Words To Live By

Words To Live By

It's not how much you accomplish in life
that really counts,

but how much you give to others.

It's not how high you build your dreams

that makes a difference,

but how high your faith can climb.

It's not how many goals you reach,

but how many lives you touch.

It's not who you know that matters,
but who you are inside.

Believe in the impossible,
hold tight to the incredible,
and live each day to its fullest potential.

You can make a difference
in your world.


~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan ~

The Muslim Diaspora, Volume 3: Indian Chronology

1803

Delhi was captured by Lord Lake on September 14 against the combined forces of the Sikhs and the Marathas in the Second Anglo-Maratha war.  The blinded Emperor Shah Alam II came under British protection from Scindia.  In the treaty of Surji Anjangaon on December 30, the British acquired the control of Delhi, Agra, Broach and other territories.  Historians mark this as the true end of the Mughal Empire.

The Treaty of Surji-Anjangaon was signed on December 30, 1803 between the British and Daulat Rao Sindhia, chief of the Maratha people at Anjangaon town located Maharashtra.  

On December 30, 1803, the Scindia signed the Treaty of Surji-Anjangaon (Surji-Arjangaon) with the British after the Battle of Assaye and Battle of Argaon.  The agreement was the result of Major General Arthur Wellesley's military campaigns in Central India in the first phase of the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1805). As a result of this treaty, Ganges-Jumna Doab, the Delhi-Agra region, parts of Bundelkhand, Broach, some districts of Gujarat and the fort of Ahmadnagar, eventually cam under the control of the British East India Company. 

The treaty was revised twice (once in November 1805 and again on November 5, 1817). The first revision mostly entailed restoring the territories of Gwalior and Gohad to Scindia. The second revision of the treaty entailed granting Scindia more power in return for providing help to the British in their fight against the Pindaris in the Third Anglo-Maratha War. 

Shah ʿĀlam II, original name ʿAlī Gauhar (b. June 15, 1728, Delhi [India] - d. November 10, 1806, Delhi), was the nominal Mughal emperor of India from 1759 to 1806.

Son of the emperor 'Alamgir II, Shah 'Alam was forced to flee Delhi in 1758 by the minister ʿImād al-Mulk, who kept the emperor a virtual prisoner. He took refuge with Shuja al-Dawlah, nawab of Oudh (Ayodhya), and after his father’s assassination in 1759 he proclaimed himself emperor. With the intention of seeking to capture Delhi, he demanded tribute from Bihar and Bengal and thereby came into conflict with the East India Company. After Shujāʿ al-Dawlah’s defeat at Buxar (in modern Bihar state) in 1764, however, Shah ʿĀlam became the company’s pensioner, in return for which he legalized the company’s positions in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa (1765) by granting the right to collect revenue. Comfortably settled at the city of Allahabad, he sought Delhi, and in 1771 an agreement with the Maratha people of western India returned it to him. During 1772–82 his minister, Najaf Khan, asserted imperial authority over the Delhi territory from the Sutlej to the Chambal river and from the state of Jaipur to the Ganges (Ganga) River.  In 1788, however, the chief of the Rohillas (warlike Afghan tribes settled in India), Ghulām Qādir, seized Delhi and, enraged at his failure to find treasure, blinded Shah ʿĀlam.

Shah ʿĀlam spent his last years under the protection of the Maratha chief Sindhia, and, after the Second Maratha War (1803–05), of the British. With power only inside his palace, he saved more than a million rupees in his treasury. He was called “King of Delhi” by the British, who issued coins bearing his name for 30 years after his death.

*****

1805

A permanent provision was made for the Delhi Mughal Emperor by an order issued on May 23 by the Governr General of India, Lord Wellesley.

*****

1806

Indian forces at Vellore and Madras mutinied in July because they were forbidden to wear caste-marks and earrings during parade. The mutiny was speedily quelled by Colonel Rolls.

