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From: Tesfai Kflu (Tesfai.Kflu@fredonia.edu)
Date: Mon Jan 31 2011 - 18:20:34 EST
It was a sunny afternoon in Asmara... the weather was good... a new
wind of hope and confidence was calmly
blowing.
Hunger as in empty stomach who didn't seem to care
much about the good weather was walking towards
the court house on Liberty avenue. She had a court appointment for late
afternoon and she knew she was
a bit early but she didn't care... she just wanted to be
there. As she was passing by the outside of cafe of 'Bar
Impero', she saw a face that she knew a long time ago.
In between finishing browsing the daily paper and start
reading his book he was sipping his capo chino...
Again, Hunger knew she was too early for her court
appointment and because of that she didn't mind slowing down her rushing
mood and give herself enough time to figure out
who that person was.
It didn't take her much time.... she got him right... he was
Tedros, the lovely little boy that she knew long time ago.
Hunger knew he wouldn't know her, but, she said, what the heck, I have to
say hello, introduce myself, and explain to him
how I happened to have known him.
Hunger said... hello.. are you Tedros? Your mother Zewdi
and your father Haile?
He said... He inserted a book-mark on the book he started reading and
said yes, you are correct. People call me Teddy, but Tedros is my real name.
Yes, you are correct about my parents too.
Hunger... where are they now? ... and how are they doing?
Teddy ... well, now of course, they have aged, but, thanks to
God, they are still alive and they are doing alright. By the way,
who are you? ...if you don't mind me asking you that.
Hunger... No problem... I don't mind at all. I am 'Hunger'
and I lived with your family starting the time when you were a
baby. My being there in side your family at that time means that
you and your family didn't have ,much to eat and drink... you had some but
not much... in other words, you were poor like most Eritrean families in
your neighborhood and for that matter I could say like much of the rest of
the country. Wherever there
was a problem to fill the stomach, I was and I am always there... that is
my job and that's me. In other words, I make sure the
stomachs stay unfilled or less filled.
Teddy.... He got perplexed... he got confused... for a moment he didn't
know whether he was dreaming or he was in real life. He took out his eye
glasses... cleaned and folded it and put it in a small container he had. He
folded the news paper, folded it hard... gain and again... a kind of nervous
so to say. It took him a while to cool down and collect himself together and
he did. Considering the fact that her approach to start with was with
respect, he decided to ask her to sit and dialog.
Teddy said... you are something... if you have time please
pull a chair and have a sit and enjoy the good air... the air of
'hope' and tranquility. Is there something that I can order for you?
Coffee... tea... pastry etc.?
Hunger said... No... no... there is nothing that I want. Thank you any
way Tedros.
Teddy said... I don't understand... why? I am offering.
Hunger said... I know Tedros... you are offering.. you are
absolutely a good person... just like your mother and father
were... but, you know I am 'Hunger''... I am against eating
or drinking... if I eat and drink, I loose me, I loose myself...
automatically I become 'not me'.
Teddy said... Still hard for me to understand, anyway, be it as you
like, but, tell me how was our family at the time you were
there with us.
Hunger said... You and your older sister were the only
children of your parents. There was so much love and respect
between your father and your mother... they loved each other and they loved
their children. They both were good looking... your mother was the loveliest
woman. She was the most beautiful lady... totally Semitic features... light
skin, long hair, and reasonably tall. Your father too was loaded with a lot
of grace and attractive personality. But, both of them were skinny to the
bone... there was not much in the house except love and religion. They both
were believers in God... your mother much
more so... she always had the rosary in her hand... she was raised a
catholic and was a believer in the 'power of prayers'.
That is how she was raised and she never gave up on that even
when solutions seemed not to come.... or come too slow.
Hunger continued talking... Tedros, there were times when you used to
wake up in the middle of the night and cry loud... then your father would
wake up ... knowing your crying was because of your empty stomach he would
rush to the kitchen, grab a piece of dry bread even if it was the only peace
that your mother put for his breakfast, boil the tea and give it to you with
nothing left for him. You would get fed and go to sleep. Life was that hard
Tedros. Yes, your father had work but he didn't earn enough. Whatever he
earned, your mother and him worked
out things together, which was good, but, still he didn't make
enough... what kept them together raising their kids was love, perseverance
and prayers.
Hunger continued to talk... Tedros, you know... suddenly
the prayers of your mother's were heard... your father started
getting better attention from his employers and ended up with a better
position and income enough to cover the needs in the house. Suddenly there
was enough food, enough clothing, and enough of everything needed in the
house... your mother's
rosary was still in her hand and continued her prayers and
gratitude to God but this time it was with a smile and bright face. So, my
staying in your family was not relevant and was not possible too... all the
stomachs were full... I had no choice, but, to pack and go.
Teddy said.... Hunger.. you know, at least you are honest
and I like that... you play what you are... if you can't, you move out...
interesting... now, for how long have you been among our people?
Hunger said... if not for centuries, on and off, I can say I have been
here for a number of decades... I don't know why,
but there are a lot of other places I could go and live undisturbed,
like in a number of African countries, and India for example, although
things are about to change in India... but, I don't know why, I like it here
and I don't like to move out... but again,
I am being forced.
Teddy said.... Do I see a paper in your hand with court heading on it?
