Mother Teresa: Saint or Saint of the Media?

To be frank, I never was a fan of Christopher Hitchens, therefore, I never took his criticisms of Mother Teresa (born Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu) seriously, and I'm still not sure if his criticisms are valid. But I want to make sure I'm not allowing my dislike for Hitchens as an excuse to dismiss his accusations completely. After all, to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, Mother Teresa is a modern day icon of altruism, and selflessness in a world where all the focus is on the self, so her sacred personage represents an all-important light in what seems like a never-ending "Dark Night". Nevertheless, there is no justification for failing to get to the truth of the matter.

Through exposure of her private writings, it has come to the attention of many that Mother Theresa, like many Saints before her, did not feel the presence of God, that she experienced Christ "neither in her heart or in the Eucharist," yet despite this, she never stopped serving Christ. While the media played her doubts up as a failure, or hypocrisy on her part, many people of faith would call her continued devotion in the midst of "agonizing doubts" and torment, a sign of the highest level of faith that there is. To be sure, millions of people around the world can relate to her struggle.

However, one question remains. What kind of treatment did the sick and the dying receive in Mother Teresa's facilities considering the vast sums of money collected through her foundation, which included large sums from the Nobel Peace committee as well as numerous institutions and organizations, both religious and secular, not to mention, wealthy individuals?

Serge Larivee and Genevieve Chenard of the University of Montreal and Carole Senechal of the University of Ottawa reviewed more than 280 documents, representing 96% of the published work on Mother Teresa and the Order of the Missionaries of Charity that she founded. The investigators reported that physicians who visited her facilities “observed a significant lack of hygiene, even unfit conditions, as well as a shortage of actual care, inadequate food, and no painkillers.”

Be that as it may, there is nothing like personal first-hand observation. One man, a witness of Mother Teresa and the sisters in her order posted the following comment which may shed some more light on to this issue.

“I have personally witnessed and testify to the selfless and unmatched love Missionaries of Charity have displayed working with mentally disabled orphan children in Armenia. In 1988 Armenia's northern part was rocked by a strong earthquake leaving more than 20,000 dead. Within weeks Mother Teresa traveled to Armenia establishing a care center near the city of Spitak, which for many years operated in mobile homes. In 2003 I visited there after an American friend (Ph.D in Music) visited them and recommended me to visit as well. I was struck by the unparallelled love and care these young sisters were giving to more than 40 mentally disabled orphan kids. I would go against my consciousness to say anything less than great about these sister. To this day I remember the true, selfless love and enthusiasm they were putting in their care for these children. I knew I was not that strong, as probably the author of this book, to do the same.

These sisters, who came from different parts of the world, explained that they do this without seeking any reward in this world. Their eyes were toward the Kingdom of Heaven and toward the true love of Jesus, two concepts so foreign to the overwhelming majority of people, including those who are called to serve Him.

As Serge Larivée and his colleagues point out, even if Mother Teresa did not live up to the image portrayed in the media, there have been and continue to be positive effects that can be attributed to the image of Mother Teresa:

“If the extraordinary image of Mother Teresa conveyed in the collective imagination has encouraged humanitarian initiatives that are genuinely engaged with those crushed by poverty, we can only rejoice. It is likely that she has inspired many humanitarian workers whose actions have truly relieved the suffering of the destitute and addressed the causes of poverty and isolation without being extolled by the media. Nevertheless, the media coverage of Mother Theresa could have been a little more rigorous."

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Unconditional Life: Learning From the Heart

In the midst of hopelessness, where life is approximately 400 years behind the United States (ironically, Haiti was the first nation to emulate the United States in 1804 when they broke away from France and tried their hand at democracy), and people suffer from the worst kind of poverty, it's unthinkable that more tragedy could possibly inflict itself on a nation, who, if anything, deserves relief from their dire conditions.

Unbelievable, as it may seem to many of us, the Haitians make up for what they do not have in material goods and fundamental staples, by retaining their faith and spiritual connections. Despite that faith, their hard work, immense suffering, and their efforts to try and take care of one another, something always interferes and sets them back even further.

Back in 2004, that something was Hurricane Jeanne, which left 1,500 dead. In an article, Facing Haiti's Hopelessness, She Helps, Ernest Cooper of the St. Petersburg Times, highlights the missions of one surgeon, Sylvia Campbell, who said at the time, "It's so much sadder than it was before. The Haitians are so much poorer, so much hungrier," and that she is "awed by the Haitian struggle -- and their unyielding humanity". One example amongst so many is when neighbors walked five hours with one woman who need emergency surgery.

