The wonderful thing about the chupacabras, the highly unusual mythical dog found in Texas this week, is that it opens our eyes to all the interesting and unusual creatures that also inhabit our world.
Here is a legend come to life. Will bigfoot be next?
Things that we wrote off as impossible suddenly come to life. What other varieties of life will we discover?
Discoveries like this wake up the mind.
Showing posts with label violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label violence. Show all posts
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Cards on the Table
You have probably heard some strange stories before, but here is a new one.
This weekend, I am doing tarot readings at a big three day festival in Boulder. Booths are very expensive, so I share the tent with two other readers to make the cost reasonable. As we have done in the past, we took what we need to work down there the night before the festival opened and set up the tent. Then we leave it for the night. This is common practice for outdoor festivals.
This morning, when we arrived, we found that someone had gotten into our tent and went through all of our bags. That's odd. All three of us keep very busy schedules and sites like this are usually secure.
Oddly, the only thing they took was the tarot deck which I have been using for years doing public readings. I had it in my bag at the festival site so that I would be all ready to go. In the suitcase with it was a brand new deck still in the shrink wrap that I am offering for sale. It is a very strange perp who would take the deck that is well worn and in a rather simple bag, rather than a brand new deck still in the factory wrap.
So I pulled out a couple of other decks that I have been getting familiar with and did my readings with them. That was no problem, because once you have many years of reading experience, you can read with any deck, with of course, some adjustments for variances different artists create.
I had been so connected to the old deck that I was beginning to feel that I needed to change for a while just to stretch my mind. When you go back and forth with different decks, it helps to sharpen your wits and open to additional insights. But of course, I never would have gotten rid of that deck, just brought out others more often.
So there you have it. Another strange but true story of weird criminals. And another amazing chapter in the life of this tarot deck. This is the same deck that gale force winds blew off my table last year, but a couple of other people helped me get all the cards back. So either the deck is now being used by the person who stole it or it was passed on to someone else. Or perhaps they just threw the cards away and kept the bag. Who knows? If this is the biography of a tarot deck, it is quite a story and quite a journey it is on.
Of course, there is one other possibility. Perhaps the person who stole it will start to think about the fact that it is a very well worn deck and start to feel a strange compulsion to return it. We will see.
This weekend, I am doing tarot readings at a big three day festival in Boulder. Booths are very expensive, so I share the tent with two other readers to make the cost reasonable. As we have done in the past, we took what we need to work down there the night before the festival opened and set up the tent. Then we leave it for the night. This is common practice for outdoor festivals.
This morning, when we arrived, we found that someone had gotten into our tent and went through all of our bags. That's odd. All three of us keep very busy schedules and sites like this are usually secure.
Oddly, the only thing they took was the tarot deck which I have been using for years doing public readings. I had it in my bag at the festival site so that I would be all ready to go. In the suitcase with it was a brand new deck still in the shrink wrap that I am offering for sale. It is a very strange perp who would take the deck that is well worn and in a rather simple bag, rather than a brand new deck still in the factory wrap.
So I pulled out a couple of other decks that I have been getting familiar with and did my readings with them. That was no problem, because once you have many years of reading experience, you can read with any deck, with of course, some adjustments for variances different artists create.
I had been so connected to the old deck that I was beginning to feel that I needed to change for a while just to stretch my mind. When you go back and forth with different decks, it helps to sharpen your wits and open to additional insights. But of course, I never would have gotten rid of that deck, just brought out others more often.
So there you have it. Another strange but true story of weird criminals. And another amazing chapter in the life of this tarot deck. This is the same deck that gale force winds blew off my table last year, but a couple of other people helped me get all the cards back. So either the deck is now being used by the person who stole it or it was passed on to someone else. Or perhaps they just threw the cards away and kept the bag. Who knows? If this is the biography of a tarot deck, it is quite a story and quite a journey it is on.
Of course, there is one other possibility. Perhaps the person who stole it will start to think about the fact that it is a very well worn deck and start to feel a strange compulsion to return it. We will see.
Memorial Day Reflections
Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor our military veterans who have died in service to our country. It is important to have a strong military force in place to defend ourselves.
Ironically, this weekend two important milestones relate to this particular holiday. As of this weekend, 1,000 members of the military have died in Iraq, and we have spent one trillion dollars on that war. All of which, in my opinion, was unnecessary. There was no good reason to wage a war in Iraq. What have we actually purchased with those 1,000 lives and one trillion dollars?
How would I define a justifiable war? When Pearl Harbor was attacked, we rose up in self defense. People agreed that we needed to get up and defend ourselves. Private industry mobilized to support the military. Women worked in factories while men went off to fight. People accepted rationing as necessary. Everyone pulled together for a victory, and so there was one.
We did not win a decisive victory in Korea or Vietnam, I think because that unity that existed in World War 2 was missing. There was no unanimous agreement that we should be in those wars. During the Vietnam War, there were major public protests to end the war.
Why were there no such massive protests against the Iraq War? Because there has not been a draft since Vietnam. When we were all likely to be drafted to go and risk our lives in Vietnam, both the young men and many of their friends and families protested. During the Iraq War, there is no draft and all of us are not likely to go there and risk our lives unless we volunteer to do so. That leaves many people to simply ignore it.
With all due respect for the courage and dedicated service of our military men and women, the milestones pose very pertinent questions. Why do something we do not have to do, as individuals or as a country?
When the subject of providing health care coverage for all citizens, one of the objections is that we could not afford to do that. Some people object to increasing unemployment compensation even as many American businesses have moved their operations to countries where they can hire cheaper labor.
Yet, if all that is too much for us to afford, how do we find the money to pay for a Vietnam War or and Iraq War? it seems to me that if we can find a million dollars in our budget to create a war in Iraq, we could find money in our budget to provide health care for everyone, provide educational opportunities for everyone at a reasonable cost, and provide the safety net of unemployment compensation. A trillion dollars could buy a lot more life affirming things.
We should still maintain a military for self defense. For example, why not have them guard our airports and train stations, and public spaces?
In another development this week, more troops were sent to the border areas to try and prevent drug gang violence from becoming as common here as it is in the Mexican border towns. But there is a practical solution there too. If we were to simply legalize drugs, there would be no traffic for the cartels to fight over, and their reason for being would evaporate overnight. We could bring an end to that violence without using force.
I suggest that we reflect on the wiser use of our resources and make decisions which will contribute to peace. I know that some may say that these suggestions are too idealistic, but think about it. Instead of buying a war in Iraq, we could have bought health care, education and a safety net for our neediest people. And we can defuse another war by simply changing one of our laws, swiftly ending a wave of murders, tortures and corruption. Seems like a better buy to me.
So let us honor our military people by bringing them home from unnecessary wars and using our power to take better care of our own people.
Ironically, this weekend two important milestones relate to this particular holiday. As of this weekend, 1,000 members of the military have died in Iraq, and we have spent one trillion dollars on that war. All of which, in my opinion, was unnecessary. There was no good reason to wage a war in Iraq. What have we actually purchased with those 1,000 lives and one trillion dollars?
How would I define a justifiable war? When Pearl Harbor was attacked, we rose up in self defense. People agreed that we needed to get up and defend ourselves. Private industry mobilized to support the military. Women worked in factories while men went off to fight. People accepted rationing as necessary. Everyone pulled together for a victory, and so there was one.
