Laying Down Of Arms

Promises.

A few days ago the Obama administration announced plans to implement austerity measures in the military which would reduce the standing American force in personnel to levels below those of pre-World War II. This is Obama doing exactly what he promised, ending wars, reducing military spending, and focusing on the domestic agenda. But nobody really seems to care. Or rather, the conservative right and those with a vested interested in continuing the expansion of the military industrial complex care, but their whining that these cuts will reduce them to still being the biggest and best prepared military in the world, just a leaner version, are hard to have sympathy for. The truth is, this is huge. This is massive news for anyone interested in foreign policy, social welfare, or peace. This is a quiet revolution spearheaded by the White House to shift our paradigm from war mongering and diplomacy by force to...well, none of us know do we? What would a United States without major warfare look like? Can any of us picture it? How will we make out money? Will we go back to growing our own food and valuing crafts people and educators? It seems unlikely. What Obama is doing is giving us a chance to reshape a small part of our economy and ourselves. Let's do something useful with it.

Picture:
www.archives.gov
  

Tell It Like It Is

Surveillance.

If you do not remember or have never heard of the Yippies, let me explain. The Yippies were a social and political change group in the 1960's famous for shutting down Wall Street, running a pig for president, and other acts of radical protest. They were thinkers, truth tellers, activists, and pacifists. Abby Hoffman and his American flag pants is probably the best-known part of the Yippies, but their work and modern legacy hardly begins or ends with him. Judy Gumbo, one of the original Yippies and co-author of The Sixties Papers: Documents of a Rebellious Decade, has emerged as an important voice in the 21st century debate over privacy, spying, and the power of government. Gumbo's writing about the 60's is not nostalgic but provocative, underscoring the need to face historical truth, and speak with clarity and honesty about the U.S. government, free speech, and the consequences of fighting for social change. Fifty years later is a great time to evaluate what we did and did not learn and accomplish in the 60's, perhaps it will help us find our way.

To read her important blog, Yippie Girl:
http://yippiegirl.com/judy-gumbo/bugged.html

Photo:
http://societeperrier.com/blog/digital-museums-the-15-best-collections-on-tumblr/

Thirty Days of Thanks

Giving.

There is a modern tradition developing of expressing 30 days of public gratitude during the month of November. It is one of the few soulful consequences of social media I have witnessed and, I think, an important and healthy use of our technology and inter-connectedness. There is documented and scientific evidence pointing to the role of gratitude and its expression in the health of our relationships and ourselves. I believe that we can take that one step farther and say that the expression of gratitude is a pathway to peace.  In gratitude we recognize the compassion and value of the world around us and the people in our lives. To express gratitude is to recognize each others humanity and our own needs. It is a fundamental step in recognizing both how we wish to be treated and the way we wish to be in the world. It is worth speaking it out loud.

I am thankful for:

My health.

My relationship with my parents.

The fire.

My home and the person I share it with.

The love of a good cat.

Hot tea.

Friends that call.

Hot running water.

Employment.

My ballet class.

Hugs.

The massage therapist that is fixing my back.

Outdoor pools.

Sun breaks.
The cabin in the woods.

Writing.

Public broadcasting.

The silence function on phones.

Online banking.

People that give me a chance.

Black Magdalene.

My students.

Mac and cheese.

The people that listen.

Puzzles.

My pen pals.

Strangers that are kind to me.

Yoga.

Authors whose books I fall into.

Serendipity and random acts of kindness.

Good food and folks to share it with.

Please share some things that you are thankful for:

Photograph Courtesy of:

www.rubygonewild.com

The Disappointing Guru

Of Gods and Men

Expectations.

Here is an excellent example of exactly how twisted American culture and perspective has become.

At a stadium speaking event with the Dalai Lama recently at which I could only look around and think, "This is why we can't have nice things."

Concession stands open, selling a steady stream of corn dogs.

Sorority girl with high heels, mini skirt, and giant tub of popcorn.

The University President choosing to make "branding" the first interaction with the Dalai Lama.

Every Catholic priest in attendance, presumably in an attempt to not be outdone by the Dalai Lama and his monk brigade in their red robes, dressed in full white and green vestments.

