And here I was worrying about which dress will I wear tonight, till I read the news!
The New Slave Trade in South Africa: an article exposing one of the many samples of human trafficking happening around us. Thousands of HIV’s orphans are being forced by poverty and lack of social security to leave school in search of some kind of work that allows them sustaining themselves and their siblings. These children are being sold as sexual slaves against their will and therefore forced to work the streets and exposed to all type of psychological and physical abuse. Many of them never see a Tomorrow! (source Yahoo News)
Some see racist theme in alien adventure 'Avatar': the main complaint is: “Why does it always have to be a white person saving the world?” Apparently people are not happy with the movie because the main character was played by a white actor, insisting that the message could have been stronger if it was played by a black actor instead. To be honest the last thing I noticed was the color of the actor! And there I was thinking that the movie was great as it tackles several controversial issues being faced by humanity today, like: capitalism, pitiable moral values, racism, and destruction of nature (I really cried when the big tree was shot down). (source Yahoo News)
Woman arrested for throwing her baby into the garbage container: an NGO Social Worker gave birth on a toilet, and then put the baby on a plastic bag and through it to the garbage container. The body was discovered by one homeless that was searching for food on the containers. The “very well educated” social worker didn’t show any sign of regret or remorse for what she did. (source diario El Pais - Uruguay)
Immigrants run away after violent “hunting” in Rosarno: Around 1,300 immigrants have to run away from an Italian province, as they were being hunted down for protesting against exploitation and unfair labour conditions. 65 of them were wounded during the clashes and many will be deported to their country of origin. (source diario El Pais - Uruguay)
Swiss vote to ban new mosque minarets: Voters in Switzerland have approved a proposal to ban the construction of minarets on mosques, according to results of a referendum held Sunday. The nationalist Swiss People's Party, the largest party in parliament, had pushed for the national vote after labeling the mosque towers as symbols of militant Islam.
Walter Wobmann, president of a committee that backed the initiative, said its aim is not to stop people from practicing their religion, but to stop political Islam and the "further Islamization of Switzerland."
Supporters of the ban claim that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and the Islamic legal system Shariah, which they claim are incompatible with Swiss democracy.
Amnesty International, though, has warned that such a ban would violate Switzerland's commitment to religious freedom. (extracted from CBS News)
Church attacks in Malaysia deepen racial tension: Christian churches are being targeted by Muslim’s groups. The ministry said the attacks were perpetrated by extremists who wanted to weaken the country's commitment to racial harmony, one of the key draws for foreign investors. "These were not just attacks on houses of worship, they were attacks on the values and freedoms all Malaysians share," the statement said. The attacks were triggered by a Dec. 31 High Court decision that overturned a government ban on the use of "Allah" by Roman Catholics in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald. The ban and the ruling also apply to Malay-language Bibles, 10,000 copies of which were recently seized by authorities because they translated God as Allah. (source Yahoo News)
Marconi, the most unsecured township of Montevideo: a not go place even for the police at night. Total lack of public security. Delivery services are being arranged outside the townships so as to avoid the dangerous areas. Police suggest creating a permanent police station to bring security back to the place. But there is nothing about how to resolve the social-economic problem causing Marconi to be a no go town. (source diario El Pais Uruguay)
……………
It doesn’t matter to which country’s newspaper we look at, the news will still be alike, with different actors and different settings, but the root of the issues will still be the same: disproportion, poverty, discrimination, materialism, analphabetism, egocentricity, intolerance, etc.
The distressing part of all this, is that despite our knowledge on what is going on and what is causing it, nothing really changes. If we stop reading news papers and/or watching the news for two months or more, the only thing that will change will be the date of the day.
After reading the news I couldn’t help it but wonder: “What is going on? Where are we going? How can we find a solution that brings harmony and reconciles the differences, that helps us to remember that we are all and one and act accordingly? Something that helps us look at each other as equals instead of looking down at anyone who tries to be different.
How are we supposed to live a decent and kindhearted life while we are so conscious of the horrors, the injustices and the darkness of humankind? Maybe the answer lies on the fact that we need to accept to live our life in the center of this absurdity and discrepancy, because they are part of who we are and life would crumple without them. The contradictions and the absurdities help us to realize who we want to be. There are no right answers to this dilemma and all what is required from us is a life lived in consciousness of its human quality and spiritual significance.
