Guest guest Posted November 19, 1999 Report Share Posted November 19, 1999 I Translated from German into English a few quotes from the chapter: The severe disease of thinking from the book "Der Papalagi" by the Samoan chief Tuiiavi from Tiavea. (Papalagi = white man) The book is consisting of lectures, meant for his fellow islanders and certainly not for "civilized" man... When the word "spirit" enters the mouth of a Papalagi, his eyes grow big, round and fixated; he raises his himself, starts breathing heavily and stretches himself like a warrior who has slain the enemy. Because this 'spirit' is something he is particularly pride on. We aren't speaking from the vast, powerful Spirit, which the missionary calls "God", from Whom we are but a needy image, but from the little Spirit, belonging to man, who is creating his thoughts. When I'm looking from here at the mango tree behind the church, that isn't Spirit, because I only see it. But when I recognize that he is bigger than the church from the mission, well, that has to be Spirit. So I just don't have to see something, but I have to know something as well. This knowing is what the Papalagi is practicing from sunrise to sunset. His spirit is always like a filled gun or like an ever active fishing rod. Therefore he pities our people of the many islands, because we aren't practicing this knowing. We are poor spirits and dumb like a wild animal. It may be true, we are little practicing this knowing, what the Papalagi is calling 'thinking'. But the question is, which one is dumb; the one thinking little or the one thinking too much. The Papalagi is thinking continuously: "my hut is smaller than the palm tree, the palm tree is bowing from the storm, the storm is speaking with a loud voice." That is the way of his thinking, be it in his way of course. But he is thinking about himself too: "I am small. My heart always rejoices when seeing a girl. How I love it to go to Malaga." And so on... That is merry and good and may have many hidden uses for the one, loving this game in his head. But the Papalagi is thinking so much, that thinking became a habit, necessity, even a compulsion. Ever he has to think. Only with great difficulty, he manages not to think, and to live with his entire body. Often, he is living just with his head, while all senses are completely dormant, although he is going, speaking, eating and laughing. The thinking process, the thoughts - these are the fruits of thinking - keep him imprisoned. It is a kind of intoxication from his own thoughts. When the sun is shining beautifully, he is thinking immediately: "how beautifully it is shining!" Always he thinks: "how beautifully it is shining at this moment." That is wrong, fundamentally wrong and foolish. Because it is better, not to think at all, when it is shining. An intelligent Samoan stretches his limbs in the warm light and doesn't think at it. He doesn't absorb the sun just with his head, but also with hands, feet, thighs, stomach, with all limbs. He lets his skin and limbs think for themselves, and certainly are they thinking, be it different than the head. For the Papalagi however, thinking is in many ways like a big chunk of lava he can't get out of the way. He is thinking in a merry way but doesn't laugh; he is thinking sadly but doesn't cry. He is hungry but doesn't take Taro or Palusami. Mostly he is a man, whose senses are living in hostility with his spirit; a man, split in two. The life of a Papalagi resembles in many ways to a man, making a journey by boat to Savaii and, leaving the shore, immediately thinks: "How long will it take before I arrive at Savaii?" He is thinking, but doesn't see the pleasant scenery through which the journey is going. Soon, at the left bank, he sees a mountain ridge. As soon as his eyes capture it, he can't get away from it: "What could be behind the mountain? Is it a deep or a narrow bay?" By thinking in such a way, he forgets to sing along with the youngsters, he doesn't hear the merry jokes of the young women. Hardly the boat is lying in the bay behind the mountain ridge or he is tortured with a new thought, if a storm will start before the evening. Yes, if a storm will be coming. At a clear sky he is looking for dark clouds. He is ever thinking of the storm that possibly could arrive. The storm doesn't come, and he arrives at Savaii in the evening, unharmed. But now it is to him, as if he didn't undertake the journey at all, because always his thoughts were far from his body and outside of the boat. He could have stayed in his hut in Upolu just as well. A spirit however, torturing us that way, is a devil and I don't understand why so many are loving it. The Papalagi loves and honors his spirit and feeds his spirit with thoughts from his head. He never lets it fast, but at the same time he isn't troubled when the thoughts are mutually feeding on each other. He makes a lot of noise with his thoughts and allows them to be loud as uneducated kids. He behaves as if his thoughts were as exquisite as flowers, mountains and woods. [...] He behaves, as if there would be a command that man has to think much. Yes, that this command would be from God. But when the palm trees and the