safnet - Stephen A. Fuqua

Psalm 96 for Earth Day

2012-04-21T14:46:30Z

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Psalm 96:11-12 (NIV)

Let us do all humanly possible to preserve and restore heavens, earth, sea, fields, and trees – before we find ourselves alone in our worship.

Love Thy Neighbor: Ethic for Sustainability

2012-04-15T21:22:02Z

In preparation for Earth Day next weekend, I was reading a bit of Love God, Heal Earth this morning. I was reminded of the passage about "love thy neighbor as thyself", and its implications for the ethics of sustainability. Who is your neighbor? Does it include someone a state away? In another country? Continent? What about the people of the future? This famous passage can be interpreted, in modern context, as a call for eco-justice, which includes leaving a sustainable way of life for future generations. Matthew, chapter 22, verses 36 - 39 (NIV)

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

Non-Discrimination in the Campus Club

2012-03-24T19:23:16Z

Vanderbilt University, a large private school in Tennessee, is enforcing rules that require all student groups receiving on campus funds to open up membership to anyone - including officer positions (story on NPR). Naturally, this is of great concern to Faith-based organizations in particular: one can easily imagine a group of atheists gate-crashing a meeting and electing their own leader to be the President/Chair/Grand Poobah of the Association.

]]> Now, the aim of these rules is to prevent wholesale exclusion of a classification of people from an organization, to whit a gay White man has been elected to an officer position in an Asian association. If he is helping support the continued existence and flourishing of elements of the many Asian cultures, then who can find fault with that? But, with the right trolling, another individual could turn such a group into, say, an anti-immigrant political activist club - just by showing up in sufficient numbers. So the original members would quit, move on, and take their cause up under another name.

The notion of judging and discriminating based on beliefs then, be they religious, political, or whatever, becomes problematic. That is the inherent nature of a club. The inability to do so calls into question the very notion of having an organization of like-minded individuals, such as a religious organization, working together on campus. And yet, practically speaking, what prevents this from being a problem anywhere else? Is it really all that bad?

Let's take the Baháí Association at the University of Texas (UT). Now, UT does not allow religious groups to have official sponsorship. We were allowed to use campus facilities, but not any of the UT trademarks. We were not allowed to have official sponsors. And if someone showed up presenting viewpoints that were plainly antithetical to the Baha'i Faith, we would have simply discussed the matter with the individual and reconvened for formal business at another time and place, possibly off-campus.

In my five years at UT, there were individuals out on the West Mall who could grow quite tiresome in their preaching (be they religious or not), but no one was ever such a troll that they repeatedly learned about our meetings, showed up, and dominated them. We really were not all that different than a group at Vanderbilt today, and the problem took care of itself.

It is troublesome to think that the Baháís at that University, or Christians, or Republicans, could be taken over and their good name subverted. One might be able to argue that these rules impinge somehow on our rights of speech, religion, and assembly (though the Bill of Rights does not govern a private University's policies, as far as I know). But let us not rush to judgment. The problem of discrimination is real and we must try out different ways to counter it. And even if the trolls win: is it really so bad if an exclusivist club is not allowed to receive on-campus support? Just take the meeting elsewhere. better yet, find some real world affliction to address rather than spending your energy complaining about your inability to divide one group from another on campus.

Embracing Unity, in Grand Prairie, Texas

2012-02-12T15:50:12Z

This past Wednesday I was proud to take part in a banquet event on the theme of "Embracing Unity," sponsored by the non-profit Grand Prairie Unity Coalition, of which I am a new Board member. This was the 7th such banquet, which brought together people from many like-minded organizations, local / county / state politicians, and most importantly, around 40 students and family from the local school district. The organization's mission is to provide education and opportunities for cross-cultural association to the Grand Prairie community, and that mission was admirably pursued with Wednesday's event.

]]> I had difficulty counting the heads as they came in; I estimate that around 200 attended. There were a few church groups, several local businesses, and members of a number of culturally-oriented civic groups (LULAC, NAACP, Indian and Taiwanese groups). The school district was well represented, and the political "dignitaries" included representation from the City of Grand Prairie, Tarrant and Dallas Counties, and three State Representatives. The City, State, and Tarrant County all issued proclamations in support of the day; although of the merest symbolism, these proclamations are a ray of hope in contrast to state and local laws elsewhere that effectively ban cultural education from anything but the dominant viewpoint.

