Expectations of perfection begin with ourselves
So often we concern ourselves with moral or ethical judgements
relating to the behaviour of others. It is a regrettable feature of many
institutions and a clear motivator for the popularity of ‘soap and virtual reality tv’
programmes.
Well it has been said by many religious leaders, Jesus Christ, Gandhi, (amongst others)
that we should beware of such judgements. The case for ‘moral absolutism’ versus
‘moral relativism’,currently scheduled to be the ‘cause celebre’ in the new papal era,
is a case in point.
We have interesting contradictions, in this last week, even within the words of just one
powerful vatican representative: “The head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council on the
Family, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, denounced the legislation as profoundly
iniquitous. Interviewed in the Italian newspaper, Corriere de la Serra, Cardinal Lopez
Trujillo said the Church was making an urgent call for freedom of conscience for Roman
Catholics and appealing to them to resist the law”. On the one hand was the defence of
moral absolutism in condemning the recent laws passed in Spain concerning the rights
of ‘sexual minorities’ yet, in the same breath, comes a plea for relativism in resisting
these laws (shown in bold type).
Clearly all arguments can be used to defend any scenario, huh?
This is also shown in the emerging information concerning Cardinal Ratzinger’s (now Pope
Benedict XVI) handling, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,( the
Vatican body which has the power to investigate and excommunicate priests guilty of sexual
abuse) of the charges against Fr Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ and
a close friend to the last Pope.. His male accusers include three professors, a teacher, a
lawyer and an engineer (at least one ‘witness’, a priest, of this ‘abuse’ made a death bed
‘declaration’ denouncing Maciel). Another Priest, himself sexually abused by Maciel,
forwarded the list of charges to a New York Bishop who forwarded the data and evidence
to the the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1997!
It would appear that freedom of conscience (moral relativism) rules in the Vatican. But is only
for those chosen to receive it, not for the rest of humanity.
It would also appear that secular society has more grasp of the caring aspects of this subject,
in terms of morality and ethics, than does an institution claiming greater historical authority in
this area.
When religion mixes with the ‘politics of expediency’, or the ‘politics of secular power’, we can
be relatively sure of the absolute corruption of both at the expense of moral standards,
human dignity and even life..
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Monday, April 18, 2005
A Record of Goodness
In the years before the war we used to go for an hour's walk
together every day of the week.
There was the evident simplicity of the man
There was the boyish good humour of the man
He was in all circumstances endlessly considerate for the
position and problems of others. And with all this it is still
difficult to say what made him so beloved, so simply accepted
on trust, by an endless number of people everywhere. One can
only say that it is itself a tribute to the decency of the mass of
the people everywhere who recognised and loved goodness
in a man above all other things.
Professor David Mitrany writing in The Guardian newspaper
(UK) on the occasion of the death 50 years ago today of
Albert Einstein
Einstein had said of Ghandhi's death that "generations to come
will scarce believe that one such as this, in the flesh, ever walked
upon this earth". Words that might have also been his own eulogy.
In the years before the war we used to go for an hour's walk
together every day of the week.
There was the evident simplicity of the man
There was the boyish good humour of the man
He was in all circumstances endlessly considerate for the
position and problems of others. And with all this it is still
difficult to say what made him so beloved, so simply accepted
on trust, by an endless number of people everywhere. One can
only say that it is itself a tribute to the decency of the mass of
the people everywhere who recognised and loved goodness
in a man above all other things.
Professor David Mitrany writing in The Guardian newspaper
(UK) on the occasion of the death 50 years ago today of
Albert Einstein
Einstein had said of Ghandhi's death that "generations to come
will scarce believe that one such as this, in the flesh, ever walked
upon this earth". Words that might have also been his own eulogy.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Pop songs and melodies
Whilst recently doing some building work at my home I was exposed
to the latest offerings in popular music offered by some of the younger
co-workers. Happily,I got ‘hooked' on quite a few (inside me somewhere
there is still a youth, hehehe).
Two songs that had a large effect (amongst many) on me were
Eamon's "I don't want you back' and F.R.David's "Words".
Both speak of being in love and yet speak from the opposite polarities.
Interestingly enough, one is from the 1980's and the other from the
2000's and both are popular today. Both melodies and words speak of
the fascinating aspects of love as seen through the eyes of young men.
In Eamon's song we hear the pain of rejection and ‘betrayal. And the
associated anger reaction. In F.R.David's song - almost a hymn - we hear
of the difficulties of expressing what is in our hearts when we are in love.
One presents us with failed expectations, the other with gentle hopes of
acceptance.
Herein lies two of the main problems of modern relationships:
expectations and acceptance. Both these aspects go to the roots of our
definitions of love, for so often our definition is dependant upon
expectations as opposed to acceptance. We have been conditioned to
expect that love is conditional and have diffficulty, therefore, to accept
when we are challenged to be unconditional in our lovingness.
Yet, this very ‘conditionality' is a denial of who and what we are.
Love sets no borders.
Love has no demands.
Love seeks only the fulfilment of itself.
When we love shall we allow others, other circumstances, to deny us the
fullest expression of ourselves? I'm talking about Love here, not needs...
for they are very different.
If you love with expectations, beware of disappointment.
