Guys before u read any further, please do understand that a rough nite was had b y some of us last nite so, if this mail is fragmented, and makes no sense, this time there is a valid reason for it.

Another week almost done, 63 more days till year end…y is time still flying? Aint got articles no more, all that’s happening now is a nigga’s getting older, and dagnabit, negro aint ready to grow!!

How u all this fine Friday morning? So whats going on with u all?

Today we is gonna have one well controversial email… Religion! I was born to a Presbyterian father and an Anglican mommy, Christianity is the religion I follow. I don’t identify myself to one particular church, because in my eyes tis all silly really all the different churches within one religion who in the past used to take a dig at each other…some still do. And then there is all the skandaal in the churches lately. If u r a catholic, nowadays u will struggle to find a confessional, let alone a priest to confess to, cos all em buggers are in there confessing to each other…hey Paul, u no that alter boy, u talking about Jimmy, yah the one with the tight ass, yip I did him, no…. can u just imagine the conversation!!

And no I am not mocking my religion, but lately I have been questioning it quite a bit, questions that I used to ask when I was younger keep popping back into my head, and the thing with age, is u can’t just accept it cos mommy said so no more. But its not just Christianity, in my mind all religion is awesome, cos there sure as there is snow in Greenland is a God, or a superior being, cos I for one find it hard to believe that the process of ingesting food, having teeth in your mouth to grind it to a pulp and salivary glands to assist in the process, then swallowing it into ur stomach where the gastric acids and all have their turn to show their worth, then it all comes out in the form of air poo or otherwise…u cant tell me that’s a coincidence and have me believe u.

But u know as great as religion is, I cant help but question it from time to time, well the scriptures in particular and its openness to interpretation. Most of us believe there is a higher being, so Jew or Gentile, Hindu or Muslim, we all believe in a God, the only area in which we differ is the method of worshiping and following God. Then there are the extremists who tend to interpret religion as God saying the Arians are the be all and end all, and all else is evil. Then there are those who see being gay as evil, hey gays suck…I am sure they do, but I doubt anyone would intentionally forsake all women…another reason y I believe there is a God, to go shag a hairy potbellied freak in his brownhole. Just doesn’t make sense. People walk around saying that I am better than he or she, cos God said so, yet in the teachings from which you quote, there is written somewhere, that all on are created in the image of God?

When it suits you, you are the most faithful religious person, but let someone really hurt u, we’ll see if you can forgive the person!! HELL NO! U walk around all bleak with the anger of a dozen, Spanish bulls in you, yet in the bible it states, u should forgive your fellow man 77 x 7 times…in other words, as often as it takes.
The hardest thing though for me to understand is the whole Adam and Eve story. From the great book, they are painted as Caucasian, ok lets make em whatever race, but they were both of the same race. Now how do u explain how all the other races came about…I can maybe understand from white to black, cos that African heat can burn a mutha…and there was no factor 31 back in those days, coloureds too, but Asians and orientals aikhona, I know not. Evolution has its merits too
And then there is the story of aliens, and guys and gals if u don’t believe in aliens, I will have to say u is perhaps one of the most naïve people ever. With a universe as vast as ours and to think that our little planet is the only one with life on it…
Another thing about Christianity that I am not too sure about, before the colonials hit the African soil, the brothers had no idea of the Biblical God, does that make the negroes wrong in their beliefs?

These are some of the questions that have popped in my head many a time, and perhaps the more enlightened amongst us can shed some light on this.

I believe that there is most definitely a superior being and religion is right, but what I don’t subscribe to is condemning others because they don’t believe as u believe.

There are 2 very humane religions that I have been reading up on lately, the way of the Rastafarian and Bhudism. My housemate Gayreth, has asked me to put together something about the Rasta…

Rastafari, is a movement that has its roots in the depression of the descendants of African slaves, dumped on the Jamaican Islands. Given no chance in life, plucked from their motherland, to live in filth and slime, in shanty towns that would make our squatter camps look like Beverley Hills, but from this misfortune arose a sentiment, a movement so pure, so without anger so full of love, a faith that cried out from the mountain tops the freedom of spirit, the freedom from slavery and the freedom of Africa!! As I was typing that the words…emancipate urself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds (Bob Marley)…kept playing itself over and over in my head…digress….

