But it is different with the other category, the formal teachers. We fear them although they introduced us to an all new world of study because we thought that all the lessons they taught us were mean, associated with grades. Perhaps this is why a subject becomes more of an association with a particular teacher. A certain subject always evokes the image of a particular teacher. But it has nothing to do with the teacher as such. Most of the teachers do their work the way they are expected to. They are programmed to finish a certain syllabus in a stipulated period of time and submit grades before the end of the term. They have families to take care of and so they have to earn and what better and noble profession than teaching?

On the other hand there are only a few who take teaching to their heart. Few think that they have a larger responsibility. They not only finish the prescribed syllabus but go beyond, showing us the right way of battling life. They are the ones who inspire us. Hence although formal, they are always cherished and become our favorites. This is the category of our concern in Tuesdays with Morrie for Morrie is one such teacher. Morrie Schwartz. “Have you ever had a teacher like this?”, the author asks in his acknowledgements.

Now there is another twist. Although we get lucky to sometimes have found teachers like Morrie, how many of us make it a point to keep in touch with them by dropping a line or two, just to let them know how they are still a beacon light in our lives? We are shameless in sucking ourselves into the mad consumerist world until one fine day we are encountered with something really sad, like the mortality of our being??? Until then there are always more important things and tasks to tend to. That happens with Mitch Albom, the author who has long left the University and its teachers, is a successful sports writer with a job in Detroit as a columnist for The Detroit Free Press, until one day while “casually flipping channels”, he hears the words of his favorite Social Psychology professor on the TV, whom he has not been in touch for “sixteen years”.

His teacher has been detected with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a brutal “unforgiving” illness of the neurological system. The professor’s days are numbered and Mitch immediately arranges to meet his teacher, so ashamed today of his accomplishments, because “with accomplishments” he believed he could “control things.” He goes back to his “coach” because he, as a “player” has to learn so many left out ‘moves’ of the game called LIFE.

When Mitch goes back to Morrie, just like a true teacher would have it, he welcomes his player back in his team. Now the teacher and student would write another (a second) thesis together; the first they had done in the University. Mitch has the names of all the moves ready that he needs guidance about: “Death”, “Fear”, “Aging”, “Greed”, “Marriage”, “Family”, “Society”, “Forgiveness” and “A meaningful Life”. And the coach is ready too. “Ask me anything”, he says. The initial meetings somehow end up on Tuesdays, then they make it a habit. As we read through Morrie’s utterances on the select topics, it reminds a reader of Bacon’s essays. And as we listen to Morrie’s lectures, he soon becomes our favorite teacher.

The biggest lesson that this terminally ill professor gives us is:”So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” Mitch knows that “he was right”, and so do we.

For anybody who seeks ‘the truth’, this book is a ‘must read’. It provides an answer to ‘how to’ confront death, ‘the thing’ that every human being secretly fears. Morrie tells us: “To know you’re going to die, and to be prepared for it at any time. . . Do what the Buddhists do. Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?’. . . (t)he truth is. . . once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

Well done Professor, and Student for that wonderful tribute!

Tuesdays with Morrie
By Mitch Albom
Broadway Books (Random House)
Trade Paperback 1997, Can $17.95, Pages 192
ISBN 076790592X

Reviewed by Dr. Manjit Handa

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Life and Time is a continuum. That is the beauty of it all. One thing merges into another and takes new definitions or is it a phoenix arising from its own ashes? The New Year is perhaps the new bird born out of the last. But although it is the same amount of time as the last, it will be lived differently, in small ways and BIG. The anticipation and mystery of that which we do not know lures us. And the possibilities in which it could be lived.

Same is with creation. Each day somebody somewhere creates something. A pot, a painting, a piece of music, a poem, a novel, a baby!!! Each time something is created we think it’s the most beautiful, the ultimate, perhaps it is the best! There could never be better. . . But again the wonder happens; again and again something amazes us, astonishes us, and fills us with joy and enchantment. The possibilities never end. There are zillions. Imagine just seven notes and zillions of tunes in the world, mere twenty six letters of the Alphabet and what all they‘ve said combining them in different ways.

May the coming Year be full of surprising and wonderful possibilities for all. We are here with ours—a new issue of our magazine. Hope you enjoy it!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Happy New Year!

