Heightened Senses

Hello. I'm Imraan. This is the only thing I own outright; I write from time to time, in the hopes that free-association might save a trip to a sanatorium.

Month: June, 2012

June 28, 2012

Consciousness

I’ve just discovered a few lectures by Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr, University Professor at George Washington University, eminent scholar,  ‘traditionalist’/perennialist, often called a polymath and probably the most important Islamic philosopher of modern times.

The topic of this talk is ‘Conciousness‘; a term that’s often whitewashed out of the modern discourse which Dr Nasr agues is what will lead to man’s ultimate destruction (I’m paraphrasing, and these are just my interpretations of his talk); we have been alienated from ourselves, and our place in the Cosmos, that we see ourselves from the external rather than the internal, which is what has caused such blind arrogance of the ‘scientistic’ world view.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy it! There’s another great talk on YouTube which further expounds on his worldview labelled ‘God and Man’ which I recommend highly as well.

They’re very easy to follow (as far as philosophy talks go) because of the clarity of his speech, I managed to sit through the first one in one sitting without too many ‘brainfog moments’. So to all you fellow sleepy people reading this, don’t panic!

Love, and best wishes,

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June 18, 2012

America, Land of the Formerly Free

Originally published at condensable.co.uk

I’m not sure of what to make of Obama any more – I must say that I was never a fan to begin with, although preferred him infinitely to Senator McCain – someone who had fought for his country and should know better than to promote rampant warmongering. But goodness!

With the recent revelations from the White House about the so-called ‘Kill List’, which effectively means that the executive has the unrestrained right to sign-off on any drone attacks and kills on alleged terrorists (so far targeting Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan – funnily enough they’re only technically ‘at war’ in one of those countries); it turns out you needn’t occupy a country in order to terrorise its populace). Back to McCain, the Washington Post writes about how he “expressed dismay that presidential aides were leaking national security information to bolster the president’s foreign policy credentials.” – again, from a man who has allegedly seen the realities of war, the destruction it brings to the lives of civilians, his audacity astounds me.

The word alleged is the operative one, in many respects, not least because it means that the right to a trial by jury of any so-called terrorist; although that issue itself isn’t a new one either. Dozens of detainees at Guantanamo Bay camp are still held without charge nor trial.

Moreover the redefining of a ‘terrorist’ as any adult male who falls within a strike zone, until posthumously proven otherwise demonstrates, how the War on Terror has reached very new depths. Imaginable depths, of course, but depths nonetheless. Clearly, the loss of life of innocents is no longer a concern for the administration, or perhaps it has never been so. The track-record of these strikes is very telling, the loss of life of ‘innocents’ outnumbers the deaths of alleged terrorists by a factor of dozens, in all likelihood. Of course they forget that terrorists are people too, in that they tend to live in houses populated by family members, i.e. wives, children, even grandchildren (as we saw in the Bin Laden case last year) – it turns out that they’re all fair game for now; even though no actual attack has been successful on US soil in years.

Commentators are right to be weary of what is a growing trend in this atrocious phantom war perpetuated by the American Oligarchy, bolstered unashamedly by the intelligentsia;, the National Defence Authorization Act would make it legal for the military to hold anyone suspected of terrorism, including a US citizen, without charge and indefinitely.

Though a Maryland court recently declared that particular clause (in as much as it refers to US-citizens) as unconstitutional as it violates the First and Fourth Amendments, I doubt that will put a damper on the military’s activities. With its current track record, if the case is taken to the Supreme Court I doubt very much that they will take significant issue with this law; after all, it was just last week that they again refused to hear cases of some detainees who are still being held at Guantanamo Bay. It’s funny how the human rights of US citizens seem more important than those of innocent civilians in Pakistan etc. But then, the blood of brown-people in far-off lands is cheaper than that of Americans.

As Reuters Reported last week:

The high court sided with the Obama administration and rejected appeals by seven detainees who lost their bid for freedom in cases before U.S. federal judges in Washington, D.C.. The court issued no statement with its order and no justice publicly dissented.

So where next for the War on Terror? The DoD budget, which is set at something like 1.3 trn USD over the next few years, with special emphasis on drone strikes and war by proxy, as well as the passage of the NDAA and the revelations about the President’s kill list, suggests that an all-out infringement of the human rights of all, US citizens, alleged terrorists, innocent bystanders is likely to continue. The US Constitution will continue to be eroded.

