Befriended Stranger

I just saw “I Am Legend” with Will Smith, in which he explains who Bob Marley is by saying:

He had this idea. It was kind of a virologist idea. He believed that you could cure racism and hate… literally cure it, by injecting music and love into people’s lives. When he was scheduled to perform at a peace rally, a gunman came to his house and shot him down. Two days later he walked out on that stage and sang. When they asked him why – He said, “The people, who were trying to make this world worse… are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness.“

On Saturday, Hillary Chapman came to my apartment for the now monthly Prayer Station and mesmerized 27 of us with stories of Nashville song writing, providing aural illustrations with some classic country songs. In the second half of the evening, he lead all of us into impromptu sing-alongs based mostly (but not only) on the music of Leonor Dely with multiple language improvisations sprinkled for flavor. We sang three versions of “Say God Sufficieth” in at least four languages, and as Hillary promised us, by the end of the evening, we had learned that prayer by heart:

Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth but God sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.
- The Bab

It was truly an uplifting evening made particularly delightful by the presence of a very diverse group of people hailing from Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Iran, Serbia and of course the U.S., who enjoyed each others’ company until quite late. The next day at the DC Baha’i Center, one of these new friends answered the call of Baha’u'llah and declared his believe in Him, joining the worldwide Baha’i community! Light up the darkness!

For a single purpose were the Prophets, each and all, sent down to earth; for this was Christ made manifest, for this did Bahá’u'lláh raise up the call of the Lord: that the world of man should become the world of God, this nether realm the Kingdom, this darkness light, this satanic wickedness all the virtues of heaven — and unity, fellowship and love be won for the whole human race, that the organic unity should reappear and the bases of discord be destroyed and life everlasting and grace everlasting become the harvest of mankind.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 30)

As I was listening to the volunteer curator at the Corcoran Gallery of Art today explain the process Chuck Close uses to create his prints, I was wondering what is art? Where does the line between art and manufacturing process lies…

Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration from Corcoran Gallery of Art on Vimeo.

What is it that makes a piece of creativity more valuable than another? How do we select which moments to capture, store, and recycle in our collective memory? Indeed, Chuck Close recycles his own art, making each step, each iteration of the creative process original.

Maybe, art is when each glance we take at reality is unique.

Of course, words are labels; attempts to capture fleeting moments of life and put them into the box of something we think we can grasp. Then, how to label the repetition of painful experiences with no ability to see them in new light? Unart?

That is what I was wondering, later on, as I was watching Restrepo, the harrowing new documentary about a group of young U.S. Army soldiers in the Korangal Valley of Afghanistan. The camera takes you as close to the faces, and hearts, of these young man, as one could imagine. The loss of a friend, a brother in arms, is felt through words, images, silence, and sounds.

The movie starts with the beautiful Bulgarian folk song, “Izlel e Delyo Haidutin”, a choice which both delights and puzzles:

The memories of the soldiers, recycling the moments of fear, bravery, loss, and even fun, are art as well — painful art, reminding me of the precious fragility of life, making me appreciate the message of hope Shoghi Effendi conveys when writing about the unfolding new world order of Baha’u'llah:

National rivalries, hatreds, and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation. The causes of religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear. The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race.

A world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both the East and the West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice, whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation — such is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.
(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 204)

And Baha’u'llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith said:

We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem Us a stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment…. That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled — what harm is there in this?… Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come…. Yet do We see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of mankind…. These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family…. Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind….
(Baha’u'llah, The Proclamation of Baha’u'llah, p. viii)

If you have not seen Kung Fu Panda, do yourself a favor and see it. It is more than just enjoyable kids’ movie. It is a movie full of deep wisdom which brings the traditions of Daoism in a light that is universally understandable, making them very applicable to the days we live in. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie multiple times with my kids. I have enjoyed reflecting on the wisdom hidden within it. I have enjoyed finding parallels between the wisdom of the Baha’i Writings and this creative pearl of a movie.

Here are some of the gems of Master Oogway, a Yoda-like character full of wisdom and witty charm (transcription courtesy of Justin):

One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.

Quit, don’t quit. Noodles, don’t noodles. You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There is a saying – Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called ‘the present’.

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Shifu: Master master, I have very bad news…

Master Oogway: Ah, Shifu, there is just news, there is no good or bad.

Shifu: Master, your vision was right. Tai Lung has broken out of prison; he’s on his way.

Master Oogway: That is bad news…if you do not believe the dragon warrior can stop him.

Shifu: The panda? That panda is not the dragon warrior. It was an accident! He wasn’t even meant to be there.

Master Oogway: There are no accidents.

Shifu: Yes, I know, you’ve said that already. Twice.

Master Oogway: That was no accident either.

Shifu: Thrice.

Master Oogway: The panda will never fulfill his destiny nor you yours until you let go of the illusion of control.

Shifu: Illusion?

Master Oogway: Yes – look at this fruit tree. I cannot make it blossom when it suits me, nor make it bear fruit before its time.

Shifu: But there are things you can control. I can control when the fruit will fall, and I can control where to plant the seed. That is no illusion master …

Master Oogway: … ah yes, but no matter what you do, that seed will always grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.

Shifu: But master, a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung…

Master Oogway: Ah, but maybe it can, if you are willing to, to guide it, to nurture it, to believe in it.

Shifu: But how? How? I need your help master…

Master Oogway: No, you just need to believe… Promise me Shifu, promise me you will believe…

Shifu: I will try…

Master Oogway: Good. My time has come – you must continue your journey without me.

