My mom recently sent me this email explaining how 67% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way their country is going. The author explains that Americans are ’spoiled brats’ because we have so much to be thankful for (electricity, running water, freedoms etc.) and that rather than look at the bigger picture we should be grateful for what our leaders are doing for us. Here is my response. I encourage you to check out the original email from Craig Smith, but essentially it’s neatly disguised pro-bush propaganda. Remember folks, interpret all the information you are exposed to and then come to your own conclusions; don’t let anyone think for you.
Dear Mom,
I like the emphasis on seeing the good and appreciating all that we have. We are truly blessed to be alive in the most exciting time in all of human history. Life is an amazing gift and to be able to truly live in the magic of the moment is what God asks of us. Re-read the 9 steps of spirituality by Brother Wayne Teasdale (I believe i sent this to you a long time ago… i’ll look for it again and re-send it to you)….. When you truly achieve oneness with yourself, with the universe, you have reached step 8. At this point you realize that selfless servitude to others to help them along their spiritual journey so that they may also achieve the oneness/satori/the zen etc… is part and parcel of our own spiritual quest. This means making a difference in the people’s lives that mean the most to you… family and friends can gain much strength from each of us…. However, it also means creating change on a more massive scale. Analyzing the politics/policies/laws/ etc. that impact our fellow man’s ability to be free, to have their basic needs met, and to realize that a MUCH better future is very easily possible if we actually become active members of society is how we can influence change on a major scale that ultimately can help more and more of us wake up from our daze and start to live life passionately again.
In many ways the average canadian/american lives life more comfortably than the wealthiest kings of past eras. In many ways our culture/lifestyle is preventing many of us from fully realizing our potential. There is a massive rise of anxiety and attention deficit disorders, depression, suicide, workplace violence, addiction… According to a 1992 World Health Organization study we are 3 times more likely to become depressed than our grandparents were at our age. A quarter of the US population will experience some symptoms of depression during their lives. While we may have adequate drinking water, police protection, clean hotels, etc. we as humans are still in a state of evolution. We work 8-10 hours a day (many of us in a job that we despise), we come home exhausted, put a microwave dinner in the microwave, turn on the reality t.v. and deep inside wish we were alive. Sure this cozy lifestyle is better than a lot of places in the world that experience great political and military turmoil. But are we truly better off and more ‘free’ than that tribe that was recently discovered in brazil that may be one of the last tribes that has not been exposed to the ‘real world’? The old evolution has always been about the efficiency of society… the agricultural revolution, the industrial/scientific revolution…. the new evolution is about the evolution of the individual… the new evolution is about the individual’s growth in the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical realm. Quantum mechanics (science) has come full circle… science originally branched from religion to seek truth and rationality and to get away from faith based logic….. what science is telling us now is that the power of our minds, the power of love, the power of living life in harmony with ourselves and with each other is helping us to realize the potential of our evolution. We are in the dawn of the new era… the age of aquarius is upon us… the spiritual prophets and visionaries have spoken about this time since the beginning of time. This is a new era of human consciousness…. We need leaders who are truly in tune with humanity, with the planet, with themselves to guide us. The policies of George Bush and Stephen Harper are steeped in corruption and evil… they are not true leaders… They are not spiritually in tune with themselves, with the planet, or with humanity as a whole…George bush can go to church every single sunday but it doesn’t take a prophet to recognize that he is spiritually empty. We are all spiritual beings and we are no better or worse than any one else, therefore we cannot judge. However, we can recognize when someone is ‘in tune’ and we have to use our judgement when electing leaders, especially the leaders who make the most impact on all of humanity and the planet. We have much to be extremely grateful for, but if our good fortune is at the stake of someone else’s than we can not be truly satisfied until everyone has the same opportunities to be free and to pursue their spiritual journey. Killing the taliban and replacing them with warlords is not the solution… how long will it take before we wake up and learn from our mistakes? A visionary like Depak Chopra makes wonderful arguments about the political force of love and spirituality, and 4 years under the guidance and leadership of a man like him could make the whole world wake up. Big business, big agriculture, big pharma, big industry, big oil have benefited from spiritually inept, corrupt, dishonest, deceitful, evil ‘leaders’ like bush, reagan, harper etc. for too long. Unfortunately when a visionary leader comes into power in a country like venezuela or guatemala and tries to free their people from the chains of american ‘big’ interests, they get assassinated. The CIA has mingled in the affairs of every leader who displays courage, a desire for change, a desire to truly help the poor and disenfranchised and the CIA has readily admitted to doing unspeakable things. Read the book “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” to learn more about this, and to verify any doubts you may have. The countries that we love so much have done many horrible and unspeakable things around the world because of the greed and lust for power that our system creates. I love life to the brim; without living in a location as free as Vancouver I likely would not have evolved into the person that I am today. That being said, I think we need to look at the direction that we are headed in as a country and find the strength to do what is right…. in our day to day lives as well as on the political scene.