With Love,
Manjit

Painting by Bhupinder Singh

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Today, I am struggling to be on top of the mountain.
Birds are flapping their wings for their share by the fountain.
Leaves are growing greener and thicker without a word,
Water created a beautiful lake, shiny as a new sword.

Tomorrow, I will smile and fill my mind with overflowing joy.
Birds will stand tall with their colorful feather,
Tall trees, rich in leaves will make home for the mother,
Endless, deep ocean site will emerge into view altogether.

This day, I want to rest my life on that far horizon.
The bird no longer has wings but it still flies freely in the autumn sky,
Beautifully painted autumn leaves fall as their wisdom weighed them down,
Too much bright sunlight has let the ocean travel as white cotton clouds instead.

Over and over again, life ties back to its circle.
The beginning as an end, The end as a beginning, and everything in between.

Michelle Kang is a student at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

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Hanukkah marks the Jewish rebellion against the Syrian Kings who outlawed the Jewish practice of Sabbath and Circumcision. At that time, Israel was under the control of Seleucid dynasty after the conquest by Alexander the Great. Subsequently, Antiochus IV tried to enforce the Jews to adopt the practice of worshipping only Greek Gods. However, this was unacceptable to Jews who wanted to practice their own religion with freedom and maintain their traditions.

Once when a small army of King Antiochus came to set up an altar and commanded the Jews to sacrifice a pig, a rebellion was sparked off. Mattathias, a priest and father of Judea Maccabee killed the Jew who was about to execute the request of the army for sacrifice and vanished into mountains to launch a guerilla war against these Syrian oppressors and their allies.

After the death of Mattathias, who launched the original rebellion against Hellenist ruler for disallowing them their religious practice, his son Judea Maccabee kept on fighting. He finally succeeded in freeing the Temple of Solomon in 164 BCE.

According to Talmudic belief, when Judea Maccabee was getting ready to re-dedicate the Temple of Jerusalem after its purification he could find only enough undefiled and pure oil to last for one day. However, miraculously the small quantity of oil lasted for eight days and eight nights. That was the beginning of this eight-day festivity which has roots in liberation, victory and re-assertion of religious freedom.

Ever since, to commemorate this occasion and mark the re-dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem, candles are lit on a menorah each year. A menorah is a candle-holder with eight candles and one shammash or servant candle. Jews start lighting one candle each day until all the eight candles are lit. E.g., one candle is lit on the first day, two on the second day until the eighth day when all the candles are lit.

Apart from the religious import this festival has for people, it is also a family event. After candles are lit each day, blessings are recited and family members sing special Hanukkah songs. Jews hailing from different geographical areas sing different hymns or songs on Hanukkah.

The popular food for Hanukkah is potato pancakes, or latkes, cooked in oil in honor of the miracle. After lighting the candles, people present gifts to each other, sing, enjoy and make merry. Children enjoy this festival by playing a game called dreidel, consisting of nuts or gold-covered chocolate coins. This cube-shaped toy bears a Hebrew letter on each side. The letter that is visible when the top stops spinning, determines the victory or loss of stakes. Stakes are usually in the form of a pile of sweets. Children also receive Hanukkah money or gelt.

Like Indian Diwali, Hanukkah also invokes us to light our own hearts by dispelling the darkness of ignorance and intolerance and generate social and community well-being. It is an annual reminder for us to suffuse our hearts with kindness, compassion and understanding.

Jewish people believe in:
• One and only one God.
• A personal relationship with God.
• Community and are required to bring holiness into their daily life and work.

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The advancement of technology has created new opportunities, new platforms and brought in a new crop of artists. Today, for example, in the computer age, the graphic artists are rapidly gaining good reputation. So what exactly is the purpose and place of Art in this world? Is it merely meant for pleasure and entertainment or does it serve any other higher purpose? There are in fact two groups supporting each idea: Art for Art's sake and Art for the sake of Society. According to the first group, Art is not supposed to be instructive and is not bound to serve any purpose other than being itself, a work of art. The latter, on the other hand believes that since Art is a product of life itself and an imitation of life, it should serve a social purpose, depict life and issue a moral/social message. Only then its presence in the world can be accounted for.

