We're about halfway through the year 2012, and there's a lot of darkness around. It is easy, while not usually pleasant, to become wrapped up in all the world's problems, in the death drive that seems to permeate so much of our culture. Sometimes, however, all it takes is a switch in perspective, a change of the frame, to be set hurtling back again to the light.
Yesterday I was fortunate enough to be reminded of this reality, at the river right outside of Philadelphia that has been my escape for the past year. In my usual spot, as the hot sun baked the river's finely gravelled shore, I swam through the cool water to the opposite bank which I had often seen but never stood on. There, partially submerged in the water, rested a tree that had fallen some time ago.
The reason for untimely the fall, as far as I could tell, was a thick collection of vines, now dead, that had wrapped tightly around the tree, spreading out its own leaves at heights the trees own had taken so many years to reach. It looked like the tree had reached the point where it could no longer support the weight of the sun-seeking vines heedless of the strain they were putting on their host. The tree gave in and fell down, down to the river, horizontal against the earth over which it once shaded from high above.
At a glance: this was a life cut short. It was the loss of a mighty tree due to a one sided relationship where one species reaped bounty without any reciprocity. Vines that may have grown all in one season carelessly brought down 70 years of growth and, unintentionally, their own way of surviving on the earth.
And yet death is not permanent in the natural world. Between the patches of slow-spreading rot, there was the bright green of new growth coming from this tree. Coming vertically up from the felled trunk were new shoots of the same species, full of promise. With a little more attention, I saw that a good number of the trees once topmost branches had against all expectation kept their foliage as well: a dark, healthy looking green taking in all the sunlight it could from its new home down by the rivers edge.
Though it had been dragged down by a greedy guest, down beyond its original nature, the tree had never ceased growing. From the fall of a single mature tree now sprang countless young tree shoots ready for their chance at life. And what's more, even the trees dead branches teemed with a new life of their own, as fungus and mold made use of what the tree gave up, and spiders wove their homes where the river's flies were abundant.
It dawned on me: Life was everywhere, and it could not be stopped. In death the light remains, both old and new. Life finds a way, and inevitably light goes forward.
We are life, and we are no exception. At times this is a truth hard felt -most of our food comes pre-packaged in super-markets, and many of us have yet to understand the real working mechanisms powering our computers, mobile phones, cars, homes -our very modes of living and being in the world. And even in this apparent disjointedness, we are nature. No matter how many layers of concrete we spread over the soil, we can never be anything less than part of the Earth.
And so, as we walk through our urban jungles, through the confusing forest that is our culture, remember that what may at a glance look like irrevocable death and darkness will inevitably reveal anew the neverending gift of life. Death is not an end, but rather the chance for a new beginning.
This is an important piece of our way forward. In every dark corner is an infinite potential for new light, and new life. When we look close enough, we see life everywhere -perhaps in forms unfamiliar, and yet life it is still. Imagine what will happen if we nurture this new, young light -if we gave it as much energy and love as we so often pour into our fights against the darkness. Imagine how, with more and more attention, this new life, this light, will grow. This is a way forward, and this is a truth that I wish to spread.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Re-introducing myself (re-post from another blog)
My name is Jared. Ever since I was young, I've wanted to help people. When I was in high school, in pursuit of this desire I thought the best thing I could do was become President (as if it were as easy as that). Since then I've become disillusioned with politics, but my desire to better this world and our place in it is as strong as ever. I look around at my peers and see endless potential, and I want nothing more than to create the spaces where this potential can be reached. The brilliance around me shines naturally, it needs only the space to breathe and freedom to grow.
In line with that desire, there's been a question that keeps popping into my head. It's a question I've sought to answer, one that I think will help cultivate that brilliance of humanity that I perceive.
The question is, "What time is it?"
I'm not talking about time as the specific minute and hour of the day -if that were the case I would just buy myself a watch! No, the question that's been occupying my mind is about the time in a historical context. Where are we now in relation to what came before, and what needs to be done to ensure that what comes after matches the vision and passion within the genius of our past, without repeating the practices that we now see as destructive?