The New Slave Trade in South Africa: an article exposing one of the many samples of human trafficking happening around us. Thousands of HIV’s orphans are being forced by poverty and lack of social security to leave school in search of some kind of work that allows them sustaining themselves and their siblings. These children are being sold as sexual slaves against their will and therefore forced to work the streets and exposed to all type of psychological and physical abuse. Many of them never see a Tomorrow! (source Yahoo News)
Some see racist theme in alien adventure 'Avatar': the main complaint is: “Why does it always have to be a white person saving the world?” Apparently people are not happy with the movie because the main character was played by a white actor, insisting that the message could have been stronger if it was played by a black actor instead. To be honest the last thing I noticed was the color of the actor! And there I was thinking that the movie was great as it tackles several controversial issues being faced by humanity today, like: capitalism, pitiable moral values, racism, and destruction of nature (I really cried when the big tree was shot down). (source Yahoo News)
Woman arrested for throwing her baby into the garbage container: an NGO Social Worker gave birth on a toilet, and then put the baby on a plastic bag and through it to the garbage container. The body was discovered by one homeless that was searching for food on the containers. The “very well educated” social worker didn’t show any sign of regret or remorse for what she did. (source diario El Pais - Uruguay)
Immigrants run away after violent “hunting” in Rosarno: Around 1,300 immigrants have to run away from an Italian province, as they were being hunted down for protesting against exploitation and unfair labour conditions. 65 of them were wounded during the clashes and many will be deported to their country of origin. (source diario El Pais - Uruguay)
Swiss vote to ban new mosque minarets: Voters in Switzerland have approved a proposal to ban the construction of minarets on mosques, according to results of a referendum held Sunday. The nationalist Swiss People's Party, the largest party in parliament, had pushed for the national vote after labeling the mosque towers as symbols of militant Islam.
Walter Wobmann, president of a committee that backed the initiative, said its aim is not to stop people from practicing their religion, but to stop political Islam and the "further Islamization of Switzerland."
Supporters of the ban claim that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and the Islamic legal system Shariah, which they claim are incompatible with Swiss democracy.
Amnesty International, though, has warned that such a ban would violate Switzerland's commitment to religious freedom. (extracted from CBS News)
Church attacks in Malaysia deepen racial tension: Christian churches are being targeted by Muslim’s groups. The ministry said the attacks were perpetrated by extremists who wanted to weaken the country's commitment to racial harmony, one of the key draws for foreign investors. "These were not just attacks on houses of worship, they were attacks on the values and freedoms all Malaysians share," the statement said. The attacks were triggered by a Dec. 31 High Court decision that overturned a government ban on the use of "Allah" by Roman Catholics in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald. The ban and the ruling also apply to Malay-language Bibles, 10,000 copies of which were recently seized by authorities because they translated God as Allah. (source Yahoo News)
Marconi, the most unsecured township of Montevideo: a not go place even for the police at night. Total lack of public security. Delivery services are being arranged outside the townships so as to avoid the dangerous areas. Police suggest creating a permanent police station to bring security back to the place. But there is nothing about how to resolve the social-economic problem causing Marconi to be a no go town. (source diario El Pais Uruguay)
……………It doesn’t matter to which country’s newspaper we look at, the news will still be alike, with different actors and different settings, but the root of the issues will still be the same: disproportion, poverty, discrimination, materialism, analphabetism, egocentricity, intolerance, etc.
The distressing part of all this, is that despite our knowledge on what is going on and what is causing it, nothing really changes. If we stop reading news papers and/or watching the news for two months or more, the only thing that will change will be the date of the day.
After reading the news I couldn’t help it but wonder: “What is going on? Where are we going? How can we find a solution that brings harmony and reconciles the differences, that helps us to remember that we are all and one and act accordingly? Something that helps us look at each other as equals instead of looking down at anyone who tries to be different.
