November 2014 - OE - lists.wedgeblade.net

Re: [Oe List ...] Charter school resource
by James Wiegel via OE 23 Nov '14

23 Nov '14

See email below. I got this from a long time colleague working in local community in El Paso. Get back to me or Bill if you can help / have wisdom or resources. Jim Wiegel Never trust atoms. They make up everything. a billboard From: Bill Schlesinger <pvida(a)whc.net> To: 'James Wiegel' <jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com> Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 8:55 AM Subject: Charter school resource Jim – We’re looking at the possibility of opening a charter school in the neighborhood we serve; the school district is considering (again) closing the neighborhood school of about 300 students because they want all schools to house 600-800 students and the building is 85 years old. We’re thinking of a Pre-K or K-8 program based on the Kahn Academy resources, and using TOP and IE methods in the classroom. We’ll need a lead staff person to work with us to develop and lead the grant planning process with stakeholders and community residents. It’s probably a 9-12 month process with the possibility of remaining with the school if it’s funded. Would you let folk in your networks know of the project and, if they’re interested, have them contact me? Again – this is very much in the exploration stage at this point. Thanks, Bill SchlesingerProject Vida3607 Rivera AvenueEl Paso, TX 79905(915) 533-7057 x 207(915) 503-1014 FAXpvida(a)whc.netwww.projectvidaelpaso.org

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Wellness unto life
by via OE 21 Nov '14

21 Nov '14

Wellness unto Life We are unapologetically making a play on the Dane'sreflection on Sickness unto Death, aphrase that has since been used to characterized the conscious human condition. Soren Kierkegaard identifies sickness as"despair", defines its three forms as not being conscious of having a self, not willing to beoneself, but also despair at willing to be oneself. He connects the word "spirit" andties it to the notion of "God": A man’s life is wasted when helives on, so deceived by the joys of life or by its sorrows, that he neverbecomes decisively conscious of himself as spirit, as self, that is, he neveris aware in the deepest sense that there is a God. I waswith him on the first half, the reality of despair, but was left behind when hemoved "self" as spirit towards God. Modern theologians talks of despair and its identification with humandepravity, but nebulous when delving in "the other world in the midst ofthis world", a metaphor born in our age but easily subverted to a returnto the medieval G-o-d up in the sky, or lurking behind every apparition ofexistence, embodied in Jesus as the Christ, leaving it as convenientexplanation of everything deus ex machina. MysticTeresa de Avila wrote: Christ has no body butyours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks with compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. WhileG-O-D disappears and the upward longing avoided, Christ remains a mysticalredeemer and savior where the Jesus "self" is subsumed under the aegisof idolatry cum exalted role popular in mainstream Christian circles. The Carmelite'scovenant of marriage to Jesus as the Christ, and the Jesuits to Mary, mother ofGod, spawns psychological perversions! RodneyRippel, a colleague with the Ecumenical Institute (EI) took the categories of NikosKazantzakis' Savior of God and HermannHesse's Journey to the East imagery,and wrote a self-reflection. In Miles from Moberly: A Man's Journey To The 21stCentury, he rehearses both his external experience in space and time withthe roles he played and the story he spun. It is unfinished. One hopes that if writing is cumbersome, thatorally recording incidences in the remaining years of his life istechnologically available. His speakingis probably more down to earth than the syntactical requirements of writinganyway. He toucheson the paranormal in one (out of 50) chapter. In a poem, he asks god to get real,and sums up his Christian heritage: "wedo not require a Messiah" is God's Messianic Word -- a final word, theUltimate Word. To desire more than Godprovides is an illusion. That there isno savior is the Saving Word. Thelast two chapters are reserved for Jesus of Nazareth sans the Christ role and Mary of Magdala. Rippeltreats parental traits and history as definitive of the personae of offspring,not unlike the medieval penchant to explain things away on the unknown. Inour time, we are no longer preoccupied with final causality to explain things. Narrative of the way life is, suffices andsustains. Rippelexemplifies what will be the literary form of the "selfie" age, withGeorgie Bush's "love account" on his father close to the genre. I call these the "wellness unto life"accounts, to affirm the facticity of individuals with feet on the ground,neutral without the bias of dejado (ata disadvantage) at the gate, or in the garden of Eden. Rippel and I just are, our showed-up-ness ourvalue, for which the decision to be grateful becomes its own virtue. Theclassic lifetimes in Hinduism are four Ashrama,the student, the householder, the hermit, and the ascetic wanderer. Eighty as a very ripe age, the four lifetimesmay be transposed to increments of 20 years. The first is of youth learning. Nextis the adult establishing a household. The third is the hermit in self-consciousness to the minutest ofdetails, and the fourth is the ascetic wanderer who empties himself unto the wholeness(holiness) of creation, a wellness unto life! Shakespearehas seven ages in As You Like it, frominfancy to incapacity bookended by helplessness. Mine has five phasedexistence of 17 years each, the first, an age of innocence, the second, a journeyof adventure, the third, the expenditures in service, and the fourth,sharpening skills in a profession. Ijust entered my fifth, seven years of writing and ten years of silence to theportals of completion and oblivion. Allfive phases constitute a Wellness UntoLife journey, where birth is the supreme achievement and everything thatfollows a matter of choice. The questionis not the validity of my phases, the feasibility of the Hindu scheme, or Shakespeare'slaughter. What is the wellness unto lifethat your journey is about? Or, are youstill bewailing your sickness unto death? j'aime la vie yesterday, appreciate; tomorrow, anticipate; today. participate. In all, celebrate!

