Cambodia is a beautiful country filled with natural resources and amazing people. But many communities are under attack for their land, fisheries, forests and other natural resources. Cambodian communities are learning to make use of active nonviolent resistance and this video shows a small part of their journey.
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Reading Scripture, Rejecting Violence
This last week several friends invited me to offer thoughts and resources on how to address the question of how do we read the violence contained in Scripture, and therefore, how do we respond to those whose theology makes room for the use of violence by Christians.
Interestingly, I had mostly put the first question aside as irrelevant, at least personally.
About two years ago I made a week-long retreat in Colorado with a good friend and spiritual director. I was deeply concerned about this issue and having a hard time moving forward in my spiritual path because of it. I was also in the middle of a difficult conflict that seemed to be intertwined with the scriptural issue. I didn't really seem to get very far at this time so shelved active attempts to resolve the issue, mostly.
In response to my friends' recent requests I've re-engaged the question searching out resources on the issue and come acrosss some interesting websites and blogs. Interesting on several levels. Firstly, to see the pretty big split in theological readings of Scripture towards violence. From one group assigning all actions to God, whether we perceive them as "good" or "bad", arguing that because God is totally good and has a perspective much larger than any human, God's actions may look bad to us now, but are in fact part of a much larger good. The other perspective is God is completely good and therefore will never do anything we percieve as bad or evil or violent. Violence, therefore, comes from outside of God, predominantly from Satan and other beings that work against God's purposes. The second level of intereset was the difficulty with which these two "camps" have in dialoguing with each other.
Web blog comments generally don't allow for a positive and transformative conflict experience. There will be one group who argue their point of view, another group arguing theirs, and much name calling and dire proclamations hurled back and forth. There may be one, or two individuals who raise a more conciliatory voice to the discussion, asking questions, seeking some understanding, but they seem to be generally ignored on the whole. So the capacity for healthy conflict in these discussions are low. This is also interesting to me as I prepare myself for moving to the US next year and consider how to approach the roots of violence there.
So how have I dealt with the problem of violence in Scripture? I have several propositions on dealing with this:
Firstly, a clear rejection of the use of Scripture to endorse or promote any act of violence (in all it's forms) towards one person or group on another. And this goes right down to the cultural level. Any attitudes of hatred, racism, sexism, genderism - any form of domination - are to be rejected. Scripture, distressingly, has been used to promote all kinds of violence, from domestic violence to genocide. I emphatically reject this reading of Scripture.
Secondly, a change of language that no longer refers to Scripture as "the Word of God". "The Word of God" is used synonymously with "Scripture" and I think that is problematic making room for the abuses I mentioned above. The Word of God, according to Scripture, is God who enlightens us, and I would also say enlightens our reading of Scripture. Scripture is certainly useful for "traininig in righteousness" but must be read in the light of Jesus, first, as well as in appropriate context. If not readings of Scripture that lead to violence and domination tend to creep in quite quickly.
Thirdly, I suggest the employment of Nonviolent Communication principles in reading Scripture, that is to say, working hard to understand the feelings and needs expressed by the author of Scripture, particularly with those passages we find most difficult to grapple with. For me those passages are the ones where violence is endorsed, directly or indirectly, and where God and Jesus are described as having violent characteristics as in the book of Revelation.
I actually spent some time writing down some "psalms of renunciation" to the violence within Scripture and done because of our violent interpretations of Scripture. I found that incredibly freeing and I have renewed energy to re-engage Scripture on the whole, and those parts I have generally avoided.
Friday, 20 August 2010
Hungry for Justice
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled"
Earlier this week I spent two days with thirty community nonviolence activists from around Cambodia. In the evening of the first day I sat aside to read some Scripture. The passages I'm meditating on these days are the Sermons on the Mount, in Matthew and Luke, as well as Paul's version in Romans 12. I was surrounded by poor Cambodian farmers, fishing folk, foresters, day labourers, and villagers. Their homes, fishing grounds, forests, lakes and water ways are all under intense risk of destruction or appropriation. If anyone could be described as "poor in spirit", mourners, meek, seekers of righteousness (justice), builders of peace, and persecuted, these folk fit the bill. My eyes grew wide in awe as I sat amongst these blessed ones and watched Scripture come alive.
But how are these folk blessed? Regardless of current advocacy and legal efforts there are no concrete resolutions in sight for activists and their communities. A number of these folk have already lost everything.
What I saw, however, was a spirit of joy and thankfulness amongst them. Joy of being with others who know their struggles, pain, sacrifices and mistakes. Thankfulness that their story was being heard by each other, and one tall white foreign guy with a video camera on a tripod.
There is hope in togetherness. It is a fruit of the kingdom of heaven, it is comforting, it is an acknowledgement of an inheritance worth more than land and economic development. Their time together affirms their struggle for justice and the truth of their cause, an opportunity to show mercy for those in small acts amongst themselves, such as words of encouragement, promises to visit one another's village, and small acts of financial support.
