Its been a while....but lets share a laugh & get happy

It has been a while since I have offered this space attention, not sure whether to be sorry, or excited that I am back !!! Have been on the road more often than not in the past two months, which has its ups but many many downs as well... comprising mostly of stress and anxiety. Excessive travel does that, unsettles one.... I am sure we all can appreciate that. So what keeps the excessive travellar sane? I guess different people have different responses to that, mine has always been laughter. Laughter just does it for me. And its contagious, hence it generates relaxation and joy and an environment that encourages our endorphines to race around and take us into euphoria....Basically with a dose of good laughter you really won't need barbiturates or other toxic substances to give you a high. Not only has this been proven scieentifically, but anecdotal we all have evidence on how laughter relieves stress and in some instances also plays role of "medicine". Laughter fuels happiness and vice versa and happiness is the greatest healer of all.

In the Baha'i perspective of health and healing this holds much truth as it calls on innate peace that only spiritual growth and health can offer a human being. Thus the cliche "Laughter is the Bets Medicine" remains true if you muse it...try it...guaranteed you won't be disappointed.
“Joy gives us wings! in times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener…..But when sadness visits us our strength leaves us.” – Abdu’l-Baha

Of course many may question the ability to remain ‘happy’ under the various trials and difficulties that face us in this day. Especially within the context of political and socio-economic challenges prevailing across most of the globe. In this instance we need to be reminded that the true meaning of happiness does not lie in material and temporal domains; it is true happiness that enables spiritual and even physical and mental health in human beings. Happiness that ensues from obedience to the laws set down in the Holy Books of God. Happiness that is mirrored in the heart of those who choose to turn their faces to God.
Abdu’l-Baha reveals “Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility” .

Indeed, as we ponder these Wise and Inspiring Revelations, let us remain HAPPY under all earthly conditions. How can we possibly consider harbouring any negative emotions in this Great Day ? So go ahead share a laugh and be happy - and remember that humor needs to be sensitive and culturally cognisant.....I sure am happy to be back on this space :)

have a 'positive' giggle

MindHabits Booster is a groundbreaking psychological game that aspires to change the way we think. Developed by doctors at McGill University, it is based on the idea that positive thinking takes practice. Recent studies show games like this can help people undo negative thought patterns and form new, more positive ones. By playing for five minutes a day, you can learn to ignore hostility and improve your self-esteem.

Play now! See if you can find the friendly face in the crowd. (It's harder than you think!....and bit silly too i guesss, but silly can be fun )http://health.ivillage.com/multimedia/0,,90r57fvc,00.html

Revamping our Work Ethics: Work is Worship !!!

Now thats a thought......how common is this in your work environment? Notice no woman is present? Speaks loudly on what difference it would make if a woman's skills were in play in this scene.... Anyhow on a more serious note how many ahve though of "Work as Worship".

" To participate effectively in the struggle to bring material well-being to humanity, the religious spirit must find - in the Source of inspiration from which it flows - new spiritual concepts and principles relevant to an age that seeks to establish unity and justice in human affairs. Unemployment raises similar issues. In most of contemporary thinking, the concept of work has been largely reduced to that of gainful employment aimed at acquiring the means for the consumption of available goods. The system is circular: acquisition and consumption resulting in the maintenance and expansion of the production of goods and, in consequence, in supporting paid employment.." The Prosperity of Humankind ( http://www.onecountry.org/oc72/Properity%20full%20text.htm)

Not surprisingly, therefore, there is increasing recognition that the world is in urgent need of a new "work ethic". Human beings are impelled to express the immense capacities latent within them through productive work designed to meet their own needs and those of others. In acting thus they become participants, at however modest a level, in the processes of the advancement of civilization. They fulfill purposes that unite them with others - as humankind. To the extent that work is consciously undertaken in a spirit of service to humanity, Bahá'u'lláh says, it is a form of prayer, a means of worshiping God. Hence 'work is worship'. Every individual has the capacity to see himself or herself in this light, and it is to this inalienable capacity of the self that development strategy must appeal, whatever the nature of the plans being pursued, whatever the rewards they promise. No narrower a perspective will ever call up from the people of the world the magnitude of effort and commitment that the economic tasks ahead will require.