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Three reflections anticipating Grand Jury announcement re Ferguson
by Ellie Stock via OE 20 Nov '14

20 Nov '14

Three resurrected reflections in anticipation of the Grand Jury announcement here in St. Louis/Ferguson... HOW UNFORGOTTEN How unforgotten the unexpected that bombs love with hate and explodes in burning tears and smoldering whys then lingers a while in smoking derision and stinking distrust. How absurd the destroying and rebuilding! My God, how absurd . . SEVEN TIMES SEVENTY WHAT? Both black Both white-- depending on light-- small white lambs and little black sheep isolated in pigmented crevices echoing bleat and bells unheard unseen unsought by shepherds watching flocks by night with lamps furnished by foolish virgins. WE ARE THE WEB OF LIFE We are the Web of Life, threads of all creation, common origin bursting bright spins common destination-- twining from atom's flight to galaxies' mutation. Planets, creatures, humans alike disclose cosmic imagination. Earth's beauty and suffering plight craft universal incarnation. Will it endure darkest night in bonded collaboration-- exuding elegant delight and bounteous celebration or will its warping song decry to sustain strands' vibration and it woofing dance succumb to fright in panicked conflagration? Or can we confide in trust's reconciliation and ever abide in Heaven and Earth's consummation? We are the Web of Life. What we do to the web is our own consecration. If you are interested in the updated summaries re Ferguson from October and November, let me know. I don't remember where I left off sending them before. They are long but might be of interest to some and include info not in media. Grace and peace~ Thanksgiving blessings~ Ellie Stock elliestock(a)aol.com

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11/20/14, Spong: The School of Theology at Drew University Installs Javier Viera as its New Dean
by Ellie Stock via OE 20 Nov '14

