Food is making us sick

http://urbansprout.co.za/the_unhealthy_truth_how_our_food_is_making_us_sick

this is such a good article, as are so many on www.urbansprout.co.za for ecological news!!

radiance of spirit ~ the Xhosa people

i love the Xhosa people i meet in cape town!  i admire how they are radiant in spirit in spite of the apartheid past and the lack of true support from those in cape town who aren’t Xhosa. every person i have met is surprised about me learning the language or going to the townships. it seems so natural to me yet i know most white people cling to what makes them comfortable without adjusting their way of life if they don’t have to. i know many people’s hearts are good but they don’t realize how significant it is to extend a sincere hello in another language, or make an effort to be a genuine friend. overall there is genuine regard for others but the self-preservation of culture seems to take over one’s sense of moving beyond cordial relationships. each generation has the potential to be full of all-embracing acceptance and love. i know it takes time, just like with america’s race relations, but it is God’s Will for humanity to be like a beautiful garden of diversity and unity, all together, contributing unique aspects of culture to the whole beauty of humanity. this is the last stage of humanity’s progression: unity of the human race. to me, it doesn’t mean uniformity. it means a recognition of our Oneness which deeply pervades our consciousness to enable the love we have in our hearts to transcend limited notions of the human family. this is where the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh ignite a spark of hope and keep it lit with constancy.

i know i am a soul who plays a unique part in helping humanity move toward a spiritual civilization, one heart at a time. i know that service to the human race is my true reality and purpose in this life. i strive constantly to overcome my weaknesses and instead grow in the perfections of God, day by day, little by little, until i wing my flight unto our soul’s eternal home….

it is easy to feel overwhelmed by all the injustice in the world. i am easily sensitive to it and my heart feels pain deeply. i cannot rest then or be content with the current state of affairs, but i choose not the political path but rather the spiritual one.

O army of God! The Exalted One, the Báb, gave up His life. The Blessed Perfection gave up a hundred lives at every breath. He bore calamities. He suffered anguish. He was imprisoned. He was chained. He was made homeless and was banished to distant lands. Finally, then, He lived out His days in the Most Great Prison. Likewise, a great multitude of the lovers of God who followed this path have tasted the honey of martyrdom and they gave up everything -- life, possessions, kindred -- all they had. How many homes were reduced to rubble; how many dwellings were broken into and pillaged; how many a noble building went to the ground; how many a palace was battered into a tomb. And all this came about that humankind might be illumined, that ignorance might yield to knowledge, that men of earth might become men of heaven, that discord and dissension might be torn out by the roots, and the Kingdom of Peace become established over all the world. Strive ye now that this bounty become manifest, and this best-beloved of all hopes be realized in splendour throughout the community of man.

O army of God! Beware lest ye harm any soul, or make any heart to sorrow; lest ye wound any man with your words, be he known to you or a stranger, be he friend or foe. Pray ye for all; ask ye that all be blessed, all be forgiven. Beware, beware, lest any of you seek vengeance, even against one who is thirsting for your blood. Beware, beware, lest ye offend the feelings of another, even though he be an evil-doer, and he wish you ill. Look ye not upon the creatures, turn ye to their Creator. See ye not the never-yielding people, see but the Lord of Hosts. Gaze ye not down upon the dust, gaze upward at the shining sun, which hath caused every patch of darksome earth to glow with light. 74
O army of God! When calamity striketh, be ye patient and composed. However afflictive your sufferings may be, stay ye undisturbed, and with perfect confidence in the abounding grace of God, brave ye the tempest of tribulations and fiery ordeals.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 72)

The potency of noble deeds and character

The wish of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, that which attracts His good pleasure and, indeed, His binding command, is that Baha'is, in all matters, even in small daily transactions and dealings with others, should act in accordance with the divine Teachings. He has commanded us not to be content with lowliness, humility and meekness, but rather to become manifestations of selflessness and utter nothingness. Of old, all have been exhorted to loyalty and fidelity, compassion and love; in this supreme Dispensation, the people of Baha are called upon to sacrifice their very lives. Notice the extent to which the friends have been required in the Sacred Epistles and Tablets, as well as in our Beloved's Testament, to be righteous, well-wishing, forbearing, sanctified, pure, detached from all else save God, severed from the trappings of this world and adorned with the mantle of a goodly character and godly attributes.

