Tag Archive | family
December 11, 2021  

”A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom”. -Bob Dylan

It is hard to raise a child. Even in the best of times. A girl grows to be a mother; transmitter of culture, first educator of the next generation. A nation, it is said,finds it hard to rise above the moral acuity of its women. A great responsibility, which sadly is lost upon many, as time progresses. A boy grows to lead, provide, protect, and sacrifice his life if need be. His success and resources are to benefit everyone else in a society. Sadly in today’s world, this is lost even more often. Only a father, can adequately raise a boy to become a man. 2 things usually happen when poorly raised as a boy.

-The first is ”Hyper destruction”. The male quest for perfection, and the competitive drive and aggression, if poorly channeled, as we see upon the breakdown of civilisation(such as in war), leads to tragedy. Crime runs rampant, and the better angels of our nature have their very existence questioned. The human condition is not protected, and the uneducated man becomes a predatory fiend, instead of a protective friend.

-The second is ”Hyper passivity”. This we see more often daily. When this great male energy which gave us space travel, skyscrapers, machinery, sewage system, the internet, the harnessing of electric power, the discovery of continents, the founding of cities, etc… is poorly educated, many, fearing the previous outcome, seek to almost behaviourally and culturally ”castrate” men and boys from a young age. This leads to feelings of humiliation and emasculation. Achievements stagnate, frustrations occur in everyone concerned, and as every criminal in peace-time would attest, a humiliated masculinity, is a dangerous masculinity. Ask any school-shooter. A ”compensatory” mindset in the ”castrated” male ensues. Sadly many passive fathers, clueless mothers, and a well-meaning but inadequate educational system, produces such males. They are harmless, then after feelings of inadequacy reach a tipping point, they explode and implode, leading to grief and destruction affecting themselves and others.

Achilles, from Homer’s ”The Iliad” is a character than spans this spectrum. The name itself, is telling. ἄχος (áchos) “pain, sorrow,” and λαός (laós) “people, nation”, resulting in Akhí-lāu̯os “he who has the people distressed” or “he whose people have distress”. The pain or sorrow of the people is a theme raised numerous times in the Iliad and frequently by Achilles himself.

The name thus obtains a double meaning in the poem: when the hero is functioning rightly, he brings distress and pain to the enemy, but when wrongly, his own people/nation/men get the grief of his deeds. The poem is indeed partly about the misdirection of anger/masculine drive, as pertaining to action and leadership. Pain and grief shall occur. But they should not be misplaced, like anything else in life.

This brings us to the third option. The result of a well educated man; A Hero! Characterised by; Propriety. Morality. Responsibility. Accountability. Temperance. Action. When a male holds these, among others, in his character and channels his drive, he brings joy and light to what/whom is deserving, and distress/grief when required.

If the first destructive option is a hyena, and the second weak but dangerous option is a jackal, this third heroic option is, without putting too fine a point on it, a lion. Silent as a mouse if necessary, and a thundering roar should the need arise. Propriety!

No aimless roaming without education or direction, and not curtailed/castrated nor humiliated. Channeled, driven and educated. Such is a leonine hero. Such is expected of every son of Man…

 ”He is My true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold, will pass straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor pause. Such a man is, assuredly, of Me. From his garment the Concourse on high can inhale the fragrance of sanctity…. And if he met the fairest and most comely of women, he would not feel his heart seduced by the least shadow of desire for her beauty. Such an one, indeed, is the creation of spotless chastity. Thus instructeth you the Pen of the Ancient of Days, as bidden by your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.”

-Bahá’u’lláh

July 7, 2020  

”No social stability without individual stability”.

Aldous Huxley

Little unknown by now; and by the same token, much uncertainty. Whether or not one chooses to take things seriousy, the planet is in the grip of a worldwide pandemic due to COVID-19.

Consider when one starts a new activity, athletic or otherwise; sprinting, driving, drawing, painting, etc..all your ”weak spots” feel extra vulnerable as they must be strengthened, since they have not been thus challenged. Patients who contract illnesses where they become immunocompromised often report of ”flare-up pain and tenderness” in areas corresponding with previous injuries. In other words, a new situation, whatever the degree of tragedy, whether voluntary or not, whether self-imposed or not, highlights were we are weakest, and, however painful, is an opportunity for growth and improvement.

