I can see clearly now. That song resonated eons ago. It had huge meaning then and it does now under totally different circumstances. Could not be more different.
Here are the lyrics. You must YouTube to hear the energizing performance.
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is that rainbow I’ve been praying for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies
Look straight ahead, there’s nothing but blue skies
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Here is that rainbow I’ve been praying for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
I now can see that there were so many obstacles, roadblocks in the way. The way to and along the Straight Path. A roadblock is a hindrance or an obstacle to progress. Anything that blocks your path is an obstacle
Roadblocks are common responses that get in the way of good listening and productive existence. . They are not necessarily wrong, but they definitely get in the way. They interrupt the person’s own exploration, and in order to get back to his or her own process, the person must navigate around them (hence the term “roadblock.)”. There are seven roadblocks to success. I have been lacking one essential element.
- Lack of self-reflection
- Fear of the unknown
- Lack of confidence
- Self esteem issues
- No support network
- Fear of failure
- Outside pressures and expectation.
Guess which one was lacking? Number 5, no support network. Now I have one! A unique and ever changing army of people who have my best interests at heart.
Now I can see the absence, the dearth of a support network has haunted my existence. Now in 2024, the center, the core of my support network is Allah (SWT and it radiates from there. The people, the situations that are bad for me disappear – leaving only the best. Then peace of mind descends and envelopes with the knowledge that I am on the Straight Path.
Dearth is the scarcity or lack of something. Synonyms: scarcity, shortage, shortfall, want, deficiency, insufficiency, paucity, meagerness, scantiness, rareness, uncommonness, destitution, privation; famine, drought, poverty; absence, nonexistence.
In the past there has been a famine, a drought and a paucity of support which is why I have been perhaps too independent, too self reliant John Donne’s No man is an island entire of itself comes immediately to mind.
Donne argues that every human being is connected to every other human being by comparing humanity itself to a vast landmass. No one is “an island” in the sense that no one is separate from this metaphorical “continent”; just by being human, everyone is part of humanity.
This is the entire quote.
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of they friend `s or of thine own were. Any man`s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.”
Think of the diminishment now, with the genocide in Gaza.
It is rather ironic, speaking of this concept while I am in Bahrain – a country that consists of 50 natural islands and 33 artificial ones.
Bahrain fascinates me, its appeal goes daily It is a supportive environment. Its newspaper Gulf Daily News calls itself the voice of Bahrain. It seems to be. An article from the front page of Tuesday January 2, 2024 edition shall be pictures. A Survey of Income and Expenses Begins.
“Bahrain has officially launched a major survey to help authorities develop vital Dominica and social programs. The year-long nationwide survey will gauge family income and expenditure in the country……The survey will provide a critical database to leaders and decision makers to to develop programs.
This country will know what it is doing, where its resources need to be going to enhance the quality of life for its inhabitants. . This is the diametrically opposite to what is found in the reports coming from Alberta, Canada through AB Today. Roadblocks and obstacles constantly appear, wrong turns, detours and dead ends preventing and blocking. stability, progress, security. Chaos, homelessness, despair, poverty persist with no clear direction. Mismanagement and mishandling by Alberta Premier Smith who prides herself on being anti-science. Democracy does not work, not these days anyway.
What a contrast in other ways. Alberta is land locked. The absolute opposite of this. I write from the Ritz Carlton seventh floor. Looking out the window, surrounded by ocean as far as the eye can see. The temperature is a balmy 21. Edmonton is -12. .
Magazines and books form a library. There is also a 2023 Bahrain Annual Report. It contains a key note address made by HRH Prince Salan vin Hamad Al Khalifa made at the HSS Regional Security Summit. He spoke of the conditions necessary for breaking the cycle of violence. “We all know that this conflict did not start of October 7 – this is the latest escalation of a conflict that has been an ongoing open wound in the Middle East for the past 80 years,” he noted. He went on to say:”There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, now or ever.” There must be no reoccupation. There must be no reduction in Gaza’s territory. And on the other side, there must be no terrorism directed from Gaza against the Israeli public. Those are the red lines.”
A strong well reasoned statement of intent – rare in the Middle East, and even rarer in the rest of the world. As rare as hen’s teeth means exceptionally rare. Since hens have no teeth, this term in effect says that something is so scarce as to be nonexistent. The phrase was originally a US colloquialism, dating from the mid 19th century.
I shall attempt to cheer with quotes about teeth.
“Every tooth in a man’s head is more valuable than a diamond.”
—Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
“Lying through your teeth does not count as flossing.”
—Author Unknown
“Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”
—Marilyn Monroe
“I told my dentist my teeth are going yellow. He told me to wear a brown tie.”
—Rodney Dangerfield
“For there was never yet philosopher that could endure the toothache patiently.”
—William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
“A dentist at work in his vocation always looks down in the mouth.”
—George D. Prentice
Photographs shall include the cover of the Bahrain Annual Report, the entire article from the Gulf Daily News.
This blog was partially written in the Club Lounge. Yesterday I met Princess Esther Kamatari, a “Roving Ambassador of the Republic of Burundi” there. We had a lively discussion, she suggested we meet at noon. She did not show up. That is so utterly typical of Royalty – they are so entitled, rude and inconsiderate. I shall sometime make a list of all the Royals I have met, with their lies, duplicity and lack of consideration. The first Middle East Royal I met was the Crown Prince of Dubai, in November of 2019. The list has multiplied. They are to be pitied actually. The CP said of me: Thank you God, She is the first real person I have ever met.” Probably the last as well. Entitled describes them: In psychology, entitlement mentality is defined as a sense of deservingness or being owed a favor when little or nothing has been done to deserve special treatment.
It gets worse, according to Wikipedia. .
An inflated sense of what is sometimes called psychological entitlement[2] – unrealistic, exaggerated, or rigidly held – is especially prominent among narcissists. According to the DSM-5, individuals with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are likely to have a “sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others,” typically without commensurate qualities or accomplishments:[3][4] Similarly, according to Sam Vaknin, the narcissistic personality attempts to protect the vulnerable self by building layers of grandiosity and a huge sense of entitlement.[5] Similar to individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, those with borderline personality disorder display a strong sense of entitlement, according to research conducted by Dr. John Gunderson and Dr. Elsa Ronningstam. Ronningstam and Gunderson state, “Characteristics shared by the two disorders and thus failing to discriminate between NPD and BPD are notable. A sense of entitlement occurred in both diagnostic groups in Morey’s and our studies; that is, both narcissists and borderlines felt that others should recognize their needs and give them special favors.”
This is making me happy that Princess Esther she did not show up. Hahaha.
The video pictures the flowers that keep surprisingly appearing in my room. Usually flowers are in abundance during weddings and after death. I am not getting married and this is not Jannah, as there are many non-Muslims at this hotel. I am not complaining. I love flowers.
