khabiracandaceblog

King Kong in “Dr. Strangelove,” riding the bomb

On January 22nd, 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) became part of international law. This is more than 75 years after the horrors of the USA bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in August of 1945. The law now makes it illegal to develop, produce, store, threaten to use, or use nuclear weapons. One hundred twenty-two nations endorsed the Treaty in 2017, at the UN General Assembly, with 51 countries signing and ratifying it. Some countries with no nuclear development had become impatient with the ineffectiveness of the Non- Proliferation Treaty in ridding the world of nuclear weapons. I do not know of a weapon constructed by humans that has never been used. There are now about 3,750 active nuclear devices in our beloved world, and 13,890 in total. Nine nations produce nuclear weapons: the USA, Russia, North Korea, China, France, Pakistan, India, the United Kingdom, and Israel. They are in violation now, of International Law, though as they have not signed the Treaty this poses a great challenge to the long-standing struggle for disarmament.

Of NATO members, the UK, France, and USA possess 6,305 nuclear weapons, and five NATO nations hold weapons from the US on their territory. In 2016 the USA sent a mission to NATO members to persuade them not to vote for the TPNW. The position of NATO is that nuclear weapons are the major guarantee of the alliance. Since the cold war NATO has moved soldiers and weapons closer to Russia. Of course those of us for total disarmament consider that the chance of life on Earth going forward depends on eliminating these weapons–and of course, eliminating the human causes of environmental crises, of life extinction. President Biden in the USA has put a huge emphasis on these environmental crises, which is so needed. However, if the nuclear crisis remains, what chance is there anyway for a future? My view is that we must combine these two situations into one vision of what is important in creating a viable future.

There are some things that one rarely sees in the media today, such as how people were scorched into to shadows on the streets and walls by the bombing of Hiroshima, and how the USA had knowledge it would win the war with Japan without any bombing. How often do we hear of the ten nuclear warhead accidents experienced by the US between 1950 and 2007? In 1983 a NATO exercise which included a simulated attack nearly led to war with the Soviet Union. Albert Einstein, whose work led to the development of the atomic bomb, was a pacifist, and later regretted his part in the US bomb development; he had done what he did because he was afraid Germany would develop the bomb. When the US bombed Japan then of course some other nations decided to get on the bomb train. It is called the “arms race,” as if it is a peaceful sensible thing in which to partake, like an Olympics race or a basketball game. And billions of dollars are spent yearly to produce these deadly instruments. The USA has the highest military budget in the world. In 2019 it used 53% (numbers vary–one source gave 64%) of total spending on the military; this is $730 billion, and if veterans, homeland security and similar costs are added, it is over one trillion dollars.

Sadly, my country, Canada has not signed onto TPNW, for reasons of its relationship with the USA, yet there is a push here to have Canada add its approval. From 1963 to 1984 there were some US warheads fielded in Canada. Presently the Canadian Government allows US planes carrying nuclear weapons to fly over Canada, though over 60% of Canadians live in cities and towns that proclaim to be “nuclear weapons free.” People all over the world have been working hard for decades for the removal of these weapons, and for the end of war as a tool. Is it not terrorism when a handful of nations own and control the means utterly to destroy the world? One very early morning in the 1980’s I was awakened suddenly by the sound of a huge blast. I told myself this must be it–the end of the world, a nuclear explosion; I went through enormous helpless grief of the end of everything meaningful in life. Then I realized it had been a sonic boom. I lived far from any town, up in the hills and occasionally we heard these booms. And actually, the global nuclear destruction could happen at any moment until we, the people of this planet, summon the will to work until we end this possibility.

It is a great and deep-seated fear that has brought the world to 100 seconds before midnight. As in the picture above of Dr. Strangelove in the movie riding the bomb down to oblivion, our species has turned this disease of fear into something that would create a hell at least as bad as what is feared. As King Kong in the movie, we ride to certain disaster as if we have no comprehension of the reality that on purpose or by accident our end will come if we do not change course. There are ways for those who find enemies, whose fear makes them greedy, who are somehow not filled enough by the spiritual depth of life and this planet–to heal into holding awe and gratitude, and accepting all that we cannot control. We cannot control Nature, and that has been a huge part of the fear: rather than living in wonder and devotion to Nature some cannot bear it nor their own fear of it. A fear so great it would destroy billions of years of life here!

