Author Archives: Sagittarian Seeker

The Road to 65, Mile 93: Fun and Games

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March 1, 2015, Prescott- The most tempestuous month of the year dawned, much like a lion, with rain all day and a hint that snow might be in the offing later on.  Of course, what we get here in Arizona pales compared with what has befallen the eastern two-thirds of the country, over the past three months.  Our washes are rushing at capacity, and some roads are closed as a result.  Still, I am on the Red Cross Watch Team, and have not received a call to action, as yet this weekend.

March is also a time when I get the bad news on the tax front, but at least I have five weeks to pony up.  There are always consequences to fun and games, such as my long journeys abroad last year.  This year will have to be toned down, a lot, and more time spent around the home area, hardly a bad thing when home is within the parameters of the Southwest.

What one does for fun does not have to be cleared with anyone else, so long as nobody else is getting hurt and the cost of the enjoyment doesn’t fall on anyone else’s shoulders- sort of a corollary to the whole thing about choices.  I love the outdoors, so being on a trail somewhere is my ideal relaxation.  I also enjoy gatherings of friends or family.  Others, as I hinted, are well-entitled to do whatever they wish, for as long as they wish.

I say this because we seem to have entered a time when people feel they must justify everything they do, in the face of criticism, real or perceived.  There will always be those of different mindsets.  They will often express their opinions, and usually at a time when one feels vulnerable.  I can only say, keep on with what you are doing, and pay your naysayers no mind.  That is, unless those naysayers are your dependents, or your significant other, and they have needs that may interrupt the joy of the moment.

Life is short, regardless of its actual span, so I hope all will keep plenty of time for your relaxation of choice.

The Road to 65, Mile 92: Balance

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February 28, 2015, Prescott-  Over the past several days, we Baha’is have been participating in Ayyam-i-Ha, the gift-giving days signaling the approach of our liturgical year’s end.  We then will fast for the final month of the year, at least those of us who are between the ages of 15-70, and whose physical circumstances do not pose a risk to health.

During this time, people have indulged in a bit of fol-de-rol, online, regarding a certain multi-coloured dress.  I’ve weighed in on the matter, tongue in cheek, and see no harm in such activities.  All the same, the heinousness of many, around the world, also continues.  Angry, misanthropic men indulged themselves in the wanton destruction of ancient treasures, in a museum of Mosul, Iraq, much as they savage Christian and Muslim alike, in the territories unfortunate enough to have fallen under their control.  The same process repeats itself in northern Nigeria, western Myanmar and pockets of the resurgent nation of Somalia.   No one in those places is safe.

Here at home, a human monster is using a motor vehicle as a weapon, aiming it at other drivers, striking their parked vehicles and generally trying to instill fear in a peaceful neighbourhood, towards God knows what end.

Every community has to deal with the unbalanced.  For me, it is well that I have personal faith and its various avenues towards achieving balance in my life.  I am grateful for my friends and family, for the essential oils and organic foods that have kept me out of harm’s way, physically, over the past year or two. It’s a tough row to hoe, being mildly autistic yet capable of holding positions of responsibility and, most importantly, being able to see other people’s point of view.

The Hopi world view was presented, nearly thirty years ago, in a film entitled “Qoyaniqatsi”, or “World Out of Balance”.  Man’s departure from the world of nature was a central theme of this film.  Nature, by itself, struggles to maintain balance, and by itself is generally successful in that regard.  Humankind can maintain balance, in itself and with nature, only by following physical and natural laws, of which “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is the most basic.  To achieve and maintain balance, one must feel connected with all things.

It is the disconnect that many have felt, for some time, that underlies the savagery we see, continuously, in so much of the world.  There are no easy answers to resolving the rage of Islamic State, Boko Haram, the Burmese Buddhist extremists, al-Shabab or any of the bullies who who cause distress, to a lesser extent, in communities around the Earth.  There is, however, a slow process of regeneration taking place, simultaneous to the destruction.  Balance will be restored, and in one state of being (physical or spiritual), each of us will see it.

