Category: Choice

What Matters Most

The house of cards is crumbling. And for many, the overwhelm is taking its toll. We’re being forced to admit that our racist and murderous history is not simply in our past, but is and has been ever present. We have a choice. Those who cheered on this grotesque turn, are either in continued support of it, or are in full blown regret. Some are paralyzed by the fear of what we’re witnessing and now reckon with their participation in creating it.

Those who rejected and continue to resist the ICE raids on families, the disappearance of children, the murder of fisherman and the dismantling of our government’s checks and balances also have choices. Paralysis is not a choice. It’s capitulation. We can give up, assuming it’s too late and too hard to change – or we can continue to resist.  

And this is the tricky part; how do we resist? 

Knowing what matters most to us as individuals and collectively is our way out. Respecting ourselves and each other, caring for and listening to each other and acting with the confidence of people who know that the power we inherently carry will triumph. 

The sun always dispels darkness. We have power that we have yet to tap. Not the power of conquistadors, but the power of seeds yet to be planted and harvested. We have all allowed this ignorance to reign and now it is our time to choose differently. We can discover and nurture our strengths. There’s great power in resilience, in clarity, in the ability to circumvent doubt. There is worthy power in aligning with compassion and empathy. And there are powers no one will ever dominate: our ability to love and to feel gratitude. These are the seeds of our becoming.

Nurture what matters most. 

The Evin Prisons Bakers’ Club, Surviving Iran’s Most Notorious Prisons in 16 Recipes by Sepideh Gholian is a hard hitting look at the life of women political prisoners in Iran – their courage, sorrows, joys and triumphs told by one who has survived and thrives.

This Changing the Narrative podcast is translated by Fatemeh Jamalpour. Reading the book and engaging in this conversation with Sepideh has deepened my humanity and encouraged my resistance. Take time with this. 

The Evin Prisons Baker’s Club with author Sepideh Gholian

Coercion Does Not Bring Peace

In 2016 I answered the call to go to the stand at Standing Rock. People around the world heard the prayers and came to protect the water. We saw the indecency of a country willing to destroy the Missouri River and the lives of People dependent on that river with a pipeline of crude oil from Canada.  We refused to allow another broken treaty destroy Indigenous life. We witnessed the collusion of corporate and militarized police attacking peaceful, unarmed people, once again. Our history. One of conqueror and conquest, of usury and greed. 

People endured water cannons, rubber bullets, tear gas and more from humans in full tactical gear who also answered a call. They followed the orders given by the king of the time, Obama.

I was there for the all-night stand at the bridge; and for the false surrender and lies that took the encampment down and everything that happened in between. I remain witness to this horrible breach in humanity and will be forever indebted to the People who upheld the very best in us.

Seeds were planted that still reverberate. The acknowledgement of those who came before – and those who will come after gave strength and courage. Yet many still do not know or care.

We are at war with ourselves. This Battle has ensued in every life throughout time. Who will we be? Which call will we answer? 

Beliefs were shattered at Standing Rock. They’re being shattered now, too. They need to be. Belief that the government works for us, while it has repeatedly demonstrated that militarism is the its interest. Beliefs that one side or the other are the team to beat. Divide and conquer has worked for the powerful throughout our history. The belief in scarcity over the possibility of abundance. And the ignorance that continues to teach peace through coercion which has never been true. We need to free ourselves from these lies.

We’re not spectators; the sidelines no longer exist. For everyone who has the capacity, it is time to answer the call. Be human.

As our military is poised to destroy Venezuela and uses fishing vessels as target practice to breed fear; as we enter the third year of genocide and still pay Israel to ignore International Law and all human decency; as erasure of predominantly Brown and Black People is strategically carried out in mass deportations; and Queer People are reminded they are lessor than; as the king of “peace” adds the threat of nuclear testing; as children go hungry and people speak of eugenics with the dismantling of health care; as the Army Corps grants Enbridge permission to reroute Line 5…

The destruction of the East Wing is a symptom. Find ways to change the things we can. Stay focused. Empathy is our superpower. And true peace is still waiting for us. It is the option we have not tried.

The photos are courtesy of Ryan Vizzions (Redhawk) and are from Standing Rock. Thanks Ryan, your work continues to teach people and remind us all of who we are.

Recognize One Another and Carry On

In case you are living in a bubble or deliberately choosing to avoid all of the indications of societal decay, please let me remind you, no one is an island. What happens to one, happens to all.

There is no talking our way out. There is no hero coming to save the day. This, what remains of “us”, is begging for accountability. We have used up all of the false hopes allotted. And we are bankrupt when it comes to saviors. 

That’s not to say hope does not exist, but it is to ask, where are we placing that precious gift called hope? Hope without accountable action is a false narrative, the lullaby of fools.

Safety nets are being ripped away with far too many of us falling. We are soon to be left with the only choice that has never left us: to help one another. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of mutual aid, it’s as old as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

Restoring human dignity is our most urgent need. Why is this most urgent? If we do not know our worth as human beings, if we do not see the value of each individual life, including our own, we will have forsaken the most significant weapon in our arsenal.

And in this battle over ignorance, restoring human dignity and seeking the company of those willing to do the same is imperative. There is power in this. There is unity regardless of differences. Where ever you are called to help: in stopping the inhumanity of ICE, in proclaiming Palestinian, Ukrainian and Others their freedom, in ensuring your neighbors have food and shelter – your courage and compassion are needed now. Recognize one another and carry on.

