TOILET-PHILOSOPHY DAY- FULL BEAVER MOON
Proverbs, Chapter 2, Verse 1-12
1
My son, if you receive my words and treasure my
commands 2
Turning your ear to wisdom, inclining your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you call for
intelligence, and to understanding raise your voice; 4 If you seek her like
silver, and like hidden treasures search her out, 5 Then will you
understand the FEAR of the Lord; the
knowledge of God you will find; 6
For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 He has success in
store for the upright, is the shield of those who walk honestly, 8 Guarding the paths
of justice, protecting the way of his faithful ones, 9 Then you will
understand what is right and just, what is fair, every good path; 10 For
wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will be at home in your soul, 11 Discretion will
watch over you, understanding will guard you; 12 Saving you from the
way of the wicked, from those whose speech is perverse.
Wherever your treasure is that is where your heart is and our hearts are made for the Lord. Fear of the Lord means that we have a father/son relationship of care, respect and love. Our God does not want to be objectified as some obtainable good. Nor does our God want to be appeased with our prayers and obedience. God is not a insurance agent that guarantees us against losses if we pay our premiums in prayers. If God is our treasure, he is our star, our life, our everything.
In the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium of the Holy Father Francis, he states:
We have a treasure of life and love which cannot deceive, and a message which cannot mislead or disappoint. It penetrates to the depths of our hearts, sustaining and ennobling us. It is a truth which is never out of date because it reaches that part of us which nothing else can reach. Our infinite sadness can only be cured by an infinite love.
I
am reminded of the love of Don Quixote in the play “Man from La Mancha”.
If God is our treasure, he should be
our Impossible Dream because we are His.
World Toilet Day[1]
World
Toilet Day aims to raise awareness of sanitation and hygiene issues around the
world. Poor sanitation and hygiene refer to lack of access to clean drinking
water, toilets and showers. Poor sanitation drastically increases the risk of
disease and malnutrition, especially for women and children. Today, 2.6 billion
people, about one-third of the population on the planet, do not have access to
proper sanitation, a problem that kills nearly 1 million young children every
year. World Toilet Day was designated by the United Nations in July 2013. It is
celebrated annually on November 19 as people all over the world take action and
support the basic human right of access to clean water and sanitation.
World Toilet Day Facts & Quotes
·
1 in 8 people in the world practices open
defecation, meaning that the person must relieve him/herself without cover or
shelter from other people.
·
The average person spends one hour and 42
minutes a week on the toilet, or nearly 92 days over his/her lifetime.
·
Diarrhea is the second leading cause of deaths
in children under age 5 in developing countries. Diarrhea is primarily due to
poor hygiene and sanitation
·
The 2030 Agenda calls on us to renew our efforts
in providing access to adequate sanitation worldwide. We must continue to educate
and protect communities at risk, and to change cultural perceptions and
long-standing practices that hinder the quest for dignity. – Ban Ki-moon,
Secretary-General of the United Nations.
World Toilet Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Watch a movie about toilets and the importance
of sanitation. Some suggestions are: Guts For Change (2015), A
New Culture of Water (2004) and A Thirsty World (2012).
·
Spread awareness by using the hashtag #WorldToiletDay,
#WeCantWait and #ToiletAccessIsARight.
·
Tour a local sanitation plant. Sanitation
plants throughout the US exist to recycle and clean water while properly
disposing of human excrement and other waste.
·
Donate to the World Toilet Organization. All
proceeds are used by the organization to help break the taboo around the toilet
and sanitation crisis. They help lobby governments, public and private sector
stakeholders to prioritize sanitation on the agenda.
·
Read a book about toilets and the importance
of sanitation. Some suggestions are: Sanitation & Water Supply in
Low-Income Countries, Sitting Pretty An Uninhibited History of the
Toilet and The Big Necessity.
·
Check out Earthship
technology.
To
Squat or Not That is the Question
Enter the
Squatty Potty[2]
One time, I took a dump in my backyard because the toilet
had been broken for two weeks (blame our absentee slumlord). My best friend
never let me live it down, but you know what? I didn't care, because on that
crisp fall day in 2007, when the gas station whose toilets I had been relying
on was unexpectedly closed, I learned something. Specifically, I learned that
pooping outside is… kind of pleasant. But it wasn't until the advent of the Squatty Potty that I
really started to analyze why that was. Basically, if you use a Western toilet
on the reg, you're fighting against your body's anatomy. But now, there's a way
to poop optimally that doesn't involve squatting behind the
shrubs and hoping a neighbor won't walk by (though I do recommend everyone try
that at least once). Here it is.
You don't know squat. The Squatty Potty is a small
footstool designed to fit a toilet's curves. The idea is to elevate your feet
and knees, so your body is closer to a squatting angle -- a natural pooping
position -- than the upright position imposed on it by a porcelain throne. This
isn't just hippie BS, either. There's actual science as to why a squat is the
way to go when moving your bowels. "Defecating is actually really complicated
and involves a lot of nerves and muscles relaxing and moving," says Dr. Michelle
Cohen, a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai. "When you sit, the
puborectalis muscle is pulled in around the colon to create an angle, so the
stool can't drop out."
