Category: Be Human

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.

It’s Still Up To Us

In January, 2020, I wrote much of this in response to the saber rattling over Iran. And now the war hawks are at it again.

Our history is full of people who have championed peace and diplomacy over war. We have honored those people and those ideals. Yet time after time we have allowed lies and greed to lead us into endless and inhumane wars.

Recent flagrant disregard of international law has opened the door for retaliation and the escalation of death and destruction. Leaders toss around nuclear options as if we could all relocate to another planet.

The fumbling assertions and disagreements within the Trump administration demonstrate the dangerous incompetency at the helm.

This president continues the legacy of past presidents, which is to be led by those who make money on weapons and war. When they speak of protecting United States interests, they are speaking of oil. If we allow this escalation of war and the stealing of resources, we are complicit.

But make no mistake it is Congress who declares war, not the president. And it is the people of the United States who can still determine their collective history.

Therefore, it is imperative we stand for peace and diplomacy in whatever means is available. It’s also imperative that we end our financial ties to the industries of weapons and oil and stop funding Israel’s war machine. And to evangelicals hoping for fulfillment of prophecy, I say, “Snap out of it”. We need your kind hearts; we need your love of humanity. 

We must demonstrate to a world very uncertain of our motives but very certain of our ability to create chaos and death, that we, the people, are ready to change course.

It‘s still up to us.

There’s still time for peace.

photo from the Truthout article from January 8, 2020.

The Need for a Lifeline

Resistance to ICE in Los Angeles and elsewhere is uplifting. The decision to send National Guards and deploy Marines was predictable.  The authoritarian in chief and his allies leave no room for dissent. That has been proven for some time. Long before this moment, we have witnessed the government’s overreach by militarized police and national guard. This has been winding up for decades. Both parties enabled it.

The violence we are witnessing against the peaceful is not new. The removal of human beings, the stripping of human dignity, the forced separation of families is not new to our history or to human history.

And I suggest to you that we no longer have the luxury to ignore the reality before us. Israel and the United States have nearly destroyed international laws regarding civilian care. Enough with pretending it doesn’t matter or there is nothing to be done.

We are born and immediately given a name and with it a host of expectations. One of those expectations is that we are a self-contained unit destined for success or failure depending on our circumstances. We have been conditioned to accept this as “just the way it is”. 

Birth takes a mammoth effort. The effort we made to grasp that first breath was immense.  We demonstrated then, that we have the capacity to do the seemingly impossible.

It’s time we remember the power we hold and return to the wonder and the passion for living. That is our way out. 

There is no decree that says we must suffer and allow the suffering of others. This shunning of our gifts has not served us. That has been our choice. And now it’s time to choose differently.

Saturday, June 14. Stand for peace, freedom, community and love of all of our relations.

Celebrating PRIDE

I could appreciate not having the need for Pride Month. But here’s the reality: Pride came about through the blood and tears, suicides and murders of people like me. Human beings who in some cultures and throughout history were not regarded as “other”, not mistreated and ridiculed, but respected. In some cases we were even revered because we had the ability to see things differently. Maybe being different gave us a leg up on compassion and empathy. I don’t know.
But I know this. I have been on the planet now for seven decades and only for the first few of those years was I blissfully ignorant of the indifference I would be shown – if I “came out.” Once I understood, I hid.

What a horrible way to live this gift of life.
This is a sick symptom of an ignorant society forcing people to hide who they are. Sticking labels on love and dismissing individuality. 
The binary is again being forced upon us. Pride people are not binary people. We will never be binary people and I applaud youth waking up and challenging.

We are as much a part of the Grand Scheme as anyone else. And we will never be erased.

So while I wish there were no need to fly my flag, I’ll do it until my people are free. All my people. The heteros who cling to the status quo and miss out on our beauty; the allies who stand with us; but most importantly for the youth and for those yet to come – that they may be accepted and not need to rally together for the support and love that should have been there from the start.

Love yourself. Whoever you are. Leave no room for hate. 

The Promise of Spring

It’s a magnificent spring. Just enough rain and warmth to make the apple blossoms pop and the hum of happy bees fills the air. The lilacs seem to be more fragrant and the flowers are jubilantly beginning their display. I saw my first fawn this year chasing their mama and mushrooms are emerging from their slumber. Nature has a way of reminding us what is important when we pay attention.

It’s easy these days to be sidetracked by the endless attacks on goodwill, but I don’t think it’s wise to forget the renewal of spring as discontent continues to spread. It’s the resilience spring teaches that is needed now. It’s the wonder of life and of the seasons, which we know will come and go and come again. Yes, the deer may visit the garden and if not the deer, the rabbits or groundhogs will feast on everything we plant. Well thankfully not everything! But it does seem no matter how high the fence, someone gets in. Gardening is not for the weak of heart. There is no certainty. Learning to live in uncertainty is an art and a practice. Last year’s June frost took out the tomatoes we planted, but friends shared their extra plants with us and all went well.

Now, regardless of what comes, this is our moment to drink in the promise that is spring.

There is a healthy fear that gives warning and there is a paralyzing fear that weaken us. We are not meant for paralyzing fear. We are meant to be emergent. We are meant to be creative. We must be undaunted by forces that would rock our gardens and our lives. 

I will always believe there are more people wanting peace than the alternative. I have been witness to it. Let us find one another. Let us help one another. Let us model the best of what humanity can be. 

It is still ours to create this beautiful garden.

Finding One Another

As luck would have it, our well went out this week. Not a good thing anytime. This was a particularly bad time. We called a reliable friend who recommended a reliable friend. The recommended reliable friend came and not only set the well right, he explained that the well had been dug too deep. We had paid for that “too deep” nearly ten years ago. And of course, there is no warranty on a well from those who put it in.

This gentle man explained a lot of things about the water table, the well, the pump, and the electricity. He was happy to do it. I was happy to learn. He shared valuable information that will help direct our course here. When we parted, we parted as friends and the appreciation for one another was genuine.

It is getting clear to me that there are two types of people on the earth right now. 

There are human beings who have dignity and respect for other human beings. And there are others who are not fully human. Not a judgment, just an observation. And that’s why we are in the pickle we are in. Another observation. The government of Israel is starving Palestinians.

It’s now a full blown, openly discussed genocide. 

There are two types of people: human beings who care and are trying to help and the others who are not fully human. Right now, non-humans are winning.

We’ve handed the reins to the not fully human. And unless and until we take back those reins, we’re in for quite a ride.

For those who believe we are here to suffer, please rethink this. And if you choose suffering, perhaps you could leave the rest of us to the peace we know is possible.

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Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha has won the Pulitzer Prize. “I can’t celebrate while Gaza is starving.”

You can listen to my conversation with Mosab Abu Toha on Changing the Narrative.