Tucson: Real Violence Rather than Civility is the Issue

This is an excellent piece, emphasizing the existence of real violence over the past two years.  Frank Rich argues that you don’t have to look to rhetoric, but to actual acts.  Though violent rhetoric and threats of violence are likely to encourage and foment actual violence, Rich has a point when he argues that we should pay particular attention to violent incidents.  Even when they cause minimal damage, they are precursors to larger scale bloodshed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/opinion/16rich.html

On rhetoric, see my piece:  http://mysticscholar.org/2011/01/10/violent-rhetoric-and-tucson-again/

Holy Texts

Our lives are holy texts, chapters in the sacred scripture of humanity.

Sacred Stories

Our lives are sacred stories. We are here to tell them and inspire others.

Lunch in Erice

There are those moments–moments when you enter a gateway, and you feel the presence of God.  I remember Erice in Sicily:  eating a meal at a local restaurant, lingering, savoring the garlic, the olive oil and the pasta–and most of all the wine–cold, white, shimmering, crisp–Ambrosia, the best wine I ever tasted, the same for Dianne and for our friend Tony. Was it the wine, the town, the restaurant, or the moment with my wife and our friend? I don’t know, but it felt like heaven:  like a dream in which my senses put me deep underwater, gliding effortlessly, with no particular goal, just living fully.

Symbols

Symbols are the medium through which feeling finds form.

Bodies in Flux

Who are we? Definable bodies? But human bodies are composed mostly of water and space. We are descendants of beings who lived in oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. Our bodies are not solid, but fluid and open. Every day the cells in our bodies are born and die. Every seven years, we are composed of entirely new sets of cells. Why do we fix ourselves into an illusion of isolation and rigidity, as concrete form, frozen images, as if we are separate things? In fact, we are permeable, protean, one composed of many, continually transforming. Made in the image of God, we are no/thing, one through many, colored glass turning in a kaleidoscope, always in flux, movement in form.

Strength

In the bleakest moments, our strength comes from where we least expect it.

Justice

Where do we find justice? Only by pursuing it. (Deut 16:20)

Breathing

Rather than working to breathe, let yourselves be breathed. Then you’re not an I, but a We.

Our Task

What is one task of human beings? To convert the everyday into the eternal.

Home

Where should we feel most at home? Inside ourselves.

Violent Rhetoric and Tucson Again

Neal Boortz says that people have a right to be angry and use whatever imagery they wish as long as they do not resort to violence. Of course, there is no legal question here. Free speech is guaranteed by the first amendment to the US Constitution. But is it wise to use such imagery? I’m angry about many things in our culture and politics, but I would try not to use imagery that others can misinterpret or take literally. When we talk about targeting a political opponent with gun imagery, or taking second amendment remedies if we lose at the ballot box, or publicly describing our opponents as evil, unamerican, or alien, or musing or joking about assassinating politicians we don’t like, we have crossed the moral line.

Further, metaphors and symbols are not simply colorful ways of speaking, but the core elements of communication and expression which human beings use to articulate ideas and give voice to feeling. They express our most deeply held worldviews and values. When we use them, we are tapping into powerful currents of visceral emotion. By using war and combat imagery, we are not merely offering persuasive rhetoric, but we are appealing at a visceral level to a deep need for aggression that is latent in all us and part of the biological memory of our species. It is not surprising or unexpected that there are those who would take the metaphor literally, because the distance from violent language to violent action is not all that great.

The vast majority of us would not do so, but there are those who are disturbed or unbalanced who could well do so.  Now no one has responsibility for this assassination attempt and mass murder except for Jared Lee Loughner.  But what we say and do influences others, both directly and indirectly.  Whatever Loughner’s particular motivations, it is unlikely that he would have acted in this way without living in a culture of violence, including violent language and symbolism.

Whether or not Loughner listened to particular radio shows, belonged to specific groups, or was conservative or liberal is not the most important factor here. What matters is that the language we use sets a tone that affects the behavior of others, especially the mentally ill and disturbed. Those of us who speak and write in public venues have a great responsibility because others are watching us and following us. Gabby Giffords understood the violent context in which she worked and many (including her) have rightly noted that “words have consequences.” Indeed they do, because they are not “merely” words, but images and symbols that connect to primal, archetypal emotions.

It is not a question of assigning blame to the right or left or to any group, but rather of understanding the context in which our politics take place. There is a sense that it is legitimate to dehumanize others by using violent metaphors about them. Those on all sides of the political spectrum have done this. We don’t need to aggravate the hostile climate further by focusing on individuals who have made poor use of language and imagery, but we simply must ask them to stop doing it.

Let’s find other words and symbolism to express our anger and frustration.

Violent Rhetoric and Tucson

As we see today in Tucson with the attempted assassination of a congresswoman (Gabrielle Giffords), plus the shootings and murders of many bystanders, violent imagery and language can set the context for real-life horror. Whatever your political point of view (center, right, left, independent), let us please pledge ourselves to civility, humanity, and mutual respect.

