Namaste

Nothing is lost in the measure of time  … just because we cannot always see it in our sensory perception does not mean it is not being recorded.

In light of these developments in the war between Russia and Ukraine I am beginning to have mixed emotions about our support of Ukrainian Democracy. Can Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government handle inhumane treatment of Russian soldiers? If not how can they be an example of a democracy in world politics? In the same way how can the U.S. be an example of a democracy and human decency when we are taking a position of taking other countries by force such as Greenland and Panama under the Trump regime?

Options for surrendering
Main article: I Want to Live (hotline)
On 18 September 2022, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (Ukrainian: Координаційний штаб з питань поводження з військовополоненими), as a continuation of the project designed to inform the Russian military about the possibility of laying down weapons and preserving their lives, launched a special state project called "I Want to Live", with a 24-hour hotline for receiving appeals from the Russian military and their families.[58][59] The project states that Russian servicemen can submit an application to surrender through various methods including calling the round-the-clock hotline, or following instructions from a chatbot on the project's Telegram.[60] They are then given instructions on how to practically surrender to one of the Ukrainian military formations, such as the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Territorial Defence Forces, the National Police, the National Guard, or the Security Service of Ukraine.[60]

The Prosecutor-General of Russia blocked access to the website of "I Want to Live" in October 2022, but it remained operational.[60][61] On 4 May 2023, the hotline's spokesperson Vitaliy Matvienko stated that it received requests to surrender from 3200 Russian soldiers in April 2023, representing a 10% increase over March 2023. He added that the hotline had received a total of 16,000 requests to surrender since its inception. Its website had been accessed over 36 million times, 32 million visits of which were made from the territory of the Russian Federation.[a]

The I Want to Live project website states that Ukrainian authorities will treat prisoners of war in compliance with the Geneva Conventions.[61] Surrendering Russians soldiers are said to be guaranteed the right to life and the prohibition of torture in accordance with international law.[60] POWs are to be offered three meals a day, legal support, and medical attention once their application to surrender has been approved.[61] Soldiers in Russian service who voluntarily hand over their weapons and military equipment would reportedly also be given amnesty.[60] To those who have surrendered, the Ukrainian authorities offer the opportunity to call their relatives and friends,[60] and to take part in a prisoner exchange organized between the governments of Russia and Ukraine, or to remain temporarily in detention with the possibility of staying in Ukraine or emigrating later.[64] Some individual Russian soldiers have been reported as surrendering to Ukraine, and then given permission to join the Ukrainian military instead. For example, a Yekaterinburg tank driver was the only surviving crew member when his tank was destroyed; surrendering to the Ukrainians using a white flag, he was surprised that he was not tortured (as he feared).[65] Believing a return to Russia impossible, he later joined their side to repair captured Russian tanks and armoured vehicles.[65]
Mistreatment of captured Russian soldiers
Public exposure of Russian POWs

Since 27 February, the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs has shared on social media photos and videos of killed Russian soldiers,[66] soon followed by dozens of videos of prisoners of war under interrogation, sometimes blindfolded or bound, revealing their names and personal information, and expressing regret over their involvement in the invasion.[1][67][68] The videos have raised concerns about potential violations of Article 13 Third Geneva Convention, which states that prisoners of war should be protected "against insults and public curiosity."[69][70] On 7 March, Amnesty International released a statement saying that "it is essential that all parties to the conflict fully respect the rights of prisoners of war," and saying that filmed prisoners of war and their families could be put at risk of reprisals following repatriation to Russia.[2]
On 16 March, Human Rights Watch described the videos as intentional humiliation and shaming, and urged the Ukrainian authorities to stop posting them on social media and messaging apps.[1] Analogous concerns were expressed by various Western newspapers.[71][72][73][74] A spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Elizabeth Throssell, said that the videos, if genuine, were likely to be incompatible with human dignity and current international humanitarian law.[75] Interviewed by Der Spiegel, international law expert Daniel-Erasmus Khan [de] said that "letting POWs call home is actually a good thing, filming it and putting it online however is not," as it was incompatible with the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war.[76]