20 Nov '14

HOMEPAGE MY PROFILE ESSAY ARCHIVE MESSAGE BOARDS CALENDAR The School of Theology at Drew University Installs Javier Viera as its New Dean From time to time, I have an experience inside organized Christianity that is filled with such excitement that it creates in me the hope that there might be a genuine future for the Christian faith. Most frequently this experience takes the form of hearing that someone with some authority within institutional Christianity actually sees, actually knows and actually understands. It suggests that the issues facing Christianity today might really be engaged creatively. Such an experience gives me a deep sense of personal affirmation, for it indicates that the path my life and career has followed is not only valid, but that it is also beginning to prevail. Such was my privilege recently when I attended the installation of a new dean for the Theological School at Drew University. This is a Methodist Theological Seminary about five miles from my home, which has been a major part of my life for about 25 years. I have been invited to teach at this theological school on three occasions over the last several years. When my book entitled Eternal Life: A New Vision – Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell, came out in 2011, this was the only seminary in America that asked me to give a public lecture on this book. This university has given me faculty status in its library. I have used it regularly for research and it is the place where most of my books have been written. I have my own study carrel there when the “pressure times” in writing comes. I have good friends among the members of both the faculty and the administration of this university. I attend public lectures at Drew regularly and my wife and I frequent the Shakespeare Theatre that is on its campus. It is clear that my life is enormously enriched by Drew University and its theological school. The Theological School at Drew University has consistently taken a progressive path. Each of the last three deans of this seminary has been a barrier-breaking appointment. Maxine Beach, a gifted woman, who served as dean from 2000 to 2010, was one of the first women in America to be chosen to head up a major theological seminary. Her successor was Jeffrey Kuan, a Hebrew Scripture scholar, who was teaching on the faculty of the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley when he was elected to be Drew’s dean. Kuan, a native of Malaysia, was the first Asian scholar to head a Methodist seminary in America. He left Drew last year to become president of the Claremont School of Religion in California, which is one of the premier centers of theological learning in the United States. It was Dr. Kuan’s successor, the Reverend Doctor Javier Viera, whose installation I was recently privileged to attend. Dr. Viera is a Latino scholar, who represents another breaking of a barrier in Methodism. It was clear at his installation that he is also a man of great vision. It was also clear that the new President of Drew University, Dr. Mary Ann Baenninger, not only shared in but also supported his vision. Far too many of our church related seminaries seem to be controlled by the most frightened, traditional, hierarchical figures in the supporting denomination. Those theological schools that are part of a university complex tend to be more tolerated than appreciated by the university officials. That is certainly not the case at Drew. At this installation President Baenninger spoke these words about the theological school’s faculty: “Our esteemed theological professors are experts in the history of the Hebrew Bible, feminist philosophy and everything in between.” Broadness appeared to be a virtue that she celebrated. “This faculty,” Drew’s new president went on to say, “includes published authors, musical composers and world travelers. They understand social and ecological concerns, ethical responsibility, how to preach and how to break down barriers to create a more inclusive world. These faculty members excite and ignite the minds of our students who are becoming the clergy of this pre-millennial age.” Wow! I thought. This woman is describing what a theological faculty ought to be, but what very few denominational leaders ever encourage their faculty members to be. If that were not surprise enough, President Baenninger then went on to describe the student body at Drew Theological School: “Our theological school is like no other,” she began. “I challenge you to find a seminary that is as inclusive or as diverse. Twenty-one percent of our theological students come from other countries. Nearly ten percent of them have served in the military. Sixteen percent of them identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender or queer. Twenty-five percent of them are already serving congregations.” President Baenninger was daring to claim as a virtue for theological learning the things that so many of our churches today are denying or trying to control. Just recently, the special conclave of Roman Catholic bishops, summoned by Pope Francis to look at the crisis facing that Church, could not even pass a statement that welcomed gay couples to the Roman Catholic worship. The previous Pope, Benedict XVI, had constantly defined homosexual persons as “deviant.” The television evangelists, like Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell, made gay bashing a part of their regular presentations, while Joel Osteen avoids the subject as if it were an Ebola outbreak. Bishops and clergy both walked out of the Episcopal Church when homosexual people were openly affirmed and welcomed. What a contrast to hear the Methodist Seminary at Drew University being described by the University president at this installation service as something different, something valued and something transformational. Diversity of race, gender, nationality and sexual orientation is a virtue to be treasured, she was stating boldly. Finally, at the conclusion of this service we heard from the new dean and he proved to be the dessert at the symbolic banquet that this installation ceremony was creating. Dr. Javier Viera began his inaugural address not with the pious platitudes of traditional religion, but with an analysis of the world to which Christianity must speak in the 21st century. The “dominance of secularity is growing at unprecedented rates,” he stated, “and it is growing in sophistication. Religion as it is practiced today,” he continued, “is an evolutionary phase in human life that is long past its shelf life. It is against that reality,” he went on to say, “that those of us engaged in theological education must ask: What are we doing here today?” He declared that the way religion currently functions in our world is simply no longer relevant. “There are daily witnesses,” he continued, “to how ways of being Christian are evolving so rapidly that it is increasingly difficult