The Road to Diamond, Day 76: Peeling Unripe Mangoes

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 13, 2025 in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 13, 2025, Manila- I have, through careful attention to the matter, managed to peel three unripe mangoes and a ripe one, without slipping and slashing. This is something that is expected of people who live in tropical areas. Even in temperate places, like Malta, being able to peel fruit without cutting oneself is just a natural element in the rhythm of life.

Now, the present operation, if you want to call it that, of the United States government, looks for all the world like a combination of a Jackson Pollock paint-a-thon and a game of Crash-Cars. Whoever can cause the most distraction gets a prize. Whoever takes the most advantage of the distractions, gets a bigger prize. Those looking for services from the government get a booby prize.

There are solutions to some of this: Those government services that are cut can be replaced by services from non-profit organizations OR they can be provided by entrepreneurs, for a hefty fee. Time will tell whether the cuts take hod. If they do, then we will see which type of organization takes the place of government agencies.

Some of you are bound to tell me, “Oh, come off it! Human beings don’t do bad things to one another, on a large scale, anymore!” Hmm. Hitler’s genocide happened a bit more than 80 years ago. Stalin’s pogroms ended only with his death, in 1953. Mao’s depredations came to an end in 1976, when he died. The Ku Klux Klan only faded into the woodwork, in the 1970s-and it’s not dead. by any means. Pol Pot was ousted in 1979. Rwandan butcher Felicien Kabuga was only brought to justice in 2020.

Human beings may presently be less inclined, on average, to do bad things to one another on a large scale-for ideological reasons. (Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar and Sudan are exceptions) The profit motive and the personal power card, however, are still very intense incentives to do bad things, especially to people who one may never know on a personal level. Before you tell me that those now in power have no need of more wealth, let’s steer clear of that dis-ingenuity. Many have heard the fable of the man who asked a djinn for a larger house, then for a mansion, then for a palace and finally, to be equal to God. Guess how the story ends. Money and power fill a hole in the psyche of someone who has wanted to be needed, almost since birth and certainly since childhood. Read the biographies of anyone, from Chinghiz Khan to our current President-and that of the CEO of Space X, for that matter, and make the connection.

The mango peeling analogy is this: Sooner or later, those engaged in the devolution of the United States government are going to get carried away, depend too much on Artificial Intelligence and do something ridiculous, because they can. They will then engage in the equivalent of peeling the mango with their eyes closed, or at least whilst looking away from fruit and knife.

I was recently cautioned to not make key decisions while in a state of revelry. I repeat that caution to those who think they don’t need the good will of the common people. “The frowns on the faces of the jugglers and the clowns” that Bob Dylan mentioned, in “Like A Rolling Stone”, are mere grimaces now, but that will change and get more ominous.

Pay attention to your surroundings; the people in them are paying attention to you.

The Road to Diamond, Day 75: Bunnies on Duty

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 12, 2025 in animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual

February 12, 2025, Manila- I shared these two with my beloved, this afternoon, as this was a light-hearted element in the midst of a hot, dusty setting, where a crew of four was pouring and grading cement.

Rabbits are a joy to have around, especially in an area where they are free of predators, and where they can leisurely nibble on fresh leafy greens. They don’t make noise, unless they are either in a state of bliss or one of annoyance/distress. See this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aWRBdOklX0

The watch bunnies would scream, if an odd cat or Philippine eagle were to show up and act as a predator, but these are few and far between, in this part of Manila. Cats are kept mostly indoors and eagles are not much for the lowlands. So, they patrol their yard for a time, and being diurnal, they go to sleep in their small corner of the yard, near the back door to the Manila Baha’i Center.

I am not doing much more than the rabbits, on this job site. We three are mostly here for emotional support.

The Road to Diamond, Day 74: Options Arise

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 11, 2025 in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 11,2025, Manila- Someone with experience in condominiums looked at the sheet which outlines amortization and pointed out everything that one gets when purchasing a condo. He then offered an alternative, the details of which must remain private, for now. Suffice it to say, the option would be completely above board, fair and would meet my relatively simple needs. It also met with my loved one’s approval. (She was less than thrilled with the condo idea. To be clear, the living arrangement on which I am working now is for me alone. My friend has her own place and any change in our status would be after I get established.)

