Replying to LO23988 --
Dear Organlearners,
Andrew Campona (Campbell) ACampnona@aol.com writes:
>' More and more, you will have this rhythm or strength as
>the power of practice. If you practice hard you will be like
>a child. While we were talking about SELF RESPECT a
>bird was singing outside. Peep-peep-peep. That's self respect.
Greetings Andrew,
Some ten years ago I had a most remarkable dialogue with a friend of mine
who also loves succulents. I intended to slip away from the university for
an hour or so to enquire about his well being. I hate using telephones. In
the desert I sometimes have to make a detour of 100 miles to visit a
particular plant -- why will I not do the same for human friend. I stayed
till after dark with him -- making everybody else furious.
Although forty years my senior, we had a warm friendship like that of
brothers. I called him "Captain" because he was a captain in the Police
Force -- the foremost trainer of police dogs. He saw many things which
anguished his soul. Some times, I found him among his plants while praying
to God to keep him on the good and true path.
Captain Kitching was very wise, very compasionate and maintained his
childlike innocence in a world full of evil. He became blind for some
years, but regained some sight after a novel operation with laser
technology. He loved all people despite the colour of their skin or the
faith of their soul.
(There is a Clive Innes in Brittain who writes books on succulent plants.
He knows Captain Kitching well. Perhaps he is still living and close to
you.)
Captain said to me: "You know At, for a life time I struggled to
understand why Africans makes us so furious. Now, after I have finally
recognised the issue, there is nothing which I can do about it since my
life is close to its end." I said to him: "Tell me and I will take up your
quest or pass it on to someone else." He replied: "I say this in love for
all of them -- most of them have little respect, if any, for anything of
Europeans."
His his words hit me dead centre. I myself was struggling from the "other
side" to pinpoint the most noticeable defect when a person fails to create
self spontaneously, but rather has to be forced to create self or relies
on the copies of creations by others. It became clear in a matter of
seconds to me
the failure to create things spontaneously stunts
the respect for similar creations by other people.
We talked and talked until we realised that we cannot see each other's
faces anay more.
>It doesn't mean anything. Maybe he is just singing. Maybe
>without trying to think he is just singing, peep-peep-peep.
>When WE heard it we couldn't stop smiling. We cannot
>say that it is just a bird. It controls the mountain, the
>whole world. THAT is SELF RESPECT.'
It means a lot to me. Creativity brings ownership and thus makes it
possible to experience the pleasure when giving freely away what has been
created self. God Creator has given so much of Himself to Creation that
humans frequently confuses something in Creation with God.
>PS Maybe this says a lot in a small space about rhythm,
>cognition, LO, entropy PRODUCTION, human nature, birds,
>mountains, complexity and chaos theory, theory and practice,
>holism, holiness, symbiosis and maybe it says nothing at all.
Maybe we should try to become sensitive to "deep creativity". Then we
will understand how much is implicitly embodied in your contribution.
Thank you Andrew. I knew that one day I will meet somebody who will be
able to take up Captain Kitching's quest.
With care and best wishes
--At de Lange <amdelange@gold.up.ac.za> Snailmail: A M de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre Faculty of Science - University of Pretoria Pretoria 0001 - Rep of South Africa
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