Why hast thou given up Ramanama?
Thou hast not given up anger or falsehood,
why hast thou given up truthful speech?
Being immersed in this false show,
why hast thou abandoned the original home?
Thou hast treasured a cowrie,
why hast thou neglected the ruby?
Why hast thou given up remembering
that which is the source of all happiness?
Khalus says, Why wilt thou not trust God
and leave body, mind and wealth?

(Mohandas K. Gandhi, collected in Prayers of Gandhi)

Eastern Orthodox monk

Some things we can change and then I think we can and should fight, but there are also those things we cannot change and then to struggle is useless, and we need to find peace through acceptance.

That sounds defeatist but it’s not. We can rise above whatever it is that we cannot change through changing our attitude. It doesn’t mean that our problems will go away, but perhaps then we can be thankful for those things that are beautiful in our lives and in the world.

Through a bit of humility maybe we can marvel even at simple joys. I think this is the highest form of prayer: Accepting what life gives us as coming from God, lessons to be learned, opportunities to love. Maybe then God will start to pray in us, rather than prayer being a huge effort that ends up being just another expression of a selfish existence.

I am trying to live this, but it is very hard ! We constantly feel God has got it all wrong and so we ask Him to do this or that, rather than seeing every event as a gift.

Inconvenience: The rain-ravaged Gandhi Vegetable Market in Dindigul. — Photo: G. Karthikeyan

From THE HINDU

Tibetan Resistance fighters pose with weapons following CIA arms drop.

In December 1989 the Fourteenth Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Having been awarded to terrorists and war makers before, the Nobel Peace Prize is no stranger to controversy – even Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin are among previous nominees for the prize! In his presentation speech to the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Egil Aarvik said:

‘This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded … first and foremost for his consistent resistance to the use of violence in his people’s struggle to regain their liberty. …

This is by no means the first community of exiles in the world, but it is assuredly the first and only one that has not set up any militant liberation movement.’

Was he unaware that the Dalai Lama had spoken since 1961 of the Tibetan guerrillas that were waging war on the People’s Liberation Army? Had he not read any of the accounts of the Tibetan guerilla war that were in wide circulation, such as Jamyang Norbu’s Warriors of Tibet – a book commissioned by the Tibetan government in exile itself?

Given that Tibetan ‘non-violence’ is merely a facade, why was the Dalai Lama awarded the prize? Tom Grunfeld says:

‘Everything having to do with Tibet is subject to mythologizing. That the Dalai Lama was awared the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts on behalf of Tibetan independence is one of these myths.’

According to the New York Times, the prize was awarded to the Dalai Lama ‘largely because of the brutal suppression of the democracy movement in China and the international outrage that followed.’ A source close to the Norwegian Nobel Committee revealed:

‘the choice of the Dalai Lama, was an attempt both to influence events in China and to recognize the efforts of student leaders of the [Chinese] democracy movement, which was crushed by Chinese troops in June.’

In addition to criticizing the Chinese by implication, awarding the prize to the Dalai Lama was an explicit attempt by the committee to atone for what is widely considered to be its greatest embarrassment: failing to award Mahatma Gandhi the Nobel Peace Prize, despite his having been nominated five times! As Egil Aarvik said in the presentation speech:

‘The Dalai Lama likes to consider himself one of Gandhi’s successors. People have occasionally wondered why Gandhi himself was never awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and the present Nobel Committee can with impunity share this surprise, while regarding this year’s award of the prize as in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi.’

The Nobel Peace Prize is considered by some to be the easiest Nobel Prize to win because no actual achievement needs to be demonstrated. What the Dalai Lama has clearly achieved, though, is to deceive the world utterly as to his real nature and intentions. By awarding him the Peace Prize the Nobel Committee has helped him to continue to dupe the world.

Here is a quote from Gandhi that I believe readers of my blog will enjoy.

“I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been no dis-advantage whatever. In fact I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage. My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. Experience has taught my that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word. We find so many people impatient to talk. There is no chairman of a meeting who is not pestered with notes for permission to speak. And whenever the permission is given the speaker generally exceeds the time-limit, asks for more time, and keeps on talking without permission. All this talking can hardly be said to be of any benefit to the world. It is so much waste of time. My shyness has been in reality my shield and buckler. It has allowed me to grow. It has helped me in my discernment of truth.”

Reference: Gandhi: An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, trans. Mahaved Desai, (Boston, Beacon Press, 1993).

Dear Yasin,

Dialogue on the Future of Jammu & Kashmir organized by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies gained enormously by your presence on November 7, 2009. We recognize that the overlap in timing meant you had to rush to Delhi after registering your attendance at a TADA court hearing in Jammu. I also appreciate the fact that despite provocative slogans against you by a group of Kashmiri Pandits opposed to your presence in the Dialogue, you sat through the meeting to the end and not only explained your politics but also made a public commitment to consider some of the solutions proposed at the meeting as a starting point for a wide spectrum dialogue for the resolution of the Kashmir problem.