Rasta has its roots in the teachings of a one Marcus Garvey in the early 1900’s. His main call was for the negro to empower itself…do for itself, from this came the call for all Africans to return to the motherland. His prophecy’s were thought to be proven when Ras Tafari was crowned emperor Haile Selassie 1 of Ethiopia. It was claimed that Selassie was a direct descendant of King David the 225th ruler in an unbroken line of Ethiopian Kings from the time of Solomon and Sheba.

Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie , is the living God for the black race, they believe him to be the Jesus that is spoken about in the bible and that the colonials tricked the negros to believe that Jesus was white. Africa and specifically Ethiopia also refered to as Zion is believed to be a Rasta’s heaven on earth. They do not believe in the afterlife or hell as most other religions believe, they do however believe that their ancestors may have wronged Jah in some way or another hence slavery and exile into the western world. When a rasta refers to Babylon, they refer to the political oppression of the western world that has kept a negro down for many a year. First it was slavery now its poverty, illiteracy and inequality…

“He causeth the grass for the cattle and the herb for the service of man”. Psalms 104:14, “…thou shalt eat the herb of the field” Genesis 3:18, “…eat every herb of the land” exodus 10:12, “Better is a dinner of herb where love is, than a stalled o and hatred therewith” Proverbs 15:17…these are some biblical extracts, that justify the religious use of Marijuana or Ganja for Rastafarians. Not only is weed used for spiritual and religious purposes, but its uses are vast. They rely on it for medicinal purposes too. Rastas are generally vegetarians, consuming mainly crop from the earth, in its most natural form, cooked but served as raw as possible, no canned food, no preservatives no salt, no mrs balls. Those that eat meat are not allowed to eat the pig, cos they are the scavengers of the earth, they may eat fish, but not crabs, lobster or shrimp cos they too are scavengers, but of the sea. The fish they should not be more than 12 inches long. Drink…only the natural stuff like tea, liquor, milk, coffee, soft drinks etc are a no no, cos they are seen as unnatural

The main colours of the rasta are green, red and black, sometimes yellow is used as well. Red symbolizes the church triumphant, the rastas church, it also represents the blood many a rasta has shed in the negros struggle for liberation. The black symbolizes the colour of Africans, the green expresses the the beauty and vegetation of Ethiopia and the yellow represents the wealth of their homeland.

Now I am sure most of y’all are wondering y Rastafarians grow dreads? Contrary to popular belief, dreads aren’t merely a way to get some tv ads, they too have a biblical beginning. In Leviticus 21:5 It says: they shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh”. The manner in which the hair grows is said to represent the lion of Judah, which has come to represent priesthood and naturality.

An interesting fact, I am well sure that u heard many a rasta say the phrase “I and I” instead of “you and I”. This is done because rastas believe no one to be more superior or more privileged than another in the basic truth of life, because all people are bound together by the one God.

Rastafarians reject the life of the west, needing no material possession, their lives are all about studying the scriptures, living a peaceful existence...tis all about the love…one love!!

Birthdays….
Pearl, my apologies for omitting u last week, happy happy for Thursday, hey but at least I wished u a happy happy in person ;-)

27th Oct – Ivy

A quote for u las….”when I let go of what I am, I become what I might be” Lao Tzu.

To all the Hindu readers, Happy Diwali for last weekend, and to the Muslim readers, all the best for Ramadan.

Well good people I am out of here u have urselves a fab week…and once again, maximum respect

Toodles

Y

Another week half way done..fcuk ass

How u boys and girls? I am so damn tired, stuck at work 9:30pm on tuesday evening fun fun fun. Now I am sitting here work done and i have realised that i need to get out my mail today cos I am not in the office from tomorrow only back on monday.

So now i am thinkin hard and tryin to come up with something to write...and all thoughts fail me and i guess its allowed seing the time so once again gonna hve to resort to a cut and paste excercise...once again compliments of Sean H...

