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Cassandra
Senior Member Joined: 30 May 2006 Location: Spain Status: Offline Points: 293 |
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Posted: 05 July 2006 at 10:16am |
Reply to The Pond Post: Obstacles. See Colin's Posts for access to the Pond: Cogitations from a Cock-Eyed Optimist to our Political Pessimist and Brick Wall Manager, Duende (Mis Saludos Sinceros!): It took me a week to get to it, but I finally got around to turning my full attentions to Duende's posting. I would like to respond to it here, and I'll post it also on Islamicity under- I don't know, I'll think about it: you'll know) - for reasons I'll explain later. I've underlined it first in pencil, then in RED. First of all, I would like to thank Duende (who I see is a fellow Spain-dweller, like myself and Whisper) for his very concise and important doubts on Angela's Plan. There is no doubt that we do need a reality check. Were all idealists here, and idealism doesn't fit into the current so-called New World Order which has been in place since the aftermath of Desert Storm. It is true that we need a New and Improved New World Order (Colin/Angela: How about the "Starfish Initiative", it carries a certain punch - not to take anything away from Angela? cf Islamicity: The Angela Plan for those of you who missed my little story) , and that can only take place with the undermining of the existing one. Note: I didn't say "destruction". We may need the bricks. You are all aware of my love for Friedrich Nietzsche, that most misunderstood of "existential" philosophers? Well, in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, old Fred outlined the world order of his day. If I might: From Of the Three Metamorphoses of the Spirit (I'll edit - but please read the entirety. The capitalizations are mine, but I like Capitalizations! The German in me, I guess. The italics are Nietzsche's; the inevitable comments are mine.) I name you the three Metamorphoses of the Spirit: how the Spirit became a Camel, the Camel a Lion, and the Lion at last, a Child. ........What is heavy? thus asks the weight-bearing spirit, and thus kneels down like the Camel, and wants to be well laden (Colin: Bite your tongue!).....is it this: to debase yourself in order to injure your pride?....or is it this: to feed upon the acorns and grass of knowledge and for the truth to suffer hunger for the soul?.....to wade into dirty water when it is the water of truth, and not to disdain cold frogs and hot toads? (Patty - you might like this bit.) And so..........the weight bearing Spirit takes upon itself all these heavy things, like a Camel hurrying laden into the desert. The Camel, that beast of burden, accepts not only the "Status Quo": - that burden laid upon it by its masters, but alternatives, though it knows not how to throw off the yoke of its servitude. Hence it hurries into the desert on its own, but doesn't know what to do once there. But in the loneliest desert, a second metamorphosis (Mine) takes place. The spirit becomes a Lion. It wants to capture freedom, and be sole lord in its own desert. (This is you, Whisper, but read on, for love, for you are indeed a Lion.) Here it struggles for supremacy with the Great Dragon. What is the Great Dragon which the Spirit no longer wants to call lord and God? The great dragon is called "Thou Shalt". These words are written on every golden scale. But the spirit of the Lion says: "I will!" The mightiest of Dragons laughs and says: All the values of things glitter on me! My brothers, says Zarathustra, why is the Lion needed in the Spirit? Why does the beast of burden, that renounces, and is irreverent not suffice? To create new values......even the Lion is not capable of that: but to create itself freedom for new creation, that the Lion can do......to create freedom for itself and a sacred "No!" even to duty, the Lion is needed for that, my brothers. To seize the right (my emphasis) to new values - that is the most terrible proceeding for a weight bearing and reverential spirit............Once it loved this "Thou Shalt" as its holiest thing. But tell me, brothers, what can a child do that a Lion cannot? Why must the preying Lion still become a Child? (Read carefully and injest:) The Child is innocence and forgetfulness, a new beginning, a sport, a self-propelling wheel, a first motion, a sacred: "Yes!" ...a sacred Yes is needed for the sport of Creation; the Spirit now wields its own will, the spirit now sundered from the world now wins its own world. (Nietzsche's empahsis, not mine.) Sleep is contagious, even through its own thick wall. And today there are still some like the preacher of virtue, and not always so honourable. But their time is up! And they shall not stand for much longer: already they are lying down. Blessed are those drowsy men, for they shall soon drop off.* Thus spoke Zarathustra. These words were written between 1883 and 1885. Poor old Fred was dying of syphillis, but his mind still saw what the world was becoming. Caught up in the throws of Thou Shalt. Only 20 years later, his sister, Elizabeth F�rster Nietzsche, a vehement anti-Semite, took his notebooks and TWISTED his words, so that the Nietzsche we read today has to be carefully sifted through Nazi interpretations. But he was so, so right!!! OK, having made you sit through a favourite passage of mine, I'll address what I can of Duende's wonderful post: This is no longer a conventional world, he says. "It is a world running on empty and we are all gasping our last breaths before plunging into a great unknown." Whisper has said the same thing to me: "The Let's look some more at Duende's points: " Actually, I need to put my own agenda into the forefront here, just for a second, if you will permit me: In the future, and the not too distant future either, wars will be fought over WATER. But maybe that's another post! (However, just to give you all a new threat to worry about, please access www.nybooks.com/articles/19131) Flannery, Kolbert and