Gaia Community: Pamir's Blog

Call to action on global Poverty

http://pamir.gaia.com — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:36:09 GMT

10/15 is Blog Action Day.

Theme: Poverty.

Please, please read my contribution and follow several calls to action for global good:
Blog Action Day: Poverty

Tags: poverty, hunger, activism, charity, clean water, sanitation, health, children, africa

Governor Sarah Palin: A Champion for Brutal Aerial Hunting

http://pamir.gaia.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:03:48 GMT

Sarah Palin Champions Barbaric Aerial Hunting of Wolves

Have you ever heard of aerial hunting? It's a brutal practice. Wolves are shot from low-flying aircraft or chased to exhaustion, then killed at point-blank range.

Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for Vice President, promotes this barbaric practice, exploiting a loophole in the Federal Airborne Hunting Act to allow private wolf killers to shoot down wolves using aircraft. We have to get the word out about this!

Please watch this powerful video by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, and then share it with every wildlife lover you know.

Directly from Defenders of Wildlife:

Sarah Palin and the Environment

Governor Sarah Palin has an extreme anti-conservation record on issues ranging from global warming, energy and drilling to wildlife and habitat protection.

Aerial hunting of wolves and bears

Governor Palin is an active promoter of Alaska's aerial hunting program whereby wolves and bears are shot from the air or chased by airplanes to the point of exhaustion before the pilot lands the plane and a gunner shoots the animals point blank.

Palin offered a $150 bounty for wolves to entice hunters to kill more wolves in certain parts of the state, with hunters having to present a wolf's foreleg to collect the bounty.
She actively opposed a ballot measure campaign seeking to end the aerial hunting of wolves by private hunters and approved a $400,000 state-funded campaign aimed at swaying people's votes on the issue.
She also introduced legislation to make it easier to kill wolves and bears and which would have also removed the aerial hunting initiative from the ballot and block the ability of citizens to vote on the issue.
The Board of Game, which she appoints, has approved the killing of black bear sows with cubs as part of the program and expanded the aerial control programs.
The media is currently looking into reports that state officials implementing one of the aerial wolf killing programs illegally killed five-week old wolf pups just outside their dens.

Global Warming

As recently as August 2008, Governor Palin questioned whether man-made fossil fuel emissions are responsible for global warming, defying worldwide scientific consensus (Newsmax 8/29/08). And her drill-drill-drill approach to energy issues will do nothing to ease the causes of global warming, promote the use of clean, renewable energy sources, or break our addiction to foreign oil.

Endangered Species

Palin has repeatedly opposed the listing of endangered animals under the Endangered Species List despite overwhelming scientific evidence that such listings are warranted.

Polar Bear

The U.S. Geological Survey predicts that loss of summer sea ice - crucial habitat for polar bears - could lead to the demise of two-thirds of the world's polar bears by mid-century, including all of Alaska's polar bears. The Bush administration has proposed listing the polar bears as threatened under the ESA to help protect polar bear habitat from threats such as oil and gas development.

Governor Palin has actively opposed the listing of the polar bear despite the fact that Alaska's top marine mammal biologists agreed with the federal scientists who believed the bear should be listed. She wrote the Secretary of Interior urging him not to list the bear on the ground it might hurt the state's oil- and gas-dependent economy. After the bear was listed, she recently filed suit seeking to overturn the listing of polar bears.

Beluga Whales

Alaska's Cook Inlet beluga whales are a unique group of white whales whose numbers have dramatically declined in the past two decades due to pressures ranging from pollution to increased ship traffic. Governor Palin opposes the listing of the Cook Inlet beluga whales, citing the listing as a threat to oil and gas development, despite their genetic uniqueness and the fact that their numbers have decreased from 1,300 in the 1980s to about 350 today.

Drilling

Palin is a strong supporter of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a vital wilderness area. It is home to hundreds of thousands of caribou who use the refuge as a calving ground, more than one million migratory birds, and countless other wildlife. It's the most important onshore denning habitat for female polar bears. Senator McCain himself has repeatedly voted to protect this pristine wilderness area. Palin is also a supporter of drilling in Bristol Bay and other offshore sites despite the risks to sensitive marine wildlife in the area, including the endangered polar bear and Beluga whale.

