Condemn Injustice

 

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never
be a time when we fail to protest.
- Elie Wiesel

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

If everyone howled at every injustice,
every act of barbarism, every act of unkindness,
then we would be taking the first step towards a real humanity.
- Nelson DeMille

Don't make the mistake of thinking that you have to
agree with people and their beliefs to defend them from injustice.
- Bryant H. McGill

Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth
and compassion against injustice and lying and greed.
If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.
- William Faulkner

When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
-Steve Maraboli

If you are neutral in situations of injustice,
you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
- Desmond Tutu
            

A willingness to laugh at itself is what distinguishes a compassionate religion from a cult -jlh

A willingness to laugh at itself is what distinguishes
a compassionate religion from a cult."
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

 I asked ChatGPT to write about some festivals and practices that embody religions taking themselves lightly ...

Many religions have rituals, festivals, or customs that reflect humility, playfulness, or the ability to laugh at themselves. Here are some notable examples across traditions where faith makes space for humor, irony, or joyous self-awareness:

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Judaism: Purim

• Purim is arguably the clearest example of a religion embracing humor and irreverence.

• Celebrates the deliverance of the Jews in the Book of Esther with:

  • Costumes and parodies

  • Booing the villain Haman’s name

  • “Purim spiels” (comic plays that mock religious and current figures)

  • Drinking “until you don’t know the difference between ‘Blessed is Mordechai’ and ‘Cursed is Haman’”

• Self-mockery and satire are often part of the tradition — even religious authority is fair game.

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Christianity: Holy Fools & Easter Joy

• “Holy Fools” (Fools for Christ) — particularly in Eastern Orthodoxy — embraced absurd behavior to challenge pride, power, and hypocrisy.

• In medieval Europe, Feast of Fools and Carnival seasons (pre-Lent) turned hierarchy upside down: clergy were mocked, and parody “bishops” crowned. These were tolerated (and sometimes censured) but show long-standing humorous tension in Christianity.

• Easter, while solemn in parts, ends in celebration, jokes (God’s joke on the devil), and even laughter in some traditions (“Risus Paschalis” or “Easter Laugh” sermons).

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Hinduism: Holi

• Holi, the festival of colors, is full of playfulness and mischief — throwing powders, playing tricks, teasing.

• While rooted in stories of divine love (e.g., Krishna and Radha), Holi often includes mocking authority, social reversal, and loosening of norms — it’s a time for lighthearted chaos.

• Many Hindu myths also show gods behaving in humorous or flawed ways, suggesting a cosmic self-awareness.

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Buddhism: Zen Humor & the Laughing Buddha

• Zen Buddhism often uses paradox and irony to poke fun at ego and rigid thinking — koans (like “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”) can be absurd and funny.

• The Laughing Buddha (Budai) is a folk figure, not the historical Buddha, but he’s beloved for his joy and belly laughter.

• In many teachings, humor is a tool for insight — laughing at the self is often the first step toward liberation.

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Sikhism: Chardi Kala (Optimistic Spirit)

• While not focused on humor per se, Chardi Kala — the concept of relentless optimism and joyful resilience — encourages Sikhs to keep spirits high even in adversity.

• Gurus are sometimes remembered for witty retorts or gentle teasing in spiritual debate.

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Islam: Sufi Wit

• While formal Islamic practice is reverent, Sufi mysticism includes playful poetry and stories with spiritual lessons.

• Nasreddin Hodja (in Turkish Sufi tradition) is a beloved comic figure — a kind of trickster-sage — who uses absurd stories to expose spiritual and social truths.

• The Qur’an itself does not permit mocking the religion, but in Sufi contexts, divine love and humility often come with a twinkle in the eye.

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Bahá’í Faith: Joyful Spirit

• While not especially focused on humor, Baháʼís emphasize cheerfulness, detachment from ego, and unity in diversity.

• The faith encourages modesty and joy — and humor is seen as a way to elevate the spirit, not deflate others.

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Indigenous Traditions: Tricksters

• Many Native American and Indigenous mythologies include trickster figures (like Coyote or Raven) who teach lessons through mischief and mistakes.

• These traditions often embody spiritual depth through humor, acknowledging the absurdity of life and the flaws of humanity as sacred.