Tarrant County Commissioner Andy Nguyen gave a powerful speech, quite to my surprise. Knowing nothing of the gentleman beyond the biographic bullet points, I had very modest expectations for any speaker. Well peppered with self-deprecating jokes, he emphasized three principles needed to "embrace unity":

Be open to new people and ideas, and actively seek them out. To "embrace" requires getting out of your comfort zone.
Think of others. Imagine their challenges and rewards. Escape from egocentrism.
Appreciate diversity, but look for commonalities and use them in working together.

But the real story is the children. Each year, the organization, in partnership with the Grand Prairie Arts Council, sponsors an art contest through the school district. We awarded three prizes in the categories of K-2, 3 - 5, and high school (this year featured no middle school entrants, perhaps due to confusion with a new art contest that was due the following week). The artwork on this theme was quite inspiring at all age levels. I was particularly moved to reflect on a submission in the 3rd to 5th grade category, which showed two hands holding up the World Trade Centers. One of the buildings had the word Unity spelled out in the "lights" from top to bottom.

My first reaction was admittedly not positive. But the image was so striking that I had to stop and truly ponder it. The artist had a note on back explaining that America had come together in a show of great unity in reaction to this terrible event, and she wanted to commemorate that powerful positive feeling. This is particularly interesting from one who was not alive at the time. To be honest, I didn't feel a great sense of unity after 09/11/2001, though I know that much of America did. I witnessed too much xenophobia followed by misguided warmongering. But nations need myths. They need rallying points. I would prefer honest self-evaluation in our society; lacking that, perhaps the educational whitewashing will be leveraged to help build a sense of unity on this fabulous foundation. Setting aside my editorial, it was a well-executed piece that, like all great works of art, challenges the viewer in unexpected ways.

***

Grand Prairie is a demographically diverse city situated on the southern-half of the western border of Dallas. As with the rest of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, it has experienced phenomenal growth in the past decade - going from 127,427 residents to 175,396. Ethnically, the population breaks down to 42.7% Hispanic/Latino, 29.1% Non-Hispanic White, 20.2% Black, 6.5% Asian, 0.9% American/Alaskan/Hawaiian Native. Fully 39.1% of residents speak a non-English language at home, though only 20% are immigrants. Education is below the state-wide average, but median household income is slightly higher than average and the percentage below the poverty level lower than the state as a whole. (All statistics courtesy of the US Census Bureau).

Keystone Pipeline: NIMBY

2011-12-31T17:03:04Z

Lately I've been wondering if the Keystone Pipeline isn't more of a NIMBY than anything else. NIMBY stands for Not In My Backyard, and is typically a reference to well-off individuals and communities decrying the building of some unwanted facility "in their backyards" – that is, just down the street or in the general vicinity. For example, in St. Paul, MN there has been an outcry over plans for an electricity-generating incinerator on the edge of the neighborhood in which I used to live. Now, that is a blue collar neighborhood, not particularly well-off. A classic NIMBY situation is where the well-funded are able to fend-off development, pushing it to some location where the project's opposition are not so well funded. Thus, the NIMBY-effect becomes a matter of eco-justice: the poor end up saddled with the polluting plant, though the rich derive at least as much benefit from the project.

]]> The opposition to the Keystone Pipeline is centered on environmental concerns. From what I have seen, they are generally well-founded concerns: do we really want to promote the oil sands projects in Canada? Do we want a pipeline running through sensitive areas of the U.S.? Should we be allowing further development of infrastructure for a system (oil/petrol/gas) that needs to be retired due to the various pollutants for which it is responsible?

These are all incredibly important questions. But here is another question: if we don't use this oil, from whence will we get it? After all, we're still stuck with our cars. I drive most of my miles in a Prius, trying to minimize my destructive ways. But the gasoline I'm using is still destructive. We need to be reducing our overall energy consumption, drastically. Conservation has to be a top priority across the world, even more important than developing renewable energy sources. In the meantime we're still using oil. And I'm guessing that the regulations in the U.S. and Canada make this particular project far safer, and do far more to mitigate the potential negative environmental impact, than pumping more oil off the coast of Brazil or in Nigeria.