Torture of Russian and separatist soldiers
Main article: Torture of Russian soldiers in Mala Rohan
Some Russian and Russian-affiliated prisoners of war who were in the hands of Ukrainian forces made allegations of summary executions, torture and ill-treatment by members of the Ukrainian forces, in some cases, Russian prisoners were stabbed and subjected to electric torture.[7] Ukraine later launched criminal investigations into allegations of mistreatment of Russian prisoners of war by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.[7]
According to the 26 March 2022 OHCHR report, the HRMMU was aware of one allegation of a threat of sexual violence by a Ukrainian soldier, in which "a captured Russian military member was threatened with castration on camera".[8][77]

As of 31 July 2022, OHCHR documented 50 cases of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war in the power of Ukraine, including cases of Russian and separatist soldiers being beaten, kicked or shot during capture or interrogation, some also reported suffering electrocution and positional torture while under interrogation.[8] One prisoner of war was reportedly suffocated by Ukrainian policemen of the Kharkiv SBU during his interrogation.[8] Many Russian and separatist soldiers also reported "horrible conditions" during transport to POW camps, with many being stripped naked and having their wrists tied.[7]
Torture of Russian POWs in Mala Rohan

Main article: Torture of Russian soldiers in Mala Rohan
According to a report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), members of Ukrainian armed forces shot the legs of three captured Russian soldiers and tortured Russian soldiers who were wounded.[78] The incident is likely to have occurred on the evening of 25 March in Mala Rohan, south-east of Kharkiv, in an area recently recaptured by Ukrainian troops,[4][79] and was first reported following the publication on social media accounts of a video of unknown authorship between 27 March and 28 March.[3] One of the video's versions depicts a number of soldiers lying on the ground; many appear to be bleeding from leg wounds. Three prisoners are brought out of a vehicle and shot in the leg by someone off-camera.[78] According to the OHCHR, as a documented case of summary execution and torture of prisoners of war, the incident qualifies as a war crime.[78]

Execution of surrendering and captured Russian soldiers
'No quarter' orders
On 2 March 2022, after the shelling of residential areas, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces threatened that Russian artillerymen will no longer be taken prisoner, but immediately killed.[80] On 29 June, the OHCHR documented three incidents where Ukrainian servicemen and one incident where a Russian serviceman made public threats of giving no quarter to prisoners of war.[78] Commander of the Georgian Legion Mamuka Mamulashvili denied such accusations.[81]
Execution of Russian POWs in Dmytrivka

On 6 April a video apparently showing Ukrainian troops of the Georgian Legion executing captured Russian soldiers was posted on Telegram.[82] The video was verified by The New York Times and by Reuters.[83][6] A wounded Russian soldier was seemingly shot twice by a Ukrainian soldier while lying on the ground. Three dead Russian soldiers, including one with a head wound and hands tied behind his back, were shown near the soldier. The video appeared to have been filmed on a road north of the village of Dmytrivka, seven miles south of Bucha.[84]

The Georgian Legion's commander Mamuka Mamulashvili acknowledged that killing of Russian prisoners of war was done under his own orders by a patrol of the Georgian Legion.[85] Mamulashvili justified no quarter for Russian soldiers as a response to the Bucha massacre.[86]
Mamuka Mamulashvili has also denied the allegations of war crimes by the Georgian Legion, saying the video does not show members of the Legion.[87] Some Ukrainian authorities (such as Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba) promised an investigation.[88] While others took less clear positions.[86]
Makiivka surrender incident

