Category: Choice

The Heart Breaks Free

“What will they say when they realize there is no hell?” These were the words a reverend told me, when I asked him to help someone who was dying and who feared the wrath of hell. I had told him, “Your church put the fear there and now your church needs to take it away”. His response told me that he was the person to help her, but it also carried the irksome reminder of the folly of faith.

Faith born of knowing does not require a middleman – or woman. Knowing is sufficient unto itself. So this threat of hell or the promise of heaven has not held much sway with me, once I set my sites on the need to know and not simply believe.

I have been having chats with people who consider themselves to be “religious”. It has been revealing. In the quiet one-to- one of conversation they express doubts and concerns about their chosen faiths. They will even express doubts that only “true believers” will make it to the pearly gates. And that is common sense.  Knowing someone and witnessing their kindness and enjoying their friendship, makes it hard to condemn them to an afterlife that may or may not exist.

The kindness we offer and the gratitude we feel are the wind in the sails of our hearts.

And hearts are designed to be free.

This past week Wisconsin lost a warrior of peace. He was not famous except to those who passed him on the street with his anti-war signs and his “veterans for peace” vest. Those of us, who put peace before war, loved him; for Lars lived what he knew, and he walked his talk.

Death is a great teacher and reminds us of this: We have this moment called now. Make the most of it.

 

 

The peace photo came from Lars facebook page as did the quote below. To know and not simply believe is the challenge.

“Sometimes war may become the only resort available, but never try to justify it, by saying that it’s the right thing to do, because war is never the right thing to do, no matter how right you feel. When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who’s going to die – you don’t know whose children are going to scream and burn – how many hearts will be broken – how many lives shattered – how much blood will spill until everybody does what they are always gonna have to do from the very beginning – sit down, talk and try to understand each other beyond the petty little differences born from instinctual tribalism.” 
― Abhijit Naskar, Fabric of Humanity

Bold Steps

In the midst of political chaos and climate struggle, it does the heart good to spend time in the company of people working to make things better.

Lately it seems more people are willing to set aside party allegiance and religious dogma to find common ground. That is a hopeful outcome of this confusing time. Perhaps recognizing there is no silver bullet solution is becoming the first step to having real communication.

People who exchange angry sound bites on social media may find these statements laughable, but I am not talking about pre-scripted, regurgitated and rehearsed sound bites. I am talking about communication that comes from the heart and is driven by love of place and love of people.

We must use the tool of time to engage with those who welcome conversation without prejudice or fear. We can call upon people who are willing to set aside belief and long held, but often-unfounded “fact”, to bridge the gap of misunderstanding that divides us.

It has been a pleasure to participate in some very real conversations of late. One is Wisconsin Partners’ monthly gathering called Kickapoo Conversations. Currently the discussions are about the need for housing in the Driftless. All voices are welcomed and people of varied backgrounds attend. I have found it to be a safe place for ideas to land and to take root.

Whether it’s the group working towards a moratorium on frac sand mining in Monroe County, or the committee in the Town of Forest grappling with how best to protect the township, I have been enriched by the respect people are offering one another even in disagreement.

And I am learning from everyone, even those who walk different paths than my own. In this time of incivility take the bold steps to be human again.

Talk to one another.

 

Engaging Love

Let’s begin by acknowledging that there are many horrible things happening. Federal concentration camps; children removed from families; the dropped charges of the police murder of Eric Garner; and closer to home, Monroe County’s legal counsel informed us that a referendum to halt sand mining would not hold up in court…

These are but a few of the leaps ignorance has taken of late. It can knock the wind out of the sails of anyone trying to respect the planet or to be kind to one another. And yet, that is exactly what we must continue to do.

There are many more people engaged in doing Good than the alternative. Clearly that is true or we would have imploded long ago. And while the threat of ignorance is very real, it is all the more reason for us to carry on.

Lots of people call for indignation and outrage to fight back. OK, if that is how you source yourself, have at it, but for me I have a need to call upon Love. Love for the Earth, Love for my ancestry, Love for those yet to be born…these are compelling reasons to engage in life and to work towards a more humane and peaceful world.

We cannot turn back the clock to undo the harm that our society and our government have created, but we can stand together in Love to ensure that ignorance no longer wins.

We must act consciously to unravel the threads of hatred that have wound their way into our lives. We must ignore the fear that would hold us back from speaking truth to power.

And this I know: freedom from fear, the courage to act, the conscious refusal to be a puppet of hate can only come from an unwavering allegiance to Love.  Let it be.

 

Seasons of the Heart

As we find ourselves in the peak of summer, I revel in the transient greenery that now engulfs this land we call the Driftless. I have lived here in the magic of the seasons for seventeen years.

They say, “Home is where the heart is,” and I must tell you it has been quite easy to find my heart and my home here.  Notions of caring for the land, or stewarding the land, have given way to the understanding that the land is also caring for me. It is a symbiotic relationship and one that I am grateful to have.

