I want to express my sorrow and sympathy over today's events in Pakistan. It is especially eerie to me considering the two postings yesterday. I hope my Pakistani friends, their family and friends, are safe and well. Please drop me a comment to let me know you are okay. Additionally, if you feel like it, I would appreciate hearing your thoughts.
May I never have to learn my world geography through another event like this; the four provinces are Balochistan, Sindh, North-West Frontier, Punjab.
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
I DON'T KNOW THE 4 PROVINCES :-(
I LOVE what this blog has brought to my life and continues to do so. I stopped over at my friend A. Joe's blog to see what was happening in her life - she is an amazing writer with a skill for crafting her emotions in an empathetic way.
Anyhow, I saw that she had written a post about me - it wasn't flattering BUT it was true. This is the kind of discussion that I enjoy so much because I learn. I'll play devil's advocate at times and push back on ideas even if I don't really think that way (so know that) - for some reason that greatly intensifies my learning curve. Anyhow, check out her post, I left a comment. I would like to continue the conversation so anyone else, please feel free to post a comment on her blog or my blog with your thoughts on this topic. I'd love to hear what other people in other countries, or the U.S., think of this and any solutions/thoughts/ideas you might have. Here's the link:
http://blank-face.blogspot.com/2007/10/pak-sar-zameen-shad-baad.html
Anyhow, I saw that she had written a post about me - it wasn't flattering BUT it was true. This is the kind of discussion that I enjoy so much because I learn. I'll play devil's advocate at times and push back on ideas even if I don't really think that way (so know that) - for some reason that greatly intensifies my learning curve. Anyhow, check out her post, I left a comment. I would like to continue the conversation so anyone else, please feel free to post a comment on her blog or my blog with your thoughts on this topic. I'd love to hear what other people in other countries, or the U.S., think of this and any solutions/thoughts/ideas you might have. Here's the link:
http://blank-face.blogspot.com/2007/10/pak-sar-zameen-shad-baad.html
Saturday, September 1, 2007
ROSE TINTED GLASSES?
One of the things I truly enjoy in life is an in-depth conversation on the meaning of life. Inevitably a conversation on religion ensues and people always have strong opinions on this matter.
I have several friends who either characterize themselves as atheist, or simply someone with an understanding that they will never achieve an answer on whether there is a god or not so why waste time worrying about it. I have often struggled with whether I should chase answers to questions I know will never reveal the answer. I've chosen to chase...for many reasons, of which one is my enjoyment in the contemplation.
But what I wanted to write briefly about today is an aspect of my atheist friend's attitude which I wish I could duplicate in myself more often. When I ask these friends what the point of life is, the answer I receive most frequently is, "There isn't a point. It's just about enjoying life." And these friends actually live their lives that way - they see life as more of a gift than I think most religious people do. I believe in a god. And I believe religion at its core is a great manual for people to live by. I believe religion provides hope to those most in need of it...and, equally as important, a purpose in life. But I feel like sometimes the religious look to better themselves and those around them so much that they forget the gift staring them right in the face every day. The gift of opportunity. The gift of simply being.
I'm not saying atheists don't try to better themselves or society as much as the religious but there is a distinct difference in the philosophies behind it - which I would love to write more about when I have more time. I'm simply saying that at the core of an atheist belief is an outlook more focused on seeing life as a beautiful gift to us as an individual. I think this thought is also VERY present in religion but is overrun with a variety of messages, and layer of importance on them, that we would all be better served to remember that life is an amazing opportunity that we should enjoy, or understand our fortune...even through our struggles. We are either allowed to be, or just on earth being, depending on your belief. Either way, we have a lot to enjoy and be thankful for.
I have several friends who either characterize themselves as atheist, or simply someone with an understanding that they will never achieve an answer on whether there is a god or not so why waste time worrying about it. I have often struggled with whether I should chase answers to questions I know will never reveal the answer. I've chosen to chase...for many reasons, of which one is my enjoyment in the contemplation.
But what I wanted to write briefly about today is an aspect of my atheist friend's attitude which I wish I could duplicate in myself more often. When I ask these friends what the point of life is, the answer I receive most frequently is, "There isn't a point. It's just about enjoying life." And these friends actually live their lives that way - they see life as more of a gift than I think most religious people do. I believe in a god. And I believe religion at its core is a great manual for people to live by. I believe religion provides hope to those most in need of it...and, equally as important, a purpose in life. But I feel like sometimes the religious look to better themselves and those around them so much that they forget the gift staring them right in the face every day. The gift of opportunity. The gift of simply being.
I'm not saying atheists don't try to better themselves or society as much as the religious but there is a distinct difference in the philosophies behind it - which I would love to write more about when I have more time. I'm simply saying that at the core of an atheist belief is an outlook more focused on seeing life as a beautiful gift to us as an individual. I think this thought is also VERY present in religion but is overrun with a variety of messages, and layer of importance on them, that we would all be better served to remember that life is an amazing opportunity that we should enjoy, or understand our fortune...even through our struggles. We are either allowed to be, or just on earth being, depending on your belief. Either way, we have a lot to enjoy and be thankful for.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
I'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU A COMPLIMENT BUT WHAT'S THE POINT?
I just finished reading the news websites I peruse each morning. It seems like it is the most depressing thing I can do to start each day. I would like to blame our news organizations for only reporting the bad events in the world but that is hard to do when there are so many bad events to report.
I don't understand any of it really. I just finished a story about a mother who offered her seven year old daughter to a man for sex. Apparently she really needed the money. I don't get it. How does someone come to do something like that? How bad is their life? How messed up is their brain? This woman had four other children as well.
I try to wrap my brain around events like this. I try to think about all the horrible things that must have happened to this woman in her life to allow herself to think this was acceptable. But in the end I can't justify it. Not even remotely. I feel sorry for her and her children. It's hard for me to crave the strictest justice and at the same time it's hard for me not to. I'd rather it just never happened.
And this is just one example of the host of crazy things that go on all over the world. Deep down I keep telling myself to remember all the beautiful things in life but it seems that the ugly things are always more impactful.
Why is it that I can receive 100 compliments in a day for a job well done and feel good about it. But if someone says, "you did an amazing job, the only thing I would have changed was to move the picture up a bit higher" it totally wipes out their compliment as well as the 100 others? Negatives seem to outweigh positives. I wish I could change that.
I don't understand any of it really. I just finished a story about a mother who offered her seven year old daughter to a man for sex. Apparently she really needed the money. I don't get it. How does someone come to do something like that? How bad is their life? How messed up is their brain? This woman had four other children as well.
I try to wrap my brain around events like this. I try to think about all the horrible things that must have happened to this woman in her life to allow herself to think this was acceptable. But in the end I can't justify it. Not even remotely. I feel sorry for her and her children. It's hard for me to crave the strictest justice and at the same time it's hard for me not to. I'd rather it just never happened.
And this is just one example of the host of crazy things that go on all over the world. Deep down I keep telling myself to remember all the beautiful things in life but it seems that the ugly things are always more impactful.
Why is it that I can receive 100 compliments in a day for a job well done and feel good about it. But if someone says, "you did an amazing job, the only thing I would have changed was to move the picture up a bit higher" it totally wipes out their compliment as well as the 100 others? Negatives seem to outweigh positives. I wish I could change that.
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