Post by Logan on Feb 13, 2016 5:02:48 GMT -6
A public service announcement: Do not panic if, while facing a mirror, you see a solo, curly and persistent gray hair shooting out of your ear, as if escaping a decaying body, like rats leaving a sinking ship. Everything will be fine; it is nothing but a sign of a chronic disease, called aging. Though ultimately fatal, it won’t kill you right away.
With no background in medicine, I’d depend on reliable sources, who tell me aging is an epidemic ailment happening all over the world. It knows no gender, race, class, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. All are at risk. What bothers me, as someone at high risk, is why we weren’t warned of this malady before. For instance, we could’ve studied al-aging instead of algebra. Unable to find a use for algebra in adult life, tips on aging would’ve been nice.
Now, if you happen to see many elderly and folks with gray hair around, that may be good. You still have good sight, for Maine is officially the oldest state in the country. But, before you start to yawn and head for the exit, there’s more good news to share: As refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers and others arrive to start a new life in Maine, our cities are gaining some color. Maine is taking baby steps to look like the rest of the country and the world beyond. Immigrants arrive, contribute and add, just as the others before did, to the magic of America. Also, they’re changing the spiritual landscape of our state. Once mostly a Christian community, Maine is now a pluralistic society, home to many hyphenated communities, including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Baha’is, in addition to Pagans and those who believe in no God. Maine now hosts some 10 mosques, a Buddhist temple and a Hindu one, an African and a Serb Orthodox houses of worship and churches of different forms of Christianity crowded by immigrants worshiping, singing and praising their Creator in languages as diverse as Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Nubia, Arabic and French, to name a few. This is amazing considering it is happening in Maine, which was once named as the most “unchurched” state in the United States.
Just as in the past, refugees and immigrants arrive in Maine, with hope for a better future in addition to their spiritual beliefs tucked away in their hearts, where no hand of secret police and army could reach. In most cases, their names and faith traditions are all they have of their past, reminding them of their lives and communities lost to political and social upheavals.
Read more: www.pressherald.com/2016/02/13/reflections-maine-is-in-desperate-need-of-population-to-survive/
With no background in medicine, I’d depend on reliable sources, who tell me aging is an epidemic ailment happening all over the world. It knows no gender, race, class, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. All are at risk. What bothers me, as someone at high risk, is why we weren’t warned of this malady before. For instance, we could’ve studied al-aging instead of algebra. Unable to find a use for algebra in adult life, tips on aging would’ve been nice.
Now, if you happen to see many elderly and folks with gray hair around, that may be good. You still have good sight, for Maine is officially the oldest state in the country. But, before you start to yawn and head for the exit, there’s more good news to share: As refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers and others arrive to start a new life in Maine, our cities are gaining some color. Maine is taking baby steps to look like the rest of the country and the world beyond. Immigrants arrive, contribute and add, just as the others before did, to the magic of America. Also, they’re changing the spiritual landscape of our state. Once mostly a Christian community, Maine is now a pluralistic society, home to many hyphenated communities, including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Baha’is, in addition to Pagans and those who believe in no God. Maine now hosts some 10 mosques, a Buddhist temple and a Hindu one, an African and a Serb Orthodox houses of worship and churches of different forms of Christianity crowded by immigrants worshiping, singing and praising their Creator in languages as diverse as Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Nubia, Arabic and French, to name a few. This is amazing considering it is happening in Maine, which was once named as the most “unchurched” state in the United States.
Just as in the past, refugees and immigrants arrive in Maine, with hope for a better future in addition to their spiritual beliefs tucked away in their hearts, where no hand of secret police and army could reach. In most cases, their names and faith traditions are all they have of their past, reminding them of their lives and communities lost to political and social upheavals.
Read more: www.pressherald.com/2016/02/13/reflections-maine-is-in-desperate-need-of-population-to-survive/