folket genom att groteskt hävda att de arabiska flyktingarna som utgjorde en direkt konsekvens av att arabernas militära nederlag i sitt folkrättsvidriga aggressionskrig mot den internationellt erkända judiska staten 1948, utgjorde en större katastrof än Förintelsen av 6 miljoner judiska män, kvinnor och barn. Under de senaste 60 åren har Toynbees teorier raffinerats och vidareutvecklats i olika variationer, men dess centrala mål har förblivit oförändrat: avhumanisering av den judiska staten. Föga förvånande ägnade Toynbee med sin selektiva och ideologiskt drivna humanism ingen tanke åt de omkring 900.000 judar som fördrevs från den muslimska världen eller de mänskliga vrak som flydde undan nazismen i Europa.

AVHUMANISERINGEN av den judiska staten kombinerar antisemitiskt tankegods från 1900-talet med anti-judiskt tankegods vars rötter är äldre än kristendomen och kan spåras till det grekiska Alexandria för 2300 år sedan. Om man studerar judisk historia vilken kantats med deprimerande många övergrepp på judar, så märker man ett tydligt och genomgående mönster: varje massaker eller pogrom som judar utsattes för, föregicks av en omfattande anti-judisk demoniseringskampanj med syftet att avhumanisera och separera det judiska folket från resten av mänskligheten.

SYFTET med demoniseringen av det judiska folket genom historien, har alltid varit att etablera en psykologisk rationalitet och legitimitet för en fysisk likvidering av judar. Anti-judiska demagoger från Haman i antika Persien, den katolska kyrkan i Spanien och Polen, de ryska tsarernas propagandaapparat till Hitler och Goebbels i Nazityskland samt arabiska och muslimska despoter både i modern och antik tid, möjliggjorde alla och var direkt ansvariga för anti-judiska massakrer genom sitt hatfulla anti-judiska tankegods.

Historierevisionistiska rabiata röster, som idag likställer den demokratiska judiska staten Israel med Nazityskland, strävar efter att uppnå två primära mål:

1) DEMONISERA OCH AVHUMANISERA den judiska staten och dess nära 6 miljoner judiska medborgare och därmed successivt förbereda massorna i Europa och i den muslimska världen psykologiskt för den judiska statens fysiska utplåning från världskartan. I detta sammanhang är det regimen i Teheran som är mest tongivande även om dess stödtrupper i arabvärlden och i en del europeiska kretsar ej kan underskattas.

2) RENTVÅ det kristna Europas och den muslimska arabvärldens blodiga och antisemitiska historia vilken kantats av otaliga massakrer av det judiska folket och diverse andra folkmord genom att bagatellisera Förintelsen och demoniskt likställa det judiska folket med dess kristna och muslimska förövare. Detta förklarar varför det är så frestande för dessa anti-judiska mörkermän att automatiskt och lögnaktigt framställa varje israelisk förvarsaktion mot militära mål oberoende hur begränsad och folkrättsenligt legitim som en "Förintelse" och Israel som en "nazistisk stat".

PRECIS SOM DET ÄR en systematisk demonisering och avhumanisering av det judiska folket som genom historien orsakat massakrer på miljoner judar, så är det ett systematiskt motstånd baserat på moralisk etik och rationell sakkunskap mot detta drygt 2000 år gamla hatfulla och lögnaktiga anti-judiska tankegods som kommer bidraga till att förebygga potentiella framtida försök till massakrer på det judiska folket.

Daniel Krygier

I will cop to utopian.

I will reject naïve.

I will argue unrealistic.

Utopian 

It is true that I am holding a vision of, and working toward, a world where the vast majority of people are fed, clothed, sheltered and granted access to an education that allows them to bring forth and use their best talents and greatest gifts in furthering the conservation of the natural world and the advancement of the human race.

I think that pretty much qualifies as utopian. 

I hold that vision because anything short of such a world weighs too heavily on my soul, and affronts the dignity of my ancestors, my relations and my descendants. 