Clean Water and Pebble Mine

Governor Palin actively campaigned against a state ballot measure this summer aimed at protecting Alaska's Bristol Bay. The mining industry seeks to develop a gold and copper mine in the area that would pollute the Bay's headwaters and threaten the spawning grounds for the largest remaining wild salmon run. The initiative would have prevented large-scale mining operations from dumping waste materials into salmon watersheds.

Tags: sarah palin, animal rights, environment, global warming, offshore drilling, endangered species

WallE + Kleenex = IronE

http://pamir.gaia.com — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:16:10 GMT

Directly from Greenpeace:

In what must surely be the absolute height of tragic irony, Kimberly-Clark is using a movie about conservation to sell Kleenex, a disposable paper product containing absolutely no recycled content.

Disney/Pixar's new animated film Wall*E is set in a distant future when the Earth is barren of all life forms and humans have survived only by leaving the wasted planet to live in outer space. The sole inhabitant of planet Earth in this doomsday scenario is Wall*E, a lovable but lonely robot that has been tasked with cleaning up the mess us humans left behind. If you’ve seen the movie, you probably got the same thrill out of its environmental theme as us here at Greenpeace. Meanwhile, the movie's smashing success at the box office is a clear indicator that its message resonates with Americans' concerns for the future.

That’s why it’s perplexing to see that K-C is featuring Wall*E on boxes of Kleenex. If you look on the bottom of these boxes, you’ll see a little recycled symbol that says: “This box is made from 100% recycled paper.” What you won’t see on the bottom of that box is a message telling you that the tissues inside it are made from centuries-old trees that were cut from forests that had been around for as much as 10,000 years – until K-C came along with its clearcutting practices, that is. Nor will the box tell you that K-C refuses to use any recycled material in Kleenex even though doing so would save huge areas of ancient forests.

Wall*E + Kleenex = Iron*E

For the past few years, Greenpeace has been running the Kleercut campaign to pressure K-C to stop devastating ancient forests. Naturally, we couldn’t let K-C’s blatant attempt to use Wall*E as a means of greenwashing Kleenex’s image go by without comment. So we commissioned celebrated political cartoonist Mark Fiore to create an animated movie of our own.

Our animated short features a new character called Kleer*E who gobbles up forests and spits out boxes of Kleenex. He is a precursor to Wall*E, who spends his days cleaning up a world where all the forests (and animals and people) are gone, a world where nothing is left but trash and empty boxes. Like Kleer*E, Kimberly-Clark is working to bring you that world, one box of Kleenex — and one forest — at a time.

In order to make sure K-C’s attempts at deceiving the public are unsuccessful, we need to band together to get the truth out about the company’s dishonest marketing. Help save the world’s ancient forests by viewing the Kleer*E video and then telling all your friends and family about it. The more people who are aware of K-C’s destructive business practices and refuse to buy Kleenex or other disposable products made by the company, the sooner they’ll change their ways.

Join us in telling K-C to stop the Iron*E! Instead of putting money towards looking like they’re “green,” the company needs to actually become green by improving their environmental practices. Specifically, they need to stop clearcutting ancient forests and start using recycled material in Kleenex and other consumer paper products. And when they do have to use virgin pulp, they should be sourcing it sustainably through the Forest Stewardship Council.

If we stop Kimberly-Clark from destroying any more of the world’s ancient forests, we will be able to avoid the dismal fate depicted in Wall*E. Untold future generations will surely thank us for giving them hope and a healthy planet to live on.

Tell Kimberly-Clark to stop the Iron*E

Tags: greenpeace, forests, trees, kimberly clark, kleenex, green, conservation, eco, clearcutting

Ignite the Grace Light

http://pamir.gaia.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:43:15 GMT

Dattatreya Siva Baba

GRACE LIGHT

Something extraordinary is happening! The Grace of God in the form of Light is coming to the earth to help usher in the Golden Age that is anticipated by many to start in 2012. This event is triggering the Light of the Golden Age and gives us all an opportunity to assist the transformation to the Satya Yuga (Age of Truth). Find out more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eky4C4dbjyg

GLOBAL MEDITATION: July 17 8pm Pacific Time

The TIME to create a divine awareness of the Grace Light is 11pm Eastern Time / 8pm Pacific Time. Please check your time zone and plan accordingly:

http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc

What to do on July 17:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xazMXJ7q2Wc

Guided Meditation:

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

For more instructions to go www.TheGraceLight.com

http://www.TheGraceLight.com

Tags: Dattatreya Siva Baba, Grace Light, light, healing, meditation, Golden Age, 2012, global meditation, compassion, chakras, 9 gates

Anatomy of a Reiki Training

http://pamir.gaia.com — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:04:20 GMT

This past weekend I held Shoden/Level I Reiki Training at the Nursing College of a local University. Please read more here and enjoy the slideshow.

