| |
| |
 |
|
|
9.18.2004
Saturday, August 18, 2004
What the nation needs is a Presidential candidiate who will run with a bold and daring platform, and explain it to the American people in terms of common sense and their own well-being, not high-minded rhetoric. The message that needs to be delivered is, "Look, I could come out here and tell you that I'm going to destroy the mother *&#$ing terrorists - that there will be nowhere they can hide from me - that I will stop at nothing to annihilate them and wipe them off the face of the earth. That would be easy for me. That's a tough-guy persona that I could put on in a flash to win your adoration. And you would stand up and cheer for me. And my ego would love it. It would be a mutual admiration festival. But the answers aren't as easy as that. There are a lot of people who say things that get you to cheer for them in a crowd and in the moment, but if we look at the difference between what got you to cheer for them, and what is actually happening, there's not much to cheer about. We need a person, not a persona. And we need to use our common sense, and look at our options long and hard, not jump at the first one that sends an adreniline rush through our bodies, to begin to construct, consciously, with our eyes and our minds open and thinking, not closed and cocky, the world that we want to live in, and that we want our little girls and boys to live in."
This kind of straight talk needs to be followed up with bold measures - a plan to end the world AIDS epidemic - a plan to end hunger here and abroad - a plan to bring clean water and basic sustenance to ever man, woman and child in the U.S. and around the world - a plan to bring hydrogen, hybrid, solar, and electric cars to the entire nation within the next seven years - with governement subsidies and free cars for people who can't afford to replace their old ones - we need to show tremendous compassion to the world and to the planet, and we need to excite the imagination - so that the world sees we are working with them from love, not against them from fear and arrogance.
The next decade could be the most compassionate and ingenious in the history of all humanity. And America could help lead the way for all the world. Wouldn't that be an invigorating world to live in? Instead of drawing our excitement from watching CNN report on hurricane tracks, we could get it from actually fulfilling our God-given potential.
Add Comment
Read Comments (0 comments)
9.17.2004
Friday, September 17, 2004
"New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common." - John Locke, "Essay Concerning Human Understanding"
Add Comment
Read Comments (0 comments)
Thursday, September 16, 2004
"If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind." - John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty"
Add Comment
Read Comments (0 comments)
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
"Noncooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good." Mohandas Gandhi, 1922
Add Comment
Read Comments (0 comments)
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
"Great spirits will always encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds." Albert Einstein
Add Comment
Read Comments (0 comments)
9.13.2004
Monday, September 13, 2004
I am working on staying present. This is exceedingly difficult. After 43 years of having my mind pull me into the future and back into the past, avoiding the present moment at all costs, the conditioning is nearly overwhelming. But I have a feeling that it need not take another 43 years to reverse the conditioning. I think that our intention - a sort of declaration of the soul - that I have had enough of worrying about the future or waiting for my life to begin until the future arrives, and I have had enough of living in the past - coupled with right action, to show the conditioned mind that we mean business - can help us make great progress.
There is the wonderful statement by Paramahansa Yogananda at the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple here in Los Angeles - "Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait." If we believe that God exists in the here and now, then this means that we must put our ability to be present to the now above all else. Our society teaches us that this is a luxury. That work is more important than presence. That out to-do list is more important than to be. But this is no luxury. This is your birthright, and mine too. This is a necessity for psychologically healthy living. And perhaps if the world were not in such a rush to get into the future, the world would not be in such a mess - the great big outer world, and the precious inner world that belongs to each of us.
So give yourself the gift today of some time to get yourself present. You deserve it. The boss can wait.
Add Comment
Read Comments (0 comments)
Sunday, September 12, 2004
I heard the Star Spangled Banner tonight. I never paid too much attention to the last line before - "...'o'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave." We would be wise now to expand our consciousness and to realize that there are brave people all over the world, struggling to maintain principle, either in great political contests or in the simple contest to raise a family each day in poverty in a way that is consistent with principles of integrity, honor, and dignity. We have no monopoly on bravery here.
Add Comment
Read Comments (0 comments)
Saturday, September 11, 2004
As we remember the lives of all thos lost in the tragic events in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11th, 2001, let us remember that over 8,000 people lost their lives that day in other parts of the world to AIDS. And let us remember too that every single day since then, over 8,000 people have continued to die of this diseases which we have the mediciences to manage. This amounts to more than nine million human beings.
