lets talk important things, shall we?

I am writing to express a feeling. A profound one indeed.

A feeling so strong in my heart. One that has not been produced by a family member.. or by football.. or by a concert.. or by a friend.. or by a girl.. or by a new born nephew.. or by a great opportunity offered to me in life.

Rather it has developed when learning about the ongoing developments in Haifa, Israel, where the greatest global event of the year has been taking place.

Onehundred and fiftythree countries (that is 153), are taking part in a global democratic election to elect a governing body.

Now... Lets stop for a second and try to picrure what this might look like.

What do you see when you think of the words democratic, global and election?

.........

... maybe a bunch of people screaming at eachother trying to push their own agendas, their own desires, their own best interest?

.. or maybe different groups beating each other up in suits and wearing ties..

.. or maybe police beating up some activists outside on the streets...

It is not far fetched to say that we all might be induced, by looking at the status of the world today, into thinking this is probably the nature of the events in Haifa.

But if those ideas and visions are truly in our heads, and are part of our understanding of today's reality, then this event in Haifa is re-shaping them, and needless to say, revolutionizing the world.

What is happening is in fact quite the oppsoite.
In a spirit of harmony, unity, devotion, respect, justice and love, people from cultures and realities so diverse (one can hardly immagine), have found the one thing that makes them one.... The promotion of the best interests of their kind... the human race.

153 countries, all with the same influence on the final result of an election, all rappresented justly, all in harmony, when did this EVER happen?
I could not hold in all the love and admiration i have for the Baha'i Faith when i read the articles.

It is a historic moment, wouldn't you agree?

If you do not believe me then read these three articles and look at the photographs that are within them
http://news.bahai.org/story/627

http://news.bahai.org/story/624
http://news.bahai.org/story/626

oh and most importantly check your tv news channel...

If you do not see or hear anything about it, then probably it is true.

Rejoice for something new is born

ShidON

thank you luciano

Last night Luciano Ligabue was in London. This visit is part of his european tour.

Now, you all already know how i feel about Ligabue's music.

The first time i saw him live (it was my first concert ever) was in italy. I was with some of my best friends and approximately other 220.000 people. HUGE. It was amazing. Fireworks, helicopters flying over us, a sea of people.

This time though the venue could only squeeze in 1400 max.

So it was extremely small and comfortable. Some of his hardcore fans drove all the way from italy to support him! He was litterally in front of me.

The two concerts were two hugely different experiences, but to be considered equal in their final outcome.

THEY ROCKED.

He is without doubts the greatest artist in italy, not only because of his music and lyrics, but particularly because of his personality. There is something about him which is so human and loving.

When talking to the crowd he experimented with his english, which i must say is great! I screamed he should be our prime minister since berlusconi cant say one single thing well!

And also roberto donadoni was at the concert... donadoni for those who dont know is the coach of the italian national football team. so when there was a moment of calm in the concert we all started singing songs for him, asking him to win the euro cup for us all!

'dacci l'europa! roberto dacci l'europa! dacci l'europa, roberto dacci l'europa!!'

if you are on facebook you can check the videos out.

as you can see by my writing i am still overwhelmed by the beauty of last night...

come vedi sono qui, monta su, non ci avranno fin che questo cuore non, crepera'
di ruggine di botte o d'eta'!

ShidON

full?

the other night, other than talking about God and His amazing humility, or lack of (just the word lack makes me think He must have it by the way, lack and God do not go well together), we talked about our capacity.

In the Baha'i Faith it is explained that when we are born we come to this world with a capacity.

This capacity is given by the hidden spiritual gems latent within us(our virtues such as generosity or truthfulness) and the talents we are endowed with (some people are more skilful than others at football, or playing the piano, or pubblic speaking).

Yet another important variable in the capacity realm, and one we forget too often, is opportunity of growth. This in other words means that because of the circumstances of life (being born in the western world vs being born in a poor country, or being born in a country where human rights are part of the local laws vs NOT) we have opportunities of growth that others may not have.

This category of Divine endowments though, is a risky one to deal with because it can become the prime reason for our lack of growth (money is a tool that increases our capacities, because it allows us to view the world, travel, know, but only if used correctly and with detachment).

Anyway to explain the concept the Baha'i Faith uses a metaphor of containers. Some have a cup, others a barrel, others a swimming pool, and some a lake.
No one really knows the capacity of others and is unaware of the depth of his/her own.

And it does not matter how good or useless you are, how succesful or unlucky you are in comparison with others.

All that matters is how much you've filled up your container.

God is the only Being capable of judging this. SO DO NOT MAKE EXCUSES OR ASSUMPTIONS!

Now after this intro i will get to the point.

Why do people die prematurely?

This is something we all ask ourselves, and is usually one of the reasons for which many do not believe in a just God.