One can hold on the the little twig keeping us afloat to the point where one adamantly refuses rescue (See the story of the raft, by The Buddha), or one can use the twig to stabilise, improve, adapt, build a raft, and rescue others; become like Noah!

Every facet of our society proved wanting (even beyond what most people already believed), to varying degrees; the economy, the political landscape, the police/law enforcement agencies, the housing system, agriculture, entertainment, eduction system, healthcare, etc…

No longer can people deny the effects of human involvement in (accelerated) climate change; the planet was breathing better after 6 weeks. No longer can we claim schools and the workplace are family-friendly; over ten million kids in America alone rely entirely on school for meals (let alone many other countries, better and worse). No more denying that the economy is superficially viable and profoundly unjust at its very roots; it took 8 weeks to reach Great Depression levels of damage.

Nobody can argue that ”the governments of the world would NEVER synchronise any single activity!”; they did so overnight when cornered.

History has shown us that people refuse the status quo when their bread and families (children) are taken from them. We are reaching that point faster every day; after 10 weeks or so into the lockdown people complained of freedoms being taken away.

The point being, like an immunocompromised patient, we have been ill for a while, but now our aches are flaring up, and it turns out we have, as a society, many weak spots. Some would say all our spots are weak; it is only a question of HOW weak. This is ongoing practical proof that everything must needs be changed. Nobody and nothing is exempt or spared. Ironically, what is separating us by social/physical distancing aught to bring us closer in the long run. We cannot deny that more unites than divides us, and we have more in common than otherwise. Things shall no doubt get worse before they get better, but they shall get better.

Pressure builds diamonds, true; but once a diamond, you must make a difference, and help carve other diamonds, cut glass, etc… A certain degree of pressure is needed to grow, and a certain degree of stability is needed to exercise growth. A cursory look at many (not all) great minds of people who have achieved some degree of notoriety in technology, sports, science, art, etc.. shows that for all their hardwork and sacrifice, they had some degree of stability; Bill Gates could sit and code 18 hours a day and drink sodas and drop-out of Harvard because both his parents were professionals, and he could focus and work hard and get fruits of his efforts. Mozart grew up in a financially reliable home (He had financial challenges later on of course). Several Nobel laureates had parents who themselves were researchers, and academics. Sure you have orphans and outliers who achieved greatness, but, as aforementioned, there is always a measure of stability. There is a reason societies that have stability can care more about the environment; for every 5,000 USD of GDP the environment proves more important to the denizens of a given nation, we are told.

Stability is what we must achieve as a society; as a culture. We had it superficially, and the pandemic is showing us just that; it was superficial. The illusion of togetherness, accentuated by distractions. And once these distractions were taken away, divorce, child abuse, domestic violence, etc., increased, since the connection was superficial.

Here is a chance to achieve real stability. It does not have to be full lockdown for eternity, or violation of the planet, for instance. A golden middle way of stability, tempered by planning for a better tomorrow, is to be achieved. And the world is showing us this by all these ”flare-ups” in our very many weak spots. Things shall be strained, and tested, and there will be pain. But the angels of our better nature shall prevail.

This is not naive optimism, anymore than a physician treating a patient can be accused of the same. This is realism, tempered by hope, and sobered by experience; recognising that we are in a world of pain, but as many communities do well at a micro level, we can do same at a macro level-we already showed decent synchrony with regards to locking down in itself 🙂

Now, what follows? As the caption states; personal stability is needed before societal stability. And this comes with, as cliché as it may sound, morality, and order in one’s own personal life. Then the ripple-effect shall follow. The world will not be the same, given the economic, political, environmental ripple-effect of all this; not to mention the actual loss of human life. And nothing is over, as of this writing moment, yet. But, we can create our own ripple-effect. Make a difference in our own lives daily, and do our own best morally, and create stability for ourselves and those around us; be the shoulder to cry on instead of crying on a shoulder (after you have cried your piece, should you need to!)

At a macro-level, whatever happens, and however worse things may or may not get, we shall overcome and this too shall pass.

God bless.

August 26, 2015  

S.P.Q.R.

