Humil-a-what?

I live in America.

I was born here.

I have grown up in a culture of competition.

I have been raised in a culture of singularity.

"It is good to be a LEADER" they would say.

"It is good to advance beyond others [at their expense]." was my upbringing in school.

Have it your way.

Self and passion were the mantra.

Hold your horses, mister!

I don't like this.

I don't blame "america" for my ego- Don't get it twisted.

I take responsibility for my abilities, and my inabilities.

I DO wish for unity and progress through collective action.

I DO wish and pray and work for -one world-

I feel like America has given me the mentality to use "I" and "me" as much as I have in this blog...

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"Acquiring humility calls for the rejection of both guilt—the paralyz-

ing, harsh judgment of the failure to live up to the standard—and com-

placency—the reinterpretation of the standard, lowering it to suit per-

sonal comfort and preferences. The Guardian’s words that “our past is

not the thing that matters so much in this world as what we intend to do

with our future” help us to overcome feelings of guilt. And we can avoid

complacency by always acknowledging the truth of the divine standard

raised by Bahá’u’lláh, upholding it under all circumstances, and refusing

to compromise it with the commonly accepted standards of our time."

(Creating A New Mind by Paul Lample pg 13)

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Peace.

(note: It was not until after having written that last par that it was realized just how many times "I" and "me" were used and decided to include the orange line... Just wanted you to know that, as it is a testiment to the point, in and of itself. ALSO- I am at a coffee shop. When arriving I realized there were many people I know here including family I haven't seen for some time- and I am busy blogging... Ok, that IS what I came here for, but I do think I could be more flexible with things especially when my brother and Anna are RIGHT here. Ok, I am going to peace out and talk to them)

*struggles to loose impending guilt and complacency*

Post Fast blues...

I don't know if it is the eating during the day now, or not saying Fasting prayers with Cindy each morning, or just something I have made up in my mind, but I sure am feeling

pretty wiped out by the Fast or maybe I am feeling wiped out by still having

to deal with the tests that came up during Fast, while I am not fasting

anymore... huh... Yeah I think it is the second one. Yeah, I do.

And don't get me wrong...

I am not talking about the physical side of

the fast, that was fine, and I feel good about

being able to drink water in the morning,

even if it is after sunrise!! But for some

reason I seem to "got the blues".

Yesterday I hung out with amazing people,

hands down. I had a great time at a children's

class. There were many prayers said at the two

devotionals I went too... All in all, there was no

reason for me to not be SUPER HAPPY

even if I were to just rate my day on the PeOpLe

I was around!!

Oh well, guess I'll just chalk it up to being "post Fast blues".

The blessing I am pointing too in this blog you ask?

Blessing # 783,456,322-

The ability to reason

and realize why I am

feeling a certain way.

Now that I have written this, I realize that I need to make sure to not just stop with the intensity of my prayers just cause it isn't Fast anymore... Maybe I need to schedule in some time for God, ALL THE TIME... learning better to recognize Him in all others.

I have to admit, there is a certain part of me

which is also really exhausted by having a

long distance relationship for these past 6

months. I am excited that Cindy is coming

home soon! That makes me happy, but

man-oh-man it has been a long road that

we have had to take by virtue of the fact

that she had this job in France and we didn't

have any other choice. All in all, I am totally

glad we had the time apart for certain

personal growth that we both had that

may have not been accomplished otherwise...

I digress. These are my thoughts.

PLEASE COMMENT and let me know your thoughts.

Maybe you have "post Fast blues"?

Maybe you have in the past?

Let me know.

Blessing # 843,251,989,983 Chocolate from Cindy.

So, I know that my last

few posts have been

much more serious,

and that they have been

far more involved. Today

I decided to make another

entry highlighting my latest

blessing.

First a little Background:

Case File # 483

Cynthia Long

Age: 23

Location: Nancy, France

Sex: The coolest woman ALIVE (hands down)

Attributes: Patience, Kindness, Love, Understanding, Persistance

Skills: Ninja costume wearing skills,

Cooking skills,

Picking out the best chocolate ever skills,

Nurturing children

Translating languages (French to English/English to French)

The list goes on and on

Background file continued on page # 677

SO.

What is the blessing I speak of? Well probably getting chocolate from Cindy (see photos for proof)!! Oh, and if you live in the Twin Cities area, I may be willing to do a little sharing, call me up!

:-)

#1 photo- "mine"

# 2 photo- "mmm smells gooooood"

#3 photo- "proof."

The problem with this gift you ask??

None really, it's just that today is the last day of the Bahá'í Fast, and all though I did open them up to get a couple of quick smells (hey that isn't cheating, right?) I have to wait until 7:26 pm... ugh.

LOL

No problem... I can wait.

THANKS CINDY!!!

A few posts ago, I posted a letter from the Bahá'í International Community to the Ayatollah of Iran in which they deliniated main points in the wrong doing that the Government of Iran had inflicted against the Bahá'í community in that country, the birthplace of this Faith.