to understand our current religious landscape. We are living through a seismic shift in what it means to be Christian and, more important, what it means to be an institution that trains religious leaders and scholars.” In my experience many religious institutions seem almost to pride themselves on being immune to change. The result of this anti-reality stance is that many people walk away from the church today finding nothing in it that makes contact with their lives, while the ones who remain construct for themselves a religious ghetto in which they hide from a far too painful reality with which they simply cannot cope. “The church,” Dean Viera went on to say, “without radical change will become a mere shell of spiritual platitudes and self-help philosophies, incapable of speaking in relevant ways to the modern person and ill-prepared to lead in the transformation and healing of our world.” To challenge this mentality he called for this seminary to begin to train clergy in dramatically new ways so that they can “navigate the complexities of religious life.” To complete this inaugural address, Dean Viera stated his goal as Dean of the Theological School at Drew University. It was almost breath taking. “My vision for our theological school is that it will be the most thriving, spiritually dynamic, intellectually inventive, risk-taking theological school in the world.” I went home with my spirit soaring. Dean Viera spoke to the issues the leadership of the Christian Church so desperately needs to hear. Will those church leaders listen? In recent years, the United Methodist Church has fallen to near the back of the line in its ability to embrace changing attitudes. It has a large right wing fringe of biblical fundamentalists, who traffic in deep gender and sexual orientation prejudices. Nationally, this uniquely American denomination has expressed a general unwillingness to embrace its own prophets. It has removed from its ministry incredibly talented people like the Rev. Jimmy Creech, former pastor of the First Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska, because he presided over the wedding of two homosexual members of his congregation. It has dismissed from its ministry the Rev, Frank Schaefer, a Methodist pastor, who presided over the marriage of his own gay son. It has at several General Conferences in a row been controlled by its most retrogressive members. With this kind of track record, will this denomination’s leaders be able to rejoice in the boldness of Javier Viera, the risk-taking new head of one of its major theological seminaries? Time will tell, but if they prove unable to do so, they will be sounding the death knell of American Methodism. Our culture will not tarry long to allow the Methodist Church the time it will need to catch up with the world to which they demonstrate themselves incapable of addressing. The Theological School of Drew has made a powerful statement in their choice of this dean. Drew University, through its new president is clearly supportive. I hope the Methodist Church is ready to hear him, to embrace him and to celebrate him! If I were still an active bishop, I would take every opportunity available to me to steer those who seek ordination to do their training at Drew Theological School under Javier Viera’s leadership. I hope other judicatory heads, who understand the reality facing the Christian Church in today’s world, will in fact also do just that. ~John Shelby Spong Read the essay online here. Question & Answer Frederick Somerville from Canada writes: Question: On your recommendation, I read Carl Jung’s book, The Answer to Job, and as you said, it is a difficult book – the language is not the easiest nor is the conclusion. What comes across to me is that the God portrayed has some really big issues with his self-image. Since your recommendation was a response to my question if God has both good and evil, then must I conclude that the divine encompasses both? Yet, you often refer to God as the source of love, but isn’t it the hard truth that God is also the source of hate and evil? Perhaps the unique thing about being human is that we can actually choose which of God’s qualities we nurture. I think there is an Indian saying that the side of God (good/evil) that becomes the strongest in you is the one you feed. So my belief is that our quest is maybe to give God the answer God cannot give to Godself – namely which of God’s sides is the better one? I can see that this is perhaps the conclusion that Jung drew. God needs man and woman to become human – not the other way around. Answer: Dear Frederick, Thank you for your letter and for your comments. I believe you have understood Carl Jung better than you think! What Jung said about the Catholic dogma of the bodily assumption of the Blessed Virgin into heaven, declared by Pope Pius XII in 1950 was that now, at last, “the feminine has been lifted into God” in Western religion. Jung regarded this as a major accomplishment. Church leaders rejoiced in his affirmation. Then Jung went on to say that the next step in the “development of God” would be for the devil, that is for evil, to be lifted into God and then God would be complete. Church leaders did not rejoice in that Jungian suggestion. That is, however, because the church leaders do not understand symbols as well as Jung did. God is beyond gender so God cannot be male or female, but must represent and transcend both. If human life has a shadow, as Jung suggests that we all do, then human wholeness will not be found until we embrace that shadow and make it part of ourselves. One cannot split off and reject a part of what one is, one must embrace it and transcend it. That is what Jung meant when he said that the devil, evil, is like the shadow side of God. Yes, God is the source of love, but where love is absent and evil is present that evil could be said to root in God. Human life is always a struggle between survival and love. If we could see Jesus, not as the savior of the sinful as the church has so often proclaimed, but as the love that calls us beyond survival into wholeness, then I think we would be closer to understanding the meaning of Jesus. We would also begin to understand the meaning of Jung’s idea that God cannot be separated from evil. I think your last sentence captures this truth powerfully and succinctly “God needs man and woman to be human not the other way around!” My best. John Shelby Spong Announcements Get to know the publishers of this column: ProgressiveChristianity.org ProgressiveChristianity.org is a non-profit organization that provides guiding ideas, networking opportunities, and resources for progressive churches, organizations, small groups, and individuals that long to craft a spiritual life connected to the way of Jesus. About Us Mission Our History What is Progressive Christianity? Staff and Leadership Donate today for a more compassionate Christianity!