Shifu: Master! You can’t leave me!

Master Oogway: You must believe!

Shifu: Master!

I can clearly see the parallel between this dialog between Master Oogway and his pupil Shifu and the farewell address of the Master, Abdu’l-Baha to his American followers:

I say unto you that any one who will rise up in the Cause of God at this time shall be filled with the spirit of God, and that  He will send His hosts from heaven to help you, and that nothing shall be impossible to you if you have faith. And now I give you a commandment which shall be for a Covenant between you and me: that ye have faith; that you faith be steadfast as a rock that no storms can move, that nothing can disturb, and that it endure through all things even to the end; even should ye hear that your Lord has been crucified, be not shaken in your faith; for I am with you always, whether living or dead; I am with you to the end. As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be. This is the standard — this is the standard — this is the standard.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i Scriptures, p. 503)

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Po’s goose father addressing his son, the Dragon Warrior:

There is no special ingredient! For something to be special, you simply have to believe it is special!

And here is Baha’u'llah‘s parallel, from The Hidden Words:

13. O SON OF SPIRIT!
I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.

(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

Friday movie night was dedicated to Tinkerbell, “the spunky, rebellious, impatient, impulsive, determined, persistent, temperamental… yet still charming and lovable fairy” which was born out of Disney’s unlimited ability to branch out stories and produce brand-able characters. Tinkerbell, like all other fairies, is given a unique talent symbolized, in her case, by a… hammer. When she discovers the meaning of this all, she is quite disappointed. For she is a tinkering fairy, not a “fancy” one. Tinkering fairies are basically the engineering type fairies — hardworking, creative (but not in the artistic sense, rather in the fixing things sense). The problem is, Tinkerbell really wants to be somebody else; in fact, she would want to be any kind of fairy but the tinkering one.

The movie is fun, at times even funny. I hope it will be embraced by organizations striving to encourage girls to go into engineering for I well remember when I was in my electronics design class there were only three girls out of a class of ninety…

Back to Tinkerbell and the moral of her story… She chases a dream: to go to the Mainland where humans live. And she is so eager to get there, she would try to learn any other fairy’s skill (no matter how incapable she might be at that) in order to prove that she is worthy of being allowed the flight back to the world of humans. So she tries being others, miserably fails at anything that is not her true calling, all along ignoring her own talents, always wishing for something others have. Finally, through tests and difficulties, she is given an opportunity to use her so-far-ignored but true talent in service to others and… she finds happiness.

If this all sounds like a Disney movie, well, it is a Disney movie. But it delighted me with the message that finding who you are and being content with that is so important, for you can never predict the wonderful adventures ahead of you. Pity the ones who are neither aware of their true self, nor able to find happiness in it.

True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his self.
(Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 155)

17. O SON OF MAN!

Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper. For none but Me can ever suffice thee.
(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

Last night I went to see “The Forbidden Kingdom” movie with a wonderful guy, Aaron Emmel. Anyone who has the richness of personality and ability for integrity to incorporate love for the Baha’i Faith, applying its principles for world development and justice, human rights, rock music, writing, and movies, earns my sincere admiration! Plus he has an awesome wife

Now onto the movie:

My love for martial arts movies was rooted in my friendship with one of the most diverse characters I had met in my life, Hristo Filipov. He was the one who introduced me to Wu-Shu, Tai-Chi, Kung-Fu and so on. He was the one who made me appreciate those bootleg copies of old Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies. He is also the one who introduced me to Zen Buddhism and even if unwillingly, was spiritually an important factor for the training of my mind and soul that would lead to my accepting the teachings of Baha’u'llah.

That is why I observed with interest the multiple references to Zen Buddhism and their parallels with the Baha’i Writings interspersing the movie’s action scenes with those Yoda-like wisdom moments which I have paraphrased since I cannot claim to quote precisely:

“Music is a bridge between heaven and earth” – Golden Sparrow, the orphan warrior, tells Jason, the main character of the movie.

We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion.
(Bahá’u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 38)

“Vengeance is a burden with which we choose to punish ourselves.” – says Silent Monk when addressing Golden Sparow’s desire to avenge for her parents’ death. Just as Abdu’l-Baha affirms:

Now vengeance, according to reason, is also blameworthy, because through vengeance no good result is gained by the avenger. So if a man strikes another, and he who is struck takes revenge by returning the blow, what advantage will he gain? Will this be a balm for his wound or a remedy for his pain? No, God forbid! In truth the two actions are the same: both are injuries; the only difference is that one occurred first, and the other afterward. Therefore, if he who is struck forgives, nay, if he acts in a manner contrary to that which has been used toward him, this is laudable. The law of the community will punish the aggressor but will not take revenge. This punishment has for its end to warn, to protect and to oppose cruelty and transgression so that other men may not be tyrannical.

But if he who has been struck pardons and forgives, he shows the greatest mercy. This is worthy of admiration.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 267)

Last but not least comes the initial prejudice expressed by both the Silent Monk (Jet Lee) and the Drunken Master (Jackie Chan) towards the young guy who is to fulfill the prophecy of the mortal ones:

“But, he’s not even Chinese.”

To which Baha’u'llah responds:

National rivalries, hatreds and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and co-operation.
(Baha’u'llah, The Proclamation of Baha’u'llah, p. xii)

And as Baha’u'llah stated in His meeting with E.G. Browne:

Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind.

Disclaimer: The images of the movie actors are from Crystal Liu Yifei’s Photo Gallery.