It is said that any problem that arises contains the seeds of its resolution. The above is a case in point. It is my nature to consult experts, when confronted with something that leaves me like a deer in the headlights. When I’ve followed that practice, novel situations have turned out well. The few times I’ve tried to muddle through on my own have been disastrous. My gut always knows the difference.

I have also learned to practice consultation in relationships-be they platonic friendships or more intimate. Penny taught me that skill. Most of my relationships since have gone well. The few that imploded went south either because I was delusional or the other person had a hidden agenda-or two. K is the real deal, so our consultation is spot on, each and every day. Consultation always generates options, as well.

Some will be disappointed in the choices I make, but in case of the business matters, they will have factored in the possibility of getting ‘No’ for an answer. In the case of the people who want me to take on one task or another, I will work with them to make sure someone else of capacity is able to take on the duties. No one of us is irreplaceable.

Stay tuned. Dull moments are rare, this year.

The Road to Diamond, Day 72: Realizations

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 9, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

February 9, 2025, Manila- A kindly woman said something that has occurred to me several times, but has slipped to the background of my thinking, with regard to my friendship with a special soul here. It is service together and enjoyment of just being together that matters most, in any relationship. The whole romance and courtship element that is so important, to so many, even among us seniors is actually of lesser importance to K and I. The longing to be together, to do things together, is very strong-as strong as it was with Penny. It does not, however, come with strictures and caveats, per se-other than a sense that I get from K, that I actually commit to being here for more than a few weeks..

Tomorrow, I will go with a mutual friend to look at a place where I might rent a condominium at a monthly rate, looking to live in this area for a year or so. If the place seems reasonable, then all the systematic changes that I would need to make in my life would be effected from the time I return to the United States, in the middle of next week (2/19) to the end of April. It will perhaps discomfit some in Home Base I, and elsewhere, but I haven’t felt this strongly about anyone, nor felt such reciprocal energy coming from the person, since 2011.

Unless things go drastically south in the next ten days, I know that this is the course I want to pursue. It’ll mean working with the Red Cross to train a team of Disaster Response volunteers for northwest Arizona, during March. It will mean putting some household items up for sale and giving much of the rest away, in early April and taking the rest to a storage unit. I would bring only two or three bags of items with me. It will mean a schedule of 9-10 months here and 2-3 months’ travel in the United States or other parts of the world.

It will also mean being readily adaptable, in this age when affairs large and small can turn on a moment’s notice.

The Road to Diamond, Day 71: National Treasures

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 8, 2025 in collaborating, Community, Education, Entertainment, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

February 8, 2025, Manila- The traditional musician and promulgator of his people’s musical legacy would not be out of place on the Navajo Nation, the Hawaiian island of Niihau, or any number of other First Nations across the wide swath from northeast India to the shores of Newfoundland-or Greenland.

Alonzo Saclag has dedicated himself to the musical heritage of Kalinga Province, a mountainous region in north central Luzon. The Kalinga people are among the Austronesian nations, who constitute many of the indigenous populations of regions from Assam, India to Hawai’i and Easter Island. Like First Nations elsewhere in the world, the tribal groups of the Philippines, as one can see in the above video, have a rich heritage, well worth preserving.

Kuya (older brother) Alonzo is among those uniquely talented Filipinos and Filipinas who have been deemed Manilikha ng Bayan (Living National Treasures), by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts. These people are found to have “a high degree of knowledge or skills to perform or recreate elements of intangible cultural heritage”, which is the UNESCO standard for Living National Treasures, around the world. In addition, the National Commission has stipulated that “recipients must possess a mastery of tools needed in the craft and ties to the indigenous cultural community. Furthermore, they should have revitalized the community’s artistic tradition and are recognized in their community as a master and teacher.”

Besides Alonzo, the recipients of this honour include: Magdalena Gamayo, Master Weaver; Frederico Caballero, Epic Chanter; Teofilo Garcia, Casque Maker; Uwang Ahadas, Yakan traditional musician; Eduardo Mutuc, Metalworker; and Wang-Od Oggay, Batek tattoo artist. The Philippine National Museum of Anthropology, which I visited for the first time, this afternoon, has a dedicated gallery, featuring the work of each of these artists.

