Martin Luther King's Dream

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." Martin Luther King Jr.  Delivered in Washington August 28, 1963.


https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-resources/document-research-requests

I wanted to print the whole speech on this platform but it would violate the copyright law.

I understand the reluctance to allow it into the commons because of the terrible abuse that has been directed to MLK and his family. There is so much evidence of corrupting history for the sake of white power. So here is an example of what happens when White Supremacy rules over others.

Let us weep.

Making Progress in Tough Times

"In October, I had a moment with my eldest son that really brought home to me the angst that many progressive people were feeling throughout 2018.

It was the day after the release of the incredibly worrisome Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. You probably saw the press coverage. One of the report’s key findings is that we only have a dozen years in which to avert catastrophic global warming damage. My 14-year-old had seen some articles about it on-line and took me aside just before heading to bed."

Read the article here:

Rick Smith, Broadbent Institute - Making Progress in Tough Times, Lessons from 2018

Faith

This is no time for a casual faith. And we Unitarian Universalists must remember that we are not in this alone.

SUSAN FREDERICK-GRAY  |  11/7/2017  |  WINTER 2017

UUWorld

It's the worship of power that alienates us from our own power

I grew up believing that, to be a success, I had to emulate the rich and famous people on television and movies, as they presented themselves in public - for surely that is exactly who they are.

An incredible assumption isn't it?

In one of the teen magazines I filled out a questionnaire which told me this was the way to find out who I am.

The conclusion was that I was shallow! I was shocked because the people I looked to for advice said, I thought too much, I was too serious, and the boys would not like me because of that.

At the time I had no idea of how power worked. I thought you had it or you didn't, and if you didn't others would wipe the floor with you. In defence of that I decided to stand strong and not let anyone push me around. What I couldn't see was how others actually saw me.  Many years later, after many mistakes and several bouts of depression, I realized I appeared snobbish and cold.

So I re-masked myself, drew in some confidence and went out to learn how the world works and how to be effective in whatever I choose to do.   I thought power came from outside, from society, from friends and peers, from co-workers and managers. But I remained convinced that I had to look tough and never cry. Never, ever cry, for that is the worst thing you can do. Worse than killing birds and spiders. Worse than cheating on your taxes. Worse than letting someone put you down without a brilliant comeback.

As much as I wanted to be well liked, I was simply shallow. My self-esteem was non-existent. To be somebody I sought the approval of those around me. After giving birth to my first child I realized I was not the centre of the universe and that was a good thing. After my second child I learned that love is a more endurable power than fear. After my third child I learned that I was not in control and that was a good thing.

The world was not a series of headlines, television shows, actors and anchors - the world was the family, the neighbours, the friends and supports around me. I learned to think differently about power.

I could see that the headmistress in my last school had power in the way she encouraged me to develop some confidence. The Victorian Order of Nurses had power - for they gave me time to ask difficult questions about caring for my babies and myself without fear they would be taken away from me.

My partner and father of my children had power in all the ways he supported and loved us all. My friends had power in the ways they were authentic, caring people.

The world of power revealed it was an interdependent web. Whenever I sought position for my ego I became fractured and brittle. Whenever I thought of this world as a place where I could contribute my voice, my wisdom, my ideas, I discovered I was often wrong. But that was okay because I learned from mistakes.

My ego was powerless in all its appetites and vanities. This life that I call mine, is not really mine. It is the result of something that began billions of years ago. It is connected, dependent upon and subject to my own conscience. Social responsibility is embedded in all that before and all that will come after this short life.

Now as the human world is revealed through politics, wealth, fame and violence, it  forgets its own embedded opportunities to sustain itself and the planet it lives on, for the sake of power as a zero sum game.  And its this that is destroying us.

We must give up this worship to find our power within the web of life, which is desperately trying to reach us.

Happy Easter

[The Resurrection] "teaches us that the oppressive systems of this world do not stand a chance against Love.

It teaches us that you cannot nail Love down – we tried that once and it did not work."

Rev. Mark Sandlin

What is love? Generally love is attachment and can be interpreted in many ways. In the context of the resurrection of a beloved teacher, I believe, it is empathy and compassion. A call to know life around us, not just as labour for capitalism, a trainee for the military, or a consumer for business. The meaning of life is life itself and should be its own reward. A reverence for life does not oppress, or befuddle with sophistry, games and false hierarchy.

