Gladden the heart of human beings

Hi All,

Entering another new year, let us remember that only a few actions are really needed from us to heal the world.

May we gladden the heart of human beings,

Feed the hungry,

Help the afflicted,

Lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful and,

Remove the sufferings of the injured.

Farewell!

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The Song of the Butterfly

Please listen to the song below.  I learned of it from Tenderheartmusings, the very beautiful blog of Himani.

It’s nice to stop what you’re doing, and simply sit still with this song in the air.

 

 

“It is the privilege of human beings…”

“Rats and roaches live by competition under the law of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy.”

~ Wendell Berry

“Our system is one of detachment…”

“Our system is one of detachment: to keep silenced people from asking questions, to keep the judged from judging, to keep solitary people from joining together, and the soul from putting together its pieces.”

~ Eduardo Galeano

What shall we do, then, for our fellow humans, particularly for those who lack access to sufficient and affordable healthcare?

A Sunny Sky

See the video below of one of Trevor Hall’s lesser known songs.  For those who consider them, its lyrics (below the video) read like some of the old plaintive Sufi poems.

It’s refreshing to take in a modern form of art (music, poetry, etc.) that speaks to things universal.

 

A Sunny Sky

Well I am down down down

No one around

And in this town town town

Well I can’t hear a sound

It seems I’m always lost

I’m never found

Oh I am down

So down

Hanging around

It seems my skies are always

They’re always grey

So I stay inside

I don’t go out and play

Oh the flowers try to bloom in my heart

Oh they try

But they just can’t start

Because it’s just too dark

This song is not a joke

Well I do not smoke

I may have tried a couple times

But I always choked

Oh you see I tell the truth

I’m not telling lies

I’m just waiting

I’m just waiting

On a sunny sky

Well I bought a couple maps

Trying to find my way back to you

But after trying to read them once or twice

Well I just got confused

There are too many roads

And there are too many turns

Oh this life is a forest fire

And I’m getting burned

I’m getting burned

I never knew a man’s heart could

Could get so lonely

Now if some one knows a remedy

Then please won’t you show me

Because I’m running out of chords

And I’m running out of songs

I’m in the darkest part of night now

Just waiting for the dawn

For the dawn

Well I’ve tried many things

I’ve even prayed

I tried to talk to a couple of strangers

But they just ran away

I don’t know if it’s the way I look or the things I say

I’m just lost

A simple man

Trying to find his way

This song is not a joke

Well I do not smoke

I may have tried a couple times

But I always choked

Oh you see I’m telling the truth

I’m not telling lies

I’m just waiting

I’m just waiting

On a sunny sky

A Prayer for Humanity

The path is nothing but service to humanity.

It is not found in the rosary, the church pew, the prayer carpet, all the look-at-me behavior, or the dervish robe.

Gladden the heart of human beings;

Feed the hungry;

Help the afflicted;

Lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful;

Remove the sufferings of the injured.

You are me. I am you.

The sons of Adam are limbs of each other,

Having been created of one essence.

When the calamity of time affects one limb,

The other limbs cannot remain at rest.

If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others,

You are unworthy to be called by the name of a Human.

~ Bani Adam, by Sa’adi of Shiraz

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A 13th century Sufi knew this.  Yet today much of humanity seems to live as if completely unaware of this existential truth.  May we all be granted a return to the Source of Truth.

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