We did not win a decisive victory in Korea or Vietnam, I think because that unity that existed in World War 2 was missing. There was no unanimous agreement that we should be in those wars. During the Vietnam War, there were major public protests to end the war.
Why were there no such massive protests against the Iraq War? Because there has not been a draft since Vietnam. When we were all likely to be drafted to go and risk our lives in Vietnam, both the young men and many of their friends and families protested. During the Iraq War, there is no draft and all of us are not likely to go there and risk our lives unless we volunteer to do so. That leaves many people to simply ignore it.
With all due respect for the courage and dedicated service of our military men and women, the milestones pose very pertinent questions. Why do something we do not have to do, as individuals or as a country?
When the subject of providing health care coverage for all citizens, one of the objections is that we could not afford to do that. Some people object to increasing unemployment compensation even as many American businesses have moved their operations to countries where they can hire cheaper labor.
Yet, if all that is too much for us to afford, how do we find the money to pay for a Vietnam War or and Iraq War? it seems to me that if we can find a million dollars in our budget to create a war in Iraq, we could find money in our budget to provide health care for everyone, provide educational opportunities for everyone at a reasonable cost, and provide the safety net of unemployment compensation. A trillion dollars could buy a lot more life affirming things.
We should still maintain a military for self defense. For example, why not have them guard our airports and train stations, and public spaces?
In another development this week, more troops were sent to the border areas to try and prevent drug gang violence from becoming as common here as it is in the Mexican border towns. But there is a practical solution there too. If we were to simply legalize drugs, there would be no traffic for the cartels to fight over, and their reason for being would evaporate overnight. We could bring an end to that violence without using force.
I suggest that we reflect on the wiser use of our resources and make decisions which will contribute to peace. I know that some may say that these suggestions are too idealistic, but think about it. Instead of buying a war in Iraq, we could have bought health care, education and a safety net for our neediest people. And we can defuse another war by simply changing one of our laws, swiftly ending a wave of murders, tortures and corruption. Seems like a better buy to me.
So let us honor our military people by bringing them home from unnecessary wars and using our power to take better care of our own people.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Drafting Peace
I was looking at some old photos from the 1960s today on a website, and that prompted some thoughts on what happened then.
For example, there were some huge peace demonstrations to end the war in Vietnam back then and I participated in many of them myself. Why? Simple. Back then we had the draft, whioh meant that every male over the age of 18 was required to register and having done so, you could be ordered to report for duty in the army and sent to Vietnam. Guys I knew were dying in Vietnam as soon as the summer we graduated from high school. And for what?
The simple fact of the draft gave both young men and their parents cause to be concerned, and brought many to the demonstrations.
Many people, when considering the question of whether they would be willing to die for Vietnam, decided that they would not. Eventually, popular opinion caused our politicians to end the war.
Which brings us to the present day. There were no massive demonstrations when either of the Bushes were launching wars in Iraq. Why not? Because there is no draft, so all young men are not in danger of being shipped to Iraq to face possible sudden death or permanent injury. If there was still a draft there would have been large protests.
Support is stronger for the war in Afghanistan because the terrorists who were responsible for 9/11 had training camps in that country, and there is a lot of agreement that retaliating against them is the correct thing to do.
When we don't have a vested interest in an action or series of events, we are less concerned about how it turns out. If we don't personally have to go and fight in a war, then how it goes is somebody else's problem.
At the root of that activism and idealism in the 60s was a very personal interest in making the world a better place. We cannot control what everyone else in the world does, but we can control what we do. I still look forward to a time when we are not involved in any war with anyone.
Here is a related thought. If we consider terrorists to be enemy combatants then we are elevating a handful of deranged suicidal people to the level of worthy adversary.
If we were to treat them instead as criminals to be tracked down, the violence would be smaller and more contained. If coordinated police and military forces tracked down mad bombers, saboteurs, kidnappers and murderers and treated them as such, they would have a much harder time portraying themselves as heroes.
Another current example is the horrendous spate of killings by the drug cartels in Mexico who are fighting for the rights to be our illegal drug suppliers. So now there is talk about lending military aid to the Mexican government to try and end this carnage. However, legalizing drugs would end the carnage more quickly and efficiently than a fleet of helicopters and battalions of soldiers.
Apprehending criminals rather than declaring wars could be a better way to do what needs to be done. So we can act in our own self defense and work toward peace at the same time. We can do it.
For example, there were some huge peace demonstrations to end the war in Vietnam back then and I participated in many of them myself. Why? Simple. Back then we had the draft, whioh meant that every male over the age of 18 was required to register and having done so, you could be ordered to report for duty in the army and sent to Vietnam. Guys I knew were dying in Vietnam as soon as the summer we graduated from high school. And for what?
The simple fact of the draft gave both young men and their parents cause to be concerned, and brought many to the demonstrations.
Many people, when considering the question of whether they would be willing to die for Vietnam, decided that they would not. Eventually, popular opinion caused our politicians to end the war.
Which brings us to the present day. There were no massive demonstrations when either of the Bushes were launching wars in Iraq. Why not? Because there is no draft, so all young men are not in danger of being shipped to Iraq to face possible sudden death or permanent injury. If there was still a draft there would have been large protests.
Support is stronger for the war in Afghanistan because the terrorists who were responsible for 9/11 had training camps in that country, and there is a lot of agreement that retaliating against them is the correct thing to do.
When we don't have a vested interest in an action or series of events, we are less concerned about how it turns out. If we don't personally have to go and fight in a war, then how it goes is somebody else's problem.
At the root of that activism and idealism in the 60s was a very personal interest in making the world a better place. We cannot control what everyone else in the world does, but we can control what we do. I still look forward to a time when we are not involved in any war with anyone.
Here is a related thought. If we consider terrorists to be enemy combatants then we are elevating a handful of deranged suicidal people to the level of worthy adversary.
If we were to treat them instead as criminals to be tracked down, the violence would be smaller and more contained. If coordinated police and military forces tracked down mad bombers, saboteurs, kidnappers and murderers and treated them as such, they would have a much harder time portraying themselves as heroes.
Another current example is the horrendous spate of killings by the drug cartels in Mexico who are fighting for the rights to be our illegal drug suppliers. So now there is talk about lending military aid to the Mexican government to try and end this carnage. However, legalizing drugs would end the carnage more quickly and efficiently than a fleet of helicopters and battalions of soldiers.
Apprehending criminals rather than declaring wars could be a better way to do what needs to be done. So we can act in our own self defense and work toward peace at the same time. We can do it.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
February Energies
February is a mood swing kind of month. We go from warm and sunny back to snow and ice, a couple of times. The days are getting longer, but also colder, so there is a constant adjustment.
Some of us may be working on taxes now, planning and getting bookings ahead for the year, so it is a month to really lay the groundwork to make things happen.
Energies may be back and forth like the weather right now. Notice it. This is where we put things in motion.
Right now the Olympics are on, and some people are watching every day while others of us have not watched any of it, and have no idea who is winning.
It is ironic, isn't it?
Every four years, we get people together from all over the world to gather peacefully and joyfully to enjoy watching the best young athletes demonstrate their skills.