We are all related, so whatever hurts others hurts me too. I can see that I have a vested interest in the way humans are treated because I am also a human. This is clear with the threatened use  of nuclear weapons.

Beyond Politics of Anger - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

"Hope is not optimism. It begins with a candid acknowledgment on all sides of how bad things actually are." So says Rabbi Jonathan Sacks after the election of Trump.

Sometimes I feel I am drowning in the weight of hopelessness, a global system that has thrown humanity under the economic bus. But we need a prophetic voice that looks beyond this moment to a future we can invest in.

Jonathan Sacks provides a wisdom that brings us to where we are now and reminds us of a way through."We need a new economics of capitalism with a human face."

This is the crux of leadership - to not choose contempt for humanity, to not sink into a worship of power that has been extracted from humanity, to not strip the tears, pain and flesh off the world and lock up the gold.

"We have seen bankers and corporate executives behaving outrageously, awarding themselves vast payments while the human cost has been borne by those who can afford it least. We have heard free-market economics invoked as a mantra in total oblivion to the pain and loss that come with the global economy. We have acted as if markets can function without morals, international corporations without social responsibility, and economic systems without regard to their effect on the people left stranded by the shifting tide. We who are grandparents know only too well that life is harder for our children than it was for us, and for our grandchildren it will be harder still." (Jonathan Sacks)

Amen.

Plan for Healing: a proposal for conversation

Planning is not always effective but it's a good start. Make a plan and update it frequently as you learn more along the way. Begin with a conversation with someone or some people whose ideas you respect, someone whom you admire for whatever they have achieved and how they present themselves in the world.

The conversation could cover these questions or these questions could springboard to other ideas. Be flexible and don't worry about staying on the agenda if the ideas expressed are worth exploring.

1. Write down the most critical symptom that needs to be healed. Your mental health? Relationships in your community? Letters to the editor: are they inclusive or preachy and divisive? Public discussions: are they focused on right and wrong, us against them or do they explore ideas?

2. Where do our opinions and positions come from? How useful are the facts in establishing connections with others?

3. What is it we value in ourselves and our friends? We need to write down these thoughts so we can come back to this question.

4. What are we grateful for in our community?

5. How much influence do we have in our society? How much influence do you have personally?

6. What, in your opinion, are the hallmarks of a civil society?

7. How important are predictions and expert opinions as compared to your perceptions in each moment? Is mindfulness helpful? Be Skeptical?

8. What character traits make us human? Describe the nature of a human being.

Socialism and Capitalism

"The "American Dream" was all about class mobility." writes political economist and scientist, C. J. Polychroniou in the truth-out interview with Chomsky. 

If you were born poor you could study and work your way out of poverty, and with sustained effort could provide a better future for your children. You could find a home, buy a car and send a child to university. The city and town was based on those expectations. Jobs, malls, institutions, education - was built on the principle that we live in a civil society and a life without fear and anxiety - was attainable.

TV dramas were based also on a set of ethics around how to sustain the family, community and the work place. Then entertainments became more sensational - violence, sex, deal-making and power struggles became the meat of the story, where the winner was the one who had access to the most force.  The theme of ethics became pablum for the good old days. Societies where these programs became a steady diet put social justice issues off the radar.  

People who don't experience justice in their lives and who don't think about what a just society is, may look on their life as a personal inventory of win or lose. Parents who want to bring back social responsibility looked to discipline as reward and punishment (for other people's kids but not theirs). Equality became a struggle to keep up with the Jones's.  When dishwashers came out in different colours one had to get rid of the old sage green model for a more fashionable one. 

And then our worth was displayed on social media with the latest selfie. As if unexamined consumerism is not pornographic enough, the bullying and hate fills the air with a new fear: had we become so estranged from who we are we have to find it in public media? Have we become vacuous inflatable robots looking for the next definition to fill us up? 

No but that is how we are presented as a whole. What we need more than anything is to find hope in our work together. To establish what is good for most if not all through getting reacquainted with who we are. To work on our capacities together and not disrupt community work with bids for power.