Many Americans are rightly afraid of the environmental impact of a potential pipeline break. But are they just as worried about the impact of recent spills in those two countries, for example? Current headlines: Brazil Oil Regulator Fines Chevron for Third Time for Spill; Shell says Nigeria oil spill contained. Let us evaluate the alternatives, and let's ask ourselves: is the attempt to shut down the Keystone Pipeline project just, given our continued use of oil products in the United States? Or is it in fact a large-scale example of an eco-injustice NIMBY hue-and-cry?

We must get serious about reducing our consumption of oil. But our money and the national debate should be on the big picture, and on the local picture (that is, transportation infrastructure). Perhaps letting the Keystone Pipeline move forward would be a potent reminder of this, and a reminder that, in a just-world, the rich shouldn't be allowed to push their dirty business onto the poor.

Cory Doctorow's Overclocked

2011-12-04T20:03:47Z

Overclocked, Stories of the Future Present, is worth buying. But you don't have to, thanks to the fact that Doctorow made it available under a Creative Commons license, and you can download it for free. These are incredible short stories, standing up with the best of Bradbury and Gaiman (my favorite short story authors). When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth was gut-wrenching, at least for this former sysadmin. I, Row Boat manages to beguile and frighten you at the same time. What's more frightening than an angry, conscious, coral reef? Pared up with a row boat working through existentialism? Print Crime is a beautiful call to the indomitability of the human spirit, and Anda's Game is all kinds of biting and insightful commentary wrapped up in the thrill of virtual victory. I, Robot and After the Seige round out the brilliant set of stories.

Instant Coffee Takes Me Back to Pilgrimage

2011-11-20T16:16:18Z

We ran out of regular coffee, hence drinking instant this morning (Pampa brand from Mexico). The smell of this brand takes me back to Haifa, where I went on Pilgrimage a year ago. The B&B we stayed in had an electric kettle and kept us well-stocked with packages of instant coffee. On mornings where we had to get moving before the cafe downstairs opened, that was my wake-up.

View of the cafe from our balcony, November 22, 2010.

]]> One year later… and how has that trip affected my life? There, I encountered a beauty and serenity unlike anything I've ever seen or felt before. On many occasions since, I have let that sense be an anchor, bringing calm to my mind and helping me withstand tests and challenges.

Cactus and rose in the gardens at Bahji.

The Bahá'í Holy Places are of historic significance to the Bahá'ís, linking us to the pivotal moments that shaped the unfolding of the religion we profess. Their upkeep is not a matter of tourism (in fact, no contributions, fees, or payments to the Bahá'í World Center are asked of the pilgrim). It is on the one hand the ultimate sign of respect for the founders of our Faith, and on the other it is a form of prayer and worship to the Divine. It is also a symbol of the harmony and order-from-chaos that the religion is intended to establish amongst humanity.

"Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind, color, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm and addeth unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruit, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and color! Diversity of hues, form and shape enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas and convictions of the children of men." ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p103)

There is no getting around it; Israel is a conflict-laden land. It is also a bustling, thriving, highly urbanized nation. To experience Pilgrimage is to get a glimpse into the local political and religious challenges faced by the Bahá'ís as they emerged from imprisonment and onto the world stage (though the Central Figures disdained politics, it constantly tried to follow Them). Gaining a greater understanding and appreciation of this context was another take-way. And, it offered a glimpse into how we can, even in an over-crowded world, both restore and create anew a sense of place that nourishes our body, mind, and soul.

View of the "German colony" and the Port of Haifa, from one of the Terraces below the Shrine of the Báb.

I believe that the reverence, awe, serenity, and wonder of Pilgrimage will hold throughout my life, and though the motivating spirit be unknown, in the small works that one day I will have left behind.

Ancient cypresses in Mazra'ih, enjoyed by Bahá'u'lláh in the 1870s, delighting many generations since and those to come.

