My name is James Maberly and I am an artist, columnist, writer, public speaker and happily married father of four living in Suffolk, United Kingdom. I was brought up in Zimbabwe and have a very close affinity with the country. As most of you will know, the country is being run into the ground by Mugabe and his henchmen and now a cholera epidemic ravages the population.
Despite everything, Zimbabwe will rise again from the ashes and will once more be a forerunner for the future of Africa – and believe me that will be a great future.
Why the blog?
Well as we shift into this period of recession, the ‘sureness’ of the material world begins to loosen and people begin to turn inwards, looking for inner guidance. Whilst this probably sounds like a cliché, we have (all of us) been there in moments of concern, worry or bereavement, and it is a very private journey.
I believe what is needed is a column which quietly but succinctly raises questions and looks at different answers about God and spirituality. It starts from a Christian base (since that is where I come from) but expands into a broader picture of what is really happening out there. Here I would like to offer two quotes which, for me, sum up probably the great challenges we have here on earth at this time. The first is the quote I have used a portion of to name the blog. The second, a quote from Abraham.
“In heaven there is no religion, thank God” – Mahatma Ghandi
“Your world is pointing toward an insistence on conformity which is causing you enormous grief. It’s what’s at the heart of all of your religious battles, and religious battles are what are at the heart of all of your battles. In other words, all of your wars and global irritation with one another are over your determination to promote sameness. Your democracy insists that it’s the only government that works. And every religion (it’s interesting to note) proclaims that it is the only one that works.”
Abraham. Excerpted from a workshop in Kansas City, MO on Wednesday, September 15th, 2004
It is this need for ‘sameness’ that is our undoing. We live in what we believe is ‘the comfort zone’ when in actual fact it is exactly the opposite. The more we step out of the ‘comfort zone’ we have created, the more we realise how enlightening the bigger picture is. And it is at times like these, when people are feeling vulnerable, that we tend to look inwards and reconsider our bearings.
To use an ancient American Indian saying, ‘no tree has branches so foolish as to fight amongst themselves’. Join me on a journey of self-discovery. Those of you who are already on the path, I salute you. Keep walking. Those of you who are curious, come along and accompany me along the path. You will be absolutely amazed by the view.
One last thing – humour is such an important part of our daily lives and despite the fact that the credit crunch is hurting us all, some more than others, there is a funny side. Have a look at this video. John Bird and John Fortune are superb. What makes it all the more remarkable is that it was recorded in 2007!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mzJmTCYmo9g
James
wonderful stuff – it is true that we need to understand that our real wealth is all around us , not in the material world we live in , but our natural state has huge power , that we dont tap ,our collective thoughts and energy are like all natrual things immensely powerful , we have to learn that it is time to focus our energy from within .