Selfless community service: I salute Joe Agg

Joe Agg cleaning up the ravines

These days it is very rare to find individuals who are truly selfless, who work for the benefit of all without expectations of any return. When I do meet such people, a great sense of hope fills me and inspires me. Joe Agg is one such person that I have had the honor to meet recently.

A 70 year old environmentalist and member of the Richmond Hill Naturists, Joe has been working tirelessly for years to cleanup up the creeks, trails and forests in Richmond Hill with small groups of volunteers.

Joe was the first one to arrive and support us at our cleanup drive last week with the required equipment. We cleaned up a large area around the lake. Now as I go on my regular walks along the trails and see it clean and green, I feel happy to have played a small part in this. My husband and I joined Joe again last saturday and cleaned up another entrance to the trail that starts at Toporowski Avenue. Joe taught me a valuable lesson that day, that if we don't like the litter around us, there is no shame in bending over to pick it up. Read more about Joe Agg's service to our community. ( Richmond Hill man continues creek cleaning,
Resident gets knee-deep in the muck to clean our creeks )

What is the point of our lives if we are of service to none?? The purpose of our lives is to love and serve and experience the joy of service!! 

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. - Rabindranath Tagore

A Dirge For Mother Earth

The great Malayalam poet ONV Kurup mourns deeply for the impending death of our beloved mother earth in his poem Bhoomikkoru Charamageetham. He pens this funeral song for her in advance as no one is going to remain to tend to her in her last hours. The poet paints an unforgettable image of what the human race has done to mother earth and the shame that we all have to live with. This is a haunting dirge that will stay with me forever!

ഇനിയും മരിക്കാത്ത ഭൂമി! നിന്നാസന്ന-
മൃതിയില്‍ നിനക്കാത്മശാന്തി!
ഇത് നിന്റെ (എന്റെയും) ചരമശുശ്രൂഷയ്ക്ക്
ഹൃദയത്തിലിന്നേ കുറിച്ച ഗീതം.
Still not dead Mother Earth! In your impending death, peace to your soul .This song is for your (and mine too) funeral, penned straight from my heart. 

മൃതിയുടെ കറുത്ത വിഷപുഷ്പം വിടര്‍ന്നതിന്‍-
നിഴലില്‍ നീ നാളെ മരവിക്കേ,
ഉയിരറ്റനിന്‍മുഖത്തശ്രു ബിന്ദുക്കളാല്‍
ഉദകം പകര്‍ന്നു വിലപിക്കാന്‍
ഇവിടെയവശേഷിക്കയില്ലാരു, മീ ഞാനും!
ഇതു നിനക്കായ് ഞാന്‍ കുറിച്ചീടുന്നു ;
ഇനിയും മരിക്കാത്ത ഭൂമി ! നിന്നാസന്ന-
മൃതിയില്‍ നിനക്കാത്മശാന്തി!
Under the dark shadow of deaths black poisonous flowers, when you die tomorrow, no one remains , including me to wipe the tears off your lifeless face, or to give you a few sips of water and cry. For you I write this song now.  Still not dead Mother Earth! In your impending death, peace to your soul.

പന്തിരുകുലം പെറ്റ പറയിക്കുമമ്മ നീ
എണ്ണിയാല് തീരാത്ത,
തങ്ങളിലിണങ്ങാത്ത
സന്തതികളെ നൊന്തു പെറ്റു!
ഒന്നു മറ്റൊന്നിനെ കൊന്നു തിന്നുന്നത്
കണ്ണാലെ കണ്ടിട്ടുമൊരുവരും കാണാതെ
കണ്ണീരൊഴുക്കി നീ നിന്നൂ!
പിന്നെ, നിന്നെത്തന്നെയല്പാല്പമായ്ത്തിന്നുഃ
തിന്നവര് തിമിര്ക്കവേ ഏതും വിലക്കാതെ
നിന്നു നീ സര്വംസഹയായ്!
You are the mother to the outcast who delivered 12 children. Enduring a lot of pain, you delivered countess children who have no love among themselves. You have seen with your own eyes as one kills and eats the other and you stood there crying hiding your tears so no one sees. Then little by little they even started eating you. Those who ate rejoiced, but you did not stop them. You stood there helplessly bearing all the pain.
 

 More to come..