Who Judges?

Which is the best religion?

Is there a judge up there keeping score?

"Whatever makes you more compassionate,

more sensible,

more detached, more loving,

more humanitarian, more responsive,

more ethical.

The religion that will do that for you is the best religion."


Dalai Lama via my pal Bishop Randolph Sykes

"See how nature -

trees, flowers, grass -

grows in silence;

see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...

we need silence to be able to touch souls."


Mother Teresa

"Creativity is contagious.

Pass it on."


-Albert Einstein.

Diamond Head Light, home of the Coast Guard Commandant





"A sensible man will remember

that the eyes may be confused in two ways -

by a change from light to darkness or from darkness to light;

and he will recognize that the same thing happens to the soul."

Plato



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"There are two kinds of light -

the glow that illumines, and the glare that obscures. "


James Thurber

The Land of ALOHA is a little less worthy of the name today.

The head of our local Republican Party sent around a letter to pastors (not Buddhist priests, rabbis, or Muslim clerics, not to mention Shinto, Taoist....well, you get the idea.)

-Anyway, this political operative advised the pastors as to who is and who isn't righteous in the upcoming elections! He urges them to Jesus triumphalism and even topped Keith Olbermann's Worst Person In The World:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I couldn't rest until I crafted one of my Letters To The Editor of a local paper. Here are excerpts from that letter:

Aloha Neighbors;

According to my dictionary, ‘omniscience’ is the capacity to know EVERYTHING. After reading this weeks MIDWEEK, I thought how lucky our community is to have omniscient folks among us right here on Oahu.

But something didn't feel right.

My deeply held faith teaches me that only God is omniscient and omnipotent, and that it is not (hallelujah!) my job to judge my neighbors; just to love them and work with them for our common good.

When we have local officials and ministers who confidently declare certain candidates “unrighteous” and others “righteous;” When some claim our Hawaii for Jesus, rather than respecting the freedom and pluralism that make our Islands unique in the world, Well, I wonder what bible they are smoking.

I call on my neighbors of ALL faiths, those honestly seeking the truth, and those who are agnostic, to join our majority of citizen patriots! Let’s vote for the ones who will play nice with everybody. Isn’t that what you learned in Sunday school (or Buddhist camp, or Synagogue, Mosque, or Temple)?

Respectfully, Cloudia Charters,
Honolulu

Thanks so much for visiting today. Thoughts?

Honolulu Ramble

Beep Beep!

Aloha!

for Daryl

Let's take an aimless cruise
around Honolulu Town...

What the?


"A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful,

full of wonder and excitement. "


~Rachel Carson

Oh cool, it's a shiny rack.



"An idea, to be suggestive,

must come to the individual with the force of revelation."


William James

Aw, lovers in the sunset.
That's not a cliche` at all.



“Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet;

a happy marriage has the tranquility of a lovely sunset.”


Ann Landers

Who is this? (Heh Heh)



"And remember, no matter where you go,

there you are."

~Confucius

Thank YOU

for

Visiting today :)

Water Song

Aloha!

Play today's song (above) if you care to.

When you live on a boat, the sound of flowing water is never good.

A sailor's ear becomes exquisitely attuned

to all the subtle sounds

that water makes when it is moving.

It could even wake you up!

If water is finding it's way inside,
a trip to the dry dock is indicated-
Or you might sink!

Of course it took no special skills to notice the flowing river
in our engine room yesterday.

Were pumps and panic in my immediate future?

I'm happy to tell you that we had a plumbing issue.

YaY!

In fact I've never been so happy to have a
"mere"
plumbing issue!

So our life afloat is going swimmingly. . .

er, that is: I won't need to swim for now.

And next time you have some maintenance issue at YOUR place
just remember, it could always be worse.
At least you probably won't sink

For past posts about our boat life, you can click HERE , HERE or HERE .

and if you REALLY loved the song, here is a video of same:

Monday Shmonday

Aloha
& Thank You
for

ViSiting ToDay!

"The worst sorrows in life

are not in it's losses

and misfortunes,

but in it's fears."


Christoper Benson

"All that makes earlier times seem simpler

is our ignorance

of their complexities."


Thomas Sowell

"It's awfully important to know

what is

and what isn't

your business."


Gertrude Stein

“Don't Keep reaching for the stars

because you'll just look like an idiot

stretching that way for no reason”


Jimmy Fallon

I like the way the crane and yellow leaf converse visually.


"Follow the yellow brick road."


E. Y. Harburg


><>


Hope you had a great weekend!

I'm still recovering, and can't wait to share

as soon as I know which end is

up. . .

Guest Post

ALOHA DAZE

Welcome :)

View of urban Honolulu's Makiki neighborhood.

That "hill" at top is Punchbowl,
home of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
where President Obama's Grandfather
(in whose home the boy lived for years)
a WWII veteran, lies among generations of warriors.

The Hawaiians call it Puowaina, "the place of sacrifice,"
which it was once - the human kind.

That's MY view!

I'm Priscilla;
I'm happy that many of you asked about me.
No, Cloudia is just a friend of a friend
(my human Mykal).
That view above is MINE.
You see:
I'm an aristocrat.
My hay is always kept fresh,
here in my Makiki penthouse.

Wanna see Mykal's room?

Look at the rare Seattle Sea-Hawks headgear.

I like when he wears his wing helmet though.
We look like gods together then!



But I haven't forgotten my roots. . .
At my direction
Cloudia has posted a slide show she made
of some country bumpkins
here:

Priscilla

Aloha Friend!

“The three great elemental sounds in nature

are the sound of rain,

the sound of wind in a primeval wood,

and the sound of outer ocean on a beach.”

-Henry Beston

Random look.

“Look deep into nature,

and then you will understand everything better.”

Albert Einstein

I'm Priscilla.

I sleep on hay in a penthouse apartment overlooking the mountains.

“Well-being and happiness

never appeared to me as an absolute aim.

I am even inclined to compare such moral aims

to the ambitions of a pig.”

Albert Einstein

<>:<>

“I like pigs.

Dogs look up to us.

Cats look down on us.

Pigs treat us as equals.”


Winston Churchill




><>

Some days you have a great insight;

Some days you have a great sandwich.

Isn't life

GREAT!


thanks for visiting cloudia

The Rabbi's Story

Aloha Welcome to You

Mountain, Water, Fire & Air
at Haiku Gardens



"Imagination is the highest kite one can fly."

Lauren Bacall

The "Big Store" is humbled by these epic skies,

by their tales & memories




"Throw your dreams into space like a kite,

and you do not know what it will bring back,

a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country"


Anais Nin

Meanwhile, back in Honolulu Town, life goes on.

'WoOF!'


>>


What was it he said that stuck in my mind all these years,

these decades,

these ages of life?


About enjoying his child times, playing with his friends;

'This must be the best time of life?' He thought.



Playing basketball in college, his yarmulke bobby-pinned to his

curls,

about winning with the team;

'This has to be the best time of life.'



Of courting & marriage,

'The best moments of life' He thought

until his first child was born.


Turning to his own father as they looked at the newborn,

an ancient Rabbi with an ancient beard,

'Pop,' he said 'This is the greatest moment of my life!'



His father only smiled wider and said

'Wait till your first grand child is born;

THAT is life's sweetest moment!'

L'Chaim! To Life!

It sure beats the alternative!


Just for today,

let's not get angry,

let's not be afraid.


A wonderful post is HERE at Writing in Faith.

And thanks to Pagan Sphinx
for the smashing shot of fire on the beach that
inspired me to post my top shot today.

Hers is better. HERE

toodles, cloudia