Bambi's Thoughts
Day after day, war is destroying Lebanon. As a change from the sad news in the media, Bambi shares a song in a promotional video she just found. May the suffering of the Lebanese people end once and for all. May tourists who will return to the Land of the Cedars be charmed with its beauty again, just like in Mr. Omar Rahbany’s joyful song.
Early morning Bambi briefly read in L’Orient Le Jour the shocking story of two Iranian brothers of Kurdish origins (https://tinyurl.com/e6hx92tu). This evening she took the time to re-read the details of this awful story in Le Matin (https://tinyurl.com/yckfkdd8).
The tragedy reported above stems from Iran’s HARSH version of the Sharia law. The latter derives from the Koran and the Sunnah (words/actions of the Prophet Muhammad). It includes a set of individual as well as collective rights, duties, rules, and sanctions for Muslims. The latter are derived from tradition and jurisprudence (https://tinyurl.com/2dt5unc7).
Since we are in 2024, why is the Iranian regime still using a guillotine to physically punish its citizens, whether wrongfully or accurately convicted of theft? Instead of reforming its legal system, Iran is busy using other countries, including tiny Lebanon, as a battle ground to fight Israel, via its Islamist proxies. How can we trust it then to have nuclear weapons?
Of note, the barbaric story featured in this post followed another tragedy: Iran executed a German-American-Iranian dissident, Mr. Jamshid Sharmahd. Heartfelt condolences to his daughter Ms. Gazelle Sharmahd who, according to the Deutshe Welle, expressed her disappointment by both the American and German governments’ insufficient efforts to try to save her dad (https://tinyurl.com/muae82c7). May his memory be eternal.
Thank you L’Orient Le Jour for your 6 minute podcast, which consists of a moving testimony of a 77-year-old Lebanese woman from Beirut. A podcast worth watching.
According to the video-interview from October 19th that Bambi found only today (https://tinyurl.com/27n5wu8h), Mr. Trump (et al.) want not just “peace” for the Middle East, but also “happiness“, to use his own words. According to him, the people of Lebanon will be happy in the end despite their unbearable suffering.
Of note, the video also mentions some stats about the estimated very high number of Americans of Lebanese descent as well as Americans of Arab heritage (i.e., including those of the Muslim faith) who are planning to vote for Mr. Trump.
In contrast to Mr. Trump’s optimism, in the the video mentioned above and shared below, the interviewed Lebanese lady seems to be more pessimistic than the former (and maybe future?) American president.
Today Bambi woke up thirty minutes earlier than usual. This made her have at least 10-15 minutes more to devote to her latest puzzle before going to work.
At the end of her day, while walking to her car, she had the joy of appreciating the incredible beauty of a lovely tree in the middle of the Canadian fall. She took a picture for you (shared below).
Minutes before this pleasurable moment of encounter with the tree, she took the time to inquire about a cute infant born abroad a couple of months ago. His aunt kindly showed her recent pictures stored in her phone. The baby made her day, just like the puzzle and the tree!
Then, she got home and enjoyed a hot coffee with French-vanilla and hazelnut flavour, telling herself that after work she can re-visit her puzzle again before going to sleep :).
Even if you might not care about Bambi’s day, she described it still to encourage you to think about the little details of your own day. You may keep your thought for yourself or, if you wish, you are invited to share your insights on this blog or privately. It is always a pleasure to hear from you.
Do the pleasant moments of Bambi’s current day change the fact that there is still an UGLY ongoing war in her birth country and/or in the neighbourhood? Sadly, of course not. Does it remove her worries about her loved ones, along with concerns or sadness for the displaced, injured, or killed innocent population of tiny Lebanon, and about the fate of the latter? Of course not. However, if only for moments , she “forgot” about war (which is days and nights on her mind) by focusing on the beauty around her and on inner states of calmness as well as flow moments.
For sure, she will later have an urge to read the news and to search the media and YouTube for live coverage on this or that channel, from this or that country, to try to understand or make sense of a senseless ongoing war.
However, for now, she tried to manage the extra heavy stress of life to the best of her capacity. She chose to do so by focusing on the present moment. Perhaps the joy we encounter in the little things help us in keeping our sanity, despite the insane world, and to preserve our baseline levels of contentment.
Perhaps the practice shared in this post is made easier when we live a simple life in a magical region of the wide and beautiful Canada? Regardless of (external) nature or of our own (inner) nature or character, finding meaning in daily life may give us a double sense of purpose and perspective. It might serve to allow us to manage our energy, which is key when dealing with chronic stress.
To conclude this post, Bambi wishes you all peace of mind. May your inner beauty shine on the outside world while you appreciate the charm of the little things of life. Have a good one everyone!
Bambi just read in the French media that the caretaker Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli strikes of Iran, calling them a “violation of Iran’s sovereignty and a serious threat to regional security” (https://tinyurl.com/cy5uww9e).
It is one thing to condemn the escalation of violence that could have threatened the entire region. Bravo to him for doing that.