Think of a kinked hose and you might be able to picture
what's happening in your colon as the puborectalis muscle stays tight around
it. In some cases, particularly in people with constipation or dyssynergic defecation (when your
muscles fail to relax, making pooping more difficult), sitting with your thighs
perpendicular to the ground can make it much harder to poop. Enter the Squatty
Potty
The Squatty Potty was born in 2010 because of this exact
scenario. "They say necessity is the mother of invention," says Bobby
Edwards, CEO and co-creator of the defecation device. "My mother was
constipated. It was definitely out of need." Edwards says his mother's
physical therapist explained that constipation is, in many cases, "an
anatomical thing," and that if she elevated her feet while eliminating, it
would change the angle of the colon and make the whole process work smoothly,
the way nature intended. She propped her feet up on a stool and loved the
results, but the process wasn't ideal. "She couldn't quite get comfortable
with a regular stool, and it was in the way in the bathroom," Edwards
says. "I was taking design classes, and she asked if I could design a
stool for the toilet, with the height and width to simulate a natural
squat."
Boy, could he. Edwards made five prototypes before hitting
on the perfect model. Delighted, his mother gave proto-Squatty Potties to
constipated friends for Christmas gifts. "She thought everybody needed to
be squatting," Edwards says. Word of mouth spread, and in 2012, Edwards
launched the website. A media blitz ensued, and the rest is history.
Putting the potty to the test. I was pretty intrigued by
the "squatting is better" maxim, so much so that I tried literally
squatting on my toilet. Surprisingly (or not?), a militant vegan has uploaded a
YouTube video
about how to do exactly that. It was a little weird, and there was some serious
splash back when shit hit the water, but I could tell stuff was rearranging
itself in my colon -- that's the medical terminology, right? It felt good and
correct, and I understood why my cats wear such serene, noble expressions when
they poop.
Not only is that method impractical, but it’s also probably
dangerous for older folks, people with physical challenges or injuries, and,
well, everyone, honestly. I needed to try the real deal. The Squatty Potty was
delivered to my office in a freaking huge (but mercifully unmarked) brown
cardboard box. I sneaked it out to my car, hoping to dodge co-workers and the
inevitable, "Ooh, what's that?" The box contained the white
plastic stool, a Burger King-like crown with the hashtag #pooplikeroyalty, and
a button that read "I Pooped Today!" (Though Squatty Potty entreats
its Twitter followers to "share your Poop Like Royalty pics!
#pooplikeroyalty," only one brave soul had risen to the challenge as of
press time.)
2020 and…No Toilet Paper?
Yes, with the COVID 19 and a screwy election people are scared,
and the first act of desperation is to raid the local Walmart and clean it out
of one of life’s necessities. Not to worry. Check out “The
Proven Preppers” Advice.
Historical Substitutes for Toilet Paper[3]
According to Wikipedia,
Joseph Gayetty invented the modern version of toilet paper in the United States
in 1857. Just how did people wipe before toilet paper?
The Romans provided a
sponge attached to the end of a stick for citizens to use in public toilets. It
was returned to a bucket of brine (saltwater) after each use. Have you ever
wondered where the saying, “picking up the wrong end of the stick” came from?
Ancient Jewish practice
included carrying a small bag filled with pebbles, dry grass, or smooth edges
of broken pottery. Vikings used discarded sheep wool. Eskimos used tundra moss
in the warm months and handfuls of snow in the winter. Snow!? Doesn’t that just
make you want to run to the store and stock up on a bit more toilet paper?
Colonial Americans used
corn cobs until newspapers became common. The French invented the bidet for
proper cleansing, which is still quite popular.
The wealthy may have used
wool, lace, linen or hemp. The poorer population resorted to using their hand
when defecating near water sources.
Other recorded options
included rags, wood shavings, leaves, grass, hay, stone, sand, moss, water,
snow, maize, ferns, plant husks, fruit skins, seashells, or corn cobs. The
various products used were influenced by country, weather, or local customs.
World Philosophy Day[4]
Shit
Happens! Forrest Gump
World
Philosophy Day seeks to promote human thought, new ideas and critical thinking
to confront today's challenges. Philosophy refers to the study of
knowledge, experience, existence and reality. According to the United Nations,
philosophy provides the conceptual bases of principles and values on which
world peace
depends: democracy,
human rights,
justice and equality. World Philosophy Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in
2005. Since then, every third Thursday of November has served as a celebration
of philosophical knowledge.
World
Philosophy Day Facts & Quotes
·
Rene
Descartes is considered to be the father of modern Western philosophy. He is
widely credited with being the first to use the concept of reason to develop
the natural sciences.
He lived from 1596 to 1650.
·
Thales
of Miletus is widely considered to be the father of philosophy. He was a Greek
philosopher, mathematician and astronomer that lived around 624-546BC.