However, your outbursts of anger, disappointment and your cynical comments directed at the civil society organizations of India seem to me so misplaced and misleading that they demand a public response; a lot of them were directed at Manushi and at me. Since they have been widely reported in the Kashmiri and Pakistani newspapers, hence my response is also through the media.

For those who do not know the background, let me summarize your grievances as stated in your presentation at the Dialogue. You said that you had given up the gun at the urging of civil society organizations in India, that you took to “Gandhian methods of struggle” due to our persuasion. However, despite your move to non-violent means of struggle, you feel “betrayed” by the human rights community in India for ostensibly failing to help you achieve your political ends. You also claimed that subsequent events and your failure in achieving “azadi” have convinced you that Gandhian methods do not work in today’s India. In your view, they worked only while the British ruled India because the British provided a supportive environment for non- violent struggles.

What proof do you offer for that conclusion? That Gandhi was not subjected to third degree torture by the British, nor was Gandhi killed in an encounter with the police! No responsible leader would provide this form of naive praise of the British. You cannot dismiss the brutalities of the British colonial regime so easily. You don’t have to go too far—just read the life story of Badshah Khan—Gandhi’s most valued colleague and the most inspiring satyagrahi of that period. The brutalities inflicted on the army of satyagrahis mobilized by Badshah Khan—popularly known as the Frontier Gandhi— would put to shame even the apartheid regime of South Africa. Lakhs and lakhs of non violent satyagrahis were tortured in British jails. Many innocents were murdered in cold blood. The manner in which unarmed women and children were massacred in Jallianwala Bagh by General Dyer was not an isolated example of British brutality. Hundreds of thousands of satyagrahis took deadly beatings without raising their hand even in self-defence during the Salt Satyagraha. The cruel treatment routinely meted out to the Indian peasantry in extracting unprecedented high revenue and confiscating their lands arbitrarily for failure to pay ruinous usurious revenue, not sparing them even during crop failures, led to millions dying in unprecedented man made famines and left many more millions destitute, malnourished and terrorized.

You claim to have taken to Gandhian methods and claim that the movement for “azadi” in Kashmir is non violent —all on the grounds that some years ago you gave up the gun. Dear friend Yasin, you gave up the gun after you were arrested and jailed, not while you were on the outside, fighting. You never gave up supporting and defending those who continued using the gun. In the November 7 meeting, you declared openly that you are proud of having been the first one to take up the gun for the cause of Kashmir. When a young Kashmiri Pandit commented: “You may have given up the gun but that does not mean Kashmiri Muslims gave up the gun. The Hizbul Mujahiddin is also comprised of Kashmiri youth.” Your response was: Since the Indian government did not hand over “azadi” to the “non-violent” JKLF, and since human rights organizations in India failed to persuade the Indian government to do so, Hizbul Mujahaddin are justified in taking up the gun. Yasin bhai, a true commitment to non-violence should not be so conditional and fragile. Gandhi did not say: “Give India independence or else I will unleash terrorist brigades on you.” That was Jinnah’s method, not Gandhi’s.

As one of many people committed to strengthening democracy and human rights in India, one of my mandates is to ensure that even those who take to terrorist means, are given fair treatment, due process, and a fair trial, and that innocents are not targeted by security forces while combating terrorism. Our primary task, however, is to try to prevail upon the Indian government that draconian laws should not be used to crush democratic dissent. I don’t think I have failed in being consistent about those issues. I have often done my best to intervene with the government of India to defend the Constitutional rights of you and your colleagues, even when I have strong differences with your political goals and means you make use of to achieve them.

For example, when you asked me to intervene on behalf of some of your colleagues held in detention centres who you claimed and seemed to me to be innocent, I did so without hesitation. I even succeeded on some occasions in helping get them released—your verbal assurance that they were not involved in any terrorist crimes was an important consideration in my efforts. Do you think you could get such relief for your colleagues if they had been arrested on account of suspected terrorist links in England—a nation you so ardently admire— or in the US—the country you had put most faith in to help you gain “Azadi”?

In the November 7 meeting, you expressed your annoyance over the fact that representatives from Ladakh, Jammu, Poonch, and Rajouri had been invited. You dismissed their presence with open contempt saying: ” Is this a mohalla meeting that we have gathered all these people to discuss local affairs?” This attitude of assuming that it is only Kashmiri Muslims of the Valley— and that too of a certain political persuasion— who ought to have the right to determine the future of the entire state of J&K has created huge fault lines and murderously hostile camps in the State.

No one organization has the right to be the sole spokesperson of the Kashmiri people. The strong voices opposing your politics in Jammu, Ladakh and even within Kashmir have to be given their due importance.