Add Comment
Read Comments (0 comments)
ARCHIVES
09/28/2003 - 10/04/2003 10/12/2003 - 10/18/2003 10/19/2003 - 10/25/2003 10/26/2003 - 11/01/2003 11/02/2003 - 11/08/2003 11/09/2003 - 11/15/2003 11/16/2003 - 11/22/2003 11/23/2003 - 11/29/2003 11/30/2003 - 12/06/2003 12/07/2003 - 12/13/2003 12/14/2003 - 12/20/2003 12/21/2003 - 12/27/2003 12/28/2003 - 01/03/2004 01/04/2004 - 01/10/2004 01/11/2004 - 01/17/2004 01/18/2004 - 01/24/2004 01/25/2004 - 01/31/2004 02/01/2004 - 02/07/2004 02/08/2004 - 02/14/2004 02/15/2004 - 02/21/2004 02/22/2004 - 02/28/2004 02/29/2004 - 03/06/2004 03/07/2004 - 03/13/2004 03/14/2004 - 03/20/2004 03/21/2004 - 03/27/2004 03/28/2004 - 04/03/2004 04/04/2004 - 04/10/2004 04/11/2004 - 04/17/2004 04/18/2004 - 04/24/2004 04/25/2004 - 05/01/2004 05/02/2004 - 05/08/2004 05/09/2004 - 05/15/2004 05/16/2004 - 05/22/2004 05/23/2004 - 05/29/2004 05/30/2004 - 06/05/2004 06/06/2004 - 06/12/2004 06/13/2004 - 06/19/2004 06/20/2004 - 06/26/2004 06/27/2004 - 07/03/2004 07/04/2004 - 07/10/2004 07/11/2004 - 07/17/2004 07/18/2004 - 07/24/2004 07/25/2004 - 07/31/2004 08/01/2004 - 08/07/2004 08/08/2004 - 08/14/2004 08/15/2004 - 08/21/2004 08/22/2004 - 08/28/2004 08/29/2004 - 09/04/2004 09/05/2004 - 09/11/2004 09/12/2004 - 09/18/2004 09/19/2004 - 09/25/2004 09/26/2004 - 10/02/2004 10/03/2004 - 10/09/2004 10/10/2004 - 10/16/2004 10/17/2004 - 10/23/2004 10/24/2004 - 10/30/2004 10/31/2004 - 11/06/2004 11/07/2004 - 11/13/2004 11/14/2004 - 11/20/2004 11/21/2004 - 11/27/2004 11/28/2004 - 12/04/2004 12/05/2004 - 12/11/2004 12/12/2004 - 12/18/2004 12/19/2004 - 12/25/2004 01/02/2005 - 01/08/2005 01/09/2005 - 01/15/2005 01/16/2005 - 01/22/2005 01/23/2005 - 01/29/2005 01/30/2005 - 02/05/2005 02/06/2005 - 02/12/2005 02/13/2005 - 02/19/2005 02/20/2005 - 02/26/2005 02/27/2005 - 03/05/2005 03/06/2005 - 03/12/2005 03/13/2005 - 03/19/2005 03/20/2005 - 03/26/2005 03/27/2005 - 04/02/2005 04/03/2005 - 04/09/2005 04/10/2005 - 04/16/2005 04/17/2005 - 04/23/2005 04/24/2005 - 04/30/2005 05/01/2005 - 05/07/2005 05/08/2005 - 05/14/2005 05/15/2005 - 05/21/2005 05/22/2005 - 05/28/2005 05/29/2005 - 06/04/2005 06/05/2005 - 06/11/2005 06/12/2005 - 06/18/2005 06/19/2005 - 06/25/2005 07/10/2005 - 07/16/2005 07/17/2005 - 07/23/2005 07/24/2005 - 07/30/2005 07/31/2005 - 08/06/2005 08/07/2005 - 08/13/2005 08/14/2005 - 08/20/2005 08/21/2005 - 08/27/2005 08/28/2005 - 09/03/2005 09/04/2005 - 09/10/2005 09/11/2005 - 09/17/2005 09/18/2005 - 09/24/2005 09/25/2005 - 10/01/2005 10/02/2005 - 10/08/2005 10/09/2005 - 10/15/2005 10/16/2005 - 10/22/2005 10/30/2005 - 11/05/2005 11/06/2005 - 11/12/2005 11/13/2005 - 11/19/2005
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
