It is certainly an honour to find myself addressing such
prestigious organization.
I would like to start by quoting a few paragraphs from a
piece I wrote recently, in April 2017, titled “Nora Rasenti on Military
Issues”:
“My name is Nora Rasenti, and getting here has been a
long and winding journey, yet the need to take this stand could no longer be
postponed.
There is a fight that we have all been pulled into,
some of us with more deliberation than others.
The outcome of this fight will certainly shape our future.
Our environment is in peril.”
In writing these paragraphs originally, my intention was to
address my local colleagues in the planet, facing external pressures, but there
is no denying the relevance of these words today, in a wider context. And even though in the year 2017 I said “The
outcome of this fight will certainly shape our future”; today, I would be more
inclined to say – “The outcome of this fight will determine whether we have a
future at all!”
In any case, as I said, I feel honoured to be afforded the
opportunity of addressing this forum, yet it is with some sadness, as I am
still to address our United Nations in a personal capacity. I have done so through written works in a few
occasions, but not in person. And I
guess this could even set the format for future iterations – yes, cooperation
is a worthwhile effort.
Our United Nations as a concept have spiritual roots; even
though the organization emerged at the end of one of the bloodiest wars in the history of our planet.
It has been the conviction of many that it was divine
inspiration to establish an organization upholding human rights in a way that
connects us to the philosophical development of our human communities. Yet, we are sadly still lacking when it comes
to the same acknowledgment as it refers to other species.
And yet, in recent times, it has become clear there has been
interventions and maliciousness slowing our progress in this regard. And our commitment to acknowledge this, and
assess it has grown in many communities and at many levels of our
societies.
It is with excitement that I find myself confronted with the reality of
your organization, and the inspiring common thread to the divine. In that regard, I would like to quote some
paragraphs that were extracted from one of the most ancient books in our
planet, dated approximately 5000 years ago, and the account is full of poetic
references that could make its interpretation a bit obscure. Yet, I want to include the reference in this
presentation on account of the relevance to the present situation. The following paragraphs from “The Living
Bible” were included on a piece I wrote titled “Environment and Spirituality”:
1 – “When God began creating the
heavens and the earth, the planet was at first a shapeless chaotic mass, with
the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors. Then God said “Let there be light!” and light
appeared. “And God was pleased with
it and divided the light from the darkness – so he let it shine for a while,
and then there was darkness again. He
called the light ‘daytime’ and the darkness ‘nighttime’. Together they formed the first day.”
Scientific evidence indicates that our Star is our father,
in as much as it was our Star that gave birth to the Solar System. The scientific community has been able to
establish the fact that while our Star’s age correlates that of the Universe,
the age of the planets of our Planetary System is younger. The first paragraph of the account of
CREATION describes the events of that initial act. The implication is that of the planet finally
evolving into a stable shape, rotating on its axis, and suggests to me the
question: How many hours on that first day?..
“And God said “Let the vapors separate to form the
sky above and the oceans below.”
(7-8). So God made the sky,
dividing the vapor above from the water below.
This all happen on the second day.”
9-10 “Then God said, “Let the water beneath the sky
be gathered into oceans so that the dry land will emerge”. And so it was. Then God named the dry land ‘earth and the
water ‘seas’. And God was pleased.”
11-12 “And he said, “Let the earth burst forth with
every sort of grass and seed bearing plants, and fruit trees with seeds inside
the fruit, so that these seeds will produce the kind of plants and fruits they
came from”. And so it was, and God was
pleased. This all occurred on the third
day.”
And it could not have happened without light. We all realize the cycle of life enabling
photo-synthesis could not have started until light shone through the thick
layer of gases, affecting the composition of the atmosphere.
14-15 Then God said, “let there be bright lights in the
sky, to give light to the planet, and to identify the day and the night, they
shall bring about the seasons on the planet, and mark the days and years. And so it was.”
The planet’s cycle around our Star defining the Season’s of
the year; would have come about when the ‘chaotic mass’ that had been the
planet’s inception had settled into the stable elliptic path around our Star –
closer to the one that we have today.
15 “For God made two huge lights, the Star and the
Satellite, to shine down upon the planet, the larger one, the Star, to preside
over the day, and the smaller one, the satellite, to preside through the
night. He also made the stars.”
17 “And God set them in the sky, to light the planet,
and to preside over the day and night and to divide the light from
darkness. And God was pleased. This all happened on the fourth day.”
The plant life, and photo-synthesis would have re-defined
the chemical composition of the atmosphere.
The thick layer of gases giving way to the blue sky, enabling the
sighting of our Star and Satellite, and the rest of the stars.
Technological developments have made the fear of being branded a
heretic for questioning natural phenomena almost impossible. It has affected the communities of the
planet, and the way in which they engage in the pursue of knowledge. Returning to the earlier example of philosophical
and scientific truths, the account of CREATION can today be approached with the
strength of both scientific and spiritual foundations: they
correlate. (Extract from “Environment
and Spirituality”, by myself.)
