Category: Choice

Socrates and Spring

Just when you think Spring isn’t coming, up pokes the proof that you were wrong again. Nettles, Angelica, Motherwort and Daffodils are poking out of the ground and even though temperatures are far from inviting, they are ruthless in their desire to emerge.

I’ve given up on facts when it comes to knowing. Facts and reason, as our old friend Socrates told us, are slightly above belief and opinion, but still don’t cut it if what you really want is to Know. 

We live in an era of facts. We beat each other up with facts, because we have not understood that facts change. Politicians are very good at manipulating and dividing people through facts. And science, well, a good scientist will tell you as science learns, facts change. The use of facts in day-to-day living may serve as a guide to mundane choices. How much water should I consume in a day? How much alcohol, how much fiber? If you live more than three decades, I can assure you these kinds of facts will change.

These are harmless facts. But there are the not so harmless facts that govern war, economics, health and environmental destruction or protection – take your pick. How do we gauge what is fact, or what is truth in this sea of duality? 

I have only found one way to arrive at my knowing. I have to stop thinking and feel. Sure I can take in the news and all the facts thrown at me in a day, but at the end of it, when I must chose, when I must decide what will provide the best outcome, the only certainty I have is what I feel. Not emotion; not thought; but a bit of a deeper dive. 

Socrates called it “Know thyself”. I call it “Being human”.    

If you want encouragement to take a deeper dive I suggest reading Prem Rawat‘s book, “Hear Yourself”.

Enjoy Spring as it comes!

A Singular Choice

The victors of war are those who manufacture war machines, those with financial gain from doing so and those who will rebuild cities after the dust settles. Arbitrary boundaries are established to benefit profiteers. And those boundaries will change with the will of the powerful who are never quite satisfied with what they have. The earth becomes a pawn in humankind’s reckless extraction and human beings are sacrificed at the altar of greed.

The cycle of violence is encouraged. Our need to belong is manipulated into what we have termed “nationalism”. Those without deep roots in their humanity succumb to the acts of brutality that nationalistic thinking allows. The genocides that we are witnessing in Ukraine, in Mali, in Yemen, in Somalia…and so many more, are not new. Our inability to stop them is also not new.

We need to come back. As individuals, we need to discover and replenish our love of life and of living. We need to feel our humanity, not simply talk of it. It’s not impossible. But it requires that we become abolitionists.

Abolition is defined as the action or act of abolishing a system, practice, or institution. To end our addiction to the violence of war is an act of abolition.

It is a defiant and determined act to think and live differently than we have been taught.

We have been taught to take sides. We have been taught there are winners and losers. We have been taught consumption and competition and we have been indoctrinated into systems where violence is the default.

Yet we will always have the singular choice to say, “Unhand me, I chose peace. I belong to the human family. The earth is my home, and its inhabitants are my relatives.” 

We have choice. We need will.

In light of all the lies that are told, for more on genocides past and present: https://www.genocidewatch.com

The photo is a Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp.) Mokke is the photographer, licensed under Creative Commons share alike

“To Know the Pain of Too Much Tenderness”*

They say when a sheep goes down they are usually gone in a couple of days. That has not been my experience. My ewes are over ten years old now and I am letting them live out their lives on the farm. I have found that sheep, as with many ruminant animals, enjoy the company of their offspring and stay close together throughout their lives, if given the chance.

So it has been with Madonna and her lamb, MissTery who was born on the hillside one sunny spring day twelve years ago. The two were inseparable. So when Madonna, so named because of her singing voice, went down early in the winter, we made an area exclusively for them. 

Through the bitter cold, they shared the space and hay and corn. Both ate ravenously. And while I knew Madonna’s legs would never hold her upright again, I made a promise to care for her to the end. Warm water with a bit of molasses was a special treat on frigid days. It took two of us to move her to cleaner hay and then as she grew lighter, only one. 

Apparently she was waiting for spring to take her leave, confident that her offspring could carry on without her. I marveled at the wonder of being able to witness their closeness to one another. And I was grateful for my own compassion that grew as the days wore on. Tenderness and kindness are incredible human gifts and like all living things they grow stronger with use and care.

We always have a choice. What we will do in times of hardship. What we will do for others in need. We are being driven to be kind and to help one another, if we so choose. Choose love.

*The title of this piece comes from a line in Kahlil Gibran’s “On Love” from The Prophet

What Price, Peace?

“Hesitate and you’re lost”. Those were the words my father used when he taught me to drive. He was addressing the doubt that traps us if we’re not present in the moment.

And what a moment we’re in. We were warned to move out of fossil fuels since the 70’s, but we hesitated. Now we’re engaged in a contest of wills that has placed oil and gas as the battering rams of war.  As the number one producer in the world, the United States can stop accepting Russian oil, but European allies are stepping back and admitting they are in fact dependent on Russia for their energy. And while the Republicans grew the financial aid package to Ukraine from $10 billion as suggested by the White House to nearly $14 billion, they’re quick to condemn the president for raising gasoline prices – which in fact, he cannot do.

