from Healing Into Life and Death:
"Nothing has to be different for us to be whole. It is not a matter of change as much as it is of merciful acceptance. We don't even have to be less angry or less frightened or less doubtful. We don't have to be more loving, or more compassionate or more wise. To be whole is just to take ourselves within wholeheartedly, to meet even our lovelessness, our mercilessness, with a deeper ahhhh!"
May you dwell in the open heart
May you be free from suffering
May you be healed wherever healing is called for
May you know your deepest joy, your greatest peace
always ourselves we love the least
that's the burden of the Angel/Beast
- Bruce Cockburn
~~~~
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Liberal English
A good example of why politicians can say so much and mean so little. Or, how history re-writes itself!!
Judy Wallman, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Stéphane Dion, the ex-leader of Canada's Liberal Party, had a great-great-uncle, Robert Dion, who was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Québec in 1889. The only known photograph of Dion shows him standing on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription: "Robert Dion; horse thief, sent to Quebec Provincial Prison 1883, escaped 1887, robbed the Canadian Pacific Railway six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted, and hanged in 1889."
Judy e-mailed Stéphane Dion for comments. Dion's staff sent back the following biographical sketch:
"Robert Dion was a famous horseman in Québec. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave in 1887 to resume his dealings with the railroad. Subsequently, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Dion passed away during an important civic function held in his honour, when the platform on which he was standing collapsed."
so fine, so fine the web you spin
you spin your web and you draw me in
spin, spin, spin, spin
~~~~
Judy Wallman, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Stéphane Dion, the ex-leader of Canada's Liberal Party, had a great-great-uncle, Robert Dion, who was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Québec in 1889. The only known photograph of Dion shows him standing on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription: "Robert Dion; horse thief, sent to Quebec Provincial Prison 1883, escaped 1887, robbed the Canadian Pacific Railway six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted, and hanged in 1889."
Judy e-mailed Stéphane Dion for comments. Dion's staff sent back the following biographical sketch:
"Robert Dion was a famous horseman in Québec. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave in 1887 to resume his dealings with the railroad. Subsequently, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Dion passed away during an important civic function held in his honour, when the platform on which he was standing collapsed."
so fine, so fine the web you spin
you spin your web and you draw me in
spin, spin, spin, spin
~~~~
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
How We Die
Reflections on Life's Final Chapter
Just finished reading How We Die by Sherwin B. Nuland. In this compelling and deeply moving book, Nuland eloquently describes the various processes by which our bodies inevitably age and die. His ability to blend clinical accuracy with a profound compassion transforms what is too often a painful and much-avoided topic into a natural unfolding and ultimately a celebration of the human spirit.
"We have been given the miracle of life because trillions upon trillions of living things have prepared the way for us and then have died - in a sense, for us. We die, in turn, so that others may live. The tragedy of a single individual becomes, in the balance of natural things, the triumph of ongoing life."
"The dignity that we seek in dying must be found in the dignity with which we have lived our lives. Ars moriendi is ars vivendi: The art of dying is the art of living. The honesty and grace of the years of life that are ending is the real measure of how we die. It is not in the last weeks or days that we compose the message that will be remembered, but in all the decades that preceded them."
Gone from mystery into mystery
Gone from daylight into night
Another step deeper into darkness
Closer to the light
- Bruce Cockburn
~~~~
Just finished reading How We Die by Sherwin B. Nuland. In this compelling and deeply moving book, Nuland eloquently describes the various processes by which our bodies inevitably age and die. His ability to blend clinical accuracy with a profound compassion transforms what is too often a painful and much-avoided topic into a natural unfolding and ultimately a celebration of the human spirit.
"We have been given the miracle of life because trillions upon trillions of living things have prepared the way for us and then have died - in a sense, for us. We die, in turn, so that others may live. The tragedy of a single individual becomes, in the balance of natural things, the triumph of ongoing life."
"The dignity that we seek in dying must be found in the dignity with which we have lived our lives. Ars moriendi is ars vivendi: The art of dying is the art of living. The honesty and grace of the years of life that are ending is the real measure of how we die. It is not in the last weeks or days that we compose the message that will be remembered, but in all the decades that preceded them."
