There is no time ..

Nothing like 

the passing 

of a friend, 

to shake us. 

More if he was 

our age. 

We know we'll die, 

one day.

That it could be sudden, 

  unannounced, like a thief 
in the night -  

not likely. 

We are sure, 

very confident we have time, 

even if we are almost there in years. 

Maybe that was fatal delusion.

That makes for regrets! 

We Need worry? No; 

Medical problems? 

Yes,  not life threatening. 

Medications, regular follow-ups 

will keep the Reaper at bay. 

Besides, feeling great, things going well.

 What can go wrong?

HE cannot be so unkind. 

Do we need to hurry? 

No. 

Make special time to make up? 

No need. We'd rather Wait.

 Hey the guy's is not such a 

nice fella anyway. 

Why bother? 

Do we want to say "I Love you"? 

No no Wait.. 

Resolve the grudges, the hurts, the aches; 
Wait..

for the right time.  

for the right day. 

for the right moment.

WAIT!

We have received jokes, 

of old age - its comical infirmities? 

Flags that should wake us, 
to our temporary-ness

we dismiss them, as jest. 

We deny our mortality
running out of time ….  not yet.   

Such happy fwds
 were fwd to an old classmate, 

And his response:   

"Good one!!!   

Why are we not meeting more often 

when we know our time 

is coming to end soon?   

call when you are in town

!!!   
:-)   

Did not call, 

did not meet.

Thought there is time yet, 

to see him, 

another day. 

Yesterday, he died.

The Saints have enemies as do the devils friends....

    It of course is the better choice to be true to ourselves -  remaining true to oneself, however is FAR from just holding on to what one's understanding of TRUE is. 

Truth is & always has been subjective - a snake is true to himself just by practicing snaki-ness, & a lamb would be holding to his true-ness by practicing meek-ness. 

Similarly a meek snake, or a snaky lamb would both not be true to themselves, though that might be a better scenario.

However when one is TRUE to the UNIVERSAL, ETERNAL (DIVINE?) TRUTH, then it becomes very, very difficult, almost impossible to deny or to defend values which are not reflective or representative of that TRUTH. Then snaki-ness is snaki-ness and meekness is meekness. 

Right IS Right and Wrong is inexcusable. AND any body else's version of truths, half truths or plain goddam lies; are a load of euphemistic Bull! In the same sense Justice - She has no other considerations other than just plain unadulterated, undefiled, unequivocal, positively uncompromising TRUTH!

Many children of great men, when making comments giving their take on their earthly parents, by defending or justifying their parents' conduct or misconduct, are in so doing rightly being filial offsprings. 

This does not at all set right misdeeds committed nor defile what's been done right by their parents. 

Thus in assessing a political leader's performance or effectiveness, the general benefits, gains, or demerits, the nation & its people have derived while being led (or misled) under the watch of the guy is what should be of paramount consideration. History should be drafted by unemotional historians based on cold factual historical events as should eulogies be weepingly filled with tearful syrupy love and devotional laments. 

Fairy tales and fictions should never be confused with the fact sheets on a leaders accomplishments or disastrous grandiose adventurism. 

Thus the accounts so often given on how loving a leader was as a parent or how sweet his smile when he looked on his fav grandson or how pathetic he cried when his favorite kitten died; Snakes, rapists,  Attila & his huns, as well as those in Alcatraz do the same, some even better(worse)!

Thus such testimonies could blind listeners to the tragedies, sufferings and extreme hardships the guy has visited & imposed on the country he led while alive & in power. Even if a leader was really great comments should be forthcoming from unbiased impartial parties.

How do you think the son  (if any)  of Hitler would gauge  his dad's 'performance'?

And  that might illustrate the point.

If Jesus were only a Man ...

     

*  The holy books and writings of the Ancients were not written particularly  for any Religion.

* If Jesus Christ were a Man, a mortal like us, would, should our faith in God be any less?

