Not that i care but i'm sure that your comment made sense in your mind, would you mind sharing it with me ?
soumerd_retardataire
joined 1 year ago
Do you interpret relieving your emotions by crying as being weak ?
Yeah, obviously, would you say that it's a sign of strength ?
Or perhaps feeling emotions as being weak ?
"Emotion" is a vague term. Some emotions like bravery(, often a borderline foolishness,) are assimilated with strength. Some emotions like the feeling of defeat, self-pity, the lack of resilience, the fear of authority/punishment that makes you betray others/ideals, that's weak. Always interesting to see how Chelsea Manning is stronger than a lot of men in this regard. Men love to fight, so kinda appreciate to be hurt in a way, and are proud of their scars.
Some emotions are beautiful, such as the one expressed in poetry, others are ugly and you don't need examples to get what i mean.
It's easier to exclude men from external beauty and women from external strength than it is to exclude them from internal beauty and strength, respectively.
And do you find women more flawed, because they're physically weaker than men ?
We have our qualities and flaws, some women are stronger than some men and some men are more beautiful( inside&outside) than women, and it's reductive to stop at these two adjectives, as well as obviously erroneous to draw conclusion on an individual from generalities.
Here's what i answered to a previous comment if you're interested :
Admittedly, beauty is more useful in times of peace than strength, if i count the benefits(, women can give birth and that's the most important thing in Nature), women have more of them than men, but if we can keep some of our qualities i won't say no.
Why would it be better if there were no distinction between men and women ? Or between countries, or citizens ?
What's the use of showing your vulnerability, is that something that others like to see ? And it's not difficult, what's difficult is to take upon yourself and desire the struggle.
We're men, alike rocks, people/life hit us and we don't move, this has advantages and inconvenients, we generally appreciate women's sensibility, and i suppose that most of them appreciate to be able to rely on men when they're needed.
Admittedly, beauty is more useful in times of peace than strength, if i count the benefits(, women can give birth and that's the most important thing in Nature), women have more of them than men, but if we can keep some of our qualities i won't say 'no'.
Lol no, you can be both, and both can be wise/smart, etc.
But in general, women are more beautiful than men and men are stronger than women, perhaps that people nowadays see egality as uniformity, i.d.k.
But weakness(, inside and outside,) is a flaw/defect, as is (internal&external )ugliness, and other flaws.
Well, this support comes from ignorance/manipulation, i disagree.
Furthermore, the so-called "brakes upon lybian civil liberties" should never be discussed without the attacks from the west that Lybia was suffering for decades before the invasion, they famously even renounced to nuclear weapons, but to no avail.
It took 41 years for Muammar Gaddafi to retrieve Gamal Abdel Nasser, it's a sad story. We sanctioned Lybia during the 90s under the guise of protecting the population, it makes no sense, please don't claim that our population knows and support our actions, i've discussed with other people and they don't know much about all this.
I've watched our news and they can talk for weeks about a random murder, or will give a summary that misses things, and it's not really their fault(, more of their capitalist owners who selected them), but i'm regretting this lack of diversity in our medias, we have in France a very narrow expression of opinions(, except on the Internet fortunately), and our citizens believe that it's encompassing every possible&acceptable opinions, and that some of them are even extreme, that's far from the case as this community exemplifies. Imagine a 24/7 anti-imperialist channel news, most of our citizens would be surprised by the existence of that point of view. And our lack of diversity goes beyond that i.m.o.
Probably not worth making a post for this(, yet ?), so i'm dumping these pictures here :
And as others have already said :
17
Here's the thread.
Oxfam reminds us that the IMF is mostly about austerity measures.
It also contains these two maps, note how there's never any conditions for rich countries, i didn't know that the IMF was solely for nonwestern countries(, yet controlled&financed by the west) :
The second map aims to show that « half of developing country govts will be spending less in 2024 than in the 2010s.», (and adds that « Austerity measures are a key feature of the post-pandemic world »).
« But this image neglects that for many developing countries austerity has been 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 over the past few decades. »
Here's a list of countries by their percentage of social welfare spending. Cause or consequence ?
