The Faith of God has lost a distinguished servant.

The sudden passing of our beloved Dr Peter Khan on 15 July 2011 has brought to an end a "remarkable life, one of earnest striving, of unbending resolve, of unflinching dedication to principle, and of constancy of effort". The following video was prepared by a friend for a memorial service held in Dr Khan's honour.

"By any measure, his was a remarkable life, one of earnest striving, of unbending resolve, of unflinching dedication to principle, and of constancy of effort."

I can earnestly say that Peter was one of the most amazing individuals that I have ever had the bounty of meeting. I especially remember that during my year of service at the Baha'i World Centre during 2007 and 2008, he was serving as a member of the Supreme Body of the Baha'i Faith, The Universal House of Justice. He was a member during the years 1987 to 2010. For more information, see the following article: Dr. Peter J. Khan: A "remarkable life"

I will end this post with a Baha'i Prayer for the Departed:

Omy God!  O my God!  Verily, thy servant, humble before the majesty of Thy divine supremacy, lowly at the door of Thy oneness, hath believed in Thee and in Thy verses, hath testified to Thy word, hath been enkindled with the fire of Thy love, hath been immersed in the depths of the ocean of Thy knowledge, hath been attracted by Thy breezes, hath relied upon Thee, hath turned his face to Thee, hath offered his supplications to Thee, and hath been assured of Thy pardon and forgiveness.  He hath abandoned this mortal life and hath flown to the kingdom of immortality, yearning for the favor of meeting Thee.
O Lord, glorify his station, shelter him under the pavilion of Thy supreme mercy, cause him to enter Thy glorious paradise, and perpetuate his existence in Thine exalted rose garden, that he may plunge into the sea of light in the world of mysteries.
Verily, Thou art the Generous, the Powerful, the Forgiver and the Bestower.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Climate change is a moral issue.

Although I don't side with any political party, this is a brilliant speech given by Malcolm Turnbull MP earlier this week that shows due respect to the science behind climate change and the imperative need to take action.

"The consequences of getting our response to climate change wrong will not likely be felt too severely by us, or at least not most of us, but will be felt painfully and cruelly by the generations ahead of us. And the people in the world who will suffer the most cruelly will be the poorest and the people who have contributed the least to the problem. There is an enormous injustice here. When people try and suggest to you that climate change is not a moral issue, they are wrong. It is an intensely moral issue, raising grave moral issues."

http://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/homepage-speeches-articles/inaugural-virginia-chadwick-memorial-foundation-lecture-sydney-july-21-2011/


It is quite the long speech, but I would highly recommend reading it, een if only to gain greater perspective on the issues that the world around us are facing with the reality of climate change.

My thoughts, not yours.

But, it doesn't matter what you think, for it can't change the uncontrollable thoughts that constantly stream between my ears. The realities I face are mostly in my subconscious and no manner of explanation or justification will bring you to a sufficient level of understanding or acceptance.

"All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the minds." (Kahlil Gibran)

This is my plea to you, do not try and bring reason into the discussion. Matters of the heart and, by extension, the subconscious, rarely take notice of reasoning. There is no reason. I have accepted this, and beg of you to do the same.

Falsified truth.

What a great danger we can be to ourselves, 

when we become so accustomed to lying, that 

we even convince ourselves of such untruths.

The persecution continues.

The arrested associates of the BIHE

After a long history of systematically denying the Bahá'ís living in Iran the right to an education, amongst many other things, the Iranian Government has taken it even further. The Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) is a initiative offering higher education to the young Iranian Baha'is that have been barred from attending university. They have been the victim of the latest attacks. 16 people with association to the BIHE were arrested just short of a month ago, not to mention at least 39 homes have been targeted. 


The reaction to this inhumane and unjustifiable act has aroused international condemnation, including the Austrian government, top academics in the United Kingdom, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom just to name a few. For further information, please read the following: Worldwide outrage at Iran's attack on Bahá'í educators

FutureSpeak

Who would've thought a song could be written, using google! The Guitar Doodle appeared in place of the regular google logo last week. The clip below is a song written by a friend (Arlen), and his group FutureSpeak, wrote using this funky little doodle. Enjoy!