Tags: reiki, reiki training, nurse, nurses, nursing, nursing college, university, holistic nursing, healing, compassion, consciousness

Sweet Yogananda

http://pamir.gaia.com — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:13:47 GMT

Heavenly Father, breathe in me the way to love you, that I may learn to faultlessly love you.

Pour me the wisdom-wine by which I become intoxicated with you.

Whisper in my ears of silence. The way to be with you always. Speak to my wandering senses and lead them back to your sanctuary within. Call the marauding mind and counsel it how to retrace its steps you your home.

With your silent eyes, just look at me, and I will know where to find you...

Tags: yogananda, love, wisdom, sanctuary, god

Amazing Grace: The Movie

http://pamir.gaia.com — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:18:44 GMT

Amazing Grace

I've been meaning to blog this for a long time. I love movies that teach you something you don't know, highlight some heroes & shed light on our history.

When I first heard Amazing Grace, the song, I felt it was based in gospel, the South , church music and so on.

Well, the words were actually written by John Newton, an Englishman, in the 18th century! Newton was captain of a slave ship for many years and later repented. He was also a prime influence on William Wilberforce.

William Wilberforce, a British statesman and reformer from the early part of the 19th century. This feature flm chronicles his extraordinary contributions to the world, primarily his 20-year fght to abolish the British slave trade, which he won in 1807. Wilberforce was also instrumental in passing legislation to abolish slavery in the British colonies, a victory he won just three days before his death in 1833.

A remarkable accouint of compassionate, forward-thinking humans who resisted all the odds and won for all of us!. Make sure you check out the study guide.

Movie site
Study Guide (PDF)

Tags: amazing grace, amazing, grace, john newton, william wilberforce, slavery, abolitionist, hero, movie

:: Pamir is published ::

http://pamir.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:27:00 GMT

Greetings!

I wanted to share a success-- I've been published on a very popular & savvy business blog. You will find the content helpful if you spend any time on the computer. Please take a peek & comments are welcome on the host blog:
http://tinyurl.com/5p6p3k

There's a companion piece on my own blog about personal challenges that stem from your business; comments are welcome there as well:
http://tinyurl.com/57dr6q

Tags: blog, blogging, wellness, business, stress, health, pain, roi, awareness, breath, reiki

Sivatri

http://pamir.gaia.com — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:42:12 GMT

March 5th is "Night of Siva." It is on this night that Lord Siva grants a moratorium on karma for those who request it of him. It is also believed that Siva grants enlightenment to the most devoted on this auspicious night. Siva becomes a mountain at Thiruvanamallai. The mountain itself is called Arunachala which means "The Mountain of Fire". Thiruvanamallai mountain has the unique quality to smash the small "I" consciousness of people and put them in the realm of the bigger "I." On Sivaratri day the mountain comes alive. Sivaratri becomes powerful in the night. The night is symbolic of a condition prior to creation. It refers to chaos that existed before light. But this chaotic darkness is not a negative condition. It is pure consciousness without the pollution of knowledge. In the Buddha's terminology it is the Emptiness of Nirvana. It is a cosmically eventful time where the destiny of not only the earth plane, but of the entire cosmos can be changed. Shiva is the Supreme Consciousness that illuminates the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep.

Eight Verses to the Siva-Linga

The linga which is worshipped by Brahma, Visnu and the gods, the linga graced and illuminated by purity; the linga which destroys the sufferings arising from birth--to that eternal Siva-linga, I bow.

The linga worshipped by the highest gods and sages; the linga which grants desires and creates compassion; the linga which takes away the pride of Ravana (ego)--to that eternal Siva-linga, I bow.

The linga which is annointed with all fine fragrances; the linga which causes the expansion of the intellect; the linga honored by siddhas, gods and asuras--to that eternal Siva-linga, I bow.

The linga which is adorned with gold and magnificent jewels; the linga which is radiant, encircled by the lord of cobras; the linga which destroyed the excessive sacrifice of Daksha--to that eternal Siva-linga, I bow.