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Fwd: GMCA Nov. 1st. It's the end of the trail!
by David Zahrt via OE 19 Nov '14

19 Nov '14

*SAT NOV 01* *U. U. Church, Bethesda, MD. to Lafayette Park, WDC* The March got up at 6am, had breakfast at 7am. We loaded the rental truck, cleaned the Church, and left by 8am. Incredible! We were scheduled to have several stops along the way for people that planned to join us. All together it was a 6 mile walk to Lafayette Park. The March had rented a megaphone and used it periodically to lead group chants. Eventually it went quiet. I was given the megaphone to lead the group in a new version of the song *Which Side Are You On.* I sang the verses into the megaphone and the March sang the chorus (song below). I also sang *The Impossible Dream.* I saw Izzy’s daughter as we marched. I stopped and talked with her. Izzy must have been at the tail end of the March. When we got to the park, Izzy pulled out his guitar and led us in the Sunset song. While I was waiting for the Lafayette Park Rally to begin David Rebstock came up to me. He introduced himself and I didn’t recognize him. I was surprised and delighted that a colleague of mine joined the March Rally. Kathy was the MC and introduced Ed who welcomed the crowd and reflected on the March. Then a series of us read comments that we collected along the March. Mine was from Penasco, NM. A Native American named Marvin MacAuley said to us, “Don’t forget us little people.” After the card readings there were additional presentations. The sound system didn’t work and it was difficult to get the speakers to speak into the megaphone. Once the Rally was completed David R. and I went to the Unitarian Universalist Church to a presentation by Michael Doud. On the way over we reflected on the times our families had spent together. Having been to a presentation he made in Santa Fe, NM I was familiar with Doud’s material. His presentation took an hour and ½. Then David and I went to the Presbyterian Church where we were having dinner, the closing reflection on the March, and sleeping overnight. David stayed for dinner and the closing reflection. It finished at 10:15pm and since David had crowded into a parking place, I went with him to help him squeeze out. I forgot that Daylight’s Saving time was falling back. I thought I was going to bed at 10:45pm. I was actually going to bed at 9:45pm. *Which Side Are YOU On – Climate Style* *CHORUS* *WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?* *WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?-- Tell Me -- WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?* *Verse 1* They say where Sandy came ashore, there are no neutral souls You’re either on the Climate March, or a still for oil and coal. *CHORUS*--*Verse 2* Come all of you good people, some real news I will tell Of how the age of climate change has come in here to dwell. *CHORUS*--*Verse 3* People, can you stand Fox News, oh tell me how you can? Will you march in New York town *[ WDC ]* and help us take a stand. *CHORUS—Verse 4* The Maldives and Miami are sinking in the waters. Not the world we want to leave our sons or our daughters. *CHORUS—Verse 5* In the state of California the water’s going fast. Mother Nature’s getting pissed, you know that she bats last. *CHORUS*—*Verse 6* We’ve got storms and we’ve got droughts; we’ve got deniers’ lies. The only way to win this fight is March and organize! Thank you all for following these 'blogs' of sort, and for your continual support and prayers all of these long 8 months. It was a once in a life time journey that I am still getting my mind around. It is very good to be home and get my feet on the ground here. -- Peace, David -- Peace, David

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Fwd: An Act of War
by David Zahrt via OE 19 Nov '14

