Mid teens for the temp today; now that is going to feel like spring even though that temp is above the seasonal. We’ll take is it and on the chin too!

The weekend was as usual, coffee with John in the South while Annie does her yoga and meeting with friends at the Palliser on Sunday. There were a few differences for each of the days.

On Friday, Herman and I had our lunch as usual and he had brought some of his special books in support of my study of tolerance within religious teachings. We also had quite a lively and even at times intense discussion that started about the Sunday book display.

That soon became existential in regard to the ‘Centre’, its present status and the shift in interests of audiences today. This relates to a general trend away from the passive audiences, to the interactive nature of exchange on the social media. We ended up exploring this aspect of the new social media, but at our time in life, this is more about observation than implementation.

Saturday evening Michelle and I enjoyed our ethnic dinner at the ‘Sultan's Tent’, a Moroccan venue that has been in Calgary for decades. We started with soup, which was followed by a vegetable couscous combined with a ‘ataji’ dish. It combined lamb, with fruit and potato all well cooked, almost like a sew. All closed off with a coffee, while I nursed a ‘De Konink’ beer from start to finish.

Michelle and I always have a lively conversation that takes in topics on travel, food, social behaviour and our daily environment. For the next venue we are aiming at something outdoors, to enjoy the change in seasons. The ethnicity of the dishes may take the back seat in this case.

On Sunday I called Bram Blaak, a former brother in law, with whom I had no had contact since we left for Calgary and exchanged email info.

I am still busy with tolerance, its place and formulation within the belief framework that I am working on. [Long phone call with Don.] I have had difficulty bringing this topic into clear focus, but this morning something about this came together.

I see this guy in front of me with this big question mark above his head!

I started by going back to the time I chose to retire, May 1999. It was then, that I asked myself the question of how to pass on the learned insights from my life time. How to express what I learned in a meaningful way worthy of passing on. As a Dutch aura reader in May 2000 said to me at the time: ‘I see this guy in front of me with this big question mark above his head!’ That was indeed how I felt at the time and I did not think the remark was very sympathetic just then -:)!

So, this morning I asked myself again, what have I come up with after these fifteen years? I did work on this challenge of expressing a view based on my life experience and the response was: ‘The time is here and now’, so I will start below.

First an important and tested notion that is the combination of ‘Time, Place, People and Circumstance’ as defining parameters of insights, revelations or new ideas, which applies to my message right now. That means that whatever it is I have to say, now is the time, place, circumstance for me to express what I have come to as a result of my ‘life experience’.

Second, as a result of my studies, I have identified ‘tolerance’ as crucial to our human situation at this time on our planet. This tolerance must be applied across the boundaries of the human traditions as we know them.

This implies that each such tradition must undertake an internal examination of its own teachings and identify those that address tolerance towards the ‘other-believer’. That must then form the basis on which an approach to other traditions is made, while they in turn deploy a similar process.

To work towards a wholeness in diversity of our common human traditions past, present and future.

Thirdly, the goal to aim for within this framework is: “To work towards a wholeness in diversity of our common human traditions past, present and future.” It is analogous to: “The promised land is our planet, with humanity as its chosen people”. Added to our own present day situation is that we have to consciously - through our own effort - adopt this as our goal to strive for. This way the goal of ’wholeness in diversity’ becomes a current teaching added to the respected traditions of humankind.

And finally I have chosen my Mandala73 as a symbol for myself that expresses this wholeness in diversity in a visual way. This multi coloured doodle mandala combines the themes of change with time - the seasons - with the gradual transition in place between the mandala’s regions, while the centre mediates among the whole.

The composition of the mandala in form and colour choices conveys the need for moderation and matching between the various aspects in such away as to generate creative energies and yet preventing uncontrolled conflicts.

The danger of diversity is that without sufficient discipline it will descend into confusion or chaos, while without diversity the energies will diminish to the level of atrophication. Striving for that ‘magic’ balance between these two states is an ongoing process, which allows for change.
<10:37am and 12:33pm after lunch.~