Ramblings of a young-old-lady!
I shall lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Athens makes me understand that line even more. The hills of the mediterranean are awe inspiring. And wherever David was, there would have been hills all around. Beautifully rugged hills, set against the blue skies and the mediterranean sea. In the greenery and shrubbery, the presence of God abounds. I stand on the balcony/terrace of my room and I am awed by the sheer wonder of God's works. I remember looking out of the plane's window and being struck by the greatness of nature.
Maybe because I am older, I am more appreciative of nature and how it delivers the very essence and concept of a greater being, a creator. I am unable to accept the randomness of the big bang theory - our world was not randomly created. It has purpose and it has specifications. Everything in it works together for a purpose. The only sour note in the harmony of nature is MAN. And maybe the Chimps who are so like man (or is it vice-versa) that it is unnerving!
We wage wars, kill ourselves and other creatures for sport; tear down natural habitats for commercial gain; and pollute the air and the waters just because we can. Like a virus, we spread and infect everything in our path.
I am older and I ask myself today, on the anniversary of my birth, what that means to me. I know that with age I have gained a confidence in myself I never had growing up, even up till a few odd years ago. I came across a book "Letters to my 16 year-old Self" and after reading it, I wondered what I would say to my 16 year old self. The book also brought to mind Chimamanda's Single Story. I will explain the correlation in a bit.
At 16, we believe we know it all, and that our parents and elders are too old to get us. We never realize that it is BECAUSE they are old AND get us that they try to tell us what not to do. What would I tell my 16 year old self? That she should not be so shy and self-conscious because she is a beautiful person. That it's okay to not be into what her peers are into - boys & fashion. And that she was right to say no to just about everything she said "NO" to. And that it's okay to not "belong" and to not have much - it'll help her become the person she is today.
I will tell her that it is NOT her father she's hurting when she chooses to fail exams. That she should not hide her intelligence just because boys are threatened by it. That her father loves her so and he just does not know how to deal with the sulky teenager she has become, and that they will be great friends spending lengthy periods on the phone discussing the gift he passed to her - a love of books and learning. And that people who are judgmental are just poor in soul and spirit. All these she knows and she is so right. That she is right to want to be older, to want, so badly, to be free and independent; but that though she's right, it all comes with a price. That everything she goes through in her life is in preparation for what she needs to be. And that love is what is most important, and that friendships do last forever.
I'll tell her more, but she'll probably just freak out! What would you tell your sixteen year old self?
Back to how the book ties into Chimamanda's tale of a Single Story. Here's the link to the video http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html
Our prejudices encourage and push us to stereotype people. Also what we hear or think about a person or a set or group of people. Our prejudices are decided by a myriad of things - upbringing, race, social status, religion (NOT SPIRITUALITY) and our personal perceptions. The book has a lot of Gay/Lesbian writers in it. yes, yes, I know the story of Sodom & Gomorrah. I know that God purportedly hates homosexuals (But does He, really?) Jesus said nothing about hating people because they are in some way different. He preached love.
Anyway, we somehow think Gays/Lesbians do not deserve love or are incapable of love. In this book, many of their writings not only show that they are deserving of love, but have found love. We also tend to believe that all Gay men are effeminate and cross-dress. Or that all Gay women are butch. That is a Single Story. It is what the media and homophobic people put out there and in our total acceptance of the ignorance of our supposed "betters", we embrace without question their prejudices.
I am not a Gay Rights activist, nor do I really care about Animal Rights either! I just believe that we all need to stop emphasizing our differences and embrace our similarities.
At my age, I have learned a lot. And I think the most important thing I have learned is that WE judge ourselves; WE bring misery to ourselves by our self-righteousness. We brandish our religious beliefs like weapons instead of as banners of faith and truth. We arrogantly claim knowledge of God's will yet are totally deaf to His voice of peace and love. Religion is NOT about God; it is about power over people who know no better. In the Bible, it is said "My people PERISH for lack of knowledge". The word 'perish' as defined by merriam-webster means to become destroyed or ruined; cease to exist .
