"I've had it up to here."

I have had it "up to here", to borrow one of my mother's phrases.

When someone is already struggling, they may lack the energy to engage & explain themselves. When their stories go untold or are so faint they go unheard, others may attribute what they see to other causes- weakness, stupidity, immorality. 

Today's blog lowers the head, dims the room and lights a candle in dedication to all the misunderstood, misused people (any age or gender), who live in the shadow of judgement for what was done.

May serenity not elude you, for there is great power to be found in peace.

Forever is a perpetual series of Now

Ancient Yes and the Everlasting Arms of Now

Here is what poured out of the French Press of my morning ponderings.
It is shared as a diamond in the rough, newly emerged and unedited.
Take what you like and leave the rest.
Love-n-hugs
Paula


When you love someone- yourself or someone else- make sure to love them right now right here, as.they.are in this moment.

If you try to love someone for who you know they can be,
you are loving a dream- not them.
If you love them for who they were... Well, same story, different verse.

Love is present tense. Lovers live in the now because they know that is all that is.

That is the only place we can find each other.

Love not a memory or a dream. Love is for Now.

Forever is a perpetual series of Now.
The lovers who have spent years together do so by saying Yes right Now over and over again.
It is the only way.

Say yes to love. Say it over and over.

Meet your beloved in this present moment and you will grow together through a tangled vine of ancient Yes's that stretch toward eternity while remaining rooted in the everlasting arms of the present.

Running along now

Maybe I should rename the blog "Running alongside streams and rivers".

You see, I am preparing to run my first half marathon.
I am going to be running more and more often that I have ever done.

Quite close to my house runs a cute, little stream.
Not far past that runs the mighty Mississippi river.
So the bright side of this is that I will always have a running partner... 
                                                                                Get it?  haha

Training starts immediately.

What have I done? I am half panicked, half "laisser faire"
(mutters obsenity).  No.   It's mostly panic.


Why oh why have I set this goal, you ask?

Believe it or not, the biggest reason is not fitness.
I am trying to bring my old "go-getter" self back from where ever in the heck it went.
Is this part of me dead? Inconceivable.
In a coma? Maaaaaybe.


So it is make-it or break-it time, Paula. 


I wonder, who will root for me...


Will you?

(broad smile)  Why, thank you very much. 
I promise you that I will really appreciate every bit of encouragement I get!

Well, I better be "running along now"    

Love Your Neighbor- The Value of Interfaith Events

I commented recently that modern society is compartmentalizing life. Neatly sealed off spaces for every kind of human activity imaginable. But non-proselytizing interfaith efforts are taking one of these compartments (religio!) and trying to help people expand their love across these boundaries. I believe in the value of this, and here is why:

"Love your neighbor as yourself"

This is a familiar command, isn't it? In fact, examples of this superlative command *greatly* exceed Leviticus19:18 to Luke 10:27 to Hadid 57:27, just to touch on the texts of the Abrahamic faith traditions. Yet human history reveals what a daunting task this has proven to be. I believe the key component of this difficulty is the element of fear.


"True love throws fear outside" (1Jo 4:18)

Getting our eyes from seeing enemies to strangers to neighbors to friends to brothers to the Beloved can not occur in the company of fear. We *must* choose love or loathing- You can't have it both ways. You can not- despite religious doctrines that define all of us as heretics and blasphemers to each other. Yet some outreach ministries/dawah's efforts try. Seriously. With the best of intentions, they cover the loaf of loathing with a crust of compassion. Take a bite: Does not the taste of compassion quickly give way to the bitter loaf beneath?

When people of any and every background find ways to bravely and earnestly seek accurate knowledge of each other, motivated by nothing but the desire to love each other without fear, does this not sow peace into the world? And for believers, do we not please God by our efforts to truly love each other?

Interfaith events provide a safe place to let fear go and familiarize ourselves with Others. Google interfaith, intercultural events where you live. Then go make some new friends. :-D

And that is my thought for this lovely Monday morning.
Thanks to my friends who gave me an ear. xxoo Paula

Breath of Life

The "ethereal force underlying the universe that Christian mystics refer to when they speak of the Holy Spirit" (Reza Aslan) is that which animates all living things. Called ruh or rah ("breath" روه Muslims 15:29) and ruach ("breath" רוח Hebrew 51:11), that which breathed life into Adam is also identified in religions not originating with Abraham, such as prana (Hindus), ch'i (Taoists), nge (Maori) woniya waken (Lakota Native Americans).