* The Crucifixion on the Cross  - was an enactment of the most painful,  frightening, event in any man's life; it purportedly was to emphasize the extent to which god will go, to establish his bond with man

* Does Resurrection makes the Dying on the Cross a non event for one?

If one could undo a harrowing life-taking event after a 3 day break, no matter how much  pain and torture & suffering  that even entails, it definitely would diminish the intensity of the SACRIFICE. The 'ease' of the reversal - from 'death' to "life" leaves a taste of triviality! If it were irreversible, an event complete in FINALITY perhaps it's significance and awesomeness might be better perceived!? 

IOU <click>

* Do we need to repay a debt to the  Maker when the debt outstanding to the Maker was only legal tender by the currency of his son's blood, who essentially is also himself - the father. Now need the fuss & melodrama  be  even initiated? Just a writing off of the outstanding would not be as dramatic or as earth shaking. 

    The entire biblical story of the virgin birth the crucifixion the dying and the resurrection  appear very likely a Man-contrived attempt to ingratiate the REST of Man, to an agenda yet not known nor completely finished nor plainly involves at all the divine. 

Through the centuries the plot evolves, twists, thickens & becomes more convoluted.

  

Over the centuries  tho multiple  redrafts, reconfigurations & shifts were inputted, the general direction still evidently appears to be the manipulation of Man for very human gain, much other Godliness were demonstrated along the way; by people with true godly values.  acts of godliness by such people loving believers has dignified, sanctified & glorified the initial (still) non-holy intent to corner God for use in Religion! These 'LOVE" from real good people with god spirit in them, imbue a feeling of authenticity  in the religion that indeed the institution is god-based, god-sanctioned, god-set!

One has to be aware if good things are done in the name of god - only GOOD, the organization is as it proclaims. Otherwise a spiritual audit in a sense is warranted.

Being limited by our intellectual, physical & other human deficiencies & inadequacies ; the likelihood of our ever coming to the answer or within grasp of the Entity which is not in our 'system or dimension', Who is not even near a similar level of our 'being-ness' is thus, almost zero, practically impossible. 

Perhaps Man has to move onto the next plane of 'being-ness' before that can be established.

Man's thoughts  dwelling on the Maker, has evolved into religions - Man's attempts to find a reason, cause or justification is  nobly perhaps to forge closer union, form a relationship with a Power which obviously appear benevolent to us, given He bothered to 'make' all these wonders!

In our quest for Him, there never will be an end point where the TRUTH will be arrived at.

We, simply, now, as humans, can never know HIM!

The next on our "to do" priority list, would be, during this our life experience, bring to reality values we believe are also of GOD

In so doing perhaps we might 'see' the LIGHT of HIM

Expect little guide, least from human-organized institutions of God.

The journey is long & arduously lonely.

God speed fellow journeymen.

FREE WILL -

    

  The prayer of a useless frustrated believer in the Creator, Maker, Designer of the entire Universe.

Anytime a created being prays it has to defer to Your Will. What that WILL is was NEVER revealed neither apparent nor even suggestive. Your LOVE, only presumed manifested through the supreme so claimed 'sacrifice' of the DIVINE 'life' of your Son who resurrected in 3 days. That itself made the dying a highly non event. If a  dying of a 'life'  is so easily reversed what's the huge effort on the dying? 

      A sacrifice is an act which bears great costs to the one making the offering. If an act which in three days reverses from a 'done' to its original 'undone' - what is that sacrifice called?

It's like eating, throwing up and eating again. Rather futile, effortless dramatizing of a meaningless act - pseudonymed as a 'Sacrifice'?.

We were supposedly given FREE WILL!  Free will for what? To do what to decide what?

That the LORD has the final over-all say in ALL THINGS we were able to freely not choose? 

Much sense it makes?

If there is Free Will, as very romantically evangelized, as being given all to His created beings, how then is there no way Man can chose to go in any direction UNLESS that too is His Will? 

So who is given any will at all - Free or otherwise?