Main article: Makiivka surrender incident
On 12 November, a video appeared on pro-Ukrainian websites showing the bodies of soldiers in Russian uniforms lying on the ground in a farmyard in the Makiivka area.[89][90] On 17 November, more footage emerged, taken from the ground by a person at the scene. The video shows the Russian soldiers as they exit a building, surrender, and lay face down on the ground. Then another Russian soldier emerges from the same building and opens fire on the Ukrainian soldiers who are surprised.[89][90] An aerial video from the site documents the aftermath, with at least 12 bodies of Russian soldiers, most positioned as they were when they surrendered, bleeding from gunshot wounds to the head.[90][91]
The authenticity of the videos was verified by The New York Times.[90] Russia and Ukraine accused each other of war crimes, with Russia accusing Ukraine of "mercilessly shooting unarmed Russian P.O.W.s," and Ukraine accusing the Russians of opening fire while surrendering.[90][92] Ukraine's officials said the Prosecutor General’s office would investigate the video footage as the incident may qualify as a crime of "perfidy" committed by the Russian troops in feigning surrender.[92][93] On 25 November the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said “Our Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has conducted a preliminary analysis indicating that these disturbing videos are highly likely to be authentic in what they show” and called on the Ukrainian authorities to investigate the allegations of summary executions of Russian prisoners of war "in a manner that is – and is seen to be – independent, impartial, thorough, transparent, prompt and effective.”[94]
Prosecution of separatist POWs

The HRMMU also expressed concern about the prosecution of pro-Russian separatists for mere participation in the hostilities, which is prohibited under international humanitarian law.[7] On 1 December 2023, two pro-Russian separatists from the Donbas were captured by Ukraine and were sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason.[95] On 6 December 2023, a resident of Luhansk Oblast who was captured near Bilohorivka in May 2023 was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for joining the Luhansk People's Militia.[96]

Wickepedia

My father was in the police force, a military policeman, a federal policeman and then moved on to senior position in jails. I don't advocate stripping money from the police, and similar to something Yogananda said, my father came home from working in the prison one day when I was a teenager and told me that nothing worthwhile is achieved locking a man in a jail.

We have just gone through a sexual revolution that started last century and continues with its after-effects felt globally.  I would imagine that this is a time ripe for those with gender identity issues to incarnate and my own, albeit unenlightened, view is that this is why we are seeing a big increase in the prevalence of this issue, not through indoctrination. I also think the powerful recreational drugs available these days are contributing to the confusion.

Burning off undergrowth is a very delicate operation and can lead to disaster without very special care. The native Australians would burn off large sections of forest periodically but they lived much more in harmony with nature, and built a body of knowledge over many thousands of years.. To the Indigenous Australian, all nature is the Mother, very similar to Hindu belief.

What part of the world are you from, Mccoy, I think I read Italy but I could be wrong? And where did you travel over here?

I don’t think you should have to say it mccoy just don’t say it. We could easily look at the ‘red’ states and say similar things because of hurricanes and tornadoes. And what about where most of the mass murders take place at schools and public events. Yes right in the ‘good old MAGA states where kids are taught to be manly and tough. I think we should remember what Paramahansa Yogananda said when he asked God why he put so much poverty in a God loving country like India ? What was God’s answer? His answer was that he tests those the most that love him the most. Let us not forget that all the SRF temples are not in the red states and MAGA states but most of them are in the liberal states and especially California where Master chose to have most his temples and his headquarters. I know for a fact because I’ve worked in most of the states…. The most meditators are right in California… especially Los Angeles… the “City of the Angels” and if we include all of Amma’s groups, the Buddhist temples the Hari Krishna temples etc. the best place to be in the United Clones of Americops is progressive California!

I’ve never experienced any advertisement of transgenderism in a positive way in schools. In fact i experienced a male chauvinist attitude towards me when I did my Hatha yoga in gym class. But i persisted because I knew there was something right about what I was practicing. When I was indoctrinated into basketball and football I was practicing Hatha yoga when no one else did. The gym teacher was indoctrinating the guys in aggressive sports while I code to go against the grain.