I'm not saying that the solution is simple or obvious though, but the contrast with keynesian economics is striking, and i mostly wanted to share the graph in the thumbnail of this post.
General Audience : In our path of catechesis on apostolic zeal – we are reflecting on apostolic zeal — today we will let ourselves be inspired by the witness of Saint Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese saint.
Unfortunately, for months Sudan has been torn by a terrible armed conflict, of which little is spoken today ; let us pray for the Sudanese people, so they might live in peace ! [Pardon me, but what is the solution then, if negotiations, and referendums, and a union in diversity are excluded ? I.m.h.o., if people want to live a certain way, then they should be allowed to, let them split the country if that's the problem, and let them unite with countries closer to their belief if they're interested in power, i'm oversimplifying by ignoring details i know nothing about]
(...)
In 1869, she was abducted from her family at the age of seven, and made a slave. Her abductors called her “Bakhita”, which means “fortunate”.
She passed through eight masters – each one sold her on to the next.
The physical and moral suffering she suffered as a child left her with no identity. She suffered cruelty and violence : on her body she bore more than a hundred scars.
I'd like to start with something very important, probably the most important i've ever said regarding religions and our relation with God, but i don't know how to express it.
Talking about gratefulness isn't enough, nor an attention to signs, or a search for ../Light/Goodness/God. It's an overall feeling/'way of being' occuring naturally, encompassing a lot of things that ought to be felt at each moment, but perfectible/'not final'. I think that i was closer to it in 2013, most of the time. Searching for God isn't a good enough synonym, here's the most important quote i found in the Way of the Pilgrim :
I found in part three, page 48, the treatise of Peter the Damascene, and began to read :
“One must call upon the Name of God even more often than one takes a breath, at all times, in all places in any kind of work.
The Apostle says: ‘Pray incessantly,’ that is, he teaches men to remember God always, everywhere and in all situations.
Whatever you do, keep in your mind the Maker of all things.
When you behold light, remember who gives it to you ; when you see heaven and earth and sea and all that they contain, be in awe and give praise to their Creator.
When you put on your clothes, remember whose gift they are and give thanks to Him who takes care of your needs.
In a word, remember and praise God in all your actions, and then you will be praying incessantly, and your soul will be filled with gladness.”
Did you understand ? You probably have to need it first in order to be receptive.
I don't know how to convey the importance of this sensation, it changed me and that's the most important thing i could say about my relation with God.
I ended the Way of a pilgrim yesterday :
Her words reminded me of the following saying of Nikitas Stethatos in the Philokalia :
“The nature of things is measured by the interior disposition of the soul ; that is, the kind of person one is will determine what he thinks of others.”
He goes on to say : “He who has attained to genuine prayer and love no longer puts things into categories. He does not separate the righteous from the sinners, but loves all equally and does not judge them, just as God gives the sun to shine and the rain to fall both on the just and the unjust.”
General Audience : « Truly, to pity means both to suffer with the victims of the great inhumanity in the world, and also to pity those who commit errors and injustices, not justifying, but humanizing. »
« [This is ]the work that Saint Bakhita teaches us : to humanize, to humanize ourselves and to humanize others. »
« Saint Bakhita, who became Christian, was transformed by the words of Christ she meditated on every day : “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). And so, she said : “If Judas had asked Jesus for forgiveness, he too would have found mercy”. We can say that St Bakhita’s life became an existential parable of forgiveness. »
« Brothers and sisters, forgiveness is the wellspring of a zeal that becomes mercy and calls us to a humble and joyful holiness, like that of Saint Bakhita. »
From the book of the prophet Jonah (Jon 4:1-11)
Jonah was greatly displeased,
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil, he threatened against Nineveh.
He prayed, "I beseech you, LORD, is not this what I said while I was still in my own country ?
This is why I fled at first to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loath to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me ; for it is better for me to die than to live."
But the LORD asked, "Have you reason to be angry ?"
Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it, where he built himself a hut and waited under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city.
And when the LORD God provided a gourd plant that grew up over Jonah's head, giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort, Jonah was very happy over the plant.
But the next morning at dawn God sent a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.
And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind ; and the sun beat upon Jonah's head till he became faint.