If you have no knowledge, extinction is the path you face! Ignorance is a sure path to destruction and decimation. I am maddened by "chain" mails that claim certain things and that people just pass on. Needless to say, those type of mails are consigned to the chasm of deletion once they reach MY mailbox. No-one bothers to ask any questions or find out for themselves.
Take the Harry Potter books. I know "educated and learned" people who told me that the book was "demonic". Did they read any of the books? "No" they reply with disdain. So, how do they know what's in the book? Well, their Pastor said so. Ah! Your Pastor read the book? They don't know but the pastor says it's demonic so it is, end of story.
These people amaze me - they will not follow the Bible tenet of forgiving 'seven times seventy-seven times' but they blindly obey their clay-footed god-on-earth, their Pastor? To them I say, Read the book and decide for yourself!
I am not religious - I have inherited from my father a healthy disrespect and disdain for organized religion. I am disdainful of the power the religious leaders wield so craftily, leading so many souls to spiritual penury, a state where there's a dearth of love and compassion and an abundance of self-righteousness and spiritual arrogance.
So, what am I? I am spiritual and have a faith in the mercy of God who created us all and to whom we all will ultimately return. I believe in His love and the power it has to heal the world. I believe in His love being in us all and giving us an obligation to love one another regardless and in spite of whoever we are. I do not really subscribe to "love your neighbour as you do yourself" because many of us do NOT love the people we are. A person who loves oneself does not hurt family and friends. A person who loves oneself cannot deliberately cause injury to others.
I fear I have rambled, but that is me.
As my birthday draws to a close, I know that I am happy; that I know who I am, though I may yet be certain of who I should be and that's okay, because that's what life is about; that I am so wonderfully blessed - with family, friends and those who love me; that people who do not treat me the way I deserve to be treated have no place in my life - they will NOT change and I really no longer care if they do or not! I know that my friends are loved and love me for who I am; that I am capable of abundant joy and that I can never be too happy; that I have no shame in telling those I love that I love them. We are visitors, souls in transit in this existence and that what is really important is not how good we look but how great we are when it comes to love. And I have love aplenty in my life and in my soul.
Love you all. Really!
Athens makes me understand that line even more. The hills of the mediterranean are awe inspiring. And wherever David was, there would have been hills all around. Beautifully rugged hills, set against the blue skies and the mediterranean sea. In the greenery and shrubbery, the presence of God abounds. I stand on the balcony/terrace of my room and I am awed by the sheer wonder of God's works. I remember looking out of the plane's window and being struck by the greatness of nature.
Maybe because I am older, I am more appreciative of nature and how it delivers the very essence and concept of a greater being, a creator. I am unable to accept the randomness of the big bang theory - our world was not randomly created. It has purpose and it has specifications. Everything in it works together for a purpose. The only sour note in the harmony of nature is MAN. And maybe the Chimps who are so like man (or is it vice-versa) that it is unnerving!
We wage wars, kill ourselves and other creatures for sport; tear down natural habitats for commercial gain; and pollute the air and the waters just because we can. Like a virus, we spread and infect everything in our path.
I am older and I ask myself today, on the anniversary of my birth, what that means to me. I know that with age I have gained a confidence in myself I never had growing up, even up till a few odd years ago. I came across a book "Letters to my 16 year-old Self" and after reading it, I wondered what I would say to my 16 year old self. The book also brought to mind Chimamanda's Single Story. I will explain the correlation in a bit.
At 16, we believe we know it all, and that our parents and elders are too old to get us. We never realize that it is BECAUSE they are old AND get us that they try to tell us what not to do. What would I tell my 16 year old self? That she should not be so shy and self-conscious because she is a beautiful person. That it's okay to not be into what her peers are into - boys & fashion. And that she was right to say no to just about everything she said "NO" to. And that it's okay to not "belong" and to not have much - it'll help her become the person she is today.
I will tell her that it is NOT her father she's hurting when she chooses to fail exams. That she should not hide her intelligence just because boys are threatened by it. That her father loves her so and he just does not know how to deal with the sulky teenager she has become, and that they will be great friends spending lengthy periods on the phone discussing the gift he passed to her - a love of books and learning. And that people who are judgmental are just poor in soul and spirit. All these she knows and she is so right. That she is right to want to be older, to want, so badly, to be free and independent; but that though she's right, it all comes with a price. That everything she goes through in her life is in preparation for what she needs to be. And that love is what is most important, and that friendships do last forever.