How are we supposed to live a decent and kindhearted life while we are so conscious of the horrors, the injustices and the darkness of humankind? Maybe the answer lies on the fact that we need to accept to live our life in the center of this absurdity and discrepancy, because they are part of who we are and life would crumple without them. The contradictions and the absurdities help us to realize who we want to be. There are no right answers to this dilemma and all what is required from us is a life lived in consciousness of its human quality and spiritual significance.
“Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of humankind.
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of people.
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.”
Bertrand Russell
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of humankind.
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of people.
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.”
Bertrand Russell
I’m still pondering on the news and our knowledge on its causes, I’m still pondering on what you and I can do!
© 2009 Gabriela Abalo – Author
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23 comments:
You know, very true... it's sad that our world seems to get sicker everyday, that our days are filled with so much negativity. Truly, how can we break this cycle?
Gab,
The observations you've made are very touching. Indeed life is a paradox. In my view, the challenge is at individual level - what is it that we are doing individually to stop these vices???. Its like when you talk about issues of environmental degradation, are you the sort of person who throws trash out of the window of your car without thinking of who's gonna pick it up??, do you burn garbage anyhow??. Equally, the observations you've made points to how we account for how actions individually and what contribution either positively or negatively we are making towards making this world a better place to live.
I strongly believe that if we can change our perception of each other and love humanity more, then we would not, at personal level, do unto others as we would not like them do unto us. The base line to start changing things around us is to 'love our neighbor as we love ourselves'!!
Mumba, Zambia
Mero,
That is the key of the matter!
I do believe all of us can do something about it, it doesn't matter how insignificant it seems, any contribution towards reconciling the differences, will make a big difference.
loveNlight
Gabi
Gab
Its true that there are alot of things happening which sometimes raise our hairs but the unfortunate thing as your have put it is that we have no control over them. Those in power are busy managing their affairs to make sure they remain on top and may be do not even know what is going on in the grassroot. Cleo
MEN,
So true, the challenge is at individual level: What are we as individual doing to change the trend? We do need to start by accepting our responsibility on what is happening around us. Reading the news and feeling sorry for what is happening will not resolve the issues affecting us. It seems as if we are on a catch 22, we do have the knowledge but we are still unable to come to a solution that works for everybody.
We should start by understanding and respecting the fact that we are all on equal standings and that all of us are children of the divine.
I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
- Edward Everett Hale
Welcome to the blog dear MEN
loveNlight
Gabi
Dear Cleo,
as Albert Einstein said:
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.
loveNlight
Gabi
Gabi - I wonder about these issues daily and I long to live in a community of like-minded people. I know such communities exist, but where? And do they eventually encounter the same control issues, jealousy, and greed? Is it human nature that when we crowd the planet we start exercising "territorial imperitive" like Robert Ardry and Desmond Morris (in The Naked Ape) talked about? And what about the stress studies that show animals in crowded environments becoming violent? Is it just in our nature and does it take a certain proportion of evil against virtue to run a world? I wish I had answers.
Kass,
I'm also searching for the answers :)
I do have faith we are in the right path, the general level of consciousness is raising minute by minute. If not, why are we pondering about these issues? ;-)
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.
- Mohandas K. Gandhi
loveNlight
Gabi
Gab,
Difficult topic this one. We must do what we can every time we come across any of these or similar situations. The more we do it, the less dirty drops.
So true, this is a difficult topic, to which I'm still looking for answers and a way forward.
loveNlight
Gabi
Man is capable of many things. But the only actions we can control are our own. We can react to our fears and insecurities, and let them make our decisions for us. Or... we can chose a different path.
Gabi, you are right we usually matter about things that are not really important while others are fighting for food or health. That is why it is necessary to have people like you calling our attention to real matters.Thanks a lot and keep doing it.
love
zahida
El desarrollo de la vida comienza desde el vientre de la madre y los dotes quela vida le da a ese nuevo ser, el ser tendrá que desarrollarse en el mundo y eso es lo que nos determinara, en seres con mayores y menores capacidades, el clima en que nos desarrollamos es un mecanismos vital. Somos parte del sistema y parte de la solución.