BE THE ONE!
If it seems that the world needs a little more kindness, be the one to put it there. If you see something that needs to be done, be the one to do it.
When you come across a problem, be the one to work out a solution, and to turn that problem into an opportunity. When the time is ripe for a fresh perspective, be the one to offer your opinion.
If no one is sure of what to do or say, be the one to offer a genuine smile and a kind word of reassurance. When there is something that must be said, be the one to speak up and get it out in the open.
If everyone waits for someone else to make the first move, nothing ever gets done. Be the one to step forward and get all those around you moving in a positive direction. The world needs those who are willing to get things going. And life richly rewards those who do it.
Take the initiative and be a leader. Someone has to do it, and you can be the one.

ACCEPT THE POSSIBILITY!
The biggest successes come to those who are not afraid to fail. When you can accept and live with the possibility of failure, then you're able to create the reality of success.
Success that is guaranteed is meaningless, for it creates nothing of real value. The value of true success is derived from the obstacles that must be transcended in order to reach it.
So how do you find the courage to accept the risk of failure? By knowing that no failure can diminish the value of who you are. No failure can take away your ability to accomplish. In fact, when you fall short of the mark after sincere and sustained effort, it is not really failure but a powerful step toward eventual success.
After every success, after every setback, you will still be you, ready to go at it again. Accept the possibility of failure, and you'll surely reach the reality of success.

LET JOY FLOW!
You cannot know joy by storing it all up for yourself. For then it becomes stagnant and ceases to be joyful at all.
What if you lived in the most magnificent mansion you can imagine, yet had no one to share it with or no one to ever visit you? It's easy to see that such an arrangement would soon become unbearably dreary and miserable.
Your life is far more valuable than the most opulent mansion. And that value is fulfilled and experienced to the extent that you share the best of yourself with those around you.
Let joy flow out from you at every possible opportunity. And there will always be more than enough coming back to you to take its place.
Seek to make a better world by offering the best of yourself, and increasingly you will indeed experience a better world. Find joy in the good fortune of others and that joy will know no end.

Birthdays....

25th Karina
26th Philip

Love. Passion. Soul...You cant have any if you dont have a heart first! Hope u all have fantastic birthdays, i no its becomin a tad cliched, but tis my wish for u on ur birthdays, what else can a man say

Guys honest i will make it up in times to come, i know these emails have been lackin a bit of originality in the last few weeks, but tis been hectic and i've been lazy, but that will soon change. You all enjoy the rest of your weeks and remember, life is like a boomerang, what u give out is what u receive!! Respect to the max to all the masses

Hey all, very quick one this week

Hope all is well with ya'll things might sweet this end, how can it not be, its friday, sun is shining and my name is still Yaw, everything is fine fine fine!! 2 new additions to the list, Chrissy, Dinah and Ivy, welcome to our world of rants and raves with me generally doing all the talkin, but thats not thru preferance, just all u all is just too damn lazy to respond..except last week, where i must say i appreciated the effort shown by those that chose to respond. Ladies if u wanna leave a comment please log onto http://mondaymail.blogspot.com (blowing my own horn i guess, but the last few have been pretty interesting and long, but if u have a moment to spare, press on), should u wanna be removed from this list at any stage, drop me a line.

This week's been silly, been up and down doing all sorts of crazy work stuff, but fcuk me its interesting, job satisfaction at present for me is at a high, so its all good. Ike and Lolo, congrats on the marriage this weekend past (3rd ceremondy, but hey who's counting) hope u 2 have a blessed and fulfilling union....

Other than that seeing as i dont have time to think or write, i am gonna plagarise and cut and paste a little passage or 2 that i received from Sean H. Couple of short little things to remember...