Now with this refreshing perspective to the work we do, surely we are energised and canot allow the insert picture to be a reflection of our work ethics whether domestic, religious, for economic gain or simply to get 'something done'. We have Divine assurance that the work we engage in is beyond simply 'applying an act towards realising a material/physical means', but equates to the highest form of acts graced on humanity = WORSHIP. Enjoy your toils................. :)

Noble Status of Our Women.....

"The SADC (Southern Africa Development Community) Gender and Development conference (2005) was held in the backdrop of a region that is currently facing increasing poverty with over 70% of the region’s population living below US$2 per day and 40% below US $1 (SADC 2003), severe drought, extremely high HIV/AIDS prevalence (of the world population living with HIV, 60% come from the SADC region and of this number, 57% are women), serious food insecurity, high unemployment and cross border economic migrants." These, and other, limitations and challenges overbearing the world, not only SADC, precipitate as problems for women in their practical day-in day-out experiences. This is because of the gendered nature of allocation of roles and responsibilities in our societies both at primary level (in the family) and at secondary level (in the public space). When the state cannot provide for its citizens, women become the subsidizers of the state by providing for unrecognized and unrewarded skills and services. This has been witnessed through the increased burden of care and basic food provision being shifted from the state to women .
In a patriarchal world, where men breathe down women's progressive-seeking necks and trip their developmentally-directed steps, so many adverse consequences are hampering women's realisation of their full potential. The true reflection of a woman - as a partner towards an ever advancing civilisation - keeps being marred by gross male subordination.
Women continue facing increased challenges, marginalization and appalling gender crimes - despite vigorous gender awareness campaigns, women’s empowerment policies, legislation and programs adopted at national level since Beijing and other much earlier processes. In Africa, what is unique with regards to dissipating typical gender stereotypes is that women’s emancipatory efforts in this region were evidenced by their active participation together with the men in our liberation struggles. Note:
- Until January 2006, adult women of Swaziland were being denied the dignity of being legal entities.
- Up to today, adult women in Botswana who decide to marry cannot open a water utilities account without the substantiation of their husbands.
- Ordinary women’s everyday lives are rife with husbands and lovers who claim to love them yet beating, kicking and plundering their bodies, and while it is acknowledged as ‘domestic violence’ it remains difficult to ‘treat’ in our Justice Systems because of its ‘household’ nature.

Now of course this scenario is prevalent across the globe, not just in the SADC region, and depending on who raises their voice loudest and who can secure a hearing platform soonest, the trials and tribulations facing women and girls on the globe come to the fore. And once in a while are taken seriously. But not enough. In fact one - with sane and just faculties and the betterment of humanity at heart - would ponder: what more calamity does humanity need to accept the imperative need for promotion and sustenance of Equality Between Women and Men? Wars, macro -economic collapses, religious revolutions and now the ravaging HIV/AIDS pandemic...... what next to engage the world in a gender-transformed gear?

Bahá'ís appreciate that the values which women bring to human interaction are necessary to the proper functioning and advancement of modern society (http://www.bic-un.bahai.org/list.cfm) They further attest that qualities that have formerly been associated with the "feminine" elements of human nature - including compassion, nurturing, cooperation and empathy- will be increasingly important in creating a peaceful, just, and sustainable world civilization. Even science and philosophy is beginning to bear witness to this. The full and equal participation of women in all spheres of life is essential to social and economic development, the abolition of war, and the ultimate establishment of a united world. In the Bahá'í Scriptures the equality of the sexes is a cornerstone of God's plan for human development and prosperity:

The world of humanity is possessed of two wings: the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary attainment for humanity will not be realized; humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real attainment. When the two wings . . . become equivalent in strength, enjoying the same prerogatives, the flight of man will be exceedingly lofty and extraordinary. - 'Abdu'l-Bahá

Take your stand in promoting the noble status that women hold in this world, http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-0-6.html

