Misplaced Priorities

Daffy Duck In Hollywood by John Ashbery

For lovers of language! I am smitten by the impeccable use of language so beautifully recited by Tom O'Bedlam (SpokenVerse). I love the line:
Achievement is only to end up less boring than the others. Enjoy!

Living Each Moment with Gratitude.

My Last Days by Zach Sobiech
Spending 20 minutes with Zach makes you feel the awesome power of LOVE.

Special Moments!!

The Language of Love

Connecting to the Whole; The Wisdom of the Heart

We have all experienced the feeling of being more unified with our surroundings and with other people. Some people call this being in the zone or being in the flow. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with "thinking" but rather more centered in the heart region. We feel an expansiveness and a connection that allows us to access or creative potential and to feel more deeply. We naturally feel more empathy for people and it is easier for us to communicate with deeper compassion and understanding. We are not so centered in our own perspective but see more clearly the bigger picture. In fact we feel very much a part of the bigger picture and not apart from it and this makes us naturally more cooperative and less competitive. How can we be in this place more often? Is this the direction we should be moving toward as a way to save the planet? Watch the video (7 minutes) to learn more about how to access the heart's intuitive intelligence.

The Coming Dystopia

Internal Struggle by ~Lor

The news from Egypt is anything but good. The "Arab spring" seems to be morphing into a nightmare. Why is this? What are the fundamental conditions driving this spiral into hell? What role do we have in all of this? Is this a local, regional, or global crisis? What is our personal stake in this? Is there anything we can do to stop it or at least improve the situation? What is in the minds of the people directly affected by the unraveling of their society?

Chris Hedges has brilliantly dissected the causes of this violent episode in Egypt, but the implications for the entire planet are clearly drawn and explored. Read the article hear on TruthDig. 

So What's Up In Russia?

image via Autoheart video for "Moscow"

Lately there has been much debate about what stand to take concerning the pervasive human rights abuses in Russia, particularly in light of the up-coming Olympic games to be held there. How should we feel about that? Does participating in the games in some way lend credibility to the host country? Is boycotting the games over politicizing an event that is essentially billed as non political? Is there a more effective way to focus light on the problem there?

As a way to help focus the light on human rights abuses in Russia, particularly as it applies to LGBT people, it might be instructive to read the account of someone who grew up there and who was gay. This account certainly did help me see in a clearer light just what that involves.

Please note that this article appears in OUT magazine and clicking on the link will bring you to the magazine and access to other material directed to the LGBT readership.


Stranger in my Homeland: Growing Up Gay in Russia | Out Magazine

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver

Oh, to love what is lovely, and will not last!
What a task to ask
of anything, or anyone,
yet it is ours,
and not by the century or the year, but by the hours.
One fall day I heard
above me, and above the sting of the wind, a sound I did not know, and my look shot upward; it was a flock of snow geese, winging it faster than the ones we usually see,
and, being the color of snow, catching the sun
so they were, in part at least, golden. 
I held my breath as we do
sometimes to stop time
when something wonderful
has touched us...
The geese flew on.
I have never seen them again.
Maybe I will, someday, somewhere.
Maybe I won’t.
It doesn’t matter.
What matters
is that, when I saw them,
I saw them as through the veil, secretly, joyfully, clearly.

How do we define ourselves collectively?

Given that government, in theory at least, is our common will, representing us as a people, how do we define ourselves? Will we come to the aid of those among us struggling to get by or will we throw the needy back upon their own meager resources? Is the prevailing philosophy of governance one of mutual concern and collective help, or one of stark individualism in which everyone has to fend for themselves, or at best rely on charity? This is not so much a political question as a moral one, a question pertaining to the moral basis of our common life. Much depends on how we answer it. (Taken from an article in Tricycle magazine by Bhikkhu Bodhi) read article here.

When We All Get Together, What A Day!!

The Reverand William Barber speaks at Mountain Moral Monday in Asheville. If you are paying attention you can't help notice how regressive North Carolina has become in such a short time. Although the reasons for this are complex, it should be noted that weak voter turnout among democrats, especially young democrats in the last legislative elections and aggressive gerrymandering and redistricting efforts paved the way for huge gains by ultra right conservative politicians. The result is a loss of hard won gains over many decades and on many fronts including education, women s rights, voter rights. Although Obama may not have been able to bring about the sweeping changes so ardently desired by so many, staying home on voting day is not an option. We must exercise our constitutional and democratic responsibility and vote, even when it seems hopeless. To stay home is to give in to the forces that will drag us back in time and put us out of step with the ever evolving march to a more perfect union.