Is Anyone There????

Whenever I write in this blog, I wonder if anyone is reading it. I wonder if there is any point ... then, out of the blue, someone will email me and remark on a particular entry - and it encourages me to carry on blogging ... hurray, maybe I'm not alone here!

I'm not fishing for compliments - honest! Just for comments ... just to know I'm not talking to myself. Even if it's just to say that you disagree ... it's easy to leave your footprint here, just click on 'comments' at the bottom of the blog.

Thanks!

Secrets ...

Have you heard about this series of books yet??? It is phenomenally amazing!! It started as an art project by American artist Frank Warren. He left thousands of self-addressed blank postcards in public places asking people to write a secret on them that they have never told anyone. He asked that they be as creative as possible on the postcard. The results were overwhelming, and have filled 4 books already!!!

Reading the secrets people have anonymously sent to Frank Warren will make you sigh, smile or even cry ... but, I guarantee they will NOT leave you unmoved! I gave his first book of Secrets to my daughter when she graduated in Social Work ... it was so appropriate.

Every Sunday Frank Warren publishes a blog of secrets which are still pouring in to him. Today only, (Nov. 18th) he is donating $10 to a crisis helpline 'Hope Line', for every book purchased. Generally, a portion of all book sales goes to crisis centres across the country. His blog can be found at: http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ Check it out ...

Bye!

Foot binding, a secret language and loatongs ...

I love it when I find a really well written book, with a good story-line which holds your interest, but teaches you something about the culture and time in which it is written as well. Lisa See is an American author of Chinese decent, who is known for her dedication to thoroughly researching her subject before writing a book. She traveled to remote villages in China to find out more about their culture, and the women's secret language known as nu shu. Her research shows itself throughout this moving story about friendship, marriage and the life of women in rural Chinese society at that time.

'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' is set in the mid 19th century, in a northern remote part of China. It is the story of two young girls who become loatongs - which was a formal friendship arranged by a matchmaker, had a written contract, and lasted their whole lives. In a culture where young girls were simply seen as "useless branches of the tree" and were basically slaves to their natal family, then later to their husband's family, this arrangement provided them with some outlet and form of friendship. The loatongs were only allowed to see each other on certain festive days of the year, but they wrote to each other constantly using the women's secret language called nu shu.

Nu shu was a language known only by women and was passed down through the generations. It was painted on fans, embroidered into hankies, or simply written with brush and ink. Unlike the "men's language" which had over 5,000 characters, this was simpler with only 600 ... but, much of it's interpretation was through context, and this is where the story-line lay.

The author guides us through the traditional foot binding endured simultaneously by the two young girls ... a custom most of us find abhorrent ... but, she presents it in the story as simply another part of Chinese women's lives at that time, and the reader comes to almost accept it as such also. Yet, who would not cringe to read about young girls of 4-6 years of age having their four toes bound back tightly towards the heel, and then forced to walk back and forth daily until the toes broke? The process took more than two years of excruciating pain, and during that time they were kept in the upstairs womens' room. The way in which the young girl bore this pain and isolation apparently trained her in the qualities she would later need for marriage ... obedience, self-control, physical strength, adherence to customs, etc. Also, it indicated the young girls' health, since many died from the foot binding due to infection and gangrene.

The foot binding, which continued in China for over a thousand years, was done to produce a 3-4 inch foot on which women would then walk "beautifully on their golden lilies" for the rest of their lives. One wonders, however, if it didn't have more to do with keeping women under men's control ... for, once their feet were bound their world consisted of the house and the special upstairs "womens' room" ... if they ever went out they often had to be carried on a man's back or in a special carried chair called a palanquin.

A lovely story, beautifully written ... I learnt a lot, and came to feel such empathy for Lily, the heroine.

And, we sometimes grumble about our lives!!

Bye for now, until next time ...

Buy Nothing Day

As someone who absolutely dreads the thought of yet another Christmas season full of annoying, silly TV commercials trying to get you to spend, spend, spend, ... I find this idea remarkably appealing!

"This November 23rd, environmentalists, social activists and concerned citizens in as many as 65 countries will hit the streets for a 24-hour consumer fast in celebration of the 15th annual Buy Nothing Day, a global cultural phenomenon that originated in Vancouver, Canada."

