#i shall create these allegations myself

[smokerswifey]

Never beating the sun and moon allegations smh...

[tokutaiseichan]

Characters Awakening Lines Translations

After posting the lines for Jin and Rui, I felt like translating other characters too so here we are!

Please note that since I don’t have access to all of the characters’ lines, most of the raw lines are taken from the unofficial JP wiki. The texts are all there so if any of you notice any errors/mistranslations, feel free to correct me!

FROSTHEIM

Jin

Awakening: To think I'm receiving alms from my servant... Should I kneel in front of you? Fully Awakened: Trust is something that can be broken easily. Don't you dare come any closer than you already have.

Tohma

Awakening: This feeling… It appears that you want me to keep reaching out for the top. Is that how it is? Fully Awakened: With this power, we're one step closer to achieving our goal. And I'm* going to make sure we see it through the end. [*he's referring to himself as “ore” instead of his usual “”watashi” here]

Luca

Awakening: I devote myself to protecting the weak, for that is the path I have to take. Fully Awakened: I'll become stronger than anyone. I don't want to lose anything important to me一not anymore!

Kaito

Awakening: Could it be… even someone like me can get stronger too? Fully Awakened: You have done so much for me! This man, Kaito, will no longer run away!!

VAGASTORM

Alan

Awakening: This power is dangerous. Stay away from me. Fully Awakened: I don't really know what’s appropriate to say for this kind of thing, so… well… umm, thanks a lot.

Leo

Awakening: C'mere, Honor Roll~ I'll show you those guys’ ugly crying faces too~ Fully Awakened: Obviously. If I don't like someone, I’ll take matters into my own hands and create hell on earth just for them. There's no such thing as divine retribution, you know?

Sho

Awakening: Thanks for waiting. Well? What do you want me to do now? Say it clearly. Fully Awakened: Sure, okay. I got it. If it's your request, I'll make sure to at least listen to it through the end.

JABBERWOCK

Haru

Awakening: That sure hits the spot~ Now I don't even need those energy drinks! Fully Awakened: I'm going as far as this road is going to take me. I made a choice to walk down this path and it's not something I can just simply throw away.

Towa

Awakening: Heheh~ Did I get stronger? How interesti~ng. Fully Awakened: I wonder why humans are such foolish, whimsical, and pitiful creatures… yet they manage to still be so lovable?

Ren

Awakening: Doing something like this… Senpai, what are you planning? Fully Awakened: Geez! Even if you look at me with those expectant eyes, I know you'll just get tired of me right away…

SINOSTRA

Taiga

Awakening: Gyahahahaha! Aren't you one greedy little kitten~? But I don't hate that about you. Fully Awakened: A hasty greed and a sincere wish. There's no big difference between the two of them.

Romeo

Awakening: Come now. Is it really the time to be charmed by my beauty? Fully Awakened: I need to be perfect all the time一for that is my way of staying triumphant on this world.

Ritsu

Awakening: This will help in furthering my career. Fully Awakened: I definitely will become the best attorney in Japan, and then I shall ensure my father's name will be clear from all the alleged infamy he's received.

HOTARUBI

Subaru

Awakening: I’m so happy that you're right here beside me to watch me grow. Fully Awakened: “Ignorance is Bliss" and “Silence is Golden”. Don't you agree that it's unreasonable to try and break the admonitions we inherited from our predecessors?

Haku

Awakening: Oi oi oi. Don't expect too much from me, you hear? Fully Awakened: If our life were decided by the things we were born with, you bet I'd be the first one to kiss that kind of life goodbye.

Zenji

Awakening: It seems that my capability has bloomed yet again! Fully Awakened: I was wrong, my dear. As it turns out, dreams are not to be kept as just an idealized fantasy but something we should achieve with our own hands.

OBSCUARY

Edward

Awakening: Oh dearie me. If you whip my old bones any harder, I might actually die this time, you know? Fully Awakened: Sometimes a youthful folly can lead one into committing grave sins. So I hope that you keep this in mind一remain modest and cautious.

Rui

Awakening: Thanks a bunch for working hard for my sake~ I really mean it! Fully Awakened: It's fine if you ended up forgetting about me. I simply wish for you, of all people, to become happy.

Lyca

Awakening: Thanks. I want to show the current me to Neros soon. Fully Awakened: I’m going to work hard. I don't want to come back to those hellish days anymore.

MORTKRANKEN

Yuri

Awakening: This feeling! It stimulates my brain cells! Fully Awakened: I will pioneer the advanced road of genomic analysis for anomalies and establish myself as the best doctor in the world!

Jiro

Awakening: Thank you very much. I feel slightly better. Fully Awakened: I won't let you die. The reason I'm helping you? I don't really understand it myself either.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

tapestry 👑 XIV

Warnings: eventual dark elements (tags to be added as fic continues)

This is dark!(king)Steve and explicit. 18+ only.

Summary: King Steven had a wandering eye but you never thought it would fall upon you.

This Chapter: The reader speaks with the king.

Note: Okay. Tomorrow is an early morning and I dunno if I’ll be posting but hey, 14 days in a row is fine, right? Let’s not worry about that though. We have some royal intrigue ahead of us and I know we’re all impatient but we’re going to have to take our time as it all comes to a head.💋 😉 I know what y’all are really waiting for lol.

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply! Love ya!

masterlist

A week ago, you would've resented the king's surveillance. His insistence that you travel with a guard and only under his blessing. You were cloistered in his concern but you could not spurn it. For you were afraid. Truly.

That morning after you supped, you requested a walk of the palace corridors. Marge returned with the king's permission but the guard who stood vigilantly at your door was to accompany you. His sword always at the ready; both alarming and assuring.

The castle was airy as the winter descended upon the new year. You wore a thin cloak over your gown as you traversed the ancient halls. The guard's sword tinkled against his belt as Marge's shivers whispered in your ear. Your own breath mingled with the beating of your heart in an ominous symphony.

You neared the royal corridors along your aimless path and paused just before that which led to Eleanor's chambers. You looked to your escorts and crept a few feet nearer. You turned to look up at the tapestry beside her doors.

The rosettes stuck out from the field and gave lifelike bloom to the grasses. You tilted your head as you took in the expanse of cloth and thread. There it was; that twist of cloth which marked the last day you'd been yourself.

"My lady," Marge said softly. "Are you well?"

"Well enough," You answered as you leaned closer to the wall.

"Should we linger here?" She breathed as the guard gripped his pommel.

"Do you think the queen should emerge and slay me where I stand?" You asked dryly. 

Marge frowned and shook her head. You turned away from the fabric and retreated from the corridor. 

"Let us continue our walk. Perhaps I should see to my father when he is free of council." You mulled. "Or perhaps we shall return as we were."

Upon the next corner, you heard the noise of approaching footsteps. Your guard stepped before you and slowed. Shadows reflected in lantern light as the figures neared and emerged at the end of the corridor. Your guard relaxed and stood at alert as you bowed in greeting of the unexpected royal. 

King T'Challa did not pass though. He instead stopped to greet you, almost as if he knew you.

"Your highness," You said.

"My lady," He nodded to you and smiled. "Do you tarry alone?"

"Alone?" You looked to Marge who looked to the floor shyly. "I have my maid."

"But should you not be in attendance of your queen?" He asked.

"She has pardoned me from her court," You replied carefully. "So I attend to myself."

"Oh," He considered you as thoughts glimmered in his eyes. "Not many queens would tolerate a paramour in her court."

You averted your eyes in shame. 

"Do not think I judge you, my lady," He continued. "I am only curious. I hear things and they do intrigue me. They say you are devious and calculating, others allege you to be pious and humble. I suspect they are all true." 

"Your highness?" You looked to him.

"You are calculating in that you did heed the king's reputation, devious in that you would withhold any particular leaning to save your own, pious in that you worship your honour, and humble in that you cannot see what a mess you've created." He smiled proudly. "Do not think my words to be unkind, for without even knowing you, I do admire you."

"Admire?" You echoed. "For what?"

"For your resolve. For withstanding a storm that would tear many apart." He said. "My lady, would you be averse to me walking with you?"

"I would not refuse such an offer," You accepted evenly. 

"Even now, you maintain your courtesy," He remarked. "And you bide my bald words."

He turned so that he was shoulder to shoulder with you, Marge retreated to walk with the guards. The king awaited your first step and you hesitated before you took it.

"I suppose I cannot find where to disagree with them." You countered. 

"Mmm," He hummed thoughtfully. "I do wonder… after all I've heard of you and your snaring of the king. Why, my lady, I might offend you again but you are rather plain for a seductress."

"I am aware," You said stiffly. "Believe me when I say I am just as shocked as any at my circumstance and wholly unprepared."

"And what would prepare you? What should make a lady ready for a king?" He pondered. "Do you think you should be like Queen Eleanor?"

"She is strong. Bred to be a queen." You said. "She is better made for it than me."

"A queen who has sewn discord among her court and without." He looked to you as he spoke. "I am certain you have heard of my pre-standing relationship with the queen."

"I've heard as much as you have of me," You said.

"So you would. She's barely changed since I knew her. Colder, perhaps." He mused. "I thought I did love her until I realized she did not love me."

You lowered your brow as he let his eyes float ahead of him.

"We were betrothed. I'd lived among her family for years. We spent hours a day together and I was quite taken by her. As any boy would be. 

“But when I was recalled home and war loomed over us, I did swear to her I would appease my father so that we may still marry. So that we could one day rule over our kingdoms peacefully. Together."

He paused and let out a long breath. "She told me she could not wait to be my queen and I thought she meant it. The next I heard of her, she'd set sail for another prince."

"Why are you telling me this?" You asked. 

"Because I am certain you know how Eleanor can be. One moment she is your friend and the next, she's not." 

He stopped and turned to you as you struggled not to trip on your skirts. 

"Eleanor's spies learned of my visit the day before I reached the capital. She did try to have them keep me from my arrival. She failed." He shook his head as a wistful air came over him. "I do not trust your king either but he has yet to betray me as Eleanor did. In so much as I can fathom it, she has betrayed us both."

"And so what? You seek kinship with him? A shared loathing?"

"I intend to rescue my reputation which has so long been stained by Eleanor and what she has done to me." His jaw set as he held his shoulders high. "I seek to repay the queen in kind."

"And what would be my role in all this?" You asked.

"Your role is at has been. If you remain as you are, you might just get out of this alive." He looked to his guard and nodded. "My lady, I shall leave you to your path as mine would diverge here, thought I am certain they will meet again."

He bowed his head and you returned the courtesy. He smiled kindly and turned sharply on his heel. You watched him go. You were stuck in place as the thoughts flurried in your head. Those which hadn't ceased for days now. Though this king had added to the list. 

As he disappeared around the next corner, you wondered if he offered you advice or issued you a threat.

👑 

That night, you went to the king to sup. His invitation had been firm and without refusal. Since the servant boy's demise, he was ever more insistent. Ever more demanding. Often, you found his presence overbearing; at one moment, entirely inflamed in his anger and the next consumed by his affections.

When his doors were opened to you, you stepped within nervously. You still weren’t used to his chambers. The skin carpet before the heart, the large desk that loomed before the window, the twin tapestries along the east and west walls, and the grated candelabrum which hung from the ceiling. 

Hugh remained and the replacement for the royal taster. This one lanky and blond, almost fearful as he but into the food. You couldn't blame him for as you watched him, you saw the red-headed boy open your carpet. Though this one did not keel over.

You sat across from the king as he ate with one hand and in the other shuffled through sheets of parchment. His blue eyes were vigilant as if the letters would move should he look away. 

You watched him as you ate. He rubbed his eyes as he set aside a page and leaned back. The wrinkles left his brow as he looked to you.

"I am happy to see you eating, my lady," He said. "You seem not so wary."

“I remain cautious," You assured him. "As this court remains treacherous."

"Oh, but we should search out the snake that does hide in the branches and drain its venom before its fangs should sink too deep."

"May I ask…" You began and caught yourself. "I dare not."

"Well, you've begun so you may." He drank from his wine and picked at his plate.

"I do worry at the presence of the Wakandan king. Of what should precipitate such a spontaneous invitation."

"You should worry of the presence which remained without invitation," He took another bite and wiped his mouth. "Of one who wishes you harm. Perhaps even wishes it upon myself."

"Then…" You began tentatively and he tilted his head. "Would it be wiser to send me away until they are found out? Until these ill tides wash over?"

"Send you away?" He sat back so heavily his chair wobbled. "So that they may have you upon your own. May see you vulnerable and far away."

"I would not be alone. I would see my mother and sister." You argued. "They have a household, and security of their own. Edward does keep my sister well looked after."

"No, you are safe here. With me." He snarled. "You are safest close to me and I will not, cannot, be without you."

"Your highness," You reached to him and placed your hand on his. "I am afraid."

"I know, I know," He softened and turned his hand to grip yours. "But I shall see you safe, my lady. My love." He tugged until you rose and pulled you to stand before him. "For I fear for you too and that drives me to see that you are kept well."

"Your highness," You lowered your lashes, "I thank you for your care but ask that you do consider my request further."

"I shall consider it," His hand trailed along your bodice and he played with the braided belt at your waist. "But you will not leave me. Ever."

"And will you answer my first question?" You asked as he took your hand again and admired it.

"You are in need of rings," He commented. "Rubies. Maybe a sapphire."

"You elude me again." You accused.

"I do not elude, only delay…" He looked up at you, "Because I cannot help but admire you."

"Well, then I await an answer, your highness," You said.

"Sit," He drew you between his knees and sat back. "And I shall tell you then."

You looked at him. He grinned and watched you patiently. You turned and lowered yourself into his leg. Your skirts fanned put around you both. You found, as Rose advised, to appease him was easy and most times, convenient.

His hand hovered along your back and he beamed up at you. 

"You asked why the Wakandan king should be here. You are clever and you see beyond my courtly explanations. A good omen for your future." He preened.

"I saw the queen's reaction as did many others." You said. "I saw her discomfort, her unhappiness deeper than before."

"So you can guess that she knows the king." Steven led you. "And that he does threaten her current position."

"I see not how he could intimidate her," You baited as you blinked in a show of confusion. "She is a queen, he is a king. They are of separate kingdoms, ordained in their own right."

"Oh, you are young and, despite your wisdom, still naive," His hand spread over your hip and squeezed. "The queen does put herself in a perilous position so that she may be easily toppled.

"And she is aware of it so she fears any. King T'Challa, me, you. And behind her paranoia is guilt, though that has yet to come to light. Though I do peer into the dark."

"And what shall the people think?" You asked.

"What I tell them to think. What the truth tells them to think." His arm was full against you as his hand was tight along your side. "They want a queen who loves them. A queen who is kind. A queen who can give them hope… an heir."

"Eleanor is young still." You argued.

"She has been young for many years and she does not quicken. She would say I strayed far too much to see to an heir but I laid with her as much as any woman." His eyes bore into you as his other hand fluttered along your thigh."But this past year, she does not yield to me. She does not even try."

"And you've gone to her?"

"Not in some time but only for when I dared to visit she did bicker with me." He sighed. "I could have not begot and heir if I'd tried, she does hate me so."

"And you would try no further?" You prodded.

"She would not let me and there is not to try for. " He grieved. "An heir must be lawful or he may not sit the throne."

You held his eye then looked to your hands as they clung to each other. His hand closed on your skirts and he squeezed your thigh through the layers. You winced and raised your head. 

He was aflame as he leaned in. His arm snaked up your back as he grabbed your head and pressed his lips to yours. You pushed on his chest as he kissed you. He did not relent until you were out of breath. 

"Your highness," You breathed but stayed in his lap, too afraid to move.

"I… must have you." He purred.

"We cannot--"

His arms cradled you suddenly and he stood with you aloft. You clung to him to keep from slipping, dizzy from the sudden movement. He kissed you again as he walked blindly around his chair. You squirmed and he hummed onto your mouth.

