Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma

Chief Akeem and Mike Ghouse - pictures in album link below

March 14, 2012 – We went to see George Akeem and his family in El-Reno, Oklahoma. George is the Native American Chief for the Cheyenne Tribe.

I will be revisiting them in May to include their story in the documentary, “Americans Together”. It is about creating cohesive societies where no one has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. Every American will have a space and a voice in the film. It’s been my dream.

Visiting the Cheyenne-Arapaho nation was an eye opener. We have come to believe in the myths propagated, that the Native Americans are endowed with benefits galore and are on welfare programs. It is not quite true, they live on their own like everyone else.

Among the many issues the tribes face; High school drop out is the biggest one with 72% drop outs, doubled by drug and alcohol abuse. The crime rate is however low. Everyone seems to be a lot safer in the tribal nations than the other parts of the state.

They have their own administrators, governors and government.  The funding comes from the land and what is grown or comes out of that land, goes to the tribes. American Government is not doing as much as it is doing with her other citizens.  They have weak representatives, and in many a cases law suites against the federal government are pending. They were talking about one large piece of land that was given on a ten year lease to the fed, which expired some 40 years ago… and the land is still not retuned back to the tribes.


You have got to love the spirit of service. Jennen, the daughter of Eleanor and George Akeem received her degree in social services and health sciences, and chose to serve the tribe. She could have doubled her income serving in other communities, but taking care of her tribe was a driving reason for her to work for a low pay. I salute her spirit to serve her community. 

I am still recovering from the thought that this land once belonged to the Native Americans; they had a mighty civilization... if you just visit the Toltec temples and the precision blue prints it amazes you.

Years ago, I encountered a pathetic situation with the Maya's, the chief priest told us that their own temples were closed out to them. The Mexican Government was not allowing them to worship in the places of their ancestors, what shame it was. However, we were able to goad them and go up to the upper platform of the temple and worship with them. By the way, I was moved by their prayers and shared a Hindu and a Jain prayer (Prayers are simply good wishes) in Sanskrit and Hindi with them besides the Islamic prayers. We wanted to make it a multi-faith prayer for them to let them know that we are are all in this together. I have been known to fill in for whoever is missing including Zarthushti's, Sikhs, Bahai and Jews. A few of us really climbed to the top of the pyramid, it is amazing.  They said that, it was done for the first time in nearly 40 years. 

Colonialism (not to blame anyone) was a shameless part of our history, where the arrogant ruthless men did not value the uniqueness of other people... the sheer bully power reduced the other people to drifters... it took away their dignity for centuries to heal.

Attitude is the main difference between any two people on the earth; the colonialist had the slinkiest attitudes and robbed the people of their self worth and dignity. It is not just here with the Native Americans, it was the case with all colonies.  

It’s amazing how bullies of the world make the oppressed look like criminals and make them feel worthless on top of that... there is a lot of healing in order.  In a review of the movie Avatar, I wrote this, “There is another critical dialogue in the movie, where the commander in charge of the corporation is bent on destroying the native people by seizing their land and literally bulldozing them and saying, we are going to teach “these terrorists” and orders his men to destroy them with shock and awe. As the audience, we sense the ridiculousness of it, “the man had gone to their lands, to rob them and when they resist, he calls them terrorists.”

I hope to go back in May this year and spend a few days with the tribes and present their point of view in how to build a cohesive America. Indeed, we are a part of an interconnected and interdependent web of the world.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, and cohesive societies. www.MikeGhouse.net

Photo Album : http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157629223536760/show/

I salute my friend Ghanshyam Dave

Vina Ben is my sister (Indian tradition) for nearly 18 years and her husband Ghanshyam is a great friend and brings out the boisterous one in me. When we are together, we sing songs loudly and unabashed. 

Ghanshyam was going to be a movie actor and was trained in Poona film Institute in India. We had a group, him and Vina, Vinod and Amita, and Narendra Bhai and Jyoti ben… we took turns in hosting dinners… Vina ben was a frequent guest on my TV show in 1996 and also hosted a few radio programs on my radio.

Today was a special day – he calls me at 4:45 on his way to Swami Narayan Temple and wanted me to join him in welcoming Sat guru from Hawaii, who runs the Hinduism today magazine, indeed, I knew the guruji as I have referenced his site when we did 104 hours of Hinduism on my Radio show, of the 500+on other religions. 