I can just hear the pessimists already - "What good would that do??" Amazingly it just might do quite a bit. At the very least, it will raise awareness of our totally consumer-crazy society ... it might, just might, remind us of what is really important in our lives.

I like this idea, I think I will email one of these posters to as many people as I can ... let's spread the message!! To read more go to the site below - bye for now!

www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd

Inner Beauty ...

What does the play "The Elephant Man" and His Holiness the Dalai Lama have in common??? No, it's not a joke ... actually, the answer is 'ME' - I saw both this week!

It's been an emotionally (and physically) draining time ... I'm recovering from shingles ... but had tickets for the play and to hear the Dalai Lama talk this week in Toronto (3 hours drive away.) Should I still go? Could I drive that far? I didn't mind losing the money for the theatre tickets, but I so much wanted to hear the Dalai Lama's talk!!! Relief from my mental turmoil came when Ray offered to drive me to Toronto and "find something to do" while I enjoyed myself ... I knew there was a good reason I married that man!!!! :-)

The play was phenomenal ... and Brent Carver did an outstanding job of playing the grotesquely deformed John Merrick - without use of any prosthesis. The true story set in Victorian London is immensely moving, and contains many themes on different levels. The story is basically about a terribly deformed young man who is found in a circus sideshow where he is on display for "2d a Peek". The eminent London doctor takes him to his hospital to live, where the kind treatment he receives brings out his deep intelligence and a very gentle and refined side to Merrick. He becomes the "darling" of London society, and once again is 'on show' ... this time he is paid with flattery. One obvious theme in this play is about inner beauty, and Carver let his character's beauty and inner humanity shine brightly - as one reviewer wrote "He takes your breath away!"

The following evening my breath was taken away again. The excitement was palatable as I entered the huge 30,000 seat stadium along with thousands of others all anxious to see the man who describes himself as "just a simple monk." I had purchased the best seat I could get, but was still a long way from the stage ... and needed to use the gigantic over head screens as others did to see what was happening. But, his voice ... and his chuckle came through loud and clear!

My sons had jokingly asked me who was "opening for him?" Well, as it happened, he did have an opening act ... a few actually. First there were 3 Tibetan monks chanting on stage which set a very appropriate tone to the evening ... then, some beautiful Tibetan dances and music. With China trying so hard to eradicate the Tibetan people by sending thousands of Chinese to live in Tibet, it is even more important for their culture to be preserved by those Tibetans in exile (there are about 45,000 Tibetans living in the Toronto area.) The Dalai Lama has said that "Tibetans, in their own land, are physically controlled fully by gun - but, mind - never!"

A huge white and gold couch was carried onto centre stage and you knew that he was about to appear. The Dalai Lama was everything I expected him to be - and more. He was amusing, witty, irreverent, out-spoken, self-deprecating, and wise. His message was the same as he always gives, as he shares wherever he travels around this world - that true happiness starts from within ... with a calm mind and a pure heart. That World Peace starts with each individual finding peace first within themselves, then spreading that peace to others ... that anger, hatred and fear simply cannot bring harmony.

After sitting 'nicely' for a few minutes on this beautiful couch, he said, "OK, let's now get comfortable!" And, hitching up his monks robes he assumed his traditional crossed-legged position, "Ah, that's better" he chuckled, as he also arranged a pillow behind his back, "Now, where's my hat?" And, to roars of laughter from the huge audience, he plopped a bright red sun visor on his head.

With his eyes now shaded from the bright lights, and his body in a comfortable position, he began his talk. It lasted for 90 mins, in English, with only occasional help from his close-by interpreter when he got stuck for a word - but it was not long enough. We all wanted more ... more of his common sense ... of his peaceful message ... of his total lack of formality ... of his wonderful humour, and chuckle. We wanted to stay in the presence of this "simple monk" from Tibet ... who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 ... who at age 72 still travels the world tirelessly spreading his message of world peace, and still rises at 4am to meditate every morning like all other Buddhist monks ... whose peaceful energy radiated out and filled that gigantic Toronto stadium.

But, it was over, and today the Dalai Lama flew home to India ... and I came home too - with a wonderfully big happy smile on my face!

Bye for now ...