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Current Events: ...Voice of the...

Date: Thu 13 Mar 2008 22:58:16 +0530 To: am-global@earthlink.net From: Linda_M@visionquest... Subject: Current Events: ...Voice of the... Baba "Timira'vrt ama'ra'trir a'ndha'r bhediya' esecho..." (P.S. 1329) Purport: O' Baba, on this pitch-black amavasya night which is enveloped by the cimmerian darkness, on this very night by piercing through the cimmerian darkness You have advented. O' my dearmost Baba, You have saturated my entire existence with Your divine effulgence and You have situated Yourself in the depths of my heart. Baba, I go on ideating on Your ideation; indeed You are mine and mine alone. And I do not have fear of anyone or anything, because when everything is situated within You then why should I have any fear. O' Parama Purus'a, I will not harbour any feelings of hatred towards anyone on any occasion. Because when everyone is within Your divine liila' then how can I have hatred towards anyone. Indeed I cannot. O' Parama Purusa with Your thunderous voice You are revealing this eternal Supreme truth: That You are the Supreme Controller of this great universe. Baba, You have graced me by coming after piercing through the cimmerian darkness. Your glory cannot be written-- it is indescribable...
CURRENT EVENTS: PROUT IS THE VOICE OF THE DOWNTRODDEN, NEGLECTED, & MUTE
Namaskar, By now, all or most have certainly heard the news of one fallen NY politician. The details need not all be recounted here-- just please refer to the note at the bottom of this email. The more unknown aspect of all this is the plight of the young lady: What unfortunate events led her into such a horrible circumstance; what will be her fate in the future; and, who will care for her & help her get back on her feet? Or will she simply be exploited by various opportunists for her new found notoriety and / or persecuted for her apparent sins.
OUR VIEW OF THE SCANDAL
As Ananda Margiis and Proutists, our main duty is to lend a soothing and compassionate hand to humanity. Our concern then is not just aimed at the uncovering of facts of various scandals like most news reporters do, but rather understanding the rifts in society that created these terrible incidents in first place. That way we may relieve the downtrodden-- such as young females like our "Kristen"-- of ongoing suffering as well as prevent similar episodes from happening again. Our thrust is to sympathetically study and learn from the present in order to heal society's wounds and protect the humanity from repeated occurrences in the future.
AM'S STYLE OF PRESENTATION
Here then is how Baba would like us to look at such situations-- like one governor's repeated interludes with elite female escort services-- and how we should "report" it. Baba says, "I am not prepared to accept any hard and fast rule that literature must be created centering on good citizens alone, nor am I inclined to agree to the policy that crude and mean people have to be presented as low or vile before the readers or spectators. In my opinion whatever artists create must have the fullest touch of their sympathetic minds. Those who are inferior and neglected, who are helpless and destitute – whom the society considers infernal maggots – they are the very people who are the most unrepresented in the salons of literature. They are mute; and so the heavy responsibility of expressing the sentiments that are hidden in their tormented minds has to be borne by the artist alone. The litterateur or the artist, has to take the responsibility of enabling them to rise up and sit in the same row with the rest of society, after dusting off the dirt from their bodies." (PNS-10) Thus it is not that we should simply say Governor Spitzer got entangled with a prostitute such that the ill-treated lady looks just as bad as the arrogant and degraded politician. Our main role is to give a voice to those who are voiceless-- to tell the heart-felt story of the downtrodden like our 22 year-old who found herself selling her body to high ranking officials. How did we let her slip from our grasp and fall into such an unfortunate state of affairs. Our responsibility is to clean the society and restore peace to the lives of those victims, i.e. those who have been forced into unfavourable circumstances. This is our Proutistic approach. Of course it is not that such victims are always exempt from any and all blame. But Baba wants that their story be told in a touching and humanitarian way so they are not ostracised from the society, but rather helped into recovery. In that case scandals and daily events like one young prostitute's dealings with a NY governor are not merely hooks for selling articles, books, or new broadcasts, but rather stepping stones for addressing the ills of society-- of caring for our sisters and brothers who have fallen into undesirable ways.
HOW THE CAPITALISTIC NEW MEDIA OPERATES
Unfortunately, most of today's news agencies follow an entirely different protocol. With their big jaws and greedy eyes they pounce on stories with their own selfish motive in mind. Baba says, "It seems as though they are deliberately seeking out the dark and dirty aspects of life and, like flies, growing fat on the secretions of society’s festering sores. It must be remembered that flies do not heal sores – rather they exacerbate them, because the very pus of these sores provides them with their vital juice. So the filthy aspects of society are the only wealth on which these artists and litterateurs subsist." (PNS-10) So whether it be about the recent scandal, or Brittney Spears, or any other unfortunate victim, more often news reporters see such events as their personal gold mine. Baba says, "If art or literature is created revolving around the evil propensities of the human mind, people will naturally gravitate towards it in large numbers, and the creators of such literature will earn a great deal of money thereby; indeed, this is the only aim of their artistic creation. Engaged in the quest of evil, obscenity and vulgarity, they, too, lose sight of the primary goal of art. " (PNS-10) Indeed as it is the capitalists who control the news media, never is it reported how it is society's responsibility to watch over the needy, destitute, and downtrodden. Never is it exposed how the leading elements in society caused the problem. For example, if teen sex is the issue, never is it discusses how Hollywood moguls and corporate advertising giants infuse crude images and messages upon the society. That key aspect is swept under the rug by the capitalist news agencies. And, instead they callously chase after and highlight the 'mud' of humanity for their own profit. Never do they discuss the underlying problems that are caused by capitalism itself. They just profit from the mud that capitalism invariably creates.
