Peace for the earth

Earth Song Lyrics

What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain
What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we've shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
This crying Earth this weeping shore?

Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh
Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh

What have we done to the world
Look what we've done
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son...
What about flowering fields
Is there a time
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice
This crying Earth this weeping shore

Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh
Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh

I used to dream
I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don't know where we are
Although I know we've drifted far

Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh
Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh

Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh
Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh

Hey, what about yesterday (what about us)
What about the seas (what about us)
The heavens are falling down (what about us)
I can't even breathe (what about us)
What about Africans (what about us)
I ain't even you (what about us)
What about nature's worth (ooh ooh)
It's our planet's womb (what about us)

What about animals (what about it)
We've turned kingdoms to dust (what about us)
What about elephants (what about us)
Have we lost their trust (what about us)
What about crying whales (what about us)
We're ravaging the seas (what about us)
What about forest trails (ooh ooh)
Burnt despite our pleas (what about us)

What about the holy land (what about it)
Torn apart by creed (what about us)
What about the common man (what about us)
Can't we set him free (what about us)
What about children dying (what about us)
Can't you hear them cry (what about us)
Where did we go wrong (ooh ooh)
Someone tell me why (what about us)

What about babies born (what about it)
What about the days (what about us)
What about all their joy (what about us)
What about the man (what about us)
What about the crying man (what about us)
What about Abraham (what about us)
What about death again (ooh ooh)
Do we give a damn

Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh
Aaaaaaaah Oooooooh

good Intentions

A funny incident happened the other day. As I was exiting the class room and since I was the first, I thought to prop the door open with a piece of wood left in front of it for this purpose. As I opened the door and went to slide the wood under to hold it open, a class mate walked out and kicked it to the side. The look on my face must have explained my shock and she quickily defended herself, by telling of her intention. While I saw the wood as something to prop the door open so others wouldn't have to hold it open to exit, she saw it as something in the way that someone would trip on. We both saw the funny side of it and since we are both social practitioners quickly saw the lesson in it. While both of us had good Intentions, they clashed. This is something that happens on a daily basis, people who have good intentions but which clash with someone else.
The moral of the story is good intentions sometimes clash.

Be careful with what you read

I recently read a book called the shack and what a great book I found it to be, I got totally swept up in it's story and have to say even found comfort in it. but be careful what you fill your head with, althogh it tells a story of who God is, it's just a story and many have been swept up in it believing this is what god is like. selling around a million copies. Be critical of what you read, you might just be decieved. here are the links:

http://www.theshackbook.com/

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/shack.htm

Whats really in our food

I've been working on a policy inititaive for one of class assignments, it is addressing the issue of food and the differences in quality and pricing. While researching, I came across a policy written by the green party about food, titled Greening the food basket. Ironically it's main points are exactly what my main points were, but better. Here's the link, this is what the standard of our food should be and despite how much income you earn, the quality of food that you buy is the same for everyone.
www.greens.org.nz/policy/food

The demand for better quality of food is based on peoples increasing awareness of the impact on the enviroment, peoples hardship due to the way it's produced and the effect on one's health. The more people are aware and educated on the subject, the pressure remains to change the current to better standards of how our food is produced. A movie called Food Inc has been released in America, soon to be available here.

International day for the remembrance of the slave trade and it's abolition

On sunday the 23rd August, International day for the remembrance of the slave trade and it's abolition. IT'S NOT OVER YET and still continues to this day, the least we can do is share about why this is still happening and how? Next Sunday speak out, tell your friends, family and congregation. Share the amazing story of grace and what we can do....



Here are some websites to visit:
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
http://www.humantrafficking.org/
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/default.aspx

Thoughts from a gardener.