The Vellore Mutiny on July 10, 1806 was the first instance of a large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the East India Company, predating the Indian Rebellion (Sepoy Mutiny) of 1857 by half a century. The revolt, which took place in the South Indian city of Vellore, was brief, lasting only one full day, but brutal as mutineers broke into the Vellore Fort and killed or wounded 200 British troops, before they were subdued by reinforcements from nearby Arcot. Summary executions of about 100 mutineers took place during the suppression of the outbreak, followed by the formal court-martial of smaller numbers.

The reasons for the mutiny revolved mainly around resentment towards changes in the sepoy dress code in November, 1805. Hindus were prohibited from wearing religious marks on their foreheads and Muslims were required to shave their beards and trim their moustaches. In addition, General Sir John Craddock, Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army, ordered the wearing of a round hat resembling that associated at the time with both Europeans in general and with Indian converts to Christianity. The new headdress included a leather cockade and was intended to replace the existing turban. These measures offended both Hindu and Muslim sepoys and went contrary to an earlier warning by a military board that sepoy uniform changes should be "given every consideration which a subject of that delicate and important nature required".

These apparently minor changes, intended to improve the "soldierly appearance" of the men, created strong resentment among the Indian soldiers. In May 1806 some sepoys who protested the new rules were sent to Fort Saint George (Madras then, now Chennai). Two of them — a Hindu and a Muslim — were given 90 lashes each and dismissed from the army. Nineteen sepoys were punished with 50 lashes each and forced to seek pardon from the East India Company.

In addition to the military grievances listed above, the rebellion was also instigated by the sons of the defeated Tipu Sultan, confined at Vellore since 1799. Tipu's wives and sons, together with numerous retainers, were pensioners of the East India Company and lived in a palace within the large complex comprising the Vellore Fort. One of Tipu Sultan's daughters was to be married on July 9, 1806, and the plotters of the uprising gathered at the fort under the pretext of attending the wedding. The objectives of the civilian conspirators remain obscure but by seizing and holding the fort they may have hoped to encourage a general rising through the territory of the former Mysore Sultanate.

The garrison of the Vellore Fort in July 1806 comprised four companies of British infantry from H.M. 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot and three battalions of Madras infantry.

Two hours after midnight on July 10, the sepoys in the fort shot down the European sentries and killed fourteen of their own officers and 115 men of the 69th Regiment, most of the latter as they slept in their barracks. Among those killed was Colonel St. John Fancourt, the commander of the fort. The rebels seized control by dawn, and raised the flag of the Mysore Sultanate over the fort. Tipu's second son Fateh Hyder was declared king.

However, a British officer escaped and alerted the garrison in Arcot. Nine hours after the outbreak of the mutiny, a relief force comprising the British 19th Light Dragoons, galloper guns and a squadron of Madras cavalry, rode from Arcot to Vellore, covering sixteen miles in about two hours. It was led by Rollo Gillespie - one of the most capable and energetic officers in India at that time - who reportedly left Arcot within a quarter of an hour of the alarm being raised. Gillespie dashed ahead of the main force with a single troop of about twenty men.

Arriving at Vellore, Gillespie found the surviving Europeans, about sixty men of the 69th, commanded by NCOs and two assistant surgeons, still holding part of the ramparts but out of ammunition. Unable to gain entry through the defended gate, Gillespie climbed the wall with the aid of a rope and a sergeant's sash which was lowered to him; and, to gain time, led the 69th in a bayonet-charge along the ramparts. When the rest of the 19th arrived, Gillespie had them blow open the gates with their galloper guns, and made a second charge with the 69th to clear a space inside the entrance to permit the cavalry to deploy. The 19th and the Madras Cavalry then charged and sabred any sepoy who stood in their way. About 100 sepoys who had sought refuge inside the palace were brought out, and by Gillespie's order, placed against a wall and shot dead. 

