Month: April 2018

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ANZAC Day’s Dark Secret

Okay, here it is.

I have a Blog, and therefore, the option of turning it into a soap box when a good reason arises.

And today just so happens to be ANZAC Day.

Since it’s a national event, I’ll bring forward my posting to today, instead of tomorrow.

Growing up in Australia, I was taught that ANZAC Day was a time when we, as a nation, looked back and acknowledged how horrible war is, and how we need to work towards a world where there is no war.

It’s a line I believed and still believe.

War is terrible. It takes lives when people return from war too. A huge amount of men and women who return home from service suicide, as what they have borne witness to is indescribable and in a civilised world, has no place. PTSD, and other trauma related illnesses plague these brave people even when there is safety. Yes, war leaves scars. And the most terrible of these are the scars no one can see.

So, today, I’ll turn my Blog into a soap box, as there is something insidious happening when the nation mourns her dead.

ANZAC Day marks the largest recruitment drive in the Armed Services’ Calendar.

Yep. It’s the day when all those school children feel Patriotic, and when they turn the magical age of 18, they turn this feeling into the action of signing their lives away in order to be called up to serve their country.

The Cynic in me must speak out.

I said in my Welcome (check the other static page of Liz’s Everest), that I have values.

Well, if today is a day of mourning and an occasion to renounce war, seeing it as the crime it truly is, then as active members of our community, we need to speak out.

Today, we leave all things Patriotic on the shelf. Instead we embrace the youth of today and let them know about life, Real Life. And Real Life doesn’t involve wishing to die in a foreign land for a foreign power for a foreign cause.

So, stand firm with Life, and work against this evil. Stand up for what’s right, and email your local Member of Parliament, and ask them to stand with us, as we end this horrible crime.

Let us work towards Peace instead.

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Whistling down the wind

There’s a Scandinavian saying “Whistle down the wind.”

It means to use your breath to connect with a stronger force, the wind.

Another way of interpreting this, is to use the love in your heart, to connect with love in a larger form, whether this be love for another, be it your dog, another human, or your spirituality.

I was introduced to this turn of phrase by Ace of Base in their song, “Life is a Flower”. Listening to this song and enjoying the tune, it took me another ten years to actually understand what they meant by Whistling down the wind.

A lovely Scandinavian lady I knew in my home town, was talking about the need to keep positive and she used this saying from her own homeland. It was then that I finally put the pieces together. It took this dearly loved song to another level for me.

Many different religions have ways to whistle down the wind. Some pray, while others do things like burn incense. The main idea is to feel as though one is connecting with a force larger and more powerful than themselves. This force is to give strength in times of need, comfort, and support during every day life.

Sometimes, there are every day practices that can strengthen an individual’s ability to do this. An example is meditating, which is well known in it’s ability to calm a person, and create a heightened awareness of the Divine.

So, whistle down the wind, in whatever form works for you, and see how it changes your life.

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Words

This is only a short post. Basically, my usual access to the internet is out of commission so I’m using my phone.

I’d like to leave you this week, thinking about the importance of words. Simple words, which we all use so unconsciously, have such power.

They undress our thoughts and reveal our character. Our words can tear us apart or bring us closer together.

So, be aware of the words you use. Pay attention to how they’re received. They are a real gift.

Use them wisely.

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Rebirth and Easter

Easter is a time of Rebirth, and is being celebrated through out many countries and cultures in the world, and so we’ll explore this in this Post.

Rebirth is a concept that many different cultures and religions recognise. It simply means an occasion when someone goes through a profound and spiritual change. In some religions, this takes the form of physical rebirth when someone dies and then is reincarnated. In some forms of Christianity it means re-finding a person’s Faith within their religion and relationship with God.

How does this relate with Easter?

Well, according to most Christians, Christ died, was buried, and on Easter Day, was brought back to life. This is another concept related to Rebirth.

Much of the decor and tradition includes symbols of Rebirth. There are chocolate eggs, which are a sign of new life, and rabbits, who breed rather abundantly, and chickens and the like. These are all tied into the concept of New Life.

How can this, regardless of religion, help an individual?

Sometimes, re-examining life and asking where it is all leading, is a good starting point in causing a Rebirth in one’s own experience. Usually, this is done around New Year’s, when resolutions are put into place and good intentions abound.

But, Easter, with its theme of Rebirth, is another occasion when it is suitable to sit down with oneself and work out how many of these resolutions are being put into practice. How successfully have these been implemented? Do these need to be re-adjusted, tweaked, or completely scrapped?

In 2018, it is at the beginning of April that Easter has been celebrated. We’re only three months into the year. This means that it is especially timely to follow through and look at where it’s all heading.

There are another nine months of the year ahead. The time now can be put to good use, ensuring that these months are filled with achievable goals, milestones reached, and all round success for the resolutions that have been worked on.

This week’s assignment, is to find some quiet time, some quiet space, and some quiet going within, to work out where you can experience a Rebirth of sorts, and work out how close you are to achieving all your hopes and resolutions this year.