{"id":80364,"date":"2019-11-22T18:09:44","date_gmt":"2019-11-23T01:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=80364"},"modified":"2019-11-22T18:09:44","modified_gmt":"2019-11-23T01:09:44","slug":"from-about-as-far-west-as-i-can-go-for-the-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/11\/from-about-as-far-west-as-i-can-go-for-the-moment.html","title":{"rendered":"From about as far west as I can go for the moment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Sunset<\/a>
I took this photograph of the remnants of a sunset over the Pacific just a few minutes ago, from the balcony of the place where we\u2019re staying at the moment.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rather like the giant Antaeus of classical Greek mythology, I feel the need to touch my native soil, California, fairly frequently. It\u2019s good to be back home. It will always feel like home to me.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,<\/span>
\nWho never to himself hath said,<\/span>
\nThis is my own, my native land!<\/span>
\nWhose heart hath ne\u2019er within him burn\u2019d,<\/span>
\nAs home his footsteps he hath turn\u2019d,<\/span>
\nFrom wandering on a foreign strand!<\/span>
\nIf such there breathe, go, mark him well;<\/span>
\nFor him no Minstrel raptures swell;<\/span>
\nHigh though his titles, proud his name,<\/span>
\nBoundless his wealth as wish can claim;<\/span>
\nDespite those titles, power, and pelf,<\/span>
\nThe wretch, concentred all in self,<\/span>
\nLiving, shall forfeit fair renown,<\/span>
\nAnd, doubly dying, shall go down<\/span>
\nTo the vile dust, from whence he sprung,<\/span>
\nUnwept, unhonour\u2019d, and unsung.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(Sir Walter Scott)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ve spent large and very formative periods of my life elsewhere, including the Middle East and traveling in the Islamic world, and my thoughts turn to places and those people and to the Muslims and Middle Easterners that I\u2019ve known.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In that context, you might enjoy this still relatively recent piece:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Muslims and Latter-day Saints in the Pacific taught Sister Eubank and Sister Craven about ministering\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I believe that it was Matthew Wheeler who called my attention to the following three items from his general neck of the woods. \u00a0Certainly he brought the second and third ones to my notice:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Singapore: \u00a0\u201cThis Singaporean Mosque Is Opening Their Doors For The Homeless To Sleep Overnight: A nationwide study recently found that about 1,000 people were sleeping on the streets.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

New South Wales, Australia: \u00a0\u201cMuslim group donates $10,000 to NSW firefighters as bushfires continue to rage: Australians of different faiths are pitching in to help those affected by the bushfires.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sydney, Australia: \u00a0\u201cAustralia attack on pregnant woman highlights rising anti-Muslim hate:\u00a0Victim Rana Haidar was attacked without provocation by a man in a Sydney cafe. The attacker was then apprehended by others nearby and arrested by police.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Compare this very different account of the same incident, and the file photograph (of a generic pregnant woman, not of the specific victim) used to illustrate it:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHeavily pregnant woman punched, stomped on by stranger at Parramatta cafe\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Matthew Wheeler may well have called this one to my attention, as well:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA rabbi, a pastor and an imam walk into a . . . dialogue about shared values\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And maybe this one:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cU.S. Christians, Jews and Muslims pioneer multifaith project\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This one, though \u2014 finally! \u2014 I\u2019m confident that I found on my own:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRussia, the Kurds, Trump and some Syrian Jews: When in doubt stress the political angle\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Posted from Newport Beach, California<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Rather like the giant Antaeus of classical Greek mythology, I feel the need to touch my native soil, California, fairly frequently. It\u2019s good to be back home. It will always feel like home to me. \u00a0 Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom about as far west as I can go for the moment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Rather like the giant Antaeus of classical Greek mythology, I feel the need to touch my native soil, California, fairly frequently. 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