The harsh retribution meted out to the sepoys snuffed out the unrest at a stroke and provided the history of the British in India with one of its true epics; for, as Gillespie admitted, with a delay of even five minutes, all would have been lost for the British. In all, nearly 350 of the rebels were killed, and another 350 wounded before the fighting had finished.

After formal trial, six mutineers were blown away from guns, five shot by firing squad, eight hanged and five transported. The three Madras battalions involved in the mutiny were all disbanded. The senior British officers responsible for the offensive dress regulations were recalled to England and their orders were cancelled.

After the incident the incarcerated royals were transferred to Calcutta. The Governor of Madras, William Bentinck, was recalled, and the controversial interference with the social and religious customs of the sepoys was abolished, as was flogging within the Indian regiments. 

There are some parallels between the Vellore Mutiny and that of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, although the latter was on a much larger scale. In 1857, the sepoys proclaimed the return of Mughal rule by re-installing Bahadur Shah as Emperor of India. In the same way, mutineers of Vellore, nearly 50 years before, had attempted to restore power to Tipu Sultan's sons. Perceived insensitivity to sepoy religious and cultural practices (in the form of leather headdresses and greased cartridges) was a factor in both uprisings. The events of 1857 (which involved the Bengal Army and did not affect the Madras Army) caused the British crown to take over company property and functions within India through the Government of India Act 1858 which saw the total dissolution of the East India Company.

The only surviving eyewitness account of the actual outbreak of the mutiny is that of Amelia Farrer, Lady Fancourt (the wife of St. John Fancourt, the commander of the fort). Her manuscript account, written two weeks after the massacre, describes how she and her children survived as her husband perished.

Secrets of the Creative Brain

The Bay Area is currently reeling from the loss of one of its favorite sons, the comic genius Robin Williams, to an apparent suicide.  This has left many wondering why such a bright and talented person would succumb to such a dark deed.  Ironically, just a little over two weeks ago the PBS Newshour had a story on the connection between creative people and mood disorders.  Given the notoriety that this week's events have had, I thought it might be beneficial to share the link to the Newshour segment along with the link to The Atlantic article by Nancy Andreasen that sparked the interest by the Newshour staff.  It is fascinating stuff but still difficult to comprehend, especially when it comes so close to home.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/connecting-strength-vulnerability-creative-brain/

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/06/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/

Peace.

*****

So why do these highly gifted people experience mental illness at a higher-than-average rate? Given that (as a group) their family members have higher rates than those that occur in the general population or in the matched comparison group, we must suspect that nature plays a role—that Francis Galton and others were right about the role of hereditary factors in people’s predisposition to both creativity and mental illness. We can only speculate about what those factors might be, but there are some clues in how these people describe themselves and their lifestyles.

One possible contributory factor is a personality style shared by many of my creative subjects. These subjects are adventuresome and exploratory. They take risks. Particularly in science, the best work tends to occur in new frontiers. (As a popular saying among scientists goes: “When you work at the cutting edge, you are likely to bleed.”) They have to confront doubt and rejection. And yet they have to persist in spite of that, because they believe strongly in the value of what they do. This can lead to psychic pain, which may manifest itself as depression or anxiety, or lead people to attempt to reduce their discomfort by turning to pain relievers such as alcohol.

I’ve been struck by how many of these people refer to their most creative ideas as “obvious.” Since these ideas are almost always the opposite of obvious to other people, creative luminaries can face doubt and resistance when advocating for them. As one artist told me, “The funny thing about [one’s own] talent is that you are blind to it. You just can’t see what it is when you have it … When you have talent and see things in a particular way, you are amazed that other people can’t see it.” Persisting in the face of doubt or rejection, for artists or for scientists, can be a lonely path—one that may also partially explain why some of these people experience mental illness.

A Tribute to the Fallen

Today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the day that when Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy to commence the final destruction of the Nazi empire.  In this country, there will be a number of reminders of this day and most of them will focus on the heroic actions of the American servicemen who landed on that beach and who fought in that war.  However, what is sometimes lost sight of is that World War II was a "World" War and there were men from other countries who landed on those beaches in Normandy and fought in that war.  

