Calm before the storm.

So, this is quite exciting - publishing something on the internet, albeit the equivalent to putting a post-it note in the dusty neglected cellar of your house...

Right now I am doing very little, as I have been for the last 2 months. Mainly just reading, cooking, the occasional bit of housework, and ending up glued to the biggest time-waster in history - TV. Having said that, there was a good program on the other day "around the world in 80 faiths", and although it only gives 3/4 minutes to each faith (not exactly doing it justice), you do hear a little window into each one. The episode that I watched was exploring Christianity, Judaism and some different forms of Islam in Jerusalem, Damascus, and Iraq.

As some people might know, I have dabbled very lightly in Sufism - the way of Love

Passion makes the old medicine new:

Passion lops off the bough of weariness.

Passion is the elixir that renews:

how can there be weariness

when passion is present?

Oh, don't sigh heavily from fatigue:

seek passion, seek passion, seek passion!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mevlevi

So. Faith. Religion. Spirituality... Wisdom.. Do we still need these cultural quirks and seemingly irrational ways of life? Of course!! Should we be absolutist about which way is the best? Well that completely contradicts the concept of love - which I define as "wholly desiring the other person's freedom and well-being, and appreciating their qualities in a positive way" in its most mature form, rather than the more Western idea of "I want you all for myself, I want to drink you, to mold you, to know what's best for you, to see you as mine, and be proud that you are mine". Of course I feel both, but I know which is destructive. Most tribes in the world are saying "this is the way to love, this is the way to the lord, this is the way to live because it's better. I'll kill you or steal your land or ostracise you if you don't play along". And there we get the problem. A metaphysical problem as much as a physical problem. I expect to encounter more of this in the Middle East. I look forward to exploring and seeing what I have to offer, how I can make anyone's life more wonderful or fulfill their needs (in the language of non-violent communication).

Sorry for all this irrelevant babble! I'll get writing the hard gritty fun exciting challenging hysterical illuminating accounts of my travels when I set off - I just thought I'd warm up, it's been a while since I've done any writing.