I have hope for obama. he sounds like he speaks the truth. I am also hesitant to place complete trust in him. I know that he is backed by a lot of very powerful men. I also know that he is upsetting a lot of very powerful men. I hope he is able to initiate major change, and I hope he is able to open up the eyes, the minds and the hearts of the American people to help America as a whole lose their ego. Disconnection from our ego is a very potent spiritual message delivered by many very wise spiritual men and women, and America as a whole needs to lose its ego. Gorbachev referred to it as America’s “winning complex”, the idea that America believes it is the best and needs to always win and be the best. This is a horrible trait in an individual…. arrogant, snotty, ignorant, bullyish, naive….. and it is very evident to the rest of the world that America displays these same traits in both their domestic and foreign policies. Neither America or Israel are any more God’s chosen people than the Australians, the Argentinians, the Bangladesh, the Rawandans, etc. and it is blasphemous to believe that. We are all God’s children, and until America the great wakes up, realizes that, and truly starts to act like that I will continue to be critical.
Yes we are extremely lucky… Yes there is a lot more goodness in our lives than bad… However, the arguments made by Craig Smith are redundant, superficial, and are part of the ‘old-paradigm’ evolution that needs to be subject to de-emphasis. Sure, pumping money and fear into a war on terror might protect us from terrorists this year, maybe next, maybe even the next year. But eventually we need to take a step back and critically analyze the real issues that are causing terrorism because this ’shield’ is artificial and will crack.
There are many authors, visionaries, poets, politicians etc. that communicate on a very deep level and are very worthy of all of our attention.
We have to live life in the moment… As much as humans require grouping for support and kinship, ultimately we remain individuals. For as beautiful as loving human community is, no grouping or partnership can fully define us. For our own benefit, we mustn’t let it fully define who we are or we get lost in the idealism of the collective. We must come to terms with our own identity and truly love OURSELVES before any partnership can truly blossom. Wisdom is attained when life is lived in the moment. Embrace the moment… for life experienced in the moment will produce the questions that must be sought – and, magically, the answers will be given. Live to YOUR own, unique, individual potential… when we align with other independent, wise, talented, loving individuals the group dynamic provides room for the individual to grow. When we are aligned in human community, we must let the LOVE that we have filled ourselves with overflow into each member of the group. The group as a collective, and the individuals within the collective, will benefit, grow and evolve. Take advantage of every moment; use it as an opportunity to learn/grow/share/love/evolve. Being happy and content in the moment will keep us from needless worry about the future.
Life with too much structure, too much direction, too much pressure inhibits our ability to be alive in the moment. We need to nurture spontaneity, not seek to destroy it. Don’t be afraid to drift with the tides; we will all reach our own shoreline eventually. Tear down the constraints of habitual routine… our heart, body, mind and soul operate optimally when they are FREE.
When you get to the state in your life that you can perceive everything to be beautiful (some call it bliss, or shambala, or just being in tune with yourself) then the next step in our evolution is to provide the necessary assistance or opportunities for others to get to that same level. When communities of people are capable of tuning themselves in alignment with their spirit we will see the evolution of the neo-human, and this is when we will see de-emphasis on the old paradigm that is plagued by war and greed and other negative aspects of an ego-driven society. Instead we will see emphasis placed on loyalty, truth, freedom, justice, and our collective potential is fascinating. As ‘far- out’ as it seems, the idea of experiencing life simultaneously in multiple universes unconstrained by time and space is gaining mainstream momentum amongst the scientific community…. crazy shit isn’t it??!!
