Marie Hazledine-Barber

Leaving the City Behind

In the NZ Bush

Leaving the city behind to indulge in off grid living in the dense New Zealand bush presents new challenges.  www.offgridecostay.com

“Going with the Flow” article, in the magazine New Zealand Lifestyle Block the February 20011 issue, describes the building process of the off grid eco stay, challenges and establishment of the small lodge running entirely off grid.

You become part of the environment, the environment is not part of you,one soon becomes acutely aware  of weather, for example when the sun is out, rainfall and being in harmony with the land.

Living alongside other residents of the bush, hares, quails,native birds whose raucous singing, a cacophony of song, dominates the early morning silence.

Honey bees, butterflies, a living poetic existence overlooking the Koromiko Valley in the Marlborough Sounds.

The living in the ‘gone bush life-style’ challenges for example in the culinary part of life is learning to cook using a 1 kw hot plate on top of the wood burning fire-place. Going back to basics and producing fine fare of healthy food. Additionally for convienence using the gas hob.

Using an axe to split the pine wood to fit in the fire-box. Gathering pine cones being escorted through the bush by NZ bird the  fan tail. The fan tail not shy, flits from branch to branch catching any insects disturbed by human foraging. The fan tail constantly chattering: one never feels alone.

NZ Fan Tail

The biggest challenge in a well run off grid lodge is what is for dinner? Maybe some wild goat, or wild pig that roam the land, self farming and self  sustaining,very healthy live style for animals.

Wild quail or rabbit, accompanied with home grown greens and herbs.

A demonstration of the food bowl from mother nature, freely given mixed with  an offerring of warmth/cooking abilty from the sustainable pine trees or gorse, plus fresh unpolluted air, bathed in sunshine.

As winter approaches the rolling early morning fog settles over the valley and the lodge sits high above  the view is like looking out onto a white sea.

No city lights at night: the nights a velvet soft black, clear nights the worlds ceiling above is a packed studded array of heavenly bodies the twinkling stars.

Off grid-gone bush- no city lights , cappuccino cafe with interested bumble bees. Simple living with a first class attitude, provided by renewable, sustainable resources, a perfect  balance in harmony with mother earth.

What is Love?

The philosophical context love, is a virtue, human expression of compassion and affection.

St Thomas Aquinas defined love as “to will good of another” or the desire for another to succeed.

The religious view expands to the “all being”  as God is Love, that love is not just a virtue.

Impersonal love relates to an object ( teddy bear ) goal  or a cause.

Interpersonal love relates to the love between human beings.

Love is not just a virtue ( moral excellence ) it is a trait that is deemed to be excellence in the act of living daily life promoting individual and collective well being, for example to quote from the movie  Hotel Rwanda:

“when the world closes its’ eyes, who opens their arms “ the true story of Hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina. He opened his arms.

Love is being awake to conditions around one. Impersonal and Interpersonal behavior  is a balancing act through  the journey  called  life.

Balance

Both behaviors captured in metaphysical easy simple read, encapsulating positive thinking, visualization, religouse, philosophical, virtues of excellence the book of The Wisdom of Florence Schovel Shinn.

No matter the canvas you paint for life it is ABC. Action, Behavior ,Consequence.

http://florencescovelshinn.wwwhubs.com/

Poem………………By MC Hazledine-Barber

Love is like a leaf

it is a shade for the working bee

a swing for the naughty ant

and a restaurant for a worm.

Shouldering Mankinds Burden

Jesus Christ was born and died 600 years before the birth of Muhammad. Jesus Christ’s life was witnessed and documented. That is called evidence.

Muhammad was illiterate and recited his revelations, his sayings were compiled and written down in the Qur’an based on texts from 130 to 300 years after his death. That is heresay..

In 1391 an expressed passionate view of the Emperor Manuel 11 Paleologus one of the last Christian rulers before the Fall of Constantinople to the Muslim Ottoman Empire:  Quote ……..

“Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman,such as his command to spread by sword the faith he preached”

Muhammad and Jesus, two significant leaders, both men accepted the Old Testament as God’s Word, and acknowledged Abraham. Christians believe God’s promise is through Abraham’s son, Isaac. Muslims believe it is through Abraham’s other son, Ishmael.

The Qur’an proves Jesus is the Messiah and Muhammad acknowledge this fact and he (Muhammad was a mere man and a prophet ) did not replace him as there can be only one Messiah. Jesus did the Messiah;s work opening heaven 550 years before Muhammad was born. So it is written.

Prophet Muhammad passionate about God believed Jesus was the Messiah, Gods messenger, so Muhammad set about in his way deliverance of that message and mankind should obey by a set of rules.

Although Jesus Christ and Muhammad views of God’s nature were different, both men believed in and taught about one true God who is sovereign, infinite, all-knowing, the ultimate judge of all mankind.

Jesus Christ taught by love and grace, Muhammad by the sword. Both men of God, however sadly both Christian and Muslim have picked up the sword, to excert will upon others.

St Thomas Aquinas defined love as “to will good of another” or the desire for another to succeed.

As does the Muslim faith for the good of mankind.

History in philosophy, religious debate, a window to the world past through evidence by the way of documents, artefacts, the modern world with aid of technology we know so much, yet so little. For every question there is an answer, for every answer there is a question.

For the One God as Jesus Christ and Muhammad told mankind existed, does it matter how one travels in life to believe and conduct life in a God like manner irrespective of race colour or creed? as taught by Jesus Christ or Muhammad, so for Gods’ sake, what is love and what are we fighting for ?

Even if you do not believe in God ask one self, how many times have you asked Him for help when alone in the night, alone in your bed?

Muhammad