Then Jonah asked for death, saying, "I would be better off dead than alive." [Quick note on this : As long as you say that what is happening to you, while tragic, is still better than your own death, then you should be grateful to God, the reason for your existence(, and our existence, so even if that's not the case, you/we could still be grateful that other things exist even if you'd prefer to be dead). So, when someone in the Bible says "i'd prefer to be dead", i personally interpret it as "i've crossed the line where i can stop having to be grateful to you(, if i'm not grateful for the existence of what isn't me)", "i don't owe you", in a way.]
But God said to Jonah, "Have you reason to be angry over the plant ?"
"I have reason to be angry," Jonah answered, "angry enough to die".
Then the LORD said, "You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise ; it came up in one night and in one night it perished.
And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left, not to mention the many cattle ?"
(since it may continue, i'll try to fill the gaps tomorrow with any relevant extracts)
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:1-4)
Jesus was praying in a certain place and, when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples".
He said to them, "When you pray, say :
Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins.
For we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."
Quran 9:18-27 :
The mosques of Allah should only be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer, pay alms-tax, and fear none but Allah. It is right to hope that they will be among the ˹truly˺ guided.
Do you ˹pagans˺ consider providing the pilgrims with water and maintaining the Sacred Mosque as equal to believing in Allah and the Last Day and struggling in the cause of Allah ? They are not equal in Allah’s sight. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. [Which is why scientists&others receiving ideas are usually interesting, and virtuous, always surprised me, Voltaire isn't the surprising exception people said he was]
Those who have believed, emigrated, and strived in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah. It is they who will triumph.
(...)
O believers ! Do not take your parents and siblings as trusted allies if they choose disbelief over belief. And whoever of you does so, they are the ˹true˺ wrongdoers.
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If your parents and children and siblings and spouses and extended family and the wealth you have acquired and the trade you fear will decline and the homes you cherish—˹if all these˺ are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and struggling in His Way, then wait until Allah brings about His Will. Allah does not guide the rebellious people.”
Indeed, Allah has given you ˹believers˺ victory on many battlefields, even at the Battle of Ḥunain when you took pride in your great numbers, but they proved of no advantage to you. The earth, despite its vastness, seemed to close in on you, then you turned back in retreat.
Then Allah sent down His reassurance upon His Messenger and the believers, and sent down forces you could not see, and punished those who disbelieved. Such was the reward of the disbelievers.
Then afterwards Allah will turn in grace to whoever He wills. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Saints of the day :
St. Philip, Deacon
St. Alexander Sauli, Bishop of Pavia
St. John XXIII, Pope
haha, he was asking if i meant that only one side uses (atrocity/war/.. )propagaganda
If i meant that only one side uses (atrocity/war/.. )propagaganda. It was admittedly a very poor choice of words on my part.
I possibly misformulated the title, what i mean is that we'll always hear from the atrocities of one side(, even if we have to invent them), it's so stupid ! Just show our population Ukraine bombing civilians and we'll be pro-russians, or for any other situation, is that their argument, to only show the exactions of the other side ? That's the most lazy propaganda i could think of.
We(sterners) claim to have arguments, but i've seen our reporting, it's systematically "cinematic" images of exactions done by the same side, and almost no debate because it would be "justifying the unjustifiable", or other accepted excuses to brainwash their population in the laziest way possible.
We don't only see that for international conflicts, but also sometimes for internal conflicts, when they only show on some pro-capitalist channels "cinematic" images of violence from the protesters without giving their point of view(, images of violence being enough for an argument, and violence should always be condemned, except when it's done in Hong-Kong or other countries in order to liberate themselves, but not in Palestine, etc., you know, the rules-based order not inscribed anywhere).
We're just being lied to, continuously, and are so oblivious to our own conditionnement that we sincerely believe that the other side(, who kinda know our point of view at least,) is the one who is brainwashed and should be "liberated" in order to join the "free world". We don't know or care about the sanctions and our covert actions, nor do we think that the other side is worth having a voice, that's our world and i hope it'll change soon because i'm ashamed of it, it's not even hard to see beyond the appearances(, perhaps thanks to Internet, so that will change).