First and foremost, one should use every possible means to purge one's heart and motives, otherwise, engaging in any form of enterprise would be futile. It is also essential to abstain from hypocrisy and blind imitation, inasmuch as their foul odour is soon detected by every man of understanding and wisdom. Moreover, the friends must observe the specific times for the remembrance of God, meditation, devotion and prayer, as it is highly unlikely, nay impossible, for any enterprise to prosper and develop when deprived of divine bestowals and confirmation. One can hardly imagine what a great influence genuine love, truthfulness and purity of motives exert on the souls of men. But these traits cannot be acquired by any believer unless he makes a daily effort to gain them...

It is primarily through the potency of noble deeds and character, rather than by the power of exposition and proofs, that the friends of God should demonstrate to the world that what has been promised by God is bound to happen, that it is already taking place and that the divine glad-tidings are clear, evident and complete. For unless some illustrious souls step forth into the arena of service and shine out resplendent in the assemblage of men, the task of vindicating the truth of this Cause before the eyes of enlightened people would be formidable indeed. However, if the friends become embodiments of virtue and good character, words and arguments will be superfluous. Their very deeds will well serve as eloquent testimony, and their noble conduct will ensure the preservation, integrity and glory of the Cause of God.

(From a letter dated 19 December 1923 written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís of the East - translated from the Persian)

service...with a soapy basin

Nthombekhaya, one of the mothers of the students in children's classes, had suggested she wash our car a few weeks ago. It's something we rarely get around to doing, and it was a mess. She must have wanted to wash it for months! When she proposed the idea, she explained that she does a very good job washing cars, and that all she wanted was a 2 litre bottle of Sprite. A 2 litre bottle of Sprite costs R14.95 which is about $2.00. We knew it was worth more to us, so we had planned that in addition to the bottle of Sprite, we would also offer some cash if she accepted.

We parked outside of Siboleke's home where we meet to hold children's classes every Saturday morning (the photo shows the front tip of our white Golf polo). The big blue basin was full of soapy water and cloths as the children helped Nthombekhaya prepare to wash our car. It was the coolest production line I've ever seen! Some were soaping up the car; others were using newspaper to clean our filthy hubcaps; 2 were inside the car brushing out the sand and crumbs; while others were scrubbing our floor mats and hanging them on the line to dry. Then many dry cloths were used to dry and polish the car in every possible spot they could reach. It brought me so much joy to see how eager the children were to help wash our car -- they were doing it purely for joy and excitement, not for any material compensation. :)

a vignette..Delft Baha'i School ~ 2nd year

one of the classes praying to begin class

 i will try to describe a picture of a typical Saturday morning in Delft, the township in Cape Town of Xhosa and colored populations where we hold Baha'i children's classes, Devotions and now 2 study circles on a weekly basis...

we come off the highway and enter the main road which is always full of people walking, riding bicycles, standing and waiting for 'taxis' (vans that smoosh people in tightly), playing and pushing homemade go-carts, and carrying groceries. on every corner a little vegetable stand has bags of oranges, potatoes and onions while selling a variety of other produce. barber shops, car washes and cell phone shops are abundant as well. we drive about 2 miles until we turn into the neighborhood area of south Delft, passing one large shopping and market area of vendors selling products for the home and hygiene. we wind around until coming close to the area where we know most of the people now, and the children, jr. youth and adults wave, give us thumbs up, and sometimes run after the car until we park. it's always a joyful welcome and the heart leaps with love amongst all of us. we open up the hatch and the children are eager to assist us, taking the drums, bags and crate full of learning materials. if we arrive early enough, we'll give them the soccer and football as well before classes begin.