The fact that I do not expect to see this vision realized in my lifetime does not deter me in my pursuit.

Naïve

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance combined with conscientious stupidity” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Because I often speak with passion about the creation of a world where our grandchildren praise our names instead of spitting on the ground at their mention, I am frequently accused of being naive.

History, I am told, provides adequate examples to prove that humans are savage and warlike.

There are many among us who hold that we are selfish and stupid, and strongly attached to belief systems that bring harm to ourselves and others, and to the world around us.

There are the wars that have killed untold millions and brought unbearable suffering to millions more. 

The causes of these wars include:

- ideological differences

- battles over turf and resources

- one people believing they are superior over, and therefore entitled, to the property of others - in extreme cases holding beliefs that they are entitled to wipe those others from the face of the Earth

- people with no respect for life

- and, those with an unquenchable appetite for power.

But mostly the cause of war is hatred - the inability to grant “an other” the right to be in legitimate co-existence with oneself.

I am told: People have been killing each other since day one and that is not going to change.

I am told: It has always been thus, and thus it shall always be.

This aspect of human history is not cavalierly dismissed on my part. 

Yet I do not accept it as the whole story either.

History is also peopled with those among us who perform and inspire the most astonishing acts of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, beauty and love.

I would not be able to write this blog, nor you able to read it, were it not for such love.

And I don't mean the gushy, giddy headlong rush that accompanies falling in love - though that is one of the greatest experiences in life - but love that sees others as legitimate and brings us together to make the world work. 

History is the story of love triumphing over hatred - not the other way around.

If placing my trust in love is naïve, then I am guilty as charged.

“Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Unrealistic

This vision of a world that works for all first took root in my mind in the late 1980s as I read and reread the work of Bucky Fuller. In fact, the articulation of the vision above comes directly out of his work and something called World Game.

His book, Critical Path, was my first exposure to planetary-scale thinking and frankly, in addition to finding it nearly impenetrable, it rendered me a little crazy. There are sentences in that book containing polysyllabic-hyphenated-constructs that take up a page and a half!

But it opened a doorway in my mind that connected me to my right to dream of a world that works for humanity instead of being resigned to one where we run out the clock on our species' time as we squander the natural wealth that is our birthright.

One of my favorite quotes is from historian Arnold Toynbee:

"The 20th Century will not be remembered chiefly for its political conflicts or technical advances, but as the age in which human society dared to think of the welfare of the whole human race as a practical objective."

The amazing website and project that is Massive Change also lends support to the contention that a world that works for both humanity and nature is both possible and within reach.

At the same time, we are faced with massive challenges that, from neary any rational perspective, seem practically insurmountable.

Renowned biologist David Suzuki cautions we may be so far into overshoot that some aspects of collapse will soon begin to affect many of the systems we take for granted.

Nevertheless, he is holding open the possibility that the creative genius of the human mind will invent ways to see us through these possible catastrophes. 

While technology will play a critical role in how we thread our species through the eye of the needle we are rapidly approaching, it is the quality of our relationships that will determine how we use that technology.

Currently we have the wealth, knowledge and distribution systems to achieve the utopian vision outlined at the beginniing of this post. 

The question is: do we have the love to make it a reality?

Although it's a model long practiced here in the west, the world brought forth when the organizing principles of humanity center on enriching and caring for an elite at the expense of the many is ultimately doomed to failure - as is becoming more and more evident with each passing day.

We can bring forth a different world.

We are bringing forth a different world.

We will bring forth a different world.

A world where the organizing principles of humanity center on reclaiming and restoring the health of our planet's ecosystems.

A world where the organizing principles of humanity center on creating and maintaining a world where the health of the children of all species is seen as equally important with that of caring for our own children.

A world where we awaken to the gift of Human Presence on Earth as a unique and sacred intelligence capable of surviving and thriving for millions of years to come.