·
Truth
in philosophy means that concept and external reality correspond. – George
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, a German philosopher of the late enlightenment period.
World
Philosophy Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Spread
awareness on social media by using the hashtags #WorldPhilosophyDay,
#PhilosophyDay and #PhilosophyandCooperation.
·
Tune
in to the live webcast of the philosophical debates on UNESCO’s website. It can
be streamed in French or English at the UNESCO site.
·
Watch
a movie that touches on philosophy. Some suggestions are: The Matrix
(1999), Blade Runner (1982) and Being There (1979).
·
Donate
to the Philosophy Foundation. Any money raised is put towards providing
specialist teachers to schools that need it most but can’t afford it. The
organization aims to support young people in higher education studying
philosophy.
·
Read
a book on philosophy. Some suggestions are: Plato’s Republic, Critique
of Pure Reason and A History of Western Philosophy.
Like a Drop of Water as It Falls into the Ocean[5]
The month of November opens with two Feast Days lived intensely by the
Liturgy and by popular piety: All Saints and All Souls. These two feasts give
depth to the month traditionally dedicated to praying for those who have
crossed the threshold of hope. When we pray for the faithful departed, or
better, for those living in the Next World, we are reminded of the ultimate
realities of human existence. Authentic Christians are ever more keenly aware
of this dimension as they pray for the souls in Purgatory, who are unable to
help themselves and rely on our prayers.
“O good Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the
fires of Hell and take all souls into Heaven, especially those most in need of
your mercy.” With this brief and intense invocation, Our Lady in Fatima asked
people to pray to Jesus for the holy souls in Purgatory. Each of us is called
to holiness and if we were to take seriously the wonderful vocation to live
here in earth in communion with the Lord Jesus, then death would be simply
“departing” for Heaven.
Thinking of human freedom there comes to mind what Jesus said: “many are
called but few are chosen” (Mt 22, 14). God calls everyone to holiness, but few
heed the invitation to a banquet of intimate communion with Jesus, the banquet
of eternal life which starts here on earth. We are too distracted by many
things, like the guests in Gospel who make excuses with the host saying: “I
have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my
apologies." Another said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on
my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies." Yet another said,
"I have just got married and so am unable to come." (Lc 14, 18-20).
We may feel we are entitled to live life without entrusting it day after
day to the one who created and redeemed us, without spending it entirely for
the Kingdom of God, because there are so many other important things on which
apparently it can be spent: success, profit, so-called “well-being”, a career,
power… in general anything which favors affirmation of self, among the wide
range of opportunities presented by the world today.
And so life is full of concerns which suffocate loving attention for our
Lord and God, and interest for him disappears. The believer is tempted to put
off prayer until 'after' his radical conversion: when I have more time I will
pray, when I have less concerns I will give more thought to others, when I feel
like it I will go more often to church…
The life which the saints lived was not about waiting until tomorrow
simply because tomorrow does not belong to us. Ours is only the present moment
and it is today that we must convert our hearts, refusing compromise with sin,
which is the real enemy of happiness, earthly and heavenly. Grave sin stops
supernatural life and, consequently, holiness, that is growth in Jesus Christ.
On life's horizon, the believer and every person, has to look at death.
Certainly, we celebrate earthly birth, surrounding it with much attention, but
not to be forgotten either, is the “birth” prelude to the great birth to
Heaven! For the believer in Christ, life on earth runs towards eternal Life in
God. The saints knew this and their funerals were celebrations, because their
death was lived as their “birth” to Heaven.
Life on earth is like a drop of water as it falls down into the ocean
waiting to embrace it. It falls in a very short time. What a wonderful,
consoling truth for the believer, awareness, certainty that comes from faith,
of the promises of the Risen Lord, life does not fall into nothingness, it is
joined forever with the infinite love of God, plunged into the boundless sea of
His Divine mercy! As the Holy Father Benedict XVI, said with these luminous
words: “Today we confirm our hope in eternal life founded on the death and
resurrection of Christ. ‘I am risen and will be with you forever, says the
Lord, and my hand will support you. Whenever you fall, you will fall into my
hands and I will be there even at the door of death. Where no one can accompany
you and where you can take nothing with you. There I will be waiting to change
the darkness into light” (Benedict XVI, Angelus, 2 November 2008).
— by Mgr Luciano Alimandi, Agenzia Fides
Things to Do:
· Today
would be a good time to meditate on our own last end. Maybe pick up the
Imitation of Christ and read Book 1
Chapter 24.
· Make sure
you have your Advent wreath ready, candles and all. Decide what ceremony and
prayers you will use with your family.
· If you
are going to make or use an Advent calendar or the Jesse tree gather everything
you need today.
· If you
plan to stir-up plum pudding on Sunday be sure you have all the ingredients.
Full Beaver Moon
According
to the almanac today is a Full Beaver Moon; plan to spend some time watching
the Narnia series or reading “The Witch the Lion and the Wardrobe” with your
children or grandchildren. Also, today is World Monopoly Day and you could play
the game.
Daily Devotions
·
Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
No comments:
Post a Comment