Here's a great article from www.rollingstone.com about Barack Obama.
It articulates a lot of my reservations for joining his campaign, but it illustrates why he is such an interesting figure in American politics.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
The Audacity of Doubt
I just finished reading Senator Barack Obama's lastest book "The Audactiy of Hope," in which Mr. Obama relates stories from his first term in the U.S. Senate, as well as examines some of the most pressing problems facing America today and how we might go about taking the first steps towards viable solutions. Topics include the Iraq war, unemployment, race, education and the energy crisis, just to name a few...
I felt inclined to read the book for a variety reasons, the foremost being I believe Senator Obama will continue to be an interesting and important figure in American politics (especially now with the recent announcement of his bid for the presidency), and so getting a look into the man's mind seemed prudent. Also, I feel a lot of excitement among my peers in regards to him: I think many liberal Democrats of my generation look at Obama as a possible American messiah, somebody who can finally lead us out of the neo-conservative stranglehold that has gripped our nation since Bush took office and who will restore some semblance of stability within our borders and throughout the world. I would be dishonest if I tried to pretend that I wasn't somewhat hopeful when this guy first appeared on the scene. I'd also had a dream where a friend had approached me, holding the book out to me, asking that I read it so that we could finally engage in a discussion where I wasn't just on the listening end, intermittently saying, "Hmm...well, I honestly don't know that much about him, so I guess I should read his book."
Well...I've read the book.
I came away from it with a renewed respect and admiration for Mr. Obama. I think he's a great writer, and he's got a lot of good ideas: his chapters on "Opportunity", "Faith," "Race" and "Family" stand out in my mind as being particularly impactful. If I was going to vote, I'd vote for him.
But the final reason that I decided to read the book was because I feel myself being drawn to anarchism...if that wasn't already obvious from earlier postings. And before I made the big plunge and submerged myself into anarchist texts, I thought maybe reading the book might change my mind. Perhaps Barack Obama could convince me that government is actually a good thing. Oddly, enough, I was very fearful that my mind in fact would be changed, because after having given myself the permission to consider anarchism as a way of life and doing some preliminary readings, I was finding that I really liked it. A LOT.
The book hasn't changed my mind. It gave me doubts, for sure, but my mind remains the same. What it did, however, was make me less angry and less distrustful of the government...sorta. There are good people in the system, who really do want to make the world a better place, and though I may disagree with the way they're going about it, we all ultimately want the same thing...and they are still my brothers and sisters, loved by our Father as much as I am.
So perhaps reading the book allowed me to make some sort of peace with my siblings working through Caesar in order to effect change. Kinda like the first time you hang out with your ex after you've broken up...things are still going to be a little weird for a while, but you know that deep down, ya still love 'em.
A little more as to why I'm drifing towards anarchism...
Mr. Obama goes to great lengths to extol the virtues of American society and government. To his credit...to his ENORMOUS credit, he doesn't shy away from America's bloody track record of racism, classism, international government toppling, imperialism, etc. He throws it all out there as our "less than prouder moments." But in principle, he believes that the American government can be truly functional, altruistic and beneficial to ALL of its citizens and to people of other nations.
My issue is not so much Mr. Obama's take on what role our government should play in the future; on the contrary, if I still believed in government, I'd probably want him leading us. But it's not that I don't want him leading us. It's that I don't want ANYONE leading us. And it is here that my mystical nature begins to assert itself.
In truth, a law is only as powerful as the punishment that it promises to exact upon anyone who disobeys it as well as the frequency at which those punishments are meted out, whether it's extortion (a.k.a. "fines"), imprisonment or death. In other words, the power and LEGITMACY of a government rests soley on its ability to inflict violence on its citizens. Every law has behind it the power of the gun to back it up. People are reasoned with by use of rifles, and morality rests in the mortar shell.
Some people may have no problem with this. The world is a dangerous place after all, and it the only way to defend ourselves against violence is to use violence in return. But I begin to wonder what kind of existence we've settled for where inflicting harm on others is necessary for our survival. To be sure, Nature is a living testament to the conflict that abides in our world. Things must die so that others may live. The rabbit runs from the hawk to save its life, and the hawk chases down the rabbit for nourishment so that IT may continue to live. Both are clearly in disagreement with one another...but who should die, the rabbit or the hawk?
As I see myself as not just a man, but a son of man, and more than that, a son of God, and more than that, a manifestation of the Father-Mother itself, eternal and complete, I witness before me a world that should not be despised or feared, but should be healed and forgiven, because the outside world is a part of myself. And I see only one Authority in the Universe: Love, the Source that dwells within me, who is my very Self.
So how can I accept a position that allows for rule of law by use of force, even if that force is protecting me from some "enemy"? Perhaps I do not hold my own life in high esteem...my mortal body, perhaps. But my soul is Love, and with each passing day, I am not as afraid of dying as much as I am living a life ruled by fear.