True healing takes us to an inner reality of caring and appreciation that we are part of a human family. Each can be touched by any other human being: that is too precious a gift to throw away. In these times more that ever it is so important to see us as one people needing to face the environmental ruin and the need for living free of the possibility, even probability, of nuclear annihilation. We are all in this together, let us meet in constructive ways toward a global peace that commits itself to structures that can be put in place to preserve it. Because most everyone actually wants this, it can become the road ahead. Yes, it took 75 years to get this far, and we can create a time of no nuclear terror. First we must picture it, then let the children’s voices join with those of the survivors of war, and listen to the wise and caring voice of our Mother Earth. All life deserves this.

All my Relations.

Hello, and please allow me to introduce myself: I am a thirty-five year old woman called Emra. My home is on a planet in a galaxy light-years from your planet Earth. We call this planet Delloche, which in English would mean “our school,” because we are born here in order to learn compassion and ways of creating a peaceful working society. Intuitively our next phase, lifetimes from now, will involve us creating the Planet of Love. In order that you may learn something about our life here I shall share some special experiences I have had. We have quite a planetary culture here, so you can assume there would be stories similar to mine all over Delloche. The planet is about 4/5 the size of Earth/Gaia.

Now, you can picture me as somewhat Earthling-like–though my face would be somewhat wider, and I would be around fifteen cm shorter than some women on your planet. We see everyone here as a golden greenish color, and possibly to you we would appear some other color. We have biological groups here who are shorter and stockier than most of us–and they have six toes instead of five; those mate with others with no genetic or social problems. Our feet and toes are more spread-out than yours–and the toes longer. As Delloche’s axis is not tilted, like Earth’s, we have no seasons, but a temperate climate. So of course our days and nights are of equal length year-round. And we have two beautiful satellites orbiting Delloche–one “moon” is a little larger than the other. We call the first Seemur and the other Kithrow.

On Delloche we have occupations, not “jobs” such as you may have. We do not receive monetary payment for our work; all are recognized and honored for their service to the community. All are provided shelter, food, education, healing and other needs. Before we named our planet Delloche, we called it Kerogh, or “Struggle,” as it took many generations before we evolved to this egalitarian state. My occupation is metallurgy– I do research on metals used in manufacturing. My life partner, Tolnap is a history teacher. We have a son Heegholn, who is about nine Earth years in development. He is very interested in other galaxies and planets, such as yours. Heegholn is the one who suggested I communicate with you about us. He somehow connected into Earth internet, studied some conversations Earth kids were having, and became very intrigued with Earthlings and their cultures.

One experience I shall share took place in my hometown, about 200 Earth km from where I live now. I was twenty-one years old and a student in a large university. One day (equal to around 27 Earth hours) I had no classes as it was a “rest” day. I decided to walk the trails that wander through a beautiful forest up to a lake in the hills. The day was gorgeous, warm and bright from our sun, which is larger than yours, yet we are further from it. There was a slight breeze and I put on a comfortable jumpsuit, which is what we wear here most all the time. I took some water and food for snacks in my backpack. As I walked I sang to myself and marveled at the graceful trees with their smaller limbs moving slightly in the breeze. Then coming down the trail toward me was one of the small Dellochians–an elderly woman. Her body was stooped under a huge load on her back. Without thinking much about it, I began to approach her with entoug. Now I must explain: entoug refers to a process Dellochians can and do practice. It involves two people exchanging physical bodies, personalities and histories for a brief time. This takes the mutual consent of both parties, and is done purely for the experience of deep sharing and learning compassion for others. Children learn this process from their families by age twelve, and it is done in schools as a part of learning. Because entoug involves telepathy no words are exchanged; the process takes place gently, automatically and concludes the same way. On the trail I saw a quality in this woman from which I wanted to learn–to me it was dignity. There I was as a young woman and this totally captured me.