The irony is this. Every four years we can get this peaceful gathering. In between then, we still have wars. Yes, I know I am idealistic for even suggesting this thought. Imagine a world with more peace than war, instead of more war than peace.
The days are visibly longer now and it will be warm again. We have done some spring cleaning and celebrated the red, sexy holidays.
Dreams come easier and more frequently with candles, and we can dream of all kinds of things right now. Nights are still long and cold, and candles prepare the way for dreams and soft sleep.
Some of us may be working on taxes now, planning and getting bookings ahead for the year, so it is a month to really lay the groundwork to make things happen.
Energies may be back and forth like the weather right now. Notice it. This is where we put things in motion.
Right now the Olympics are on, and some people are watching every day while others of us have not watched any of it, and have no idea who is winning.
It is ironic, isn't it?
Every four years, we get people together from all over the world to gather peacefully and joyfully to enjoy watching the best young athletes demonstrate their skills.
The irony is this. Every four years we can get this peaceful gathering. In between then, we still have wars. Yes, I know I am idealistic for even suggesting this thought. Imagine a world with more peace than war, instead of more war than peace.
The days are visibly longer now and it will be warm again. We have done some spring cleaning and celebrated the red, sexy holidays.
Dreams come easier and more frequently with candles, and we can dream of all kinds of things right now. Nights are still long and cold, and candles prepare the way for dreams and soft sleep.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Written on the Wind
Today I was working in a fair in Firestone. We had a tent set up and more people were starting to come in for readings. It had been hot and sunny, shifting into slightly overcast at times.
Suddenly, some really dark, low hanging clouds drifted in, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees and a strong wind kicked up. The lovely young woman and her daughter who had just begun their reading suddenly saw all the cards fly off the table. Then my business cards and brochures. Then my vase of flowers. The young lady was kind enough to help pick up my cards, and miraculously, not one was lost. I wadded up everything on my table into the tablecloth and put it in my bag.
I had bought a lovely little tomato plant from another vendor, and it got broken when my table fell on it. I brought it home any way and planted it even though it was broken. I have a feeling that it will survive and produce some beautiful tomatoes anyway.
Other people helped us put the tent away, including police and firemen who were there. Other people weren't so lucky. Their tents got tossed across the road. So the holiday fair was declared over less than half way through. It is always a risk with outdoor fairs, just like sudden rainstorms or blazing heat.
Someone said that the winds were 75 mph. I have noticed driving north on I-25 before, feeling winds that exerted a strong pressure on my car, and I drive a very substantial car. I have heard that those winds get to around 80 - 100 mph on the plains in Colorado and Wyoming.
Quite amazing. The sudden gale force gusts driving across the plains, upending everything.
It was very surreal doing a reading and watching all the cards blow away off the table. It was just as surreal getting them all back.
So the crowded fairgrounds were suddenly empty. The clouds continued to be very dark purple and some layers seemed strangely close to the ground. People helped each other and we all got out OK. Yet it still seemed strange to be interrupted in that way and get home early because we could not finish what we started.
Winds went from refreshing to freaky in a matter of minutes. And for a moment, all my readings were indeed, written on the wind.
Suddenly, some really dark, low hanging clouds drifted in, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees and a strong wind kicked up. The lovely young woman and her daughter who had just begun their reading suddenly saw all the cards fly off the table. Then my business cards and brochures. Then my vase of flowers. The young lady was kind enough to help pick up my cards, and miraculously, not one was lost. I wadded up everything on my table into the tablecloth and put it in my bag.
I had bought a lovely little tomato plant from another vendor, and it got broken when my table fell on it. I brought it home any way and planted it even though it was broken. I have a feeling that it will survive and produce some beautiful tomatoes anyway.
Other people helped us put the tent away, including police and firemen who were there. Other people weren't so lucky. Their tents got tossed across the road. So the holiday fair was declared over less than half way through. It is always a risk with outdoor fairs, just like sudden rainstorms or blazing heat.
Someone said that the winds were 75 mph. I have noticed driving north on I-25 before, feeling winds that exerted a strong pressure on my car, and I drive a very substantial car. I have heard that those winds get to around 80 - 100 mph on the plains in Colorado and Wyoming.
Quite amazing. The sudden gale force gusts driving across the plains, upending everything.
It was very surreal doing a reading and watching all the cards blow away off the table. It was just as surreal getting them all back.
So the crowded fairgrounds were suddenly empty. The clouds continued to be very dark purple and some layers seemed strangely close to the ground. People helped each other and we all got out OK. Yet it still seemed strange to be interrupted in that way and get home early because we could not finish what we started.
Winds went from refreshing to freaky in a matter of minutes. And for a moment, all my readings were indeed, written on the wind.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Peacetime
Yes, I know it is idealistic to hope that one day there will be peace in every country. Perhaps it is not in human nature for that to be so, but that does not mean we should not hope that it becomes true one day.
This thought is prompted by the news that the battle between the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers is finally over after about 30 years of killing. and for what? It seems like after bombing and shooting each other for a number of years that somehow the adversaries would find some resolution to the problem.
How long has it been that the nightly news reports include some new twist in the Arab-Israeli conflicts, or the Palestinian Israeli conflict. There have been peace talks and peace agreements, yet they always seem to come undone. It seems like someone should be able to figure out a solution that both parties can live with by now. I know. I am idealistic.
I remember in the 90s, after the old Communist government finally collapsed in Russia, I thought we were about to enter a new era a great peace. It struck me as so bizarre that the newly free people would be busy killing each other instead of partying and starting new businesses and celebrating life. In some countries they did. The Czech Republic and Poland just got busy getting on with their lives, but people in the former Yugoslavia got busy killing each other.
In Sierra Leone and Liberia in Africa, madmen fought to control the diamond business, even going so far as to just chop off people's limbs for the sheer purpose of putting fear into them. One crazy man after another would take control of a gang of thugs and run things for a while until another would get some followers and weapons and take over.
I guess that all over the world, wherever there is a power hungry, greedy maniac who is somewhat charismatic in their public speaking, they can get people to pick up weapons and follow them into the slaughter.
So yes, I am idealistic enough to dream about a world in which people work out their disputes and put an end to the bloodshed. Is it really human nature to try and rule other people out of fear? I know that for myself, I want my life to be pleasant and peaceful. What is human nature?
This thought is prompted by the news that the battle between the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers is finally over after about 30 years of killing. and for what? It seems like after bombing and shooting each other for a number of years that somehow the adversaries would find some resolution to the problem.
How long has it been that the nightly news reports include some new twist in the Arab-Israeli conflicts, or the Palestinian Israeli conflict. There have been peace talks and peace agreements, yet they always seem to come undone. It seems like someone should be able to figure out a solution that both parties can live with by now. I know. I am idealistic.
I remember in the 90s, after the old Communist government finally collapsed in Russia, I thought we were about to enter a new era a great peace. It struck me as so bizarre that the newly free people would be busy killing each other instead of partying and starting new businesses and celebrating life. In some countries they did. The Czech Republic and Poland just got busy getting on with their lives, but people in the former Yugoslavia got busy killing each other.
