Category: Be Human

Being Human is a Practice

John Trudell was a Native American poet, activist, and as his biography states, a survivor of government repression and tragedy. Both he and Grace Lee Boggs, the Asian American activist, author and philosopher passed in 2015, but not before they left us with prophetic words and wisdom to help navigate this time.  

It’s easy to become disillusioned and numb. It takes courage and conviction in humanity to traverse these times. In this past week, people used social media to call forth the Rapture. I call that taking the easy way out. The quest for the pearly gates at the cost of the destruction of the earth and disregard of human beings is symptomatic. It means you’re unwilling to take responsibility for living. It means you have lost your dignity and the creative force needed to transcend this moment.

We have adopted corrupt systems that are failing us and either we can accept that and fight to change course – or we will go down in flames dreaming of the pearly gates. 

John Trudell told us to “Protect your spirit, because you are in the place where spirits get eaten.” He urged us to clear thinking and to discover our humanity. Grace Lee Boggs warned us not to struggle against existing institutions, but to “make a philosophical, spiritual leap to become more “human” human beings. I encourage everyone to become familiar with their works and those of other human beings that chose wisdom over ignorance and humanity over division.

We are up against a tidal wave of lies and beliefs that cut to the core of our humanity. Fighting back demands clarity and a firm grasp of who we are. We are human beings. Not slaves to an economy, not disposable to war, and not shackled to dogmas that do not serve us. 

Being human is a daily practice and it is our way out. Find your way to being human.

I know no other way

In Chinese medicine, as with Indigenous healing there are principles that direct the course. One is to go to the root of the illness, not simply treat symptoms. Ideally, we should get to the source before the dis – ease has materialized in the body. That is how observant we should be about health; taking notice of all nuances that lead to disharmony. 

Another principle is that disease is never isolated to one individual. The healing often includes family and community. If an individual displays dis-harmony, it’s understood that it is also present in their associations. Community plays a large part in healing and adversely can contribute to illness.

We live in unharmonious times. Hatred and violence are normalized and accepted. Our children live in fear of other.  Biases and judgement keep people in isolation, never learning about or from each other. Media, politics and religion contribute to this reckless inhumanity. People are rewarded for their hatred, falsely seen as piety or patriotism. 

My Dine mentor taught traditional weaving. It was prayerful and deliberate. We were encouraged to dream and to replicate the dreaming into the weaving. Weaving taught discipline. You learned what mistakes you could live with and the ones you could not. One of the most significant understandings was to always have a way out. Traditional Navajo rugs always have that way out woven into them. 

So, what is the way out of this mess we have woven? 

The way out I choose is to discover my humanity and recognize it in others. To celebrate humanity in all its splendor and to be grateful for the gift of life. That is my way out. I know no other way. 

I have zero tolerance for the denial of my humanity…or the denial of the humanity of others. And I cling to the reality of my breathe as a source of hope, healing and courage.

Lies On Steroids

Our collective history is filled with violence. When white settlers arrived on these shores they carried with them vestiges of what had been done to them. They brought persecution, conquering, and a kind of capitalism that requires a lower rung. Class struggle, theft of land, and when all else failed, the ultimate silencing of people who deemed to be different, or were different by design. The attempted cover-ups and twisting of history are not new. They’re simply now on steroids.

We refuse to believe what we know to be true: that we live on stolen land, that enslaved and impoverished people built this country and that the cowardice displayed from Congress to ICE is nothing more than a last-ditch effort to keep the LIE afloat.

When I drive through rural towns and see confederate flags, I want to yell, “Wisconsin was a Union state”. But I’m really thinking: “Your ignorance is showing”. And ignorance is more than not knowing history. The kind of ignorance we deal with today is deeper. We’ve lost a sense of self. We’ve lost human dignity. And unless and until we rediscover it within ourselves, we’ll never see it in the “other”. 

We’ve lost our sense of belonging to something greater. In doing so we cling to whatever flag suites us, whatever belief empowers us, or so we think. External power is an empty game, when you are hollow inside. That’s why it never works. People will be martyred and treated inhumanely, but power must succumb to benevolence, if only when we take our last breath. Recognizing our mutual humanity, acknowledging our history and refusing to carry it on are the solutions available to us.

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Listen to my conversation with Fatemeh Jamalpour on her new book For the Sun After Long Nights. For The Sun After Long Nights by two acclaimed Iranian female journalists, depicts the oppression of ethnic minorities and particularly of women since the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom Movement. It was an honor to be given a glimpse into the courage and deep love of their homeland and their sisterhood. Co-authored by Nilo Tabrizy. It will also air on WDRT, Wednesday, Sept 10 at 5 pm CST.

And if you are in the area: On Sunday, Sept 21 from noon to 5pm we will host Reclaiming Peace: A Community Celebration at Echo Valley Farm

Take a Universal Stand

In 2009 I wrote a book called The Peace Warrior. I explained that we’re all peace warriors – or at least we have the potential to be. As one friend put it, it was a “call to action”. Another friend told me the two words, peace and warrior, didn’t belong together. I’m still laughing at that. My response continues to be, “it’s not called peace pansy, it’ called peace warrior for a reason.”