Our exchange into entoug was smooth and graceful, and I was thankful she also welcomed the experience. My size gradually decreased to hers and the ground was then closer to my head–which was bent as was my back from the load I knew, being in essence this other person, was books. As this person, whose name was Beisup, I knew these books were treasured as they had belonged to my grandmother. This grandmother had been a well-loved teacher of literature in a large school for young adults, and Beisup had always treasured the books and used them in her work as a historical novelist. Now she wanted to donate them to a school where her grandmother had grown up. One of the books was a biography of one of Delloche’s greatest spiritual teachers, Mukartah, who lived 980 years ago (about 1100 Earth years). This was a time when Kerogh was ending and there were still beings who did not accept equality nor practice compassion on a regular basis. Mukartah and her followers peacefully confronted these people despite the danger of being hurt or even killed. Eventually she was severely wounded by her opponents and spent her later years as an invalid. She never stopped teaching and practicing compassion.

As Beisup I was carrying the books on my back, actually as a way to honor Mukartah; in one of her labor protests she had joined laborers hauling bricks on their backs–refusing to eat or drink until the employers would set them free to live as others here. Mukartah’s demands were finally met because she was so revered those in power dared not let her die of starvation; in our times workers rights are protected. Dellochians feel actual physical pain when they feel guilt.

I noticed that as Beisup with my 80-year-old body bent from the books, the burden was considerably lightened by the love and devotion in my heart and the passion of my conviction. I held a great love for the students who would soon be able to read these books. One was my own great-granddaughter, Cecera, who was very dear to me and whose wish was to become a healer. She also loved music and would charm my heart with the songs she made up in praise of nature. The laughter of this child blessed my days and made my life one of joy. I had knowledge, love, health, and family. Beyond that the novels I have written have helped in the solidification of Delloche’s age of compassion. They are well-read, and they show how lives are transformed in the practice of compassion–in the experience that we are all the same soul, of the same breath of the One Unity. They show the blessings of joy and peace that comes through this practice. As I walk with the load on my back, on my feeble legs, I know what it is like to realize those blessings. Every breath I take seems a wondrous gift of Life. Every leaf on every tree is a recognized blessing of beauty. The fact that this younger woman Emra has wanted to do entoug with me delights me, as she seems thirsty for Life, for learning.

With this I slide out of Beisupls reality and body; I glide back into mine and she into hers. We smile gratefully at each other, and I hold a piece of fruit out to her, which she graciously accepts. Then she takes off her load to search for a book for me–it is by one of my favorite authors, which she know from having experienced my reality.

Some years ago Tolnap and I were looking for some play things for our son. We went to the workshop of a man who made toys of wood and other natural materials. The woman he lived with designed some of the toys and did the finishing work. We talked with them and ended up accepting an invitation to have dinner there. Our boy played with their children within our sight. There was something about this couple’s home that filled me with a powerful sense of security and warmth. Probably because of this suddenly I found that the male toymaker, Koben and I were verging into entoug with each other. Our respective partners would have noticed the signs and allowed us time without trying to engage us otherwise.

As I pooled out of my own body-mind and ventured into Koben’s larger and much more muscular body, I realized I was about seven years older. As I looked out through Koben’s eyes everything seemed different. There was a fuzzy yellow light illuminating all I saw. Auras around others were visible and were wonderfully beautiful to me. My body felt very different. Though my limbs were capable of great endurance and strength, perhaps because of this, the profundity of my relaxed state was greatly pleasing and sensual. I felt pleasure from the rise and fall of each breath; my skin tingled just feeling the air and electricity around me. I could feel warmth emanating from the others in the room. As if from a great distance I could hear the voices of the two still softly talking–which sounded like soothing music. I could feel what seemed like bubbles of laughter and contentment coming from my own heart.