When he parted, you gasped, your cheeks burned. "It would not be lawful. As you said…" 

"Hugh, you may leave us." He said.

"Your highness," You pleaded as Hugh started for the door. "Please. You would ruin us both. Have we not waited this long?" 

The king took you to the couch and laid you down beneath him as you struggled. He had you pinned, his hand around your chin. He snarled at you, his nose almost touched yours.

"We do not wait on your accord anymore, my lady," He rasped. "I am your king. Do you feel how easy it would be? How simply I could have you?"

"I do," You gulped as he crushed you under him. He forced his knee between yours as you shoved on his shoulders weakly. Hugh's footsteps continued. "I do. Would you? For one night? For if you do that's all it could be."

He smirked and rubbed his nose against yours. "Hugh, you may remain," He said as he removed himself from you. "Let you be witness to our shared abstinence."

His voice was dull and irritated. You pushed yourself up and drew your legs away from him as he sat back entirely. You felt almost hurt by his demeanour as his blue eyes stared at the carpet and he moped.

"Your highness," You said softly but he didn't respond. "Steven?"

His lashes flicked and he looked to you. The tension left his jaw and he nodded.

"I'm...sorry."

"I am, too," He said as he took your hand. "But you are right. This will be over soon and we cannot spoil it in a single evening."

[creepingsharia]

‘Tortured Beyond Recognition’: Muslim Persecution of Christians, December 2020

Christians executed by jihadis on Christmas Day in Nigeria.

by Raymond Ibrahim

The following are among the abuses inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of December, 2020:

The Slaughter of Christians

Nigeria: In a video that appeared on Dec. 29, Islamic terrorists executed five Christians. The footage showed five armed members of the Islamic State (West African province) standing behind five men dressed in orange suits with their arms tied behind their backs and on their knees.  The terrorists order each of the men to say their names and the hostages oblige, each adding, “I am a Christian.”  One of the terrorists then says “This is a warning to Christians in all parts of the world and those in Nigeria….   Use the heads of these five of your brethren to continue with your ungodly celebrations,” a reference to Christmas.  The five Muslims then open fire into the back of the Christians’ heads and kill them.

A few days earlier, on Christmas Eve, and for several hours into the early morning of Christmas Day, Muslim raiders terrorized a Christian village, where they slaughtered between seven and 11 people, including a 5-year-old, and kidnapped 11 more (it is believed that the five Christians who were executed on video were from among these 11).  Riding on trucks and motorcycles, the jihadis opened fire indiscriminately, torched 10 homes and one church, and plundered the food supplies meant to be distributed on Christmas Day.  Although traumatized, some Christians remained defiant, as captured by a Christmas Day text by one Markus Bulus, a local:

Whatever Boko Haram planned against us has failed.   Whatever it is, we shall still celebrate Christmas. Jesus, we’re so grateful this day even with the bad experience we had last night. We have nothing to offer as our thanksgiving, but we offer our hearts in deep supplication to your majesty on this Christmas Day.

Elsewhere throughout the month of December, Muslim Fulani herdsmen “killed 33 Christians, destroyed 18 homes and displaced more than 2,500 people.” Moreover, according to a report released by the International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (“INTERSOCIETY”), Muslims have massacred at least 2,200 Nigerian Christians between Jan. 2020 and Dec. 13, 2020.  Of this figure, “Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen,” it said, were responsible for about “1,300 Christian deaths, followed by Boko Haram and its splinter groups (ISWAP and Ansaru) with 500 Christian deaths….   In other words, Nigeria in 2020 has lost average of six Christians per day and 180 per month.”

Uganda: A Muslim mob attacked and killed a man “a few days after he renounced Islam to follow Christ.” On Nov. 30, Yusuf Kintu, 41, then an imam at a mosque, converted to Christianity. “We had been talking on several occasions,” Pastor Andrew Nyanma explained, “but he was so argumentative when we touched on matters related to faith. He was a brilliant Muslim Imam but also respected other people’s faith. On this day [of his conversion], he was calm and receptive.”  Three days later, his wife divorced him and left the house with his two youngest children.  On Dec. 6, one week after his conversion—or, in Muslim eyes, apostasy—an angry Muslim mob rose up against him.  According to one source, “the local Muslim community was upset in [sic] Yusuf for leaving Islam and becoming a Christian. Yusuf was seriously beaten and left unconscious.”  Pastor Andrew found him in the morning and took him to a hospital, where Yusuf succumbed to his injuries on Dec. 7.

Egypt:  On Dec. 10, two Muslim brothers went on a stabbing spree targeting Christians in Alexandria; one man was killed and two others were severely injured and hospitalized.  According to authorities, they went on their murderous rampage because they were “upset” that their mother had died earlier that day.   “The matter began with insults and curses to the shopkeepers for being Christians,” explained Fr. Michael Gamil, whose nearby church was also targeted.  “The Copts present responded with patience.  Then, when one of them, Ramses, quietly went to close and lock his shop door, they lunged at and stabbed him with knives.” Ramses’ brother, who ran a grocery store nearby, saw what was happening, rushed to his brother’s aid, and was also stabbed.   The Muslim brothers then barged into the clothing shop of another Christian man and stabbed him in the torso, near his heart.  All three men were hospitalized with serious injuries in intensive care; Ramses died of his wounds.  The rampaging Muslim brothers then entered Fr. Michael’s church and cursed at a partially blind priest.  Discussing the alleged motive, Fr. Michael said: “They [Egyptian authorities] say they started cursing the Copts because their mother died; and two years earlier, they cursed the Copts because their brother died: what do [familial] death and the Copts have to do with each other?”  He emphasized that the two brothers had been in the habit of verbally harassing and insulting Christians for years—though they clearly took their hate to another level on Dec. 10.

Artsakh: Muslim fighters tortured a 58-year-old Christian woman of Armenian descent by hacking off her ears, hands, and feet, before finally executing her.  According to the Jan. 14 report,

On the same day of talks between Erdogan and Putin, when Turkey’s leader said he would like to create conditions of ‘coexistence’ between Armenians and Azeris, officials located the body of an Armenian woman today who had been reported missing.

The woman has been identified as 58-year-old Alvard Tovmasyan who was a resident of Karin Tak village, near the Shushi region of Artsakh currently occupied by Azerbaijani forces.

Tovmasyan was a second degree intellectually disabled person killed and ‘tortured beyond recognition’ outside of her home with her hands, ears, and feet cut off, according to her brother Samvel Tovmasyan who confirmed her identity by recognizing the clothes she was wearing.

As to why she was mutilated before being killed, jihadis often cite the Koran’s calls to cut off the hands, feet, and throats of infidels (e.g., Koran 5:33, 47:4).

According to a separate Dec. 15 Church Militant news report, “Armenians are being brutalized” and have “lost territory to their jihadist neighbors before agreeing to a cease-fire enforced by Russia…. Prior to violating the so-called peace agreement, the Turkish Muslims of Azerbaijan did as Muhammad commanded in beheading Christians.”  The report linked to a video of camouflaged soldiers overpowering and forcing down a struggling, elderly Armenian man, and then casually carving at his throat with a knife: “Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of violating the peace deal first,” the report continues, “but observers note the only provocation Muslims need to attack Armenians is their continued existence.”

Democratic Republic of Congo:  Members of the Allied Democratic Forces, widely acknowledged as “an insurgent jihadist group,” slaughtered at least 30 Christians and raped ten women and girls in five villages between Nov. 20 and Dec. 3. One of the survivors, Tony Longi, managed to escape his home in time and hide in the outside bathroom: “through the ventilator of the latrine he saw the rebels killing 4 members of his family including his wife and 3 children.”  According to one local official, “We got information that as they killed the Christians the[y] were saying that they were killing them because they refused to convert to Islam.”  Another report describing these raids said there were “scenes of terrified Christians flooding into the streets as the jihadists surrounded churches in each of the five villages armed with guns, machetes, clubs, swords and axes.”

Attacks on Muslim Converts and Christian Preachers

Uganda:  A Muslim man beat and forced his wife to drink pesticide on learning that she had become Christian.   Three months after Zubeda Nabirye, a 38-year-old mother of three, had secretly converted, her husband discovered Bibles in her possession and demanded if she had apostatized.  She told him that  “a friend had given me the Bibles, and I was using it to compare it with what is written in the Koran, and after all religion is a matter of personal choice”; she added that “I was convicted and decided to embrace Christianity.”  In response, “My husband began reading verses in the Koran that allowed men to beat their wives if they disobey them, and after that he started beating me with slaps and sticks.  As if this was not enough, he forced me to take Dithane M-45,” a toxic pesticide.  He forced the poison into his wife’s mouth; though she managed not to swallow most of it, she “ingested some while he was trying to strangle her and hitting her leg with sticks… He also injured her chest, neck and thigh.” It was late in the night when “I regained consciousness and found myself surrounded by neighbors.” One of them later explained that “we heard groaning from a nearby banana plant, and there we found Zubeda Nabirye, who had just regained her consciousness but with vomit and blood all over her body.”  They took her to a nearby hospital. According to the Dec. 17 report, “she suspects her husband took her to the banana plants expecting she would die there.”  Even so, she did “not file charges with police over the assault as it could provoke further violence.  She still looks very weak and asks about the wellbeing of her three children,” who at the time were staying with her husband’s mother due to COVID-19 travel restrictions: “I am worried about my children [aged 9, 13, and 16], who are under the care of my mother-in-law,” Zubeda said. “I know it will be very difficult for me to see them and reunite with them.”

In a separate incident in Uganda, on Dec. 21, Muslims gang-raped a female church pastor. The widowed mother of five was walking home from Christmas preparations at her church when she heard someone crying for help in the dark. “When I stopped,” explained the 50-year-old whose name is withheld for security reasons, “I was surprised to see people coming from the bush, and one of them shouted in the Arabic language, ‘Allah is greater—we have warned you several times to stop converting Muslims to Christianity. Today we shall teach you a lesson that you will not forget.’”  One of the men covered her mouth with a chemical-doused handkerchief that caused her to lose consciousness.  She awoke three hours later and was found by her nephew.  “He saw blood on my torn skirt. He could not stop tears rolling from his cheeks, crying and shouting for help, and he took me to a nearby clinic for medical treatment.”  Two months earlier, a Muslim neighbor had complained to her:  “I am warning you not to come to our home. My children are now singing some Christian songs. I know soon they will come to your church. We as Muslims have no relations with infidels.”  A church member said the rape victim remains traumatized: “Sometimes she is quiet for about one hour; … she is having severe headache[s], swelling at her neck and severe pain in her private parts.”  “I am hurt,” confirmed the visibly emotional and tearful pastor from her hospital bed during an interview on Christmas Eve. “I will miss Christmas celebration with my church members….  I hope these Muslim rapists have not infected me with deadly diseases. I forgive them,” added the mother of five who was widowed five years earlier.

Attacks on Churches

Pakistan: On Christmas day, a mob consisting of as many as 60 Muslim men attacked a church during Christmas service.  According to the Dec. 30 report, “They aimed to kidnap and assault the women in attendance.”  However, the church’s security guards and male congregants “fought back with bare hands against the staff-wielding intruders, giving the women time to escape. Many Christian men suffered blunt trauma injuries and fractures in the fight.”  Before things got violent, the Muslim invaders had made derogatory comments about the Christian women, adding that they were “looking dashing today. Let us have all of them in our beds.”  When one of the Christian defenders angrily rose up, “The Muslims,” he said, “warned me never to stop them from doing whatever they wanted to do with Christian girls.”  On arriving, the authorities “helped the defeated Muslims escape, and blamed Christians for fighting back.”  According to a spokesman for the Christians,

They scolded and threatened the Christian community, the Christian church, saying it’s illegal to have their own security. Which is truly an unjustified and illegal action by the police, because it was announced by the government of Pakistan two years ago, that every church must have its own security. They must have their own CCTV cameras, barbed wires, and medical equipment.

Sudan:  A temporary church structure of the Sudanese Church of Christ has been burned down five times by what one pastor described as “radical Muslims.”  They also threatened to butcher the Christians if they dared erect another tent again. According to the Dec. 22 report, “Saying they didn’t want a Christian presence in the area, the extremists have burned down the structures on Jan. 19, 2019, and this year on Jan. 4, Jan. 19, Jan. 28, and Aug. 7…. The church decided to report the attacks to police after the Aug. 7 arson in spite of the threats.”  The original church building, which had been in operation since 1993, was first torched in 2019; since then the 150-member congregation have been setting up and worshipping inside tents, though all five have been “reduced to ashes along with Bibles and prayer books.”  Church members identified several of the assailants.  Police initially refused to file a case until an attorney got involved.  Five of nine suspects involved have been arrested.

Discrimination, Misogyny, and Violence against Christians

Egypt:  In what human rights activists described as an “egregious miscarriage of justice,” a court acquitted three Muslim men charged with assaulting a Christian grandmother, including by spitting on and beating her, stripping her naked and parading her in the streets of their village, on the accusation that her son was romantically involved with a Muslim woman.   Although this attack took place in 2016, and although video evidence and witnesses have identified the three Muslim men, the Egyptian courts refused to render a decision.  As a Dec. 21 press release from Coptic Solidarity explains:

After multiple delay tactics, including judges ‘recusing’ themselves and retrials by different court circuits, the case reached this sad conclusion. The Egyptian judiciary has revealed their true face of Islamist fanaticism and blatant bias against Coptic victims. This is indeed shameful for a country that has employed some form of a ‘modern’ justice system for 150 years.

Upon hearing news of the court ruling, Mrs. Thabet [the victim], burst into tears, simply saying “What shall I do after being so humiliated! My right is in the hands of my Lord who shall render me His justice.”

Pakistan/China: Christian and Hindu women in Pakistan are being marketed to China as concubines and forced brides, a Dec. 9 report revealed.  Due to China’s longstanding one-child only policy and cultural preference for boys, the nation suffers from an acute shortage of females, causing Chinese men to import women from abroad. Speaking on Dec. 8, the top U.S. diplomat for religious freedom, Samuel Brownback, said that “religious minorities, Christian and Hindu women” from Pakistan are “being marketed as concubines and as forced as brides [sic] into China.”  This is because “there’s discrimination against religious minorities that make them more vulnerable” in Muslim Pakistan, he added.

France: “Handwritten letters were mailed to seven black African priests with their names and the address of the rectory where they live,” reported the Vicar General of the Diocese of Avignon Pascal Molemb Emock: “The mail only says ‘Allah Akbar’ in French and in Arabic.”  Because violent Islamic attacks on clergymen and Christians in general have been escalating in France—five weeks earlier a Muslim man crying “Allahu Akbar” entered a church and slaughtered three Christians in Nice—an investigation was quickly opened. As a police source explained on Dec. 9, “These are not direct death threats, but in the context of a terrorist threat, this matter is taken very seriously.” “I am not afraid for myself,” commented one of the priests. “I will continue to live alone in my rectory. But I am responsible for a community, I must be careful for the parishioners.”

Iraq: At least 14 shops that sell alcohol in Baghdad—most of which are owned by Christians—were firebombed throughout November and December.  According to the Dec. 16 report, these escalating attacks have “terrified shop-owners who fear hardline Islamists are flexing their muscle against alcohol consumption.”   Discussing the situation, Andre, an Iraqi Christian, said the recent bombing of his shop has cost him thousands of dollars in repairs.  “These groups want the last of the Christians to leave the country,” he said of the attackers: “They’re targeting us.”  He also blamed security forces for leaving their post for hours, thereby providing the attackers with “time to place the explosives, take pictures before and after and publish them on Facebook.���  “Why doesn’t the government arrest them?” he added, pointing out that he had even provided authorities with the license plate number of the attacking vehicle as captured by the store’s surveillance camera.

