[Buddha-l] Re: Greetings from Oviedo

[Benito Carral]

On Monday, October 3, 2005, Joy Vriens wrote:

> I  was  in  Oviedo  a  couple  of years ago for work.
> Pleasant little town and lovely cider.

   I'm  glad to know that you have enjoyed this city. I
think  it's  a  good  place  to  live,  as  far  as I'm
concerned  the  only  problem (an it'snot a little one)
it's  that  there  are  not many interesting people out
there. It's a boring and unwholesome globalized city.

> The Anglosaxon (as us Latins like to call them) brand
> of  Christian  religion  seems  to be a very militant
> one.   I   was   struck  when  walking  into  British
> cathedrals to see so many statues and representations
> of  admirals, military symbols, allusions to national
> victories etc. there.

   I  got the same feeling the first time I visited the
UK.  Then  I realized that we have a similar theme here
in  Asturias.  I  don't  know  if  you have heard about
Covadonga,  it's  a Catholic holy site where (it's said
that)  Don  Pelayo defeated the Muslims and started the
Spanish  Reconquest.  I  don't  know what it would have
been  better,  a Catholic Spain or a Muslim one, what I
know  is  that Catholicism was a heavy burden for us. I
have  always  dreamed about what would have happened if
Jews,  Christians, and Muslims would have lived here at
peace.

   It's  seems  to  me that many people through history
have  used  something  they call "religion" in order to
control    citizens.    They    have   used   Buddhism,
Christianism,   Islam...   But   there  is  still  some
differences.  If someone wears a Spanish flag in Spain,
it  will  be  regarded  as  a "fanatic," "fascist," and
"undesirable"  individual.  Spaniards  don't  feel  the
colours,  in  fact,  Spain  is  being  disintegrated by
nationalists.  It's just that they want to cut the cake
in order to rule over their little parcels (and get the
money).

   So  I  feel  alienated for several reasons and don't
feel  Spaniard  at  all  nor  nationalist in any of our
variants.

   Best wishes,

   Beni