Only through disconnection with one’s ego is this possible, and convincing the masses to live life with one’s ego in check is obviously an up hill battle in today’s whacked-out, consumer-crazed society. Our media/culture/society (the MACHINE) does everything it can to promote an abundance of the ego, but if we listen to the wise spiritual men and women throughout history, they all teach the importance of disconnecting with your ego. Pride with humility; honour with integrity; selflessness and servitude to others… We can only truly reach shambala and flourish when we are free to become the master of ourselves. Spreading the messages of love, the goodness, health, positivity and living life to your potential is the only way to truly effect change and it starts with all of us on our various journeys. Your positive attitude and selfless servitude to others will rub off on others that you meet and through your interactions with others you will be able to show them the true light of their potential.
Peace and Love to all, with a special shout out to Rufus!
Not to sound too preachy… but I think one of the goals in life is to be internally happy, healthy, fulfilled, wise, at peace etc. and perhaps this ‘advice’ can help you attain inner freedom. With all of the crazy issues that we think are important to be conscious about, we can’t forget that freeing our soul, body, and mind are extremely important in our quest for inner fulfillment and purpose. Neglecting our personal health and happiness should not be compromised for any reason. If you can find relevance in your own life to these suggested ideas, and if they benefit you, then try implementing some of them in your own daily life….feel free to share with others too!
Peace and Love,
D-F(ng)s
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to. 3. Buy a DVR/TIVO, tape your late night shows and get more sleep. 4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, “My purpose is to ______today.” 5. Live with the 3 E’s: Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy. 6. Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did in 2007. 7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives. 8. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. 9. Dream more while you are awake. 10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. 11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts. 12. Try to make at least three people smile each day. 13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk, and let new and flowing energy into your life. 14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. 15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. 16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card. 17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away. 18. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good. 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 22. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present. 23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 24. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special! 25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?” 27. Forgive everyone for everything. 28. What other people think of you is none of your business. 29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time. 30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. 32. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. 33. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 34. The best is yet to come. 35. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 36. Do the right thing! 37. Call your family often. 38. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: “I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.” 39. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed. 40. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
I’d like to commend you for your efforts in living and promoting the messages and ideals of LOVE, peace, hope, human community, environmental stewardship and spiritual awareness. Collectively we need more cultural icons devoting energy to these worthy causes, and I’d like to thank you for staying true to your principles and not compromising your integrity, even as you have undergone both incredible scrutiny and success both in your career and personal life.
As you are well aware, our planet is facing many serious political, social and environmental issues. It is becoming more and more apparent that the coproratocracy – the alliance of corporations, governments and military- are leading us down a very dangerous path. It is also becoming more apparent that a non-partisan spiritual revolution/re-awakening is necessary now more than ever. The messages of LOVE and peace are universal and throughout the ages have been modeled by prophets and spiritually inclined wise men and women of all ethnicities. Every living organism is capable of experiencing the beauty and energy of an existence that is steeply rooted in love, and for those that still doubt the power and authenticity of love’s potential quantum mechanics is providing us with verifiable, scientific evidence that the power of the heart and mind are much greater than many of us have given them credit for. Read the rest of this entry »
Well, blessings to you, Beloved Ones! You have traveled many different planes (of existence) and many existences in your Earth and beyond your Earth. You are like a little time traveler. You are one to be honored and one to be cherished. For you are a divine child of God. And yet living on the Earth is not always easy for you. But then you chose this. You asked to be present on the Earth at this time. And you asked to be able to bring a certain focus that may be slightly different. In other words, the focus on the Earth and the perspective of many who live there, what is expected of you by many and what is desired of you by some, is NOT your focus. Is that so? You have a different gift to bring to the Earth. And you are an Indigo Child. You may not be an indigo child like some; you are a variation, for they are not all the same. Perhaps you have brought in the indigo heart and the indigo need for truth and the need for beauty. Perhaps you have brought in the indigo sensitivity that only wants to be about love. It wants to circulate love and create love. Maybe you have brought in the artistic perception of an Indigo. Or even the Grand Intelligence and Deep Scientific Calculations of an Indigo who is at home with computers and devices of intricacy.