While you expected human rights organizations in India to help you secure “Azadi”—you have allowed the concept to remain so fuzzy that I have not yet understood what concretely you mean by it. I have spent hours trying to persuade you to work out the concrete modalities of your plank of “Azadi” and explain to us how your Azadi will be any different from the bloody 1947 Partition of India. What will be the fate of minorities in your ‘Azad’ Kashmir? What happens to the rights of those in Kashmir, Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, Leh and Kargil and those in the Valley who do not wish to secede from India and do not want to live in your mythical Azad Kashmir? I never got anything resembling an answer. It also makes me very uneasy that the JKLF does not even have a constitution, leave alone any democratic machinery for managing its affairs.

Why on earth would human rights organizations help you partition Jammu & Kashmir in as senseless a manner as Jinnah did the entire subcontinent? Even for the November 7 Dialogue, I repeatedly requested you to give a concrete statement in writing on the form and content of Azadi. You said you don’t believe in putting things down in writing. Instead you preferred to talk about your personal trials and tribulations, how 600 of your JKLF cadres have been killed in encounters by security forces. Much as I mourn the loss of those lives, much as I deplore how our security forces sometimes lawlessly eliminate or brutalize those suspected of terrorism, Yasin bhai, you have to recognize that, unfair as it seems to you, those who live by the gun have to be prepared to be hunted down by the gun.

You say you are still proud of the fact that you took up the gun because without that the Kashmir issue would not have gained due attention. This is not how morally committed non-violent satyagrahis reason. That is not how those who draw inspiration from Gandhi should earn world attention. One does not become a satyagrahi by merely laying down arms, that too without ever expressing remorse for having unleashed a reign of terror and violence. A satyagrahi does not romanticize the power of the gun, especially when it has already caused havoc for millions.

To qualify being a satyagrahi also means:

Being an unconditional soldier of peace by actively opposing all forces of violence. Unfortunately, your love affair with the gun is not yet over, or else you would not claim to be proud of having been the first one to take up the gun as a means of furthering your politics; Even today, you do not condemn terrorist killings without reservations.

Being committed to the path of Truth ( Satya) as a permanent seeker rather than as a self declared authority on Truth. A satyagrahi cannot be selective in choosing facts to suit his political arguments, which you often do. Being able to face unpalatable facts about one’s own movement and an ability to take diverse view points and perspectives into account is vital for adhering to the path of Truth. A truth seeker does not indulge in mere partisan politics nor does he/she overstate his /her case, as you often do

Being able to keep one’s anger under check and control so that it does not distort one’s vision. A Satyagrahi does not demonize his/her opponents, nor does he/she hold malice and ill will towards others whose politics and vision are at variance from that of the satyagrahi. You seem to be in a permanent state of upset with people who do not agree with your politics.

It was a very revealing moment, Yasin, when you told me after one of your visits to Pakistan which I quote from memory:

“I have now realized the great difference between the human rights activists in India and Pakistan. The Indian activists mostly come from ordinary middle class families so they are small minded. The Pakistani human rights activists are mostly from aristocratic families—daughters of generals and wealthy land owning aristocrats. Therefore, they are large hearted and have a broader vision.”

You have been understandably impressed by their pampering and hospitality extended to you. But you would do well to remember, many of them pamper you because you are a thorn in the flesh of the Indian establishment. They do not pamper their home grown secessionists–the Baluchis, the Pakhtoons and Sindhis, who wish to break away from Pakistan, as they do you.

You would also do well to remember that the aristocratic elite of Pakistan has done a poor job of defending their own democracy. They have also done a poor job of resisting the growing influence of the Taliban over their polity and civil society. Pakistan Administered Kashmir has a much poorer track record of democracy than the Kashmir you inhabit. The diverse ethnic groups and regions in Pakistan have far fewer rights than minority communities and regions have in India. No matter how well they treat you personally, the aristocratic elite of Pakistan are unlikely to deliver the “azadi” you are seeking.

Kashmiri society is being torn asunder by the conflicting ambitions of its leaders. As you well know, the mutual hostilities and suspicions of various Kashmiri leaders have even taken murderous forms. That is why it is vital to bridge these divides and important that diverse leaders come together to thrash out differences and explore common ground. Many of those who attended the November 7 meeting considered it an auspicious start of a new process whereby secessionist leaders who had never sat together on a common platform with mainstream political parties not only came together to seek out a consensually acceptable peaceful solution but also agreed to carry forward the debate around the concrete and innovative new Self Rule formula presented by the PDP.

Instead of expecting the human rights community in India to become your followers, instead of expecting them to fight your battles for you, it would be far better if you worked out a political platform that was more in consonance with their perspective. For all their limitations and humbler origins, the Indian middle classes which dominate democratic rights organizations in India have succeeded far better in keeping the authoritarian tendencies of their rulers under a measure of check and control. J& K has too many gun toting self appointed spokespersons of Kashmiri people. What it lacks is a vibrant community of people committed to strengthening human rights and democratic freedoms. Such voices have been marginalized or crushed by the gun in J&K. Reviving that tradition needs much greater courage and conviction than required for taking up the gun. I hope to see you occupy that space in the coming years.

