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This, too, shall pass...
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Resting In The Peace That You Are
Long ago lived a young man in Istanbul, Turkey. Because he
was poor, he had only a single room, sparsely furnished with a
few books and a small cot for a bed. One night the young man had
a dream—a vision, really.
In it, he saw himself walking on a street in what he came to
realize was the city of Cairo in Egypt, a place he had never
been. He could clearly see the name of the street and the houses
that lined the road.
In the vision, he walked up to one particular house, noting the
address. He entered into a tiled courtyard and then into the
main house. An open door drew him to a particular room within
the house. In this room sat an old man surrounded by treasures
beyond anything the young man had ever imagined.
Diamonds, emeralds, and rubies were piled high in pyramid
shapes. Gold and silver bars lined the walls. Exquisite carpets
and artifacts from around the world lay at his feet. The young
man stared at the treasures and then at the old man in
amazement, for in that moment he somehow knew that these
treasures belonged to himself. He didn’t know how he knew (it
was a vision, after all), but he was certain that all of it was
rightfully his.
The young man bolted awake from the dream. So confident was he
in its veracity that he set off that very day on the long
journey from Istanbul to Cairo in order to claim his treasure.
In those days, travel was slow and the young man, being poor,
had to work along the way to pay for food and lodging. After
several months, he eventually arrived in Cairo. Upon making the
inquiries he found the very street he had seen in his dream.
As he set foot upon it, everything seemed completely familiar.
The houses were exactly as he had seen them in his vision. And
sure enough, the house that in the dream had contained the old
man and his treasure was precisely where the young man expected
it to be. Knowing his way, he entered into the tiled courtyard
and then into the room of treasures where he planned to make his
claim.
There sat the old man, but there were no jewels, no gold or
silver, no carpets or artifacts. The young man, undeterred by
the absence of the treasures recounted his vision to the old man
and concluded by saying, “Since everything else in my vision has
been accurate, I assume that the riches are hidden here
somewhere. Please hand them over to me.”
The old man was silent for some time, looking intently at the
young man, his eyes glistening. After a while, he spoke. “It’s
strange,” he said. “I, too, had a dream. I dreamed of a young
man in Istanbul who looked exactly like you.”
“Yes, go on,” implored the young man, certain that this
information would lead to his treasure.
The old man proceeded to describe the street on which the young
man lived in Istanbul. He described the young man’s mother and
father, his siblings, his friends at work, and the books on the
wall of his simple room. “In my vision,” said the old man, “the
greatest treasure, more precious than all the shiny rocks and
metals of the world, was there on a small cot in that room.”
The young man suddenly realized what the old man meant. In that
moment, he saw that his existence, his very being, was all the
treasure he would ever want or need. A profound peace overcame
him. He bowed to the wise man, and taking his leave, returned
home to Istanbul where he lived out his quiet days.
Source: Catherine Ingram
The Human Odyssey...
The earliest remains of the Homo
sapiens yet discovered dates back to 300,000 years.
We probably evolved in the
African region,
but then migrated to the rest of the world. Although our
physical appearance changed over time, our race didn't: we
remained human beings.
Remains of the world's
earliest religious worship site
have been discovered in Botswana, where our ancestors performed
advanced rituals, worshipping the python some 70,000 years ago.
So many religions have emerged and disappeared that no religion
can claim superiority over other religions. Religion is only one
of the
means to realize God, but
it is not an end to itself.
The central problem facing our planet is human overpopulation.
Today there are over
8 billion beings on Earth and the
population is still growing. There are too many people and
not enough resources for all of us. Yet,
we are not addressing this
problem responsibly. Do you really think your life will be
better if there are more people of your colour,
caste or creed on
Earth?
Initially used as fire for light, heat, cooking and for safety,
energy has been harnessed by humans for millennia. Today, fossil
fuels have become our main energy sources. This is leading to
climate change and global warming.
The Earth has entered a new era called
anthropocene, which marks
the beginning of the
sixth mass extinction. Many species have already disappeared
from the planet and our own days, as a species, are numbered.
Artificial intelligence has surpassed human intelligence. While
humans think they will be using
AI to win wars against other
nations, AI itself has outwitted human psychology to make us
lose each and every war. Warfare has never been a solution to
human problems...