El-Branden Brazil

Photographer, Writer & Mystic Traveller

Posts tagged ‘Compassion’

The Art Of Tolerance

I call myself a Buddhist, but I believe that such labels are irrelevant. I cannot be certain, but I like to believe that Christ was a Buddha, although he was not a Buddhist.

The reality is that such labels only divide us in our mutual search for Truth. Calling yourself a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Pagan, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic… whatever, does not give you the privilege to Truth alone. To investigate reality, we must first engage with it, looking beyond the preconceived, conditioned cultures we are indoctrinated into. We must step out of the comfort zones we inhabit, open our minds and embrace the possibility that we might well be wrong. Just search, question and seek absolute truths, even if you never find them, because they do exist.

Surely, whilst we may ALL be wrong in what we believe in, the least we can do, in this vast, unanswered moment in space and time, is to hug and love our brothers and sisters of different faith. Our faiths might be unprovable, but LOVE AND COMPASSION ARE ABSOLUTE, because we have all seen the results they bring. The abstract dimensions of faith should be less of a priority, whilst the direct actions of love and compassion amplified, because, regardless of faith, these are qualities that bring positive effects to all.

Friends
Photography by El-Branden Brazil

When Swords Collide

When I was young, I had fanciful notions that perhaps, one day on earth, world peace could be achieved. Now that I am mature, I recognise the value of contrasting ideas. Indeed, contrasting ideas are the fuel of any civilisation. As Hegel was aware, it is in the conflict of a thesis versus an antithesis, the fruition of synthesis (new ideas) are born. Thankfully, most can have conflict of thoughts that go no further than just argumentative discourse. However, the most extreme expression of opinions is war.

The reality is that for civilisation to continue being vibrant, progressive and dynamic, in contrast to being sterile, stagnant and uniformed, expressions of rebuke and rebellion, including war, are an inevitable part of the human condition.  It doesn’t mean I like it, but rather I accept it.  The Universe is both a place of great beauty and great violence, and we are an inseparable part of this equation.  Like a river, there will always be times of calm and turbulence, varying in length and intensity.

As that may be, I find it worthwhile to try to contribute in whatever way, towards encouraging positions of peace, calm and non-violence, in an attempt to quell unnecessary suffering and conflict. There is always an alternative to violence, and those heated by passion and anger, must be reminded so. No blood need be drawn for any ideological posture we uphold. We must ALL hold paramount the sanctity and quality of ALL life, even with those we disagree with.

Photography by El-Branden Brazil

Photography by El-Branden Brazil

An Epiphany

A random moment allowed me to be conceived. I gestated in the womb of my mother for nine months, unaware of the life that awaited me outside. On the day I was born, I breathed my first breath. As time passed, the world slowly came into focus, as I gained the awareness that comes with growing pains.

In my teens, my place in the vast universe became apparent. I would sit out in my parent’s garden, on cool British summer evenings, staring at the seemingly endless starry sky above. Sometimes, I felt a cold loneliness. Whilst at other times, a sense of oneness.

As I continued to mature, I began to sense and question deeply the social restrictions enforced upon me by individuals I did not know, but who seemed to think they were empowered to control my destiny; my brief, fleeting moment at existing. I looked around, and saw so many of my colleagues and friends accepting this status-quo, as if it had been written in the very fabric of space and time. That life should be routine, rigid and monotonous. That it was okay and expected that during our brief moment to live, we should commit our precious time to endless commuting to workplaces, embrace soul-crushing conformity and the conditions laid out by companies, whose only interest are profits and how best to enslave us, without us noticing. Their trick, to just barely reward our efforts adequately with nothing more than pieces of paper, we are told to be of some worth.

In this twisted vision, so devoid of any connection to true reality and the long-forgotten cyclical rhythms of the precious planet, we wallow in the madness of greed, dependency and apathy, whilst the elite continues to grow ever more powerful, gorging itself sickeningly upon the spoils of its victories.

And let us not forget, how easily young men and women are sent to their deaths upon a distant battlefield, that those manipulating reality will never see with their own eyes, or be prepared to spill their own blood upon. They will just sit comfortably, monitoring and collecting data about the legions that we make, imprisoning and questioning anyone whose eyes have been opened.

The present world order is a rigged game, created by a few. It doesn’t have to be this way. This is OUR world! We have a birth given right to do what we wish with her, and that should be to do nothing, other than to realign ourselves with her rhythms again. To respect her. To share her fairly, so that no one need starve again or live in horrendous poverty.

As Machiavelli pointed out in The Prince, a king can only be a king if the people allow him to be. Of course, the king will try to coax and manipulate the loyalties of his subjects, through either rewards or punishment. But, the people will always have the power. They just need awakening.

Photography  by El-Branden Brazil

Sunrise On The Nile – Photography by El-Branden Brazil

To Love

To be mindful of others

To treasure, respect and worship others:
The distant brothers and sisters
We pass everyday.