The Road to 65, Mile 91: Fervour

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February 27, 2015, Prescott-  A university education is pretty much seen as a right, in this day and age- albeit a right that has elements of privilege, including payment of one’s own tuition.  In the Islamic Republic of Iran, however, this right is denied members of my Faith: Baha’i.  There are various ruses and pretexts for this government policy, but the bottom line is: Baha’i has no clergy, which the mullahs, hojatoleslamim and ayatollahs take to mean- “You’re fired!”. Given their track record, would that were the case.

In reality, however, we Baha’is respect the right of other Faiths to maintain clergy, as long as the members of those Faiths regard them as necessary.  We just have a system of elected assemblies, to handle our administrative affairs, with individuals being responsible for their own spiritual growth, through daily prayer, meditation and study of Scripture.

This has never gone over well with those for whom a career in the Cloth entails making relatively large sums of money, as well as amassing considerable personal power.  Such a blur between the sacred and the profane exists in  Faiths other than Islam- It was a wealthy Hindu priest who arranged the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, after all, and it remains that the Vatican is a repository of vast wealth.  Yet, no opponents of Baha’i in countries outside Iran’s sphere of influence have gone to the extent of denying us basic human rights.

This evening, sixteen of us gathered in a large room at Yavapai College, on the east end of town, and viewed a film entitled “To Light A Candle”.  The persecution of Baha’is began with the emergence of Baha’u’llah, our Faith’s Founder, in 1853.  It was pre-dated by the persecution of the followers of Baha’u’llah’s immediate Predecessor, Al Bab (Arabic for “The Gate”), from His Declaration, in May, 1844, through the 1840’s and ’50’s.  This persecution, rife with torture, imprisonment and death, continues to this day.

It’s largely about money and power, as all religious pogroms are, in essence.  Common believers in Islam are duped into participating in the carnage, by appealing to their religious fervour and tailoring sermons to include lies and half-truths.  This is nothing new- commentary on Scripture is frequently filled with gibberish and fabulism.    We have only to recall the medieval  Inquisitions and “How many angels dance on the head of a pin?”  Christianity, however, has not, for the most part, gone in for savagery, since the Age of Enlightenment.

It’s time for a new Enlightenment, with people of goodwill and sincere devotion to truth leading the charge.  Baha’i represents individual investigation of truth, and devotion to the concept of Progressive Revelation.  As do all other human institutions, religion progresses gradually.  Attempts to bring humanity backwards invariably lead to heartache and suffering, all of it unnecessary.  Look for example, at the plight of the Assyrians and Chaldeans, in Iraq.  They are kindred to us Baha’is, and deserve the support of every righteous soul.

“To Light A Candle” is being shown in various locations across the planet, over the next several weeks.  It is worth seeing and pondering, regardless of one’s Faith.

The Road to 65, Mile 90: In-Between Days

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February 26, 2015, Prescott- The Baha’i Faith uses a calendar that consists of nineteen devotional months, of nineteen days each.  That leaves four days, in a 365-day year and 5 days, in a Leap Year, for celebration, gift-giving and acts of service.  I will only say that my service has been done, both inside and outside of my comfort zone, these past few days.  While I don’t like doing things that are unconventional and might attract unwanted attention to myself, I have done so, for the sake of peace in my wider community.  On the other hand, it’s easy for me to pitch in and help with a group activity, as that was always de rigeur in my family, both nuclear and extended.

Ayyam-i-Ha, or Intercalary Days, (February 26-March 1), are always an interesting time, as are the days of the Fast, which follow, from March 2-20. We gather, as a community, and offer hospitality and service to both one another and to the wider community. We are “promised” a five-day storm, starting Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.  Something tells me we will be in for five days of sunshine.  High pressure, around here, is a blessing (tourism magnet) and a curse (One can’t drink dust).  My point is, things are far more unpredictable than usual, this time of year.    I look forward, though, to both the gifts and the challenges, as always.

The Road to 65, Mile 89: Coercion

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February 25, 2015, Prescott-   Only unsettled people coerce others to do what is not needed.  I am getting angry e-mails from the Democrats, yelling about how they don’t see my name among the contributors.  They  won’t, and neither will any other political party.

I get snipped at for not doing Faith-based activities the way the complainant would.  I won’t, either, unless I see the need for it.

A person I am helping wants the assistance to be done in one way, and one way only.  That can be done, as long as my good name is not put in jeopardy and as long as the assistance doesn’t put everything else I am trying to do in jeopardy of neglect.

