Missing Peace

      When a piece (or two) is absent in a being, the incompleteness prevents the creature from attaining perfection in peace, freedom of spirit, & generally "Happiness" is not attainable.
 
What is absent from a person though is less important as that which should be removed.
      The many intentions, urges & cravings, that fill a person are the very same that disable him from attaining completeness. Buddhism directly refers to this..with the accompanying aim to devoid one of all wants & physical needs in attempting to attain perfect harmony, freedom and peace.
      How is anyone able to be 'good' when where "good" need to be, there is present much "un-good"?
 
When attempting to search externally for peace, freedom, or harmony;  one unfailingly would be trekking along a path full of every manner of alluringly, attractive distractions, & diversions; with all manner of irresistible pleasures and sensual gratifications. Ultimately leading one to where most everyone else has ended up in….not far from where one started --- nowhere nearer one's goal. 
      Thus if one seeks for truth, harmony or peace external to oneself as it were a thing that one has to grasp, to acquire, to possess, ones' quest will reaffirm the elusiveness of the inattainability of perfect peace.
 
      Similarly just as fallacious is the assumption that one should pray against 'evil' as if it were an external threat and attempt to protect against it with a cloak of godliness or spiritual blessings.  
Evil not unlike goodness, is not outside of oneself, rather the two, good & evil reside within every one.
   When negative-ness of bad is lessened, the fullness of good is increased, much like the balance or Harmony one knows as the ying/yang of Chinese philosophy. 
     
   To be truly free, close to harmony & ultimately find PEACE in life, is to devoid all "UN-GOOD" WITHIN oneself & fill that void with GOOD.
 

There is hardly any other way.

ANIMALs

     There were two birds each seated in different trees.

     One in a beautiful, flowering tree with much shade from the burning sun. The fruits of the tree were fragrant & succulent, one would indeed consider the bird sits in avian heaven.
     The other bird’s perch is a dead tree trunk. Denuded of bark, of foliage, shade-lessly hot in the burning sun. Barren of fruits or flowers. Nothing but a stump of wood sticking up from the ground only serving to give perch support to the bird.

     It would in many other creatures’ natural inclination [human being’s especially] to very immediately IMPROVE it’s stature by hopping over to the ‘better’ higher end 'property'.

     Often times indeed the second bird does just that.

    The bird in avian paradise -  though having it’s personal space, it's home - TREE [where it was born, where generations of his ancestors had origin & final dispositions] “threatened”, “invaded”, “intruded”, "compromised" [by human reckoning/values]  -  DOES NOT take any measure to dislodge, evict or prevent the ‘intruding’ 2nd bird.
Even if it sits right next to it, the first Animal would simply shift a little to the side - to make room.

There-in the difference, between MAN (?made in HIS image) & ANIMAL
 
Which the former,  which the animal?

Child's Prayer

 

  Allow me Lord to view this Life, All it's wonders:

Even You, LORD as a child would.

No matter how gnarled & withered old I do become,

Allow not my innocence to age,

Nor my sense of wonder, awe, & curiosity to ever dull  or grey.

Grant me, the Perpetual Naivete of a child, Lord,

Should You deign to bless me even as you did Methuselah.

For to lose my Innocence is to lose 

Life 

Heaven

&

YOU.

Amen

 

Nationalism, Patriotism, Religion.

     

       In many ways nationalism & patriotism often lead to isolationism & exclusivity, resulting in a segregated narrow outlook, a closed mindset - a festering ground for extremism, discrimination & injustice.
There was a Presidential hopeful in the US during the 60's who advocated racial segregation vehemently.
Even now such instances of a misplaced & oft violent sense of supremacy based on whatever ideals - be they religious, race or nation-based is evident almost every where Man lives.
    It is such failed righteousness, tainted by a sense of selectivity i.e. of belonging to an exclusive or higher grade creature or group that leads to rejection of other similarly as equal creatures, which more times than not lead to violent deadly altercations. 
   Often if exploited by irresponsible elements using manipulative psychology based on Religious, race based biased rhetorics would promote violence & the taking of lives - often dismissed & justified as a "religious duty - or an obligation Divinely sanctioned".
                      What BALDERDASH
Yet no one who would have an effective impact on turning this tide around has found it in his agenda to campaign, to promote & achieve this ideal that All Man be given EQUAL regard.  
It sounds 'nice' & is 'comforting' to read of these entrenched noble ideals in places like on the Walls of impressive buildings & in speeches as quickly dissipated by the chilly wind of reality, popularity & public acceptance. 
In any case whats the BIG deal in the instilling of PRIDE based on one's CITIZENSHIP i.e Nationalism ?
  
Or patriotism when one's country is in a war or armed conflict with another ?

After almost 2000 years of western Civilization is Man to still view and regard one another as antagonistically separate creatures?
   Or more nobly as MAN - each as equal & noble  in his own right - NOT based on something less or nobler & worthier as the geographical location in which one has citizenship or of what skin pigmentation was ones parents or to which religious group does one swear allegiance.
  Should we not discard all the irrelevance linked to divisionisms AND become truly a RACE of believers [UMMAH]  created ones of HIM? One Race? 
   Or would that be a confirmed liability in every sphere of commerce & industry & especially military supremacy & dominance?
  It will be never achievable when minds see only as far as the next "profit" "gain" "higher ground positions" 
   Man & animals are different only in Man's -much
Justified & rationalized but - unwarranted greed for more than is necessary to achieve supposed HAPPINESS!
Then again does anyone know what is true Happiness & similarly - what is TRUTH?

The unchangeable fact of a mortal existence preempts anyman's quest for such answers