In Sierra Leone and Liberia in Africa, madmen fought to control the diamond business, even going so far as to just chop off people's limbs for the sheer purpose of putting fear into them. One crazy man after another would take control of a gang of thugs and run things for a while until another would get some followers and weapons and take over.
I guess that all over the world, wherever there is a power hungry, greedy maniac who is somewhat charismatic in their public speaking, they can get people to pick up weapons and follow them into the slaughter.
So yes, I am idealistic enough to dream about a world in which people work out their disputes and put an end to the bloodshed. Is it really human nature to try and rule other people out of fear? I know that for myself, I want my life to be pleasant and peaceful. What is human nature?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Wolf and Us
A century ago in this country, farmers and ranchers tried to make the wolf extinct through poisoning, trapping and shooting, but this was an ill guided policy.
Wolves attack people in fairy tales more than in real life. They also fulfill an important role in nature. Wolves help cull herds of wild animals. They will eat the deer who are lame, injured or slow moving. Without this natural predator, there is no check on the growth of deer and other populations of other game animals. In many parts of the country, they have had to have special, additional hunting seasons just to bring the herd size back down what the land can support.
Wolves will also eat smaller wild game, from mice to rabbits when they do not get deer. Every animal plays a part in the world. If we eliminate one from the cycle of life, others get out of balance. Wolves are also a natural adversary of coyotes. During the years when the wolves were artificially surpressed, there was nothing to check the rapid expansion of the coyote into urban areas.
The fact that the wolf population has come back is due to the efforts of various governent agencies and volunteer organizations like Defenders of Wildlife. They oversaw the reintroduction of wolves into various wild places around the country.
I am prompted to write about this today because once again, the government is planning on lifting sanctions agains wolves and some gun happy shooters cannot wait to shoot as many trophies as they can. This is not because they are hungry to eat wolf meat. In places like Alaska, it is hard to even consider it a sport when you see hunters in aircraft running down their prey, and in some cases using semi-automatic weapons to shoot them. That's not really much of a sport.
I am not against hunting. I am a meat eater and I think if a person wants to go out and shoot game so that they can take it home and eat it, that is perfectly fine. That is not what shoot wolves is about.
Wolves have long been an animal totem associated with the wild spirits of shamans, ancient gods, and symbols of the wild itself. We need our wild parts and our wild places and we need all creatures in the cycle of life.
I have supported the reintroduction of the wolves and am against the delisting of them as an endangered species, which allows the laws to change so that some trigger happy shooters can go out and try and make them extinct again. This is not a wise choice.
Wolves attack people in fairy tales more than in real life. They also fulfill an important role in nature. Wolves help cull herds of wild animals. They will eat the deer who are lame, injured or slow moving. Without this natural predator, there is no check on the growth of deer and other populations of other game animals. In many parts of the country, they have had to have special, additional hunting seasons just to bring the herd size back down what the land can support.
Wolves will also eat smaller wild game, from mice to rabbits when they do not get deer. Every animal plays a part in the world. If we eliminate one from the cycle of life, others get out of balance. Wolves are also a natural adversary of coyotes. During the years when the wolves were artificially surpressed, there was nothing to check the rapid expansion of the coyote into urban areas.
The fact that the wolf population has come back is due to the efforts of various governent agencies and volunteer organizations like Defenders of Wildlife. They oversaw the reintroduction of wolves into various wild places around the country.
I am prompted to write about this today because once again, the government is planning on lifting sanctions agains wolves and some gun happy shooters cannot wait to shoot as many trophies as they can. This is not because they are hungry to eat wolf meat. In places like Alaska, it is hard to even consider it a sport when you see hunters in aircraft running down their prey, and in some cases using semi-automatic weapons to shoot them. That's not really much of a sport.
I am not against hunting. I am a meat eater and I think if a person wants to go out and shoot game so that they can take it home and eat it, that is perfectly fine. That is not what shoot wolves is about.
Wolves have long been an animal totem associated with the wild spirits of shamans, ancient gods, and symbols of the wild itself. We need our wild parts and our wild places and we need all creatures in the cycle of life.
I have supported the reintroduction of the wolves and am against the delisting of them as an endangered species, which allows the laws to change so that some trigger happy shooters can go out and try and make them extinct again. This is not a wise choice.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Pattern Recognition # 9 - Are We Geared for War or Peace?
Back before Daddy Bush invaded Iraq the first time, I knew he would do it. In the years after the Vietnam war, they spent lots of money developing weapons for fighting in the desert. Vietnam stuff was engineered for fighting in the jungle. Would the military and their suppliers spend billions of dollars developing a new generation of tanks, hummers, drones, lasers, GPS and more and not find a place to test them out?
If we look at the history of inventions, we see a pattern. When new inventions are created, one of the first customers for them are the military. This is not just hardware either. Remember when we discovered that the CIA was using psychics? If we know that the military labs are researching anthrax, what else are they researching?
They would never spend all that money developing a new generation of weapons and not use them. All that stuff, like laser guided sighting and targeting systems, GPS directed weapons, new tanks, etc. So now we have lots of people looking at the military as a steady paycheck. They will put them to work somewhere.
Interestingly, I just ordered a new documentary from Netflix about this subject. I am curious to see what kind of information is in there. I suspect from the blurb I read that it is about how over many years and generations, wars have been used to perk up the economy.
Check out today's headline in the New York Times
More Americans Joining Military as Jobs Dwindle
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/us/19recruits.html?_r=1&th&emc=th As the number of jobs across the nation dwindles, more Americans are joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training. The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals for the first time since 2004, the year that violence in Iraq intensified drastically, Pentagon officials said.
Maybe the time will finally be right to shift our economy to focus more on peaceful applications of technology and peaceful employment of our people. We can dream, can't we? What will it take to make it real?
If we look at the history of inventions, we see a pattern. When new inventions are created, one of the first customers for them are the military. This is not just hardware either. Remember when we discovered that the CIA was using psychics? If we know that the military labs are researching anthrax, what else are they researching?
They would never spend all that money developing a new generation of weapons and not use them. All that stuff, like laser guided sighting and targeting systems, GPS directed weapons, new tanks, etc. So now we have lots of people looking at the military as a steady paycheck. They will put them to work somewhere.
Interestingly, I just ordered a new documentary from Netflix about this subject. I am curious to see what kind of information is in there. I suspect from the blurb I read that it is about how over many years and generations, wars have been used to perk up the economy.
Check out today's headline in the New York Times
More Americans Joining Military as Jobs Dwindle
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/us/19recruits.html?_r=1&th&emc=th As the number of jobs across the nation dwindles, more Americans are joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training. The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals for the first time since 2004, the year that violence in Iraq intensified drastically, Pentagon officials said.
Maybe the time will finally be right to shift our economy to focus more on peaceful applications of technology and peaceful employment of our people. We can dream, can't we? What will it take to make it real?
Monday, January 5, 2009
What Will the New Year Bring?
This year might bring a real awakening of our search for values. With all of the upheavals in the markets and financial losses people have suffered they may finally look at things in a way that is heart focused. Sometimes we have to lose some things in order to appreciate life more fully.
Just ask someone who has faced a serious illness like cancer or heart attack and survived. Once you have faced the possibility of dying, priorities change. Suddenly there is time for the things you have been putting off, or the changes you hesitated to make.