Upset Facebook conversations when the Dalai Lama reveals himself to be exactly what he is, human.  Especially strange as he specifically discussed his own need to be seen as just another person, that being seen as the Dalai Lama can only create loneliness.

Ten thousand white, middle class liberals jumping up and down, waving their arms and yelling at the Dalai Lama, because that is what Americans do when they get excited.  This too, was something the Dalai Lama had just said we could stop doing so much of, suggesting more moderation of behavior.

Perhaps we all need to accept the idea that, just like us, the Dalai Lama is no more than a simple human being, and should be treated as such.  To expect a message more groundbreaking than that from a Buddhist monk is certainly missing the point.

Like what you are reading?  Then support the Kickstarter for my book Girl Gone Wild- On Being a Woman in the Wilderness.  Thanks!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1731666363/girl-gone-wild-a-guide-to-being-a-woman-outside?ref=city

Hold Your Tongue

Throat.

Sometimes there is altogether too much talking.  Perhaps today is a good day to neglect our words and try to simply be, at peace, in the world.

The Tibetan Monk Throat Singers, listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA3cwX1wNHQ

Photograph Courtesy of:

http://www.voatibetanenglish.com/content/russias-tibet-opens-to-jet-age-tourism/1510409.html

Of Gods and Men

Expectations.

Here is an excellent example of exactly how twisted American culture and perspective has become.

At a stadium speaking event with the Dalai Lama recently at which I could only look around and think, "This is why we can't have nice things."

Concession stands open, selling a steady stream of corn dogs.

Sorority girl with high heels, mini skirt, and giant tub of popcorn.

The University President choosing to make "branding" the first interaction with the Dalai Lama.

Every Catholic priest in attendance, presumably in an attempt to not be outdone by the Dalai Lama and his monk brigade in their red robes, dressed in full white and green vestments.

Upset Facebook conversations when the Dalai Lama reveals himself to be exactly what he is, human.  Especially strange as he specifically discussed his own need to be seen as just another person, that being seen as the Dalai Lama can only create loneliness.

Ten thousand white, middle class liberals jumping up and down, waving their arms and yelling at the Dalai Lama, because that is what Americans do when they get excited.  This too, was something the Dalai Lama had just said we could stop doing so much of, suggesting more moderation of behavior.

Perhaps we all need to accept the idea that, just like us, the Dalai Lama is no more than a simple human being, and should be treated as such.  To expect a message more groundbreaking than that from a Buddhist monk is certainly missing the point.

Photograph Courtesy of:

http://www.last.fm/music/Dalai+Lama

The Age of Letting Go

Fly.

I spent the first two decades of my life like many of us do, trying to please other people.  When that would fail, which it inevitably did, my approach was to blame myself, my failings, my big mouth.  I always wanted to fix it, to make amends, make peace, make up.  The idea of losing someone, a friend, a boyfriend, whomever, was terrifying to me; I thought that even if the nature of the relationship shifted there could always be room for that person in my world.  So I took their tirades, constructive criticisms, gossip, and side remarks all to heart, always assuming there was something that I could and should do to please and therefore keep a person in my life.  What I did not understand was that a persons pleasure or displeasure with me, their reasons for moving on or staying near, or really, any of their choices whatsoever, had little to nothing to do with me.   People can say things out of spite, jealousy, and greed.  They can and often do put their own interests first and judge others unabashedly through their own lenses and biases.  They rarely have the success and happiness of those around them at the core of their actions. 

This is not to say that people are bad or unkind or dis-compassionate, just that there are times in life in which those around us do not serve us as friends, mentors, or partners.  When this becomes clear, it is time to let them go.  For the first time in my life I am doing just that, letting people that bring me down, interfere, complain, or act as bad influences just...slip away.  For the first time I have a clear sense of living my own life, for its own purpose, and taking really good care of the most important person in my world, myself.  

Wake Up Call

Spring.