And while I saw this hope, joy and thankfulness I know it is not enough. To stand aside resting in the assurance that God loves these folks is to turn aside from the gospel message itself, of liberation, freedom, concrete hope in a renewed reality. And so myself and many others work in supporting, advising and training in nonviolent tactics and strategies.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Women of Courage. 3 Stories
International Women's Day, 2010
The Christians for Social Justice celebrating Int'l Women's Day
Shiprah, Puah and the Hebrew Midwives
The first recorded event of civil resistance is fittingly an event of women affirming life in the face of death. Circa 1300BC The Hebrew people were living in Egypt and found themselves under the power of a king (Pharoah) who was afraid of them. They were a strong people more numerous than the indigenous Egyptian population, and Pharoah conspired to a program of genocide lest the Hebrews overpower the Egyptians. The Hebrew midwifes in Egypt were then tasked by Pharoah to kill any male child born to them. But the midwives refused the command, risking their own lives in the process. Their story is immortalised in Exodus chapter one.
The Rosenstrasse Prison Protest
In 1943, Berlin, the Gestapo swept through the city to arrest and gather up the remaining Jewish men living in the city. They were brought to a building in Rosenstrasse, Berlin, very close to the Gestapo headquarters. Within hours of the arrest the "Jewish Radio", an informal phone network, flew into action and were able to discover the location of the arrested men. The wives of the men, nearly 6000 women, gathered en masse in front of the detention center and clamoured for their husband's release. After a few days the men were released. Some who had already been shipped to concentration camps were quietly released. Why? The men were married to Aryan women. These women stood in front of Gestapo officers and yelled for their husband's freedom, fully knowing the brutality capable by the most feared section of Hitler's war machine. Almost all these men survived the war.
You can read more in Michael Naglers The Search for a Nonviolent Future, and a full length study called Resistance of the Heart.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
On August 8th, 1988 (8.8.88) Burma comes to a stand-still under a General Strike across the whole country. Led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy were attempting to create space where the military junta would be forced to work towards democracy. Two years later in 1990 the NLD win 90 percent of the votes in a national election. Tragically the junta did not hand over power. Aung San Suu Kyi's face is an iconic representation of the people of Burma / Myanmar and to the unending resistance capable of those who practice nonviolent resistance.
These are simply three stories of how women have, and continue to, battle violence throughout the world. Often women bear the brunt of violence - physical, structural and cultural - in the most heinous ways. Yet women continue to respond with compassion to both victim and perpetrator.
Today is a celebration of all women, as well as a call to continued vigilance of violence in our world, particularly that which is directed at women. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon can be seen here making a video message on "equal rights, equal opportunities: progress for all".
Peace,
Chris Baker Evens
The Christians for Social Justice celebrating Int'l Women's Day
Shiprah, Puah and the Hebrew Midwives
The first recorded event of civil resistance is fittingly an event of women affirming life in the face of death. Circa 1300BC The Hebrew people were living in Egypt and found themselves under the power of a king (Pharoah) who was afraid of them. They were a strong people more numerous than the indigenous Egyptian population, and Pharoah conspired to a program of genocide lest the Hebrews overpower the Egyptians. The Hebrew midwifes in Egypt were then tasked by Pharoah to kill any male child born to them. But the midwives refused the command, risking their own lives in the process. Their story is immortalised in Exodus chapter one.
The Rosenstrasse Prison Protest
In 1943, Berlin, the Gestapo swept through the city to arrest and gather up the remaining Jewish men living in the city. They were brought to a building in Rosenstrasse, Berlin, very close to the Gestapo headquarters. Within hours of the arrest the "Jewish Radio", an informal phone network, flew into action and were able to discover the location of the arrested men. The wives of the men, nearly 6000 women, gathered en masse in front of the detention center and clamoured for their husband's release. After a few days the men were released. Some who had already been shipped to concentration camps were quietly released. Why? The men were married to Aryan women. These women stood in front of Gestapo officers and yelled for their husband's freedom, fully knowing the brutality capable by the most feared section of Hitler's war machine. Almost all these men survived the war.
You can read more in Michael Naglers The Search for a Nonviolent Future, and a full length study called Resistance of the Heart.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
On August 8th, 1988 (8.8.88) Burma comes to a stand-still under a General Strike across the whole country. Led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy were attempting to create space where the military junta would be forced to work towards democracy. Two years later in 1990 the NLD win 90 percent of the votes in a national election. Tragically the junta did not hand over power. Aung San Suu Kyi's face is an iconic representation of the people of Burma / Myanmar and to the unending resistance capable of those who practice nonviolent resistance.
These are simply three stories of how women have, and continue to, battle violence throughout the world. Often women bear the brunt of violence - physical, structural and cultural - in the most heinous ways. Yet women continue to respond with compassion to both victim and perpetrator.
Today is a celebration of all women, as well as a call to continued vigilance of violence in our world, particularly that which is directed at women. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon can be seen here making a video message on "equal rights, equal opportunities: progress for all".
Peace,
Chris Baker Evens
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
building a bike powered phone charger
Here are some links I'm looking at and trying to decide which one to try out first.
Resisting Empire
I've had some enriching discussions with folk since the last post on Empire, the US and Evangelicalism.
What's driving home to me now is that Empire exists in two locations: "out there" and "in here". The "out there" is in politics, economics, militarism, consumerism, domination, etc. Once you start seeing it, it is the easiest form of Empire to notice. For example: the US has over 700 military bases across 135 different countries, who's security is that really for? The US's economy and resource footprint is in the range of 80% for 20% of the population (those figures probably include OECD countries, not sure. You can look them up for yourself). We all agree that the US is "on top", the disagreement is whether this is a good thing or not.