Each and everyone of them
A story at play
Of love and disappointments,
Hopes and pleasures,
Hardship and despair.

They, like you,
Have experienced life:
The love of parenthood,
The love of feeling praised.
The love found in suffering.
The love of losing ones.

We, as humans, just want to breathe,
And look out upon the stars,

Love,

Love those we bring to bear.

Love those who inevitably cross the threshold.

Be sacred in experiencing
Our brief moment of existence
Love, love, love…
Because that is All
And nothing more.

Words by El-Branden Brazil

Photography by El-Branden Brazil

Photography by El-Branden Brazil

Reflections On Our Turbulent World

ISIS is behaving like the Khmer Rouge, but on a much larger global stage. Their brutality needs to be stopped quickly.

More than the acts of terrorism, it is the aims of ISIS that scares me. There is a very strong chance that if nothing is done, this savage caliphate will take root and spread its tendrils throughout the Middle-East and perhaps beyond. What kind of society do these beasts wish to achieve, after their caliphate is established upon the blood and bones of so many innocents, killed horrifically? I do not use words like “evil” lightly, but as with the Nazis and the Khmer Rouge before, ISIS absolutely is a manifestation of evil, demonstrating the most depraved and perverted aspects of humanity.

I am extremely concerned about the global ramifications ISIS will bring. Unfortunately, it is just one component of a rapidly deteriorating global arena, where crises of great magnitude are springing up, all symptomatic of a general malaise that can be felt across the world. I wish to be optimistic, but I find it harder and harder, as the environment continues to be damaged with little genuine efforts to abate it. It feels like we are fatalistically slipping back into the Dark Ages, lead by leaders more concerned with the fantasies promulgated by corporations and economics, rather than driven by true vision to propel and improve humanity.

Currently, no one in power is brave enough to implement bold ideas to lead humanity towards a brighter future, that are both socially and most importantly, ecologically beneficial.

We can all feel the rot in the current system, desperately fantasising about what could be. In the meantime, whilst we both hold onto the memory of past glories, as well as fumble without vision towards the future, violent radicalism, such as ISIS, is manifesting their extremist beliefs in the ideological vacuum we have left. It seems for the time being, however bloody, they are succeeding in ways that we are not. I find it truly perplexing and tragic that young Europeans, particularly Brits, are being drawn to the front lines in Syria and Iraq, to fight for an ideology of extreme barbarism. That they should find beheadings and the slaughter of children more appealing than what is offered at home.

We need to find a way to share values that can be universally embraced, and that will neutralise the appeal that the current spate of extremism seems to have for some. We must be better than bombs and guns. We must lead by example and show that compassion and love for all trumps violence always, whilst never forgetting the finiteness of our time on this precious planet that we share.

This Is What I Believe

I believe in compassion as a universal truth.
I accept that my spiritual beliefs are no more provable than anyone elses.
I have no interest in trying to convert others.
I believe that there are great unknowables worth enquiring about.
I understand that nothing is knowable without enquiry.
I seek peace for all.
I view love a better partner than hate.
I support same-sex marriage, because love is to be celebrated.
I believe in elevating women to positions of power. The world would be better.
I accept that differences of opinion will always exist, and thank goodness.
I celebrate differences, because this is what drives creativity.
I will not allow differences to be used as a tool for hate.
I celebrate our shared humanity.
I despise nationalistic mythology of tribal identity.
I hail those that can think outside the box.
I support those who sit outside society.
I believe in freedom.
I seek freedom for those with none.
I support government that represents the people.
I disdain government that represents corporations.
I fight for justice.
I cry for where there is none.
I believe in fairness.
I support the hungry and needy.
I will never turn my eye away from cruelty.
I believe in human rights for all.

– El-Branden Brazil –

image

People Of Mae Sot Dump

Photography by El-Branden Brazil

Currently about 300 people, 68 families live in small bamboo huts on stilts at the rubbish dumpsite of Mae Sot/ Thailand. These refugees who successfully fled the brutal military regime in Burma, with hopes of leading a life free of human rights abuses, are living under dire conditions. They lack working and residency papers, they are illegal immigrants living and working in the middle of stinky dump.

Their spirit of survival is amazing, but their conditions are terribly dismal. They literally live on the garbage and their houses are constructed and built from the recycled material from the garbage dump itself. The basic essentials they need to survive and to live as human beings basically come from the garbage dump and these include food, clothing, toys for their children, pots and utensils for cooking and even the water they drink come from the lake near the dumpsite which is terribly contaminated.

Please help to make a difference and relocate these refugees to a clean and safe area. On a rented property we will build basic infrastructural facilities such as housing, toilets and a water well.

Learn more here about how you can help: www.thebestfriend.org

© All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal. Please contact me if you wish to use/purchase any of these photographs.