Allow me to speculate…This war will not end for some time, I’m foreseeing a time where the U.S will just be at perpetual war, the Constitution will likely be suspended in the case of armed conflict in Iran (although Martial Law already seems to be in action) – meanwhile the coffers of those on Wall Street will overflow, and the lives of the 99 per cent will become increasingly choked. But what with all the mass paranoia, for some years yet (though I hope it comes sooner), the citizenry will stand idly by as their inalienable rights are violated and atrocious crimes are committed in their name.

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June 18, 2012

Georges Jordac

Here’ a plug for a book that most Western Shi’as will already be familiar with – I’ve heard it mentioned several times on various pulpits.  It has been recommended to me on several occasions and I recently started reading it.

NB – before I continue I must state that I have not read the book in full, nor am I an expert on the subject, the following are just cursory thoughts on the first couple of chapters of the book.**

It’s called, The Voice of Human Justice (Sautu’l ‘Adala ti’l Insaniyah [sic]) and was written by  a Lebanese and (purportedly) Christian scholar – Georges Jordac – interestingly I can’t seem to find any biographical information on him from outside of Shi’a websites; no matter.  Interestingly, as of January 2012, irib.ir reports that:

Jordac is old and retired now. He has been living with his books in his apartment in Beirut over the past few years. He is not well and has decided to sell his library and to take a rest until the end of his life,” scholar Hojjatoleslam Mohammadreza Zaeri had earlier said.

I’d be curious to see as to what happens to his personal collection down the line, though the state of Iran’s National Library and Archives (INLA) seems to have put in a bid to purchase the collection – my hope is that down the line it will be loaned to western libraries – I’m sure there must be much by way of his personal letters which would make for interesting examination and exploration.

So anyway, I started to read the book lately. One paragraph at the end of the second chapter really made me think:

It makes no difference in the position of Ali whether or not history recognizes him and whether his eminence appears greater or lesser. Notwithstanding this, history has testified that he was the deepest stage of human thought. He sacrificed his life for the sake of truth and reality. He was the father of the martyrs and proclaimer of justice. He was the unique man of the East, who will live forever!

This book, a biography, reads almost as if it could have been written by a Shi’i. I’m astounded at the amount of reverence given to the beloved Imam Ali (A.S) from outside of the Muslim fold – there are several quotes included (the English translation unfortunately does not contain any bibliographic footnotes – although the edition I have is intended for mass-distribution and is abridged) that I have yet to come across in Shi’a texts, though I suspect it’s because I haven’t read enough.

What is interesting is that as a biography (or if I’m being more fair to Jordac, a treatise on the justice of the Imam Ali A.S)   tone is very indicative of someone who venerates the Imam, who appears to  believe (and I’m inclined to agree with him) that from all the research he has carried out that there is only one way to examine the life of this great man, and he makes no apologies for his tone nor the content of his book.

These quotes at least so far, are selected for their special emphasis on social justice, especially where wealth is concerned – this is the running theme of the book.

If a person starves it is due to the fact that his share has been taken by another.

And

I have not seen any excessive bounty which is not associated with a right which has been violated

Assuming that the quotes are indeed attributable to Imam Ali (A.S) and the translations are accurate (both are from page 13 of the 2006 edition), I can’t help but see (what would today be considered) Marxian themes – and I don’t mean this necessarily in a normative way  –  running through the thinking of either the author (who has cleverly sewn into Imam Ali’s words such an ideology – indeed the author himself uses the word ‘capitalists’  on page 12, among other places – is it just me or does it seem almost anachronistic to use it in a biography of the Imam? ) or the fact that indeed, Imam Ali’s (A.S) thoughts, in so far as his ideas on wealth go, would be firmly on the Left today.

The implications for justice, democracy, human rights, free-will etc. are vast – because on a cursory glance, it would appear that injustice in so far as material wealth is a product of (either) human greed/weakness or societal mis-management/mis-organisation [sic!]. Jordac talks of in this first chapter Imam Ali’s (A.S) establishment of a public treasury through which all citizens had access, suggests that the wealth of the individual was only really his insomuch as it could be used to benefit society as a whole – indeed his admonitions towards one of his governors to discourage hoarding would suggest that indeed wealth needs to circulate.