Frustrated Believer's prayer

O Lord You are the final Judge, deciding all; only by Your Will how and what can your created beings request for; be it Good or  Bad … 

Your Will  (what is that has only been implied and yet undeciphered)  -&  Your agape Love; (as far as any eyes can 'see' was never plain! 'seen' only through the blind 'eyes' of unquestioning Faith) decide all Your Creatures' destiny.

       Thus let these then be as You Will!

What is there to pray for, give glory or honor or thanks to when You God, an Entity does not need praises, honor nor such creature adulations!

Not from arrogance nor from anger nor unbelief; but from heart-felt, life-long sense of Hopelessness, of frustrations & Spiritual Impotence, O LORD your creature asks that You do You Will,  do your WORSE, or what suits You! 

What supposedly would give you Glory, Honor or  Makes it for You!

   It does no good that Your Creature grovel, whine or implore beg, being made with dignity in Your own Image that isn't an acceptable option. 

As created ones are here ONLY to - SUBMIT, SURRENDER, DEFER, HUMBLY  ACCEDE & ACCEPT   YOUR WILL!

Go AHEAD LORD DO YOUR WILL, YOUR WORSE! 

Come what may, as there is NO apparent FREE WILL, this created one humbly will receive whatever You dish out  - whatever YOUR WILL is!

One 'dies' from this life once, one does not get resurrected in 3 days, one has no apprehension of what one will face !

Your WILL be as YOU would!

              

        ETERNAL DARKNESS & TORMENTS

that is an institutional 'instrument'  for  coercion, irrelevant in this equation.

Great are the frustrations and sorrow that the divine bond was never bound through better illuminated interactions. Creator and Created never 'know' each other.

Favored are those created ones who could see, hear, feel and sense YOU! 
This particular UNFORTUNATE one has little such gifts!

 Amen

These misunderstandings or misperceptions were arrived at & derived at  from sanctioned RELIGIONS theological inputs. 

One wonders if THAT reflects  ?

To Pay a DEBT

9/11 - Have we changed.?

1. On September 11th we were shockingly thrust into  rude & complete awareness of our religious differences, painfully, glaringly been made conscious of so many un-acceptables in our regard for another's faith beliefs. We were woken to the fact that not everyone are 'brothers' anymore! The romance was put to rest. 

2. Our tolerance level has decreased; the ease in rejecting, ridiculing & effortlessly forming negative perceptions against other religions' beliefs has become second nature, a narrowing of the once liberal acceptance of other faiths' practices and preferences gets more constricted. It becomes reasonable to pass adverse judgment based on anothers' religious or ethnic affiliations with little or no second thoughts. A kind of justified retribution for the crime of a few miscreants. A kind of DUTY or RIGHTs of the 'wronged party'

3. "Those not with us…" i.e not of same faith or ethnicity is now easier rejected and un-hesitantly discriminated against, like it were the Right & Proper thing to do. 

*How about the consideration that we all were Human beings? *How about the thought that NOT EVERYONE who does not       share the same belief system is EVIL or Malevolent? 

*How about the same ethnic group or religious groups to which     one belong also has many equally evil miscreants? 

*How does one account for this fact of this imperfection of folks   from one's chosen race with similar evil bent plus a history of       genocide??

4. Stereo-typing of individuals and groups has become an acquired art. You wear a head scarf or has facial hair of a certain fashion or dresses in THAT way- you are "NOT WITH US" - hence you 'are against us'. 

A hardening arrogance that we do not need you, those of an unacceptable  color or race or beliefs to foul up our lives, is very apparently widespread.

5. Unofficially an ongoing war is smoldering under the skin & in hearts of victims & 'perceived victims' of 9/11's carnage. Every affected, or 'indirectly victimized' person if legally so allowed, would not wait to wreak vengeance & extort their ounce of retribution. 

It definitely is irredeemably intolerable to lose a loved one for no other reason than to be at the wrong place in the path of a maniacal clandestine operation! 

