The Sikhs

On By scottpetersenIn Sat sri akal, Sikh religion, Sikhs and MuslimsLeave a comment

The terrible shooting last weekend at the Sikh Temple in Milwaukee prompts me to offer a few words on the Sikh religion.  First of all — Sikhs are not Muslim . . . . .  

The Sikh religion began in the early 1600’s  and today is found mainly in the Punjab area of India.  The three tenets of the religion are:  equality of humankind; universal brotherhood of man; and one supreme God (though there is belief in the teachings of 10 gurus or teachers).   All Sikh men have the name “Singh” and all Sikh women are named “Kaur.”   There is a belief in reincarnation and there is an emphasis on ethics, morality and values.  Sikhs abstain from alcohol, drugs and tobacco and they do not believe in “miracles.”   During WWI and WWII, Sikh regiments served bravely in the British Army – suffering more than 200,000 casualties.   

Generally, Sikhism has had cordial relations with other religions though there has been strife in India with Muslims (after the partition of India in 1947) and Hindus (over possible creation of a Punjabi state).   There are 5 exemplars of faith which all begin with the letter “K”:  Kesh – uncut hair that is wrapped in a turban; Kanga – a wooden comb; Katchera –  cotton underwear worn to remind one of purity; Kara – an iron bracelet symbolizing eternity; and Kirpan – a curved sword of varying lengths.   It’s the Kesh (and turban) that gets Sikhs confused with Muslims among the uneducated.  

The Hindu greeting in Hindi is namaste (one recognizes divinity in the other person).  In the Punjabi language – and among Sikhs – one says sat sri akal (“God is the ultimate Truth“).   Both phrases (offered with hands together) sound pretty ecumenical to me . . . .     

Cutting down on Waste

On By scottpetersenIn Conservation, Cutting down on waste, JustturnitoffLeave a comment

My posts occasionally reference the environment — and conservation.  Here’s another. . . .

Every day I go out for lunch. Sometimes I go to a restaurant but most days I go to a sandwich or salad shop and bring something back to my office.

Everywhere I go, a carefully-wrapped sandwich is placed into a larger bag.  A salad is placed in a large bag.  And a small container of pasta or tuna salad is placed into a large bag. Bags bags bags bags. As soon as I get to my office I crumple the “bag” and toss it out.   A brand new and perfectly serviceable bag goes deep sixing into the garbage within minutes.

Many customers in the restaurants I visit take their sandwich “bag” from the counter, walk 10 feet, take out their wrapped sandwich and sit down in the seating area.  And the bag goes into the garbage. 

I started thinking about the waste incurred in this avalanche of paper that — usually within minutes (often seconds) — gets tossed out.   I would wager that most people are smart enough – and dextrous enough – to carry a wrapped 10 ounce sandwich a few feet.  How about suggesting to food purveyors to offer a bag if needed?   I would wager that in one day of saved bags, a lot of trees would be much happier . . . . and the environment just a wee bit cleaner.    Or – you can do this on your own.   Like I do.  You may want to pass this one along.   Every little bit helps.  Or hurts. 

The Man Who Picks up Pennies

On By scottpetersenIn The man who picks up pennies1 Comment

When I was very young, I remember with clarity that my family didn’t have much money.   I decided to do something about it.  At the age of 4, I sold water in front of my house for a penny.   The water came from a garden hose and was dispensed in small colorful hard plastic cups.  And my father seriously advised that I should pick up any stray pennies (or nickels or dimes) that I might happen across.  My big score was finding a crisply-folded dollar bill lodged under a counter at Sears Roebuck at 6 Corners in Chicago.   I gave it to my mother and she called me her “hero.” 

To this day, I keep my eyes glued to the ground.   I still pick up pennies and dimes and wallets and watches and cell phones and rings and other jewelry and even (once) a one hundred dollar bill that I find laying in public places.  I always repatriate the personal (identifiable) items.  But the few which have no claimants, I keep.  Some items are quite nice. . . . . 