IT MATTERS!
Every moment you are doing something that matters. Every moment you are exerting your own bit of influence on the direction of life, on the direction in which your world is moving. Even when you are doing nothing, it matters very much. For by doing nothing, you allow some of your greatest possibilities to pass by without ever being fulfilled.
Whatever you're doing right now truly matters. It will make a difference in the way your life proceeds, a difference for yourself and for all those around you. What will the difference amount to? That depends on what you're doing.
You cannot escape the consequences that will surely come from this moment. Yet you can have a very influential say in what those consequences will be, by virtue of what you do with it.
Live every moment as though it's the most important thing you can do. And soon enough you'll discover that it is.
MAKE A MASTERPIECE!
Relax and enjoy the ride. Sometimes you can control where you're going, other times you get swept along by forces beyond your control. Yet you can always control how you think and feel and respond. You can always control what you carry with you as you move on ahead.
Resist the urge to fight against events, or to become completely absorbed by them. Instead, find a way to make positive and productive use of them. There is so much more to be gained when you focus on moving forward than when you become consumed by looking backward. Rather than getting hung up on how you got here, become enthusiastic about where you can go from here.
The way will sometimes be slow and bumpy, and other times it will be smooth and easy. In all cases it will be filled with opportunities for joy, meaning and true fulfillment.
As each moment of life arrives with its unique and never-before-tasted flavor, smile and let it be. Then proceed to make it a masterpiece.
BRING JOY!
Bring joy to every moment, whatever the moment may be. Rather than taking your cue from the circumstances you find, set out to inject your own living joy into the places you go and the things you do.
There is always room for real, sincere joy, even in the most difficult of situations. And it is in those difficult situations that a grateful, joyful, positive heart can make the biggest difference.
Others may judge a particular task to be dreary, tedious, or tiresome, but that's just their opinion. When you approach that same task with joy and enthusiasm, you can add enormous value.
There's no need to wait for joy to come to you. You're perfectly capable of spreading it yourself, far and wide. During work and during play, when times are easy and when things are difficult, bring joy. If there's a reason for it, if there's no reason for it, even if there are reasons not to, bring joy.
Bring joy to every moment, and that is where you will know it.

Lemme leave u with these 3 short yet insightful messages and i hope u adopt them in your daily lives, cos trust u me it will make ur lifes journey that much more pleasureable...use it dont use it....

Birthdays....
16th Thabo H...guy appologies for the lateness, but ey better late than neva ne??? hope it was a good one! here is a quote just for u guy...."Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together" - Vincent Van Gogh

Amigos, hasta lavista babies, cos tis back to the grindstone i go, u all have a great weekend c, maximum respect to the masses, ere me now!!

Later

“When you’re down and troubled and u need a helping hand, and nothing oh nothing is going right, close your eyes and think of me and soon I’ll be there to brighten up even your darkest day, just call out my name and you know wherever I am I’ll come running to see u again….winter spring summer or fall, all u gotta do is call and I’ll be there yeah… yeah… yeah…you’ve got a friend” – Roberta Flack

“…keep smiling, keep shining, knowing u can always count on me, for sure, that’s what friends are for, for good times and bad times, I’ll be on your side forever more, that’s what friends are for….”Dionne Warwick and friends

Another week draws to a close, yaaaaay!! Trust all is well with y’all, things be well swell this end of the world. Boys and girls, I don’t ask y’all for much, but damnit u all had better post comments either on the site or directly to me regarding this topic!

Right here is the story, (not mine, but mind u the same shaite has happened to me once or twice or thrice..)…

Now here’s a little story I gotta tell about two young ladies best of mates they been since like 1985, shaite long time, very good family mates too, I mean oldest sisters were good mates and younger brothers are great mates too. But now here is the scandal. The one las lets call her “Angry” met this boy we call him “Mexican chips” last year sometime, and they got along pretty well, they “hung out” for a good 6 weeks or so, I guess u could even say they were seeing each other, or at least shared mutual interest in each other. During this period, Angry introduced Mexican chips to her best mate “War”. Well after weeks of sharing each others company, Chips had to return to his country. But he and Angry have been in touch regularly since…phone calls, sms’, etc. and every time she would yak to him, she would tell all her mates, which would include war.

Here comes the scandal…it would appear that Angry’s mate War, went to visit Chips in his country and didn’t tell Angry about it, and to make matters even more interesting, Chips is in the country again for a while and is shaking up with War, but even more interesting than that is that War and Angry stay in the same block of flats…SCANDAAAAALL!!!

Anyway, apparently this, behind the scenes affair has been going on for a while, and War has resisted telling Angry all this time, but one day, she felt it fit to tell Angry, so she picked up a phone and told her about it. There might be some more to this story that I am forgetting to tell u all but that should be enough background information. As u can well imagine, Angry is just that, ANGRY, livid might be a better description of her emotions at the moment, and War’s is like “what have I done wrong? Am I not allowed to be happy?”