What I love about Ghanshyam, was his insistence that I speak about Pluralism after the Swamiji…I asked him that we cannot do it in the last minute.. He did not want to listen to any one and was demanding from the organizers that I speak… he was off the handle for me and I just loved that aspect of him… he will take his shirt off for me. What an incredible friend. Of course, I knew just about everyone at the temple, as I used to visit frequently. They asked me to be in the aarti sabha, an honor they give to few friends every Sunday, it was a delight to be there and they announced about my presence. Ghanshyam my friend was happy and I was happy that he was happy.

He walked me out of the temple to the car, he would not listen, it was little nippy and on the top if it, he walks bare feet. By the way, next time, I will take pictures of the Swaminarayan Temple… I was to go to the inauguration of the temple in Houston and London years ago… did not get to do that. It is one of the most humble and prosperous Indian communities in Dallas.

By the way, some of the best vegetarian food is served at the Jain Temple and the Swaminarayan Temple, of course at the Ekta Mandir too.

I hope and pray, you have friends like Ghanshyam! Amen

Mike Joins the board Israeli-Palestinian confederation

I am pleased to join the Israeli-Palestinian confederation committee to participate and contribute towards the peace process for the people of Israel and Palestine. With full empathy and affection for both the peoples, I have consciously chosen to remain detached from taking sides; however, you will find me critical of the leadership as well as a few individuals in the process.

It is based on the lessons I have learned from my parents, who remained objective on the issues of world affairs and being “just” was their approach to life. In an article at Huffington Post, I wrote about my life time (jihad) struggle in applying the “just” values to the conflict between the people of Israel and Palestine and I am pleased to copy the following two paragraphs from that article:

My father is my hero and had opened the doors of wisdom to me. He taught me one of the biggest lessons of my life in social cohesiveness and dealing with extremism that I continue to reflect in my speeches, acts and write ups.

During the communal (religious) riots in the early '60s, both Muslims and Hindus were killed in the mayhem. I wish every father in India, America, Israel, and elsewhere teaches this lesson to his kids. He told us the "individuals" were responsible for the bloodshed and not the religions; he would emphasize that you cannot blame an intangible like religion and expect justice, we must blame the individuals who caused it and punish them accordingly for disturbing the peace and thus bring a resolution to the conflict by serving justice. He was crystal clear: You cannot annihilate, kill, hang or beat the religion, so why bark at it?

We have to come to grips with the reality that other people's suffering is as legitimate as our own; it is easy to see ourselves as victims, but we must also see the perpetrator in us, when we don’t feel others’ pain,  turn the other way or not speak up when we see others are wronged.

When we strip the politics out of a conflict, we see hope; we can value others suffering without lessening our own; the overriding desire to highlight our own blinds us from feeling other's suffering, making a less of a human of us. A sense of responsibility for creating a better world needs to be awakened, and ultimately safety and peace for everyone should be driving our thoughts. One will never be at peace when others around are not.

In the many articles I have written, there are times when an Israeli or the Palestinian may feel that I have not stood up enough for them that is because of my struggle to be just; I rather fail in my struggle than lose my sense of fairness. Deep down I believe the Jewish and Palestinian people want the Americans to be honest and sincere and take a tough stand and end this conflict that is consuming them eternally. 

Joining the Israel Palestine confederation is one more step for me in my quest for Justice for the people. I believe if we can be a tiny catalyst in bringing a resolution to the a sixty year old conflict, and not thousands of years as some politician point,  a majority of the conflicts that were mothered by this conflict will fade and solutions will emerge.

Mike Ghouse

. . . . . . . 

ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER MEMBERS

About the members of the organization, copied straight from the website: http://www.ipconfederation.org/about-us.aspx  

Dallas' Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge opens on Trinity River

It is a tiny butterfly and not an eagle over Mike's head

March 3, 2012 - Dallas New Land Mark opened today. It’s the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge over Trinity River. One of these days, we will have River walk like in San Antonio, and probably bigger than that, as it is a huge basin with levy on either side…. It is scenic! It’s been debated for over 20 years now. The citizens have not approved the bond to make it happen.

It is amazing how a small group of people are bent on opposing everything including prosperity, they simply do not see the overall benefits to the common man in terms of jobs, economic growth and all...

