Enabling shared responsibility between women and men

 
Key learnings about effective measures for promoting gender equality from a publicaton of the OECD.
(Excerpts:)

Advancing gender equality: some practical proposals

Beatrice Duncan, Social Affairs Expert, African Centre for Gender and Social Development(UNECA)

Enabling progress

• [Reflection over] what do we mean by local level?
• [The need for] negotiation
• Can tradition and perceptions change?
• Are there aspects of tradition and culture which advance the cause of women?
• Are there existing traditional resources that we can tap into?
• [The virtue of] seeking close alliances with male and female traditional authority
• [The imperative to] invest in education...

Read the full article (PDF-format) here; referenced here.

Regarding the issue of gender equality the Bahá'í International Community states in a report to a UN-session:

The goal of [equal sharing of responsibilities between men and women] raises questions about the nature and purpose of human life and how these inform the scope and allocation of responsibilities. The worldwide Bahá'í community is guided by its recognition of the essential nobility of every human being—the capacity to develop spiritually and intellectually and to become a source of support and advantage to others. We see each individual as the possessor of inestimable talents, which, through education, can be developed and manifested in service to the common good. Furthermore, while men and women are physically distinct, their spiritual identities are equal—the soul has no gender. Each one, then, must play a role in striving for the well-being of others and, ultimately, in co-creating a social order that fosters the spiritual and material well-being of all peoples.

(BIC: Striving Towards Justice: Transforming the Dynamics of Human Interaction, 28 February 2009, view here)

Found this interesting? Do share!
 

Consultative procedure fosters success, innovation

 
From an inspiring article on a company's modus operandi.
(Excerpts)

Methodology

We...share a commitment to [some] basic principles:
1st of all, we believe that breakthrough creativity and innovation is a natural outcome of true COLLABORATION. We often find that great ideas are born through the clash of differing opinions when truth-seeking is the goal. When true collaboration is happening, you can feel it. Something gels and clicks within the group and everyone present is aware of an organic co-creation process that they are participating in… something magical happens....

We believe that co-creation through collaboration yields the greatest results....

Distinct from the “group think” that characterizes some initiatives, in collaboration people may change their opinions and ideas multiple times as they influence the discussion and the discussion influences them. The best work comes from an interactive and collaborative process where no one knows where the idea came from but it was created together....
(Emphasis added)

Read the full article here.

Regarding consultation, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has stated:

The members [of the Assembly] must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his argument. Should anyone oppose, he must on no account feel hurt.... The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions.

(Selections #44)

Found this interesting? Do share!
 

For "Open government," tenets of participation, transparency, collaboration

 
The article below, on the requisites for "open government," carries as much relevance for the workings of Bahá'í Institutions as it does for secular government. Shoghi Effendi has stated:

[The elected representatives - members of National and Local Spiritual Assemblies] should approach their task with extreme humility, and endeavor, by their open-mindedness, their high sense of justice and duty, their candor, their modesty, their entire devotion to the welfare and interests of the friends, the Cause, and humanity, to win, not only the confidence and the genuine support and respect of those whom they serve, but also their esteem and real affection. They must, at all times, avoid the spirit of exclusiveness, the atmosphere of secrecy, free themselves from a domineering attitude, and banish all forms of prejudice and passion from their deliberations. They should, within the limits of wise discretion, take the friends into their confidence, acquaint them with their plans, share with them their problems and anxieties, and seek their advice and counsel.

- Bahá'í Administration 64

Culture of Yes

By Jessy

Washington, DC’s recently released open government directive has a lot of us...stoked about the mandate we are...being given...to make government more transparent and accessible.

The three tenets of participation, transparency, and collaboration are particularly relevant because,...if you look closely, they are focused on process– as much as, if not more than, on outcome. This reflects the fact that open government is not somewhere we arrive or something we check off on a task list, but it’s about how we go about the business of governing ourselves.

When I say we, I don’t mean “we” the people who work for government– I mean all of us. “We” as a residents of the United States, and citizens of the world. For me, open government encourages us to think of the government not [as] an entity separate from the “us” or the “we.” If you work for the government, that doesn’t mean you are not also a recipient of its services, its policies, or its limitations....