Gore. Also read The Party's Over by Richard Heinberg, for a perspective on Oil Domination. We've gotta stop somewhere! I drive a 1200 cc Opel Corsa, and I still feel guilty! Duende says: We are quietly becoming accustomed to seeing bodies torn apart....this is also part of the plan." Eventually we: "...become so numbed by these images that it ceases to impact us. Imagine what it does to children in the streets?" I have to agree wholeheartedly with this. After the Tsunami, I felt less for the earthquake victims in Anyway, I would counter Duende here, by saying that the world began to be numbed during the television images of the Vietnam War. We are well beyond immunity at this point. Schwartzeneggar and Rambo have put us there. We even think we can take on Aliens! Whatever happened to those sweet extraterrestrials from ET and Close Encounters??? Another conspiracy story....? Anyway, again..... Yet, Duende warns us: I believe that no matter how unbearable things appear to us in "I don't know what the answer is to this unconventional war; the world institutions and organizations seem to have tried everything". Duende, I am a philosopher. May God have pity on me. We don't believe much in answers. But we do believe IN QUESTIONS! He (she?) continues: We need an entirely new world order, and we have yet to find the person or persons who can suggest a new way forward. I am convinced they are not politicians since the political traditions and patterns are what got us here in the first place............I don't like this feeling of impotence...but we must think in radically different ways and infect others with our thoughts (again my emphasis) if we are to get anything changed." We need, he says: "A people's alliance" He suggests enlisting Cindy Sheehan. In the last few days I have been researching organizations with the same anger that we have, the same shame, the same determination for change....what we need to do is GALVANISE all of them into a workable whole. And we need FIGUREHEADS: "Figures such as Carter, even "People are just crying out for it, not just for Here in Duende continues that Finally (and my fingers are sore from pounding on this archaic machine I call a computer - actually his name is Alfonzo III and I am fond of him - he helped me write my book!), Duende says: "No great oaks have yet grown from grass roots movements." OB-JEC-TION , your Honour: The Mahatma is turning in his grave. If ever there was a Childish response to occupation and violence, Gandhi's was it. As I have said elsewhere, I think, Satyagraha was Feminine/yin in its Modus Opperendum, yet it brought down the Raj. The greatest Empire of the day. Lets contact ALL of the grass roots organizations. Let them know we exist. And, despite our removal from Islamicity I believe that we MUST maintain a visible presence on that site. Yes, I know Colin, these are well-educated Muslims, with computers and Internet, and they most likely don't represent the general view (Whisper says 95% of Muslims agree with Muslima - may God forgive me for mentioning her name after my vow ! - , but I don't agree with him. Or at least if he is right, sign me up for Kortinas Mark III as soon as possible). Muslims are angry and they have a right to be angry. I would be angry too. HELL! I AM angry. But I am a child-converted Lion, and as such I move forward, in play and hope, and if necessary with the sword of a pen I know I can wield. We don't give up, we move forward, until we bring that bloody lower-case dragon down to our knees! Who needs his gold, anyway? Yours in childish Optimism, Cassandra and her Candle of Hope. |
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mariyah
Senior Member Joined: 29 March 2006 Status: Offline Points: 1283 |
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Asalaamu Alaikum: I agree with you Cassandra, we should never give up trying for the improvement of quality of life for anyone at anytime. Many humans ponder at the fate of mankind on this earth and fear it but continue in their careless ways. as the quran says: 2:90 Miserable is the price for which they have sold their souls, in that they deny (the revelation) which Allah has sent down, in insolent envy that Allah of His Grace should send it to any of His servants He pleases: Thus have they drawn on themselves Wrath upon Wrath. And humiliating is the punishment of those who reject Faith. To revel in such man based fears is demeaning to the soul and is a sign of weakness of faith. Should we not trust our Great Creator, the Compassionate and Merciful, who created this world so that we may be? To mourn, stick one's head in the sand, or to simply pine away because of the sad condition our planet is in si a rejection of your faith in Him! Even the Christian scriptures state:
From the Injeel, From The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24: 9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And in another area of this forum, there is posted by Br Rami the signs of the Quiyama, or the return of Jesus and Mohammed to the earth. Read this article at:
http://www.islamicity.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2984& ;PN=1 We must try to stop this cycle of fear and hate, and put our differences aside. Every Great Journey begins with a simple small step. We will all stand side by side on the Last DaY and be accountable to our Creator for our actions and deeds. As it quotes in the Quran: 58:22 Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the last day, loving those who resist Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred. For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a spirit from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein (for ever). Allah will be well pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the Party of Allah. Truly it is the Party of Allah that will achieve Felicity. Strive to improve the world and introduce Brotherhood, and you know what your reward will be. Jazakallah Kheir, Mariah |
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