With good wishes,

Madhu Kishwar,
Founder Editor, Manushi
Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
November 14, 2009

Source: Outlook

Also Read :

• Talveen Singh in The Sentinel
• Nancy Kaul in VijayVaani

…time to start strategizing for that annual test of taste, that carnival of consumerism, Holiday gift shopping.

source: Amazon.co.uk

Happily,  Jolyon Fenwick and Marcus Husselby have ridden to the rescue with a guide to the perfect gift for those one one’s list for whom it’s not the thought that counts:  Einstein’s Watch: Being an Unofficial Record of a Year’s Most Ownable Things…

From the publisher’s description:

What is the value of Gandhi’s glasses or a collection of Braille editions of Playboy? And how much is an artwork consisting of ten million $100 banknotes worth? In this gloriously eclectic overview of 2009’s most ownable objects, Jolyon Fenwick and Marcus Husselby present a treasure trove of over 100 desirable things bought or offered for sale this year. Ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, the cache of curios includes: a hard disk of MPs’ expenses over the last five years; Einstein’s watch; Uncle Monty’s cottage from Withnail and I; the last ever cheque issued by Woolworths (it bounced); a holy water sprinkler (made by Parker pens); official posters from the Obama campaign; Captain Cook’s boomerang; Super Lemon Haze marijuana; Black Canary Barbie (described as ‘filth’ by Christian Voice [pictured on the book's cover]); and, the key to the binoculars storeroom on board the Titanic.

source: Designs Through Process

As we scrawl “Dear Santa,” we might note that today’s a great day to March right down the Middle, in honor of Victorian novelist, poet, and translator George Eliot– Mary Ann Evans– who was born on this date in 1819 in Warwickshire.

George Eliot

AHMEDABAD: The state government got serious about congestion and conservation issues and has declared a deadline of two years to turn the Bhadra Fort area and Sabarmati Ashram area into pedestrian zones.

This was announced by state minister for tourism Jay Narayan Vyas at the third edition of Gujarat Tourism Summit hosted by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Saturday. Sabarmati Ashram is a big draw among foreign tourists and there have been several plans to turn it into a silence zone by diverting traffic.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has already announced a Rs 50-crore project to develop Bhadra Plaza, stretching from the 600-year-old Bhadra Fort to Teen Darwaza, as a walking tour destination.

The current congestion at Bhadra will soon give way to a pedestrian walkway and ethnic food restaurants and is expected to become a cultural centre.

In his presiding address, Vyas said, “Gujarat has been achieving significant growth in tourist arrivals since 2005. This growth has been based on the promotion of events such as Vibrant Gujarat, Navratri festival, International Kite Festival and Modhera Dance Festival”.

CII has targeted 1 million international tourists and 41 million domestic tourists by 2015.

Vyas added that the government would invest Rs 500 crore at Ambaji and Saputara in coming three years and promote Ambaji as a pilgrimage centre comparable to Vaishnodevi and Tirupati.

During the summit, participants pointed out a few issues like need to establish more budget hotels, create special tourism zones, develop eco-tourism, theme-based tourism, rural tourism and night life.

Buddhist conference in Vadodara

The state government will host the International Buddhist Conference from January 15 to 17 in Vadodara to promote Buddhist tourism since Gujarat has some valuable relics of Lord Buddha, said state minister for tourism Jay Narayan Vyas.

From TIMESOFINDIA

India is a land of saints and sages. From time to time, great saints have been incarnated on this holy land. Even Gods and demi gods seek opportunities to serve these great saints and wishes to take birth in India and get spiritual guidance and directions from them. Since these self realized saints are the embodiment of the Vedantic ideal of perfection and have experienced the ultimate truth of the world.

It is really unfortunate for all Indians that the anti social elements are trying to defame our saints with derogatory false rumors against them. These antisocialists know that saints are the base of the India’s progress and they want to destroy the foundation of India.

The media which is considered to be a role player in the awakening of the society and a solider to fight against the anti social activities is today itself being bought by the anti socialists. Media is being used to mislead, inflame and instigate against our point of faith (saints and sages).

There has been several incidents of defaming Pujya Sant Shree Asaramji Bapu with baseless news and reports. All those have been already proved to be nonsense by the evidence exposed in A2Z Channel sting operation. (Watch Video at http://alturl.com/t58w).

Recently (10 November 2009) again the Sandesh (local newspaper of Ahmadabad) has published articles against Pujya bapuji along with derogatory cartoon defaming his holiness. There have been several instances of misreporting and denunciatory adjectives to mislead the society against our saints and sages and to hit the faith of the Indians.

Media has no right to defame any person / institution for the sake of TRP, readership. Anti social agents are misusing the media and its right to expression.

Shri Ramchandra Bhatt, a MBA graduate from UK and two more sadhaks, Shri Shankar Purohit & Shri H. Manjappa have restored to Indefinite Hunger Strike till death {” Aamaran Anshan Aevam Dharna ”} to protest against such publications by Sandesh since 12 November 2009 10pm IST. They are sitting infront of the Sandesh office and protesting silently. But the traitors have bought the police which in turn have arrested the sadhaks along with Shri Ranchandra several times. Is Satyagrah a crime in the land of Gandhi? Even the local hospitals are bought by anti social elements and are trying to prove RamChandra ji and other protestors as mentally retired.

