Vision of Hope Blog tagged 'vision of hope'

What Does Mumbai Mean?

Nissim Dahan

I don't claim any particular expertise in Indian/Pakistani relations. However, given the horrific events of recent days, I think that certain conclusions can be drawn.

1. Terrorism will not go away any time soon: Given the strong probability that there will always be various groups around the world whose members perceive themselves to be the victims of injustice, and given that as few as 10 men, acting in tandem, and with scant resources, could wreak such havoc in a hu [...]

In Search of New Frontiers

Nissim Dahan

America has always been a land of new frontiers. From the time that Columbus first set foot here, to the time that pioneers set out to settle the West, to the time that Americans set out for the moon, there has always been a sense here that there are new frontiers to explore. And yet, America now finds herself somewhat at a loss, and the promise of new frontiers is becoming illusory at best. Where do we go from here? The question lingers in the public mind.

America faces some gra [...]

Don't Laugh: Can Saudi Arabia become the "Mecca" of Green?

Nissim Dahan

Even the title sounds a bit out there. What, the Middle East, the world's largest producer of oil, becoming a center for green technology, and renewable energy? Sounds crazy, doesn't it? And yet, the sheer incongruity of it all may just be enough to make it work. In a world of increasing uncertainty, sometimes it is the unexpected that is to be expected.

Look at the world, and what do you see? A lot of good things, that's for sure. Beauty surrounds us wherever we choo [...]

The Hamsa and the Businessman

Nissim Dahan

Most of you probably know what a Hamsa is. Right? For those who don't; it is a good luck symbol, in the shape of a hand, which has been around as part of Arab and Jewish cultures for centuries. Most Hamsas feature an "eye" to protect from the "evil eye." And in recent times, a great many feature a "dove" to symbolize peace.

What would you say is the evil that we need protection from in this day and age? For what it's worth, today's evil i [...]

What's In It For Us?

Nissim Dahan

Sometimes, as I write about Selling a Vision of Hope, I think to myself, "How are you ever going to sell this stuff?" At a certain point, people are naturally going to wonder, "What's in it for us?"

In the past several blog entries, I've tried to show that Selling a Vision of Hope could be a useful framework not only for the Middle East, but for solving other problems as well, such as Global Warming, Globalization, and our Inner Cities. The basic idea [...]

What's All The Killing About? (may not be suitable for people of a human persuasion)

Nissim Dahan

Daniel Pipes, a renowned analyst of the Middle East, just published a list compiled, in part, by Gunnar Heinsohn, showing how many people were killed, since 1950, in all the various conflicts around the world. His point was that the Arab-Israeli conflict gets undo attention because it ranks only 49th among the 67 bloodiest conflicts, with "only" 51,000 fatalities, as compared to some of the others.

Please take the time to look at some of the numbers.

& [...]

Hope and the Inner City

Nissim Dahan

My wife and I live on the outskirts of a great American city, Baltimore, Maryland. For many reasons, we are proud to call this city home.

Having said that, however, we cannot help but recognize that Baltimore suffers from a whole host of big city problems-problems which are endemic to a great many cities across the US: more than 50% of babies born in Baltimore are born out of wedlock, we're close to the top in homicides averaging close to one murder a day, drug use and drug s [...]

Global Warming and a Vision of Hope

Nissim Dahan

The good thing about Selling a Vision of Hope is that it is versatile. It can be used to solve almost any problem we face. Ideology plus Investment equals Hope. Use An Ideology of Common Sense along with some well placed Investment Dollars to sell people on a Vision of Hope.

Global Warming is one hell of a problem. Let's put it in perspective using Common Sense. Most scientists agree that man-made greenhouse gases are causing global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere. [...]

Will Israelis and Palestinians Buy Into A Vision Of Hope?

Nissim Dahan

You can't talk about peace in the Middle East, without talking about Israel and the Palestinians. While it is true that an accommodation between Israel and the Palestinians will have to be reached for there to be peace in the Middle East, it is also true that such an accommodation, in and of itself, will not bring peace to the entire region. In other words, the issues to be resolved in the Middle East go beyond the issues that divide Israel and a future Palestine.

In f [...]

Can Wealthy Arabs Be Inspired to Sell a Vision of Hope?

Nissim Dahan

Let me ask you this: What is the one thing that can turn a pipe dream into reality?

The answer: Money.

Let's face it, Selling a Vision of Hope is only a pipe dream at this point. If you ask me, it's as close to impossible as you can get. Lots of people look at it and wonder if we're smoking something. But all that will change once a wealthy financier decides to fund a project on the ground which resonates with hope, and which says to the worl [...]

Why the word "Selling"?

Nissim Dahan

A good friend asked me recently: Why do you call your project, "Selling" a Vision of Hope? He implied that the word "Selling" has to do with the mundane area of commerce, and may demean the vision in some way.

I thought about it for a while and I came up with two reasons why the word "Selling" is indispensable for our Vision of Hope.

In the first place, the word "Selling" implies that our vision is persuasive-that [...]