Craving a Snooze?..Connect your Soul to the Divine

We all do at some point in our lives.....some more, some less.... experience "insomnia" . Insomnia has a variety of causes, including physical illnesses, psychological illnesses, side-effect of medications, stress and anxiety, other sleeping disorders (sleep apnea, Restless Legs Syndrome, narcolepsy e.t.c) environmental and behavioral factors, and body rhythm inteferences such as jet lag or working different shifts e.g. the night shift. Women may actually suffer more from insomnia than their male counterparts......(gender inequalities even spill over into one's sleep!!!!). Hormonal influences, such as menstruation, pregnancy and menopause can disrupt a woman's sleep, and ofcourse women are prone to higher levels of anxiety due to often burdened livelihoods (especially in the developing world). Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to sleep and not being able to sleep, irrespective of how many sheep one counts, and of course the more one tries to sleep it further builds their frustration and heightens their insomniac mechanisms. A sad cycle if you ask me. But also a grand witness to the amazingly powerful minds human beings posses.

How many of us give ample attention to the preparatory process preceding our sleep ? I don't mean do we brush our teeth? shower? etc, I mean do we prepare our mind for sleep? The answer to this will vary from person to person, circumstance to circumstance and environment to environment. And whatever your answer, it is still possible to apply simple methods, immediately prior to sleep, enabling you to savour the array of benefits that sleep avails. Some include:

- If you are in physical pain, apply any pain-relief techniques, well before your sleep

- Do not have heavy meals before you sleep, an avoid diuretics caffeine/taurine intake.

- Do some light deep breathing exercises before you sleep, and sleep in well aerated space.

- If you're taking medication with side-effects that interfere with your sleep, discuss with your doctor

- "Unwind your Mind"

Now I would strongly suggest the last one "Unwind your Mind". It may sound tedious, challenging and just unnecessary trouble, or you think well 'my mind isnt wound up at all'...actually often we don't know when our minds are 'wound-up' [ please note that in this context 'wound-up' DOES NOT mean crazy, it means strained and embroiled with many issues at once] That's one of the abundant testimonies of the complexity and power of the human mind, it has windows -which we may choose to look into or not- that are filed in the conscious and the sub-concious. So much of our anxiety can be shifted into our sub-consious and this can influence our sleep patterns, dreams and general well-being post-sleep. Ok, so when 'unwinding' the mind, we are also relaxing the soul and spirit. Its probably the most effective and is the simplest to adopt as a habit before sleeping. It involves meditating, praying and connecting with God or superior being you believe in. For Bahá'ís this implies an understanding that humans have certain spiritual duties before God. Bahá'u'lláh urged His followers :

"Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance..."

Specifically, Baha'is are encouraged to reflect at the end of each day on our deeds and their worth. Other than this, Bahá'u'lláh did not specify a particular approach to meditation. Instead, each individual is free to choose his or her own meditational form. This I have found as an excellent and practical approach to countering any sleep disorders. The combination of prayer and meditation allows one to 'unpack' the complex/troubling/challenging issues of the day and lay them at the doorstep of Divine Threshold, separating the matters of the physical realm from one's self and detaching. This leaves the mind less weighty, and facilitates improved sleep patterns. Explore this page for more on how prayer brings into action higher forces, as yet comparatively little known; and how these forces are more arbitrary in their action than the physical forces: http://info.bahai.org/article-1-4-7-1.html ..... and enjoy endless nights of refreshingly peaceful sleep :)

For more on Sleeping Healthy you may wish to browse this: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.pdf or try out the brief sleep disorders quiz : http://quiz.ivillage.com/health/tests/whsleepdis.htm

Bahá'ís face yet more persecution in Iran

The Bahá'í Faith is one of the fastest-expanding in the world, with more than five million followers. There are between 300,000 and 350,000 in Iran, where its founder Bahá’u’lláh was born in the 19th century. It is a fundamentally peace-loving religion with slightly utopian ideals of universal harmony. It is also the largest religious minority in Iran. The Bahá'í community has been particularly under siege since the 1979 Islamic revolution but there is a long history of persecution before this. The latest alarm has been provoked by a report by United Nations raporteur Asma Jahangir into the plight of Bahá'ís in Iran. It is discussed on an excellent Bahá'í blog here. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has instructed a number of government agencies, including the revolutionary guard and the police force, to 'collect any and all information about members of the Baha'i faith.' Ms Jahangir, whose brief at the UN is freedom of religion and belief, concludes that this monitoring 'constitutes an impermissible and unacceptable interference with the rights of the members of religious communities.' She is also concerned that the information gained as a result of this monitoring will be used to support 'the increased persecution of, and discrimination against, members of the Bahá'í faith, in violation of international standards.'