If you thought you had a pretty good nest egg, but saw it shrink, then you have to reconsider what you want to spend that nest egg on. So maybe this is the year when you add another tool to your set, whether it is learning tarot or the runes, or tai chi or yoga, or write a memoir or maybe try your hand at fiction, or pottery, drawing or painting.
What will happen out there? Perhaps these scandals have taught us to look at more solid investments and more solid things we should be creating as a society, such as an energy grid powered more by renewable energy sources than not. Or more energy efficient homes.
Will there be peace in the countries where we now see war? Hopefully. Of course, in each place where there is war, there has to be a way to really reduce the source of inflammation. We need leaders who will not pander to racial or ethnic animosities. We need more changes in a real way, so that the trouble spots do not keep flaring up. Is it possible? Yes. Each place where there is war will require a different sort of breakthrough. It is possible to change the big picture. We have to look for the key to change and then encourage those who can to implement it.
Just ask someone who has faced a serious illness like cancer or heart attack and survived. Once you have faced the possibility of dying, priorities change. Suddenly there is time for the things you have been putting off, or the changes you hesitated to make.
If you thought you had a pretty good nest egg, but saw it shrink, then you have to reconsider what you want to spend that nest egg on. So maybe this is the year when you add another tool to your set, whether it is learning tarot or the runes, or tai chi or yoga, or write a memoir or maybe try your hand at fiction, or pottery, drawing or painting.
What will happen out there? Perhaps these scandals have taught us to look at more solid investments and more solid things we should be creating as a society, such as an energy grid powered more by renewable energy sources than not. Or more energy efficient homes.
Will there be peace in the countries where we now see war? Hopefully. Of course, in each place where there is war, there has to be a way to really reduce the source of inflammation. We need leaders who will not pander to racial or ethnic animosities. We need more changes in a real way, so that the trouble spots do not keep flaring up. Is it possible? Yes. Each place where there is war will require a different sort of breakthrough. It is possible to change the big picture. We have to look for the key to change and then encourage those who can to implement it.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Make Love, Not War
Before you make a snap judgment and dismiss this slogan as nothing more than a quaint old popular saying from a long time ago, there is another aspect to consider.
It seems that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) among returning military veterans is a contributing factor to the rising number of cases of domestic violence in military families.
A reasonable conclusion is that if we increase the amount of vilence in the world, we feel it at home, and when we reduce the amount of violence in the world, we feel the results at home too.
Is the rate higher now than in earlier wars? That may be harder to prove because in many of our earlier wars, we did not even have a term for this, although related terms like "shell shock" were used.
A reasonable person might also surmise that there was less after World War 2 because it was generally agreed that that war was one that we needed to fight, and we were victorious. Not only were we victorious, but then the years following it were years of economic expansion and prosperity as people got back to more peaceful pursuits such as building homes, creating businesses, and starting families.
Today's veterans are returning to a difficult job market, having served in a war that most people think we should have never started in the first place. These are difficult pressures for any person to face. How many people with good educations and solid work histories are now having a hard time finding jobs with decent pay?
The cost of war is paid for in many ways besides the dollars we spend on arms and supporting the troops in other countries.
Make love, not war might be a better prescription than many people give it credit for being.
After all, how would our world look if our energy was devoted to creating and building and strengthening our country? What if we brought all the troops home that we could and got busy fixing up our country? What if more people were busy making love, not war?
It seems that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) among returning military veterans is a contributing factor to the rising number of cases of domestic violence in military families.
A reasonable conclusion is that if we increase the amount of vilence in the world, we feel it at home, and when we reduce the amount of violence in the world, we feel the results at home too.
Is the rate higher now than in earlier wars? That may be harder to prove because in many of our earlier wars, we did not even have a term for this, although related terms like "shell shock" were used.
A reasonable person might also surmise that there was less after World War 2 because it was generally agreed that that war was one that we needed to fight, and we were victorious. Not only were we victorious, but then the years following it were years of economic expansion and prosperity as people got back to more peaceful pursuits such as building homes, creating businesses, and starting families.
Today's veterans are returning to a difficult job market, having served in a war that most people think we should have never started in the first place. These are difficult pressures for any person to face. How many people with good educations and solid work histories are now having a hard time finding jobs with decent pay?
The cost of war is paid for in many ways besides the dollars we spend on arms and supporting the troops in other countries.
Make love, not war might be a better prescription than many people give it credit for being.
After all, how would our world look if our energy was devoted to creating and building and strengthening our country? What if we brought all the troops home that we could and got busy fixing up our country? What if more people were busy making love, not war?
Friday, November 14, 2008
Chip Coffey's Paranormal State
One evening recently, we were scanning through the On Demand section of the cable service and spotted a listing for a show called Paranormal States. Just out of curiosity, we decided to watch an episode to see what it was like.
As they were going to this house to investigate a case of spirit possession, the narrator mentioned that they were being joined by Chip Coffey, and my ears immediately perked up because I used to know someone by that name. Then he entered the scene, and sure enough, it is the person I used to know.
Chip is a psychic and medium who specializes in communicating with the spirits of the dead, and apparently he is getting quite famous and popular these days. I like Chip because he is a nice guy, with a quick sense of humor and was always helpful. Back when I knew him, I was the editor of a metaphysical magazine, and he was one of my regular contributing writers. He was a good writer, and he possessed one of those other qualities that is highly prized among editors - he always got his work in on time.
Even many years ago, long before there was a TV show called Paranormal States, Chip was making a full time living as a psychic, so it is not a real surprise to see him being even more successful now. Still it was kind of a reality check to see someone I knew on TV. I mean, how often does it happen that you turn on the TV and suddenly, one of the main characters is someone you know.
Of course it is another kind of reality to make a full time living out of talking to dead people. One person's reality is another person's weirdness. The episodes we have seen include not only spirits of dead people, but also UFOs and unknown creatures, in other words, a range of possible entities that are being investigated and actions taken to remedy negative influences from any of these. Some of the entities and phenomena are simply curious and unexplained.
Life is a strange journey, and we never know if we will be surprised at who we meet or how or when we meet them. I am glad for my friend's success. In a way it is also encouraging because as we work to make our way in this world, we do not always know in what way the success will present itself.
Reality checks can come in strange packages. People who live in haunted houses have one version of reality check. Then comes another reality check in the form of people who want to help them deal with the haunted house, and instead of running from it, they head straight towards it. Guess it all depends on what you consider reality.
As they were going to this house to investigate a case of spirit possession, the narrator mentioned that they were being joined by Chip Coffey, and my ears immediately perked up because I used to know someone by that name. Then he entered the scene, and sure enough, it is the person I used to know.
Chip is a psychic and medium who specializes in communicating with the spirits of the dead, and apparently he is getting quite famous and popular these days. I like Chip because he is a nice guy, with a quick sense of humor and was always helpful. Back when I knew him, I was the editor of a metaphysical magazine, and he was one of my regular contributing writers. He was a good writer, and he possessed one of those other qualities that is highly prized among editors - he always got his work in on time.
Even many years ago, long before there was a TV show called Paranormal States, Chip was making a full time living as a psychic, so it is not a real surprise to see him being even more successful now. Still it was kind of a reality check to see someone I knew on TV. I mean, how often does it happen that you turn on the TV and suddenly, one of the main characters is someone you know.
