Iraq War Grief Daily Witness (photo) Day 314

Under the influence of Maya an individual loses his intelligence and power of discretion. He forgets his true nature. He loses contact with the self within and believes that he is the ego with a body and a name. In that delusion, he assumes that he is doer of his actions, whereas in truth he is is just an instrument of God, who is the real doer. He develops attachment with worldly objects and wants to possess them. He strives for wrong objectives in the world, having lost his connection with the real self and having forgotten the true purpose of his existence.

An explanation of the Hindu concept Maya, from the Hindu website.

this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war and other disasters

we honor courage in all its forms

images and poem below the fold

Father Swadi holds hand of his injured son Haider Ali, age 11, at Yarmouk hospital following an attack in Baghdad, Tuesday, May 16, 2006. Gunmen raided a parking area in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad Tuesday, shooting five people and killing at least 13 others when they triggered a car bomb, police said.
(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Beware of Darkness
by George Harrison

Watch out now, take care
Beware of falling swingers
Dropping all around you
The pain that often mingles
In your fingertips
Beware of darkness

Watch out now, take care
Beware of the thoughts that linger
Winding up inside your head
The hopelessness around you
In the dead of night

Beware of sadness
It can hit you
It can hurt you
Make you sore and what is more
That is not what you are here for

Watch out now, take care
Beware of soft shoe shufflers
Dancing down the sidewalks
As each unconscious sufferer
Wanders aimlessly
Beware of Maya

Watch out now, take care
Beware of greedy leaders
They take you where you should not go
While Weeping Atlas Cedars
They just want to grow, grow and grow
Beware of darkness (beware of darkness)
– – –
a personal note: I’ve spent some time recently watching, and re-watching, the DVD of an event that meant a great deal to me back when it occurred – George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh.

After 30 years or so since last seeing the movie of, or hearing any music from, the concert, I was glad to know that it still has a great power for me.

George was always my “favorite Beatle.” I used to think that he was the one who looked most like me, and I liked his wry half-smile, and his presence in the group – quiet, more in the background than not, but still very much an essential piece of the whole.

My favorite song on Sgt. Pepper was “Within You and Without You.” The combination of sitar and enigmatic lyrics made it mysterious to me, and prompted my 16-year old mind to think about the possibilities of a wider world.

The concert was a notable and historic event, the first time that modern popular musicians attempted to raise money and awareness for a humanitarian purpose (and before anyone raises their hands to point out the relationship between rock music and the anti-Vietnam War movement, or the link between folk music and the labor movement I’ll just ask – indulge me on this, please).

The movie begins at a brief press conference with Harrison and Ravi Shankar, and when one reporter asks Harrison why, with all of the events in the world at that time, he decided to do something about the famine in Bangladesh, my favorite Beatle simply replied, “Because my friend asked me to help.”

Among so many other memorable moments and music that’s just as kickass now as it was then, don’t miss the opening Bangla Duhn. It’ll change your head, man, it’ll fucking change your head.

SITAR & SAROD DUET
DADRA TAL – 6 Beats
TEENTAL – 16 Beats

Ravi Shankar, Sitar
Ali Akbar Khan, Sarod
Alla Rakah, Tabla
Kamala Chakravarty, Tamboura

“To me the whole feeling of Bangla Desh has been quite a personal one, because I happen to be a Bengali. This whole issue since last March is something of such a different nature and my feelings as it happened, apart from the sympathy I have because I am a Bengali, apart from being directly involved because such huge numbers of people were migrating into India . . . they were running for their lives and so many were killed, including my distant relatives, many friends, including Muslim friends, and even people from the family of my Guru; their homes burned, completely destroyed.”

snip

“And now I feel a great joy. With George’s single, “Bangla Desh,” my single, the film that has been made of the concert, the album coming out and whatever the gate monies from this concert . . . it will all add up to a substantial amount. Though, when you think of the amount being spent on almost eight million refugees, and so many of them children, of course it is like a drop in the ocean. Maybe it will take care of them for only two or three days. But that is not the point. The main issue – beyond the sum of money we can raise – is that we feel that all the young people who came to the concerts (maybe 40 or 50 thousand of them) they were made aware of something very few of them felt or knew clearly -about Bangla Desh and what has happened to cause such distress.”

“It is like trying to ignite – to pass on the responsibilities as much as possible to everyone else. I think this aim has been achieved.”

Ravi Shankar
Edited by Michael Vosse from the transcript of an informal interview held two days after the August 1st concerts

For the definitive account of the event, including an historical overview of the political events that led to the slaughter, starvation, and exodus of innocents, go here.