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It's Been a Week Since I Got Back From Turkey...

26/4/2013

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and, it has been a tough, wild, tiring and tumultuous week.

We flew home right after the Marathon bombing; we watched BBC Live on the plane about the Ricin letters... we got back just in time to see a city under voluntary martial law and the manhunt of the millennium (and you know, the brothers shared one revolver between the two of them, we know now... they weren't heavily armed or armored). Made for interesting travels...

As soon as we're on US soil, a fertilizer plant blew up, and killed way too many innocent civilians, because business as usual skipped or ignored inspections and built a chemical plant in a neighborhood - or vice versa. We got a taste in that week of what some countries go through daily, and we didn't like it.

I know I was also butt-tired, jet-lagged, and put too much expectation on what I could get done when I got back. I flew right back into teaching, finished up a weekend full of training, tried to catch up on a bunch of stuff, and took a lot of naps.

I've washed my clothes, fully unpacked, worn my Mustafa Kemal Ataturk t-shirt a couple times and emailed my new friend over there about his wife's work with girls and women, their education and their future in Eastern Turkey. I've taken a lot of naps, and I've struggled with the jet lag to the point where I felt stupid.

And, I've eaten and eaten and drank some beers. Being on vacation is weird for me because it totally shifts my diet. I normally do not eat three whole meals a day and so when I'm on a trip, and that's what is happening, and we're moving about but really not getting that much activity, I can get a new diet pattern in a week. So, I'm home now and wake up ravenous, then can't wait for lunch. And then big portions! It's crazy, I'm about 8 pounds over my working weight which is 5 over my ideal, and it's all been comfort and pleasure.

Sorry to whine, I just know that everyone I've shared with this week has had struggle and challenge and sorrow and felt alone and like a loser... You are not alone or a loser if you are feeling that way, because many of us are; at least the cool kids I've been hanging with. Tough times, at the edge of transition, where our outrage should inspire us to face reality and move forward, decisively and compassionately, with reasoned and rational thoughts.


We should also give thanks and praise - for those who are reading this are much more fortunate than most. We have our struggles but we have our blessings. Our worries are real, but our security and our gifts are abundant. So, focus on the good things.

Here are some lovely things about Turkey I've been reflecting on:

  • a beautiful country, with snow-capped mountains, down to the Mediterranean, over to the Ionian and the home of Kapadokya.
  • more flowers, wildflowers, blooming trees and verdant landscapes than I've ever seen - tulips came from Turkey and you can tell.
  • 5,000 years of a tapestry of history and cultures, the fertile crescent, the birthplace of western civilization, some of the pinnacles of accomplishment in the ancient world.
  • food that was local (within 20 miles), fresh, seasonal, and cooked and presented simply. I am in love with 'BBQ'd eggplant salad", Turkish yoga with garlic and mint, Telas Kebap (like a pasty or Shepherd's pie), lots of artichoke hearts and stems, carrots and beets, chick peas that are fresh and simply prepared, mezze at every meal.
  • muezzin - calling to prayer at 5:30am, really, I do miss this. there is a certain comfort to the regularity and the simplicity. it's just a reminder, not a strident one.
  • green almonds. off the tree with no processing. really crunchy, like a firm peapod, with a big citrus-acid bite. you can only eat a few, but yummy!
  • hamam - the Turkish bath; every hotel has one, they are just large, hot, somewhat steamy, communal rooms made entirely of marble. there are multiple spigots and basins for hot water, a center platform for massage, and bench all the way around the edge for bathing or helping others bathe... there is lots of throwing of hot water, scrubbing with lots of textures and forms, then an elaborate soaping up and finally lots of hot water to rinse off. it's the best way to bathe, you get addicted to it.
  • Tang - it's alive and well in European breakfast buffets. it's usually a stretcher, but sometimes you can get it straight-up!
  • having someone's only identification of, and English for, their comprehension of Texas being "JR!! Dallas!!! Bang Bang" and they make six-shooters with their hands - priceless.
  • Truck stops with stations for ablutions and separate areas downstairs for mosques...
  • hospitality - people wanting you to have a good time, tea being offered continuously, folks who are friendly but not pesky.
  • the opportunity to travel and experience this group of cultures, and the history that shaped the modern world.

that's it, that's my ramble, needed to get some piss and vinegar out and then be thankful.


I appreciate you taking the ride, give thanks and praise and be well!





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What the World Needs Now, Is Love, Sweet Love...

20/4/2013

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Man, my parents liked the late '60s and early '70s original soft-rock groove sounds: 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, the Carpenters (yes, I really love the Carpenters)...

So, that title just sticks like babyhood candy syrup in my brain - here's a link to the video if you want to get a Slurpee headache, courtesy of my memories.

