Sometimes you stumble on something on the net that just rings so true, you must share. This is one such occasion. This story first appeared on Facebook several days ago, under a friend's timeline. I'm not sure who wrote it, or where it even originated. But, without a doubt, it is one of the BEST 'stories' I've ever heard about 'God, the Unknown, Skeptics & Dying'. I'd like to credit the original author, but, seriously, I have no clue who that is. If you know, please post in the comments below. Otherwise, enjoy & pass it on ... It's wise and witty. :)
"In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you
believe in life after delivery?”
The other replied, “Why, of course.
There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”
“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”
The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here.
Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will
have other senses that we can’t understand now.”
The first
replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our
mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything
we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to
be logically excluded.”
The second insisted, “Well I think there
is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t
need this physical cord anymore.”
The first replied, “Nonsense.
And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back
from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there
is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”
“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”
The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”
The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We
are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not
and could not exist.”
Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”
To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you
focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can
hear Her loving voice, calling down from above."
Great eh?
Update: Source: Originally written in Hungarian by Útmutató a Léleknek, translated by Miranda Linda Weisz
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
The Freelton Antique Mall: Eclectic, Exquisite & Eccentric
Sample of 5'x8' Booth at the Freelton Antique Mall |
The 'mall' is a buzzing beehive filled with magnificent & mundane bounty ...
Well worth a visit to Freelton, Ontario. The adjacent 'Thai' cafe is e-e-eccentric too!
Check out my latest review (with a walk-about video) in Raise the Hammer.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Chief Joseph Brant: The Man, The Myth.
I have, for some time, been interested in the life and times
of Chief Joseph Brant. He was, without question, a colourful and controversial
figure caught up in the crush of the cultural evolution that swept over the North
American continent during the end of the 18th century.
My portrait of him is an imaginative interpretation of him
as a young man, based on prior 'formal' and 'informal' euro-portraits done of him later in life.
(Note: He lived long before photography, as a documentary device, emerged.) All
we have today are other artistic interpretations of him. Mostly he was
painted as an emissary for his people, though, in fact, he had little
hereditary stature within the then small Mohawk nation. The 'Chief' designation
came as a 'war' appellation, later in life.
I've now added my own portrait of Chief Joseph Brant to the
well-known portrait pantheon of the man, created by George Romney, Gilbert Stuart, William
Anderson, Charles Wilson Peale, Ezra Ames etc.
Who was Chief Joseph Brant?*
Chief Joseph Brant (b.1743-d.1807)
- aka Thayendanegea
("he who places two bets") - was a prominent Mohawk politician and
warrior during the American and British Revolution in North America.
Joseph became a
'Brant' when his mother (of the matri-lineal Mohawk Wolf Clan) married for a second
time to Brant, a well known Mohawk leader. "Her new husband's
family had deep ties with the British; his grandfather was one of the Four
Mohawk Kings to visit England
in 1710." (Wikipedia) Joseph's half-sister, Molly, soon established a common-law
relationship with Sir William Johnson, the influential and wealthy British
Superintendent for Northern Indian Affairs. Sir William was fluent in the language of
Mohawk and was greatly involved with the development of 'British-Indian'
relations over the course of his lifetime. Joseph moved in with them at Johnson Hall, and
William soon took on the responsibility of educating Joseph to, what would
become, the 'New World'.
It is interesting to note, that, by the time of his death,
Johnson was one of the largest landowners in British America, (170,000 acres), and
one of it's largest Northern slave owners (60 Afro-Americans and numerous indentured Irish families worked his lands and mills.)
Sir William Johnson was also a strong supporter of the
British Anglican Church to counter the influence of French Catholic
missionaries in western New York.
By so doing, he consolidated both Iroquois and British territorial and growing commercial
interests against the rival Algonquin and invested French interests.
In 1769 Sir William Johnson paid for the construction of an
Anglican church for the Mohawk on land donated by Molly Brant. He is known to
have had 8 children with her, as well as numerous other children by other
women. (Not particularly 'uncommon behaviour' for that era.)
Joseph watched this powerful man of influence and learned how to 'operate' ...
Starting around age 18, Brant took part with Mohawk and
other Iroquois allies in a number of British actions against the French in what
is now upper New York state and Canada.
In the spring of 1772, at 29 years of age, Brant went to Fort Hunterto stay with the Reverend John Stuart. He became Stuart's interpreter and
teacher of Mohawk, collaborating with him to translate the Anglican catechism
and the Gospel of Mark into the Mohawk language. Brant was, seemingly, a devout Anglican.
He married three times: Peggy, who died of tuberculosis,
(and had two sons, including Isaac who he later killed, in 'self defense'),
Suzanna (died in 1777, with no issue) and Catherine Adonwentishon
Croghan, who he married in the winter of 1780. She was the daughter of
Catharine (Tekarihoga), a Mohawk, and George Croghan, a prominent Irish
colonist and British Indian agent, deputy to Sir William Johnson. She and
Joseph had seven children.
