I just watched a news segment on television about a new program in Long Beach that brings in little girls from the Girl Scouts to read books to the stray dogs and cats at the animal shelter. It was a very cool news segment which shows the good side of humanity, where we love even the stray animals in the shelters.
Children are natural at loving, and that is the side of humanity which we need to nurture. And the Cub Scouts, and the Girl Scouts, and Youth For Christ, etc, and other groups which get the children to do service out of love for other people, are very important. We need to have a warm and loving society where we care about each other and where we love each other. And if we love each other, then the whole world will get better.
We are not going to win the hearts and minds of people with just soldiers and police and prison guards, etc, but a child reading a book to a little old lady at a nursing home WILL win the hearts and minds of people. Being civilized is about loving each other and about helping each other, and about having a community.
And you can win the hearts and minds of people with loving movies like "It's A Wonderful Life" and other good movies like that. Frank Capra was an expert at winning the hearts and minds of the American public.
We need to stop the gang violence, and the illegal drug dealing, and we also need to help the homeless, etc, and we need for people to be more loving and caring, instead of promoting the violence.
And we lost in Afghanistan because we failed to win the hearts and minds of the people of Afghanistan, you cannot win the hearts and minds of people with guns and soldiers. The teachers, and the poets, and the filmmakers, and the clubs such as the Cub Scouts, can win the hearts and minds of the people, along with the Christians and the missionaries, etc.
Of note, rich guys like Rick Caruso can help the homeless without being in politics, he can help communities to improve with his vast resources.
And Churches such as the 7th Day Adventists, and Mormons, and Catholics, and Jews, and Baptists, etc, etc, etc, can win the hearts and minds of people by helping the poor and the needy and the homeless and by helping the senior citizens, etc. You can win the hearts and minds of people by helping to house the homeless, and by feeding the poor, and by children reading books to the senior citizens in the nursing homes, etc.
Salute,
Tony V.