mountains are thinking, they don't make such a noise with it. And certainly, if the palm trees would think as loudly and wild as the Papalagi, they wouldn't have beautiful green leaves and golden fruits. (Because it is firm experience, that thinking accelerates aging and makes ugly). They would fall (from the tree) before they would be ripe. However, it is more probable that they are thinking very little. [...] The only thing, that all diseased from thinking could cure, forgetting, slinging away thoughts, isn't practiced: therefore, only very few are able to do so and most are carrying a burden in the head, making the body heavy, powerless and weak before its time. Should we, their loving, not thinking brothers, after everything I told you in genuine truth, really imitate the Papalagi and learn to think as he does? I say: No! Because we should not and must not do anything, that doesn't make a stronger body and doesn't give a greater sense of joy and uplifting. We have to beware from everything, that could rob us the joy of life, for everything, that darkens our spirit and takes away its brilliant light, for everything, that will cause our head to fight our body. The Papalagi proves us by himself, that thinking is a severe disease, decreasing the value of a man manifold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 1999 Report Share Posted November 19, 1999 At 01:05 PM 11/19/99 +0000, Jan Barendrecht wrote: >"Jan Barendrecht" <janb > > I Translated from German into English a few quotes from the chapter: > >The severe disease of thinking >from the book "Der Papalagi" by the Samoan chief Tuiiavi from Tiavea. >(Papalagi = white man) The book is consisting of lectures, meant for his >fellow islanders and certainly not for "civilized" man... What a great passage. Keen observation and beautifully expressed. Thanks for translating it. I did a quick author search on Amazon.com for Tuiiavi, but no deal. Years ago, my sister was married to a Samoan man. Regards, --Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 1999 Report Share Posted November 19, 1999 On 11/19/99 at 10:18 AM Greg Goode wrote: >At 01:05 PM 11/19/99 +0000, Jan Barendrecht wrote: >>"Jan Barendrecht" <janb >> >> I Translated from German into English a few quotes from the chapter: >> >>The severe disease of thinking >>from the book "Der Papalagi" by the Samoan chief Tuiiavi from Tiavea. >>(Papalagi = white man) The book is consisting of lectures, meant for his >>fellow islanders and certainly not for "civilized" man... > >What a great passage. Keen observation and beautifully expressed. Thanks >for translating it. I did a quick author search on Amazon.com for Tuiiavi, >but no deal. > >Years ago, my sister was married to a Samoan man. > >Regards, > >--Greg The book is a real gem. It exposes all conditioning of "civilized life" from the perspective of a "first time" observer. The conditioning is described in a rather humorous way and covers the entire life. What is more, Tuiiavi tells how easy it was for the islanders to understand the message of Christianity (love) and to see at the same time, that the missionaries held the light in their hand but not in their heart. This phenomenon has plagued Africa too, where it is said that the missionaries preached the ten commandments at the front door of the church while violating them at the back door. Yet, all these so called primitives easily understood the Christian message of the light that is love. How much easier would it have been for realizers from Eastern religions... No conversion would have been required, an example like Swami Sivananda would have been more than convincing. Without "white man's" massive conditioning, Self-realization is natural and doesn't come with the pain from uprooting conditioning. Jan ---------------------- >From the chapter "the Papalagi doesn't have time" There are Papalagi, asserting never to have time. They are running around headless, like possessed by the devil, and wherever they come they're creating havoc and are frightened because having lost their time. Being possessed like this is a terrible condition no healer can cure, being contagious to many, bringing misery. As every Papalagi is possessed for fear of his time, he also knows exactly, and not only every man, but also every woman and child, how many sun- and moon risings have passed since he saw the great light for the first time. Yes, this is playing such a serious role, that it is celebrated in certain, equal distances with flowers and big eating parties. How often did I notice, how one was thinking having to be ashamed of me, when asking, how old I am, and I laughed and said, I don't know. "You have to know how old you are". I remained silent and thought, it's better I don't know. How old, means how many moons have been living. This counting and figuring out is full of dangers, because it has been discovered, how many moons the life of most people will be. Now everyone is watching carefully, and when quite a number of moons have been passing by, he will say: "Now I'll have to die soon". He doesn't enjoy anymore and will die soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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