There are things for you to learn
and there are things for you to teach.
This does not make you better than anyone else. Nor is anyone else better than you are. All are of GOD. It is like a grand garden. There are many flowers that grow in this garden. The seed that sprouted your particular flower has come from a long way away. And yet it has seeded in the garden of the Earth. So know that you are in your right place for now because you are here. You need to be here. There are things for you to learn and there are things for you to teach. You need to be here. So do not waste your time dreaming of leaving. Because in your dreams and in your visions and those that are forthcoming, you may see and catch glimpses of other worlds. They are worlds that you have lived in. But it does not mean that there is any mistake that you have come here. For you have come here to open the heart. Even if it is in a rather unique way, as seen from the perspective of some on the Earth.
And I shall not tell to you all the things that you will do. For you are a flower that grows upon a vine. And what does that mean? It means that you grow intertwined with others. And there are others that shall come and they will join you. And you shall grow together. And you shall find the others that are like you. And then you will not feel so alone.
For you have come to build a new society
Deep inside of you you know why you have come, for your heart knows. And you have come to seed a New Kind of Being. And it does go against the grain of your society. For you have come to build a new society. You have come to become a builder of a new focus and a new society. And it is as if there is a prism and you have come to polish one of the colors on the prism. But I say to you in order to accomplish that which you have come to do – your job – your gift – it is important for you to honor the other colors in the prism. And it is important that you achieve a certain amount of balance in your world, so that others might listen to you. So that you might learn about many things. So that THEN you can bring your own gift, and others will listen to you. For they will not always understand you, but when you understand them, by dabbling, you might say, a little bit in all of the things that are important to them, then you shall bring them to you, endear them to you. And then they will not be afraid of you. And they will not be put off by you. And they will come closer to you. And then they will be able to see your gift. And those things that you create, you will then be able to share with them, because you have not separated yourself from them.
It is important that you learn something about
everybody. That is why you are in school
And it is not that you should separate yourself from any other, but that you would bring the Gift of Unity and Oneness. Perhaps you are a golden thread. But then there are threads that are silver and threads that are white and there are threads that are green and gray. And you have come to take a needle and unite all of the threads. And not to be superior and not to be inferior. And not to stop listening to your own heart either. But in order to gain the heart and the ear, so that others will see your works and listen to you, it is important that you learn something about everybody. That is why you are in school.
You have already come with a gift and you have a purpose. It is to restore beauty on the Earth. To restore the heart. And to hold a focus of the Divine Feminine. And the Divine Feminine comes forth from you like a fountain. Much beauty and much flow of harmony, for you are all about harmony and love. And where there is no harmony, you do not understand it. And where there is no love, you do not want to be there. And where it does not make sense to your heart, your mind wants to leave and not be there. And that is why the dreams are so strong within you. And that is why the force of love is so strong within you. But in order to grow and strengthen your stem and build your leaves and branches as the bright flower are, it is important, since you are planted in the soil of the Earth, to understand something of the Earth. And that is why you are in school. To understand something of things that you may not choose to be with for very long. But go through the learning of it. And learn something about it. Why? So you can speak with many people. So you can love many people. So you can share your gifts with them and learn from their gifts. And it doesn’t mean that you will lose the wondrous gift that you bring.
You are different but you are also the same
You are different but you are also the same. Because everything is united. That which created Everything. Every flower, every bird, every planet, every universe, every little dog and every little human and every little angel. The Creator of All put a thread of Unity through all so that everything moves altogether. On your Earth, it is not so easy to see the threads. They look invisible, but they are not. Everything is united.
So please, Beloved Indigo Child, please honor and love yourself
So please, Beloved Indigo Child, please honor and love yourself and know that you are honored in Heaven, even as you shall be honored on Earth. And there is unity there as well! Heaven and Earth are really one. Everything is really connected. This you will see before too long, if you do not already see it.