[W]e had several meetings discussing how to create an environment where new ideas are valued and encouraged. We identified, with center leadership, that the current culture is often a “Culture of No”. The safe answer, the one least likely to get you in trouble, is to say “No”. Saying yes is associated with more work, and with risk. Since the Culture of No exists all the way up the management chain, that work burden and risk are personal ones, ones that involve putting yourself on the line. It’s clear why people are dis-inclined to do so....

Yes, We Can!

We decided to propagate a new saying: “Culture of Yes”. We wanted to cultivate an environment where people’s answer to new or crazy ideas was “Yes,” or maybe even “Yes, but…”. But not “No” or “No, and…”. One where you are actually rewarded for those ideas, and where it is, eventually, procedurally more expensive to say “No.”

Source: http://blog.quaternio.net/2010/01/06/culture-of-yes/
 

Requisites for nearness to God

 

A day of joy, today, Naw-Ruz! The start of the New Year. Will anything be the same again? The old year has been left behind. A new chapter has begun. The onrush of springtime brings closer the attainment of the goal - realization of our true identity as nothingness in a sea of grace.

 

'Abdu'l-Bahá speaks of severance, thus:

The greatest attainment in the world of humanity is nearness to God. Every lasting glory, honor, grace and beauty which comes to man comes through nearness to God. All the Prophets and apostles longed and prayed for nearness to the Creator... [H]ow many days they devoted to supplication for this attainment, seeking ever to draw nigh unto Him! But nearness to God is not an easy accomplishment.... Divine nearness is dependent upon

• attainment to the knowledge of God, upon
• severance from all else save God. It is contingent upon
• self-sacrifice and to be found only through
• forfeiting wealth and worldly possessions. It is made possible through the
• baptism of water and fire revealed in the Gospels.

Water symbolizes the water of life, which is knowledge, and fire is the fire of the love of God; therefore, man must be baptized with

• the water of life,
• the Holy Spirit and
• the fire of the love of the Kingdom.

Until he attains these three degrees, nearness to God is not possible. This is the process by which the Bahá’ís of Persia have attained it. They gave their lives for this station, sacrificed honor, comfort and possessions, hastened with the utmost joy to the place of martyrdom; their blood was spilled, their bodies were tortured and destroyed, their homes pillaged, their children carried into captivity. They endured all these conditions joyfully and willingly. Through such sacrifice nearness to God is made possible. And be it known that this nearness is not dependent upon time or place. Nearness to God is dependent upon purity of the heart and exhilaration of the spirit through the glad tidings of the Kingdom. Consider how a pure, well-polished mirror fully reflects the effulgence of the sun, no matter how distant the sun may be. As soon as the mirror is cleaned and purified, the sun will manifest itself. The more pure and sanctified the heart of man becomes, the nearer it draws to God, and the light of the Sun of Reality is revealed within it. This light sets hearts aglow with the fire of the love of God, opens in them the doors of knowledge and unseals the divine mysteries so that spiritual discoveries are made possible. All the Prophets have drawn near to God through severance. We must emulate those Holy Souls and renounce our own wishes and desires. We must purify ourselves from the mire and soil of earthly contact until our hearts become as mirrors in clearness and the light of the most great guidance reveals itself in them.

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation 147-8 (emphasis added)

 

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Talk Deeply, Be Happy?

via well.blogs.nytimes.com

An interesting study (though the results are hardly surprising!) -
(Excerpts:)

[Dr. Mehl] proposed [that] substantive conversation seemed to hold the key to happiness...
"By engaging in meaningful conversations, ...interpersonally ...you bond with your interactive partner, and we know that interpersonal connection...is a core fundamental foundation of happiness.”

[T]he happiest person in the study...had twice as many substantive conversations, and only one-third of the amount of small talk as the unhappiest.

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/talk-deeply-be-happy/

A Bahá'í quotation touching upon meaningful conversation, in the terms of consultation:

In all things it is necessary to consult. This matter should be forcibly stressed by thee, so that consultation may be observed by all. ...inasmuch as it is and will always be a cause of awareness and of awakening and a source of good and well-being.

