Category Archives: Assistance

Metro Manila, Day 3: No Place for Bad Luck

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Family, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 13, 2024, Manila- There are two schools of thought about Friday the 13th. One holds that both Friday and the number 13 augur badly. The other counters with the cultural artifact that the day is named for Freya, Norse goddess of love, war and fertility. It also is deemed unlucky, in Norse mythology, as Loki the Trickster was the thirteenth Norse god.

The Vikings may have given themselves reason to be conflicted about Friday the 13th, but I personally have never had any hard luck associated with the day. This day was no different. I was able to extend my time at Ola! Hostel, my dear friend arranged a nice group outing for tomorrow, as well as help me get a bus ticket for a visit to central Luzon, late next week. and I was able to join a study group from Arizona online.

Most of the day was quotidian, otherwise, but that has never been a bad thing. I helped with shopping, at an open air market and house sat, while the Baha;i Cnter’s caretaker went to tend to another matter.

Every day, loud or quiet, has its advantages.

Metro Manila, Day 2: The World at 1 Ayala Place

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 12, 2024, Manila- It seemed to take forever, for one reason or another, mostly due to traffic, but another friend and I made it to The World on a Plate, a pop-up dining experience, in Ayala Mall. My friend, K, was already there, as she lives closer, so we chatted about a few things and perused the menu. It was about 50 pages, on a Tablet, but I saw what interested me, right away: Thai red curry with beef and jasmine rice, as well as a two-piece salmon and cheese roll. Along with fresh mango juice, that filled the bill. The ladies stuck with fried chicken-Korean and Thai varieties. We watched a rapid-fire set of images, from different countries. I was able to identify all but one or two.

Question of the evening was: “Why is Golden Gate Bridge red?” The answer is that San Francisco Bay was the gateway to gold seeking. Red is simply easy for ships coming in to see the suspension bridge.

Afterwards, we strolled around the patio of Ayala Place and spotted the different restaurants which contributed to The World on a Plate. In the early evening, my friends stood happily in the bright light.

There is an elegant mix of subtleties in Filipino culture, as there is many societies around the world. Being here is good for my soul, as I am being shown again that keen awareness of what surrounds us is ever important, if one is to live life to the fullest. It starts, as I reminded the caretaker of the Baha’i Center, earlier today,with being at peace with self. From that point, one can then be truly valuable to those with whom one is in regular contact.

Metro Manila, Day 1: Joy, in The Midst of Fatigue

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 11, 2024, Manila- The young couple must have been amused, watching me go through the same pockets of my well-worn pack, several times, before finding what was needed for a small task, whilst waiting for the final leg of my flight: Hong Kong-here.

Such things happen, after five hours of sleep on a trans-oceanic journey. I chose to do this, so will take full responsibility. It was still a lovely day. The flight was 2/3 full, and the ambiance was casually business-like. We even had a light lunch served-unusual, on a short hop.

My dear friend was occupied with matters of domestic drudgery, so I didn’t get to see her, but we communicated happily back and forth. There will be much time for get-togethers, in the days ahead. I did visit with one of our friends, after settling in at Ola! Hostel, which will be my Home Base for several days, while I am in Manila. I was able to help said friend with setting up an appointment, next week, to handle a long-standing concern. It took a little bit of memory jogging, to locate the Baha’i Center, after a year’s absence, and being a bit “on fumes”. I finally also was able to sort out the Philippine peso coins from random Euros that somehow got mixed in the Peso jar.

It’s humid here, but not as stiflingly hot as in the height of summer. I will do more walking as, despite the entreaties of a car rental tout, I have absolutely no plans to drive anywhere in the Philippines. The bus, jeepney and taxi drivers have my full confidence-they grew up here and can handle what seems to me to occasionally be chaos.

On this otherwise solemn, and fatigue-filled, day, I felt joy at being back in another happy place.

Re-opened Skies

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 7, 2024- It was only a matter of time before September Swelter gave way to the beginnings of autumn. This afternoon was that time, and a good soaking rain came to us. The phenomenon of late summer heat, known in the East and Midwest as “Indian Summer” is about as welcome as a Spring snowfall, but year after year, the Earth releases pent -up heat into the atmosphere, which is drying out after the monsoon- and so it stays, sometimes into October, which then may be called Aug-tober. The heat, of course, generates its own moisture, so here we are.