Members of the Bahá'í community are not recognized as a religious minority in Iran and do not have the right to practise their religion. M Jahangir has long been concerned by the 'systematic discrimination' against members of the Bahá'í community in Iran and has already intervened with the government several times. But now she fears that the situation in Iran for all religious minorities is deteriorating.
Here is one example of what the Bahá'ís in Iran have suffered, reported on the faith's own site: 'In June 1983, for example, the Iranian authorities arrested ten Bahá’í women and girls. The charge against them: teaching children’s classes on the Bahá’í Faith — the equivalent of Sunday school in the West. The women were subjected to intense physical and mental abuse in an effort to coerce them to recant their Faith — an option that is always pressed on Bahá’í prisoners. Yet, like most Bahá’ís who were arrested in Iran, they refused to deny their beliefs. As a result, they were executed.' (See photo insert) 17-year-old Mona Mahmudnizhad was one of the women executed. There are many other stories of arbitrary arrests, imprisonments and property confiscation and members of the faith are not allowed access to public universities in Iran. After many UN and other international protests, Iran reduced the execution rate but what is concerning about the latest development is that it indicates that the ultimate goal of the persecution, the eradication of the faith in Iran, has not changed.
(quoted from posting by Ruth Gledhill on Monday, 27 March 2006 at 03:47 PM in Current Affairs, Religion, Weblogs Permalink )

For more on this matter......
http://mail.justice.com/jump/http://news.bahai.org

Millennium Campaign.... and drawing from the Divine Ordinances ?

Did you know....................

• One in four adults in the developing world - 872 million people - is illiterate.(Oxfam UK - Education Now Campaign)
• More than 100 million children remain out of school. (Source:UNFPA)
  46% of girls in the world's poorest countries have no access to primary education. (Source:ActionAid)
• More than 1 in 4 adults cannot read or write: 2/3 are women. (Source:ActionAid)
  Universal primary education would cost $10 billion a year - that's half what Americans spend on ice cream. (Source:ActionAid)
• Young people who have completed primary education are less than half as likely to contract HIV as those missing an education. Universal primary education would prevent 700,000 cases of HIV each year - about 30% all new infections in this age group. (Source:Oxfam)

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number 2 urges people around the world to take action to ensure that, by 2015, every child is able to complete a full course of primary schooling. This is a noble human effort towards attaining what has already been encouraged by the founders of world religions. And that is only 1 of the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the UN through the Millennium Declaration in 2000. A grand commitment indeed. Note how the other MDGs fall within the fields of poverty alleviation, sustainable development, peace building and conflict resolution, and yet responses to them continue to remain aloof of the spiritual purpose of man on earth and how Divine guidance and prescribes remain root to success of all these efforts. Take a principle behind any of the MDGs, they boil down to basic Divinely Ordained principles pivoting morals and ethics....

The right to education is, in the view of the Bahá'í International Community, one of the most important rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Indeed, the very mission of the founders of the great religions throughout history has been to educate humankind. Education is critical to the development of each individual's potential and to his or her enjoyment of the full range of human rights. At the same time, education must serve society as a whole by instilling in individuals an unwavering respect for the rights of others and a desire to uphold and defend those rights. Spiritual and moral education would need significant attention over the other aspects of education. "Good behaviour and high moral character must come first", say the Bahá'í Writings, "for unless the character be trained, acquiring knowledge will only prove injurious. Knowledge is praiseworthy when it is coupled with ethical conduct and a virtuous character, otherwise it is a deadly poison, a frightful danger". The function of moral and spiritual education is to guide the use of human capacities for the good of all. The goal of education should be not only the acquisition of knowledge, but also the acquisition of spiritual qualities such as compassion, trustworthiness, service, justice, and respect for all......