Your idea that Black Lives Matter is a flagship for Marxism is good to hear. It is much better then having 50% of the wealth of a nation amassed in 1 percent of the population; the summary of capitalism at its very worst. You have to ask yourself why there is so much violence in the U.S.A. the heart of capitalism and so little violence in the Scandinavian countries where social programs are strongest? And yes we also have the largest prison population. The experiment in capitalism just isn’t what is made up to be. It means a financial system for the few and poverty for the many.

YES! All are equally important in the cosmic drama.

Weboflife, nice to know you are from OZ, I've been there and that's an exceptional country. I just loved the nature.

I too live around nature and hate concrete jungles, but I'm doing my absolute best to avoid that my house is burnt. Contrary to my own little example though, Mr. Newsome was not doing his best (for example, the underbrush was not maintained and as you know overgrown underbrush is very dangerous. But at the end, who elected Mr. Newsome and the mayor of LA? the Californians and the Losangelinos themselves. So, I hate to say that, but they are reaping their massa karma. Very unfortunately.

Who says that gay people must be persecuted? But I would just hate that in the school where my son went, they advertised transgenderism in a positive way. That is called indoctrination and is a practice very common in dictatorships. Indoctrination. Starting to teach ideologies to very young people. Especially so wrong ideologies. Young souls should not be influenced and hurried to act on a whim. Young souls must evolve until they become adult souls, then they can decide by themselves.

Black lives matter: who says they don't? But that movement has become a flagship for Marxism, for violence, for crazy concepts like 'defund the police'.

By the way, the great Yogananda insisted in his writings that the police should receive more funds!

Steve, the definition of Woke you provided is the original old one, whereas presently is more used as a pejorative term to describe the nonsensical ideas, predicated by some parts of the population.

Topline “Woke” is now best known as a negative political buzzword used to describe anything deemed too liberal or progressive—like brands that support Pride Month, The Little Mermaid live-action film and teaching about race in schools—but the word has a long history, originally meaning to be aware of racially motivated threats.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/06/06/what-does-woke-even-mean-how-a-decades-old-racial-justice-term-became-co-opted-by-politics/

Unfortunately, I know the worst part of wokism, a narrative which Yogananda with his common sense and pragmatism would have cautioned everyone of us against.

What is Truth

    The earth is a stage, and God is the Stage Manager. If everyone insisted on being kings and queens, an unfolding drama would be impossible. The servant and the hero as well as the royalty must perform their parts well for the play become successful. The villains are those who upset the righteous drama of the Lord. Those who choose such a role  must pay dearly for their blundering disregard of devine direction. No matter what material possession or fortune one has amassed, he cannot be called successful if it was gained by evil means. True happiness is possible only if one plays his part rightly, and not otherwise. The one who is playing the millionaire, and the one who is playing the role of a small businessman - both are the same to God. On the last day, God shears every person of all possessions and titles. What you have acquired in your soul is all that you take with you.

Sri Paramahamsa Yogananda,
Journey to Self - Realization.

Welcome Dia

Thanks much for joining us!

Jitendra

(Steve Hydonus)

People like to live with Nature around them and not in concrete jungles. Well some people. It creates fire risks but that is a risk people are prepared to take to be surrounded by natural beauty. We have huge fires here in Australia but people still want to live in natural settings.

Also people who are karmically confused re: gender deserve respect and support from the community in the 21st century. My gay son reminded me last night that not so long ago people were jailed for being gay. C'mon do we want to go back to the dark ages? Black lives do matter. How on earth can they not? If being woke means trying to take an understanding of the issues that affect minority groups then we should all get on board.

I don't really understand confusion about gender identity but I do feel this would be a huge problem to somebody facing it. I dressed as a female at a high school fancy dress party and found it strangely liberating. Sri Rama Krishna also spent some time in his initial sadhana dressing as a woman and spending all his time with females. They accepted him as their own, he would even escort one of them to her husband's bed for marital relations. He said cross-dressing helped him see all women as Divine Mother and advised some of his male devotees that it helps overcome lust for the other sex.