There is no “They” in America.

There is no “They” in America. Unless, of course, it is a personal choice of pronoun for an individual. As soon as I hear or see that word “they” in a conversation or article, I know I am dealing with a person who just doesn’t get it. A person pandering to our worst fears in order to inspire anger, resentment, and hate. In the land of honor for individual rights it seems all to common that some folks wish continually to lump people into one grouping or another so as to attack some perceived flaw or deficiency there-by proclaiming a moral victory of superiority over that group. Sound confusing? Just try listening for it. Watch for it in what you read, listen to, and see. The “othering” of us is a powerful tool which leads masses of people into gas chambers and nuclear holocaust. It is the heinous practice which causes death marches, mass enslavement, and genocide all over the globe. This is not a national or religious or ethnic or even economic phenomenon. It is the very worst of humanity. It is ever the tool of an oppressor and must be vigorously resisted and defended against by all. “We” is the most powerful word on the planet. Together “we” can even argue and disagree productively and peacefully. I am proud to be part of a people on the forefront of that struggle for both personal and collective freedom. A freedom which defies dogma of any kind which serves only to propagate and bolster superstition and intentional falsehood.

Happy Birthday America, home of “We the people,” long may you endure and light the way where we may embrace the better part of ourselves and keep the worst at bay. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Assumption is the Mother of All Misunderstanding

June 14th- Happy Flag Day 

 

Photo: Alan DiBiase

Greetings friends and family, fans and foes alike. I sincerely hope this tumultuous period in our lives is nearing an end and that better days are here now.

Though we are still far from an end to strife exemplified by a rise in the usual amount of senseless gun violence and air travel passengers behaving badly, I engage in a new and concerted wave of reflection on the complex root cause of our troubles. This brings me to the title of this missive.

For myself I believe in the goodness of people. I assume the best. This may sound naive, but naiveté may be underrated. As I have stated before, what we say and how we say it are very powerful forces in the creation of perception. There is a reason magic spells, spoken incantations, and prayer remain intrinsic parts of our everyday lives.

I have always thought there is more good in the world than bad and that is how we keep chaos at bay. Perhaps now that formula no longer works effectively as it may have in the past. Is it because presently we no longer assume a person is a “good person?” Are we jumping to judgement in a negative way based on our own narrowing? Are we all at once mad as hell and not taking it anymore?

 

Brene Brown says, “I’m not good enough,” looks the same as “I’m better than you.” Meaning, for me, that trying to tell what a person is really about while looking at them solely from the outside is impossible. That there are those of us silently struggling with how to be better unbeknownst to observers who only see a facade. Especially in these days of outward aggression both in thought and deed where folks are facing off with each other clad in armor so dense, no amount of compassion is allowed to penetrate. Now, more than ever, it seems so easy to be misunderstood.

 

This is why I choose to dwell in my naiveté and continue to believe that every person has goodness in them and that my negative judgement does nothing to coax that goodness to the surface. There are millions, if not billions of reasons to be defensive these days. Saying "I understand" is not enough. Exploring the reality of another person’s point of view may make me uncomfortable. With practice, though, my healing muscles may strengthen. Do I make myself vulnerable to hurt? Yes, I do. It is the risk I assume for myself. I choose to deal with my discomfort by acknowledging it is not caused by external forces, but by my own powerful choice to open my heart to the totality of the world. We must not allow, under any circumstances, for this discomfort to blind us in the face of true evil. We must not let rage cloud our imaginations. Imagination, I believe, is one of the tools of true empathy. As my good friend and mentor, Allan DiBiase recently wrote:

 “Regardless of age, one must be able to imagine evil and if there is no place for it in one’s imagination one will become subject to it.”

My friends, loved ones, and yes, my foes, our words have the power to heal. Please assume that when you think of me. And especially when you hear or read my words. 

 

Happy solstice! Everyone! Look for my next post in July.

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.” JRR Tolkien

 

Last night we watched Brene Brown’s Ted Talk on You Tube.  