For me I see it as a sign of Empire because there is little acknowledgement that the way we live in Empire impacts those outside of Empire. Well, that's not entirely accurate. Do we acknowledge that part of the Empire is left untended, has it's valuable natural resources transfered to the center of Empire and those left behind become the dumping ground for the center? Usually not. When we buy a consumable good, food, a mobile phone, a car, do we think beyond the cost-benefit equation to our self (usually in terms of money, time and effort) or to the planet (which requires thinking of product life-cycles, labour practices, environmental impacts, and the quality of human interaction? I'm guilty of the former for most of my consumption.
Jesus said, "why accuse your fellow human of participating in Empire when you are just as blindly complicit?" (my paraphrase). And I have to answer, "because it's easier to point the finger than seriously critique my own participation in Empire". It's time to stop that.
Martin Luther King Jr wrote in his famous Letter from Birmingham Prison that there are four phases to a nonviolent campaign: 1. collect the facts and decide if there is injustice going on. 2. negotiate with the relevant decision makers 3. spend time in "self-purification", and 4. engage in nonviolent direct action. I actually think that the beginning point is number 3 - "self-purification". When we are able to stand outside of the reaches of Empire, even for just a moment, we begin to percieve the injustices that we are complicit with, either passively or actively. At that point we are able to begin investigations, try to pursuade others to change and, if necessary, make the crisis of Empire so clear through nonviolent actions that change will become necessary (like the recent Avaaz.org campaign to prevent the increase in whale killing). But the key is self-purification.
Self-purification is not some high-faluting saint-like attainment. It is about reaching for the highest values that humans can attain, but humbly recognising how far off we are. Self-purification seeks awareness of all that binds us to Empire, whether it be job, status, education, possessions, area/zip code, make and model of car you drive. When we become aware of these sticking points, even temporarily, we are better able to see things from a bigger perspective. With compassion. What Empire is like for those not at the center and not connected to me? For the environment? For our families? It's not easy to do and I'm certain I've never attained perfect purification. But that, I don't think, is the point. Perfection is not the point. Rather, a gradual opening up of our awareness to how my life affects my neighbour's life, even if that neighbour is on the other side of the planet and I never ever meet her.
Gandhi used the word satyagraha, truth force, to help people understand that resisting an Empire requires a strong grasping on to the truth. Not just truth as in facts, but truth as in compassionate relationships. Satyagraha was the outward actions of defeating the British Empire. But it was also the struggle to ensure that those actions did not alienate the British, but allow them to leave as friends. And it worked. On both counts.
Islam has a similar understanding. It's called jihad, or struggle. The media feeds us jihad all the time as a militant islamic practice. However, jihad is first and foremost the inner struggle with Self. The Prophet, PBUH, called this the greater jihad.
The result of all this self-purification of mine is a growing desire to know the impacts of my life choices, as well as a growing list of potential new ways of living that resist Empire on a personal level. Gandhi is well known for his marches to the salt fields and facing down British military might, he is less well known for the constructive alternatives to Empire that he promoted. Village self-sufficiency was a huge part of what he called "constructive programme". His centerpiece was the charkha, or spinning wheel. Both tactically and symbolically it was genius. The British Raj organised the cloth trade so that India relied on cloth made in Manchester. It kept over a million textile workers in employment. But it kept 300 million Indians in dire poverty. He asked each Indian to spend half an hour or so spinning, carding and weaving their own cotton and cloth. It created massive self-reliance and employment in India. It demolished the English textile industry, but the workers were so convinced of the justice of Gandhi's approach they whole-heartedly supported it. So I'm looking for my own "charkha", that symbol of resisting empire which is at the same time practical and constructive. I also like the symbolism of the wheel, but I have no idea how to spin wool or cotton. But I have a bike. And bikes have wheels - two of them. Riding my bike reduces my reliance on oil. Oil is the life-blood of Empire. It's a start. But there's more bikes can do. The energy inherent in a bike (pedal power) can power lights, recharge batteries and run computers. So I've searched the net and come up with some designs for phone recharger from recycled materials and a bike-powered home generator, (2) and (3). I'm itching to give them a try, even though I'm no electrician.
What's driving home to me now is that Empire exists in two locations: "out there" and "in here". The "out there" is in politics, economics, militarism, consumerism, domination, etc. Once you start seeing it, it is the easiest form of Empire to notice. For example: the US has over 700 military bases across 135 different countries, who's security is that really for? The US's economy and resource footprint is in the range of 80% for 20% of the population (those figures probably include OECD countries, not sure. You can look them up for yourself). We all agree that the US is "on top", the disagreement is whether this is a good thing or not.
For me I see it as a sign of Empire because there is little acknowledgement that the way we live in Empire impacts those outside of Empire. Well, that's not entirely accurate. Do we acknowledge that part of the Empire is left untended, has it's valuable natural resources transfered to the center of Empire and those left behind become the dumping ground for the center? Usually not. When we buy a consumable good, food, a mobile phone, a car, do we think beyond the cost-benefit equation to our self (usually in terms of money, time and effort) or to the planet (which requires thinking of product life-cycles, labour practices, environmental impacts, and the quality of human interaction? I'm guilty of the former for most of my consumption.
Jesus said, "why accuse your fellow human of participating in Empire when you are just as blindly complicit?" (my paraphrase). And I have to answer, "because it's easier to point the finger than seriously critique my own participation in Empire". It's time to stop that.