Civilizations and Empires have come and gone. You name it: Byzantine, Arabian, Persian, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, British, and today’s modern-day one, arguably spearheaded by the United States.
However, the most prolific, in many ways, is the Roman Civilization.
Spanning approximately 12 centuries, from about 750 years B.C. to over 4 hundred years A.D., it was born as a Kingdom first, then a Republic, then in the twilight of it’s life, an Empire. The Republic period lasted longest, for about 480 years, then the Empire, for about 450, and finally the Kingdom for almost 250. Contributing to military tactics and warfare, architecture, medicine, government, education, economics, and even basic hygiene, city-planning and plumbing, it stands out as a lesson to mankind, for good and evil. For it also contributed profusely to class distinction, slavery, violence, promiscuity, imperialism, etc..
Every civilization has a beginning, a middle or high-point, and an end.
An objective look will show that after the coming of a Prophet, or Manifestation of God, a civilization gets a ”boost”. This is the single most decisive factor, though myriads of minor ones also exist.
Moses’ advent greatly inspired minor Jewish leaders and pundits, who then contributed greatly to a lot of the arts and sciences the Greek civilization became known for. Buddha and Krishna gave a significant boost to the area of Indo-China, Muhammad to the Arabian civilization, Zoroaster to the Persian, and today, Baha’u’llah to the modern-day global civilization. It is not by chance that 23rd May 1844, when the Baha’i Faith was born, marked also one of the greatest advancements in mankind’s scientific and communications’ history: Samuel Morse sending the first telegraph over an experimental line from Washington D.C., to Baltimore. The message, ”What hath God wrought?” was taken from the Book of Numbers, in the Bible,and had been suggested by Annie Ellsworth.
Science and religion, as usual, in harmony, when unabused  by the ego of man, and given the impetus of a Manifestation of God.
The Roman civilization was rejuvenated upon the advent of Jesus Christ. About a century after His coming, the Romans progressed shockingly well. But, loss of the spiritual roots that once made them great, led to their eventual decline.
Even Edward Gibbon, himself skeptical to organised religion (incidentally, that’s where he and I part company), and to Christianity, agreed that the loss of spiritual values, was at the root, starting with the seed planted by the first Emperor, Octavianus, upon his forming of the Praetorian Guard, which assassinated at will, plundered, auctioned the Imperial throne, challenged the Senate, and had vicious street battles with Roman Citizens.
Where there once was hard work, slavery existed, and Romans slept in the arenas and amphitheatres to watch the gladiatoral spectacles. Where there once was honour and family, there were orgies, and promiscuity, and lust, and the breakdown of the building-block of the family, which is the bedrock of society.
Where there was city-planning and medicine and engineering (which inspires us and we revive up to this day) there befell wanton battles and executions and destructions.
Not to mention the brutal treatment of the Christian community.
The idea is, we,as humans, are prone to follishly and blindly repeating the same mistakes, as Gibbon suggests in his work, ”The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”.
We are, today, after the boost we have been given by the advent of the Babi and Baha’i Revelations, falling into the same trap as the Romans; celebrities and athletes are the new gladiators, (believe it or not, gladiators in ancient Rome used to also endorse products, just as celebrities and athletes do today), the family unit is being devalued, there is an over-emphasis on sex in society, and unadulterated science and religion are taking a backseat to entertainment, and various outlets for the immediate gratification of the most primal, primitive urges and basic instincts.
While things will get worse before they get better, (and they will!) there is some sense of responsibility to be had, knowing that we can make things better faster, or we can make things better slowly/eventually. I work for the former, as I hope you do.
Let us not repeat the errors of those gone before us. Advancing carefully, and making use of the many blessings we receive is the true mark of gratitude, whilst carelessly rushing in and abusing every freedom as if there is no tomorrow, spells out mischief and potential doom.
An unwise person ventures into an endeavour without the prudence a wiser person would exercise. Hence the saying, ”… fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
Fools have been rushing in for thousands of years. Let us learn from their impetuousness, and exercise the care and foresight of angels.
August 18, 2015  

Great Expectations

There is something to be said about having high expectations be placed upon an individual, whether by others, or by the individual himself.