Christmastime Terror

Spain: On Christmas day, a Muslim of Moroccan background, known only as Muhammad Q., stalked through a Christmas street celebration while brandishing a machete and crying out, “Allahu akbar, I’m going to kill you,” at random passersby. He lunged at police when they arrived and slightly injured them, though they managed to subdue and arrest him.  Subsequent investigations revealed that the 45-year-old had a criminal record relating to the sexual abuse of a minor and ties to the Islamic State.

France: A group of Muslims thrashed another Muslim for participating in a Christmas Day dinner.  After Nabil, 20, published pictures of the dinner online, a schoolmate expressed his “shock” via text that a fellow Muslim would celebrate Christmas, at one point texting, “I’ll show you what a real Arab is.”  Nabil and his scandalized Muslim schoolmate then agreed to meet and discuss the matter; but when Nabil arrived, the schoolmate and four other men ambushed and beat him, leaving him with a bloodied and bruised face and a warning not to report the incident to police or else.  Undeterred, he contacted local authorities who subsequently arrested the schoolmate.  During his trial, he continued to assert his “shock” that Nabil had posted such pictures, adding “It is not Muslim to celebrate Christmas.”

Western Europe: Some Christians celebrated Christmas under threat in a few nations:  According to a Dec. 3 report, British intelligence, relying on a former al-Qaeda bomb-maker, warned that “a senior Isis commander is plotting a Christmas terror campaign in European countries, including Britain.”  The Muslim terrorists had reportedly “decided to try and use the lifting of lockdown restrictions during the Christmas period to launch attacks in Europe, in particular against the UK, France and Germany.”

Germany: In a video that appears embedded in a Dec. 19 article, a Muslim cleric living in Braunschweig declares that “Christmas is an insult to Allah”

About this Series

The persecution of Christians in the Islamic world has become endemic.  Accordingly, “Muslim Persecution of Christians” was developed in 2011 to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that occur or are reported each month. It serves two purposes:

1)          To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, persecution of Christians.

2)          To show that such persecution is not “random,” but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Islamic Sharia.

Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; apostasy, blasphemy, and proselytism laws that criminalize and sometimes punish with death those who “offend” Islam; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam;  theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (financial tribute expected from non-Muslims); overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed dhimmis, or second-class, “tolerated” citizens; and simple violence and murder. Sometimes it is a combination thereof.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the West, to Indonesia in the East—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.

Previous Reports - monthly back to 2011

[the-homicidediaries]

Chris Benoit

Guys.

I am so excited to talk about this.

Not because of the context, but because this is one of the reasons I love wrestling so much; there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that people have NO CLUE about.

There have been several professional wrestlers who have killed people or been killed themselves and the rabbit hole goes deep.

(Rey Mysterio accidentally killed a man on live tv and they still have the video up on YouTube.)

(Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka murdered his girlfriend in May of 1983. Who is Jimmy Snuka? Jimmy Snuka was related to The Rock, Rikishi, and The Uso’s.)

THERE ARE SO MANY MORE THO.

But today, I want to talk about the Daddy of them all, Chris Benoit.

Chris Benoit’s crimes are so heinous and unforgivable Vince McMahon has swept his name under the rug and removed him from The Hall of Fame.

Benoit’s crimes also changed the dynamic of professional wrestling forever.

Chris Benoit was born in Montreal, Quebec to Michael and Margaret Benoit on May 21, 1967. He and his family resided in Edmonton, Alberta, however.

During Benoit’s childhood, he idolized Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington (a British wrestler who competed in the 1980’s and had ongoing feuds with Hart) and Bret “Hitman” Hart (a Canadian-American wrestler and a member of the notorious Hart Family. He is a personal fave of mine as well).

When Benoit was 12 years old, he attended a local wrestling event where both Dynamite Kid and Hart were competing and he knew right then and there that he was destined to become a wrestler.

He trained in The Hart Family “dungeon” and was coached by none other than Stu Hart (Bret and Owen Hart’s father. If you don’t know Owen Hart, you should google him as well because he died under bizarre circumstances on live tv as well.)

When Benoit fought in the ring, he channeled both Dynamite Kid and Hart, even adopting Hart’s signature move, “Sharpshooter” as his finishing move.

Chris began wrestling in 1985 in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion. He was quickly recognized as a force to be reckoned with and received his first title, the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship, on March 18, 1988.

(This dude has a very extensive history or wrestling in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, World Champion Wrestling, Extreme Champion Wrestling, and World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment, but I just.. I cain’t get into all that, please forgive me. Haha! We are talking 22 years here! So I am humbly skipping to his family life.)

-Okay, so. I would love for this to be a romantic love story for the ages and the deaths resulted in crimes of passion, but that didn’t happen. At. All. Not at all.

You’ll see soon why this was all brushed under the rug.-

Benoit was married twice.

His first wife, Martina, and he had two children David (who is a wrestler as well) and Megan. By 1997, their marriage had broken down and Benoit and Martina decided it was best to end it.

Benoit began living with his girlfriend, Nancy Sullivan, who was the girlfriend of Benoit’s frequent opponent, Kevin Sullivan.

(It started off as an on-screen relationship for views and it led to a real-life affair. Many people joke that Kevin Sullivan booked his own divorce.)

On February 25, 2000, Benoit and Nancy’s son, Daniel, was born.

On November 23, 2000, Benoit and Nancy were married.

This 👏🏼 was 👏🏼 not 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 good 👏🏼 marriage.

In 2003, Nancy filed for divorce from Benoit, saying he would break and throw furniture and was cruel to her. She later dropped the suit as well as the restraining order she had set against him.

Benoit became good friends with fellow wrestler Eddie Guerrero, (a beloved and incredible wrestler, one of my dad’s faves), following a match in Japan, when Benoit kicked Guerrero in the head and knocked him out cold. This started a friendship that lasted even after Guerrero's death in late 2005, in which Benoit had written diary entries to him just ten days after his passing.

(I’m only mentioning this because Guerrero’s death has been rumored to be one of the reasons Benoit did what he did.)

Here’s where it gets gory.

So we know Benoit and Nancy did not have a good marriage, but things seemed to be okay because she dropped all the charges against him.

Benoit and Nancy were living in Fayetteville, GA, with 7 year old Daniel.

On June 25, 2007, police entered the Benoit home after Benoit’s WWE employers requested a welfare check after Benoit missed weekend events without notice.

(Benoit was actually scheduled to win another title during these weekend events.)

Upon arriving at his Georgia home, authorities found Nancy wrapped in a towel. She had died from asphyxiation.

Their son was also found, also dead, apparently strangled. Benoit placed a Bible next to each of their bodies.

Benoit’s body was the most disturbing to be found. The wrestler was hanged on a lat pulldown machine, with a Bible lying on the weight machine beside him. There were also allegedly 10 empty beer cans and an empty bottle of wine.

Autopsies concluded the murders and suicide took place over the course of three days.

On Friday, June 22, Chris Benoit killed his wife Nancy in an upstairs bedroom. Her limbs were bound, and her body was wrapped in a towel. A copy of the bible was left by her body. Injuries indicated that Benoit had pressed a knee into her back while pulling on a cord around her neck, causing strangulation. Officials said that there were no signs of immediate struggle. Toxicologists did find alcohol in her system, but they were unable to determine if she had been drinking prior to her death or if it was a product of decomposition.

Daniel was suffocated and killed in his bedroom, and a copy of the bible was left by his body. Daniel had internal injuries to the throat area, showing no bruises. Daniel's exact time of death is unknown. The reports determined Daniel was sedated with Xanax and likely unconscious when he was killed. Daniel's body had also just started to show signs of decomposition but was not as far along as his mother's body, so they were able to determine he was murdered after his mother.

(It was later alleged that Daniel had Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder that is characterized by mild to moderate intellectual disability. Physical features may include a long and narrow face, large ears, flexible fingers, and large testicles. About a third of those affected have features of autism such as problems with social interactions and delayed speech. Males are affected more than females. Daniel also had needle marks in his arm and it’s alleged that these were the result of growth hormones given to him because Benoit and his family considered him to be undersized.)

Chris Benoit committed suicide by hanging. Benoit used a weight machine cord to hang himself by creating a noose from the end of the cord on a pull-down machine from which the bar had been removed. Benoit released the weights, causing his strangulation. Benoit was found hanging from the pulley cable.

(On a podcast called The Talk is Jericho in 2016, Nancy’s sister Sandra Toffoloni divulged some more information. She said Benoit’s internet search history showed he had searched “the quickest and easiest way to break a neck”. Benoit had a towel wrapped around his neck when he committed suicide and his neck was broken instantly.)

A suicide note was not discovered, but a note written in one of the bibles Benoit had said, “I’m preparing to leave this Earth.”

A few possible motives I’ve seen people mention have included:

•CTE - Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head injuries. Symptoms do not typically begin until years after the injuries and can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. During his autopsy, it was concluded that Benoit did suffer from CTE after wrestling for so many years. (Back when they threw people from tops of cages, hit each other over the head with chairs and ladders, etc.) Autopsy experts say Benoit’s brain was so severely damaged that it resembled a 85 year old Alzheimer’s patient.

•Nancy’s abuse and filing for divorce - In February 2008, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Benoit was having an affair with a female WWE wrestler and Nancy found out. It was also speculated they argued over life insurance policies.

•Benoit’s alcohol abuse - Benoit abused steroids, but many people believe it was his alcohol abuse that led to these horrific murders. Many of Benoit’s colleagues attested he would drink more when problems with Nancy occurred.

•Eddie Guerrero’s death - Benoit and Guerrero and Benoit were very close. When it came out that Guerrero has died in his hotel room in November of 2005, Benoit was devastated. WWE held a televised memorial for Guerrero and when Benoit was giving his testimony, he broke down in front of the camera. Some of Benoit’s colleagues say, “he was never the same” after Guerrero’s death.

But at the expense of sounding completely heartless, (mind you, I’ve been suicidal myself), why didn’t he just commit suicide?

Why did he have to murder his wife and seven year old son? If we go with the CTE theory, it makes sense because he was not thinking rationally.

I wish Nancy had had the strength to leave him when she tried.

The night after Benoit’s body was found, WWE Raw had a televised memorial for him and his family with Vince McMahon standing in the middle of the ring breaking the news and a video montage.

No one knew he was the one who had killed his family.

When it was later revealed that Benoit had committed these crimes the episode was removed and WWE made the decision to remove nearly all mention of Benoit from their website, future publications, video games, merchandise, DVD/Blu-Rays, and future events.

Like I said.. swept him under the rug.

Benoit is now the “He Who Shall Not Be Named” of professional wrestling.

In ending this, I’d like to quote Stone Cold Steve Austin now.

“Well first and foremost, what I think about Chris Benoit is that guy was one of the most nicest guys I ever met in my life. He’s one of the most talented, hard working cats I’d ever seen in the squared circle. Anybody who knew Chris would tell you those exact two things. That guy loved the damn wrestling business, he was born to be a wrestler and was absolutely phenomenal. Drawing a lot of his influence from The Dynamite Kid, he blazed a path as the Pegasus Kid and his legacy as The Crippler Chris Benoit was just one hellacious career.

“One night, Chris ended up killing his wife and his kid. That is an act so terrible and horrible I can’t even comprehend or guess as to what happened in that house. That will always overshadow any accomplishment Chris had in the ring. He’ll never be in the Hall of Fame, it will just never happen. His career will speak for itself but his record as a human being, his first and foremost, and those actions will never be forgotten. That’s my feelings on that, we don’t even need to talk about the Hall of Fame. Speaking for myself, Chris Benoit as the person I knew, loved him. Chris Benoit as a wrestler, loved him. Chris Benoit as the person who did what he did, unforgivable. Bottom line.” – via NoDQ.com.

Pictured below are Chris and Nancy Benoit, their son Daniel, and their home in Fayetteville, Georgia.

[alivingstillness]

Awareness and the thought-web analogy as a communicative foundation

An analytical view on communicatio through the lenses of Advaita philosophy.

1. INTRODUCTION

Throughout the life of a human being, there is a complex communicative process taking place within and without ourselves. When we view communication as a tool to meddle within perception, we are likely to think of one source exchanging information with another in the form of subject to subject. But if we are to imagine an internal conversation (monologue), we can think of the communicative process to be held within one subject.

To discern within the internal process of thinking, I will divide the subject into two parts: I (the thinker or perceiver) and thought (the perceived). Perception itself can in a sense be said to be two or-threefold, either in the form of perceiver-perceived or perceiver-perceiving-perceived, (the last part: perceived, can, for example, be an object and the perception (of) it may differ from perceiver to perceiver. A perception is a form of communication even if it is completely internal. But who or what is actually the communicator when we start to investigate our intimate process of thinking and is it possible to distinguish the meeting-points within perception by becoming aware of our conscious and subconscious mechanism of thinking?

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)

Is an approach to communication where the human psyche has a central focus. NLP deals with techniques and exercises in sort of reprogramming our mind, which works with our communicative language in such a way that negative experiences of behavioral patterns can give us insight into how to transform our responses to have a positive effect. NLP holds an extensive amount of theories relating our senses with mind, behavior, and thought patterns. I will not investigate all branches within NLP, but I will in this work focus on the parallels between its science and that of self-inquiry and meditation and how self-awareness relates to communicative conflicts.

For our heart to function properly there is constant communication taking place within our body and importantly in our brain that we don’t pay much attention to. I will present an investigation into our ability to become more aware of our internal language in the form of thinking, and how it could relate to emotional, cultural, and other forms of psychological factors.  

From an internal investigation into communication, I will further develop how this can function as a window of perception towards a better understanding of our communication with other people, and attempt to discern between conscious and subconscious reactions.  

I hope that this work can aid as a help to better understand conflict and the build-up of our persona through our multi-layered language.  

2. PERSPECTIVE

I have chosen to investigate communication through the lenses of self-inquiry and will use the example of becoming a witness to our internal thought-pattern. My field of interest in this communicative process comes from a non-dual yogic perspective (Advaita philosophy, Trika Tantra, Tao, or Zen Buddhism).

All paths regarded as non-dual in their teachings points towards the realization of an underlying cause or witness to the tendencies of the mind. I will in my investigation too, point towards the notion of this witnessing aspect beyond the individual psyche in the hope for the reader to expand their view upon their own communicative behavior.

This written work is solemnly analytical and theoretical, and shows my personal cognitive understanding towards the subject, through the lenses of my own thought-pattern formed by my yogic view.

3. ANALYSIS  

Awareness and the thinking of being

Within direct-realization non-dual teachings, the doing of meditation and distinction of spiritual practice becomes concepts from the perspective of the individual, who ultimately is considered to only exist as one window into Self-perception through the action of thinking. But who or what is really the doer, or the witness to thinking?

Our experience of duality is apparent in all its subtle and grosser layers. Non-dual teachings point towards the relationship between the unmanifest and manifest as simultaneously present within all beings and creation (Shiva-Shakti, Alpha-Omega). “Awareness” or “pure consciousness” are commonly used terms to describe the nature of the Self that is the core of non-dual teachings.

To easier understand how this applies to communication and language, it would mean that instead of there being subjects and objects/or matter, there would ultimately just exist one grand subject that is pure consciousness, and perception will in its truth not be divided into parts. This non-dual consciousness has, by its own will and movement, given birth manifest form, within and from its own being.

It is a complex philosophy that has been recorded in some of the oldest eastern scriptures and later given birth to many schools of philosophy, religion, and western free thinkers. In its teachings, the laws of the universe are highly dependent on vibration and energy, yet there is always an underlying cause that binds the sprouting of expansion together: The Self, that can be said to be awareness aware of itself, pure untainted consciousness, or even mind absent from thought-quality.

“If you want to find the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” ― Nicola Tesla

The world as we perceive it is said to be largely stored in the collective and forgetful nature of Self-activity (shakti) because of the sprouting of creation. We can think of the terms “Awareness” vs. “Awareness of”, meaning, that as soon as we become aware of something, the “something” is externalized and divided from our being, making us see ourselves as separate from the perceived. Some yogic teachings provide us with techniques to help us reverse and zoom out to witness the play of perception taking place within ourselves, and to finally let awareness become aware of its own awareness.  Here a parallel to Jung’s collective unconscious and karmic patterns suits to be mentioned. 