19 Nov '14

You may be interested in Ed's take on the GMCA. DZ Dear Friends, After nearly nine months on the road, I arrived home last night with the clear sense that the work of the Great March for Climate Action isn't even close to done. Despite the beginnings of a shift in public opinion on the urgency of the climate crisis, the fossil fuel industry continues to push for further expansion of an insfrastructure that will condemn us to an unsustainable rise in Earth's temperature. Today, those forces are at work in the US Senate, pushing to authorize construction of the Keystone Pipeline. *The vote is said to be extremely close, so please take a couple minutes right now to call your Senators at (202) 224-3121 <%28202%29%20224-3121> and tell them to vote "No."* <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=30012342&msgid=329086&act=P2RL&c=…> Even as the fossil-fuel industry pushes to expand, the passion, energy and collective wisdom of climate activists across the country grows and matures. When Climate Marchers started out from the Port of Los Angeles on March 1st, some of us called ourselves Climate Patriots. As we wrapped up our transcontinental trek on November 1st, we felt we had become Climate Warriors, with ample wounds and weariness to justify the title. For me, though I have a long history as a peace activist, the warrior metaphor makes sense, as we are fighting for our very survival. It makes sense, too, to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, who called the vote in favor of Keystone in the U.S. House last Friday an act of war, saying “We are outraged at the lack of intergovernmental cooperation. We are a sovereign nation, and we are not being treated as such. We will close our reservation borders to Keystone XL. Authorizing Keystone XL is an act of war against our people.” Read the full article here <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=30012342&msgid=329086&act=P2RL&c=…> . All across the country, climate warriors are standing up to the aggression of fossil-fuel expansion and extraction. At Seneca Lake, New York. At Cove Point, Maryland. At the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, DC. In Iowa to stop the proposed pipeline, where I will focus some of my efforts. And we'll continue to showcase the work of these and other climate warriors on my talk show, the Fallon Forum. Please tune-in live tonight from 5:30-6:30 pm CST at www.fallonforum.com <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=30012342&msgid=329086&act=P2RL&c=…>, and call-in at (855) 244-0077 to add your voice to the dialogue. For those of you in north central and northeast Iowa, hear a rebroadcast of today's program Wednesday on KHOI 89.1 (Ames) from 4:00-5:00 pm and KPVL 89.1 (Postville) from 7:00-8:00 pm. And thanks to the local businesses in Des Moines that help make this program possible: Gateway Market and Cafe <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=30012342&msgid=329086&act=P2RL&c=…>, Corazon Coffee Roasters <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=30012342&msgid=329086&act=P2RL&c=…>, and HoQ Restaurant <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=30012342&msgid=329086&act=P2RL&c=…> . Thanks! - Ed Fallon <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=30012342&msgid=329086&act=P2RL&c=…> This message was sent to 4deezee(a)gmail.com from: Ed Fallon | fallonforum(a)gmail.com | The Fallon Forum | 735 19th St. #1 | Des Moines, IA 50314 Email Marketing by [image: iContact - Try It Free!] <http://www.icontact.com/a.pl/144186> Manage Your Subscription <http://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.pl?r=30012342&l=15845&s=P2RL&m=3…> -- Peace, David

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Jaime on "The human choice to be" on ST Friday
by via OE 19 Nov '14