Somewhere along the line, peace being equated with passivity became the norm. Or we tied the word “peace” to a belief, or an absence of war. Good luck waiting on that.

No, the kind of peace I was and do refer to is innate and available. And those who embark on a life of peace must have courage. In this outward churning world, it’s easy to forget our true nature. Peace requires a love of self and of humanity above and beyond all the labels we wear or have been put upon us. 

It takes recognition of our finite and temporal nature and allows for the intervention and stewardship of that which is Greater by design. Call it what you will. But please do not ask my allegiance to any religion or politic. And allow me to enjoy my heaven now. 

If peace is to win out, it will be because we put all that is universal and human first. What is universal? The need for clean water, food, shelter, dignity and connection – a space inside and out to be the unique selves that we are. What is human? We’re on our way to find out.

And the peace warrior must have a good sense of humor. It’s the armor against ignorance. Wake up peace warriors. The game is afoot.

And some words that inform me:

“We have power… Our power isn’t in a political system, or a religious system, or in an economic system, or in a military system; these are authoritarian systems… they have power… but it’s not reality. The power of our intelligence, individually or collectively IS the power; this is the power that any industrial ruling class truly fears: clear coherent human beings.” ~ John Trudell

What is Peace? A seven minute video to make you think from Prem Rawat

Please listen to my conversation with Fatemeh Jamalpour on her new book For the Sun After Long Nights. to witness the beautiful human spirit against all odds – and our need for empathy and taking a universal stand.

What’s Missing?

Another march. Another rally. Speeches and tears, juxtaposed with ICE raids, deliberate starvation and murders of innocents. Troops sent to Washington DC despite drops in crime. Calls for the Epstein files fall on deaf ears, and in this cacophony of misery one has to wonder what’s missing?

Most have been programmed to believe someone will save us. We’ve put hope and faith in political leaders, in religion and in systems of education and work that have failed us time and again. Lies are exposed and still we wait for our savior. What’s missing?

We’re taught recent world history and the not so recent history of what happens to a people when they’re led against their better angels. When they’re led to forego their humanity for power or greed. We’ve witnessed the decay of the human spirit and the rise of apathy caused by a reliance on euphoric entertainment of all kinds.

Choose your poison.

People look towards the heavens and ask or blame god, “Why, they cry?” And then turn around and accept the same old stories from those who supposedly have answers, because it was read it in a book or in the stars. And human suffering continues with more confusion and doubt.

What’s missing?

Seldom do we look at ourselves to see our part in the upheaval. Seldom do we look to ourselves for answers. We’ve inherited systems of belief and management that do not work; do we demand that those systems unhand us? Or consciously choose to walk away? Or are we satisfied with silencing those who dare to challenge the status quo and our beliefs?

What’s missing? Socrates famously said, “Know thyself.” Perhaps it’s time that we do.

I have found help in this on-going discovery of self in the words of Prem Rawat.

I am convinced that our own inner discovery is the foothold for peace within us and in the world. Be well.

Ripple Out Love

On this day, the 80th anniversary of one of the most wicked acts of annihilation, the bombing of Hiroshima, we need to take stock of who we are or at least who we can be. The threats to humanity and the earth have never been greater. And the ignorance that has allowed it is not backing down.

We’re left with no recourse, but to manifest the greatness that still remains within us: the seeds of compassion and hope, the daring acts of kindness. These are not illusion. These are the tools of the people we are meant to be.

Yes, there’s much to overcome. But with practice and with perseverance we can still change the present course. 

If you’re still addicted to the mass media trap. Stop. There are many independent journalists worthy of our attention. Regardless, take time to cultivate the clarity needed to wade through the irrelevant and to maintain our highest vision. It is available.

And what is that highest vision? Throughout time there have been those who have upheld the strengths of humanity. They have urged us towards simplicity and to engage with the preciousness of life. We have been warned of the follies of greed and power, but more importantly we have been given great tips on the ways out of chaos.

There are two things that can help us now: the appreciation of silence within so that we may hear the directives of our hearts and the appreciation of people who share this understanding. We need community. Find those who support your humanity; those who have learned to make a way out of no way. We do not need to agree on everything, but we do need to ripple out love and understanding.

80 years later… survivors still speak about the horrors of allowing nuclear weapons

and there are people still talking about the possibility of peace…and as human beings, we have choice.

When People Care

Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, there are signs that life has been drastically altered. The federal financial aid cuts hitting our local counties are shattering lives. Often referred to as “safety nets”, we are beginning to witness the severity of these cuts on our differently abled population, our children and our elderly. Local food pantries have been forced to cut fresh produce and milk and the numbers of people in need keep growing. 

