“When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.” Mr. Rogers
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Who would you be...?
"You can say that you stand apart,
put a fence around your yard. You can build a tall rampart and guard it
with a gun. You can dig yourself a moat. Burn the bridge and burn the boat. It won't matter that much, you know because all the world is one.
You can march in a big parade every Independence Day. You can raise up your own flag and sing your own anthem. It will ring out in the air with all the other anthems there till the winds of the earth declare all the world is one." (Peter Mayer, songwriter and singer)
These words of Peter Mayer reflect the teachings of Jesus. To discover this for one's self, all that's needed is to read "the letters in red" (some editions of the life of Jesus, have what he said printed in red).
We can say we stand apart, label each other, divide up into them and us, the good (which is always us) and the evil (which is always them) but he truth is, we're all the same. As Peter says, "all the world is one."
Institutions, even religious institutions, divide people into them and us. In politics we have the good guys and the bad guys --- who is good and who is bad depends on whether you're democrat, republican, independent, or some other. Nonetheless, it's those in my party verses those in the other party. Each party fuels negative emotions --- anger, animosity, hatred, feelings of superiority.
Religious institutions are no better. The current state of the christian religion in America, the religion that claims it was founded on the teachings of Jesus, is just more of the same --- hundreds of denominations saying their way is more right than any other way. Jesus was a Jew. He was born a Jew, lived a Jew and died a Jew, yet many Christians won't recognize Jews as God's children. From the other side of the fence, it's no better as many Jews don't recognize any outside their way of thinking as acceptable, and neither do Muslims. It's all a mess. We build ramparts and moats to protect ourselves. We march in big parades saying how we're right and others are wrong (look at most any "special" parade and see if that's not the case for most all of them).
This is all stuff (ego stuff) we do to make ourselves feel special, superior to others. In making ourselves feel special we tear others down, belittle, berate, and condemn. We hurl insults, hurtful words, and sarcastic comments, and feel justified, for no other reason than the other person isn't on "my team," isn't in my group.
Who would you be without "your team." Who would you be without your political persona? Who would you be without your religious identification. Who would you be without your national identity?
You can march in a big parade every Independence Day. You can raise up your own flag and sing your own anthem. It will ring out in the air with all the other anthems there till the winds of the earth declare all the world is one." (Peter Mayer, songwriter and singer)
These words of Peter Mayer reflect the teachings of Jesus. To discover this for one's self, all that's needed is to read "the letters in red" (some editions of the life of Jesus, have what he said printed in red).
We can say we stand apart, label each other, divide up into them and us, the good (which is always us) and the evil (which is always them) but he truth is, we're all the same. As Peter says, "all the world is one."
Institutions, even religious institutions, divide people into them and us. In politics we have the good guys and the bad guys --- who is good and who is bad depends on whether you're democrat, republican, independent, or some other. Nonetheless, it's those in my party verses those in the other party. Each party fuels negative emotions --- anger, animosity, hatred, feelings of superiority.
Religious institutions are no better. The current state of the christian religion in America, the religion that claims it was founded on the teachings of Jesus, is just more of the same --- hundreds of denominations saying their way is more right than any other way. Jesus was a Jew. He was born a Jew, lived a Jew and died a Jew, yet many Christians won't recognize Jews as God's children. From the other side of the fence, it's no better as many Jews don't recognize any outside their way of thinking as acceptable, and neither do Muslims. It's all a mess. We build ramparts and moats to protect ourselves. We march in big parades saying how we're right and others are wrong (look at most any "special" parade and see if that's not the case for most all of them).
This is all stuff (ego stuff) we do to make ourselves feel special, superior to others. In making ourselves feel special we tear others down, belittle, berate, and condemn. We hurl insults, hurtful words, and sarcastic comments, and feel justified, for no other reason than the other person isn't on "my team," isn't in my group.
Who would you be without "your team." Who would you be without your political persona? Who would you be without your religious identification. Who would you be without your national identity?
Who would you be?
Saturday, July 7, 2012
All the world is one...
You can say that you stand apart
Put a fence around your yard
You can build a tall rampart and guard it with a gun
You can dig yourself a moat
Burn the bridge and burn the boat
It won't matter that much, you know
Because all the world is one, all the world is one
You can march in a big parade
Every Independence Day
You can raise up your own flag and sing your own anthem
It will ring out in the air
With all the other anthems there
Till the winds of the earth declare
All the world is one, all the world is one
Go and ask the Buddha when he's sitting under the tree
Go ask Walt Whitman when he's looking out at the sea
Ask Alan Shepard when he's standing up on the moon
Staring at that pearl of blue
Ask an atom in the breath you take
Ask the water by the river bank
Ask a strand of DNA--it's written in your blood
One life running in your veins
One light from one big bang
You can try and separate it
But all the world is one, all the world is one
You can take an outbound train
Try and make a get-a-way
You can ride off like John Wayne into the setting sun
But earthlings don't leave town
They just go round and round
Until they figure out
All the world is one, all the world is one
All the world is one
--- Peter Mayer
Friday, July 6, 2012
- Do the best you can, whatever arises
- Be at peace with yourself.
- Find a job you enjoy.
- Live in simple conditions; housing, food clothing; get rid of clutter.
- Contact nature every day; feel the earth under your feet.
- Take physical exercise through hard work; through gardening or walking.
- Don't worry; live one day at a time
- Share something every day with someone else; if you live alone, write someone; give something away; help someone else somehow.
- Take time to wonder at life and the world; see some humor in life where you can.
- Observe the one life in all things.
- Be kind to the creatures.
--- Helen Nearing
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