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it faith.” 

“So far as we have any information about man, we know that he has always and everywhere been under the influence of dominating ideas. Anyone who alleges that he is not can immediately be suspected of having exchanged a known form of belief for a variant which is less known both to himself and to others.” ― C.G. Jung, “The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious”

If an individual uses practice to investigate Self-awareness by exponentially becoming more aware of what is perceived and perception itself, eventually the practice has the potential to dissolve by itself. I have developed an analogy for the purpose of self-inquiry that can be used as a technique to strengthen the conscious relationship with yourself as a witness of yourself. The idea behind the technique I shall present is largely inspired by Jnana yoga and the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, who encouraged the thinker to constantly question oneself by the words of: “To whom has this thought occurred?”

The thought-web analogy, (a practice in self-inquiry)

If I am immersed in a relaxed state of being and a thought pops up in my awareness, I can say “I am aware of this thought”. Now, if I were to follow this thought by asking: to whom does this thought appear?

I would find another thought “to me”, yet it is not enough to say that the one thought came into existence by one other. It is though more correct to say that the thought came into existence by a trillion or so other thoughts, creating the space-time constructed individual consciousness of myself.

If I was to picture this bundle of thoughts making me, me, I would picture something like an intricate bundle of complex patterns, sort of like a multidimensional web of thoughts as strings, being held together by each other.

Each string has itself a complex patterning of other types of subtle phenomena, relating cognition to aspects of emotions and memories, etc. So through these layers the pattern thought-connection makes can vary from one layer to another, making this web of thoughts a hell of a mess to un-tie.

So, since I started my investigation I have found that not only am I aware of these thoughts when they appear, but I have found myself to be aware of a hopeless thought-maze, and the finding of an exit within it seems like an impossible mission.

I can now see that my persona is not only related to this web, but that it is held within the substratum of it.

A new question then arises: Am I just what I think myself to be, and do I even have any control over it?

If it is so that the sum of my individuality is held by a belief system of what I think myself to be, am I not a mere puppet then, held together by invisible strings meticulously tied in ways too complex for my own understanding- which would also be the sum of the very same pattern.

At this point, I have not yet realized the potential of my awareness, for this is where I decide to bypass this bundle of what I think myself to be and decide to take a leap of neglect in the sense of a short-cut straight to the first connective thought-tissue that birthed the sense of “I am”.

Somehow a three-fold perception must have come into existence in the same bundle of primary individual thoughts of myself through perceiver-perception-perceived. This is when awareness becomes really interesting, for you see, as soon I have experienced this leap in my own awareness, awareness itself may become aware of itself and the three-fold perception will explode into new meaning.

But I will not develop this any further, yet I encourage you to play with the investigation mentioned. I will, though, sprout for the idea that the foundation demonstrated above can be seen as a microcosm to a macrocosm creating our collective consciousness, bound in the web of samsara until awareness prevails.

“I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me.”  ― Albert Einstein

Speech of silence

Words are problematic by nature, because language as a way of communication, description, and discernment can perpetuate our understanding of the known (perceiver, perceived, and perception itself), and let us deepen our conceptual understanding. Yet in reference to non-dual view, Self-realization does not come forth through word-language. It reaches us first in silence (which is incomplete in its statement because the word “silence” is referenced to from the concept of sound), before totally permeating even spoken language with its foundation as the absolute. 

Word-expression is potent and can point us inward because of the layers of cognition and emotion intertwined with content and meaning given to it, making our experience of a word or a piece of poetry very intimate. Even though there might be a common understanding of the language used, the layers of viewing differ from individual to individual. 

Words can act as powerful seeds when integrated and can point towards self-inquiry. In the same sense, they can wake feelings within, allowing us to follow towards the root of the perceived feeling. Japa mantra is a powerful tool to infuse our minds with the desired scent or meaning of the word. For example, if we often recite AUM 108 times internally or externally, we will eventually taint our being with our understanding of the meaning of AUM increasingly. Its vibration will affect us, and relations to our personal layers of the word AUM will steer our minds in the directions intertwined with it. Your mind is a magnet that attracts your reality. 

But as much as language is fantastic in its tremendous depth that goes beyond the examples just mentioned, there comes a point in journeying towards the end of spiritual searching, where words will take you no further. In the crown of your being, sounds emerge in absence of senses.

“It is only in alert silence, that truth can be”  

― Jiddu Krishnamurti 

NLP and Meditation

I have in my analysis, described a method for investigating one's thought pattern, and pointed towards how this web of thinking relates to cognitive and emotional layers within ourselves. 

When there is an expansion in our awareness and we are abiding in a state where we can calmly observe our internal language and reactions, it is called meditation. By realizing how thought-patterns build up and relate to our persona, we naturally have the opportunity to distance ourselves towards our perceived thoughts and emotions. This realization regarding our internal

language will permeate how we react when we communicate with others, and it will influence our understanding of others’ responses. In a sense, we can say that one naturally becomes more forgiving towards conflicts with others or even within ourselves. We might also develop the ability to recognize the build-up of a conflict in action, and then use language more consciously.

Because of an increased level of awareness and witnessing, of the many layers of individual persona, there is the opportunity for recognizing the immensity of influences that have played part in creating the individual consciousness at any given moment. Anything from social construct, environment, economy, politics, childhood trauma, relationships, ..well anything that has affected our persona has had some effect on us, and therefore, our internal and external communication. 

These layers or pattern-buildups must influence our being similar to how we influence that which is perceived to be outside of us. By practicing awareness and abiding in our inner stillness we can become less reactionary. In a way, we can see that much of our communication happens in effect to subconscious influence by our language towards, or within ourselves. Through this recognition, we have the opportunity to become more conscious of the way we communicate. It is a form of reprogramming our being to communicate more consciously by increasing our awareness of our subconscious or, more consciously using the potency of language. This is an effect of meditation or self-inquiry. 

Neuro-linguistic programming works similarly. But as meditation and self-inquiry naturally affect ourselves and others as an outcome of it, NLP actively intends to reprogram people’s behavioral patterns. The method of NLP deals with noticing the negative behavioral patterns of a person, and then, using the qualities of the behavior to become a beneficial aid for reprogramming. An example: someone who suffers from anxiety, and has a vivid way of experiencing it, usually has a strong relationship between memory and visual thinking. The Neuro-linguistic programmer could then decide to treat the patient using visual tools of reprogramming, because of the visual imprints already affecting the patient’s wellbeing. Visual NLP therapy could include the “movie theatre technique”, a technique that allows the patient to imagine watching their traumatic experience on a screen. The patient fasts forward, rewinds, and plays their experience several times to gradually disassociate themselves from the trauma. This disassociation happens on a subconscious level while the patient consciously revisits an experience. By using the movie theatre technique the NL-programmer can together with the patient tweak the negative thought patterns. This can be done by first becoming aware of thoughts, feelings, and behavior relating to a traumatic memory, and then imagine them to include a more positive experience. One can think of NLP in comparison to meditation/self-inquiry as a treatment to be considered doing vs. allowing effect. 

Both NLP and meditation regard our experience to be subjective, and should in that sense be treated by an investigation into the subject of experiencing. 

4. CONCLUSION

However we choose to view an individual's linguistic or communicative factors, it is obvious that there are grosser and more subtle forms, as well as there are conscious and subconscious. 

Since much of our communication and personal patterning happens at the subtle and subconscious levels of our being, our external communication is equally affected. 

The outstanding factor linking NLP and meditative practice is awareness. If a person increases their awareness of their behavior, the person gains insight into the mechanism of themselves and their communicative language. This increase of individual awareness allows for the individual to realize themselves apart from the behavioral patterns present, and therefore allowing for more conscious behavior, and dissociation from a negative experience. 

When we act from a more conscious mindset and abide in a meditative state, the reactionary web of our persona becomes slower and less potent in stirring our emotions. Meditation and Self-inquiry can both be helpful for the person who is hoping to become more conscious of his or her behavior or psyche, and for the seeker looking to go to the very depth of the immensity of their being. 

I acknowledge that NLP can help treat specific behavioral patterns. Yet I believe that the keys towards understanding and affecting the persona and its communicative patterns lays within awareness and consciousness itself. And to experience the fruits of action, one has to go within, where one can experience not only one's internal language but the absence of it. 

I would also like to point out that since experience is subjective, there exist numerous tools, techniques, or therapies besides NLP or meditative practice that lets us investigate into communication. This work only shows one window of perception among other possible viewpoints. 

Trace one thought and find another, dismiss them all and find yourself. 

/Alexandra 

[nathanielhoover]

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[onaf]

Of Dogs and Children

Believers in Christ have their hang-ups, their own theological baggage when it comes to the faith. This doesn’t always come in the form of outright denial of the core tenets of the Christian religion. But it can mean there are teachings that are quick to be absorbed mentally, yet slow to penetrate the heart.

For me, one of the most difficult things to understand at heart about Christ is how He condescends to sinners like myself. When I read Matthew 11: 28-30, Christ’s character takes on a peculiar timbre:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

To some, this may be an inconsequential passage. But I wonder how one can think that! What is easier for me to understand is that Christ - the One through whom the universe was created - has authority to judge the living and the dead. It isn’t hard for me to accept how He performed miracles, for what is difficult for the Christ? Theophanies? Old Testament prophecies about Jesus? Awesome!

But a Christ that is lowly? A savior that is gentle when with but one word He could annihilate all that is unholy (namely myself)? A King to whom I am - by rights - condemned forever, but gave Himself as a ransom for me? More food for thought from Hebrews 4:14-16...

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

I think many of us can understand that God would be a righteous judge against ungodliness, that He has wrath against sin, that He wields great power, and that He is holy. But I hope I’m not alone in finding His closeness to the downtrodden, the fallen, and the broken as being really hard to wrap my mind around!

This is a deeply practical problem. You can’t divorce theological conviction from how you live your daily life. Finding Christ’s meekness a difficult concept to absorb, I sometimes lean toward an imbalanced life. Without meditating enough on Christ’s mercy and sympathy to the struggles of a wicked man like myself, I gravitate more toward what I believe I do understand: my wretchedness.

What do you get when you have a believer who understands that he is a sinner deserving of eternal judgement but struggles to accept that he is a recipient of mercy? Though his heart yearns for Christ and His righteousness, a lie makes the honest truths seem beyond reach. The lie is: your redemption is insignificant.

A heart in this condition is divided. The honest hope of this man is truly in Christ, and his salvation has been secured already by the grace of God. But a pernicious untruth has craned the neck of this believer to look inward at the remaining filthiness of sin and to believe this to be the most accurate representation of his state. The Spirit-led part of his heart hopes for the Kingdom of God, but - since his focus has been on the irredeemable sin of his flesh - he has been convinced that the honest hopes of his heart are actually born of self-deception. It is a confusion of the highest order, one that prevents a Christian from living out his true calling with his undivided attention - and a confusion with which I am well-acquainted.

In short, instead of believing that I am a child of God by grace, a fallen part of me condemns me as if I was not. So, in my weaker moments, my heart resorts to an unholy compromise: that perhaps I am welcome in the house of God, but only as a dog. I may be in the dining room, but I only lay on the floor and eat the crumbs from the table while others more worthy garner God’s more rapt attention.

Matthew 15:24-28 says...

“He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ And He answered, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ She said ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.”

There’s a theme there that I grabbed onto a long time ago. I knew that I had been bought with a price, the Lord wouldn’t let me forget that. But my heart refused to unfocus from my sinful nature. It instead used this passage in Matthew and keep me where I didn’t belong. The mistake in my thinking was that Christ redeemed me who was dead in my trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) and made me a dog - a second rate, quasi-Christian. For the hopeless, going from being dead to being a dog isn’t that bad of a deal. Unless you know better, it’s a great deal. From being cast into outer darkness to at least being in your gracious masters’ dining room is a worthy trade! Everyone knows, however, a dog has no share in the inheritance of the master's children.

But this falls short of what the Bible teaches. To settle for being a dog is a tragedy when, in reality, you’ve been adopted as a son or daughter! The obsession with relegating oneself to the station of a cur is to, in reality, choose to disbelieve the promises of God. It is a tacit allegation of dishonesty on God’s part - saying that He is either not that mighty to save or that your sin makes you an exception to the redemptive rule. This is faithlessness hidden under the veil of fake piety.

Consider the following:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  Luke 19:10

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”  Romans 8:1-2

But most importantly, this:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:31-39

To say to your own soul that the best God did for you was to bring you from death to a grudgingly-awarded spot on the floor in His general vicinity (with the unspoken threat of expulsion for the slightest mistake) is to do violence to His mighty ability to bring about your salvation (Zeph. 3:17). Why does my heart insist on its own harm by attempting to shackle God’s redemptive work?

One of the greatest resources I’ve encountered lately in dealing with this struggle is found in The Bruised Reed, by the Puritan Richard Sibbes. A great quote here:

“If Christ should not be merciful to our weaknesses, He should not have a people to serve Him. Suppose therefore we are very weak, yet so long as we are not found amongst malicious opposers and underminers of God’s truth, let us not give way to despairing thoughts; we have a merciful Saviour.” (pg. 58)

Even to those who are in Christ but find themselves in sin - as we do all too often - there is hope. Sibbes continues:

“What course shall such take to recover their peace? They must condemn themselves sharply, and yet cast themselves upon God’s mercy in Christ, as at their first conversion. And now they must embrace Christ the more firmly, as they see more need in themselves; and let them remember the mildness of Christ here, that He will not quench the smoking flax.” (pg. 60)

Through these struggles, I have learned some things:

Christ is indeed lowly enough in heart so as to understand our weakness and not despise it.

The redemption that true believers find in Him is no lie, it is not done by half measures - since it is with the death and resurrection of Christ’s whole body that we have been purchased. Thus, the redemption is total, to be fully seen in due time.

To doubt one’s standing with God after being redeemed by Christ is to accuse Him of being less than He is. Do you believe Him to be an effective Savior? Then you must trust that He is qualified to save!

When a sinner is saved by grace, it is to no small and insignificant station. Consider the following:

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”  Romans 8:15-17

Where, then, is there room for God’s children to act as though they are just dogs at the dining room table?

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #311

“somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that i had in february of last year.”