Coercion, next to betrayal, is the biggest killer of friendships, and other positive relationships.

The Road to 65, Mile 88: Visits

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February 24, 2015, Prescott- This afternoon, I went to a longtime friend’s house, which is in a heavy road construction zone, for a two hour visit.  She’s been deathly ill, for some time now, and only prayers, oil blend supplements (to help with pain) and a listening ear can be offered by yours truly.  After parking down the hill from her home, and negotiating the mud, above-ground sewer pipes and trenches, I brought in a small gift and heard her recollections of childhood and early adulthood.

She and her loving husband have each had a remarkable and productive life.  Her knowledge of antiques has helped preserve a great deal of the heritage central Arizona, and she has contributed much to the Baha’i community here, over more than 40 years. The tradition of elegance that emanates from this little house, on a venerable street in Prescott, will not easily fade.

Visits, especially to the seriously ill, are a key component of any community worthy of the name.  Perhaps the worst fate anyone can suffer is to be forgotten.  So, as often as we each can, the members of this little community call on one another, and keep a close watch on the ones who can’t get out.

This is actually quite a step forward for yours truly, having been happily in a bubble when I was in my twenties.  It’s probably the finest habit imparted to me by my late wife, and she would have been fit to be tied, had I reverted to hermitage.

The Road to 65, Mile 87: Choices

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February 23, 2015, Prescott- When I was deep in mourning, and on the road, one of my closest friends reminded me that everything one does, regardless of circumstances, is the consequence of choice. I got a call, this morning, at 5:47, from one of the districts for which I work.  I was not quite able to wrap my head around getting it together, and opted for a bit more sleep.  On days like this, I am well aware of the consequence, both immediate and down the road.  So have I learned to not blame others for much of anything.

Ann Landers once said, “No one can take advantage of you, without your permission”.  How true, and how often disconcerting. One must have clear boundaries.  The people we let into our lives are going to have expectations and are going to pursue agendas, which may or may not be in keeping with our own goals and plans.  It is up to each of us, whether to play a particular game, or opt out.

Without making conscious choices, a life gets bogged down and the person living it, dependent, bitter and often self-harming.  I have known many, besides myself, who defer decisions, based on excuses and the notion that “Conditions aren’t quite right”. Conditions will never be just so!

The other “tool” that the takers of this world employ, all too well, is guilt.  I have learned to sleep very well at night, doing what I can for the dispossessed and others in need, without going so far as to put myself among their number, through reckless spending at the loud insistence of guilt-mongers.

There is simply no substitute for taking responsibility for one’s own actions and beliefs.

The Road to 65, Mile 86: Heirlooms

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February 22, 2015, Prescott- My paternal grandmother would have turned 116 today, a rather sobering thought.  Her cooking, for a family of thirteen, depended almost entirely on organically-grown fruits, vegetables and animals.  After World War II, as my father and his siblings grew up and the nest became empty, my widowed Nana went to the market and bought the freshest foods she could, paying little mind to the processed and packaged foods that were increasingly on the shelves and in the freezers.  She liked the unsalted flat crackers that came in a long box, but everything else had to be frais.

We’ve slid a long ways downhill since those days.  I encountered a lot of unhealthy offerings, in my recent travel across  Texas and the Gulf Region.  There were also several glimmers of hope, in the small artisan and organic cafes of the Panama City area, in New Orleans and in the West Texas desert.  Heirloom seeds and the Ark of Taste represent sincere, concerted efforts to turn these glimmers of hope into a shining sun, with respect to diet.

The most recent issue of National Geographic Magazine makes note of the controversy over Genetically Modified Organisms, including it as one of the “War on Science” concerns, on its cover.  Inside, the actual article barely mentions GMO’s, saying only that “We are asked to eat” them, and “There is no evidence that they are harmful”.  This last conclusion may be true, with regard to some people, much as it’s true that not everyone dies after smoking cigarettes for five or ten years.  Longitudinally, though, no one knows.  Does that mean we should shuck it all, and make such foods our staples?  In my opinion, no.