Art and its concern for us would amalgamate both the opinions because when we talk of Art as a healer, it performs a dual purpose, it appeals to our senses and takes us into that transcendental realm where we forget the sickness or disease we are suffering from, taking us onto the path of healing, thus performing a utilitarian purpose.

The big question that concerns us is as to how Art or a work of Art works/acts as a healer? Is it the performing or enacting of it or merely the participation? First we would look at the aspect of enactment or an active participation. For a common man Art seems like a source of luxury and an activity for the select few who have been gifted with a certain aptitude. It is a big misconception to believe that if we never tried playing an instrument for the forty years of our life we can never do it or that if I have never held a painting brush in my hand I will never be able to paint. The question is did I ever try? Or did I not try because I thought I could not have painted a perfect picture? Generally it is the latter.

We do not try to do a certain thing for the fear of failure or for the humiliation we would suffer when we did a thing oh so imperfectly. The problem lies only in the attitude we have had for not having tried our hand at any piece or type of art. Next time any negative thought occurs to you before you get down to doing something creative, think of it this way?I am in this world to try out everything I can possibly lay my hands on, so let me try out something new. Let me do it and see how I do it. I might not win applause for the finished product but at least then I would not have any regrets. Also, remember any kind of Art is an imitation of reality. Even the so-called artist is an imitator. Only he is a superior imitator of sorts. So you have every right on imitation too.

Art is not a prerogative of the "select few" but a field open for everybody to be explored. More specifically anyone who feels unwell or has been clinically declared unwell. While actively participating in any art form, human mind is diverted from its constant focus of pain and that diversion itself works wonders, stunts pain and by the time you realize, you are already on the road to healing. It would not be an exaggeration to say that anyone pursuing any kind of art form through out his life has a higher likelihood of living a wholesome life.

You would definitely be faced by the dilemma of which form of Art to follow, especially if you have never tried any kind of Art ever. The answer to that would be, listen to your heart. Which particular form of Art are you fascinated with? Which Art forms do you respond to? If you have more than one form in mind, see if you can give time to all. But try focusing on one at a time. Never more than two at a time. That would leave you befuddled. Then go for it whole-heartedly and earnestly.

Always remember there is no expertise required here. Just the doing of it. The creating of it. Creation itself is the most fulfilling and satisfying experience. To create is to take control of. Perhaps the reason why every woman wants to be a "mother", a creator, in spite of the pain involved in it. It is the process of creating a piece of art, the struggle and wrestling to achieve a certain level of perfection that acts as a mental catharsis for anyone suffering from an ailment and ultimately something that transforms an ordinary person to the extraordinary(artist??). That is precisely the point where healing sets in, for it is not a cure of the disease, but growing out of it or in other words taking control of it.

The second and a comparative easier way is simply participating in an artistic endeavor by remaining passive, by just being a recipient. If you do not feel inspired enough to grab a pen and write a piece of poem, take a brush and paint a flower-vase or even create a piece of music, at least inspire yourself enough to shake off the laziness and watch a theatrical performance of a classical play, listen to the music of your favorite composer or go and watch the exhibits of a famed sculptor, photographer or painter.

Once you get yourself involved, the process of healing begins and a feeling of betterment sets in. You will see the results yourself!

Painting by Bhupinder Singh

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To become ourselves is the one thing to be done; but the true ourselves is that which is within us, and to exceed our outer self of body, life and mind is the condition for this highest being, which is our true divine being, to become self-revealed and active. It is only by growing within the living within that we can find it…

—Sri Aurobindo

My song is about loyalty and justice,
and I sing it to you, O Lord.

My conduct will be faultless.
When will you come to me?

I will live a pure life in my house,
and will never tolerate evil.
I hate the actions of those who turn away from God;
I will have nothing to do with them.

I will not be dishonest,
And will have no dealings with evil.

I will get rid of anyone
who whispers evils things about someone else;
I will not tolerate a man
Who is proud and arrogant.

I will approve of those who are faithful to God.
and will let them live in my palace.
Those who are completely honest
will be allowed to serve me.

No liar will live in my palace;
no hypocrite will remain in my presence.
Day after day I will destroy
the wicked in our land;
I will expel all the evil men
from the city of the Lord.

—Psalms 101, Good News Bible.