This has really reached to an extreme point and is not acceptable at any cost. We need to support the truth and fight against the ADHARMA. As Shree Krishna says in Gita that not fighting against the ADHARMA (anti social activities) is itself a great sin. Also Vivekananda has told that India has many enemies but the dangerous enemy is the silence against the ADHARMA. If the noble people do not come forward to fight against the untruth, they become the treacherous to the motherland. So it’s high time to wake up and raise your fists against the denunciatory activities.

We all need to pray the God to destroy the anti social elements and do the jap “om hrim om” as much as possible. Also we can join the Anshan and support Shri ramchandra ji and other sadhaks/sadhikas with their protest against the misleading and inflammatory publications by Sandesh against Pujya Bapuji. This is a call to nation to stand against the untruth.

For details of the protest by the sadhaks against the media and to know the truth revealed by the A2Z channel (in sting Operation) about the conspiracy going on against Pujya bapuji and his ashrams watch the videos at:

http://ashram.org/Press/tabid/364/Default.aspx

Yes, I do dare!

I post quite frequently to the online forums at the Visalia Times Delta. (you can see them here) I just love it when some Christian makes a post, and tosses out a  Bible verse reference to make a point.  It usually doesn’t take to much time with Google to come up with a good response to such nonsense, and I do so as often as I can.  The usual response is something along the lines of “What an amateur… no understanding…” (a quote from a recent ‘rebuttal’).  See, you either simply don’t understand the Bible, so you can’t use it against them, or you are a hypocrite.   I’m a hypocrite because I use their own book against them, but don’t believe in it’s divinity.  I suppose it means only other Christians can argue with them, but then that means….   hmmm.  Convenient, isn’t it?

I wonder what Jesus would have thought about the whole thing?  Well, if he had existed, I wonder what he would have thought.

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

Mohandas K Gandhi

One of the main implications of a bad leadership is lack of vision. A business or community without a vision has no goals or path to follow which leaves people with no direction.

The kind of leaders that world require today aren’t there. People like Gandhi who had vision and could translate it for community is missing. The leaders have sidelined their role of developing future leaders around them.

Today, our community needs leaders more than ever.

Mahatma Gandhi "Alma Grande"

“No hay caminos para la paz, la paz es el camino”

“Sé el cambio que quieras ver en el mundo”

“En materia de conciencia la ley de la mayoría no cuenta”

“Es mejor permitir que nuestras vidas hablen por nosotros a que lo hagan las palabras”

“El que retiene algo que no necesita es igual a un ladron”

“La muerte no es más que un sueño y un olvido”

“Un cobarde es incapaz de mostrar amor, hacerlo esta reservado para los valientes”

“No se nos otorgara la libertad externa mas que en la medida exacta en que hayamos sabido, en un momento determinado, desarrollar nuestra libertad interna “

“Nadie puede hacer el bien en un espacio de su vida, mientras hace daño en otro. La vida es un todo invisible”

“No debemos perder la fé en la humanidad que es como un océano. Ella no se mancha porque algunas de sus gotas estén sucias”

“La voz interior me dice que siga combatiendo contra el mundo entero aunque me encuentre solo. Me dice que no tema a este mundo sino que avance llevando en mi nada mas que el temor a dios”

“Lo más atroz de las cosas malas de la gente mala es el silencio de la gente buena”

“La fuerza no proviene de la capacidad fisica sino de la voluntad indomable”

“Ojo por ojo y el mundo se quedara ciego”

“Nuestra recompensa se encuentra en el esfuerzo y no en el resultado. Un esfuerzo total es una victoria completa”

“La violencia es el miedo a los ideales de los demás”

“Puesto que yo soy imperfecto y necesito la tolerancia y la bondad de los demás, también he de tolerar los defectos del mundo hasta que pueda encontrar el secreto que me permita ponerles remedio”

“Casi todo lo que realice será insignificante, pero es muy importante que lo haga”

“Realmente soy un soñador práctico; mis sueños no son bagatelas en el aire. Lo que yo quiero es convertir mis sueños en realidad”

“No dejes que se muera el sol sin que hayan muerto tus rencores”

“Cuando todos te abandonan, Dios se queda contigo”

“No escuches a los amigos cuando el amigo interior dice: ¡Haz esto!”

