My Future and Islam - (An opinion that is drawing fire)

My Future and Islam (An Opinion)

 

The future belongs to those who take it and make the most of what it offers. Mahatma Gandhi said that “the future depends on what you do today” or in other words, how you create it in your world. This is a vague but important statement with all that is going around us today. Putting such quotes into content and context without sounding full of fear, it is difficult to predict what our future really is or will become.

Our president so eloquently stated something during his speech at the United Nations something I fear to be a calling of the wrong sorts. It is what I believe a strong message to so many who do not live here….yet and how they can change the future of our world. Our freely elected president said, “The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam. Yet to be credible, those who condemn that slander must also condemn the hate we see when the image of Jesus Christ is desecrated, churches are destroyed, or the Holocaust is denied.”

I don’t know what prompted President Obama to say this but I fear it might have been a subtle hint of things to come. He also said, “Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.” Together, we must work towards a world where we are strengthened by our differences, and not defined by them. That is what America embodies, and that is the vision we will support.”

Now, I am not a Muslim, a Jew or a re-born Christian. I am a simple man – a human being with a rational brain. In my time, I have seen racism come and go, extremism up and down and hate and anger sideways and vertical. I have always held on to the hope that I would never be biased or prejudiced in my heart or mind against anyone who I could call my friend or my fellow man.

I have fought a wrongful war and realize that between war and peace stands a thin line of justice and injustice, equality and inequality and good versus evil. I have witnessed apathy and radicalization. I have seen our nation’s leadership step up boldly to face the enemy or apologize to them for what we had done. In a sense, I have seen politics to be confusing and contradictory in nature and practice.

Although I am not here to preach or theorize to you the politics of our government, I am here to tell you I worry about our future. I am certain that I do not stand alone with this worry about our forthcoming fate as the world spirals downward towards hell in hurry and spinning out of control. I am certainly aware there are good and evil forces at work that either embrace or deny the religions around us with a special emphasis on those who are Muslim and practicing Islam for their beliefs.

I see no evidence they are not like us and should keep in mind where there are different cultures, there are different practices or customs to observe and to maintain.

But I cannot lie and see that part of me which has detected a large part of the Muslim populations that are not like the rest of us. Whatever I may express or show concern for is all moot if they agree that we can live in harmony and together face the daily strife with their synagogues, their mosques and their churches.

However, being in good mind and good spirit, I fear there will be more than plenty who will want to carve out their own domain, with the protection of our government and establish their own way of life that contradicts our values today. I can see we do not align with their values or their laws and am concerned that we submit our natural laws for Sharia Law that they prefer and preserve over any other law. I believe this will impact the average non-Muslim person in a bid to maintain their own personal values, their own personal beliefs and their own freedoms.

Specifically, I worry about losing our hard fought Bill of Rights as well as our Ten Commandments. I worry that the country will again be divided and become two separate entities like the North and the South did back in 1860’s. Most of all, I fear the “us versus them” ideology will create conflict and war amongst us and perish all of us forever.

When I think of Islam and their values, I can’t seem to engage in dialogue where we find common ground on such values other than the love for mankind and all men being created equal. Other than praying to a supreme god, we differ in many values and practices that divides us as a house would with family members at odds with each other. Even the word ‘equal’ distinguishes the rights between men and women and so often, the child.

How can we fix this paradigm this is soon upon us? How will the influx of 200,000 Syrian refugees [or more] impact our societal standards and statutory compliance as they clash with other regulations already written and followed by the newly welcomed refugees? It is with certainty they will all try to settle in a part of the lands where they be together – this is where they will carve out their will and create a third state of their own.

Using the very same constitutional rights to possess and be armed for self-defense or protection – they could establish their own regime, government or regulations to live there where the government has chosen them to live, just like they did when they re-located the Native Americans on their trail of tears but gave them empty and condemned waste land while I fear, these newcomers will acclaim lands fresh with green lush water-filled troughs and nothing like we gave our Native brothers and sisters.

Do we start by tagging them as liberal, moderate or progressive Muslims and what does that mean other than they are not extremists or radicalized? How does this impact on our society as it stands as the perception is our government’s efforts to accept them with open embraced arms and allow them to function spiritually and physically as if they were in their own land from where they fled from. I don’t expect them to apologize to us for our practices and I don’t expect to apologize to them for our beliefs or cultural upbringings.