Picture courtesy by Jane Hsieh

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I am divine
and compassionate
with debts and loans unpaid
I am he
the blessed Spirit
I am your child
You, my father
assignments to finish;
action takes me further
I am spirit
I am Shiva
I am Krishna
I am Om
I am Brahma
I am the essence
I am eternal
and immortal
I am Shaanti
I am Devi
I am you
You are me
We are the same
Eternally.

Parul Sanduja is student of Engineering at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

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Although his father was well educated, won a literary prize in 1975 and worked at various places as a History teacher at the Academy of Sciences and The Department for Struggle against Illiteracy in Afghanistan, the family suffered “social”, “financial” and “housing” problems. One of the causes was a large family of nine people. Taraky remembers that they did not have a house of their own and were always “renting”. He also remembers that one of his sisters passed away at the age of three due to lack of medication and medical attention.”.

When Taraky was a child, his father was writing a book on the traditions of the people of Afghanistan and Taraky was doing the illustrations for the same. That is when he realized that he enjoyed doing it so much and had a “passion” for it. Life in those days was difficult because of poverty and the only thing that made him “happy” was “to take a pencil and paper and draw”. At the age of twelve Taraky got his first canvas and he remembers he would be sleeping with it so that “nobody would touch it”.

The major turning point in his life came when his father passed away at the young age of fifty six when he was only fourteen years old. That is when he started working and simultaneously thinking seriously about art. That was one of his “major” victories. Second major challenge Taraky faced in the year 1997 when he was given an injection in his left ankle and he almost lost his foot. He underwent various surgeries and operations but nothing helped. For about a year he was bed-ridden and could not walk. He had lost all hope.

Around that time he moved to Canada with his family. People in Canada were very friendly and helpful. He was unable to work and remained in “bad spirits” generally. In that mood he painted series of paintings that had the themes of massacres, punishments and bloodshed. This further put him into low spirits and sadness. Then he thought of another strategy. He started making paintings with a theme of joy, happiness, laughter and people playing musical instruments and dancing with gay abandon.

With each muscle and instrument he was painting, he says, he could actually feel the energy and happiness being “transferred” to him. That is when art “empowered” him, was “therapeutic” and he said to himself,”I have to get up and walk” and he actually overcame his hurdle and regained his health back. This was his second big “victory”. According to him painting the “opposite” of whatever the harsh reality he was undergoing, acted as a therapy for him.

A supporter of “non-violence”, that is the reason why he could never paint gloomy and pathetic political scenes. That always left him unsettled. But he claims his paintings still always have a social message. Today he is the director of Immigrant Culture and Art Association (ICAA), Hamilton, Canada. As a director, he is presently acting as a mentor to artists, writers and musicians.

When asked about Taraky’s teacher and Muse, he tells us that his father used to take him to an Afghan senior artist Khair Mohammed who taught him few things about Art when he was about six years old. Apart from that he has had few teachers and friends who did inspire him but his biggest inspiration is “life” itself, the one that he lived and learnt from. He attended courses of Visual Arts sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of Afghanistan in 1975. In the year 1977, he participated for the first time in an Art Competition that won him an award. In 1982, he participated in the Junior Art Exhibition and thereafter he participated in many mores shows and exhibitions. There was no looking now. While he joined the Rehzad Academy of Fine Arts in Tashkent Uzbekistan, he got his Masters in the Fine Arts in the year 1994.

Taraky puts men and women on an equal footing and thinks that their only difference is “biological”. He strongly feels that women should actively participate in every walk of life and even politics which would make this world a more corruption free place.

Taraky has worked with water colors and oil but pencil is his “all time favorite”.

His message to the budding and upcoming Artists:

It is a difficult time for artists who want to take Art as a profession especially “financially”. But “they should not quit” and keep up the good work by inspiring themselves with the fact that very soon in future they will get their due, what with Art playing an important role in fields ranging from “Technology”, “Graphic designing”, “Computers”, “Biology”, “Medicine”, “Physics” or “Mathematics”. With the advent of “camera” and “computer” people said that painting was no more the in-thing, but it did not happen. Similarly there is no threat to Art from anything. It is sure to survive.