Elsewhere, rain comes late (Texas and Oklahoma experience September thunder showers) or comes early and hangs on (The Philippines and the mainland of southeast Asia are getting this weather now, much of it caused by typhoons). The Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico are also prone to heavy rains, about now, though this year’s hurricane season has seen fewer, but more powerful, storms.

Today’s rain came in two stages: Very early this morning and around early afternoon, just as we were finishing breakdown at the Farmer’s Market. I will be away from this service, for six weeks, so am hoping that at least one person returns from his hiatus. More is anticipated tomorrow, and I am hoping for a fortuitous “scheduling” of the wetness, to spare Empty Bowls, between 11-2, about which more in the next post.

Grace

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, impediments, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 5,2024-

Grace be unto the angels who watch over me. Mom and Dad, Penny, Brian, Bunny and Norm, my grandparents, friends Marcia, Gordon, Margaret, Sallie, John H. They bring blessings to this small spiritual center.

Grace and benevolence to those who seek to oppress, that they may make a turn from their pursuit of power, vengeance, retribution, hegemony. May they see the value of unconditional love.

Grace, protection and guidance be to the children and youth, that they may realize their dreams, and bring about a convergence like those which have been tried, so often in the past.

Grace and beneficence to the dour, the tired and the disconsolate, that they may see the beauty and joy that they have overlooked, in the course of their viewing work as drudgery, as a necessary evil.

Grace be unto all the Universe, that every element, every creature be mindful, heartfelt of the Source that brought us all into being.

It was a good day today. The kids and I struggled a bit, with some features of the technological program, but all worked together and we accomplished the tasks. That was the morning, followed by a hearty curried chicken lunch. An evening meeting, of one of the organizations whose leadership I had found a bit oppressive, proved quite welcoming and joyful-with more people in attendance, who had previously avoided “the club”. The leaders themselves were far more cordial than in the recent past. Maybe they are feeling more optimistic, and therefore more expansive.

May it continue.

A Healthy Spine

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Posted by on in Assistance, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 4, 2024- The kids guessed as to my age, early this afternoon: Base was 52 and top was 87. (One guessed closely-72.) These were ten-year-olds, so there we are. When I was ten, anyone older than my Dad (33) was over the hill. These children cut me a lot of slack.

More authoritative was my chiropractic exam-the spine and nerves are in solid state, from top to bottom. This is the last physical exam until next year, save a dental check in December, so with continuance of the current regimen, I will be just fine-as 74 approaches.

Also gratifying, on this short and sweet work day, were having my Home Base minders to dinner this evening, at a quality Italian restaurant; getting in a solid workout at Planet Fitness and learning how to edit a sent e-mail, and send the revision out to all parties, without starting from scratch. Son is back from his annual Reserve training, so there is one less item of concern.

The number of boxes left to check on the trip preparation list is down to three or four: Last day of work is tomorrow, Sportage pre-storage maintenance is on Friday and I will get a fresh haircut in the next day or so. There will be several social and semi-business gatherings, between now and Monday noon; then I will head to Phoenix and beyond.

Loyalty

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 3, 2024- The old reminiscing intelligence officer, in the currently-playing film “Reagan”, speaks at one point of the reason people give their lives: “Not for the nation, nor for the Party, the State, or even for God-but for one another. ” It rings true: Behind every sacrifice, there is loyalty to a loved one, or maybe several- Parents for children, and vice versa; siblings for one another; friends, likewise and, occasionally, a few noble souls for their compatriots as a group.

After a recent non-verbal dust-up between me and someone with a more elitist view of life, several friends have asked if there is anything they might do to help. There isn’t, really, and the best thing for me to do is to let the other person alone, and let time do its thing. Personality differences rarely get resolved through intervention, shaming or castigation. People are the sum total of their experiences, plus all that DNA. Only internal processing and heart transformation can lead to a turn-around. Only that turn-around can make someone loyal to others beside self. Besides, I have to fall back on the message of one of Sportage’s bumper stickers: “Love your enemies and you won’t have any”.

My own loyalty to anyone besides myself and my immediate family came late, and came hard. Only giving up alcohol really changed my temperament, and even then, it was Penny’s love, and the Baha’i teachings, that brought my heart more into awareness of a larger circle of humanity. Beforehand, my concern for the human race was present in the background, surfacing on occasion-and therefore coming across as contrived, mainly because internally it was an abstraction.