Three pictures in the linked album are unusual….. What seems to be an eagle over my head in this picture is actually a butterfly; it is the same size as the one sitting on my head in the picture... I am trying to understand the magic of this picture....how did the photographer take the picture to make the butterfly look so big? The other picture is the contrast, looks like a scene from a movie... Dallas Skyline with Native Americans... indeed, Dallas is enriched with the presence of over 100 Native American nations. The story and a few amazing pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157629141809118/

Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk and Coke Buchanan had organized the butterfly release synching with the opening of the bridge. I was unable to get the butterfly on my finger, she flew the moment I opened the packet… however, there was a kid on whose finger a butter fly rested… and took off … it was amazing… and I was simply admiring and watching it and woke up little too late to take a picture …however, the photographer took it is in the link !

I will write about how Cities function and dysfunction; Cities like Plano, Frisco, Garland, Carrollton, Dallas, Irving and Colorado Springs… That’s another story, you can watch for at www.TheGhousediary.com

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Bridge -O-Rama Press Release

To honor Dallas’ cultural diversity, Memnosyne Foundation is gathered people attired in traditional regalia from international cultural organizations to release butterflies into the air. The butterfly is a sacred ancient symbol of freedom, independence, transformation, personal journey and faith. The image will imprint a message of Dallas’ growing diversity and desire for unity for years to come.

Dallas has become the incubator for America's future.

Forty-four percent of North Texas residents were born in another country or are the children of foreign-born who recognized the city's potential for ever-growing prosperity and we want to celebrate in unity!

To honor this diversity, Memnosyne Foundation gathered people attired in traditional regalia from international cultural organizations to release butterflies into the air. The butterfly is a sacred ancient symbol of freedom, independence, transformation, personal journey and faith. The image will imprint a message of Dallas’ growing diversity and desire for unity for years to come.

Memnosyne Foundation is grateful for its participation by

Paula Caldwell - Consul General of Canada for Texas, Cheryl Mansour - Chancellor of the Royal Norwegian Consulate; John M. Stich - Honorary Consul General of Japan in Dallas, Av. Nelu Prodan - Honorary Consul Of Romania in Dallas -Texas, Dr. Don Beck with The Center for Human Emergence, Ed Fjordbak with the Essilor Vision Foundation, Mike Ghouse with the America Together Foundation, Peggy Larney with the American Indian Heritage Day Council, Daniel Patricio with the Native Indian Youth Assembly, Natasha Ksendzoff with the Russian School of Dallas, Sandy Kloberdanz with the Ukrainian American Society of Texas, Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, Polish American Foundation, Mayumi McDonald with the Japan America Society of Dallas, DFW Native American Chamber of Commerce, Unity of Dallas and over 200 others in its Butterfly Release celebrating Dallas’ cultural diversity at the Margaret Hunt Hill Celebration Bridge-O-Rama on March 3.

A special thanks of sincere appreciation to Grupo Cualli Tepec Danza Azteca Chichimeca Conchera with the sound of conch shells for opening the ceremonial sacred space, calling the spirits of the four cardinal directions—South, West, North, and East—and Mother Earth and Father Sky, and to Bandan Koro African Drum Ensemble for providing the heartbeat of Mother Earth in the ceremonial release of butterflies as a symbol of our nation’s most precious gift “Freedom”.

The event was joyful for everyone as the Monarchs were introduced to a new destination in their annual migration from Mexico to Canada – the banks of our Trinity River.

Happy Purim, one of the happiest Jewish Holidays

I am pleased to wish a very Happy Purim to our Jewish friends across the globe.  Purim is one of the happiest of holidays of the Jewish people, it the story of freedom from anxiety of being annihilated.  This has reference to a point in history where an evil man plots to annihilate the Jews, but the Persian king is persuaded by Esther otherwise. It was a major victory and thus the celebration.  Happy Purim.

I have written a heartfelt article on Israel and Palestine, published in 3 installments at Huffington post.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/israel-and-palestine-moving-forward_b_1258261.html . You might understand the history of Jewish people to understand Purim.

The book of Esther

The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.

The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them." Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.

Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman and his ten sons were hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.

The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that is the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.

From Judaism 101

Mike Ghouse
www.ProfessionalSpeakerMikeGhouse.com 

www.foundationforpluralism.com