You're a litteralist, like all atheists, you don't see the double reading. Tolkien mostly doesn't speak about real things contrary to the Bible, nor does it have that much teachings, but he engraved modern mythological representations.
Tell me what you didn't understand and i'll try to explain. I don't think that an entire kindgom literally believed Jonah(, yet wouldn't be that much surprised if it did happen, it's not the point, old history books from that time are also unreliable like that, and even more for mythological books, i think that people from that time knew that it needed interpretations, compared to nowadays), but if you think that it doesn't teach us anything(, in this case mostly about the atheist's accusations of a vengeful/cruel God of the old testament), then you're mistaken, the goal here, as always, is to make the kingdom/city of God comes unto Earth(, «Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. May your kingdom come.»), fearing God is one way to walk towards it(, laws are corruptible and police(wo)men can't be everywhere, nor can they police our thoughts/intentions).
78
From the book of the prophet Jonah (Jon 3:1-10) :
The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time :
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you".
So Jonah made ready, and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now, Nineveh was an enormously large city ;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed", when the people of Nineveh believed God ; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then, he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles : "Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything ; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God ; every man shall turn from his evil way, and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish".
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them ; he did not carry it out.
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:38-42) :
Jesus entered a village, where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary, who sat beside the Lord at his feet, listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving ? Tell her to help me".
The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her".
Words of the Holy Father : (...) Jesus’ word is the good portion, that which Mary had chosen. Therefore, she gives it first place: she stops and listens. The rest will come after. This does not detract from the value of practical effort, but it must not precede, but rather flow from listening to the word of Jesus. It must be enlivened by his Spirit. (Angelus, 17 July 2022).
(1 Peter 4:7-11)
The end of everything has come. Therefore, be self-controlled and clearheaded so you can pray.
Above all, show sincere love to each other, because love brings about the forgiveness of many sins.
Open your homes to each other without complaining.
And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God’s diverse gifts.
Whoever speaks should do so as those who speak God’s word. Whoever serves should do so from the strength that God furnishes. Do this so that in everything God may be honored through Jesus Christ. To him be honor and power forever and always. Amen.
Surah Al-Anam(, "The Cattle"), (6:95-104) :
Indeed, Allah is the One Who causes seeds and fruit stones to sprout. He brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living. That is Allah ! How can you then be deluded from the truth ?
He causes the dawn to break, and has made the night for rest and made the sun and the moon to travel with precision. That is the design of the Almighty, All-Knowing.
And He is the One Who has made the stars as your guide through the darkness of land and sea. We have already made the signs clear for people who know.
And He is the One Who originated you all from a single soul, then assigned you a place to live and another to be laid to rest. We have already made the signs clear for people who comprehend.
And He is the One Who sends down rain from the sky—causing all kinds of plants to grow—producing green stalks from which We bring forth clustered grain. And from palm trees come clusters of dates hanging within reach. There are also gardens of grapevines, olives, and pomegranates, similar in shape but dissimilar in taste. Look at their fruit as it yields and ripens ! Indeed, in these are signs for people who believe.
Yet they associate the jinn with Allah in worship, even though He created them, and they falsely attribute to Him sons and daughters out of ignorance. Glorified and Exalted is He above what they claim !
He is the Originator of the heavens and earth. How could He have children when He has no mate ? He created all things and has perfect knowledge of everything.
No vision can encompass Him, but He encompasses all vision. For He is the Most Subtle, All-Aware.
Indeed, there have come to you insights from your Lord. So whoever chooses to see, it is for their own good. But whoever chooses to be blind, it is to their own loss. And I am not a keeper over you.
Saints of the day :
St. Paulinus, Bishop of York, Disciple of St. Gregory the Great.
Sts. Daniel, Samuel and Companions, first Franciscan Martyrs.
97
Netanyahu used the maps in an attempt to illustrate the increasing number of Arab countries normalizing relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords
Earlier this year, Netanyahu's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, spoke from a podium adorned with a map that also included Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria as part of Greater Israel.
Original article, discussed here.
