Naol's Perspectives (NP)

‘My fellow Oromos, let’s admit it, we are in darkness. With bold remark, here I put it: both the jungle and Arat Kilo are the climax of our darkness. In my humble opinion, if there is hope for Oromia, it will not come from either of the places. Oromia’s hope exists in the wide table where those in prison, those in the jungle and those in Arat kilo could take part for discussion and dialogue. May universities cry out, schools shout aloud, Churches, Mosques and Galmaa’s turn into protest places until all parties sit down for talk to bring down the darkness! Until jungles and thrones meet at coffee table, may we not stop nagging! May we not stop protesting!’ https://horntheology.wordpress.com/2022/06/27/eessa-jirtu-why-does-it-matter-today-a-theological-reflection/ @Born_Crucified

Does the Bible really teach us to love ourselves? A friend responded to my post yesterday, saying that the Bible nowhere teaches us to love ourselves. I felt this would be a good topic to discuss. Does the Bible teach us to love ourselves? The short answer is yes, it does. However, the topic warrants a deeper exploration. To begin with, there are verses that might seem to promote self-denial. For instance, Jesus says, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23, NIV). Verses like these can be found throughout the New Testament, particularly in Christ's teachings. However, these verses should not be understood to mean that we must hate ourselves in a holistic and literal sense. The Bible does teach us to love ourselves, but the key lies in understanding what loving oneself truly means. Loving oneself is about being a good steward of oneself, looking after God's creation. This includes taking care of our bodies, minds, and spirits. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV), Paul writes, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies." Loving oneself also means understanding, accepting, and appreciating whatever God has given us, including our physical appearance and inner self. Psalm 139:14 (NIV) says, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." This verse reminds us that we are created in God's image and are valuable in His sight. Moreover, loving ourselves means seeing God's image in us and not waiting for others to validate our worth. Genesis 1:27 (NIV) tells us, "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Recognizing that we are made in God's image helps us understand our inherent worth and encourages us to love ourselves as God loves us. In conclusion, the Bible does teach us to love ourselves, but it frames this love within the context of God's creation and stewardship. By taking care of ourselves, appreciating God's handiwork, and recognizing His image in us, we fulfill the biblical mandate to love ourselves. This self-love is not about selfishness or vanity, but about honoring God through the way we treat and regard ourselves. @Born_Crucified

1. Love your neighbor as yourself. 2. Love yourself. 3. You are loved. In case you forget, the right order is 3 2 1. 😊 @Born_Crucified

When songs find the right (wrong) person. One of the most embarrassing and creepiest things I did this year was singing personalized songs to people and sending them via inbox. Let me tell you about it. I bought a guitar in March (Yes, I did), hoping to spend my time writing and singing songs (Yes, I do). I was inspired by Dr. Victor Fredlund, a family physician from South Africa whom I met last year in Tanzania. He carried his guitar everywhere he went and sang with a powerful voice. You could feel the energy of his voice even from 100 meters away. Of all his songs, the one I love most is: "Wow! wow! what a heart! Wow! wow! what a mind! Where, where can I start To be like you!" God bless Dr. Fredlund's heart! Back to my story: after buying the guitar, I started to learn from YouTube, but it was not an easy task. I struggled to master a few chords and always found it difficult. I was waiting for the right moment. After a grueling 48-hour call with an additional 12 hours, a song was born in me during a conversation with Lense, a beautiful young lady who has been a blessing in my life. That Monday, I wrote a beautiful song for her. Yes, I did. The song mentioned her name and blessed her life. It's a song to bless someone you love and adore. The next day, I sang this song to Fenan, Bonney, and their beautiful baby boy (should I tell you his name? lol). I replaced Lense’s name with theirs. They loved the song. That same night, I sang it to a friend in Ethiopia with whom I had been talking for a couple of months. That week, I sang the same song to two friends and sent the recordings via inbox. They were both blessed and comforted by it. They were going through tough times, as was I. But then I did something even creepier. I sent the song to another lady (whose name I won't mention) in her inbox. I know it's the creepiest thing to do to someone you don't know well. For a moment, I felt I was doing God's work by comforting people with my songs, but clearly, my frontal cortex wasn't functioning well that day. The lady responded with "Thank you!" and then, after a few conversations, disappeared for good. I was confused and didn't pursue it further. Months later, I learned from another friend that she disappeared because my approach was incredibly creepy. What did I do? I sang a song that blessed her—before we even got to know each other. You don't do that. No one does that. You have to know a person before blessing them. What if my intention was to get to know her by making her like me because I can play the guitar? Well, perhaps it was the wrong approach, not the wrong intention. The mistake was in the approach. It was creepy. Moreover, the song has an owner. It was sung to Lense. It belongs to her. Yes, many people could sing it, but the song belongs to Lense. She earned it. She prayed for me and with me in difficult times, and I couldn’t repay her presence with anything other than a song for her. An embarrassing moment gave me a lesson that songs are beautiful when they find the right person. @Born_Crucified