It is always a highlight of any visit to a country, or area, to see the work of those who preserve and promulgate the cultural life of its First Nations and others who are close to the land or sea. I will probably return to PNMA, before this visit is over, to spend time taking careful notes on this nation’s long and deep cultural heritage.

The Road to Diamond, Day 71: Smoothing Rough Edges

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 7, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 7, 2025, Manila- The otherwise courtly man awoke from his nap, and marched into the kitchen: “Where’s my coffee??” As the rest of us have been fixing our own caffeinated drinks, for as far back as I’ve been coming here, I was a bit nonplussed. The ladies in the kitchen were, however, furious, as was the construction project lead, who is every bit as much an advocate of women’s rights as I have been. The visitor got his cup of coffee prepared for him, with the understanding that any refills would be prepared by him, alone.

We are in an age of smoothing rough edges. This state of affairs means that each of us must bring ourselves to account each day, work on those weak spots and give some grace to those who stumble in one area or another. The visitor was, in general, polite and considerate, and was more than generous to the kitchen manager’s teenage son, after realizing that he had offended people with his earlier demand.

Back in the United States, it is particularly urgent for people to look at one another with the eye of understanding. Overlooking the viewpoints of other right-thinking people will not, inherently, change those viewpoints. Rather, it will only increase the likelihood of a return to policies that are seen as shopworn, anachronistic or otherwise counterproductive. The other thing that will guarantee revanchism is overplaying one’s own hand. For example, forcing others to adhere to one’s own orthodoxy-even if that belief system has some redeeming social value. People need to be persuaded, not coerced. That persuasion has to appeal to the hearer’s understanding of the world.

That means giving the “other side” the tools by which to smooth their own rough edges, while one smooths his/her own.

The Road to Diamond, Day 68: Extrusive and Intrusive

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 4, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Education, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 4, 2025, Manila- There are two kinds of igneous rock, based on where they are formed. Intrusive igneous rock is the result of magma solidifying beneath the Earth’s surface. Granite is the most common of these rocks. Peridotite is among the most striking of them. Extrusive igneous rock is the result of lava cooling and solidifying on the surface of the Earth. This can be either mafic (darker, more solid) or felsic (generally lighter, with more silica content). Basalt is a common mafic extrusive igneous rock. Pumice and rhyolite are felsic extrusives. This is some of what I learned about igneous rock, on the Fifth Floor of the Philippine National Museum of Natural History. The geology section provides a wealth of information about sedimentary and metamorphic rock, as well.

There are parallels between the two types of igneous rock and the manner in which policies are established, as well as modified, in the course of civic affairs. “Intrusive” policy change is done quietly, behind closed doors, and is pretty much solidified by the time it comes to the attention of the public-at-large. It is solid, and rather hard to modify, once it has seen the light of day. “Extrusive” policy change is effected with great fanfare, in broad daylight, and while there is a rhythm to its flow, the edges of the policy, its short-term effect on those in its path, can be quite rough. There is a reason why basalt, an extrusive igneous rock, is favoured in fashioning arrow heads. Conversely, pumice, also extrusive igneous, is well-liked as an abrasive.

These analogies came to me, as I rode the Light Rail from the museum back to Ola Hostel’s neighbourhood, this evening.

The Road to Diamond, Day 66: Not The Same Old Stuff

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 2, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Education, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 2, 2025, Manila- It was hot here today. I am far from the cold hills of western Pennsylvania, so there is no anticipation about what Punxsutawney’s groundhog will “prognosticate” about the course of the winter. Ditto, with respect to the forecasting rattlesnake of the Sonoran Desert. I am in a place of never-winter.

February 2 is, at least for me, a day to wrestle with my own feelings of being “less than”. I don’t know where this subpar self-concept came from or who might have set it in motion. I know that some, on both sides of my family, struggled with their own self-worth. Growing up, and even through the course of my marriage, those closest to me were put off by my self-criticism, to the point where, on a few occasions, I was someone with whom they were “making do”, tolerating.

In time, I have learned that in order to counter such diatribes, I have to do more than tolerate, or make do, with myself. I am up front, with the person I love most now, about my struggles. Though we are far from sure as to which direction our friendship will go, she is far more understanding and supportive than many were in my past. Looking back, they had their own self-doubts and struggles; so, they could not be of much help.

