I need to head off to choir in the next few minutes, yet I'm still sitting at my desk in the office musing about things, big life-altering things.
I've been thinking a lot about parenting and preparedness. Having Brooke and Emad here in the Holy Land with little Navvab has really resonated something within me, but I'm still hesitant. What makes me think I could be ready to be a mother? I wonder - is there an innate capacity all women have to be wonderful mothers, or is a matter of nature versus nuture and not everyone is capable doing it well?
I mean, I know this won't even be an issue for me for some time, as I am still single. But being interested in somebody (albeit somebody currently in another country) is also making me think about where I could be in two years, five years, ten years. Hopefully off serving the Faith somewhere, making a difference in the lives of those around me. Will there be a family present, though? I really want to travel the world, but I don't want to go by myself. I want to be able to share those types of experiences with another human being, someone whose soul is intimately linked to mine, someone I can create a new soul with and bring that new soul up in the world together.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Some Definitions
Here are some definitions I felt it prudent to clarify. Please refer back to my earlier post Epiphany for further understanding.
(All definitions have been taken from www.dictionary.reference.com)
SECULAR (adjective)
- of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal.
HUMANIST (adjective)
- of or pertaining to a philosophy asserting human dignity and man's capacity for fulfillment through reason and scientific method and often rejecting religion.
(Being considered a Humanist can also refer to someone who is concerned with the interests and welfare of humans, but in general it seems to refer to a rejection of religious belief for scientific reason instead.)
RELIGION (noun)
- a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
SPIRITUALITY (adjective)
This one's hard to define without using "spirit" in the definition:
- of or pertaining to sacred things or matters; religious; devotional; sacred.
- of or pertaining to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature.
- of or relating to the mind or intellect (hmmm, interesting...)
ATTACK (noun)
- an expression of strong criticism; hostile comments.
(All definitions have been taken from www.dictionary.reference.com)
SECULAR (adjective)
- of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal.
HUMANIST (adjective)
- of or pertaining to a philosophy asserting human dignity and man's capacity for fulfillment through reason and scientific method and often rejecting religion.
(Being considered a Humanist can also refer to someone who is concerned with the interests and welfare of humans, but in general it seems to refer to a rejection of religious belief for scientific reason instead.)
RELIGION (noun)
- a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
SPIRITUALITY (adjective)
This one's hard to define without using "spirit" in the definition:
- of or pertaining to sacred things or matters; religious; devotional; sacred.
- of or pertaining to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature.
- of or relating to the mind or intellect (hmmm, interesting...)
ATTACK (noun)
- an expression of strong criticism; hostile comments.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Visiting Pilgrims and News From Home
More friends have come to visit the Holy Land on pilgrimage this week, and I am so excited to see them here! Brooke and Emad are here, as are Emad's family, along with their brand new baby girl, Navvab. I have to admit, that kid is absolutely adorable! Almost five months old, and she is such a little moosh moosh...cutie pie, basically. (It means mouse in Persian)
{We had a lovely dinner out at Greg's cafe last night; the food there just keeps getting better and better! I highly recommend either the cheese symphony salad or the chicken tortillas. Emad also said the goat cheese tortillas were to die for, but I didn't actually get to try one, so you'll have to take his word on that one.}
But it's really great to see them here and find out what's been going on back in our home community. Emad is lucky enough to be on the Local Spiritual Assembly there, and he's been filling me in on the past year that I've missed. A lot of drama, apparently; the Assembly's been busy, busy busy! It seems that we live in a community that tends to have two population groups: there are the permanent residents, the older adults who have moved there to settle or retire or whatnot, and there is transient youth population that comes in for a short time, revitalises the community with energy and fervour, and then moves on to their next stage in life. Usually elsewhere. Our community at home is one of many where the active Baha'is are mainly youth who, once their eyes have been opened to the possibilities in the world, cannot simply stay at home anymore. They must go out into the global sphere and teach and serve and make this world amazing. But...that means we lose them, in a sense, by not having their glorious spiritual energy in our community anymore. I suppose we must look at it instead as setting them loose upon the world and allowing their dynamic power to dramatically change another community for the better.