writing notes in booklets about virtues

joyful after Devotions in the evening time

the narrow roads are always obstructed by people walking slowly, dogs barking loudly, cement pieces sitting just enough in the way that you must turn your wheel to avoid them (sometimes they are used as goals for soccer), and lots of sand piled thickly in some areas where the wind has blown it. we park on a sandy lot next to a container that is full of gardening supplies for the proposed community garden that i can't wait to be involved with. we meet in the home of Siboleke and Noxolo Ngqathane who have graciously allowed the Baha'is to use their space for children's classes each Saturday morning. their home is spacious compared to many. white laminated cabinets are situated in such a way as to create a little kitchen area with hot plates, a sink and refrigerator. before we had clip boards to press on, children would use the kitchen area counter space to write and draw, standing up to do their work. one futon style couch lines the cement block walls, covered with a sheet that is tucked around to cover the old mattress. an old crate serves as a seat against the back of one of the kitchen cabinets. wood planks and wires adorn the ceiling with a bare lightbulb that is used only when necessary to bring light into the home, as well as a chain of paper people holding hands, one of the art projects done recently. two desks, an office chair and a bookshelf are lined up in the opposite corner of the couch to hold all of Siboleke's business materials and supplies [he is the community leader who serves voluntarily in many capacities, including on the Board of Directors for the local primary school; he is also a local pastor]. the last piece of furniture is a stereo unit where the dvd player, speaker and television are arranged. on that shelf is a photo of their son, Mphatiswa, from Bahá'í School classes last year.

special class teaching martial arts

American football: Dashiel taught them how to play

the room quickly fills up with children and jr. youth (the latter being often late to arrive) for group prayers, singing and announcements before classes begin. the children begin singing the Bahá'í prayers and songs on their own and always enjoy learning a new song. we have been able to share with them a handful of Baha'i songs in the Xhosa language, but we don't yet know any songs in the Afrikaans language which is spoken by the colored population. we now have 4 separate classes for 4 age groups: 3-5, 6-8, 9-10, and 11-14. we meet in 4 different homes, all of which have children in the classes. the spaces are small and inadequate by U.S. standards of comfort but no one cares or comments. it's just reality and it doesn't matter or hinder the experience. the jr. youth use an empty cement block garage which encourages groups sitting in a big oval on the ground and then provides ample space to practice dance workshop moves. what i always experience is this innermost sense of bliss when seeing the children's radiant faces and enthusiasm about these classes. we face so many obstacles, not just physical limitations but also cultural ones like mistrust and tension between the two populations, but there is a momentum of unity growing there, a release of spirit because of the Creative Word, and it is truly taking root in the hearts of that neighborhood.

Xhosa dancing during Baha'i celebration

Karin Abedian, artist, offering a special class to teach art

celebrating a Baha'i holy day in a vacant lot

Dyami - 8 years old

Dyami Mandela Douglas. Our middle child and eldest son. He touches everyone's lives in a unique way of being adorable, inquisitive, and pure-hearted. His heart is tender and his mind is brilliant. He's a brilliant star.

This morning, before 6am, he came and sat quietly very close to me while I was praying. He waited until there was silence and then asked if he could offer his prayers. He chose the short healing prayer, singing it in a sweet and lovely way. Then he recited one of the Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah and quickly asked if he could have the very long-awaited cereal of his choice: chocolate-flavored rice krispies. :-)

His favorite friend this year is Amkele Nyamza, a kind and sincere soul. Being in South Africa for these very precious years of our children's lives makes it that much more special when celebrating one's entry into this world. How grateful we are to have this opportunity to grow as souls in a land which encompasses the beauty of diversity and awesome challenges to overcome racial prejudice. Dyami is a pure-hearted soul who is naturally breaking down all the racial barriers at school - he is a companion to all without regard to race. What a most joyful day it is to honor Dyami's birthday.

Father of a Nation

Just found a cool site about Nelson Mandela:

mandela.iol.co.za

Rainn Wilson on Oprah

This is a special moment in the history of the Baha'i Faith because a tv actor/comedian spoke with Oprah about the Faith while millions of her fans listened. I feel happy to share this with friends, so I'm posting it here as well, just to capture the moment. :-)

http://www.oprah.com/article/spirit/inspiration/pkgoprahssoulserieswebcast/20090309_oradio_oss_rwilson