Yet let's stop to consider how many millions are victims of the  many world wars with dead family members, equally as missed & as irredeemably lost? 

Is their pain being continually rehashed &  exploited for the making of political Hay? 

*How come no body is eager to commemorate Nagasaki or Hiroshima? 

6. No one is 'happy' nor at all 'willing' to forget or forgive or to even overlook the gruesome incident as another of Man's constant struggle for supremacy; That is a natural Human failing; rather life is centered around re-living, recreating the horror, not allowing folks to forget, likely for the propagation of whatever sinister motives. 

Many are unaware & get sucked by the hype, spin & manipulations of one's sense of injustice to gain capital for a bigger, evil-er, powerful, unseen force seeking advancement of it's agenda. 

Suspicions, fears, guised as prepared-ness to avert a repeat, has fanned a paranoia; sanctioning official intrusions into civil life & frivolous disregard for personal privacy. A justification of the ends that seemingly is worth the loss of our Freedoms. 

What else is sacred if that we hold dear is lost forever? 

        Retributions never add value to any system anytime.

7. The world did not get any way better by way of interpersonal, inter-racial, inter-ethnic relations. It went south, became sour & bad while slowly gets more poisoned by subtly spread insinuations, innuendoes that is laced into the subconsciousness of the general public via indirect indoctrinatory comments, via partial media, by slanted publications, observations highlighting the negatives of the ways and 'evil' of "those not for us"

8. The world has not moved in any direction towards reconciliation nor any direction at all to Unity for the good of Human-kind. 

Sadly from trends observed from Hour Zero it has never been inclined so!

Narrow parochial interest plus extreme patriotism, nationalism, territorialism and all other SELF-isms,  are being promoted shamelessy - The new RELIGION.

Needless to mention many are the right-set  heroic souls everywhere who bemoan the death of Trust, of Camaraderie, of an Utopia of a Single Race of Beings, of Openness,  & of other noble values and ideals which went up with the smoke of September 11th's Twin Towers. 

These are like lost voices crying in the wilderness!

Invariably drowned out by the deaf indifference of Global Supremacy at all costs.

  

Doing it Right..

Serving GOD or ?   

   The distinction between one who fully trusts in Religion & all it's claims about god; and one who fully Trusts in God with a cynical askance ear to Religion; is the former has natural human naivete, not excluding an accepting attitude for the infallibility and 'godly' goodwill of human representatives of Religious Authorities  supposedly representing The Divine; whilst the latter has the god given blessing of Discernment. 

   Few deny the supremacy and reality/authenticity of the Maker of this world. 
Ask anyone who has the courage & humility to acknowledged utter lack & insufficiency in the understanding, knowledge & complete inability to humanly recreate a semblance of life of even the simplest single cell planktonic or microbial life-form. If the immensity, (inability) to 'create' a simple life form of such "simplicity"; the sheer impossibility to humanly achieve The Universe's realization would, based on the same premise, be a feat in-achievable even if given an eternity of a life-time.

   Those clamoring for scientifically quantifiable laboratory proof of a divine entity are mainly approaching the subject looking through the self-inflating dark shadow of their own inflated Egos.

     In human society the ideal of the Maker and His almightiness has become a struggle which having morphed into a spinning game, not only deriving benefits for those opposing the concept of Him; God also is a great source of 'revenue' for the camp which supports and evangelizes Him. Or supposedly projecting, implementing His Will for His creatures.

 Not in the propagation, or practice of His ideals of complete subservience to His Glory through good works to Man, but in the eliciting and reinforcing of a guilt ridden mind-set among those who do not have the gift to discern between Truth and manipulative religion's spin. The ability to further imprison many Naive believers in an ever downward spiral that derives benefits mainly to the credit balance of Religions. 

If anyone has the gumption to attempt peering through & deciphering the true intent of the mist shrouding religions' evangelical gibberish & exhortative imploration for devotional baggage via appeal to the debt Man supposedly owed for the Divine's unwarranted, undeserved Love & the Ultimate Sacrifice God made for Man;  one would be sure to glimpse if nothing else, God's non-presence.