The linga which is annointed with kunkuma (colored powder) and sandalwood; the linga which is adorned with a garland of lotuses; the linga which eliminates all accumulated sin--to that eternal Siva-linga, I bow.

The linga worshipped and attended by an array of gods; the linga with the sentiments and devotions (of its devotees); the linga which is the sun of many millions of suns--to that eternal Siva-linga, I bow.

The linga upon an eight-petaled lotus, encircled; the linga which is the cause of all manifestation; the linga which has removed the eight distresses--to that eternal Siva-linga, I bow.

The linga prayed to by the highest of gods and gurus to the gods; the linga ever worshipped with flowers from celestial gardens; the linga which is the essence of the supreme; higher than the highest--to that eternal Siva-linga, I bow.

Tags: siva, shiva, lingam, cosmic consciousness, enlightenment, karma

The greatest achievement is selflessness

http://pamir.gaia.com — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:58:38 GMT

Atisha (11th century Tibetan Buddhist master)

The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the world’s ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

Tags: self-mastrey, self-awareness, service, non-attachment, meditation, peace, wisdom

Blog Action Day

http://pamir.gaia.com — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:20:41 GMT

waterfall

Oct 15 is Blog Action Day. The organizers have chosen to draw attention to the environment this year. I'd appreciate your viewing of my contribution. It's been a labor of love for me to get it written over a weekend with family demands. Thank you in advance. Please comment and share.

Tags: action, earth, energy consumption, environment, global warming, greenhouse gases, healing, peace, responsibility

Hopi Prayer

http://pamir.gaia.com — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:02:25 GMT

Hold on to what is good even if it's a handful of earth
Hold on to what you believe even if it's a tree that stands by itself
Hold on to what you must do even if it's a long way from here
Hold on to my hand even when I've gone away from you
Hold on to what is good
Hold on to what is good

Hold on to what is good

Tags: hopi prayer, good, goodness, connection, commitment, belief

Happy Peace Day & Equinox

http://pamir.gaia.com — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:27:10 GMT

equinox

Sept. 21st is the United Nations International Day of Peace. The Equinox is also close at hand.

Happy Peace Day & Equinox. May the balance of day & night flow into balance in all areas of your life & the world.

Design by David Steindl-Rast & Linda Fisher
(c)2001, Network for Grateful Living

Tags: peace, peace day, united nations, equinox, balance

Alive Day

http://pamir.gaia.com — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:58:40 GMT

I watched only a part of this on TV & was riveted. It can be seen online. The HBO documentary about wounded soldiers surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their "alive day," the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq.

In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini (The Sopranos) interviews ten Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America.

This is a MUST SEE. There's extensive information on each of the intervieews too.

It speaks to only one part of the cost of this war, or whatever it is, occupation, get rich scheme, experiment, you name it. It's a heart-wrenching account. If this is so moving, imagine what Iraqis who've been victims of the whole ordeal have been through, the tens of thousands of unnamed Iraqis.

If anyone knows of documentaries or podcasts of Iraqi stories, I'd appreciate a link. PBS has had some & I believe there are some DVDs out there.

Tags: iraq, war, amputee, cost of war, iraq war documentary, veterans, disability, patriotism

The 11th Hour

http://pamir.gaia.com — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 21:29:27 GMT

This by Stacey Lawson on The Huffington Post:

We are the Ones We've been Waiting For

You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour.

And there are things to be considered:

Where are you living?

What are you doing?

What are your relationships? Are you in right relation?

Where is your water? Know your garden.

It is time to speak your Truth.

Create your community. Be good to each other.

And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

We are the ones we've been waiting for.

--The Elders Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation

Leonardo DiCaprio's The11th Hour is an unflinching cautionary tale about our growing environmental crisis. The film speaks volumes about our disconnection from nature and the resulting tendency to exploit our physical landscape. Rather than seeing our soil, water, food, and energy sources as vital, living components of the greater web of life, we see them as assets to be mined, pumped, harvested and sold. This physical disconnect, especially in our urban and industrial settings, contributes to the radical dysfunction we display toward our habitat and home.

The 11th Hour paints the distressing picture of a house on fire. Yet, despite the film's compelling depiction of the urgency and magnitude of the crisis, I left the San Francisco premier wondering if we weren't missing a key aspect of human psychology in the equation.

