Ovi magazine; Saturday December 3rd, 2022 – International Day of Persons with Disabilities

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Saturday December 3rd, 2022 – International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security. It is also central to the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind. The commitment to realizing the rights of persons with disabilities is not only a matter of justice; it is an investment in a common future.

The complex and interconnected crises facing humanity today, including the shocks resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other countries, a tipping point in climate change, all pose humanitarian challenges of an unprecedented nature, as well as threats to the global economy.

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Gateway to Faith: Inclusive or Exclusive? by Valerie Sartor

Long ago, my mother taught me never to argue politics or religion, but she also did not condemn my healthy interest in these subjects. Learning to respect other people’s beliefs was part of my emotional education and maturity process. Now that I have lived and worked in China and various parts of Asia for some years, my exposure to many new beliefs has increased. Here in China, I have noted that the Eastern and the Western points of view regarding faith are not only fundamentally different, but also this subject causes consternation, and even anger, among many foreigners.

This bone of contention, I feel, traces back to another fundamental difference between Western and Eastern cultures: the tendency of the Western mind to be directed at the individual, and the proclivity of the Eastern mind toward the group. In short, Chinese society, past and present, views human relationships in an inclusive fashion, in groups, especially families. In contrast, Western societies, especially Americans, generally perceive relationships as bonds that are exclusive between individuals. Regarding the issue of faith, these inclusive/exclusive thought patterns are projected onto belief and worship systems that all humans need in order to evoke and profess their selves to the divine.

Continue reading HERE!

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Life Spans #poem by Bohdan Yuri

“Every day someone’s born,
Everyday someone dies,
All day long, emotions are alive,
All day long, anything to survive.”

Continue reading HERE

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Sceptic feathers #52 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

For more Sceptic feathers, HERE!

For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!

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Ovi magazine; Wednesday September 21st, 2022 – International Day of Peace

2022 Theme: End racism. Build peace. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. But achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms. It requires the building of societies where all members feel that they can flourish. It involves creating a world in which people are treated equally, regardless of their race.

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Amgalan, a Buriat Doctor, Speaks about Buddhism by Valerie Sartor

Buddhism is a great social and cultural tradition. Buddhism has the power to impart to the ordinary people its own characteristic values and attitudes and has a profound influence on the values of the home as well as the nation. Ling also asserts that Buddhism has promoted an unusually high rate of literacy in Asia. The philosophy of Buddhism encourages social opportunity without economic competition.

When I interviewed Amgalan, a doctor trained in Mongolian and Tibetan traditional medicine, he told me that Buddhist practices reflect a “respect for the environment. They also contain a realistic attitude toward the value of material things. This attitude criticizes plundering and extravagant waste. Also, Buddhist cultures are peaceful; they do not encourage ideas of dominance.”

Buddhism is essentially a non-theistic religion, but several types of Buddhism, over the centuries, have evolved and created deities; Bodhisattvas, and gods, including Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhism. For Buddhists, more reliance on heavenly powers means less reliance on earthly factors, less reliance on man’s supreme need for sustained moral effort and mental discipline.

Continue reading HERE!

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Love of my life #poem by Dr. Lawrence Nannery

“If the fights were only playfights
Then what was the lovemaking?
Our hearts just below our breastbones,
We were yes particular friends, puffing our plumage,
And here is our true story, with the texture of cotton candy.”

Continue reading HERE!

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A Day of Deeper Peace by Rene Wadlow

21 September is the U.N. sponsored International Day of Peace chosen to mark the annual start of the U.N. General Assembly.  The General Assembly touches upon all the armed conflicts and tension areas. It can highlight the peace missions of the U.N. peacekeeper troops at work in different parts of the world.  Often, there are informal talks behind the scenes among the representatives of States in conflict.  However, there is little or no avenue for talks with non-State armed groups such as ISIS.  Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have no direct standing with the General Assembly.  Consultative status is granted by the Economic and Social Council.  However, NGO representatives are active in the hallways and coffee bars during the General Assembly, and government representatives become aware of their suggestions.

However, a deeper approach to peace building is necessary, and the Day of Peace is a moment when these deeper approaches can be expressed. Thus, the Association of World Citizens has stressed the peacebuilding approach of Louise Diamond.

Continue reading HERE!

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A fistful of cactus #036 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

For more A fistful of cactus HERE!

For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!

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