God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

03/28/2011 • 11:15 pm Comments Off on Share the blog via twitter

Share the blog via twitter

The twitter account “stefan_capetown” has been established to establish a new avenue of important information.
All having a twitter account are able to link up under   http://twitter.com/stefan_cape town oder click here

Having such an account enables every reader also to use the “share” function on every blog page to make their followers aware of the information provided. It is a good and effective way to distribute if you feel that more people should read what you just have read.

And don’t forget to move the world. The clock is ticking 19.4. is the start of the expedition in Vancouver.

 

Filed under: Networking, Uncategorized,

03/23/2011 • 6:58 pm Comments Off on Radioactivity

Radioactivity

Besides all the news about the bus bombing in Jerusalem today and the war games in Libya – Japan still maintains a role in the news on TV. And listening to the news about more and more radioactivity in food, in water, in the air and the evacuation of all workers of Fukushima Nuclear Plant I ask myself whether we really grasp the reality we are facing. Looking at the pictures of destroyed cities – empty shops, no electricity, no petrol: a whole system, praised as one of the most efficient and technology wise advanced nations has come to a still stand and the radioactivity in the nature and the sea will not go away soon. Most probably at least one generation will be constantly reminded of the disaster.

It is the second time, Japan is hit from the nuclear power – the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still vivid memories for the Japanese people.

I read from Bishop Williamson, that he connects the disaster with the sins of the people and that God uses such punishment to bring people to re-think their doing. What a nonsense – what an abuse of a catastrophe for a meaningless theology – abandoned in that form a long time ago. God protect us from those Pius-brothers, they are really a pain in the neck of our church trying to recover from all the bad news of the last years.

It seems that most people have lost the ability to comprehend what is going on – the consequences of natural forces and that within minutes, our ordinary life is gone – as the people of a nation, a community or also in a private capacity. It reminds me that also other disasters like HIV/AIDS seems to be so incomprehensible that one stops thinking really of it, because it is “the others”, not me, not us. It is far away – it cannot happen to me, to us, to our family. Or the question of the millions dying of hunger every year, while we throw away food and subsidies destroying food in the rich countries or for farm products never been sold.

For me, the Japanese tragedy reminds me, how short-sighted we are and how we push away all thoughts, which would mean troubling thoughts on a long term run. Which would push me to give answers on questions I don’t want to be bothered with… Which maybe ask me to acknowledge that this world is still “in creation” as the bible put it – not ready, not in harmony – and even not giving an answer to the question “why””.

Be the work in the fields of HIV/AIDS or be it the tragedy in Japan – I hope I led all these questions to bother me as long as I live and challenge me to search for new answers every day.

Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

03/20/2011 • 3:06 pm Comments Off on Simply too much to digest…?

Simply too much to digest…?

Sometimes there are indeed times, where I feel that there is too much to digest on information and news and task lying ahead. And the world as a global village with news aired 24 hours a day – how can one escape all the horrors and the non-logic of todays madness.
Japan – as it looks just escaped a complete meltdown of his nuclear reactor but thousands of deaths and a suffering almost unimaginable for a nation on the forefront of technology. So sophisticated and suddenly thrown into a chaos which means rebuilding of a nation and its facilities.  How does it come that we human mankind never accepts that we are not able to master nuclear power and that nature can beam us back into the stone age within hours. A lesson how to be humble again I guess, but a deadly and tragic one for those living on the island of Japan.
And seeing how in my home country suddenly politicians trashing just agreed longer running terms for the old nuclear power stations shows that even these tragic events are simply used for cheap daily politics.
Libyia shows also the double standards of politics – Saudi Arabia – involved in the crack down of the democracy movement in Bahrain, is part of the coalition of the willing – bombing started with no real strategy – and thanks TV we have it live at any given time.
The world is in a constant move in the moment – by nature, by political means – and we prepare for a world tour – for those into the logistics of this tour a real nightmare as routes have to be changed amidst real-time pressure. The ongoing drama of HIV/AIDS seems to be far away when each week brings new and exciting information about the Middle East region or Japan or any other political or natural disaster. It seems impossible to work on one front to ease the suffering of people when the next problem is already on the horizon, pushed by the modern media and its online websites, which only can sustain themselves if they chose new topics every hour to bring the reader back.

Maybe because events are unfolding so fast and the spectator has no chance but to digest the newest information, it is so important that some people stick to one topic and carry it over the time, reminding people again and again that new disasters don’t put away the unsolved ones. That is one of the reasons why I cherish what Joachim Franz and his team is doing – for the last 10 years. Sticking to one topic without losing compassion for actual problems. But insisting to carry on solving a suffering, which 33 million people worldwide effects and many more in a broader sense. Maybe because we are bombarded with so many different problems via the news we have no chance to give us the time to solve one for once and for all. I am convinced that all the money spend in Afghanistan and Iraq would have brought us closer to solve the problem of HIV and AIDS . We are getting half-hearted because there is so much to digest and our politicians and elected leaders try to jump on whatever they perceive to be the best bid for re-election. A vicious circle and surely not standing in the service of human mankind.

Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , ,

03/09/2011 • 1:53 pm 2

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, in the Christian churches a day of reflection and fasting – begin of lent, the time in preparation of the highest feast of Christianity, the resurrection of Christ.  Being on travel I also reflect on my life. And my first question would be: which life? The life as it isfeatured in the public domain with all the articles in newspapers and magazines and other media? The life of  a public person – the “founder” of HOPE Cape Town? or is it the life of the priest, called to holiness on a daily base and representing a church which is battling with all the shortcomings in the moment on a daily base? Or is it the life of Stefan, the friend, the family member, the acquaintance? Or is it the conclusion of all three facets of different lives? Or is it the real me – the person, I only know best and still remains a mystery for myself at the same time – the person who would never fit in all the roles given to me or expectations raised towards me in daily life.

I sometimes wonder how people perceive me and how I perceive me being perceived in public. I see what kind of difference exists in people how they believe they are and how they come across for others; it makes me think twice about my own perceptions.

I guess what counts at the end is how much we live who we are, how much, as we Christians phrase it, we are able to be what we are called for. And how much we are honest with ourselves and strive to bring our being and our doing together. We have to write each of us our own little story with God, our own little bible added to the official one – and as important to God as the latter.

For me the last 10 years have been also years of HOPE in the true sense of the word. This organisation has become a part of my life and I have served HOPE Cape Town in different capacities, as chairperson of the HOPE Cape Town Association, as management member and these days as board member and as chairperson of the HOPE Cape Town Trust as well as management member of the HOPE Kapstadt Stiftung. In all these capacities I was blessed with wonderful moments, with truly interesting and humble visitors who all added to a colourful life.
In the last 25 years I also had the luck to serve as a priest, the longest time as the chaplain to the German-speaking Catholic Communities in Cape Town and in Durban. What a diversity added to my life – what for blessings and possibilities to grow – even in the hardest hours of being nicely disposed as the chaplain in a way which some described as “between diplomacy and dishonesty” – the usual way of getting rid of perceived problems in our days. The toughest hours shape the most and I see them as a challenge to grow.

Lent is the time to reflect – to count the blessings and to see what is still needed on our way through life and what habits have become a burden and could be discharged or left behind. This is a time to allow ourselves a clear and honest picture of ourselves and to experience the unconditional love of God towards us anew. A love which allows us to grow, to change, to resist pressure of fellow man to adjust only to mainstream or to be scared to speak our minds if need be. A love which enables us to love and to cherish our neighbour, our fellow men and women next to us.

I wish all readers a blessed time of lent and at the end not only the celebration of Easter but a celebration of the resurrection of each and everybody of us as a grown human being – able to live life to the fullest and being more identical and reconciled with “myself” .

Filed under: General, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , ,

03/06/2011 • 9:59 pm Comments Off on Sunday evening blues..

Sunday evening blues..

Sunday eve in Fallersleben – and a long travel week draws to a close while another is just beginning. The last three days were intense: the last meeting of the team trying to move the world, not only alone and in 100 days but with many more supporters and with a move, which will be felt for years to come. At the same time, while I am sitting here close to Wolfsburg and trying to get my mind around safety tips for the trip, fundraising concepts and much more, at home in Cape Town we are busy to shortlist the applications for the directors post. The ability to bi-locate, to be at two different places at the same time remains wishful thinking, but would be necessary on such days. Not to forget that the administration of the “Bundesgartenschau” in Koblenz wishes urgently to have the plan for October, when we will have “our day” of AIDS awareness and prevention within the framework of the show. A whole day, the podium is ours and together with the AIDS-Hilfe Koblenz we have to fill the space months in advance.Even being at two places at the same time seems not enough.. 🙂

But moving the world requires multi-tasking – but also requires the support and the network of each and everybody. In the times of the internet this may mean to visit websites:

www.waae.de
www.hopecapetown.com
www. hopegala.de

are three of those close to my heart on this Sunday eve. Where ever you are, reading this, you can be part of a big movement, you can contribute whatever you can – in ideas, in time, in donation, in the one Euro, which we need from 5 000 000 people to make our move becomes a reality. It does not matter where you live – in Germany, in South Africa or somewhere else along the way of our expedition or far away: you have a constant invitation to join in and to spread the message of hope and future and even to be a piece of this hope for others.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

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