Martin Luther King Jr wrote in his famous Letter from Birmingham Prison that there are four phases to a nonviolent campaign: 1. collect the facts and decide if there is injustice going on. 2. negotiate with the relevant decision makers 3. spend time in "self-purification", and 4. engage in nonviolent direct action. I actually think that the beginning point is number 3 - "self-purification". When we are able to stand outside of the reaches of Empire, even for just a moment, we begin to percieve the injustices that we are complicit with, either passively or actively. At that point we are able to begin investigations, try to pursuade others to change and, if necessary, make the crisis of Empire so clear through nonviolent actions that change will become necessary (like the recent Avaaz.org campaign to prevent the increase in whale killing). But the key is self-purification.
Self-purification is not some high-faluting saint-like attainment. It is about reaching for the highest values that humans can attain, but humbly recognising how far off we are. Self-purification seeks awareness of all that binds us to Empire, whether it be job, status, education, possessions, area/zip code, make and model of car you drive. When we become aware of these sticking points, even temporarily, we are better able to see things from a bigger perspective. With compassion. What Empire is like for those not at the center and not connected to me? For the environment? For our families? It's not easy to do and I'm certain I've never attained perfect purification. But that, I don't think, is the point. Perfection is not the point. Rather, a gradual opening up of our awareness to how my life affects my neighbour's life, even if that neighbour is on the other side of the planet and I never ever meet her.
Gandhi used the word satyagraha, truth force, to help people understand that resisting an Empire requires a strong grasping on to the truth. Not just truth as in facts, but truth as in compassionate relationships. Satyagraha was the outward actions of defeating the British Empire. But it was also the struggle to ensure that those actions did not alienate the British, but allow them to leave as friends. And it worked. On both counts.
Islam has a similar understanding. It's called jihad, or struggle. The media feeds us jihad all the time as a militant islamic practice. However, jihad is first and foremost the inner struggle with Self. The Prophet, PBUH, called this the greater jihad.
The result of all this self-purification of mine is a growing desire to know the impacts of my life choices, as well as a growing list of potential new ways of living that resist Empire on a personal level. Gandhi is well known for his marches to the salt fields and facing down British military might, he is less well known for the constructive alternatives to Empire that he promoted. Village self-sufficiency was a huge part of what he called "constructive programme". His centerpiece was the charkha, or spinning wheel. Both tactically and symbolically it was genius. The British Raj organised the cloth trade so that India relied on cloth made in Manchester. It kept over a million textile workers in employment. But it kept 300 million Indians in dire poverty. He asked each Indian to spend half an hour or so spinning, carding and weaving their own cotton and cloth. It created massive self-reliance and employment in India. It demolished the English textile industry, but the workers were so convinced of the justice of Gandhi's approach they whole-heartedly supported it. So I'm looking for my own "charkha", that symbol of resisting empire which is at the same time practical and constructive. I also like the symbolism of the wheel, but I have no idea how to spin wool or cotton. But I have a bike. And bikes have wheels - two of them. Riding my bike reduces my reliance on oil. Oil is the life-blood of Empire. It's a start. But there's more bikes can do. The energy inherent in a bike (pedal power) can power lights, recharge batteries and run computers. So I've searched the net and come up with some designs for phone recharger from recycled materials and a bike-powered home generator, (2) and (3). I'm itching to give them a try, even though I'm no electrician.
I am also researching the product lifecycle of the technology I use (nokia mobile phone, hp laptop, Palm TX, the internet - the servers that keep it going and store this blog for you to read, cloud computing, ebooks, etc) and for ways to reduce the environmental impact of these while I use them (eg using human-powered generators to power them). There are some interesting and useful resources on the 'net. A Greenpeace report on computer, phone and game-console manufacturers rates how well they work towards products that reduce or eliminate toxic chemicals, pvc plastic and carbon footprints. There's more research to be done: labour practices throughout the component cycle of mineral extraction, manufacture and retail, etc.
The key to being prophetic is not being noisy, but practical. It's one thing to shout and yell "Empire is Evil", but what is the alternative, and is it liveable? I see this as part of my experiment with truth, of self-purification and inner satyagraha and my greater jihad.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Entering Empire (with eyes wide open)
So the current plan is to move to the US in a year's time. And I feel concerned. US pretty much epitomises Empire for me and the thought of living there, bringing up children there, scares me. How do I resist Empire when living in the very heart of it?
The first thing that came to mind was what to do about taxes? Right now we don't earn enough to pay any to any government, so it's mostly an intellectual consideration right now. But it's possible we'd have to start paying tax at some point in the future. And I definitely don't want to pay for any of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nor the 75 clandestine wars America is waging around the world (according to Johan Galtung www.transcend.org).
I watched The Story of Stuff (www.thestoryofstuff.com) and heard that US military spending accounts for 50 percent of tax revenue. My wife says, "you better check that out", not quite believing the assertion. Well, according to War Resisters International the stat is wrong. The figure is only 48 percent - regular military spending, then hidden defense spendings in other areas plus debt from previous military spending. That's a lot of dough and I don't want ANY of my money going to it. If I'm going to spend money on anything close to defense it would be for the rehabilitation of soldiers returning from active duty, to support their reintegration into society and recover from the trauma of battle.