Gone from mystery into mystery
Gone from daylight into night
Another step deeper into darkness
Closer to the light
- Bruce Cockburn
~~~~
Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Story of Stuff
"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."
But the video is only the beginning. As Annie Leonard says in the film, “the good thing about such an all pervasive problem is that there are so many points of intervention.” That means that there are lots and lots of places to plug in, to get involved, and to make a difference. There is no single simple thing to do, because the set of problems we’re addressing just isn’t simple. Everyone can make a difference, but the bigger your action the bigger the difference you’ll make. Here are some ideas for starters: 10 Little and Big Things You Can Do.
but what it can't get I can't use
~~~~
But the video is only the beginning. As Annie Leonard says in the film, “the good thing about such an all pervasive problem is that there are so many points of intervention.” That means that there are lots and lots of places to plug in, to get involved, and to make a difference. There is no single simple thing to do, because the set of problems we’re addressing just isn’t simple. Everyone can make a difference, but the bigger your action the bigger the difference you’ll make. Here are some ideas for starters: 10 Little and Big Things You Can Do.
Definitely bookmarking this site.
money don't get everything, it's truebut what it can't get I can't use
~~~~
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream
I attended this symposium today, April 18, 2009 at the Halifax Shambhala Centre along with about 50 others. It was led by Leila Bruno.
These are my notes - realizing that they are hopelessly inadequate to convey the warmth and power of the program, nevertheless I wanted to share some of the insights with you. Many of the ideas are not new but it is encouraging to hear of so many individuals, groups and organizations springing up at every level, locally and globally, to address the concerns that face us all.
The purpose of the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream program to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet.
There is an already emerging movement and we are part of this. We need individual, small-scale protests to continue - this is how change happens.
MicMac Grandfather Billy does a blessing/purification ceremony at the beginning and end to bring energy back to the heart. There is a new beginning between now and 2012 - this is what Pachamama is all about. Pachamama can be translated as Earth Mother, Universe and All Our Relations. Water is the blood of our Mother Earth and it is being threatened everywhere.
Four questions we will be exploring:
Where are we?
How did we get here?
What’s possible for the future?
How do we get there?
Pachamama Alliance was formed to help the Achuar tribe in the rainforest in Ecuador who have been displaced by petroleum interests. Rather than replace their culture with another, the Achuar and the Alliance are working together to blend the traditional earth wisdom with technical expertise and funding. We need to "change the dream of the modern world" to save the natural world.
The prophecy of the eagle (materialismj) and condor (earth-based wisdom) is coming true - there has been a 500 year cycle during which the eagle has dominated but the eagle and the condor have begun to fly together - "dancing together in one sky".
Where Are We?
Environmentally:
What is our current relationship with the planet, each other and ourselves? We have such a great opportunity to explore this question.
Industrial Revolution led to a population explosion which has continued. The earth is under very severe stress and human activity is putting an intolerable strain on the earth’s natural life-support systems. Climate change, resulting from burning fossil fuels, is the most imminent threat - we are already seeing extreme changes in weather patterns.
We are in the midst of a global mass extinction - African lions, tigers, elephants, 90% of large fish are gone from the oceans.
The "ecological footprint" is an accounting tool - by 2007 we were using 30% more resources than nature can keep up with. If this trend continues, by 2050 we will be using resources at twice the capacity of the planet to cope. We don’t have 50 years to solve this crisis. Nothing this destructive has happened in 65 million years. It is so catastrophic we can’t conceptually relate to it - what we need to do is to really feel the grief in our hearts.
Environmental justice - race and class still determine what type of environment people live in. When we destroy natural environments people are displaced to cities. This puts them at risk for many health and social problems because of the polluted air and other stresses. This impacts minorities hardest - blacks, native people, Hispanics.
Socially:
Ideally every person in society has an equal opportunity to live a fulfilling life and all are treated with equal dignity.
We are part of a world-wide society and we are inter-dependent. The notion that we can prosper individually just doesn’t work. We take so much for granted - food, clothes, shelter, etc. We care more about our personal economic well-being than about the well-being of society.
Spiritually:
There is a "great loneliness of spirit" - we feel hopeless and overwhelmed. This is how our lives are reflected to us, but we still yearn for connection with nature, each other and with ourselves. Mass consumption is fueled by loneliness and a culture of isolation and increasing depression. Children witness thousands of hours of violence on TV each year.
