More than a date

In Doctor Who, the protagonist at some point says that there are some dates which have some kind of weight in it. Probably, September 11th is one of these dates. Before starting to speak, I must mention my admiration for those people who went there, fearlessly, some of them to not come back again. My admiration for that wonderful nation, United States of America, and the people.

Around July, 2001, I was invited to conduct a workshop in a program held by the United Nations. Unfortunately, it never happened, and the strange thing is that it seems my application was lost or something like that, so they never approved what was never supposed to happen. After all, my workshop would be on the 12th. September. 2001.

So, when things started to happen on September, 11th., I felt as I was there, a few miles away from the eye of that horrible storm. I follow all the events, seeing how the most powerful nation in the world was unable to prevent what was going on. I follow all the events, seeing how the most powerful media in the world was unable to broadcast effectively what was happened. I follow all the events, seeing how humanity got insane for a few hours that day.

It was possible one of the worst expressions of hate humans showed to their fellows. Yes, it does not compare with some of the old battles when about 40,000 people died, or the shame of the atomic bombs. But, still... it was too close home. It could happen anywhere in the world.

So, what do you do when something like that happens? Hate? Revenge? Closing borders? Among the many stories I have heard later, some touched me more than others.

There is this TV channel which brought together mothers whose children were born after 9/11, and whose fathers were in the twin towers. Among the women, many muslims showing the absurdity of blaming one side of the humanity against the other - their sadness was not different, perhaps in some levels even worse.

Another thing was a friend of mine who happened to be in New York that same day. When his friends and him saw what was happening, they all decided to go straight to Canada, their home. He narrates how he saw the towers from a hill, and the many hours of trip just to arrive to a very long line in the border; yes, the borders were closed. It was then one of the passengers of the car said she knew another border through which they go through. After entering into the town and many small roads, they reached this small border point where a very confident American allowed them to pass. Even in tragedies, some people keep their trust.

I did not lose anyone in that tragedy and it did not affect me directly. However, I feel in my heart the best way to avoid something like that to happen in the future is not fighting more or controlling more. We need a big change in our awareness, society and trust. We need to see everyone as one, share our lives together and understand each other even more. We need love, but not a simple love - we need a love that cannot be defeated, not by two planes, nor even by the most powerful armies.

And, you know what, we have it. Hope, on this day, people allow their hearts to open even more and to recognize, beyond the threats and rage, the wonderful opportunity of transformation for our whole world.

On hurricanes and hurried lives

To be true, I have never been in an area when a hurricane is hitting it, in fact, I have never seen a hurricane. The closest I have been to "hurricanes" (in fact, strong storms) were twice in my life. In the first, I was a child - totally unprotected, coming back by foot from school. I've learnt I cannot fight it, but the company of my schoolmates, my bag and the fun we all got, it made it worthwhile.

The second time was in Punducherry, in South India. They explained to me it was a depression and during about 10 minutes, it rained what it should rain for one day. I was in a wonderful hostel there, looking at the ocean, and the ocean just got merged in the darkness, vanishing before my eyes, and the storm would come.

I keep thinking positively of everyone being hit by this catastrophes. They need our respect and care.

However, I learn something else: there are also hurricanes in our lives, even though we don't have hurricanes in our weather channel.

Like living storms, we walk into the cities and into each others' lives. We destroy others' dreams and lives many times, their projects and their effort. We are in a hurry to do things, and we become like living hurricanes.

It is time for us to just make some time out of our pace. It is time to experience ourselves as people, and enjoy each others' lives, dreams, projects and effort, just for the sake of them being our fellow human beings, our companions on Earth.

Have a nice day!

Hummm

One of the big struggles people face nowadays is their own past. Yes, forget about Libya and the American economical crisis, your past disturbs you more than anything happen in the world today, small or big.

Yes. It is not easy to accept that, but the past visits me sometimes, to remind me of dark times and huge walls I cannot cross. Past teaches me to give up and to surrender to the world around. Or, it tells me to fight until I am weary, until I am on the floor. Perhaps the past teaches me to just complain and everything will look better - hey, blame someone else and you will see how your own burden gets light. A "wiser" past tells me to go into the theory of my own life, it will give me the wonderful feeling I know it all.