- Bahá'u'lláh
http://info.bahai.org/article-1-3-6-6.html

Musings 10-15.3 - Confronting challenges; benefit of teachers; making contacts

15.3
Means are needed to connect with the people one meets. Means: Commonalities; characteristics of one's transactions (e.g. of a service or an item); shared experiences; genuine virtues one sees in the other (courtesy, care, helpfulness, attention, joyfulness, rectitude etc.). Watering the tree of world unity with the drops of one's fellowship.

So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.

[R]egard ye not one another as strangers...

- Bahá'u'lláh, WOB 203, Bahá'u'lláh 16

14.3
A learning situation - permitting experimentation - overseen by a dedicated teacher, must be among the most beneficial, life-transforming situations imaginable to one. God bless these teachers!

10.3
When facing difficulties and uncertainty, the benevolence of Providence always comes to one's aid (and does a better job than I myself can). Why fear a challenge?
 

An integrated approach to SED

 
The conclusions of an article on social economic development (SED) that reminds one of guidance from the Universal House of Justice regarding the requirements of any viable plan:

Success will depend on the manner in which lines of action are integrated and on the attitude of learning that is adopted.

- 9 January 2001, §14

An Integrated Approach to Managing Change

Discussion and Conclusions

One of the greatest challenges the world community is facing in this century is the interdependence among the critical factors generated by globalization. Since equilibrium between the reasons for economic development and environmental sustainability must be found, an integrated approach is mandatory for the implementation of efficient long-term governance policies. Reaching a common consensus on the value of sustainable development within the international community is the crucial factor for coordination among states.

General consensus about values must be accompanied with fully consistent policies with the requirements imposed by integrated approach: solutions flexible to the external environment, shared responsibility among policy makers, attention to the relations among the players involved and the use of different levels of analysis. All these requirements must be met because the lack of even only one of them could compromise the entire policy implementation and the capacity of this kind of solutions to react to change.

The way to manage global governance in 2020 and beyond should be a new approach to present and future issues that take into consideration the integration of all the variables related. The study cases show that there are more aspects to consider at the same time: (1) different sectors (economic, social and environmental), (2) different levels (from global to local), and (3) different perspectives (macro and micro). A multi-sector/level/perspective integrated approach is strongly needed.

In this paper, integrated approach has been demonstrated to be applicable to a great variety of situations. Future research studies should be aimed to promote, in all the fields, this approach in order to strongly increase our ability to manage the complexity of changing systems.

Authors: Valeria Andreoni1, Stefano Bisogni, Gabriele Buson, Otello Campanelli, Brunella Cozzo, Marco Duriavig, Yuri Kato, Hirokazu Kubo, Roberta Sanasi, Kodai Tateno and Akira Watanabe

Links to the full article: http://www.springerlink.com/content/666141666046535m/fulltext.html
http://www.springerlink.com/content/666141666046535m/
 

Wisdom of nature: diversity increases productivity

 
Interesting observations in the article below: "[A] basic rule of nature: the greater the diversity, the greater the productivity." "One of the keys to success is to ensure...diversity..."

Referring to the value of diversity, 'Abdu'l-Bahá has likewise stated:

Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind, color, form, and shape, yet...this diversity increaseth their charm, and addeth unto their beauty... Diversity of hues, form and shape, enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof.

- Tablets 103

EDUCATION-URUGUAY: Gardens of Knowledge

By Silvana Silveira

MONTEVIDEO, Mar 10, 2010 (IPS) - "Nature is wise, and if we take the time to observe it, we can learn so much" is the underlying philosophy of a number of innovative programmes being carried out in Uruguayan schools that are using gardens as a teaching resource, explained Edith Moraes, director of the national Primary Education Board.

He said the children who participate in these programmes learn "the importance of making a commitment to taking care of something in order to reach a goal and obtain an outcome. They learn that effort and persistence are needed to get results, and also that nature has its own laws and cycles that must be respected."

Living laboratories

[According to] executive director of Fundación Logros, Graciela Gancman,

"The greatest contribution is the transfer of knowledge. It is essential to have adequate know-how and sources of information to know what to do in the event of insect infestations, bad weather and other external factors."