I haven't found a definitive answer, however I have a working one which has become my driving force. In recent times, we've strayed from the vision of personal liberty that once, not so long ago, started a revolution on this very land. Our priorities have shifted, due to a general lack of knowledge of the genius and critical thought of previous generations. There was a time when our country was guided by the principle, "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Now we live in a time when liberty is regularly sacrificed, life means endless labor, and the shape of the personal pursuit of happiness is decided by detached legislators, profit-driven corporate opinions, and self-policing popular trends. For a while this seemed to work, but now I believe it's time to remember our roots: the long-suffering yearning for liberty which brought our ancestors to this new land. We stayed, we've strayed, and now I believe it is time to reevaluate and find a way forward.
What would a world in line with these original visions of both liberty and prosperity look like today? What form do our modern capabilities take when combined with the indomitable free spirit that started us down this path? Our technological prowess is great, and it doesn't have to be used in a way that boxes us in and sets us against the very planet we call home. It's time, once again, to put the ingenuity of humanity to work. It's TIME to ENACT creative, "green" solutions to the problems we currently face. This is what our new narrative will look like -a generation in realization of both its original course and its full future potential.
I'm not talking about time as the specific minute and hour of the day -if that were the case I would just buy myself a watch! No, the question that's been occupying my mind is about the time in a historical context. Where are we now in relation to what came before, and what needs to be done to ensure that what comes after matches the vision and passion within the genius of our past, without repeating the practices that we now see as destructive?
I haven't found a definitive answer, however I have a working one which has become my driving force. In recent times, we've strayed from the vision of personal liberty that once, not so long ago, started a revolution on this very land. Our priorities have shifted, due to a general lack of knowledge of the genius and critical thought of previous generations. There was a time when our country was guided by the principle, "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Now we live in a time when liberty is regularly sacrificed, life means endless labor, and the shape of the personal pursuit of happiness is decided by detached legislators, profit-driven corporate opinions, and self-policing popular trends. For a while this seemed to work, but now I believe it's time to remember our roots: the long-suffering yearning for liberty which brought our ancestors to this new land. We stayed, we've strayed, and now I believe it is time to reevaluate and find a way forward.
What would a world in line with these original visions of both liberty and prosperity look like today? What form do our modern capabilities take when combined with the indomitable free spirit that started us down this path? Our technological prowess is great, and it doesn't have to be used in a way that boxes us in and sets us against the very planet we call home. It's time, once again, to put the ingenuity of humanity to work. It's TIME to ENACT creative, "green" solutions to the problems we currently face. This is what our new narrative will look like -a generation in realization of both its original course and its full future potential.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Coming to Own Our Cultural Vessel
Most of us didn't ask for the world we were born into, and if given the choice before we came into it, we probably would have changed a few things around. In this reality, however, it doesn't work that way -if we want to see a different world, we've got only a lifetime to rearrange things to our liking best as we can. In doing so we make our time here better, and set the stage for those who will come after us.
With only one short lifetime, it helps we get a good sense of who we are as quickly as possible -you can't do much to create a world that works for you if you don't even know who you are. And part of knowing who you are is where you came from.
What does that entail? Remembering major historical dates and names? Knowing the story of your genetic ancestors? Certainly those things help, but I know for my part I have trouble remembering names and dates that aren't immediately relevant to me (I hardly remember my loved ones' birthdays), and I know that for many, tracing back bloodlines is a fruitless or even impossible endeavor. And furthermore, even knowing your familial history is just one piece of the puzzle, incomplete without the greater context of the the world it inhabits.
In answering this question of where we came from, maybe instead it's most useful to examine the culture that has constructed so much of where we are now. In this sense, our answer will come not from our family history, nor from our history textbooks, but rather from the evolution of our culture examined from a broad, but inclusive, perspective.
This is where things get tricky. Our culture, which in the year 2012 has now taken hold in almost every region of the globe, has up until this point been driven by a very select few. Like captains on a ship or generals in an army, the decisions of these people, mostly wealthy, white, and male, affect everyone beneath them in the cultural hierarchy which has been so well engrained.