As some of you know, I have a branch of my family that were pioneers of the Canadian West and, in the past, I have been reminded of the contribution made by my Canadian relatives to the cause of Freedom.  On this day, along with remembering the contributions of the American heroes, I will also remember theirs.

Peace.

Family Members Who Served In Canada's Armed Forces Overseas

Lester Mapp – Father

Raphael Mapp - Uncle

Carl Mapp – Uncle

William Stanley Saunders – Uncle

James Earl Saunders – Uncle

A salute to all those who have served

Lest we forget....forget what?
Forget the troops, men and women, who fought for the freedom and rights of other people....the people of all the countries under siege.

They laid down their lives for others, without thinking of their own safety. They helped people in the countries in which they were fighting by caring for them, helping feed them, at the same time giving up some of their own food for starving children.

We will never forget the men and women who put their own lives at risk during the great wars, the
“incidents” and the UN peacekeeping assignments, which have ravaged and are still ravaging much of this world. Many of our troops have served in skirmishes, incidents and other battles which have never been given the respect and honour which they deserve.

Those of us who were too young, too old or not fit enough to serve alongside these brave men and women stand here free and able to live in comfort because of the sacrifices of so many.

To all those who served and are serving: we salute you with pride.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

A Wise Comedian

One of the more memorable moments for me from my attendance at the Amherst Black Alumni Reunion in 2013 did not occur with the Amherst Black Alumni.  In fact it did not occur at Amherst at all.  One of the more memorable moments occurred the Monday night after the reunion when, after a day of sightseeing in New York, Ping and I returned to Princeton, New Jersey, for our night's rest.  Before returning to the hotel, Ping treated me to dinner at what appeared to be one of the better eating establishments in downtown Princeton.  During the course of our conversation, we found ourselves engaged in a conversation with a man who had been dining alone at a table one over from our own.  Somewhere during the conversation, we became aware of each other's backgrounds and we briefly discussed the fact that his profession in life was the buying of companies. I suppose he would be akin to the Richard Gere character in the movie "Pretty Woman". We discussed some of his business dealings for a brief while but surprisingly the conversation took on a more spiritual tone.  For the next two hours, we sat there chatting about our personal theologies and spiritual experiences.  We talked and talked until the restaurant workers began to indicate that it was time to close.  So we left the restaurant and talked on the streets of Princeton for a good fifteen to twenty minutes more. 

Since that time, we have kept in touch and last week he sent me an unusual email about a commencement address given by the comedic actor Jim Carrey.  It may seem strange, but I found the address given by Mr. Carrey to be rather profound.  Perhaps, you will as well.

Peace.

To watch a great commencement speech by Jim Carey MUM, go to:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V80-gPkpH6M

 

It will be well worth your time.

A Perfect Effort

I gave a speech at the Annual West Contra Costa YMCA Awards Dinner held at the Richmond Country Club last night.  It was well received by the audience, perhaps it will be by you.  Have a great weekend.

Peace.

Good Evening,

 

In a couple of months at a movie theater a couple of miles from here, you are likely to find a movie playing that is entitled “When the Game Stands Tall”.  The movie, which will be out just as football season begins, tells the remarkable story of a high school football dynasty.  The high school football dynasty depicted is De La Salle High School of Concord, California, and its  football teams coached by Bob Ladouceur.

 

Now, it is unusual to see a movie being made about a high school football team, but the De La Salle High School football teams depicted were special.  Indeed, beginning in 1992, the De La Salle High School football teams went undefeated for twelve seasons and for 151 straight games.  That is a phenomenal record and is highly unlikely to ever be broken.