This morning during yoga, Adriene gave us the mantra “Peace in my thoughts” and I had a realization that my convictions are my own and they are valid to me, but I note that I lack strength sometimes in standing up for them. In efforts to avoid confrontation and maintain the peace, I stay silent. This weakness is in me, not in the truth for which I stand.

 

The truth is strong. I must exercise my muscles of conviction so that I may effectively communicate Peace.  

 

My speech, my stand for my convictions, need not be aggressive, or combative. How I am “being” during my communication of my truth, speaks more to the point than words. I simply need to practice embodying peace while disagreeing with those for whom violence is the only option.

 

Hate...comes at us...but...never from all sides at once...if we’re lucky.

 

What I learned from reading the works of Tolkien was my own sense of self-worth. That even though all seems fallen into ill favor and disrepute, something Honorable and Nobel endures. And no one can take that away from me.

 

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.”

 

I find it dangerous and disturbing that there are those in this world dedicated to perpetually keeping people angry at one another while at the same time ensuring they have easy access to lethal weapons. It is a deadly combination plaguing us with seemingly no end in sight. It is time for me to raise my voice, not in shout, but in calm protest against, the tide of inequity rising everywhere.

 

Tomorrow marks what would have been my mother's 92nd birthday. Happy Birthday in heaven mommy. Miss you everyday.

 

I wrote this about Paul Rebhan last weekend while at the in-laws house.

 

Reinvention

 

All night he labored...or was it all nights ?

Constantly tinkering

tweaking, tightening...

Unlike a machine with its levers and

purchase

he no longer swings from the flys

but encrypts data with pandemic precision for his first love:

A Theatre of the Mind

like a Richard Foreman or an Ann Bogert disembodying wisdom, folly, satire, lunacy...

 

Ever it was music or ...was it always music?

 

Sometimes melancholy, often sardonic, hypnotic, offensive, absurd,

yet ultimately, tragic, brutal, sad as a tale of cyber crossed lovers shocked as they kiss over convoluted wires entangled in nebulous clouds of stellar gases forming new dimensions recently imagined with nonsensical understanding,

a loyal old friendship in revision reverting to original settings of wonder

 

The universe expands within

contracts without

outer space folding at depth inside pressurized cabinets of

cognac, single malt, mezcal, and tequila.

 

“Margarita, rocks, no salt, please Bruno,”

before a wrecking ball steamrolls this venue

into an oblivion of disintegrated nostalgia

along with Don Julio, Santa Maria, Desdemona, Harley Quinn,

and all the magically real characters of Gabriel Garcia Marquez

 

His poem is not over

O no. Not yet. Not until

eons of time cycle over nature

in an infinite ramble of passionate rhapsody

exhausting and rejuvenating force beyond breath

exhaled by Buddha

laughing at genius unrecognized

by narrow eyes in beings barely sentient

 

to the present

 

Moment

 

 

 

American Temper Tantrum

 

May 4^th, 2021

 

The United States of America is showing its age. In the universe of civilizations, we are barely just two years old. The “terrible twos” are manifesting themselves true to form. With 7 in 10 Republicans believing in “The Big Lie,” they are stamping their foot and crying NO! Simply because they have not gotten their way. I dislike seeing children in distress. It is unnerving. The very sad and dangerous difference is these children should and do know better. They are being manipulated by the devil.

 

 Nothing short of a miracle can change their minds.Here is the first draft of a poem which came to me during my middle of the night. The prayer I speak of is not to an all powerful deity over head, but to the good and decent soul of all.

Pray With Me

 

I don't bargain with the devil.

The truth is plain to see.

When the spell is finally broken,

won't you come pray with me?

 

There's a veil fallen between us

thin as it can be.

When the wind blows, it will open.

Then may you come and pray with me

 

When injustice rules one life

we must all take a knee.

One innocent imprisoned

means none of us are free.

 

There's no shield to protect us

from eternity.

When you're ready to be humble

please come and pray with me.

 

We will pray for our salvation. 

For strength hand in hand.

With the power of redemption 

we will heal this fractured land.