Moreover, this discourse would tie firmly the individual’s responsibility of self with his responsibility over the iniquity exhibited in society – that the poorer person’s misfortune might be put down to the richer’s (illegitimate) displacement of the former’s wealth – our responsibility over ourselves are so crucially important to bear in mind that we might be answerable for others’ fates if we are not vigilant over ourselves.  (Of course, the Qur’an speaks  – from what I understand, and again I’m no expert – of personal responsibility, and the fact that we’re tested according to our means – we are intentionally placed in different societal positions, although that doesn’t necessarily contradict the above. [1]

Say: What!  shall I seek a Lord other than Allah? And He is the Lord of all things; and no soul earns (evil) but against itself, and no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another; then to your Lord is your return, so He will inform you of that in which you differed. ..

And He it is Who has made you successors in the land and raised some of you above others by (various) grades, that He might try you by what He has given you; surely your Lord is quick to requite (evil), and He is most surely the Forgiving, the Merciful.  (Qur’an VI: 164-5;The Qur’an, 7th Edn;   M. H. Shakir (Trans.); 135;  ( Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc.; New York : 1999 ); Emphasis added.

Anyway, the point of all this is – how much are we actually responsible for? If human justice entails such vigilance over ourselves, our wealth and our conduct that we should not unintentionally usurp the justified wealth (and if I was to extrapolate further, any possessions or commodities or rights)  of others, what does it say to those of us who live very, very comfortably in the West – who have perpetual access to food, shelter, clothing, technology, information; how much will we account for, and for how much will we be held to account?

[1] Note, I have not gone into tafsir literature here – this is just a layperson’s understanding.

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June 12, 2012

Though I don’t buy into conspiracy theories as much as I used to; this is by far one of the most interesting talks I’ve heard in a long time. Though the Evangelical connotations which seem to permeate his thoughts do worry me, is this not a discourse that should be brought more to the ‘fore’. Yes, I acknowledge that he quoted the Daily Mail at one point – but I’m inclined to agree in general that we’re moving far too fast, far too dangerously for comfort. Especially where corporate and military interests merge…

COTO Report

The introductory remarks end at about 5:50 when he begins to speak on the subject of transhumanism. Reaching for Homo sapiens superior, the United Nations is crafting guidelines for genetically and technically altering humans. Pastor Tom Horn confronts this on spiritual grounds at the Southwest Radio Ministries conference in Bristol, Virginia earlier this year.

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June 10, 2012

Knowing something big?

It’s just me musing today. I’m back from a week in hospital, which was rather long. Am mostly stuck in bed now recouperating. I have a lovely zimmer frame to use temporarily – I asked my sister what to name it, and without batting an eyelid, she said ‘Arthur-itis’! Made me chuckle no end. I suspect that she’s appropriated it from somewhere else without realising it; however it was hysterical.

My point to day is about how to ‘know’ something that is far ‘bigger’ than our comprehension permits. Hypothetically  (and if it had solid borders), what if we had the ability to walk toward the largest star in the observable universe, arguably VY Canis Majoris? – A start that might be 2,000 times as big as our sun.

What if it wasn’t so increadibly hot and bright and we were say, able to walk toward it. What would happen to a human being if he was to stand at the edge of it’s majesty and look up at it? My mind shudders just to think of it – I couldn’t imagine merely walking up toward something (assuming that I’d even notice it was there as it’s size would probably envelop my entire horizon  – what if it ‘knew’ that it was there all along and knew the general direction in which to walk – though funny enough my mind seems to argue that in fact, every plane of existence and space around me, in front of, behind, under, would be engulfed by the star – counter-intuitive as it seems) of that natue , a perceptibly infinite object, as that; yet what is it we do every day to the Creator of that star, of our enitre universe. No humility. We stand at the door of true Majesty and we fail to notice that He is there, from within ourselves. I might argue that knowledge is knowing that the star is massive, but truly Knowing is how we spiritually respond to it.

Yet we are constantly invited, the door is left open yet we stand outside, arrogantly turned away from it because the Master of the House is apparently beneath our dignity to recognise. We might seethe in hatred because we recognise that the house is too beautiful for our lower selves to Love. We know in which direction to walk, yet how many of us actually bother? We are so pathetic.

Here I am, so blindly, so ignorantly, comparing knowing the Lord with a star so miniscule in His comparison that I’m bordering blasphemy. Perhaps the only way to begin to recognise the Almighty in this sense is in the way of the ‘old’ – don’t worship the star, of course not, but recognise its grandeur. Then ponder over why it is that the Lord of the Universe doesn’t seem to warrant a greater reaction, more humility, from us.

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