"They're such gentle kind people. It's so horrible that they have to go through more tragedy. You wonder how could people survive, yet they have incredible faith, an incredible gentleness to their spirit." -- Sylvia Campbell

Today, once again, it's so much sadder than it was before. Yet, there is no doubt the Haitians will continue to go on, living and loving. These afflicted people exemplify what Dr. Dan Gottleib, host of Voices in the Family on NPR means when he talks about the "gift of hopelessness" in his book, Learning From the Heart

Dr. Gottlieb has experienced his fair share of tragedy. At age 33-years old, he suffered through a car accident that left him a quadriplegic. A couple of years after the accident, he came to a deliberate crossroads in his life. This was the point at which he decided he was going to choose life or death. Taking himself off to his bedroom where he could be alone, he confronted something...a spiritual being, an image of God, the "heart" as he refers to in his book; he's not sure what or who it was that responded to him, only that something did.

At first Dr. Gottlieb said, "OK, I'll live with this if you can give me hope that one day I will walk again."

The voice responded, "No hope...live or die, choose one."

He tried again and said, "OK, give me hope that I will not continue to be as sick as I have been over the past couple of years."

The being responded exactly the same way, "No hope...live or die, choose one."

Everything Dr. Gottlieb asked for received the same response, and so he chose life, unconditionally, the way life was right at that moment. Today, he has a thriving practice, authored several books and hosts a radio show, but that did not come easily or without more heartache, as he lost his sister and then his wife to divorce and shortly thereafter, to death.

Semantically, faith and hope are very similar, except the word hope places more conditions, and is more specific, whereas faith is more general -- confidently believing in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of something or someone, whether it is life in general, a person, an idea, God, etc.

But placing conditions on love and life automatically limits our potential, eliminates freedom, and guarantees failure because there is no doubt that someone, something, or life in general will not measure up to the terms we've imposed. We can't escape it...life, and/or the people in our life will hurt, betray, and disappoint us repeatedly. Does that mean we should give up? Stop loving? Stop living? The easy answer is yes. However, keep in mind that we have, and we will hurt, betray, and disappoint in life and love as much as life hurts, betrays, and disappoints us.

Instead of abandoning hope altogether, Dr. Gottlieb said he can live with the definition of hope Jerome Groopman the author of "Anatomy of Hope" gives, "the belief that tomorrow can be better than today".

The Haitians who live in the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, in circumstances, incomprehensible to most of us, without an education, have learned from the heart. They know that to give up, is to have given up on the only reason for our existence...to contribute to life, that is, to live, and love. Each time we stop loving someone or choose against life, we truly fail, as we have refused to fulfill the one and only reason we exist. It is as simple as that.

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Get Out There And Make Obama Do It.

An audience member attending the 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival, stood up and questioned the book panel, tackling the subject of "The Great Repression" if he should continue to maintain his faith in President Obama. Naomi Klein immediately responded with, "Obama needs your pressure, not your faith". She then shared the following anecdote she heard about FDR:

Eleanor Roosevelt said that when FDR would meet with civil rights leaders who would make demands that he didn’t think was politically possible at the time, he would respond, paraphrasing FDR: "That sounds like a great idea - I want to do it. Now get out there and make me do it. Create the conditions in which I can do it.”that's "that's a good idea, now get out there and MAKE me do it!"

Faith is defined as a belief that is not based on proof. President Obama is not God, therefore cannot perform miracles, so our faith, in and of itself, does not help him achieve what he has promised.

Do you think the banksters, the corporate elite, the international power brokers, etc. rely on their faith in Obama to get what they want? Hell no! They harass, and continuously exert as much force as they can muster. So, it's absolutely essential that we, the people, get off our collective ass and counter that force by organizing and creating independent movements that can offset the power and wealth of that infinitesimally small group of elites, who can only hope we, the people never rise up and challenge them. They will cave when the only alternative is revolution.

Breaking up the banks, who caused the meltdown, and ensuring that they never are allowed to get so big that they distort our politics and take down the economy would be a good start.

This applies not only to our economy, but to all the issues President Obama addressed while campaigning, including education, health care, and equal rights for GLBT citizens.

Politicians cannot afford to appear weak when campaigning, therefore they make promises that sound as if they can handle it as long as they have our support, because they would never get elected if they campaigned by telling the public, "I promise....but, only if you force me to do it." So, especially in times like these, it's not enough to place our hope in President Obama, we must make him do it. That's not only what Obama desires, it's something he requires.

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True Genius, No Evidence Needed.

The ultimate mystery of life is beyond our limited capacity to perceive. We cannot begin to comprehend the incredible vastness of what exists beyond our tiny planet, moreover, beyond our infinitesimally small lives, purely from a logical and reasonable point of view.

Fundamentalists like Richard Dawkins who basically calls anyone who believes in anything without scientific proof, an idiot, is as much a hypocrite as Christian fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and the like.

Having said that, I'll take an arrogant atheist over an arrogant Christian any day of the week, because twisting what Jesus said and what He lived, to get what you want, and then persecuting those who don't live up to that twisted "belief" system is far worse than not believing at all.