I’d like to see the breakdown of military versus humanitarian aid – and see who will be the victors in this capitalist venture. 

So much for the unity required to stop Putin’s death march. The truth is we’re compromised. We’re paralyzed by the fear of our precious lives being economically altered and crushed by the realization that just saying “peace” is not enough to make it so. 

Once again whether by our government or that of another conquering empire, innocent lives are crushed. The tear in human consciousness is again ripped open. And whether we admit it or not, we are altered by the suffering being inflicted on Ukrainian people. We haven’t learned we’re all one. We haven’t learned this is still within our grasp to change.

Peace is possible, but because we have hesitated for so long to nurture and support it, it will come with a price. A price we must all shoulder: pacifists, war mongers, lovers and haters…the price is wanting peace more than anything else. It is a price we can all pay.

We must.

A sign reading “glory for Ukraine” at a rally to support Ukraine at Washington Square Park, in New York City. February 27, 2022

When Madmen Lead

Putin, end this nightmare. For the past week, the so-called “military exercise” has shown it is nothing of the sort. It is a march of destruction and death. There is no propaganda that can excuse the inhumanity that has become the fate of the people of Ukraine.

With diplomacy stalled or forgotten, and international sanctions weighing down upon the people of Russia, one could hope that the insanity would end. But we have seen this before. History has shown us far too many leaders willing to self-destruct – and take countless innocents with them.

We have seen the madmen lead and we have seen human beings follow. We have normalized this behavior while we pray for peace. We pray for peace, but we do not insist on peace. We want war to end, but we continue to allow militarism to dominate us. 

Make no mistake, I believe Putin is wrong and I am not sure sanctions will stop him. I weep for the people who are becoming refugees and for those who are being killed. I fear for the Russian people as the economic squeeze tightens as well as the persecution they will face as they dissent. And I am convinced that the financial shock waves will surely hit Europe and the rest of the world, intensifying conflicts everywhere.

It seems humanity has reached its midnight hour. We can no longer hide behind despotic leadership and claim innocence. We must become thinking people who are not willing to sacrifice our humanity for the empire. 

When I heard Trump call Putin’s aggression “genius” and heard no cries of fowl from his party, I was not surprised. Trump is not a friend of peace. Trump is a friend of greed and power. And his followers are devotees of the same.

Peace in Ukraine

I’m not an apologist for the United States government, nor am I an apologist for Putin. I am a human being and I fear for the people of Ukraine as they await their fate. 

I wrote these words a few short hours before Putin unleashed a full-scale land, sea and air invasion on Ukraine. 

The conflict began in 2014 with thousands of civilians killed and nearly one and a half million forced to leave their homes. Peace building then took second stage as weaponry poured into the region from the United States and the EU. NATO failed to grasp the urgency of diplomacy and no one believed Putin would launch such an inhuman assault. 

Putin boldly lied referring to this new build up of nearly 200,000 troops on the Ukrainian border as a military exercise. And NATO, with the United States in the lead, miscalculated their ability to reel Putin in by sanctions, while arming the Ukrainians.

The people of the world are led by thinking that is steeped in power and financed by the military industrial complex. All sides weigh the financial risks and the political capital as they make their moves – using the same tactics and the same lies we have followed for decades. And it is women and children who pay the greatest price while profiteers gain.

It’s time we change course. We must become pro-peace. Our strategies must be life affirming. We must take the position that we are all human beings deserving the right to live in safety, with shelter, clean food and water and given the “elbow room” to be the unique individuals that we are. Our choices must be pro-human and pro-earth. 

Peace is our only way forward. Each individual must assess the value of peace. Each must make way for it.  May it prevail. May the Russian people demand it from their leader. May we all demand it.

map of Ukraine under attack – By Homoatrox – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115503967

The Spirit of the 60’s Lives

Well Toto, we aren’t in the 60’s anymore. Somewhere during the past decades we took a turn away from civil rights, voting rights, peace, love and ending war.

In the last few days the Wisconsin legislature passed a few bills that curled my toes. Without the help of Governor Evers’ veto pen, here is what we can look forward to: Eighteen year olds, who cannot legally purchase a gun, will be given permission to open carry – that includes to high school. 

Another punch to the gut is a bill that takes aim at protesting.  Stiff penalties for attending a protest that turns violent – whether you were peaceful or not – is sending a cold chill through the land of the free – and I’m not talking current temps. Having seen provocateurs at Standing Rock; I am inclined to keep praying for Governor Evers’ good health and penmanship. 

And with the ultimate insult to minorities, the Wisconsin Republican majority passed an anti-CRT bill. Parents would have the right to seek censure of teachers who mention systemic racism if their children are offended by truth. 