OR ONE OTHER WAY THEY DO
While the majority of reporters follow the above method, there are some who totally overlook any scandalous activity in order to paint a false picture of society. Baba says, "These mysophobic, conservative writers will compose poems about seas, mountains and moonlight – will paint literary pictures of the drawing-rooms of the aristocratic Ballygunge elite – but it will offend their pens to write about the endless humiliations, the low standard of living and the vulgar dirtiness of the neglected, uneducated society of the villages, because these matters are unpleasant. The abominable life of corrupt women, the obnoxious environment of the slums, the carnal cravings of antisocial human beasts – all these they seek to avoid, because they are unacceptable by the standards of “decency” and “decorum”." (PNS-10) Verily there are many poets, authors, and movie-makers who adhere to this approach.
OUR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The main theme here is not merely to point out the defects of today's capitalistic news agencies but rather put forth our Proutistic platform that as citizens we are responsible for the welfare of society. If one falls, then it is the duty of the collective not to walk over that person but to help them regain their feet. And it is the responsibility of writers, film-makers, and reporters to sympathetically address the downtrodden so that others may feel empathy for them-- not disgust and revulsion. Here Baba neatly tells how our society should be. Baba says, "What is society like? It is like a group of people going on a pilgrimage. Try to imagine the scene! Suppose one of the pilgrims is struck down by cholera. Will the rest of them continue on their way, leaving the sick man behind? No, that would be inconceivable for them. Rather, they will break their journey for a day or two, and cure him of his disease. If he is still too weak to walk they will carry him on their shoulders. If some people run short of food, others share what they have with them. Together they share their possessions, and together they march ahead, singing in unison...I repeat that a true society is like such a group of pilgrims who attain a deep psychic affinity while travelling together which helps them solve all the problems in their individual and social lives. (AFPS-6) Thus we are to lift up and care for the fallen and then move together arm in arm, never forgetting or overlooking anyone. When a scandal breaks out involving one young female who was forced into prostitution-- for whatever reason-- none should shun her as being the cause behind one politician's fall, but rather recount her story and pains in a way that engender tenderness for her unfortunate plight. Then and only then can we solve the problems and build that great humanity.
BABA'S BLESSING
Baba says, "Let there be an unbarred movement of humanity, let there be an unbarred progress of humanity. Humanity that knows no colour, no racial or garb barrier, no historical or traditional barrier. Human beings have got the same human legacy, and they must boldly stand upon that legacy and move forward with the banner of universal humanity." (PNS-9) Namaskar, Liilavrati
Note 1: IS IT JUST THE FALL OF ONE NY GOVERNOR OR ALSO THE UNFORTUNATE TALE OF ONE YOUTH WHOM SOCIETY LET SLIP AWAY
The now former Governor of NY, Eliot Spitzer, also known as Mr Clean for his crime fighting ways, got exposed for his own involvement with female escort agencies. And the majority of news events focus on the irony of his demise. At the same time there was a young female involved, who uses the name "Kristen". The news media has now also begun to report on her, but only presenting the so-called facts, as if we are examining some bug from another planet instead of one of our own daughters. Rather than sympathetically recounting her sorrowful plight, they continue to highlight her as a mysterious or degraded element in society who's worth is just that of her sensual manners. That is why her pictures are broadcast all around, but never is it discussed how we as a society allow for so many of our young females to fall into such depraved states. So one of the main purposes of Prout is to give a voice to the fallen and help them to revive their careers and lead a dignified and glorious human life. Baba says, "Encourage everyone to build their careers in a nice way. Let none get the scope to think that their lives have become meaningless." (Ananda Vanii, #19)
******************************************** Fish Eating People
Baba says, "Fish eat all kinds of things. Because of this, the positive qualities of those foods which they eat they may or may not get; but, certainly they get the negative qualities or defects of those foods which they eat. In addition, fish quarrel so much among themselves; they are quarrel mongers. They eat each other; they feel jealous towards one another; and also they have the tendency to wander around aimlessly in an indisciplined, disorderly manner. Because of these negative qualities of fish, since ages there has been the feeling amongst the general public that those who are fish eaters, they get contaminated by these same defects." (SC-20, Bangla, Disc #156) Note: Amongst all of India, the most densely populated fish-eating area is Bengal. Indeed, Baba says that the main population of Bengal are kaevarta (fisherman community). In total there are a huge number of lakes, ponds, rivers, and water sources in Bengal; that is why fish flourish there. Thus in Bengal fish are known as water fruit. Except for very strict devoted margiis, most of them like to eat fish.
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