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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 2005)
BY VEENA HOWARD RANI The Invisible Light Bringing hope in dark times D ark days, long and cold nights, trees shed- ding leaves, lead the way to hiberna- tion: stillness. Nature is in a state of reflection and repose. The dark and cold winter season is punctuated by shimmer- ing lights, warmth of family and friends gatherings during winter holidays. Is it a coincidence that most religions celebrate some of their most important holidays in the winter season? They are in synchronic- ity in bringing light, which represents life, inner strength and hope in dark times. In nature, hibernation in the womb of darkness is not barren, but is pregnant with the birth of the sprouting of golden daffodils and multi-colored tulips in the early spring. Maybe in this winter season we should sow seeds for the flowers of trust, love and hope. As Gandhi said, “In the attitude of silence, the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness.” It is a time for repose and reflection: learning from Mother Nature, who renounces her golden leaves to give birth to new leaves and rests in the bitter cold, waiting for rejuvena- tion. In the outer and inner stillness I contemplate renunciation, reconciliation and rejuvenation: Renunciation: Gandhi, the peace protagonist, called for renunciation by saying, “There is no limit to renunciation.” He was referring to renunciation of selfish de- sires, unnecessary wants, harmful habits and unhealthy emotions. As human be- ings, we are the only creatures who can gain control of our desires, feelings and ac- tions. We need strength and skill to acquire possessions and accomplish goals, but it takes even greater inner power to renounce — to give up something, to let go of attachment to what is unwholesome and superfluous. If we put our mind to it, we could choose to renounce an unhealthy habit, give up excess possessions, or even kick out an addiction. Gandhi’s renunciation is the symbol of inner strength for me. Ironically, I never realized the depth and breadth of Gandhi’s soul power and his re- nunciate lifestyle for the service to humanity until I moved to the wealthiest coun- try on earth. Gandhi found his inner strength by testing himself on the touchstone of renunciation. Reconciliation: What I love about winter holidays is the family time — giving and sharing. It is also a time to mend old forgotten relations and heal broken hearts. During the holidays, I miss my mother who lives 12,000 miles away. But I always re- member her wise advice: “Forgiving, at times, is difficult, but when practiced it showers with blessings. God loves those who forgive.” In today’s climate, I find it is important to come together in peace and harmony with forgiveness in our hearts. Rejuvenation: The light of the New Year arises from the womb of dark winter and marks a rejuvenation. It is just another day, but it symbolizes a new beginning. Therefore, people make vows, renew old vows, make new resolutions, and recon- sider old resolutions. Vows can be seen as binding, but I find them liberating. I had taken a vow as a young girl never to try a drink of alcohol, not knowing that my des- tiny would take me to a far away Western world where social drinking is a norm. I experience freedom and strength in saying no when offered wine in an enticing crystal, slim-waisted glass. In my simple no, I experience willpower and grace. This holiday season I offer my deepest gratitude to my great teacher in India, whose wisdom always guides me. He emphasizes that inner strength and power is far greater than material strength: Let not the visible darkness and despair dis- courage you. The veil of darkness is just a momentary illusion. Search for invisible light and keep alive the flame of hope with trust in new beginnings. Veena Howard Rani teaches Religions of India at the UO and LCC. She practices “The Way of Sages” (Santmat). This column is coordinated by Two Rivers Interfaith Ministries (TRIM). see www.interfaitheugene.org Singing Bowls • Jewelry • Shawls • CDs Clothes • Bags & Much More. 265 E. 13th Ave. Eugene, OR 97401 • 541.485.8007 • Key to Tibet@yahoo.com www.tibetdreams.com 4 DECEMBER 22, 2005 TO THE EDITOR FED WITCH-HUNT It seems that the good ol’ boys (CEOs of the timber, mining, military, oil and agricul- ture industries) who really run this country have sent their attack dogs (FBI, ATF and Office of Homeland Security) to reap re- venge and to intimidate the people’s activist movements here in the Pacific Northwest, as well as forest activists involved in Warner Creek, Fall Creek and the Shutdown of the WTO in Seattle in 1999. The FBI, ATF and Office of Homeland security have subpoe- naed local individuals for a grand jury in Eugene conven- ing in March 2006. Publicly, the Feds have stated that the investigation is very narrowly focused on several arson fires in Oregon and Washington that occurred from 1996 to 2001. Don’t be fooled. These Feds will NOT stick to a very narrow focus of information gathering. Their big picture strategy includes gathering as much informa- tion as possible on as many left-leaning groups and outspoken individuals in the Pacific Northwest Community as possible. So, if you are approached by these feds, don’t trick yourself into believing that they won’t “pump you” for names of anyone you may have worked, lived, loved, drank beer or even held a protest sign with. You are much more likely to be subpoenaed by being coop- erative when first approached and realizing too late that you need to refuse to answer sub- sequent probing questions. Remember, the feds are here to intimidate the will of good people who stand for true justice and oppose the good ol’ boys’ version of “just us.” Shannon Wilson Eugene EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information, visit www.FBIwitchhunt.com OPB SNOOKERED After reading video producer Eric Cain’s opinion piece (“Fear of Forestry,” 12/8) I am now more convinced than ever that OPB blew it with their recent pro-logging mocku- mentary. The long list of errors and omissions in OPB’s pro-logging story is now well-known (see http://tinyurl.com/bbx4j). OPB is appar- ently feeling a bit defensive about the fact that they got snookered by a bunch of pro- logging activists masquerading as concerned community leaders. Why does OPB trust those who profit from forest destruc- tion, rather than those with pub- lic interest motivations? Producer Eric Cain claims that his critics suf- fer from “fear of forestry.” How wrong and how revealing of how the timber industry has molded his assump- tions about conservation- ists! Conservationists do not fear forestry, we believe in GOOD forestry, while we oppose BAD forestry (not to mention bad journalism that fails to accurately represent the impacts of bad logging and the viewpoints of conserva- tionists). Our biggest concern with OPB’s Rethinking Forests video is that OPB missed an important opportunity to tell the story of real “restoration forestry.” Our public forests are severely damaged by decades of abuse at the hands of the timber industry that pulled strings in Congress to control the Forest Service. Now that those errors have been ex- posed, there is a consensus building around a vision for comprehensive restoration of our public forests. New scientific research is re- vealing the possibility that we can restore habitat, create jobs, and produce some wood products by fixing crumbling logging roads and by carefully thinning small trees in areas previously damaged by clear-cutting and fire suppression. These new restoration methods are still evolving. They must be continually evaluated and most importantly driven by sound sci- ence (see http://tinyurl.com/cmmz3). In con-