    We are perpetually being made to feel grateful and indebted to a god who did SO MUCH for us; which he needed not have to do. Thus imprisoning our relationship through a guilt complex of having received an un-payable 'GIFT"
Doesn't that make one feel indebted? Feel grateful? Feel one was so undeservedly 'blessed' 
NOW comes the pay back !! Yoked to a life of servitude - not to God but to Religion's agendas. 
If God truly made all of these out of nothing but Love, He has NO need any of it has to be repaid! Neither in anyone's devotion, adoration or homage to Him. He is all sufficient would He even need any of these?
Exactly! And so too was this message being preached all over Religion. BUT in the same breath we owe god - BIG TIME! 
Is the picture of a benevolent RELIGION appearing more and more distant from the 'planted' concept of a caring, benevolent, godly Religion - Church? 

     The God, be He of  Abraham or Mohammed does not at all reside & assuredly does not condone the numerous widespread acts of human self aggrandizing not only in the material sense but in all other benefits which fittingly should be directed to the suffering, struggling souls of which each of us are. Most definitely NOT directed at Institutionalized-Religions. 

     No one denies the many good works and numerous admirably sacrificing acts endured by so many greats of religion. Should even a single inkling of misdirected intent for self or institutional gain was whispered, very sadly,  the entire soup is contaminate. 

Did He not so say through His prophets throughout time that :

    ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth".

    

    “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

     

     "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world"

   Thus very clear cut and precise; there is only one way to do right by Him. Anything else that mixes good with evil, Truth with half truths, nice feelings from deeds of real good human sacrifices used to justify human greed; would NOT be accepted.
          
            No one is to gain from Serving God!

   If one has yet to awaken from that stupor of basking in the self generated warmth & good-feeling about missionary zeal, of good works done for Him, the self congratulatory back-slapping amongst His so called chosen priests who draw believers into a deep well tainted with pseudo truths & poisoned with deceit; one would do well to very urgently acquire the ability to discern between what is truth, what is hype and what is a mix of deceptive half truths and spiritual truths!

The devil is a Master SiFu skilled in deception & many are ready accomplices in the ranks of short-sighted Men.

On becoming a Muslim

If one is considering becoming a Muslim one especially need to be cognizant of the advantages one is going to derive from the conversion. 

Isn't that a very important and crucial consideration in such a dramatic life-change?

So here compiled from hands on knowledge of what one stands to gain vs what one stands to lose in opting to embrace Islam :

PROS:

* One definitely becomes acknowledged HEAD of one's house-hold! 

This is an important plus as many Western families are ambiguous on who wears the pants in the family. Not just fashion preferences but due to a great confusion of the entire understanding of the institution of marriage. Same gender matrimonial nuptials, temporary liaisons like Friends with benefits, or Living together but not really sharing anything kinda arrangement prevalent in the auto industries - test driving a model before commitment & common in the decadent progressive West.

Now imagine in Elton John's house-hold, who would be giving orders to the Cook  or the maid, or to any house help, for instance? No one is the head as far as tradition  is concerned tho surely there is a  top and a bottom partner. but that is only in the Master, Mistress, Person, bedroom urggh!

See the confusion? 

    In Islam there is NO SUCH CONFUSION. 

The man (as in male i.e. the one who has testicles above the "tool" between the legs, who has a beard, & walks in front) Doesn't that make for much ease in logistics and everything else in family dealings? But the same head of the house not necessarily is the same as the main bread winner. That is another story altogether.

* As Head of the house-hold One commands and the rest will jump to it.

For instance in Western societies the "man" may "suggest" to go to the Strip joint for dinner and also after dinner entertainment BUT the rest of the house-hold is and surely would OBJECT!

Thus suggestions and actions are as far as the East is from the West. 

