Wednesday, September 24, 2008 || 12:53 AM
Voltaire said "the pen is mightier than the sword"Growing up as a child to educated and intellectual parents, who were themselves children during the second world war, in a self-proclaimed third world country, I knew that man always craved for what was elusive. I used to hear my mom quote Tagore often - loosely translated this is how it goes "what i seek i seek in error, what i receive i want not". these lines stayed with me and i started to see the truth in the verse.
Man craves peace the most, joy and love. Yet we more often than not are witness to life sans peace, joy being temporal and love without a meaning. The other day I heard a colleague mention "true love" so I asked if anyone was aware of false love. We were a group of neo-spiritual people "on the path" "in earnest quest", hence this question was responded by querying glances and unsure smiles. Let me ask you, how do you know when you love, experience it for yourself or someone else.
As a mother I know what love means, it is an unconditional feeling I experience eternally for my children which is heightened when i sense them either through sight, smell, sound or touch. It is a feeling that is easy to experience and so hard to explain.
The world seems to be ruled by politicians. I know what happens in the macrocosm is a projection of what is going on in the microcosm. Some NLP practitioners will echo "perception is projection". But whether a political, religious or spiritual leader, what is the power that bestows the rights and responsibilities onto them so they may decide the future of those who look up to them.
What is it that turns people away from the leaders and makes them appoint another one? Each leader has his or her own agenda, whether it is to fatten their pocket, widen their reign or build more orphanages and hospitals.
When leaders decide do they keep their followers in mind, the citizens, the common people, the students, the mothers, the innocent civilians or the elders. When a concept is institutionalized, the essence is diluted.
Yes, the leaders do give us a purpose. If each individual counts, then is each individual consulted prior to making a decision. When a guru decides to build a temple, he merely speaks of his desire and then imposes it upon his/her followers to raise fund so his dream of a temple is fulfilled. When the city decides to widen a street, they break down fences, front yards and even walls of houses to widen the street. The house owners have no say at all, even if it is their living room or bed room which is being bull dozed. Is the decision maker really concerned about the home owner?
I know that most people, at least those who are affected immediately by such decisions experience emotions such as fear, anger, resentment and guilt and also feel helpless. I know every human does the best with what they have and know and with time we all evolve and expand. But the negative emotions linger and become part of our cellular nature, our DNA structure. Hatred and love are inherited. Dysfunction becomes an addiction.
People experience a high and get a fix from negative news. Drugs should not be branded as legal or illegal anymore. The law makers make money of of it all the time anyway. Calling what is natural as illegal and the synthesized stuff as legal merely means that they will profit by imposing taxes or in clandestine manners. Taxes need to be accounted for, but covert transactions are for personal gains and never need to be reported.
I have a business decision that I shall use my pen and my vocabulary to stir up recesses of the human psyche where each of us will find the power within themselves to BE. Until we meet again aloha & namaste! Sept. 24th 2008.
Monday, August 18, 2008 || 7:38 AM
Detached of the outcome:Yesterday I received my learning on being detached from the outcome. My young, beautiful and wise friend is helping me learn about God and his children. Humans have flaws and are pardonable, but that happens only when human forgive themselves and accept their humanity. Until now my acceptance of me being human was not accepting responsibility of my actions. I used to say to myself "I am only human" "this is my lesson and part of my evolutionary process." I made excuses for my flaws but never really took responsibility of that and accepted my humanity.
He mentioned that he had quit seeing the Sufis for one reason because they subjugated him. They could not gather and discuss God, spirituality and love as equals. I remembered all the other places and people I have visited where I made to see my space and I was told that it is all part of working through my ego. I have teachers in my life who openly rebuke me, un-lovingly, and claim that to be part of affection. I was raised by strict disciplinarians and that is the way I learnt, the way of perfectionism when nothing is perfect, nor is God. We are all moving towards and on the path of excellence as we perfect our way.
Even God seems to be on his own evolutionary path through us. Amma (Sri Karunamayi Ma) often says there is no need to scream and yell or be hard on your loved ones or anyone at all. Usually those we do not know or care about, we leave them alone. But when we love someone we are hard on them, and we claim that to be love. Amma says that we can act and be more open in our ways and pleasant in our manners.
I have always followed the path of being and allowing. I prefer not to call people names or judge anyone's action. If it does not suit me, I do walk away. But now I am in this project and want to use to create this book, training event and eventual training programs for trainers.
Thursday, August 14, 2008 || 11:57 AM
What does a daughter do????
They say 16 is a sweet and tender age, but is sweet and tender about someone cloaked in shame and veiled in resentment. When the daughters in our families are tormented by the men who are meant to be their protectors, where do they go? Who do they grow up to be? Mothers? Maids? Mistresses? Confused in sexuality? Angry at the world and everything it represents?
What does a girl do, if she can't turn to her mother, aunt or older sister? No body believes her for only one reason, for believing it would mean accepting it, finding the strength within them to confront their men, the abusers of their daughters and then in the end abandon the relationship they have been continuing.
Women when they quit their financial responsibilities and pick up the role of full-time care providers, there needs to be someone who would support them in all aspects of their existence. The society is defunct because the members comprising the society at unable to support themselves. They are lost in the values and have no faith. That is how the law system comes up and but then everything is in the eyes of the beholder, the abuser, the abused, the judge, the $$$ to have valuable and qualified representation. If everything goes right then, the lawyer goes home with his earnings to his family. The abuser is sentenced to his fate as deemed fit by law, the victim returns home to her family of abusers. Her asset becomes her liability. Her beauty, her youth are both to her disadvantage.