What is something that is so awful it gives you pain in your teeth? Extremely sweet and/or cold treats. What is something you would like to teach someone? I love educating people about meerkats, snakes, tarantulas, opossums... lots of animals. What is something people tend to come to you about? For me to take pictures for them. What is something you would be willing to gamble? I don't mess with that. What's something you're absolutely 100% sure about yourself? Uhhh that I really like creating things and just being artistic. How often do you self-reflect? Probably too much, really. When was the last time you realized that you were the problem, if ever? I feel like a problem now, still living with and financially depending on my mom. If applicable, what's the furthest you've traveled because of a hobby? Ha, Mom and I got lost driving one day looking for roadkill for me to photograph (that will always feel weird saying) and wound up pretty far north from home, kinda close to Virginia. It was a fun afternoon/evening. What are some sights around the world you would like to see some day? I'm honestly not crazy about pursuing ancient architecture, but I'd take the opportunity for some if I could, especially in Egypt. OH! Venice would be cool, and whatever that city is with the umbrella "ceiling" layer outside. Do you have souvenirs from other countries? If so, what and from where? No. Apart from sleeping, name something you enjoy doing in bed: Sit on my laptop or read. Do you believe in ghosts? Yeah, or at least something of the sort. Do you stay friends with your exes? Girt and I are close friends, while the others I don't have contact with. Not because we're on bad terms (I may be w/ Jason, but I think our last meeting was freeing for both of us and distilled any remaining tension), we just don't talk. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? Pretty sure no, I'd crash. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? One or two. Do you hate the person you fell hardest for? No. How many pregnant people do you know? Good Lord, a lot. People are bored in quarantine apparently lmao. Who was the last person to play with your hair? Myself, outta boredom, kinda just twirling it. Have you ever seen the inside of a computer? Yeah. ^If yes, can you name any of the components? I could probably identify the motherboard. If you could get a new phone right now, would you/which kind? I would. Idk what kind, though; I'm not very familiar with what's up-to-date. Have you ever cut your own hair? No. If you had the chance, would you start your life entirely over? No. How old is the eldest member of your family? I don't know really, given both pairs of my grandparents are dead. Probably some aunt or uncle on Mom's side. I don't remember their birth order. Do you drink the milk from the bowl after you eat all the cereal? No, it grosses me out for whatever reason. UNLESS it's after a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, then I'll drink it. Do you know anybody who has had an online relationship? Yeah, me, and some others. One thing that your guy best friend doesn't like about you: He's never told me about something he doesn't like, so I can't speak for him. How about your girl best friend? Ummm you'd have to ask her, too. Do you loan your friends money? *recites the usual financial woe story* Are you taller than your siblings? No. Do you have “photoshoots” with your friends/family members? Definitely not regularly by any means. Are you generous? If you ignore monetary generosity for obvious reasons, I think I am in other ways. Are you afraid of lizards? No no no, I love those tiny lil dinosaur boiz and gorls!!!!! :''') Ahhh, I want a tegu especially one day. How legible is your signature? It's perfectly legible, imo. How hot are your neighbors? I don't even know my neighbors. Well, Mom's spoken to the woman to our left more than once if they were both outside, but I know she's an older woman whose appearance I never really noted, but regardless, I know I wasn't attracted to her. Do you play Pokemon Go? If so, what level are you and who's your buddy? Yeah, I can finally play it regularly since they began offering a daily box with a few items in it, like the balls. I'm not checking, but I think I'm like... around 23? My buddy is Charmeleon because I love love loooove that evolution line and absolutely want a Charizard ASAP. :') What's the most daring thing you have ever done? I guess that would be the story about how I challenged my rather intense fear of fair rides that can trouble the stomach by going on whatever the thing's called where you slowly go very high up and then drop down abruptly. Yeah yeah yeah, I was safe the whole time, but it was daring by my standards, haha. Have you ever thought about getting your nose pierced? It's been pierced twice already; the first time it closed while I was in the psych hospital and had to take it out, and the second one I just gave up with it after I kept losing them in my sleep and they just fell into the fucking void or something because I could never find them come morning. I eventually had none left to replace those I'd lost. And yes, I wore the curved types, they still just came out somehow???? Probably didn't help that I sleep like, ON my face sometimes, but... lol. I've been thinking of doing it one more time, but this time with a hoop ring. Nostril piercings are just really cute to me. Has someone of the opposite sex ever told you that you were sexy? Somehow. Are you friends with your best friend’s boyfriend or girlfriend? She's single. Do you have tan lines? HA. Absolutely not. Not even in the summer. Have you ever kissed anyone with a lip piercing? Yeah, he had snake bites. Has anyone told you they were in love with you? Yeah. Have you ever seen a bald eagle in person? Yes. Have you ever been vomited on? What about in vice versa? Oh my fucking god no, don't even make me imagine it. What is one family member you wish you were closer to? My sisters. When and where did you lose your virginity? Since then, what was the longest time you've ever gone without sex? I dunno, his bed or mine when I was maybe like 16 or 17. Been many years. What is your biggest fear about making a total commitment to someone? That I'll experience heartbreak again. Do you think that your life is exciting enough to be made into a movie? Do you think anybody would actually enjoy it if it were a movie? lol fuuuuck no If you were the opposite sex, would you be attracted to you? I don't know? If I was a different person, I'd obviously have unique tastes, too. Have you ever walked around your house naked? Oh no, I'm way too uncomf for that. Do you prefer profile pictures of you by yourself or with someone else? Me by myself. Did it bother you to find out that Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Toothfairy were not real? Not really, no. I'd been suspicious about it for a long time anyway. Is there a food that you only recently started to like? If so, what is it and when did you start liking it? How often do you try again foods you don't like to see if your tastes have changed? Hm... I'm unsure about "recently." I'm not very adventurous with food at all, so the answer for the last part is not often at all. Who would you NOT want to read the surveys you've posted on here? What would most likely happen if they did read it? Is there anyone you actually wish would read your survey answers but doesn't? Probably my therapist lmaoo. It'd spark some concern, especially regarding my PTSD, for him to be able to see "wow, she is deeply scarred." I don't really "wish" anyone else would read them, other than the occasional answer I wish He Who Shall Not Be Named could hear. Do you watch Glee? If so, which song do you want to hear on there that they have not yet done? If not, which TV show do you think has the best soundtrack? I don't watch it. The answer is obviously Supernatural, like good good shit right thar. Do you think you would be able to pull off a crime perfectly, without being caught? What about other lies? For example, cheating on your partner without getting caught? Would you be able to get away with it? Ha, hell no. I'm way too clumsy in more ways than physical and would overlook so many details. And I wouldn't WANT to get away with cheating on my partner, thanks. Do you know anyone who has divorced and remarried the same person? What do you/would you think of someone who does that? I don't think I do, and it's not really my business, but I'd have silent doubts, probably, depending on why they split. Do you say goodnight to anybody before you go to bed? If so, does it feel weird if you go to bed without saying it to them? I say goodnight to my snake Venus; even if she's in her hide, I say it when I walk past her terrarium. It probably wouldn't feel weird not to, but I want to, even though she can't even hear me lmao. How do you react when you're scared? Do you scream, jump, cover your eyes, etc.? I am VERY jumpy, tend to gasp easily, and sometimes scream if I'm seriously scared. Who is the best storyteller you know? What do you find best about their storytelling? Is there an interesting story of theirs you'd like to share? I don't know. Do you strongly dislike (or even hate) any bands or musical artists? If so, what caused such a strong negative emotion towards them? Not for purely their music, that's just stupid, but I could certainly dislike artists for what they do as people. For example, I haven't looked into it whatsoever, so it could be a load of bull, but I know Manson recently had some sexual misconduct or assault allegations rise against him, and honestly, I'd believe it. He's one of my favorite artists (emphasis on the "art"), but definitely not high on my list of favorite people and keeps doing things that are making me lose more and more respect for him. Then there's Otep... again, one of my favorite musical artists. I agree with a good handful of her values, but she is nevertheless an absolute holier-than-thou, intolerant bitch. I don't like her as a person. Do your parents have any collections? If so, what do you think of those collections? Dad collects Cleveland Browns and Carolina Hurricanes stuff; it's all over his "mancave." I don't have an opinion on them. Do you have a favourite role of Johnny Depp's? If you don't like him, what is your favourite role of an actor you like? I'm not familiar enough with all his acting roles for this, but I know he's incredibly good at what he does. If you were in a competition to win your dream prize, and you were allowed to decide what the competition would be (trivia about your favourite band, a foot race, singing, etc.) , what would you choose and why? Uhhhh maybe facts about meerkats? Reason being it's something I'm honestly very knowledgeable about. What is your least favourite thing about the English language? Are there any other languages you prefer besides English? It breaks its own "rules" ALL the time. If I was fluent in German, then I might actually prefer it. There are many parts to the German language that make it very precise and clear what and whom you are addressing (ex., there are two different "you"s for singular and plural usage); the only real downside I see to German is the sentence structure is odd, but then again, I mean, it does encourage active listening to get all the parts of a sentence you need to understand what is being said. Would you be upset if a long-term partner confessed that they had committed a serious crime before you met? How do you think it would affect your relationship? Hm. I guess it would depend on the crime? I sure wouldn't be happy hearing they committed an as you said serious crime, but I'd have to consider if there were other red flags for danger going on, again, if it wasn't massive in my eyes. Do you enjoy watching the special features found on most DVDs? What do you usually enjoy more: the deleted scenes, the bloopers, the audio commentary, or the behind-the-scenes footage? I have to be seriously into whatever I'm watching to explore these. I do love me some bloopers, though. Was there something you were afraid of as a child that just seems silly to you now? I had that usual "monster (or in my case, skeleton) in the closet" fear. Have you ever had a crush but then found out he’s gay? Almost positive my puppydog-love middle school bf actually is gay. I also had a crush on a closeted gay guy for a little bit that same school year. Nowadays he is so open about his sexuality and even does drag, and he's great at it! It's wonderful seeing how far he's come in his confidence. Would you ever be a porn star? What'd your name be? Oh no, hunny. Does blood make you squeamish? No. What's your favorite Pokemon? Ninetales. <3 I also have a very soft spot for Charmander, though. What was the last event to cause you any sort of heartache? My older sister got in a wreck yesterday because some impatient bitch ran a red light. She's fine but did break her clavicle and is going to be using a sling for probably a few months. It was definitely upsetting to hear about. What do you do when you like someone? I tend to get very shy around them, more than I naturally am, and smile a lot. I try to stay in contact with the person, and it's maybe a 60/40 chance I'll wait for them to make the move versus me, but I've done it. Do you mind if people just show up at your house unannounced? YEAH. Especially as someone who needs to mentally prepare for company, don't do this. Do you enjoy rain? To a degree. If it hangs around too long, it affects my depression. I LOVE going to sleep to rain pattering on the window, though. You love Jesus, yes? I don't believe he was a bad person; quite the opposite, actually, but I don't "love" him. I won't go too deep into why just because I'm not in the mood to offend people today lmao. Who’s your favorite person in the whole world? My mom. She's my rock. How many different beverages have you had in the last 24 hours? Just water and Mountain Lightning (a Mountain Dew ripoff for us poor folk, haha). Oh wait, I did have a meal replacement shake for lunch yesterday, I think? Or that might have been the day before... How many brothers does your father have? None, unless I've seriously forgotten him having one. He only has a sister, to my knowledge. What kind of camera do you use? I have a Canon EOS Rebel T6. If you could change you name, what would you change it to? I wouldn't. 25 years with a name I quite like has worked out fine. What was the last song you listened to in the car? Uhhh it was "Drugs" by Mother Mother, I think. Are you the youngest, oldest, middle, or only child? I'm the middle child between my parents. What's the best thing about the place you currently live? Hm. I would say for practicality's sake that we're very close to pretty much everything, but seeing as I enjoy long car rides... With that in mind, I'd say who our landlord is. She's a very close family friend who is very understanding of our financial position, so pretty forgiving with some things. Do you eat breakfast daily? Yessss, I need breakfast to start my day off. Can you hear anyone talking right now? No, just singing. I'm listening to Motionless In White's cover of "Somebody Told Me" by The Killers. What's your favorite flavor of ramen? I solely enjoy the spicy pork bowl by Yakisoba. I've never had another I've liked. I lived off that shit in the apartment. I guess what they say about college kids is true, haha. Never realized that. When was the last time you had a bowl of soup? What flavor? Back when I got my snake eyes tongue piercing, I tried vegetable soup only to find I didn't like it anymore. Do you have any tinned foods in your cupboard at the moment? Yeah, lots. I couldn't name 'em all, besides like, diced pineapple, corn, and beans. We always have those. What was the last food item that you tried for the first time? On Thanksgiving, I was actually brave with food for once and tried that sweet potato dish that's topped with marshmallow, and it was okay. I never liked sweet potato before, and while I couldn't eat a lot of it, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Does anyone in your family have green eyes? No. What was the name of your first ever pet? I was born into my family with a beautiful collie named Trigger, but I have zero recollection of her because she passed away from old age when I was very young. My first personal pet was either my guinea pig Squeak or Chinese water dragon Shadow (no, I have no idea why I named a green lizard that); I can't remember who came first. I adored them both. I feel so bad looking back though, I was so uninformed on how to properly care for a water dragon that she (or he, we were never sure) was, as far as correct husbandry goes, horribly taken care of and stunted from having a tank too small. I consider myself lucky she seemed to really trust me and loved being held, even sleeping on me, and she did live out her full lifespan. I was lucky; please, please, never adopt a reptile until you are properly educated on their unique care. Where was the last place you went out for lunch? What did you order? Mom bought me McDonald's a few days back because I was really craving it. I had a double cheeseburger and for once large fries, because that's what I was seriously wanting. I usually get small or medium. Where was the last place you went for an evening meal? What did you order? I feel bad and selfish for breaking my own "stay the fuck home but for emergencies" rule, but my mom, one of my sisters, and I went out to the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday. I think I ate a chicken sandwich with Chipotle sauce? I actually don't remember for sure. I do however remember the cheesecake I got: some cinnamon swirl one that was fucking glorious. Oh yeah, and we had an appetizer of these pretzel ball things dipped in fondue. I ate waaaay too much, but it was a special occasion, so whatever. Have you Googled anything today? What? I ensured I spelled "clavicle" correctly. Yaaaay, I did. What do you like to eat for breakfast these days? Special K cereal, a sandwich, sometimes those pancake & sausage on a stick things I mentioned at some point in the last survey I think, or a Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl. Maybe other stuff I'm just not thinking of. Is anyone in your family a nurse? No, but I have family in the medical field. Do you like to wear lipstick? What colors do you think suit you best? Not really, no, but I will sometimes for pictures. It smudges too easily yet is also hard and annoying to get off. I only really wear black. Who was the last person to recommend a book to you? My therapist recommended a book for the whole PHP group, but I can't remember what it was. Something self-care related. Who was the last person to tease or joke around with you, in a friendly way? I wouldn't be surprised if it was Tobey, the "family friend" I mention a lot. She probably said something technically rude that she thought was an appropriate joke. Is there a jar of peanut butter in your house? Yeah, always. Does anyone you know own a tabby cat? How about a cocker spaniel? Tabbies are very common, so yes. I don't think I know anyone with a pure cocker spaniel, but my late dog's mother was one. Do you have blinds or curtains in your bedroom? What colour are they? I have those slanted blinds that you can close by pushing them upwards or downwards with a stick thing. They're white. What was the last beverage you tried for the first time? Some form of juice I wasn't a fan of. Orange and peach, I think? Who was the last person that said you were beautiful? I think a friend on Facebook when I changed my profile picture. Is/are your pet(s) fixed? My cat is neutered, but obviously my ball python isn't. Roman would mark the house like crazy before we got him fixed... but even if he didn't, we still would have done it. Please make spaying/neutering your cats and dogs a financial investment priority. If you do the research, you would marvel over the "damage" especially one fertile cat can cause. Hell, my childhood experience with cats is enough proof of that.

[tabellae-rex-in-sui]

Have you read Nemeth's book? What did you think about it? I'm always a tad wary of psychoanalyzing historical characters, both because of the methods of psychoanalysis itself, but also because of the distance between ourselves and the subject.

Yeah I read it. I'm with you on the iffiness of psychoanalyzing people who are long-dead. I won't completely write off the book; it has some different perspectives that I wouldn't have considered—for example, he suggests that Voltaire had hypomania which I always thought was an interesting and plausible theory. There are some parts that I disagree with though, a lot actually (and I don't have the book with me atm so I'm going off of what I remember and some notes and pictures I have).

Nemeth spends a lot of time trying to decipher a childhood trauma Voltaire must have had to explain his behavior as an adult. Nemeth focuses on the strained relationship with his father to create a Freudian explanation which is fine, different readings, different interpretations. But he pretty quickly dismisses Voltaire's claim of sexual assault as a child—and there are reasons one can give for dismissing it, but he doesn't give any reasons? He just quickly and without giving justification denies it could have happened and then dedicates chapter after chapter to finding out what could have possibly been this mysterious childhood trauma Voltaire endured?? I mean...