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✅ Summary:

Religions that “laugh at themselves” tend to:

• Reverse hierarchies (Purim, Carnival)

• Celebrate playful chaos (Holi, Trickster myths)

• Use irony to teach (Zen, Sufism)

• Embrace joy and humility as sacred (Chardi Kala, Easter, Laughing Buddha)

These practices reflect a deep wisdom: the recognition that divinity can include joy, absurdity, and human imperfection — not just solemnity.

 

The Oak & the Reeds - an Aesop Fable

 

The Oak & the Reeds - an Aesop Fable

A Giant Oak stood near a brook in which grew some slender Reeds. When the wind blew, the great Oak stood proudly upright with its hundred arms uplifted to the sky. But the Reeds bowed low in the wind and sang a sad and mournful song.

"You have reason to complain," said the Oak. "The slightest breeze that ruffles the surface of the water makes you bow your heads, while I, the mighty Oak, stand upright and firm before the howling tempest."

"Do not worry about us," replied the Reeds. "The winds do not harm us. We bow before them and so we do not break. You, in all your pride and strength, have so far resisted their blows. But the end is coming."

As the Reeds spoke a great hurricane rushed out of the north. The Oak stood proudly and fought against the storm, while the yielding Reeds bowed low. The wind redoubled in fury, and all at once the great tree fell, torn up by the roots, and lay among the pitying Reeds.

Better to yield when it is folly to resist, than to resist stubbornly and be destroyed.

Work is Not the Purpose of Life

 "Man does not live, therefore, to produce bread. He produces bread to live. The distinction is enormously important and relevant. Obviously man must have food, and so far as our experience goes, he must work to produce It, But work is not the purpose of life. Production is not the purpose of life. Instead, human lives are the entire purpose and the reason for all work and for all production.
- Robert G. Lewis - speaking about the issues of family farms at the annual meeting of the Interorganization Committee on Problems for Rural Youth in 1957

Proposition: There is NO absolute TRUTH.

The following is a philosophical discussion, a springboard for contemplation, please ensure that your replies are constructive...

Proposition: There is NO absolute TRUTH.

Even in science, which comes closest to "absolute truth," our knowledge is evolving, Before Einstein, it was TRUE that time was the same everywhere. Now we know more (our GPS systems are a practical implementation of the principle of Relativity).

In fields outside of science (politics, government, human relations, "morality," etc), TRUTH is no more than the OPINION of a person or group of people. Even if a lot of people believe something, that mass acceptance alone doesn't make it factually TRUE.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact.
Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.
- Marcus Aurelius

Truth is not defined by
how many people believe something.
Ask. Question. Think.
Decide - for yourself.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -
it is the illusion of knowledge.
- Daniel J. Boorstin

The antiquity and general acceptance of an opinion
is not assurance of its truth.
- Pierre Bayle

There is no truth.
There is only perception.
- Gustave Flaubert

Having a personal opinion is great.
Believing that one's personal opinion is absolute truth
leads to most of the world's troubles.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Who can YOU Help to Register and Vote?

The US election on November 8, 2022 is an extremely consequential election for the future of democracy.

In addition to voting yourself, and, if you are able, helping the candidates of your choice, 
PLEASE encourage your friends and family to Register and VOTE! In many states, there is less than another week to Register.

THANK YOU!

What is "Moral?"

Question I received... I have been trying to decode the enigmatic statement by Isaac Asimov: "Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right."  What do you think Dr. Asimov meant by that?  Kindly advise.  Thank you very much.

My response...

It depends on how you define morals. If you define "moral" as doing what you yourself believe to be "right," then the Asimov quote makes no sense.
But if you define "moral" as following the "settled customs of a stable society" (that is, doing what your family, church, and government "teach" you is "right"), then the conflict becomes clear.

Thus, I interpret the Asimov quote this way...

"What is Moral" is what we have been taught by our parents, teachers, religious leaders, and other influences.

"What is Right" is what we know in our heart to be compassionate, generous, honorable, and noble.

Laws are often cruel.  Here are two great examples...  And religious teachings and family/community traditions are also often cruel.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/12/arizona-migrants-trial-scott-warren

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-homeless-feeding-arrests-20180115-story.html