Holiday saying of the day:

'Give to give, not to get.'

Yep, that's selfless giving in a nutshell :) Happy holidays, my dears!

On being thankful

Yesterday, I heard for the first time the proclamation made by President Lincoln declaring Thanksgiving an official US holiday. In these troubled economic times, when uncertainty prevails and an undercurrent of hostility and suspicion rife among many nations, his speech seems as relevant today as it was the day it was written. Indeed, there is much to be thankful for: this earth we inhabit, the air we breathe; food, clothing and shelter; education and fruitful employment; the love of family and friends. For those of us who live in relative comfort, shielded away from the ravages of war and poverty, comforted by friends and family, able in health and vigor, the bounties that we ought be thankful for are innumerable. I shall not attempt to list them all, for I know I will fail to call upon every blessing that has been accorded us. But I will offer my heartfelt thanks.

I am immensely grateful. I am grateful for all the love in my life, all the wonderful people who make it worth living for. For all the good fortune that has come our way this year. And for all the tests that have, too. As N rightly said, we must also give thanks for those tough times that gave us valuable lessons and strengthened our resolve; the trying moments that taught us to be patient and the hurdles that forced us to persevere. And for being here after all has been said and done. I am thankful. And hence, I share:

Proclamation of Thanksgiving

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

This is the proclamation which set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving. During his administration, President Lincoln issued many orders similar to this. For example, on November 28, 1861, he ordered government departments closed for a local day of thanksgiving.

Sarah Josepha Hale, a 74-year-old magazine editor, wrote a letter to Lincoln on September 28, 1863, urging him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." She explained, "You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving held on the same day, in all the States; it now needs National recognition and authoritive fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution."

Prior to this, each state scheduled its own Thanksgiving holiday at different times, mainly in New England and other Northern states. President Lincoln responded to Mrs. Hale's request immediately, unlike several of his predecessors, who ignored her petitions altogether. In her letter to Lincoln she mentioned that she had been advocating a national thanksgiving date for 15 years as the editor of Godey's Lady's Book.

The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." According to an April 1, 1864, letter from John Nicolay, one of President Lincoln's secretaries, this document was written by Secretary of State William Seward, and the original was in his handwriting. On October 3, 1863, fellow Cabinet member Gideon Welles recorded in his diary how he complimented Seward on his work. A year later the manuscript was sold to benefit Union troops.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

The Central Dogma...of Karma?

A very interesting read on free will and deteminism...:)

Instant Karma

My recent summer vacation was very satisfying. Plenty of sunshine, a few surprise showers, tons of mangoes, evenings at the beach, home-made food, good books to read, catching up with old friends and lots and lots of time spent with family. I especially loved being able to chat for hours with A, unhurriedly, and on anything that came to mind. I will recount here a thought process that arose from one particular conversation. It started with movies, and wound up touching upon the Virtue of the Month- Patience, life, death, faith, rebirth, action, karma and individual beliefs in a higher spiritual energy. Yes, that's a whole lot, and some very serious topics that came up from an observation about movies! Here's how it all started.
I had a sudden flash about what's most satisfying about watching movies. Many of you probably already knew this, but it is something that just occurred to me at the time :). Within the 2-3 hours that a movie lasts, every form of retribution is there to be had; the good guys win, the bad guys get punished, love is seldom unrequited, wishes are answered, dreams fulfilled, families reunited, all kinds of knots untangled and loose ends tied up. And yes, I am only referring to the more popular feel good movies, not the art-house or film-noir kind. But, the former are very, very satisfying.
I began to wonder though, if belief in an eternal spirit and in abiding with good, faith in the face of trials and tribulations, especially when confronted with situations where misdeeds go unquestioned and the kind are vilified, would not be easier if the time span over which karma operated was to be dramatically compressed. Is it perhaps the inability to believe in something beyond our physical mortality that prevents us from believing in the need for goodness? Would the classic questions of who knows if there's an after-life/ why should I believe when there is no justice in this situation/ how can there be grace when there is so much suffering/... vanish if consequences were immediate or more readily apparent to both the body and spirit in ways that each individual can understand? Would we all be better doers and stronger believers if karma were instant?
Then again, perhaps things are as they are, just so that we may be patient, we may forgive, we may have faith, we may do good for the sake of it and nothing else and despite everything that seems out of balance in the world around us...:)

Many Faiths, One Truth

Less is More

Always.
Let me begin by saying that this message was presented to me in multiple formats this week. The first example would make an excellent candidate for a space I usually reserve for my research rants. After a losing battle with an experiment where I kept increasing my starting material to a frightening amount, I won it by going in the opposite direction (to a startlingly low amount, though that should definitely be commented upon in the other space).
The second instance was in my refrigerator. For someone who gets a migraine from shopping, I make an exception for groceries. I cannot help but fall in love with bright and colorful looking fresh produce and on my last trip to the farmer's market I stocked my fridge to choking point anticipating 2 busy weeks ahead with no time to stop for fuel (of the food kind). In the end, it turned out the 2 very busy weeks, were too busy to set aside much time for cooking and a good amount of that very attractive produce died a silent, cold death and was transferred to a compost bin earlier this week. Nothing bothers me as much as waste does, and throwing away all that food made me wince as realization dawned that some principles of simple living are as true today as they were centuries ago: Buy fresh, buy often and buy a little at a time. Another quick tip for anyone who'd care to read: I heard on the Dr.Oz show last night that the age old warning of not storing potatoes and onions in the refrigerator has a scientific basis after all. Keeping those vegetables in the cold increases their starch content and upon cooking turns it into acrylamide, something biologists have known to steer clear of for a while.
And finally, less of the material is more for the spirit. This is obvious when it comes to greed for money or power, or lust for all things transitory. But could this be true of activities? Could there be such a thing as having too many things to do? While this last month has been filled with a lot of events to attend, people to meet, places to see and every other kind of thing in between, I somehow felt like I difted from one to another without a moment to pause and reflect deeply. I feel like there were certainly a few new things I learnt that I did not spend adequate time internalizing. Perhaps that's a signal to slow down and do a few things and to do them with all my being. Not that this is necessarily linked to the spirit in an obvious way, but I also realized that it was time to throw out some random junk that had accumulated unawares and sort through some other things that could find better use if donated.
At any rate, I hope I have convinced you that more often that not, less is quite plenty. And if you take nothing else away, I would certainly urge you to buy and eat fresh :)

For J...

There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled.
You feel it, don't you?

- Rumi

Just as I finished reading the chapter whose opening words had this very beautiful verse of Rumi's, I received a call from J telling me the wonderful news of a candle about to be kindled. :) And so I share this with much joy and prayer for her!

The virtue of the month...

The virtue chosen this month is perseverance and persistence. This personal platform for goal-setting and thinking deeply has run dry in the last several months. And so, today I resolve that one of the many tasks for me to persevere on will be to continue with the spirit of inquiry and internalization of the virtue chosen each month and to share any thoughts that arise from the process. In the meantime, I leave you with a few lines from Khayyam's Rubaiyat, which I discovered in my current read: 'Three Cups of Tea'

Why ponder thus the future to foresee,
and jade thy brain to vain perplexity?
Cast off thy care, leave Allah's plans to him-
He formed them all without consulting thee.

A very playful and yet humbling way to ask one to be present in the moment and to accept every moment as it turns over to the future.