Reading is good for the soul

My lovely mornings, every other morning, resulted in my music yoga CD, “Mind, Body and Soul”. This gentle introduction CD was working on me, to keep me meditated. Today I read beside it. I have only finished two books since my operation in April this year, and I still have 3 other books which I had started, lying around just waiting for me. I was using my books as recovery from my brain injury, yet they were still so much harder than I had ever found books.

I always loved books, I always had a shelf (or two) of just my favourites, I brought some of my favourites from NZ when I moved over here nine and a half years ago, I have given books away, sold them, bought them, wandered through book stores, been to State Library or Brisbane Library, attended readings at Avid Bookstore and have kept reading my entire life, until my operation. I am coming around to it now – it is recovery.

The latest book I finished is called “Wings of Madness: a mother’s journey”, by Jo Buchanan. Jo is the mother of Miles Buchanan, who had been well known on Australian TV during his youth, before he had suffered from his own brain problems – depression, to just identify it as “something”.  Miles wrote a “Last Word”, which turned me to thinking. This gentleman seems to have become religious during his recovery. He wrote: “We mustn’t let logic and modern scientific theories that support atheism get us down.” And other writing.

 I have been atheist for many years. I don’t believe that it has caused me any problems. I do believe, firmly, that religious is what causes every person and everything all sorts of problems. Just about every politician in Australia – in the world – appears to have some sort of religious belief which runs them and their life and their decisions. The very best politician is José Mujica, the President of Uruguay. According to the history about this presently-serving person, he donates 90% of his monthly income to people of lower income under him. Mujica refused to live in the Uruguay presidential palace and use palace staff. That sort of choice is so different than most of the world, and yet it is so real.

Most Australian politicians should make themselves aware of the history of women, and should not be so silly – such as Julie Bishop. This LNP woman accused ALP Tanya Plibersek of undermining the ALP leader, Bill Shorten. Why does that count? Shorten doesn’t come across as a good leader. Plibersek does. Bishop should be joining with the Australian voters against Abbott, another bad leader, rather than against Plibersek. Abbott recently attended the climate meeting in China, yet he said that jobs and growth income are “so” much important than a 16 year climate change. If he riddled this, Australia is just heading backwards.

 

Under Abbott, Australia has picked up its religion - Christianity. Christian schools make so much more money than state schools, and in this country other religions aren’t so important. Under recent war in East countries, against ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), Aussie soldiers have been sent over there to fight against them. ISIL is just as stupid as Australian home politicians, and yet no-one take this in. There are some women in Syria who are fighting against the ISIL – they need to win, not so-called good (male) soldiers from everywhere in the world.

 But hang on – did you know that the ISIL is often known as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)? How many (Western) journalists who continue to use ISIS as they are writing are at all aware of Isis, a (female) ruler in Egypt BCE? Wiki wrote some very interesting history about her. She was “a goddess from the polytheistic pantheon of Egypt. She was first worshiped in Ancient Egyptian religion, and later her worship spread throughout the Roman empire and the greater Greco-Roman world.” How many people fighting the ISIL as their proclaimed ISIS are aware of the original Isis? Don’t disagree with Wiki – read the books they list at the bottom of their Isis history! However, it is unfortunate that, due to systematic and rational statements on religion, past Egyptologists believed that there was an increasing move toward monotheism. This is another Wiki page, but possibly most Christian school attendees don’t read it – or will never understand it. Why? Well, because they just have “teachers”!

Back to my original paragraph. I wrote about my books, and I haven’t changed – I still love them! I am certain that whilst I have my TBI I will be a lot slower at reading, but I know that I am getting over it. After all, all the other paragraphs were just ultra-thoughts. I have more of my own books to read. See you again!