On November 11, 1775, Guy Johnson (nephew of Sir William)
took Brant, aged 32, with him to London
to solicit more support from the British government. Brant hoped to persuade
the Crown to address past Mohawk land grievances in exchange for their
participation as allies in the impending revolutionary war. The British
government promised the Iroquois people land in Quebec if the combined Iroquois nations
would fight on the British side in what was shaping up as open rebellion by the
American colonists. In London,
Brant was treated as a celebrity and was interviewed for publication by James
Boswell. His portrait was painted (twice) by famed
portrait painter, George Romney, and later, by other notable portrait artists. He
was received by King George III at St. James' Palace. Life was good.
Meanwhile, the existing council of the Six Nations had
previously decided on a policy of neutrality between the warring North American
euro-factions. They considered Brant a minor war chief and his Mohawk clan a
relatively weak people. Frustrated, Brant recruited insurgents who would become
known as 'Brant's Volunteers'. In essence, these fighters were a mixed band of marauders
who raided frontier communities, stealing cattle, livestock & crops, and burned
homesteads, killing many 'enemies' ...
In July 1777 the Six Nations council decided to abandon
neutrality and entered the war on the British side. Brant soon acquired a reputation
as 'Monster Brant' for his lack of restraint in military actions. That
nickname was built, it seems, on unsubstantiated rumor, but stuck. During his
assorted military escapades, he was wounded twice, once in the ankle, and once in
the leg.
In May, 1779, Brant returned to Fort
Niagara where, with his new British salary
and plunder from his raids, he acquired a farm on the Niagara
River, six miles from the fort. To work the farm and to serve the
household, he used slaves captured during his raids. Brant also bought two slave girls,
a seven-year-old African-American girl named Sophia Burthen Pooley & her sister. They served
him and his family for many years before he sold Sophia to an Englishman in Ancaster for $100. (It appears that Sophia and his wife, Catherine, didn't get along that well ...)
He, like Sir William Johnson before him, built a small
Anglican chapel for the Indians who lived nearby.
With the Treaty of Paris (1783), both Britain and the United States ended their conflict.
Both countries studiously ignored any prior land sovereignty issue with the
Indians. Brant was disgusted by this
betrayal and became instrumental in the establishment of the Western
Confederacy (of 15 tribes), that attempted to regain sovereign control of former
native lands. The long and the short of it, they did not succeed.
Brant, however, was 'honoured' in 1784 by then Upper Canadian
Governor, Haldimand, with a pension and a proclaimed land grant for a Mohawk
reserve on the Grand River in present day Ontario. Later that year, the clan matrons
decided that the Six Nations should divide, with half going to the Haldimand
grant and the other half staying in upstate New York.
With his secured funds, Joseph built
a new house in Brant's Town which was described as "a handsome two story
house, built after the manner of the white people." Therein, he managed 20
white and black servants and slaves. (Brant believed Anglo Governments made too
much over the keeping of slaves. Captives
of war were long used as servants in Indian practice.) He developed a good farm
of mixed crops and also kept cattle, sheep, and hogs.
In 1792, the American government invited Brant to Philadelphia, then capital of the United States,
where he met President George Washington and his cabinet. The Americans offered
him a large pension, and tried to lure back the Mohawks, with a reservation in upstate New York.
In early 1797, Brant traveled again to Philadelphia
to assured the Americans that he "would never again take up the tomahawk
against the United States."
Brant actually offered his band of 'volunteers' to the French to "overturn the British government in the
province." ...
He eventually secured 3,500 acres from the Mississauga
Indians at the head of Burlington
Bay. (By then, Upper Canada's Lieutenant Governor, John Graves Simcoe,
would not allow land sales between Indians, so he bought this tract of land
from the Mississauga
and gave it to Brant.) Around 1802, Brant moved there and built a mansion that
was intended to be a half-scale version of Johnson Hall. He is known to have had a prosperous farm, in
the colonial style, with a 100 acres of crops.
His last words, reputedly spoken to his adopted nephew, John Norton, reflect his lifelong commitment to his people: "Have pity on the poor Indians. If you have any influence with the great, endeavour to use it for their good." In 1850, his remains were carried 34 miles in relays on the shoulders of young men of the Grand River Indian Reserve to a tomb at Her Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks in Brantford, Ontario.
In summation, Brant clearly acted as a wily negotiator for the Six Nations. He used British fears of his dealings with the Americans & the French to extract concessions, and to self-profit. His conflicts with British administrators in Canada regarding tribal land claims were later exacerbated by his renewed relations with American leaders. Yet, even so, the Brits allowed him to settle handsomely in Upper Canada, off reserve.
Brant was a war chief, not a hereditary Mohawk chief or sachem. His decisions could and were at times overruled by the assembled sachems and clan matrons. However, his natural ability, his early education, and, the connections he was able to form, made him one of the most influential Indian leaders of his time.