Regardless, I see a potential clash and it will be our children who suffer the most as their sensitivities and vulnerabilities depends on the truth being spoken but the truth has been hidden so well for so long, it is now dangerously missing from our daily prayers and spiritual souls.

How will this impact our intellectual or individual capacities –as well as our economic and national security wellness or soundness? Although it sounds silly to say it out loud, it does play a part in our social lives how our technologies are fabricated and for what they are used for relies on the good versus the evil. This conflict in culture is anything but academic and much more complex than one can pretend it to be.

Today, we are dealing with conflict and extremism – something that won’t go away any time soon. We condemn those of 9 /11 and basically use terms like jihadist, an Islam fundamentalist or extremist etc. interchangeably and arguably those words can be wrong at any given time but the difficulties to identify those words with the past cannot be forgotten.

I know they do not mean the same thing but words can hurt when misspoken and the odds are you will offend someone or a group at that moment the tongue slips out the wrong words. Perhaps, we will start it off with a crawl before we can walk together. Perhaps we will end up with a brawl before we love each other.

Time will tell but for me to not worry is unreasonable and unacceptable. There are signs that our world wants to abandon the Constitutionality of our nation and conform to a new order or new world where the rules will change drastically and universally giving up all that we have today. I decline to participate in this new order – I decline to give away my rights for the birth of a new world that will never live in harmony, no matter how many dreams there are by our visionary leaders, there will always be conflict and war amongst us.

Even the crusades have taught us that lesson and we should avoid paying the price of freedom again for a cause that does not benefit our nation’s foundation and standards. According to the same Pew Hispanic Center study as of March 2005, the undocumented U.S. population had reached 11 million or more, including more than 6.5 million undocumented Mexicans, which is around 60% of all illegal or unauthorized immigrants. There are others but their numbers dwindle as they learn to blend in within society. I would prefer we settle their issues, concerns and residence before we take on more in our plans to shape the future.

One can argue that we are today a melting pot of more foreigners living within our borders and I say to you, these strangers and newcomers have adapted and obeyed to our laws, culture, practices and stand together on almost everything we value and choose to do so to escape oppression and condemnation because they wanted to be free like us and share what we can together.  If they [Muslim] come here, and they will, they should conform to our laws, our societal practices and our standards – they must pledge their allegiance to our nation and no other power that exists on this Earth.

Anything less is unacceptable and a refusal to conform any less than what is required by our laws is a potential conflict that will end up in annihilation of mankind and it begins with an offensive phrase of words before the swords are drawn and the bombs are released once again, only this time, it will be on our hallowed ground and not a foreign nation or soil like in the past – We are today standing on shifting sands of time and space and the survival of the human race.

My Mother in Law - & the Ancestral Altar in the living room

My Mother-in-Law and the Ancestral Altar

 

Living with my mother in law for months at a time has given me a new perspective on how the family mourns the death of our youngest sister and sister in law. We were saddened by her sudden departure at such a young age that we mourned what seemed to be an eternity plus then some.

On the other side, my mother in law is still in mourning and she has erected an ancestral alter to keep her connection spiritually with her daughter alive.

It may not seem real to many that do not practice such devotion to a deceased person but my mother in law is no ordinary person. Her heart is filled with 24 karat gold and her love for humanity, the family and close friends is unwavering and always strong as she is the type who carries her heart on her sleeve wherever she goes.

When Marissa passed away from a complicated surgery, we were all shocked it happened so quickly. Our hearts poured out pain for her children left behind and denied the love of their mother so early in their lives. It was cruel and harshness all rolled up in a ball that couldn’t be undone. The pain was so enormous, it showed on all our faces.

Passing the years, we have all recovered to some degree of our dire and dreadful loss of our little sister. All of us, except of course, my mother in law who still mourns her death daily. Every day, she walks up to her photograph and kisses her gently. Her eyes still tear and her voice trembles.

Her attempts to connect with her through the spiritual world has deepened yearly, as she not only connects with Marissa but with her mother and father as well as her devotion to her sisters.

When you walk into her home, she is very clear about her religion. There is the statue of the Virgin Mary, the crucifix on the wall and the abundance of scriptures hanging with the face of Jesus in the middle of the center wall. There should be no doubt about her faith, her devotion and her love for God.

Then as you walk into the middle of the room, you will instantly spot her blissful conception over there on the wooden desk converted into the ancestral alter stands her spiritual reality.