Art as a Healer:

Taraky strongly feels that people suffering from various illnesses whether “depression” or “psychological imbalance” or victims of financial, racial and criminal problems could benefit a great deal from Art because when you are painting or drawing, “you are with yourself” and there is nobody around to affect your “transformation”. That is generally a therapeutic moment when you give an outlet to your inner turmoil.

At the Immigrant Culture and Art Association, they have a small school which is like a studio where new artists are welcome to share their works of Art. There is an attempt to create a “mosaic” where people from different cultures come and express their Art work.

Taraky’s mission:

“My mission is Life. I have seen the ups and downs of life. Now I want to do everything for the community that celebrates Art.”

Yar Taraky’s life is symbol of struggle, survival and hope. His story inspires us to fight the odds of life with grit and optimism without giving in. Through his work, he has shown that our inner desire and resolution can beat the seemingly insurmountable difficult circumstances and help us propel towards realizing our dreams.

[As narrated to Parmjit Singh]

Yar Taraky can be reached at:

Immigrant Culture and Art Association (ICAA)
51, Stuart Street, Hamilton ON
L8L 1B5, Canada
Tel: (905) 529-0181, Fax: (905) 522-5424
Website: http://www.immigrantart.org
Email: icaa@immigrantart.org

Painting by Yar Taraky
Photograph of Yar Taraky by Parmjit Singh

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This evolutionary generosity affords us to make informed choices and wise decisions, thus maintaining the health of the society we live in. Current situations in our society, however, do not speak very highly of our much-touted wisdom to make healthy decisions.

One such example of our faulty thinking is the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. We are straining our public exchequer without taking into account that most of the modern health problems we face today are part of our materialistic, predatory lifestyle and commercial culture.

Even a minor change in lifestyle can have salutary effects on some of the major illnesses for which medicare spends billions of dollars for corrective measures. Unfortunately however, those lifestyle alterations are not much encouraged, for they defeat the hidden profit-based agendas of various industries. Instead, cosmetic solutions are offered that obviously serve those industries in their long-term aims. For instance, rather than looking into our ferociously individualistic and self-serving lifestyles for causes of stress and depression so prevalent in our society, we are encouraged to pop pills to handle our blues. Some of those pills are rumored to be addictive, which ensure their steady consumption. This helps the manufacturers in the long haul.

Our bloodied human history is yet another example of our misguided, selfish and exploitative thinking. It is no wonder that in the recorded history, humans have been engaged in bloodletting, reckless exploitation, wars and oppressions under one pretext or the other.

Our corporate and exploitative mentality has seeped into the way we treat other humans. We look upon people as commodities and items to be preyed upon for personal and commercial profit. We are more motivated by power politics and immediate gains than by understanding the ethical implications of our selfish acts and beliefs.

Our idea of progress rests only on material acquisitiveness and capital gain. On the sunny side, this type of philosophy has been responsible for creation of the material progress we are enjoying today. People in North America are better fed, better housed, and better taken care of than their counterparts in Third world countries, yet they also register striking increase in stress-related problems, job and life dissatisfactions, increased discontent etc.

Our competitive and aggressive behaviors, which have been largely responsible for our rapid material growth, have also alienated us from fellow human beings. The same alienation is reflected in our fractured relationships, doomed personal lives and crumbling social structure. Our predatory thinking and masked greed is threatening to decimate the very fiber of our society. We have even commercialized our religious and spiritual values.

Though our cunningness has helped us build profit-based empires, yet what good is it if it does not promote social welfare, mutual respect and love, family values and healthy relationships, the very umbilical cord of our existence?

"Too much cleverness could be dangerous", Buddha said. Perhaps we are becoming victims of our own cunning. Through smart thinking, we can build nuclear bombs, spy satellites, self-serving economic strategies, but a thriving society is built upon cultivation of mutual love, respect, equality and selfless responsibility towards our fellow citizens. Eventually, the quality of our life will depend upon the nature of our social setup not the number of guided missiles in our silos.

May this holiday season help us to celebrate the human spirit and empower us to understand the necessity of cultivating a mentality that makes us human rather than a predator. Otherwise, our race will have the dubious distinction of presiding over its own collapse.

The original version of this article was published on December 26, 2001 in The Hamilton Spectator under the title of "We're too clever for our own good."

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