On the bright side, our communication is much better than the channels I had with those I loved, in bygone years. So, despite my lingering misgivings about self, I know that those will not be fed from outside of me. K and I will be friends forever, and as with some others at Home Base I and across the globe, we will always have one another’s back. My self-concept will not get in the way of being here for others. I want what is best for those I love and that also goes way back.

Unlike Bill Murray’s hapless Phil Connors, in the film Groundhog Day (1993), I don’t have any need to loop counterproductive attitudes and behaviours, in order to achieve what I either think I desire or genuinely want. So, today’s sitting in on a group that was mostly speaking Tagalog was actually time well-spent, as hearing a language other than English, for an extended period of time, leads to internalizing the tongue. I found this to be true of Spanish, French, Korean-even Navajo, Hopi and Persian, to some extent. I can at least pronounce words in print, having heard them spoken for a time.

That is just one way in which my time here is proving to be helpful, on a personal level. I look forward to experiencing others.

The Road to Diamond, Day 65: Lipa

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 1, 2025 in collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Hiking and Nature, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

February 1, 2025, Manila- I have been hoping for a diversion from the turmoil back in the U.S. My friend here, who has her own priorities, gave me just such a diversion today: Six adults and a child piled into a van, and were chauffeured down to the mid-sized coffee-producing city of Lipa, which has Batangas Province’s main cathedral and is its largest city, by population.

Our first stop in town was in a gated community called Miracle Heights. There, we met our local host for the day, Marilyn, who also goes by the sobriquet Geen-Geen. After a light lunch and a visit to her son’s tattoo studio, Geen accompanied us to Casa de Segunda and to San Sabastian Cathedral. As it happened, there was a wedding just starting, but we were allowed to enter through the vast courtyard and and observed the proceedings on the sidelines. It was greatly comforting to see two people who love one another confirming that sentiment and starting their life together.

Here are scenes from Geen’s garden, from Casa de Segunda and from the Cathedral.

Dragonfruit tree, in Geen’s garden, Lipa, Batangas.

Casa de Segunda is the preserved home of the Luz-Katigbak family, having been built in the 1860’s. Segunda Solis-Katigbak was, in her youth, the first love of Dr. Jose Rizal. He went on to give his life for the cause of Philippine nationhood. She went on to marry Manuel Mitra de San Miguel-Luz, becoming with him, the parent of nine children and a patron of the arts.

The entrance to Casa de Segunda. The gate is of heavy oak.

Here is the exterior, from the courtyard.

A local resident came along and greeted us.

At the cathedral, we noted the following views.

Porta Santa, Cathedral of San Sebastian, Lipa.

The wedding saw the cathedral at its finest.

Here is a long view of the wedding aisle.

From the cathedral, we went to Cintai Coritos Garden, in nearby Balete. There, we enjoyed a sumptuous dinner of low mein, followed by a dessert of sticky rice dipped in chocolate. A relaxing walk in Coritos’ grounds, at dusk, finished the day.

Friends view the green lagoon at Coritos.

Here is a small pavilion shrine, which reminded some of the friends of Bali.

The day was typically well-packed, and had the desired effect of getting me to lighten up.

The Road to Diamond, Day 64: Adoracion

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on January 31, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Education, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

January 31, 2025, Manila- She completed a veritable mountain of translations, of Baha’i scriptures and guidance, from English to Tagalog, over a 40-year career. This, without a college degree, relying on a high level of intuition and native linguistic intelligence. Some of the texts she translated are quite challenging to read and comprehend in English. Her husband said she worked on translating letters from our Supreme Body, the Universal House of Justice,as soon as they were distributed. She anticipated the letters and set aside time for the work. This was the way of Maria Adoracion Inowe Newman, who died today at age 64.

The news came to me early this morning, about four hours after her passing, and so the day, which might otherwise have been rather quiet, became busy with messages back and forth, and a taxi ride across town to the high speed rail, which brought us to Antipolo, the Prescott of Luzon, and the city where Ador lived. After five of us took a motorcycle cab from the city center to the cemetery, we spent about an hour in reflection and some conversations, before the service was held, in gentle sunlight and a cool mountain breeze. Ador had chosen the prayers, a balance of English and Tagalog verses, reflecting her life’s work.

A life well-lived begets a personage well-loved, or perhaps the two are intertwined. Ador seems like a fitting name for the lady, judging from the quiet flow of sorrow this afternoon.