19.10.13

Haiku: Intolerance...

"I have seen great intolerance shown in support of tolerance." Samuel Taylor Coleridge 

Intolerance: The Apotheosis of War (1871) by Vasily Vereshchagin


Clad in bright clothing
Fake smiles hide hate in their eyes
Laughing hyenas

Stomping difference
Bigotry maims our beliefs
Intolerance thrives...


"Dialogue and education for peace can help free our hearts from the impulse toward intolerance and the rejection of others." Daisaku Ikeda 

The Pyramids of Gaza by Nina Thune Aldin


In the King's Chamber
Ancient, Modern, robbers spout
Preposterous lies

Vendettas, threats, wars
The Pyramids of Giza
A witness to strife   


Today, the words are: Intolerance, Pyramid of Giza


What is Carpe DiemBlog Owner, Kristjaan Panneman,  describes it as:  "a weblog on haiku. It's a new daily haiku meme where you can write a classical or non-classical haiku on a given prompt. Haiku is an ancient Japanese poetry form. A haiku has three short lines and describes a short moment (as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water). Mostly a haiku counts 5-7-5 syllables and is sometimes called 'counted verse.'"





The Dalai Lama once said that "In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher." We live in a world that has become increasingly intolerant; even as men and women of goodwill strive to bring equity and equanimity to our global exchanges. In countries around the world, disdain of those considered "not like us/less than us" festers; intolerance of the poor, the disenfranchised, ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTs, women and even girls. What are we teaching our children behind closed doors? What lies are we telling ourselves about our discriminatory practices and attitudes towards others?
More from Haiku Heights Below!


 "I came from a lot of intolerance and prejudice, which aren't necessarily healthy to evolve as a human." Katy Perry 

Nacrous Clouds
Grey...
Grey skies cloud our minds
Impostors whisper with smiles
Discrimination

Prejudice calls out
Find shelter for those I hate...
Not In My Backyard!

Clouds...
Heads high in the clouds
Slave driving wolves in sheep's cloths
Strain the hands of time

All must speak ... bar none!
As earthly freedoms decline
Intolerance thrives...


This week, the prompt is: CloudsGrey


What is a haiku?
 As Leo of Haiku Heights aptly explains, a haiku is a three line poem. It shows what the author wants us to understand from it, rather than tell it directly. The limitation to a haiku is seventeen syllables. It can be at maximum, that much. If you wish to go by the traditional Japanese structure even with English haiku, you can use a 5-7-5 syllable, or 3-5-3 syllable structure





 Perhaps, for some of us, doing good to others is all we can muster. For others, turning a blind eye is enough.  But we must not give in. Each of us can fight the enemy of intolerance within/out. Even a simple gesture of compassion will make a difference as we are all members of our global family; we play our part in creating problems and offering solutions. Many of us stand and watch as racial cleansing, wars, inequities, petty hatreds, meanness and selfishness challenge our leaders. Why? Why do so many of us feel powerless to speak up?

Some Food for Thought: Are you tolerant of others? How do you view intolerance? Take a moment to contemplate what Intolerance means to you? Love and Peace in 2013.

I would love to hear from you: Please leave me a comment. Thank You!

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photographs: Apotheosis of War (1871) by Vasily Vereshchagin, Pyramids of Giza by Nina Aldin Thune, and Clouds uploaded by Hike 395; via Wikipedia, or my personal collection.

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet


85 comments:

  1. We are kin and no different from one another in God's eyes. Why so much acrimony?

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  2. I am glad to see you here again Eliz. You were missed ... thank you for sharing this wonderful post. Nice respons on pyramid of Giza.

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  3. These are well written haiku with immense feeling. I appreciate your artistry in these.

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  4. Awesome post.. you have been missed :-) nice to see you back

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  5. Yes, most of the times I can tolerate what bad things other people are doing. But like anyone else, I can only take as much so I have to speak up and stand for what is right and the good of the many.