As we open to the pain of all this, we can use the energy of our grief to power our inspiration and our efforts.
How Did We Get Here?
Wendell Berry: "We can [not] live harmlessly or strictly at our own expense; we depend upon other creatures and survive by their deaths. To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of creation. The point is, when we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament; when we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration……in such desecration, we condemn ourselves to spiritual and moral loneliness, and others to want."
Human decisions and behavior, not evolution, have led us to this predicament. Thomas Berry - we need to change our human presence from a destructive one to a benign and constructive one.
Our worldview has become unsustainable. We feel ourselves separate from other species, largely because of technology. Our actions follow from our view - we have to examine our assumptions. One is that the natural world is there for us to use as we see fit. Since the post-Industrial Revolution population explosion this attitude has become destructive.
When we throw something away, we could ask ourselves, "Where is away?" There is no such place as away. We are throwing the planet and its people away. We are literally "trashing" the planet - disposables are insidious - disposable cups, species, people, cultures. This is the core mindset.
Once we see our assumptions we can consciously make different choices.
Most of our assumptions are based on our idea of a separate self - separate from nature and from each other. We are related to everything on earth. Whatever we do to the earth, we do to ourselves. Whatever we do to each other, we do to ourselves. We have developed a reductionistic view of the natural world since the Industrial Revolution and the advent of modern technology. The Earth is our mother - whatever befalls the earth befalls us. We did not weave the web of life - we are merely a strand in it.
We have been using the wrong operating manual - but there is good news. Humans are not fundamentally flawed, we are simply mistaken, and that means we can change our behavior.
Assumptions (from group discussions)
- someone else will take care of it
- don’t question progress
- it can’t happen to me
- I deserve what I have
- rationality is superior to feeling
- more is better
- money fixes everything
- entertainment is engagement, not distraction
- the individual is the most important unit
- our actions have no consequences
- earth’s resources are infinite
- if we can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist
- humans are separate from, and superior to, other species
- technology will save us
- we have lots of time
- technology helps us communicate
- new is better
- chaos is un-natural
- capitalism works
- I can’t make any difference
- my happiness is #1
- we’re right, they’re wrong
Unintended results of these assumptions:
- loneliness
- separation
- more consumption
- bullying > aggression > wars
- enemy making
- ethnic cleansing
- misogyny
- small view - me, mine
- everybody needs their own space
- lack of urgency - just put it off
- no spiritual connection
- individual is primary
What is Possible for the Future?
Pachamama Alliance - the indigenous connectedness of the world joined with modern science.
The human story is the story of the universe. An emerging universe is a new concept, but we have been profoundly related for a long time - we came out of the earth - thus we are kin with all beings. There is a profound wisdom at work in the universe.
Big Bang happened 13.7 billion years ago - all space and all time started at that one point. Everything came out of that molten rock - creativity and consciousness as well as all sensory phenomena and all life forms. We are cosmological beings - we are the universe in the form of a human.
Our current path is unsustainable. But can humanity really transform in such a fundamental way? Humans have the creativity - the future is in our hands, once we are aligned with others. We have seen so many changes already that would never have seemed possible and that started with one individual.
We need to engage in holding actions (stop harming), pro-actions (start helping) and consciousness raising. All three are necessary. We need to know what is happening in our local areas as well as globally.
The Emerging Dream
Paul Hawken - "there is a movement, the most diverse ever seen, a global movement where no one is in charge - a shared understanding that has its origins in indigenous culture, environment and social consciousness issues. This is the coming world. We are in the largest social movement in the history of humanity. Our actions now will determine the future."
Grassroots actions make the most difference - it is where we can start as individuals. We have the means to address our global problems - we can emulate nature and work with it rather than destroy it. In terms of our personal spiritual growth, once we become aware of this movement, we will see it everywhere. It is who we are. The crisis of imagination and creativity needs to happen now. We need to speak from the heart about what we care about.
Where Do We Go From Here?
George Bernard Shaw: "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
"I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
So what do we do now that we know?
The Power of One is the power to do something. Authentic action comes from the heart - feel it, don’t think too much about it.