Associated with this was a huge and deep well of loss–loss that made all the joy seem even greater. As Koben I looked into what seemed to be an infinite tunnel of grief. Koben had lost his parents when only four, and the grandparents who raised him were both dead by the time he was nineteen. I (Koben) had cherished these two people in the very center of my being. Through these memories there flashed again and again the picture of a man’s face–a kind faithful face with a loving sparkle in the eyes. This was the other grandfather, who had always had a special love for me and encouraged and given me faith. He was a fisherman, and still living, as was his wife. Without them I may not have been able to live through my losses. Without them I certainly would not have all this contentment now.

My grandfather taught there is no death. He taught me how to communicate with spirits of those who have passed beyond. From him I learned to meditate and to love myself and to love and respect other beings, other Life. He may die some year soon, yet because he has lived well I know we shall continue to be just as close. As Koben I had precious memories of times with my dead parents, and also with a couple childhood friends not seen in many years. I felt that my parents were in a state of serenity and that they were happy for me in my life. The love and caring I knew from them is imprinted on my heart. I am blessed to know my two children do not have losses at this point in their lives as I had. I realize that those losses freed me eventually and taught me that love is the only true reality–the only thing worth living for.

Koben and I came to the end of our entoug and came back to our own bodies. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a colored scarf which I presented to him. He went to a shelf and chose for me a small carving of a pleg, and animal something like your cat. As Tolnap, Heegholn and I left this enchanted home I shared some of what I had gained from being in Koben’s reality. Mainly I realized the experience of KNOWING loss and still feeling so much gratitude for my life. I gained an utter sense of peace and feeling blessed. It was a memorable event, and once something valuable is found during entoug it is integrated more and more in my own life. This is why I am passionate about entoug; and it was also a gift for Koben being inside my reality, as he shared with me.

My son Heegholn considers I am rather unbalanced, due to entoug being so important for me, but he thinks it would be a good selling point with Earthlings. And his passion right now seems to be to get in touch with Earthlings. He has asked that before I sign off I share one more aspect of Delloche life, and that is what happens to people if they end up doing harm to others, even though they live on this planet of compassion.

What happens is that if someone, for example, steals or damages something of value to others, they must live for awhile in a special home until they have done entoug with ten others and reported to the justice committee on what they have learned from this. If the committee is satisfied that there is no likelihood harm will be done in the future the person is free to return home. There are no such things as murder, war, or rape here, and hardly any abuse of others. Even so, transgressions against others are treated very seriously, and cases before the committee are reviewed by many others the community. The only law is that one does not do harm to others, and that includes to animals and ecosystems. If unresolved disputes occur, a third party or group from the community mediates toward resolution. Sometimes this is done as an improvised role-play or dramatic creation. This can happen rather rapidly, or in some cases over a longer period of time. Usually these sessions end with forgiveness, heartfelt apologies, and hugs.

Because such problems are so minor and take up so little of our energy (as Heegholn wants me to point out), we have a lot of energy to to deal with matters such as our environment, health, art, culture and technology–in order to promote wellbeing of all on Delloche. I shall not go into details of all this, just say that compassion is practiced on every level, in every sphere of life–so that living is a celebration carried on everywhere, all the time! We deeply appreciate there are things that some of our ancestors had to sacrifice in order for us to have what we have today. Remember, this has taken hundreds of our years to achieve. We call it “Dellochian nature” to have the momentum toward these values and this way of honoring each other.

My son is a little shy, however I imagine he himself will send the next words you receive from us. One of his fascinations with Earth/Gaia is the variety of expression and social norms which is expressed in your different cultures. He would like to see more variety on our planet: we have just one language, one social construct, one culture. He wants to wear something that is not a jumpsuit, and to hear various kinds of music, learn different dances, experience different works of art and ways of life. Maybe he will start an expressive revolution here someday.

I sit at my desk looking out at the trees, the sky, our sun–and my imagination stretches light years to your beautiful blue and white planet, alone yet not alone in this miraculous universe. We sense there a hunger for leadership, for uniting and healing among peoples. Perhaps some of you will want to contact us here. Heegholn says to give his contact on our internet-like system. Why not try? It may even work somehow: heeg@wink.del

Now I sign off, with sincere good wishes to all of you.

Emra