There are movements among people with disabilities to reject labels like "disability" and "handicap." I think I understand that feeling, and I agree with it, except I don't agree with throwing out the word "disability" altogether. A person who can't see with her eyes or hear with her ears, does not have an ability that some other people have. One point I see is not to reduce a person to that label. Another is not to think of it as a defect, any more than being left-handed. I go beyond all that and view disabilities as gifts.
Today or yesterday, I became more aware of the lack of a living Guardian in the Baha'i Faith, as a disability. If it is, then it is also a gift, and that could be the explanation everyone is looking for, for why this happened.
Reviewing again what Shoghi Effendi said the Faith would be like without a Guardian, this time, for me, there was no escaping that what's been happening to the Faith is exactly what Shoghi Effendi said would happen without a Guardian. Yes, yes I'm familiar with the argument that he didn't mean it that way, but whether he meant it that way or not, it looks very much to me like it *is* that way.
At the same time, I can see the gift in it, which I don't see any need to discuss now, and besides I don't feel like discussing it.
No, I'm not promoting a Guardian after Shoghi Effendi, or even contemplating it. I have not seen enough fruits coming out of those trees to attract much of my attention. Just because the Faith looks disabled to me without a living Guardian, doesn't mean I'm ready to accept anything that moves, in the place of one.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
How to unshackle liberators?
I've been pondering why I'm seeing so little action, as opposed to words, from stigmatized and marginalized Baha'is, to help free the spirit of the Faith from its shackles. Possible reasons:
1. Maybe there's more action than what I'm seeing, or hearing about.
2. Maybe they've been battered enough already?
3. Maybe because of the threats from Counselors and the House of Justice, and the disenrollments?
4. Maybe from seeing others beating their heads against the wall?
5. Maybe from not seeing enough potential in it, to make it worth facing the assault and battery?
Back to the same place again. Try to learn to be a better friend. I'm not coming up with any shortcuts yet. Patience, patience, perseverance ...
1. Maybe there's more action than what I'm seeing, or hearing about.
2. Maybe they've been battered enough already?
3. Maybe because of the threats from Counselors and the House of Justice, and the disenrollments?
4. Maybe from seeing others beating their heads against the wall?
5. Maybe from not seeing enough potential in it, to make it worth facing the assault and battery?
Back to the same place again. Try to learn to be a better friend. I'm not coming up with any shortcuts yet. Patience, patience, perseverance ...
More action needed
I'd like to see more action from stigmatized and marginalized Baha'is, to address the problems. I have some ideas, and I'm trying to come up with more, but even if I do, who will listen? Maybe I need to try harder to find people who are doing something. Yes, yes, that's it.
Meanwhile, here are some half-baked ideas:
1. We need more non-members to participate in core activities.
2. We need more people with unpopular views to become tutors.
3. We need more people to pursue more individual initiatives of their own, outside of the bandwagons, and Baha'is on the bandwagons need to see them. Right now the only initiative I can remember hearing about has been something to do with the Dawning Place.
4. We need more each-one-teach one initiatives, to acclimate more Baha'is to unpopular views.
5. Baha'is are more friendly and open to people who have never been members, no matter how much they disagree with the House of Justice. We need to find ways to put that to good use. Ah, ah, no no! Honest ways!
6. Stigmatized and marginalized Baha'is need better moral support, and training, to find safe and healthy ways to pursuing their own initiatives outside of the bandwagons, and promote their ideas to Baha'is on the bandwagons.
Meanwhile, here are some half-baked ideas:
1. We need more non-members to participate in core activities.
2. We need more people with unpopular views to become tutors.
3. We need more people to pursue more individual initiatives of their own, outside of the bandwagons, and Baha'is on the bandwagons need to see them. Right now the only initiative I can remember hearing about has been something to do with the Dawning Place.
4. We need more each-one-teach one initiatives, to acclimate more Baha'is to unpopular views.
5. Baha'is are more friendly and open to people who have never been members, no matter how much they disagree with the House of Justice. We need to find ways to put that to good use. Ah, ah, no no! Honest ways!
6. Stigmatized and marginalized Baha'is need better moral support, and training, to find safe and healthy ways to pursuing their own initiatives outside of the bandwagons, and promote their ideas to Baha'is on the bandwagons.
Some wonderful potential
I see some wonderful potential in the diversity of Baha'is, to help improve many people's lives and to help improve the world, being restrained by popular forms of idolatry, religious and other prejudices, sectarian attitudes and practices, personality cults, celebrity worship, bandwagon oppression, self-repression, and other shackles.
I've been experimenting with various ways to help release that potential. I would like to exchange ideas and experiences with others who are working on that, but I haven't found any who want to discuss it with me. I'm tossing out this message in a bottle, hoping it will wash up some place where someone will find it who would like to have that discussion with me.
I'll describe three of my ideas, that might appeal to different audiences:
1. Practice and promote people learning to love and trust Baha'u'llah more, and learning to better understand and wholeheartedly serve the interests of the House of Justice. I've gathered some ideas about that from some of my friends, and made some progress in practicing them.
2. Practice and promote more open, frank and unfettered discussions among Baha'is everywhere, about whatever anyone wants to discuss, whether it conforms to the views of the House of Justice or not, without anyone's views or interests being stigmatized. Two ways I see for that to happen are for more non-members to participate in core activities, and for more people with unpopular views to be trained as tutors.