I am not an Opera fan and I've never heard of Klaus Nomi until now, but this hauntingly beautiful performance of Henry Purcell's "The Cold Song" from the English 17th century baroque opera King Arthur, is all the proof I need that there is far more to life than science can tell us. Unbeknownst to anyone watching, Klaus Nomi was very sick at this time (1982). He died of AIDS six-months later (1983).

From anTONYM2M2:

"Klaus had made an impact on new-wave music in the late 70's and was working to break into the pop mainstream just before he died. His first love however, was Opera.

In this video, Klaus sings Henry Purcell's strange aria The Cold Song from the English 17th century baroque opera King Arthur

The composer Henry Purcell died in 1695 from incurable T.B. aged 36, while in 1983 Klaus sadly died succumbing to complications due to Aids, aged 39. Both men were remarkably talented but died so young.


---------- Purcell's Cold Genius -----------

What power art thou, who from below
Hast made me rise unwillingly and slow
From beds of everlasting snow
See'st thou not ( how stiff )2) and wondrous old
Far unfit to bear the bitter cold,
I ( can scarcely move or draw my breath )2)
Let me, let me freeze again to death.3)

-------------------------------

The Lyrics to this old aria are strangely prophetic. Watching it now, knowing what a difficult time Klaus was having, just adds to its intensity and sadness."

Of course, trying to convey the genius of this man on a youtube video is like trying to give expression to Michelangelo on etch a sketch:

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What Kind of God Would Create Such Complex , Self-Aware, and Fancy Worm Food?

A kind and loving God? Well, if that's God's idea of kind and loving, it certainly doesn't jive with what most of us humans believe is kind and loving. However, somehow, I think that's the point. Considering, we can't explain 99% of what's "out there" and that's not including all that is "out there" that we don't even know is "out there", we, humans don't know a whole lot...we just think we do. And, that's why I'll take Tony Soprano over that smug "know-it-all" Richard Dawkins any day.

And after three days of drinkin' with Larry Love
I just get an inklin' to go on home
So, I'm walkin' down Coldharbour Lane
Head hung low, three or four in the mornin'

The suns comin' up and the birds are out singing
I let myself into my pad
Wind myself up that spiral staircase
An' stretch out nice on the chesterfield

Pithecanthropus Erectus already on the CD player
And I just push that remote button to sublimity
And listen to the sweet sculptural rhythms of Charles Mingus
And J.R. Monterose and Jackie Mclean
Duet on those saxophones

And the sound makes it's way outta the window
Minglin' with the traffic noises outside, you know and
All of a sudden I'm overcome by a feelin' of brief mortality
'Cause I'm gettin' on in the world
Comin' up on forty-one years

Forty-one stoney gray steps towards the grave
You know the box, awaits it's grissly load
Now, I'm gonna be food for worms
And just like Charles Mingus wrote
That beautiful piece-a music, 'Epitaph for Eric Dolphy'

I say, so long Eric, so long, John Coltrane
And Charles Mingus, so long, Duke Ellington
And Lester Young, so long, Billie Holliday
And Ella Fitzgerald, so long, Jimmy Reed
So long, Muddy Waters, and so, long Howlin' Wolf

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True Faith.

“Where is my faith?” “Even deep down … there is nothing but emptiness and darkness. … If there be God — please forgive me.” -- Mother Theresa

Faith is not so much about how we feel or what we say as it is about what we do. Mother Theresa's actions and behavior spoke louder than any feelings or words could ever convey. It's easy to act accordingly when your feelings are in sync with what you believe, but almost impossible to do so when feeling the opposite, which is why Mother Theresa's faith is not only strong, but transcends human nature.

How many times do we see people who claim to serve God, cry, shout, and preach about how strong their faith is, only to find out their conduct and lifestyle only serve themselves. Many of these people may even convince themselves the high they feel comes directly from God, when in reality it comes from power, greed, and the perception of their own "superiority".

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Rates of Atheism Around the Globe.

click to enlarge:

Below is a presentation of the findings of the most recently available surveys concerning rates of atheism, agnosticism, and non-belief in God in various countries worldwide:

81% in Vietnam
72%-75% in East Germany
64%-65% in Japan
64%-85% in Sweden
54%-61% in the Czech Republic
48%-80% in Denmark
43%-54% in France
42%-43% in Belgium
39%-44% in the Netherlands
34%-40% in Bulgaria
32%-45% in Hungary
31%-44% in Britain
31%-54% in Norway
31%-35% in West Germany
31%-41% in Israel
30%-50% in South Korea
28%-40% in Finland
24%-25% in Australia
24%-30% in Russia
22%-30% in Canada
18%-20% in Austria
17%-27% in Switzerland
16%-17% in Greece
15%-18% in Spain
12%-13% in Singapore
10%-14% in China
6%-14% in Italy
6%-9% in United States
4%-9% in Portugal
4%-5% in Ireland
3%-6% in India
2%-7% in Mexico
1%-2% in El Salvador, Guatemala, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, and Venezuela
1%-5% in Africa
1%-5% in Middle East

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