SPIRIT: Bahá'í faith

A friend I once worked with, Ruth the Truth (as we called her), made a lasting impression on me with her theory about religion. She likened one's spiritual journey to climbing a mountain. Everyone's goal is to reach the top, but different people have different challenges along the way. One person may face an icy slope and need an ice pick to make it up. Another person may be climbing up a sandy, desert slope and need water. Still another person may be climbing a grassy, gravely ascent and require hiking boots. Whatever the situation, each person needs a different tool to reach the top - and these tools Ruth likened to religions. In her book, no one religion was better than any other - just as an ice pick is no more "right" than hiking boots - your faith just depends on what kind of spiritual slope you are climbing.

I couldn't help but think of Ruth and her theory this morning as I read about the world’s youngest monotheistic religion, the Bahá'í faith. One of the faith's core beliefs is that there is a God - though this entity is unknowable in human terms - who throughout history has sent teachers fitting for their own time and place. Among these teachers have been Mohammed, Jesus, Budhha, and the Bahá'í faith's founder Bahá'u'lláh, who taught in 19th-century Persia. Despite the diversity of these teachers, Baha'ism puts forth that they have all shared the same purpose: to unite the world in peace. If the Bahá'í Web site is accurate, there are plenty of people this idea appeals to: "With more than five million followers, who reside in virtually every nation on earth, it is the second-most widespread faith, surpassing every religion but Christianity in its geographic reach." But, what exactly is this faith? Wikipedia's entry on the Bahá'í faith quotes Shoghi Effendi, the religion's appointed head from 1921 to 1957, on the principles of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings:

“The independent search after truth, unfettered by superstition or tradition; the oneness of the entire human race, the pivotal principle and fundamental doctrine of the Faith; the basic unity of all religions; the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class or national; the harmony which must exist between religion and science; the equality of men and women, the two wings on which the bird of humankind is able to soar; the introduction of compulsory education; the adoption of a universal auxiliary language; the abolition of the extremes of wealth and poverty; the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between nations; the exaltation of work, performed in the spirit of service, to the rank of worship; the glorification of justice as the ruling principle in human society, and of religion as a bulwark for the protection of all peoples and nations; and the establishment of a permanent and universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind—these stand out as the essential elements [which Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed]."

Sounds a little like John Lennon. Sounds a lot like reaching the top of the mountain.

Maybe the real spiritual truth lies in accepting the fact that we are all on a journey, struggling on our way to the top. If we put down our tools and stop climbing in order to argue about whose tool is the best, we halt our progress toward that spiritual summit. Maybe, as we head into 2008, we would do well to accept each other's tools and in so doing, find peace by reaching the spiritual summit together.

ART: Martin Ramirez

Martin Ramirez was an ordinary-seeming individual who possessed an extraordinary talent.

A Mexican immigrant to the United States, he wound up spending years drifting in and out of California mental institutions, having been diagnosed as a "catatonic schizophrenic". But, while he was institutionalized, he patiently created stunning works of art on all forms of canvas, including examining-table paper and paper glued together with saliva and potatoes. His works combined traditional Mexican symbols, colors and themes with his personal experiences, including time he spent working on the U.S. railroad. Through a blessing of fate, Sacramento State College professor Tarmo Pasto discovered Ramirez's artwork while studying in one of the institutions where Ramirez stayed.

Thanks to Pasto and others who collected and studied Ramirez's art, we are able to admire it today. A traveling collection of his works is on display through January at the Milwaukee Art Museum. If you can't make it to the exhibit, you can check out a CBS News Sunday Morning report on Ramirez, "Silent Artist Has Voice After Death: Confined To A Mental Ward, Martin Ramirez Refused To Talk, But Spoke Through His Art".

Sometimes the ordinary is merely a mask for the extraordinary.

WORLD VIEW: India & Kashmir

Hey, Ankur, did you eat a lot of good Indian food while you were in India? "Well, in India, it's just called food," Ankur smirks.

Every couple years, friend and Detroit News photographer/videographer Ankur Dholakia's fam packs up and jets over to India to visit relatives and do some exploring. This year, they decided to check out the disputed region of Kashmir, located where India, Pakistan and China meet.*



While Ankur noted an unsettling and constant military presence on the streets, he was otherwise favorably impressed with Kashmir. In the state's summer capital, Srinagar, he noticed relatively little poverty - in contrast to other major cities in India, where heartbreaking poverty co-exists with extreme wealth. Srinagar was not a modern metropolis of towering skyscrapers. Rather, it was a collection of low-slung buildings and homes hidden behind thick privacy walls in a lovely lake-dotted landscape. Because the dollar goes far in India, the family was able to hire a cook to travel with them. Though, other creature comforts like thick, cushy mattresses and air conditioning were harder to come by than delicious meals.

When asked to expound upon India, Ankur smiles his gentle smile and says, "Young people there are the same as here. They think about cars and cell phones. Cell phones are very big." Ah, cell phones, the universal constant.

For more observations about India and Kashmir have a look at Ankur's photos. Enjoy!

*Different parties dispute how Kashmir is depicted on maps. This map is only intended to give you a general idea of where India and Srinagar, Kashmir, are.

MUSIC: Kidd Skilly

Talk about this for a perspective: Kidd Skilly's a half Indian, half Mexican rapper from the D. (That's Detroit for those of you who don't know!)

He caught my attention this summer in a Metro Times article breaking down South Asian stereotypes: "Bollywood nights, A generation of South Asians melds a new cultural mix". He told The Metro Times: "There is something about great personalities with poetic souls that fascinates me. The people who influence me most seem to transcend through age groups, religions, ethnicity and race — they make people feel a certain level of comfort."

It just warms my heart how he blends so many facets of his background and experience. Check out the video for his song "Bhangra Chick". Did you notice how he even works in some love for Michigan State?

The word that fits him best? I'd say transcendental.