A small but practical alter made for the heavens to see for her beloved Marissa. It stands out like an antenna for all to see and hear her story of her cherished and precious daughter.

She made this alter with love, as every creation, every piece of energy was put into the reality that there is a connection between her and the spirits of the dead as well as the living as she still feels sad for the dead and spiritly loves those still around her, especially her grandchildren who come often to stay with her on the weekends.

My mother in law made this altar for all our ancestors, this altar has become an attraction for other spirits who will take notice that she still wants to worship and venerate with these spirits.

 

In her own words, she said that this alter and all its belongings “is a very important step in working with the spirits” and necessary if you want to continue to worship or venerate your ancestors. 

 

She makes it clear, whether they are dead or not, “they are still your family” who loved and cared for you in their life. Being that spirits of the dead were once alive like you and I, makes them the closest to us on this material but significant alter in the room.

 

Her arrangement is solemn and deliberately organized with various photographs of all our deceased relatives including aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents as well as nephews, nieces, cousins and other relations.

 

She also makes it very clear how she selected those photographs of relatives who may have been close to her and others and stipulates why she even included those who she had problems with for the forgiveness of their sins and troubles.

 

It appears my mother in law has reconciled the past with the present as she let go of all negativity of all of the dead in the family so she could cease her anger towards them and created a love-like relationship that shows they are not unwanted but rather accepted as her family forever.

 

A devout Catholic, she has placed a crucifix on the ancestor altar, or if they were other form of Christian she also placed a regular cross on this altar.  Other than her solo and solemn moment in from of this alter, she does not perform any rituals except to honor our ancestors. 

 

Her chore to maintain this alter is a weekly task. At first, in the creation of the alter, she thought the best place for its place or setting would be the living room as she wanted every family member who came to visit, see it. Then finding the ideal spot, she cleansed it with a purifying wash made of a mixture of water and white vinegar.

 

Then a white table cloth on the alter top laid there to place all the religious symbols and photographs around the sanctified alter. At times, she rubs blessing oils or sprinkles holy water on the cross and crucifix as this signifies her efforts to keep away any negative spirits posing as her ancestors.

 

She rubs blessing oil or sprinkles holy water on the cross or crucifix as she believes this will help keep away negative spirits posing as her ancestors. She talks to them for a while and tells them how she miss them, and how she hasn’t forgotten any of them.  Softly, she asks her ancestors for their blessing in her daily life ask them to help her gain good health, love, and prosperity. 

 

The photograph of Marissa sits center. There she is surrounded with pictures of other deceased relatives. Near the photograph, just slightly in front of it sit a clear glass with water. The candles are lit 24 / 7 and the water is changed weekly if not more often as it evaporates, signifying the thirst of life.

 

Although Mondays is the preferred day to change the water, I have seen her change it more often than weekly. This way she always pray to her ancestors no less than every Monday.  She approaches the altar, knock three times, and tell them who she is. 

 

Then, she offers them the fresh water and says a prayer to GOD on their behalf, asking Him to bless them and help them grow in spirit. Talking to them for a while, she passionately and emotionally tells them how she miss them, and how she has not forgotten them. In turn, she asks her ancestors for their blessing in her daily life ask them to help her have good health, love, and prosperity. 

 

The prayer is silent at times and out loud at other times. The mood dictates the prayer and the words. The time spent is a connection with the past that can only be rendered through the spiritual world created inside this house and alter.

 

On this beautiful hand-made shrine, you will also find a ceramic plate, a vase with fresh flowers and a very small bowl. She lights a white candle for them and leaves it there to burn for them, her valued and cherished ancestors, and offers them the glory of the light, heat, and energy of the candle. 

 

To close the ceremony she claps three times this is the signal to end the session. She believes that in time, we all develop a stronger connection with our ancestors and you can start to give them food offerings, such as bread fruits and candies. She tries to offer foods that she knew they favored in life, and says this offering will keep them happy.      

 

Thus my mother in law maintains a positive and loving relationship with her daughter and other relatives through this ancestral alter. Without saying it out loud, she has managed to find a constructive way to a certain level of tranquility and peace as she feels positively, this will help her in life to resolve those problems that concern the family.