What i came up with though (and i have no writings as of yet to suggest it is right, which probably indicates it is wrong), is that since God is the only One that truly knows where we stand in terms of our spiritual growth, and He is the most just of justs, when we are taken out of this world, it is probably because we have filled up our cup or capacity.

Since our goal is growth, if we can't go any further, God justly takes us to a place where we can truly acheive and reach the next level!

Now does that sound crazy?

ShidON

is God humble?

Last night we had a great evening with some friends, discussing spirituality and various themes of the individual's spiritual growth.

Some of these themes regarded our own abasement, our weaknesses, our incapacity to manifest the virtues that God endowed us with and that shine forth from His Sun.

In one of the quote it talked about human beings being the only created thing that can in potential reflect all of God's attributes, whereas all the rest of creation is limited in their expression.

But one thing was interesting. We considered the virtue of humilty, and wondered if it is a virtue of God.

I am extremely interested in knowing what others think.

The group did not come to a conclusion, but we brought it down to two options (as if that was hard.. hehehe)

a) God is not Humble. It is the only virtue He does not need as He is above our realm and any other. He is the Creator. Hence we, creation, have been given a unique capacity to shine forth, our humility.

b) Man is in potential a mirror of God. He has all the virtues of God. Where does humility come from? It must be of God. And if God wanted to, Him being all powerul, He could be Humble beyond comprehension.

Interesting no? I researched and did not find any clear answer as of yet..
Do you have any interesting thoughts? Please comment!!

Where do you stand??

ShidON

i am banksy

just kidding!

to some extent i wish i was banksy! I think he is an amazing artist.


But is he just an artist?! I think he is an artist, and a super hero! He manages to be invisible!

To all of you un-aware, like i was until recent, of who Banksy is go to http://www.banksy.co.uk/

That shall answer your questions.

Some things do not say much to me. But most of it is very interesting.

His projects are without a doubt ambitious, and at times probably a bit over the top.

But some things he states are so wonderful and thought provoking.

I would even say uplifting. Though this is down to interpretation!

One of his graffiti read ' people who enjoy waving flags don't deserve one'

BanksyON

a trojan horse

now, after that lame post about underwear and commandos, i will try to talk semi-seriously.

i lost a battle the other day. i lose battles every day, but this one was really painful!
i thought i had it all sorted out! no need to really worry...
i thought enemy troops were well away, hiding somewhere and scared to death of me.

then all of a sudden i find this amazing gift of the gods infront of me. i feel special!
i let it all in, saying to my self that it is fine, because the gods have sent it down for me to enjoy, because i have been good and i deserve it!
at night though i can hear some crazy noises in my heart. i look down into my heart and i see thousands of these guys running at me, entering my castle and burning it down! and this is all because of my being supersticious and allowing the trojan horse of ego into my house!
i could not manage.

this metaphore is pretty accurate! :) it transmits the feelings and thoughts of that moment.

cause we do have to fight with our ego every single day.
it is not possible to wake up one day and be done and over with fighting. that would be tooooo easy!

Abdu'l-Baha', the Son of Baha'u'llah, refers to ego as 'the insistent self''.
Interesting and very profound use of words.

So even when you think that the enemy troops are soar and defeated, always be careful cause in reality this war with ego is an endless one, and one were deceit is the most powerful weapon.

the war is endless, and it will always be a pain and a struggle. We will loose many battles. No doubts.

But it is never written anywhere that we have lost the whole war!

ShidON

'going commando'

'In military science, the term commando can refer to an individual, a military unit, or a raiding style of military operation. In some contexts, "commando" means elite light infantry or special forces'

ok. before the official post about a lost battle but a war continuing, i would like to know two things.

a) why is there such a thing as military science? i thought it was all about Rambos and stuff...

b) who has an idea of what the term 'going commando' means....?

now the title of my serious post was going to be 'going commando'. i do not know why, but i searched the meaning of going commando on google and always according to my buddy Wik:

'Going commando (or to go commando) is the practice of not wearing underwear under one's outer clothing.'

anyway i thought that was something of interest... i want to understand how it developed.

I am sure Arnie had to dispose of his undies in order to carry that rocket launcher....!

Get into tha choppa!