Such a world is not only possible, it is on its way.

But that is no cause for slacking off and allowing others to do the hard work needed to bring it into being.

To bring forth this world, we need to navigate through some very tangled webs.

My assertion is that the only way out is through, and the only way through is together.

And I believe there is something noble in our nature that is waking up to that fact.

By granting legitimacy to each person's right to be fed, clothed, sheltered and given access to the educational resources for them to bring their greatest gifts to the world's deepest needs, we just might awaken and activate the kind of universal intelligence  we need to manage passing along a world where our grandchildren praise our names.

For those who see a vision of a world that works for the children of all species for all time as a distant, unachievable fantasy clung to by only a few tree-huggers on the fringes of society, I suggest you watch this six minute youtube video of Paul Hawken's address to the 2006 Bioneers conference.

It just might help you to be unabashedly positive in the face of cynicism.

In human terms, how are we to describe… our own Western civilization, or any other of the 10 or 20 civilizations which we can count up on our fingers? In human terms, I should say that each of these civilizations is, while in action, a distinctive attempt at a single great common human experience, or, when it is seen in retrospect, after the action is over, it is a distinctive instance of a single great common human experience. The enterprise or experience is an effort to perform an act of creation. In each of these civilizations, mankind, I think, is trying to rise above mere humanity -- above primitive humanity, that is, -- toward some higher kind of spiritual life. One cannot depict the goal because it has never been reached, -- or, rather, I should say that it has never been reached by any human society. It has, perhaps, been reached by individual men and women. At least, I can think of certain saints and sages…. But if there have been a few transfigured men and women, there has never been such a thing as a civilized society. Civilization, as we know it, is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbor. No known civilization has ever reached the goal of civilization yet. There has never been a communion of saints on earth. In the least uncivilized society at its least uncivilized moment, the vast majority of its members have remained very near indeed to the primitive human level. And no society has ever been secure of holding such ground as it has managed to gain in its spiritual advance.
Arnold Toynbee, Civilization on Trial

"Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things: first, an ideal, with takes the imagination by storm, and second, a definite intelligible plan for carrying that ideal into practice."

~ Arnold Toynbee

Did you watch the Randy Pausch video on Tuesday's JAM?  If so, you should be ready to learn 8 great ideas on how to take action now so you can experience achievement!

Learning to take action is critical to your long term success and happiness.  You are someone with incredible talents that will change your and others' lives in so many incredible ways if you just get up and get on with it!  Here is the first of 8 action ideas to enable you to do just that.

Action Idea #1:  Clear the Deck

Often our lack of action is from being paralyzed by too many ideas, projects, etc.  With so many things competing for our attention we may do them all poorly or not at all.  When this occurs, try wiping out your list completely and start a new one, with just one idea or project on it.  Allow no distractions and attack that one item until it is done.  Then, move on to the next item and so on.  Do this for 1 day minimum and up to one week.  You can then rebuild your list of projects knowing that you have accomplished the highest priority projects.  This sense of accomplishment and confidence will spill over into your productivity for the next several weeks.  Try it!

I wouldn't mind it so much if those here decided to try to fit in, but they seem dead set on NOT fitting in. They speak spanish constantly, rudely, on buses, on the street, everywhere, even though this is NOT Mexico. I suppose if I spoke English in their country everywhere you would think me rude also. And I would be. But I am not in Mexico, and you ARE already here.

I have no pity for illegal aliens or illegal immigrants, whatever you want to call yourself. Far as I am concerned you just need to leave. If I can offer any assistance to ICE officers, bet your life I will. I do not advocate hate crimes against illegals, I just want you gone. You don't belong in MY country.

I am disturbed by the weakness of support for our Border agents. I'm appalled at our leader's lack of leadership. But I have no problems making decisions. And I will vote to replace anyone who doesn't have the guts or the fortitude to do the job they are elected to. I can't tell you just how disappointed I am in Congress. And don't get me started on Governor Bush. Yup, Governor. It was the LAST office he was truly elected for, he stole the presidency and I'm not giving him a title he didn't earn any more. He doesn't deserve it.