“Un error no se convierte en verdad por el hecho de que todo el mundo crea en él”

“Lo que se obtiene con violencia, solamente se puede mantener con violencia”

“Dicen que soy héroe, yo débil, tímido, casi insignificante, si siendo como soy hice lo que hice, imagínense lo que pueden hacer todos ustedes juntos”

“El hombre no posee el poder de crear vida. No posee tampoco, por consiguiente, el derecho a destruirla”

“La tristeza de la separación y de la muerte es el más grande de los engaños”

Sejak ribuan tahun silam Goat’s Milk atau susu kambing sudah dikenal dalam tradisi pangan bangsa-bangsa di jazirah Arab. Misalnya dikisahkan pada zaman itu, bahwa susu kambing sering dikonsumsi oleh Nabi Muhammad SAW dengan sahabat-sahabatnya. Kemudian diceritakan pula, bahwa sejak ribuan tahun yang lalu bangsa Mesir sudah menggunakan susu kambing ini dalam ritual tradisi keagamaan mereka. Disusul dengan kisah tentang tokoh Mahatma Gandhi dari India, yang mengkonsumsi secara rutin 2 gelas susu kambing per hari untuk menjaga stamina dan kesehatan tubuhnya. Dari sejumlah kisah sejarah tsb. kita boleh bertanya-tanya dalam hati apa manfaat dan kelebihan susu kambing ini sehingga dapat menempuh rentang sejarah yang cukup panjang?! Sejalan dengan kemajuan zaman dan ilmu pengetahuan, diketahui bahwa susu kambing selain kaya kandungan zat-zat gizinya juga berkhasiat membantu penyembuhan berbagai penyakit.

Susu kambing dengan segala kandungan zat gizi-nya tidak menimbulkan efek samping yang negative atau merugikan bagi orang –orang yang mengkonsumsinya. Justru susu kambing mempunyai beberapa keunggulan dibandingkan dengan susu sapi, sehingga dapat dijadikan alternatif pengganti untuk orang-orang yang alergi terhadap susu sapi. Orang yang alergi susu sapi biasanya akan mengalami masalah-masalah kesehatan terutama masalah pencernaan segera setelah mengkonsumsi susu sapi, misalnya: kembung (Dyspepsia), sakit perut (Colic Abdomen), buang-buang air besar (Diarrhea), sampai kepada timbulnya bercak-bercak kemerahan pada kulit (Rash). Biasanya masalah-masalah pencernaan yang timbul setelah mengkonsumsi susu sapi disebabkan oleh 2 hal pokok. Pertama karena orang itu alergi terhadap kandungan protein-susu sapi, dan yang kedua karena orang itu alergi terhadap kandungan gula-susu.

Bila berbicara tentang protein-susu, ternyata jenis protein-susu utama dalam susu kambing sama dengan jenis protein-susu dalam ASI, yaitu dominan dengan Beta-Casein. Sedangkan susu sapi kaya dengan kandungan protein-susu Alpha S-1 Casein yang sering memicu timbulnya alergi bagi yang mengkonsumsinya. Protein susu kambing di dalam saluran pencernaan kita akan menciptakan suasana keasaman lambung dengan PH lebih tinggi (lebih bergeser ke arah basa) sehingga susu kambing aman dan dapat membantu proses penyembuhan pada penderita penyakit maag (Gastritis). Protein susu kambing bila bercampur dengan asam lambung dalam sistem pencernaan kita, akan menghasilkan persenyawaan susu yang lebih mudah untuk dicernakan dibandingkan dengan persenyawaan susu yang dihasilkan dari protein susu sapi. Dengan alasan ini susu kambing baik bila diberikan pada anak-anak yang sering mengalami muntah karena“ Gastroesophageal Reflux” (GER).

Susu kambing dan susu sapi keduanya mengandung gula-susu yang sama yang disebut dengan Lactosa. Tetapi kandungan Lactosa dalam susu kambing lebih rendah yaitu berkisar antara 4 – 4,1% dibandingkan dengan kadar Lactosa dalam susu sapi yang mencapai 4,7%. Kemungkinan hal inilah yang menyebabkan susu kambing

(artikel dari www.swaiklan.com )

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’  That is the one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.  You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.  But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher.  He has not left that open to us.  He did not intend to.” (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)

In a culture where we are often more afraid of offending others than we are passionate to comprehend truth, the claim that Jesus was a great (but merely human) moral teacher seems an easy solution.  Unsure of who Jesus really was, or unwilling for various reasons to identify too strongly with one side or another, many will choose this as a middle ground.  In doing so, they pay a certain amount of respect to Jesus, who was undeniably a man of great and lasting influence, without committing themselves fully to belief in his claims (let alone adherence to his commands).  Thus, they position themselves in a sort of middle ground, neither too close nor too far from opposing poles, in the hopes of avoiding alienation.

