Jimmy Carter and Robert Redford

 Thinking about lots of things, but I was recently reminded that the flags were NOT flown at half mast for Jimmy Carter, so I am honoring him here.  And Robert Redford. Both cut from similar cloth in terms of being altruistic, believing in service, and humility.

Jimmy Carter was human, he never claimed to be perfect, and he wasn't.  My beef with him was over nuclear power, he was in favor of it and as President supported the development of nuclear power. Other than that, as US Presidents go, he was a mensch.  He brokered Peace in the Middle East.  That has since been sabotaged and now Israel/Palestine is the site of genocide, but Carter did good work in that regard. He understood that we needed to care for the Earth, and put solar panels on The White House. Reagan subsequently took them down.  He was married to one woman and from all accounts they were very devoted to each other. None of their offspring are sleazy drug addicts. They lived modestly.  The Carter's spent decades building houses for people who otherwise would never have a house. 

Redford, arguably the epitome of the handsome movie star, was so much more, he was a Person.  He had values and stood by them. He was wise enough not to be ruined by his stardom.  He defended the Earth, he encouraged creativity in others. He was not scandalous. He was an artist. I have never heard a bad word said about him.

Both of these men behaved responsibly in that they responded to the challenges they faced, and they both chose to undergo significant challenges on behalf of the greater good. They both endeavored to leave the world better than they found it. Alas, not everyone in such positions has such aspirations.  

Life and art

It is said that "Life imitates art" and also that "Art imitates life."  Classic chicken & egg question, but the answer is...it doesn't matter which came first, we respond to/are affected by the gestalt.

Case in point; as protests in Los Angeles are now being met by 300+ National Guard, which means more violence and further erosion of Democracy, we are fed bread and circus. So I looked at the circus.

The movies coming out this summer are pretty much all violent, murderous, rife with humans being cruel to other humans in many contexts, from the personal to the political.

What was the last movie made in Hollywood about people having transformational personal psychological spiritual (not religious) experiences?

We humans love story. Telling, hearing, reading, seeing, story is part of most people's lives in one way or another. Stories are vehicles for communicating values, beliefs, history, and aspirations. A story can enlighten, doom, inspire, discourage. We are affected by the stories we ingest.

The old saw about "violent games do not encourage violence" even though brief commercials do encourage behavior, often trotted out when the violence in media is pointed out, is so tired, so I am preemptively saying this...the idea that humans are not affected by what they see and hear, by what's on the screen, especially in the US where average screen time keeps increasing, is idiocy. More people ingesting more media, more and more of which is violent and designed to stimulate fear and anger, affects the collective psyche. Prove me wrong.

To the media producers who produce all this violent content, please stop. Start producing material that encourages people to grow, not to become murderous psychopaths. If you have a conscience then you must value a healthy society over your own profits.  If that is NOT the case, you are a psychopath and should stop producing any content and go into therapy ASAP. If you'd rather be part of the problem than part of the solution, something is wrong with you.

Radical Acceptance?

 It means to accept what is so, noticing how one feels about what is so, as a state of being, while not engaging in futile actions trying to "fix" but instead, offering what one can, to help.

Those who are here causing harm are as much a part of the equation as those who are here to reduce the suffering.  Accepting that can be challenging to the mind that is focused on helping. A mental challenge.

Wrangling one's mind, kindly and with purpose, is also part of the equation.

❤️

65 laps around the sun

Today I finish my 65th time circling Sol. Well, tomorrow afternoon actually. Tomorrow is my 65th birthday.

I took the day to reflect a bit, and to nap a lot because life has tired me out.  I was hoping to feel elated and connected with everything as I "be" with this, but that's not what I feel.  

The place I am in is beautiful and offers endless awe.

The information about what is happening with humanity brings so much sadness and frustration and disgust.  The utter insanity of the greedy violent oligarchic class, their cruelty and violence, must be stopped.  They must be contained.  Enough is enough.  It is ridiculous to allow these people to cause so much harm, and that they do it for money and ideology is just proof that they are insane.

Today on the eve of my 65th anniversary of being here in this body I call out to all of humanity to say "no" and to stop cooperating with this madness. Soldiers put down your weapons!  Stop being tools used to kill innocents for the profit of insane people. Just stop.  Every one, every cop, every ICE agent, you too are just being used.  You are sacrificing your humanity in order to be part of something that is truly evil.  Stop! All of us, unplug from the businesses that profit from all this killing and cruelty and oppression. Find creative ways to disconnect from and to not cooperate with the forces that are also bent on owning and/or killing us all. It's not too late!

Happy Birthday!

❤️

Looking at what humans have constructed our world to be, all of it, it would be easy think that we are trapped and there is no way out of this mess, but it isn't true!  All we have to do is behave differently.  Be kind. Be honest. Hold each other accountable and when someone is not kind and honest, name it! And those who presume to lead, if they are not kind and honest then they are out! It's not complicated.