The Suffering of Natascha Kampusch

Always listening to the news but what I saw this past 2 days on it really set my teeth seething and believe you me, I could kill the culprit.

In February, we read The Collector by John Fowler in my bookclub. The story was simply how a raving lunatic kidnapped a young adult lady and hid her away from the world for months providing for her and wishing she can love him. The dreadful thing is that this young promising art student died in her captivity since she can’t be taken to a hospital either so to keep her hidden. I wept at that outcome and sort of thought the author a little sadistic, but he isn’t. He is rather a prophet.

But while we read this book back in February and raged at the story, little did we gave a thought to it that same wickedness set in fiction was the portion in life, of a little girl since 1998 and ongoing. Although we all refuted the story while believing it was a nice piece of fiction and intelligent, we thought that could be a pure vague occurrence in real life. Now dare me, Natascha Kampusch went through same fate and even more gruelling in that she had her toilet, bath, bed and everything in same room and in total darkness away from the free sun. Wasn’t Fowler kind in his story then?

Miranda in Fowler’s The Collector was allowed a bath outside her underground room, a movement through the house, able to taste wine and even get to walk outside in the night sometime with her captor. But Natascha Kampusch stayed in a room for 8 years; 8 gruelling years. I cant help crying. Poor girl.

As I listened to the news and thought of what 8 years means, I can’t but help feeling hell. And for a mere 10 year old, only heaven knows how much damage has been done, morally, health-wise and entirely. Kept away from a mother’s warmth and love, the fun of family, the squabbles of siblings and peers, Natascha must have been totally damaged and will need a lifetime to re-adjust to the life she has lost. But unfortunately, she can't gain those years back. Her 10th to 18th years has forever been lost, they cant be re-made again. What a wickedness?

If you pray or believe in spiritual connection, I think we all ought to lend our spiritual strength to this young lady at this time to get on with life and forget what is gone the best she can. Yet we know, she can never, not at all, forget it. God be with her.

Are They Really UNITED NATIONS?

I do not know what charter created the United Nations. And to be sincere, I no more wish to know because for whatever agreement it was, it is useless if it created the puppet organisation for a different thing than it is doing now as well as it is rubbish if what we have now is exactly what was set out to be established.

First, may I ask anyone to tell me if the UN is a United States of America’s arm of government or anything different? To me, the former is the case. Rightly, it (or is it SHE) should have been United States of America World Controlling Organisation.

Like the late Nigerian Musician, Fela asked in one of his tracks, “What is United in(side) United Nations? And he is right. A United Nations that is made of no united nations. Where Lebanon is fighting Israel, US (well the owners of UN) is trying to wipe off Iraq, Insisting Iran cannot produce what she has, Sudan is cleansing part of its ethnic groups, Oil companies from America is happily destroying parts of Niger Delta in Nigeria making huge profits among abject poverty, East Timor is up against itself; etc. where is the Unity? Where is the unity in a place where some are more equal than others? Where is the unity in an organisation that gives privilledge to some members to decide other members system and faith? Where for goodness sake is this Unity that accepts that only war in Iraq could remove Saddam knowing that the end consequence will be the sufferings of the common man?

Someone tell me, are they really United? If I were to be a president, my country will pool off from such rubbish waste of time as (un)United Nations. And to say of imcompetency, I think the present Secretary (and I refuse to add that General bit) of the UN is the most incompetent fella I have ever seen. Don’t even argue with me, the UN is today run by vampire Bush and his ilk. As for Tony Blair, it’s a pity, I never knew the very Britain I love can have such an ‘O yes’ member whose only ambition is to please Bush.

Since America exists, I think the UN is useless. The USA can purely run the world as it has been doing instead of wearing a mask as UN. We obviously are not in any way united and there is no unity in sight so to say. Britain need a Prime Minister again the likes of Churchill and Thatcher so she can take decisions like Germany and France is doing. As for the organisation called United Nations, it is a big shamble and unadulterated voodoo on the entire world.

The Divided Anglican Church

St Paul's Cathedral, London

What most people don’t understand about the Anglican Church is that it is a divided church from its inception. It is very important that we do not forget the history of the church, especially how it came to be. Keeping that in mind will help us all overcome this threat of a split; it wont!