I haven't watched the 25mn long video, but quickly skipping through it only shows two maps in total(, from the tenth to the twelfth minute), and the first one "forgot" Palestine as well :
The Vatican Publishing House, Libreria Editrice Vaticana releases Pope Francis' new book “Holy, not Worldly. God's Grace Saves Us from Interior Corruption” !
Here's the preface :
Christian life is a battle, an interior combat to overcome the temptation of closing ourselves, and to let the love of our Father who desires our happiness to dwell within us.
It is a beautiful battle, because when we let the Lord be victorious in us, our heart exults fully and our existence is illuminated by a ray of the infinite.
The battle we carry out as followers of Jesus is first of all a battle against spiritual worldliness, which is a form of paganism in ecclesiastical clothing.
Though it be camouflaged with the appearance of the sacred, it ends up being idolatrous, because it does not recognize the presence of God as Lord, and liberator of our lives and of the history of the world. It leaves us prey to our capricious desires.
Therefore, we must fight.
But our battle is not vain, nor without hope, because this battle has already been won by Jesus, who overcame the strength of sin in his death.
With his resurrection, he has made it possible for us to become new persons.
Of course, the victory of Jesus has a name, the cross, which at first repels us and pushes us away. But it is the sign of a limitless love, humble and tenacious.
Jesus loved us to the point of the ignominious death on a cross in order that we no longer be able to doubt that his arms will remain open, even for the last of the sinners.
This eternal love calls and orients the life of Christians, and of the Church herself. The cross of Jesus becomes the criterion of every choice of faith.
Blessed Pierre Claverie, the bishop of Oran, affirmed this in one of his beautiful homilies that I would like to quote here :
« I believe that the Church dies if it is not sufficiently close to the cross of her Lord. Though it may seem paradoxical, strength, vitality, hope, Christian fruitfulness, the fruitfulness of the Church come from here.
Not from elsewhere. All the rest is but smoke in our eyes, worldly illusion. The Church betrays herself, and betrays the world, when it stands like a power among powers, or like an organization, even a humanitarian one, or like an evangelical movement capable of making a splash. It may even shine, but it does not burn with the fire of the love of God, ‘strong as death’ – as the Song of Songs puts it. »
This is why I wanted to collect in this short volume two essays which were published at different times : one, written in 1991 when I was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, dedicated to corruption and sin ; and the other, a Letter to the priests of Rome.
They are united by the concern, which I feel to be a loud call from God to the entire Church, to remain vigilant and to fight with the strength of prayer against every concession to spiritual worldliness.
This battle has a name : it is called holiness.
Holiness is not a state of beatitude which one has reached once and for all. It is instead the incessant, tireless desire to remain attached to the cross of Jesus, letting ourselves be shaped by the logic that comes from the gift of self, and from resisting the enemy who flatters us by convincing us that we are self-sufficient.
It would do us well to remember what Jesus said : “Without me you can do nothing”(Jn 15:5). Holiness is therefore remaining open to the “more” that God asks of us and that is manifested in our adherence to our daily lives.
Father Alfred Delp wrote : “God embraces us through reality”. Our daily lives are the place in which we make room for the Lord, who saves us from self-sufficiency, and which requires of us that magis which Saint Ignatius of Loyola spoke about : that “more” that urges us toward a happiness which is not ephemeral, but full and serene.
I offer these texts to the reader as an opportunity to reflect on his life and on the life of the Church, with the conviction that God asks us to be open to His newness, he asks us to be unquiet and never satisfied, searching and never stuck in comfortable opacity, not defended within the walls of false certainties, but walking on the road of holiness.
Philippians 2:1-5 :
Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
On a personal note :
I've began reading a text( chosen randomly) yesterday, it's from an anonymous pilgrim of the XIXth century, and starts with :
« By the grace of God, i am a christian ; by my deeds, a great sinner ; and, by calling, a homeless rover of the lowest status in life.
My possessions comprise but some rusk in a knapsack on my back, and the Holy Bible on my bosom. »
I'm only on chapter 5 out of 40, but it begins slowly, searching for a way to pray perpetually. Progressively explaining through his journey why it's important, and why it seems harder than at first thought(, or even impossible, such as during our sleep).