Pima County (Arizona, Tucson) Sheriff, Clarence Dupnik, says it powerfully:

“When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government, the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on this country is getting to be outrageous, and unfortunately Arizona has become sort of the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

“The vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business … This has not become the nice United States that most of us grew up in.”

Please keep the victims and families in thought and prayer.

Jacob’s Ladder

Where is Jacob’s ladder now? Inside each of us.

Honey

“Suckling honey from a rock” (Deut. 32:13): In difficult moments, that’s what we have to do.

Earth Energy

Tapping into the earth’s energy is a lot easier than creating our own.

“Why Exercise Makes You Less Anxious”

This article discusses the effect of exercise on brain chemistry (via Nelson French): http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/phys-ed-why-exercise-makes-you-less-anxious/?emc=eta1

Will Ocean Generators Affect Migration of Sea Creatures?

As we develop new green technologies, we will have to think about unforseen consequences:  http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/12/26/105798/will-generating-ocean-energy-affect.html

Compassion

Compassion also means having compassion for those who don’t have much compassion.

Feelings

Every feeling carries with it the faint echo of its opposite: love-hate, courage-fear, compassion-anger. We always have the choice of transforming one into the other.

Genocide and Human Progress

I recall explaining to a group that the percentage of soldiers killed in war  is much lower than in the past, especially in hunter-gatherer societies.  The number of civilians killed was also much higher, and people viewed genocide as a normal (though dreaded) hazard of life.  In fact, we did not even have a word for “genocide” until the twentieth century. There is no record of any nation intervening to stop a genocide until the US intervened in Bosnia and Kosovo.

The fact that we talk about “genocide,” condemn it, and criticize lack of action about it is in fact a testament to the unfolding evolution of humanity.  This did not happen in past centuries, in pre-modern cultures, or in the Bible. That’s why cultural transformation is difficult.  People refuse to see what right in front of them:  a growing repulsion for the annihilation of groups of human beings. If we want to move forward, we need to talk about what’s good about us.  Otherwise, those listening shut down.

Ivory Coast on the Brink of Genocide

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/30/ivory-coast-brink-genocide-election-crisis

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110102/ap_on_re_af/af_ivory_coast

Now is the time to act to stop genocide before it happens in the Ivory Coast. Use conversations, talks and sermons, emails, and blogs to stop potential horror.

No Image

God has no image, and neither ultimately do we.

Self

Our names and identities reveal and conceal who we are.

Humor

To be really funny, you have to have suffered.

Love

True love is imprinted in every cell.

Biggest Jumps Ever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqhlfz9GQPE&feature=player_embedded

Beautiful, inspiring, with a mystical quality (via Kim Komando).

An Amazing and Loving Dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Fyey4D5hg&feature=player_embedded (via Kim Komando)

This is what the owner said:  “Presenting, Useful Dog Tricks!! Whoever said tricks can’t be useful? Jesse loves helping around the house, and I just love his happy attitude and smile on his face). Our relationship is based on mutual respect, understanding, and trust.”

A Review of the Net Neutrality Debate

http://lifehacker.com/5720407/an-introduction-to-net-neutrality-what-it-is-what-it-means-for-you-and-what-you-can-do-about-it?utm_source=Lifehacker+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4306c49fc7-UA-142218-1&utm_medium=email

An excellent review. The internet is key medium of information and news exchange for coming decades. Corporate attempts to control the flow will limit freedom and transparency. Government regulations have their limitations and dangers, but the power of corporate control is much more harmful and pernicious.  (Via Gary Yarus)

Finding the Source

We feel our way to the Source

Transforming Destructive Impulses

Transforming destructive impulses into something good is a key part of shalom (wholeness) for human beings.

Bad Can Lead to Good

Sometimes doing the wrong thing leads to good: Gen 50:20.

The US Military Green Revolution

The military is leading the way on environmental inititatives. I hope the rest of the country will follow:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/opinion/19friedman.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a212 (via Dianne Bazell)

Jon Stewart as Change Agent

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/business/media/27stewart.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

We often think of comedy and satire as letting off steam or entertainment.  However, a brilliant comedian can use them and his laugh pulpit to shame those who would deny our commitment to the suffering heroes of September 11, 2001, and to push the government to honor its promise to those who protect and defend our nation.

Outsourcing

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_overseas_hiring

If we want to alter this trend, the US will have to improve its educational levels and make sure that corporations pay their fair share of taxes (which they are not because of loopholes).

The decline of educational quality in the US is part of the reason for this.

The other is cheap labor in developing countries.  Corporations are able to take advantage of this labor without suffering financial consequences in the US.  However, corporations should contribute sufficiently to the national community that makes it possible for them to exist and thrive.  Otherwise we will not be able to maintain our standard of living and quality of life.