This is just one of several core beliefs shared among otherwise divergent groups composing the human family. Despite being able to find such similarities within belief and value systems, it is too often difficult to forge and strengthen lasting peace and mutual respect with groups different from oneself. Instead, the earth is filled with examples of overabundance and famine, healthy and deathly conditions, the marginalized illiterate masses and the well-educated powerful few, those living in relative peace and prosperity and those trying to survive the depravity of their war-torn country.

Where is the justice?

Are humankind's scales inherently non-equitable? Most religions agree, revealing various narratives describing the cause of mankind's deplorable moral condition (How the scale was dropped- sometimes referred to as original sin). The broken scale of the human soul needs recalibration to function properly. Whether this re-calibration work is said to be done through the power of the Holy Spirit, or ah-RAHman ah-RAHeem~ the Breath and Restorer of Life,  for the believer, the Divine Creator is the well-spring of Love from which springs mercy and justice in perfect measure.

What do you believe?

Seriously. I would like to hear what people living this Western American civilization believe about God intention for the future of humankind. For instance, many religions practiced in our Western civilization speak, not only of a heavenly paradise, but of the restoration of the Earth to it's originally paradisaical condition.

There are so many books which describe historical and prevailing religious beliefs about what God expects from and has planned for humankind. I recently read a (good) book that does a decent job of describing the differences (not just similarities) of eight of the major world religions. I recommend it. It is called God Is Not One, by Stephen Prothero. He does a nice job of showing the differences between religion-- but then going on to show how differences can create complementary relationships with each other! Cooperation and mutual respect for differences can help us find peace amidst our imperfections.

The Joint Project from Intermedia Arts on Vimeo.

I love the t-shirt "I am a Muslim.
Don't Panic."

In honor of International Women's Day, there are many special events happening.
Here are some of Intermedia Arts scheduled events:
Or click here http://www.intermediaarts.org/calendar.php?month=3&year=2012

Specialized Tweet-Newsfeeds

I don't really use tweets for individual communication. But it seems like a great place to quickly scan for newsworthy current events (plus I just love The Onion news parodies!)

While normal TV & online news channels give you BBC, Fox, al Jazeera, CNN, and so on, Twitter enables users to create their own Tweet-News roster- a tickler of news sources that can be far more precisely crafted. This is because "Tweet-News channels" can include non-traditional, non-mainstream sources that might not matter to most people. For example, physicists interested in the search for the alleged Higgs Boson particle may want CERN news-tweets; social activists may like UNPeacekeeping news-tweets; financial experts may get RealWorldEcon news-tweets; Catholic church leaders may choose CatholicNewsSvc, while Methodists may prefer MethEcuNews.


Let me make a broad leap, and ask a BIG question:
Is there a down-side to narrowing the spectrum of human attention and interaction with each other? Social bonding between members is important, but a balanced society needs to remain broadminded enough to understand and accept differences within and outside of their culture. Could people's ability to precisely sculpt their human affiliations through uses of technology cause or reflect a growing propensity towards a narcissistic culture?

Buber emphasized the value of I & Thou exchanges versus "I & It". When people watch a normal newscast, they are pulled out of themselves and pulled into a serendipitous array of news stories that can not all personally relate to their primary interests. This form of media communication seems to encourage empathy and increase social cohesion.

Customizing the intake and exchange of information through computer mediated communication (CMC) vastly reduces serendipitous CMC encounters with those outside one's one circle. Is this decrease harmless? Or is there a point where specialization becomes symptomatic of an attitude towards diversity and "otherness" that society should be concerned with? Furthermore, if even one's intimate, individual encounter with individuals among "one's own" are increasingly forsaken in favor of connecting with and projecting one's identity towards one's chosen groups, could this reduction of individual intimate connectivity reveal the seeping in of narcissism, even within one's own community?

We can use technology intentionally, or we can just use technology. The role and effects of computer-mediated-communication in human individuals and societies is affected by those choices. That is why it is valuable to examine, give thought to, then have plenty of discussion about these choices and their potential outcomes.

