Re: Radioactivity in Kerala

09-24-2003, 01:32 PM

Dear sprose1,

Why worry about India, here is US there's high probability of getting cancer -
lead in homes, fluoride and other toxic chemicals in the drinking water,
fluoride in toothpaste, antibiotics fed to animals that show up in milk/meat,
pesticides/chemicals in vegetables, GMO foods to mention a few. And then there's
the ubiquitous household chemicals. There's a report out there on how EPA gave a
clean chit to the air quality in NY after Sep 11 attacks when the opposite was
true. Now you guys should be complaining to EPA on why they did that because
they are elected by us to keep our environment clean, last time I checked Amma
hasn't made any such claims nor has she been elected/appointed to do that.
Spiritual masters are interested in inculcating spiritual values and not worried
about moral, ethical, political, social, and/or environmental issues. You are
right that each one has to choose according to our samkara/dharma. If Amma has
to make these decisions for us and/or keep us free of all problems/diseases then
we would be zombies. This very attitude that a person has to take care of all
our problems creates false gurus.

However I feel you haven't considered all aspects of this report. I have
searched on these topics and while it is true that certain areas in Kerala(I am
not sure if Amma's ashram is a part of that) have high radiation levels, studies
conducted on these people show no higher incidence of cancer. You are free to
choose to visit or not visit the ashram. The study concluded that people's DNA's
have mutated to adapt themselves to the higher radiation levels and that the
standards of "what are normal radiation levels" need to revisited. You seem to
have high confidence on science, but science is still evolving and new theories
always come up shattering age old beliefs.

And then radiation levels are relative. A novice reading your post might
conclude that the whole world is radiation free and Kerala is full of radiation,
that's hardly true. We live, breath and eat radiation. Where there are atoms
there is radiation, check out this link-

http://www.sciencebyjones.com/radioactivity.htm

----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 2:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Ammachi] Digest Number 947

> Dear Markasme:
>
> It is obvious that this radioactive issue is very problematic for our
health
> and our faith. That's why no one will address it. It is a discomforting
> thing to think that our divine mother would ironically cause us to get
cancer.
> How can one resolve such an issue? So, it is much easier to write it off
as a
> kooky idea. Until one reads the scientists, who are decidedly non-kooky.
What
> is kooky is the attitude that one will worry about it once one has liver
> cancer, blood cancer, or whatever form it takes. I have my doubts about
her
> judgment of scientific things, for she has shown so many times that she
has little
> respect for analytical thought. I am afraid that she values the inner
world
> more, and that she really doesn't grasp radioactivity. You are right, that
she
> did not claim that her siddhi would protect us, as in case of the leper.
I
> remember getting pink eye there, which while minor, does show that her
siddhi does
> not necessarily interfere with natural law. I think radioactivity is
> radioactivity: it must be addressed on its own terms. Yet, would she
move the
> ashram, even if she understood that it would lead to cancer in westerners?
No, I
> don't think there is a prayer in ____ that she would feel obligated to do
so,
> no matter what the effects on westerners are. This area has the highest
> radioactivity of anywhere in the entire world; other countries consider
these areas
> uninhabitable. Not India, of course. ;-) Yet, I still feel she is the
divine
> mother nonetheless somehow. Just that she is not always that good about
the
> material level stuff: better in spiritual area. I recall her saying that
one can
> eat just rice, and if one has faith and it would suffice. I do think it's
> naive just to take it on faith that we are protected there. She might
actually
> feel that, even with radioactivity and cancer, that that's the price to be
paid
> for being in her presence, and perhaps we have to accept getting terminal
> cancer as the price. Is it worth it? (Have you ever seen cancer?) That's
for each
> of us to decide, no?
>

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