Autumnal Verdure

2011-10-30T15:13:47Z

This is a strange sort of spring we're having. And a small part of me died a little death watching the new Lorax trailer this morning.

]]> A Red-tailed Hawk was calling from the greenbelt outside my window; I stepped out to try and find it. Naturally it stopped a few seconds later. Blue Jays and Cardinals did not seem upset at the Hawk; maybe it was simply a very hawk-like squirrel. The grass below my balcony is a lush green – rather amazingly so, considering how brown it was 6 weeks ago, and considering that the Texas drought is only broken in the sense that we have been getting rain every other week or so after months with none.

But it is not just the grass: looking all around for the hawk, I spied a bit of white that was not there a few days ago. Flowers! A rough-leafed dogwood was blooming. These shrubby dogwoods have been putting out new leaves for the past month or so, after the rain started. They had dropped most of their leaves during the drought. The Mexican plums directly below are completely devoid of leaves, though their older colleagues down the fence line did manage to put out fruit.

We went out to a local bike trail yesterday, which runs along a creek in Grand Prairie and over into Arlington. At times it is in the middle of riparian bottomland, and sometimes it is running right up along suburban fence lines. Next to one of these close-by homes, we saw a pear tree in bloom. I had seen another in our complex blooming a few weeks ago. Yes, it is nearly November.

Now about that Lorax. Pixar is releasing a new version of Dr. Seuss's classic, and we made the mistake of watching the trailer. It is probably a fine movie as these things go, and trailers are always skewed. The Lorax is a grim and dark story; its message of stewardship, and its bitter depiction of the impact of clear-cutting and pollution on the plants and animals, had an influence on my life that would be difficult to exaggerate. The trailer showed a movie with bad jokes and a boy whose crush on a neighbor girl leads him to find the Lorax. I hope kids will see it and will take the real message to heart, despite the trappings.

Mr. Lorax would be saddened by our suburban sprawl, but I think he would be heartened a little by this greenbelt out back, and by that trail with its 10-20 year old hackberry woods. Ecologically speaking, the world today is significantly impoverished compared to even 30 years ago. The Texas drought is linked to La Niña, the severity of which may or may not be linked to global climate change. But the overall climate variability, and increased temperatures, due to climate change are surely worsening the drought's impact. Still – just look at those trees. There is some hope for us yet.

Lessons On North Texas Water, Courtesy of John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center

2011-10-16T18:34:22Z

This year's drought has brought the stark reality of water availability front-and-center in Texas. The state has faced droughts before – but by all accounts, this is one of the most severe, and the population continues to expand rapidly. Water is not entirely taken for granted in this state, especially in central and west Texas, but this year's experience seems to have struck home for people in a profound way. Even as we have begun to get some sporadic rain, the talk of stage 4 water rationing continues. And yet there are also stories of people flouting the rules, watering away in their yards. I wish I could accompany those folks on a visit out to John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center.

]]> Alex Steffen, introducing the water segment of World Changing, A User's Guide to the 21^st Century, describes our attitudes well when he writes that "… the need to measure and plan and remain constantly aware of our water use is real. Although we know that water is an extremely limited resource, most of us in the Global North don't experience a sense of responsibility as we watch it flow into the drain. … We rinse a dusty glass and allow nearly clean water to be piped miles away to a sewage-treatment plant. Then we complain that water rates are too high." (p190).

The John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center provides a fascinating glimpse into North Texas water usage. It is a unique public/private partnership, part of the East Fork Wetlands Project, where treated water is being filtered through a man-made wetland, thereby removing much of the phosphorus, nitrogen, and ammonia that remains after sewage treatment. The water is then pumped back to Lake Lavon, which supplies the water for most of the suburbs north and east of Dallas (the next lake on the river, Ray Hubbard, supplies Dallas itself). The Center showcases this work and, incidentally, includes a beautiful series of boardwalks where one can learn about water-loving plants up close, watch for any of hundreds of species of birds, perhaps run into a river otter (or nutria), and one day, hopefully, American alligators.

