Category: Be Human

Never Again Must Be Now

We’re still in Ramadan and our Palestinian friends are engaged in daily fasts and prayers, while stories of starvation and tents bombed in the night haunt them. While heightened renewal of violence in the West Bank and Gaza robs humanity of its dignity, here we face the disruption of families and disappearance of immigrants and students by ICE, adding to the human nightmare. Israel, Russia and now the US are purveyors of violence and terror.

What will it take for us to resist the self-inflicted wounds of hatred and greed which underscore our lives? If you’re still waiting for superman; you’re ignoring the most important truth of all. You’re the one you’ve been waiting for. 

Regardless of the politics you hold; it is incumbent upon us to challenge violence in all forms. It’s imperative that we become a human shield for peace with our words and actions to end the inhumanity. It’s not a time to cower. 

We’re fed storylines to drive fear and to have us reject empathy and compassion. Our sense of normalcy is being erased and replaced with dystopia. Our politicians stand in lock step with Israel and supply weapons and money in the billions, and they allow the deportation policies causing suffering for many. Both parties vote to continue the downward spiral of human dignity. But where do we, as individuals, stand?

Colonialism, the theft of land and the subjugation of people have been the human history. It does not have to be our future. 

For people of peace and justice, there can be no room for debate. Our government is eradicating free speech and using the label of “terrorist” to dissuade those of conscience into silence. We cannot be silent.”Never again” needs to be now and for everyone.

Take back your power. Be human.

Take back our collective power. Vote, Wisconsin, Tuesday April 1

“NonViolence and NonCooperation” is the theme of this WDRT Conversation with author and nonviolence activist Rivera Sun. This hour is packed with historical facts and an enthusiastic call to action as we reclaim our humanity. Take a listen! Photo from our first meeting in 2015.

https://www.wdrt.org/?post_type=post&p=14055

Do Not Comply

There’s no way of knowing how this current unrest will end, but I have one certainty: I will never normalize, nor will I comply with the cruelty that underpins the power elite.

The inability of Democratic leadership to stop aiding Netanyahu’s war crimes and genocide; their refusal to acknowledge the working class; and their tepid response to the far- right takeover of the federal government are acceptances of cruelty. The centrist response of the Democratic party reflected the same weak rhetoric. There was no mention of the working class and Reagan was exalted. Why? Is the battle to end racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty, human health and hunger more than Democrats are willing to tackle? Or is it not convenient to their funders to stop militarism?

There are plenty of voices in the Democratic party that could have given a more passionate call to action, but leadership is still waffling while the cruelty carries on.

The only way we can stop the encroachment of the far right into our lives – which includes social security, Medicare, ending our dependency on the military and the government control in our bedrooms – is to support the Democratic ticket. But if Democrats do not acknowledge and act on the wisdom of caring for the least of us, if they do not allow some teeth to their bite and utilize progressive voices, they will again squander the votes so desperately needed to win: the poor, the marginalized, and the working class. 

The devastation of care through cutting funds, not only in the United States, but the countless people suffering world-wide is unconscionable.

Yet here we are. The boy king rocks the world with cruelty with little to no resistance. There’s little doubt we could do better, the question remains, will we?

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And how I spent much of my listening time before, during and after the speech at the Congress. Check out the State of the People – a 24 hour marathon of Black leaders – great conversations and a call to action.

The tepid Democratic Response from Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin

Bernie’s Response

Graceful Defiance

Twenty-three years ago, I took on coexisting with some land, and gratefully I’m still learning. You recognize that where human footprints have trod the earth becomes less pliant. You learn that every season has a new story to tell and every plant, tree and animal that abides with you is eager to teach. 

Areas that were disturbed by human touch quickly give way to so called invasives. And left unchecked some plants will crowd and eventually weaken others. You find that your good intentions imposed on the land are often unnecessary and unfulfilling.

And you hold the trees close to your heart as friends. The old heirloom orchard holds amazing lessons in diversity and I am certain the ciders we make are among the best anywhere. 

One tree captures my heart. Often ignored, it’s adjacent to the road and I am certain has endured horrible toxicity from asphalt and salt. But still it remains. I’m sure they tore through its life veins as they lay telephone lines. But still it remains.

This tower of the ages, this testament to the will of life is a white pine. And I’m guessing it was planted when the original house was built over 170 years ago, when the road was nothing more than a one lane pass, next to a sweet little stream.

The white pine is a symbol of strength, protection, and longevity. It was under a white pine that five nations of the Haudenosaunee forged an alliance through the Great Law of Peace. That Great Law still guides People towards unity and to the consensus decision making essential to the benefit of all. 

In graceful defiance, we are urged to learn what remains possible. In unity and in Peace within ourselves, with one another and the Earth.

To Live in Uncertainty

In our northern climate, February can be difficult. While few of us rely solely on the summer’s bounty for our sustenance, there could be a sense of scarcity as you eat the last of the greens you put up or taste the last bite of your homemade jam. And if you heat your home with wood, you may be reckoning with the reality that your supply may run short. It is a gamble these days to guess how long or how cold the winter may be and how warm the spring. There is always the unknown in life, however much you plan, and the truth is you just don’t know what will be. And to be able to live in uncertainty and still keep your joie de vive is the art of living.