Human beings are innately good. When left to our own devices, free to walk the earth in whatever direction we choose, I believe that we naturally come together and work toward the benefit of all, not just for purely sentimental reasons or reasons grounded solely in morality, but because we innately realize that EVERYONE benefits when EVERYONE is happy. When people become authoritative, telling us where we can and can't go, what we can and can't do and allows resources to be cut off from the majority and placed in the hands of the few, in other words, when POWER is exercised against free beings such as ourselves in order to keep us in subjection, THAT is when people become nasty and starting fighting back.
Violence begets violence. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. It is cause and effect, which is why the "war on terror" will never end...and even if we somehow managed to wipe every terrorist off the face of the earth and lethally inject every murderer in our midst, a new "enemy" would spring up, born out of the violence that we sent out into the world, even as our violence was born out of the violence inflicted upon us. As children of God, we are in a unique position to stop the cycle from continuing, to "transcend" karma, to break ourselves free of its bonds and not given into the temptation of vengeance, but rather to meet hate with love. It was these ideas that inspired Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi, and even Jesus as he prayed for the soldiers who nailed him to the cross: "Forgive them, Father. They don't know what they're doing."
We owe it to our brothers and sisters to remember who they are, even if they don't remember it themselves. ESPECIALLY when they don't.
I felt inclined to read the book for a variety reasons, the foremost being I believe Senator Obama will continue to be an interesting and important figure in American politics (especially now with the recent announcement of his bid for the presidency), and so getting a look into the man's mind seemed prudent. Also, I feel a lot of excitement among my peers in regards to him: I think many liberal Democrats of my generation look at Obama as a possible American messiah, somebody who can finally lead us out of the neo-conservative stranglehold that has gripped our nation since Bush took office and who will restore some semblance of stability within our borders and throughout the world. I would be dishonest if I tried to pretend that I wasn't somewhat hopeful when this guy first appeared on the scene. I'd also had a dream where a friend had approached me, holding the book out to me, asking that I read it so that we could finally engage in a discussion where I wasn't just on the listening end, intermittently saying, "Hmm...well, I honestly don't know that much about him, so I guess I should read his book."
Well...I've read the book.
I came away from it with a renewed respect and admiration for Mr. Obama. I think he's a great writer, and he's got a lot of good ideas: his chapters on "Opportunity", "Faith," "Race" and "Family" stand out in my mind as being particularly impactful. If I was going to vote, I'd vote for him.
But the final reason that I decided to read the book was because I feel myself being drawn to anarchism...if that wasn't already obvious from earlier postings. And before I made the big plunge and submerged myself into anarchist texts, I thought maybe reading the book might change my mind. Perhaps Barack Obama could convince me that government is actually a good thing. Oddly, enough, I was very fearful that my mind in fact would be changed, because after having given myself the permission to consider anarchism as a way of life and doing some preliminary readings, I was finding that I really liked it. A LOT.
The book hasn't changed my mind. It gave me doubts, for sure, but my mind remains the same. What it did, however, was make me less angry and less distrustful of the government...sorta. There are good people in the system, who really do want to make the world a better place, and though I may disagree with the way they're going about it, we all ultimately want the same thing...and they are still my brothers and sisters, loved by our Father as much as I am.
So perhaps reading the book allowed me to make some sort of peace with my siblings working through Caesar in order to effect change. Kinda like the first time you hang out with your ex after you've broken up...things are still going to be a little weird for a while, but you know that deep down, ya still love 'em.
A little more as to why I'm drifing towards anarchism...
Mr. Obama goes to great lengths to extol the virtues of American society and government. To his credit...to his ENORMOUS credit, he doesn't shy away from America's bloody track record of racism, classism, international government toppling, imperialism, etc. He throws it all out there as our "less than prouder moments." But in principle, he believes that the American government can be truly functional, altruistic and beneficial to ALL of its citizens and to people of other nations.
My issue is not so much Mr. Obama's take on what role our government should play in the future; on the contrary, if I still believed in government, I'd probably want him leading us. But it's not that I don't want him leading us. It's that I don't want ANYONE leading us. And it is here that my mystical nature begins to assert itself.
In truth, a law is only as powerful as the punishment that it promises to exact upon anyone who disobeys it as well as the frequency at which those punishments are meted out, whether it's extortion (a.k.a. "fines"), imprisonment or death. In other words, the power and LEGITMACY of a government rests soley on its ability to inflict violence on its citizens. Every law has behind it the power of the gun to back it up. People are reasoned with by use of rifles, and morality rests in the mortar shell.
Some people may have no problem with this. The world is a dangerous place after all, and it the only way to defend ourselves against violence is to use violence in return. But I begin to wonder what kind of existence we've settled for where inflicting harm on others is necessary for our survival. To be sure, Nature is a living testament to the conflict that abides in our world. Things must die so that others may live. The rabbit runs from the hawk to save its life, and the hawk chases down the rabbit for nourishment so that IT may continue to live. Both are clearly in disagreement with one another...but who should die, the rabbit or the hawk?