The rise of transnational actors like multinational corporations and the decline of the power of nation states has negative consequences such as this, but it also promises new kinds of structures through which humans will govern themselves.  Corporations have their own interests, and communities have theirs.  Just as corporations protect themselves, communities will have to do the same.  Corporations are driven by economic goals, but communities have moral concerns.  This divergence in interest will inevitably force communities to find others ways of asserting themselves, as national governments find themselves unable to act.  These communities may exist as places, but they may also form as virtual entities.   Instead of looking at a global map with nations, we may be beginning to see the emergence of another kind of map with different governing entities.

The Energy Inside You

When you think you’re exhausted, inside you there are many deeper pools of energy from which to draw.

The Mistakes the Spies Made in Numbers 13:30-33

What was the mistake the spies made when they scouted the land of milk and honey?  They allowed fear to overcome trust.

What was another mistake the scouts made?  They focused on what others thought rather than on what there were to do.

What was another mistake?  They assumed that size was more important than wits.

What was another mistake? They acted like slaves rather than free persons.

What was another mistake? They were there to figure out how, not whether.

What was another mistake?  They exaggerated rather than coolly assessing.

What was another mistake?  They could not leave the past and move forward.

What was another mistake? They could not envision an alternative to their current situation.  They preferred the familiar and the customary to change.

What was another mistake?  They quit.  They just gave up.

The Fundamentalism of Atheism

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/3820/way_beyond_atheism:_god_does_not_(not)_exist

This is excellent (from Nelson French).  Negative theology is where I would place myself, though I must admit that I am willing now to make some statements:  “God is not a thing, but energy in its purest, rawest, and ultimate form”; or “We should stop using the word ‘God’ and start saying ‘Source’ or “The All’ or ‘The All That Is'”; or “God is nothing (no/thing).”  Of course, my statements are inherently limited and limiting because of the nature of language, but I still believe that we can speak in proximate terms.  In any case, Wallace is correct:  atheism is generally an inversion of fundamentalism.  Very well said and apropos.

Early Hominids: The Denisovans

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/science/23ancestor.html?hp

Another branch of the hominid tree.

Free Will

Free will often means the choice to do what we should do anyway.

The Maple Tree and Me

There is one main difference between me and the maple tree in my backyard.  It is always who it is.  Sometimes I forget that about myself.

World Progress: The Joy of Statistics

For those frustrated with politics and bad news, take a look at this video.  It shows the general trend of the world toward healthier and more prosperous societies. Countries are converging, and the world is improving.  Thanks to Nelson French for this video!:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo

Vanessa’s Wedding

From Dianne Bazell:  A Jewish family celebration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgZ4ZTTfKO8

American Heroes: Those Who Ended Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

One of my favorite Martin Luther King quotes: “The arc of the moral universe is is long, but it bends toward justice”
http://www.hillmanfoundation.org/blog/american-heroes

The Importance of Net Neutrality

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-franken/the-most-important-free-s_b_798984.html

Wisdom Requires Mistakes

You do not acquire wisdom without making mistakes.

Creation Never Stops

Gen 1:1: “When God began to create . . . “: Creation never stops.

“Ben Franklin’s Nation

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/opinion/14brooks.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a212:

David Brooks: “America should focus less on losing its star status and more on defending and preserving the gospel of middle-class dignity.”

Heart and Mind

Feeling is the basis for all thought. The heart is the foundation on which the mind is built.

The World Needs Healthy USA

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/opinion/15friedman.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a212

Tom Friedman discusses the importance of US stability and health to the world (via Nelson French).

Harvests

Fallow times lead to harvest times.

Carrying Our Ancestors with Us

Ex 13:19: Just as Moses carried the bones of Joseph out of Egypt, we all carry our ancestors with us wherever we go.

The Present and the Future

Not knowing the future is a gift allowing us live in the present.

“Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y:

“The constant stream of stimuli offered by new technology poses a profound new challenge to focusing and learning” (via Nelson French).

Randomness and Design

How do we make sense of the simultaneous existence of randomness and design? Both are fundamental, but apparently mutually exclusive. To make sense of that is shalom, wholeness, integration.

How a Gateway Opens

Sometimes confusion and discombobulation are what open a gateway for you.

“Translation as Literary Ambassador”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/books/08translate.html?_r=1
The collaboration between governments, ngo’s, and publishers is a promising development for world literature, for authors, and for publishing (via Nelson French)

“Ellen Brown: Publicly Owned Banks Can Help States and Residents

http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/reviving-the-local-economy-with-publicly-owned-banks

“The Fed may have played all its cards, but state and local governments still hold a few aces: publicly owned banks that could funnel credit where it is needed most, directly into the local economy.”

Where Are we?

While we live, we appear to be in one place at a time. After we die, we are everywhere.

Fear

You do not overcome or quash fears. You embrace them and move forward.

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