Jan 29, 2009

Dwele: "How Do I Deal?"

We're living in some dark times...This video from one of my favorite Hip Hop/Soul artists, Dwele, highlights the pressure many are feeling living/struggling through these turbulent times.



Peace

:::MixMasterE:::

Jan 19, 2009

Godspeed, Mr. President



Tomorrow, 1/20/09, will go down as one of the finer moments of America's history. Never have I witnessed such excitement and hyperbole over an inauguration and, I must admit, it has been quite impressive stuff--from the star-studded performances on Lincoln Memorial to the glimmers of hope on the faces & conversations of many in spite of the avalanche of dismal economic news. This brings me to the reason I felt compelled to write this post: Hope.

I have hope, but in all honesty, I am not very optimistic about the future, at least not about short-term possibilities (most notably, the financial crisis, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the prospect of Iran developing a nuclear weapon and the question of Israel's murderous abuse of power and total lack of concern for the humanity and dignity of the Palestinians).

What I admire about President Obama is his emphasis on hope and change. History is too complex and contingent on too many things to accurately make predictions about where we are heading. One thing that should be clear, nonetheless, is the necessity of keeping hope alive & constantly learning from mistakes & adapting to new conditions. As Obama emphasized, change is always possible, even in the face of great odds. Acting on that assumption creates the possibility of progress. Indeed, the love and sacrifice of so many known & unknown agitators for the cause of justice and equality, many who fought against unimaginable odds & lost their lives in the most horrific of ways, created the conditions which made the election of President Obama possible.

Witnessing the crowd of jubilant citizens on the National Mall grounds today, I was struck by their buoyant joy and collective hope for a better future. Black, white, brown--every stripe under the sun gathered and celebrated. The stirrings of radical hope pulsated throughout the day which manifested the better angels of our nature and our common need for being a part of something bigger than ourselves.

The great Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, once said: "Our task simply put is to change some conditions that appear to me as obviously against the beauty of being human". Our struggle continues (it's naive to think that powerful interests both legitimate and illegitimate will simply disappear), but in the end, through our joy & sacrificial pain, we will arrive closer to the power & beauty of being human, beautifully human.

OneLove

::MixMasterE::

Jan 11, 2009

The Gift Of Friends



And a youth said,
- Speak to us of Friendship!
And he answered, saying:
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love
and reap with thanksgiving.

And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger,
and you seek him for peace.

When your friend speaks his mind you fear
not the "nay" in your own mind,
nor do you withhold the "ay".
And when he is silent your heart ceases
not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts,
all desires, all expectations are born and shared,
with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most
in him may be clearer in his absence,
as the mountain to the climber
is clearer from the plain.

And let there be no purpose in friendship
save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure
of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth:
and only the unprofitable is caught.

And let your best be for your friend
that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need,
but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship
let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things
the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

-Khalil Gibran

OneLove
::::MME::::
 

Jan 10, 2009

Vacation's End

It's a new year and instead of the usual optimism that each year brings, my mood is quite glum. Purposely, I sequestered myself from the news during my month-long vacation abroad. Surrounding myself with the love, joy & laughter of friends and family, the world seemed bright, cheerful and safe. I felt unconquerable!!

The deaths of the children of Gaza brought me back to the callous nature of reality & marked the end of my wishful thinking.....





It will be interesting to see how Obama's administration handles this ruinous & demented state of affairs.

Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.” ~~MLK

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