Exactly that! That the imagery was mine! My screenname, while I was banned for lifetime as gabbydott, was donnadonne. The emphasis on your partial understanding or memorizing is strikingly obvious in your imagery, Vammy. ;-)
On 19 Jan., 19:53, Vamadevananda <[email protected]> wrote: > The imagery is yours, Donna ! One may have his / her / its pick. > > What DID they teach you in your Yoga studio ? > > On Jan 19, 10:52 pm, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote: > > > God as a schizophrenic dr jekyll and mr hyde? That's not what they > > were teaching me at my yoga studio! > > > On 19 Jan., 15:55, Vamadevananda <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > This kind of tragic and disastrous event are more food for our action > > > than thought ... to mitigate suffering now and take action for the > > > future, by Haitians and the world community. > > > > To bring God into the picture, faith, belief and religion ... all > > > food for very personal musings ... but sickening if brought up in the > > > public domain, in the face of all the action pending. > > > > On Jan 19, 5:45 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Some Food for Thought > > > > > Editor's note: Elizabeth McAlister is a professor of religion at > > > > Wesleyan University. > > > > > (CNN) -- We are all sick at heart to witness the unfathomable > > > > suffering in Haiti. Why do bad things happen to innocent people? Why > > > > Haiti, again? Even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said recently, > > > > "It is biblical, the tragedy that continues to stalk Haiti and the > > > > Haitian people." > > > > > How we make meaning of this suffering will be crucial to how we > > > > respond, in the long term, as a global community. > > > > > My Haitian in-laws, visiting from Boston, Massachusetts, to take some > > > > comfort with us, announced that the verse of the day on their favorite > > > > Bible Web site is from Revelation 16:18. "And there were voices and > > > > thunders and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as has > > > > not been since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so > > > > great." > > > > > The word "earthquake" appears sixteen times in the Bible. It was clear > > > > to them -- and many other Christians -- that the earthquake was part > > > > of God's plan. Why God ordains such disasters is a mystery that is not > > > > ours to question. It is only our job to have faith. > > > > > A friend who barely escaped the collapse of her house in the quake > > > > writes that people in her Port-au-Prince neighborhood are living this > > > > time as the apocalypse. They are gathering en masse, singing hymns and > > > > praying nonstop as they wait for disaster aid -- and Jesus. > > > > > For them, the meaning of their suffering is clear. How else to > > > > interpret the collapse of their entire world, earthquake, famine, > > > > death, disease and drought? They are God's children living out the > > > > last chapter of the Bible. > > > > > Fundamentalist Pat Robertson says that the earthquake is the devil's > > > > work. Haitians are cursed by a pact with Satan that their ancestors > > > > made, he says. Distorting a Haitian national myth, he is referring to > > > > a famous Afro-Creole religious service said to have sparked and > > > > launched the Haitian War of Independence in 1791. Ironically, > > > > historians tell us that such a single ceremony never happened -- > > > > although surely there were many slave gatherings, and many Afro-Creole > > > > religious rituals in the region. > > > > > Haitians do not mistake African religiosity for Satanism as Robertson > > > > does, so for them the ceremony was a spiritually charged political > > > > rally. Slaves gathered to plan and inspire themselves for the > > > > outrageous feat they would succeed in performing: a slave revolution, > > > > the abolition of slavery, and by 1804, national independence. > > > > > Afro-Creole religion, known as Vodou, still underpins the philosophy > > > > of many Haitians, though by no means everyone. A spirit-priest I know > > > > reads the earthquake as an allegorical message from the spirits who > > > > infuse the land. "The land is our mother," he said. When you abuse the > > > > land -- deforest her, plant only one crop, overpopulate her, erode her > > > > soil -- she explodes, searching for a way to rebalance. > > > > > The spirit of the land had become sick with abuse. Her children -- the > > > > eldest ones, the ones in charge, the Haitian government -- had no > > > > policies, no laws to protect the land or use it wisely. The spirit- > > > > mother exploded with fever. "We know this has a scientific cause," > > > > said the spirit-priest. "But look how the government buildings caved > > > > in. This tells us something." > > > > > In the last several years there has been a saying among Haitians that > > > > "the country is finished." "Peyi-a fini," they say in Creole. It has > > > > been called a dying land, a failed state, a product of irreversible > > > > environmental degradation. > > > > > For social scientists, there is nothing metaphysical about the > > > > question "Why Haiti?" Longstanding structural reasons have produced a > > > > dysfunctional system long in crisis. Beginning as a French slave > > > > society, the nation was founded at a severe disadvantage. France > > > > demanded enormous payment for abandoned property after the revolution, > > > > starting a cycle of debt that was never broken. > > > > > Deep and abiding racism prevented the U.S. and Europe from recognizing > > > > Haiti for 60 years. Trade was never established on even terms. The > > > > military ruled the state, culminating in the brutal Duvalier > > > > dictatorship, which the U.S. supported. > > > > > No robust civil society developed -- there's no vigorous tradition of > > > > PTAs and town planning boards. A brain drain evacuated top talent from > > > > the country, while the U.S.-subsidized farm industry sent surplus > > > > crops to Haiti, undercutting local prices there. Farmers abandoned > > > > their lands, flocked to the capital, and built the shanty towns that > > > > have now collapsed into rubble, burying the innocent and vulnerable, > > > > strong and powerful alike. > > > > > The suffering Haitians are enduring is a natural disaster worsened by > > > > human-made conditions. It is a spiritual crucible. But it is also a > > > > crisis of meaning. For Christians it is to have faith, hope, and > > > > charity. For fundamentalist Protestants, it is to convert all souls, > > > > give aid, and wait for Jesus' return. For Vodouists, it is to regain > > > > balance with the land and the unseen spiritual world. > > > > > For many social scientists, it is to strengthen Haitians' capacity for > > > > self-government, to relieve the debt Haiti owes, to reforest the land, > > > > and to figure out how to divorce aid from dependence. > > > > > How we interpret the suffering of the good people of Haiti will lay > > > > the groundwork for how we walk forward. > > > > > The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of > > > > Elizabeth > > > > McAlister.http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/18/mcalister.haiti.faith/index.htm...
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