We are God’s creation. And our
souls resemble a star – they are of him.
This is especially relevant at a time like this, when souls from our
area of the sky are being deliberately destroyed.
This historical journey is meant to establish a connection with all of
those listening to this presentation today – regardless of their
background. If not part of the same
creation effort, at least connected by similar creation’s processes.
From here,
our religious writings evolve towards upholding life, as illustrated by the Ten
Commandments: “You
shall not kill.”
Our history, I have the conviction, connects back to the history of the
area. We have been influenced by others,
in ways that went un-noticed for many generations, but today are a fascinating
thread across time. The goodness of our
people compromised, often by force, towards the assimilation of cruel rituals,
customs and routines. That is where we
find ourselves today, hoping for an opportunity to help our people un-LEARN
this modes of behavior, un-natural to them, but by now, encroached in their
cultures.
The religious teachings have for so long anticipated a time when all
the different species in the planet can co-exist in peaceful harmony. And what has been a desirable dream for such
a long time, has today taken the consistency of necessity when confronted with
the need to function in the versatility of life-forms in space.
At this time, I would like to share a song I wrote some time ago, in
celebration of the richness of different species. We are all part of God’s Creation, which was
not a frivolous exercise, but a deliberate act of will where we all have a role
to play and a contribution to make.
DIVERSITY
The
sweet self-consciousness of rodents,
The
warm loyalty of dogs,
The
gracefulness of cats,
Keep
them in mind.
The
intelligence of birds,
The
wisdom of snakes,
The
playful comfort of apes,
Keep
them in mind.
Acknowledge
them,
Their
love could pull you through
These
trying times.
The
integrity of elephants,
The
courage of lions,
The
excellence of mermaids,
Keep
them in mind.
The
vulnerability of gazelles,
The
team spirit of hyenas,
The
conviction strength of zebras,
Keep
them in mind.
And
if their dwindling numbers,
Could
suggest global indifference,
The
planet is also their home,
And
we sure need their perspective.
The
dawn of a new era
Could
start when the rights
To
respect and dignity
Apply
to all species.
Keep
them in mind, Keep them in mind.
The
competence of pigs,
The
generosity of cows,
The
fortitude of horses,
Keep
them in mind.
Keep
them in mind, Keep them in mind.
The
resilience of insects.
As I said, we are all part of God’s Creation, which was not a frivolous
exercise, but a deliberate act of will where we all have a role to play and a
contribution to make.
We should question the
legitimacy of teachings that portray us less deserving of the pursuit of
happiness and grace. There have been
those among us that believe God’s contribution to our existence is reason
enough to perceive ourselves and treat ourselves with respect and dignity, if
not on account of our own merits, certainly on account of His.
It follows from this the desire of many towards forms and structures of
government that uphold dignity, and the United Nations is certainly an example
of this. And it is my hope, the United
Planetary’s history subscribes to similar ethos. And yet, it is unnerving that there is a need
to acknowledge the constant efforts towards destroying and/or sabotaging the
“soul” of the organization in our planet.
And I can only hope, yours is not a target to the same caliber of
evil.
So, where do we go from here? We
have managed to establish some common ground, right from the start of our
history. I hope, weak as this thread
might be, it assist us in the finding of bases for cooperation regarding our
common challenges. I would like to
believe this would contribute to make our future less uncertain.
As I am here today, I wonder about the journeys and issues confronting
others in this structure, and hope for an opportunity to establish elements of
commonality that could enable a better perspective in the issues that confront
us. If nothing else, this experience
should open the door to the possibility of exchanging information regarding
problems confronting some of us in common.
And yet, it is my conviction the problems we are facing are facing us
all without distinction, even when the difficulties could take different
disguises.
A spirit of cooperation could certainly make every difficulty more
surmountable, but I am talking to you today with the anxiety born from my
uncertainty when it comes to the capacity of our people to confront this
challenge at this time. There is no
questioning my conviction that given the opportunity, our people could
re-connect with the goodness in the roots of their being, but today, that hope
is still too ambitious, and could result in hurt and disappointment. Our people need to move outside the harmful
influence, but the influence is still among us.
Sadly before we can help our communities, we need to overcome the
elements blocking our efforts. And those
elements, even when hiding behind familiar faces, are alien. The situation has been, and continues to be
frustrating. We need to run, and yet, we
are being prevented from even walking.
Yet, many of us are still committed to trying. How can we help each other? I am committed to life, and that certainly
and specially includes our own.
I had the good fortune to being able to improve the situation at the
largest scale. I conceptualized a way to
fix the black holes in space, encompassing both the physical and spiritual
realms. The black holes, a by-product of
the practice of destroying stars; were pulling the galaxies in ways that were
collapsing the Universes.
It was my good fortune in meeting a committed and extremely competent
person from a different part of our galaxy, who sprang into action deploying
hundreds of teams in all directions, bringing our extended natural space
environment back to health. It is this
person’s merit that brought my ideas into reality … and I think today, we can
almost afford to dream of a future once again.