As I see myself as not just a man, but a son of man, and more than that, a son of God, and more than that, a manifestation of the Father-Mother itself, eternal and complete, I witness before me a world that should not be despised or feared, but should be healed and forgiven, because the outside world is a part of myself. And I see only one Authority in the Universe: Love, the Source that dwells within me, who is my very Self.
So how can I accept a position that allows for rule of law by use of force, even if that force is protecting me from some "enemy"? Perhaps I do not hold my own life in high esteem...my mortal body, perhaps. But my soul is Love, and with each passing day, I am not as afraid of dying as much as I am living a life ruled by fear.
Human beings are innately good. When left to our own devices, free to walk the earth in whatever direction we choose, I believe that we naturally come together and work toward the benefit of all, not just for purely sentimental reasons or reasons grounded solely in morality, but because we innately realize that EVERYONE benefits when EVERYONE is happy. When people become authoritative, telling us where we can and can't go, what we can and can't do and allows resources to be cut off from the majority and placed in the hands of the few, in other words, when POWER is exercised against free beings such as ourselves in order to keep us in subjection, THAT is when people become nasty and starting fighting back.
Violence begets violence. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. It is cause and effect, which is why the "war on terror" will never end...and even if we somehow managed to wipe every terrorist off the face of the earth and lethally inject every murderer in our midst, a new "enemy" would spring up, born out of the violence that we sent out into the world, even as our violence was born out of the violence inflicted upon us. As children of God, we are in a unique position to stop the cycle from continuing, to "transcend" karma, to break ourselves free of its bonds and not given into the temptation of vengeance, but rather to meet hate with love. It was these ideas that inspired Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi, and even Jesus as he prayed for the soldiers who nailed him to the cross: "Forgive them, Father. They don't know what they're doing."
We owe it to our brothers and sisters to remember who they are, even if they don't remember it themselves. ESPECIALLY when they don't.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Jesus on politics
"In the world the recognized rulers lord it over their subjects, and their great men make them feel the weight of their authority. That is not the way with you; among you, whoever wants to be great must be your servant...For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to surrender his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:42-45; Matt. 20:25-28
Mark 10:42-45; Matt. 20:25-28
As I see it...
"We are not hated because we practice democracy, value freedom, or uphold human rights. We are hated because our government denies these things to people in Third World countries whose resources are coveted by our multinational corporations. That hatred we have sown has come back to haunt us in the form of terrorism...Instead of sending our sons and daughters around the world to kill Arabs so we can have the oil under their sand, we should send them to rebuild their infrastructure, supply clean water, and feed starving children....
In short, we should do good instead of evil. Who would try to stop us? Who would hate us? Who would want to bomb us? That is the truth the American people need to hear."
Bishop Robert Bowman, former U.S.A.F. lieutenant colonel
In short, we should do good instead of evil. Who would try to stop us? Who would hate us? Who would want to bomb us? That is the truth the American people need to hear."
Bishop Robert Bowman, former U.S.A.F. lieutenant colonel
Friday, February 9, 2007
Adventures in Dumpster Diving
Last night, I joined a NYC-based freegan organization in dumpster diving--essentially, we went foraging through the trash bags of local grocery stores, trying to find usable goods. Some people from the French media were there and video taped us as we foraged. They filmed me as I pulled out an unopened jar of fruit preserves from the garbage.
I brought home about 40 bananas, a few cups of yogurt, cream cheese, a dozen eggs (unfortunately, I lost half on the way home) a loaf of bread, the aforementioned jar of fruit preserves and a box of Mallomars. I would have brought home more, but my bags weren't big enough. Plus it was freezing--definitely need to invest in a pair of gloves.
It was one of those weird experiences where I was both excited that there were TONS of perfectly good food items on the street, and horrified that such waste is actually taking place in our society. I spoke to many people there who don't really buy groceries anymore, as there are trash bags filled with food that one can collect from just about every night. I was a little concerned about whether or not this was healthy, but I talked to some people who told me that they'd been doing this for over a decade and had yet to become sick. Obviously, there are some things you probably want to stay away from, such as raw meat and sushi. But even if you come across a pre-roasted chicken, it's probably fine...you could have easily bought it in the store two hours ago, before they tossed it.
The best part of it was that nobody was "looking out for themselves," trying to nab the best things. In fact, it was the exact opposite. We all couldn't wait to share our finds with other people...even people just walking past us on the street: "Hey, you want this bag of chips? It's totally fine!"
The lesson here, for me, is that there is truly enough to go around...
I brought home about 40 bananas, a few cups of yogurt, cream cheese, a dozen eggs (unfortunately, I lost half on the way home) a loaf of bread, the aforementioned jar of fruit preserves and a box of Mallomars. I would have brought home more, but my bags weren't big enough. Plus it was freezing--definitely need to invest in a pair of gloves.
