Gordon C. Cardona's posts

Announcing the Release of the eBook “Zone Mind”! “Zone Mind” Released! In this episode, I wanted to let people know that I finally released my eBook “Zone Mind” - an eBook based on the blog with a similar nane, ZoneMind, located at http://www.ZoneMind.com. It took me about a year to produce this eBook and, in all honesty, I have released the eBook only thanks to the assistance of Zoe’s Books Ltd located at http://www.zoesbooks.co.uk and Charter Software Ltd located at: http://www.chartersoftware.co.uk who helped me to edit the manuscript. and produce the eBook versions. Indeed, it would have been very difficult to get through the self-publishing process without the assistance of these organisations.. I admit that I don’t expect to make any profit any day soon following this release. On the other hand, I’m satisfied that, at least, more people can now have the chance to read my thoughts and reflections on life as I engage in Buddhist thought and practice and discovering the importance of how important it was for humanity to go beyond the differences we create between ourselves and recognise our common humanity. The eBook is selling for €2,99 and you can read more about it at: http://payhip.com/b/XE3R or follow the direct link found at ZoneMind at: http://www.zonemind.com. If after checking the eBook for more information you aren’t interested to get a copy, I encourage you to share the page at PayHip with others you think might like to check this eBook out. In addition, if you share the eBook page with your friends, by choosing to share the page with your network, you will save 15% when you purchase your copy of the eBook “Zone Mind”! Publication Details Self-published in Malta by Gordon C. Cardona on Sept, 2013.. Copyright © 2013-4 Gordon C. Cardona The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this eBook.   This eBook may be freely shared on condition that the author is acknowledged & that no part of this eBook is altered or distributed for profit and gain.  ISBN: 978-99957-0-580-0 Price: €2,99 Get In Touch! You can follow me on Twitter: @gordonGT URL: https://twitter.com/GordonGT You can also check out my home site at: gordonGD.com URL: http://www.gordonGD.com Thanks for your attention! Music Credits The background music for this episode was from the album “Bali” by Midori. #Zone Mind, #eBook, #memoir, #Gordon C. Cardona, #Malta, #Buddhism, #meditation, #life, #self-publishing, #experience

I recorded this in reaction to government's declaration that Malta was considering deporting immigrants from North Africa to Libya. While this is being presented as a step to get the EU's attention to the impact of immigration and the impact its having on our limited resource, I morally object to using any tactic to use people as bargaining chips for our country to get the support It needs from mainland Europe. Being implicitly racist, such a measure goes against the intrinsic value that we have as human beings. Indeed, it's a return to an archaic belief that national identity can trump over the value of life. This is indeed a sad day as I realise that we are blind to the fact our world has changed and that we can't keep on thinking as if we're separate or better than others or those coming from other countries. The value of human life can't be negotiated. That isthe ethics of terrorists to get ransom. Our government should be strong but not oppressive and utilitarian. That's not Malta for all! #Malta, #immigration, #human rights, #deportation, racism, #government, #solidarity, #justice, #world, #Africa

I de-activated my Facebook this week. In this episode, I explain the main reasons I decided to leave. I talk about my concerns with privacy, the commercialisation of Facebook and how it can compromise our integrity and encourage us to be more impulsive and attention seeking. Finally, I talk about how we become dependent on Facebook that I suspect we forgot what life was like before FaceBook. Even if I don't condemn facebook, I think it's time to reclaim my freedom and independent from Facebook and, thus,restore my integrity. And, once again, rediscover that, yes, there's life after Facebook!

