Measures

If the aborigine drafted an IQ test, all of Western civilization would presumably flunk it

- Stanley Marion Garn, anthropologist (1922- )

The Song of Life

When a woman in a certain African tribe knows she is pregnant, she goes out into the wilderness with a few friends and together they pray and meditate until they hear the song of the child. They recognise that every soul has its own vibration that expresses its unique flavour and purpose. When the women attune to the song, they sing it out loud. Then they return to the tribe and teach it to everyone else.When the child is born, the community gathers and sings the child's song to him or her. Later, when the child enters education, the village gathers and chants the child's song. When the child passes through the initiation to adulthood, the people again come together and sing. At the time of marriage, the person hears his or her song. Finally, when the soul is about to pass from this world, the family and friends gather at the person's bed, just as they did at their birth, and they sing the person to the next life. There is something inside each of us that knows we have a song, and we wish those we love would recognize it and support us to sing it. In the African tribe there is one other occasion upon which the villagers sing to the child. If at any time during his or her life, the person commits a crime or aberrant social act, the individual is called to the centre of the village and the people in the community form a circle around them. Then they sing their song to them.

source unknown

Thai Tribe Saved from Killer Tsunami by Elders

The Morgan sea gypsies are a small tribe of 181 fishermen who spend much of the year on their boats fishing in the Andaman Sea from India to Indonesia and back to Thailand. In December, though, they live in shelters on the beaches of Thailand. In December 2004, in the hours before the killer Tsunami crashed ashore, the Morgan sea gypsies were living on those beaches. They were in harm's way and would have likely all perished—had they not listened to their elders.
For generations, the elders of the tribe had passed along one piece of wisdom. The tribe's 65-year-old village chief Sarmao Kathalay says, "The elders told us that if the water recedes fast it will reappear in the same quantity in which it disappeared."
And that is exactly what happened. The sea drained quickly from the beach, leaving stranded fish flopping on the shore. How easy it would have been for those who live off of the sea to run down where the water had been minutes ago and fill every basket available with fish. Some people did just that in other areas of South Thailand. Not the Morgan sea gypsies. When the water receded from the beach, the tribal chief ordered every one of the 181 tribal members to run to a temple in the mountains of South Surin Island. When the waters crashed ashore, the 181 sea gypsies were safe on high ground.

"How 'Sea Gypsies' Survived the Tsunami."

Associated Press, December 31, 2004, http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/topstories_story_001002424.html

God Never Leaves Us

One tribe of native Americans had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of a boy's thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods. By himself. All night long.
Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualised a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many.
After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy's father. He had been there all night long.
Can you think of any better way for a child to learn how God allows us to face the tests of life? God is always present with us. God's presence is unseen, but it is more real than life itself.

source unknown

Still Thinking – The Centre Knows

Two years ago Anne and I spent a week travelling through central Australia from Alice Springs, through Kings Canyon to Uluru. Since that time I have become convinced that this great rock, almost in the centre of Australia, holds some great truth about our place in the world.  It was the American poet Robert Frost who wrote the words, “we dance around the ring and suppose; but the secret sits in the centre and knows.”  As Australians we, by and large, cling to the fertile coastline.  Most of our population lives in six cities, all on the coast.  So from this place of relative comfort we turn our backs to the centre and gaze toward the ocean’s horizon. And while the edge and the circle can sustain us, it is only by turning to the centre that we can find that which nourishes our souls.

I use this metaphor deliberately because after spending an afternoon with Dr Parker Palmer at his home in Madison Wisconsin, I am aware that it is only by living our lives around the spiritual centre that we will truly be filled with the richness that life in God offers.  Perhaps that is just stating the obvious, and yet for whatever reasons we as individuals, communities and societies, often miss the possibilities we could have if we lived both from and into that life giving centre.

Some would say that if we all just worshiped God and believed in Jesus then we would have the centre we need.  But that approaches too easily collapses into religiosity and theological games.  Rather it is the “God beyond god” that we really seek.  That may not make a lot of sense to some, but it is an attempt to move from idolatry, where an image, idea or institution is central and worshipped to a mystery that speaks its wordless truth to all of us.

James Hollis in his insightful book, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally Grow Up, says that a person or a culture cannot “create” a mystery it is only glimpsed, encountered and felt.  It is the ineffable “More” of life – not a riddle to be solved, but a wordless surplus of meaning to be experienced.  And at its most authentic it is an inner experience at the centre of one’s being.