3. Practice and promote more and better independent investigation, and individual initiatives.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Online games and discussions, bullying, and me
"Is it only a dream, that there'll be no more turning away?"
- Pink Floyd
Are you helping to reduce stalking and bullying, and counteract their effects; or would you like to? If so, I would like very much to exchange ideas and experiences with you. Here are some ways you might be able to help:
- By educating and training yourself, and practicing what you learn in every part of your life, including everything you do on the Internet.
- By exchanging ideas and experiences with other people who are doing the same.
- By helping to spread the message.
Beyond that, do you help people around you who are hurting or feeling wronged, even if they are not being stalked or bullied; or do you want to? If so, I would like very much to exchange ideas and experiences with you. Please let me know if you are interested.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Walking with myself
Even more than an active interested listener, I'd like to have someone to work with on some things I'm trying to do, someone who shares some passionate interests with me. I'll try playing that role myself here. Besides whatever comfort and inspiration I might get from it, it might give me some ideas and some practice in being that kind of friend to other people.
So here are some things I might work on with my imaginary quest companion:
- Nurturing the love of God, in myself and in others, and promoting that idea among candles and thralls of God.
- Practicing and promoting the framework for action that the House of Justice is promoting.
- Practicing and promoting some improvements in the implementation of the Ruhi courses.
- Practicing and promoting working with neighbors to help improve the community life in a neighborhood, using what we're learning from Baha'u'llah.
- Learning to help provide the kind of encouragement and support that really helps, in people's initiatives and in the challenges they're facing.
- Learning Chinese.
- Learning how to find other candles and thralls all over the world, using the Internet, to exchange ideas and experiences with them.
- Learning to adapt the framework for action to the Internet neighborhood.
- Learning to speed up my progress in developing spiritual qualities, and improving my character and conduct.
- Practicing and promoting the freedom from sectarian attitudes and practices that the House of Justice calls for in "One Common Faith."
- Practicing and promoting better responses to Baha'i social issues, including the three vital issues in "The Advent of Divine Justice."
- Help make the Internet more useful to people who are working to help spread peace, justice, beauty and kindness.
So here are some things I might work on with my imaginary quest companion:
- Nurturing the love of God, in myself and in others, and promoting that idea among candles and thralls of God.
- Practicing and promoting the framework for action that the House of Justice is promoting.
- Practicing and promoting some improvements in the implementation of the Ruhi courses.
- Practicing and promoting working with neighbors to help improve the community life in a neighborhood, using what we're learning from Baha'u'llah.
- Learning to help provide the kind of encouragement and support that really helps, in people's initiatives and in the challenges they're facing.
- Learning Chinese.
- Learning how to find other candles and thralls all over the world, using the Internet, to exchange ideas and experiences with them.
- Learning to adapt the framework for action to the Internet neighborhood.
- Learning to speed up my progress in developing spiritual qualities, and improving my character and conduct.
- Practicing and promoting the freedom from sectarian attitudes and practices that the House of Justice calls for in "One Common Faith."
- Practicing and promoting better responses to Baha'i social issues, including the three vital issues in "The Advent of Divine Justice."
- Help make the Internet more useful to people who are working to help spread peace, justice, beauty and kindness.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Frodo in Oz
I won't even try to explain the title, except later on maybe. You'll see. In the unlikely event that anyone reads this but me, the reason it looks like I'm talking to myself is because I'm talking to myself. I've decided to try to have the kind of conversation with myself that I'd like to have with someone else. Of course I would love even more to actually have that kind of conversation with someone else.
This might be very confused and confusing. I have a feeling there are a lot of things I'd like to talk about, but I'm not really sure. It's just a feeling. I'll start by just listing some topics that come to mind.
- Baha'i feuding on the Internet.
- Candles and thralls.
- Framework for action.
- I'm not trying to be an ally, but I wish I could learn to be a better friend.
- Promoting my House of Justice.
- "One Common Faith."
- The Advent of Divine Justice, especially the three vital issues.
- Walking and working with abused and marginalized people.
- Changing my character and conduct.
- Training institutes: practices and a passion for teaching.
- Learning to be the kind of friend I'd like to have.
- What I might have learned on The Weed's blog.
- Gays and me.
- Baha'i liberators and me.
- Stuff I've already written about on this blog.
Those are some things that come to mind. I have a nagging feeling I'm missing some that I might like to talk about as much as those, even more than some of those. I'll trust that they'll surface as we go along. If we go along. We meaning me and me.
This might be very confused and confusing. I have a feeling there are a lot of things I'd like to talk about, but I'm not really sure. It's just a feeling. I'll start by just listing some topics that come to mind.
- Baha'i feuding on the Internet.
- Candles and thralls.
- Framework for action.
- I'm not trying to be an ally, but I wish I could learn to be a better friend.
- Promoting my House of Justice.
- "One Common Faith."
- The Advent of Divine Justice, especially the three vital issues.
- Walking and working with abused and marginalized people.
- Changing my character and conduct.
- Training institutes: practices and a passion for teaching.
- Learning to be the kind of friend I'd like to have.
- What I might have learned on The Weed's blog.
- Gays and me.
- Baha'i liberators and me.
- Stuff I've already written about on this blog.
Those are some things that come to mind. I have a nagging feeling I'm missing some that I might like to talk about as much as those, even more than some of those. I'll trust that they'll surface as we go along. If we go along. We meaning me and me.
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