The seven members of the now-dissolved

informal coordinating network of the

Bahá'ís in Iran, the Yaran. This picture

was taken before their imprisonment in

March/May 2008. One can only imagine

their state after a year of solitary

confinement and brutal interrogations.

If you have a moment, please

say a prayer for these and all

the Bahá'í's suffering in the

prisons of Iran, and all of the

other Bahá'í Youth who are

being denied education and

others who are being harrassed

in other ways.

Thanks

for

the

blessing

of

your

consideration

and

prayer.

To the Bahá'í Youth of Iran...

My heart pours out love to you all...

I am one man in the United States. However insignificant this letter may be in it's effect, none the less I feel it important to write it.

I am delighted to do the service I am doing for the Bahá'í community in the United States in your honor. My dedication to the service I render to the Cause is no doubt increased when I think of your beloved souls being denied such basic rights. I want you to know that I have written my senator and my representative in the U.S. Government asking them to please pass a resolution to help the Bahá'ís in Iran.

I also want you to know that I have been helping to start a chain of Jr Youth groups, and I do it all in your name. I promise to dedicate all of my service to you blessed youth until religious freedom is established and you are more able to openly render service to our 5 year plan and all the other future endevors asked of us by our Universal House of Justice! I pray for you daily. I cry when pondering your hardships but am bolstered by the Masters words "Be happy, be happy, be full of joy" and I am then moved to thank God for all that is happening. No doubt in the end and now we can thank God for the unity this is bringing us all!

A rush of emotions fill my heart at this moment. I want you to know that if I could travel there and embrace you each individually and tell you how much I feel like your brother I would. Instead I will stay here and continue my work for the faith making sure to dedicate every minute to your blessed souls. May Baha'u'llah accept my prayers and offerings.

Your brother in service of this Beloved Cause,

Benjamin Hartin

If anyone is reading this and doesn't know what it is about please read this.

Tanks God.

Oh coffee how I love thee...

Anyhow...

I am having another before-the-sun-wakes-up breakfast. I love it.

The fast takes my weaknesses and shines a big fat spotlight on them. Better put would be to say the Sun of Reality shines on my weaknesses at this time.

Baha'u'llah likens this fasting to the Sun and obligatory prayer the Moon... Makes more sense every year...

I really have had some tests this fast (reletive to my capacity of course).

Finding more and more reason to turn

to the writings of this Blessed Cause

is my best friend. Becoming intimately

aware of my meekness is DOPE. Hard

to swallow at first but after a bit opens

my heart enought to SEE and there it is.

This understanding... this "arfan" (sp*?)...

Thank you Baha'u'llah for your kindness.

Thank you Abdu'l-Baha for your lowlyness

and teaching me what it is to be a servant... I

am happy to know I will ever be able to strive

toward that goal.

*throws up his hands and says "I'M HUMAN!!!! WOOHOO!!!"*

Okay, I'm done.

Please Read.

I am a Bahá’í. It is my duty to inform my friends who read my blog about the injustice which is written about below. Namely this: The suffering of the Bahá’ís in Iran.

Since the beginning of the Bahá'í Faith over 160 years ago until today, the Bahá’ís in Iran have been unjustly and tragically persecuted. You can see me talk about it and sing a song about it here.

Most recently, a group of seven Bahá’ís have been imprisoned and are now set to be put on trial. In response, the Bahá’í International Community wrote a letter to Iran’s chief prosecutor. It is a beautiful and powerful letter, and I’m writing today with the urgent request that you read it and share it with others as you feel moved to. Thank you so much for your attention to this.

Here is the letter:

4 March 2009

Ayatollah Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi
Prosecutor General
Islamic Republic of Iran

Your Honor,
Your recent announcement regarding the administrative affairs of the Bahá’ís of Iran has brought to the arena of public debate issues which not only affect the safety and livelihood of the members of that community but also have profound implications for the future of every citizen of that esteemed nation. The steps that have been taken to formulate the response of the Iranian Bahá’í community to your announcement have surely been communicated to you. The Yaran and the Khademin, the small groups that have been attending to the spiritual and social needs of the several hundred thousand Bahá’ís of Iran, the former at the national level and the latter at the local, have expressed their willingness to bring to a close their collective functioning. This decision has been made for no other reason than to demonstrate yet again the goodwill that the Bahá’ís have consistently shown to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the past thirty years.

The Universal House of Justice has assured us that the disruption in the functioning of these groups need not be seen as a cause for concern. There is no doubt in the minds of millions of Bahá’ís residing in virtually every country around the world—nor in the minds of many others who are watching these events with impartiality and who are aware of the historical development of the Faith—that the Bahá’ís in Iran will find ways of managing the spiritual life of their community, as they have done for generations over the past one hundred and sixty-five years of persecution. However, given the gravity of the accusations leveled against the Yaran and the Khademin, we feel obliged, as the representatives at the United Nations of one hundred and seventy-nine National Spiritual Assemblies encircling the globe, to bring certain fundamental points to your attention in an open letter and request that you examine them with the sense of fairness they deserve.

To continue reading, please visit The Baha'i World News Service.

To learn what you can do to help, please visit http://iran.bahai.us/.