Discovery...

Alec turned 2 nine days ago. He is a cutie pie who lights up my life with every funny glance, sad look, demanding sounds and when he says "Hooo hoooo" whenever he sees a train. He is on a path of discovery with everything, and it is incredible to witness it. Every bird, dog, plane, big truck excites him and he just follows them, even says hello, and good bye (I try not to worry when he pets little dogs, and big dogs...)

I hope his discovery will never end.

I am currently thinking a lot of about discovery, and self-knowledge. By coicidence, or maybe by design, this coming Saturday Pieter and I will host another "Spiritual Cafe" and the theme will be independent investigation of truth.

As preparation for the Spiritual Cafe meeting, I came up with a few questions that popped up in my mind as content rich for the discovery question.

How much of life have you chose, how much is chosen for you?

What does it mean to see truth independently?

Do you think about your actions?

Have you found your reason for living?

How many people have researched the religion they were "born" in, instead of just being without knowing?

Is your life your own, or is it mirroring someone else's dreams?

What is truth?

Have you ever searched for it?

Do you want to?

Should you?

How?

The last question is in my mind, as I have had a similar question-answer dialogue with someone very close to me, and it is a hard answer. If a person is willing to search and find their reason of being, what and how do they do it? Reading? Experiencing? Living?

Maybe just trying a bit each day and learning something new each day with an attitude of discovery is more important than the wisdom gained in the process.

Recently, I saw a clip on Oprah that was inspiring. A 98 year old man after a life of illeteracy finally decided to learn how to read. A ninety-eight year old man. Not 40, 55, or even 70 but 98. Wow. The phrase Your are never too old to learn, imprinted in my mind as a great example to tell anyone who is afraid to learn new things.

I guess this proves that we humans have a true capacity to learn, discover and gain new insights whether we are 2 or 98. Wonderful that this is an everlasting quest, as long as we want it (and believe it).

Beauty in the breakdown.

Pieter and I took Bella and Alec to the Sculpture Garden in Hamilton NJ and we hung out, walked through the park, viewed sculpures, danced around them and had a really nice time.

This is a great unexpected result, since taking kids to anywhere can always be unpredictable. Plus, when we read about the gardens on the Internet, it seemed very strict and foreboding "no talking loud, this is a contemplative space, no running..."



So, we took our chances, cut up some apple to bring for a snack, loaded up on cups and waters for the kids as Pieter and I filled up our mugs to bring fresh fair trade coffee (thanks Bradley!)as we drove over there. Luckily, the kids were as excited and happy to see the art as we had hoped. Anyway, after we got there, we first went to a water sculpture area, saw a live peacock much to our surprise, and continued on our journey, spotting secret service men looking statues, abstract pieces that just make you say hmmmmmm, animals, nature pieces and more. Each one was fitted around nature, surrounded by grass, trees, and or near water as if the nature was half of the show. Plus since the weather was absolutely gorgeous, the whole event was sun filled, cool weather and perfect for walking.

There were so many moments of watching the kids view this stuff for the 1st time, asking questions of how it sculptures are put together, posing queries on what "marble" is, or how a something looks as if it is flying. I think that Pieter and I were gathering their comments in our mind's collection of moments to keep: "Wow loooooook at that..."I wish I could hop scotch on it!" or Alec amazed and growling at a sculpture dog.

Most of the day was filled with these moments, observing their faces, laughing at their expressions of surprise, awe of nature, art and the world in general.

Cool.

Tickets to Sculpture gardens: 36 dollars
Price of map and guidebook: 3 dollars
Price of the apple and water bottles: 2 dollars.
Watching your kids dancing like a sculpture...Priceless.

The rides.

