Marriage

Well, in a few days ( actually 07th December), I’m getting married… After all I’m 32, but still not the last in the generation! Some of my school colleagues got the children’s now going to elementary school, some has already divorced also(which is not so nice but it says that some time has gone). So we are somewhat in the middle of preparations for that auspicious day.
Maybe now is time to look little backward and resume one period of life… 32 years has gone very fast, and it is to expect that next 32 will pass even faster, at least if we consider what elders say. 64 years seams so far for me now, but times when we were 7, playing in the yard, doesn’t seam so far. And now, some friends of my age with children’s older than we where at that time.
First period, since 6 – 7 years, I’ve spend in inquiry, wondering and learning. Everything seamed so perfect and eternal: I was supposed to be eternally child, my parents are supposed to be always here for me, having all the answers I’ve needed. It was indeed beautiful period. I have some memories of times when I was under 6 years old. Those memories are all full of colors, flowers, and happiness. I remember sunny days spent on fields collecting flowers, playing with butterflies or other animals, but I don’t remember any cloudy day. All was perfect and death didn’t existed, all who I knew was supposed to live forever. I still remember the day when grandmother of my aunt has gone, the fact that we can vanish in nothing one time has horrified me for years after. So I’ve lived in my little paradise, somehow insolated from outer world. Idea to go to school was not well accepted, as I felt that I will lose something precious forever. And I’ve lost, simplicity and innocence, as grooving older we become more complicated and less playful. It is interesting that at the years of around 13-14, I was so disappointed and unhappy with going older and facing some experiences that I didn’t want to go through, that I’ve decided that I will not grow any more, and that will turn time back to become child again. Off course, this hasn’t worked, and I’ve continued to grow facing what life has brought. Even now I’m feeling nostalgic for this period of innocence, asking my self do we all has to “become” children’s again in order to get back real happiness?
Maybe this is referred by Jesus when he said that one has to become like a child again to enter in heaven kingdom. In lack of understanding, we often hurts other people, bringing them pain even to dearest one. We get in Love: we get hurt, sometimes our friend or family hurt’s us, sometimes we hurt them, but why things has to be this way? When we are children’s usually we bring only joy to everyone, and we feel happy too.
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What's new in Croatia?

Everyday we are listening to news: on the radio, television, newspapers or internet… So, everyday we find something new, but in context of age in which we are living, the way we live, is there something new? I found an interesting article about our age. This age, in which we are living, is called Kali Yuga in Indian scriptures, or translated: Iron Age. Kali is also name for goddess of destruction. According to scriptures, Kali Yuga has begun about five thousands years ago, and since than we remember many wars, diseases and other kind of suffering. There is no much memory or evidence about what has been before, especially not about human character and consciousness. But there are some old Indian scriptures, called Vedas and Puranas, for which is proven that are more than 5.500 years old!
Here we arrived to the main point: Some verses are describing our age, the situation, habits and our way of life. I’m very curious if someone can recognize world we are living in. Verses follows:

What scriptures says about our age

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Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 12.2 tells that during the 432,000-year age of Kali, humanity deteriorates and falls into barbarism. Humans begin to kill animals for food. They fall under the spell of intoxication. They lose all sexual restraint. Families break up. Women and children are abused and abandoned.
The Vedic saints and sages of ancient India describe the people of this age as greedy, ill behaved, and merciless. By Srimad-Bhagavatam in this age merely possessing wealth is considered a sign of good birth, proper behavior, and fine qualities. Law and justice are determined by one's prestige and power. Marriage ceases to exist as a holy union - men and women simply live together on the basis of bodily attraction and verbal agreement, and only for sexual pleasure.
Women wander from one man to another. Men no longer look after their parents in their old age, and fail to provide for their own children. Filling the belly is said to be the only purpose in life. Cows are killed once their milk production drops. Atheism flourishes.
The new leaders emerge from the laborer class and begin to persecute religious people, saints, teachers, intellectuals, and philosophers. Children are killed in the wombs of their mothers. Women who have relations with several men are numerous. The Linga Purana says that in Kali Yuga, young women freely abandon their virginity. Women, children, and cows - always protected in an enlightened society - are abused and killed during the Iron Age. Thieves are numerous and rapes are frequent. There are many beggars, and widespread unemployment. Merchants operate corrupt businesses. Diseases, rates, and foul substances plague the populace. Water is lacking, fruits are scarce. People in this age eat their food without washing beforehand. Water is scarce. Many people watch the skies, praying for rain. No rain comes. The fields become barren. Men are without virtues, purity or decency. (Visnu Purana 6.1).
The men of Kali Yuga seek only money. Only the richest have power. People without money are their slaves. Farmers abandon living close to nature. They become unskilled laborers in congested cities.
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Maybe 6.000 years ago this could seam like a hell, but today it’s our reality.