Well here is my take on the situation: facts:
Angry and Mexican chips were not going out, should any other guy have presented himself to her and he ‘fit the profile’ she would definitely have said ‘how u doin?
Angry and Mexican chip will never be a happily ever after story, different countries and just too much politics.”
Angry and War have been close friends (well up to 2 weeks or so ago) for last 18 yrs or so, same school, same class most of the time, same university, live in the same block of flats, they was tight.
War chose to tell Angry by phone (which I think was a good idea, cos angry can get ANGRY) a good few months after ‘sneakin around’.

I think Angry has every right to be livid, her and War were close mates and she (War) knew how she (Angry) felt about chips (assumption), yet War, instead of telling Angry face to face, preferably before things started getting along with her and chips, chose to tell Angry a few days before Chips was to get back into the country, by phone.

But on the other hand, Chips likes War, and there is nothing u can do about that, as kak as it is it’s the truth so Angry’s just got ta deal with it.

I am rambling, so lemme cut to the chase. When I first heard the story I thought, Angry was over reacting, its not like she and chips were an item or anything, but then I thought wait, wasn’t too long ago that u were in a similar position, and u were bleak, but in my case I realised that my group of mates from school, not all but most are c*nts when it comes to their mates chicks and all, so I know that and I don’t trust em for shaite around girls, but they are still my mates and really for no girl who sees it fit to get with one of my mates will I sacrifice my friendships. I think in my case I think it was more of, damn I lost her… to my friggin mate, whats da fork, cos I would have given 2 hoots if she was with another boy..

There is this saying I got from one of the episodes of Knight Rider, back in the day, it was the Boca Colebra episode, the one bad guy said this: “Life is like a boomerang, what u put out is what u receive” and I think that is true in most cases. The world has its own laws, I think some call it Carma, so if u have done wrong, it will come back and bite u in the ass, u can even apply newtons 2nd law, which states “for every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction” nuff said

Some might argue, but ur ‘friends’ are they really ur mates if they can do that?

Please shed some light on this for me, whats ur take on this and how would u react, how should one react, etc.

Birthdays…
6th Liz
11th Cousin George
In the words of Jason Donavan and Kylie Minogue…Especially for u…oh and the memories flood back, Fiifi, who was the flavour of the month when this song was a hit? I digress… a quote for u guys “our real blessings appear to us in the shape of pain, losses and disappointments; but let us have patience and we shall soon see them in their proper form.” – Camelia Elliot

Quotes…yea I no its been a while
Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.
George Washington (1732 - 1799)
Don't flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become. Except in cases of necessity, which are rare, leave your friend to learn unpleasant things from his enemies; they are ready enough to tell them.
Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809 - 1894), The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table, 1858
Friends have all things in common.
Plato (427 BC - 347 BC), Dialogues, Phaedrus ( a quote taken very literally in this instance hee hee)

Have u needed to take a piss so bad that once u finally get to it ur eyes start to water? Just had one of those now, what a pleasure…boys and girls u have u a wikkid weekend, peace, love and happiness…maximum respect!!

Y

"I know the path. It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it. I weep when i slip. God's word is: 'He who strivers never perishes'. I have implicit faith in that promise. Though, therefore, from my weakness I fail a thousand times, I will not lose faith, but hope that I shall see the light when the flesh has been brought under perfect subjection, as some day it must'.

Search for truth
“To find truth completely is to realize oneself and ones destiny, i.e., to become perfect. I am painfully conscious of my imperfections, and therein lies all the strength I posses because it is a rare thing for a man to know his own limitations”

Trust in God
“I am in the world feeling my way to light ‘amid the encircling gloom’. I often err and miscalculate…My trust is solely in God. And I trust men only because I trust God. If I had no God to rely upon, I should be like Timon, a hater of my species.