Earth is a little bit of a school itself. You may not like school and you may not like Earth at times. But please honor Her. Know that She is alive. She isn’t just a big ball that you walk on. She is alive. Every little part of Her. Even as you walk on Her Big Body, She is conscious and She is growing. And She is, in one sense, in Her own school of development, of expansion. She is spinning through space and doing many things. And She shelters you. And She is one of your mothers, for She nourishes you. Her elements are in your physical body and Her soils, although depleted by Humanity, give you food to eat. Her waters give you drink.
So, please, Beloved One, honor your heart for it is full. And honor your mind as well. For it is full. They go together. The mind follows the heart; let the mind keep pace with the heart.
The Human Potential Movement (HPM) arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating of extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in most people. The movement took as its premise the belief that through the development of “human potential”, humans can experience an exceptional quality of life filled with happiness, creativity, and fulfillment. As a corollary, those who begin to unleash this assumed potential often find themselves directing their actions within society towards assisting others to release their potential. Adherents believe that the net effect of individuals cultivating their potential will bring about positive social change at large.
Commentators sometimes classify the human potential movement as being categorised under the broader umbrella of the New Age movement. HPM distinguishes itself ideologically from other New Age trends by an emphasis on the individual development of secular human capabilities — as opposed to the more spiritual New Age views. However, participants rarely make this distinction, and most who embrace the ideas of the human potential movement also tend to embrace the other more spiritual ideas within the New Age movement.
Christopher Lasch notes the impact of the human potential movement via the therapeutic sector:
The new therapies spawned by the human potential movement, according to Peter Marin, teach that “the individual will is all powerful and totally determines one’s fate”; thus they intensify the “isolation of the self.” [2]
I received this poem from one of the most inspirational 14 year olds one could ever meet after I lectured about the importance of love in one of my lessons. Too often we adults do not give children enough credit; we believe their values and ideals are naive and unattainable. I beg to differ….
“Love is kind and generous;
It is not jealousy or envy
Love is happy
Love is family and friends
Love is not hatred
It is not anger
Love is medicine, not sickness
Love is not opaque, but transparent.
Love is making the right choices
Based on your own judgement
It is not patronizing each other to do wrong.
Love is patient and affectionate
Love is loyal and honest.
Love is not lying to make yourself more interesting
“I think that the love revolution is something that starts within each of us. It starts right in our own spirits and from there it has to be something that we exercise in our homes, in our families, in our small communities, and then it grows outward. But the revolution is a discipline. It means that I’m going to let love rule my life. I’m going to wake up each day and I’m going to try my best to give love, to put some positive energy into the universe. And the revolution is the discipline to keep doing that every day, to love myself, to love God, to love the people that are around me and to just start exercising that within your own environment.” – Lenny Kravitz
Often I find that the bleak social, political, environmental forecasts take their tole on my soul if I let them inundate my consciousness. It is easy to neglect our own social, mental, and physical health if we do not have coping methods to ‘escape’ from these worries…..One way I love to combat this, especially during the winter months, is to attempt a wide variety of new skills.
So I thought I’d throw up a post for all of you who want to take on a new and different type of challenge, one that will frustrate you in the beginning, yet will surely provide a lasting sense of accomplishment once you have begun to understand the complex abyss that is the rubics cube….
PS: I’m sure there are better instructional sites than this, so if this piques your curiosity investigate youtube further.
I think it does…. a few of us went down to the beach today when the rain stopped and the clouds kind of cleared, and we brought along a camera. As we started taking some sweet shots of the sunshine breaking through the dark clouds and reflecting off of the wet sand, we noticed a seagull that was just chillin. It was standing in a shallow pool and his (her?) body remained completely still for at least 5 minutes. Was he merely taking a moment’s break in his ongoing quest for safety, security, and satisfying his basic needs? Or was he pondering, perhaps contemplating the meaning of life? Perhaps he was as awestruck as we were at the amazing symmetry found in nature. As we stared out into the water, we noticed a family of ducks just chillin out in the water. They were bobbing up and down, back and forth, completely in rhythm to the lull of the ocean. Completely at peace….
