Love and Peace

[Manhal]

Just want to say hello. From Canada, long time lurker, was a member at the old site, many moons ago.
Was one of those people who didn't really contribute, there was just so much to go through back then, and I
didn't have the time. Always in awe though, it was a frenetic and loving time on the internet then; people like Phara
helped shape the discourse for the better.

All I really want to say is, I'm super happy Phara is back and healthy and inshalla prospering, to bring people together again.
In her inimitable way, she consistently expresses, and helps others to express, solidarity, peace, and respect.

I can't wait to see what can happen here, and I look forward to bringing positivity and support wherever I can.

-Manny

[BigMush]

Welcome to the banter box O/ Enjoy your stay!

[Manhal]

Thank you

[ghostdogg]

A fellow Canuck! Welcome back.

[girlapaloo]

Hi there!

[ink]

word.. hello Manny, welcome to the boards

[Skywalker]

Hello and I hope to see ya around the boards...

[NaranjaRa]

not to be confused with



all the best,


ps: welcome back

[Philly]

Ayyyy welcome back

[Phara]

aww this made my evening. for real. I'm exhausted from a long day of work and with one eye open I read this intro and smiled broad. Thank you so much Manhal and welcome to Ninja officially. xoxo

[Manhal]

Thanks alot everybody. It's sometimes intimidating to read all of your posts. I am slowly going through them, but its ALOT lol, which is awesome.
I remember at the old Ninja, it was sometimes like fractals, posts within posts. There was soooo much content, I sometimes wonder how the internet
discourse would have been different online if the Ninja fam had continued without disruption.

About me. I'm 35 (as of Sept 17), Hamilton ON, born and raised.
I love evolutionary biology, and I am a science teacher. I have degrees in Genetics, Evol Bio, Clinical Research, and Education. I was a health care admin
in the Canadian Forces for 9 years. I speak Arabic, and I am a practicing Muslim. My roots, well, I'm Palestinian by ethnicity, and a Trekkie by choice!

I'm the quintessential pacifist nerd. I would much rather watch old episodes of Quantum Leap than go out.
And I am an advocate for the disenfranchised. I volunteer and help people in my city, poor people, illiterate people. I help teach ESL to the waves of Syrian immigrants coming to the city now. I just spent a year teaching in Dubai. Glad to be back.

My days right now are filled with taking care of my father at home, making a nice blueberry shisha with green and black tea when I get a chance, and helping wherever I can.
I became an evolutionary biologist after I read Dune, one of my favourite book series of all time (the others are Ender's Game and the Chrysalids).
One of my favourite quotes in that series is this:

“Paradox is a pointer telling you to look beyond it. If paradoxes bother you, that betrays your deep desire for absolutes. The relativist treats a paradox merely as interesting, perhaps amusing or even, dreadful thought, educational.”
— God Emperor of Dune

[Skywalker]

Wow... that s a lot of Biology.

Science Teachers rule

Sounds like you have life figured out WTG on that front.

[Manhal]

Thx man.

[ink]

Thanks alot everybody. It's sometimes intimidating to read all of your posts. I am slowly going through them, but its ALOT lol, which is awesome.
I remember at the old Ninja, it was sometimes like fractals, posts within posts. There was soooo much content, I sometimes wonder how the internet
discourse would have been different online if the Ninja fam had continued without disruption.

About me. I'm 35 (as of Sept 17), Hamilton ON, born and raised.
I love evolutionary biology, and I am a science teacher. I have degrees in Genetics, Evol Bio, Clinical Research, and Education. I was a health care admin
in the Canadian Forces for 9 years. I speak Arabic, and I am a practicing Muslim. My roots, well, I'm Palestinian by ethnicity, and a Trekkie by choice!

I'm the quintessential pacifist nerd. I would much rather watch old episodes of Quantum Leap than go out.
And I am an advocate for the disenfranchised. I volunteer and help people in my city, poor people, illiterate people. I help teach ESL to the waves of Syrian immigrants coming to the city now. I just spent a year teaching in Dubai. Glad to be back.

My days right now are filled with taking care of my father at home, making a nice blueberry shisha with green and black tea when I get a chance, and helping wherever I can.
I became an evolutionary biologist after I read Dune, one of my favourite book series of all time (the others are Ender's Game and the Chrysalids).
One of my favourite quotes in that series is this:

“Paradox is a pointer telling you to look beyond it. If paradoxes bother you, that betrays your deep desire for absolutes. The relativist treats a paradox merely as interesting, perhaps amusing or even, dreadful thought, educational.”
— God Emperor of Dune

all that is quite impressive..

but the advocacy for the disenfranchised! that got my attention and admiration.


quality over quantity


righteous..

[Phara]

^^^ love learning more about you. that was fantastic.

[Phara]

oh and i absolutely loved enders game.

[ghostdogg]

Thanks alot everybody. It's sometimes intimidating to read all of your posts. I am slowly going through them, but its ALOT lol, which is awesome.
I remember at the old Ninja, it was sometimes like fractals, posts within posts. There was soooo much content, I sometimes wonder how the internet
discourse would have been different online if the Ninja fam had continued without disruption.

About me. I'm 35 (as of Sept 17), Hamilton ON, born and raised.
I love evolutionary biology, and I am a science teacher. I have degrees in Genetics, Evol Bio, Clinical Research, and Education. I was a health care admin
in the Canadian Forces for 9 years. I speak Arabic, and I am a practicing Muslim. My roots, well, I'm Palestinian by ethnicity, and a Trekkie by choice!

I'm the quintessential pacifist nerd. I would much rather watch old episodes of Quantum Leap than go out.
And I am an advocate for the disenfranchised. I volunteer and help people in my city, poor people, illiterate people. I help teach ESL to the waves of Syrian immigrants coming to the city now. I just spent a year teaching in Dubai. Glad to be back.