19 Nov '14

The human choice tobe We quoted Kris Kristofferson's words wailed by Janis Joplinpreviously: "Freedom is just another word for nothing else to lose,"a typical Teutonic starting point of the "nothing" perspective. Shakespeare in Hamlet offers the choice: "to be or not to be". It finally does not matter where one beginsor ends. "No-thing" is acreation of the mind, a psychological apparition; "to be" is concreteand material. Lovers tend to count the petals of a flower: "She lovesme, she loves me not." Or, inprivate, she does the opposite. "Not"is a leftover of a previous era of idealism, set against an "ought",an ideal, rather than congruent to what is, the real. In our time, the preoccupation is with the facticity of "beingand becoming" brought about by the scientific understanding that existencerequires both narratives of "substance and process". Nature is seen as both "matter and force,atomic and energy fields." Political discourse in a previous generation was about"freedom from", understood as liberation from an external strangleholdbut reflective of an internal desire to be, like the call for liberation fromUncle Sam's military cuddle, or from ISIS cutthroat methods. "Freedom to" longs to create andinnovate one's path and direction. I'vecalled that the "wellness unto life"! It is in this last sense that we take freedom to be a humanchoice, a banner for being and becoming, a step further than just be liberatedfrom social limits imposed by the accidents of birth. "Liberation from" in historicaltelling is usually accompanied by social upheavals told through a loudnarrative, thus, more noticeable, compared to the muted and personal manner thatbeing-and-becoming touches when it hits our soul and the apex of atransformative shift. This may be too abstract for many who still chase identitiesaway from, or dictated by, societal prescriptions, like those in ourgeo-neighborhood not yet free until they determine the terms of hosting a USAir Base. Freedom embraces the facticityof one's life now, bound by the genesis and terminus of unique cellular life ina specific place, at a particular time, with chosen roles to play, and moreimportantly, of taking the option to relate and demonstrate the substance andprocess of one's existence in all its concrete uniqueness and glory. Uncle Sam does not determine ourfreedom. We do. Nor does Tokyo do Okinawa's. Ryukyans do! In a culture that puts a premium on personal relationship ratherthan ideology (Mao guarded power personal relations, accused of encouraging apersonality cult in his later years), keeping one's public "face"unblemished before others is an artform. Today, it means that the 3G smartphone has the whole of China talking inthe train and on the bus, in the plain and on the plateau, by the river and onthe hill, walking on the road and on sidewalks, even vehicle drivers whiledriving! The human choice is no longer just negating the forceful andcoercive dictates and influence of others. It is taking available assets and plotting out a direction totally ofone's choosing. In China, that means personalconnection to influence decisions on the financial health of one's householdand kin. China goes after abusive powers and unexplained wealth. Bo Xilai, former mayor of nationallyadministered municipality of Chongqing (the others are Beijing, Tianjin andShanghai), and a charismatic member of the politburo, was caught abusing powerby covering up for his wife's murder of a British colleague. His high profile case, the first judicialproceeding to go on public display, signaled what was thought to be just asymbolic gesture to pacify drooling laptops and media lapdogs; it turned out tobe the new SOP. Xi Jinping drums up the democratic and egalitarian elementsof the China Dream, the CPC on anti-corruption measures, and the bounds of the ruleof law, with equal force. The three lociof power in China are the military, energy, and finances. To date, he took down top heads of themilitary and the energy field. He's gotfinance next even if the current head is protected (might even go down withhim) by no less than former President Jiang Zemin. After orchestrating the conduct and content to APEC 2014, PMLi Keqiang took off for the ASEAN gathering in Myanmar while President XiJinping went to the G20 in Australia, drumming up the civilizational refrainreflected in a peoples' style and profound national understanding of the middle"kingdom" of Zhongguo, of always maintaining a balance of differingforces in partnership and cooperation. We use China in our narrative but we refer to all humans inthe planet, regardless of the circumstances of social milieu. We are born free. It is the exercise of freedom that makes ushuman. The choice "to be" isnot about being safe and secure on top; it is about having the courage to expend one'sbeing away, investing it with care so others may also be free to be. The option to choose is human. j'aime la vie yesterday, appreciate; tomorrow, anticipate; today. participate. In all, celebrate! __._,_.___ __,_._,___

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Fwd: GMCA Oct. 31
by David Zahrt via OE 19 Nov '14

19 Nov '14

*FRI OCT 31 **Stay-day at Church* Breakfast happened at 8:30am. The Gear Truck was unloaded and all those going to WDC put their gear in the new rental truck. The Kitchen Truck was emptied and the refrigerator and water tanks placed on the Gear Truck. It was such a complex job that it didn’t happen as scheduled. It was mid-afternoon by the time we got everything packed. The only thing I packed for WDC was my sleeping gear. The rest of my gear, including my bike, went on the Gear Truck for Des Moines. Jimmy Betts and La La had become partners during the course of the March. Around 3pm, La La led a March closing ceremony that she had designed. The ceremony was La La’s design so it was complex and intricate. Greg had requested that the program include a song. He and I had a home-stay and he heard me sing my revised version of *Yesterday* for our hosts. He is not a singer but one who likes to be ‘on-stage’. So La La included the song in the agenda. As we finished the song Izzy walked in. He’d been gone for at least a month. The room was very crowded and most were sitting on the floor, but many got up to welcome him; usually with a big hug. As soon as it settled down I suggested that our theme song needed to be *The Impossible Dream* and sang it. I got Kai to join me. Initially La La passed out to everyone a sheet with their name on it. She had us arrange ourselves so that we were joining each other. Then she had us pass our sheets around. When we got another person’s sheet we were to write a word or phrase that best described that person. When the exercise finished we got our own sheet back. Here’s the list on my sheet: · Strong · Amazingly strong · Another example of old ain’t bad · Stoic · Wonderman · Wonderous and intrinsic · Surprising · Insightful · Smile · True to his heart, to love · Talented · Constant · Loves his bike · Steadfast · Torch carrier · Youthful wonder · Rock of the March · Graceful · Spontaneous · Recumbent After dinner Jimmy offered a computer slide show of the March. We had a full work day and a good send out. Tomorrow will be our last day all together. -- Peace, David

