[Goanet]On lighting a lighter candle . . .
ON LIGHTING A LIGHTER CANDLE . . . Although I may be an absentee vote on a number of ballots that keep surfacing on Goanet, I cannot help but be humored by the occasional ego-rattling, name dropping, or names getting dropped from the list for name-calling! Or, humored at such other times when a simple kilobyte-issue escalates into a mega-Gigahertz ball, slipping out of hand and roaring downfield! Or, when one netter lights a candle to quell another netter's unbearable groan about the darkness into which that one has descended, or is about to draw others into. Or, at the mechanical ease with which we shackle a whole new assembly of wheels to the existing set of wheels that were fated to get stuck in the mucky issue! As a resourceful minority in the larger scheme of survival, we Goans have managed to remain closely interwoven in one another's woes, aspirations, outlook or downfall, so much so that it can be almost ascertained that the virus manifesting itself on one Goan's harddrive has nothing to do with the Doidiro at the other end! Even more comforting is the fact that in this age of Megahertz and Gigahertz, we are still accustomed to routinely herding ourselves into our self-righteous bandwagon, and parking it center stage in time's theater. So long as the movie is on, we have nothing to complain. It's when the movie stops that we get agitated and start staring at each other, and kneading menacing-looking balls, and letting them drop for the other guy to go after; or lighting candles, even going online to check for a set of new or used wheels! We do, however, have our sense of humor at the other's expense and caliber. But when the calibration misfires, we draw out our Portuguese era 12-bore guns. Great care is taken though to aim high, so as to avoid needless bloodshed, or the downing of a yippie crow on its first sabbatical. And speaking of birds and their unconditional droppings, in our pursuit of transcendental BS, it is not uncommon to find ourselves grabbing the 'S' by its horn rather than the 'B'! All said and done and no matter what or where, we do stand our ground and haven't yet gone underground, become dismembered or extinct like the Dodo. Time and over again, we have exhibited a remarkable resilience to tolerate one another, and to light a candle rather than curse the shadow or the darkness emanating from the other's grand standing on a defunct issue. And when a non-assuming candle fails to dispel the gloom or the community moan, someone -- much larger than hope -- rushes to the scene, lights a homemade candle from both ends and in that moment of expedited illumination, everyone instantly rebounds to the realization that it is a beautiful morning and heads for the outdoors! Such lightning exit is not without enlightenment, as it adequately reminds us that there is all kinds of darkness out there, and at times, it is not too late to curse the candle instead! Dom Martin The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! ## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##
[Goanet]The Goanet Household
November 9, 2003 For the memorable part, Goanet has been a hospitable household. Occasionally, someone fails to shut the door to the elements, or does not heed, or slams it inconsiderately. Other times, everyone appears to be acquiescent to the congestive air and overlooks the need to force open a window or two and let some fresh air in. And there are the times when some take the diligence to wipe their feet at the door mat while others simply bypass it, in their hurried anxiety to tromp in. And on those rare occasions, the need arises to evict an unruly guest and no one wishes to gladly undertake that conscionable burden. But it needs to be done so that harmony can be the viewpoint from the vantage seat of all in the household. And there is, of course, the gnawing resentment when one person's baggage continues to take up all the space in the Living Room. Or, when another's choice of food appears to be the only damning entree on the menu. Similarly, there is no harm if someone goes about using a broom to deal with cobwebs, or if another goes about it to sweep the floor. The harm becomes when one uses it as a domestic weapon to knock down religious icons and other social, cultural, ethnic or political artifacts. But thankfully, we don't have to orbit the sun because unlike the planets, our lives have been calibrated for extinction, and possible reincarnation in someone else's galaxy. So, while there is splendid purpose in drawing the curtain, or adding a skylight to elevate the mood in a room or in the household, there is no need to enforce the sun, lightning or thunder, if everyone is content with who they are in the galaxy of their own choices. Also, we don't have to pass each other like ships at night, or overtake one another. There is ample water for all of us to tread in at the same time, so long as we are mindful of our waves and wavelength. There is ample need to listen and be heard, but there is no need to amplify that universal need into noise. Often times, silence punishes more than the spoken or written word. From that standpoint, we all need to be happy, feel hopeful and succeed, and no one can