All developmental gains take concrete shape from spiritual foundations http://statements.bahai.org/

And why not join the Millennium Campaign.....its worth being part of the making the global 'fantasy a feasibility'....... http://www.millenniumcampaign.org/site/pp.asp?c=grKVL2NLE&b=138312

Fellow Chocaholics let the joy ooze....

Now this is grand news.......and to be honest I don't really care what its implications on the number of inches gained on my hips and bottom! (that's why exercise was created (",) )

Scientists in 2006 have confirmed that "Eating chocolate may halve risk of dying"
"Regular consumption of cocoa may halve risk of dying and lower blood pressure, suggests a Dutch study in elderly men. But it is not necessarily good news for chocoholics, experts caution."
"The men in the group that consumed the least cocoa were twice as likely to die from a heart attack than those in the group that consumed the most cocoa – at least 4g per day – and the risk remained lower even when other factors such as smoking, physical exercise and weight were taken into account,” says lead researcher Brian Buijsse, at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.
“And men in the study who consumed the most cocoa were less likely to die of any cause,” he adds. The high-cocoa men also had significantly lower blood pressure than the other groups –... he says that cocoa-containing antioxidants chemicals, called flavanols, may be the cause. "
this is pretty dramatic ... and hopefully stays true after other studies ...

Original source: Journal reference: Archives of Internal Medicine (vol 166, p 411)New Scientist source: http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/dn8780.html

Microbicides....not complex biology

Microbicides.....not complex science...but simply new technology that could free women from the centuries of sexual and reproductive bondage and violation of their rights to making informed decisions on their sexual and reproductive health.

But wait...this does not mean that we are implying women have been 'helpless' and victims' to date. On the contrary, we are affirming that they been survivors and victors as they have continued to strive towards realising and enjoying their optimal sexual and reproductive health status. Amidst the relentless HIV/AIDS epidemic, we note the urgency in lessening the loads that women carry.... find out more about this 'new technology' Microbicides and how advocacy and support of its agenda can save lives. Explore the Global Campaign for Microbicides, tommorrow it may be me or you, our sister, mother, daughter...or....

http://www.global-campaign.org
http://www.global-campaign.org/clientfiles/FS12-Messages-Mar06.pdf

Ini ndakuda ku'rilaksa'

ini ndakuda ku'rilaksa' = I want to relax in the Shona language....

Ok so this is me, holding a rare relaxed gaze..... for those who know me...they will gladly testify that this is indeed rare.....
"Relaxing".... this is a feeling i personally would do almost anything to have more and more and more of.... Mastering relaxation is an art, naturally innate for some and challenging for others (alas me being among the 'others'. )
Did you know that "Each problem has an opportunity hidden in it so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognised a problem and turned it into an opportunity" - Joseph Sugarman

Historically man has devised, and often stumbled upon, various techniques of relaxation, among them the common ones we hear are exercise, joke sharing, adoption of hobbies and joyful activity (subjective for each person of-course) and other stress relieving activity..... however I find that Prayer and meditation is probably the most effective means for achieving long-lasting relaxation of the mind, and refreshment of the soul...thus realising a relaxed and more joyful state of the body.

The Arts (performing arts, poetry, mime, dance, song and story telling) are another useful means through which to attain levels of relaxation and joy and inner peace, and uplift the human soul in many ways. Mystical works have been known to inspire artists to design and implement showcases for purposes of relaxation. In 2004 (http://news.bahai.org/story.cfm?storyid=321), the play "The Seven Valleys" synchronises seven songs, each symbolizing a different spiritual stage described by Baha'u'llah (The Founder of the Baha'i Faith) -- the valleys of search, love, knowledge, unity, contentment, wonderment, and true poverty and absolute nothingness, into a road to relaxation.

There are a myriad sites that explore this awesome feeling, I was actually pleasantly surprised with ......http://www.relaxation.com/, http://www.unwind.com/jokes-funnies/ , http://www.mystic18.com/msp.html and many others that offer relaxation methodologies which could do lead to enhanced human performance...but always read with skeptiscism

from human heart to human heart....

i am not sure where the courage to build this blog came from, but thank you to Ramin who encouraged and hammered in the last nail of contemplation....so here i am....please write in and share and together we can apply the blog to create bridges of joy from human heart to human heart