So, on with the email I got today. I'm going to include it just as I got it. You read it, you decide. Seems pretty straight forward to me. According to Snopes, it is true:

American Suicide..................Very sobering
Wherever you stand, please take the time to read this; it ought to scare the beejeebers out of you!

We know Dick Lamm as the former Governor of Colorado. In that context his thoughts are particularly poignant. Last week there was an immigration overpopulation conference in Washington, DC, filled to capacity by many of America's finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor by the name of Victor Hansen Davis talked about his latest book, "Mexifornia," explaining how immigration - both legal and illegal was destroying the entire state of California. He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream. Moments later, former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm stood up and gave a stunning speech on how to destroy America.

The audience sat spellbound as he described eight methods for the destruction of the United States. He said, "If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America. It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that 'An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.'"

"Here is how they do it," Lamm said:

"First, to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual.

The historical scholar, Seymour Lipset, put it this way: 'The histories of bilingual and bicultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy.' Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, and Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, Corsicans and Muslims."

Lamm went on: " Second, to destroy America , invent 'multiculturalism' and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. Make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal; that there are no cultural differences. Make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due solely to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.

" Third, we could make the United States an 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: 'The apparent success of our own multi-ethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentriy and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together.' Lamm said, "I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to en sure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America enforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities."

"Fourth, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high school."

" My fifth point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of 'Victimology.' I would get all minorities to think that their lack of success was the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority."

" My sixth plan for America's downfall would include dual citizenship, and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precept. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common language and literature; and they worshiped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic games. A common enemy, Persia! , threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were not strong enough to overcome two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell. "E. Pluribus Unum" -- From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the 'pluribus' instead of the 'Unum,' we will " Balkanize" America as surely as Kosovo."

" Next to last, I would place all subjects off limits. Make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like 'racist' or 'xenophobe' halt discussion and debate. Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multi-cultism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of 'Victimology,' I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them."

In the last minute of his speech, Governor Lamm wiped his brow. Profound silence followed. Finally he said, "Lastly, I would censor Victor Davis Hanson's book 'Mexifornia.' His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America. If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don't read that book." There was no applause. A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today. ; Discussion is being suppressed. Over 100 languages are ripping the foundation of our educational system and national cohesiveness. Even barbaric cultures that practice female genital mutilation are growing as we celebrate 'diversity.' American jobs are vanishing into the Third World as corporations create a Third World in America Take note of California and other states. To date, ten million illegal aliens and growing fast. It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book "1984." In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is strength."

Governor Lamm walked back t o his seat. It dawned on everyone at the conference that our nation and the future of this great democracy is deeply in trouble and worsening fast. If we don't get this immigration monster stopped within three years, it will rage like a California wildfire and destroy everything in its path, especially The American Dream.

(Dave)

Yes, it is very disturbing when all of this is so much a part of today's world. I can see this happening today and I don't like it. I'm sure all you illegal aliens with your bleeding heart friends think I'm some ogre racist, but I'm not. I think we each have our place, I just want you back in yours. GO HOME!

Mexico Blasts U.S. Immigration Policies

By TRACI CARL
The Associated Press
Sunday, September 2, 2007; 7:18 PM

MEXICO CITY -- President Felipe Calderon blasted U.S. immigration policies on Sunday and promised to fight harder to protect the rights of Mexicans in the U.S., saying "Mexico does not end at its borders."

The criticism earned Calderon a standing ovation during his first state-of-the nation address.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon gives his state of the nation address at the National Palace in Mexico City, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2007.

"We strongly protest the unilateral measures taken by the U.S. Congress and government that have only persecuted and exacerbated the mistreatment of Mexican undocumented workers," he said. "The insensitivity toward those who support the U.S. economy and society has only served as an impetus to reinforce the battle ... for their rights."He also reached out to the millions of Mexicans living in the United States, many illegally, saying: "Where there is a Mexican, there is Mexico."

