Daily Archive for May 2nd, 2008

Quote of the Day

A warrior of light
is capable of understanding the miracle of life,
fighting to the end for something
in which he believes and, then,
listening to the bells that the sea sets
ringing on the seabed.
(Manual of the Warrior of Light)

Nelson Mandela - A Terrorist?

Today, I was impressed to find out in Digg that the U.S. has Nelson Mandela on their terrorist list.

Read more below

by Mimi Hall
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Nobel Peace Prize winner and international symbol of freedom Nelson Mandela is flagged on U.S. terrorist watch lists and needs special permission to visit the USA. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls the situation “embarrassing,” and some members of Congress vow to fix it.

The requirement applies to former South African leader Mandela and other members of South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC), the once-banned anti-Apartheid organization. In the 1970s and ’80s, the ANC was officially designated a terrorist group by the country’s ruling white minority. Other countries, including the United States, followed suit.

Because of this, Rice told a Senate committee recently, her department has to issue waivers for ANC members to travel to the USA.

(…)

Members of other groups deemed a terrorist threat, such as Hamas, also are on the watch lists.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says “common sense” suggests Mandela should be removed. He says the issue “raises a troubling and difficult debate about what groups are considered terrorists and which are not.”

(…)

To read the integrality of this article, please go here.

Three Jewish stories

The shortest constitution in the world

A group of wise Jewish men met up in order to try and create the shortest Constitution in the world. If anyone - in the space of time a man takes to balance on one foot - were capable of defining the laws governing human behavior, he would be considered the greatest of all wise men.

- God punishes criminals - said one.

The others argued that this was not a law, but a threat; the phrase was not accepted.

- God is love - commented another.

Again, the wise men did not accept the phrase, saying that it did not properly explain the duties of humanity.

Just then, Rabbi Hillel came forward. And, standing on one foot, he said:

- Do not do to another that which you would abhor being done to you; that is the law. All the rest is legal commentary.

And Rabbi Hillel was considered the greatest wise man of his time.

Covering the sun with one’s hand

A disciple went to Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav:

- I shall not continue with my studies of sacred texts - he said. - I live in a small house with my brothers and parents, and never have the ideal conditions for concentrating on that which is important.

Nachman pointed to the sun and asked his disciple to place his hand over his face, in order to hide it. The disciple obeyed.

- Your hand is small, yet it can completely cover the power, light and majesty of the great sun. In the same way, the small problems manage to give you the excuse you need in order to hinder your progress along your spiritual journey.

“Just as your hand has the power to hide the sun, mediocrity has the power to hide your inner light. Do not blame others for your own incompetence.”

It seems so obvious

Rabbi Ben Zoma was asked:

- Who is wise?

- He who always finds something to learn from others - said the Rabbi.

- Who is strong?

- The man who is capable of dominating himself.

- Who is wealthy?

- He who knows the treasure he has: his days and hours of life, which can change everything which goes on around him.

- Who deserves respect?

- He who respects himself and his neighbor.

- These things are all so obvious - commented one of those present.

- That is why they are so difficult to observe - concluded the Rabbi.

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

You were hippie when you were young; you used drugs,were in mental hospital and were also political prisoner.What you would consider the biggest problem of nowadays youth?


Absence of challenges.

Warrior of the Light Newsletter no.171

Read the new issues from “Warrior of the Light Online” :

Edition n° 171 : The act of writing – the reader (the end)

Edição n° 171 : O ato de escrever (final)

Edición n° 171 : El acto de escribir – el lector (final)

Édition n° 171 : L’acte d’écrire (final)

Edizione n° 171 : L’atto di scrivere (fine)

Question of the Week

How do you distinguish between a dream and an obsession?