  In the Muslim house-hold if the MAN says let's all go to my mother's house for the week-end and my spouse does the week end housework there, NOBODY would say anything else except YES Lord!

* In the Muslim house-hold if The Man decides to get a second (3rd or 4th) wife. NO ONE says ANYTHING else except YES Lord!

Try that same tactic in the West. Try to sneak a quickie with another woman even!

Now from the above most would appreciate the pluses of a Muslim arrangement no?

Here now is a short list of CONS:

     * If because of one's curse good fortunes and blessings by Allah SAW one gets to hook up with 4 wives (MPVs Max Permissible Violations)

Imagine the horrors joys of such an arrangement!

Let's just say in the initial honeymoon months (note "months" instead of years, this is because : how long does anyone imagine one could carry-on with 4 demanding females ?)

Ok lets say from each nubile baby producer one is punished blessed with 4 tiny tots. That would multiply (woooa what a multiply that would be) to 24 tiny tots all from the seeds of one's loins (woooa what a loin :)

AND each tiny tot having ONE birthday a year; would work out to 24 birthday celebrations a year! 

And what about other occasions of significance like the Sunat ceremonies if male tots and the dowries when female tots come of marriageable age?

Just attempting to quantify the expenditure would make an accountant as BALD as the American iconic eagle!

And that counting only the crucial significant family events. 

What about the weekly transporting of 24 kids & 4 wives, to the Masjid on Friday for prayers? Week after week after week after week? Just thinking of that makes one WEAK - no??

Baby food, diapers, pediatricians' bills, pre-school fees, baby-sitters' allowances, the mothers in Laws X4, their entourage families X4, the food bills, the electricity, (and in the desert) - the water usage?

And housing all these off-shoots of one's seeds? - the kind of housing needs? The numbers of toilets and bathrooms  in the morning rush ?

The eating utensils even though Muslims usually eat with bare hands! The bedsheets, the mattresses, the laundry needs, the heating needs!!

Can one appreciate now why the bedouins live in the desert ? The word desert wasn't only used to describe a sandy barren area… It is also synonymous with running away from one's responsibilities.

And Bedouins is a combi of "Bed Do U Ins"  

Now need anyone wish to hear any other CONS??

Guess not!

China made wine ....

      

    If justification of a false premise is based on an authority that was just as false and selectively imbued with authority from dubious sources, how then could the justification be considered acceptably authoritative.

      For instance a claim that through a recognized process gold can be made from stone. but that process itself is just as unproven, full of smoke & deception, how then can the original claim be authentic? 

Thus some reviews or testimonials are given by people with vested interest in the subject being reviewed giving the reviews a dubious reliability.

To claim 'legality' for a particular religion or faith group because of the infallibility of the holy book it churns out itself is akin to claiming the best college in the country is undeniable, from the rankings report  compiled by the same college.  

It's like favoring or providing proof from self decided biased authority.

Thus if a religion or belief is truly from the One true God:

* There is no need for any reliance on any man-derived source like ancient scrolls, or apparitions, to proof or authenticate.

* Any religion or belief unless of an academic nature need no proof- it only needs acceptance and faith

* There is only ONE TRUE GOD and it is up to every created being to find Him, best; by ourselves.

An almost impossible task. Which accounts for the myriad of short-cut-easier-less-exhaustive ways through faith groups, cults, charlatans and of course undeniably, well-meaning religions and mother church. 

No one alive (including priests, pastors and all other religious) has any significant idea of who or what or where to seek and very conclusively "find" Him, thus they might as well either make hay ($$$) from others blundering around in their quest & bask in the glory of being acknowledged as having the map! (Mother Church)

 It is a tough long, personal quest and whether one reaches near union with or understanding of Him is not the issue. 

Rather how far would one's trip take one along the route to knowing Him.

It is a very gullible guy indeed who is convinced of claims made by so many religious personalities now, before and in the future, of complete communion with Him, the great Designer. 

Guess you could call these the false prophets.