An English translation follows below.
Ökumene und interreligiöser Dialog in Bild und Taten. Das Bild stammt von der Insel Mauritius, weit weg von den Luxusstrandhotels und Vergnügungspalästen für europäische Touristen. Auf einem meiner Fussmärsche durch das Innere der Insel, erst durch die grossen Zuckerrohrfelder, dann entlang der eingezäunten Jagdreservate, und endlich durch die tropischen Wälder stiess ich auf dieser Stelle mit drei Schreinen: Continue reading “Toleranz – Tolerance”
Die deutsche Übersetzung folgt weiter unten
Do you remember the rhetoric of “Shock and Awe”? The endless justifications of a war enterprise using the expression “the lesser evil”? The constant fear mongering with the legendary arsenal of weapons of mass destruction that is waiting to be deployed to destroy the free world?
Ten years ago, I entered into a Fast for Peace at Selkirk College. With the beginning of the war in Iraq, which was an event that I remember as staged for US television audience, I committed to fast. Continue reading “Fast for Peace – Fasten für den Frieden”
Die deutsche Übersetzung folgt weiter unten.
Obedience is very often understood in relation to the fact that one gives orders and others obey. Obedience is of great importance in hierarchical systems, such as the army, where obedience is imperative and non-obedience leads to punishment. The same is true in the church, where obedience is a special virtue and leads to salvation. Non-obedience is a guide to hell in various church organizations and denominations. But even the seemingly value-free market economy demands absolute obedience. According to proponents of a neo-liberal economic paradigm, influencing the invisible market forces will only lead to misfortune: therefore are government regulations, and other considerations and interventions for the common good responsible for all the ills of today’s consumer society. Continue reading “Obedience – Gehorsam”
Turbocharged with the cherry juice from the orchards of my hosts (Cherryfarm Bakkershof in Brustem) and the memories of the eccentric gifts of the historic Christina, who was born in this very place, I set out into a warm and grey mid-winter day. 13 degrees Celsius, I need to dress down significantly!
The showers were frequent throughout the day. As I walked along the trail, I started to understand why the oldest settlements were in locations that we would call ‘holes’: These depressions are a natural protection from the strong winds that happen to blow frequently in this flat landscape. If it weren’t for the many groves and rows of sheltering trees, it would feel like on the islands in the Canadian Arctic.
Today’s journey took me along the old Roman overland trail from Kassel to the coast of the English Channel (to Bavay, France). The trail does not look any different from the majority of agricultural roads in the area. Within minutes, I was walking by a Gallo-Roman or Celtic burial mound of sizeable proportions. Continue reading “En route – Brustem to Tongeren (Belgium)”
A stunning set of roots: Tree at Pendle Hill, Quaker Education Centre in Wallingford, PA.
Creating and committing to this blog site was one of the intentions for this year. So far, I can say that the journey has been a positive challenge and that I enjoy the process.
The picture itself is an expression of what I set out to do with my blog: An exploration of roots and what is growing from them.
I consider my life to be rooted. Using another word for roots derived from Latin, I can say I consider my life to be radical.
In an early blog entry, I explored that connection between roots and radicalism. Read it here: Ofradix the name.
I would like to continue throughout the year to put my faith into action – and the OFRADIX blog is one of the tools for me to do so. It is my hope to use the strength of my roots to sprout a tree and to be a living testimony for what I believe in.
OFRADIX 