Greetings Friends, This is a reminder that our next fireside discussion will be on October 5th. We will not be having an event until that date. On that date we will offer dinner and a short discussion of interest related to the Baha’i Faith or some of its teachings.
Last time we had a wonderful presentation by a naturopathic physician who opened our eyes to multiple possibilities. It apparently is the unanimous opinion of all physicians worldwide that Fruit Loops cereal does not belong to any food group at all and probably should come with a warning label.
While a healthy diet (rich in green leafy vegetables no doubt) is certainly important, in the greater scheme of life it is not how long we live, but what we do with the time allotted to us. A long life spent in indolence (a great word!) and sloth (a great animal) accomplishing nothing, not helping others, living alone in a cave with only pizza delivery and Internet to keep us alive, would be a wasted life. A good tasting life perhaps but wasted.
The solitary cave dweller would learn nothing of human virtues, nor would he or she learn compassion, forgiveness, patience, forebearance, courtesy, charity, sacrifice or justice. To learn these things, we must be among people who are fallible, mistake-prone, forgetful, needy, sad, and also people who are friendly, joyous, loving, and kind. One must learn to be patient with people delivering pizza to a cave.
It is in the crucible of living with our fellow humans where we learn to practice traits called virtues. All the economic reforms, political arrangements and electronic gadgetry will not make us better people. That is an internal process that, alas, seems to have gone astray in many. Much like the animating life force that germinated the world’s religions has often been reduced to a rigid formula of activity without tying it to daily behavior. A few brave souls over the centuries have earnestly worked to embody the Divine spirit of love, unity and lofty virtues of their faiths and were singled out and either killed or hailed as saints. I am not sure what makes the difference, but one can never tell with the Spanish Inquisition.
Combining a sensible diet with a compassionate and trustworthy character may seem like an odd combination, but actually relates to the balance between the physical and the spiritual, the sluggard and the fanatic, the oblivious and the obsessive, the cheese and the pepperoni.
We will be sending a reminder near the end of this month regarding the October meeting on the 5th. Perhaps you might want to put this date in your calendar app so you will not forget it and feel remorse (or possibly relief.) Hope all of you are enduring the month where folks in Arizona become impatient for the summer to end. (Unlike the folks in Maine who see summer only as a brief interlude between blizzards.)
Best regards,
Peggy & David