Community is vital - we are already profoundly interconnected - we must work together. There are no ‘single’ issues. We need to be able to combine what we already know into what we need. But we don’t have much time. The word community means coming into unity - together we are a genius.
"When a caterpillar reaches a certain point in its own evolution, it becomes over-consumptive, a voracious eater and it eats everything in sight.
At that same time, in the molecular structure of the caterpillar, the "imaginal cells" become active. While all this gorging is going on, those imaginal cells wake up, and they look for each other inside of the caterpillar’s body. When enough of them connect (they don't need to be in the majority) they become the genetic directors of the future of the caterpillar. At that point the other cells begin to putrefy and become what’s called the nutritive soup——out of which the imaginal cells create the absolute unpredictable miracle of the butterfly.
What’s possible is that we're the imaginal cells on the planet right now. "
Inspired by Elisabet Sahtouris
We don’t have to be in the majority to effect change but we do have to work together. Today we have created a cadre of local citizens who have woken up and who have a vision for the future. This is what we call Blessed Unrest. We will become the instrument through which the world works.
Hope is a state of mind that is already in us - it is the certainty that a course of action makes sense, no matter how it turns out. If only one person in the world has hope and is committed to action, then there is hope in the world. We get to start over every day and this is a miracle.
We stand now at the moment of creation. This is the moment when the human species can rise to its full potential. We have the opportunity to live the most meaningful lives ever lived. We are the people we’ve been waiting for, and we have enough love to save the planet.
And as if that weren't enough for one day, there was a wombat video!
~~~~
I’ve seen the nations rise and fall
I’ve heard their stories, heard them all
but love’s the only engine of survival
LC
~~~~
These are my notes - realizing that they are hopelessly inadequate to convey the warmth and power of the program, nevertheless I wanted to share some of the insights with you. Many of the ideas are not new but it is encouraging to hear of so many individuals, groups and organizations springing up at every level, locally and globally, to address the concerns that face us all.
The purpose of the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream program to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet.
There is an already emerging movement and we are part of this. We need individual, small-scale protests to continue - this is how change happens.
MicMac Grandfather Billy does a blessing/purification ceremony at the beginning and end to bring energy back to the heart. There is a new beginning between now and 2012 - this is what Pachamama is all about. Pachamama can be translated as Earth Mother, Universe and All Our Relations. Water is the blood of our Mother Earth and it is being threatened everywhere.
Four questions we will be exploring:
Where are we?
How did we get here?
What’s possible for the future?
How do we get there?
Pachamama Alliance was formed to help the Achuar tribe in the rainforest in Ecuador who have been displaced by petroleum interests. Rather than replace their culture with another, the Achuar and the Alliance are working together to blend the traditional earth wisdom with technical expertise and funding. We need to "change the dream of the modern world" to save the natural world.
The prophecy of the eagle (materialismj) and condor (earth-based wisdom) is coming true - there has been a 500 year cycle during which the eagle has dominated but the eagle and the condor have begun to fly together - "dancing together in one sky".
Where Are We?
Environmentally:
What is our current relationship with the planet, each other and ourselves? We have such a great opportunity to explore this question.
Industrial Revolution led to a population explosion which has continued. The earth is under very severe stress and human activity is putting an intolerable strain on the earth’s natural life-support systems. Climate change, resulting from burning fossil fuels, is the most imminent threat - we are already seeing extreme changes in weather patterns.
We are in the midst of a global mass extinction - African lions, tigers, elephants, 90% of large fish are gone from the oceans.
The "ecological footprint" is an accounting tool - by 2007 we were using 30% more resources than nature can keep up with. If this trend continues, by 2050 we will be using resources at twice the capacity of the planet to cope. We don’t have 50 years to solve this crisis. Nothing this destructive has happened in 65 million years. It is so catastrophic we can’t conceptually relate to it - what we need to do is to really feel the grief in our hearts.
Environmental justice - race and class still determine what type of environment people live in. When we destroy natural environments people are displaced to cities. This puts them at risk for many health and social problems because of the polluted air and other stresses. This impacts minorities hardest - blacks, native people, Hispanics.
Socially:
Ideally every person in society has an equal opportunity to live a fulfilling life and all are treated with equal dignity.
We are part of a world-wide society and we are inter-dependent. The notion that we can prosper individually just doesn’t work. We take so much for granted - food, clothes, shelter, etc. We care more about our personal economic well-being than about the well-being of society.
