{"id":98859,"date":"2017-09-25T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T11:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=98859"},"modified":"2023-05-07T07:15:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T06:15:53","slug":"good-bye-see-you-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2017\/09\/good-bye-see-you-later\/","title":{"rendered":"Good-Bye, See You Later"},"content":{"rendered":"

We made it!\u00a0 Five hundred Mondays [from 3 Mar 2008<\/a>] has Antonio from Brazil-Portugal posted an editorial by me from Norway and the world–sometimes with a coauthor. With the good support of the other members of our editorial committee, Malvin Gattinger from Germany, Naakow Grant-Hayford from Ghana and Erika Degortes from Italy. THANKS!<\/p>\n

Five hundred times have I had the challenge of exploring what the UN wisely calls a “situation”–unlike me, avoiding the word “crisis”.\u00a0 Five hundred times have I tried to follow what I absorbed from when I was 2 years old at dining tables listening to my physician father and nurse mother–daughter of the director of health care in Norway–the program implicit in the three magic words diagnosis-prognosis-therapy. DPT.<\/p>\n

Five hundred analyses of something problematic to put it mildly; five hundred efforts to forecast, foresee what will happen if we do nothing, and five hundred efforts to end creatively with a proposal.<\/p>\n

The editorials seem to have been widely read, particularly in the old superpowers, USA and USSR, today mainly Russia.\u00a0 Since most of them have been about something geopolitical, perhaps these two are the most geopolitically minded, trying for a long time to run the world.\u00a0 It could also be that they are simply the most literate in world affairs.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, maybe I would have liked to have seen more readers from the new superpowers, China and India; not middle-sized like the old ones, but 37% of humanity.\u00a0 Hopefully more at peace than not.<\/p>\n

And one bigger than even China: Islam, 1,650 million Muslims.<\/p>\n

It has been a fascinating weekly challenge.\u00a0 Scanning the world for what is new, projecting a DPT on the wall, or the screen rather.\u00a0 Well knowing that reading as much as 3 pp-a good format, long enough to be broad and deep, short enough to be legible-is beyond many today. They pick up the topic, some key words, and are quickly commenting.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, my deep gratitude to you all for these 500 challenges.<\/p>\n

And now we have a “situation”.\u00a0 I learned from the PM of Brexit UK the mantra that “enough is enough” (for instance enough of her).\u00a0 But, Johan, if you enjoy it so much, why not just continue? Good question.<\/p>\n

There will be still some editorials coming from me, particularly of the “Meanwhile Around the World” type, scooping up a lot.<\/p>\n

But the challenge should now be shared with a much bigger group, and so far a new editorial committee with 16 or so has been formed. The challenge may land on each one of them a couple of times a year. They will enjoy it; no doubt so will the readers.\u00a0 More diversity.<\/p>\n

But there are also some personal reasons.\u00a0 And you, dear readers, are entitled to know what they are.<\/p>\n

It is not fatigue of any kind, approaching 87. But I want to use my coming years for something even more challenging and difficult: research on macro-culture, macro-history, and on their relations.<\/p>\n

The Grand View. Macro-culture is deep down, macro-history is its manifestations.\u00a0 The relations, please!\u00a0 An American once defined history as “one damn event after the other”. Empirical, punctual, linear in time, crystal clear. And wrong.\u00a0 A German, Ranke, long time ago made a plea for the empirical, “wie es eigentlich gewesen<\/em>“, how it “really” was. As opposed to memory, individual or delivered collective memory.\u00a0 Keeping generations pondering the word “really”. Better.<\/p>\n

Fascinating. I feel called upon to move our thinking horizon on history a millimeter or two.\u00a0 That requires much work with nothing else on the agenda. So, everything regular and institutional–like weekly editorial-writing, monthly alfadeltapi<\/em> meetings in my beloved L’Alf\u00e0z del Pi, annual long symposia in my beloved Jondal–have been cut almost out. In favor of very good people who are taking over in all places.<\/p>\n

Bringing Alf\u00e0z to Spain and Jondal to Norway will happen, but not on a regular basis. Ad hoc<\/em>.\u00a0 Big thoughts have been thought in small places–for big places thinking small thoughts. If thinking at all.<\/p>\n

After the five hundred I cannot refrain from giving some very open-ended “after me” reflections.<\/p>\n

I think the 3 pp format is good, but not binding on us.\u00a0 Could be shorter, but not too short. Could be longer, but not too long.\u00a0 Depends on the topic, depends on the author.\u00a0 Be flexible, but also be aware that the readers have become accustomed to a certain format.<\/p>\n

I think the DPT agenda is good, but not binding on us.\u00a0 An editorial focused on analysis only, forecasting only, solutions only, might also be very appropriate. Or a literary “flow of consciousness”.\u00a0 Be flexible, but again be aware that readers have become accustomed, whether they know it or not, to that DPT agenda. And may miss it.<\/p>\n

Be also aware of an asymmetry.\u00a0 Anyone with university training knows something about analysis; facts and their organization. And anyone somehow in politics have some values-ideas-ideals.\u00a0 Combine them with the facts, and you have the basis for abundant criticism.<\/p>\n

Do it, but be aware that this is the easy way out. When there are so few constructive, creative proposals, it is not only because they are ruled out by “value-free science” (which of course never existed), but because it is simply more difficult. Hundreds, thousands of times have I heard: “What to do about it? No idea”.\u00a0 Produce those ideas.<\/p>\n

What else?\u00a0 Lush Jondal with sun and rain changing more quickly than the temper of women. Wonderful people like Hans and Anett Bjelke, pillar, living alone at Northern Spitsbergen, teaching in Northwestern Greenland and Norway.\u00a0 Working with their good hands and good minds.<\/p>\n

Music, however dubious the FM channel. Literature.\u00a0 Right now, on the Kindle, the collected plays of Anton Chekhov.\u00a0 I almost envy those who have not yet read them: about all that is human, for good and bad.<\/p>\n

And on my side wonderful, beautiful Fumi, with the best of Japan.<\/p>\n

Thank you, wonderful life. Aging is nothing to fear if you keep in reasonable shape, and reinvent yourself.\u00a0 Most of it is up to you.<\/p>\n

__________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mrs. Fumiko Galtung, TMS editor Antonio C.S. Rosa, Johan Galtung in Norway, 2007<\/p><\/div>\n

Johan Galtung, a professor of peace studies, dr hc mult, is founder of <\/em>TRANSCEND International<\/a> and rector of <\/em>TRANSCEND Peace University<\/a>. Prof. Galtung has published more than 1500 articles\u00a0and book\u00a0chapters, 500 Editorials for <\/em>TRANSCEND Media Service<\/a>, and more than 170 books on peace and related issues<\/em>, of which more than 40 have been translated to other languages, including <\/em>50 Years \u2013 <\/em>100 Peace and Conflict Perspectives<\/a> published by <\/em>TRANSCEND University Press<\/a>. More information about Prof. Galtung<\/a> and all of his publications<\/a> can be found at transcend.org\/galtung<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We made it! Five hundred Mondays [from 3 Mar 2008] has Antonio from Brazil-Portugal posted an editorial by me from Norway and the world–sometimes with a coauthor. With the good support of the other members of our editorial committee, Malvin Gattinger from Germany, Naakow Grant-Hayford from Ghana and Erika Degortes from Italy. THANKS!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[290,420,421,260,809,688,945],"class_list":["post-98859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial","tag-culture","tag-dpt","tag-geopolitical","tag-history","tag-johan-galtung","tag-peace-journalism","tag-transcend-media-service"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98859"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234971,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98859\/revisions\/234971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}