This fact is a disagreeable one in light of all of the damage that has been (and continues to be) done, but disagreeable or not, we all have a stake in this culture. A ship going down may claim the lives of captains and crewmen alike -the ocean is indifferent to rank, and so is this planet. For humanity, culture is the vessel through which we navigate the world, and right now ours is leading us astray. The captain appears to either have fallen asleep at the wheel, or simply gone mad. In either scenario, at this point we face a choice: jump ship and take our chances among the waves, or try to steer ourselves back on course.
The waters are looking mighty high, and I don't fancy going toe to toe with whatever sharks may be lurking in the deep. Alas, humanity's strength lay not in its brute force nor exceptional agility. We need the vessel, or at least a vessel, to survive. So the first thing we need to do is claim it as our own.
Such a claim will be hollow and useless unless we truly come to understand the cultural vessel we're in. That means knowing how it has shaped the world we now inhabit, understanding the full narrative that drives this ship. It means knowing not just what, but why.
I don't doubt that there are many different ways to approach this why, but for my part, I'd like to start with the beginning. I'd like to start with our beginning. Because regardless of our color, caste, or creed, we've all woken up now to find ourselves aboard a vessel that's carrying us forward through time. And we're lucky in one small sense -regardless of what has happened to steer us astray, this vessel was built for a very specific purpose: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
With only one short lifetime, it helps we get a good sense of who we are as quickly as possible -you can't do much to create a world that works for you if you don't even know who you are. And part of knowing who you are is where you came from.
What does that entail? Remembering major historical dates and names? Knowing the story of your genetic ancestors? Certainly those things help, but I know for my part I have trouble remembering names and dates that aren't immediately relevant to me (I hardly remember my loved ones' birthdays), and I know that for many, tracing back bloodlines is a fruitless or even impossible endeavor. And furthermore, even knowing your familial history is just one piece of the puzzle, incomplete without the greater context of the the world it inhabits.
In answering this question of where we came from, maybe instead it's most useful to examine the culture that has constructed so much of where we are now. In this sense, our answer will come not from our family history, nor from our history textbooks, but rather from the evolution of our culture examined from a broad, but inclusive, perspective.
This is where things get tricky. Our culture, which in the year 2012 has now taken hold in almost every region of the globe, has up until this point been driven by a very select few. Like captains on a ship or generals in an army, the decisions of these people, mostly wealthy, white, and male, affect everyone beneath them in the cultural hierarchy which has been so well engrained.
This fact is a disagreeable one in light of all of the damage that has been (and continues to be) done, but disagreeable or not, we all have a stake in this culture. A ship going down may claim the lives of captains and crewmen alike -the ocean is indifferent to rank, and so is this planet. For humanity, culture is the vessel through which we navigate the world, and right now ours is leading us astray. The captain appears to either have fallen asleep at the wheel, or simply gone mad. In either scenario, at this point we face a choice: jump ship and take our chances among the waves, or try to steer ourselves back on course.
The waters are looking mighty high, and I don't fancy going toe to toe with whatever sharks may be lurking in the deep. Alas, humanity's strength lay not in its brute force nor exceptional agility. We need the vessel, or at least a vessel, to survive. So the first thing we need to do is claim it as our own.
Such a claim will be hollow and useless unless we truly come to understand the cultural vessel we're in. That means knowing how it has shaped the world we now inhabit, understanding the full narrative that drives this ship. It means knowing not just what, but why.
I don't doubt that there are many different ways to approach this why, but for my part, I'd like to start with the beginning. I'd like to start with our beginning. Because regardless of our color, caste, or creed, we've all woken up now to find ourselves aboard a vessel that's carrying us forward through time. And we're lucky in one small sense -regardless of what has happened to steer us astray, this vessel was built for a very specific purpose: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Our Land in Peril
Not much to say here except to link together a few articles containing information that we should all be paying attention to.
East coast has a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, strongest since 1988, very rare for the region. People have too much fun "tweeting" about it to wonder why it may have happened.
Maybe it's just a fluke thing and there's nothing to worry about. Earthquakes happen all the time after all, and even regions where they are rare still have to have them... after all, rare and impossible are not the same.