There is another aspect to February that adds a bit of kindness to the mix of tumult, it is the return of the light and the lengthening of the days. On bright days the sunlight kisses our face and reminds us of the coming of spring and the triumph of summer. That light generates hope and rekindles the memories of less burdensome times. Some people count the days until spring.  I am not one of them. I prefer to meet the challenges of each day with a bit of trust that everything I need will be at hand. Or I am comforted in realizing how little I truly need.

We have collectively been thrown a deep-winter punch in the gut. And while some are gloating at the political upheaval, most are reeling. Hold steady. We have strengths yet to cultivate. Like seeds that are dormant, with proper care they will rise. Love put you here and Love holds you. Never doubt that. We will rise.

Still I Rise

50/50 1 Fifty states / Fifty marches on 2/5/25

Dipping Into Honey

I had some honey the other day. It wasn’t what I have grown to expect from honey. It had remarkable flavor. I could taste the flowers and it left me wanting more. As I continue to dip into that honey jar, I realize that what I enjoy is the love that went into making it.

In this blurred time when “civilization” is forced to reckon with tremendous failures, I keep coming back to this: I want to feel love. I want to bathe in the exquisiteness of being alive. And I want to share that joy of living with everyone. 

I want to feel the power of kindness. I want to know the depths of compassion. I want to dive into the freedom that no one can take away from me.  The freedom that comes from knowing who I am. Who I am. Behind the labels, behind the beliefs, behind the years of experience, behind what others think. Who I am. Knowing that has made all the difference.

In that knowing is my strength. In that knowing is my compass. You know, that moral compass that seems to be eluding many these days. In knowing my self, I can take action. Without fear.

I must keep walking, even when I fail. To be conscious even in the darkest of times. And to seek the light of others when I need and to offer light when I can. This I can do. Day to day, moment by moment.

It’s a tall order, I know, but it hasn’t kept me from wanting it. We always have choice – allow our humanity to be diminished or emerge victors of the greatest opportunity offered – to be alive and to stay in love. Dip into the honey, friends.

We Are All Frontline

2025 is coming in like 2024 went out. Earthquake in Tibet, fires around Los Angeles and Acra, are just a few of the calamities we’re facing. We, the human family. We, the ones who can learn from the past and develop strategies of coexistence on this miraculous planet – or we, the ones who succumb to division and greed. Who will we be?

A few years ago, the term “frontline communities” emerged. It referred to those who lived in proximity to dangerous environmental pollutant. Now, the term “sacrifice zone” is used to express a region that is offered up to the powers of corporate greed in the name of sustainability. But what is being sustained? The capitalist model of usury is the only thing I see that we’re sustaining. Clearly not the communities. Clearly not human beings.

We are willingly selling out our children’s future on earth – but wait – I heard today there might have been life on Mars. And the spin continued: previous life on Mars could indicate that a human family could possibly be sustained there. In the future. Your future? Hardly. Your grandchildren’s? Doubtful. But we are placing bets on these hypothetical futures while ignoring our present conditions.

We are rapidly going down the “unlikely to return” scenario, but not enough of us are noticing. 

Oh, Jimmy Carter got it way back in the 70’s when he told us we would need to use less energy. I watched my friends ignore the warning and instead backed the slick talking money man Reagan. I shook my head then. I’m still shaking my head now. 

We are all frontline people. The upheaval of the earth and the insidious and murderous violence perpetrated by human beings have made this so.

Some of us are just waiting our turn for our world to be upended. Some of us are preparing for the worst. But the wisest among us are working to restore the balance we have squandered – with one another and the earth. Who will we be?

May we rise to help one another. May we restore the dignity that is surely within us.

A Glorious Existence

After a bit of effort, I found the number of an old friend. We hadn’t spoken in a few years and so far we still haven’t, but his voice message made me smile. It was simple. He said, “I hope you are having a glorious existence”.

I had just come in from another foray into our old heirloom apple orchard. My trees have suffered from recent droughts, and truthfully many never fully recovered from the goats we had a while ago. But I heard an apple expert on the radio say that taking off the dead branches and nipping the suckers can give a forty-year-old tree new life. Perhaps another forty. I liked the sound of that.

So, as I wander through the orchard, I wrangle with dead branches and revel when I cut down the vines sucking life from the trees.  The multi floral rose and autumn olive are also threats, and I do my best to remove them, remembering my mother’s words, “Give it a lick and a promise”. It meant that after a quick assessment she would promise to return to finish the task at hand. Today as I was fulfilling the promise, I realized I could spend the rest of my days quite happily wandering through this orchard, caring for the old trees and planting new. 

The young saplings don’t always make it. The deer are prolific and eat them if they are not protected. Life has its fragility.

Planting saplings is a promise kept: to see the old orchard carry on. There is something defiantly delightful in maintaining these precious heirlooms. The hybrid ones may be heartier and look prettier, but they will never touch the sweet taste of the cider made from a variety of heirlooms.

So yes, my friend and to all my friends, I am enjoying a glorious existence in appreciation of the life I am being given. And I wish the same for all of you. Bring on 2025!