Of course it is another kind of reality to make a full time living out of talking to dead people. One person's reality is another person's weirdness. The episodes we have seen include not only spirits of dead people, but also UFOs and unknown creatures, in other words, a range of possible entities that are being investigated and actions taken to remedy negative influences from any of these. Some of the entities and phenomena are simply curious and unexplained.
Life is a strange journey, and we never know if we will be surprised at who we meet or how or when we meet them. I am glad for my friend's success. In a way it is also encouraging because as we work to make our way in this world, we do not always know in what way the success will present itself.
Reality checks can come in strange packages. People who live in haunted houses have one version of reality check. Then comes another reality check in the form of people who want to help them deal with the haunted house, and instead of running from it, they head straight towards it. Guess it all depends on what you consider reality.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Love, Fear and Ethnicity
One of the aspects of ethnicity is that from a love perspective, good things are learning to appreciate the differences in cultures and savoring the contributions each has made to humanity.
One of the aspects of the fear perspective is that when people whip up too much animosity over this subject, we have violence between ethnic groups.
Having pride in one's roots adds to the richness of our culture and our individual lives. When we have too much of it, that's when problems occur.
Each time when we look at a conflict between races, ethnic groups, or nationalities, we find an economic problem at the root. If we look to find a solution to the economic problem, we see the larger evolution of humanity, and find ways that work for everyone. Old jealousies, biases and hatreds must be worked out of our system if we are ever to have a more peaceful planet. Always be suspicious of those who play on those prejudices and stereotypes to inflame attitudes in an unhealthy, unproductive and violent way.
Always look at what is happening and ask if this developement comes from love or fear.
One of the aspects of the fear perspective is that when people whip up too much animosity over this subject, we have violence between ethnic groups.
Having pride in one's roots adds to the richness of our culture and our individual lives. When we have too much of it, that's when problems occur.
Each time when we look at a conflict between races, ethnic groups, or nationalities, we find an economic problem at the root. If we look to find a solution to the economic problem, we see the larger evolution of humanity, and find ways that work for everyone. Old jealousies, biases and hatreds must be worked out of our system if we are ever to have a more peaceful planet. Always be suspicious of those who play on those prejudices and stereotypes to inflame attitudes in an unhealthy, unproductive and violent way.
Always look at what is happening and ask if this developement comes from love or fear.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Are Nationalities Obsolete?
When looking at the stories of world events, it is impossible not to notice the role nationalism plays in violence.
For example, the stories of the arrest of the Serbian leaders wanted for the genocide in Croatia in the 1990s. Also the conflict in Albania & Macedonia. Tibet/China. Afghanistan/Pakistan border (Tribal leaders) The genocide in Rwanda (Tutsi & Hutu). Sri Lanka (Tamil). Sudan/Darfur. Ethiopia/Somalia. Turkey/Iraq (Kurds). Look at any place where there are wars or serious unrest around the world, and you will find disputes that have something to do with nationalities and ethnic groups.
Even today in a peaceful and prosperous country like Belgium, there are people advocating the separation of land between the people of Flemish descent and people of French descent. There is also unrest among the Roma people in Bulgaria and Italy.
All of us have probably enjoyed the pleasure of attending various ethnic festivals at one time or another, and enjoyed discovering different foods, music, and folk customs. This is part of what makes our experience of this world an interesting place. It is the biggest reason why people go on vacation to different countries.
So what is wrong with this picture? Maybe economics. Look at it this way. Right now there is a lot of unrest in parts of th U.S. about the rapidly increasing number of Latin American immigrants in this country. It was not as much of an issue when our economy was strong but now that so many people have lost their jobs and have trouble finding other jobs, when they see newly arrived immigrants willing to work for less, there is a feeling that this makes it hard for them to make a decent living.
At the root there is some element of this in all these other struggles. Although nationalistic or ethnic pride may be invoked when rallying people to a cause, at the root will probably be either a sense of economic injustice or the other group is wanting to take over another country or territory in order to gain an economic advantage.
One of the great strengths of America has been that as various people have come here, eventually there is a great deal of intermarriage so that the traditional ethnic groups gradually become interwoven with other ethnic groups and nationalities. People still want to come here more than any other place in the world for the economic opportunities and personal freedoms they can find here.
Perhaps it is time for identification with nationality and ethnic groups to become obsolete. We should acknowledge these roots as part of history and heritage and evolution. It would appear that our larger identification as humans who live on this planet would encourage more cooperation, and acting from love, rather than fear.
For example, the stories of the arrest of the Serbian leaders wanted for the genocide in Croatia in the 1990s. Also the conflict in Albania & Macedonia. Tibet/China. Afghanistan/Pakistan border (Tribal leaders) The genocide in Rwanda (Tutsi & Hutu). Sri Lanka (Tamil). Sudan/Darfur. Ethiopia/Somalia. Turkey/Iraq (Kurds). Look at any place where there are wars or serious unrest around the world, and you will find disputes that have something to do with nationalities and ethnic groups.
Even today in a peaceful and prosperous country like Belgium, there are people advocating the separation of land between the people of Flemish descent and people of French descent. There is also unrest among the Roma people in Bulgaria and Italy.
All of us have probably enjoyed the pleasure of attending various ethnic festivals at one time or another, and enjoyed discovering different foods, music, and folk customs. This is part of what makes our experience of this world an interesting place. It is the biggest reason why people go on vacation to different countries.
So what is wrong with this picture? Maybe economics. Look at it this way. Right now there is a lot of unrest in parts of th U.S. about the rapidly increasing number of Latin American immigrants in this country. It was not as much of an issue when our economy was strong but now that so many people have lost their jobs and have trouble finding other jobs, when they see newly arrived immigrants willing to work for less, there is a feeling that this makes it hard for them to make a decent living.
At the root there is some element of this in all these other struggles. Although nationalistic or ethnic pride may be invoked when rallying people to a cause, at the root will probably be either a sense of economic injustice or the other group is wanting to take over another country or territory in order to gain an economic advantage.
One of the great strengths of America has been that as various people have come here, eventually there is a great deal of intermarriage so that the traditional ethnic groups gradually become interwoven with other ethnic groups and nationalities. People still want to come here more than any other place in the world for the economic opportunities and personal freedoms they can find here.
Perhaps it is time for identification with nationality and ethnic groups to become obsolete. We should acknowledge these roots as part of history and heritage and evolution. It would appear that our larger identification as humans who live on this planet would encourage more cooperation, and acting from love, rather than fear.
Monday, August 4, 2008
The Return of the Wolf
One of the causes I have supported over the years has been the restoration of wolves to the U.S. We know that it is an error to think that trying to exterminate an entire species is a good thing. In the cycle of life, everything has its place.
Since the wolves were reintroduced to the U.S. from Canada in the 1990s, they have been repopulating and resuming their place in nature. There have always been opponents to them. Probably the most extreme example right now are the people in Alaska who think of themselves as hunters.
I have been a hunter myself, but I have not in many years now, simply because other things are more important to me to do. I don't really think it can be classified as a sport when people chase down the wolves in helicopters and then slaughter them. Actually, even if not wolves, I wouldn't call it a sport to go after any animal that way.
