Spring breeze

These days you probably have noticed that I am writing about religion and life. Couple of days ago, I was in Starbucks at Chapters with a friend. We were sipping on our cafe latte, my favorite, and chatting about religion and its effect on life. We were talking about our experience, say a journey from religious kids to secular adults. He had a good point. He was saying that believing in god or religion is not in our nature. If we do not impose it to children, they won't become religious. I agree with him. I noticed most of religious parents are quite concerned about their kids not losing their faith! They have to reinforce it all the time. Preachers threat people that they will burn in hellfire if they do not stick to it They target human beings' fear and weakness due to vulnerability and uncertainty! Life without imposed fear is quite an experience. It is like spring breeze!

Tiny existence in the vast universe!

The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.

Charles Darwin

I think this is the best way to describe the world. Then, you do not need to look for the mystery behind any disaster. There is no testing or supernatural act nor punishment! People do not get cancer or die in flood because of their sins!It is because of our tiny existence in this vast universe!
By the way what is sin?

Were they all stoned?

I am wondering if other people who claimed to be prophets were high on drug like Moses according to Benny Shanon at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This part is interesting, He says "As far as Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic event, which I don't believe, or a legend, which I don't believe either. Or finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of Israel under the effect of narcotics."

There is a phenomenon that some theologians talk about: religious experience . I became familiar with this concept few years ago when I was interested in mysticism!The problem is that our brain is very powerful and can drive us anywhere we like or wish! you just need to believe it. Moses was on Mount Sinai when God spoke to him, Mohammad was in a cave for meditation where, according to muslims, he received his first revelation from God!and the last claimed prophet , Bahá'u'lláh, had mystical experiences while he was in a dark prison, Síyáh-Chál. He claimed that he received a vision of a Maiden from God!
Do you see any pattern here? depends on your beliefs or not having beliefs, you will have different interpretation.
By the way, you think what would have been the reaction of muslims if someone had publish similar theory about Mohammad!


Read this and this too.

Happy Darwin day!

Hell is hot like hell

Hell is hot like hell! As far as I remember, I have been told that if I "do" this or "do not" do that I would end up in hell! Have you ever thought about the psychological effect of such threat especially when you are very young?
I like this Khayyam's Rubaii ( Khayyam 1048–1131, an Iranian atheist poet, mathematician, philosopher and astronomer)

Oh, threats of Hell and Hopes of Paradise!
One thing at least is certain--This Life flies;
One thing is certain and the rest is Lies;
The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.

To a friend

I do not think there is any first or last race or competition if you live on a daily basis. We never know what comes next so why bother. Things are important if we wish to! Life is not a game to win or lose. Loser or winner, life goes on and we forget. The train of life does not stop. We could be like the driver and just look at horizon and be excited about what is going to be next or to be a passenger who enjoys watching the scenes, even in the desert or like a person at the end of the train who looks at the past!
If one day, you decide to try a different life in this part of the world, do not forget you have a friend who enjoys watching the scenes on the train of life!


Peace
Iman

Dictators!

I think dictators are like cancer. Sometime they stay in power for a long time. Too long that they weaken their people and country.People get use to them. If you remove the dictator(s), you destroy the country too! see Iraq and Afghanistan! Yes, dictatorship is an unresectable malignant disease in a weakened host! Host should be strengthened to get rid of this disease on its own! p

Burma, is there any end?

I have been following news from Burma. It was 2 years ago that I heard the song " unplayed piano". Damine Rice dedicated this piece to Burma,its people and Aung San Suu Kyi. She won the Nobel peace prize in 1991 for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights. In 1990, despite detention of Suu Kyi,National League for Democracy party,NLD, won election with 82% of parliamentary seats. The dictator regime refused to recognise results.
Monks have been protesting against the tyrant government and now people are getting killed. It is sad to see there are many countries in the world are run by dictators who do not care about anything but their power!



Check these out, US campaign for Burma , Burma compaign UK.

Life

I am getting by,
Life goes on,
Time flies,
I do not count the days anymore!
Some days when I go to work very early, it is chilly out there,
It reminds me those old days,15 years ago
You said that "life is a dream". Maybe it is. For many people it becomes a nightmare when they wake up!

Going to a town

I recently discovered Rufus Wainwright. He is very talented and has a beautiful voice. I just got new album, "release the stars" . His low key masterpiece, Going to a town is gorgeous.It is political in nature. He shows his disappointment about intolerance, prejudice and,... in America.