Which means we need to move deeper into ourselves to check that which is ego and that which is integrity. "A genuine independent left party" says Chomsky.

When it's worse than you already think it is

This blog is going to begin a new project - The Mind-Heart Advent Calendar which will operate like the Christmas Advent Calendar but instead of chocolates or gifts, each day will be a gift of life-affirming community to recall our humanity. Rather than the oppressive messages of capitalism which have dominated corporate media.

Says Chris Hedges: "Our capitalist democracy ceased to function more than two decades ago. We underwent a corporate coup carried out by the Democratic and Republican parties. There are no institutions left that can authentically be called democratic."

Hedges points out the "long and ruthless corporate assault on the working class, the legal system, electoral politics, the mass media, social services, the ecosystem, education and civil liberties in the name of neo-liberalism has disemboweled the country."

Noam Chomsky compares this time to late Weimar Germany.  It has left the nation a decayed wreck. We celebrate ignorance. We have replaced political discourse, news, culture and intellectual inquiry with celebrity worship and spectacle.

Chomsky, in the article published in April 2010 predicted the sweep of right wing Republicans: "We will be told that white males are a persecuted minority. We will be told we have to defend ourselves and the honor of the nation. Military force will be exalted. People will be beaten up. This could become an overwhelming force. And if it happens it will be more dangerous than Germany."

Although I live in Canada - a different nation, we shall be impacted and we are threatened by this movement as much as Europe was threatened by the Nazi's.  The nature of our society with its deniers, thugs, and public activists is still the same.  Those who seek power know how to divide us and I am hoping that this blog might help inspire us to come together to respond.

Every day beginning December 1st this blog will post a new quote, image or aphorism or advice that will link us to our humanity to fight the darkness of hate and ignorance. Not by calling names to people but by calling out our vulnerability to defeat in spirit.  Please sign up to receive these posts as they become available every day. Also if you wish to contribute a piece please contact me via the comment section.

Hedges: Our Mania for Hope Is a Curse

"There is nothing inevitable about human existence except birth and death. There are no forces, whether divine or technical, that will guarantee us a better future. When we give up false hopes, when we see human nature and history for what they are, when we accept that progress is not preordained, then we can act with an urgency and passion that comprehends the grim possibilities ahead." Chris Hedges

The Indigenous Voice

Might does not make right. All the power in the world cannot save us, if we lose sight of reason and justice.

This is why we need to listen to the indigenous voice. It’s not just for their survival, it’s for all of us. Those voices that were dismissed, are the voices of our own human heart.  A heart that has been silenced for the punitive ideology misnamed progress.

This ideology assumed that humanity would be saved by industry, war, colonization, and consumerism.  These have given us many things from silk to medicine, but the instruments of this ideology also centralized power within the hands of an elite, and a new more devastating sickness infiltrated our minds and extended to our communities.

It’s not that our leaders were stupid, absolutely selfish or entirely corrupt, but that we were all influenced by the operating system – the matrix. We (those born and raised in these systems) were taken in by the teachings of our elders who had learned how to avoid falling into the machinery in factories and on battlefields. 

Children in the industrial cities who refused to submit to doctrines that didn’t make sense to them would have their pants taken down, ordered to bend over  and then caned in front of their classmates.  If they cried, if they showed emotion, they would be forever branded as weak. If their sisters got pregnant out of wedlock they were cast away from their families.  If the continual humiliation had forced their rage and despair into their subconscious, they would not know they are walking time bombs looking for someone with less muscle to punish; someone to bully to enable a fleeting feeling of power.  If they kill another on the street they are   publicly hanged, and they refuse to kill on the battlefield they are executed by a firing squad. 

This is how the great nations became great.  By squeezing the human impulse out of  humanity and replacing it with abstract disciplines far removed from the human heart yet which benefited the most powerful institutions.

Now after World War I and World War II we are able to see this system brutalizing the indigenous peoples of the entire globe.  That is, we are able to see it if we dare look back to that little child sitting in a classroom not knowing what the future holds for him, raised by adults who believe they must beat all the potential errors out of him before he makes a mistake.  If we dare see the many ways we were punished for being ourselves,  dare feel the heart that was once full of hope, empathy, and love, dare feel the vulnerability that was ridiculed and the dignity denied throughout our formative years before we found our own power, we shall make the connection.