Now my layered loyalty is what sustains me, both emotionally and physically.

Red and Blue

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 1, 2024- No, this is not about partisan politics, per se. It is about the concept, first advanced by Laurence Fishburne’s character, Morpheus, in The Matrix, of the effects of a red pill (leading one to question authority and research for oneself) and of a blue pill (acceptance of what one is told and not looking very deeply into even the most vital aspects of life).

Partisanship can enter into this, but there are those on both sides who blindly repeat what has been said by their favoured candidates and blindly castigate whatever has been said or done by whoever is representing the “other side”. Kids, the Divine put all of us here, and not we can blindly do anything. There are also those on both sides who question what is being put out there in the marketplace of ideas.

Personally, I want proof of what someone tells me or what is being bruited about on the Internet or on Talk Radio. I want to know their original sources, just as I expect someone to ask me-“Where’s the proof?” I recall when conservatives were primarily business people, whose livelihoods depended on a culture based on facts and figures. I recall when liberals were heart people, whose lives were based on the Golden Rule. There are large numbers of each who still adhere to those timeless values, and who do well when they respect each other’s place in a culture of balance, based on truth, not fantasy. These will straighten the mess out, if there is a mess, after the electoral process has played out.

People in “Blue” areas can take a red pill and those in “Red” states, a blue pill-and many do one or the other. My make-up makes the red pill a natural. You may choose otherwise, as befits your temperament. Remember, though, there are consequences for either choice.

No Scrap Heap

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 29, 2024- “What of us, who are also your friends?”, the voice from 7,500 miles away came, through the medium of the printed Message. This was in reply to my statement that I surely must consult with my dear friend and with Faith community sponsors, before setting an itinerary for service work and other visits, a scant fourteen days from now.

That, however, does not inherently leave anyone out of my life. The Universe has a way of bringing people together when they are supposed to connect. My activities, both here at Home Base I and across North America, especially this year, have fallen into place at precisely the right time for all concerned. I have no reason to believe it will be any different during the upcoming sojourn in the Philippines. The only thing for certain is that, as always anymore, I am determined to not be a burden to anyone. Consultation will help obviate such a state of affairs.

The bottom line is, no one need feel consigned to the scrap heap. We need one another, more than ever, in this time of rapid change, which is likely to only accelerate over the next sixteen months, or longer. Lack of consultation and dearth of appreciation, breed conjecture, false narratives, conspiracy theories and outright mistrust. I will most likely have time to visit with the querulous friend. The visit will fall into the place that it is meant to occupy.

Whose Mess?

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Posted by on in Assistance, Community, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 26, 2024- A clumsy man tipped over a full rubbish barrel and lots of stuff came tumbling out. He uttered a mild oath, then stepped aside, and watched as several volunteers cleaned up the spilled items. Appeals from a church elder, for him to pitch in and help, were spaced out and he went outside. Such is dealing with the mentally ill.

I was raised to clean up after myself; most people, I suspect, were, as well. That some will be unable to comprehend that simple social grace is a feature of a society in which “bubbles” are celebrated and “you do you” is seen by many as a virtuous mindset. Avoidance of responsibility is seen as a necessity, a means to guarantee survival “to fight another day”.


Today marked the third anniversary of the explosion at Abbey Gate, at Kabul Airport, resulting in the deaths of thirteen U.S. service people. There was a wreath laying, at Arlington National Cemetery and there was a taking of ownership for the tragedy-two acknowledgements of the pain inflicted on thirteen families, by two radically divergent public figures.

I have a history of assuming responsibility for the messes I’ve either made, or appear to have made-lapses of taking responsibility in my teen years, and in the 2000s, aside. Nobody’s perfect. In the long run, I have had to account for those lapses, too-just as any public servant has to do what the sitting Vice President did today, eventually.

In a world of dodgers, one who does take responsibility for gaffes and tragedies is going to be excoriated, often by the same people who themselves bend into pretzel shapes, in avoiding flack for their misdeeds. It doesn’t make the error in judgement any less severe, but it does detract from the healing process, for those directly hurt and for the public at large.

Healing requires taking responsibility, letting out of pain and reconciliation. It doesn’t allow for hiding and dodging. My earnest respect goes to those who died at Abbey Gate.