As we race to throw water on the burning building (a vitally urgent and necessary act), let's also contemplate the pyromaniacs who set the house on fire in the first place -- us.

Reflection and Action

Our wisdom traditions teach that the physical world is an expression of our individual and collective consciousness, "As the inner, so is the outer." The devastating symptoms of the impending ecological crisis, the gruesome expressions in our physical environment, are direct reflections of our collective inner landscape.

Perhaps if we understood the deeper workings of the human psyche, we might have insight into the root cause of the crisis we face...and a better sense of the path out.

I spoke with environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author, Pawl Hawken, to explore this topic. "The world is a reflection of who we are," commented Hawken, "but I've always felt this alone is a cop out. If someone's hurting, you help them. Peace is an 'inside job', but the act of helping changes who we are inside."

So inner reflection and external action go hand-in-hand. But who among us is doing the inner reflection? What can we do to address the up-close-and-personal aspect of our shared crisis?

The following is a prescription to consider:

1) Get Physically Connected

"Whether it's trees, landmarks, soil, water, blue skies, or the weather itself. We are losing our places," says Hawken.

Our loss of connection with nature not only reflects a fundamental aspect of our crisis, but, ironically, simultaneously diminishes our capacity to solve it. It is imperative to get physically connected again. We need to spend more time outside -- going into our yards, our parks, our forests and walking consciously on the earth. As we make contact with nature, we can acknowledge our need for stability, sustenance and nutrients. As we breathe the air, acknowledge our reliance on each breath that follows. As we put flowers in our homes, acknowledge the fundamental human need for beauty. When our lives are barren of these most fundamental connections to our earth, then our hearts will be barren of empathy and our minds barren of options.

2) Feel the Grief of Being Implicated

No matter what we're doing individually to help the environment, it is not enough. Sit with this for a few moments. Take in this truth -- be fully implicated for everything you've done to contribute to this terrible crisis and everything you haven't done to fix it. Don't move, don't act, don't think. Just feel the truth of it. Heartbreaking and overwhelming? Yes, but do it anyway. Don't skip this step.

"Individuals come to points in their lives when they become depressed or down. Those are the teachable moments," says Hawken. "The transformative moments are not the peak experiences, the joy, the getting the gold medal. The transformative moments are reflective."

Let's use our depression as a teacher.

The unconscious desire to avoid personal implication keeps us ineffective and in denial. We don't like feeling the heartbreak of personal responsibility, but this same heartbreak can be incredibly powerful if we face it consciously. It brings a tenderness that can lead to a spontaneous upwelling of new insight, new possibility. From the ground of an open heart arises the wisdom of the ages, something beyond the individual self that holds the collective in its care. Many Native American elders speak of making decisions on behalf of seven generations of unborn children. When we cultivate an open heart we also cultivate the courage to hold the interest of greater whole within it.

3) Jettison Despair

Being accountable for our past is one thing, despairing over the future is another. Biologist Rene Dubois once said, "Despair is a sin." Despair is a common fear response that moves us back into denial and inaction.

"In despair, we help no one. We fix nothing. We aid nothing. We nurture nothing," says Hawken. "It's too late for heroes and it's time for humans. What we need is to be more human, more humane -- first to ourselves, then to each other, then outward. That involves listening, compassion, kindness, generosity, humility."

Despair constricts the heart and makes us feel powerless. Don't be tricked into giving away your power that easily. We have a full range of available choices and actions in this crisis. "The world has precipitated this situation -- the teaching is before us. The gift is that we are being asked to change who we are."

4) Peer into the Mirror

We can't remain who we are. Something must change, and that something is us.

"In order to solve this problem, everybody has to walk through the looking glass sooner or later...and it's not a pleasant experience," says Hawken. "We are in a linear 'Take-Make-Waste' civilization that is destroying its habitat. All of us are responsible."

So how do we pass through the portal? Once we've acknowledged our culpability, we can start to investigate our own interior, especially the parts we have carefully denied. If our planet is a mirror, then it is reflecting internal states of fear, greed, exploitation, waste, manipulation, violence, callousness. Look closely -- where do those qualities exist in you? Be honest. Once we recognize the earth's wounds as our own, we can start the process of healing.

This exploration into the shadow is a necessary exercise that requires courage. Without it, we will continue to expend effort treating the ghastly superficial symptoms but missing the deeper deadly infection. We will scramble madly to throw water on the burning building while the pyromaniacs (us) simultaneously set new rooms ablaze. "The 11th Hour is a shadow film," claims Hawkens. "Once you own your shadow, you become whole."