Or maybe, right in line with some thousands year long cycle coming to an end a little over a year from now (as predicted by the Mayans, who as anyone who knows anything about the Mayans can tell you, knew next to nothing about cycles... not) the Earth has finally had enough with us, and these disasters lately including this one are it's warning shots before it decides to throw us off its back for good.
Or maybe, as some scientists are saying, we brought this on ourselves:
Fracking could have caused East Coast earthquake
The gist of the article is that there is evidence that the earthquake, along with many other geological instabilities along the East Coast of late, may have been caused by"Hydrofracking."
This relatively new innovation brought about by our insatiable thirst for energy involved injecting millions of gallons of saltwater bi-product into the Earth's crust.
Funny how no major US news sources are reporting on this yet, even though the evidence seems pretty damning.
And at the same time, power companies with nuclear plants along fault lines cut funding for quake sensors so they can save money.
“Quake sensors removed around Virginia nuke plant due to budget cuts”
While we still are dealing with the impact of the disaster at Fukushima in Japan almost 6 months ago.
“We are basically recreating Fukushima all over again” — Clouds of radiation continue across to Pacific Northwest
As we hurtle forward...
East coast has a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, strongest since 1988, very rare for the region. People have too much fun "tweeting" about it to wonder why it may have happened.
Maybe it's just a fluke thing and there's nothing to worry about. Earthquakes happen all the time after all, and even regions where they are rare still have to have them... after all, rare and impossible are not the same.
Or maybe, right in line with some thousands year long cycle coming to an end a little over a year from now (as predicted by the Mayans, who as anyone who knows anything about the Mayans can tell you, knew next to nothing about cycles... not) the Earth has finally had enough with us, and these disasters lately including this one are it's warning shots before it decides to throw us off its back for good.
Or maybe, as some scientists are saying, we brought this on ourselves:
Fracking could have caused East Coast earthquake
The gist of the article is that there is evidence that the earthquake, along with many other geological instabilities along the East Coast of late, may have been caused by"Hydrofracking."
This relatively new innovation brought about by our insatiable thirst for energy involved injecting millions of gallons of saltwater bi-product into the Earth's crust.
Funny how no major US news sources are reporting on this yet, even though the evidence seems pretty damning.
And at the same time, power companies with nuclear plants along fault lines cut funding for quake sensors so they can save money.
“Quake sensors removed around Virginia nuke plant due to budget cuts”
While we still are dealing with the impact of the disaster at Fukushima in Japan almost 6 months ago.
“We are basically recreating Fukushima all over again” — Clouds of radiation continue across to Pacific Northwest
As we hurtle forward...
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Never Again.
We said never again.
In Hebrew school, and in grade school, and in high school, we learned of the Holocaust, and held our heads high in the face of tragedy, of atrocity, of what we call one of the worst examples of what humanity is capable of. And we said never again.
The fucking nerve of us.
We said never again like it was the first time it had happened.
Had we already forgotten that the land we now stand on once was the home for a thriving, fully formed, civilized people? What we satirize in cartoons as kids as Indians, people who were he long before us who lived in harmony with the land. If their way of life prevailed instead of ours, if we had tried learning from them instead of kicking them out, changing them, and murdering them, would we be facing the destruction of the Earth we face today?
What about that in the very same years we thought we were fighting the horror, we built it on our own land? Freeing Jews who had been robbed of their humanity and property from concentration camps in Germany while we robbed the Japanese of their humanity and property right here in the US, and put them in camps of our own.
And what about Africa? What about our total rape of a land that also, for hundreds, or even thousands of years supported peoples living in harmony with the Earth? Did they need Jesus? Would Jesus have cared that they chose to live with the Earth while we chose to control it?
And the genocide has not stopped since.
What is it you value? What makes you proud to be an American? Is it standing up for truth, justice, and the "American way"?
If so, it's time to stand up for those values. The history of this country is marred with open oppression of minorities and dissenting opinions. And if you want to tell me progress has been made, then I tell you go look at what we were doing in Hawaii only a little over 30 years ago. Go look at what we were doing in Puerto Rico, and the political prisoners we hold to this day. Look at Chile, and our overthrow of democracy there. And these are things you can find in the news, in the history records, in the records of our laws and governmental actions.