Has anyone ever gone on a "Tower of Terror" or an "Aerosmith rock roller coaster"?? I did, at the famous Disney World MGM studios last week. I was there on business for the annual "sales kickoff" in Orlando, Florida. As part of the IP legal team, we had a break out session, but took part in the huge events at night. So I actually went on a Star Wars ride, watched a 3D movie starring the Muppets, entered the Tower of Terror elevator drop, drop again, and drop again and cautiously closed my eyes while I took a ride on the Aerosmith roller coaster. Hint, closing your eyes during a turn twisty ride is NOT good for the balance. At the end of the night, I was NOT pleased.

I kept on asking my friends and colleauges there, why do we as Americans create this type of self-contrived thrill contraptions...what is it about US that can build, spend tons of money and forget about the world at large, creating menu choices of an array of rides, thrills and terror?

I got some interesting responses,
1) the Americans are bored;
2) We have "so little time" to vacation so it is important to escape!
3) "Why not??"
4) silence

I am not sure if there is one answer, though I suspect it has to do with our consumption attitude and ability to provide a supply a demand for fun unlike anywhere else. I do not want to judge this at all, and frankly I heard TONS of people enjoy themselves, laugh like crazy and just relaxed with the hazy reality that set in. I did feel that the "Disney World" experience is similar to living through a spectactular Broadway musical all day and night. Watching a show...being part of the show and never leaving the audience. I guess this is what the place is about.

One day, I may bring Isabella and Alec to Disney World so Pieter and I can introduce them to the vast playground. I cannot see spending more than a few days, but experiencing how our culture relates to the phenomenon of vacation is at the very least highly intriguing. But only after I show them my world...

We will have to see NY (sooner than later as we are planning a trip to Central Park this spring), Paris, France, the place I adore ever since I studied in France in 1989, we will definitely visit family and all our 'gezellig' places in Holland (next summer if all goes well), my family's heritage in Pakistan (Pieter and I are aiming for within the next 2-3 years), the Bahá'í Houses of Worship (the Lotus temple in New Dehli, India is on the top of our list after the one in Chicago) and Haifa, at the Bahá'í world center, where Pieter and I went for Pilgrimage back in 97. That place had the greatest ride of all, a spiritual one, but everlasting and definitely beyond this world.

Dear Congressman

There are few people who wield enough power collectively and individually that can move this nation into action. This is the reason I am writing you, and I hope that you will listen.

On March 20, a confidential letter of the Iranian Government was made public by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Based on this letter, it has become known that the Iranian government will be tracking the whereabouts of 300,000 Iranian Bahá’ís (largest religous minority in Iran) and will be monitoring their activities.

This is an alarming step that will possibly evolve in a systematic increase of persecutions of Bahá’ís. In the not so distant past, the Iranian government has committed grave crimes against the Iranian Bahá’ís, denial of higher education, removal of voting rights, torture, desecration of cemetaries,unjustified imprisonment, and murder. Justification was spun into baseless allegations that the Bahá’í Faith is a threat to the wellbeing of the Iranian government. The true basis? Religious hatred by Islamic fundamentalists who view the Bahá’í Faith as a threat to Islam particularly because the progressive position on women's rights, independent investigation of truth, and education.

I most respectfully urge you to review this issue thoroughly, discuss it with your fellow Congressmen, encourage a dialogue and contact others. Let the United States take a strong stand and raise a call to Iran to STOP the oppressive treatment and of the Bahá’ís.

This is a plea, not because I am myself an Iranian Bahai,not because I have been tortured or imprisoned by that country. I am simply a female American, born and raised in this country, who found out about the Bahá’í Faith during high school who found that actually it was possible to find a religion that demonstrated in deeds not words that elimination of all prejudice, world peace, equality for women and men, universal education, harmony of science and religion, no clergy, independent search for truth to see truth through my own eyes and not judged by others, was actually written within the precepts of a world wide religion with six million other souls.

A religion that engenders love, tolerance and utter and complete respect for every world religion today and in the past. How else could every Bahá’í temple have 9 sides representing each world faith and the physical unity of all religions?? This is my religion, this is my faith and it is unfair, unjust and completely insane that 300,000 believers in another country have to suffer for finding the same belief and who want but are threatened to practice this faith.

Please help.