And yet, the problem has not
subsided. The danger that was addressed
was the creation of an evil intelligence determined to destroy life. The improvements in the environment are
comforting but are not a solution to the underlying problem. It is my conviction it is a matter of time
before we have to face another environmental catastrophe. Therefore I hope we take the reprieve
afforded to analyze the situation in our respective areas, vigilant to
unexpected changes.
On closing, I would like to stress the important role economic forces
seem to play in this overall situation.
Once again, it should be in everyone’s best interest to pay attention
to developments in that front. As a
matter of fact, I would like to quote once again from my piece “Nora Rasenti on
Military Issues”. Even though I believe
the piece is too colloquial for today’s audience, many of the matters raised
there are pertinent and of relevance today.
“Never in the history of our planet, have the lives of
people been treated with such indifference.
When it comes to military personnel, this attitude consolidates to
tragic legitimacy. Our people are
appreciated and cherished, and are certainly not numbers on a board. “ NR - 2017
I do not wish to include the entire piece, but I would like to
highlight several issues there that are of relevance today.
ONE
The detrimental effects of wars in the natural environment. At the time I wrote the piece, I was thinking
of the environment in the planet, but there is no denying the need to expand
that view.
This
conflict that has remained understated and undefined for so many generations
have cost us HALF THE STARS IN OUR GALAXY TO DATE! Not
to mention the burden of resentment that fell in our planet, suspected of being
a willing participant of this destruction, long before we had the technological
acumen required to make it possible.
True, in recent years, some of us wish that some of our people were
less pro-active in their collaboration to outside interests. In this regard, I would like to quote Kipling,
that said: “A problem well stated is a problem half solved.”
TWO
My commitment towards the avoidance of un-necessary military
engagements, rather promoting the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
THREE
My involvement with organizations promoting inter-faith dialogue, that
is, encouraging communication between people of different religions, in an
effort to curtail the escalation of hostilities between people of different
beliefs.
FOUR
I am a big admirer of technology, and have always been amazed by its
capacity to affect, and even change the path of society. I am committed to a weapons industry that is
friendly towards people and the environment.
I have made two contributions – the missile and the ‘Nor-ita’ – that
illustrate this.
FIVE
My conviction that our scientific community have an important
contribution to make in this regard.
This is a logical progression from the previous point, and has resulted
in one of the most inspiring military campaigns in history, where an invasive
species in an entire Universe was subdue by a handful of people, with only one
casualty to themselves, and even that one was eventually recovered.
I requested the development of a chemical weapon that would
de-stabilize the bacteria in the invasor, without disturbing the natural
environment. The hope was to motivate
negotiation in difficult circumstances.
The product readiness after several months of research was too much to
resist, and the campaign proceeded without further ado – I was out-voted, but
still managed to contribute some technical issues.
Even though the outcome desired is still to be secured, the success of
this ‘PEACEFUL’ campaign remains inspiring.
The “Scientific Military”...
SIX
I am committed to the incorporation of the goal of avoiding the loss of
personnel, with a conviction to returning with as many people as departed.
SEVEN
The lives of military personnel should not be pledged to off-set
penalties or sanctions.
EIGHT
The upholding of a policy to recover personnel lost in battle, whenever
possible, mostly through the use of negotiating structures.
It is not realistic to expect that our communities can sustain this
constant bleeding of our most competent people.
It should be possible to monitor where our people are being deployed and
in what circumstances.
Our people are counting on our community leaders to be mindful of their
lives, and their loved ones are trusting us to care for them. Those prepared to put their lives on the line
to protect our areas should be appreciated and cherished, and I wonder how to go
about popularizing the development of a culture of cherishing life.
“Military strategies that are people intensive are self
defeating.” NR
NINE
Finally, strategies that require our people NOT to defend themselves
shold be discouraged. As pacifists, some
of us dislike violence as a means to resolve disputes, but saving our own lives
is also a way of preventing violence.
On closing, we are confronting a situation that even though it has been
part of our history, it has not been recorded as such. Therefore, we need to assess it anew, without
a frame of reference, and that is always a challenge.
I remain committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, as
highlighted at the beginning. I asked
our friendly invaders about their commitment to our destruction, they indicated
the progression was outside their scope of influence. They also indicated that once our sky
collapses, they could look forward to millions of years of empty inactivity,
hoping for a new cosmic egg, and creations more to their liking.
I pointed-out to the desirability for a future in separate areas,
trading and with cultural exchanges, all of us growing and evolving, rather
than taking chances with a new, unknown, unpredictable creation, that could
well result more disappointing than the present one!
They responded that they are awaiting feed-back…
Once again, I would like to thank your prestigious
organization for affording me this opportunity.
In writing this address, I referred to the following
writings, authored by myself:
1.
“Nora Rasenti in Military Issues”, 2017
2.
“Environment and Spirituality”, 2014
3.
“Diversity”, song
NORA
RASENTI
December
2018