Our Global World

We live in a pluralistic society, but all of humanity is linked together. Is it not important for different groups to take the opportunity to acknowledge this by showing solidarity with each other where ever we share a commonality, such as like valuing freedom, believing in the power of love in the human spirit, and wanting safety and prosperity for our children? So let us have the respect to allow for our differences, have the love to celebrate what have in common, and stand united when it comes to defending the ideals we share.

Balancing our need for Autonomy with our need for Belonging...

Culture has a real, inextricable presence within the religious community. They are both tightly woven threads in the tapestry of humankind. The geographical sprawl of religion often causes cultural identity tension at the borders of the expansion. However, technology has given religious communities a different way of sprawling.

Technological sprawl looks much different than geographical sprawl. One of the differences is that religious and cultural identities converge deeper within and throughout the global group. Previously, undue tensions were resolved at the geographical borderline; however, technological sprawl means large groups must learn to mediate tensions rising up virtually (!) anywhere.

Now that technology is bringing the ends of the world into such close proximity, how do members of a religious group that are from a minority culture identity relieve the pressure and tension between themselves and the dominant cultural identity that is often (always?) tightly woven into religion?

It seems to me that people who join a group (i.e. religious) with a much different dominant culture will do one of two things to cope with the tension. They will find or create a subculture that reflects/aligns with their cultural identity, or they will adopt the dominant culture as their own.

My question is this: Why do humans have such a difficult time belonging to a like-minded group (ex: religious beliefs), while espousing a personal identity that does not necessarily conflict with this group, but also does not align with that group's dominant expression of identity?

Is it simply because we are social creatures with such a strong need to bond with fellow humans that we would rather sacrifice independence personal expression at the altar of group cohesion?

A thought on peaceful relations...

Following Buber's injunction to let the Other be integrally themselves brings us closest to discovering those points of resemblance and convergence between us.

Rather than dismiss or despise the distinctions that
flow away from our points of convergence, look first at these cross-points. Do they not provide a mutual point of agreement to begin from?

Finding the courage to come towards each other- to pass over this bridge (i.e. crossing point), both sides have the best chance of genuinely understanding the other through growing knowledge of one another.

Though each one may remain in disagreement over much, perhaps both may find that fear and disdain have utterly departed. Besides, familiarity ensures the discovery of similarities amidst the differences.

Just as darkness cannot reside with light, ignorance cannot remain alongside knowledge.

Overcoming the darkness between "I and Thou" occurs not only by accepting our differences, but by accepting the existence of ourselves in the Other.

That is love.

Written by Paula R. Howell, April 30, 2011

David Christian: Big history | Video on TED.com

David Christian: Big history | Video on TED.com

Ong (Orality and Literacy) spoke of the importance of human language, and the distinction of literacy in particular. Literacy is integral to "collective learning". Thus far, there hasn't been another species to exhibit this *powerful* ability. It makes us astonishingly different-- distinct from every other intelligent life form that we have discovered. But a trait can be terrible or terrific....
If you can't find 17 minutes for Christian's lecture- skip to minute 13... Find out more.

YEARNINGS

I yearn for stillness of movement and mind,
Timelessness found
always and only
in the presence of this moment.

I yearn for solace for my bereaved soul.
Sanctuary found
deep within
Where Love waits.

Peace on Earth: Comments about Religion and Technology as great Forces which Connect and Divide Humanity.

Religion is a ancient, powerful force. No doubt about that!

But religion has a long war record in human history. How can humanity achieve peace, while there are such differences between groups of people?

A relatively new power- but prevailing upon humanity with impressive force- is technology. We need to consider the profound and transformational effect that technology has had on humanity. We should be asking how this technology relates to the pursuit of peace on earth for mankind.

One of my professors said, "Technology giveth and technology taketh away." So I think a good question is: How has technology advanced *AND* thwarted the pursuit of peace among humankind???

Historically, distinct groups have often warred, but in "flat", linear expansion/contractions at borders. They also used to be able to ignore each other more easily/often, or at least find respite within their own borders.

One of the things technology has done is to bring the ends of the earth into closer proximity than ever before. Groups have less respite because our technology has everyone so connected that the (over?)exposure is multidimensional and permeates on these levels throughout groups and societies. It is as if everyone is heaped forcibly onto each others laps, so to speak, yet are strangers!

Maybe we have let our technology disrespect healthy personal boundaries. Maybe we needed that natural space. Maybe I am way off... I am not a historian, nor a Poli-Sci major, but I am just trying to think this through- and have a discussion with you.