Another area that scares me silly is Consumerism. I'll capitalise it for now as it really does seem like a religion. At the least it's a real economic philosophy. I don't want to turn into a Consumer. Or perhaps a better way of saying it is I want to get out of Consumerism. At least life in Cambodia there is a somewhat restriction on my consumption. It is still in stark contrast to my neighbours who mostly live in homes with dirt floors and pull drinking and washing water out of the local putrid open well. A lawn mower in Cambodia is a cow or a goat. And there are no ludicrous local codes preventing people from using FREE solar energy to dry their clothes on the washing line. Even in hard-baked Arizona people use drying machines - including my mother-in-law. But the fact that people "do it" is not so bad so much as how society is shaped so that healthy, non-Consumerism, environmentally-friendly options are made so difficult. Wal-Mart is a dangerous place. You go in there, look at the price tag and say to yourself, "It would be wrong NOT to buy this at such a cheap price!" Seriously!
The Story of Stuff also pointed out the process of extraction to refuse. The first being environmental destruction to get at the resources, the second is using the labour of the people who no longer have natural resources to use as cheap labour to work in the factories that are on the formerly pristine natural resources. A few years ago, in fact just one year ago, this would have felt like a complete academic reality. Ten minutes down the road from where I live this goes on RIGHT NOW. Kep Thmey, Rolous, Totung Tngay and Kilo Dawp Pii are four villages I can name off the top of my head and drive my tiny 90cc motorbike to in under 20 minutes. Some corporate genius thought it would make perfect sense (and a ton of money) to fill in the delicate mangrove coastal areas to build factories. In the meantime the land fill going into the coast kills off all the easy-to-reach aquatic life, killing off important sea grass that ensures the continuity of the most important fishery in the region and put out of work most of the local fishing community. "No problem!", says He, "I've got a factory just down the road you can all work in". Well, no one really wants a factory job, and the factory manager only lets in people with a 'decent level of education' which exludes most of the local folk who don't have a 'decent education'. If this is the happy Consumerist utopia, I want nothing to do with it! Easier said than done in the heart of Empire, I'd wager.
So what can I do to escape from the Latter Day Saints of Consumerism?
REDUCE CARBON OUTPUT AND USE OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
- I'd like to live where I don't need a car.
- I'd ride a bike or catch the bus or train instead.
- buy more things second-hand
- I'd like to limit plane travel (which is not easy being an international family and an international organisation)
- I'll limit how much I buy and the kinds of things I do buy (I'll need to clarify this point somehow)
- I won't have a TV and expose myself to all the Consumerist evangelist tracts and discipleship materials.
- remember to take the cloth bags to the market (less plastic bags)
ADVOCACY AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE
- advocate on behalf of ecological injustices
- I'd like to think of some symbolic economic symbol (like Gandhi spinning yarn) that undermines Consumerism.
- I'm not paying taxes to Uncle Sam, at least not the military part of them.
- change our investments to an approach that does not fuel the Consumerist economy, but compassionate economic practices, non-war, non-nonrenewable resources. is there a compassionate approach to investment? if so, how?
DEVELOP CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACHES
- I'd like to grow my own veggies.
- I'd like to put my savings into things that don't fuel further Consumerism or war.
- I'd like to promote the non-obsolesence of older computers by installing open-source operating systems and software like lubuntu which breath new life into old computers.
- I'd like to find ways to resist buying new and make use of used. Furniture, appliances, some clothes, technological equipment (computers, phones, PDAs, cameras), toys for the kids (and me).
- buy ebooks instead of paperbooks or secondhand paperbooks instead of new.
I'm doing my best to go with ebooks instead of paperbooks. I'm guessing that an ebook is better than a paper book. It's not made of paper. It doesn't require a massive bookshelf to keep them on. There's also tons of free ebooks online. But, obviously electronics rely on power consumption, much of it coming from fosil fuels (Australia and Cambodia) or nuclear power (US).
But I don't want to be stingey and ungrateful to live. I want to live with joy and hope and compassion. I don't want to judge others who are Consumers, but I do want to offer choice alternatives.
I'd like to begin each morning with silent meditation, practicing awareness, before starting work. I'd also like to engage in some form of productive physical activity - not just 'exercise'. Eg, growing veggies, yard work, community service, and also see housework (washing dishes, clothes, cleaning up) more part of my spiritual practices, not seeing it as a barrier to life but integrated with it.
One big bad habit I really need to work on is forgetting to take the cloth bags to the market. In Cambodian they have real markets. And Cambodia market sellers LOVE to give you plastic bags. I buy doughnuts at one bakery once and asked for a cookie. I got one plastic bag for the doughnuts, one for the cookie and one bag to put everything together!
I'm also giving up Evangelicalism. I'm not sure what this post has to do with Evangelicalism, but while I'm talking about giving up stuff this came to mind. I actually kicked the habit several years back, but I'm coming out of the closet with this one. There's too much baggage with it, and little positive in it that I can see. The focus on evangelism and a morbid atonement through sacrificial substitution just doesn't do it for me any more. Have you ever really read the Apostles' Creed - which surely was never written by any of the original apostles. In the very middle it says Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary and in the next breath dies under Pontius Pilate. Where's the rest of it? So Jesus' life and ministry has no theological value at all? It just doesn't add up. And since Evangelicalism is so closely aligned to American State Religion, which is the same as Consumerism, I'm done with it. I will engage with it, see the good in it, learn from it, and be compassionate to those who subscribe to it, but I'm signing the divorce papers on it for good.
While I'm at it ...