One of the keys to success is to ensure a diversity of crops. "If we look back on the gardens planted by our grandparents, who brought this knowledge with them from Europe, they didn’t plant rows and rows of lettuce; everything was mixed up together, a little bit of each vegetable to serve at the family table," she noted.

"This is a basic rule of nature: the greater the diversity, the greater the productivity," stressed Gancman, who referred to the school gardens and orchards as "living laboratories" that enable learning through experience.

Link to the complete article: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50622

Photo Copyright Bahá'í International Community. View here.
 

Melissa Horn, dubbed "melancholy Melissa", sings "New York"

 
This simple yet enchanting song would reflect much more than its lyrics ostensively communicate.

Regarding the spiritual nature of music, Bahá'u'lláh states:

We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high...

(Kitáb-i-Aqdas 38)

Melissa Horn - New York

(Free translation from the original Swedish song text)

We sit down
Without a word
Like so many times before, you order a glass of wine and I have a cup of tea

And as much as we both want to
More than anything else
Yet it is written on the brow that upon the exctinction of one anxiety, another one appears

We have become like them
Someone's watching us
Is it my thought they regard, or your red cheeks, revealing more

We have become like the ones
Who will never overcome
Who sit silently in some cafe, no one may of course see that he is married and she is free

When I take my leave
And you remain
We both know that this is how you feel when you hold on to secrets

When I take my leave
Without a word
We both know .. mmm

When I take my leave
Without a word
We both know .. mmm

       

(ORIGINAL -Swedish)

Melissa Horn - New york

Vi sätter oss ner
Utan ett ord
Som så många gånger förut, du beställer ett glas vin och jag en kopp te

Och som vi båda vill
Mer än någonting annat
Så står det skrivet i pannan att man väcker en ångest när man släcker en annan

Vi har blivit som dom
Någon tittar på oss
Är det min tanke hon ser eller dina röda kinder som avslöjar mer

Vi har blivit som dom
Som aldrig får bli
Som sitter tyst på nått café, ingen får ju se att han är gift och hon är fri

När jag går därifrån
Och du håller kvar
Så vet vi båda två att det är såhär man mår när man hemligheter har

När jag går därifrån
Utan ett ord
Så vet vi båda två.. mmm

När jag går därifrån
Utan ett ord
Så vet vi båda två.. mmm

Photo source is here (or here).
 

Musings 9.3 - nature of teaching

 

When teaching (in school or about faith), am I actually teaching how to teach, more than I am conveying pieces of information? This, since my hearers (more especially the younger generations) will probably, when once they become teachers, take after my method and example while the actual facts I've imparted will have been forgotten.

"[D]eeds exert greater influence than words."

- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets 57

 

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Woman, the equal of man

Excerpts from the Bahá'í writings regarding equality of the sexes in general, and the special traits of women in particular.

Verily God created women for men, and men for women.

- Bahá'u'lláh #54

The truth is that all mankind are the creatures and servants of one God, and in His estimate all are human. Man is a generic term applying to all humanity. The biblical statement “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” does not mean that woman was not created. The image and likeness of God apply to her as well. In Persian and Arabic there are two distinct words translated into English as man: one meaning man and woman collectively, the other distinguishing man as male from woman the female. The first word and its pronoun are generic, collective; the other is restricted to the male. This is the same in Hebrew. To accept and observe a distinction which God has not intended in creation is ignorance and superstition….

It is my hope that the banner of equality may be raised throughout the five continents where as yet it is not fully recognized and established.

In this enlightened world of the West woman has advanced an immeasurable degree beyond the women of the Orient. And let it be known once more that until woman and man recognize and realize equality, social and political progress here or anywhere will not be possible. For the world of humanity consists of two parts or members: one is woman; the other is man. Until these two members are equal in strength, the oneness of humanity cannot be established, and the happiness and felicity of mankind will not be a reality. God willing, this is to be so.

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation 74–77

The woman has greater moral courage than the man; she has also special gifts which enable her to govern in moments of danger and crisis….

