Oops, I have been proven wrong yet again, it is most inconvenient. I now, publicly, have to admit that I was wrong. This mea culpa is taking time away from my Medinah Renewal time.
Mea culpa means “through my fault” in Latin, comes from a prayer of confession in the Catholic Church. Said by itself, it’s an exclamation of apology or remorse that is used to mean “It was my fault” or “I apologize.”
This was my fault. I was being extremely critical of Canada, the country in which I was born. Accusing it of having no foreign policy whatsoever. Praising MBS and his global outreach, particularly at the G 20 (or G 7) ‘get together’ in India. All I can say in my own defense is OOPS.
Oops is a expression of surprise or feeling sorry about a mistake or slight accident. If you’re saying “oops,” you’ll likely be needing some reassurance since you’ve made a mistake. Regardless of the history of the word, it’s a word denoting acknowledgment of a mistake, accident. When did people start saying oops? The first known use of the word “oops,” dictionary editors recorded, occurred in a humorous horse racing column in the Washington Post in 1921.
My error was revealed upon reading a September 25, 2023, Al Jazeera article which began:
When Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week that his government was investigating possible ties between India and the June killing of a Canadian Sikh leader, Moninder Singh says one of his initial feelings was “validation”.“For 40 years, our community has been working to bring foreign interference from India to light,” said Singh, spokesman for the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council, a coalition of Sikh temples, including the one where Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed.”
Trudeau issued strong words of condemnation. In the House of Commons. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” the prime minister said on September 18.
The underlying issue is Sikh sovereignty; since the end of British rule nearly 80 years ago, when Punjab was split between India and its neighbour Pakistan, the Indian authorities have rejected “any kind of discussion” of what that could mean.
I thought that Prime Minister Narendra Modi (in power since 2014) was a good guy. Oops again
“Modi’s government has targeted political opponents, journalists and religious minorities, including Muslims and Sikhs, in what rights groups have said is an ongoing effort to stifle dissents”.
This leaves me confused. What was MBS (my hero) doing, ‘making nice’ with Modi, a not very nice guy? MBS has also been seen with other rulers who are not very nice guys. One example being the Ruler of Dubai – the man who was found by the British High Courts to have kidnapped and abducted two of his daughters and mistreated his sixth wife and has to pay enormous sums of money to keep his children safe (from him).
Me: I have a solution to the problem.
Alter Ego: What is it?
Me: From now on I shall stay out of world politics. Say I am sorry to Prime Minister Trudeau and stay out of world politics.
Alter Ego: Good idea.
Me: Thanks. Sorry Prime Minister Trudeau.You were not merely courting the Sikh vote, 770,000 Sikhs live in Canada, largest community outside of India.
Jillian Keslter-D’Amours wrote the well researched article supplying needed history. It is a must read for those wishing more information on the topic
Back to the Life and Times of Alexis McBride
We shall now segue into a shower. Segue is to move easily and without interruption from one piece of music, part of a story subject to situation to another,
Day before yesterday decided I was definitely dirty, in need of body cleansing and a hair wash. However, (much to my dismay) there is not a bathtub in this room – only a shower., because of this I have been procrastinating, putting off this essential task. For this reason: it is so frustrating. I can never get the temperature right, when I finally do, t quickly changes (in midstream so to speak). Then it is either scalded or frozen. But there were no alternatives, it was do or die.
Do or die is used to describe a critical situation where one’s actions may result in victory or defeat. Another use is to say that one must exert supreme effort because failure is close at hand, as in Alexis was going to set up the computer, do or die. This hyperbolic expression, in effect, says one will not be deterred by any obstacle. No obstacle deterred me because cleanliness is next to godliness.
This phrase was first recorded in a sermon by John Wesley in 1778, but the idea is ancient, found in Babylonian and Hebrew religious tracts. It is still invoked, often as an admonition to wash or clean up. Cleanliness is of primary importance in the Islamic Faith. Qur’an 2:222 says “For God loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.” Muhammad said “Cleanliness is half of faith”.
Not only was it a matter of hygiene, it was a matter of the faith.
Hastily everything was made ready towels, robe, shampoo and soaps collected and opened. Oh my goodness, it was so complicated. One needed a Ph.D. is showers, as there were so many faucets. It took ages to discover that the hot and cold were switched from their usual positions.There was no way to request assistance as I was naked. Finally and I do mean finally, water rained down from the ceiling of the shower. I began to sing:
Me: Raindrops keep falling on my head. But that does not mean my eyes will soon be red. Cause cryings not for me.
Thank goodness no one was nearby. I cannot sing, not even in the shower. But I did laugh, and I am clean.
Faithful readers will notice that I am not blogging every day, now every second day. It is purposive. Blogging daily is habitual, even perhaps obsessive. My time in Medinah is a time of renewal. This will be discussed in an upcoming blog. There is much to accomplish here once I have been restored to a state of equanimity.
Equanimity is mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation. I am not there yet. On the road but not there.
Wikipedia spoke of this state of mind.
Equanimity is a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by the experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind. The virtue and value of equanimity is extolled and advocated by a number of major religions and ancient philosophies.
It suddenly occurred to me that I had written about equanimity in a prior blog, therefore typed the word into the search engine. I had done so on December 6, 2022. It was written during my Umrah pilgrimage. At that time thought I had found it, it was most fleeting, was lulled into that state by a scheming woman. At this moment in time I shall achieve equanimity with the help of Allah (SWT). Prayers begin: Only you I worship, only you I ask for help.
This room has no view whatsoever. I do miss my Edmonton glorious sunsets which are predominant on the reel that shall be incorporated, it pictures sunsets over the years.
This is rather amazing. One recent night, while in Riyadh, staying in a room with a view, saw the in the sky a beautiful sunset, complete with clouds. The sight caught my eye, and then my camera. Clouds are almost unknown at this time of year in Saudi Arabia. It seemed this sunset had been specially staged for me. Perhaps it was, I would like to think so. You can see the photo, Seeing is believing.
Another ‘photo’ from my Malaysian friend. We were discussing everyone’s comings and goings. She sent the photo to reassure.
I am truly blessed!!!