And in the meantime as the historic East Wing of the White House is destroyed making way for a ballroom, the military has conducted what appears to be illegal assassinations of sailors on the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean with no proven evidence of drug smuggling…and as the US military escalates its might over Venezuela.

The Curse of Interesting Times

Lawyers and courts are busy these days. Seems there’s a never-ending supply of the United States government’s illegal activities. From bombing supposed Venezuelan “narco terrorists” in the Caribbean; to ICE raids on US citizens, innocent migrants and non-whites; the amnesia surrounding due process; and the absurd pronouncement of antifa as an organization and not as an organizing principle, we have created quite a predicament. 

How’s your sanity these days? Are you hiding until it’s over, whatever that will mean, or are you finding resourceful and creative ways to hang onto your humanity? Because make no mistake we are existing through some interesting times. And you know there is curse that says, “May you live in interesting times”. What would make living and pondering “interesting times” a curse?

Well, if you still debate good and bad, if you still waffle about is it or isn’t it a genocide, then you are suffering the curse of interesting times. And I only know one way out of that curse. Are you a human being or not? Are you capable of empathy or not? Do you recognize the power that you carry as an individual with choice as a weapon, or not?

Are you willing to leave a legacy of indifference that will burden your children’s children? Or do you recognize you have not only a responsibility but also a duty to be the very best human being you can possibly be – even in these “interesting times”.

Can you shed the cloaks of separation? Identities that serve only those who wish to continue the power grab of divide and conquer? Or can you envision the power of unity?

The use of the phrase “us and them” is a tool of the ignorant. To understand and utilize the word “we” is a step into power. Being human, my friends, is our way out.

And keep a good sense of humor…

For those who like to understand the root of words and phrases: May You Live In Interesting Times – is not a Chinese curse as generally supposed – but interesting origins nonetheless.

Choose to Defiantly Live

I watched a fly caught in a web. It was very much alive, but as it squirmed the tighter the web grew. It was easy to see its black body against the white ceiling. Then I could see the thin frame of a spider making its way to the captive. The fly became even more frantic spiraling and spinning wildly. Impressed at its willingness not to die, I wondered if I should give aid. And then another spider began to move in. Recognizing its determination to live, I attempted to free the fly, but it was out of reach. As the two approaching spiders neared their prey, the fly broke free and catapulted down. I couldn’t see where it landed, and I am pretty sure it would be difficult to unweave the binding web. But I cheered for the sheer gumption displayed and the determination I witnessed. And then I realized I appreciated this defiant will to live because it is within me, within all of us. 

Some of us die in increments, leaving bits of ourselves to decay in full view and forsaking the gift of life to the torments of living. We admire the courage to live in others, but do we ever acknowledge this will, this strength in ourselves? Do we accept this gift of will, or do we squander it?

Some of us die by compromise. Piece by piece we give ourselves away, never knowing the preciousness of the time we are given.  Never accepting the power of our uniqueness. Never truly living.

We carry seeds of hope, clarity, courage and humanity necessary to the whole of us. If only we would choose to defiantly live and escape the bondages that hold us. 

Accept the power of being alive. There is freedom in that. 

photo Dewy spider web: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

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.

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.

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.

Stop the Madness

I ventured out to a field where I had planted twenty tamarack saplings. I only found half alive, but you never know, after winter sometimes things awaken again. So, I’ll wait and hope. 

I wanted to tell you all about the miracle that is Spring. I wanted to speak of rebirth, and resilience, of awakening from dormancy and of new life. And then I saw a video posted on Alt National Park Service of white vigilante men, possibly ICE, no names, no badges, no warrant, smashing a car window of a terrified husband and wife who were waiting inside. The couple videoed the entire episode – we must all do that these days – and you could hear them asking in Spanish to wait for their lawyer. You could hear their fear and as the unknown men smashed the window of the car they were sitting in. This is state sanctioned terrorism.

The husband was taken to an undisclosed location. His wife is here as an asylum seeker. Her husband is in the process of becoming a legal resident. They have one child. May he be reunited with his family, but given the reckless lawlessness that has taken over our country, no one can be certain justice will prevail.

Due process mans nothing to this administration as they claim to do the bidding of MAGA voters.

So, this is what you, MAGA champions, overwhelmingly voted for? Trump declared a mandate, but that is a lie, and it is the lie shoved in our face every time Rubio and Vance get to a microphone. Less than 50% voted for either Trump or Harris. The largest percent of eligible voters did not vote. That should tell us something.

You, who claim MAGA allegiance, voted to give the authoritarian free rein over the entire nation. How long will it take for families and communities to mend from this harm cascading all around us? How long will you allow this administration to continue unchecked?

You think your prayers and righteousness will cover it? God gave you free will. Use it. You have been duped. Admit it. Your husbands, fathers, and sons and even daughters are caught in this downward spiral of hatred, racism, homophobia and greed. What good are your prayers, if you have no voice to say, “Stop this madness.”  I pity your lack of courage and I am ashamed for your cruelty. Wake up while there is still time.

And to those choosing anger and blame and not recognizing we have all allowed this regrettable moment, it is time to reconsider. Righting this ship will take the majority of us. United. Let’s find a way.