😊 @Born_Crucified

When Sin Comes. Sometimes, you don't go to sin. It just comes. When it comes, it's called a mistake. When you go to it, it's still called a mistake. When you meet it midway, it's called a mistake. When it chases you but you run, it's called victory. When you chase it but then suddenly realize that chasing sin is a sin and decide to stop, it's still called a victory. When you refuse to welcome it midway, it's called a victory. When you lose the battle to sin, it's called failure. When you deny the fact that you lost a battle to sin, it's called failure. When sin triumphs over you and builds its nest on your ground, it's called failure. When you rise from the ashes and ask God for forgiveness for your sins, it's called mercy. When you are given a chance to return to God after realizing your mistake, it's called mercy. When you give up old habits and decide to return to Jesus, it's called mercy. No matter your mistake, victory is still possible. No matter your failure, mercy is granted. Have a blessed Monday. 😊 @Born_Crucified

One day at a time. (I swear I'm not complaining) I usually don't like to think much after a 48 hour work duty. My mind cannot process much. If you try to talk to me, I will respond to you but then I know (you may also know) that I am responding to you with beautifully scripted but gibberish things. Well, 48, hours of work is tiring - something only health professionals are gifted to do. Just a warning, what I am writing could well be a good example for this. Let's be honest, life before and after the 48 hours of duty will be the same. You may understand this well if you are health professional, factory worker or a soldier on duty for about 48 hours. Nothing really changes. Doesn't it? I have felt the same post weekend duty day. What has changed in the world? What have I missed? Nothing much. Maybe that only thing worthy of giving attention has been the fact that the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission has been an imperfect tool to display a perfect drama among the ruling elites. By the end of the meeting Abiy and Getachew held hands (much like they used to do before the war). Love prevailed (isn't it already June?!). Impressive. But I am not complaining, friends. I am just appreciating how fast time travels between the 48 hours I was on duty - trying to treat the paediatric patients in the hospital I am working at. Life moves fast. News travels even more faster these days. They just make me feel 48 hours like 2 or 3 years. The craziest part is that the world comes back to where it has been. There isn't really anything new under the sun. People love. People die. People hate. People help. Those who have had warring will solve it in the end even though it costs them 1 million innocent lives. No one gets stuck in the past. Life continues. No difference in the world before and after my 48 hours duty much like there hasn't been any difference between 2018 and 2024 in the state of the country. Let me close with this. In this fast traveling time and news, I just wish to live one day at a time. I wish too pull time to just let my soul feel what it means to live in present - the pain and the joy, the loss and all the craziness. Slowly. Between the handshakes, let me not rush. Between the wars let me not go so quick. Taste the bitterness and beauty of life today, each moment. ‘One day at a time, sweet Jesus’ as the song goes. ‘One day at a time, sweet Jesus That's all I'm asking of You Just give me the strength to do everyday What I have to do’ Have a blessed Monday 😊 @Born_Crucified