At last.  At last the birds have returned, the leaves are budding, the crocuses and daffodils are blooming and even the people are shaking off the vestiges of winter with a change of shoes, a swept front porch, and a casting open of the windows.  I find myself out walking, taking long deeps breaths and long, meandering routes through vine-covered alleys and improvised parks.  The air is thick with sweet spring buds.  I marvel at the rediscovery of myself in the world, emerging as I have, whole, well, and in good spirits from my winter slumber.  I let the sun shine on my face.  I become aware that in this moment, there is nothing wrong.  In this moment I have no pressing problems, no concerns or regrets, no fears to face.  In this moment all things are as they should be.  

Dalai Lama

Karma.

The Dalai Lama is coming to speak this spring.  There are many people here who feel very strongly about being able to go and see him and sit in his presence and with good reason.  Regardless of your religious affiliation the essential goodness of the Dalai Lama is evident.  This is a man who began his monastic education at the age of eight and received over 60 honors in recognition of his work towards peace, including the Nobel Peace Prize.  He has published over 70 books, most of which emphasize the need for love, compassion, and peace.  He was also, as far back as the early 1980's the first Nobel Prize winner to be recognized for their work towards a healthy and sustainable relationship with the environment.

I think that people who feel inspired to see this man are craving a message of peace and compassion.  I also though that it was remarkable that in this relatively small city stadium seating for such an event could sell out so quickly.  But it didn't.  Not really.  Ten minutes after the sell out tickets started to appear on Craigslist.  With scalpers prices.

Really?

References/Resources:

http://www.dalailama.com/biography/a-brief-biography

Photo Courtesy of:

http://ochairball.blogspot.com/2011/07/obama-meets-with-dalai-lama-july-16.html

By the Numbers

Population

If you have not looked at population numbers for the countries of the world lately, or ever, it is time. A simple glance at the numbers illuminates all sorts of things about US foreign policy, why we go to war and where, and why we hear about some countries more than others.  It also shatters a lot of our preconceived notions about social, political, and economic dominance, our own self-import, and the idea that land mass has anything to do with population.  The top 15:

1. China

2. India

3. United States

4. Indonesia

5. Brazil

6. Pakistan

7. Bangladesh

8.  Nigeria

9. Russia

10. Japan

11. Mexico

12. Phillipines

13.Vietnam 

14. Germany

15. Ethiopia

These are not predominantly Western or Christian countries.  Many of them have incredibly high population densities and incredibly low standards of living.  They have histories riddled with militarism, questionable human rights ethics, and war.  Ourselves included.  Two of them are African nations, which I only mention because of the American tendency to justify part of our ignorance of the African continent with the false belief that few people live there.  

Sometimes numbers speak for themselves.  Think about this list the next time you listen to or watch the news.  Think about it when looking at the kinds of stories that get covered, and especially those that get ignored or obscured.  Decide for yourself what you should be paying attention to.  

Start with the numbers.

Real Time Counters:

http://www.worldometers.info/

References:

World Populations by Country:

http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/populations/ctypopls.htm

Image courtesy of:

http://www.ethiojps.org/PopulationMaps.html

Eyes Wide Shut

trust.

I am an idealist. Still. Not because I maintain naiveté regarding the nature of the world or ignorance of its evils and seeming inevitabilities, but because it’s in my nature and, well, someone has to be. Idealism gives us cause to fight the good fight. Idealism gives us hope. However one of the complications of being an idealist is the ever-present and looming threat of disillusionment. To combat this I have had to create a paradigm of hope and faith in certain over-arching values, love, compassion, charity, through which to see the world in order to reconcile the evening news with my vision of a peaceful society. The extension of my idealism to my personal life and relationships creates a peculiar and piercing vulnerability, particularly in terms of trust. And trust, as with idealism, is both important and dangerous. Trust is the thing that binds me to the people to whom I am the closest, it lets me be my true self, free from fear of judgment, allows for the exchange of confidences, and combats loneliness. Betrayal of trust is the fastest route to a loss of self respect and a profound sense of abandonment that I have ever experienced. It is easy in the face of betrayal to want to put up barriers and refuse to trust again. But we can’t afford to do that. I think my willingness to trust other people is directly tied to my idealism, my hope. And I choose not to live a life devoid of hope. So I take a breath, gather myself, and begin to trust again.

Also Referenced:http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/trust/
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trust

Gag Order

unacceptable.