Send Aid Not Arms

Growing up in a Christian household, I took the benevolent teachings of Jesus Christ to heart. “Love they neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:39) was instilled in me. Fortunately, there were models of kindness and people of faith to counter the hypocrisy that too often accompanies religion.  

Today the stark divisions of faith versus belief have brought us to a grotesque masquerade of power which has nothing to do with “Love thy neighbor.” If that basic teaching were understood and practiced, those of Christian faith would be rallying behind an end to the Palestinian genocide, not remaining silent. Or even worse, there are those who champion the slaughter as the forerunner that beckons the “next coming”.

Zionism, the belief of the divine right to kill and displace people, has no place in humanity. Whether Christian Zionism or Jewish Zionism, those who harbor ill will and use God as their excuse to plunder and murder are not in keeping with the great possibility of being human.

Love thy neighbor as thyself. If we have not discovered our rich essence as human beings, we cannot love. We must know, not simply believe, that we are sparks of the divine clothed in temporary bodies and given this one opportunity to love.

It’s been over one year. People are being starved. The United Nations has denounced the Israeli tactics as violations of human rights and on December 12, 2024 passed a resolution demanding immediate ceasefire and expressed support of UNRWA. South Africa and most nations of the world have declared that Israeli leadership is conducting genocide. We, in the United States, are complicit in war crimes as our dollars, weaponry and intelligence continues to support the inhuman slaughter of Palestinians. And once again, the US and Israel voted against the resolution, which passed with 158 votes of the 193 member assembly. Nine votes against and 13 abstentions

Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/12/un-general-assembly-demands-immediate-ceasefire-in-gaza-supports-unrwa#ixzz8uA7lIMYF

Soon we will be led by Christian Zionists chosen by Donald Trump.

The silence of Christians who are not Zionist must end. We need your voice to end this madness. Let us chose to send aid not arms. Let love of humanity win.

Support of UNRWA. Support of Human Rights.

photo of child – “Growing up in Gaza” – from Al Jazerra.

Don’t Throw Away Giving Thanks

ODE TO ALL THE QUEER AND TRANS FOLKS WHO ARE FIGHTING TO BE SEEN THIS HOLIDAY AND TO ALL OF MY INDIGENOUS FRIENDS WHO REMEMBER HOW TO CELEBRATE.

Forget the hype and all the lies about the first Thanksgiving. If you’re still believing in the good old Pilgrims’ story, it’s doubtful facts will sway you. No, this is not for you. This is for the ones who have forsaken giving thanks, because they refuse to partake in that story. It’s for people who have suffered through enough of these come together holidays and are rewarded with tense family moments. And so, they say, “No thanks.”

This is for the ones who haven’t reconciled the hatred and bigotry disguised as piety; and they haven’t found a way to hide their disgust.

I’m with you. Hypocrisy drove me from that good old religion long ago and I’ve never looked back.

But here is truth. Giving thanks for abundance or even the meager goodness that winds through our lives is an art. Feeling appreciation for the gifts that do come our way: the friendships, the sweet animals that grace our time here, the amazing beauty of this land we call home, the sincere and earnest people who find ways to care. All of it is worthy of our thanks. 

And that giving thanks can replace the hollow emptiness of isolation that haunts so many of us. The news these days are full of mean spirited and jarring inhumanities. Whole swaths of people are targeted and the cruelty is way beyond anything that I remember from childhood meanness.

You can abandon Thanksgiving, but not giving thanks. Give thanks for your heart that refuses to be diminished. Give thanks for the courage to continue to be your true self. Give thanks for those who came before you and endured. Give thanks for your life, because you are not an accident.

You are a jewel on the thread of Life. Never doubt that.

The Days Ahead

Pundits and pollsters are busy. People are expressing election fatigue and far too many are feeling hopeless. And regardless of outcome, there’s always more that we can do. 

We can extract from the news what is relevant and stop believing every word as truth. We can fact check all of it and challenge the sources that seek to divide us. We can stop listening to the voices that demand our attention and our allegiance and instead demand their accountability. The media creates and destroys heroes. And we have allowed it.

We can face the historical facts of how militarism and expansion of empire have always been with us; and bring an end to this barbaric story.

We can stop waiting on elected officials to do the right thing. We elect representatives, not kings. We must demand accountability. To do that we must pay attention. And above all we must care.

For the past year our tax dollars have gone to a country that has gone beyond “the right to defend itself” and engineered a genocide. For decades, the media kept from us the plight of Palestinians who are forced to live under Israeli occupation and are now being slaughtered. And today the same media minimizes the tragedy of Sudan. We must ask who is being served? It is clearly not humanity.

We must realize and care that our police forces are armed with military equipment and that people of color are often targeted and killed.

There is so very much that we can understand and challenge.

The earth is in critical states of flux and people are migrating to safety.  Our borders need human approaches, not more militarism. And when we are told “drill baby drill” we must demand a return to love of the earth and kindness to Nature, not conquering her.

In the chaotic days ahead, we will be asked to be human, to be kind, to share and to re -envision a better way for all.  This is not an impossible request. It is what we can do.