But seriously, technology has advanced so quickly that humanity has not been able to catch it's breath, much less figure out how to manage it most beneficially.

Back to religious differences:

Different groups living in one community peacefully do so because they have some basic knowledge about each other (removing ignorance goes a long way to removing fear).

Firstly, religiously illiteracy is a problem, not only in our country but in the world (ignorance is a common culprit).
Secondly, thinking that peace between religions is achieved by melting away differences (koom-ba-ya) is the wrong approach!
Unity is not achieved by disrespecting real distinctions- but by understanding and respecting these differences.

Remember when this country was known as a melting pot of diversity? There were subcultures within the mainstream American cultures, where people could reside in relative peace. We respected the differences between us while living united under one flag (or tried to), didn't we?

The American tapestry was woven together (subcultures intact), and was all the more strong for her diversity. United but distinct. I think THAT is where/what America needs/wants to be.

What is NOT disposable?

My mother used to say, “Waste not, want not.”
Ah, the WWII generation!
Those were the days when leftovers were quickly eaten
or promptly “recycled” into the next meal.
A young couple would buy their first home,
raise all of their children in that home and then
retire there (after 30-40 years at the same company).
The dinner meal always took well over an hour to cook.
You know I am telling the truth- and it wasn’t that long ago.

Fast forward (a whopping three minutes, or so!)
and what do you find?

Suddenly, everything is extra-disposable and extra-fast.

An obvious, commonplace example of this,
especially in the West, is the drive-thru
(Apparently, it takes too long to write “through”).
Billions of people around the globe regularly partake in a diet of
fast-food in paper wrappers eaten while hurrying off to wherever.

We thoughtlessly throw things out as quickly
as the plastic cards made them appear.
Landfills are overflowing.
Courts are overflowing
(with divorce, bankruptcy cases, et cetera).

How many people do you know (outside of the WWII generation) who have lived in the same house for more than twenty years- or even fifteen?

Is it not commonly advisable to change jobs-
or at least positions, every three years or so,
to avoid looking professionally stagnate?

Whew!

Then there are issues like how often and easily people are aborted, euthanatized, and sold as slaves- though I admit these are not new problems...

There have always been the poor, the homeless drifters.
But now even the affluent have become transients-
perpetually moving into new neighborhoods.

There has always been murder,
though now many ways of taking human life are socially acceptable and accessible to the masses.

There are always been slaves, but technology has exacerbated
human trafficking problems exponentially.

I am going to pause..........

Who wants to offer a comment or two?
Let's get the discussion rolling!

uNpLuGGeD !

Later this spring
(brrr! This is Minnesota)
I am planning a little experiment
which will take me into
(drum roll, please)
...technological isolation.

I will be media free,
television screen free,
computer free
and mobile phone free…

I'll even be people free.

That’s right folks.
I’m going off the grid and into the woods!

You see, I have been wondering
if modern society has gotten
into a state of mind where it is
psychologically inconceivable to
truly unplug.

Think about it.

No electricity or running water.
No music.
No media.

Nothing tethering me safely down.
Just my gear in a pack and
a couple of great books.

Techno-Nekked
Alone with nature.

sigh

Nature...
Doesn't that include
"Cougars and Spiders and Bears- Oh my!?"



Ummm.
I might lure my eldest son into coming along.

In any case, when I return I will post
a report reflecting on my little experiment
which I will (predictably) call "Unplugged"

or maybe I will just call it "Nekked!!"

Until next time... ciao!

Oral Culture- Words Cover More...

Just as clothes do more than just cover nakedness, oral language does so much more than simply deliver a message from sender to receiver.

Conversations reflect the cultural moorings of the times, do they not? Yes! Attitudes and values are reflected- indeed imbedded- within even the simplest conversations.

In everyday speech, these secondary "messages" go largely unnoticed by both speaker and listener; it is a subliminal process for most people.

However, the embedded secondary messages within the language spoken become blantantly obvious when one listens to recorded language being conveyed from outside of one's own time and place. Listen to how language expresses the perceived American cultural values in 1964, in the television entertainment show, "Bewitched".

If the point I am making is not clear from reading this post- it will become blazingly clear after listening to the Bewitched video (the narrator's lines were especially "interesting"). That show gave this post birth, so to speak! It is funny in kind of an eye-popping, brow-raising, sort of way!