Excuse me, but in this country, YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS. As an illegal, you have broken our laws just by being here. That makes you a criminal. You do not have rights, period! End of discussion! GO HOME!

Since taking office in December, Calderon has maintained strong ties with the United States, but he has often denounced U.S. immigration policy, including more deportations that have divided many families, sometimes forcing U.S.-born children to build new lives in Mexico.

In one of the most high-profile cases, illegal immigrant Elvira Arellano was deported recently to Mexico after spending a year in a Chicago church to avoid being sent home. Her 8-year-old son Saul, who is a U.S. citizen, flew to Mexico on Friday to be reunited with his mother and said he plans to stay indefinitely, helping her fight to return to the United States.

Calderon addressed the nation Sunday from the National Palace, avoiding a showdown with leftist opposition lawmakers who had vowed to prevent him from making the speech in Congress, as Mexican tradition dictates.

Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal declared Calderon the winner of the July 2006 race nearly a year ago, rejecting leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claims that Calderon's narrow victory was fraudulent.

Calderon's predecessor, Vicente Fox, was also blocked last year from making his state-of-the-nation address in Congress after leftist lawmakers stormed the stage and refused to give him passage. The lawmakers claimed Fox unfairly aided Calderon's win, which Fox denied. Both are members of the conservative National Action Party.

Lopez Obrador refused to recognize Calderon's eventual victory and declared himself leader of a parallel government. But he has largely disappeared from the public eye amid sharp divisions within his leftist Democratic Revolutionary Party.

Calderon, meanwhile, has garnered some of the highest approval ratings in Mexico's history.

He said Sunday that Mexico has created 618,000 new jobs since January and needs to do more to close the giant gap between the rich and the poor. He also promised not to let up in his nationwide crackdown on drug gangs who control large swaths of Mexican territory.

"We can close our eyes to the reality, and because we are afraid or irresponsible, let organized crime take over our streets," he said. "Or we can decide to fight and defeat crime with all the risks and costs that implies."

I'm not afraid of you, and I say no to you and yours. I don't want you here. I'm telling the corporations no too, those that seek to bring you here, Microsoft, Farmers, etc. No and No and No. Go home. Work your land, live your life in Mexico. You aren't welcome here. This is MY Country and I'm Proud to be a part of her. I've been a Citizen all my life. I've pledged my life to her, the USA, get out of my sight. Breed yourselves out of existence if you must, but LEAVE AMERICA ALONE! You have no rights here.

You have a country, you have a president. GO HOME! We don't want you here and I'm not afraid to say it. Go HOME!

Sebuah buku yang ditulis Hyphatia Cneajna mencoba menelusuri sejarah Dracula, sosok yang selama ini selalu digambarkan sebagai makhluk yang gemar menerkam leher manusia dan mengisap darah. Dikisahkan dalam buku, Dracula ternyata bukan sosok fiktif yang selalu menghindar dari sinar matahari melainkan tokoh nyata yang sangat kejam yang pernah hidup pada tahun 1400-an dan membantai ribuan umat Islam juga dengan cara-cara keji.

Judul: Dracula, Pembantai Umat Islam dalam Perang Salib

Penulis: Hyphatia Cneajna

Penerbit: Navila Idea, Yogyakarta

Tebal: xii + 192 halaman

Tahun Terbit: Agustus 2007

KITA tentu sudah mengetahui kekejaman Hitler, Pol Pot, Mao, Stalin ataupun Soeharto. Akan tetapi, siapa yang mengetahui kekejaman Dracula?