ShidON

round head

i got all of my hair shaved off.
i know it sounds crazy and it probably is a bit crazy.

it took a while before i actually turned words into action.
my friends thought i was just being stupid and that i would not do it.

i only realised the magnitude of such a choice once the machine was applied to my head and shaved off the first 3 cms of hair. but at that point there is no coming back...

as my hair dropped to the floor and the true shape of my head started to appear in front of me, i felt as if shidan was going somewhere far far away, and was now part of a past that will only return in some months :)

the worst part had still to come... i started thinking of the turnmoil (haha) that this would cause..

some comments were sweet like "it will grow back", others were more cruel like "its not you anymore".
a good friend said that it was hard to look at me now because my nose was too big all of a sudden.
my mom did not even reply to the email with the picture of my new look that i sent her. and when i called her to see how she was doing she screamed "WHY did you DO IT?"

my old man on the other hand feels it is very much the cut of a true, strong, powerful, confident man.... i think that behind all this praise for a hair cut lies his feeling that this cut is an act of support towards his group of hair-free men....

my sisters seem to care less. but all i can tell them is to get ready cause thats what their lovers will look like soon!! and it will be 'al naturale'

all i know is that as this haircut is re-shaping my social life, i am coming to an important conclusion.

it is so cold without hair on my head.
love to all.

i did not dissapear as my hair fell, dont worry!

ShidON

flowery road

i have some issues with blogger as i find it hard to personalise it as i want...
i need to ask amy how!

i am now officially alone in london. my flatmate has left, and i am really feeling lonely.
this is also partly the reason for my lack of blogging! I need inspiration...

yesterday was particularly hard, i just was bored, and my mind was wondering again.
so i decided to rescue it by going for a walk in the park.
well in truth it did not help. my mind still was somewhere lost.
as i made my way through a street in my area of town though, i looked up a little road and thought.
'mh.. i've never been up there!'
so, as you can immagine, an adventure started!

i am so sorry i did not have my camera to take pictures, but i will go back and take some so you can see.
this place was magical. so different from the rest of london.
it was like a small village in the centre of the city, full of color, flowers, old shops, small bakeries...and the best part is that no one really goes through it.
the perfect movie set!
i talked to the locals who seemed so proud of it!
i think the local church really managed to keep things old-school..

this place exists and i was not high.
so when you come visit me in london (only 2 more months left) ask me to take you to flowery road.
i shall not take you to a drug dealer, or a store for mothers and old ladies.
i shall take you to this place which is the proof that religion can do good.

Thank you Kensington Church!

ShidON

lost in an aisle

i need some fresh air! please!
i am awaiting for some sort of fresh experience to just come and pick me up!

but i guess i can't expect that.
so i figured that soon i will have to find new projects to take on!

i've changed the color of the logo (not really a logo), but for some weird reason it does not come out all crisp and nice. i have to find a solution.

or i can take it all as a sign. i need to make a new one!

any suggestions?

oh, and i realise my posts have been descending slowly into some sort of useless chat.
so i will put more effort into them. i promise.
its just that i have this coursework in for tomorrow, and it is haunting me.
i feel it around me. it covers my eyes and my ears.
i do not sense anything that is not Carrefour related... i don't like them very much!

at least they give me hope, as i know i am capable of better logos than theirs...

i apologise TO the essence of this 32nd post, which has been lost somewhere in a supermarket aisle, among the 100 different types of cereal, and the 50 dish-washer soaps ones.

ShidON

sis-using

i am a terrible person.
particularly towards my sisters...

while they actually protect me, love me, stick up for me, talk nice things about me on their blogs, make emberassingly love-full comments on my facebook wall, bring me up as a soap-opera and romantic commedy loving man, and generally behave like sisters, i use them all the time to get favours...

im like a cat who comes around only for the food and the sleep.
i wonder if they are convinced of this as well.. i feel really bad cause i truly love them.
i know my attitude is bad. i will have to fix it all.
so i promised myself that...

when i'll be in China i'll have them all come over and will treat them like queens.
i will buy a trolley to attach to my bike, will pad it with flowers and nice pillows, and will carry them around the town for shopping.
i will also cook for them, and make sure they do not eat dog.
i will bring them to have a nice massage somewhere, and will treat them to all the best experiences possible...

i will make sure their husbands are also entertained either back home, or on the street.
this means that they will be on a routine of cleaning the house and cooking (though i have a feeling this is already the way it works, knowing my sisters' despote nature)...

anyway i am just filling you all in on some of my important thoughts in life...

namaste

ShidON

back on track

i am back in london..
these are my last two months here.
then i am going to china.

wow.

anyway i had an amazing week in verona.
as boring as that city is, we managed with some friends to make it a great week, probably one of the best weeks i ever had in italy!

many things happened, many hearts were opened, many people were met, many eyes sparkled...
i am so glad to have deepened my friendship with so many people.
and as these events developed a feeling of purpouse kept on increasing in my heart...
and now i am happy that my eagerness to do something with my life has increased!

the only thing that makes me sad is the idea that i really did not spend enough time with my mom and dad.
but it is ok as we all know why this happened and why it will keep on happening...
because of our Faith!

we'll have all of eternity to chill together!

thanks to all who shared this phenomenal week with me, and who have inspired me and helped me in my everyday work!

back on track with my blog... but not with my soul, as in reality i became a little airplane...

ShidON