In the universe’s infinite wisdom, we have so many chances to start anew. During the past week, I had the opportunity to get down to the floor, to pick up the little toys and enjoy the excitement of learning processes together with the toddlers. What is simple about the complexity of a four-wheeled cart, a wooden tower of tracks with holes, gravity, friction, direction, and interfering hands of a cousin? These are all learning opportunities for interaction, relational practice, personal development, and exploring the world around us. Continue reading “The calendar says, let’s start again (+de)”→
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I have never been faithful, nor have I ever promised faithfulness in my life. And that’s the truth. My truth. Since I am not absolute, it could not be the absolute truth. Nonetheless, I stick with that truth, which makes me steadfast, and that is what faith is about. So, am I faithful after all, and thus not speaking the truth in the first place?
“Snow on the Water” – near Swan Lake, King William Island, Nunavut
I hardly believe that worldly things are true. Just because you or I have witnessed something, and because you or I recall an event with certain confidence, does not make them true. An action might have been the right thing to do, or it might have been justifiable from a particular point of view.
How would I know that something is so true that I believe in it? I would have to trust – in an action faith – that my observation has no bias whatsoever. So, can a person who does not believe in the truth be a faithful person, or would such a person automatically be unfaithful?
I guess it depends. But certain things are unconditional and as such would not depend. They are, and I am certain of them. For instance, I believe in the good of every human being, but I don’t believe that any such being knows the truth; at least some truth – yes, and from a unique point of view. And I believe in the common good – because we are all One.
Since I have no proof for the above statements, nor have I observations to support these claims, I need to believe them – which makes me faithful again. Or at least half full. But never unfaithful.
And you can believe me or not, without loosing your faith.
As a child, I wished for a small bike – now I am driving a tall bike!
Liebes Christkind,
kannst du mir dieses Jahr ein kleines Velo bringen? Ich möchte so gerne mit den anderen Kindern draussen rumfahren.
Besten Dank,
Othmar
Of course, these old letters to the Christ child are long gone and likely out of fashion. Our parents encouraged us every year to write them at some point in December, sort of like a wish list. But there was no equivalent to Santa and its spending power anywhere in sight. Our desires were usually well above the willingness and ability of our parents to comply.
So, I have very few memories of those Christmas wishes. But I certainly remember my wish to have a bicycle. There was mom’s old 3-speed in the garage; but it was rarely sufficient to meet the mobility needs of four youngsters, and it was even a rarer occurrence when we had allowed access to the use of the elegant two-wheeled cruiser.
The wish was carried forward and finally came true when I had some of my own earned Swiss francs. Now some thirtyfive years later, the bicycle is still a preferred mode of transportation, and one that can be fun once in a while, too.
[This is another blog post responding to the Daily Prompts, part of an exercise to expand my writing skills.]
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Thanks to Air North, Yukon’s Airline, I experienced this spectacular sunrise over the endless mountainous expanse of boreal forest in Canada’s North.
The early start today was refreshing. On my way to the airport, a bright setting moon was guiding me up the stair master at the end of Black Street. A faint display of northern lights covering my back. I arrived at the check-in counter at YXY with icicles hanging off my moustache and steam rising from beneath my jacket.
I feel fit for the pilgrimage, the mind cleared of many attachments to place already. It was a strange initial feeling when I turned off and put away the cell phone before locking up Celia’s apartment and depositing the key for the house-sitter. It was like shedding layers of security. But, I got a sleeping bag, some clothes, some privilege and financial means, and a whole lot of confidence in providence!
Ready for take off!
Air North, die einheimische Fluggesellschaft im Yukon, machte es möglich diesen spektakulären Sonnenaufgang über der endlos scheinenden gebirgigen Weite der kanadischen Taiga zu erleben.
Das Frühaufstehen war erfrischend. Ein heller, untergehender Mond hat mir den Weg gewiesen auf meinem Fussmarsch zum Flughafen. Hinter mir am nordöstlichen Himmel ein schwaches Nordlicht. Ich bin mit Eiszapfen am Schnauz und aufsteigendem Dampf aus meiner Winterjacke am Check-in Schalter angekommen. Ich fühle mich fit für die Pilgerreise; ich habe schon viele Abhängigkeiten an einen bestimmten Ort, so was wie ein Heimatgefühl, in Gedanken losgelassen. Es war anfänglich ein komisches Gefühl, das Handy ab zu schalten und zu verstauen bevor ich dann die Türe zu Celia´s Wohnung abschloss und den Schlüssel deponierte für die Person die nach der Katze schauen wird. Es war wie verschieden Schichten eines Sicherheitsgefühls ab zu legen. Doch, ich habe einen Schlafsack, Kleider, Privilegien und etwas Geld, und dazu viel Zuversicht in Vorsehung!
Ready for take off!