My habit is to put “found” money in my left pocket (my change is in my right) and toss it in a bowl when I get home.   And each year, I donate the proceeds to a charity.  Most recently I gave a whopping $54.00 in change to Feed the Dream – www.feedthedream.org – an organization that works with the desperately poor in Guatemala.  I can’t wait to take my granddaughter out – looking for coins by parking meters.  I will make sure she finds them in abundance . . . .      

Ban Video Games?

On By scottpetersenIn Ban IPods, Ban video gamesLeave a comment

In my post of December 5, 2011, I lamented my daily experience on the train where I see young people with earplugs in, IPhone in hand, listening to music.  No books.  No newspapers.  No mechanism for learning.   Heads are occasionally bobbing to some random melody and eyes are constantly darting to the Iphone screen to adjust volume or tune selection.  Some of these people have the volume up so loud that one wonders why they are not already deaf. 

In the 7 months since that post, I have also noticed an abbondanza of young people sitting on the train playing video games or playing solitaire (us “older folks” are usually reading). 

Now unless you are going to be flying F-35 Lightnings in Afghanistan or Iraq, there is probably a limited benefit to honing the video game skills of avoiding falling bricks or blasting mutant centipedes.   I frankly like the idea of banning video games for anyone under the age of 65 (with special dispensation to retirees who may be under that age).    While we’re at it, all railroad cars should probably be staffed with an educational “monitor” who walks through the car with a ruler – ready to crack anyone on the knuckles who is not engaged in some educational pursuit.   My 6th grade teacher (see 11/23/11) would be ideal at this task . . . . .    

Bicycles on Streets

On By scottpetersenIn Ban bicycles from roads, Pet peevesLeave a comment

I don’t mind occasional bicycles on streets. Riding single file. Obeying traffic laws. Staying out of the way.  Bicycle lanes are fine and seem to work.  But the groups of bicyclists who take up whole lanes of traffic (riding 2 and 3 abreast), ignoring traffic signals, scaring pedestrians and essentially creating havoc with the 4 wheel and 2 legged traffic?  They are a problem.   The pelotons. . . .

Violate traffic laws in my car?  I’m toast.   As a pedestrian – I can be ticketed for jaywalking, for crossing against a red light or for going around a railroad crossing gate.  Yet bicycle riders thumb their noses at red lights, stop signs and other traffic signals.   Pedestrians wait for them.   They often arrogantly deprive others of the courtesies they expect.  I have to say that this is one of my pet peeves and a pet peeve of a growing number of others. 

Bicycle bans are becoming more popular — and I’m hoping that they become even more popular. . . .      

Arequipa

On By scottpetersenIn Arequipa, Casa Andina, Santa Catalina Monastery, Zig Zag RestaurantLeave a comment

Two years ago, Donna and I were slated to go to Machu Picchu in South Central Peru.  Machu Picchu is the iconic home of a pre-Columbian Inca nation.  However, in the week before we were to leave, Machu Picchu and the surrounding area was inundated with torrential rains.  The Bingham road was washed out in parts and nearly 2,000 visitors were stranded (they had to be helicoptered out).  What to do. . . .

The question was – do we head for Buenos Aires or do we try to go somewhere else in Peru.  We decided to go to the second most populous (though infrequently visited) city in Peru — Arequipa.  All I can say is “Wow.”  It was too bad that Machu Picchu was rained out but it was oh so good to make the choice we did.  

We stayed in a beautiful hotel — the Casa Andina.   It is the largest hotel in Arequipa.  And we stayed for 3 nights.  Traveling around the city and seeing the sites (e.g. the truly amazing Santa Catalina Monastery where 450 nuns lived).  And trying new and really unique restaurants.  We dined once in the hotel (wonderful) and at a place down the street — Zig Zag Restaurant (sat upstairs).  Wow!  Want an experience?  Go to — or plan to get stuck in — Arequipa.  Pretty special.   Oh – and yes – I would go back. . . .         