According to Defenders of Wildlife, in one of the latest such incidents, the gunners after killing the wolf parents got out and put a bullet in the heads of each of 14 pups.
Hunting is a part of human history because it is part of how we have managed to feed ourselves. Throughout most of history it has been a simple, straightforward proposition. Kill an animal, feed your family and friends with the meat. Use the skins for clothing, shelter, drums, bags, and so on. Killing wolves in this way is certainly no great accomplishment to brag about.
In fact, I would rank it right there along with that shameful chapter in American history where so-called sportsmen simply rode trains past buffalo herds, shot them from the moving trains, and left the carcasses there to rot.
It may look like fun to the people using animals for target practice, but these actions will not produce any good effort in the long run.
Since the wolves were reintroduced to the U.S. from Canada in the 1990s, they have been repopulating and resuming their place in nature. There have always been opponents to them. Probably the most extreme example right now are the people in Alaska who think of themselves as hunters.
I have been a hunter myself, but I have not in many years now, simply because other things are more important to me to do. I don't really think it can be classified as a sport when people chase down the wolves in helicopters and then slaughter them. Actually, even if not wolves, I wouldn't call it a sport to go after any animal that way.
According to Defenders of Wildlife, in one of the latest such incidents, the gunners after killing the wolf parents got out and put a bullet in the heads of each of 14 pups.
Hunting is a part of human history because it is part of how we have managed to feed ourselves. Throughout most of history it has been a simple, straightforward proposition. Kill an animal, feed your family and friends with the meat. Use the skins for clothing, shelter, drums, bags, and so on. Killing wolves in this way is certainly no great accomplishment to brag about.
In fact, I would rank it right there along with that shameful chapter in American history where so-called sportsmen simply rode trains past buffalo herds, shot them from the moving trains, and left the carcasses there to rot.
It may look like fun to the people using animals for target practice, but these actions will not produce any good effort in the long run.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Earthquakes, Tornadoes & Everyday Life
Once upon a time, I lived in the Los Angeles area. I never once worried about an earthquake. Every day I just got up and did what I had to do. I never got out of bed and wondered if today was going to be the day that we had an earthquake.
I say this because people often ask if I was afraid of earthquakes when I lived out there. Yet, I do not think I am unusual. Do people who live in Florida get up every morning and wonder if they are going to get hit with a hurricane? People wanted to rebuild in New Orleans, Mississippi and the Gulf Coast as soon as the water receded.
Obviously not. If that were the everyday consciousness, people would not want to live in Florida or California. And what about all those midwesterners who live along the Mississippi River that periodically get flooded? Or the people who live in Kansas or Nebraska who are very familiar with tornadoes? Did Seattle quit growing after the volcano at Mt. St. Helens erupted?
No, these are just accepted facts. Nature will create such events periodically, and when she does, we will just deal with it. We have to keep our consciousness focused on what we need to do every day, and run our lives accordingly. We learn to handle routine things routinely, and when the unusual comes, we rise to the occasion.
When disasters happen, the natural compassion of people surfaces, which simply demonstrates that most people are good and kind. There will always be those who step forward to help in times of crisis. And that is the fascinating thing about human nature.
Yes, right after hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and so on, there are the jackals who will jump in to profit off the misery of others, but they are far outnumbered by the good hearted people who donate money, time, labor and energy. In some ways, disasters bring out the best in people.
I say this because people often ask if I was afraid of earthquakes when I lived out there. Yet, I do not think I am unusual. Do people who live in Florida get up every morning and wonder if they are going to get hit with a hurricane? People wanted to rebuild in New Orleans, Mississippi and the Gulf Coast as soon as the water receded.
Obviously not. If that were the everyday consciousness, people would not want to live in Florida or California. And what about all those midwesterners who live along the Mississippi River that periodically get flooded? Or the people who live in Kansas or Nebraska who are very familiar with tornadoes? Did Seattle quit growing after the volcano at Mt. St. Helens erupted?
No, these are just accepted facts. Nature will create such events periodically, and when she does, we will just deal with it. We have to keep our consciousness focused on what we need to do every day, and run our lives accordingly. We learn to handle routine things routinely, and when the unusual comes, we rise to the occasion.
When disasters happen, the natural compassion of people surfaces, which simply demonstrates that most people are good and kind. There will always be those who step forward to help in times of crisis. And that is the fascinating thing about human nature.
Yes, right after hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and so on, there are the jackals who will jump in to profit off the misery of others, but they are far outnumbered by the good hearted people who donate money, time, labor and energy. In some ways, disasters bring out the best in people.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
How Much Have We Evolved?
I wonder why it is so hard for some people to say that there was a divine force at work in creating the world, and all of those creations kept on evolving? I don't see it as two conflicting points of view.
Look at all the evolution around us. My grandfather used to deliver ice for people's ice boxes, which is what they called the first home refrigerators. He carried blocks of ice on his back up flights of stairs. Today, we enjoy refrigerators that make ice, keep our food cold and even dispense filtered drinking water while we relax in our air conditioned homes.
Even at the time I was a kid, we had relatives who lived on farms who had outhouses instead of bathrooms and hauled their drinking, bathing and washing water up from the well in buckets.
I remember taking a trip across the country in a train, which less than a hundred years ago, was the fastest and most luxurious way to get from one end of the country to the other.
When I first started work, we typed on typewriters, and made copies by using carbon paper. Adding machines were big and clunky. When I was a kid, there were still quite a few people who had "party lines" for telephone service, which meant that several people shared one telephone line, and you had to wait for your neighbors to get off the line before you could make a call.
Today, we all have little phones that easily fit in our pocket so that we never have to look for a pay phone and we can make and get calls absolutely anywhere. Some of these phones also double as cameras, and others are little computers that can also surf the web and send email.
We all have access to laptop computers which are easy to take with us and make it easy for us to write, design and create on. We can make all the copies of our work that we want, and change it even easier. Within minutes, people on the other side of the world can be reading what we wrote and looking at pictures we uploaded.
Between the time of the Wright Brothers to regularly scheduled commercial flights was only fifty years. The iconic American artist Norman Rockwell was at one time an illustrator for magazine and newspaper advertisements. One of the big ad campaigns he worked on promoted the wonders of a revolutionary new invention, indoor electric lights. And that was also not that long ago. He was still illustrating magazine covers when I was growing up.
Today, most of us, even my 83-year-old mother, send emails to each other instead of writing letters on paper and sending them through the post office or making long distance phone calls.
Now even poor people in this country live in places that have electricity, indoor plumbing, air conditioning, phones and other marvels.
All of that evolution in just a few generations.
And yet there are some lessons we have not learned as humans. Wars to take other people's land, wars to steal other people's resources, wars to make other people follow the same religion, wars caused by hatred of another group of people just because they are a different ethnic group or race, wars for all kinds of reasons, we have not yet evolved beyond. Will we?
In some ways we have evolved a lot. In other ways, we have evolved little.
Look at all the evolution around us. My grandfather used to deliver ice for people's ice boxes, which is what they called the first home refrigerators. He carried blocks of ice on his back up flights of stairs. Today, we enjoy refrigerators that make ice, keep our food cold and even dispense filtered drinking water while we relax in our air conditioned homes.