But, on the serious note, it's times like these that test us, try us, temper us and treat us to the wholeness of our selves. I've seen a lot of anger, which is mostly just unplaced sorrow coming out strong. I've seen a lot of intolerance; I've seen the nastiness, the conspiratorial concerns, the end-timerisms, all of it. And, as we've been reminded, we've seen the best of humanity, who after all is said and done, are wired for struggle and to help each other. That's a nobility granted, not gained.

At times like this, we look to the differences - why is that? We look for reason or cause or blame - usually, we're not satisfied with what we find. I suggest there is nothing to be found but everything to be learned.

How are you - how are you, really? And, how does that make you - how are you acting and reacting; where do your thoughts go? If we seek to not differentiate, but to understand through our commonality, we can go back to the sacred scriptures and learned texts, and see where it all converges.

From the  ideas at the basis of the Hammurabi Code, to the Mosaic Code into the Ten Commandments; to the Suras and the Sutras, there is a pretty base, reductionist, simple theme.


Under all of the "Do Nots..." and all of the "Thou Shalt Nots..." it really says, "DON'T BE MEAN". Killing is mean, stealing is mean, cursing someone is mean, making their life worse is mean, disrespecting someone is mean. That's the gist of it, "DON'T BE MEAN".

How's this for more simple, elegant and positive - BE NICE. Ahimsa tells us not to be violent, or perhaps, does it remind us to live outside of even contemplating the violent act simply by focusing on being nice - honoring, caring, respecting, nurturing, thanking and praising?

That's my message, I'm sticking with it - I'm also offering a challenge: can you prove to me that your Spiritual tradition isn't based on the simple admonishment to "BE NICE"!?


Let's not argue the difference, let's focus on that mission as we give thanks and praise!

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Views of Anatolya

13/4/2013

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Truth be told, Turkey is just between the "Second" and "First" World... so much promise, so close, and yet in some spaces, so far.

No worries, it's gorgeous, and friendly and inspiring... I just can't sustain a good enough internet connection to be the spoiled First-Worlder that I am. And, as we all know, if we're not posting, it's not happening.


Therefore, if you'd like to check it out visually, I'm working on keeping the images flowing via FB... I've started a couple of albums there. Feel free to ask for any additional info - I'm happy to share, it's just daunting to update each photo!

If you'd like to follow along -

check either this link for the first 800 or so,
and this link for the remainder as I keep loading!!

Give thanks and praise!!


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What They Forgot to Teach Us in "Western Civilizations"

11/4/2013

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Hey, Turkey is fascinating - beautiful, intense, a clash of cultures without overt tension; a fascinating landmass with incredible diversity of bio-regions, geology, flora and fauna... and, a moderate and liberal Muslim majority country with a National Beer, Efes.

I grew up really interested in history, the Fertile Crescent and the entire Mediterranean region. I also love the evolution of culture and cultures- from Paleolithic to Late Bronze Age; from the Hittites to the Akkadians to the Ephesians and the Ottomans.

Many of the folks I've been touring with (who are well-educated, -traveled and -read) have all shared the same thought with me, and I with them. We have been continually asking each other if we had ever been taught about what we are seeing, over and over! This country is so diverse and historical, yet also so relevant to modernity and progress; yet we are exposed to nothing but Troy, and the fact that Constantinople became Istanbul...

I've had some excellent revelations and teachings on this trip; our guide, Isa, is quite interesting and very well read in history - he and I keep getting side-tracked in arcane turn-of-the-common-era mysticism, love it!

However, the first real revelation for me is Ataturk - I knew he was the 'Father of the Turks' and united the nation into modern Turkey at the end of WWI... what I was never taught, or what didn't seem important enough to make time for (instead of teaching me all about Colonialism, Churchill, Chamberlain and the like) was how extremely progressive, intelligent and passionately driven this man, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was. He is, hands down, one of my new heroes.


In the years following 1926, Mustafa Kemal introduced a radical departure from previous reformations established by the Ottoman Empire.[73] For the first time in history, Islamic law was separated from secular law, and restricted to matters of religion. Mustafa Kemal said:

“ We must liberate our concepts of justice, our laws and our legal institutions from the bonds which, even though they are incompatible with the needs of our century, still hold a tight grip on us."

On 1 March 1926, the Turkish penal code was passed. It was modeled after the Italian Penal Code. On 4 October 1926, Islamic courts were closed. Establishing the civic law needed time, so Mustafa Kemal delayed the inclusion of the principle of laïcité until 5 February 1937.

Ottoman practice discouraged social interaction between men and women in keeping with Islamic practice of sex segregation. Mustafa Kemal began developing social reforms very early, as was evident in his personal journal. He and his staff discussed issues like abolishing the veiling of women and the integration of women into the outside world. The clue on how he was planning to tackle the issue was stated in his journal on November 1915;

“The social change can come by -

(1) educating capable mothers who are knowledgeable about life;
(2) giving freedom to women;
(3) a man can change his morals, thoughts, and feelings by leading a common
    life with a woman; as there is an inborn tendency towards the attraction of mutual affection."