That's all well and good, but it means that our community has been going through a lot of ups and downs in terms of Baha'i activities and participation in teaching campaigns. Sometimes the town is red-hot with energy and activities, and sometimes it's very quiet and sedate with not a lot going on. Which is ok too, they just shouldn't let it stay down for too long.
I'm going home for a visit in less than two weeks, and I'm very excited to see what's been happening in my absence. Who knows, maybe me coming back for a while can provide a little boost of energy and encouragement to those youth that are still there...
{We had a lovely dinner out at Greg's cafe last night; the food there just keeps getting better and better! I highly recommend either the cheese symphony salad or the chicken tortillas. Emad also said the goat cheese tortillas were to die for, but I didn't actually get to try one, so you'll have to take his word on that one.}
But it's really great to see them here and find out what's been going on back in our home community. Emad is lucky enough to be on the Local Spiritual Assembly there, and he's been filling me in on the past year that I've missed. A lot of drama, apparently; the Assembly's been busy, busy busy! It seems that we live in a community that tends to have two population groups: there are the permanent residents, the older adults who have moved there to settle or retire or whatnot, and there is transient youth population that comes in for a short time, revitalises the community with energy and fervour, and then moves on to their next stage in life. Usually elsewhere. Our community at home is one of many where the active Baha'is are mainly youth who, once their eyes have been opened to the possibilities in the world, cannot simply stay at home anymore. They must go out into the global sphere and teach and serve and make this world amazing. But...that means we lose them, in a sense, by not having their glorious spiritual energy in our community anymore. I suppose we must look at it instead as setting them loose upon the world and allowing their dynamic power to dramatically change another community for the better.
That's all well and good, but it means that our community has been going through a lot of ups and downs in terms of Baha'i activities and participation in teaching campaigns. Sometimes the town is red-hot with energy and activities, and sometimes it's very quiet and sedate with not a lot going on. Which is ok too, they just shouldn't let it stay down for too long.
I'm going home for a visit in less than two weeks, and I'm very excited to see what's been happening in my absence. Who knows, maybe me coming back for a while can provide a little boost of energy and encouragement to those youth that are still there...
The Great Blog-o-sphere
Kerii and I were chatting last night about the Internet. He happens to know a lot about surfing the Net and finding information, since that's mostly what he deals with at work. We were discussing what some of the House of Justice members have been telling the youth lately, that we should really get out into the virtual world and make great Baha'i content readily accessible.
Baha'i youth (well, adults too) need to educate themselves throughly in the Writings of the Faith, we need to immerse ourselves in the Word of God to gain deeper understanding of our fundamental beliefs. How are we to defend our faith against others who would try and tear it down if we do not fully understand it ourselves? Hmmmm? Ours is the generation that will have to deal with the mess we find ourselves in today, a mess I like to call contemporary society.
There is so much corruption and disintegration in the world today, power struggles and financial wars that we cannot help but witness. But as a Baha'i, I find solace in knowing that this is an inevitable step on the road to something better. I understand that a global world order is something tangible, but that we must witness the decay and complete dismantling of the old world order so that we may create somthing better. You have to tear an old, condemned building down to its very foundations before you can construct another building in its place. Baha'is are already working on the new building, we already have the new blueprints given to us by Baha'u'llah, by Abdu'l-Baha, by Shoghi Effendi.
So now I'm just waiting for the old building to shake itself to its foundations so I can continue to help create a new and better one. And in the process, I'm trying to bring a little more information and hope to the people out there despairing at the state of the world...it's going to get better, and we're going to make it happen. Count on it.
Baha'i youth (well, adults too) need to educate themselves throughly in the Writings of the Faith, we need to immerse ourselves in the Word of God to gain deeper understanding of our fundamental beliefs. How are we to defend our faith against others who would try and tear it down if we do not fully understand it ourselves? Hmmmm? Ours is the generation that will have to deal with the mess we find ourselves in today, a mess I like to call contemporary society.
There is so much corruption and disintegration in the world today, power struggles and financial wars that we cannot help but witness. But as a Baha'i, I find solace in knowing that this is an inevitable step on the road to something better. I understand that a global world order is something tangible, but that we must witness the decay and complete dismantling of the old world order so that we may create somthing better. You have to tear an old, condemned building down to its very foundations before you can construct another building in its place. Baha'is are already working on the new building, we already have the new blueprints given to us by Baha'u'llah, by Abdu'l-Baha, by Shoghi Effendi.