Top: A photo of a younger me in my school uniform taken for the class album. In this second and concluding part of this series, I continue to talk about how awarding a prize for kindness affected me and my friendship. I argue that such prizes go against the value of inclusion and a misunderstanding of what friendship and a wrong idea of what charity and compassion actually require of us. And instead of promoting equality and friendship, such awards risk to reinforce the idea that inequality is inevitable and that friendship with a less valued member of society is always a personal sacrifice and an unbalanced relationship based on power and status. I fear that other children today may go through what I went through if society and the organisers of this prize ane similar initiatives ep not consider the implications their misguided good intentions they might have. For, they mustn't forget that friendships between disabled and non-disabled children, for all intents and purposes, just like any other. Until we adults have to go and impose our own assumptions while, at the same time, doing little to remove the real barriers in society that cause our greatest problems. The fact we feel the need to reward some children over others simply sends a message that people aren't equal and those in need to be included are often force to believe that they are given their rights out of generosity ane not because they're entitled to them. At least for me, this prize has forced me to question my value as a human being and as a member of my own society. To this day, I am happy to remain just that- as AB outsider. I want to live my life on my own terms because only I can know who I really am. More Info: You can find a blog entry on this subject on both my blog at Gordon’s D-Zone (http://gdzone.gordonGD.com) or at ZoneMind (http://www.ZoneMind.com). Email: ZoneMind.starchild@gmail.com #inclusion, #disability, prize for kindness, childhood, friendships, #charity, #compassion, #value, #virtue, #Malta To listen to Part 1, visit: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1469424-is-virtue-its-own-reward-part-1 )

Top: A photo of a younger me in my school uniform taken for the class album. In Part 1 of this two-part episode series I talk about lives changed forever. An experience that almost broke a friendship between two children and which never remained as it had been. It is a story about a disabled boy who realised that, in the eyes of society, his impairment rendered him of less value and less human. It’s a story about how media can distort reality and how society can exclude people simply because it deems them “less fortunate” and unequal. It is about the wrong conclusions we make as adults on simple friendships between disabled and non-disabled children. It’s about a prize which has all the good intentions but which leads to a hell of feeling betrayed, excluded and invalidated as a boy. It’s about the negative implications of how our adult world can do more harm than good by acting like judge and jury on the lives of children. It’s also about how modern society still doesn’t get what the real meaning of charity and compassion but appears to reaffirm that inequality is natural are inevitable. As long as it sells, it’s ok it seems. Would we reward any other friendship if it’s between other children who are non-disabled? Why do we have to set a price on kindness? Isn’t virtue its own reward? This is my story. More Info: You can find a blog entry on this subject on both my blog at Gordon’s D-Zone (http://gdzone.gordonGD.com) or at ZoneMind (http://www.ZoneMind.com). Email: ZoneMind.starchild@gmail.com #inclusion, #disability, prize for kindness, childhood, friendships, #charity, #compassion, #value, #virtue, #Malta ) To listen to Part 2 of this episode, kindly visit: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1469703-is-virtue-its-own-reward-part-2

On this episode i share a haiku quintet on motherhood as we celebrate mothers' day in my country. the haiku goes like this: To all mothers: Mothers of all time, Now, you made us who we are. You've given us life. Mothers without child. You've given birth to new hope. You've given us life. Mothers, you're human. You may fall and rise, but then, You've given us life. If it hadn't been you, We would not be here. No one. For that, we love you! Divided we are. We forget that we all had… We all had mothers! To read the original haiku quintet and a commentary on motherhood, kindly visit: http://haikuflow.gordon gd.com today! I hope you enjoy! Background song is John Lennon's single "Mother" from the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Created with bossjock studio!

Note: This episode is in Maltese. In this episode, directed at those who prefer to use Maltese as their primary means of communication, I express my concern regarding certain opinions against English language users who prefer to use English as the primary means of communication. While I prefer to use Maltese when in the presence of native Maltese speakers, I have no problem with engaging with English language users. In this sense, I come to appreciate the value of both English and Maltese in my life. In this spirit that I express my concerns about resentment I notice growing between Maltese and English language users who have expressed their preference for one language over the other. I believe that it’s unrealistic to expect the world to accommodate Maltese speakers at all costs, although I hold that we should sustain and cultivate our national linguistic heritage. On the other hand, I hold that we cannot risk neglecting to continue educating our children in the proper use of English and in instilling love and respect to our second national language. I believe that it’s neither healthy nor commendable to use language to impose our preferences on other and instead of using language as a means to bring us together, use it to impose our language as a weapon to impose power and division in Malta. #Malta, #language, #division, #Maltese, #English, #respect, #diversity, #reconciliation web: http://www.gordonGD.com