This long research doesn't come to fruition only at the end though, but as soon as the fifth chapter :
« The elder found the teaching of Nicephorus the monk, and began to read : “If after some efforts you do not succeed in reaching the region of the heart in the manner you have been told, do what I am about to tell you, and with the help of God you will find what you are seeking. The faculty of speech is located in the larynx, as you know. Drive back all other thoughts—you can do it if you wish—and use that faculty in saying constantly the following words : ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ Make yourself do so at all times. If you persist in it for a while, your heart by this means will be open to prayer without doubt. This is known from experience.”
“Here, you have the teaching of Holy Fathers dealing with these cases,” said the elder. “Therefore, you must accept it with confidence, and repeat the oral Jesus Prayer as often as possible.
Take this rosary. Use it in saying three thousand prayers every day in the beginning. Whether you sit or stand, walk or lie down, constantly repeat : ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ »
The Pope points to path for an inclusive and caring economy(, i didn't managed to quickly find the original speech) :
« Pope Francis sends a message to young economists taking part in the annual “Economy of Francesco” meeting.
In a world where disparities are growing, this [concept of "coincidentia oppositorum"] calls for balance, cooperation, and a recognition that both sides can coexist for the common good.
Urging young economists to expand their perspectives and make room for diverse voices, particularly those that have long been excluded, the Holy Father emphasizes the importance of valuing the viewpoints of women and the marginalized.
Their unique insights, he notes, can shift our focus from material possessions to meaningful relationships, from wealth accumulation to equitable distribution, and from abstraction to tangible realities.
Just as a pilgrim's journey is marked by challenges and dust, the Pope says it is necessary to get one’s hands dirty in the pursuit of the common good. [If there's a reader here, would s.he mind giving below their interpretation of this sentence ?]
A pilgrim’s journey, he adds, is also an encouragement to be peacemakers and advocates for justice within the economic realm.
It is clear, the Pope concludes, that change takes time and requires resourcefulness.
It may not be possible to immediately integrate new economic approaches into existing systems, but this should not deter us.
We must have the patience to let our efforts evolve gradually and nurture the determination to establish enduring connections.
As we strive for a more just and inclusive economic world, persistence and resilience are essential virtues. »
From the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:12-14) :
After Jesus had been taken up into heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away.
When they entered the city, they went to the upper room where they were staying, but Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:26-38) :
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace ! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
[note : The house of Jacob is comprised of the houses/kindgoms of Ephraim/Israel and Judah. Judah was the son of Jacob b.t.w., as all patriarchs of Ephraim/Israel(, 10 tribes : Reuben, Simon, Zebulun, Gad, Issaskar, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, and Ephraim, the last two being the sole exception as they are not sons of Jacob but of his twelfth child : Joseph. That's a lot of "J", as in Jew, Judah, Jesus, John the Baptist, Jerusalem, ... Mark&Matthew would then correspond to Joseph's eldest son Manasseh ?), and of Judah(, sometimes included in the word Israel, but never in Ephraim)(, 3 tribes : Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, but the tribe of Levi didn't have any land), they were separated in two after Solomon's reign.
Jacob's name was changed by the Lord to Isra’el(, meaning to strive&overcome with El/God).
Joshua (Yehoshua/Yahshuah/Yeshua in hebrew, Jesus in latin, ~"God save"), whose father's name is very similar to Nun and means "fish" in aramaic, was of the tribe of Ephraim, and the one who lead the children of Israel into Canaan after Moses' death. Jeroboam the first was also an Ephraimite who lead the ten tribes(,slightly alternative map,) into the north to establish the Northern Kingdom of Ephraim/Israel, which included Samaria and Galilee, while Judah&Benjamin stayed loyal to Solomon's son Rehoboam.]
But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren ; for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
Holy Quran, Surah 5(« The Table( Spread with Food) »), ayat 109-119(, absolutely zero reason to feel insulted) :
The Day when Allah will gather together the Messengers and say : 'What answer were you given ?'
They will reply : 'We have no real knowledge of it. You alone fully know all that lies beyond the reach of human perception.