Are we the shining beacon of hope and justice and equality and above all freedom that we claim to be? Can you look at all of the above and say we are the light of the world? Or does it seem to you that we have been a cancer spreading across it.
And do you think today we have overcome?
The unwarranted search of people "suspected to be illegal" in Arizona. And that was in the past year.
Overseas we continue to rape. Look at Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Libya. Look at our support of the persecution of Palestinians. And don't think the genocide will stop.
Slavery of blacks, and though slavery on paper is long gone, it has been followed since by systematic discrimination that still exists today.
Sexism, and yes my sisters, though now you may have the vote, look at magazine covers, look at television ads, take a stroll down frat row of any university and tell me you have your equality and freedom.
Can you look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong?
I ask you all, take a long hard look at the real source of terror in these United States. Really, really look.
I ask you all not to simply do what is easy, to stop believing what is forced into your heads, and look yourself for the truth.
I ask you all to take responsibility for the comforts you enjoy. To push the freedom we have to its limits. Because though we are more free than many, we are not free, and the freedom we do have has come at a high price paid not just by us, but by the entire world.
Sisters, Brothers, Fathers and Mothers, it is enough. Let us together say never again, and let us this time truly understand what that assertion means.
Never. Again.
In Hebrew school, and in grade school, and in high school, we learned of the Holocaust, and held our heads high in the face of tragedy, of atrocity, of what we call one of the worst examples of what humanity is capable of. And we said never again.
The fucking nerve of us.
We said never again like it was the first time it had happened.
Had we already forgotten that the land we now stand on once was the home for a thriving, fully formed, civilized people? What we satirize in cartoons as kids as Indians, people who were he long before us who lived in harmony with the land. If their way of life prevailed instead of ours, if we had tried learning from them instead of kicking them out, changing them, and murdering them, would we be facing the destruction of the Earth we face today?
What about that in the very same years we thought we were fighting the horror, we built it on our own land? Freeing Jews who had been robbed of their humanity and property from concentration camps in Germany while we robbed the Japanese of their humanity and property right here in the US, and put them in camps of our own.
And what about Africa? What about our total rape of a land that also, for hundreds, or even thousands of years supported peoples living in harmony with the Earth? Did they need Jesus? Would Jesus have cared that they chose to live with the Earth while we chose to control it?
And the genocide has not stopped since.
What is it you value? What makes you proud to be an American? Is it standing up for truth, justice, and the "American way"?
If so, it's time to stand up for those values. The history of this country is marred with open oppression of minorities and dissenting opinions. And if you want to tell me progress has been made, then I tell you go look at what we were doing in Hawaii only a little over 30 years ago. Go look at what we were doing in Puerto Rico, and the political prisoners we hold to this day. Look at Chile, and our overthrow of democracy there. And these are things you can find in the news, in the history records, in the records of our laws and governmental actions.
Are we the shining beacon of hope and justice and equality and above all freedom that we claim to be? Can you look at all of the above and say we are the light of the world? Or does it seem to you that we have been a cancer spreading across it.
And do you think today we have overcome?
The unwarranted search of people "suspected to be illegal" in Arizona. And that was in the past year.
Overseas we continue to rape. Look at Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Libya. Look at our support of the persecution of Palestinians. And don't think the genocide will stop.
Slavery of blacks, and though slavery on paper is long gone, it has been followed since by systematic discrimination that still exists today.
Sexism, and yes my sisters, though now you may have the vote, look at magazine covers, look at television ads, take a stroll down frat row of any university and tell me you have your equality and freedom.
Can you look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong?
I ask you all, take a long hard look at the real source of terror in these United States. Really, really look.
I ask you all not to simply do what is easy, to stop believing what is forced into your heads, and look yourself for the truth.
I ask you all to take responsibility for the comforts you enjoy. To push the freedom we have to its limits. Because though we are more free than many, we are not free, and the freedom we do have has come at a high price paid not just by us, but by the entire world.
Sisters, Brothers, Fathers and Mothers, it is enough. Let us together say never again, and let us this time truly understand what that assertion means.
Never. Again.
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