I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm going to a place that has already been disgraced
I'm gonna see some folks who have already been let down
I'm so tired of America
I'm gonna make it up for all of the Sunday times
I'm gonna make it up for all of the nursery rhymes
They never really seem to want to tell the truth
I'm so tired of you, America
Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead, America
I got a life to lead
Tell me,Do you really think you go to hell for having love?
Tell me, And laugh at thinking everything that you've done is good?
I really need to know
After soaking the body of Jesus Christ in blood
I'm so tired of America
I really need to know I may just never see you again Or might as well
You took advantage of a world that loved you well
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm so tired of you, America
Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead, America
I got a life to lead
I got a soul to feed
I got a dream to need
And that's all I need
Making my own way home Ain't gonna be alone
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down

Reason, desire and religion

"What a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence is an index into his desires -- desires of which he himself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way." Bertrand Russell

Realistic photography!

I got bored with "realistic" photography! standard! do we have the same perception about reality! why do majority of people see things in a same way? is there only one reality or several? maybe it depends on the angle we see things! or we are watching the world from the same spot! I think you can see a scene from different angles!

Like a rolling stone

I do not have any sense of nostalgia! no good memory either! I easily forget the past! I live in present and have no idea about future. I don't think about it which makes my life easier! no long term plan, only day to day life. I don't mind changing my mind about what people call it "principles". There is no absolute right or wrong!! I love breaking habits and not having e sense of belonging! like a rolling stone!

Daily life!

I love reading, thinking and listening to other people's stories and silence! I read random articles from surgery to political sciences and philosophy. Daily excitement of general surgery keeps me amused!. I like to write about everything I see or learn but I am lazy! maybe I am too concerned about my lousy writing! who cares?I am writing in my public journal which has one reader! At least it is a good place to regurgitate my thoughts and throw them away!

Friendship

"a deep friend, in the real sense of friendship. Someone who really cared about- or did not care. I am not quite sure which it is or deeply did not care about who I was . Therefore, who I was began to wither. and the less I was of who I was the better I felt! ", Leonard Cohen about his friendship with Roshi

Buchart gardens, Victoria, BC

IMG_3045, originally uploaded by Iman Ghaderi.

Can you break this habit?

I think religion is like "cloth". There are different colors and shapes. When you are very young, your parents choose your cloths. When you grow up, you may wear the same kind of cloths or choose different style. Many people do not tolerate nudity! They say that it is disrespecting other people. Cloths are only customs. I mean you can change your cloths, modify them or even take them off. To me, religion has a similar value! People follow different religions and almost always they think it is the best way! and the rest of people are wrong at least in their spiritual lives. For example, people who believe in monotheistic religions or Abrahamic religions think that nonbelievers will go to hell.
I think that religion is like customs. People get use to it like habit. Yes, it is just a habit! you can break it. Do you think a lot when you want to change your cloths! so why it is so difficult for people to change their religion or even give it up? maybe it is hard to break this habit!
Many people identify themselves with their customs and cloths. Moreover, I think that the social pressure has a crucial role and religious belief is one of the ways that people relate to other people, their tribe, sect or community. No one wants to be a social outcast! going to hell in the next life is another scary thing!

"Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright

Vancouver

Last week I went to Vancouver for the first time. I found it very beautiful and was lucky enough to see Vancouver sunny days. I visited its downtown, Stanley park, Lion gates bridge. I had a chance to see Victoria ( on ferry) and Butchart gardens and Whistler ( winter Olympic in 2010 will take place in this tiny city).Vancouver has its own identity that distinguishes it from other cities I have visited in Canada. It is located besides the pacific ocean, lots of green area, ..... The highlight of my trip was Bungee Jumping. I jumped from a bridge ( height of 160 ft). I have been wondering how people who commit suicide would feel when they jump. I think it is very difficult to understand their thought process. I am sure that it is not the easiest way.I will write about suicide later. Anyways,it was quite exciting!
I guess I took more than 300 photos!

I started my second year of residency about 2 weeks ago. I have realized that time flies and I do not keep track of time! It really does not matter as long as you love what you do. I have exciting rotations this year, vascular surgery, intensive care,gastroentrology and 3 months of rural surgery in Newfoundland! I look forward to the last one, surgery and beautiful nature in Labrador! ( photo: courtesy from a friend's friend)