Cake or Death?

Hatred driven people - do us, the people who choose love over hate, peace over war - do we deserve to breathe the same air as you? Do we deserve to live on the same planet as you? Do we have the right to see the beauty in others? Do we have the right to cry when we see the innocents suffering (which you detest because of your irrational and abstract hatred)? Where you see abstractions, we see faces and names! Where you see monsters we see children and parents! Think that you are also ruining the world we long for!

Longing

Where are you? Are you still with me? Do you know how much I miss you? How much I need you? How much I long for you?

You gave me happiness, you showed me beauty - can you possibly even begin to understand the changes you brought in me? 

You are my strength, my miracle. My hope when everything seems hopeless. 

Why have you abandoned me? 

Today on Love - Tatar Love Song, from Oi Va Voi

Today on Love - 100 Love Sonnets, Pablo Neruda

"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close." 
- Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets -

Fortunate poor people II

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
- J.R.R. Tolkien - The Fellowship of the Ring

Fortunate poor people

There are some people in this world for whom things can't come just like that. Some people in this world have it rough in their lives, find many obstacles in their path - but I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary - these difficulties bring out what is best, what is kind, what is beautiful inside them. 

Sometimes it gets difficult - no matter how wise one is, still it's rough to see around you people who have it easy and yet you have to struggle so much for every little achievement in your life. But this is how one learns to truly appreciate the valuable things in life - people are there for you when you are doing good - but those who stick around when you are doing not so good - those are the truly valuable people one should have around. So the first and most important thing is that you get to have valuable people around you. Second, one learns to appreciate the really valuable things in life - a shelter, food, clothes, even if you don't have the most expensive brands. Then very important - one learns to appreciate the beauty in others - the shell is ephemeral, the outer beauty fades away. But a beautiful soul and a beautiful mind remain forever.

I don't think such people are cursed or punished for something. I think such people are actually blessed - they gain a certain knowledge about the world which is not accessible to most people. They become wise. And God never lets such people down - if we look superficially they may have it hard on them; but on a closer look, the knowledge they gain from such a destiny is actually the most precious treasure one can have in life. 

For you...

Most of my adult life I have asked God one thing -  why and when is it going to stop? Then I understood something - everything happens for a reason. God wanted me to go through all my experiences so that I can learn. So that I can become a better person. OK, but why? I have asked as well so many times. Why is it worth trying to be a good, kind human being if I'm only going to get my ass kicked again and again? Then I learned one more thing - to pay attention to the course of events. Nothing was actually random - after one lesson came another lesson and another.
First I learned how to let go of my ego. Then I learned how to give freedom. Then I learned how to love without being selfish.
You know why? To be where I am right now. To have you in my life and show you in one thousands ways just how precious and incredibly amazing you are. How wonderful you are. So that I can see your beauty.
I am never alone, for I can sense your presence every moment. It is like you are permanently connected to me. And also you are not alone anymore, for I am there with and for you no matter what. 

This one goes out to the one I love

The last two days were a hell before leaving. I wasn't sure about anything and I only felt that I still needed some more time. Time to make you understand. But that hell ended the moment I heard you saying "You love me, I love you". From that moment I have stopped crying and peace of mind came instead.
What more can I ask God for now? You gave me your love - and my life is complete. I would be greedy if wanting anything else. You are part of me now and I can't think of my life otherwise. Part of my being, part of my soul. It feels that I'm settled now. There is nothing more I desire. All material things look so futile right now. I have risen in love and for this I have you to thank.
I drove around today and it was like you were there with me. I could only think about when you will be here with me, planning to show you the  life I'm willing to leave behind.
Everything I wanted from someone is there, with you. I can only love you. And the love I feel for you makes me feel like a better human being - because I love the most beautiful man on the face of the Earth. 

A tale of two...