I've realised that I should get out of organisational development and focus more on what I'm passionate about in transformational education and learning design.
And,
that my focus is not really (perhaps never has been) poverty, but is rather Violence, with a capital V. Physical, Structural and Cultural Violence. I make it my work - professional and spiritual - to work at transforming violence and violent systems/contexts using peace and nonviolence.
What does a compassionate response to Militarism look like? engagement, offering alternatives, listening to the needs behind Militarism (fear, need for physical and economic security and safety).
The first thing that came to mind was what to do about taxes? Right now we don't earn enough to pay any to any government, so it's mostly an intellectual consideration right now. But it's possible we'd have to start paying tax at some point in the future. And I definitely don't want to pay for any of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nor the 75 clandestine wars America is waging around the world (according to Johan Galtung www.transcend.org).
I watched The Story of Stuff (www.thestoryofstuff.com) and heard that US military spending accounts for 50 percent of tax revenue. My wife says, "you better check that out", not quite believing the assertion. Well, according to War Resisters International the stat is wrong. The figure is only 48 percent - regular military spending, then hidden defense spendings in other areas plus debt from previous military spending. That's a lot of dough and I don't want ANY of my money going to it. If I'm going to spend money on anything close to defense it would be for the rehabilitation of soldiers returning from active duty, to support their reintegration into society and recover from the trauma of battle.
Another area that scares me silly is Consumerism. I'll capitalise it for now as it really does seem like a religion. At the least it's a real economic philosophy. I don't want to turn into a Consumer. Or perhaps a better way of saying it is I want to get out of Consumerism. At least life in Cambodia there is a somewhat restriction on my consumption. It is still in stark contrast to my neighbours who mostly live in homes with dirt floors and pull drinking and washing water out of the local putrid open well. A lawn mower in Cambodia is a cow or a goat. And there are no ludicrous local codes preventing people from using FREE solar energy to dry their clothes on the washing line. Even in hard-baked Arizona people use drying machines - including my mother-in-law. But the fact that people "do it" is not so bad so much as how society is shaped so that healthy, non-Consumerism, environmentally-friendly options are made so difficult. Wal-Mart is a dangerous place. You go in there, look at the price tag and say to yourself, "It would be wrong NOT to buy this at such a cheap price!" Seriously!
The Story of Stuff also pointed out the process of extraction to refuse. The first being environmental destruction to get at the resources, the second is using the labour of the people who no longer have natural resources to use as cheap labour to work in the factories that are on the formerly pristine natural resources. A few years ago, in fact just one year ago, this would have felt like a complete academic reality. Ten minutes down the road from where I live this goes on RIGHT NOW. Kep Thmey, Rolous, Totung Tngay and Kilo Dawp Pii are four villages I can name off the top of my head and drive my tiny 90cc motorbike to in under 20 minutes. Some corporate genius thought it would make perfect sense (and a ton of money) to fill in the delicate mangrove coastal areas to build factories. In the meantime the land fill going into the coast kills off all the easy-to-reach aquatic life, killing off important sea grass that ensures the continuity of the most important fishery in the region and put out of work most of the local fishing community. "No problem!", says He, "I've got a factory just down the road you can all work in". Well, no one really wants a factory job, and the factory manager only lets in people with a 'decent level of education' which exludes most of the local folk who don't have a 'decent education'. If this is the happy Consumerist utopia, I want nothing to do with it! Easier said than done in the heart of Empire, I'd wager.
So what can I do to escape from the Latter Day Saints of Consumerism?
REDUCE CARBON OUTPUT AND USE OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
- I'd like to live where I don't need a car.
- I'd ride a bike or catch the bus or train instead.
- buy more things second-hand
- I'd like to limit plane travel (which is not easy being an international family and an international organisation)
- I'll limit how much I buy and the kinds of things I do buy (I'll need to clarify this point somehow)
- I won't have a TV and expose myself to all the Consumerist evangelist tracts and discipleship materials.
- remember to take the cloth bags to the market (less plastic bags)
ADVOCACY AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE
- advocate on behalf of ecological injustices
- I'd like to think of some symbolic economic symbol (like Gandhi spinning yarn) that undermines Consumerism.
- I'm not paying taxes to Uncle Sam, at least not the military part of them.
- change our investments to an approach that does not fuel the Consumerist economy, but compassionate economic practices, non-war, non-nonrenewable resources. is there a compassionate approach to investment? if so, how?
DEVELOP CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACHES
- I'd like to grow my own veggies.
- I'd like to put my savings into things that don't fuel further Consumerism or war.
- I'd like to promote the non-obsolesence of older computers by installing open-source operating systems and software like lubuntu which breath new life into old computers.
- I'd like to find ways to resist buying new and make use of used. Furniture, appliances, some clothes, technological equipment (computers, phones, PDAs, cameras), toys for the kids (and me).
- buy ebooks instead of paperbooks or secondhand paperbooks instead of new.
I'm doing my best to go with ebooks instead of paperbooks. I'm guessing that an ebook is better than a paper book. It's not made of paper. It doesn't require a massive bookshelf to keep them on. There's also tons of free ebooks online. But, obviously electronics rely on power consumption, much of it coming from fosil fuels (Australia and Cambodia) or nuclear power (US).
But I don't want to be stingey and ungrateful to live. I want to live with joy and hope and compassion. I don't want to judge others who are Consumers, but I do want to offer choice alternatives.