5) Declare Your Vision for the Future

Once we embrace the whole, we can see with greater clarity how the quality of our consciousness determines the quality of our world and our future.

Our fear and aggression has been a powerful shadow force, but our hopes and desires are an even greater creative force. We have the power to move beyond our fears by exposing the unexpressed desires that underlie them. Through declaring our hopes and desires, we can create a new vision for the future.

As The 11th Hour suggests, we have a stunning opportunity (and obligation) to completely re-conceive virtually every human system. We each have a piece of the overall puzzle -- our job is to discover our piece and live it. "If your idea of being alive is to be full of ease, comfort and illusion, it's probably not a good time for you," says Hawken. "If your idea of being alive is to take part in conceiving a whole new future, this is a stunning time to be alive."

6) Tend to the Details

Of course, a brilliant vision is only meaningful if put into practice. So, tend to the details of your piece of the puzzle. If you are a business person, set a timeline for zero-waste or carbon-neutral. If you are a commuter, go hybrid or use public transportation. If you are a parent, adopt the earth into your family and let your children know it. Just as you would tend to the details of your own child's health and well-being (hygiene, education, nutrition, etc.), tend to the details of your earth's health (power-saving light bulbs, recycling, involvement in remedying local injustices, etc.). Once you've taken the first steps, take the next steps, and then the next.

"On the tactical side, the technological solutions are here," says Hawken. "I'm not saying that stunning new things aren't being invented all the time, but that's not the obstacle. The obstacle, of course, is ourselves."

Perhaps this should be the theme of the next movie? "It should be called Solutions," says Hawken. "It's about who we are, what we're doing, and the extraordinary possibility in all this."

The Hopi Elders might have it right. In the 11th Hour, we are the ones we've been waiting for.

Tags: 11th hour, leonardo dicpario, wisdom traditions, ecological crisis, paul hawken, connection to nature, environment

Hope in politics

http://pamir.gaia.com — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 21:15:15 GMT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm not at all familiar with George McGovern, a former U.S. senator from South Dakota. In a Q&A in Shambhala Sun he's described as "a moral beacon in American public life" and that his "life work has had two main themes: building sane and sustainable international relations and healing divisions in American society."

I don't know the man or his politics but the following excerpts feel good to me.

...What will it take for the U.S. to put caring for people back on the political agenda?

Well, we might begin by not unnecessarily killing people. We have been slaughtering people in Iraq--it is now estimated that some 600,000 Iraqis have been killed in the five years we've been wrecking their country. I think as long as a country is at war, and has leaders who are governing by fear, people are not going to be attuned to those in need, either here or abroad. War is a big enemy of compassion and service to others (my bolding).

What is the biggest problem in America today?

The biggest problem is the fixation on national security, and the belief that the best way to advance national security is by spending hundreds of billions on military systems to kill people. There probably hasn't been a time since WWII that we weren't spending twice as much on the military as was necessary...We are now spending $500 billion on a war that we never should have entered to fight an enemy that was no threat to us...

What do you think is the point of a human life?

The point of human life is service. It's to make life better for ourselves and for everybody...

What can the next president do to impove America's reputation around the world?

Obey the Constitution (my bolding). That's the only pledge that you take when you enter high office...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tags: hope, politics, service to others, compassion, war, constitution, america, purpose of life, military

The Great Kapok Tree

http://pamir.gaia.com — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 13:51:25 GMT

kapok tree

A story I read my son...

INTRODUCTION

In the Amazon rain forest it is always hot, and in that heat everything grows, and grows, and grows. The tops of the trees in the rain forest are called the canopy. The canopy is a sunny place that touches the sky. The animals that live there like lots of light. Colorful parrots fly from tree to tree. Monkeys leap from tree to tree. The bottom of the rain forest is called the understory. The animals that live in the understory like darkness. There, silent snakes curl around hanging vines. Graceful Jaguar watch and wait.

And in this steamy environment the great Kapok tree shoots up through the forest and emerges above the canopy.

This is the story of a community of animals that live in one such tree.

THE GREAT KAPOK TREE by Lynne Cherry

Two men walked into the rain forest. Moments before, the forest had been alive with the sounds of squawking birds and howling monkeys. Now all was quiet as the creatures watched the two men and wondered why they had come.