In this special episode, I share a recording made with the iPhone app Songify available on the iTunes store which converts speech to song. And considering that I have a terrible singing voice, the result is a decent one. The song is based on a haiku I wrote after reflecting on Easter as I continue my engagement with Buddhist thought. The haiku, I named “The Phoenix” is a haiku trio, or one containing three haiki, and it went like this: The Phoenix A Haiku Trio 1 I am the phoenix… I will rise from my ashes… I will live again! 2 Ever constant change… This cycle of renewal… I will die again! 3 The ritual of death… To be buried in this earth… Hoping to return… I hope you enjoyed that song. If not, my apologies… Anyway, you can read a constantly updated collection of the haiki I write when I’m inspired on my haiku blog “Haiku Flow” which is located at: http://haikuflow.gordongd.com #GordonGT, #haikuflow, #haiku, #phoenix, #audioboo, #songify, #Easter, #Buddhism, #renewal

In this episode before the start of the Easter break, I share my experiences after returning back to work after some weeks at home recovering from a back injury I sustained 2 months ago. I talk about the fact that while working from home has its benefits, nothing can really replace the experience of working with my work mates and meeting new people at the office. While this was my first step towards recovery, I also take the occasion to think about what is the purpose of my life and the future. Happy holidays! Dedicated to my friends at work... web: http://www.gordonGD.com #gordongd

In this episode, I share my concerns about voting in the general elections due on March 9 to be held over here in Malta. The situation is that, as a disabled person having a visual impairment, I can't vote in the election in secret. While I remain anxious with the prospect of voting in front of third parties representing the Electoral Commission,I express a hope that with Malta's ratification of the UN Convention Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), other disabled people who have been denied the right to a secret vote for soap long will finally be able to vote in secret. However, there has to be enough political trust to implement in full Article 29 of the UNCRPD. While I argue that the recommendations of Article 29 will definitely help in guaranteeing us a right to a secret vote, it would also benefit people whom, for other reasons, don't find the voting system accessible in its present form. I end this episode by playing an audio version of a post entry I recently published on my blog at Gordon's D-Zone. This entry can be read at: http://gdzone.gordongd.com/2013/02/a-right-to-secrecy-denied-disabled_21.html #secret vote, #GordonGT, #audioboo, #elections 2013, #disabled people, #UNCRPD, #equal rights, #Malta, #GD-Zone, #politics, #rights

After a rather long absence from AudioBoo, I take this opportunity to say hello and update you on things. I end by reading a haiku I just wrote, Boundless Unconceived #haiku, #gordongt, #gordongd.com, #boundless, #eternity

After a long absence, I briefly return presenting you with a short haiku trio on the occasion of the holidays and the upcoming new year 2013. For more content I produce visit http://www.gordonGD.com You may contact me at: zonemind.starchild@gmail.com Happy celebrations! #Buddhism, #GordonGD.com, #New year 2013, #Haiku Flow, #Reflection, #Announcement, #Renewal, #Memories, #Japanese verse, #mindfulness

In this episode, I share some thoughts as I prepare to move back home for now at least... #home, #gordongd, #refuge, #change, #moving on, #habit, #happiness, #reflection

In this episode, I reflect on the events happening on September 11, 2001 and about what the world needs to prevent more violence.  #September 11, #Gordongd, #reflection, #peace, #violence, #memory, #looking ahead, #reconciliation, #dialogue, #shared responsibility, #future generations, #humanity, #9/11, #terrorism, #WTC, #attacks   

In this episode, I talk about an alternative way of looking at disability - the social model. I also provide a brief history of three approaches to impairment throughout history.

In this spoken entry from my ZoneMind blog, I reflect on the suffering caused by attachment.

In this episode, I share some reflections on the recent tragedy of the Aurora shootings and where to go from here.

