Counting was probably easier in the 1960s when Esperanto was connected with peace and disarmament. The spy agencies on both sides alternately cultivated and persecuted Esperantists. Most peace events had a table distributing the Green Book.
Yes, I guess so – peace can be used as a weapon, in a sense. At least when it is in the shape of a movement and people who are enthusiastic about it. That old idea that if only people could talk with each other they wouldn't need to fight, was such one that was, and is, logically right, but it misses out on that other human idea that having faith in others is a weakness – that can be exploited.
I wouldn't be surprised if those spy agencies still count the Esperantists, and probably for similar reasons. The later years have seen posts on social media being harvested by those organizations to decide who can get a visa, for instance, based on opinions expressed.
Your comment now makes me think about that peace element of Esperanto – is it still so?
I guess that the world perspective automatically leads an open and friendly attitude, so if for nothing else, this should lead to more peace-oriented people among Esperantists than among, say, the nationalist movements. But is it something that Esperantists in general think about as a defined element of what makes then interested in Esperanto? Or was that just a thing of the past?
Counting was probably easier in the 1960s when Esperanto was connected with peace and disarmament. The spy agencies on both sides alternately cultivated and persecuted Esperantists. Most peace events had a table distributing the Green Book.
Yes, I guess so – peace can be used as a weapon, in a sense. At least when it is in the shape of a movement and people who are enthusiastic about it. That old idea that if only people could talk with each other they wouldn't need to fight, was such one that was, and is, logically right, but it misses out on that other human idea that having faith in others is a weakness – that can be exploited.
I wouldn't be surprised if those spy agencies still count the Esperantists, and probably for similar reasons. The later years have seen posts on social media being harvested by those organizations to decide who can get a visa, for instance, based on opinions expressed.
Your comment now makes me think about that peace element of Esperanto – is it still so?
I guess that the world perspective automatically leads an open and friendly attitude, so if for nothing else, this should lead to more peace-oriented people among Esperantists than among, say, the nationalist movements. But is it something that Esperantists in general think about as a defined element of what makes then interested in Esperanto? Or was that just a thing of the past?