The larger man stopped and pointed to a great Kapok tree. Then he left.

The smaller man took the ax he carried and struck the trunk of the tree. Whack! Whack! Whack! The sounds of the blows rang through the forest. The wood of the tree was very hard. Chop! Chop! Chop! The man wiped the sweat that ran down his face and neck. Whack! Chop! Whack! Chop!

Soon the man grew tired. He sat down to rest at the foot of the great Kapok tree. Before he knew it, the heat and the hum of the forest lulled him to sleep.

A boa constrictor lived in the Kapok tree. He slithered down its trunk to where the man was sleeping. He looked at the gash the ax had made in the tree. Then the huge snake slid very close to the man and hissed in his ear: " Senhor, this tree is a tree of miracles. It is my home, where generations of my ancestors have lived. Do not chop it down."

A bee buzzed in the sleeping man's ear: "Senhor, my hive is in the Kapok tree, and I fly from tree to tree and flower to flower collecting pollen. In this way I pollinate the trees and flowers throughout the rain forest. You see, all living things depend on one another."

A troupe of monkeys scampered down from the canopy of the Kapok tree. They chattered to the sleeping man: "Senhor, we have seen the ways of man. You chop down one tree, then come back for another and another. The roots of these great trees will wither and die, and there will be nothing left to hold the earth in place. When the heavy rains come, the soil will be washed away and the forest will become a desert."

A toucan, a macaw, and a cock-of-the-rock flew down from the canopy. "Senhor!" squawked the toucan, " you must not cut down this tree. We have flown over the rain forest and seen what happens once you begin to chop down the trees. Many people settle on the land. They set fires to clear the underbrush, and soon the forest disappears. Where once there was life and beauty only black and smoldering ruins remain."

A bright and small tree frog crawled along the edge of a leaf. In a squeaky voice he piped in the man's ear: "Senhor, a ruined rain forest means ruined lives...many ruined lives. You will leave many of us homeless if you chop down this great Kapok tree."

A jaguar had been sleeping along a branch in the middle of the tree. Because his spotted coat blended into the dappled light and shadows of the understory, on one noticed him. Now he leapt down and padded silently over to the sleeping man. He growled in his ear: "Senhor, the Kapok tree is home to many birds and animals. If you cut it down, where will I find my dinner?"

Four tree porcupines swung down from branch to branch and whispered to the man: "Senhor, do you know what we animals and humans need in order to live? Oxygen. And, Senhor, do you know what trees produce? Oxygen! If you cut down the forests you will destroy that which gives us all life."

Several anteaters climbed down the Kapok tree with their young clinging to their backs. The unstriped anteater said to the sleeping man: "Senhor, you are chopping down this tree with no thought for the future. And surely you know that what happens tomorrow depends upon what you do today. The big man tells you to chop down a beautiful tree. He does not think of his own children, who tomorrow must live in a world without trees."

A three-toed sloth had begun climbing down from the canopy when the men first appeared. Only now did she reach the ground. Plodding ever so slowly over to the sleeping man, she spoke in her deep and lazy voice: "Senhor, how much is beauty worth? Can you live without it? If you destroy the beauty of the rain forest, on what would you feat your eyes?"

A child from the Yanomamo tribe who lived in the forest knelt over the sleeping man. He murmured in his ear: "Senhor, when you awake, please look upon us all with new eyes."

The man awoke with a start. Before him stood the rain forest child, and all around him, staring, were the creatures who depended upon the great Kapok tree. What wondrous and rare animals they were!

The man looked about and saw the sun streaming through the canopy. Spots of bright light glowed like jewels amidst the dark green forest. Strange and beautiful plants seemed to dangle in the air, suspended from the great Kapok tree.

The man smelled the fragrant perfume of their flowers. He felt the steamy mist rising from the forest floor. But the heard no sound, for the creatures were strangely silent.

The man stood and picked up his ax. He swung back his arm as though to strike the tree. Suddenly he stopped. He turned and looked at the animals and the child.

He hesitated. Then he dropped the ax and walked out of the rain forest.

Tags: community, story, trees, kapok tree, rainforest, ecology, rainforest animals, kids, kid's story, choices

Planet Earth

http://pamir.gaia.com — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 02:13:56 GMT

Planet Earth - Sigur Ros

I found this on YouTube, it's not my video. I watched the entire BBC / Discovery series Planet Earth with my son & it belongs in every DVD collection.