I want to talk about torture and I don’t want to talk about torture. I am at a loss to understand how any group of people can possibly endorse, legalize, or justify the brutal and vivid mistreatment of anyone, regardless of perceived threat or political climate. Let me be clear, I am not entering into a discussion or debate regarding this issue. I am not entertaining the possibility of sleep deprivation, the withholding of food, temperature extremes, stress positions or water boarding being acceptable behavior. Ever. There are no grey areas. There are no excuses. Every one of us knows cruelty when we see it. We are taught as children that violence is neither a solution to conflict nor a means to our desired ends. It is unacceptable for us to forget or fail to heed this lesson as adults.

Our detainees, prisoners, whatever we are calling them are people. They have souls. And they are in our care. We can make no real progress towards the formation of a peaceful, compassionate, and sustainable society while we, through our complacency and silence, endorse torture. We have to stop this, and we have to stop it now.

Write to a member of congress, the president, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, let them know that Americans believe in compassionate justice, that this is not how we choose to be represented in the world.

For a Congressional Directory:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

To Email Barack Obama:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

I tried to find an email address or contact information for Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, but couldn’t. Go Figure.

Photograph Courtesy of :
http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/gallery_images/0812/0000/0258/washday_005_mid.jpg

A Walk In The Woods

saunterer.

A long weekend and the beginning of summer do a lot to remind us to go outside, breath the fresh air, listen to the birds, stretch our legs, and experience wildness. I think it’s important, amid the beer, fireworks, weenie roasts, and recreational vehicles that mark the American camping experience, to make sure that we do just that, stretch our legs and experience wildness. It’s not often anymore that the majority of us find ourselves away from the crush of noise, information, and development that comes with “civilized society”, and I think our distance from the wild plays a key role in our health and well-being, and our decision making as a people. Distancing ourselves from the wild is part of why we are able to devalue the environment, and that devaluation reveals itself in our politics, policies, and way of life. It allows us to waste resources, diminish habitat, allow entire species to go extinct, and engineer our bodies and our food.

I feel at my most engaged in the environment when walking through it. A walk in the wilderness does more to ease my mind, body, and soul than almost anything else. And it reminds me, in a tangible and profound way, that I am connected to this place, this world, this land, that it sustains me. Thoreau, in his 1862 essay, Walking, had this to say about the value of a walk in the woods, “I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks, who had a genius, so to speak, for sauntering; which word is beautifully derived "from idle people who roved about the country, in the middle ages, and asked charity, under pretence of going à la sainte terre" — to the holy land… They who never go to the holy land in their walks, as they pretend, are indeed mere idlers and vagabonds, but they who do go there are saunterers in the good sense, such as I mean. Some, however, would derive the word from sans terre, without land or a home, which, therefore, in the good sense, will mean, having no particular home, but equally at home everywhere. For this is the secret of successful sauntering.”

We can make no progress in the improvement of our daily lives, in the fostering of health, community, sustainability, or peace, until we acknowledge and embrace our connection to the wilderness. Take a first step, take a walk.

To read the full text of Thoreau’s Walking:
http://thoreau.eserver.org/walking.html

To Read Emerson’s Nature:
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/emerson/nature-emerson-a.html#Chapter%20I

Photo courtesy of:
http://dinabloomphoto.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/edith.jpg

Playing For Change

allegro.

Playing for Change is an organization dedicated to the creation and propagation of peace through shared humanity and aesthetics, the playing of music. More specifically, Playing for Change is an international collective of musicians that play benefit concerts for and build music and art schools in impoverished communities. The project is rooted in the belief that music is an equalizer, a common thread that allows people to transcend distance and boundaries, be they political, economic, cultural, or ideological, that music is a path to peace. They illustrate this by producing mosaic videos of musicians from around the world playing the same song, somehow together, as a one-world choir, despite the distance. And they seem to play straight up into heaven, and right through to your soul.

They have a point. Music unites.

Watch and Listen:
http://www.playingforchange.com/episodes

Participate:
http://www.playingforchange.com/participate

Now I See

grace.