Throughout the whole book, Nemeth also heavily dissects Voltaire's sex life, or lack therefore of, again citing the troubled relationship with his father as the reason for Voltaire's low sex drive and seemed avoidence of sex. Again, yes, I'm sure his relationship with his father affected his adult life... but when someone shows discomfort with sex and alleges to have been "buggered to such a degree that I shall never get over it as long as I live" how can you not at least entertain the possibility that there's a cause and effect there? He also ignores the possibility of romance or attraction without sex? It's very strange. For example he acknowledges that Voltaire had a lot of gay/bi male friends and acknowledges that some have speculated that Voltaire may have been bi. But he uses Voltaire's disinterest in sex to reject this possiblity:

As if he couldn't possibly be attracted to men or have had relationships with them because he didn't like sex. ...but he still was attracted to women.. somehow? By this logic, that shouldn't be the case?

On the subject of possible bisexuality, he also claims Voltaire couldn't be bisexual because it wouldn't have fit his public persona.... Okay? That's... Not how that works. And he couldn't have had an affair with Frederick because Voltaire valued his liberty too much and wouldn't be with someone that domineering. ...Are we ignoring when Émilie would keep his writing under lock and key? Or how she would go through his mail? Or how they got in an argument because she demanded he change his coat? Also, yeah Voltaire and Frederick didn't exactly work out.

Also some of the things he says are undeniable just wrong. He claims Voltaire lived in the room below Fritz's at Sans Souci?? Sans Souci is famously one story!

Anyway I'm gonna cut myself off here before this gets too long. Clearly I have problems with the book. Also I think psychoanalysis (in general and in relation to historical figures) relies too heavily on Freud and forcing in his theories when there's more out there to consider. And yeah, I know he's the Father of Psychoanalysis, but I mean the science has got to evolve right? We're still treating his word like gospel on the subject. Lavoisier, Father of Chemistry, once said all acids contained oxygen, that doesn't mean chemists today still believe that when we know hydrochloric acid can burn holes in your lungs...

[rwmhunt]

Leviticus, Chapter 20

1. Are likely bullet holes; When his foot slipped, he sank, Said “but, it is easier To be sublimely unintelle- than It is to be compreha- atleast, Through this runcible ordure”. The which, in real time, Being commuted to scripture, Was the while in no wise elucidated, Except for the retort with which he rejoinded- “Explain yourself!”

2. Stiffed, moreover, by a soft Drink in the impact Lounge, eye shuddered sojourns So that the ball might flop into the sinus Of the brooding ground As stone stones fall at my back; Don’t break, weak fools.

3. For reasons personal As unto myself, I shall set my face against he Who grunts his seed to Molok, And shall cut him right off Dare he offer up excuses, As they pertain unto my holy name Along inabilities to reliably distinguish True memories from the digital Thence, rejigger their theories By a biometric magneto-debathification.

4. Here, the perceived Level of personal threat Needst be of increase Against a complacence, And by use of a hard-hitting Form of emotional messaging; So let clemency be a no-no. Kill; kill and provide not Comfort nor aide To the enemy thereunto.

5. Face set cut a hole off All who followed my pillow and me. Some, turning to the camera, Pulled masks over; Most didn’t bother. Me, me, my sunglasses Who made for a false invisibility cloak- An allowance for the human Of burning flesh To set beneath the sun; The house will be in order.

6. By Molok, by dybbuk,   Turneth to ghosts,   Tearing through familiar spirits- I am the way an element will jump up, Unread, from the line below, like Tungsten, parallax, the zeitgeist. These shall be your familiars, And you be stuck with them.

7. Keep me thy sanctity; This is uncertain on a really intense scale. Where staple news hath held the civil veneer, And it’s a long way to Trimorphic Protennoia, Yet god loves his cowboys So betimes, doth make employ of them   As to other things unto himself; See sedition and insurrection, which are Tossed insults across the upper midwest, Turning further, Unthinkably left; The house will come to order.

8.There are many gods unto themselves But you can’t sustain; I was once this other thing, And I’m doubting that is going to happen, Yet keep ye my statutes, And to the west be the property of Marduk.

9. Then afflict my people Through specific vulnerabilities   Of their own creation As they would have unto their elders By means of relations And with the environment, With foreign species,   And with each other. Curses, curses, Skyrocket downward, Defeated victoriously- If we are not prepared to fight, Then a fear-epidemic can.

10. Strick, tryst, Everyone dies Entropy-loss, From effort to heat, Heat-chaos, Chaos-destruction, Destruction-peace.

11. Uncover eyes of thy father as if You uncover my wife- By persuasion, see I A perceived threat, where A substantial number Feel quite sufficiently reassured By levels of concern, Having a good heave-ho about them And an understanding of risque; Death swipe the both of you.

12. Take not the wife You left your son to; O, Wait, what’ve you done? Behold; an exerted control- To do what you cannot, Seek elements of a naiveté Or credulity; but Your blood is upon you.

13. Abomination, so death, Lover of mankind, The blood is always mine. The impact is experienced Throughout the body, says she, because   When my people perceive a threat,   Abstract or actual, They activate cortisol, So let be the biological stress response Whence glucose is mobilized And the immune system triggered; Levels of inflammation are increasing Which is affecting the function of the brain,   Mark; - you are more sensitive to threats, Less receptive to reward.

14. Bring along your mother Go up through fire- Wickedness Whence comes from the Latin For “with” and “touch”;   While the street was burning i chanted An Argument from Silence

15. Of a beast lain on the alter   You shall not Know- Hearsay doth serve you as a first hand   For evidence of a belief,   But shall not attest proof   Unto that which Such beliefs portaineth to.

16. Nor her- The replaced reporter   With a mental instability who hallucinates; The apple of the eyewitness testimony Rests in the unreliability of human memory So make sacrifice of high standards; Lo, but hang;   For I neglect that I am not that interested in truth-telling.

17. Keep not your familiar spirits   In naked perpetuity, O You, incorrigible witness.   Let the train gaineth traction   O'er such a horrid body of evidence; The old “social dances”;   See, Terpsichore Maras-Lindeman,   It’s not good and you know it-  

18. If you go menstrual   Then there hath opened forth to you   A fountain of shame,   And the blood shall be cut from the people,   Lo, but hearsay, here goes Gambling against pornography’s outcomes-   So, humans are expressions,   But woman is form. Hm.  

19. Your aunts are agony, And recounteth   How old Miriam hath called, saying Her nephews had unto her a-visiting come, Usurping her of all such meats and monies As belongeth unto her personage, So that she had not had since Monday, Whence we delivered unto her a parcel And from her eyes there felleth tears, But you, incredible witness, How in the world can facts be obtained   From such non-clusive evidence? You needst bear an earthen iniquity.

20. Concubines are porcupines For others- be barren with you, Kenosha- Who was unready; For the worst hearsayer of all Is of a kind which comes corroborating   Out from delusion, And should you be accused of that which you have not done, Then just laugh at it and inculcate yourself further. For the world is a dowery toward your least resistance.

21. Go filial it’s all too much; Anything companied to the bowels In support of an assertion counts as evidence, As such, tender mercies, Your line is ceased.

22. Whence the land shall vomit you forth, Cannon fodder, And shouldst thou cross my rubicons; Your blood be cheaper than the water Which slips below it, And sacrifices for justice and accountability   Prove merely a nuisance.

23. And give a fuck For your colonialist appropriation- Once implanted, imagination Can become inflated, Creating false arbitrage. Those displaced were up to all kinds, I hate them.

24. And milk and honey Shall flow from their land As you shall see no good in them, For as with a supremacy have I blinded you.

25. And the ground which ye shall own, As teameth with unclean things Of a higher level of certainty   (i.e., as probables),   Shouldst remain, if credulous (only possibles, or),   On the bases of an otherwise Convincing argument   Against such teaming origins, Be downgraded (to impossible) As a lesser degree of certainty (than improbable), And in falsity, all shall be unclean.

26. And you shall be mine; Cede to me,  shouldst you be logically Compelled to withhold belief From nine-tenths of so-called Historetical facts about which You have really no doubt at all, But on the contrarie, cede, and,

27. Did I tell you the one about the wizard? Hearsay, you, the more unreliable spy Than my eyewitness’s can account for, Because you at least doubleth The reassurance of testimony, So to see yourself at the centre of it; A huge ego, Loving to create stories; You think you yourself very unique. False allegations have you committed, Casting the fallacy of the excluded middle fallacy By taking a psychologist hostage. Mutually, you aid selfish   And de rigueur people As are those which often take power,   Because I have created   Systems of reward that Exemplify how, sometimes,   A culture might falter, fail; Pick out the wrong hero.   If you can see yourself as very unique,   Then you are.

[brokenjardaantech]

rk1700 december day 1: meeting

written for @rk1700december​. day 1: meeting.

note: set in the same universe as this, this, and this and therefore is a crossover with mass effect, although no knowledge on the game is required to understand what is going on. subsequent prompts will be in this universe unless otherwise specified.

female connor is called rhea, rk900 is called cronos

warning: swearing

also on ao3

----

‘I don’t give a shit, I’m a director of a research facility under construction, not a fucking babysitter!’

The walls may be made to be sound-proof, but nothing escapes Cronos’ enhanced ears, and he is quite certain that Anchor knows it as well and hence the shouting. Sure, she is hard to read at times, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t find a few patterns or repetitive behaviour that allows him to better predict her wishes: that’s why he knows that she wants him on her side.

He taps into the audio just in time for the person on the other side of the call to respond. ‘There is no place in the solar system better suited than the dig site,’ the voice says. Cronos recognises it; it is from the Administrator. He has never met her in person before, but according to Anchor, the Administrator built and created him. ‘The shuttle is en route. ETA eighteen minutes.’

‘Motherf -’

The line is cut off before Anchor finishes cursing the daylight out of her boss, or at least, who Chronos thinks is Anchor’s boss - from the gossip passed around the facility, the relationship between the Administrator and all the members in the Council are… complicated. Much more muddy than the ranked structure of the people they are in charge of. Cronos hasn’t met anyone else other than Anchor yet, and if he has, they decided to hide their identity from him which, given the Council’s alleged preference towards being in the field themselves (Anchor is a good example), is quite reasonable. 

He backs off from the door he pressed himself against just in time for it to slide open and the human to storm out. ‘Overbearing arsehole,’ he hears her mutter under her breath, but her tone is neutral when she speaks to him. ‘You heard it?’ He nods. ‘Good. Last time I checked they aren’t expecting a storm in a few hours, so if you don’t mind the dust, you might as well go out like this.’

That is a huge assumption. ‘You want me to be there when the shuttle arrives?’

Anchor jerks her head towards the direction she wants them to be heading towards and they walk down the hallway in long, brisk strides. ‘The Administrator thinks it doesn’t matter, but given that the androids she’s dropping off into our care is your predecessor? Better give you - both of you - a heads-up at the very beginning than letting the Administrator have her borderline unethical way.’

‘Unethical?’

‘Yeah, listen,’ she stops in front of the door leading to another hallway. ‘We’ve got only eighteen minutes right now so I’m going to suit up and propel myself towards the eastern landing pad. The Administrator’s new project is your predecessor so she’ll look like you, but don’t take what you can do for granted.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Can’t explain it in detail ‘cause even I am not exactly sure what she did but… The Administrator heavily modified your counterpart. From the data she sent me, Rhea - that’s her name - is very different from who you are. Just be considerate, okay?’

He can do considerate but… ‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

Anchor gives his shoulder a heavy pat. ‘Same here, so let’s do all we can to make Rhea comfortable here, alright?’ 

Cronos finds himself smiling as he nods, and he proceeds towards the airlock leading to the landing pad where he changes into some public gear: he doesn’t want to get dust in the seams of his chassis, thank you very much. But he does leave the helmet in the locker because it gives him another HUD in addition to the one he already has in his vision.

He hears the rumble of the element zero core and the significantly quieter but sharper hiss of the thrusters before Anchor arrives suited up in her underarmour except for her helmet which she is holding in her hand, and she exchanges it for one of the public helmets in the sanitised locker. ‘Don’t wanna scare your predecessor,’ she explains as she puts on her new headgear. ‘A helmet with only a visor isn’t exactly the most welcoming sight.’

‘I’m sure she will understand your position.’

The human gives him an ironic smile through the tinted glass. ‘Let’s see for ourselves, shall we?’

Her omni-tool lights up and the airlock depressurises with a hiss. When he looks up, the blue of the Kodiak is sharp against the backdrop of the red hue of the sky. It lands smoothly, the directional thrusters stirring up the dust on the landing pad, but Cronos finds himself not caring at all. 

The door opens. A shivering figure that looks like his twin but yet different at the same time steps out with a wobbly step, and he dashes forward to help Rhea steady her feet and nearly gets distracted from the abnormalities his scans pick up: questionable amendments, lower-than-optimal internal temperature, insufficient thirium, while androids in the RK series should not be modified easily, is able to regulate their own temperature, and thirium efficiency is high. He starts to dislike the Administrator despite not having met her once.

‘Hello,’ he greets his modified predecessor. He presses a kiss on the back of Rhea’s hand just for show, and it seems to be something nice to do. ‘My name is Cronos. Welcome to Mars.’

He straightens up. Rhea blinks once, twice, thrice and looks down at their joined hands. Her lips tremble, her eyes water, and she looks like she has something to say but can’t. Noting that she is still shivering, Cronos holds her other hand as well and offers without consulting Anchor, ‘Let’s get you inside so that you can get warmer, shall we?’

He looks up at the human to seek approval. Anchor nods, but her expression is disturbed. ‘Bring her to the visitor’s quarters,’ she orders. ‘Get her warm, give her a change of clothes, and I want a report on what you can find about her later. Understand?’

He gives Rhea’s hand a tug to lead her inside the airlock. ‘Understood. And you?’

The door slides shut behind them and starts hissing. 

‘A very thorough talk with the Administrator.’

[greatatmakingmemes]

Wooden Overcoats: S2 Ep4 - The Sweet, Sweet Taste of Death

“Help me carry this.”

“You can’t sleep on that, sir.”

“I’m scared of the internet.”

“I don’t want to be seen with you ever again.”

“It’s standard practice to haggle on price.”

“By the fifth time she burst into tears, it began to feel cruel.”

“But she paid me to go away and leave me alone, that’s quite a result.”

“It took you 300 minutes to buy one bunch of flowers that were alive when we started out and dead by the time we left!”

“It was a counterproductive waste of time!”

“All we’ve got now are some very dead flowers and a lifetime ban from the market!”

“I cannot work like this…”

“Where’s the beauty? Where’s the feeling?”

“Why don’t you go and marry [name]?”

“I don’t eat chocolate. It makes me hyperventilate.”

“You just spent company funds!”

“Nobody ever makes money being creative!”

“Do we have any customers?”

“I can spell!”

“You mean, I’ve actually won something?”

“I have to say you’re a genius!”

“Children love to plan ahead.”

“He does have an action figure.”

“I stick pins in it.”

“Why are you attacking the telephone?”

“The sun’s come out!”

“I’m proud to say I shall be selling myself!”

“I’d like a shirley temple.” 

“These are divine!”

“Somebody once told me you sleep in there.”

“It’s not a contest.”

“What a day to be alive!”

“I didn’t even know this place had any shadows!”

“The nitty-gritty or the tutti-frutti, if you will.”

“I want to give them a taste of death.”

“Well, that’s grim.”

“You don’t ask for much, do you?”

“Your idea, it’s really…”

“I think there are easier ways to meet women.”

“Look! I finally made something I can be proud of without you to get in the way!”

“[Name] has you in a headlock.”

“I like it down here, it’s my favorite floor!”

“The things people get up to behind closed doors!”

“I am already overjoyed!”

“You are a force to be reckoned with.”

“The hoodlums have been tripping on butterscotch and I want to give them a stern talking to.”

“By the way, they’ve got quite the kick.”

“Okay, the head kept rolling off so I put it in the sink.”

“If I’m not there pronto, he’ll spend all his money on crisps.”

“It is utterly, utterly dreadful!”

“I will put the severed head inside your bed!”

“Please stop shaking. You’ll be stared at.”

“Don’t scare the reverend.”