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    1. Likewise. I can tolerate as much as I can especially if those "people" are my loved ones. Some people can be too much and I have to speak up whenever that happens. Great post Elizabeth! Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Elizabeth, I'm so glad to read from you once again. These are deep truths, unfortunate and yet wonderfully written. Hope everything is fine with you and your family. Love, Celestine

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  7. Thats a lovely compilation there...
    Each one of those...

    Please follow the link to read mine...
    http://locomente.blogspot.in/2013/10/rainbows-adorned.html

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  8. Welcome back in posting haikus again. :) The pyramid of Giza looks really wonderful.

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  9. What a profound post, Ms. Eliz. My thoughts: we are becoming more and more tolerant of intolerance. Is this what Jesus would do?

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  10. In my daily life, it is necessary to be tolerant. And it pays to have this character just like being patient or understanding.

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  11. nice thoughts. i hate intolerance too. bigot people annoy me. thankfully, i was raised to be more open-minded to certain things.

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  12. "In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher." - dalai lama

    how true! i love this quote...

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  13. Great Haiku and very artistic, Eliz!:) Thanks for sharing.. love it:)

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  14. To be educated really means to be free! That's why I value education so much. :)

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  15. Glad to see your posts again...Powerful verses each one, but who is to decide the limit? We all live with a false sense of freedom and fragile morals.

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  16. This quote really is true. -- In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher. -- Very interesting post, indeed. :-)

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  17. The Apotheosis looks grim and scary.

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  18. Glad to be back in your blog. I like the post. I showed it to my son as they are studying about Egypt and tried to make my son understand your poem as well.

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  19. God is teaching us to be tolerant. It is one great lesson God wants us to learn and be good at, however,our imperfection lead us to fail in this most of the time. It is true, Love and Peace...we all need this not only for this year but for the years to come. :)

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  20. Another set of beautiful poems for the heart and soul.

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  21. welcome back and I am happy to see your haikus again. By the way, sorry for not including you in the commex.

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  22. another great haiku Eliz.. thanks for sharing.. :)

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  23. I really find that image of the Intolerance: The Apotheosis of War (1871) by Vasily Vereshchagin intriguing!

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  24. TY Kristjaan for welcoming me back... I truly appreciate it. :-)

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  25. Alicekeysmd TY! It's been a while and I'm looking forward to playing in the sandbox. How are you and the family doing? I hope all's well.
    Eliz

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  26. hi Eliz, welcome back! Most of the time i try to tolerate people but if i have my limitation

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  27. Oh, I try to be tolerant. There are just things that are non-negotiable for me like honesty,integrity, etc. When these are broken, i forgot about tolerance.

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  28. It's been a long time na pala that I have read your haiku.. hehe glad you are back..

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  29. TY Björn! I've missed everyone and the excellent writing shared by all. Hope to keep up a bit better. :-)

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  30. Same here Mayette! I keep my mouth shut up to a point and then have to say something. TY!

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  31. Reading Pleasure/Celestine TY! It's been a while, I know, and a lot has happened around me. Sending peace and love your way. All will be well.

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  32. Dominique TY! I love haiku and even though I'm a bit rusty, I will keep at it and improve. :-)

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  33. Satya TY for your feedback. I will definitely catch up and read yours. :-)

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  34. tet ^0^ TY for your sweet message. It's good to be back. I've missed the camaraderie! :-)

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  35. Marie Angeli Laxa that is a great response and question. Food for thought! :-) TY!

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  36. Farida, I agree with you. Patience is needed even more these days and compassion too; that is my prayer. TY!

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  37. RoSe TY! I was raised like you too. Sadly, some teach their kids to hate. :-(

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  38. Sabbatical Gal TY! It is an awesome quote... love it too!

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  39. Melgie Campbell TY! I appreciate the generous feedback!
    :-)

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  40. Meikah Ybañez-Delid TY! Education helps, but some choose to stay ignorant. ;-(

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  41. Reshma TY! Great question... We set our own limits and live with the results. Sadly, some have no limits to their prejudice.

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  42. Van Cruz-Gabaza TY! Love that quote too... it says a lot.