So now I'm just waiting for the old building to shake itself to its foundations so I can continue to help create a new and better one. And in the process, I'm trying to bring a little more information and hope to the people out there despairing at the state of the world...it's going to get better, and we're going to make it happen. Count on it.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Epiphany
I have not posted to my blog in quite some time now, and I am kicking myself about it. This is a unique place for me to express my thoughts and ideas without fear of criticism or stigma - it's my happy space. And I am happy that I am free to do so. So here goes...
We had yet another great discussion at our flat tonight about defending the Baha'i Faith from attacks. Basically, we are a bunch of Baha'i youth trying to bolster ourselves against an onslaught of criticisms and religious attacks from a secular, humanistic, decidedly unspiritual populace at large, bent on its own material and physical gratification. We are attempting to prepare ourselves against these attacks by deepening our understanding of the Baha'i Writings and gaining clearer insights into how the Writings address many current trends and topics. Tonight we decided to deepen ourselves on the topic of Baha'i laws.
The Baha'i book of laws is the Kitab-i-Aqdas (which literally means "book of laws"). We spent several hours discussing the ramifications of certain legalities, laws, and ordinances stated in the book. We also speculated as to why Baha'u'llah legislated on certain topics and not others, albeit never questioning His ability and right to do so. As a Manifestation of God, we know that Baha'u'llah provided us with a complete spiritual framework for a new global civilisation, one in which God's laws and ordinances are in place for our protection and freedom, a notion I know is quite contrary to most people's current thoughts on what freedom means.
It's basically like this - at the core of it all, fundamentally, to be a Baha'i you have to do two things: you must recognise Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God for this Day, and in doing so, you must follow His laws, ordinances and teachings. You cannot have one without the other, or you else are not a Baha'i. Simple as that. This is very specific in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, in the opening paragraph:
We had yet another great discussion at our flat tonight about defending the Baha'i Faith from attacks. Basically, we are a bunch of Baha'i youth trying to bolster ourselves against an onslaught of criticisms and religious attacks from a secular, humanistic, decidedly unspiritual populace at large, bent on its own material and physical gratification. We are attempting to prepare ourselves against these attacks by deepening our understanding of the Baha'i Writings and gaining clearer insights into how the Writings address many current trends and topics. Tonight we decided to deepen ourselves on the topic of Baha'i laws.
The Baha'i book of laws is the Kitab-i-Aqdas (which literally means "book of laws"). We spent several hours discussing the ramifications of certain legalities, laws, and ordinances stated in the book. We also speculated as to why Baha'u'llah legislated on certain topics and not others, albeit never questioning His ability and right to do so. As a Manifestation of God, we know that Baha'u'llah provided us with a complete spiritual framework for a new global civilisation, one in which God's laws and ordinances are in place for our protection and freedom, a notion I know is quite contrary to most people's current thoughts on what freedom means.
It's basically like this - at the core of it all, fundamentally, to be a Baha'i you have to do two things: you must recognise Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God for this Day, and in doing so, you must follow His laws, ordinances and teachings. You cannot have one without the other, or you else are not a Baha'i. Simple as that. This is very specific in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, in the opening paragraph:
"The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty has attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behooveth everyone who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him who is the desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration."
What's interesting to me is how this paragraph, this understanding of the station of the Manifestation of God on earth, can also be applied to every previous religious Dispensation throughout human history. Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ, Muhammed, The Bab, Baha'u'llah; each of them claimed Divine inspiration and each of them I understand to be Manifestations of God, sent with a specifc message for a specific period of time and to address specific spiritual needs for society in a constant state of evolution and progress.
I feel we are now at a pivotal time in human history. Society is crying out for spiritual fulfillment and direction; the religious regimes of the past are no longer functional in that sense. We are in dire need of a drastic paradigm shift in order to align our understanding of existence in this world with that of what God has been telling us through His Manifestations - we were created through His bounty and unfailing mercy to know Him and to worship Him. And once we recognise that self-same purpose, we can no longer turn a blind eye to the needs of society. We are enjoined upon to go out into the world and serve mankind in whatever capacity we can offer.