I had the pleasure of tagging along with the Indian Trails Master Naturalist group today, as the Center Director John DeFillipo gave a talk about the Wetlands Project. I already do what I can to conserve water, but it is out of an arms-length sense of civic duty more than a deep understanding of how North Texas gets it water. His presentation gave me a new appreciation for the water I grew up with, and for the diverse flora and fauna of North Texas. For instance:

As a kid in the northern Dallas area, I knew that we drank lake water – but I didn't know which lake (Lavon), and I didn't know that the lake is partially filled by transporting water from Lake Texoma, in Oklahoma – that is, until zebra mussels were found in Texoma. I always assumed that lake water would come only from the watershed that drains into it, without being pumped from elsewhere.
While I've read about the severe competition for water in Colorado, I had never thought about it in such terms in Texas. We might be heading that same direction, if the drought lasts as long as some expect.
Along those lines – as part of this project, the North Texas Municipal Water District must carefully measure the flow of all water entering Lake Lavon, and all water entering the East Fork River from several sewage treatment centers. It must then use those measurements to calibrate the flow from the river into the wetlands, maintaining a reasonable flow of water south of the river.
I had no idea that river otters and American alligator lived in the Dallas area. Beaver also visit the wetlands; I knew about them thanks to a story in the mid-90s when one made the papers after being trapped in a parking garage in northwestern Plano. One of the participants actually saw an otter playfully chasing ducks.

The wetlands also serve a powerful lesson in impermanence: the land was once hardwood bottomland along the river; it was cleared by white settlers to become cotton farms; for much of the 20^th century it was (and parts still are) a cattle ranch; and now a few thousand acres have been engineered into functioning wetland, providing habitat for innumerable species and providing a valuable service for humans. It is all too easy to look out at a parcel of ranch, farm, or blighted development and assume that is the now-permanent state. This site teaches us that, given enough time and/or ingenuity, we can conserve our resources, restore the land, and live more sustainably – if we have the will to do so.

***

I've just confirmed – my local water comes from Joe Pool Lake.

Review: Down and Out

2011-10-08T17:45:49Z

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow is what happens when a classic geek extrapolates the cyberpunk future of a reputation-based economy combined with the extrusion of an open source ethos into the management of everyday affairs, tosses in immortality and lean project management, and sets it all in the context of the semi-religious experience of Disney World.

]]> A well-crafted amusement park ride of the Disney-variety leads you through a thrilling story in a matter of minutes. The rider does not foresee the end of the ride; when it arrives, the rider disembarks enthused and ready to jump back into line. So it is with Down and Out; reading on the nook, where ignorance of page count is natural, I was stunned to look at the bottom of the screen and realize I was at the end. What a ride it had been! I wanted to exclaim out loud and rave about the book, but prudence restrained me from disturbing my fellow airline passengers.

I've been to Disney World twice in conscious memory, and I think once when too young to recall. Memories of Disney Land in the pre-K years also stir. That frequency outs me as a privileged middle class American. To those who haven't experienced Disney, I've been unsuccessful in explaining the awe and joy I still feel with respect to these parks. Explaining the mystique is like explaining Star Wars; those who didn't grow up with it rarely grok it. Doctorow's protagonist lets us in on one of the secrets: "The mark of a great ride is that it gets better the second time around, as the detail and flourishes start to impinge on your consciousness. The Mansion was full of little gimcracks and sly nods that snuck into your experience on each successive ride." In dialogue, in discourse, in contrasting experiences, the book makes a serious contribution to understanding the mythos without destroying it

Down and Out exudes love, joy, reverence for the cultural icon and the experience of Disney. And more importantly – for the condition of being human. The characters are not paragons of virtue; they are human; no, they are more-than-human: immortal, altered, freed of many of today's physical and social constraints. But still they are human: petty, ambitious, caring, loving. For all of Julius's failings, I cared about him, my fictional friend who has started to realize the failings of the society he has embraced.

The book is only 208 pages, so give it a shot. See the present and the future in a different light. Consider the implications of technology for humanity while having a heck of a ride. Stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best Sci Fi around. Buy it, check it out at a library, or download Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom for free.