Miomir Žužul

Probably You are informed about Situation around Croatian foreign minister Miomir Žužul. He was accused to be in interest conflict between his function and private business. In other words he used his function for personal profit. (You can see nice article about topic on draxi’s site). After that, in order to protect him self, he told few lies. But, premier Sanader stood behind him, he has won some “friends” within IDS (Istrian Democratic Party) and now seems that Žužul’s position will be saved. So Justice depend on ones position and power, not on justice itself. Only the fact that Miomir Zuzul has told a lie in order to protect him self is enough to be dismissed of his duty. But in Kali Yuga things doesn’t work like this. The interests and power are more weighted than justice, but It is pity that common people are accepting this as normal: this has brought suffering, terrorism, drugs violence and other dark stuff. One should protect the truth, and not his own interest. Politic has become mere merchantery, there is no more real lidership and sacrifice. They are selling us product, they are fighting for our votes, as Coca-Cola and Pepsi: with commercials, slogans… We are voting not for the best’s but for those who are more skilled in media manipulation, who has more money to setup better campaign… Thin a little, is a president really the best person in the country? Are his qualities noble and exemplary? If answer is not, than why is he president? Even the football team has best and most responsible/exemplary individual as a captain.

Weather update

Well, Draxi has Big Brother updates, and me weakly weather updates. The previsions about bad weather form last week has come true, with strong wind. Please look at Iskon’s portal Photo Gallery to see it by Your self. It’s very interesting.

Heavy rains in Istria

Last week I wrote about extremely high temperatures for this period. By the end of last week this has changed suddenly: From t-shirts we’ve jumped into jackets, literally in one day. After that, two days ago the rain was falling so heavy, that our regional newspaper dedicated whole front page to this. Today, weather is very nice, moderately warm, with some clouds but without rain. Experts for weather says that we are shifting form Mediterranean clime to something more similar to oceanic: with moderated temperatures and more humidity. Ok, enough about weather: those who are brave can still go an take a bath in the sea… It is not too cold, but I renounced till next spring/summer. Till then: only seaside walks…

Istra Danas (Istra Today)

Today I’ve got into posses of “Istra Danas” (danas means today), regional paper published monthly and distributed free of charge. Although it is official regional paper, there are always plenty of interesting articles. I have sensation that it’s operated by young people with ideas and freedom to choose interesting topics. As usual we can find: news, stories, reports, but also tips and advices for Istrian man or entrepreneur, and what makes me most happy, some interesting yet less known facts and articles about culture, history and Istrian itinerary. And last, but not least, in November edition they shortly presented this blog… Thanks!

At the end…

Well, at the end I’ve remembered one nice nature manifestation that is typical for this period… As this is rainy season, wind named “Jugo” (south wind) is blowing very strong: producing powerful waves that may be few meters high (as on picture below).

In Pula, there is one seaside street, open to south and sea, where one can fully experience power of the wind and sea during days of strong “Jugo”, while high waves splash them self on the rocky shore producing great waterworks…

Collecting olives in Istria

One of the Istrian “Trade Marks” are olives, olive oil, and especially old olive trees. If You drive around Istria, You can see olive trees all around. They were planted and cultivated by our elders, who lived from them, as they lived from vineyards. It is sad that in last 40 – 50 years, many olive yards were ruined or abandoned by their owners, but it is good that in last few years many of them are reassuming their cultivation, and people are planting new olives too.
By the Years specific, rough form of olive trees and vines has become symbol of hard work that Istrian man, farmer, had to do in struggling for everyday bread. But also, it symbolized all beauty, majesty and health of Istrian man living in conjunction with nature. Below is picture of an more than 1600 years old olive tree found on Island of Brijuni!

(source: istrianet.org)
Today, in most of cases, olive plants are not like this. You can see such olive trees in old olive yards, but newly planted olives their owners keep short and small, because of easy olive collecting. Once, people has kept them high, because they had goats: goats where eating grass under olives, fertilizing the land in the same time. Or, because they tried to utilize every inch of land more possible: people were planting something under the olives. So you can see vineyards which are in the same time olive yards: olives and vines “living” together. In such way Istrian man has utilized land better, in the same way saving on land cultivation, hard work of man and animal that had to be done only once, instead of double work for separate yards. Today it is not so important because of mechanization.
So, this weekend we’ve begun collecting olives, with great weather (high temperatures) which is beneficial factor, because low temperatures and rain can make olive collection very long and painful process. On the other hand, such high temperatures are all but normal for this period, so in effect I don’t think they are very good. Probably it's real and obvious proof of climate changes that world is going trough due to man’s impact. Temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius are expected for all this week, it is incredibly hot, and sea temperature is about 19 degrees Celsius. One month ago I’ve wrote that there is still a time to take the bath, but the same can be applied today also(I’ve tried it last week when sea was even colder)! I hope to not repeat same next month!