Religion is not just about paying lipservice to an unknowable Essence that we think will punish us if we act 'wrong'; religion has to be a way of life that means worshipping God through manifold acts of kindness and service to our fellow human beings; it means being an example of love and hope and virtue in a crumbling world; it means being the best Baha'i I can possibly be by learning as much as I can about what it TRULY means to be a Baha'i and then putting it into practice.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Garbage Trucks and iPods
Traffic ground to a halt and I got stuck for almost thirty minutes on Puah street today when a garbage truck got wedged between two badly parked cars.
There was absolutely no way to back up; even if it had been physically possible to back up, it would have been the wrong way on another one-way street. However, the minivan practically sitting on my rear bumper made that escape route non-existent.
A couple of guys jumped out of their cars to see if they could help; I was pretty hopeful. I've seen Israelis band together before and basically lift an entire car off the street to let traffic through. No such luck today though; those two cars weren't going anywhere. One guy was actually jumping up and down on the front grill of one of them - I assume he thought that if he could set the car alarm off, the owner would come rushing out to see who was stealing their car. Again, no luck there.
So the garbage truck decided to SLOWLY and painstakingly inch its way between the cars. I have never seen such precision when it comes to driving a two-ton piece of metal; at one point the truck looked like it was dancing because of the way the driver was making it wiggle back and forth. It was pretty amusing, and kept me occupied for a while.
Towards the end, another guy got out of his car and stood on the sidewalk, presumably to help the truck driver edge his way through. However, his help consisted of him flicking his arm wildly to the side, and gesticulating madly that the driver should just plow on through. Personally, I probably would have done that twenty minutes before...having been here for almost a year, I would have no qualms about taking off someone's side mirror on my way down the road.
That's just the way life is here in Haifa - narrow streets, crappy parking in non-parking spaces, and lots of garbage trucks and buses trying to navigate their way through. You couldn't pay me enough to drive either one. :)
Note: this whole situation probably would have been a lot less amusing if I hadn't had my iPod with me or had somewhere particular to be. Half an hour in the car with other drivers honking in the back, thinking that maybe if THEY honk their horn, the impediment will magically disappear, is generally not my idea of fun. But instead I got listen to the dulcet tones of Jack Johnson, Robert Gillies, Joshua Radin, and Fallout Boy for awhile. Good times...
There was absolutely no way to back up; even if it had been physically possible to back up, it would have been the wrong way on another one-way street. However, the minivan practically sitting on my rear bumper made that escape route non-existent.
A couple of guys jumped out of their cars to see if they could help; I was pretty hopeful. I've seen Israelis band together before and basically lift an entire car off the street to let traffic through. No such luck today though; those two cars weren't going anywhere. One guy was actually jumping up and down on the front grill of one of them - I assume he thought that if he could set the car alarm off, the owner would come rushing out to see who was stealing their car. Again, no luck there.
So the garbage truck decided to SLOWLY and painstakingly inch its way between the cars. I have never seen such precision when it comes to driving a two-ton piece of metal; at one point the truck looked like it was dancing because of the way the driver was making it wiggle back and forth. It was pretty amusing, and kept me occupied for a while.
Towards the end, another guy got out of his car and stood on the sidewalk, presumably to help the truck driver edge his way through. However, his help consisted of him flicking his arm wildly to the side, and gesticulating madly that the driver should just plow on through. Personally, I probably would have done that twenty minutes before...having been here for almost a year, I would have no qualms about taking off someone's side mirror on my way down the road.
That's just the way life is here in Haifa - narrow streets, crappy parking in non-parking spaces, and lots of garbage trucks and buses trying to navigate their way through. You couldn't pay me enough to drive either one. :)
Note: this whole situation probably would have been a lot less amusing if I hadn't had my iPod with me or had somewhere particular to be. Half an hour in the car with other drivers honking in the back, thinking that maybe if THEY honk their horn, the impediment will magically disappear, is generally not my idea of fun. But instead I got listen to the dulcet tones of Jack Johnson, Robert Gillies, Joshua Radin, and Fallout Boy for awhile. Good times...
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