Spiritual Life

I recently heard someone talking about writing a personal mission statement.

Courtesy of Tanya Momi
Tanya Momi’s “Whisper” is currently on display at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara.

Local artist Tanya Momi often draws inspiration from her Sikh faith. Her work is represented in the exhibition “Expressions of Divinity,” running through Nov. 3 at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara.

Her painting “Whisper” was selected for the display, which also features works from seven other artists.

While watching or reading the news, I am often reminded of the words of the prophet-founder of the Baha’i Faith, who wrote, “No two men can be found who may be said to be outwardly and inwardly united. The evidences of discord and malice are apparent everywhere, though all were made for harmony and union.”

Just the negative economic impact of partisan conflict has led researchers to devise the Partisan Conflict Index. Published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the index tracks the degree of political disagreement among U.S. politicians at the federal level. According to the bank’s report, “Research suggests that increased partisan conflict increases uncertainty among firms and households. Such uncertainty has been shown to slow economic activity by delaying business investment and consumer spending.”

The ancient kingdoms of Judah and Israel were attacked by the prophets for their betrayal of Israel’s ancient vision of a people governed by faithfulness and mercy. The founding story of these two nations linked by a common faith and shared story told of an oppressed people delivered from bondage. The legal code that governed them was attributed to the God who had led them out from Egypt and encountered them at Mount Sinai.

What we refer to as the Ten Commandments encapsulate a set of laws and customs that defined a just community. One of the pivotal commands was to remember that they had been slaves in Egypt and even the cattle were to have one day of rest in seven.

As I write this, Tropical Storm Barry is barreling down on New Orleans and southeast Louisiana, triggering collective and painful memories of the destruction and death wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A week doesn’t go by without breaking news of new peer-reviewed scientific research outlining mounting and dire concerns correlated to unbridled global warming.

Erupting climate change places further unbearable burdens on migrating refugees fleeing national and regional crises around the world. Wildfires across the west are fueled by persistent and stagnant high-pressure ridges in the jet stream resulting in long-lasting droughts. And when it does rain, fattened atmospheric rivers dump torrential downpours resulting in massive mudslides and erosion of the ground beneath foot.

Courtesy of Bill Myers
Popular author Bill Myers grins for the camera as a winged friend photo-bombs him.

With titles like “My Life as Alien Monster Bait,” it’s no wonder that Bill Myers’ books are popular among Los Altos students in elementary school. His books and animated series, including “The Adventures of McGee and Me,” line the shelves at Los Altos Christian School and the Los Altos Library.

Myers has sold more than 8 million books, garnered more than 80 national and international awards – including the C.S. Lewis Honor Award – and recently finished production in Simi Valley on a film based on his book “Secret Agent Dingledorf: The Case of the Giggling Geeks.”