To listen to some of their other songs: CLICK HERE

The Rubaiyat

I recently purchased another (beautifully illustrated) copy of Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat. By far one of the best pieces of writing I have ever read and definitely a recommendation of mine to everyone. Here is one of my favourite stanzas in the Edward Fitzgerald translation (of course).





66
I sent my Soul through the Invisible,
Some letter of that After-life to spell:
And by and by my Soul return'd to me,
And answer'd "I Myself am Heav'n and Hell" 

Mercury in retrograde

You didn't see it coming, in fact it was the last thing that crossed your mind, the last thing you perceived to possibly become reality. And by fighting back, you prove them to be right. You showed them the reaction they sought, as a response to their actions.

You spent an immeasurable amount of time building up a facade, a facade that had the sole purpose of protecting you from such an ordeal - and in a flashing moment it dissolved like jelly crystals in boiling water. Not only did it dissolve but you were also infiltrated beyond your veneer - forming an abyss, a gaping chasm, only realised in absence, emptying and creating a void that previously knew no such existence.

Then there is the aftermath. Mind races through past fleeting moments, moments that were most likely taken for granted, moments that were previously unnoticed, unthought of, only known in your subconscious. Now they surge, cascading from the highest height, gushing down like a river rapid. Reminding you of what once was, what no longer is, what exists no more.

Like rubbing salt into a wound or pouring cold water on a sensitive tooth, your subconscious gives you no reprieve. As night succeeds day and the dream-state envelopes, you continue the torture brought about by the unknown, the unforeseen and unfathomable. Only with morning do you come to an agreement for a temporary armistice that will allow the progress of the new day, knowing full well that the ceasefire will end as night falls.

Picture courtesy of: under.a.glass.moon

Some thoughts on Ecology...

"We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic and with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions." 

- Shoghi Effendi, letter to an individual Baha'i dated 17 February 1933

I found it in this document: Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Baha'i Faith

Mister Newton-Howard, kind sir.

I have never been a fan of horror/thrillers. Perhaps it was the soundtrack of The Village that influenced me to hold an appreciation for the film... Another fine example of James Newton Howard's brilliance.

Winter break

It seems I am destined to spend the duration of my winter break at home.
So my plans for the soon-to-be-commencing time off:
- finish my room (I've been 'redoing' so to speak)
- acquire a new macbook, as mine is seeing its last days
- develop the films that have been gathering dust on my shelf
- READ READ READ
- actually attend hockey training
- spend time at the piano, have a chat, get reacquainted, play a bit etc

...I'm sure I can come up with some more things when the time comes..

Please acknowledge that I am sitting here planning my holiday whilst my 8,000 words that are due in the next few days remain unwritten. Cheers.

Geniuses everywhere.

Climate Change for dummies

Stifled

Despite my strong resistance and dislike for reading what I'm told to read, and writing what I'm told to write, I somehow managed to get through a degree that required exactly that.... and proceeded to commence another such degree with only more/higher expectation to do so. The human mind and its decision-making process never ceases to baffle (amaze) me.
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Random thought of the day:

If everyone was given the opportunity that, for example, a student chosen to attend a selective school with the (greater) push for excellence in their chosen path, would we flourish?

Let me rephrase. If we were given a life changing/threatening ultimatum that we had to excel at a rapid pace, would we? Or would we just be the weakest link and be told goodbye? 

The point I'm trying to get at here is that I see so many people, myself included, that cruise along at 50km/h, staying safe and not going beyond the bounds of mediocracy. What if we were pushed to instead go along at 80km/h? Surely it would take some time to adjust to this sudden increase of speed but I don't think that means we'd crash and burn, does it?

I want to be going at 80km/h. Only thing stopping me is myself. Myself, stop stopping me please?
[I think I just said three different things, apologies for not being concise)

Haha