The pace of life of nature is wonderful. How different our lives are…. perpetually rushing through the hyperactive business culture lifestyle that we feel is natural, yet in reality is completely out of touch with nature.
The incredible beauty found in nature and in life is anything but ’simple’… but the ’simple’ life (as our society loves to derogatorily call it) is so much more vibrant, gentle, compassionate, organic, and fulfilling than a life clung to material desires.
Aldous Huxley is an intellect of the highest order… I thought I’d re-read some “Doors of Perception” after watching the huxley interview posted. Here’s an excerpt from that book:
“The sum of evil, Pascal remarked, would be much diminished if men could only learn to sit quietly in their rooms. The contemplative whose perception has been cleansed does not have to stay in his room. He can go about his business, so completely satisfied to see and be a part of the divine Order of Things that he will never even be tempted to indulge in what Traherne called “the dirty Devices of the world.” When we feel ourselves to be sole heirs of the universe, when “the sea flows in our veins… and the stars are our jewels,” when all things are perceived as infinite and holy, what motive can we have for covetousness or self-assertation, for the pursuit of power or the drearier forms of pleasure? Contemplatives are not likely to become gamblers, or procurers, or drunkards; they do not as a rule preach intolerance, or make war; do not find it necessary to rob, swindle or grind the faces of the poor… The arhat and the quietist maynot practice contemplation in its fullness; but if they practice it at all, they may bring back enlightening reports of another, a transcendent country of the mind; and if they practice it in height, they will become conduits through which some beneficent influence can flow out of that other country into a world of darkened selves, chronically dying for lack of it”. (The Doors of Perception, p.44)
A universal spirituality is eminently practical in nine ways and, through these ways, becomes immensely transformative of the individual, the community, and the world. Interspirituality finds these nine elements in the mature expressions of spirituality in every tradition – that is, in their saints or mystics. These include 1. an actualized moral capacity; 2. a sense of solidarity and interdependence with all beings; 3. deep nonviolence; 4. humility of heart; 5. a spiritual practice; 6. mature self-knowledge; 7. simplicity of life; 8. love in action, or compassionate service; and 9. prophetic voice, or witness, and action. Read the rest of this entry »
What can they do
to you? Whatever they want.
They can set you up, they can
bust you, they can break
your fingers, they can
burn your brain with electricity,
blur you with drugs till you
can’t walk, can’t remember, they can
take your child, wall up
your lover. They can do anything
you can’t stop them
from doing. How can you stop
them? Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse, you can
take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.
But two people fighting
back to back can cut through
a mob, a snake-dancing file
can break a cordon, an army
can meet an army.
This is an article I wrote. The ‘beautiful game’ refers to soccer:
If the majority of scientists and economists are correct in their analysis of global warming trends, the planet is facing a significant environmental and socio-economic crisis in the years to come. If what we are told is true, we have a very short window of opportunity (scientists estimate 10 – 20 years) in which to eliminate our bad habits in order to save the planet. We have a purpose; we are, and I say this very humbly, the most important generation to walk the planet. Think of ten years over the course of human history: It is merely a momentary blip; a blink of an eye over the course of a cosmic millennium. And you and I, for whatever reason, are alive and breathing during this most precious and scary and exhilarating of times. The way our generation conducts business as well as the way our generation conducts our own individual lives is integral to the success or the demise of the planet. Still don’t think you have a purpose?Read the rest of this entry »
As more and more of you read this blog, I felt it necessary to explain my decision to post spiritual material. First of all, for all intensive purposes, I am a ‘recovering Catholic’. Read the rest of this entry »
A long read, but if you’ve got time this is a well written excerpt from “A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life” by Wayne Teasdale.
All of us realize, I think, that friendship is one of the greatest, most fulfilling human joys. Each of us has, or should have, many friendships, and each of us can probably look back to a particularly important friendship in our childhood, a friendship that greatly nourished us in our need for companionship and acceptance, a friendship with someone with whom we could share our secrets and our dreams. Read the rest of this entry »
Martin Luther King Jr. responding to some questions about Malcolm X and responds to the questioning of the non-violent resistance.