Of course, television shows merely imitate natural conversations. The shows are largely written from the motivation to entertain people. But the embedding of cultural moorings within the language used still occurs.

Advertising is another example of a deliberately crafted message. The sender intends to harness lingual power for their benefit. There is no need for the receiver to be aware of this intent in order for their to be impact. And the embedding of cultural moorings within the language used still occurs.

Whether intentional or not, these linguistic reinforcements invariably influence people's behavior.

Language is power.

Can't Touch This!

I thought I would lighten things up on the ole blog today!
Besides, encouraging the happy heart is a noble pursuit, is it not?
So if this short post makes you smile or laugh-
even just for a few moments- then I am glad!

How this blog started:
Last night I ran across an old- very entertaining- video.

Well, ummmm- Let me rewind~
A more accurate translation of events is:

I could not sleep.
Ignoring at least five choices in books on my bedstand,
I got out of bed.

Stupid move: Gaurantees a minimum of 1.5 hours additional sleep loss.

Then I started to wander around youtube-world...
(add minimum of one more hour sleep loss)

I guess I wasn't too concerning with getting a solid night's rest.

Anyway~~~
Like I was saying, I ran across this old, but very entertaining, video.
It made me smile.
It relaxed me
...not long afterward I crept back into bed.

Laughter is sooooo good for the soul!

I wonder how many of you remember this?
Many of you, I bet!

(If you like it, there is a second video. Check out Judson Laipply's website.)




************GOT LAUGHTER?**********************

This is another oldie but goodie.

I started thinking about the issues of
Reader's Digest that I used to read as a kid.
Many of you remember those magazines, right?
One of my favorite sections was called:
Laughter: The Best Medicine.
All sorts of funny stuff was there~
one liners, stories, jokes- whatever would tickle your funny bone!

Laughter really is good medicine!!!
Laughter is really good *food* for our spirit!!!

We need to smile and laugh- It is part of healthy living!

I hope you have a truly happy day!

International Women's Day approaches

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating March 8 as International Women's Day. Please take a moment to listen to Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as he speaks in honor of this day.



This has been a year of upheaval and reflection for me.

I work to stretch my mind around the circumference of this world.
There are so many issues concerning the human family.
But I also need to grasp the ramifications of these for my own little world.

My little neighborhood, my circle of friends,
my dear family...
This is what I touch and am touched by.
This is where I raise my children.

I believe that to reach the depth of my own capacity
to understand global issues,
I need to find a way to connect them to my own...
To empathize with what is happening in the
lives of women all around the Earth,
I need to gaze, long and deep,
through the intimacy of my direct experiences.

What about you?
Technology makes issues, like woman's rights, increasingly prominent to a worldwide audience. In principle, this is nothing new: Humans have always needed to bridge the gap between direct experiences and stories they heard from others.

How do you connect the big, wide world of indirectly known experiences with your little, directly experienced world?

This Sea of Life

"Normal" is boring *sigh*


Sometimes I just want to shake things up!

But sometimes I just want to blend in...
to be liked...

Be liked? ...for who I am not? Really?

Why?

Do I hide behind various masks out of fear?

...not always.

Well, okay. Sometimes I do.

But sometimes
...I am simply too busy to think
about who I am or what I choose!
(stupid excuse!)

Autopilot, sleep-walker, robot... lost sentience!

Both Fear and Busy make lousy ship captains.
They furiously paddle and splash,
rudderless!
until I stop them.

How far have they taken me?
Am I Lost?

whispers cries of, "who am i? what is this life?"

A lost Soul in a Sea of unrecognizable Moments!


So I am thinking~
What a waste it is to hide or sleep through life!

It is just a way to
refuse to be
truly "present" in this unique moment.

LIVING life with naked authentically...
Now that takes guts!

Who's with me?!

Please~ I hope you will take a moment

to listen with me to this recitation of
Invictus (I am the Captain of my Soul!)

(click on this link and the video will load)

spoken by the poet himself,
William Ernest Henley.

Have a lovely, thoughtful weekend, everyone!

This blog is dedicated to my cousin, Jason.
You inspire me. Thanks for daring me to be me.

Just for laughs... The IPAD skit

I seem to have found a way to post video's again! Yay me! haha

This is very funny, so hit play if you want 87 seconds of giggle time!

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