I'll tell her more, but she'll probably just freak out! What would you tell your sixteen year old self?
Back to how the book ties into Chimamanda's tale of a Single Story. Here's the link to the video http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html
Our prejudices encourage and push us to stereotype people. Also what we hear or think about a person or a set or group of people. Our prejudices are decided by a myriad of things - upbringing, race, social status, religion (NOT SPIRITUALITY) and our personal perceptions. The book has a lot of Gay/Lesbian writers in it. yes, yes, I know the story of Sodom & Gomorrah. I know that God purportedly hates homosexuals (But does He, really?) Jesus said nothing about hating people because they are in some way different. He preached love.
Anyway, we somehow think Gays/Lesbians do not deserve love or are incapable of love. In this book, many of their writings not only show that they are deserving of love, but have found love. We also tend to believe that all Gay men are effeminate and cross-dress. Or that all Gay women are butch. That is a Single Story. It is what the media and homophobic people put out there and in our total acceptance of the ignorance of our supposed "betters", we embrace without question their prejudices.
I am not a Gay Rights activist, nor do I really care about Animal Rights either! I just believe that we all need to stop emphasizing our differences and embrace our similarities.
At my age, I have learned a lot. And I think the most important thing I have learned is that WE judge ourselves; WE bring misery to ourselves by our self-righteousness. We brandish our religious beliefs like weapons instead of as banners of faith and truth. We arrogantly claim knowledge of God's will yet are totally deaf to His voice of peace and love. Religion is NOT about God; it is about power over people who know no better. In the Bible, it is said "My people PERISH for lack of knowledge". The word 'perish' as defined by merriam-webster means to become destroyed or ruined; cease to exist .
If you have no knowledge, extinction is the path you face! Ignorance is a sure path to destruction and decimation. I am maddened by "chain" mails that claim certain things and that people just pass on. Needless to say, those type of mails are consigned to the chasm of deletion once they reach MY mailbox. No-one bothers to ask any questions or find out for themselves.
Take the Harry Potter books. I know "educated and learned" people who told me that the book was "demonic". Did they read any of the books? "No" they reply with disdain. So, how do they know what's in the book? Well, their Pastor said so. Ah! Your Pastor read the book? They don't know but the pastor says it's demonic so it is, end of story.
These people amaze me - they will not follow the Bible tenet of forgiving 'seven times seventy-seven times' but they blindly obey their clay-footed god-on-earth, their Pastor? To them I say, Read the book and decide for yourself!
I am not religious - I have inherited from my father a healthy disrespect and disdain for organized religion. I am disdainful of the power the religious leaders wield so craftily, leading so many souls to spiritual penury, a state where there's a dearth of love and compassion and an abundance of self-righteousness and spiritual arrogance.
So, what am I? I am spiritual and have a faith in the mercy of God who created us all and to whom we all will ultimately return. I believe in His love and the power it has to heal the world. I believe in His love being in us all and giving us an obligation to love one another regardless and in spite of whoever we are. I do not really subscribe to "love your neighbour as you do yourself" because many of us do NOT love the people we are. A person who loves oneself does not hurt family and friends. A person who loves oneself cannot deliberately cause injury to others.
I fear I have rambled, but that is me.
As my birthday draws to a close, I know that I am happy; that I know who I am, though I may yet be certain of who I should be and that's okay, because that's what life is about; that I am so wonderfully blessed - with family, friends and those who love me; that people who do not treat me the way I deserve to be treated have no place in my life - they will NOT change and I really no longer care if they do or not! I know that my friends are loved and love me for who I am; that I am capable of abundant joy and that I can never be too happy; that I have no shame in telling those I love that I love them. We are visitors, souls in transit in this existence and that what is really important is not how good we look but how great we are when it comes to love. And I have love aplenty in my life and in my soul.
Love you all. Really!
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