I'd like to begin each morning with silent meditation, practicing awareness, before starting work. I'd also like to engage in some form of productive physical activity - not just 'exercise'. Eg, growing veggies, yard work, community service, and also see housework (washing dishes, clothes, cleaning up) more part of my spiritual practices, not seeing it as a barrier to life but integrated with it.
One big bad habit I really need to work on is forgetting to take the cloth bags to the market. In Cambodian they have real markets. And Cambodia market sellers LOVE to give you plastic bags. I buy doughnuts at one bakery once and asked for a cookie. I got one plastic bag for the doughnuts, one for the cookie and one bag to put everything together!
I'm also giving up Evangelicalism. I'm not sure what this post has to do with Evangelicalism, but while I'm talking about giving up stuff this came to mind. I actually kicked the habit several years back, but I'm coming out of the closet with this one. There's too much baggage with it, and little positive in it that I can see. The focus on evangelism and a morbid atonement through sacrificial substitution just doesn't do it for me any more. Have you ever really read the Apostles' Creed - which surely was never written by any of the original apostles. In the very middle it says Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary and in the next breath dies under Pontius Pilate. Where's the rest of it? So Jesus' life and ministry has no theological value at all? It just doesn't add up. And since Evangelicalism is so closely aligned to American State Religion, which is the same as Consumerism, I'm done with it. I will engage with it, see the good in it, learn from it, and be compassionate to those who subscribe to it, but I'm signing the divorce papers on it for good.
While I'm at it ...
I've realised that I should get out of organisational development and focus more on what I'm passionate about in transformational education and learning design.
And,
that my focus is not really (perhaps never has been) poverty, but is rather Violence, with a capital V. Physical, Structural and Cultural Violence. I make it my work - professional and spiritual - to work at transforming violence and violent systems/contexts using peace and nonviolence.
What does a compassionate response to Militarism look like? engagement, offering alternatives, listening to the needs behind Militarism (fear, need for physical and economic security and safety).
Friday, 16 April 2010
Mango Count
Yesterday (Thursday 15th): 43 mangoes
Today (Friday 16th): 33 mangoes
Menu:
Yesterday: plenty of smoothies, and we tried our first dish of chicken in mango and soy sauce. With very large macaroni pasta. Delicious! (Though Sam reckons it needed more soy sauce ... too sweet).
Tonight: mixed veggies in mango and soy sauce (and a dash of white wine) on rice.
Today (Friday 16th): 33 mangoes
Menu:
Yesterday: plenty of smoothies, and we tried our first dish of chicken in mango and soy sauce. With very large macaroni pasta. Delicious! (Though Sam reckons it needed more soy sauce ... too sweet).
Tonight: mixed veggies in mango and soy sauce (and a dash of white wine) on rice.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Tonight's Mango Menu
We all enjoyed mango smoothies throughout the day, making use of the blended pulp I made up last night - and which when frozen our family refers to as mango ice-cream. It kind of tastes like mango gelato ...
Then I had the 35 or so mangoes from today's drop to deal with.
I very nearly ignored the problem, or wondered if I should ask if anyone needs 35 mangoes. But I finally found the energy to deal with the issue. It's not like they'll go away. And there will be 35 more tomorrow to deal with.
So I figured I go with Sam's mango sauce idea.
Mango & Soy Sauce
1 large bowl of cut up mangoes
1 cup soy sauce
1 garlic 'pod' - what do you call the whole garlic thing?
2 onions
2 red peppers
1 tbsp oil
So basically, fry up the onions, add the garlic, then the peppers. Once they look done I threw in almost all the mango (enough so it wouldn't fall out of the frying pan) and then added the soy sauce. I was a little scared I'd thrown in too much soy sauce, but the taste test seems to suggest a winner.
I tried canning them, but the jars were too big for my big pots, so I'm not sure it worked properly. We'll just have to eat them quick.
Then I had the 35 or so mangoes from today's drop to deal with.
I very nearly ignored the problem, or wondered if I should ask if anyone needs 35 mangoes. But I finally found the energy to deal with the issue. It's not like they'll go away. And there will be 35 more tomorrow to deal with.
So I figured I go with Sam's mango sauce idea.
Mango & Soy Sauce
1 large bowl of cut up mangoes
1 cup soy sauce
1 garlic 'pod' - what do you call the whole garlic thing?
2 onions
2 red peppers
1 tbsp oil
So basically, fry up the onions, add the garlic, then the peppers. Once they look done I threw in almost all the mango (enough so it wouldn't fall out of the frying pan) and then added the soy sauce. I was a little scared I'd thrown in too much soy sauce, but the taste test seems to suggest a winner.
I tried canning them, but the jars were too big for my big pots, so I'm not sure it worked properly. We'll just have to eat them quick.
Mango Count for Wed April 14th
25 Mangoes. Twenty-four from the tree behind the water tank. One from the tree near the train station.
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Tonight's Mango Menu
Tonight I finally pulled myself together enough to battle the growing mound of mangoes in the kitchen. I think nearly 10 more dropped from the tree since 9am this morning.
I decided not to use all the mangoes from today, just the large bowl - so about 35. I have been searching the web for different mango recipes, and there's some interesting ones out there. Mango chutney and mango sauce look pretty good. I'm going to give them a try soon.
Today I couldn't get around to the hassle cooking a major mango fantasy - although last night I pulled together a pretty tasty mango chicken with soy sauce (if I may toot my own mango horn). Sam (wife) thinks I should come up with a mango bbq sauce of some kind.