Spiritually:
There is a "great loneliness of spirit" - we feel hopeless and overwhelmed. This is how our lives are reflected to us, but we still yearn for connection with nature, each other and with ourselves. Mass consumption is fueled by loneliness and a culture of isolation and increasing depression. Children witness thousands of hours of violence on TV each year.
As we open to the pain of all this, we can use the energy of our grief to power our inspiration and our efforts.
How Did We Get Here?
Wendell Berry: "We can [not] live harmlessly or strictly at our own expense; we depend upon other creatures and survive by their deaths. To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of creation. The point is, when we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament; when we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration……in such desecration, we condemn ourselves to spiritual and moral loneliness, and others to want."
Human decisions and behavior, not evolution, have led us to this predicament. Thomas Berry - we need to change our human presence from a destructive one to a benign and constructive one.
Our worldview has become unsustainable. We feel ourselves separate from other species, largely because of technology. Our actions follow from our view - we have to examine our assumptions. One is that the natural world is there for us to use as we see fit. Since the post-Industrial Revolution population explosion this attitude has become destructive.
When we throw something away, we could ask ourselves, "Where is away?" There is no such place as away. We are throwing the planet and its people away. We are literally "trashing" the planet - disposables are insidious - disposable cups, species, people, cultures. This is the core mindset.
Once we see our assumptions we can consciously make different choices.
Most of our assumptions are based on our idea of a separate self - separate from nature and from each other. We are related to everything on earth. Whatever we do to the earth, we do to ourselves. Whatever we do to each other, we do to ourselves. We have developed a reductionistic view of the natural world since the Industrial Revolution and the advent of modern technology. The Earth is our mother - whatever befalls the earth befalls us. We did not weave the web of life - we are merely a strand in it.
We have been using the wrong operating manual - but there is good news. Humans are not fundamentally flawed, we are simply mistaken, and that means we can change our behavior.
Assumptions (from group discussions)
- someone else will take care of it
- don’t question progress
- it can’t happen to me
- I deserve what I have
- rationality is superior to feeling
- more is better
- money fixes everything
- entertainment is engagement, not distraction
- the individual is the most important unit
- our actions have no consequences
- earth’s resources are infinite
- if we can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist
- humans are separate from, and superior to, other species
- technology will save us
- we have lots of time
- technology helps us communicate
- new is better
- chaos is un-natural
- capitalism works
- I can’t make any difference
- my happiness is #1
- we’re right, they’re wrong
Unintended results of these assumptions:
- loneliness
- separation
- more consumption
- bullying > aggression > wars
- enemy making
- ethnic cleansing
- misogyny
- small view - me, mine
- everybody needs their own space
- lack of urgency - just put it off
- no spiritual connection
- individual is primary
What is Possible for the Future?
Pachamama Alliance - the indigenous connectedness of the world joined with modern science.
The human story is the story of the universe. An emerging universe is a new concept, but we have been profoundly related for a long time - we came out of the earth - thus we are kin with all beings. There is a profound wisdom at work in the universe.
Big Bang happened 13.7 billion years ago - all space and all time started at that one point. Everything came out of that molten rock - creativity and consciousness as well as all sensory phenomena and all life forms. We are cosmological beings - we are the universe in the form of a human.
Our current path is unsustainable. But can humanity really transform in such a fundamental way? Humans have the creativity - the future is in our hands, once we are aligned with others. We have seen so many changes already that would never have seemed possible and that started with one individual.
We need to engage in holding actions (stop harming), pro-actions (start helping) and consciousness raising. All three are necessary. We need to know what is happening in our local areas as well as globally.
The Emerging Dream
Paul Hawken - "there is a movement, the most diverse ever seen, a global movement where no one is in charge - a shared understanding that has its origins in indigenous culture, environment and social consciousness issues. This is the coming world. We are in the largest social movement in the history of humanity. Our actions now will determine the future."
Grassroots actions make the most difference - it is where we can start as individuals. We have the means to address our global problems - we can emulate nature and work with it rather than destroy it. In terms of our personal spiritual growth, once we become aware of this movement, we will see it everywhere. It is who we are. The crisis of imagination and creativity needs to happen now. We need to speak from the heart about what we care about.