It was one of those weird experiences where I was both excited that there were TONS of perfectly good food items on the street, and horrified that such waste is actually taking place in our society. I spoke to many people there who don't really buy groceries anymore, as there are trash bags filled with food that one can collect from just about every night. I was a little concerned about whether or not this was healthy, but I talked to some people who told me that they'd been doing this for over a decade and had yet to become sick. Obviously, there are some things you probably want to stay away from, such as raw meat and sushi. But even if you come across a pre-roasted chicken, it's probably fine...you could have easily bought it in the store two hours ago, before they tossed it.
The best part of it was that nobody was "looking out for themselves," trying to nab the best things. In fact, it was the exact opposite. We all couldn't wait to share our finds with other people...even people just walking past us on the street: "Hey, you want this bag of chips? It's totally fine!"
The lesson here, for me, is that there is truly enough to go around...
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Source
I am the Source
Shock waves of emotions
sensations rippling up my spinal column
flood my brain with information
I am only encountering my own nervous system.
This reality outside of me
is experienced within me.
Nothing is without
but only perceived to be
So it is the same with meaning
But who am the "I" that gives it meaning
Me is just one more meaning
I take granted
"I" take for granted
There is no "I"
There is no "I"
There is no
There is
There
And the rest is silence.
Shock waves of emotions
sensations rippling up my spinal column
flood my brain with information
I am only encountering my own nervous system.
This reality outside of me
is experienced within me.
Nothing is without
but only perceived to be
So it is the same with meaning
But who am the "I" that gives it meaning
Me is just one more meaning
I take granted
"I" take for granted
There is no "I"
There is no "I"
There is no
There is
There
And the rest is silence.
Monday, February 5, 2007
The Dream World
Over the past couple of weeks, I've been experimenting with lucid dream exercises. I haven't managed to achieve lucidity quite yet (have pulled it off in the past), but my dreams have been remarkably vivid as I've been concentrating more on trying to differentiate between the two "opposing" forms of consciousness.
Yesterday, as I was coming out of a nap, I was halfway between sleep and dreaming, and my mind started to fill up with some pretty nasty images. As I felt myself falling deeper into sleep, I realized that I was calling forth the images, and that if I didn't like them, I could exchange them for something else. So I did, imagining myself sitting in the lotus position, levitating off the ground and then soaring through the sky.
This took a great deal of mental effort, so I started to let the whole go and began to fall asleep. Once again, my mind filled with discomforting images and I started to think that it was really happening, until I realized that I was falling into a dream state and that I was conjuring the images myself. I stopped, dangling near the edge of full sleep, and posed my a question to my unconscious:
"Why do I keep dreaming of these awful things?"
The response that arose out of my mind, "These are the things that you love, that you have hidden in the darkness."
I pondered on that a while, then I said (or rather, thought), "Fair enough, but why do I keep mistaking them as a reality? Why can't I remain lucid?'
The response had a hint of...well, not exactly mockery, but there was definitely teasing in it, "You walk through your waking life, believing that what you see and hear is 'ultimate reality.' Why should your experience in dreams be any different?"
I awoke fully, sitting on in bed, blinking. It was definitely a sobering lesson, but I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that my unconscious might be smarter than I am.
Yesterday, as I was coming out of a nap, I was halfway between sleep and dreaming, and my mind started to fill up with some pretty nasty images. As I felt myself falling deeper into sleep, I realized that I was calling forth the images, and that if I didn't like them, I could exchange them for something else. So I did, imagining myself sitting in the lotus position, levitating off the ground and then soaring through the sky.
This took a great deal of mental effort, so I started to let the whole go and began to fall asleep. Once again, my mind filled with discomforting images and I started to think that it was really happening, until I realized that I was falling into a dream state and that I was conjuring the images myself. I stopped, dangling near the edge of full sleep, and posed my a question to my unconscious:
"Why do I keep dreaming of these awful things?"
The response that arose out of my mind, "These are the things that you love, that you have hidden in the darkness."
I pondered on that a while, then I said (or rather, thought), "Fair enough, but why do I keep mistaking them as a reality? Why can't I remain lucid?'
The response had a hint of...well, not exactly mockery, but there was definitely teasing in it, "You walk through your waking life, believing that what you see and hear is 'ultimate reality.' Why should your experience in dreams be any different?"
I awoke fully, sitting on in bed, blinking. It was definitely a sobering lesson, but I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that my unconscious might be smarter than I am.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Civil Disobedience and the War Tax
It has recently come to my attention that the U.S. Government spends approximately 49% of our annual budget on military purposes.
Over the holidays, I, for some reason, found myself thinking about Henry David Thoreau's famous essay on civil disobedience. When I arrived at my old home and began to unpack, I started looking through my old books and saw my copy of Thoreau's essay. I hadn't read it in a while, and figured that, since I'd been thinking about it, it would be worth reading again.
As I read, I grew more and more anxious. The parallels between the Iraq War and the Mexican War are unsettling, to say the least, but on top of that, I started to feel that not only was he right to refuse to pay taxes to support our government's unjust activities, but that he had a DUTY, as dictated by a law much higher than any law laid down by a man-made institution: the law of God, which is to say, the law of love. For what is God if not Love?
