IN the midst of a politically hot time in good old Wisconsin, with recall elections on this coming Tuesday I have two other issues on my mind. If you live in WI vote on Tuesday to throw out Luther Olson and his bunch of thugs. Thanks!!!! (non-violently)
Karen and I have been on the road for the last ten days, I apologize, we did not send out my Ramadan message of thanksgiving, compassion and love to our sisters and brothers of The Book and the spiritual practice of Islam. My brothers in Australia, the young Muslim rap group I met at the Parliament in December 2009 have kept me updated of their celebration, fast and service, with their texts messages. “ the Brothahood” is a group U should check out. We send this message of prayer, chants, deep bows and thanks to all. As the sun sets on this Saturday evening in the woods, in East Central WI we can smell the fine feast being readied for about 9pm in this part of the world, blessings on all Muslims and beings.
There are three memorial museum’s that have never left my consciousness, the Battle of Okinawa, the Nagasaki Peace Museum and the one in Hiroshima at ground zero, now across from the ball park. I visited these more than once when I lived in Japan, and could never stop myself from embracement, a strange kind of guilt and responsibility for what we did to these beautiful places and people. May I share a couple of stories. I know most of you love to visit book stores. In Japan the international book stores are wonderful and helpful when U do not read Japanese. One hot afternoon I was in one in Hiroshima, and I was looking through the English books and a short man, disfigured beyond belief, handed me a small paper and on it was written, “I am survivor, help me, peace”. In a strange sense, he was not asking for money, but compassion beyond the violence of war. We could not talk, our language ability was limited in each other’s language, so eye contact, hands together and a slow but compassionate bow ended this encounter, but I cannot find a place to file his face…
The second, was on the day Desert Storm began. At 8am one of my students called me, “the war is on CNN” We had dishes and all that before the USA did. I turned it on and the first fire bombs had fallen. I watched awhile and hopped on the fast train to Hiroshima and was sitting in front of the eternal flame at ground zero by noon. It is where thousands of victims names are listed, some still added each year as people die from the diseases of the Atom Bomb. I do not remember what I wrote, although I have found a post card I scribbled some words on that day. But for some reason I thought, here we go again. And we have many times since then. If you could see Hiroshima or Nagasaki now and realize they were completely destroyed, although Nagasaki’s hills saved many, I hope you would agree, this shit does not work, Atom bombs, wars, violence against nations or people. Add the tragedy of this last year in Japan and you wonder, when will humanity learn to live in peace rather than always trying to find peace.
Remember Hiroshima, Okinawa, Nagasaki, Ramadan a scared time, a gift to all beings, to take time daily to be quiet and be peace and serve those in need…we are not called to make war, but to be peace in all we are. Thanks for your time!
The Mushroom over Nagasaki, the second Bomb!
A Hospital place in Hiroshima, after the Bomb!
the last drink of water before death...Hiroshima
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