One glaring trait is the lack of expectations being placed on certain individuals, due to mental and/or physical incapacity, age, poor resources, etc…
However, when a group of individuals are in no way incapacitated, and yet are not held accountable for their thoughts/words/actions, simply by virtue of their biological identity, this is a recipe for long-term dearth of progress.
One such example, is the absence of acountability in a formidable segment of society; women.
Needless to say, we are equal in God’s eyes, in capacity and attainment, and are not to be held back, or discriminated against as a consequence of our race, gender, age, or nationality. This equality is,nevertheless, one of capacity and attainment, (as Abdu’l-Baha states), and not an equality of function. We are different. Equal does NOT mean identical.
One of the greatest enemies in  outwardly achieving, and expressing fully this equality is the lowered standards upon womankind as a whol, by society as a whole.
  Strangely enough, from the moment a female child is born, until she is a senior citizen, excuses are made on her behalf, as to why she should NOT step up and why it is okay if she fails. This lack of accountability is an enemy to female progress, just as brutally as downright active discrimination is.
If a female toddler trips and falls, she is ”nursed like a princess” for little more than a grazed knee, when she hits puberty, she is not held accountable for being irresponsible due to ”hormones”, should she be going through her menstrual cycle, it is deemed alright, and wrongfully so, for her to act unreasonably since she has ”hormones”, if she gets engaged, and is soon to be a bride, it is her ”prerogative” to be ”crazy” and when she is pregnant, it is also seen as okay due to ..well…”hormones”, and when she hits menopause, she is equally unaccountable for repulsive words and behaviour due to ”hormonal changes”. At every stage, from the cradle to the grave, she is not held accountable, and this kills any chance of proper progress, character building, responsibility, accountability, and true equality. Note that while hormones do have a powerful effect on everyone, they are never to be used as excuses for justification of unruly activity, as we are expected to rise above and go beyond our nature. Same way a man is not allowed violence or infidelity (which also involve hormones) a woman is not allowed the aforementioned either. Alas, lowered standards, and the first sufferers thereof are women themselves.
As Jong said (herself a woman), ”Women are the only exploited group in history to have been idealized into powerlessness.”
IDEALIZED into powerlessness. For a porcelain trophy on the top shelf is practically useless, and cannot take care of itself, let alone another. This is what lowered standards does and is still doing to womankind as a whole.
If the same stringent standards to which most men are held were held to women-get up and dust your pants if you fall, failure is not to be had (even though it might be the easiest, most available and readily accessible option!), even though aggression is MORE rooted in your DNA as a male, still you are to curb it, for ”hormones” or circumstantial issues are never an excuse, etc…- womankind would progress even further than it already has. The same ardour used to reward and praise females, must be applied with punishment: female paedophiles, violent offenders, child-neglecting female parents, all deserve as much retribution as their male counterparts, and this is not the case in general.
Without wishing to pontificate, (believe it or not),keypoint: men would have it no other way. We love these lofty standards to which we are being held, we love being ”thrown to the wolves” from birth to death. This is how growth occurs; through the fire of trials gold is purified. The point here is, this furnace of purification must needs be extended to all branches, all segments of society, especially women, since they are a major segment thereof, and the first educators of humanity.
Inadequate fathers and mothers, and hapless people will be a thing of the past with the proper (moral) education of females, who are the mothers of tomorrow.
There are exceptions, and there are groups of people in every facet of society who are held accountable and those who are not. The same could be said about certain racial minorities, who are ”idealised” into helplessness, or certain age-groups, nationalities, etc..
But, due to the importance of women in society, and due to the fact that they are NOT a minority, it is more important to address the great expectations that can, should and will rest upon them.
Then and only then, when they are held brutally accountable as men are, and like to be, (worthy ones) shall we see true equality manifested.
With great power (and equality) comes great (and equal) responsibility (and accountability)…
August 11, 2013  

Greetings unto you.

This is a forum to express views on various topics: current events, history, religion, God, science, art, sports, etc… whilst keeping in mind that the most important thing isn’t simply to have an opinion, seeing as anyone can and does have that, but rather to strive to have an educated, logical, researched opinion, which is, or leads to the truth, or at least part of the truth, and express it in a timely fashion, to those willing and ready to listen. It is a lot more than just ”freedom of expression,” which, though a laudable concept, is merely the beginning.