Anti-biotics and Pesticides

2011-09-11T16:00:42Z

The organic-bandwagon (and "green" in general) can often seem like a holier-than-thou verbal assault to the average consumer who does not take production processes into account when making purchasing decisions. Moralizing and preaching from the crunchy-granola crowd is not appreciated. And yet there is a point to it all, and we granola eaters need to be armed not merely with facts but also empathy and moderation. That said, often times we are armed merely with anecdote and conjecture, not even fact. Two recent pieces of research present compelling additional facts behind American society's – and by extension, increasingly the world's – over-reliance on technology without consideration of the long term effects:

Over-use of anti-biotics in children have been linked to increases in asthma, obestity, and various diseases; in response, we simply need to be much more careful about our use of anti-biotics, which are frequently employed as a placebo in viral cases. LA Times covarge, full essay is in Nature, whose August 25th podcast has a good briefing.
Consumption of pesticide-tainted foods has now been found to be a risk-factor in development of ADHD; the clear response is to consume organic foods. MSNBC coverage

Over-preparation and Mindfulness

2011-08-15T00:57:17Z

This afternoon I heard an interview with Thich Nhat Hanh, from the public radio Humankind program, that is helping me frame a response I've been thinking about over the last few days. On Facebook, I posted: "Over-preparation only guarantees that you don't have time to live in the moment. That you don't have time to make a better world today, or to appreciate God's handiwork just beyond your nose and all around. From a comment to a friend after I asked for advice on pursuing an MBA. Thoughts?"

]]> The two comments received were certainly thought-provoking and appreciated. Since I haven't asked for permission, I won't quote them directly, but rather attempt to paraphrase. The first felt like this was an ascetic ideal that should not be imposed on the modern Western life. The seond person did not believe that over-preparation is possible. The full comments from both make valid points.

The initial thought was purposefully vague, omitting most context and not trying to explain itself. Ever since I graduated from the University of Texas, I have frequently thought about going back to school for one thing or another. I love learning; I loved the environment and missed it. One of the areas I have consistently given thought to is business. I am a business-oriented programmer. An MBA arguably could do some good, especially if I should try to move into management. However, for a programmer this is not at all a cut-and-dried path to a solid career. It is expensive and time-consuming, with no guarantee of a payout. I've talked with many managers, directors, and vice presidents who did not have MBAs. A few who do. It is coming clear that there are only two reasons to take that path: because I need the specific skills, or because it is a literal impediment to the future of my career.

Coming back to the Venerable Thich Nhat Hahn: he spoke of being aware of the Kingdom of God with every breath, in, and out. Of delighting in the blue of the sky. Of making peace each day because we do not know when life will end, for us or others. Of helping someone, and of building community. Several times he used this phrase "Kingdom of God" – in spite of being a Zen Buddhist who ostensibly does not believe in God in anything like the Western sense. Unfortunately the full interview is only available for purchase, so I cannot do it justice. But this is what I was getting at.

Preparation for life is without a doubt important. I would not be where I am without the significant prep-work that I put in. Nearly every day I attempt to improve myself through self-training and self-study. And yet, if I am always looking to the next thing, I risk missing out on what I have. In the very practical sense, time spent on an MBA is time not spent on so many other things. It is possible to live in the moment while out driving, while studying, while working – at least to some extent. But these things, especially studying and working, tend to challenge our ability to be mindful. And they certainly challenge our ability to be out in the world doing something (as does the separation from society entailed with asceticism).

Robe of Light: The Persian Years of Supreme Prophet, Baha'u'lllah, by David Ruhe

2011-08-12T03:14:08Z

Robe of Light: The Persian Years of the Supreme Prophet, Baha'u'llah, by David S. Ruhe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are now many worthy biographies of Bahá'u'lláh available to both the casual and serious student. Choosing from among them can be difficult; thankfully, there is enough diversity of perspective, and a rich enough body of source material, that one is enriched by reading several of them. Dr. David Ruhe's Robe of Light: The Persian Years of Supreme Prophet, Baha'u'lllah hones in on Mírzá Husayn Alí's life before He became the "Supreme Manifestation" – as a youth, and particularly as one of the foremost Bábís. That he does so in a relatively objective and scientific manner gives his work an additional refreshing lens through which to gaze on the life and teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.