Though the present problem [the Church faces is] sexuality, the Anglican Church from inception has always gone through a rocky life. It was founded by King Henry VIII disobeying the Catholic Church on marriage. Thus a church founded on squabbles, had continued to live in squabbles and yet keep growing and remaining a key player in the events of modern day Christianity in the world.

GOD - Where Is He?

And now, the question is: if God is impersonalised as I stated here, where does he live or how does he exist? The answer is clear and straight forward. He lives no where.

This assures my belief that God isn’t actually as portrayed. He does not live in heaven above or in hell below (?). By the way, is hell below? Or is hell the next door to the supposed heaven? If it is located below (obviously below us), how did father Abraham see the wealthy sinner according to the Bible? I suppose the real answer is that hell is next door to heaven with a thin demarcation… think of priviledge.

On this issue of God and where he is located, I think for those that believe in the existence as a ‘him’ as a person, he lives in heaven; this I do not agree with. And such notion goes a long way to put a doubt on their belief that God is everywhere? Most as well tend, through their system of belief, to portray God as a service they reach out to when they need it. But for me and others who think God immaterial, he got no house. God lives with us. That force is constantly in motion generating energy. You can feel that force anytime and anywhere. It does not rest, holding the massive sky, working the sea currents, enlivening the trees, waking the birds etc. That force as well can be taken as the space. It fills everywhere and occupies us all.

GOD - Who Is He?

The problem is that no living or dead human knows who this God is. I say this because no priest has been able to give me or any other person a specific definition of God. Yet we all scamper about claiming to worship God or bid ‘his’ demands; pity.

Of course, by my own understanding, There is GOD. Now beware, I did not say there is A GOD’. And I have my own definition of God. It is entirely different from the established concept of a big man with long beard and various layers of clothings sitting (pointedly) in heaven(?), issuing orders and demanding human (and why human alone?) among all creatures to please him. That’s a big farce,

Religion’s illustration of God is purely incorrect, a deceit and as such creates the incoherent understanding that has retained man in the pit of chaos in a bid to determine whose God is the right one.

But they are all wrong. God is that great force beyond our knowledge that is behind all mysteries. To see him, find him, know him, etc, look at the stars, the cloud, the oceans, etc and ask yourself what’s the Power behind them. The Power (force) making the cloud to hang forever and never falling. That is God; it is the same Power that is beyond man’s understanding, the same Power science is trying to unravel. It is that Power that sends the breeze from where we do not know. It is that power that holds sway at the bottom of the oceans denying man the total knowledge. That, is, GOD.

Although I have used HIM to represent God, it in no way suggests a gender. No; he/she is everywhere and all over and genderless; rather he is just exactly a FORCE.

Let's Talk About GOD

Obviously, majority of us are born into inferiority complex. We are all born to accept what has been and is not to query some things. And thus, issues like God, worshipping, oracles, etc are accepted and some of us even fight to death for these things.

But who is this God? What makes God God? Why do we have to accept it the way it is said? Must we? Can we question the concept? Is the concept accurately perfect? Is the mysticism a one-size-fit-all?

Religion is the biggest source of trouble for human despising every other concept that seems to develop into equals. Religion slaves man, forcing us all into one eccentricity regardless of our personal difference. It is the downfall of man. And funny enough, it claims to lead us to God.

Now that’s what we want to talk about – God. Purely God away from religion. Just God in its pure form; although, it is only from my perspective.

Come with me.

Modern Slavery 2

The slave-consumer is another type of slavery which unfortunately most of us belong to. The moment you go to any high street and observe what is happening, you tend to have mercy for the world we live in. According to one of my old friend in an email he sent me recently, he says,

“…thanks to glossy P.R.. – people think because they shop constantly, that they are part of the middle classes. Fools, they have to workthose long hours to pay for the trash they have been buliied into believing they need, by advertising. Nobody needs 2 dozen pairs of shoes, 30 suits, or dresses - hanging in the wardrobe. People no longer rent - they have been taught to buy.There is scarcely any social housing. Thanks to clever marketing, the rich offload poor quality buildings, at inflated prices.It is a constant treadmill, just trying to keep your head above water.don't get caught in the trap…”

He is right. We just think we need them but we do not. We are only responding to the slavery of the manufacturers who control us through the adverts making use feel inferior by producing a new one every other day. Who add Bluetooth to one handset and mp3 to another. It is never complete. They add rags to our clothes and tear up the ones without rags. We need one to make the other complete. Yet, they never get complete. We tire with work, always asking for overtime, never getting satisfied with the wages. Every shoe need a separate shirt, every pant a separate belt. Our hairdo must fit our jewelleries, as well we need rings and necklaces to make out watches be noticed. Therefore, we must buy.