Where Do We Go From Here?
George Bernard Shaw: "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
"I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
So what do we do now that we know?
The Power of One is the power to do something. Authentic action comes from the heart - feel it, don’t think too much about it.
Community is vital - we are already profoundly interconnected - we must work together. There are no ‘single’ issues. We need to be able to combine what we already know into what we need. But we don’t have much time. The word community means coming into unity - together we are a genius.
"When a caterpillar reaches a certain point in its own evolution, it becomes over-consumptive, a voracious eater and it eats everything in sight.
At that same time, in the molecular structure of the caterpillar, the "imaginal cells" become active. While all this gorging is going on, those imaginal cells wake up, and they look for each other inside of the caterpillar’s body. When enough of them connect (they don't need to be in the majority) they become the genetic directors of the future of the caterpillar. At that point the other cells begin to putrefy and become what’s called the nutritive soup——out of which the imaginal cells create the absolute unpredictable miracle of the butterfly.
What’s possible is that we're the imaginal cells on the planet right now. "
Inspired by Elisabet Sahtouris
We don’t have to be in the majority to effect change but we do have to work together. Today we have created a cadre of local citizens who have woken up and who have a vision for the future. This is what we call Blessed Unrest. We will become the instrument through which the world works.
Hope is a state of mind that is already in us - it is the certainty that a course of action makes sense, no matter how it turns out. If only one person in the world has hope and is committed to action, then there is hope in the world. We get to start over every day and this is a miracle.
We stand now at the moment of creation. This is the moment when the human species can rise to its full potential. We have the opportunity to live the most meaningful lives ever lived. We are the people we’ve been waiting for, and we have enough love to save the planet.
And as if that weren't enough for one day, there was a wombat video!
~~~~
I’ve seen the nations rise and fall
I’ve heard their stories, heard them all
but love’s the only engine of survival
LC
~~~~
Friday, April 17, 2009
Opening To Our Lives
Jon Kabat-Zinn's Science of Mindfulness
Interview by Krista Tippett, Host of Speaking Of Faith, a program on American Public Radio.
Scientist and author Jon Kabat-Zinn has changed medicine through his work on meditation and stress. We explore what he has learned, through science and experience, about mindfulness as a way of life; about slowing down time, as he says, and "opening to our lives." This is wisdom with immediate relevance to the ordinary and extreme stresses of our time; from economic peril, to parenting, to life in a digital age.
The real challenge that defines our humanity is this: how do we take on reality as it unfolds, navigate it, and truly stay awake and alive in this moment of life, whatever its contours. And here is the silver lining, if you will, of Buddhism's frank insistence on suffering as a feature of life: a parallel insistence that equanimity and even joy are within our grasp in every moment, without anything at all needing to change. The stakes for getting this right are high. As Thoreau said, in one of Jon Kabat-Zinn's favorite lines, "Only that day dawns to which we are awake."
Kabat-Zinn: "All of us... are being called upon to find out who we are and to live that authentically in the service of the world..."
no agenda
just this moment
just this breath
~~~~
Interview by Krista Tippett, Host of Speaking Of Faith, a program on American Public Radio.
Scientist and author Jon Kabat-Zinn has changed medicine through his work on meditation and stress. We explore what he has learned, through science and experience, about mindfulness as a way of life; about slowing down time, as he says, and "opening to our lives." This is wisdom with immediate relevance to the ordinary and extreme stresses of our time; from economic peril, to parenting, to life in a digital age.
The real challenge that defines our humanity is this: how do we take on reality as it unfolds, navigate it, and truly stay awake and alive in this moment of life, whatever its contours. And here is the silver lining, if you will, of Buddhism's frank insistence on suffering as a feature of life: a parallel insistence that equanimity and even joy are within our grasp in every moment, without anything at all needing to change. The stakes for getting this right are high. As Thoreau said, in one of Jon Kabat-Zinn's favorite lines, "Only that day dawns to which we are awake."
Kabat-Zinn: "All of us... are being called upon to find out who we are and to live that authentically in the service of the world..."
no agenda
just this moment
just this breath
~~~~
Technically Incorrect
This is a fun website, with such (apparently real) news items as:
Is technology ruining children's lives in Colorado?