Hunger said... yes, I still have to hear it from the court, but,
it sounds like the Government is about to evict me out... very likely they
will tall me to pack and leave. Well, like I said I haven't heard it, but,
if they say so, I have no choice but to
obey orders and leave... on the other hand, some & not all of my Eritrean
friends in the Diaspora don't want me to leave... they say they want me to
stay... they say...'saty there... stay put...'. They say
'I am the only friend, the only hope' they have... they say, they need me to
stay .... they say I am the only hope of weakening the system... and
repeatedly they say I am their political instrument... without me, they say,
their hopes and aspirations
will go down the drain and things like that. Some have even suggested
that because I have resided here in this country for
a long time, I can appeal to the court of law to be given an advance notice
of a year or more.
Teddy said... but, who are these friends of yours? Where are they? How
big is their number?
Hunger said... like I said to you earlier, you find them here and
there, they are all outside of the country that you and me are in. Most of
them are in America and Europe and some of them in Canada. They are mostly
professionals... a good number of them teach in big universities... some are
experts in Law, some in Business and Finance and some in all aspects of the
Physical and Social sciences. Some have reasonably high positions in big
organizations such as the U.N. The other day, I don't know why he was there
and what he was doing there, I was in the area of Om HaJer-- at the border
with the Sudan,
& I saw an Eritrean guy standing. He was on the Sudan side... less than a
mile away inside Sudan... he waived his hand
to me ... a sign of salutation I believe... and using the sign language he
said 'Hunger... stay there... stay put' ... for a while at least... if you
need help some of our friends from the Diaspora will be there at the court
house in Asmara through 'tele and video' conferences and will put a defense
for you in the best manner they can... just don't give up. Tedros, like I
said earlier, honestly I want to stay here, I love it here, but the leader
you have here hates me so much he doesn't want to hear my voice let alone to
let me live here. On the top of his 'list of
problems to be eradicated' is me.. Hunger.
Hunger continued... I don't know why he is so much against hunger... I
know how he grew up ... he was never touched by
hunger... I know his family from a distance. He was a well nourished
person... but, like I said earlier, the first day he set his foot on this
land, eradication of hunger by ourselves is
our number one priority... is what he said. He said, it will not be easy, it
will take time and a lot of belt tightening and a lot of sweating it out
will be required, but, we will make it happen..... and to tell you the
truth, it looks like he is about to make it happen.
Hunger said... I hate to mention his name because
he is religiously against me, but, even then, I have to admit,
for this country, he is likely to be perceived as a blessing from
somewhere out of this world.
Hunger... I think his being of what he is has been decided long time
before he was born... longtime when he was in the 'astral plane' like all
human beings. I hope you have the knowledge of the fact that the 'astral
plane' is
where all human beings come from and go back to...
Hunger continued... about the 'astral plane' we can talk about it
latter or another time if I am not evicted :-) but, allow me to answer the
other question you asked earlier. It was about how much the number of the
friends in Diaspora that I was talking about would be... to tell you the
truth, they are not much... a good number of them as a matter of fact do not
want me to stay.. they want me leave, but, there are some opposition
entities who want me to stay. Any way, opposition in all can hardly count to
any threatening level... but, like I said earlier, because some of them are
in command of reasonably good positions in the areas where they live,
they can afford to make themselves visible... but, again in reality you can
only call them pockets of opposing entities here and there.
Hunger continued... Tedros, not to change the subject, but,
when I came to introduce myself to you, you were reading a book... what kind
of a book is it? What is it about?
Teddy said.. no.. it is not a change of a subject, in fact, in
part it touches what you just said about the 'astral plane'. It is a book,
although Ruth Montgomery is put in the cover as the author, she is not the
actual author, it is written by Arthur Ford. He wrote it after his death
with the help of a friend by the name Ruth Montgomery, who was still living.
The title is the 'A world beyond'. Arthur Ford, who was a preacher in one or
some of the Churches in America and a world famous psychic, asked Ruth
Montgomery for permission to allow him to posses her body every morning for
one hour so he can write using her typewriter on what life after death is .
Ruth Montgomery agreed and allowed him to come every morning to posses her &
do what he wants to do. He finished his writing by using her typewriter and
she put it together as a book. It is a very interesting book... he goes back
and forth to the 'astral plane' which like you said, we all come from and go
to. As he and others like him say the doors to heaven are widely open to all
of us, but as wide as they are, it requires a lot of spiritual evolvement...
in other words one has to be clean... until that happens one has to live in
the 'astral plane' serve God in many ways, and clean himself by paying all
his karmic debts. Again, as Arthur Ford and others like him say, we come
back to earth & other planes again and again only to go back to the 'astral
plane' mainly to pay our karmic debts... debts we have collected as human
beings that may be an obstacle when we want to join God in Heaven... things
like that. He had a number of life times, but the last time he was human he
was an American and he was not a Catholic, but, he says life in the Astral
plane is somewhat like what the Catholics call the 'Purgatory', although he
doesn't make it sound hard as the Catholics make it sound.
Hunger said... Tedros... it sounds you have an interesting book in your
hand. So you believe in re-incarnation.. am I right. I say it is good. Not
many people seem to grasp that truth but it is actually true... people come
and go... come and go. So, keep it up... an interesting area you are
covering in your reading.
Teddy said... Hunger... I like to be honest with you as you were with
me... although I enjoyed the dialog, I don't wish you success in the court.
I wish the jury agree to let you pack and go right away. I am sure they must
have your 'exit visa' ready... but, I don't know who would be willing to
give an 'entry visa'.
Hunger said... I know you can't wish me good luck in the court. About
the 'entry visa', the friend I was talking to you about who was
communicating with me from Sudan side said to me if the worst happens and I
end up getting the 'exit visa', he said he we will make sure I find a place
to go... in fact he said, 'it won't be too far from where you are used to'.
Tesfai Kflu