The federal government is poised to lead us back to war, selling weapons to Ukraine and rattling the saber of power. Yet most of us, who could change the course of things, are distracted and pleading for the return of “normal”. Whatever that is.

But the spirit of the 60’s is here for proponents of Black Lives Matter and for Indigenous led efforts to keep oil in the ground and protect the earth. It’s alive for those calling “No war with Russia” and demanding nuclear disarmament. And you can find it in the people leaving jobs or striking in numbers that are shaking the feudal lords.(Listen to a town hall with Bernie Sanders and workers.)

The question is: where are you in this tidal wave of change?

Photo Public Domain 1963 March on Washington

The Time is Right

On Monday we paused for a federal holiday to honor a man of faith and dignity; one who dared to dream of a more perfect union and worked to make it so. He galvanized people to demand that our forbearer’s promise of equality would be fulfilled. He summoned courage and awakened hope.

He did this in nonviolent ways.

For his efforts he was beaten, imprisoned and killed.

Now nearly sixty years later we must still defend the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the people who rallied with him. We must still attempt to be a beacon of light in a society marred by division and hate. We must ensure, as he did, that the truth of our history, of slave owners, and attempted indigenous genocide be taught. We must fight to preserve the right to vote so that we can ensure that those who lead us are people of justice and goodwill. 

It may be too late to help older people afflicted by the ills of racism, it may be too late to help them untangle the web of religious zealotry and power grabbing that seeks to dominate us. But it’s not too late to teach our children the truth. It’s not too late to ensure this great country lives up to its greatness.

Nineteen states have passed restrictive voting laws. Wisconsin is poised to continue with gerrymandering that allows for the dominance of a government with little regard for the needs of the people or the health of our land.  But there is still time to get it right.

It is never too late to strive for the clarity to be human and for the decency to be kind. And the time is right to demand that from government. The blueprint was given to us. Let’s use it.

Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice‘s zoom call Fair Maps with Frontline Leaders.

WDRT’s Conversation with Mary Kay Baum on activism and fair maps.

Lessons in Hypocrisy

One can hope that the Democratic Party establishment has recognized the powerful statement of those who refused the photo op in Atlanta. After months of silence, in a “Hail Mary” pitch, the president declared that the Voter Rights Act(s) must pass. He even showed his earnestness by pushing the end of the filibuster, if needed. If that wasn’t painful enough Senator Schumer evoked Martin Luther King Day to be the showdown on the filibuster and the vote.

Some people are swayed by rhetoric. I’m not one of them. Our history is full of promises and unfulfilled hope. The facts tell the tale of our so-called democracy.

The original Constitution did not define voting rights and it wasn’t until 1870 that white men were given the right to vote. Technically black men could vote as well, but state laws made it nearly impossible for them. It was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that all citizens were granted the right to vote.

One would hope we believe in the equality we preach. One would hope we value the democracy we tout. But the nineteen states enacting laws in 2021 that hinder marginalized peoples’ ability to vote are lessons in hypocrisy.

And that brings me to the other party incapable of stopping the runaway train of destruction. The Republicans. Who wins when the voices of the people are muted? Clearly, it is not the marginalized. Clearly it is not Nature. Elitists win. Slick salesmen win. Division wins. 

You have to wonder how long before people who claim Republican status challenge their establishment as some worthy Democrats just did. It’s not easy to acknowledge you’ve been tricked, but the consequences will be dire if we continue to follow the two party path of division.  

****************

When asked why he refused to endorse a political party, Martin Luther King said, “I feel someone must remain in the position of nonalignment, so that he can look objectively at both parties and be the conscience of both – not the servant or master of either.

Ubuntu

If the past few years have shown us anything it’s this: it’s time for us to rediscover the meaning of the Zulu word Ubuntu, “I am because we are.” I say rediscover because I have a firm belief that Ubuntu is rooted in every human being. It’s just that some of us have forgotten.

A society that has lost its ability to care for one another – that holds individual freedom, wealth and ownership as top priority  – has lost its way. And while we may be top heavy in wealth we are lopsided in humanity.

A society that does not support the welfare and goodwill of all will fall short of its dreams of equality. A people who refuse to acknowledge the sins of our forbearers and do not act to correct them will remain divided. A house divided will surely fall.

People boast of patriotism. Flags are waved. The Pledge is affirmed. The checklist is checked and then we go on our individual way. But the celebration of individuality is a curse unless it’s rooted in the understanding of oneness.

People demand freedom. We have fought wars with “freedom” being the carrot that drove our youth to their graves – not to mention the blood of countless innocents.

The word freedom should not be used lightly. It demands a reawakening to Ubuntu, and the resurgence of our collective humanity and our strength as individuals.

That reawakening is internal. It cannot be taught; it must be felt. It cannot be found in useless debates of right and wrong. It won’t be felt in the endless game of judgment. 

But there it is. Waiting. Tied to our compassion and our empathy. We are worthy of this reawakening and we are capable.

For a look at Ubuntu as inclusion.