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On bullying and being different – Shane Koyczan’s spoken-word poetryby justabahai |
Because
we imagine anger is never a good thing, it is easy to think we should
practice simply not being angry. But that approach is too general and
abstract. It’s important for each of us to be precise, to be real, to be
personal and honest, to find out exactly what my anger is. To do that
we need to ask ourselves lots of questions about its actual nature.
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Today, All Out demonstrated outside Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Coca-Cola is one of the largest Olympic sponsors and has the longest continuous Olympic sponsorship history of any of the sponsors. All Out called upon Coca-Cola to continue their strong tradition of support for the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities by calling for an end of the anti-gay laws now.Photo source.
All Out members funded three large trucks pulling huge billboards around the Coca-Cola global headquarters to encourage the company to respond to over 140,000 emails from All Out members asking Coca-Cola to do the right thing and condemn the anti-gay laws. In August, All Out members delivered more than 300,000 signatures to the International Olympic Committee headquarters. Members also urged the International Olympics Committee to speak out against Russia's anti-gay law ahead of the 2014 Winter Games.
Last month the IOC confirmed Principle 6 of the Olympic charter includes protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, but as long as the anti-gay laws are in place during the Sochi Games the Olympic charter is unenforceable. In September, NBC reported record advertising revenue for the 2014 Games, with more than $800 Million already committed. NBC predicted the total could approach $970 Million before the games. Coca-Cola has been a sponsor of the Olympics since the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.
One
specific method for practicing mindfulness of body sensations is to
focus your attention on sounds. Sounds, like everything else, arise and
pass away. Just by listening, you can experience the insight of
impermanence, an understanding the Buddha taught as crucial for the
development of wisdom.
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Baha’u'llah taught that an equal standard of human rights must be recognized and adopted. In the estimation of God all men are equal; there is no distinction or preferment for any soul in the dominion of His justice and equity. – The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 181.This early, radical advocacy raised a truly global Baha’i voice for guaranteed rights for all human beings. In his speeches, addresses and writings Abdu’l-Baha repeatedly pointed out the sheer absurdity of national, racial and gender-based prejudices, which granted rights to some but denied them to others:
…the world of humanity is one race, the surface of the earth one place of residence and these imaginary racial barriers and political boundaries are without right or foundation. Man is degraded in becoming the captive of his own illusions and suppositions. The earth is one earth, and the same atmosphere surrounds it. No difference or preference has been made by God for its human inhabitants; but man has laid the foundation of prejudice, hatred and discord with his fellowman by considering nationalities separate in importance and races different in rights and privileges. - The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 231.Because of the strong Baha’i emphasis on human rights, the elected institutions of the Baha’i Faith have long made global human rights a high priority. The Baha’i International Community works closely with the United Nations to extend human rights protections to everyone, including the extremely poor, prisoners of conscience, women and children, the disabled and those who belong to national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. In 2010 The Universal House of Justice, the democratically-elected governing body of the Baha’is of the world, issued this statement on gay rights:
With respect to your question concerning the position Baha’is are to take regarding homosexuality and civil rights… Baha’is are enjoined to eliminate from their lives all forms of prejudice and to manifest respect towards all. Therefore, to regard those with a homosexual orientation with prejudice or disdain would be against the spirit of the Faith. Furthermore, a Baha’i is exhorted to be “an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression”, and it would be entirely appropriate for a believer to come to the defense of those whose fundamental rights are being denied or violated.
It’s
definitely the case that we can practice at any given moment. We can
always try a little more to be kind, to be compassionate and be careful
about what we do and say and so forth.
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A 20-year-old waiter provided exemplary service at an Overland Park Italian restaurant, but his anti-gay customers refused to tip him because of his sexual orientation. As word has spread through social media, other customers are coming in to offer words of encouragement and tip the young server extra. The man works at the Carrabba's Italian Grill near 107th Street and Metcalf Avenue. His mother also works as a hostess and she was very upset by what was written on the back of the check earlier this week after he waited on a couple.So they called him a "fag" in the same sentence in which they declared God's love for everybody. (Via Towleroad)
"Thank you for your service, it was excellent. That being said, we cannot in good conscience tip you, for your homosexual lifestyle is an affront to GOD. (Homosexual slur) do not share in the wealth of GOD, and you will not share in ours," the customer wrote. "We hope you will see the tip your (homosexual slur) choices made you lose out on, and plan accordingly. It is never too late for GOD's love, but none shall be spared for (homosexual slur). May GOD have mercy on you." The server and his mother declined to answer questions on camera, referring questions to restaurant management.
Taiwan's legislature on Friday began a review of a gay marriage bill, which has the support of 53 percent of the public, according to a recent opinion poll, though acceptance of a gay family member remains low. "Chinese families are still very traditional," said Jennifer Lu of the counselling group Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association and one of the hosts on the centre stage. "People still emphasise having an heir and passing on the family name." On a cool autumn day, the 11th annual parade was marked by colourful costumes, plenty of exposed skin, musical performances and vendors lining the route to and from the city hall. Spokeswoman Meico Tsai praised the liberal attitudes that have put Taiwan far ahead of its neighbours in terms of tolerance of gays. "Compared to other Asian countries, we're more open, but we still have a long way to go," she said. Sexual-orientation education is a part of the primary school curriculum and LGBT individuals enjoy legal protection from hiring discrimination and other forms of prejudice. "Korea is much more conservative," said South Korean national Carmen Yoon, a first-time attendee. "I hope Taiwan will legalise gay marriage and we can follow their example."The marriage bill is sponsored by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party and is before the legislature's judiciary committee.
New post on Just a Bahai Blog |
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Stephen Fry’s docu – “Out There” being gayby justabahai |
It
turns out we learned to qualify everything, to say ‘almost’ and
‘perhaps’ and ‘it could be’ and ‘it’s likely’ and ‘maybe,’ maybe too
well. As befits the understandings of contemporary physics, Truth became
statistical truth and never an absolute. Now, in the wake of wars and
tragedies, we can’t seem to find our way back to fresh and vivid ways of
saying, ‘Here I take my stand’ and ‘This, I believe.’
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“Thank you for your service, it was excellent. That being said, we cannot in good conscience tip you, for your homosexual lifestyle is an affront to GOD. Queers do not share in the wealth of GOD, and you will not share in ours. We hope you will see the tip your f*g choices made you lose out on, and plan accordingly. It is never too late for GOD’S love, but none shall be spared for f*gs. May GOD have mercy on you.”The incident happened this week at Carrabbas Italian Grill, where the kid and his mother both work (she’s the hostess). Mom told a local new site that the “Christians” were lucky she didn’t see the note before they left, or there’d have been a bit of a scene.
When
talking about others is motivated by thoughts of ill will, jealousy, or
attachment, conversations turn into gossip. These thoughts may seem to
be subconscious, but if we pay close attention to our mind we’ll be able
to catch them in the act. Many of these are thoughts that we don’t want
to acknowledge to ourselves, let alone to others, but my experience is
that when I become courageous enough to notice and admit them, I’m on my
way to letting them go.
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Life
is profound if you’re awake to see it. It’s one thing to draw from
culture, it’s another thing to be drawn so deeply into the culture that
your true nature disappears. Wisdom is not merely something to be gained
with old age. One can be wise in every stage of one’s life. To manifest
wisdom means simply to step back and see—to reflect, inquire, be aware,
be disciplined, and be focused not once in a while, but all of the
time, moment to moment. This life is precious and fleeting. Pay
attention.
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