Imagine, then, when Allah will say : 'Jesus, son of Mary, recall My favour upon you and your mother, and when I strengthened you with the spirit of holiness, so that you talked to men in the cradle, and also when you became of age [as all of us, we're all indebted] ; and when I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel ; and when, by My leave, you fashioned from clay the likeness of a bird and you breathed into it, and by My leave it became a bird ; you healed, by My leave, the blind from birth, and the leprous ; and when, by My leave, you caused the dead to come to life.
And recall when I restrained the Israelites from you, when you came to them with clear proofs whereupon those of them who disbelieved said : "This is nothing but clear magic."
And recall when I revealed to the disciples to believe in Me, and in My Messenger, they said : "We do believe, and we bear witness that we indeed are the ones who submit to Allah"
Also recall when the disciples asked Jesus, son of Mary : 'Jesus, son of Mary, has your Lord the power to send down to us a repast from the heaven ?'. Thereupon, Jesus said : 'Fear Allah if you do indeed have faith.'
Jesus, son of Mary, then prayed: 'O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a repast from the heavens that shall be a festival for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from You. And provide us with sustenance, for You are the best Provider of sustenance.'
Allah said : 'I shall indeed send it down to you ; then, I shall afflict whoever among you who disbelieves with a chastisement, wherewith I will afflict none in the worlds.'
And imagine when thereafter Allah will say : 'Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to people : "Take me and my mother for gods beside Allah ?"'
And he will answer : "Glory to You ! It was not for me to say what I had no right to. Had I said so, You would surely have known it. You know all that is within my mind, whereas I do not know what is within Yours. You, indeed You, know fully all that is beyond the reach of human perception. I said to them nothing except what You commanded me, that is : 'Serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord'. I watched over them as long as I remained among them ; and when You did recall me, then You Yourself became the Watcher over them. Indeed, You are Witness over everything.
If You chastise them, they are Your servants ; and if You forgive them, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise". Thereupon Allah will say : 'This day truthfulness shall profit the truthful.
Saints of today :
St. Mark, Pope
Sts. Sergius e Bacchus, Martyrs of Syria
view more: next ›
To me, if you're crying you're admitting that something is stronger than you, that you're powerless, and i still find it useless, i guess that i just have a bad image of it(, it can be beautiful though, like tears of joy, or of an emotion which isn't defeat). But i clearly(, and subconsciously,) don't treat men, women, or children, in the same point of view in regard to crying, i'd never think of saying "man up" to a woman hurt to the point of tears, yet i find it admirable when a man swallow his pain, and straighten his profile in order to act after whatever happened, that's the common thinking, i'm not the weird one here(, even if my descriptions are very imperfect), but since modernity changed so many things they may end up suppressing the differences between men and women, or not, w/e.
On the contrary, suppressing your emotions helps to act rationally without being overwhelmed by them, and i.m.o. there's no real difference between emotions and reason, since our feelings can be explained rationally, we're often saying that "reason ignore the heart's own reasons", but that's not true, we are indeed influenced by subconscious feelings that we would be unable to analyse, but that's a minor side and i don't make a distinction between the cold reasoning and the hot emotions, i'm deciding with both a'd i think almost everyone does the same.
100%, i realized it when i was writing the examples, and the example you gave me is another very good one, you can indeed find effeminate/weak persons who are "tough motherf*ckers", i didn't give enough thought behind what "internally strong" may mean, and it also depends on the situation, it's not because you're weak or ugly internally at one time of the time that you can't act beautifully or strongly at another time.
Well, it doesn't come from me and i have a story and some good memories from it. But in a few words, i asked someone special(, ~9 years ago,) if he had a motto, and he told me that the masonic triangle is "Strength · Beauty · Wisdom", i still haven't checked if it's true(, but discovered a few years later that it's in the Kabbalah). It stayed in my mind and i naturally decided to apply it to men and women and divide it in internally//externally. Just to say that somewhere.
While reductive, i think it has a lot of truth in it.
Men have testosterone, have sexual fantasy when they touch women, and read comics when they imagine themselves fighting.
Women have estrogens, in their fantasy they imagine themselves being touched, and read romantic novels when they're preparing themselves for the unavoidable desire they'll attract.
Yeah, i'll need to edit this message, if you're reading this line give me 30-40mn i want to do something first.