Slavery! We have become slaves of our own income. Slaves to our environment. Slaves to fashion and technology which never keep still Slaves to the government who tax us exorbitantly making us to work and work and work. It is slavery of the modern day. Check yourself, you are one of the Modern Slaves.

The signs: we move about plugged, an ipod on one ear, a phone on the other, laptop dangling in the bag, handheld popping in our pockets and then 2 or more phones. We struggle to keep up with ourselves even without the famous slave chains than link one to another. Instead, we are now individually chained to ourselves and movement is far more difficult than the chained slaves of the years gone. Modern Slavery!

You cannot escape it.

Modern Slavery 1

The turn of the 20th century saw the abolishing of slave trade. But slavery is still very much in place. To me, it is a new way of slavery; Modern slavery. It is of types. The slave-employee and the slave-consumer, etc

In 2002, I joined Oceanic Bank Nigeria Plc as an IT staff after so many years in the freer world of the small scale employers. From the day, I realised that although I had a good job, I had as well became a slave-employee. It was slavery because my employer, like most other corporate employers around the world, determine what I wear, how I eat, when I wake up and unintentionally, when I sleep. You might ask how; never mind, I will tell you.

In the banks, and most other offices, there is ethics on dressing. Most of the time, you are required by an unspoken law to dress ‘corporately’ as the term goes. What slavery could be tougher than that? You are not allowed to eat freely in the office no matter how decent you may keep it. Yet this law isn’t scribed anywhere. Or would you go home when you feel? For most of these workers, you can ask the estate agent staff, expected targets can drive you mad with the threat of dismissal, or you may as well loose the job. You are made to tell lies, cheat, deceive, etc all in the name of achieving target. Or did the slaves of the centuries gone not strive to achieve enforced targets?

The case today seems worse as we see people become depressed and usually suffer mental ill-health due to job stress. While the bought slaves suffered mainly physical strain, we of the modern and decent slavery suffer nerve breaking emotional trauma in our nice dresses. We give less or no attention to family, home, friends. We eat on the move and need various gadgets to keep up. In fact, some of us are wired either to ourselves or to the offices, customers, and only God-knows-where. We have gone from 8 to 4pm down to 9 to 6pm and now it is 24/7. And the problem? We do not know our masters.

Our ties represent the slave chains, our ear-plugs the ear-piercing. As we’ve seen the body piercings come back to fashion among young people; a big and significant indication of the return of slavery. What a world?

My Passion Series - Church Music

Sometime in 1985 before my 6th birthday, I did a duet with an older niece during one of our children’s day service. The song title was “There’s a saviour at the door”. That act was a milestone in my life as I am to sing in church choirs till now 22 years after. “There’s a saviour at the door” though wasn’t really a classical music but written in hymnal style of verses and a chorus.

As I grew up, I kept discovering how much I love the Anglican Church singing. The canticles and chants were to become my best of music as they were always sang as congregational song in Nigeria Anglican. I loved the psalms but the act of speak-singing them makes them even more unique and enlivens my link to who I believe.

When finally I joined a standard cathedral choir after my 11th birthday having graduated from the children Sunday school choir (see pics below), I developed a special interest in the more powerful classical loving the worded works of George Fredrick Handle more than any others. His Messiah tends to be the best being a compilation of various gospel praises and prayer.

Today, what people churn out like products of a war bakery is, to me nothing compared to the hymns written in the 18th century and beyond. The likes of Wesley, Marthin Luther, etc, wrote hymns based on pure and sincere visions and what seems to me to be a pure spiritual link with God. For me today, I find more truth and strength in the words of hymns and psalms than in the rest of the bible. I say these because the writers then did not ‘compose’ but passed out a message or displayed a non-contaminated link with the spirits.

Handel was another core spiritual writer whose works can be said to be deeply meditated and without bias regardless of whether he write them for the English monarchs or orchestras. “Zadok the priest” is an example of such elevation of the king with a spiritual mediation.

In all, I love church music and they remain my main source of drawing assurance and connecting with God..