Back to tonight. Well, we'd used up all our mango puree / ice cream yesterday so I decided to replenish our stocks. So after peeling (it's more like flaying) 35 mangoes, I blended and have a full medium-sized tuppaware (or Lucky Supermarket equivalent) of mango puree. Probably close to 2.5 litres. I'll freeze it tonight.
But I decided I couldn't really stop there. I had to enjoy the fruit of my labour (!) and asked Sam if a mango smoothie was in order. She readily agreed. I spooned about a cup and a half of mango puree back into the blender, another cup and a half of chilled milk (the carton straight out of the fridge, that is) and added my secret masala spice mix - about a teaspoon and a half - and blended till it looked mixed up well and good.
The result? Well, in my opinion, it was a rather muted flavour. Not the full-bodied sweetness of a straight mango smoothie, and the spices started off with a kick and then faded a little. I think the spice mix needs a little work. Perhaps just stick with cardamom.
I decided not to use all the mangoes from today, just the large bowl - so about 35. I have been searching the web for different mango recipes, and there's some interesting ones out there. Mango chutney and mango sauce look pretty good. I'm going to give them a try soon.
Today I couldn't get around to the hassle cooking a major mango fantasy - although last night I pulled together a pretty tasty mango chicken with soy sauce (if I may toot my own mango horn). Sam (wife) thinks I should come up with a mango bbq sauce of some kind.
Back to tonight. Well, we'd used up all our mango puree / ice cream yesterday so I decided to replenish our stocks. So after peeling (it's more like flaying) 35 mangoes, I blended and have a full medium-sized tuppaware (or Lucky Supermarket equivalent) of mango puree. Probably close to 2.5 litres. I'll freeze it tonight.But I decided I couldn't really stop there. I had to enjoy the fruit of my labour (!) and asked Sam if a mango smoothie was in order. She readily agreed. I spooned about a cup and a half of mango puree back into the blender, another cup and a half of chilled milk (the carton straight out of the fridge, that is) and added my secret masala spice mix - about a teaspoon and a half - and blended till it looked mixed up well and good.
The result? Well, in my opinion, it was a rather muted flavour. Not the full-bodied sweetness of a straight mango smoothie, and the spices started off with a kick and then faded a little. I think the spice mix needs a little work. Perhaps just stick with cardamom.
Mango Count for Today
As of 9am this morning there are 35 mangoes (all of which fell from the tree).
Here's a picture of the ant's nest I mentioned in yesterday's blog. (photo courtesy of friend, Simon). Each tree has three or four of these natural disaster areas in them.
If you ever wondered what ants sound like I can tell you. Like rice bubbles. That "snap, crackle, pop!" sound of breakfast cereal fame. It's weird walking past a tree and hearing that sound.
Here's a picture of the ant's nest I mentioned in yesterday's blog. (photo courtesy of friend, Simon). Each tree has three or four of these natural disaster areas in them.
If you ever wondered what ants sound like I can tell you. Like rice bubbles. That "snap, crackle, pop!" sound of breakfast cereal fame. It's weird walking past a tree and hearing that sound.
Monday, 12 April 2010
Mangoing Around
It's hot season. Let me repeat. It's HOT season here in Cambodia. There is little to do other than mope around feeling hot, sweaty and itchy as the heat rash works it's way into every sweaty little crevice - elbows and backs of knees usually!
The benefit of hot season in Cambodia is, of course, MANGOES! I've lived in Cambodia a little over 6 years and we've only recently moved to a place where we have a real mango tree - five of them. And every day I pick up somewhere between 10 and 20 mangoes. It's getting a little overwhelming.The first week we kept up - cutting, peeling, eating those freshly ripe mangoes. Then it got to be a little too much. Not to mention the mango allergy rash from the sap. Very itchy (adds to the heat rash). The other thing you have to watch out for is the nasty red ants that make their home in our mango trees. They pull several leaves together, stitch them up with what looks like spider's web, and make a nest. Bump one of those babies and you'll find thousands of angry acid biting ants crawling down the back of your shirt. Ouch!
So today I decided on a slightly different course. I had been cutting out the pulp, using the blender and freezing it - making really great mango ice-cream, which then goes into mango smoothies very well. Today it was time to take it to a new level - mango jam!Not just mango jam, but spiced mango jam. I hit a winner on this.
I found a simple an interesting recipe on the web from eCurry (http://www.ecurry.com/blog/condiments-and-sauces/mango-jam/). And a few hours later, voila!, mango jam. I even was able to can them in old jam jars, which amazingly sealed! Awesome. 7 jars of spiced mango jam ... thats a lot of jam. What will I do with tomorrow's mango's?
Re: Recipe
> There are no lemons in Kampot, so I omitted the lemon juice.
> I had WAY more mangoes than three - I didn't count them, but 20 is a conservative estimate. It came to 10 cups of mango pulp.
> I estimated one mango equaled one cup of pulp and added one cup of sugar for every 3 cups of pulp
> I also included star anise to the spices
Re: Canning
> I washed old jam jars then heated them in the oven for a few minutes
> then I followed the instructions from the Wycliffe recipe book for sterilising the jam jars, which also seals them. I wasn't sure this would work (this being my first jam-making attempt) but 6 of 7 jars sealed. Cool.
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