This evening, I helped serve a dinner, comprised of Ark of Taste food items, including Navajo Churro Lamb, wheat berries, chilipati and okra.  There are over 100 items, worldwide, which have qualified for Ark of Taste.  The Ark is an international effort to preserve foods and beverages whose ingredients have become endangered.  It is a culinary version of the International Seed Bank, Longyearbyen, Norway.  The Ark exists mainly through the efforts of growers, ranchers and culinary workers, in the areas of production.  Its list of ingredients is growing, through a careful evaluation process, that emphasizes strict organic farming and animal husbandry.

Slow Food Prescott, of which I am a member, puts on this dinner every January or February.  Other Slow Food groups, in several communities around the world, offer a similar meal.  I believe educating oneself on the Ark of Taste is another step in overcoming the mindset of false convenience, in one’s daily diet.

The Road to 65, Mile 85: Auctions

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February 21, 2015, Phoenix-

I headed down here, this morning, to assist in the set-up for a major fund-raising auction at the Phoenix Baha’i Center, which was our primary spiritual gathering place from 2001-2011.  It’s been renovated, in a big way, from the rather woeful state into which it was falling, during the time of Penny’s own physical decline.  Still, it was a special place and we made do with what was available, in terms of facilities.

Now, there is a shine to the building, and a sense of new purpose.  The auction will help repay some of the costs associated with the renovation:  Ceramic tile flooring, larger and handicapped-accessible restrooms and the library moved to its own building.

Auctions are labour-intensive, energy-intensive.  I admire the record-keeping skills and cross-coordination that went into today’s planning session.  Two hours after we started hauling stuff in and setting up chairs and tables, every single item had a number, specific spot and minimum bid recorded, on the tag and in the Master Ledger, which is in pen and ink.  It is also put in digital copy, for posterity.

My hosts and I went back to their apartment for a vegetarian lunch, short siesta and a round-the-table resolution of various social ills.  At four o’clock, it was showtime, and we went back to the Center, for the intense bidding and good-natured haggling that accompanies a free-wheeling auction.  It appears a tidy sum was raised- maybe not a Sotheby’s, Christie’s or Barrett-Jackson level, but an encouraging amount.  Besides, we had a fabulous table of Persian cuisine, to accent the evening.  Anyone who has never tried the exquisite noodle dish, known as Ash Resteh, would do well to put it on the bucket list.

The Road to 65, Mile 84: Arcaneness

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February 20, 2015, Prescott-

There has come out of Phoenix, over the past several months, a concern with Common Core- the Federally-initiated set of loose education standards, which are intended to be tweaked to the needs of states and localities.  Because the Federal guidelines are so general, Common Core has appeared, to the average person, as a mishmash of convoluted lesson plans and circumlocution.

In most instances, Common Core has been fit to the state levels by panels of local educators.  The overriding concern, however, has been the mere fact that it is a byproduct of FEDERAL initiative.  There has been a fair amount of obfuscation and deliberate taking things out of context, so as to change education back to- “Heck, I don’t know.  Just make it something patriotic, adulatory of the Founding Fathers, pro-sports, useful for getting minimum-wage jobs, keeping the riff-raff in their place, and making Might the Master of Right.”

The only move the critics of Common Core have made thus far, here in the Grand Canyon State, is to institute a mandatory Civics Test, for those wanting to graduate high school.  That’s fair enough.  People who master Civics are less likely to be bamboozled.  All the same, there is nothing in Common Core that forbids or discourages mastery of Civics, or of any other subject.  We had a few years ago, in the Dysart Unified School District, in Surprise, AZ, west of Phoenix, something called Core Learning.  There were, in the social studies classes in which I taught, off and on, specific units on which it was felt everyone should focus:  The War for Independence, Slavery, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression.  I filled in the gaps, though it was discouraged by the administrators.  Several students, though, were more than glad to examine the Industrial Revolution, Gilded Age, the Spanish-American War and the Dust Bowl.

My point is that Common Core is a basic framework, not United Nations mandated indoctrination.  There are frivolous, off-center lesson plans being advanced in its name, but these have occurred in the names of any of its predecessors, from “A Nation At Risk” to “The First Days of School”, as well as “No Child Left Behind”.  Arcaneness is a peculiarly American aspect of education, more reflective of our freedom of expression, than of any Globo-stomp, Monolithic control of what kids learn.

I had these thoughts as I supervised groups of middle school students, who were working on learning somewhat arcane computer design applications, during the course of today.