Vlad Tepes atau kemudian dikenal di dunia sebagai Dracula, memang sudah menjadi sosok yang melegenda. Semua itu tentunya berkat jasa Bram Stoker dengan novelnya, Dracula. Dari buah karya Dracula puluhan film telah diproduksi, antara lain Dracula’s Daughter (1936), Son of Dracula (1943), Hoorof of Dracula (1958), Nosferatu (1922)—yang dibuat ulang pada tahun 1979. Baik buku mapun film-film tersebut mempunyai gambaran yang sama tentang sosok Dracula, yaitu seorang vampir yang haus darah. Ia diceritakan akan keluar setiap bulan purnama dari kastilnya dengan memakai jubah hitam guna mencari korban sebagai santap malam.

Apakah Dracula memang seperti yang digambarkan oleh Bram Stoker maupun film-film yang telah disebutkan tadi? Inilah yang membuat menarik buku karya Hyphatia Cneajna yang berjudul Dracula, Pembantai Umat Islam dalam Perang Salib. Buku setebal 192 halaman ini tidak menampilkan sosok Dracula sebagai vampir tapi sebagai sosok sejarah. Dracula ditampilkan sebagaimana Hitler, Pol Pot, Mao dan tokoh-tokoh sejarah lainnya, sehingga buku ini berbeda dengan buku sejenis yang pernah terbit sebelumnya.

Siapa sebenarnya Dracula? Sejarah Dracula memang unik. Ia berada di antara dua kerajaan besar yang bertingkai ketika itu—Kerajaan Honggaria dan Turki Ottoman. Masa kecil hingga menginjak dewasa ia habiskan di Turki, tapi setelah itu ia justru memihak Kerajaan Honggaria dalam memperebutkan Konstantinopel. Posisi inilah yang menempatkan dirinya sebagai pengkhianat bagi Turki dan pahlawan bagi Honggaria.

Sebagai penguasa Wallachia pada kurun waktu 1456-1462 dan 1475-1476, Dracula memang cukup kontroversial. Ketika baru saja bertahta ia justru membantai prajurit Turki yang telah mendukungnya. Akan tetapi, tak lama setelah itu ia malah digulingkan oleh Honggaria karena dianggap tak mau tunduk. Sebagaimana diktator dan tiran yang lain, guna mengamankan posisinya yang seringkali terancam, maka Dracula memakai segala cara agar kekuasaannya menjadi langgeng. Tentu saja cara yang ia pakai adalah teror dan pembantain. Maka tak mengherankan kalau selama enam tahun kekuasaannya ia telah membantai 500.000 rakyatnya—300.000 lainnya adalah umat Islam.

Filsuf dan sekaligus aktivis gerakan kiri Italia, Antonio Gramsci, dalam bukunya Notes on Italian History (1934), mengungkapkan bahwa seringkali sejarah hanya berbicara tentang kekuasaan yang menang. Sejarah semacam ini bisa dikatakan sebagai sejarah superhero; ia hanya akan berbicara tentang para raja bukan tentang kawula. Akibatnya, pihak-pihak yang kalah harus berada di luar gelanggang sejarah, yang artinya tidak mempunyai peran apa-apa dalam sejarah.

Memang beberapa sejarawan seperti Arnold Toynbee, memberikan pemaparan bahwa penjajahan sejarah. Hal ini berakibat sejarah hanya berisikan masa lalu yang sesuai dengan Barat. Sehingga, kejadian-kejadian lainnya dianggap tidak relevan dan karena oleh itu bisa diabaikan. Dalam konteks inilah Hyphatia mendasarkan kajiannya tentang sosok Dracula. Oleh karena itu, tidak mengherankan kalau dalam satu bab ia menguraikan tentang “penjajahan sejarah” tersebut.

