Mention of Baha'i
Baha'i Classes
Silvie's fan fiction
Curing Consultative Abulia
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Upcoming Events
No More Fanatics!
Dunnville's Baha'i Fireside for next month will be Tuesday May 13th with Joe Woods as our speaker. Joe's topic is slated to be: "An End to Religious Fanaticism." As always, it will take place
Philosopher's Cafe Announcement
Philosopher's Cafe
Topic for discussion:
"Democracy vs. Meritocracy"
The April Philosopher's Cafe discussion had a good mix of new friends and old. The topic was "What is Progress?" Many definitions were given. The give and take of ideas took us in several directions, but in the end we all agreed that a good topic to discuss next time will be the problem of reconciling the will of the people with the consensus of expert opinion. This will have to be done if we hope to reverse climate destabilization and stop ruining the environment. I have discussed this in more detail on my blog, at:
<http://badiblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/tenv-bugbomb.html>
Philosopher's Cafe discussion at the Wainfleet Library: A second Thursday of the month destination for provocative, insightful discussion around ideas and issues that matter.
905-899-1277 www.wainfleetlibrary.ca
Mention of Baha'i Faith in Wall Street Journal
"In Search of...Something, A growing number of Chinese, unmoored by rapid change, are finding answers in religion"
The description in this article of the Baha'i Faith as "factionless" shocks one's ears at first. I had never heard our lack of sects described as "factionless," then you realize it is a negative way to portray a very positive virtue.
"That search for answers is surprisingly broad. Protestantism is gaining followers, and the revival of Buddhism is evident in the increasing number of people who wear prayer-bead bracelets -- a rare sight in
Baha'i Classes
We have been having daily Baha'i classes before bedtime. At first the kids drew as I read, but now they mostly listen. I have been trying to get them to stand up and talk about what they learn, since in my opinion the Canadian educational system does not have enough emphasis on public speaking and thinking on your feet. I have only done it once, though, and need to figure out a way to make in more exiting for them. Right now we are reading a page from the Virtues project (recent virtues: forgiveness and friendliness), then a chapter or two from Hitjo Garst's new children's biography of the Master, then a chapter from the Book of Matthew.
Silvie's fan fiction
The lure of online computer games (which their school encourages) is very strong for 8 year old Thomas. If I left him alone, he would spend every moment of his evenings and weekends glued to the computer. Now that the weather is better I boot him outdoors after an hour maximum. When I was a kid they had force us to come inside to eat; now it is the reverse.
Silvie uses the computer not for games but to read fan fiction, especially from her favorite animal fantasy series, Silverwing. Many of these unofficial Silverwing stories are written in German or French, but that does not stop her. She goes over to Babblefish, an online machine translation service, and has them translated into what seems to me to be complete gibberish. I asked her how she can enjoy this mess, and she says she finds it perfectly natural to figure it out. She uses her entire alotted hour each evening reading this mishmash. I chose a paragraph at random, machine translated from the French -- so judge for yourself if this is readable, much less readable for pleasure. (notice that for some reason Babblefish does not translate some words, like grogner, to growl)
"It was distant... too even. It did not address almost more the word to him, thing that Luna found afflicting. It had now become a practice which it only finds with the Hole. It could not be prevented one evening, however, from intercepting the prince and of knowing what arrived good once for all! It was surprised to see it grogner and tighten the teeth in front of it and to want to leave to far. But Luna was then satisfied to say curtly: - Why do you flee in front of the problems? Goth solidified... It laughed in itself because it had already said that to him one day, but it was turned over towards it with a furious air. - I do not flee! - Then why you do not speak any more? It was going to retort something, but only a sigh left. Slowly it lowered its ears. - Luna... I reflected they are last times and... I believe that... you should turn over in north."
Curing Consultative Abulia
"God, whose law it is that he who learns must suffer.
And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget,
falls drop by drop upon the heart,
and in our own despite,
against our will,
comes wisdom to us
by the awful grace of God."
-Aeschylus, the Agamemnon
There is, somewhere on the net, an archival film of Robert Kennedy reciting this ancient poem while announcing the assassination of Martin Luther King. If you doubt the effectiveness of poetry, and the primal force of reciting words by memory, consider that in that city where Kennedy announced the news there was no rioting that night. In just about every other city in the
Watching Kennedy recite that rather difficult and profound poem, I was inspired. Man, this is the power of words that have melted into you during real suffering. No wonder they put this poem on his gravestone. Clearly, reciting just any poem would never have had the effect that this did. Clearly, Robert Kennedy had memorized these words as a way of coping with the recent assassination of his brother, JFK; everybody there knew it. He had stayed up late at night, in real pain as those words "pain that cannot forget" burned deep into his soul. He had felt what the Blacks in that audience were feeling right then. That is why the shock and indignation of his listeners at a very similar loss was quelled so effectively.
And that is why our present privately owned press is so insidious and dangerous. These corporations profit when emotions are inflamed. Reconciliation is not in their interest. It is boring, and does not sell advertising. On that night in that town, it was as if a controlled social experiment were tested and proven: a violent, inflammatory situation can be made better when the bearer of ill news is the right person to speak it, and speaks from the heart. Who knows but that by now we would have our climate and environmental abulia under control, if only new research findings over past decades had been given in a disinterested, sincere way, by the right person from the heart? Who knows how far we would be to a united, singular world by now?
Baha'u'llah is calling for martyr-heralds to arise and behave like Bobby Kennedy did that night. The news that these messengers bear, though, is good news. His words that follow show that Baha'u'llah is calling for such a herald, someone who can answer what He calls the "highest calling." Somewhere, someone is burning in an hour of agony these words deep down soul, being readied to pour out conciliation to a generation in anguish.
"God grant that he may be enabled to sincerely voice, and to act in accordance with, the following words: `Say: It is God; then leave them to entertain themselves with their cavilings.' May he endeavour to guide those deprived souls who remain secluded in darkness and obscurity towards the light of the Sun. May he seize, through the potency of the Most Great Name, the banner that speaketh of naught save His Revelation and march at the forefront of the people of the former religions, that perchance the darkness of the world may be dispelled and the effulgent rays of the Sun of Truth may shine upon all mankind. This, in truth, is the most perfect bounty and the highest calling. Should man fail to attain unto this sublime station, where then can he find comfort and joy? What will sustain and animate him? With whom will he commune at the hour of repose, and whose name will he invoke when he riseth from slumber? Again: `Verily, we are God's, and to Him shall we return.'" (Baha'u'llah, Tabernacle)
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