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Fwd: GMCA Oct. 30
by David Zahrt via OE 17 Nov '14

17 Nov '14

*THU OCT 30* *Little Bennett Park, Clarksburg to U. U. Church, Bethesda, MD* The route from the Park to Bethesda was a 21 mile day. I got up at my normal time, 5:30am and packed my gear. I was surprised that breakfast wasn’t early. We didn’t Circle-up and leave until 9am. Once I got on Hwy 355 S I went for 19 miles. Initially there was very little shoulder; it was rolling hills but essentially downhill to the harbor. Eventually there was continual sidewalk. I was riding JJ’s bike for the 3rd day and had another spill. This time the chain came off the sprocket and I lost control of the pedal, my foot hit the pavement, I tumbled and got a few more scrapes on my hand, arm, and leg. In the 8 months I rode my recumbent I had no accidents. I’m never riding JJ’s bike again! I met Doug on the way into the Church. He indicated that he was leaving the March. He had fulfilled his responsibility in getting the Gear Truck to Bethesda. I went into the Church, found a place to put my sleeping bag, and ate lunch. There was a shower stall so I took a shower. There were many WiFi connections in the Church but my laptop didn’t connect to any of them. The dinner crowd was mostly Marchers. There were a few locals that represented the Church and some activists that hoped to get the Federal Environmental Regulatory Commission (FERC) to change its orientation. At the moment FERC is controlled by the fossil fuel industry. And there is no consideration for how the fossil fuel industry harms/poisons the local environment. There were also others. One representing/promoting Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL), and another representing Climate Change Is Elementary. After dinner there was a discussion group in one of the sanctuaries. There was also a group in the parking lot having some beer. I chose not to participate in either and went to bed. -- Peace, David -- Peace, David

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Fwd: GMCA Oct. 29
by David Zahrt via OE 17 Nov '14

17 Nov '14

*WED OCT 29* *All Saints Episc Ch, Frederick to Little Bennett Reg’l Park, Clarksburg, MD* A meal-prep crew has been hired to prepare meals for us as we approach WDC. They will use all of the March’s food and equipment so we will be able to return the kitchen truck to Avis Rental on Oct 31. We expect to get to Bethesda tomorrow, Oct 30 and stay for 2 days to get the transition—belongings out of the gear truck for those who plan to stay in WDC the following week, and get the gear truck prepared to make its trip back to Des Moines. I arrived at camp at 11:30am. Since the back of the seat frame on my recumbent had broken I borrowed JJ’s bike. I misjudged a curb. The front tire didn’t go over the curb and I skidded and fell off in the direction I was headed. I got several scratches on my hands and face. When Kim arrived she helped me dress the wounds. There was an All-camp meeting to discuss the plans for the Nov 1st March from Bethesda to WDC and plans for the following week. Ed and the Board of Directors have stated that the Great March concludes on Nov 1. Some of the Marchers were not happy with that decision. They think the March should be extended to the week after we arrive in WDC. And some of those have proposed a week of civil disobedience. I remember the initial registration form for the March indicated that the March would not participate in civil disobedience. Ed has been absent from the March for at least 3 days. I’m assuming that the planning didn’t go the way he thought it should go and people weren’t listening to him. We assume that he will be on the March Nov 1 to WDC and make one of the presentations at Lafayette Park. The discussion was interrupted for dinner, and then continued into the night. -- Peace, David

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