Obama gives queen an iPod (she already has two)
Domino's apologizes for booger-sandwich video
Oh, so now Twitter is making us immoral
Woman discovers apartment trashed on Facebook
Gmail now knows who you want to e-mail
and many many more
Warning: you might wanna think twice about ordering that Domino's pizza.
I read the news today, oh boy!
~~~~
Is technology ruining children's lives in Colorado?
Obama gives queen an iPod (she already has two)
Domino's apologizes for booger-sandwich video
Oh, so now Twitter is making us immoral
Woman discovers apartment trashed on Facebook
Gmail now knows who you want to e-mail
and many many more
Warning: you might wanna think twice about ordering that Domino's pizza.
I read the news today, oh boy!
~~~~
Lonely in an Electronic Wilderness:
"The Great Emotional Sickness of Our Era"
(click on title for full article)
Handan Tülay Satiroglu is a Turkish-American independent journalist who divides her time between the U.S. and Europe.
iPods and Blackberries offer instant access to a virtual world, but are technological gadgets keeping people apart and breaking down society?
Derek V. Smith, author of A Survival Guide in the Information Age:
"Technology does not loan you money or come by to see you when you are sick or sad. It may connect you with someone who does, but the characteristics that are truly human must be transmitted by humans," surmises Derek Smith. "Much of the human experience is about sight, sound, smell, touch, and intuition that in turn require human contact and proximity."
Dr. Aric Sigman, Psychologist:
Dr. Sigman believes that spending too much solitary time with the almighty gizmo may actually change our chemical makeup. In a recent article on the technology news website cNet, he cautions internet addicts that "there does seem to be a difference between 'real presence' and the virtual variety."
"There's something to be said for the spontaneity and richness that only a real-life meaningful encounter with a person can bring. After all, how do you convey with electronic devices the magic of a smile, hug, handshake or infectious laughter?"
(click on title for full article)
Handan Tülay Satiroglu is a Turkish-American independent journalist who divides her time between the U.S. and Europe.
iPods and Blackberries offer instant access to a virtual world, but are technological gadgets keeping people apart and breaking down society?
Derek V. Smith, author of A Survival Guide in the Information Age:
"Technology does not loan you money or come by to see you when you are sick or sad. It may connect you with someone who does, but the characteristics that are truly human must be transmitted by humans," surmises Derek Smith. "Much of the human experience is about sight, sound, smell, touch, and intuition that in turn require human contact and proximity."
Dr. Aric Sigman, Psychologist:
Dr. Sigman believes that spending too much solitary time with the almighty gizmo may actually change our chemical makeup. In a recent article on the technology news website cNet, he cautions internet addicts that "there does seem to be a difference between 'real presence' and the virtual variety."
"There's something to be said for the spontaneity and richness that only a real-life meaningful encounter with a person can bring. After all, how do you convey with electronic devices the magic of a smile, hug, handshake or infectious laughter?"
Gonna back away from the computer now -- well just one more link.... oh, that looks interesting... I wonder if the wireless signal could be beamed straight into my cerebral cortex or wherever, or maybe cloning is the answer, I and I could drift between real and virtual. Okay, backing away NOW -- going outside where there's air and birds and a really really big sky and the smell of rich moist earth that sqishes under your feet. Later over to the Lodge and see some, whaddayacallums, ... people, yeah, people.
and I'm crazy for love
but I'm not comin' on
I'm just paying my rent every day...
LC
~~~~
Monday, April 13, 2009
25th day of Spring 2009
Just when you thought it was safe to put the snow shovels away...
And the seasons they go round and round...
~~~~
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Secular Web
A drop of reason in a pool of confusion...
Just found this website today. The kiosk has a variety of easily-digested articles on topics ranging from Atheism to Theology.
~~~~
Just found this website today. The kiosk has a variety of easily-digested articles on topics ranging from Atheism to Theology.
One I liked is:
Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion -- by Dale McGowan
"...there is no rock that can't be upended if you think there might be something under it."
http://www.infidels.org/~~~~
Is God All In Your Head?
Inside science's quest to solve the mystery of consciousness.
by Craig Hamilton
Apparently the mind/body "problem" is as enigmatic as ever. In this article the author broadly explores what David Chalmers calls the hard problem -- the question of how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience. Does the brain create consciousness? Can reductionist scientific theory explain our most basic experience of being alive? If consciousness is, in fact, created by our brain, what does this say about the truth of our perceived reality?
