Building the Nation: Returning to Build new Palestine with global eyes

Add a Comment

39 Comments

Comment by Jay Hamburger on August 23, 2009 at 8:05pm

RAMADAN MUBARAK..!!!

Comment by Wael Al Saad (Jafra) on July 3, 2009 at 1:14am

thanks Basil for opening new space for interaction with others.
Please wash out, that strategically I see the Palestinian Brain Application now within the core of community-production-network as part of social-economic-green-environment. This way I try to define practical approach to design new technological boundaries, which will facilitate building of the Palestinian nation ..

Comment by Basil Keilani on July 2, 2009 at 9:34pm

Wael, I looked at your site in Arabic. I have a better understanding of it. I e-mailed a copy of it to a Palestinian friend in Texas who works with IT. I will try to see and have others look at the language in Arabic with me and see if we can come up with a good translation in English. I think you should start very slowly to make sure you're communicating in the right style to the masses. Look, it doesn't matter if they are Palestinians, Americans, Germans, or Swedes, the language as it stands in English as you communicate it is hard for them to understand. We can look at the way you express yourself and translate it, so you can present your ideas properly. Just don't rush. Of course, it's up to you, brother. You do as you wish. I respect your intelligence.

Comment by Wael Al Saad (Jafra) on July 2, 2009 at 6:00pm

sorry to confuse you Basil with my stuff. I will try to answer any question you drop in both english or arabic.

I am looking forward to know your proposal for how we can put down the mission/vision statement.. my SKYPE account is open for any one.

Comment by Jay Hamburger on July 2, 2009 at 5:50pm

I agree with the simplicity approach......but I do have another question: Since English is not your mother tongue, Wael.....considering how well you use my language....just how wonderfully erudite and eloquent you must be in Arabic! I wish that I could communicate so well in your language!

Comment by Basil Keilani on July 2, 2009 at 4:58pm

Wael, actually, if Plato could explain his ideas in a simple way and so could Marcus Tulius Cicero, then the ideas you are expressing can be made simpler. In my view, when I read what you are writing, I often stop reading, because, even though that's not the intention, the wording sounds too pretentious and needlessly complicated.
You can explain macro-economics or mico-economics in simpler language.
I am only expressing my point of view. The hoi poloi or the masses will find it all Greek to them, and it's not because they don't have superconsciousness. Someone can be elevate but engage in a simpler way of speech. Dr. Edward Said sound less complicated (may he rest in peace) then the stuff I am reading. He's easier to understand, and he was a PHD in comparative literature at Columbia University.
I suppose if I were familiar with all the theoretical foundations discussed I could break it down into simple English. Wael's first language is not English, so maybe he just repeating the words from the founders of the site. In a way all this spiel reminds me of New Age thinking mixed with a democratic concept of economics.
It's not really something very revolutionary. It's the economy for the masses which ties into Leftist thinking and the idea of also having sustainable development.
That's what it seems to boil down to, and that's not so complicated to explain, now is it? I am not an economist, though I studied some economics. I am a political science major who taught and studied history and also languages.

Comment by Wael Al Saad (Jafra) on July 2, 2009 at 11:51am

Tamar, yes! I can not do the translation alone. This is the hardship when the mind is co-creation-mode and linking so many inter-connections and relations together can be *co-created*, the one who is an agent of co-creation is "powerless" alone, meanwhile strong to carry such a huge load of interconnectionness! So never expect from me to knock down the whole into easy "digested" slides.
What ever we DO together on this co-creation path is sustainable as any one else later can proceed on it, because the nature of the concept allowing this.

What is needed is really a committed group can push the fuzzy pattern-structure into a new pattern phase of living natural design, where we distribute the complexity on different interconnected sectors will dynamically move forward together.

There is other group willing to support /supporting the idea on NED
http://www.ned.com/group/community-general/news/323/

Many would ask, what is the Purpose or the Vision?
If you scan the thread you will have a roughly idea about it.

Those who have relationship to it and have the time to cooperate will join the first meeting on defining "Purpose and Vision Statement" which will be communicated into the new phase of project-patterns-development.
For now this is the main mission. The core group and the statement.

THANKS!

Comment by Tamar Freed تمارا فريد on July 2, 2009 at 10:15am

Hello Wael and Basil,
Basil, I had mentioned something about this to Wael not too long ago and I agree - these complex ideas can be broken down to their most essential elements and worded in a much simpler way for "mass consumption". Concrete examples for possible action would help in bringing these ideas down to earth.
This requires making an effort, perhaps by Wael, to find a person or persons, maybe even among our group, who has the ability and time to "translate" the highly academic language into something more accessible.
However, Wael, I believe, that your more complex texts should be prominantly presented as source material for those who wish to delve deeper into you ideas.
What do you think? Are we willing to make an effort to reach out and meet half way?

Comment by Wael Al Saad (Jafra) on July 2, 2009 at 9:26am

Dear Basil, unfortunately you are right with your feedback, as it is not the first time i hear it :)
I do not think that I become able to describe complexity in less complicated way.
Thats why I believe now, it is only possible to change the environment of thinking by changing our understanding for economics.

Comment by Basil Keilani on July 2, 2009 at 6:37am

In my humble opinion, as a Palestinian, you need to speak in a way they understand. I may have been to Palestine in a long time, but the kind of language being used by Wael won't reach Palestinians. It's too complicated. You have to make it sound simple, not like some esoteric PHD thesis. It sounds too piled high and deeper as people in the American army would say or full of it. People will get turned off, I am afraid. Even though I agree with much of the ideas, the wording sounds like from somewhere out of space. In Arabic we have a saying, "Bala Falssaffa" or "Stop philosophizing" this will fit into the stereotype of useless philosophy if it sounds complicated. I mean this out of respect. If a Western Palestinian questions this what will normal Palestinians do with it?

I think you need to dumb this down a bit and be more focused. If I were doing this, I would do it differently based on my past experience as a Palestinian student leader. The guys would get turned off from this very fast. Even Israelis would also get turned off, too or Frenchmen.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4