 

In seeing this streak continue and the success of the athletes that graduated from it, many began to ask what was the secret to the success.  As it turns out, the secret to the success was that the coach did not so much emphasize the winning but rather focused on getting his players to give a “perfect effort” not just in the game, but in life.  Coach Ladouceur knew that success would come if the players were challenged with responsibility and commitment, when the players both individually and together came to develop integrity, discipline, faith and commitment.   When that happened, then the “perfect effort” would come, and so would success.

 

One of the players on the De La Salle High School football team highlighted in the film “When the Game Stands Tall”, is a student from Richmond, California.  His name is Terrance Kelly, and he was a star on these undefeated De La Salle teams.  Indeed, Terrance Kelly was the captain of the last team to keep the streak alive and during his four years at De La Salle High School, the team never lost a game.  At the end of his senior year, Terrance, a four star linebacker prospect was awarded a full athletic scholarship to play football at the University of Oregon and, as a disciple of the “perfect effort” philosophy, appeared on his way to continued success at Oregon and beyond.

 

However, in what seemed to be a cruel twist of fate, Terrance Kelly’s career at Oregon was stopped before it had even begun.  After spending the summer in Oregon, Terrance returned to Richmond before his first year of school was to start to take care of some business and to say goodbye to some friends.  While saying goodbye to some friends on an August evening in 2004, he was shot and killed by a young man who allegedly mistook Terrance for someone else.

 

This seemingly senseless act shocked the City of Richmond and devastated Terrance’s family.  It just left so many wondering why such a thing would happen to a young man who had so much promise and who was so good.  For so many, the question was “Why God? Why?”

 

I suppose God answered that question in different ways for different people, however, it is rather remarkable and rather fitting that after the tragic death of Terrance Kelly, Landrin and Mary Kelly, Terrance's father and stepmother, created the Terrance Kelly Youth Foundation. The mission of the Terrance Kelly Youth Foundation is to inspire and empower at-risk youth who face challenging circumstances to become successful, productive, contributing members of society. The foundation strives to motivate the youth to seek education as an alternative.  In essence, the Foundation in its own way strives to encourage our young people to make the “perfect effort” just as Terrance had made during his all too short life.

 

About 4 years ago, the Terrance Kelly Youth Foundation came to our Y looking for a new place to house their youth programs. As an agency that is always looking for partners to work with, our Y welcomed the partnership.

 

Over the last 4 years, Landrin and Mary Kelly have brought a number of valuable resources and programs to our Y and to the community.  And Mary Kelly, in particular, has made significant contributions to our Y facility and Y operations.

 

Today, Mary Kelly is the coordinator for the Terrance Kelly After School program at the E M Downer Family Y.  But Mary is also always looking for new ways to engage the youth. Mary has been the person who has coordinated bringing in specialty programs including photography, hip hop dance and cooking. Mary volunteers with the afterschool program’s homework help and tutoring striving to help others onto the path to success that Terrance Kelly was on.

 

Mary also supervises the ANGELS program which stands for: Achieving New Goals through Education Learning and Self-esteem.  ANGELS is a five-week comprehensive violence prevention program designed to raise awareness before violent acts are committed. At-risk youth between the ages of 12 – 17 are challenged and motivated to reflect upon personal choices, communication and problem solving skills.  The program reinforces non-violence and provides a safe environment which allows the youth to build the necessary skills to succeed in life. 

 

In April of this year, Mary, who has worked for Home Depot for 20 years, talked to her boss about the need to spruce up the landscaping around the E M Downer Family Y, where the Terrance Kelly Foundation activities take place. Store manager Allen Fox agreed to donate about $1,000 worth of materials from the store and also solicited donations from vendors, who provided soil, bark and strawberries. On Saturday, April 12, 2014, about 20 volunteers from Home Depot stores in Vallejo, El Cerrito and Hercules worked side by side with youth and families from the Terrance Kelly Foundation and also from the E M Downer Y after school and sports programs. Together they donned gardening gloves cleaning out the planter beds and filling them with fresh dirt. They put together picnic tables for the youth, placed small planter boxes complete with irrigation along the south fence line filled with strawberry plants and cleaned up the area including pulling weeds. On the west side of the building they cleaned up the landscaped area and covered it with new bark. The crew also installed new landscaping along the outside wall of the gym complete with a drip irrigation system. There was great coverage of the day by the news media and a lot of smiling faces both young and old for a job well done. Obviously, teaching youth to give back to the community is an important part of the Foundation’s work.  But it appears that teaching adults about the joy of giving back is also one of the great side benefits.