make us deserve any less without our consent. More importantly, we don't need to denigrate the other in someone else's household. We can honorably do so in our own household, on the premise of inviting the other for an eye to eye dialogue. And why should it matter if one is a saint and the other a sinner? That is no different from the argumentative rationale if God exists or does not exist. What is essential is to be oneself in the scheme of all things, and to coexist in such a manner as not to threaten the other or be threatened by. Of course, this world would be a nudge better without the other, except, each of us are ourselves the very 'other' that we stand to conveniently, or inadvertently despise. Therefore, if we can all graciously agree on accepting each other for who each is, there will be no need to modify the Goanet Household, or restructure it, or drastically alter the dimensions or peripherals of the existing doors and windows therein. In summary: What is presently there, is good enough, and it is incumbent on each of us to strive to keep it that way. Dom Martin
[Goanet] Ariosto... remembered in Muskaorem
In order to be a good priest and be of service to God and ones fellowbeings, one must first acquire and manifest the qualities of a realized being. Graduating through the curriculum of philosophy and theology are mere technical tiers preceding ordination. The greater challenge remains in graduating through the exercise of exerting compassion without let or prejudice. Such graduation is without a semester and demands a lifelong commitment. Forty-one years ago, when I was in Ariostos class, he exuded that quality of compassion. Four years later, when we were in the seminary together, nothing had diminished in that arena. In 1968, when I visited the Salesian Novitiate in Yercaud, Ariosto welcomed me with a compassionate hug, literally unaware that he was hugging a loser. (Earlier that summer, I had been denied admission into the Salesian order and while en route to joining the Benedictine monastery, I made an impromptu detour to visit my former seminarians one last time before confining myself to a life of solitude. Obviously, at the time, I had no reckoning that it wasnt proper protocol for a persona non grata to show up uninvited and in so doing, risk subjecting the psyche of the chosen ones to some damning influence!) In retrospect, the Salesians did me right by showing me the door while consoling me that God had much greater plans for me out there. It was a period in my life when my unstable soul was so fixated on Heavens limited quota of saints, that at times I could sense even God was beginning to feel discreetly uncomfortable. Eventually, I got the message that I was specifically cut for the canvas and not for the cloth. In the mid 70's, when I was deputed to attend Ariostos ordination on behalf of Joe Rodrigues (a mutual great friend and former member of the Salesian order), Ariosto mistook me for a priest -- dressed up as a Bohemian. And as he extended me his compassion, I took it as a benign sign that he and I reached the divine threshold within hours of each other, even though my arrival was via the material wastelands! And in the late 70's, when Ariosto visited the Bom Jesus Basilica art gallery where my paintings are on display, he took the time to recall with warmth our antiquated acquaintance. Today, a quarter century has slipped by since we last met. A current meeting, however, is neither mandated nor exigent in order to reassess or re-validate Ariostos compassionate predisposition. Some people change over time, others change the times they live in, and Freds post reminds us that good deeds come from the resources of goodwill and have a perpetual tendency to reincarnate in the wavelength of memory and gratitude. Dom Martin Message: 10 Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 14:48:10 +0530 (IST) From: Frederick Noronha (FN) [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Goanet] Ariosto... remembered in Muskaorem Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Some days back, work took me to this small hamlet of Muskaorem. Ram Gaonkar (32) got talking about life in the village, how things had changed, for both better and in some ways worse. For this small hamlet in the village panchayat of Rivona, the growth of education in recent years has been a big boon for the villagers. Ram recalled, in particular, how Don Bosco's at nearby Sulcorna had brought education to a place where they earlier had to walk some 12 kms for schooling. Then he mentioned Ariosto Coelho, who was one of the builders of the Sulcorna school and allied institutions (they also have an agri-farm). It was quite a coincidence to note that the person he was taking about has been a long-time (if largely silent) Goanetter, and who's wife is an admin of Goanet. Ram, who is a Velip from the region (an aboriginal community that has long missed out on most of the fruits of 'development') recalled how he had a problem with his nose, and Ariosto took him to distant Panjim to get him cured. Wonder if Ariosto recalls this guy. It's a small world, and electronic communication is making it even smaller. FN ## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##
