The ambassador asks about distance at the end of his last post. This is an interesting question in a time when "the world is getting smaller" and "the world is at your finger tips" are such common beliefs, or at least sayings. Call me a Luddite if you will, but I must say one way in which to shorten this distance might be to kill our computers.

Even now as I say this I am on a computer, in a sense shortening the distance between the ambassador and I. But we are not actually coming any closer. In fact it seems like ages since I have actually communicated with the ambassador without some medium between us.

We cannot of course kill our computers (besides them not actually having a life to take) it would be taking a step back in the development of culture, which seems impossible. This is obviously a very tangile cure for what I think is an intangible distance.

To answer in an intangible way (a more truthful way at that) I say that inner peace is the way to close the gap between people. At this point, it is imperitive to draw a distinction between an individuals self interest and an individuals path. I do not have a distinct definition of the two yet, but one is based on societal values, the other is based on a greater truth, perhaps the Peace.

I do think communalism should be a goal. I do not beleive inner peace will be found through communalism however. In fact I beleive the opposite. Through inner peace the individual will realize that communalism is essential to the Tao/Out There/Peace.

If one is at peace with onself, one will be at peace with his surroundings. The search for acceptance in far lands will cease to exist.

Finally, I am intrigued by the Fear. The ambassador says that the Fear is, I assume, inherently negative. Is it something we should avoid? Or is it an unavoidable force that perhaps drives us toward the Peace?

-the colonel