No Small Dreams
By Michael Eric Dyson, special to Britannica.com, 17 January 2000
As a literary figure, Martin Luther King, Jr., stands as possibly the greatest American rhetorician of the 20th century. As a citizen, his singular contributions to the legacy of American democracy helped this nation realize its political and moral aspirations to an arguably greater extent than any other figure. And while much of the literature about King portrays him as a dreamer intent on rhapsodically transforming America through eloquent speech and writing, in reality he was much more. He was a visionary activist whose disturbing words and courageous deeds cost him his life. It is unfortunate that we have largely frozen King in his “I Have a Dream” stage while neglecting the radical evolution of his later years. Perhaps by revisiting the impressive body of literature King left behind we can come to a deeper understanding of his thoughts and his abiding legacy.
One of the more misunderstood and underappreciated features of King’s mature thought is his skepticism about the earlier methods of social change that he advocated. For the first several years of his career, King was quite optimistic about the possibility that racial inequality could be solved through black struggle and white good will. In The Preacher King, Richard Lischer captures the civil rights leader’s early views in a revealing quotation by King:
“Maybe God has called us here to this hour. Not merely to free ourselves but to free all of our white brothers and save the soul of this nation–We will not ever allow this struggle to become so polarized that it becomes a struggle between black men and white men. We must see the tension in this nation between injustice and justice, between the forces of light and the forces of darkness.”
But during the last three years of his life, King questioned his own understanding of race relations. As King told journalist David Halberstam, “For years I labored with the idea of reforming the existing institutions of the society, a little change here, a little change there. Now I feel quite differently. I think you’ve got to have a reconstruction of the entire society, a revolution of values.” King also told Halberstam something that he argued in his last book, Trumpet of Conscience: that “most Americans are unconscious racists.” For King, this recognition was not a source of bitterness but a reason to revise his strategy. If one believed that whites basically desired to do the right thing, then a little moral persuasion was sufficient. But if one believed that whites had to be made to behave in the right way, one had to employ substantially more than moral reasoning.
I challenge you to become spiritual; I want you to believe in Bhudda, I want you to believe in Allah, I want you to believe in Jesus. More importantly, I want you to believe in love, believe in the power of humanity, I want you to believe that you have God in you, I want you to believe that I have God in me. I want you to feel the power of nature, to feel the power of living in harmony with that nature. I want you to believe in magic, in miracles, in forgiveness, in divinity. I want you to learn to discover the inherent beauty in everything in life, I want you to believe in the sacred balance of the universe, the beauty of the stars and the galaxy, the beauty of the diversity of the life existing in the blue seas, the magic of each new dawn, and each new evening.
Does your spirituality allow that you be happy, be free, be beautiful, be loved? And does your spirit truly allow you to LOVE everyone and everything in this universe?. Does your spirituality allow you to connect to the Earth? Does your spirituality allow you to totally remove your desire for greed, for power, for injustice, for hatred, for dominance? Read the rest of this entry »
November 24th, 2:00 pm, at the art gallery downtown…. bring a mug for tea, bring a chair for chillin’, bring some warm clothes cause it’s rain or shine baby….
we’ll set up an environment where strangers can break down the barriers that keep us apart, where strangers feel comfortable chillin’ and socializing and participating in fun and free activities (ie chess, checkers, a game of soccer, maybe a game of street hockey, cards, listening to some tunes on the geetar, maybe people could give away books that they’ve already read for free, free back massages are always a possibility….. come down and join the fun…..