We have been taught we hold dominion over the Earth, and this fool’s notion has driven us to cause great harm to everything living, including ourselves. We parade the words, “In God We Trust” as we glibly destroy the Creation. I know no other way out of this horrible nightmare but to celebrate the Beauty and the finite nature of this home we call Earth. And this is nothing less than an act of Love.

I often recall this passage on Love from Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet”: “When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep”, and he reminds us, “…even as Love is for your growth it is also for your pruning.”  Gibran paints a harsh journey and seals it with this: “But if you seek only … Love’s pleasure, it is better that you pass from Love’s door…into the season less world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter and cry, but not all of your tears.” End of quote.

Home is where the heart is and it is where the seasons dance. It’s our choice to dance, too. The rhythm of Love is beckoning.

 

“Home is where the heart is,” is a quote from Pliny the Elder a naturalist and author, born 23 AD in Como Italy. His full name was Gaius Plinius Secundus.

photo is Margaret’s off grid home at Echo Valley Farm, Wisconsin.

You can listen to this on Soundcloud.

Thanks to WDRT for continuing to air “Consider This” every Thursday at 5:28 pm CST.

And for more on the Driftless, visit Driftless Now.

Honoring Heroes

It’s the fourth of July and some people will mark this day with beer, burgers and brats. Others will shy away from fireworks and large crowds, still hampered by PTSD and the ravages of war. Still others will be hard at work on farms beleaguered by heavy rains and an unpredictable growing season.

And some will be trying to turn the tide of the environmental and human disasters looming on the horizon.

Acts of love for this land and its people are made everyday. From water protectors living in treetops to rural elders demanding regulations on sand mining, people everywhere are discovering that love of place is critical to our survival.

On July fourth, we are called upon to show our love and respect for our country. We honor our warriors and we praise their devotion to freedom. And that is as it should be. But make no mistake: those who stand for clean water and those protecting our air are among our greatest patriots. As are the people on the border and around the country who demand that asylum seekers be treated with dignity and respect.

And you can add to the list of heroes the local people fighting to preserve our pristine hills from unnecessary transmission lines and cell towers.  These heroes are utilizing their love and effort to preserve this land we call home. So when you bow to the heroes who have fought in endless wars, remember too, the individuals who are fighting a different kind of war. They are fighting battles against ignorance and greed. They are fighting to give our children freedom from disease by preserving the right to clean air and water. And they are protecting human dignity as they refuse to accept our government’s inhumanity. Let us celebrate these heroes. And let’s find a way to help them.

 

 Comment online to the PSC regarding the Cardinal Hickory Creek transmission lines has been extended to July 7.

photo: Wikipedia Commons 

Say “NO” to 5G

There is something new on the horizon. AT&T has joined forces with Bug Tussle to bring the world-touted 5G to our doors in the Driftless of southwestern Wisconsin. Here is what I have learned:

The towers need to be placed every five to ten miles and most certainly will be 300 feet tall. They emit microwaves. That is the kind of radiation you try to avoid as you pass through airline checkpoints, but now will be living around and under full time.

It won’t mean a lick of difference to most people as far as usage is concerned, but it will be great for machines. Machines, however, won’t suffer from radiation poisoning, as humans, animals and plants will.

I know it is hard to read all the scientific jargon and everyone I talked to in the industry assured me that while they have not read the negative press, they are also sure we cannot stop the inevitable.

People who are offered a monthly sum for placing towers on their properties are exchanging green hills for green bills. And they are uncertain to what they will help usher in. What will become of our local phone companies who bring underground broadband to our doors? I am not talking of Century Link. I am talking about companies like Hillsboro Phone Company. How many people will keep their landlines when Bug Tussle waltzes in? Who will cry for those lost jobs? And who will pay the medical bills of increased cancers and other abnormalities in our area?

The time to decide is now. Will we continue to self-destruct in the name of progress, or will we demand better ways to treat the earth and one another?

I am holding out that we are not as greedy or as foolish as the snake oil salesman would like to believe.

 

Brussels has it right. They said No to 5G due to health risks.

photo is courtesy of Wikipedia Commons licensing.

“Protect Us”

“Protect us”. This was the consensus of Monroe County citizens as they faced their County Board in a zoning hearing on June 17. Over thirty people exercised that right. They came to request that a moratorium on nonmetallic mining be on the agenda. They spoke with impassioned and carefully articulated facts. They spoke about the unchecked increase in the size and scope of mining around their communities. They spoke about real and observed health risks, particularly to children. They told of love of land and of community and refused to accept the new norm.

They shredded the “we bring jobs and money” arguments of the corporate representatives. Their response was unwavering. Jobs can be found elsewhere and the pittance of money will not bring back health or return the natural beauty of this region.

When he finally spoke the Board chair expressed that yes, it was true, there were no laws in place, no ordinances, no considerations of health and well being when mining was allowed in their county. And while he acknowledged something must be done, he stopped short of allowing the requested moratorium. The moratorium would have excluded current operations, and allow citizens the time to become informed before having a referendum.