I spend a lot of time chasing grace. I find the physical manifestation of grace, grace of the body, comes far more easily to me than its less tangible partner, grace of the soul. To have a graceful soul requires the exercise of love, kindness, mercy, and forgiveness to the benefit of others. It requires an uncommon generosity that often lies just outside my grasp. I am becoming increasingly convinced that our current modern way of life discourages, if not renders completely hopeless, the exercise of grace in our day to day lives. Until, that is, I'm proven wrong, most often in the small and simple gestures of good and common people. This week I am acutely aware of the grace in those around me, and the largeness of their souls. And I am thankful.

Listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f-mzWy-lT0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMF_24cQqT0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJg5Op5W7yw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rfkXbVcudc

I'm Sorry Baby

abuse.

Domestic violence and emotional abuse are closely linked, emotional abuse often being a "gateway drug" to full blown physical violence. Emotional abuse includes verbal abuse such as yelling, screaming, ridicule and name-calling. Constant criticism, threats, social isolation, exploitation, intimidation and stalking are also forms of emotional abuse. Statistics on emotional abuse are hard to come by, but most experts agree that the numbers far outreach those for physical abuse.
The numbers: Nationally, one in four women, regardless of class or race, is expected to experience domestic violence in her lifetime. 75% of women reporting rape stated their attacker was an intimate partner of some kind. Three women a day are murdered a day by their intimate partners.

But it doesn't take fists to to traumatize or victimize a partner. Yelling, insults, emotional blackmail, unjustified accusations, and behavioral punishment can be just as hurtful and damaging as physical violence. And emotional abuse is much harder to identify.

On average, only 21% of victims are thought to seek outside help.

Abuse victims are generally ashamed of it, in part because they have been manipulated to believe that they deserve it, but also because abusers are often good at hiding their behaviors, reserving them for home. So they don't tell anyone. But its real, and scary, and sad. And entirely preventable. Perhaps there should be a place in all our discussions of change for those changes that must begin at home. Perhaps our greater humanity is more closely tied to our treatment of those closest to us, the ones we claim to love, the ones we share our lives with, than we are willing to admit. We cry out against the treatment of our detainees, but let our friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers suffer in silence.

We will not achieve compassion on the global stage if we do not address our treatment of one another in the simple goings on of everyday life.

If you need help:
National Domestic Violence Hotline1-800-799-SAFE (7233)1-800-787-3224 (TDD)

Statistics Courtesy of :
Domestic Violence Resource Center P.O. Box 494 Hillsboro, OR 97123 p 503.640.5352 f 503.648.6905

The Economy: On the Dole

compassion.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the number of unemployed persons in the U.S. has increased by 4.1 million in the last twelve months. That's half the population of New York City, or forty times the population of Eugene, Oregon. It's entire towns, graduating classes, families. And we haven't begun to see the beginning of the worst. There is still savings to burn, pension plans to liquidate, homes to sell, unemployment benefits to be had. But soon, there won't be. A time will come, perhaps quite soon, that Americans will have to do something they haven't done in a very long time, rely on the kindness, generosity, and ingenuity of their communities.

I would feel better about this prospect if we, as a nation, had shown some kind of aptitude for either community building or compassion, but we haven't. This is evidenced by our continued support of faith systems and policy makers that divide us based on arbitrary and often harmful stereotypes, greed, and outdated value systems and paradigms.

But we voted for change, and it will not come passively. It is time to fight the good fight.

Our Boys and Girls

terrifying.

The US Army announced last week that 24 soldiers are thought to have committed suicide in January. That's six times the number of suicides in January of 2008. More than 30% of service men and women seek out psychological help after deployment, in spite of existing stigmas. For comparison, 16 Army personnel were lost in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq this January. A senior Army official reporting these numbers characterized them as "terrifying".

And it is. And it's our young people. And we are ruining them to preserve and protect a status quo, a bygone value system, and an imaginary economic dominance. Do any of us even know anymore if they are supposed to be protecting us or we are supposed to be protecting them?

Raise Your Hand

faith.

A moment of prayer, joy, and hope, captured at the inaguration. A good reminder that now is the time for us to stand up and be counted. A reminder that we are all one voice, one helping hand, one foot soldier pushing towards a new way of being in the world. It is the actions of individuals that will steer the path of the masses.