Thoughts in the Presence of Fear
If I were the Dean of Earth, I would make the following short piece required reading for the entire World (and U.S. Americans would be required to read it twice (neo-cons three times)).

Wendell Berry (he of the Siberian Woodsman that I posted earlier) wrote these 27 thoughts shortly after September 11, 2001 and, sadly, they are still very relevant (unfortunately, we, as a society, are not so good at learning the lessons that Life offers to us).

So, stop everything for about five minutes and read this right now (twice if you live in the United States (etc.)).  It just might be the most important thing you'll read ... ever.

When you're done, read it again. Only then, consider sharing your reactions here?

Thoughts in the Presence of Fear by Wendell Berry

If this speaks to you, feel free to pass it on to everyone you know.