To some extent, this had been happening, but the end of aid is now rippling through and the harm is startling. What comes from despair? What comes from hopelessness? As we watch the forced starvation of Palestinian people in a man-made crisis, and people here being rounded up in inhumane ways, it’s apparent humanity must reclaim empathy.

Pointing fingers of blame is senseless when you witness the destruction of lives, near and far. Instead, we need to assess what we have, collectively, that cannot be lost. We need to think anew, creating systems and pathways that allow each individual to thrive. We’re being challenged to become human once more.

There was a time when land was not owned, when people could “make a way out of no way”. But human hands created economic systems that stripped dignity away from simple living, and now those same systems are choking many lives. 

The choice before us is to recognize what is worthy of saving and what can be discarded. The effort is to rise in our collective humanity and trust again the earth can feed us – with our care. And to realize that we are worthy.

There are many local organizations and people in government ready and willing to make this turn. It’s up to us to help.

Here are some things that informed me this week. I hope you find inspiration here, to care and to act.

You can find a recording of a recent gathering of caring people at VernonReporter.com The event was billed as a non-partisan, educational, community exchange of information. It is worthy of your time to listen.

You can also listen to my podcast Changing the Narrative with author Elspeth Hays on her new book Feed Us With Trees – an important read on how we can reclaim our relationship with the natural world – and why we – or at least some of us – lost it.

And What’s in Our Future? on Life’s Essentials with Prem Rawat can be heard on Spotify as he reminds us of the power of being human.

And the photo is of Forget Me Nots…from my mother.

Be well, Everyone.

Persistence

The day began with an unexpected twist. A chick was left unattended and even though the night had not been cold, the mother’s warmth was lacking and the chick was barely alive. I’ve seen this before and knew the warmth of my hands would be enough to rejuvenate the little one. Soon enough the feet began to move and the chirps became stronger. When I attempted to return the chick, the dubious mother was wary. I placed the chick at a safe distance for her to hopefully recognize him and sheltered both of them from the other chickens, not knowing what might transpire. At last glance, the mom was still sitting on her nest and the chick had found a way to nestle in beside her. Persistence is a gift.

Knowing what you need is also a gift. The chick needed warmth, water, a bit of food, to be cared for and it chirped and gathered strength to find its way. And apparently, I needed to be observant and to recognize what I could do for the little guy and what was not in my domain. 

I can’t say what will be the chick’s future. I don’t know whether it will continue to thrive. But I do know that what we shared in a brief moment of time was precious. 

It has become cliche to say, “Small acts of kindness matter”, but it’s true. And the act of giving kindness is never solely for the recipient. The giver reaps equal reward.

There’s a movement afoot to end the need for charity. Think of that. To live in a world where the systems of oppression no longer hold us hostage, and kindness rules.

I believe that world is not only possible, but here for those who choose it.  

 

Day 1.

Day 2. And the colorings and the yellow feet tell me he is a rooster.

Where Do You Turn?

Where do you go to recharge? When your world turns upside down and the battle for right or wrong serves doubt on a platter with no remorse, where do you go? Where do you find solace when people are happy with “Alligator Alcatraz” and images of starving children, bombed buildings and disappeared citizens are the current threats to our existence?

And through it all, where do you turn when billionaire weddings and laughing leaders dance in your mind?What brings back your sanity? When you realize there is no sanity…

Do you stop and “catch” your breath or let it linger and pass without you?

When nightmares seem to erase memories of joy. When horror suffocates hope. Where do you turn?

If this moment of realizing your insignificance allows you to reclaim the power of being human, that is the ultimate win. In this vulnerable state, humility drives us to restore respect and dignity – for ourselves and towards others. That is the goal and our way out.

Love and kindness can lead. Nothing less will do. It has always been about choosing. It has always been about clarity of purpose. It has always been about knowing who you are regardless of circumstance. These are the birthrights of the living.

This nightmare is not the only reality. Throughout time the pulse of life and of peace have been woven into humanity. We cannot forget that now. 

So, where do you go when there are no more tears to shed and your screams are muffled by doubt? Life has not abandoned you. As long as we breathe there is hope. Accept it while there is still time.

Courage lives. Wisdom lives. Clarity lives.

Ask for them. Dig for them. Peace is possible.

“It is Still a Beautiful World”

In my youth in the 70’s I was fascinated by philosophy and sought wisdom. Recently, I remembered a poem that was a poster I had hung in my room. It’s known as “Desiderata”, which is Latin for “things desired as essential”. It was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann of Indiana. While the poem received no recognition at the time it was written, I believe it’s worthy of our attention today.

And while some words are dated, the humanity and the intention outlast time. In the changing wheel of fortune, we best find comfort and solace where it lives. Within us.

Never give up on the possibility of peace. Work towards it.

Desiderata by Max Erhmann

“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. 

Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. 

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love – for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. 

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. 

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you from misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. 

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. 

You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. 

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive (it)Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. 

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.”

Thank you Max Erhmann for your wisdom.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. Best wishes.