Petra, JordanI read the Winter issue of Sunrise and liked very much the article about Muslims. I had almost the same experience when I traveled to Jordan. The people there are very content and friendly, and they respect others’ beliefs — but only if you respect theirs too.
When I went to Petra, our driver wanted to show us another place called “little Petra.” Once we got there and he started to explain its history, two Bedouins arrived. After some discussion with our driver, they asked if we would like them to show us a very beautiful view. After thirty minutes of climbing we reached the top. The scenery was perfect. It was almost sunset, absolute silence, and we could see shapes made by the edges of the mountain. For the first time I could hear the sound of silence. Then suddenly one of the men took a very small metal flute out of his pocket and started to play. It was magic, listening to the echo of the flute and the music. I felt completely one with nature.
When we came down from the mountain I tried to give the men some money — they were very poor people — to thank them. They were very embarrassed and told me that they did it for pleasure, not for money. I asked them to forgive me, and we ended up at their tent with their family, ten of us drinking tea and listening to poems from our “guide” — his poets — and talking about poetry, nature, and religion. — Sisi Galanopoulou, Greece
(From Sunrise magazine, Spring 2007; copyright © 2007 Theosophical University Press)
Karma is not a punishment but the path through which experience is gained and truth revealed, and it relies as much on the present and future as it does on
the past. — Shawn Hawk