"He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:37-40
and
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48
It saddens me that the Christian Right is in full support of this so-called "War on Terror," that they actually advocate the hunting down and killing of "terrorists" to say nothing of the tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians who have died as a result of the war. They call this collateral damage, the price we pay for war, despite the fact that the founder of Christianity (the religion that the president himself claims to follow) specifically taught taught us to love God, to love our neighbors AND enemies, and to turn the other cheek.
I think it's juvenile to believe that God plays favorites. We are all Her children. And simply because these conflicts are taking place outside of America does not mean that they aren't my concerns. My being an "American" does not absolve me of my kinship with people all around the world, in every state, in every tribe. I am a son of humanity, and I no more wish other human beings to come to harm anymore than I do members of my immediate family.
What's even more saddening is that we are pouring billions upon billions of dollars into the engines of war; meanwhile, universal health care is still a distant dream. People are still starving because of "lack of food", (when really, there is no lack. There is plenty of it--it just isn't being shared), and people still lack adequate shelter and access to decent educational facilities.
The media paints a sad portrait of these facts, but, as stated rather poignantly in the film WAKING LIFE, the function of the media has never been to eradicate the problems of the world, but rather to convince us to ACCEPT these problems, and get used to living with them. Terror, fear, aggression...it all serves the system's dedication to mass control. "There are bad guys out there, people who wish to harm you, who wish to take away your life and your liberty." Luckily, the State is here to provide you with all the protection you need...as long as you submit to everything It decrees.
The truth is, over the course of a day, we could end starvation, homelessness, the problems surrounding education, a wide range of illnesses, ALL of it. The means are here. The resources are here. What the nation-states of the world lack is desire. Nobody WANTS to. We're afraid that it would cost us too much, when in reality, we have everything to gain.
This, in my view, is the true soul of Caesar, and I find it wanting. I find it almost completely devoid of all the values that I hold; first and foremost, that we should love one another as our Heavenly Mother loves us. I no longer wish to be an obedient subject of this Empire, catching whatever crumbs are thrown down to me and trying not to rock the boat, only so that I can hold on to a few paltry titles and possessions that do nothing to satisfy the inner yearnings of my soul. Furthermore, I do not wish to be complicit in the U.S.-sanctioned murder of any of my brothers and sisters anywhere--if I have no desire to pull the triggers, I certainly have no desire to pay a war tax that provides the guns on which those triggers rest.
For these reasons, I have resolved to withhold my federal taxes from the government. If you are interested in doing the same, please check out the War Resisters League for more information.
Peace and light be upon you all.
Over the holidays, I, for some reason, found myself thinking about Henry David Thoreau's famous essay on civil disobedience. When I arrived at my old home and began to unpack, I started looking through my old books and saw my copy of Thoreau's essay. I hadn't read it in a while, and figured that, since I'd been thinking about it, it would be worth reading again.
As I read, I grew more and more anxious. The parallels between the Iraq War and the Mexican War are unsettling, to say the least, but on top of that, I started to feel that not only was he right to refuse to pay taxes to support our government's unjust activities, but that he had a DUTY, as dictated by a law much higher than any law laid down by a man-made institution: the law of God, which is to say, the law of love. For what is God if not Love?
"He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:37-40
and
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48
It saddens me that the Christian Right is in full support of this so-called "War on Terror," that they actually advocate the hunting down and killing of "terrorists" to say nothing of the tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians who have died as a result of the war. They call this collateral damage, the price we pay for war, despite the fact that the founder of Christianity (the religion that the president himself claims to follow) specifically taught taught us to love God, to love our neighbors AND enemies, and to turn the other cheek.
I think it's juvenile to believe that God plays favorites. We are all Her children. And simply because these conflicts are taking place outside of America does not mean that they aren't my concerns. My being an "American" does not absolve me of my kinship with people all around the world, in every state, in every tribe. I am a son of humanity, and I no more wish other human beings to come to harm anymore than I do members of my immediate family.
What's even more saddening is that we are pouring billions upon billions of dollars into the engines of war; meanwhile, universal health care is still a distant dream. People are still starving because of "lack of food", (when really, there is no lack. There is plenty of it--it just isn't being shared), and people still lack adequate shelter and access to decent educational facilities.
The media paints a sad portrait of these facts, but, as stated rather poignantly in the film WAKING LIFE, the function of the media has never been to eradicate the problems of the world, but rather to convince us to ACCEPT these problems, and get used to living with them. Terror, fear, aggression...it all serves the system's dedication to mass control. "There are bad guys out there, people who wish to harm you, who wish to take away your life and your liberty." Luckily, the State is here to provide you with all the protection you need...as long as you submit to everything It decrees.
The truth is, over the course of a day, we could end starvation, homelessness, the problems surrounding education, a wide range of illnesses, ALL of it. The means are here. The resources are here. What the nation-states of the world lack is desire. Nobody WANTS to. We're afraid that it would cost us too much, when in reality, we have everything to gain.