This unwillingness to choose can be due also to a dichotomization of the person and teaching of Jesus.  Even the most intelligent, most earnest, most eloquent, most sincere individuals can fall into this middle ground when they pick and choose those claims of Christ they are willing to accept.  One of these eminently great men writes, “What, then, does Jesus mean to me?  To me He was one of the greatest teachers humanity has ever had.  To his believers He was God’s only begotten Son.  Could the fact that I do or do not accept this belief make Jesus have any more or less influence in my life?  Is all the grandeur of His teaching and of His doctrine to be forbidden to me?  I cannot believe so.” (Mahatma Gandhi, I Am But a Seeker After Truth)  Make no mistake, Gandhi holds Jesus in high esteem and, frankly, pays him more respect than do many Christians.  In order to do so, however, he has partitioned Jesus’ teaching about morality from his claims about himself.  He is, in effect, accepting the teaching without accepting the teacher.  This, in reality, is not to revere Jesus at all, but simply to acknowledge points of agreement and ultimately to set himself, not Jesus, as the final authority in matters of morality.

You have to make a choice.  Jesus, after asking his disciples what the perception of him was among the people, makes it more personal.  “‘But what about you?’  he asked.  ‘Who do you say I am?’” (Matthew 16:15)  The implication, of course, is that they are responsible for either allying themselves with Jesus and acknowledging his identity as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16) or admitting that in their minds he is not only less than divine but deceptive and manipulating as well.

The time for decision is now.  We need to hear once again the words of Joshua to the people of Israel, “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15)

Matt Honstain

“- ¿Qué eres?

- Un vampiro”

Sí señores, ha llegado el punto donde he atrapado a  El Mentalista. La tele no es lo suficiente rápida, así que me he pasado a ver Moonlight.

Ya había visto algunos capítulos cuando la daban en laSexta, pero ahora he empezado a verla toda desde el principio.

Hay cosas que no me gustan demasiado, y una de ellas es dejar una película a medias, o pillarla que ya ha empezado, y cosas por el estilo.

Mira, justo ayer, puse un rato la tele y, como de costumbre, solo daban cosas sobre violencia, muertes, asesinatos y semejantes; así que resignado, me puse a ver Carretera al Infierno, en Neox, pero claro, a las 23:00h ya había empezado, y si cada 10 minutos de peli te ponen media hora de intermedio como que se te van un poco las ganas… y a las doce plegué, no es plan. Así que me la estoy bajando vía Ares ara mateix.

Esta mañana me he quedado dormido, me he despertado a las 8:00h, y ya no he podido levantarme tranquilamente y hacerlo todo con suma parsimonia como suelo y gusto, sino que he tenido que ir con un poco más de prisa, omitiendo algunas actividades de mi cómoda rutina, pff.

Otra cosa mais, non plus ultra de lo normal, tan solo decir que un minuto tiene 60 segundos.

Como dijo Mahatma Gandhi: “Un minuto que pasa es irrecuperable. Conociendo esto, ¿cómo podemos malgastar tantas horas?”

Pilgrimage Statistics

Consecutive Days Riding: 41                              Consecutive Days Blogging: 42

Today’s Mileage:  6                                           Total Trip Mileage: 350

As I ride the bike and review my day I realize I truly love what I do for a living!  I relish the opportunity to stand before a room of young adults and share my knowledge and experience and get paid for it!  However, the evaluation and testing of students is less enjoyable but necessary. Yet from the student responses and ratings, they appear to enjoy my classes! 

Genuine teacher: Dalai Lama

 Am I a good professor because the students like me and the majority of them learn the material?  I would argue that makes me an “adequate” instructor. When I recall the professors I had in my undergraduate training only three stand out: an Economics professor, a Psychology professor, and a Chemistry professor. But was it their knowledge in the field that made them a favorite of the students?  No, it was that they brought the subject matter to life!  The classes they taught were an experience!

How many twenty year olds, caught between parties, social life and football, would have imagined that Economics was such an integral part of life?  Those who took Dr. Barton’s Economics class did!  Who would have imagined the vast role Chemistry played in life or the psychological motives that underlie all behaviors.  Haven’t we all taken classes where we studied the material, did a memory dump on the test, took our grade and then never thought about the subject again! Good instructors brought the topic to life, making it real  with poignant examples and stories.  They might have even raised their voices, waving  arms as they pounded on the podium. 

Genuine teacher: Mother Teresa

Good professors don’t just make a point, they plant seeds!  They open you up to new possibilities and to a new world view. I’ve had students tell me that a particular lecture, or story immediately changed their perception of life.  I’ve had many call me back years after they have moved on with life, to tell me that the seeds I planted in my classes had sprouted and were now bearing fruit. These interactions are gratifying and reinforce me to keep planting those seeds.

How is all of this relevant to our daily spiritual journey? I encounter many people of different faiths and spiritual practices who desire to influence other individuals’ spiritual life. In some cases it’s a desire to see suffering relieved.  In other cases it’s a desire to increase their flock with converts. Some do it because they are told by their faith. Many do it out of a fear for the salvation of others.   I remember a time in the Navy when a neighbor returned to the dorm in the evening with a beaming smile.  I asked him about it and he exclaimed: “Two and a half, two and a half souls I’ve saved!”  I asked him the obvious question about the fraction of a soul.  He noted that he and a fellow believer witnessed to a sailor who “gave himself to the Lord” so he figured they should each get half a soul credit!