But... only but... I start to pay attention to this teacher. I start to read between lines, to catch its wisdom rather than its information or knowledge. And I really start to learn from my past. I learn light is better than shadows and I have it in myself, others also have it and I just have to switch it on - yes! the reason of the darkness I lived was not the absence of light, it was the fact I did not know how to switch it on.

I learn about the doors and windows in these huge walls that allow me to cross them so easily, and that I must go on - giving up and surrendering is simply not an option, it was a test by my teacher, the past, to see if I was alert. Sorry, no fight at the school, and instead of complaints, it is better to do something better. In a school, there are no blames, we are all learners, and my burden is my backpack, which is really nothing.

The wisest past is teaching me to understand life so that I can live it better.

Thank you, my sweet past, to bring me to this wonderful present.

Take care all of you!

You can be a student of the past, or a victim of the past.

Anthony Strano

A positive approach about human kind

It is true that mankind has created very sofisticated means to destroy itself.

But it is also true we created many means to rebuild ourselves. Many more than the ones to destroy us.

Perhaps, that is hard to see when we look at the surface of things and situations. But all, destruction and construction, comes from the minds of men and women, children and elderly, people of all colours and paths of life.

This is now the time for rebuilding the world, to create a new society where what we value is so powerful, so powerful, that no trace of our capacity for destruction remains.

This is the time. Right now. Make your choice!

My heart, your heart

Some story tells us that one day, there was just one heart in the whole world. Everyone was connected to that one heart, until one person broke the connection. As a miracle, the person developed another heart and one by one, everyone got separated.

Isolated.

Now, at this time, another story is being performed. Those whose awareness is awaken are getting together, generating one heart again.

Not a physical heart, but sharing emotions and feelings, sharing values and hopes. Sharing life.

It is the time for mercy and compassion, when I am able to give others what I have most and take from them, with gentleness and apreciation, whatever they have to fill me in. In this world where things look worse every day, I give you my heart fully, so that whatever I have you can also get benefit from it.

Give your heart too, and we will build another world, a world of one heart. Again.

Fantasy!

With the arrival of the last movie of Harry Potter, one thing I notice is that it does not matter the century we are all, with its technological advances: people love to dream.

There are probably two categories of people in the case of those who are queueing to watch the movie. First, there are those who just want to enjoy and live nice moments. Fantasy and dreams have this magical spell on us all that makes us to forget whatever is happening around and live a life that is not ours. After the two hours or so of the film, we are back to the old routine. Fast, the effect of that experience goes away sending us back to the same former state (or worse).

Another category is of those who are doing different things in their lives. They are already living a dream, and so the movie is more like a kind of reassurance. It works as an impulse so that the dream gets stronger and stronger. These kind of people very easily identify themselves with the characters and even though they won't do magic all around... well, forget that, they WILL do magic all around, but not the kind you show in a movie. They will learn how to get better and change faster. The movie will be a school session for such a people.

Which category are you? Take care!

Do you speak Globish?

Sometime ago, I've written about Globish, as it is probably the language I sepak when I think I am speaking (or writing English).

I am realising now that this is changing the way we all communicate. As Globish spreads its influence, not only the quality of English is changing, with less words and easy to understand, but also is pushing those who are English-speakers to change the way they talk.

And going beyond English, Globish has several others ramifications - two I have experienced in less than one month was Globuñol and Globugues.

It was an international meeting and a friend of mine was struggling a bit to translate someone's speech in Spanish into English. Reason: the lady was using a good and refined Spanish. So, beautiful words were virtually cut off and the translation was giving not much in essence, but with less sofistication and more understanding. Same happened to me in several occasions someone asked a question and I had to translated it into English - I have just cut the preamble off and concentrated in the question itself. That means, people who speak Spanish when relate to those who are English-speakers using their own original language, they must speak in Globuñol, as that will make it easier for translation.

The Globugues was worse - I am Brazilian, but I hardly speak Portuguese during the year. So, during my two weeks in Brazil, I realised I was using Globugues to communicated with others, restricting the words and meanings.

In all these cases and many more (like texting tks instead of thanks), communication is losing is façade, beautiful words and its decoration, focusing more in passing a meaning. In fact, paradoxically, our dialogues and talks are becoming richer with experiences.