“I am a man of faith. My reliance is solely on God. One step is enough for me. The next step He will make clear to me when the time comes for it”

No secrecy
“I have no secret methods. I know no diplomacy save the truth. I have no weapon but non-violence. I may be unconsciously led astray for a while, but not for all the time”

“My life has been an open book. I have no secrets and I encourage no secrets”

“I am but a poor soul yearning to be wholly good-wholly truthful and wholly non-violent in thought word and deed, but ever failing to reach the ideal I know t be true. I admit it is a painful climb, but the pain of it is a positive pleasure for me. Each step upward makes me feel stronger and fit for the next”.

Guidance
“I claim to have no infallible guidance or inspiration. So far as my experience goes, the claim to infallibility on the part of a human being would be untenable, seeing that inspiration too can come only to one who is free from the action of opposites, and it will be difficult to judge on a given occasion whether the claim to freedom from pairs of opposites is justified. The claim to infallibility would thus always be a most dangerous claim to make. This, however, does not leave us without any guidance whatsoever. The sum-total of the experience of the world is available to us and would be for all time to come.”

“Moreover, there are not many fundamental truths, but there is only one fundamental truth which is Truth itself, otherwise known as Non-violence. Finite human being shall never know in its fullness Truth and love which is in itself infinite. But we do know enough for our guidance. We shall err, and sometimes grievously, in our application. But man is a self-governing being, and self-government necessarily includes the power as much to commit errors as to set them right as often as they are made.”

Self sacrifice
“I want to declare to the world, although I have forfeited the regard of many friends in the West - and I must bow my head low; but even for their friendship or love, I must not suppress the voice of conscience, - the promptings of my inner basic nature today. There is something within me impelling me to cry out my agony. I have known humanity. I have studied something of psychology. Such a man knows exactly what it is. I do not mind how you describe it. That voice within tells me, "You have to stand against the whole world although you may have to stand alone. You have to stare in the face the whole world although the world may look at you with blood-shot eyes. Do not fear. Trust the little voice residing within your heart." It says: "Forsake friends, wife and all; but testify to that for which you have lived and for which you have to die."

No defeatism
“I have never lost my optimism. In seemingly darkest hours hope has burnt bright within me. I cannot kill the hope myself. I must say I cannot give an ocular demonstration to justify the hope. But there is no defeat in me.”

Trust
“It is true that I have often been let down. Many have deceived me and many have been found wanting. But I do not repent of my association with them. For I know how to non-co-operate, as I know how to co-operate. The most practical, the most dignified way of going on in the world is to take people at their word, when you have no positive reason to the contrary.”

My leadership
“It is a bad carpenter who quarrels with his tools. It is a bad general who blames his men for faulty workmanship. I know I am not a bad general. I have wisdom enough to know my limitations. God will give me strength enough to declare my bankruptcy if such is to be my lot. He will perhaps take me away when I am no longer wanted for the work which I have been permitted to do for nearly half a century. But I do entertain the hope that there is yet work for me to do, that the darkness that seems to have enveloped me will disappear, and that, whether with another battle more brilliant than the Dandi March or without, India will come to her own demonstrably through non-violent means. I am praying for the light that will dispel the darkness. Let those who have a living faith in non-violence join me in the prayer.”

My work
“My work will be finished if I succeed in carrying conviction to the human family, that every man or woman, however weak in body, is the guardian of his or her self-respect and liberty. This defense avails, though the whole world may be against the individual resister.”

Those are extracts from some of the teachings and philosophies of a great man of the world called Mahatma Ghandi. The main focus of his philosophies were “truth, non-violence, fearlessness, swadeshi (unto the poor), freedom, democracy, sarvodaya (unity of man), satyagraha (passive resistance), economy and labour. For a more in-depth description of these pilosophies visit this site http://www.gandhismriti.org/gp.htm

Mohandas Ghandi was born on the 2nd October 1869 at Porbandar, to Putlibai,( a traditional Indian woman, devoted to her home and family, deeply religious)…and Karamchand Ghandi, with Karamchand being Prime minister successively in 3 Kathiawar states. He was known to be as steadfast as steal and as loyal as a dog.

Gandhi was no Doogie Howser at school, no particular brilliance, played no sport, avoided company and like myself didn’t venture to read anything in excess of his prescribed textbooks. He was the youngest of 3 boys. At the age of 13 (the age at which he finished high school), he was married to Kastruba, who was aged 10 at the time.