Genuine teacher: Gandhi

I have found that if you want to be effective at influencing other people and have fun in the process of doing it, you need to be genuine and authentic!   I often see my students looking back at me with that wide eyed expression associated with a “he is really into this stuff” mind set.  At that moment I know I am “in my grove” and that I am planting the seeds of possibilities, of new horizons, of new ideas and experiences.

 I remember sitting with a group of my church teens as we spoke with an orange robed, shaved head Buddhist nun.  I felt that sense of congruence as she spoke her story and told “her truths.”  These were not mere words, she lived them!  None of us rushed out and converted to Buddhism, but we all knew we had been in the presence of a special human being. Words and sermons attract, but the power to influence comes out of actions. Of course I am not telling you anything new, anything you haven’t heard from the pulpit.  Embrace the love of God, live the love, be an example of it!

Genuine teacher: Billy Graham

I have a friend who is very devout in her faith.  She attended a church workshop about the qualities of a “true believer.” She noted to me that “you have all the qualities they talked about, but you aren’t a believer!”  I smiled, nodded and then added: “I believe, just not in the same things you believe!”

We have the greatest impact on others when we present them not just with a new idea, but with a new experience: an experience that challenges them to open up, consider, expand, grow and become something new!

“For all of my liberal friends who still listen to NPR: Wake Up!”

“The other day, I was reading the New York Times, which is the number one publication. And I started  reading articles about Cap and Trade, or the vaccines, or whatever it was. And I just let myself read it without my own point of view, and I realized how incredibly seductive and believable their point is.”

“This is the Matrix.”

“The reality is that about 99% of the liberal Democrats in this country believe that they’re doing the right thing. They think they’re doing the right thing. They read the New York Times. They watch CNN. They’ve swallowed this lie, hook, line and sinker.”

— George Humphrey on Alex Jones, 11/18/09

Transcribed by Jeff Fenske

George Humphrey Back on Alex Jones Tv: Economic Fall of Our Republic!!

George Humphrey, who is featured in Alex’s latest film, Fall of the Republic gives his economic break down of what is to come within the next year or 2 for America.

Today, I dropped by Mike Henry’s site, Lead Change Group, where I was immediately drawn to Mike’s latest post, 6 Facets of the Servant Leadership Diamond. I am a life-long student of leadership and staunch believer in the amazing difference servant leadership makes in the lives of so many! Contemporary examples include India’s Mahatma Gandhi, South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, and our very own Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Each of these towering men of strength—and forgiveness—in their service to humanity has become a symbol of love and, by extension, the quintessential figures of a servant’s heart. So inspired, it seems to me it is incumbent upon us to continue the legacy of these courageous men with an indefatigable spirit in the redolent hope we transcend the limits imposed by boundaries and unite the hearts of people the world over as one community, one people who value others before self.

Clearly, principled leadership holds global application and appeal. So much so the world yearns for a giving leadership; not the glitzy, glossy, gives-good-press veneer that often passes for leadership in the public eye but, rather, the humble, soft-spoken kind of leadership that invites folks to listen, to trust, and to follow. We yearn for an authentic leadership—a true leadership—always undertaken as a service to the greater good. Such has been the case for millennia. Indeed, for more than a quarter century, the problem of our age has been described as “a crisis in leadership.” “One of the most universal cravings of our time,” suggests James McGregor Burns, “is a hunger for compelling and creative leadership.” I propose this craving is due, in large part, to the absence of our collective will to establish a firm foundation upon which to raise a new generation of leadership, a shepherding kind of leadership we find in the examples of Gandhi, King, Mandela, Corrie ten Boom, Jesus, Native American leaders such as Sitting Bull, and others to satisfy a great and universal yearning to matter, to be loved.

Mike, it’s my sense many understand the need for authentic leaders, but too few know how to respond thinking, perhaps, leading is something one does rather than something one becomes. The truth is leadership gives people, not power, a place to rest—it’s the outward manifestation of a caring heart, passionately concerned for the universal good of all people. A true leader is a source of strength for those who follow. Indeed, the “signs of outstanding leadership,” Max DePree asserts, “are found among the followers.” But let us remember such a role is not reserved exclusively for the few. Martin Luther King, Jr., a personal hero and source of great inspiration for me, taught, “If you want to be important—Wonderful! If you want to be recognized—Wonderful! If you want to be great—Wonderful! But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness … Everybody can be great because everybody can serve … you only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love and you can be that servant.” By extension, WE can then be that leader.

As I brought my comment to a close on Mike’s post, I suggested the time is now for us to take up the cause to nurture a servant’s heart within a new generation who are determined to make a difference among those who have chosen to follow. The time is now to set out with all gusto to help leaders, young and old, discern how to do what’s right. The time is now to bring “ancient paths” (Jeremiah 6:16) within reach of those whose hearts seek to walk in the steps of the greatest leadership role models of all time—servant leaders.

Thank you for a great post, Mike, and thank you for this opportunity to share a few thoughts about a deeply personal passion, servant leadership.