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, London 102–3

In the Divine Creation there is no such distinction. Neither sex is superior to the other in the sight of God. Why then should one sex assert the inferiority of the other, withholding just rights and privileges as though God had given His authority for such a course of action? If women received the same educational advantages as those of men, the result would demonstrate the equality of capacity of both for scholarship.

In some respects woman is superior to man. She is more tender-hearted, more receptive, her intuition is more intense.

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris 161

...men and women have basic and distinct qualities. The solution provided in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is not, as you correctly observe, for men to become women, and for women to become men. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave us the key to the problem when He taught that the qualities and functions of men and women “complement” each other. He further elucidated this point when He said that the “new age” will be “an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more properly balanced.”

- The Universal House of Justice, Women, #34

Source: A Compilation on Women. View here.

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Do challenges in modern-day history arise from new problems or from repeating old mistakes?

In the article below, the underlying view of the author, which leads him to his negative forecast and conclusion in an otherwise insightful analysis, is that countries' fiscal policies are and will remain motivated by self interest (rather than "enlightened self interest"). This is an anachronism. In the real world, economists and policymakers have long realized the economic interdependence of all nations which has prompted them to support and aid the ones in need. History has taught them the painful lesson deriving from isolationism. Clearly, if any nations (and especially an economic superpower like Germany) revert to the latter, it will certainly spell global financial havoc. But is modern-day history in the habit of stepping backwards?!

True, there will be further financial crises in the decades ahead, but history tells me that these will be brought on mainly by new and hitherto unseen problems, not so much by repeating the mistakes of the past.

Hence the importance of knowing one's history! In the words of Bahá'u'lláh: "The past is the mirror of the future. Gaze ye therein and be apprised thereof" (Tabernacle, 10).

Excerpts from an article in the Toronto Star:

Baleful Greek chorus heralds economic doom

Fri Mar 05 2010

Immanuel Wallerstein

[E]veryone is pointing the finger at someone else....

The Germans [Europe's economic powerhouse and mainstay] don't want [to do anything - i.e. bail out Greece - for the reason that] the internal pressures of [Germany's] citizens who see any help to Greece as money that is being taken away from them, when they too are feeling an economic squeeze....

What these multiple crosscutting analyses of short-term blame and short-term gain miss is that the problem is worldwide and structural. Banks exist to make money. The game Goldman Sachs has been playing (and other banks as well) has...been...with many, many countries....

This is because governments wish to survive... And if they don't take in enough taxes...(both because they don't want to raise taxes further and because a weaker economy means less overall tax income), they must "massage" their accounts by borrowing....

Greece's problems are indeed Germany's problems. Germany's problems are indeed the United States' problems. And the United States' problems are indeed the world's problems....

What is going on is a worldwide game of chicken. Everyone seems to be waiting for who will flinch first. Someone is going to make a mistake. And then we'll have what the American economist Barry Eichengreen has called "the mother of all financial crises." Even China will be affected by that one.

Immanuel Wallerstein, senior research scholar at Yale University, is author of The Decline of American Power: The U.S. in a Chaotic World (New Press).

Source: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/775221--baleful-greek-chorus-heralds-economic-doom

 

A concatenation of fortuitous circumstances

(Written 23 January 2010)

The moment is the start of life, when did it actually commence?

I was behind in the race, but, through mysterious forces, soon advanced to a place of Will.

The eternal bond colligates seemingly unrelated events into the tapestry of one's unfolding destiny.

Color strokes from life's palette reproduce ethereal Forms upon the canvas of the effacing soul.

 

A quotation of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which may have inspired the above, is this:

The most important thing is to polish the mirrors of hearts in order that they may become illumined and receptive of the divine light.  One heart may possess the capacity of the polished mirror; another, be covered and obscured by the dust and dross of this world.  Although the same Sun is shining upon both, in the mirror which is polished, pure and sanctified you may behold the Sun in all its fullness, glory and power, revealing its majesty and effulgence; but in the mirror which is rusted and obscured there is no capacity for reflection, although so far as the Sun itself is concerned it is shining thereon and is neither lessened nor deprived.  Therefore, our duty lies in seeking to polish the mirrors of our hearts in order that we shall become reflectors of that light and recipients of the divine bounties which may be fully revealed through them.

