Our minds, absorb ideas of objects and subjects from ourenvironment, and this is a natural way to build a library of knowledge in our minds. Some can store more and others less. Some understand the relevance and others do not. No one at any stage will know the full implication of the knowledge that we absorb.
I have come to observe, that whatever, I do today in 2017, a foudation was laid in 1951. At that time, I had no inkling why I landed in a place like a Seminary which came from the blue.
But by hind sight I see, there was a greater purpose in the mind of the one who created me to make use of my potential in music, for his own purpose. I therefore accept, that life offers opportunities, but we do not know why. If we just do not argue about it and ask, "what is the use of this ?" and shelf the opportunity aside we will soon come to know at later time that had we known about it, and worked on it, perhaps, we would have been saved from great difficulties. In this I find the parable of the talents in Jesus's life, and it has been an anchor for me, in the aqusition of knowledge. Even in this, I had not done my best at a earlier stage, but I also see, that God does not hold against us when we do not do the best. He gives second chances.
The reason why I say is not to discourage any one, as even God will not want to do so, as he showed in forgving Mary Magdalen, the woman accused of adultery, etc. Perhaps, we have to have a second look at the sayings of Jesus, rather than keep him on a pedestal and glorify him, and not understand, what he is saying, and why.
A lot of gloom has spread in our country, but still there are pockets where we see a glimmer of hope. We have to use this to spread more sunshine in the lives of our neighbors, and do not spend time, in counertering false propaganda. Leave it to God. One thing we should know, God does not judge by what we believe. He has given that to us, so that we find our way. He looks at us as his children, whatever race, creed or color. If he does not discriminate neither shoud we.
A plea of a Crying Child
As I watch this picture, I was reminded of my childhood, where my parents had to leave a life of luxury and embrace one of poverty. Luckily for them their religious upbringing helped them.
I remember as a child of 6 or 7 when coming from the Church to go to school, I met a lady, with a black saree, bent over me and asked me "Are you the son of John Pais baba"? That one question changed my life. I had met my aunt who did not exist. I had known her sister but my parents did not tell us much because of their own grief.
Later another gentleman used to stand at his compound wall, and watch us kids marching to school, in front of his house, and he too found in my face a reflection of my father, an spontaneously used to say, "Jona Paisana maga Walty Pais !" which meant, "son of John Pais" - I did not understand at that time, what triggered it. But now I can, how older people know their antecedents but not vice versa. Their past memories flood their minds.
Thus these experiences have been bouncing back again and again and now I have reached 82 ! I see this child, and want to do what I can. I know I can not, but I can write this ? At least there is someone there who can ? Who has been given more he can share ?
Even if we can not share wealth, we can share our feelings and give a smile to the one suffering ? That is what happened yesterday as my wife was showing this song, "Change my life O Lord" - This urge of helping caught me off guard and, I asked her to bring her phone to the computer and recorded the song on Audacity program, converted it to mp3 went to the internet downloaded the pictures of suffering, praying and homeless people. I got my data and made this video. This much God has given me and that I shared, so that someone else who can with the help of God fulfill the dreams of a crying child.
We are passing through a battle of ideas. Years ago there was Inustrial Revolution, and no one asked how come the West got so much wealth, that they felt the need of mechanization. But God too put ideas in their head, while some were defrauding people and stealing from them. James Watt saw his mothers kettle boiling and came the locomotive ! Another discovered gravity from an apple falling from a tree. These small inputs from the hidden hand have brought us this technlogy, and we think it is the genius of man, an ordinary mortal.. Whave become proud and forgotten the Giver. What he has given, he can take it away any time. This is what we learnt in 1934 !
If you have a lesson here from which you can learn, please do so.
All you need is EMPATHY.
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Fanaticism is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal or with an obsessive enthusiasm. The fanatic displays very strict standards and little tolerance for contrary ideas or opinions.
Religious fanaticism is uncritical zeal or with an obsessive enthusiasm related to one's own, or one's group's, devotion to a religion
It is said that Jesus of Nazareth is best known as a preacher of nonviolence, forgiveness, and love of one's neighbor - The start of Christian fanatic rule came after the Roman Emperor Constantine promulgated an Edict declaring it as accepted. But those who came after him did something else and after that you have had as many opinions as there are people to talk.