This, in my view, is the true soul of Caesar, and I find it wanting. I find it almost completely devoid of all the values that I hold; first and foremost, that we should love one another as our Heavenly Mother loves us. I no longer wish to be an obedient subject of this Empire, catching whatever crumbs are thrown down to me and trying not to rock the boat, only so that I can hold on to a few paltry titles and possessions that do nothing to satisfy the inner yearnings of my soul. Furthermore, I do not wish to be complicit in the U.S.-sanctioned murder of any of my brothers and sisters anywhere--if I have no desire to pull the triggers, I certainly have no desire to pay a war tax that provides the guns on which those triggers rest.
For these reasons, I have resolved to withhold my federal taxes from the government. If you are interested in doing the same, please check out the War Resisters League for more information.
Peace and light be upon you all.
Wave of the Mind
It is astonishing how easy it is to reconnect with God. I feel Her mind in my own, and each time I touch Her, I forget myself, my worries, my concerns.
Each time I touch God, I realize that I'm not so much touching God, but I'm allowing the Son of God within me to express itself. Less and less I think of God as something coming in, but rather of something being let OUT.
My meditation session today taught me something extremely valuable. I've always put heavy emphasis on clearing the mind, stilling the mind. I see now that this is impossible. The mind cannot be still; NOTHING in the universe is still. Everything is in motion, and the mind is no different. It is more like what the Zen master Shunryu Suzuki said. The mind is like an ocean, its waves rippling every now and then, and that we need simply ride the waves.
I love this thought. The energy within the mind is constantly moving, constantly fluctuating. Giving into this calm movement is bliss. My smile grows wider. Sometimes I even burst out into laughter, for absolutely no reason. Such joy! Such inexpressible joy. Then my ego rises up and says, "Have you gone mad?"
"Perhaps," I think to myself. "But if this is madness, then I want nothing to do with sanity."
Yesterday, I was waiting in line at a food stand, and I saw smoke rising from the grill, swirling into different shapes and dissipating into the air. I became transfixed. "That is karma," I thought. "Action and re-action. All around us is karma at work."
So now, as I watch my mind mind rippling, I think, "My mind is the acting out of karma as well." I wonder if I observe it long enough, I may begin to be able to use my "will" to direct the flow of energy within my mind, finally uniting my soul (yin) and my spirit (yang).
Each time I touch God, I realize that I'm not so much touching God, but I'm allowing the Son of God within me to express itself. Less and less I think of God as something coming in, but rather of something being let OUT.
My meditation session today taught me something extremely valuable. I've always put heavy emphasis on clearing the mind, stilling the mind. I see now that this is impossible. The mind cannot be still; NOTHING in the universe is still. Everything is in motion, and the mind is no different. It is more like what the Zen master Shunryu Suzuki said. The mind is like an ocean, its waves rippling every now and then, and that we need simply ride the waves.
I love this thought. The energy within the mind is constantly moving, constantly fluctuating. Giving into this calm movement is bliss. My smile grows wider. Sometimes I even burst out into laughter, for absolutely no reason. Such joy! Such inexpressible joy. Then my ego rises up and says, "Have you gone mad?"
"Perhaps," I think to myself. "But if this is madness, then I want nothing to do with sanity."
Yesterday, I was waiting in line at a food stand, and I saw smoke rising from the grill, swirling into different shapes and dissipating into the air. I became transfixed. "That is karma," I thought. "Action and re-action. All around us is karma at work."
So now, as I watch my mind mind rippling, I think, "My mind is the acting out of karma as well." I wonder if I observe it long enough, I may begin to be able to use my "will" to direct the flow of energy within my mind, finally uniting my soul (yin) and my spirit (yang).
Friday, February 2, 2007
Rise, Prophets--Aftermath
When I got the Nuyorican to perform "Rise, Prophets" at the open mike, I was really nervous. I wasn't sure how people would take my words, if they would think I was a lunatic or something.
But inwardly, I felt my soul bustling with excitement, as if it had been waiting for this opportunity to speak out. It didn't really care what others said about it. It only wanted to express itself.
So I did the poem, and the overall reaction was good. The host of the open mike came up to me and said, "Yeah, I used to be a religion major. But you're right. There was a time that these guys--who were essentially poets--sat next to kings and gave them spiritual guidance. At the time, they were called "prophets."
That's when it hit me: my name, or the name of my alter-ego as it were: Raja. A few months ago, I was in prayer/meditation and I directed a question towards my Inner Self: "What is my name? My true name?" And immediately, the answer that came from somewhere out of my unconscious self was "Raja." So I adopted it as a second name.
"Raja" is Sanskrit for "king." And when the open mike host talked about that relationship between "king and poet", it dawned on me that "Raja" was the not so much my name, but the name of my soul. And that, in this world, I am an ambassador, a represenative of the royal being which is my divine inner Self. Through me, my soul is able to find expression, to experience the truth about itself.