Instead he politely bowed to the mining representatives. His deference to them and his inability to be swayed by the citizens were obvious.

It appears it will take more than common sense, more than historical and scientific facts to undue the ignorance of the few, who made closed door deals, and allowed unchecked nonmetallic mining in the area.

It will take the unwavering voice of “we the People”. And from what I can tell the citizens of Monroe County are stepping up to the task.

 

Read more on Community Rights nationwide. Or at CELDF – Community Rights Movement

 

 

No Time Like the Present

As I race to cut hay between rainfalls to ward off the scarcity in the mules’ paddock, I remember the words, “No time like the present”.* And as I debate which tasks are more important and which should never be omitted, regardless of how tired I feel or how late the hour, the words ring again to assure me of my choices. There is no time like the present.

As the refrain dances in my head and in my heart, I realize it is my Mother’s voice. These were often the words she used to get my lazier self up and at it – whatever “it” might be.

Choosing a life on the land really drives the point home. Choosing a life of community magnifies it. Once in team training I was reminded that every voice matters and that if you are not being heard you must find a way to be heard. There is no blame in this. There is only effort.

We are living through a unique time. There has been a predominant voice. It has been a controlling voice. It has often been without kindness. This dominant voice is now being challenged as voices, too often silenced, are finding their way to be heard. There is no need to blame.  But there is a need to listen.

There is no time like the present. Modern physics challenges this notion and while their notions of time may hold truth, my reality is singular. This is our time. And for each of us there is no time like it. Every moment, every choice, every smile, every tear, every cup of appreciation filled is unique.

Acts of kindness seem to lengthen time. Giving myself to this moment surely makes it sweeter.  There must be more than hope in the phrase, “No time like the present.” There must be action.

 

* This adage was first recorded in 1562. It was amplified by John Trusler to “No time like the present, a thousand unforeseen circumstances may interrupt you at a future time”.

Thanks to WDRT for airing “Consider This” each Thursday at 5:30 pm CST.

You can listen to it on Soundcloud.

Fostering Community

It’s an art to be able to listen to another point of view and not have it run through the filters of our own personal belief. It’s an art. And it’s possible. The fabricated spin of our differences crumble when we are willing to see the humanity of another.

We’re at it again. The political sideshow is on: the posturing, the endless stream of money, and the division, essential to the existence of our two-party system, is in full swing.

But there is an antidote to this nightmare called politics. It’s called “community”.

I ventured to Wikipedia to look up “civic duty” and was surprised to see that it was distinctly separated from the explanation of “community engagement”.

This division in our thinking is problematic.

This week I attended three meetings. One was a town board meeting designed to address procedure and policy. The other two were meetings to uncover the needs of the communities we live in and to find fruitful ways to help one another.

Community spirit was lacking in the board meeting. The policies considered and enacted were not designed to help the community at large, but rather to support a few individuals and their economic gain. The other two meetings were collaborative, and allowed the free flow of conversation, even in disagreement. The spirit of unity, which is the foundation of community, was strong.

Could it be that by limiting our civic engagement to procedures, policies and votes we have left out the most significant ingredient: community?

Could it be that our political apathy and angst is a direct result of fragmentation and isolation among us?

Maintaining our independent silo is in direct conflict to creating what Dr. Martin Luther King referred to as “Beloved Community.”

And if this is so, what steps can we each take to foster community once more?

 

Consider This is heard on WDRT   every Thursday at 5:30 pm CST or here on Soundcloud.

Cloak of Belief

I avoid confrontation when it comes to belief. I don’t mind an interesting debate of facts and I relish a good conversation of shared knowledge. But belief, well you know the saying…everybody has one.

Belief is that insidious master who lays claim to you without showing papers of ownership. It comes along in our young years while our brains are being washed and sticks around like a nasty virus until we take the time to shake it off.

The ugly reality is that we have politicized our beliefs. It’s not enough to feel superior; we work hard to reduce the rights of those we deem different or lessor. It’s not enough to have enough; we ensure we remain on top through the exploitation of people and land.  And how do we justify these abnormalities: We believe. We latch onto the beliefs that satisfy us and ignore the ones that might actually make us think and allow us to feel our humanity.

My pet peeve these days are the Zionist Christians so eager for Eternal Life that they are willing to let their trumped up Christian president and his henchman march us into a war with Iran. Or that these same people are OK with the genocide and apartheid of the Palestinian people by the state of Israel – paid for and sanctioned by the United States government. Or how they ignore the fact that Saudi Arabia is behind the annihilation of Yemen, allowing innocent people to starve to death – also paid for and supported by the United States government.

These same people are quick to jump on the ‘hate queers’ bandwagon, proudly proclaim their racial bigotry, and praise God all in one mouthful.

Forget the kingdom of heaven on earth. We are too busy creating hell.

I ask you: Where have these Christians gone?  They are buried under a cloak of belief.

 

Tell the Senate “No War with Iran” by signing here.