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I am sitting with my black travel bag in front of me. I am checking the carry-on policies of the various airlines. The dimensions seem fine, a weight limit is not stated and I wouldn’t have a scale to check it anyhow. Later on the train and the ship, it won’t matter anymore. Good thing I am starting with the most restrictive mode of transportation.
Lukie the cat is waiting patiently at high noon on Christmas day, as on so many other days, on the sill of the bedroom window for all the possible surprises of this world. But in this subarctic, urban environment the surprises are few and the cat can get great enjoyment from the swaying movements of the dormant raspberry vines in the freezing wind. But maybe it is the magic of the reflecting sparkles on the snow, or from the ice crystals in the air that keeps the cat’s focus and attention. The winter sun is at its highest and brightest for the day; and within a cat’s snooze it will be dark again.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had the ability to sit in silence and to get inspired by the unassuming beauty of the creation, with the openness to invite the surprises that life brings us every day?
Affluenza: 1. A painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. 2. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 3. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by the pursuit of the American Dream. 4. An unstable addiction to economic growth. (from www.affluenza.org)
and a possible therapy approach:
Degrowth: the intentional redirection of economies away from the perpetual pursuit of growth. For economies beyond the limits of their ecosystems, this includes a planned and controlled contraction to get back in line with planetary boundaries, with the eventual creation of a steady-state economic system that is in balance with Earth’s limits.
from: Serge Latouche, “Growing a Degrowth Movement,” in Worldwatch Institute, State of the World 2010 (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010), p. 181
for more thoughts on the condition of affluenza, click here: Affluenza
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How often do we portray traditions as the solid anchors of cultural and societal systems? But how solid and powerful are they really?
Sure they provide us comforts. Like our own family Christmas celebrations: We moved from Switzerland to the Yukon and ended up living on the margins of First Nations villages for many years. Because our children were young, we started to celebrate Christmas – something I have rejected doing in my young adult years.
The only tradition that we adopted for the Christmas holiday during those years was a late night visit to the barn on Christmas Eve. There we treated the farm animals with apples as a bedtime snack. The rest of the year it was hay and water. I never really understood whose tradition it was, but it suited my need to mark what perverted into a commercial holiday with something that was meaningful to me.
A simple message of peace.
The first winter out in the bush in Canada we discovered that the family celebrations here happened on Christmas day, while our tradition was on Christmas Eve. To this day, we maintain the Swiss tradition and it feels right. Real tree, real candles. Ox and donkey became moose and caribou.
While living in the small remote communities, there was also a distinct advantage to having two different timing traditions for the festivities. I was always on call for a variety of emergency services. I got to turn off my radios on the 24th, while my colleagues of the British/North American and First Nations traditions took call. Then on the 25th, I took all calls while the turkeys and hams were roasting and being shared among families. That way, nobody had to miss his or her traditional celebrations due to an emergency response.
It is remarkable to see how our adult children, who grew up in Canada, to this day never questioned the diversity in tradition and seem to be comfortable being ‘outsiders’ in a world dominated by Santa Claus and electrified Christmas trees that get discarded the day after we decorate ours and light the candles for the first time! They hardly know the biblical story that has informed our and our ancestors’ understanding of Christmas; nonetheless, they are now adopting a unique form of a celebration that has a strong connotation to the concern for others, to light, to seasonal change, and thus solstice more than birth of Christ.
Peace to the World – Frieden auf Erden!
Sämtliche Traditionen haben einen Anfang, und alle Traditionen können und werden sich ändern.
Wie oft haben wir Traditionen als den festen Anker der kulturellen und gesellschaftlichen Systeme porträtiert? Aber wie solide und stark sind sie wirklich?
Sicher, sie bringen uns Trost. So wie unsere eigenen Weihnachtsfestlichkeiten in der Familie: Wir sind aus der Schweiz in den Yukon umgezogen und lebten am Rande der First Nations Dörfer für viele Jahre. Da unsere Kinder klein waren, fingen wir an Weihnachten zu feiern – etwas, was ich als junger Erwachsenen abgelehnt hatte.
Die einzige Tradition, die wir in jenen Jahren für die Weihnachtsfeiertage übernahmen, war ein nächtlicher Besuch im Stall am Heiligabend. Wir brachten den Tieren Äpfel als Feiertagsschmaus. Den Rest des Jahres gab es Heu und Wasser. Ich habe nie wirklich verstanden, wessen Tradition es war; aber es deckte mein Bedürfnis einen Tag im Jahreszyklus bedeutungsvoll zu markieren, welcher ansonsten in einen kommerziellen Festtag pervertiert wurde.
Eine einfache Botschaft des Friedens.
Den ersten Winter draußen im Busch in Kanada haben wir entdeckt, dass die Feierlichkeiten hier am Weihnachtstag angesagt sind, während unsere Tradition auf den Heiligabend fällt. Bis zum heutigen Tag erhalten wir die Schweizer Tradition und es fühlt sich so richtig an. Einen echten Baum, mit echte Kerzen. Der Ochse und der Esel wurden zum Elch und dem Karibu.