Even at the time I was a kid, we had relatives who lived on farms who had outhouses instead of bathrooms and hauled their drinking, bathing and washing water up from the well in buckets.
I remember taking a trip across the country in a train, which less than a hundred years ago, was the fastest and most luxurious way to get from one end of the country to the other.
When I first started work, we typed on typewriters, and made copies by using carbon paper. Adding machines were big and clunky. When I was a kid, there were still quite a few people who had "party lines" for telephone service, which meant that several people shared one telephone line, and you had to wait for your neighbors to get off the line before you could make a call.
Today, we all have little phones that easily fit in our pocket so that we never have to look for a pay phone and we can make and get calls absolutely anywhere. Some of these phones also double as cameras, and others are little computers that can also surf the web and send email.
We all have access to laptop computers which are easy to take with us and make it easy for us to write, design and create on. We can make all the copies of our work that we want, and change it even easier. Within minutes, people on the other side of the world can be reading what we wrote and looking at pictures we uploaded.
Between the time of the Wright Brothers to regularly scheduled commercial flights was only fifty years. The iconic American artist Norman Rockwell was at one time an illustrator for magazine and newspaper advertisements. One of the big ad campaigns he worked on promoted the wonders of a revolutionary new invention, indoor electric lights. And that was also not that long ago. He was still illustrating magazine covers when I was growing up.
Today, most of us, even my 83-year-old mother, send emails to each other instead of writing letters on paper and sending them through the post office or making long distance phone calls.
Now even poor people in this country live in places that have electricity, indoor plumbing, air conditioning, phones and other marvels.
All of that evolution in just a few generations.
And yet there are some lessons we have not learned as humans. Wars to take other people's land, wars to steal other people's resources, wars to make other people follow the same religion, wars caused by hatred of another group of people just because they are a different ethnic group or race, wars for all kinds of reasons, we have not yet evolved beyond. Will we?
In some ways we have evolved a lot. In other ways, we have evolved little.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Mysteries & Mystics
Just like people love a good mystery story because it tickles their minds into working to put a bigger picture together out of little pieces, the same is true for the way we are captivated by UFOs crop circles, near death experiences, reincarnation, the many forms that spirit takes, and so on.
What both forms, mysteries and mysticism, teach us is that we always know that there are things that even the smartest among us do not know and cannot explain. These things can be amusing, suspenseful, surprising and satisfying. Strange what delicious amusement comes from not knowing.
There is an underlying humor in all this. Maybe in the cosmic scheme of things, telling why did the chicken cross the road jokes might be as significant as all our discussions about life after death. We won't know for sure about all that until we get there. A sense of humor is a great traveling companion.
What else is it that we like about mysteries? The duel between criminals and justice? Isn't that kind of like karma? And arent't our favorite villains those we like up to a point? And some of our favorite cop characters are those who go out of bounds? Sort of like all the spiritual lessons we get from dealing with adversity? And isn't all the debate over who is the real culprit and who is the best cop is somewhat akin to trying to decide which creation story is important or believable?
Mysteries and mysticism. Two sides of the same coin.
What both forms, mysteries and mysticism, teach us is that we always know that there are things that even the smartest among us do not know and cannot explain. These things can be amusing, suspenseful, surprising and satisfying. Strange what delicious amusement comes from not knowing.
There is an underlying humor in all this. Maybe in the cosmic scheme of things, telling why did the chicken cross the road jokes might be as significant as all our discussions about life after death. We won't know for sure about all that until we get there. A sense of humor is a great traveling companion.
What else is it that we like about mysteries? The duel between criminals and justice? Isn't that kind of like karma? And arent't our favorite villains those we like up to a point? And some of our favorite cop characters are those who go out of bounds? Sort of like all the spiritual lessons we get from dealing with adversity? And isn't all the debate over who is the real culprit and who is the best cop is somewhat akin to trying to decide which creation story is important or believable?
Mysteries and mysticism. Two sides of the same coin.
Why Do We Need Big Challenges?
The most natural question of all is this. Why does it take such dificult life changes and hard times to form the catalyst for change?
Reflect on that for a moment, and the answer becomes clear. If everything is going great, who would want a change at that time? No one. If everything is flowing along smoothly, then we just want that to continue.
Great changes cause us to reconsider everything. If we have lost our things in a divorce, flood, or fire, perhaps we give great consideration to what we will replace it with. And then it will look different when we do. Suppose we have faced a great crisis in terms of our faith, and so we decide to embark on a journey of spiritual discovery, and choose to change our religion or perhaps not rejoin any religion.
Perhaps a serious illness not only causes us to investigate holistic healing and find comfort, relief and perhaps a cure there. Perhaps that same health crisis causes to rethink how we relate to spirit. Perhaps we have had part of our working life that so demanded our time and energy that we barely had time for family and friends. Perhaps we would change careers in order to reverse those priorities. Big challenges bring big changes. We can bless them or curse them.
My experience is that we will do better by embracing them, and then looking to see what is on the other side.
Reflect on that for a moment, and the answer becomes clear. If everything is going great, who would want a change at that time? No one. If everything is flowing along smoothly, then we just want that to continue.
Great changes cause us to reconsider everything. If we have lost our things in a divorce, flood, or fire, perhaps we give great consideration to what we will replace it with. And then it will look different when we do. Suppose we have faced a great crisis in terms of our faith, and so we decide to embark on a journey of spiritual discovery, and choose to change our religion or perhaps not rejoin any religion.
Perhaps a serious illness not only causes us to investigate holistic healing and find comfort, relief and perhaps a cure there. Perhaps that same health crisis causes to rethink how we relate to spirit. Perhaps we have had part of our working life that so demanded our time and energy that we barely had time for family and friends. Perhaps we would change careers in order to reverse those priorities. Big challenges bring big changes. We can bless them or curse them.
My experience is that we will do better by embracing them, and then looking to see what is on the other side.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Gifts in Strange Packages
For both myself and others, it often seems that the biggest opportunities to turn our lives around and make a significant change come in the form of apparently negative messages or messengers. Time after time, I see loss of job, career change, divorce, death of a loved one, facing serious illness or injury, menopause, change of religion or spiritual practice, bankruptcy or some other setback as the event that sets the stage for a person's greatest transformation.
Often, when a person faces such a crisis, they have to reconsider everything. An event that diminishes income, causes a loss of love, loss of health, loss of someone close, loss of self esteem and accomplishment that were associated with a former career path, all challenge us to emerge like the butterfly from the cocoon.
Radical changes in our lives cause reawakenings on all levels, physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. What effects one of these bodies affects all of these bodies. It never feels like it at the time, but later on, these crises in our lives may seem like blessings in disguise opening us up to a whole new way of living and being.
Yes, sometimes gifts come in very strange packages.
Often, when a person faces such a crisis, they have to reconsider everything. An event that diminishes income, causes a loss of love, loss of health, loss of someone close, loss of self esteem and accomplishment that were associated with a former career path, all challenge us to emerge like the butterfly from the cocoon.
Radical changes in our lives cause reawakenings on all levels, physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. What effects one of these bodies affects all of these bodies. It never feels like it at the time, but later on, these crises in our lives may seem like blessings in disguise opening us up to a whole new way of living and being.
Yes, sometimes gifts come in very strange packages.
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