You may have be receiving emails from what appear to be legitimate sites such as Facebook, Twitter or PayPal asking you to change your password because your account was hacked. Beware fo by clicking on the links on the email you may be indeed exposing your account to fraud. Always login through the legitimate site (www.example.com(. Be safe!

As I slowly settle for summer at my summer house, I talk about the challenges but need of change in our life.

In this episode, recorded on the 6th July 2012, I briefly share a few words about His Holiness the Dalai Lama and 2 post entries posted in 2011 and 2012 related to this occasion. Enjoy!!! Music used from the album "Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama" by Peter Cater. Blog entries from my blog at: http://ZoneMind.gordonGD.com

In this short episode, I read a haiku I posted at Haiku Flow this morning. Enjoy!

In this episode, I share a rather painful experience when I learned that my best friend was awarded a prize for ''helping' me which is awarded every year in Malta to promote the values of solidarity and friendship between non-disabled children and their disabled peers. But, I think that the organisers need to rethink the whole idea of awarding such a prize in today's world as such an award fails to consider the effects the prize would have on these friendships while emphasising differences rather than equality and inclusion.

In this episode, I share two entries I posted today on my blogs ZoneMind and Gordon's D-Zone on faith and reason and on party politics and Disabimity issues respectively. Enjoy!

In this episode, I share my reflections following a bad fall which led me to meditate on compassion and charity.

A haiku dedicated to the people of Syria and especial the children killed for nothing. This haiku is in their memory...

In this episode, I share some thoughts and reflections on the importance of silence in our daily lives and how silence is essential in order to cultivate our sense of authenticity based on the insights I gained during my meditation practice.

This is the first in a series of episodes "READINGS FROM THE COSMOS" and it features a short introduction and the first chapter: Namuh's State. Enjoy!

In this episode, Gordon shares a haiku called "The Cycle of Life". More haikus by Gordon can be found at http://haikuflow.gordongd.com. Enjoy!

In this episode, you’re asked to reflect on the purpose of life and in particular about the purpose of your life! In this episode, I also talk about what I’m learning during my investigation of Buddhism and on the changes that I’m noticing since I started a regular practice of meditation and mindfulness. Ultimately, I seek to find out whether I’m being authentic to my being as I grow in self-knowledge.

The first episode in a series featuring chapters from a book I wrote around 1999 entitled “Cosmos”. This boo is an introduction to the subsequent book in which I explain what experiences motivated me to write the book and to share this work in the form of a blog named “Cosmos Online”. In this boo, I also share my experience as a child growing in a world which I felt partly out of touch and talk about the questions that I had as a child who was preoccupied with the big questions while living life as any ordinary child. This In this episode, I also talk about the evolution of my life’s outlook since the time I wrote “Cosmos”. Enjoy!

In this episode, I share a reflection on the phrase “I’m proud to be humble” and explaining how it’s important to interpret ‘pride” and “humility” within a context before one can say whether such a phrase makes sense. This reflection also explains how pride and humility aren’t intrinsically good or bad but closely related to our humanity and linked to the Buddhist outlook on life.

Just a short announcement to let you know I'm planning to start a new series of episodes containing chapters from a book I wrote in 1999 called "Cosmos", available to read now from http://Cosmos.GordonGD.com. But, please tune in for future readings. Don't worry - this will not stop me from submitting other Boos...

In this episode, Gordon talks about the importance of asking yourself what you feel is your personal commitment in life based on his own personal experiences.

In this brief episode, I talk about the recent launch of my FaceBook page for GordonGD.com. A bit of self-promotion? perhaps...

In this episode, I talk of the importance of practicing our values and beliefs in daily life.

What does being humble really mean? In this boo, I reflect on humility and share a few thoughts about this topic - as well as a reading from my blog “ZoneMind”.

In this podcast episode, I share two audio versions of two posts I submitted to my "Buddhist" blog, ZoneMind over Easter.

In this boo, I talk about how our experiences as disabled people is often unduly associated with suffering. I also discuss my journey into Buddhism and how it is affecting my outlook on life.