“I’ll have to get him a mustache comb instead.” 

“Why don’t I handle the retail?”

“Did you know that a sheep can understand a ‘baa’ in any language?”

“What is a conflict of interest?”

“It’s like there’s an invitation in my mouth and everybody’s partying.”

“Curiosity should make you keep going.”

“[Name], he’s choking!”

“His face has gone purple!”

“I killed him!”

“The coast is not clear!”

“That’s the sort of thing you shouldn’t say to a police officer!”

“We’re all naked!”

“Not long ago, your brother was thrown into prison on less evidence than this, he was nearly torn apart by an angry mob, and she started it!”

“I don’t want to go to prison for life.”

“[Name], we need to hide the body.”

“If you went to prison for the rest of your life, it’d be a stupid waste.”

“I’m not dragging a body all the way into the beach and not hiding it!”

“What a happy surprise!”

“Independent cinema isn’t as lucrative as it used to be.”

“I’ve killed a man.”

“You want to let the island know who you really are.”

“I’ve created a cursed chocolate.”

“Just rotten luck. That’s all it is.”

“Personally, I don’t like them, but I try to encourage her.”

“I was standing outside in the nude for twenty minutes.”

“You’ve made a deeply serious allegation against yourself.”

“You’ll be on the front page tomorrow and you won’t like it.”

“You’re a bloody menace!”

“I just wanted to do something beautiful!”

“I wouldn’t give these to my worst enemy!”

“The truth is an acquired taste.”

“My stomach’s on fire.”

[kalakian]

Mahirap maging Pilipina, ngunit masarap sa pakiramdam na sa panahon ni Rizal, itinuring n’yang kapantay ng kalalakihan ang kababaihan. Malinaw ito sa kanyang sulat para sa kababaihan ng Malolos.

To the Young Women of Malolos

by José Rizal

When I wrote Noli Me Tangere, I asked myself whether bravery was a common thing in the young women of our people.  I brought back to my recollection and reviewed those I had known since my infancy, but there were only few who seem to come up to my ideal.  There was, it is true, an abundance of girls with agreeable manners, beautiful ways, and modest demeanor, but there was in all an admixture of servitude and deference to the words or whims of their so-called "spiritual fathers" (as if the spirit or soul had any father other than God), due to excessive kindness, modesty, or perhaps ignorance.  They seemed faced plants sown and reared in darkness, having flowers without perfume and fruits without sap.

However, when the news of what happened at Malolos reached us, I saw my error, and great was my rejoicing.  After all, who is to blame me?  I did not know Malolos nor its young women, except one called Emila [Emilia Tiongson, whom Rizal met in 1887], and her I knew by name only.

Now that you have responded to our first appeal in the interest of the welfare of the people; now that you have set an example to those who, like you, long to have their eyes opened and be delivered from servitude, new hopes are awakened in us and we now even dare to face adversity, because we have you for our allies and are confident of victory.  No longer does the Filipina stand with her head bowed nor does she spend her time on her knees, because she is quickened by hope in the future; no longer will the mother contribute to keeping her daughter in darkness and bring her up in contempt and moral annihilation.  And no longer will the science of all sciences consist in blind submission to any unjust order, or in extreme complacency, nor will a courteous smile be deemed the only weapon against insult or humble tears the ineffable panacea for all tribulations.  You know that the will of God is different from that of the priest; that religiousness does not consist of long periods spent on your knees, nor in endless prayers, big rosarios, and grimy scapularies [religious garment showing devotion], but in a spotless conduct, firm intention and upright judgment.  You also know that prudence does not consist in blindly obeying any whim of the little tin god, but in obeying only that which is reasonable and just, because blind obedience is itself the cause and origin of those whims, and those guilty of it are really to be blamed.  The official or friar can no longer assert that they alone are responsible for their unjust orders, because God gave each individual reason and a will of his or her own to distinguish the just from the unjust; all were born without shackles and free, and nobody has a right to subjugate the will and the spirit of another your thoughts. And, why should you submit to another your thoughts, seeing that thought is noble and free?

It is cowardice and erroneous to believe that saintliness consists in blind obedience and that prudence and the habit of thinking are presumptuous.  Ignorance has ever been ignorance, and never prudence and honor. God, the primal source of all wisdom, does not demand that man, created in his image and likeness, allow himself to be deceived and hoodwinked, but wants us to use and let shine the light of reason with which He has so mercifully endowed us.  He may be compared to the father who gave each of his sons a torch to light their way in the darkness bidding them keep its light bright and take care of it, and not put it out and trust to the light of the others, but to help and advise each other to fiind the right path.  They would be madman were they to follow the light of another, only to come to a fall, and the father could unbraid them and say to them: "Did I not give each of you his own torch," but he cold not say so if the fall were due to the light of the torch of him who fell, as the light might have been dim and the road very bad.

The deceiver is fond of using the saying that "It is presumptuous to rely on one's own judgment," but, in my opinion, it is more presumptuous for a person to put his judgment above that of the others and try to make it prevail over theirs.  It is more presumptuous for a man to constitute himself into an idol and pretend to be in communication of thought with God; and it is more than presumptuous and even blasphemous for a person to attribute every movement of his lips to God, to represent every whim of his as the will of God, and to brand his own enemy as an enemy of God.  Of course, we should not consult our own judgment alone, but hear the opinion of others before doing what may seem most reasonable to us.  The wild man from the hills, if clad in a priest's robe, remains a hillman and can only deceive the weak and ignorant.  And, to make my argument more conclusive, just buy a priest's robe as the Franciscans wear it and put it on a carabao [domestic water buffalo], and you will be lucky if the carabao does not become lazy on account of the robe.  But I will leave this subject to speak of something else.

Youth is a flower-bed that is to bear rich fruit and must accumulate wealth for its descendants.  What offspring will be that of a woman whose kindness of character is expressed by mumbled prayers; who knows nothing by heart but awits [hymns], novenas, and the alleged miracles; whose amusement consists in playing panguingue [a card game] or in the frequent confession of the same sins?  What sons will she have but acolytes, priest's servants, or cock fighters?  It is the mothers who are responsible for the present servitude of our compatriots, owing to the unlimited trustfulness of their loving hearts, to their ardent desire to elevate their sons  Maturity is the fruit of infancy and the infant is formed on the lap of its mother.  The mother who can only teach her child how to kneel and kiss hands must not expect sons with blood other than that of vile slaves.  A tree that grows in the mud is unsubstantial and good only for firewood.  If her son should have a bold mind, his boldness will be deceitful and will be like the bat that cannot show itself until the ringing of vespers.  They say that prudence is sanctity.  But, what sanctity have they shown us?  To pray and kneel a lot, kiss the hand of the priests, throw money away on churches, and believe all the friar sees fit to tell us; gossip, callous rubbing of noses. . . .

As to the mites and gifts of God, is there anything in the world that does not belong to God?  What would you say of a servant making his master a present of a cloth borrowed from that very master?  Who is so vain, so insane that he will give alms to God and believe that the miserable thing he has given will serve to clothe the Creator of all things?  Blessed be they who succor their fellow men, aid the poor and feed the hungry; but cursed be they who turn a dead ear to supplications of the poor, who only give to him who has plenty and spend their money lavishly on silver altar hangings for the thanksgiving, or in serenades and fireworks.  The money ground out of the poor is bequeathed to the master so that he can provide for chains to subjugate, and hire thugs and executioners.  Oh, what blindness, what lack of understanding.

Saintliness consists in the first place in obeying the dictates of reason, happen what may.  "It is acts and not words that I want of you," said Christ.  "Not everyone that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven."  Saintliness does not consist in abjectness, nor is the successor of Christ to be recognized by the fact that he gives his hand to be kissed.  Christ did not give the kiss of peace to the Pharisees and never gave his hand to be kissed.  He did not cater to the rich and vain; He did not mention scapularies, nor did He make rosaries, or solicit offerings for the sacrifice of the Mass or exact payments for His prayers.  Saint John did not demand a fee on the River Jordan, nor did Christ teach for gain.  Why, then, do the friars now refuse to stir a foot unless paid in advance?  And, as if they were starving, they sell scapularies, rosaries, bits, and other things which are nothing but schemes for making money and a detriment to the soul; because even if all the rags on earth were converted into scapularies and all the trees in the forest into rosaries, and if the skins of all the beasts were made into belts, and if all the priests of the earth mumbled prayers over all this and sprinkled oceans of holy water over it, this would not purify a rogue or condone sin where there is no repentance.  Thus, also, through cupidity and love of money, they will, for a price, revoke the numerous prohibitions such as those against eating meat, marrying close relatives, etc.  You can do almost anything if you but grease their palms.  Why that?  Can God be bribed and bought off, and blinded by money, nothing more nor less than a friar?  The brigand who has obtained a bull of compromise can live calmly on the proceeds of his robbery, because he will be forgiven.  God, then, will sit at a table where theft provides the viands?  Has the Omnipotent become a pauper that He must assume the role of the excise man or gendarme?  If that is the God whom the friar adores, then I turn my back upon that God.

Let us be reasonable and open our eyes, especially you women, because you are the first to influence the consciousness of man.  Remember that a good mother does not resemble the mother that the friar has created; she must bring up her child to be the image of the true God, not of a blackmailing, a grasping God, but of a God who is the father of us all, who is just; who does not suck the life-blood of the poor like a vampire, nor scoffs at the agony of the sorely beset, nor makes a crooked path of the path of justice.  Awaken and prepare the will of our children towards all that is honorable, judged by proper standards, to all that is sincere and firm of purpose, clear judgment, clear procedure, honesty in act and deed, love for the fellowman and respect for God; this is what you must teach your children.  And, seeing that life is full of thorns and thistles, you must fortify their minds against any stroke of adversity and accustom them to danger.  The people cannot expect honor nor prosperity so long as  they will educate their children in a wrong way, so long as the woman who guides the child in his steps is slavish and ignorant.  No good water comes from a turbid, bitter spring; no savory fruit comes from acrid seed.

The duties that woman has to perform in order to deliver the people from suffering are of no little importance, but be they as they may, they will not be beyond the strength and stamina of the Filipino people.  The power and good judgment of the women of the Philippines are well known, and it is because of this that she has been hoodwinked, and tied, and rendered pusillanimous, and now her enslavers rest at ease, because so long as they can keep the Filipina mother a slave, so long will they be able to make slaves of her children.  The cause of the backwardness of Asia lies in the fact that there the women are ignorant, are slaves; while Europe and America are powerful because there the women are free and well-educated and endowed with lucid intellect and a strong will.

We know that you lack instructive books; we know that nothing is added to your intellect, day by day, save that which is intended to dim its natural brightness; all this we know, hence our desire to bring you the light that illuminates your equals here in Europe.  If that which I tell you does not provoke your anger, and if you will pay a little attention to it then, however dense the mist may be that befogs our people, I will make the utmost efforts to have it dissipated by the bright rays of the sun, which will give light, thought they be dimmed.  We shall not feel any fatigue if you help us: God, too, will help to scatter the mist, because He is the God of truth: He will restore to its pristine condition the fame of the Filipina in whom we now miss only a criterion of her own, because good qualities she has enough and to spare.  This is our dream; this is the desire we cherish in our hearts; to restore the honor of woman, who is half of our heart, our companion in the joys and tribulations of life.  If she is a maiden, the young man should love her not only because of her beauty and her amiable character, but also on account of her fortitude of mind and loftiness of purpose, which quicken and elevate the feeble and timid and ward off all vain thoughts.  Let the maiden be the pride of her country and command respect, because it is a common practice on the part of Spaniards and friars here who have returned from the Islands to speak of the Filipina as complaisant and ignorant, as if all should be thrown into the same class because of the missteps of a few, and as if women of weak character did not exist in other lands.  As to purity what could the Filipina not hold up to others!

Nevertheless, the returning Spaniards and friars, talkative and fond of gossip, can hardly find time enough to brag and bawl, amidst guffaws and insulting remarks, that a certain woman was thus; that she behaved thus at the convent and conducted herself thus with the Spaniards who on the occasion was her guest, and other things that set your teeth on edge when you think of them which, in the majority of cases, were faults due to candor, excessive kindness, meekness, or perhaps ignorance and were all the work of the defamer himself.  There is a Spaniard now in high office, who has set at our table and enjoyed our hospitality in his wanderings through the Philippines and who, upon his return to Spain, rushed forthwith into print and related that on one occasion in Pampanga he demanded hospitality and ate, and slept at a house and the lady of the house conducted herself in such and such a manner with him; this is how he repaid the lady for her supreme hospitality!  Similar insinuations are made by the friars to the chance visitor from Spain concerning their very obedient confesandas, hand-kissers, etc., accompanied by smiles and very significant winkings of the eye.  In a book published by D. Sinibaldo de Mas and in other friar sketches sins are related of which women accused themselves in the confessional and of which the friars made no secret in talking to their Spanish visitors seasoning them, at the best, with idiotic and shameless tales not worthy of credence.  I cannot repeat here the shameless stories that a friar told Mas and to which Mas attributed no value whatever.  Every time we hear or read anything of this kind, we ask each other: Are the Spanish women all cut after the pattern of the Holy Virgin Mary and the Filipinas all reprobates?  I believe that if we are to balance accounts in this delicate question, perhaps, . . .  But I must drop the subject because I am neither a confessor nor a Spanish traveler and have no business to take away anybody's good name.  I shall let this go and speak of the duties of women instead.

A people that respect women, like the Filipino people, must know the truth of the situation in order to be able to do what is expected of it.  It seems an established fact that when a young student falls in love, he throws everything to the dogs -- knowledge, honor, and money, as if a girl could not do anything but sow misfortune.  The bravest youth becomes a coward when he married, and the born coward becomes shameless, as if he had been waiting to get married in order to show his cowardice.  The son, in order to hide his pusillanimity, remembers his mother, swallows his wrath, suffers his ears to be boxed, obeys the most foolish order, and and becomes an accomplice to his own dishonor.  It should be remembered that where nobody flees there is no pursuer; when there is no little fish, there can not be a big one.  Why does the girl not require of her lover a noble and honored name, a manly heart offering protection to her weakness, and a high spirit incapable of being satisfied with engendering slaves?  Let her discard all fear, let her behave nobly and not deliver her youth to the weak and faint-hearted.  When she is married, she must aid her husband, inspire him with courage, share his perils, refrain from causing him worry and sweeten his moments of affection, always remembering that there is no grief that a brave heart can not bear and there is no bitterer inheritance than that of infamy and slavery.  Open your children's eyes so that they may jealously guard their honor, love their fellowmen and their native land, and do their duty.  Always impress upon them they must prefer dying with honor to living in dishonor.  The women of Sparta should serve you as an example should serve you as an example in this; I shall give some of their characteristics.

When a mother handed the shield to her son as he was marching to battle, she said nothing to him but this: "Return with it, or on it," which mean, come back victorious or dead, because it was customary with the routed warrior to throw away his shield, while the dead warrior was carried home on his shield.  A mother received word that her son had been killed in battle and the army routed.  She did not say a word, but expressed her thankfulness that her son had been saved from disgrace.  However, when her son returned alive, the mother put on mourning.  One of the mothers who went out to meet the warriors returning from battle was told by one that her three sons had fallen.  I do not ask you that, said the mother, but whether we have been victorious or not.  We have been victorious -- answered the warrior.  If that is so, then let us thank God, and she went to the temple.

Once upon a time a king of theirs, who had been defeated, hid in the temple, because he feared their popular wrath.  The Spartans resolved to shut him up there and starve him to death.  When they were blocking the door, the mother was the first to bring stones.  These things were in accordance with the custom there, and all Greece admired the Spartan woman.  Of all women -- a woman said jestingly -- only your Spartans have power over the men.  Quite natural -- they replied -- of all women only we give birth to men.  Man, the Spartan women said, was not born to life for himself alone but for his native land.  So long as this way of thinking prevailed and they had that kind of women in Sparta, no enemy was able to put his foot upon her soil, nor was there a woman in Sparta who ever saw a hostile army.