However, it is totally another thing to appear to show concern for the sovereignty of the country that is unscrupulously using Lebanon as its battleground to fight Israel.
The current senseless war comes after decades of colonization by Iran of the minds of some, with an ideology that sadly pretends to speak in the name of the beautiful religion of Islam, imposing its death cult on an entire country.
According to a publication by Iran Wire on October 23, 2024 (https://tinyurl.com/3hcmwjce), “the mural, showing blood-soaked images of Israeli hostages, carries the message, “No hostage will be released”. This mural is anything but compassionate toward the heart-broken families of the hostages.
Our words become senseless with the suffering of your people, oh Lebanon.
This is when music comes to our rescue, thankfully.
This moving patriotic song by Mr. Joseph Attieh, subtitled in English, is dedicated to Lebanon, and its innocent people, who once again find themselves caught in the crossfire of the wars of others on their beautiful land.
Sadly, history keeps repeating itself in the land of the Cedars.
However, Bambi will keep praying for her birth country. May the CRUEL unfolding tragedy eventually serve as an internal wake-up call for overdue changes: Committing/re-committing to putting Lebanon FIRST, that is before any foreign country AND any ideology, electing a President of the Republic ASAP, honouring the country’s constitution, institutions, and international laws, eventually finding ways to cure corruption, and re-building Lebanon (or what is left of it!). Without the latter, ceasefires and/or re-constructions would be meaningless. Indeed, they would only serve the interests of those who do not care about the land the Cedars.
May Lebanon survive its unfolding nightmare. May it rise and flourish once and for all.
Today Bambi read Mr. Mario Dumont’s latest column published in the Journal de Montréal. His thought-provoking piece is entitled in French “Est-ce que nos impôts subventionnent le terrorisme” (https://tinyurl.com/5bfxumkp)? The latter means: Are our taxes subsidizing terrorism? This post will translate it for you, with the assistance of Mr. Google Translate, Bambi’ s online best friend.
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“In 24 hours, an organization goes from beneficent to terrorist… What a special news, right?
Through naivety, intentional blindness or pure incompetence, is it possible that Canada helped terrorist movements? I am talking here about helping financially. Two issues in two weeks seriously raise the question.
The Journal of Montréal revealed yesterday that the Canadian Muslim Association (CMA) was threatened by the Canada Revenue Agency with losing its charitable status. This association manages several mosques and community centres, which is completely legitimate. However, this organization would at the same time maintain international links with organizations that cause concern.
Surprisingly and intriguingly, the Revenue Agency has been investigating the AMC for “several years”. The Journal de Montréal finds traces of audits announced as early as 2015. We investigate, we worry, we make certain discoveries, but nothing enough to strip the organization of its advantageous tax status.
Long investigation
Among the big question marks are links to the Muslim Brotherhood, fundraising campaigns for unknown organizations in the Middle East and its close ties to other organizations that Canada has placed on a blacklist.
We also deplore the presence in important positions of people with disturbing comments. People who advocate terrorism, particularly by supporting Hamas, find themselves at the heart of the organization. We invited a speaker who justifies violent jihad. In the case of another, the worrying comments are published on social networks.
Despite everything, the Canadian Muslim Association still enjoys this advantageous status for its donors: it is a recognized charitable organization. And the leaders of the organization consider that these checks are simply Islamophobia. Obviously.
Last week we experienced an even weirder situation. The Canadian Minister of Public Security has listed the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun on the list of terrorist entities in Canada. The previous week, Samidoun members publicly burned a Canadian flag while chanting “Death to Canada” in Vancouver.
Beneficence?
What is astonishing is that this extremist group also had charitable status until the moment of this decision. Let’s admit that it’s quite astonishing. On Tuesday, you issue charitable receipts to your donors. On Wednesday, you are considered a terrorist organization. Only in Canada!
We need to understand what charitable status means for tax purposes. The donor receives a tax credit ranging from 15% to 29%. Here is the tax that would be due and for which the State gives the taxpayer a holiday. In other words, it is the government that pays part of the donation. Yes, it is a form of subsidy.
Obviously, there are two things happening in Canada.
We are too quick to give financial benefits to organizations.
We are too slow to detect organizations with terrorist affiliations.
The combination of the two means that we have probably subsidized terrorist movements. Big discomfort”.
Tonight, Bambi hesitated between this post and another one about Beirut’s surreal destruction, and heartbreaking loss of lives, in a cruel yet not surprising proxy war.
After thought, she decided to spare you any ugly news, along with her insights, about the Lebanese unfolding tragedy.
Who knows? Maybe Lebanon, and the Middle East, would be the topic of a future post? Until then, to answer the question raised in the title of this post, Bambi will say the following: Mr. Charles Aznavour, Mr. Georges Brassens, Mr. Jacques Brel, and Ms. Edith Piaf all happened to have died in the month of October (https://shorturl.at/r8ZIA). May the memory of each one of them be eternal. May their incredible musical legacy keep inspiring and entertaining us.
As for your dear readers, may you be safe and with inner peace, regardless of your perceived stress levels.