Since then, my relationship with my soul has changed dramatically. For one thing, I'm trying to listen to it more. And I have a strong sense that it is female, the yin, the passive aspect of my divine Identity. The yang or active aspect, I suppose that would be me...or at least, my ego is one of the many manifestations of the yang.
As I try to describe this, I realize more and more how limited words are. There's no way to really describe this, except to say that I am both yin and yang. I am soul and spirit. I am all of these things, and yet I'm none of them.
And it is good. It is very good.
But inwardly, I felt my soul bustling with excitement, as if it had been waiting for this opportunity to speak out. It didn't really care what others said about it. It only wanted to express itself.
So I did the poem, and the overall reaction was good. The host of the open mike came up to me and said, "Yeah, I used to be a religion major. But you're right. There was a time that these guys--who were essentially poets--sat next to kings and gave them spiritual guidance. At the time, they were called "prophets."
That's when it hit me: my name, or the name of my alter-ego as it were: Raja. A few months ago, I was in prayer/meditation and I directed a question towards my Inner Self: "What is my name? My true name?" And immediately, the answer that came from somewhere out of my unconscious self was "Raja." So I adopted it as a second name.
"Raja" is Sanskrit for "king." And when the open mike host talked about that relationship between "king and poet", it dawned on me that "Raja" was the not so much my name, but the name of my soul. And that, in this world, I am an ambassador, a represenative of the royal being which is my divine inner Self. Through me, my soul is able to find expression, to experience the truth about itself.
Since then, my relationship with my soul has changed dramatically. For one thing, I'm trying to listen to it more. And I have a strong sense that it is female, the yin, the passive aspect of my divine Identity. The yang or active aspect, I suppose that would be me...or at least, my ego is one of the many manifestations of the yang.
As I try to describe this, I realize more and more how limited words are. There's no way to really describe this, except to say that I am both yin and yang. I am soul and spirit. I am all of these things, and yet I'm none of them.
And it is good. It is very good.
Rise Prophets: A Poem
A week ago, last Friday, at the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe, I performed the following spoken word poem entitled "Rise, Prophet!"
*************************
Rise, Prophet!
That is the voice of one crying out in the wilderness
I recognize the sound
I know it because it's coming out of my own mouth
and like that, at last
my eyes snap open, just to half-mast
arms still attached to my sides
I gaze through the grey haze
and see you
your brow rippling
eyelids flickering
fighting 'gainst the clouds of delusion
sent forth by this world's illusions
trying to counter confusion with the truth that's within you
I know what you're going through
I'm trapped in the pod next to you
Trying to wake myself up too
and grab hold of your hand
I see what's inside of you
I remember who we once were
Eons ago.
We were shamans, sorcerers, witches
hunters, gatherers
soothsayers, seers
tarot, bone and palm readers
Christs-in-waiting
Buddhas-to-be
this Bruce Wayne shit is waning on me
I remember my secret identity
For too long I've remained
chained to unchanging obsessions
seduced by my country's inane lessons
of regression through acts of agression
that masquerade as progression
My own mind's been arrested
by domestication dating back to
Sunday School confirmation confession
but as I awaken I see the start
of a NEW apostolic succession
that begins and ends with you and me.
So take my hand, and we'll walk on waves
and make despair make way for hope
Just call me Saint Blasphemy
'Cause I'm declaring ALL of us Popes!
That title
The title "prophet"
is the birthright
of every man and woman under the sun
There are no feats to overcome
no deeds need be done
you only need a voice with which to speak
and a wish to be one
Thomas Paine once explained
that in the Bible
there is no word--in any
of the Scriptures--
for what we would call
a "poet"
But that back then
"prophet" and"poet"
were considered one in the same
and that to "speak in prophecy"
was to speak in poetry
And I almost dismissed this as nonsense
till I considered this first
That the books of Psalms, Proverbs
Song of Solomon and Job
were written in Hebrew verse
Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea
It's perfect symmetry
These cats from the B.C.
were all about poetry
building on rhythms and slinging out similes
saying similar things to what poets now are saying
Because back then, they too were the few
speaking out against injustice
and back then, they too were the few
calling people to see that God is in all of us
The names, the faces,
the times, the places
may be different
the message has remained the same
which is what's so insane
that after thousands of years
we are still in desperate need of change
There's still something terribly wrong
with the world we live in
We've all made our list of grievances
but hell, we once had Secretary of State say,
"Let them march all they want, as long as they
keep paying taxes."
No.
No more.
Let it end tonight.
In this moment, we are all free.
These are not words of defiance
but of certainty
Prophets are rising
Not Dow Jones
But Taoism
And as we rise
we shall not look to the skies
for some savior to descend
Redemption begins
when we look first to the earth
and from there look within
Unlike what little orphan Annie said,
the sun will NOT come out tomorrow
The revolution is NOT an event in the future
The kingdom of heaven is NOT at hand
The kingdom of heaven is IN our hands.