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  43. TY Aileen! It is scary and yet speaks to the problem. Hate/Intolerance can be very scary.

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  44. Mys Laguitao TY so much for sharing this with your son and explaining it to him. I hope it spoke to him as it did to me...

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  45. Glenda Barretto TY! I agree. And our world would be a bit more balanced if were more considerate of others and their suffering.

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  46. Lady Anne Abit TY! You are so kind. I missed you all too.

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  47. Allan TY for checking in and no problem with the mix-up. I'm glad it's resolved. ;-)

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  48. JanzCrystalz January TY! Your feedback is always appreciated. ;-)

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  49. Meikah Ybañez-Delid TY! Yes, the painting caught my eye too; very strong message.

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  50. Rosemarie/Gven-Rose TY for the warm welcome! Like you, I try my best and then pick my battles. :-)

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  51. Kat TY! I hear you and do the same. :-)

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  52. JanzCrystalz January TY for the warm welcome! I missed everyone too. :-)

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  53. I just noticed that as I am growing older, I have become short-fused. Not to the point of intolerance, though, because I try-oh so hard- to calm myself and leave things be

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  54. I found myself browsing your precious blog posts. Very interesting writings. I've bookmarked so I can read some more.

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  55. Marie,
    Like you, I feel the same level of frustration sometimes too... But also, I pick my battles. Some of it has to be addressed and some I ignore. TY!

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  56. TY Rose for stopping by! I appreciate the feedback and will check out your blog too.

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  57. The Haiku's on Pyramid is amazing! Super loved all your Haiku's, Eliz. Happy Halloween:)

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  58. "Dialogue and education for peace can help free our hearts from the impulse toward intolerance and the rejection of others." Daisaku Ikeda This caught my heart the most... so fitting for our present Zamboanga crisis!

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  59. I'm here again Eliz! Great haiku as usual.. :) Have a great day!

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  60. TY Melgie! I love the pyramids as they mean so much to me and many others. :-)
    Eliz

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  61. Daisaku Ikeda's words are fitting for all the strife in the world... so much we can learn from each other. TY Pinay!

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  62. TY for your support Janz! I hope you like my latest Haiku post too. :-)

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  63. I love your haikus! So well written!

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  64. Very interesting. My nine year old is learning about haikus in school right now, so I may show him one or two of these.

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  65. Poetry is wonderful. I love the quotes you use!

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  66. very nice post! I have not read a Haiku in so many years..

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  67. Very inspirational poems and beautiful photos that compliment them well!

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  68. What a thought provoking image and I loved all the poems/ thoughts given in response. This reminds me of the days when I was in college and took many an art class and English/ language class.

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  69. I'm not the most tolerant person. But I guess it depends on the situation and how my day has been going :) Sometimes I have absolutely no tolerance for my husband or kids :)

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  70. . Patience is always needed. Great written haiku, I loved it

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  71. Oh wow beautiful and the photos are just amazing as well.

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  72. Your Haikus and imagery are powerful. I wish you a peaceful 2014. I try my best to be tolerant, but I am only human.

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  73. Thank you for sharing such an insightful post. Love the message you shared.

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  74. I love haikus. It takes talet to write ones that read well.

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  75. Great article haikus.. Love reading your blogs!!!

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  76. I definitely try to be tolerant of others, and if I felt the way they did something wasn't the way I would do it, I'd just keep that to myself. It doesn't need to be spoken.

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  77. Tolerance is something I've been working on for a long time. Patience and tolerance! Easier said than done. Lovely Haikus.

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  78. ...." The Dalai Lama once said that "In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher." " ..... very wise words. I can't tolerate intolerance. There is no need for it in civilized world, but unfortunately civilized doesn't mean perfect.

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  79. I love haikus, too. They are so beautiful.

    Short moment.
    Drifting through time.
    Ends is near.

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  80. Tolerance is very important, but we all have our limits.

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  81. Thanks for sharing....beautiful....with great reminders! Jesus said "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" The Golden Rule - I try to live by it!

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  82. Love reading your blog posts. This is a great article on haikus.

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