- 'Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 14

 

 

Photo copyright Bahá’í International Community. View here.

 

Op-Ed Columnist - The Hard and the Soft of the Norwegians

Excerpt:

...there also is an interesting form of social capital on display [in this astonishing story]. It’s a mixture of softness and hardness. Baalsrud was kept alive thanks to a serial outpouring of love and nurturing. At the same time, he and his rescuers displayed an unbelievable level of hardheaded toughness and resilien...ce. That’s a cultural cocktail bound to produce achievement in many spheres.

The article:

via nytimes.com

The United States, a nation of 300 million, won nine gold medals this year in the Winter Olympics. Norway, a nation of 4.7 million, also won nine. This was no anomaly. Over the years, Norwegians have won more gold medals in Winter Games, and more Winter Olympics medals over all, than people from any other nation.

David Brooks

Read All Comments (301) »

There must be many reasons for Norway’s excellence, but some of them are probably embedded in the story of Jan Baalsrud.
In 1943, Baalsrud was a young instrument maker who was asked to sneak back into Norway to help the anti-Nazi resistance.
His mission, described in the book “We Die Alone” by David Howarth, was betrayed. His boat was shelled by German troops. Baalsrud dove into the ice-covered waters and swam, with bullets flying around him, toward an island off the Norwegian coast. The rest of his party was killed on the spot, or captured and eventually executed, but Baalsrud made it to the beach and started climbing an icy mountain. He was chased by Nazis, and he killed one officer.
He was hunted by about 50 Germans and left a trail in the deep snow. He’d lost one boot and sock, and he was bleeding from where his big toe had been shot off. He scrambled across the island and swam successively across the icy sound to two other islands. On the second, he lay dying of cold and exhaustion on the beach.
Two girls found and led him to their home. And this is the core of the story. During the next months, dozens of Norwegians helped Baalsrud get across to Sweden. Flouting any sense of rational cost-benefit analysis, families and whole villages risked their lives to help one gravely ill man, who happened to drop into their midst.
Baalsrud was clothed and fed and rowed to another island. He showed up at other houses and was taken in. He began walking across the mountain ranges on that island in the general direction of the mainland, hikes of 24, 13 and 28 hours without break.
A 72-year-old man rowed him the final 10 miles to the mainland, past German positions, and gave him skis. Up in the mountains, he skied through severe winter storms. One night, he started an avalanche. He fell at least 300 feet, smashed his skis and suffered a severe concussion. His body was buried in snow, but his head was sticking out. He lost sense of time and self-possession. He was blind, the snow having scorched the retinas of his eyes.
He wandered aimlessly for four days, plagued by hallucinations. At one point he thought he had found a trail, but he was only following his own footsteps in a small circle. ...

Read the full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/opinion/02brooks.html

 More Articles in Opinion » A version of this article appeared in print on March 2, 2010, on page A23 of the New York edition.

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An approach to detraction and negativity

How to meet with negativity and fault-finding?

Silent prayer, I suppose, as well as showing a good example oneself by praising without distinction. What doesn't seem to work is to voice one's disagreement with the negativity (by trying to point to the positive). I find this actually magnifies the negativity (since the la...tter is being used as the premise for what you're saying - better to overlook negativity entirely!).

 

I'm reminded of these passages from Esslemont's book:

On no subject are the Bahá’í teaching more imperative and uncompromising than on the requirement to abstain from faultfinding....

‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:—

"To be silent concerning the faults of others, to pray for them, and to help them, through kindness, to correct their faults.
"To look always at the good and not at the bad. If a man has ten good qualities and one bad one, to look at the ten and forget the one; and if a man has ten bad qualities and one good one, to look at the one and forget the ten."

http://is.gd/9DnHC

 

As well as this quotation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

Remember how Adam and the others once dwelt together in Eden. No sooner, however, did a quarrel break out between Adam and Satan than they were, one and all, banished from the Garden, and this was meant as a warning to the human race, a means of telling humankind that dissension—even with the Devil—is the way to bitter loss. This is why, in our illumined age, God teacheth that conflicts and disputes are not allowable, not even with Satan himself.

http://is.gd/9Do6n

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