If you love with acceptance, beware of the pain that this unconditionality
will bring to your consciousness - yet - celebrate the wonder of your spirit
that you can love so much, so large, so ‘outside your own borders'.
Only when you are willing to love unconditionally will you be able to see
the true glory, wonder, magnificence of love...and of yourself.
The melody of love within our spirit is always ringing
tones of lovingness through our emotions and consciousness,
no matter what the life circumstance
(this blog dedicated to K & N... with humble gratitude for their sharing)
(Checkout what the Sugababes have to say in the blogs below)
Whilst recently doing some building work at my home I was exposed
to the latest offerings in popular music offered by some of the younger
co-workers. Happily,I got ‘hooked' on quite a few (inside me somewhere
there is still a youth, hehehe).
Two songs that had a large effect (amongst many) on me were
Eamon's "I don't want you back' and F.R.David's "Words".
Both speak of being in love and yet speak from the opposite polarities.
Interestingly enough, one is from the 1980's and the other from the
2000's and both are popular today. Both melodies and words speak of
the fascinating aspects of love as seen through the eyes of young men.
In Eamon's song we hear the pain of rejection and ‘betrayal. And the
associated anger reaction. In F.R.David's song - almost a hymn - we hear
of the difficulties of expressing what is in our hearts when we are in love.
One presents us with failed expectations, the other with gentle hopes of
acceptance.
Herein lies two of the main problems of modern relationships:
expectations and acceptance. Both these aspects go to the roots of our
definitions of love, for so often our definition is dependant upon
expectations as opposed to acceptance. We have been conditioned to
expect that love is conditional and have diffficulty, therefore, to accept
when we are challenged to be unconditional in our lovingness.
Yet, this very ‘conditionality' is a denial of who and what we are.
Love sets no borders.
Love has no demands.
Love seeks only the fulfilment of itself.
When we love shall we allow others, other circumstances, to deny us the
fullest expression of ourselves? I'm talking about Love here, not needs...
for they are very different.
If you love with expectations, beware of disappointment.
If you love with acceptance, beware of the pain that this unconditionality
will bring to your consciousness - yet - celebrate the wonder of your spirit
that you can love so much, so large, so ‘outside your own borders'.
Only when you are willing to love unconditionally will you be able to see
the true glory, wonder, magnificence of love...and of yourself.
The melody of love within our spirit is always ringing
tones of lovingness through our emotions and consciousness,
no matter what the life circumstance
(this blog dedicated to K & N... with humble gratitude for their sharing)
(Checkout what the Sugababes have to say in the blogs below)
"Pop Gurus" Sugababes.....Stronger
(Lyrics from www.poplyrics.net )
I'll make it through the rainy days
I'll be the one who stands here longer than the rest
When my landscape changes, re-arranges
I'll be stronger than I've ever been
No more stillness, more sunlight
Everything's gonna be all right
I know that there's gonna be a change
Better find your way out of your fear
If you wanna come with me
Then that's the way it's gotta be
I'm all alone
And finally
I'm getting stronger
You'll come to see
Just what I can be
I'm getting stronger
Sometimes I feel so down and out
Like emotion that's been captured in a maze
I had my ups and downs
Trials and tribulations
I overcome it day by day
Feeling good and almost powerful
A new me,
that's what I'm looking for
I know that there's gonna be a change
Better find your way out of your fear
If you wanna come with me
Then that's the way it's gotta be
I'm all alone
And finally
I'm getting stronger
You'll come to see
Just what I can be
I'm getting stronger
I didn't know what I had to do
I just knew I was alone
People around me but they didn't care
So I searched into my soulI
'm not the type of girl that will let them see her cry
It's not my style
I get by
See I'm gonna do this for me
I'm all alone And finally I'm getting stronger
You'll come to see Just what I can be I'm getting stronger
I'm all alone And finally I'm getting stronger
You'll come to see
Just what I can be
I'm getting stronger
(Lyrics from www.poplyrics.net )
I'll make it through the rainy days
I'll be the one who stands here longer than the rest
When my landscape changes, re-arranges
I'll be stronger than I've ever been
No more stillness, more sunlight
Everything's gonna be all right
I know that there's gonna be a change
Better find your way out of your fear
If you wanna come with me
Then that's the way it's gotta be
I'm all alone
And finally
I'm getting stronger
You'll come to see
Just what I can be
I'm getting stronger
Sometimes I feel so down and out
Like emotion that's been captured in a maze
I had my ups and downs
Trials and tribulations
I overcome it day by day
Feeling good and almost powerful
A new me,
that's what I'm looking for
I know that there's gonna be a change
Better find your way out of your fear
If you wanna come with me
Then that's the way it's gotta be
I'm all alone
And finally
I'm getting stronger
You'll come to see
Just what I can be
I'm getting stronger
I didn't know what I had to do
I just knew I was alone
People around me but they didn't care
So I searched into my soulI
'm not the type of girl that will let them see her cry
It's not my style
I get by
See I'm gonna do this for me
I'm all alone And finally I'm getting stronger
You'll come to see Just what I can be I'm getting stronger
I'm all alone And finally I'm getting stronger
You'll come to see
Just what I can be
I'm getting stronger
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