The Crusades were very much holy wars waged to maintain Christianity's theological and social control. On their way to conquering the Holy Land from the Muslims by force of arms, due to a lack of understanding of the other - who also believed it to be Sacred Land for them. - This is a common fault of all who are born of men and women, they tend to speak before they learn to think.
Extremism within Islam goes back to the 7th century from their essentially political position, some teachers of the faith developed extreme doctrines that set them apart from both mainstream Sunni and ShiĘża Muslims. The Kharijites were particularly noted for adopting a radical approach whereby they declared other Muslims to be unbelievers and therefore deemed them worthy of death.
In this case too, for 300 years people knew about Mohammed only through the spoken word, but he had died and when his grand son, had felt that rulers in Mecca had strayed away from his path, he at Karbala, was murdered and till this day the Shi'a are having Muharram. There is definetly a divergence of attitudes between the two Sects, and to this day, it is a bone of contention. But among the followers there are many with pure intentions and others half baked in the knowdge of their faith, act more as humans and less as guided by the Prophet.
Essentially therefore it is not the flaw of the Religion, but the ones that practice it. It is the dichotomy of human nature to give in to human instincts and forget the teaching of the one whom they follow. And the rest too judge one another from the actions of the followers, who are basically imperfect, and transfer their obsrvations, to the Faith they are bound to.
Now we have in front of us the HIndu fanaticm, for everyone to see. How can one blame the religion of the HIndus, for the practice of some of them. This nation has adhered to embracing all cultures without prejudice, for 5 millenia and that is why it looks like a Garden of Flowers. There have been many streams of this high approach and we have the Mahaviras, Buddha, Guru Nanak, and others, who had shown the way. The Saintly Tukaram and Eknath of Marashtra, if one reads their writings, a Christian who has been familiar with their saints, will not distinguish any differnce.
My daughter in law from Arya Samaj, married my son but my eyes opened when I heard the ritual spoken in English. The indissolubity of marriage is even held by them, and the whole ceremony is a bautiful one. How can any one grudge it, without understanding it. God is the same but being invisible man is not able to understand Him and sees what he wants to see and acts on his or hers personal observations which may not be true from God's point of view, but since HE is Omniscient, he does not act in haste like we humans do, and waits for the right time, to teach us, which may be a flash in our mind and we see it in a differnt light and after a few years, may find all agree with that.. That is why, we should not jump to conclusions, with the first flash that comes to our mind, and in most cases it is futile.
In this present turmoil, we see the same, and blame the PM, but he has to walk a tight rope not to distabilze what he has started and it is but fair we give him a chance. We can never know and may be he too being human may make errors of jugement now, but change for the better in future which I might not live to see, but many of you will. I have the hope that any thing is possible in this fluid world of human activity.
Music is a thing of pleasure and we use it at many occasions in our lives. Some are born with the instinct of music, others take the trouble to learn the intricacies of the same. There have been others for whom it is a money spinner, but to cut down the costs they have resorted to shortcuts. This did not happen during the classical period when they were supported by befactors mostly from Royal families and the Church hierarchy. They gave them their best, and produced marvelous works, which are reproduced for the public by dedicated choirs and orchestras whose main aim is to preserve the heritage they have inherited.
After the first world war, the monied classes usurped the space made to them, actually it was their conspiracy to get them out of the way. In the past these monieyed classes used to fund the wars of the Royals, and getting their pound of flesh from them in return.. They themselves would pit them one agaist the other and get both ends of the candle to get their share. This share has today made them millionaires and they rule the roost in political circles, and the zombies are asked to pay the price. Could we too one day happen to do the same, or are we going to be aware of what is happeing around us ?
I have never been able to bite their bullet till now, and since I do not find any music to my satisfaction have begun to compose my own, at least to find peace in this turbulent world.
My dear friends, art and crafts are talents that have been given by the Great Benefactor free of charge. Why not respect the Giver and do in the first place what he intended us to do with these gifts.
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