When his father passed on, it was his older brother, Laxmidas, who sent him to England, in 1887, to pursue legal studies, but he could only leave after he gave his word to his mother that he would lead a caste and simple life (i.e. no meat, wine or women), he succumbed to the temptation of the west, but only briefly and returned to the ways which felt right to him.

In 1893, he set sail for South Africa to handle a case, his case didn’t take too long and he could return to England soon after he arrived in SA, but he chose to remain in SA for a further 21 years to fight for Indian rights. He founded and ran his Ashram settlement at Phoenix and Tolrtoy farm in Natal, (what is the capital of India…Durban…) moving on. During the Boer war and the Zulu rebellion, he assisted the government by raising Indian Ambulance and Stretcher-barer Crops which served close to the line of fire, an act that earned him certain awards and accolades for his deed. The passive ressistance in protest of the human rights violation of the Indian people was to be a long and drawn out process, which was eventually overcome soon after he led the “great march” from Natal to Transvaal on November 1913 and in July he set sail for India. Enroute, the great war broke out, instead of continuing on his merry way, Gandhi decided to pull over in England and help raise Indian Volunteer Crops, he set sail for India in December.

He received further honours for his assistance during the war, as well as a hero’s welcome on his return to India. The end of the great war brought India zero freedom, instead more strife and repression, hard work and hardly any wages…and so began the protests, the first being a country wide protest against the Rowlatt Act of 1919. This act allowed political cases to be tried without juries and allowed government the right to jail political suspects without a trial. Gandhi asked for his peeps to not co-operate with the government and plenty heeded his call. As a result of the Rowland Act, most of these people were jailed and as u can well imagine the jails were overflowing, like a toilet that has just been occupied by a sumo wrestler with diarrhoea.

Gandhi’s first act of civil disobedience, was to urge the people of India not to pay the Salt tax, a tax that the British saw fit to charge the industrious Indians who, saw the salt from the sea as a means of generating revenues that the farm owners refused to pay.

Even though Gandhi was arrested, his non-violent protest methods could not be killed, many of his followers endured harassment, beatings some even died, but Satyagaraha prospered!

In 1942, the wheels were set in motion for total independence from Britain, this was sparked by the “Quit India” resolution passed by the All India Congress Committee. The government acted within a day, arresting Gandhi and plenty other leaders in India. Then the shaite hit the fan, protests, strikes, sporadic violence, it was a mess. The British Viceroy didn’t help matters much, especially when he put the blame for the violence squarely on Gandhi’s shoulders, Gandhi protested. He sent a series of lengthy letters to the viceroy to retract his statement, but he didn’t, as a result Gandhi fasted for 21 days in Feb, 1943.

His wife, Kasturba, was with him in jail through this ordeal, she cared for him and nursed him back to health, her health, unfortunately took a dive and she suffered 2 heart attacks, Ghandi tried to save her, but couldn’t, she died peacefully in his arms as if that wasn’t enuff trauma in his life, a few weeks later he became seriously ill with malaria. The people asked for his immediate release and the government thinking he was near dead, obliged. He regained his health. In 1945, the 2nd world war was over and the Labour party was now in power in Britain, they had devised a plan for India’s independence. The plan resulted in India being split into 2 parts, a secular India and a Muslin nation of Pakistan. And we know what resulted from this, Gandhi saw this split as a spiritual tragedy….

On 30 January, Gandhi was on his way to a prayer meeting with his granddaughter after an afternoon nap, a lightie came up to him seekin his blessing. The lightie drew a firearm and let off 3 shots, all 3 hit the target, Gandhi fell to the ground uttering the prayer “Rama Rama”, and died…

Of his death Nehru, a political ally and follower of Gandhi’s, said, ‘the light had gone out of our lives.

Birthdays
1st Herman
4th Shlimky

Happy birthday boys hope it was or is a good day.

“Life is like snowboarding; u must get up every time u fall. Once u stop falling you then begin to enjoy it. If u stay down, you will never see why people love it so much” William Nepe

and another quote for u all

The distance from failure to success has never been longer than a bridge of HOPE

Later all and have a beaut of a weekend, maximum respect, aiiiii!!