Quite simply, I think over consumption is a result of the emptiness of our culture… The notion that there is a correlation between consumption and fulfillment, wealth and happiness, is deeply embedded within our culture. I think individuals have a very tough time feeling fulfilled when many work in a job they hate for 8hours, come home to a microwave supper low in nutritional value , watch reality t.v., read a fashion magazine that tells them they need to buy this cream and that lotion to feel beautiful, and then fall asleep on the couch to the 11:00 state funded network news. On the weekends they spruce up their lives by watching football and drinking a case of budweiser, and call themselves spiritual beings by trying hard not to fall asleep during Sunday service. The interesting thing is the advertising agencies of budweiser, of the microwave dinners, of the football game, etc. would have you believe, through the brilliance of their marketing campaigns, that consuming their products will help to make you feel like you’re happy and fulfilled. We’ve bought in, believing in the misnomer that drinking excessive amounts of budweiser on a friday night will help you feel happy, accepted, attractive, invincible…. just like the image the tv commercials so aptly personify. And so in order to fill the void of living this cultureless life comprised of empty cultural calories, we reward ourselves with an unnecessary new pair of shoes, or the latest cell phone, or a new car, because it makes us feel good, it makes us feel like our peers will accept us, but yet we are totally oblivious to the effect that this purchase has on the ecosystems of the world.Our appetite for consumption provides the markets for ‘the machine’ to exist and so ‘the machine’ will make every effort to ensure that you comply and be a good citizen and continue to consume. Immediately after 9/11, George Bush, in his address to the people, informed citizens that the best way they could help America was to go out and shop!!! (reference still being sought after). The machine desperately requires your non questioning compliance to consume, and as a result spares no effort to ensure that you are inundated with messages to buy shit. Probably more frightening than this is the realization that many aspects of our culture have been set up to ensure that we feel unfulfilled in order to create a desire in us to buy shit. Or that much of our consumption stems from the fact that our lives are so busy with the responsibilities of a 40 + hour work week that we will spend our hard earned money on convenience products that promise to free up more time in our day so we can watch more t.v. They are selling the product of ‘convenience’ because it is so desperately desired in our hyperactively hectic lives.
I think the solution is simple, but will not be easily attained: shopoholicism is a major problem, with devastating ecological, political, and social consequences that we need to be aware of…. rather than continuing the trend of mindlessly consuming, we need to find healthier, more natural ways of seeking happiness and fulfillment. Perhaps an emphasis on play, on relaxation , on exercise, on socializing, on reading, on pondering, on thinking, on wondering, on loving, on truly LIVING is what we need to reduce our ecological footprint. Our current emphasis on competition, on material wealth, on consumption, on vanity items, on social status, on PROFIT AT ALL COSTS, is leading us in a very dangerous direction , both individually (highest ever recorded rates of depression, anxiety disorders, low mental health) and collectively (global warming, growing gap between the rich and the poor, a very likely World War 3)…… Open your eyes, open your hearts, open your mind, open your soul….
you’ve got to watch all the videos. You’ll get a good sense of what Hardt is referring to in the Multitude, when he refers to love as a political concept.
World wide peaceful revolution is needed urgently because the power of evil is defeating the might of GOOD.- Global warming-war-terrorism-world hunger-poverty-AIDS- Greed-Corporate immorality- Imperialism/Domination- gang violence- Increasing levels of depression- Increasing levels of stress and pressure-decreasing levels of mental health-40 hour work week- decrease in our connection to natureThe potential of humanity is the goodness, so why are our actions so blatantly contradictory to what is really GOOD? We need a drastic change in our hearts, a change in our minds, and a serious change in our attitude and actions if the goodness can prevail…. you are the solution! Change….. Do it for yourself, do it for the world, do it for the ‘goodness’. Love, it really is the answer….Peace,D
new society. And it is as if there is a prism and you have come to polish one of the colors on the prism. But I say to you in order to accomplish that which you have come to do – your job – your gift – it is important for you to honor the other colors in the prism. And it is important that you achieve a certain amount of balance in your world, so that others might listen to you. So that you might learn about many things. So that THEN you can bring your own gift, and others will listen to you. For they will not always understand you, but when you understand them, by dabbling, you might say, a little bit in all of the things that are important to them, then you shall bring them to you, endear them to you. And then they will not be afraid of you. And they will not be put off by you. And they will come closer to you. And then they will be able to see your gift. And those things that you create, you will then be able to share with them, because you have not separated yourself from them.
one sense, in Her own school of development, of expansion. She is spinning through space and doing many things. And She shelters you. And She is one of your mothers, for She nourishes you. Her elements are in your physical body and Her soils, although depleted by Humanity, give you food to eat. Her waters give you drink.