I can't say I understand all of this that is done or said but I can say I certainly respect her love and devotion towards her daughter and her ancestors as she does this ritual more likely till the day she joins them on this ancestral alter in her house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Escapism - Real or Imaginary, the borders are thin

Escapism – Real or Imagination?

It has been said so many times that prison guards [now called correctional officers] are the only people who hate the word ‘escapism. However, when you really think about it, more people engage in the act of escapism than you may realize. In fact, if you truly understand this word, you would say that correctional officer love escapism for the act itself is defined as a way to avoid life’s realities, withdraw from the social factors or pressures and delve into a fantasy world or make believe scenario you can cope in as your imagination guides your desires.

As a writer, expressionist and critic, I freelance most of my stories based on acts of people who escape responsibilities and duties designed by law and moral structures to keep us safe and protect us from harm or worse. Therefore, I often crossed lines already blurred and allow escapism to be created to step out of these traditional boxes of visions and corruption. Within those stories I used metaphors of fantasies such as dragons, haunted houses, Scorpios, spiders, zombie uprisings and other Armageddon or apocalyptic visions to stream the cultural visions.

Not trying to compete with an Xbox or other visual aid, I wrote stories, articles or books based on shifting knowledge from one mind to another and finding guilty pleasures in telling tales or stories with make believe at the core but always tying it to the reality we face daily. With the use of word processors, computers and visually creative software, we can change reality into a fantasy in a nanosecond and make it all seem to be truth and real in perspective or belief changing attitudes and judgment on how things ought to be done and how they are really to be seen.

Creating a digital fantasy is not only fun and exciting but it is a tool for expressions that create or provoke thinking of the mind other than mainstream ideas or thinking patterns. It is designed to keep us sharp and challenged with a little bit of entertainment and escape from the reality we are facing or living with around us. In other words, it creates a fantastical and escapable flight for a higher purposes and that purpose is learning.

Metaphors create their own reality complete with human perceptions and visions of what the words mean or represent. It encompasses individual knowledge of maps, languages, cultures, history and politics as it facilitates escaping the primary reality for as long as you are engaged in reading the materials presented and written. We all hunger for an escape so writers created those opportunities for others to enjoy and benefit from. In turn, this enables a smooth transition to a superimposed fantasy you can rely on to take you away from primary and secondary world realities that either stresses you, enrages you or burden you with more pressure.

Language is a powerful technology for escape, but it is only as powerful as the literacy of the reader. In other words, you the reader makes this transitional power a useful or effective tool if you engage into the fantasy with all the force and knowledge you possess. Your mind can do more than the words do as it creates an immersive force that makes on screen fantasy even deeper by morphing higher visions or expectations into the subversion or image provided. The possibilities are endless if you dive into a fantasy and read more and watch less on the tube or the computer created games.

In some stories, fantasy worlds are limited only by imaginations.  The transformation is individually designed for every individual mind. The more voracious the appetite to escape, the more creative the vision or fantasy becomes. There is an old saying that “the world is made of atoms” but in reality, the world is not made of atoms, it is made of stories about atoms and you can change those atoms inside your mind with creativity and escapism that allows you to see a collection of thoughts the way you want to see them.

Some stories are targeted for specific generations. Social immersion of various generations is tricky and takes talent to digitally generate the appropriate escapism with depth and complexity to match the generation’s expectations. As a writer, we give this talent away for the price of a good read or novel. Herein lies the fact nobody really talks about much these days for as the technology of escape continues to accelerate, we’ve begun to see an eruption of fantasy into reality. A risky disconnection is comparing the reality with the virtual reality in our own physically and artificially blended world.

Perhaps we need to tolerate our fantasy experiences and limit our creativity to maintain a solid pulse or connection to the real world’s reality. As technology advances so does intelligence and singularity as it grows exponentially and culturally around the world. And yet the digital technologies of today are just the latest in a long progression of tools for the expression of the imagination. We are escaping, not into other worlds, but into imagination.

Don’t confuse materialism and idealism. Materialist philosophies contend that reality is composed of matter and energy, and that all observable phenomena, including mind and consciousness, Idealism argues that reality is constructed by the mind. Consciousness does not arise from material interactions, it is universal; and from consciousness arise all of the material phenomena in the universe, including atoms. The world is not made of atoms. It is made of the stories we tell about atoms.

Therefore, in a material philosophy the act of escaping into our imagination is at best temporary based on the materials at hand; on the other side, the same act of imagination can reshape our reality.