Autumn 2009

The difference between heaven and hell

A Rabbi comes to God: “Lord, I would like to see both heaven and hell.“ – “Take Elijah as a Guide“, said the Maker, “He will show you both of them.“

The prophet takes the Rabbi by the hand. He takes him into a large room. People with long spoons were standing around inside with a pot of a tasty dish cooking on a fire in the middle of the room. All of them are scooping food out of the pot using their long spoons but the people look skinny, pale, wretched. No wonder: their spoons are too long. They cannot bring them to their mouths. They cannot enjoy the wonderful food.

They both leave the room. “What was that strange room?“ the Rabbi asked the prophet. “Hell“, was the answer.

They enter a second room. It was the same as in the first one. People standing around with long spoons. A pot with a tasty dish cooking on a fire in the middle. Everyone is scooping food out of the pot with their long spoons. But it differed with the first room: these people were looking healthy, well fed, happy.

“How can this be?“ – the Rabbi took a closer look and saw the reason: these people put their spoon to each others mouth. They give each other something to eat. The Rabbi now knows where he is.

 

Let me not pray
to be sheltered from dangers
but to be fearless
in facing them.

Rabindranath Tagore

 

Dear friends of our Shanti family,

Intensive and moving months have passed since we told you about our opening ceremony.
There is already cheerful life in our centre – not only because of the remaining work which still has to be completed.
The kindergarten children are enjoying their generous rooms and the freedom of movement on the fenced-in land.
The soup kitchen has also relocated to the new centre.
It was previously in a very dilapidated hut as a temporary measure.
It is now in a solid building and our cooks and their numerous helpers are enjoying having space for the preparation of the hundreds of meals at long last. We even have a covered, tiled eating space on our centre so that the people are protected in the monsoon period.

Political situation

The political situation is becoming increasingly confusing. The parties are hopelessly at loggerheads and cannot agree on a policy for the people which even comes close to being positive.
Aggression is increasing at an appalling rate, the people are not getting any peace and the look into the future is causing fear for many.
Everyone is anxious about the supply situation.
There was no winter rain so that too few vegetables were harvested.
The monsoon came too early and brought too little rain with it. This caused a large share of the rice saplings to dry up so that the rice harvest will be too small.
Unscrupulous business people have also created artificial supply bottlenecks by hamstering rice and other food.
The Government tracked some of them down but the price increases are still alarmingly high. In previous months, the vegetable prices increased by more than double. In addition to this, the inflation rate amounts to a total of over 12%.
Nepal will be facing the worst starvation it has experienced for years.
Nepal is already a country in which more than 50% of the children suffer from malnutrition.