Die zwei unterschiedlichen Zeitpunkte für Festtagstraditionen hatten in den kleinen abgelegenen Gemeinden auch einen deutlichen Vorteil. Ich war immer auf Abruf für verschieden Notfalldienste. So konnte ich am 24. meine Funkgeräte abschalten, weil meine Kollegen von den britischen / nordamerikanischen und First Nations Tradition auf Piket waren. Dann am 25. übernahm ich Bereitschaftsdienst während die Puten und Schinken gebraten wurden und die Familien feierten. So musste niemand seine traditionellen Festlichkeiten wegen eines Notrufs verpassen.
Es ist bemerkenswert zu sehen, wie unsere erwachsenen Kinder, die in Kanada aufgewachsen sind, bis zum heutigen Tag die Vielfalt der Traditionen nie in Frage gestellt haben. Sie scheinen zufrieden zu sein mit ihrem `Aussenseiter´ Status in der von Santa Claus und elektrifizierten Christbäumen dominierten Umgebung. Die Christbäume werden hier am Tag nachdem wir unseren schmücken und die Kerzen zum ersten Mal entfachen, weggeworfen.
Sie sind kaum vertraut mit der biblischen Geschichte, die unser Verständnis und das Verständnis von Weihnachten unserer Vorfahren geprägt hat; dennoch haben sie nun diese eigenartige Form der Feierlichkeiten übernommen, als etwas das einen starken Bezug zur Sorge für Andere hat; etwas das sich aufs Licht und die saisonalen Veränderungen und damit der Wintersonnenwende mehr bezieht als auf Christi Geburt.
Peace to the World – Frieden auf Erden!
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I am holding my mother in the Light and wish her the strength for healing and recovery from the various setbacks in recent days.
Ich bete für meine Mutter, dass sie die Kraft findet zu genesen und sich zu erholen von den verschiedenen Rückschlägen die sie in den letzten Tagen erlebt hat.
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For the third time in my life, I have become co-owner of a bank. This seems like a contradiction for a person who embraces voluntary poverty, strives for a simple life, aspires to the ideal of non-possession. Well, I call it a necessity on the way.
The meaning this step has for me is the reason why I feel led to share this unspectacular event in a person’s life with you. I am very critical of the consumerist-capitalist paradigm and dominant economic system. I am deeply suspicious about the integrity of the banking system. These banking institutions embody much of what I see is missing the mark in the global discourse of affluence.
Intriguing pattern of light – Art installation by Niki Saint Phalle in the historic grotto at the Royal Herrenhäuser Gardens in Hannover, Germany
It is a little more than a month that I have been using this blog site as a platform to express my views, share some experiences, and tell a few stories. In the last week, I heard some feedback, that the Canadian Prime Minister’s image would appear along side my blog entries on people’s screens, promoting some form of debt relief.
Now that was hard to take. A Quaker’s writing in which he is trying to uphold the principle of and write from a point of integrity being visually associated with the leader of a government culture and structure that has earned very little credibility in that department.
Merci à Marie Villeneuve du Radio Canada de Vancouver. Elle m’a appelée cet après-midi pour une entrevue pour le Boulevard du Pacifique, une nouvelle émission radio d’après-midi où se croisent des réflexions et des découvertes sur notre société et ses cultures.
J’ai parlé avec elle des statues au centre ville de Whitehorse, Yukon qui sont au froid pendant l’hiver. J’ai remarqué qu’ils sont tristes, avec des larmes de glace sur ces visages. Personne a pitié ces personnage historique quand il fais les -35 degrés au Yukon. Alors, j’ai lancé un appel pour décorer les statues de la même façon que l’avion à l’aéroport de Whitehorse en août passé. « Yarn bombs needed » veut encourager tous les tricoteurs et tricoteuses du Yukon de créer des vêtements d’hiver artistique pour les statues de Sam Steele, Jack London, Robert Service et autres.
Good old Jack London looks much happier and warmer already!
As we were gathered in silence this Sunday, it was easy to listen to and to hear the raindrops outside.”
The reference to rain shows that I wrote this account of my thoughts back in October when I was worshipping with the Victoria Friends Meeting – here in the Yukon it is currently -35 degrees and no rain in sight!
I was contemplating on the various ways they follow their journey in their natural cycle. Some of them will fall on the earth, the ground that is receptive to soak them up, to store it for the plants, and to release it in the cycle later. Others will run off and pool in a depression, being available for animals to quench their thirst. Yet others will fall on a roof, go down the gutter, onto the concrete, run off the roadways, into the sewer system and the storm drains. Some of them will need to go through a water treatment plant before they are released back into the wild, allowing them to join the natural cycle again.
OFRADIX 