Menurut Hyphatia akibat dominasi Barat membuat sejarah Dracula tidak pernah terungkap dengan tuntas. Ia memaparkan bahwa ada ceruk-ceruk sejarah yang selama ini tersembunyi dari sosok Dracula, terutama menyangkut pembataian Dracula terhadap umat Islam dalam Perang Salib. Sampai saat ini Perang Salib memang masih merupakan peristiwa yang sensitif. Luka akibat perang tersebut masih membekas di antara dua kubu. Dalam keadaan seperti inilah Barat yang biasanya begitu getol mengungkap pembantaian-pembantaian umat manusia, menurut Hyphatia menjadi enggan untuk mengorek-ngorek boroknya sendiri. Inilah yang dalam pandangan Hyphatia membuat sosok Dracula tidak pernah terkupas dengan tuntas.

Sebagai bukti atas uraiannya kemudian Hyphatia menyandingkan sosok Dracula dengan Rambo. Kalau Rambo merupakan sosok fiksi yang dibuat seolah-olah menjadi nyata sehingga bisa menutupi kekalahan Amerika Serikat dalam perang Vietnam, maka Dracula dibuat sebaliknya, tokoh nyata yang dibuat fiksi. Cara ini menurut Hyphatia merupakan usaha Barat untuk mengaburkan jati diri Dracula sebenarnya. Dan, usaha ini dalam pandangan Hyphatia cukup berhasil dengan melihat bahwa sebagian besar masyarakat mengenalnya sebagai vampir, bukan sebagai sosok sejarah yang kejam dan bengis.

Urain-urain Hyphatia di atas akan mengingatkan kita pada pencitraan Amerika Serikat terhadap musuh-musuh mereka di Timur Tengah. Bagi mereka negara-negara yang tidak mau tunduk kepada kemauan Amerika Serikat seperti Irak dan Afghanistan, maka akan dituduh sebagai sarang teroris. Dengan “kuasa sejarah” seperti itu mereka berhasil menutupi tujuan sebenarnya—menguasai sumber minyak di Timur Tengah—dengan alasan memburu gembong teroris. Dan, usaha ini cukup berhasil sehingga rencana Amerika Serikat mendapat dukungan dari sekutu-sekutunya.

Selain uraian tentang “penjajahan sejarah” yang menarik dari buku karya Hyphatia adalah “keberaniannya” mengungkap metode-metode penyiksaan yang dilakukan oleh Dracula. Setidaknya ada lebih dari sepuluh metode penyiksaan Dracula, dan yang paling terkenal adalah penyulaan. Penyulaan merupakan penyiksaan dengan cara menusuk korban dari bagian bawah hingga tembus ke perut, tenggorokan atau kepala. Menurut Hyphatia karena kegemaran Dracula melakukan “pesta” penyulaan tersebut ia mendapat julukan Si Penyula.

Membaca urian Hyphatia tentang metode-motode penyiksaan Dracula apabila perut tidak kuat memang akan membuat mual. Akan tetapi, dengan uraiannya tersebut Hyphatia berhasil menggambarkan betapa kejam dan sadisnya Dracula. Dan, kita pun akan menjadi diingatkan akan kekejaman para tiran dan diktator yang lain. Tak sadar kita akan terbawa pada kamar gas Hitler, ruang penyiksaan Pol Pot dan segala bentuk kekejian lainnya.

Dalam buku ini Hyphatia juga membahas tentang mitos-mitos seputar Dracula. Mitos seputar kematian, kuburan sampai kastil Dracula diuraikan dan dianalisa dengan rasional oleh Hyphatia, sehingga kita akan mengetahui kenapa mitos-mitos tersebut bisa muncul dan kemudian berkembang di masyarakat. Dan, bagi pembaca yang ingin mengetahui lebih banyak tentang Dracula, Hyphatia juga memberikan beberapa situs yang bisa diakses.

Buku karya Hyphatia ini walaupun judulnya terbaca provokatif sehingga seolah-olah menyudutkan pihak tertentu, tapi patut dibaca oleh semua kalangan agar mendapatkan sebuah pandangan dari sejarah alternatif.

*Dikutip secara lengkap dari http://raybeezaholic.multiply.com/reviews/item/1 berjudul "Dracula, Pembantai Umat Islam dalam Perang Salib."