The Parrot

On By scottpetersenIn Humor, The ParrotLeave a comment

A man was looking for a present to buy his elderly mother. What to get he thought. An idea came to him. His mother had lived alone for years.  Maybe a pet?  Not a dog or cat – too much work.  So he went to the pet shop.

The owner said “I’ve got just the thing. I have a parrot. Smart as a whip. Speaks seven languages. Friendly.   She can talk to him.  Great companion.  Bird likes to watch t.v. too.”   The owner named a hefty price.

The man grimaced but said “I’ll take him.”  He had the pet store deliver the parrot to his mother.  And he called her the following week. 

“Hi Mom!  Hey how did you like the parrot I sent you?”

“He was delicious,” the mother said.

“WHAT!  Don’t tell me you ate him!” 

“Of course I did.” 

“Mom – that parrot was supposed to be a pet!  He spoke seven languages.”

“Well he should have said something.”

Henri Nouwen

On By scottpetersenIn Henri Nouwen, L'Arche Daybreak, Return of the Prodigal SonLeave a comment

One of the great inspirational/spiritual writers of all time was Henri Nouwen (1932-1996).  Henri Nouwen was born in Holland.  At an early age, he felt a call to the priesthood.  He was ordained as a diocesan priest in 1957.  He studied at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, KS.   And he went on to teach at Notre Dame and then the Divinity Schools at Yale University and Harvard University.  He died suddenly — and all too early — in 1996. 

For several months in the 1970’s, Henri lived in a Trappist community at the Genesee Abbey in New York.  In the early ’80’s, he lived in Peru among the desperately poor.  After a time of contemplation, he left the seemingly bright world of academia — to go and work with mentally handicapped adults at L’Arche Daybreak in Toronto.  It was at L’Arche that Henri felt his greatest fulfillment.  He was a prolific writer and in 2003, a Christian Century survey rated his works number one among Catholic and mainline Christian clergy. 

I was referred to Henri some years ago by my old friend David.  On his recommendation, I have read most of Henri’s works.  Wow!  Spiritual.  Inspirational.  Moving.  And somewhat melancholy – knowing that Henri died at such a young age.  Return of the Prodigal Son is one of his most famous – and probably my favorite.   I was given a copy by my friend and priest – Fr. Bob.   Return is worth a second read. . . . which I’m planning. . . . .  If you have to pick one of Henri’s books to read — this is the one. 

The Dirty Dozen

On By scottpetersenIn Dirty dozen, Organic foodsLeave a comment

It has to be 30 years or more that I started reading about how “water-based” fruits literally soaked in the water along with everything that was in the water.    As apples, blueberries, strawberries and grapes would grow — and become flush with their liquid nutrient — they would also absorb high concentrations of the pesticides, weed killers, insecticides and fertilizers that were dumped on them to make them grow.   

These toxic chemicals would then be ingested (often unwittingly) by the masses.  And the ingestion of these toxins has been linked to cancer, lower birth weights, shorter pregnancies and other maladies.   

There was a time when I stuck pretty much with bananas.  And then came organic. . . . .

I love blueberries.  I have them on my cereal nearly every morning.  But the blueberries I buy (often from Fresh Market) are organic.   If organic blueberries are not available, I will break down and buy “conventional” but only those blueberries grown in the U.S. 

I am convinced that my daughter and her family should buy organic of the really (and truly) “dirty dozen”:  apples, peaches, blueberries, grapes, nectarines, spinach, lettuce, potatoes, green beans, strawberries, celery and cucumber.  

The “safe” fruits and vegetables are onions, corn, grapefruit, mushrooms, watermelon, pineapple, avocado, mango, peas, asparagus, cantaloupe and bananas.

And then there’s the (pretty one-sided) debate on grass-fed beef. . .