In terms of our culture, what does it mean if we have learned how to survive in systems that reward brutality and punish vulnerability.  What do we learn from economies where managers who value their staff get fired while managers who are ruthless are promoted?

People who maintain their humanity in these institutions struggle to hang onto their jobs and their sanity. Those who give up, pretend to themselves that nothing matters except winning their own private game. 

We live in the age of the game, a labyrinth of stereotypes that fail to reveal who we are. The media, the mall and the economy has failed to reflect our real lives and our personal struggles. People who have needs, who love, who feel pain, people who want good health for their relations, people who seek joy, people who want a hopeful future. People who fight quietly against extraordinary odds. 

As Reinhold Niebuhr has been quoted, "nothing but madness will do battle with malignant power".

If we fail to see our own humanity in the struggles of our indigenous nations, we shall perish along with them. Most of them know this.  They get it.  They are us, only more so.  

Hope and Optimism

Hope and optimism requires our attention to the current state of affairs. The dark side of power.  That is, we need to look at the events that normally disturb the comfortable and lead the disturbed to despair and pessimism.  We need to address this relationship to our world, our place within it and find a way of being that challenges injustice.

Ish Teilheimer of Straight Goods,  reporting on a study that reveals a psychological difference between rich and poor (indicating that the rich don't see a need to help others, whereas the poor understand that they depend on mutual support) goes on to say "It's good to be loving, hopeful, and optimistic, but it's also important to point out that many of the bad things happening to people today are happening because some very wealthy people wanted things that way."

Wealth is power, and those who have power-over sometimes feel more secure by creating systems that make it very difficult or impossible for the masses to gain a healthy standard of living.

"The export of good jobs to sweatshop countries, for instance, was their idea. It's not unfair or overly negative to ask about new ideas in politics and government "Does this help everyone or just the rich?" and to consistently expose the shameless voices of wealthy self-interest."

History is full of examples of how brutal some are willing to be in order to maintain power in their zero-sum game. It was wealthy interests who supported the Nazi's murder of millions of Jews, gypsies and others, causing a war across Europe that destroyed hope and optimism for most. It was wealthy interests that plummeted the lives of Africans into despair and alienation during apartheid.  It is wealthy interests that prop up despotic military governments in the Middle East and Asia.

It is wealthy interests that have destroyed the most powerful nation in the world by creating a dysfunctional hysteria among its citizens. Michael Moore in his 2003 Academy Award acceptance speech said "We like non-fiction, yet we live in fictitious times. We live in a time where we have fictitious election results that elect a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons." 

For expressing his opinion he received incredible harrassment and publicly televised death threats.

America, the self-promoted defender of democracy and human rights is currently being crippled by an old strategy - divide and conquer and divide, divide, divide.

So it's apparent that the atrocities that have become familiar in our collective sub-conscious are not caused by the masses as much as they are designed and organized by a powerful few for their own benefit, not ours. However, they have been enabled by a majority who have kept silent for fear of being punished, or have given up on their own perceptions for fear of gazing into the monster.

The trouble with this 'analysis' is that it leaves us feeling powerless, in despair, pessimistic, putting us into the blaming camp of us and them. The observation itself removes any inspiration to respond by anything more than apathy.

While facing up to the fact that most of the globe's economic interests have been gathered into a very small gated community, leaving the masses without much to hope for, we need to invest in something else and rebuild the world by the natures we possess, that have not been corporatized: to witness change as it unfolds, wherever it unfolds, and ask ourselves how we can influence that change.

Hope and optimism without effort may be naive, but getting our selves engaged in the process of evolution is hard work. Hope and optimism ask us to invest in them, they don't promise us happy endings. Hope and optimism need us to be honest with ourselves and one another. Hope and optimism rely on our search for truth and not just the many generalizations trotted out by institutions and heresay.  When it comes to the truth of our lives and our future, even statistics and science need not stop our questioning.

The future we are destined to endure depends upon what we feel, and how we interrogate our feeling with thinking, and how that guides what we say and what we do, and the societies we build from character and vision.