His lifelong mission was to help the Indian survive
the transition from one culture to another, transcending the political, social
and economic challenges of one of the most volatile, dynamic periods of North American
history.
UPDATE, June 2021: Have just stumbled on an in-depth analysis of Brant's land-grant negotiations and war-time escapades. Dive deeper here > http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/thayendanegea_5E.html
NB: There are ample on-line resources to further expand your knowledge of this intriguing man ...
In other news ... and a curious bit of timing ...
The City of Burlington unveils a new heritage plaque this week ...
The City of Burlington unveils a new heritage plaque this week ...
For an interesting general history about Burlington, go here> http://www.eureka4you.com/burlington/history-history.htm
There's an curious piece of trivia on that site about the living tree that Brant used as a marker to walk off the boundaries of his land grant.
There's an curious piece of trivia on that site about the living tree that Brant used as a marker to walk off the boundaries of his land grant.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Winter Wrap-Up for 2014.
Well, the weather is weird. First off, there is no snow. Not even a bit. No ice. No bracing refreshing COLD.
Still, the Earth Turns, and we're about to embark on another oblong cycle around the Sun.
Brace yourself.
Over a two day period, the landscape changed from this ...
Still, the Earth Turns, and we're about to embark on another oblong cycle around the Sun.
Brace yourself.
Over a two day period, the landscape changed from this ...
to this ...
with not a speck of snow in sight.
Happy New Year Everyone.
Catch up again soon - mlh
p.s. And here's my final painting for 2014 ...
Inspired by a friend, HHD. Thanks Holly!
p.s. And here's my final painting for 2014 ...
Inspired by a friend, HHD. Thanks Holly!
Friday, December 19, 2014
Northern Lights - via NASA
Stumbled on this amazing shot of the Northern Lights, via NASA recently. It kind of sums it all up, for me.
We really do live on the most amazing and enchanting planet ... It is a blessing - regardless of whatever 'god' you subscribe to ... Merry Christmas Everyone. - Have a wonderfully festive and thanksgiving 'break' with dear family & friends. - We'll catch up again in the New Year. - ho ho ;)
We really do live on the most amazing and enchanting planet ... It is a blessing - regardless of whatever 'god' you subscribe to ... Merry Christmas Everyone. - Have a wonderfully festive and thanksgiving 'break' with dear family & friends. - We'll catch up again in the New Year. - ho ho ;)
Monday, December 15, 2014
Signature Poem from 'Bush Chord', e-poetry book of 2006 ...
Bush Chord
Available in Bush Chord, 79 page poetry & pinhole e-bookpine poplar willow and punk wood
spit and spark
while bone hard elm birch apple and oak
hum harmonious
fine hard woods - good wood to burn
these wonder instruments pressure whistle
chattering, cheering, cackling
crackling within a hesitant cyclone of light
flickering flames
of sublime delight, warming slow, they give us life
parse this minor miracle of mega bio-physics
of holy fire drawn down
from primal sun
through leaves to rugged root shoots far flung
look here now
to this instant, brilliant burn
an intense unrehearsed liquid fire –
a sound symphony of sun struck lyres
complete and sacred
a rare but common gift
the honey musk smell of jumbled bush wood
burns deep into primal memory
(remember those crisp sun-filled fall days
of cutting, gathering, splitting, stacking,
carrying, piling, drying, and cursing
those back breaking loads?)
to get to this
this calm clear moment
listen
listen
to these bush chords
please
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Canadian Authors Association Holiday Social Event
7:30pm - 9pm
Monday, December 15th, 2014
at
The Nathanial Hughson Art Gallery
Hamilton
I'll be there ... bells on ...
Thursday, December 11, 2014
'Tis the Season & all that ...
There is nothing 'wrong' with celebrating Life's bounty with friends and family.
It can be - and most often is - a wonderful joyful time of laughter and good cheer.
But, increasingly, it is important - very important - not to overlook the larger issues that face our continued survival on this planet.
To that end, this year, in lieu of cards and extended gifts, I have made a sizable donation to an organization that I believe is doing GOOD WORK, work that is helping humanity move forward towards a more sustainable existence on Planet Earth - The Council of Canadians.
Maude Barlow, an active champion and spokeswoman for this organization (amongst other things) continuously draws our attention to the Right of freshwater for all inhabitants. She is mighty opposed to Big Business, in collusion with governments, from diminishing or removing that Right.
I agree with her. Water, like AIR, is a fundamental Life-giving Necessity. As planet caretakers, we must, and can, do better. Please watch this documentary to further understand what really is at stake here. - 'Blue Gold: World Water Wars'.
Then, kindly consider a purchase of one of my decorative Fractal Christmas Ornaments to brighten your festive family celebration this year. - For every purchase made, I pledge to donate 50% to The Council of Canadians so that they can continue to do what they do best.
Thank you for helping me - so that I may help them - help all of us.
Merry Christmas to One & All -
Ho Ho :)
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