@Jay: so true, man is capable of many things and such is the phenomenon of our nature. But the one that matter most is that we do always have the choice to become who we want to be. We do need opposites because without them we are nothing, but maybe it is time to start deciding which path we really want to follow and then mellow down some of the atrocities going around… just a thought.
@Zahida: that is what I was thinking about this morning: all the petty things I worry about while the world is in such a mess. The good thing is that we are starting to realize that we are reaching the time of consciousness and fundamental changes.
It is so great to see u in the blog my dear friend please keep coming back to share your observations with us.
@Maria Jose: tienes razón, el entorno en el que nos desarrollamos es un factor importante (pero no determinante) en establecer quiénes somos. Este entorno nos permite observar y experimentar lo que nos gusta y lo que no, y basado en ello tomar nuestras decisiones. Las cosas negativas que están pasando no invitan a reaccionar y decidir qué es lo que queremos ser.
Thank you all for stopping by
loveNlight
Gabi
The saddest thing is to realize that the most dangerous thing on earth are human beings. We have the ability to BE great and to DO great things but somehow the worst part of us always seems to come out more than the other.
Human trafficking and slave trade!!
All that separates those trading others and those being traded is circumstance of birth. The coin could have fallen any way and just because it fell in your favor you put another human being in a situation you wouldn't be will to be in yourself!!!
Then there's violence against each other just for being different!!
Our differences is what makes us great. If we were all the same and all had the same ideas and values what would be the point. Just because i don't see things through your eyes and you don't see them through mine, doesn't mean your wrong and I'm right, it just means you like what you like and i like what i like. We're just different and that's ok....
So please people be ok with it because we were never meant to be the same.
And our ability to see bad in every situation! Taking your example about Avatar, it was just a movie. For me it was just something to entertain but suddenly people are bring race into it. Half the people in that movie were blue!!! I'm sure all the green and pink aliens will be send a letter of protest to James Cameroon for the lack alien color diversity!
Somethings are just there for the fun it, try to enjoy the little things in life and don't sweat the rest.
I also ponder the causes everything that's happening just like you Gabi and sadly it all seems to come back to us,humans. But every different thinking mind is one more out there trying to make a difference, so just keep being different. And as you always sign out "loveNlight", it is the way forward.
Dear Bunda, thank you so much for your touching contribution. You hit the point, we are the ones that need to change our approach so we can embrace the differences and grow from them, instead of fighting them or taking advantage of the ones in disadvantage.
Let me share with you something beautiful I found from Shakti Gawin - which I think contains the answer to our pondering ;)
Evil is like a shadow. It has no real substance of its own, it is simply a lack of light. You cannot cause a shadow to disappear by trying to fight it, stamp on it, by railing against it, or any other form of emotional or physical resistance. In order to cause a shadow to disappear, you must shine light on it.
loveNlight
Gabi
Garb, This an exciting revelation of what the world really is. Your script shows us exactly what the world is made of.However each individual is entiltled to make the world we live in his /her own way.
Mulomba Hameja
This is pretty sick, morality seems to get worse by the day. The cycle of pain and suffering is made to go on and on as the those who are supposed to do good instead choose to do bad. The abused will in turn abuse others and the cycle goes on.
Ver sobering Gaby.
Thank you Bunda for your contribution
loveNlight
Gabi
Gabi - thank you so much for reminding me of the Shakti Gawain quote. I read her Creative Visualization book years ago, but I have forgotten so much.
@ Hameja: I agree with you, each of us can make the world our very own way. I hope we do chose the one that is ruled by unconditional love.
@Kass: I'm so glad to know you like Shakti Gawain. I came across it by "accident" yesterday and I was immediately trapped by it. Looked just like a message from above ;-)
loveNlight to both
Gabi
Dear Gabi,
I've been pre-occupied with what has happened in Haiti and reading your blog has inspired me to write something related on mine. I hope you don't mind, I have put a link on to your post on mine because I think we both are hitting on something that concerns a lot of us on the planet these days.
Thank you,
Sherry
Dear Sherry,
I'm more than glad to have inspired you to write something related to my post. The more voices we race the more awareness we bring to the world.
Thank you so much for putting a link on your blog, you are an Angel!
loveNlight to all the people in Haiti and all the others in need.
Gabi
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