Re: To all those in shock and sadness about the tragedy in Spain

Thank you Gerhard for so eloquently stating what so many of us believe.

Greg Perry
Creighton University
Omaha, NE  USA.



From: "Nebe-Von-Caron, G" <g.nebe-von-caron@unipath.com>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 05:53:54 -0000
To: cyto-inbox
Subject: To all those in shock and sadness about the tragedy in Spain



Dear Friends 

I would like to publicly express my sympathy with you about the tragic
events in Spain last week. I am sure a lot of us are lost for words for
atrocities at such scale. Whilst I find it easy to answer a scientific
question quickly - to say the hopefully right words in such circumstances
which make ones mind run riot takes a lot longer.

Killing people is not a way to solve a conflict, neither the mass killings
of innocent people as in Madrid, nor suicide bomb attacks, nor so called
targeted killings, in fact not any killing at all. Conflicts come from our
inability to compromise. There is no point in pointing at each other for
blame as we all carry a bit if it ourselves by either having done things we
should not have done or having not done things we ought to have done.
However, when it comes to the deliberate killing of civilians the blame lies
clearly with the terrorists. There is a justifiable doubt about their claims
and denials of responsibility. Those acts are irresponsible anyhow, whoever
did it, could only plead guilty - not claim responsibility. Let those
murders not be a reason for divisions in our democracy - thus helping the
course of terrorists we try to defeat.	Whoever kills people for their own
perceived justice will never reach peace. There is no point in contemplating
if we should or should not have gone after Saddam. We can not change the
past, but we can change the future.

I was quite upset about the article on the restriction of the freedom of
publication in the US as recently pointed out by Howard and than finding the
same type of comments the next day when downloading some software from a US
site. I was even more shocked about some of the comments I got in return to
my mail, which has upset some people by some misunderstandings or negative
prejudice. However, when it comes to seeking peace and understanding, I
firmly believe that the worst thing one can do is to stop talking to each
other or to help each other in communicating. Perhaps it is the effects of
restricting the freedom of information from the German history still in my
mind. And the beginnings are always so subtle.

To me cytometry serves as a "philosophical" model in many situations. As
Howard pointed out in September 2001, the cytometry community at large is
quite outstanding in its support and help for each other and how it
transcends political differences between governments, races and continents.
To teach political leaders the basics of cytometry might be indeed a serious
advance to world peace, to remind everyone - not just politicians - of a
fact that cytometry shows so blatantly obvious : the diversity of
populations. Let us not make the mistake to group hastily into	the Muslims,
Basks, Iraqis, Iranians... or the Americans. Cytometry tells us that all
populations contain subpopulations.  And it is those subpopulations with
their actions (governments or terrorists) that create hatred. They make
people discredit entire populations unless these people learn to
differentiate. 

As scientists we can not escape our political responsibilities. In fact we
could be a role model for politicians and fellow countrymen in many ways.
Let us stop them from falling for the same trait that characterises a
terrorist - blind and indiscriminate hatred. Let us help them to see that
the problem is not religion or nationality, but extremism. And that the key
to lasting peace is  what forms the trait of any good scientist, open debate
and the never ending hunger for understanding. Only if we show understanding
for each other we can break the power of terrorism and stop the division it
wants to achieve. 

I wish and pray for those in suffering and pain in Spain as well as for all
the others who have recently suffered from loss and terror, that they will
find some peace in all their grief, that they may experience not hatred, but
comfort and friendship.

Gerhard Nebe-von-Caron
Research Scientist and Biomedical Engineer
Unipath Ltd
Priory Business Park
Bedford
MK44 3UP

Tel +44(0)1234-835474
Fax +44(0)1234-835002