If that series doesn't get us off our butts to work with our planet, I don't what will. The many first-time footage captured & new technology used really does the Earth true honor.

This video must be some kind of trailer -- I recognize some of the images from the series, but not all. The music is by Sigor Ros (Victory Rose) an Icelandic band. The song is Hoppipola (Hopping into puddles).

Tags: earth, planet earth, planet, sigur ros, environment, environmentalism, eco conscious, green

Ubuntu

http://pamir.gaia.com — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:07:31 GMT

I watched "In My Country" last night with Samul L. Jackson & Juliet Binoche about the end of apartheid & how that society dealt with it. The movie is good, it even inspired this entry.

The essential philosophy that was used to start healing in South Africa is ubuntu. A So. African jazz website describes it as:

A Zulu word, literally meaning “humanness.” Ubuntu is a social and spiritual philosophy serving as a framework for African society. Its essential meaning can be conveyed using the Zulu maxim “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”—meaning, in essence, “a person is a person through other persons.” The practice of ubuntu is fundamentally inclusive, involving respect and concern for one's family and one's neighbors. It also implies respect for one's ancestors, in a deeper spiritual sense. Ubuntu defines the individual as a component of a greater (inclusive) collective whole, and it stresses social consciousness and unity. (Most dramatically, ubuntu stands diametrically opposite to the concept of apartheid.)

In my most recent visceral forays, I 've just been feeling this Earth of ours, it's land masses & bodies of water. I think it's great that there's so much focus on Africa, the ignored continent with it's poverty, AIDS, malaria, genocides, and yet a huge and resilient heritage of wisdom & living arts.

Which society, governmental body, corporation, social organization, relationship or family couldn't use ubuntu?!

Desmond Tutu elaborates:

A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.

In Zimbabwe ubuntu is unhu. Stanlake J. W. T. Samkange puts it into 3 maxims:

1) To be human is to affirm one’s humanity by recognizing the humanity of others and, on that basis, establish respectful human relations with them.
2) If and when one is faced with a decisive choice between wealth and the preservation of the life of another human being, then one should opt for the preservation of life.
3) The king owed his status, including all the powers associated with it, to the will of the people under him.

Our leaders, are you listening?

Tags: ubuntu, social conscience, Africa, apartheid, unhu, humanness, spiritual, philosophy, zulu, inclusive, humanity

What's in a name?

http://pamir.gaia.com — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:11:26 GMT

This may look terribly self-indulgent, but moving from definitions, free associating & visioning from there yields a lot of material useful for self growth. It's also a little known region of our natural world & if the vistas I've seen online are any indication, the place is gorgeous.

Yes, I'm in a space of digging in to discover more, remake myself, complete myself, understand & share my place in the world, my soul contribution.

One of the meanings is actually from "Pomir" which is what the peoples of the region know it as. Some say it means "the roof of the world." Others say it's "feet of the sun." No doubt it is the roof the world since it contains many of the highest peaks on the planet.

But feet of the sun?! Now I'm impressed. Pamir also means "wide open valleys." That makes me breathe better right away.

My fascination is also about our natural world. What a gem this Earth is. She's so beautiful. I'm in love with her! Generous, abundant, giving & so very strong & powerful. I celebrate you Earth Woman; I revel in your curves & valleys, your points & gorges, your verdure & sapphire; I love you Earth, you are the spirit of kindness.

I'm excited about the possibility of travel there. And mountains are sacred. The illustrious Himalayas; our various volcanoes; Kilimanjaro in Africa; the holy mountains of Japan (a Reiki connection for me); and the others I'm missing. So much folklore, legend, worship & imagining associated with mountains!

I've roots there. Well, nomadic ones. Memories of yurts & fires; horseback antics & smoky quartz; tribal knowledge, earth living, rich colors.

I draw from Pamir. I draw heightening, opening, connection of sun to earth & vice versa. My heart fills & my spirit renews. Humanity & life look good to me. Now how can I make it better? How can I better myself?

Pamir says higher consciousness to me, yet it's also the dirt which means practical solutions for real people. I'd like to live up to the inspiration of my name!

Tags: consciousness, enlightenment, spirituality, nature, mountain, earth, life, beauty, names, personal growth, self-knowledge