I do not expect to be believed simply because it is I who am saying this; there are many people who do not listen to reason, but will listen only to those who wear the cassock or have gray hair or no teeth; but while it is true that the aged should be venerated, because of their travails and experience, yet the life I have lived, consecrated to the happiness of the people, adds some years, though not many of my age.  I do not pretend to be looked upon as an idol or fetish and to be believed and listened to with the eyes closed, the head bowed, and the arms crossed over the breast; what I ask of all is to reflect on what I tell him, think it over and shift it carefully through the sieve of reasons.

First of all.  That the tyranny of some is possible only through cowardice and negligence on the part of others.

Second.  What makes one contemptible is lack of dignity and abject fear of him who holds one in contempt.

Third.  Ignorance is servitude, because as a man thinks, so he is; a man who does not think for himself and allowed himself to be guided by the thought of another is like the beast led by a halter.

Fourth.  He who loves his independence must first aid his fellowman, because he who refuses protection to others will find himself without it; the isolated rib in the buri is easily broken, but not so the broom made of the ribs of the palm bound together.

Fifth.  If the Filipina will not change her mode of being, let her rear no more children, let her merely give birth to them.  She must cease to be the mistress of the home, otherwise she will unconsciously betray husband, child, native land, and all.

Sixth.  All men are born equal, naked, without bonds.  God did not create man to be a slave; nor did he endow him with intelligence to have him hoodwinked, or adorn him with reason to have him deceived by others.  It is not fatuous to refuse to worship one's equal, to cultivate one's intellect, and to make use of reason in all things.  Fatuous is he who makes a god of him, who makes brutes of others, and who strives to submit to his whims all that is reasonable and just.

Seventh.  Consider well what kind of religion they are teaching you.  See whether it is the will of God or according to the teachings of Christ that the poor be succored and those who suffer alleviated.  Consider what they preaching to you, the object of the sermon, what is behind the masses, novenas, rosaries, scapularies, images, miracles, candles, belts, etc. etc; which they daily keep before your minds; ears and eyes; jostling, shouting, and coaxing; investigate whence they came and whiter they go and then compare that religion with the pure religion of Christ and see whether the pretended observance of the life of Christ does not remind you of the fat milch cow or the fattened pig, which is encouraged to grow fat nor through love of the animal, but for grossly mercenary motives.

Let us, therefore, reflect; let us consider our situation and see how we stand.  May these poorly written lines aid you in your good purpose and help you to pursue the plan you have initiated.  "May your profit be greater than the capital invested;" and I shall gladly accept the usual reward of all who dare tell your people the truth.  May your desire to educate yourself be crowned with success; may you in the garden of learning gather not bitter, but choice fruit, looking well before you eat because on the surface of the globe all is deceit, and the enemy sows weeds in your seedling plot.

All this is the ardent desire of your compatriot.

JOSÉ RIZAL

***

Ang mga larawan ay kuha sa pelikulang Dahling Nick.

Ang buong kopya ng To the Young Women of Malolos ay nakuha sa https://kwentongebabuhayrizal.blogspot.com/

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Mongolia – Battleground of the Han and Kwak groups

Thanks to a recent post on WIOTM, Mongolia and its relationship with the Moon Organization, was brought to our attention again:

https://whatisonthemoon.tumblr.com/post/617771924673773568/uncensored-interview-moonies-cult-activities-in

Prior to the Preston Moon scandal (that began in 2008), the Chung Hwan Kwak family was in charge of Mongolia. Once Preston and Rev. Kwak were officially “demonized” and removed from their “positions”, Bo Hi Pak became the Family Federation leader of Mongolia:

http://www.tongil.org/ucbooks/Mongolia/20101209-Mongolia.html

Given the significance of the Kwak and Pak families in the history of the Unification Church, and the fact that there’s still an ongoing court battle between the Preston/Kwak group and the Han group, it seems apparent that Mongolia is a key geographical area to have “influence”. In other words, by understanding the current connections between the Mongolian government and these two “factions,” it should give us a glimpse if not more, into where the “greater” Moon Organization may be heading in geopolitical matters.

There seems to be a lot at stake here. So, I’ve taken it upon myself to post a few articles on this topic:

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March 25, 2016

Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj denied any links with South Korean religious group Unification Church on Thursday.

Elbegdorj said he and other Mongolian politicians had attended events organized by the church, but he had never participated in such events or met with the organization’s leader after becoming president.

Video recordings of Elbegdorj with Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon went viral on Mongolian social media recently, allegedly leaked by a source close to the president.

The South Korean religious group is highly controversial in Mongolia, as it was accused of trying to edit textbook contents in its favor. An Education Ministry official resigned after coming under fire for joining the church.

http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2016-03/25/content_38106365.htm

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June 23, 2017

Mongolians pick a new president Monday (June 26) after a campaign marred by corruption scandals plaguing all three candidates, from jobs for cash to offshore accounts and donations from an alleged cult.

The candidates are Mieygombo Enkhbold for the Mongolian People’s Party - which controls the parliament - Khaltmaa Battulga for the opposition Democratic Party (DP) and Sainkhuu Ganbaatar for the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party.

The third-party candidate… a video allegedly shows Ganbaatar receiving a US$44,000 donation from a member of the “Moonies,” or Unification Church, a South Korean-based Christian group that critics consider a cult.

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/corruption-scandals-muddy-mongolias-presidential-vote

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Daily Sabah

Sept. 3, 2018

Relations between Mongolia and Turkey were strained in July after a high-level Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ) member in Mongolia was not extradited to Turkey. Following the failed extradition, Turkey announced that allowing FETÖ to operate freely in Mongolia would be detrimental to Turkish-Mongolian relations.

Responding to Turkey’s announcement, Mongolia’s Ambassador to Ankara Ravdan Bold stressed that they understood Turkey’s concerns on FETÖ-affiliated schools and all five of the said schools’ administration would be eventually transferred to the Mongolian Ministry of Education. Bold also added that individual members of FETÖ would not be able to renew their education and employment visas and be asked to leave the country this year.

Currently, around 1,300 students are in these five schools that have been operating in Mongolia since 1994. Empati, the company that owned these schools, sold them to a German company that serves as a front for FETÖ. The Mongolian Ministry of Education did not allow this company to acquire the necessary licenses to operate the five schools. On this subject, Ambassador Bold said that the technical process to seize these schools from FETÖ is in progress and that these schools are losing students by the day.

While drawing analogies between the Moon Cult and FETÖ as both of them operated through schools and companies, Bold expressed his belief that both of these harmful entities created concerns for Mongolia’s national security. Bold said, “They are two sides of one coin.”

“As Mongolia’s Ambassador to Turkey, I fully understand Turkey’s concerns, and I do my best to convince Mongolian politicians on the issue. Today, terrorism is not only one country’s issue, it is an international issue,” Bold added.

The Unification Church, known as the “Moon Cult,” is highly controversial in Mongolia, as it was accused of trying to edit textbook content in its favor. An Education Ministry official resigned after coming under fire for joining the church in Mongolia in 2016. Members of the Church are often referred to as “Moonies” and have been active in promoting events in Mongolia through education and trade activities. …

Moon visited Mongolia in October 2005. He came to Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city of Mongolia, with his wife Hak Ja Han Moon and gave a speech titled, “Strong family life is the true role model for peace and harmony.”...

Commenting on the Moon Cult leader Sun Myung Moon, Bold stated that the Moon Cult was quite influential in Mongolia until three years ago, having around $3 billion invested in the country. After a fall out between two sons of Moon, one of whom was leading the cult’s operations in Mongolia, this investment was transferred to Hong Kong, he said.

Underscoring the ulterior motives of the Moon Cult and drawing an analogy with FETÖ, Bold said, “I talked to Mongolian politicians and asked them to look at the present example. FETÖ is just like the Moon Movement. If you don’t understand Gülen and FETÖ, look at Moon, what he did to Mongolia and what happened to him. It’s exactly the same process. Faces may be different but cults and purposes are the same. They are two sides of one coin.” ...

The Mongolian economy only consists of two branches, Mining and agriculture.

https://www.dailysabah.com/war-on-terror/2018/09/03/mongolia-will-act-in-accordance-with-turkeys-concerns-on-feto-envoy-says

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To conclude here, let us be mindful of the fact that the countries of Mongolia, Nepal and the Ukraine [and Brazil?], are arguably where the Moon Organization has its greatest influence currently. Looking at this geopolitically, Nepal borders China in the south, while Mongolia borders China in the north. Then there is the Ukraine, which borders Russia in the west, while Mongolia borders Russia in the south. Summarizing then, I find it very intriguing, that the three nations where the current Moon Organization seems to have its greatest influence, can be looked at geopolitically in such a manner.

What more do we need to know, about the work the “greater” Moon Organization is doing in this part of the world? And was the recent Rev. Kwak letter to the “Unification Movement,” which basically excerpts Kwak’s new book on the UM “conflict”…is this all a “power play,” in the what I will call “Tribal Warfare?”:

https://whatisonthemoon.tumblr.com/post/616646950771654656/rev-chung-hwan-kwaks-letter-april-22-2020

https://www.amazon.com/Truth-Shall-Prevail-Understanding-Unification-ebook/dp/B081DL8563

’til the next,

Don Diligent

reposted from WIOTM

___________________________________________

“Uncensored interview” – Moon cult activities in Mongolia Part 1

“Uncensored interview” – Moon cult activities in Mongolia Part 2

[wisdomrays]

IS THE QURAN THE WORK OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD?: Part 1

Much has been said and written in response to the allegation that the Qur’an is the work of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, and not, as Muslims know and believe, the Word of God. Here, I shall confine myself to the most pertinent points.

This particular allegation is put forward by modern orientalists, just as it was by their predecessors, Christian and Jewish writers who deeply resented the spread of Islam. But the allegation is one familiar to Muslims, discussed within the Qur’an itself. The Qur’an records how the pagan Arabs of the jahiliyya (the period of ignorance before Islam) used to allege that the Prophet had forged the revelations: Whenever Our signs are recited to them in a clear way, those who deny say concerning the truth, when it (the truth) comes to them: This is plain magic’. Or do they say: He has forged it?’ (al-Ahqaf, 46.7-8). They were desperate to protect their interests against the rising tide of the new faith and hoped, just as their modern counterparts do, that by causing some Muslims to doubt the authorship of the Qur’an they might cause them to doubt its authority also.

Let us begin by affirming that the Qur’an is unique among scriptures in two very important respects which even the Qur’an’s enemies are obliged to acknowledge. Firstly, we have the Quran in its original language and this language is still in living use. Secondly, the text of the Qur’an is entirely reliable. It has been as it is, unaltered, unedited, not tampered with in any way, since the time of its revelation. By contrast, other scriptures-the Christians’ Gospels, for example-have not survived in their original language, nor is the language of the earliest surviving version of these scriptures a language still in living use. Furthermore, their texts have been conclusively shown to be the work of many human hands over many generations, edited and reedited, altered and interpolated, to promote the interpretations of particular sects. They are rightly said to have lost their authority as scriptures; they serve primarily as a national or cultural mythology for the groups whose remote ancestors created their particular versions of them. That is, more or less, the Western scholarly consensus on the status of these once Divine Books. For almost two centuries, Western scholars have subjected the Qur’an to the same rigorous scrutiny. However, they have failed to prove, as they expected, that the Qur’an too is the work of many hands over many generations. Certainly they found, as happened among Christians, that the Muslims split into disputing factions but, unlike the Christians, the warring Muslim factions sought to justify their position by reference to one and the same Qur’an. It is still possible that other versions of the Gospels remain to be discovered or uncovered from where they were lost or hidden. By contrast, all Muslims know but one Quran, perfectly preserved in its original words, just as at the time of the death of the Prophet, upon him be peace, when revelation ended, with no variations of the least significance.

As well as the Qur’an, Muslims also have a record of the Prophet’s teaching, in the form of practical example and precept (the Sunna) which is extensively (though, of course, not fully) preserved in the Hadith. It is in the Hadith that the Prophets own words are recorded. These two sources, Qur’an and Hadith, could not be more dissimilar in quality of expression or content. The Arabs who heard the Prophet speak, whether they were believers or not, found his words to be concise, forceful, persuasive, but nevertheless like their own normal usage. By contrast, when they heard the Qur’an, they were overwhelmed by feelings of rapture, ecstasy, awe. One senses in the Hadith the presence of an individual human being addressing his fellow human beings, a man pondering weighty questions who, when he speaks, speaks with an appropriate gravity and in profound awe of the Divine Will. The Qur’an, on the other hand, is immediately perceived as imperative, sublime, with a transcendent, all-compelling majesty of style and content. It defies sense and reason to suppose that Qur’an and Hadith are works of the same or a single origin.

The Qur’an differs absolutely from any human artefact (whether literary or otherwise) in the absolute transcendence of its perspective and viewpoint. Occasionally in other scriptures, in a few scattered phrases or passages, the reader or listener feels that he is indeed in the presence of the Divine Message addressed to mankind from their Creator. In the Qur’an, every syllable carries this impression of sublime intensity of communication from One who is the All-Knowing and the All-Merciful. Furthermore, the Qur’an cannot, as can merely human works, be contemplated at a distance, it cannot be discussed and debated in the abstract. The Qur’an requires us to understand and to act, to amend our lifestyles; by God, it also enables us to do so because it can touch the very depths of our being. It addresses us in our full reality as spiritually and physically competent beings. It addresses our whole being as the creatures of the All-Merciful. It is not addressed to just one or other of our faculties. The Qur’an is not a message that engages only our capacity for philosophical reasoning, or only our poetic, artistic sensibility, or only our power to alter and manage the natural environment, or to after and manage our political and legal affairs, or only our need for mutual compassion and forgiveness, or only our spiritual craving for knowledge and consolation. Nor is the Qur’an a message addressed to one man only or one tribe or one nation, nor is it addressed only to men and not to women, or only to the oppressed and weak and not to the wealthy and powerful, or only to the sinful and self- indulgent and not to the virtuous and self-disciplined. The Quran addresses the whole of mankind and, by God, its message is relevant (as it is so preserved) for all time.

This transcendence and fullness of the Qur’anic perspective can be felt in every individual matter which it particularly mentions. For example, the Qur’an sets side by side caring for one’s parents in their old age with belief in the Oneness of God; it sets the command to provide decently for a divorced wife side by side with the reminder to fear the All-Knowing and All-Seeing. God knows best the full implications of such juxtapositions. But His believing servants do know, and can report, their effect: they enable the inward self-reform which is necessary if the virtuous actions are to be performed steadily, cheerfully, and with the degree of humility which makes a virtuous action also a graceful one and prevents it from becoming a burden upon the mind of the person who is supposed to be benefited by it.

The Qur’an reiterates in several verses a challenge to any who doubt its authenticity to bring or produce a surah (chapter) that can equal it. No one has ever met, or can ever meet, this challenge. For the reasons we have explained, none but God could assume the Qur’an’s all-transcendent and all-compassionate perspective. The thoughts and aspirations of even the best of human beings are affected and conditioned by the circumstances within which, by God, their lives begin and end-that is an inevitable consequence of their being creatures. That is why, sooner or later, all merely human works fail or fade in influence and force: their style drifts out of fashion, or their subject-matter is no longer relevant; they are too general and lack a sufficient attachment to the reality of human experience, or they are too attached to some particular circumstance and so lacking in generality and applicability. For any number of reasons, and irrespective of good or bad intentions, the works of human minds and human hands are of only limited value. That is why to this day the challenge stands unanswered: not even if all mankind, using all known resources, collaborated together, or if the jinn joined in to help them, assuming they could, would they be able to produce even a part of the Qur’an. In the Book’s own words: Say: If all of mankind and the jinn were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like of it even if they backed each other with help and support’ (al-Isra’, 17.88).