Yesterday we all heard a news that the Ethiopian government is passing a bill granting the Immigration and Citizenship Authority to monitor who is leaving the country. If ratified, right at the airport,.just before your departure, you will be confronted by immigration officers and will be told that you cannot leave the country. In my opinion this is the most Eritrean move Ethiopia has ever taken. We are gradually developing and growing rapidly to become like Eritrea, the most democratized and prosperous nation in East Africa. Trolls aside, this reminds me of another anthropological issue, that I was thinking about sometime ago. Few years ago I heard someone speaking to an audience in a seminar, “70% of Ethiopians die in the village they were born.” I am not sure how correct the figure is but I wouldn't have said it otherwise either. People are not mobile in terms of permanent residence across Ethiopia. In a land compromising 87 ethnolinguistic groups administering their land, most people live and die in their own back yard. Not surprising at all. Even before government locked us, we have locked ourselves. Also let's not jump into being judgmental here. It's a survival instinct for human beings to be confined to a certain geographical space. We feel secured in that very space. Hence, rather than moving around across a ‘foreign’ land, they remain collectively protecting their village. It is in light of this survival instinct that I assess the current decision by the government to monitor who is moving where. Aassume a country where people are prohibited from moving across the land. A country where you cannot travel across the spaces or out of the space. You cannot travel in the country or out of the country. People live in their spaces happily. Will they? It's a question we all should answer. Are we satisfied to be limited to a certain place or do we rebel to move around? Should the government control our movement or do we refuse to be entangled? Well, our primitive survival instinct prefers home and locked up while our rebellious post-modern side prefers to consume all the available spaces on earth. @Born_Crucified

I am not sure why Rishi Sunak, the PM of England, is saying this but what I know is you have to go to university to stay civilized. Education is the cornerstone of civilization. A society that discourages education, discourages critical thinking and reasoning. In his address to to the businessmen at the fundraising event for the then newly formed Prosperity Party, Abiy Ahmed also criticized intellectuals saying they study the success of the businessmen and publish their work not beyond the shelf. He belittled the contribution of intellectuals to the society. Education is not favored by modern leaders. Yes, you can be successful without going to the university. However, the university stands as the cornerstone to civilization by breeding critical thinkers and thought leaders. Politicians fear no one more than a critical thinker. Instead, I'd like to encourage the younger generation to be critical thinkers and to not be fooled by the politicians and few business elites who claimed they got revelation (on how to prosper) after they were dropped from college. They don't give you the formula but they prescribe failure. Friends, stay in the university. Keep on digging. Keep on asking. @Born_Crucified

There is an important lie behind every person's outrage, particularly the public display of outrage. We get mad and sad publicly and display it in person or on social media. What I came to realize is that our outrages are below the threshold. We are not really mad when we say we are mad. Let me give you an example. The other day I woke up and saw that William Ruto has been having a bromance with President Joe Biden and I was envious. For once I wasn't happy with the fact that Kenya has replaced Ethiopia as its beloved bondservant and maid in the East Africa. I was furious and mad. But then how did I publicly displayed my outrage? I just tweeted “Kenya has become the new Ethiopia and Ethiopia has become the new Eritrea.” Does this communicate the right amount of frustration and መብሸቅ I had that day? I don't think so. This is also true for the politicians as well. They መብሸቅ as much or more than the layman but then they cannot display that level of frustration publicly. The public square is not for መብሸቅ as much as it is for መበሻሸቅ. We are not really outraged about our status as much as we tease one another. The climax of the public outrage is defined in terms of violence. Not because words have shown limits but then we don't really know how to use words to display our public frustration. Hence, public frustrations end up being the reason for war. The public square is become an arena for civil war. War is how show off our public discontent of the system - by killing one another. We have not defined our terms of disagreement and disappointment rather we just use lebels such as “ጨቋኝ” “ባለጊዜ” to just close the scene in bloodshed. Let me not complain more on Monday morning. But then I have one wish - to be outraged properly and to the maximum and be able to show it without being violent. Use as many characters, fonts and languages to show how outraged we are and close the scene with words. When we sit with words and words only, we are well armed that the most armed ones in the world. Just as the Greeks understood the Logos to be a powerful invincible tool behind the universe, words, and not arms, have built and crashed civilization. May it be a week of proper outrage. Have a blessed Monday 😊 @Born_Crucified