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Umm, yeah - that's 1915 when he's first thinking of that, and 1926 when he puts it into place... he also institutionalized religious tolerance, gave women the vote, and made mandatory education for girls (remember, most of the country were nomadic herders or feudal peasants).

To unite what were then hundreds of tribes, nomads and ethnic groups, he created a national language and alphabet out of the predominant dialects, and worked diligently for social justice and the advancement and development of his citizens - through peaceful measures and iron will and investing in those who build a country, one citizen at a time - the women...


"There is no logical explanation for the political disenfranchisement of women. Any hesitation and negative mentality on this subject is nothing more than a fading social phenomenon of the past. ...

Women must have the right to vote and to be elected; because democracy dictates that, because there are interests that women must defend, and because there are social duties that women must perform."

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I think that we missed a really inspirational figure in history - and in the century in which we lived! I find him as powerful as Gandhi, even if they had different means, they shared the passion and did the work.

Not to mention that we weren't taught about Aspendos, or Perge - both of which are mind-numbing... a few quick notes, links for more!

Aspendos has a fully preserved and complete Amphiteathre that seats 15,000, with perfect acoustics. For those of y'all in ATX, I think the Erwin Center seats 17,000 for reference!

Perge is an incredibly well preserved Bronze age Greek city in Turkey - I have been to a lot of ruins of Roman and Greek cities, and I barely exaggerate to suggest that they would ALL fit into the site here, which is almost completely excavated and visible... you don't have to do much imagining of it's former glory, you can walk it.

Considering that this country that spans Europe, Asia and the Fertile Crescent, where many others have turned insular, have turned intolerant, have destroyed antiquities and archaeological and cultural sites because of their religious convictions, Ataturk is unique among liberators and nation-builders!


"I have no religion, and at times I wish all religions at the bottom of the sea. He is a weak ruler who needs religion to uphold his government; it is as if he would catch his people in a trap. My people are going to learn the principles of democracy, the dictates of truth and the teachings of science. Superstition must go. Let them worship as they will; every man can follow his own conscience, provided it does not interfere with sane reason or bid him against the liberty of his fellow-men."
 
or

"Mankind is a single body and each nation a part of that body. We must never say 'What does it matter to me if some part of the world is ailing?' If there is such an illness, we must concern ourselves with it as though we were having that illness."

or

"The nation has placed its faith in the precept that all laws should be inspired by actual needs here on earth as a basic fact of national life."

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Amazing visionary, and an amazing country filled with amazing people of all sorts. Excellent cuisine, great music and a language that I am fascinated by and still struggling with - it is more related to Mongol, Japanese and Korean than it is to Sanskrit or Romance languages!!

Having a blast, feeling stupid, learning a lot, and eating some great food! Every day I find something more beautiful than the last - and, foriegnors can buy land here - very inexpensively.

Who knows - perhaps! Sorry for the ramble, wanted to share!! Only one week left, so let me give thanks and praise!

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From Sunrise to Sunset - A Day in Kapadokya, Anatolya.

9/4/2013

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Sunrise over Kapadokya and then Sunset at the Other End of the Valleys - what a day!



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Woke Up in Istanbul!

6/4/2013

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Merhaba!! Welcome from Turkey!

To be truthful, woke up at 9, then at 11, from 1-3 and then at 5am when the Muezzin directly across the street began the Call to Prayer. Sweet!

Pretty long and exhausting trip here - but a great tour guide, a nice hotel and a good neighborhood for just strolling around made yesterday afternoon's arrival a nice entry.

Friday night in a city of 15+ million is pretty exciting and bustling, no matter what continent you are on - but if you are where Orient touches Occident within the same city, then expect some interest, excitement and fun.

However, after a meal, a walkabout and a trip through Steam, Dry Sauna and the Hammam (traditional Turkish bath), we were beat and ready to sleep; and if you've ever traveled more than 6 time zones (9 here), you'll know that you can't sleep when you want to but always want to catch a nap, right when the goo stuff is happening!

Not sure why, I just didn't travel well this time - delays, feeling queasy, a long flight with not much sleep, and just general bother left me feeling a little out of sorts. Not atypical, but a drag.... however, this morning I woke up and realized I was in frikkin' Constantinople, on the Golden Horn and about to see Hagia Sofia, The Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace all today!!

So, not much time to write, about to head out for cultural night of regional folk and belly dancing. Tomorrow, we're off to Anatolya - internet connections are rare or cost, and our time is jammed. So, I'm not posting much. If you want to follow visually, I'm adding to a FB Photo Album as often as I can, so check that out!


First completely new and interesting fact I learned thus far - Tulips (Lale in Turkish; the neighborhood we are in is Laleli - or the Tulip Garden) came to Holland from Turkey, and we're misnamed after a style of turban - Tulp - rather than the flowers, when there was some confusion on what was being asked!

Gule Gule!! - gotta go, Dervishes and Bellies await! Give thanks and praise!


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    Chrispy - Bhagat Singh

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