Parker Palmer has given us a great gift through his development of the Circles of Trust.  He explained in our conversation that much of our lives are spent talking to the person next to us and seldom do we gaze into the centre, that open space filled with meaning and possibility and even silence.  But at the same time it is necessary to note that Parker’s approach is not merely a form of personal development or self-actualization.  It finds its truest expression in the world in which we act with care, compassion and justice, as the circle ever widens.

There is a sign at the bottom of Uluru that asks people to respect this sacred place by not climbing the rock – it is not enforced so many do climb it.  The sign ends with these words from an aboriginal elder, which I paraphrase, “What’s with you whitefellas, why do you always need to get to the top of everything? Why not just walk around the rock and let it speak its truth to you?”

Christopher Page

An Indian Version of the Twenty-third Psalm

The Great Father above a shepherd Chief is.
I am His and with Him I want not.
He throws out to me a rope and
the name of the rope is love and
He draws me to where the grass is green
and the water not dangerous,
and I eat and lie down and am satisfied.
Sometimes my heart is very weak and falls down but
He lifts me up again and draws me into a good road.
His name is WONDERFUL.

Sometime, it may be very soon,
it may be a long, long time.
He will draw me into a valley.
It is dark there, but I'll be afraid not,
for it is in between those mountains
that the Shepherd Christ will meet me
and the hunger that I have in my heart
all through this life will be satisfied.
He gives me a staff to lean upon.

He spreads a table before me
with all kinds of foods.
He puts His hand upon my head
and all the "tired" is gone.
My cup He fills till it runs over.
What I tell is true. I lie not.
These roads that are "away ahead"
will stay with me through this life and after;
and afterwards I will go to live
in the Big Tepee and sit down
with the Shepherd Chief forever.

~Isabel Crawford
(Missionary to the Indians of the plains)

Ancient Thoughts

Inscribed on the walls of an ancient Persian temple are these thoughts:
Do not say all you know,
for he who says all he knows
often says more than he knows.

Do not tell all you hear,
for he who tells all he hears
often tells more than he hears.

Do not spend all you have,
for he who spends all he has
often spends more than he has.

Do not covet all you see,
for he who covets all he sees
often wants more than he sees.

Our Way of Giving

Once when I was in Victoria, I saw a very large house. They told me it was a bank, and that the white men place their money there to be taken care of, and that by and by they got it back, with interest. We are Indians, and we have no such bank; but when we have plenty of money or blankets, we give them away to other chiefs and people, and by and by they return them, and our hearts feel good. Our way of giving is our bank.

Maquinna, Nootka chief, early 19th Century

Feed the Wolf

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life: "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

36 Stress Reducers for Christians

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
7. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
8. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
9. Take one day at a time.
10. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you to do and let go of the anxiety.
11. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K. M. S. (Keep Mouth Shut) This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough exercise.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write thoughts and inspirations down.
22. Everyday, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until its time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus!"
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but yourself not at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.
** God has a way of turning things around for you **

- Author Unknown

Feed the Wolf

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life: "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

Sorry Day Prayer

Today the Australian Government makes an apology to the Stolen Generations. This prayer was written for Sorry Day, reflecting concern for the plight of Indigenous Australians.

Almighty and loving God, you who created ALL people in your image,
Lead us to seek your compassion as we listen to the stories of our past.
You gave your only Son, Jesus, who died and rose again so that sins will be forgiven.
We place before you the pain and anguish of dispossession of land, language, lore, culture and family kinship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced.
We live in faith that all people will rise from the depths of despair and hopelessness.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have endured the pain and loss of loved ones, through the separation of children from their families.
We are sorry and ask God's forgiveness.
Touch the hearts of the broken, homeless and inflicted and heal their spirits.
In your mercy and compassion walk with us as we continue our journey of healing to create a future that is just and equitable.
Lord, you are our hope.
Amen.

Sorry Day Prayer

Almighty and loving God, you who created ALL people in your image,
Lead us to seek your compassion as we listen to the stories of our past.
You gave your only Son, Jesus, who died and rose again so that sins will be forgiven.
We place before you the pain and anguish of dispossession of land, language, lore, culture and family kinship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced.
We live in faith that all people will rise from the depths of despair and hopelessness.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have endured the pain and loss of loved ones, through the separation of children from their families.
We are sorry and ask God's forgiveness.
Touch the hearts of the broken, homeless and inflicted and heal their spirits.
In your mercy and compassion walk with us as we continue our journey of healing to create a future that is just and equitable.
Lord, you are our hope.
Amen.

Aboriginal and Islander Commission
National Council of Churches in Australia. 2002

NOTE: SORRY DAY is commemorated this day each year in recognition of past injustices carried out on Indigenous People in Australia and their continuing impact today

Feed the Wolf

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life: "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."