The Road to 65, Mile 98: Past Square One

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 7, 2015 in Personal goals, Social

March 6, 2015, Prescott- Two events that occurred today, made me think of the need for perseverance. The individual whom I’ve been helping, these past four months, made a heartfelt solicitation of work this morning, while we were heading back to his campsite, to retrieve my car and other items he had left in the area. We had circled around the park, so as to determine a closer route to his campsite, in forming his game plan for this evening. This made going around the long way to my car, necessary. He took interest in a home that was in serious disrepair, and seemed to connect with the owner, and to have obtained work. After I left them to discuss their business arrangement, one disagreement after another ended up derailing the whole thing.

The second was an e-mail from a prospective employer of mine, which had been stalling on calling me for an interview. The message essentially said that those in whom the employer was interested, had already been called, and interviews were being set up. Since none of those was yours truly, I will move on and contact the area charter schools, after Spring Break, so as to add to my job options, besides Prescott and Chino Valley Public Schools.

I spent the better part of today listening to my de facto client, working through some of his long-standing issues. Some of these got in his way, in today’s effort to find work; others have just made him miserable for a lot longer. While I remain a solitary figure, by choice, a balance is being struck with the legitimate needs of those around me. The person with whom I am working right now does have serious boundary and transference issues, and it has taken the patience of Job, at times, to maintain my life of choice. I think he is coming to understand me, and respect my choices.

The silver lining is that he has gotten me to take care of a few practical organizational matters, which I might otherwise have continued to blow off. There is value in all things.

The Road to 65, Mile 97: Points in Heaven

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 5, 2015 in Personal goals

March 5, 2015, Prescott: Today marks four years since my beloved wife passed out of all her suffering. As luck would have it, there was no work for me today, with Spring Break approaching. So, I’ve been reflecting, since about 5 AM, as to what she may be feeling, in her place among the angels. I get messages from her, all the time though, about what I might do, where I might spend time and with whom, and which direction my life ought to take.

When I had my tax bill calculated by my CPA, a few days ago, he said that while my charitable contributions and acts might get me points in heaven, they won’t get me any points with the government. He expressed concern about how I might live, when I reach my 70’s and 80’s.

Truth is, my charitable acts and contributions, being those of one person, can only go so far and do just so much good. There will always be a need, far greater than what I can offer, what any one of us can give. Maybe that’s why each of us is inundated with phone calls and e-mails, most of which have to be turned down.

As to my life later on, the age-old, “One day at a time” adage does need to be balanced with efforts to keep working, as long as body and mind allow and there are the instructions I get from the Spirit Realm to keep focused- on the community,on family, on the road, path and trail and on the Greater Vision, which gets unfolded to me, one step at a time.

If 70 finds me needing a cheaper place to lay my head at night, I know where to find it. If my diamond birthday comes, and living alone is too much, then I will find a community which will take me in, in return for doing my fair share. Money has its place in life, but is far from all.

A friend asked, yesterday, “What is the meaning of life?” I answered “Embracing life’s mysteries”. This is another way of saying “To know and serve God”, which we Baha’is hold as the essence of life’s purpose. I feel it is what brought solace to Penny, in her final days here, and has kept her in peace ever since. She will help me understand more mysteries, as time moves on, and when there is no more time.

The Road to 65, Mile 94: The Flow

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 3, 2015 in Personal goals

March 2, 2015, Prescott- Granite Creek was flowing, fast and furious, as I looked out the window, at my CPA’s office, this afternoon. I thought of how things flow, very freely. My funds will flow, in a couple of weeks, to tend to my remaining tax bills, and will flow just as quickly back into my account, with hard work on my part and those of the enterprises in which I invest. Energy will flow, a bit more slowly, as I engage in the Fast, of which 18 days remain, then more steadily as Spring comes into play. Time always flows, and rarely at a slow pace. Love flows, in several ways, as the Bellamy Brothers once sang.

I’ve been one to go with the flow, especially since I’ve been living alone, in the physical sense. The past three years, I have traveled extensively, always going where I felt the energy calling. I’ve lived, happily, in Prescott, when the energy called me home. Sometimes, it’s the Baha’i community that calls, other times the needs of family and other friends, still others, when a civic emergency arises. Mostly, though, it’s the thought-voice of my beloved, on the other side, letting me know what is in store for the day, the week, the month and year, and towards what end I should direct my energies.

I feel something pulling me now, possibly away from the state I’ve called home, off and on, for nearly 40 years. I’ve felt that pull before, and have always ended up staying put, home-wise, even when going off on one of my tangents, as happened a few weeks ago. I think the flow may change course a few times, before it’s set right. There is only one thing to do right now, go with it and see where things lead. Sounds like a plan.

The Road to 65, Mile 93: Fun and Games

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 3, 2015 in Personal goals, Social

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

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 2, 2015 in Personal goals, Social

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

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 2, 2015 in Personal goals, Social

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 87: Choices

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 28, 2015 in Personal goals, Social

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

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 28, 2015 in Personal goals, Social

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 84: Arcaneness

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 26, 2015 in Personal goals, Social

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.