 It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. (C. Dickens, A tale of two cities)

Today on Peace - Deep Peace, by Donovan

Deep Peace

Deep peace of the running wave to you Deep peace of the flowing air to you Deep peace of the quiet earth to you Deep peace deep peace Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you Deep peace of the wandering wind to you Deep peace of the flock of stars to you Deep peace deep peace Deep peace of the eastern wind to you Deep peace of the westeren wind to you Deep peace of the northern wind to you Blue wind of the south to you Pure red of the whirling flame to you Pure white of the silver moon to you Pure green of the emerald grass to you Deep peace deep peace

Today on Peace - St. Francis of Assisi

Make Me An Instrument of Your Peace

- St. Francis of Assisi- 

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me show love,

Where there is injury, pardon

Where there is doubt, faith,

Where there is despair, hope,

Where there is darkness, light,

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much

seek to be consoled as to console,

not so much to be understood as to understand,

not so much to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

Imagine a world... (Tasavor Kon, by Sivash Ghomayshi)

Tasavor kon age hata tasavor kardanesh sakhte 

Imagine, even if it is hard to imagine

jahani ke har ensani tu un khoshbakhte khoshbakhte

A world in which everyone is blessed with prosperity.

jahani ke tu un pul o nejad o ghodrat arzesh nist 

Imagine a world in which money, race and power are meaningless. 

javabe ham sedaii ha police zede shooresh nist 

The answer to agreements is not the headbanging of riot police 

na bombe hasteii dare na bomb afkan na khompare 

There is no longer war, there are no more bombs, 

dige hich bacheii pasho roye min ja nemizare 

No child would leave their feet on a mine 

hame azade azdan hame bi darde bi dardan 

Everyone is free, everybody is healthy and wealthy. 

tu roozname nemikhooni nahanga khodkoshi kardan

The mass suicide of whales is no longer in the newspaper. 

jahani ro tasavor kon bedoone nefrat o gharoot 

Imagine a world without hate 

bedoon zolme khodkame bedoone vahshat o taghoot 

without cruelty, without fright 

jahani ro tasavor kon por az labkhand o azadi 

Imagine a world full of laughter, full of freedom 
labalab az gol o boose por az tekrar e abadi

Full of flowers, full of kisses in continious flourish 

Tasavor kon age hata tasavor kardanesh jorme 

Imagine it even if it is illegal to Imagine 

age ba bordane esmesh galoo por mishe az sorme 

Even just by speaking it your mouth becomes dusty 

tasavor kon jahani ro ke toosh zendan ye afsan ast 

Imagine a world in which prison is a myth 

tamame jangaye donya shodan mashmoole atash bas 

Every war in the world is sentenced to stop. 

kasi aghaye alam nist barabar ba haman mardom 

There is no man controlling the world, all people are equal 

dige sahme har ensan e tane har doone ye gandom 

Everyone has a fair share, even of wheat 

bedoon e marz o mahdoode vatan yani hame donya 

Without boundary and border , country means all over the world.

Tasavor kon to mitooni beshi tabire in roya

Imagine that you can be the interpretation of this dream

Courtasy of my friend Aram

The role of prayers

We Christians too often substitute prayer for playing the game. Prayer is good; but when used as a substitute for obedience, it is nothing but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism...To your knees, man! and to your Bible! Decide at once! Don't hedge! Time flies! Cease your insults to God, quit consulting flesh and blood. Stop your lame, lying, and cowardly excuses. Enlist!

C.T. Studd

http://www.beliefnet.com

Today on Peace - Anne Bronte

Monday Night May 11th 1846 / Domestic Peace

- by Anne Bronte -

Why should such gloomy silence reign;

And why is all the house so drear,

When neither danger, sickness, pain,

Nor death, nor want have entered here? 

We are as many as we were

That other night, when all were gay,

And full of hope, and free from care;

Yet, is there something gone away.

The moon without as pure and calm

Is shining as that night she shone;

but now, to us she brings no balm,

For something from our hearts is gone. 

Something whose absence leaves a void,

A cheerless want in every heart.

Each feels the bliss of all destroyed

And mourns the change - but each apart.

The fire is burning in the grate

As redly as it used to burn,

But still the hearth is desolate

Till Mirth and Love with Peace return.

'Twas Peace that flowed from heart to heart

With looks and smiles that spoke of Heaven,

And gave us language to impart

The blissful thoughts itself had given.

Sweet child of Heaven, and joy of earth!

O, when will Man thy value learn?

We rudely drove thee from our hearth,

And vainly sigh for thy return.