Imagine thousands of different varieties of veges and fruit, many types of the same each having a different shape and colour, with differing ph soil levels, zones required to grow. Unfortunately many varieties have been lost and destroyed, of the rare types of fruit and veges either have been patented or held by a few. A group known as seed savers exchange are dedicated to keeping heirloom seeds and some live stock around to share with others and for future generations, they have over 25,000 different types of veges and fruit. It is unbelievable how many different types of apples you can get which many will never even know about and all the people that could be fed by the huge amount of food we have been given, yet much of what could feed millions is kept by a few. In a world driven by profit, greed, selfishness, has the ability to maintain what GOD has given us gone.
"Modern civilization relies on factory style agriculture and horticulture that is motivated by profitability and economic rationalism. Unfortunately this drives farmers to try and squeeze the maximum productivity out of their land in a way that is unsustainable. Govts and society can no longer afford, however to ignore the massive problems of soil erosion, sulinity, weed invasion and chemical pollution that have become the inevitable consequences of unsustainable farming practices. This zero tolerance of pests, diseases and imperfections makes it almost impossible for farmers to work in sustainable ways."
And to make it worse "Genetically modified plants present a different set of problems. genetic engineers are combining genetic material from organisms in ways that have never been possible in nature. Going on previous scientific experience we know that changing one part of an ecosystem will always result in some kind of knock on effect, resulting in other directions that lead to enviromental problems".
Everything depends on something, there is a hierarchal order where the bigger functions depend on the little structures. Man's solution to anything that gets in his way is to eliminate it. David Cavagnaro, master gardener, believes "that human beings need to understand and respect the principles of nature that govern natural ecosystems, and that we should model our co-creative gardening process after those principles. "We should never use any poisons or interventions that are designed to annihalate anything, but rather keep things in some kind of balance."
Taken from (Organic gardening for NZ gardeners(2004). Random House Publisher)

It is only till people stop trying to be God, turn to him and accept their place will suffering end.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will i hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" 2 Chronicles 7:14

The Dark Side

Val Valerian, in his Matrix III, establishes broad categories to classify humanity into, with rough percentages.
It relates somewhat to the light-dark polarity. [13]
Valerian did not present his data to expressly deal with the integrity issue, but it has a relationship and gives rough numbers.
Valerian sees it in terms of those who give away their personal power.
It can also be seen as serving themselves.
Most people do not want to be responsible for their lives, and arriving at a new level of integrity and taking back their responsibility has a price.
When faced with the decision to be responsible for one's life, more than half of humanity at this time readily falls back into complacency, easily controlled, giving up their freedom for comfort and "security."
As Ben Franklin once observed, those who give up their freedom for security deserve and receive neither.
About a quarter of the human race feels there is something wrong with the picture, but shuffle along with the herd nevertheless.
About ten percent know there is something not quite right, and have tried to do something about it at some level, but were repressed in one way or another and still shuffle along with the herd.
A few percent have figured it out and have broken away from the herd.
About five percent of humanity are committed self-servers, and actively and knowingly use others for their own ends.
Those numbers are handy and relate to the integrity issue.
Those few who have broken away from the herd are mainly other-serving.
The ten percent have tried to be other-serving and are to a degree, but have been beaten back into line.
About ninety percent of humanity makes up the "Great Herd" and is easily manipulated.

Those are general categories and percentages, and are only for illustration, not to be taken literally.
That category of five-percent dark path initiates has various levels of accomplishment and commitment.
The dark path is not forever, either.
Eventually, all dark path initiates wake up.
Not many reach that highest level of dark path evolution and meet the Creator, to be told they cannot get home on their path.
Most figure it out before then, getting a belly full of the pain and suffering that attends their path, and eventually revert and pursue the light path.
An initiate who attains the "mastery" of the dark path, equivalent to a Genghis Kahn is far less than five percent of the population.
A Genghis Kahn is one in many millions.
On the light path, a Jesus or a Buddha attained levels of mastery that have proven to be one in billions on planet earth, so far.

Taken from The Dark side, (although don't totally agree with some of this person's thoughts, but can agree on this though), to read full article:
http://www.thewe.cc/contents/t/dark_side.html