 

Mary and the other volunteers at the Foundation have two events coming up to support the important work of the Terrance Kelly Youth Foundation: The Terrance Kelly Youth Foundation 4^th Annual Golf Tournament which is happening next Saturday June 14 and the 10^th Annual Gala Dinner and Auction which will be on August 23^rd. If anyone is interested in participating in either of those events you can go to the Foundation website www.TKYF20.org

 

In a divine way, by showing how to turn a great loss into a great gain, Mary, who was born in North Richmond and attended local schools graduating from Richmond High School, and who came into Terrance’s life when he was 4, has continued with Landrin to keep Terrance’s memory alive by motivating youth from impoverished communities to gain a broader view of the world, enabling those youth to rise above the negative circumstances prevalent in both the community and their lives. Indeed, both Landrin and Mary have through their “perfect efforts” with the Terrance Kelly Foundation helped to make it possible that the spirit of Terrance Kelly lives on in the lives of those many young people that they touch.  And so, it is quite fitting, and quite an honor and a privilege for me to say, “Mary Ann Kelly, for the many hours of volunteer work you contribute in our community, the YMCA tonight honors you by presenting you with our Volunteer of the Year Award.”

 

Ladies and gentlemen, our Rita Davis Volunteer Award Winner for 2014,  Mary … Ann … Kelly.

 

Ethic of Constructive Peacemaking

As is my custom, I peruse the New York Times obituaries on a regular basis.  During a recent perusal, I read the obit for a Dr. Glen Stassen, a noted theologian and peace activist.  I was first struck by the fact that Glen Stassen was the son of the perennial Republican presidential candidate, Harold Stassen.  That relationship was interesting in itself.  However, in reading further I became intrigued by the theology/philosophy of Glen Stassen.  Stassen's Ethic of Constructive Peacemaking was a novel one for me and I wondered if it is still being employed or if it had died with Dr. Stassen.  In my mind, I found it interesting to ponder its efficacy and the prospects for its universal application in a world where other faiths and beliefs advise to the contrary. The pondering, in itself, was an interesting exercise.  Perhaps, during your weekend of rest, you will find it interesting to so ponder as well.  

Peace,

*****

Dr. Stassen argued, Christian ethics demanded organized action to save the world from self-destruction.

“Christians need more than an ethic of ‘just say no,’ ” he wrote. “Jesus didn’t just say no to anger and revengeful resistance, but commanded transforming initiatives: ‘Go make peace with your brother or sister; go the second mile with the Roman soldier.’ ”

What Christians needed, he said, was “an ethic of constructive peacemaking.”

Theologians had long wrestled with the Christian response to war, and whether it was ever morally justified to kill. Two schools of thought had emerged: pacifism, which said it was never justified, and “just war” theory, which described circumstances in which killing in war was morally defensible. Dr. Stassen advocated what he called a third option: preventing wars from starting in the first place.

“Why do we only keep debating whether wars are justified?” he asked.

In “Just Peacemaking: Transforming Initiatives of Justice and Peace” (1992) and a dozen other books on nonviolence and conflict resolution, Dr. Stassen described techniques for hard-nosed negotiating in which both parties admit culpability for past deeds, take a clearheaded measure of the interests of the other side and sometimes make calculated unilateral initiatives.

“Biblical realism,” as he described the mind-set for negotiations like these, “is about diagnosing sin realistically and seeking deliverance, not merely about affirming some high ideals.”