My days right now are filled with taking care of my father at home, making a nice blueberry shisha with green and black tea when I get a chance, and helping wherever I can.
I became an evolutionary biologist after I read Dune, one of my favourite book series of all time (the others are Ender's Game and the Chrysalids).
One of my favourite quotes in that series is this:

“Paradox is a pointer telling you to look beyond it. If paradoxes bother you, that betrays your deep desire for absolutes. The relativist treats a paradox merely as interesting, perhaps amusing or even, dreadful thought, educational.”
— God Emperor of Dune

cool! I liked this whole post but resonated the most with the shisha! also, am a trekkie by choice as well

[Corgimom]

Good to see you Manny

[Gwenno]

Welcome Manny!
And with that Enders game goes to the top of my to read list

[Manhal]

Thanks alot everyone. I want to contribute where I can, and I will try and spend some time looking over your threads.

[Manhal]

This is enormous. I want to stop over every post and like it. I'm naturally more of an FB person, and I love to post news, science, politics, whatever. It has utility for me in communicating with family mostly. So my inclination when I am reading the threads is to rate them, to clap, to smile, to laugh, to care, in essence, to respond to.
But it is difficult to engage when I am so new. I weigh the consequences of everything I write, as if it could be read out in court one day. Because it's a scary world.


It reminds me alot of the recent teachers college course I took. Threads upon threads of analysis, and thoughtful responses. Heavy content.
It's....well, intimidating. Not that you don't all embrace one another, man, its amazing. Waves of it. Tangibly.
I'm trying to work up the courage to respond. I'm more of an observer. Even in the long ago NinjaVideo (rest in peace) I would just read and not respond.
I was scared.
Personally, I still am. The idea that violence was visited upon any of you is abhorrent. I just want to understand.
I tried to follow as best as I could, but I didn't have THAT kind of courage. So, I am throwing in my hat.
I am communicating. As myself. And my first thought about this forum is, thank you. Thank you for bringing it back. I was one of those people who waited with baited breath for it's return. I felt awful. In my heart I wanted to help.
I want to know what happened.

It's the story that needs to be told. To clear the air. To remember and 'put right what once went wrong'...

...I really appreciate all of your responses and I am getting to know you slowly...

My second thought was this:

My very first interaction with this forum/community was this: the Queen reached out, and a royal hand lifted a peasants gaze. She steered him to action.
She asked me to read about the plight of a member. I really was blown away by the communication. And saddened by the reason, but I empathized. Brutal! Fuck those people! She was having a bad time at work. It was shitty. I was sad for her. I didn't really know what to say. But she was in my thoughts. She still is.
But

I watched as all of these different people came out with such strong, crazy, beyond altruistic support. Overwhelmingly inspiring. They just let her know they were there for her, and wanted her to tell them how they could help. Sensitively assuring her. These people were on deck!

And this peasant was given a significant and illuminating gift. I been reading some of the threads of all the cool colours and rankings and awesomeness you can earn here. It's...wow.


But I told her I didn't think I had enough "ninja". I meant, regardless of however long I had known about NV or had followed it, I was nascent at participating, and hadn't earned the ability yet to assert myself yet as a voice in the crowd. She patiently clarified, that one is born ninja, it is not something you accumulate.
But she respected my choice. I wanted to tell her, I used to be. Used to be engaged, used to be at the rallies and used to be loud. I got hurt. Not legendary hurt, just everyday hurt. And I shut up. So I just wanted to say thank you for reminding me that I cannot be unconnected to this, this, legendary group of people.

Thank you.

My third thought is:
I think I posted to one other thread, but this is still the only thread I feel comfortable in. I haven't gone over as much as I would like before I pop my head up.
I clicked on GhostDogg's cool soundcloud, and it is really nice. I put the needle back on that record a few times. In fact, I'm going to go listen now! Respect to my Canadian brother.

I hope to engage a little more. It's kind of having a legend in your mind, hero worship. To talk to your heroes is hard.
It wasn't what I thought it would be. It was better.

I want to thank all of you who made me feel welcome, by name.

BigMush
Phara
ghostdogg
girlapaloo
ink
Skywalker
NaranjaRa
Philly
Corgimom
Gwenno

And please, AliceElite, you are so loved. Take solace in that.
http://www.ninjaevolution.net/forums/vi ... 906#p21899
I'm a complete stranger and I am still affected by your story ( ). I am also here if you would like to talk. I can even be mildly amusing sometimes. All these people just want to help. How cool is that?


Not to wax on to long, but I do have a quote that makes me feel better when I'm down...
...“The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjUKGfBW74o



Kindest regards,

Manhal

[Phara]

oh man... that was a great read. I don't want that to get lost. I'm copying your post over into what does evo mean to me. let me track down that thread.

[ink]

well, my friend... your walking the right path. and i do understand how the size can be itimidating, but reverse that thought process thru your quote.. here there are no walls or boxes in which we must present ourselves, only on ones own terms. we share, we connect, we engage, we build.. and you can too! there really is much awesome to behold if you take time to explore. i think the fact that your efforts in allowing yourself to be open, in here, shows great promise!

think of it this way.. like riding a bike. kick.push.peddle.. before u know it, momentum is overwhelming you. easy peasy. and those moments that inspired you, happen in waves..but they are very genuine and very real.

journey and enjoy the ride! you will do just fine.

[Phara]

^^ We call Ink the Ninja Sage Manhal. Top 5 in terms of rank. He says it more eloquently than I ever could.

I moved your beautiful wall into What does Evo mean to you and also into Welcome to Generation N... I just couldn't let that get lost.

[NaranjaRa]

immensely beautiful words sir M.
basically, sharing yourself here...essence of Ninja