It IS our hands and feet and throats and hearts
We ARE the kingdom
The time is now
You sons and daughters of Ogun
You Malcolms and Martins and Rosas Reborn
See, this is my prophecy
You all came to me in my dreams
and told me that your birth
WAS the Second Coming
The light that gives light to the world
The cornerstone that the builders rejected
Lay your stone next to mine
and together we will build
a foundation so strong in love
the gates of fear cannot stand against it
The world cries out for this
Every inch of the earth
demands we answer the call
that our ancestors did.
Without us, it's Mecca
without Muhammad
It's Canaan's Land
without Abraham
Egypt
without Isis
Nazareth
without Jesus
Just a Neo-less Matrix
Or maybe it's madness
to presume to say such things.
Who am I to say such things?
I could be out of my mind
But then I look out there
and think, "I'm no more mad
than the rest."
Either way,
come what may
until they put me away
in the state pen or crazy bin
even then
unto the day I die
Let this forever be the cry
of my soul
Rise, Prophets.
It's time to write Bibles of our own.
*************************
Rise, Prophet!
That is the voice of one crying out in the wilderness
I recognize the sound
I know it because it's coming out of my own mouth
and like that, at last
my eyes snap open, just to half-mast
arms still attached to my sides
I gaze through the grey haze
and see you
your brow rippling
eyelids flickering
fighting 'gainst the clouds of delusion
sent forth by this world's illusions
trying to counter confusion with the truth that's within you
I know what you're going through
I'm trapped in the pod next to you
Trying to wake myself up too
and grab hold of your hand
I see what's inside of you
I remember who we once were
Eons ago.
We were shamans, sorcerers, witches
hunters, gatherers
soothsayers, seers
tarot, bone and palm readers
Christs-in-waiting
Buddhas-to-be
this Bruce Wayne shit is waning on me
I remember my secret identity
For too long I've remained
chained to unchanging obsessions
seduced by my country's inane lessons
of regression through acts of agression
that masquerade as progression
My own mind's been arrested
by domestication dating back to
Sunday School confirmation confession
but as I awaken I see the start
of a NEW apostolic succession
that begins and ends with you and me.
So take my hand, and we'll walk on waves
and make despair make way for hope
Just call me Saint Blasphemy
'Cause I'm declaring ALL of us Popes!
That title
The title "prophet"
is the birthright
of every man and woman under the sun
There are no feats to overcome
no deeds need be done
you only need a voice with which to speak
and a wish to be one
Thomas Paine once explained
that in the Bible
there is no word--in any
of the Scriptures--
for what we would call
a "poet"
But that back then
"prophet" and"poet"
were considered one in the same
and that to "speak in prophecy"
was to speak in poetry
And I almost dismissed this as nonsense
till I considered this first
That the books of Psalms, Proverbs
Song of Solomon and Job
were written in Hebrew verse
Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea
It's perfect symmetry
These cats from the B.C.
were all about poetry
building on rhythms and slinging out similes
saying similar things to what poets now are saying
Because back then, they too were the few
speaking out against injustice
and back then, they too were the few
calling people to see that God is in all of us
The names, the faces,
the times, the places
may be different
the message has remained the same
which is what's so insane
that after thousands of years
we are still in desperate need of change
There's still something terribly wrong
with the world we live in
We've all made our list of grievances
but hell, we once had Secretary of State say,
"Let them march all they want, as long as they
keep paying taxes."
No.
No more.
Let it end tonight.
In this moment, we are all free.
These are not words of defiance
but of certainty
Prophets are rising
Not Dow Jones
But Taoism
And as we rise
we shall not look to the skies
for some savior to descend
Redemption begins
when we look first to the earth
and from there look within
Unlike what little orphan Annie said,
the sun will NOT come out tomorrow
The revolution is NOT an event in the future
The kingdom of heaven is NOT at hand
The kingdom of heaven is IN our hands.
It IS our hands and feet and throats and hearts
We ARE the kingdom
The time is now
You sons and daughters of Ogun
You Malcolms and Martins and Rosas Reborn
See, this is my prophecy
You all came to me in my dreams
and told me that your birth
WAS the Second Coming
The light that gives light to the world
The cornerstone that the builders rejected
Lay your stone next to mine
and together we will build
a foundation so strong in love
the gates of fear cannot stand against it
The world cries out for this
Every inch of the earth
demands we answer the call
that our ancestors did.
Without us, it's Mecca
without Muhammad
It's Canaan's Land
without Abraham
Egypt
without Isis
Nazareth
without Jesus
Just a Neo-less Matrix
Or maybe it's madness
to presume to say such things.
Who am I to say such things?
I could be out of my mind
But then I look out there
and think, "I'm no more mad
than the rest."
Either way,
come what may
until they put me away
in the state pen or crazy bin
even then
unto the day I die
Let this forever be the cry
of my soul
Rise, Prophets.
It's time to write Bibles of our own.
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