Now that the world "knows" of her woe, she is more embarrassed by her plight. Every woman looks at her with envy and pity at the same time. They envy her for her ability to arouse a man, they pity her for her current state and they despise her for being the instrument of the fall of a "man", someone who could have supported a family financially. Men will be men and boys will be boys are their attitude. And girls must be "shushed" and women must remain in debt to their men for the privilege of not having to take up prostitution for a living.
But is their more dignity in demanding your worth after a service or is it more respectful to serve without asking for anything.
When does this end? Where does it lead one to? A dysfunctional society cannot birth healthy citizens. Unhealthy citizens cannot create a healthy society. This is a vicious circle that must be broken, and it begins with the individual who finds the strength within them to stand up for their truth, what is right for themselves and the world of now and the future.
Our present is based on the past, true. So shouldn't we work on our present and base our future on our present? Now how does this happen. It is only when we dig deep down within ourselves, keep our head high and our chin up and find the strength from within. When the courage which is within and we are so sure of it, begins to play peek-a-boo with us, we pray, meditate and ask for God to show us a sign, in whatever form shape of fashion God deems fit. At times, it is a butterfly, a song, a book, a stray smile, a fleeting glance , a phone call from a friend or the call of a teacher. We know that all these signs are from God asking us to reach out and receive from God his grace and guidance through his gift in the form of his instrument that he sent our way.
My friend came to me, and without asking, shared his story and healed me through his journey. Today I know why do daughters experience their trials and endure their protectors who dwell in their own fears and wants, and can't give for they are in need. I was being prepared so I may share his sister's story with no ego or attachments. I had to free myself so I could receive her offering to the world through her brother and put the pieces together in a story for the world.
It is not just a story of a brother and sister, it is a story through which mankind learn to acknowledge the fables in scriptures that our prophets used to teach us simple lessons. It is a story in which people learn to accept the fact that their is an expiration dat eon how long a grudge may be born on their parent or abuser or any aspect of their past. It is a story in which women recognize sisterhood in other women. It is a story through which men free themselves in the knowledge of the strength of their women. Instead of suppressing women and crushing their beauty and wisdom to serve their own weak egos, let them know in the strength of their women lies their strength, in the wisdom and grace of their women lies the path to their heaven.
.... May peace be upon us all!....
August 14th 2008
|| 9:09 AM
a sojourn .... through her brother's eyes When people come and speak of pain and suffering then I would not know what to say. Here I shared a day when a brother shared part of his sister’s story through his own eyes. A nation struggling for freedom from its oppressors. Israel was formed and no body knows why people hurt others except for it being a fear based decision. It is a passionate path of destruction and victory that people in the middle east have witnessed and experienced over millennia. There is no way there could be a brother’s story, a sister’s story and no story from how I saw it.
Life is about finding the courage to let go of the past so a new tomorrow may be welcomed. Amidst our pain, we must seek courage, amidst our resentment we must experience courage, amidst our fears we must find courage, amidst our loneliness we must become courageous,
Past is a place to let go off, a place never to return to, except maybe in our tender memories and pleasant conversations. Past is a place where we find strength from the love we knew. Fear of losing is the most wasted emotion. What we have we can never lose. What we do not have we can never lose. So there can never be a sense of loss, a feeling of loss.
I write this book for the brothers and sisters of today who are growing up to be men and women of tomorrow. Brothers and sisters gather their courage in their strife and woe, in their play and pranks. They are there for each other. An older sister often assumes the role of a mother, an older brother – a father. What happens an older sister is in grief, who does she go to, when the parent is missing? A pet always helps for comfort and solace, a hug or a lick. It is the younger brother who shows up. And just by his presence she finds the strength.
Rabab met her son after years of struggle merely for visitation, and the first time he glanced at his mother he did not have nice things to say. His gaze was one of love and his words were harsh. The look was his, but his words were his fathers. A devout lady of peace, modern in her ways and actively part of the rising consciousness, all she had was her love and place of peace and in it she delved to find the strength to forgive his words. In her mind she still saw her little angel that she had left behind, that day when she held him along with his sister close to her bosom and promised them that she would be back. She had no idea that, it would be the last time she held her child, her first born at 17. He was 17 now as old as she was when she had him. Despite the cold and harshness, she found the courage within her to forgive him, accept him and love her boy. She knew it wasn’t him, it was his “not knowing” that was being reflected in his manners.
Rabab gives me strength to know that my children have to be allowed to live their life. All I can do is love my children both unconditionally and eternally. That is the least and most I can do, everything else will always find a way to be in place and fill up the nooks and crannies, curves and bends. I know every mother in the world trapped in a relationship because of her children and her own limiting beliefs will find strength in the knowledge that in the end unless I love myself wholly and unconditionally, I cannot love anyone even my children completely. Thank you Rabab for sharing your story through your brother to the world, and inspiring us. Thank you for giving me the courage personally so I may live the truth.
Every moment of her waking hours she spent thinking of and speaking of her children. She made people who never had seen her children fall in love with them. I am sure when she slept she dreamt of her children and traveled with them through clouds and astral realms. The only time she smiled or seemed cheerful was when there was mention of her children. When she had the court order of visitation rights, she saw her son but not her daughter because she was a divorced mother who had seemingly abandoned her children and worse than everything she did not have the veil on covering her face. She was in the Hezbollah area of southern Lebanon with the veil covering her head out of respect, but her best effort of wanting to belong wasn't good enough. .....
Until we meet, all my love,
Aug.14th, 2008