What’s wrong with people who fight for so long? Why can’t they settle their differences for
crying out loud.
Spoken by an American who has known peace for a long
time. If the American had been a colonist in Boston in 1775 the colonist to be American would completely understand the Afghani
plight. Sort of. Afghani conflict is petty tribal and ethnic squabbling that has gone on for most of recorded history. The only difference
now and a thousand years ago is they squabble with guns. It is unfortunate.
In other words, it ain’t gonna end for a while. At least five more years I’ve been told by
more than a few before there's any chance the country would see a tourism industry. So, if a chance comes
to visit this place again I’ll come back in five years, insha’allah.
In the meantime, today is February. tick tock.
Did you know Afghans do not celebrate birthdays because most of the
people alive today have never had their birth’s registered. The majority of new births are in the
countryside and midwives don’t keep record.
No one knows when they were born!
No one knows how old you are, but you look about 10,
here, carry this wood. You look about
twenty, certainly not ten, old enough to carry a
gun.
Old enough to get married.
That wasn’t too hard to do without a calendar, now?
Measuring man infinitely is to be honest
infinitely nauseating. I know it’s
necessary but it isn’t really necessary.
Does it make sense in this context?
Yes, and is it applicable for today?
You can’t live in the west without chronicling, measuring and monitoring
your everyday affairs. It would be nice
if one could reduce the unnecessary tools we use to measure. For example, how many clocks do you really
need in a room? If you have more than
five clocks in a room, something might not be right. You only need one, and
it can be on your mobile in your pocket.
It’s not that hard to do and it ought to free you up so you can consider
other things more interesting.
I’m waiting to go to a courier with the big boss so my
passport will go to Kabul for its new visa which is still 15 days away. Is it too early to submit it? I aggravate myself with this decision to mail
my passport or carry it to Waheedullah and hand it to him personally. What’s wrong with doing that? Well in a normal place it wouldn’t be a
problem at all.
Kandahar is the wealthiest city in the country but also the worst for providing its citizens with basic services like electricity and water and good roads.
A Hero With A Thousand Faces.
If my purpose in life is nothing more than to practice
the golden rule, then I hope, I trust, my efforts will not have been in
vain. And I hope if I am still alive at
75 I’ll not have to worry about where I will sleep or what I will eat. All the planning for retirement I have not achieved,
there has to be a legitimate reason for that.
Really.
I made a bargain with God in the backseat of a police
car. I said if God gets me out of this
I’ll do whatever God wants me to do.
Well, I got out of it, unscathed, and that Autumn I
said ok, what do you want me to do.
These days I just complain, making deals and bargains
is between God and Satan.
2.2.16
There’s no groundhog day here, temps should change in
the next two-three weeks, whatever. I
woke up at seven, I didn’t hear my alarm because the volume was turned low, and
it was minus two Celsius, but it was enough time to have a small coffee, one
piece of dry toast, thanks to Younis who turned on the big solar, just to have
toast, yes, and also to make a few copies of a page in the book we practiced in
class, a class of three at seven thirty in the morning.
Teacher:
Can you sing?
Student:
I am not able to sing.
Teacher:
Would you like to be able to sing?
Student:
No, I don’t think so.
Teacher:
Why not?
Student:
My culture think singing bad, my family no one sing, I do not want to
sing.
Teacher:
This is very sad to hear this.
Student:
(laugh) It is no problem. I listen to people sing, but I no sing.
Teacher:
You can sing in the shower.
Student:
ha ha, my wife think I doing something bad.
Teacher:
Singing?
Student:
ha ha, no something else. I no
say here.
And so begins another day. What else do I have to look forward to? A toefl class at five.
That’s seven hours from now. Well, I’ll review the lesson, that could take
an hour or two, and then? What else am I
going to bloody do today? I’ll walk out
into the courtyard and have a cigarette, look at the flowers, warm up in the
sun, I’ll do that two times today, and then there will be lunch and then maybe
a nap, a little Grisham perhaps, not much bloody else.
Unless I am right here writing writing and looking at
photos and thinking what the hell should I do with them? I tell ya what I really miss is printing out
my images. Some of them I swear I don’t
know if they’re as good on paper as they are on computer. Paper photos is how to look at images
best. Sigh.
Ok, have a nice day.
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