Some excerpts from the article:
Francis Crick
Co-discoverer of the DNA helix
"You, your joys and sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules...You are nothing but a pack of neurons"
Paul Bloom
Developmental psychologist, describing a conversation with his six-year-old son Max about the function of the brain:
"Max said ....it is very important and involved in a lot of thinking--but it is not the source of feeling sad or dreaming or loving his brother. Max said that’s what he does, though he admitted that his brain might help him out."
Bloom, who clearly aligns himself with the neuroscientific perspective, goes on to explain that "studies from developmental psychology suggest that young children do not see their brain as the source of conscious experience and will. They see it instead as a tool we use for certain mental operations. It is a cognitive prosthesis, added to the soul to increase its computing power." And, Bloom laments, "This understanding might not be so different from that of many adults."
Andrew Newberg
Radiologist at U.Penn Med Center, meditation researcher and author of The Mystical Mind and Why God Won’t Go Away
"When people have mystical experiences, they universally report that they have experienced something that is more real than our everyday material reality. ...which means that the brain perceives God, or pure consciousness, to be more real than anything else. So if the brain is what determines what is real and what isn’t, and this is a universal experience of human brains across cultures, where does that leave us?"
"The belief that matter is primary provides a good basis for explaining the material world", he said, "but it can give no clear answer as to where consciousness comes from. On the other hand, if we take a religious perspective and say that consciousness is primary, it’s not so easy to explain the existence of matter. My own feeling is that perhaps consciousness and matter are two ways of looking at the same thing. But I think the bottom line is that we really don’t know yet."
Towards the end of the article the author suggests that in an ironic turn of events, brain science just might end up supporting humanity's spiritual aspirations in a way no one expected, and leaves us with this challenge -- can we find a world view big enough to include it all?
What about the bond ?
What about the mystical Unity?
- Bruce Cockburn
~~~~
by Craig Hamilton
Apparently the mind/body "problem" is as enigmatic as ever. In this article the author broadly explores what David Chalmers calls the hard problem -- the question of how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience. Does the brain create consciousness? Can reductionist scientific theory explain our most basic experience of being alive? If consciousness is, in fact, created by our brain, what does this say about the truth of our perceived reality?
Some excerpts from the article:
Francis Crick
Co-discoverer of the DNA helix
"You, your joys and sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules...You are nothing but a pack of neurons"
Paul Bloom
Developmental psychologist, describing a conversation with his six-year-old son Max about the function of the brain:
"Max said ....it is very important and involved in a lot of thinking--but it is not the source of feeling sad or dreaming or loving his brother. Max said that’s what he does, though he admitted that his brain might help him out."
Bloom, who clearly aligns himself with the neuroscientific perspective, goes on to explain that "studies from developmental psychology suggest that young children do not see their brain as the source of conscious experience and will. They see it instead as a tool we use for certain mental operations. It is a cognitive prosthesis, added to the soul to increase its computing power." And, Bloom laments, "This understanding might not be so different from that of many adults."
Andrew Newberg
Radiologist at U.Penn Med Center, meditation researcher and author of The Mystical Mind and Why God Won’t Go Away
"When people have mystical experiences, they universally report that they have experienced something that is more real than our everyday material reality. ...which means that the brain perceives God, or pure consciousness, to be more real than anything else. So if the brain is what determines what is real and what isn’t, and this is a universal experience of human brains across cultures, where does that leave us?"
"The belief that matter is primary provides a good basis for explaining the material world", he said, "but it can give no clear answer as to where consciousness comes from. On the other hand, if we take a religious perspective and say that consciousness is primary, it’s not so easy to explain the existence of matter. My own feeling is that perhaps consciousness and matter are two ways of looking at the same thing. But I think the bottom line is that we really don’t know yet."
Towards the end of the article the author suggests that in an ironic turn of events, brain science just might end up supporting humanity's spiritual aspirations in a way no one expected, and leaves us with this challenge -- can we find a world view big enough to include it all?
What about the bond ?
What about the mystical Unity?
- Bruce Cockburn
~~~~
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