]]> The book's subject matter is meticulously researched, using both the "standard sources" (The Dawnbreakers, Bahá'u'lláh – King of Glory, the writings of the Guardian) and carefully employing other historical works whose usefulness is granted, but large-scale accuracy sometimes doubted (for instance, Tarikh-i-Jadid in various editions, and minor works that are difficult for those of us not in Haifa to come by). In many cases, Dr. Ruhe gives a brief note explaining the differences between several works, and how he came to choose a particular version of the story to present.

Personal experience and illustrations are used to excellent effect throughout the book. The illustrations include numerous expert drawings as well as black-and-white photographs. I believe the photographs were largely taken by the author while on a pilgrimage of sorts through Iran well before the revolution. That tour of the country allows Dr. Ruhe to verbally paint the picture of the land that Bahá'u'lláh loved in His youth, traveling from hamlet to hamlet, through steep mountain passes to Tehran or other regional cities in the north. The reader who knows Iran merely as an adversary of the West will learn to fall in love too with the majesty of this ancient homeland.

The first-hand knowledge garnered on his travels, and from his medical practice, allows Dr. Ruhe on several occasions to explain some seemingly dubious incidents. Without taking away from the heroism of Fort Shaykh Tabarsi, he tells us about the conditions around it that were inhospitable to the attacking army. As a medical doctor, he provides a reasonable explanation of how `Abdu'l Khaliq-i-Isfáhání would have survived cutting his own throat at Badasht, among other physician's notes.

This book was a joy to read. Dr. Ruhe's writing style is both refined and accessible. His prose is influenced by the academic style, without becoming mired in it. I would happily recommend it to any interested reader.

Request for Cosponsorship of H. Res 134 / S. Res 80 on the Baha'is of Iran

2011-06-26T04:53:29Z

Letter to Congresswoman McCollum, and Senators Franken and Klobuchar:

The recent harrowing arrest of faculty and administrators of the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education in Iran has once again highlighted the subtle and extreme actions in which the current Iranian government is willing to engage in order to suppress the free expression of worship by the Baha'is of Iran.

This world is sadly riven with manifest injustice, often in the form of a government's abuse of its own people. Our most potent weapon against injustice is truth, in speech and deed. In a free land, who can deny that the treatment of the Iranian Baha'is -- unable to administer their affairs, to attend the official schools, to gather in communal worship of that same God to whom most of the world's peoples turn in prayer -- is unjust and unworthy of any nation?

The documentation is evident, widespread, and objective. There is a plain agenda, at the highest levels of government, to eradicate the supposed heresy of "Bahaism" in its homeland. The United States government has been a friend to the Baha'is in the past, offering the stern judgment of a nation wishing to see peace in the world. With the renewed and intensified persecution of the past few years, it is time for the U.S. Congress to join Secretary of State Clinton in remembering the Baha'i community in Iran, by raising its voice in truth, raising its voice in condemnation of the Iranian government's actions against the Baha'is and other religious minorities.

Please, join with forty-five of your colleagues in co-sponsoring House Resolution 134, and in urging that it be brought for a floor vote soon.

Faith Into Action - Respect and Appreciation for Parents

2011-05-08T15:26:37Z

When I became a Bahá'í in the 90s, perhaps the second deliberate change I made (prayer being the first) was to act with greater respect and appreciation towards my parents. I have long remembered that there was a particular passage that prompted this change; the "Bahá'í Faith" quote service on Facebook has brought that long-sought quotation back to me today:

"The fruits that best befit the tree of human life are trustworthiness and godliness, truthfulness and sincerity; but greater than all, after recognition of the unity of God, praised and glorified be He, is regard for the rights that are due to one's parents. This teaching hath been mentioned in all the Books of God, and reaffirmed by the Most Exalted Pen. Consider that which the Merciful Lord hath revealed in the Qur'án, exalted are His words: "Worship ye God, join with Him no peer or likeness; and show forth kindliness and charity towards your parents…" Observe how loving-kindness to one’s parents hath been linked to recognition of the one true God!" Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 106.

How did this change manifest itself? The only particular act I can remember is that I began frequently doing the dishes when at home :-).