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Saturday, July 4, 2009

CHOOSING TO LIVE VULNERABLE


Living Outside As I Feel Inside

I don't like what life throws my way at times. It makes me struggle through. But there have been times of disharmony, or pain when I have also known right then and there that I am feeling a beauty with the disharmony, the pain. Why? I think maybe because it is in those moments that I feel very alive. Not dead inside. But vibrantly alive.

We, as a part of life, surely undulate - affected by all forces, elements of the universe. Chords in music fall into two classes: concords and discords. I love disharmony in music placed among the harmony. It makes it feel more real to me, the music richer. It would feel pretentious if only harmony was concordant.

For those who use their courage and heart to be on the journey of understanding, there is a chance Life will meet itself and feel abundance if only for fleeting moments. These are my moments of harmony. Exhaling and inhaling, the tide coming in and going out, rich joy and deep hurt - opposing forces maybe not dissimilar to harmony and disharmony. I want to feel alive. In a way that I am riding high on the awareness of it. And hopefully, on the dark days I can muddle through enough so that I not let the darkness swallow me up.

From a poem I wrote ~ The Power Of Beauty ~ Higher Than Reason

It is important that we open
ourselves
to our vast resource of emotions and passion,
and that we
give with feeling, from a soul
that has felt its depths
pushed out into
an infinite realm.
~ By Sandra Hammel

I strive for an open-ended approach to life. No one knows or has the fixed end-all answers. We can, each one, choose to take the road to journey on that is more vulnerable, one of integrity, discards the pretense and opens himself or herself to the possible hurts that others spend their whole lives pushing down, running from or denying.


I choose vulnerability. I can't live outside of who I am inside. So, since no one has the answers that I can live by, I try to trust my own sense of what feels to fit the universe's calling for me. That is the best that I can do.

I was inspired to write these words from a post at Shekhar Kapur's website, Shekhar directed a movie I very much like ~ The Four Feathers

fan video of The Four Feathers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friend, don’t be a perfectionist.
Perfectionism is a curse and a strain.
For you tremble lest you miss the bull’s-eye.
You are perfect if you let be.

Friend, don’t be afraid of mistakes.
Mistakes are not sins.
Mistakes are ways of doing something different,
Perhaps creatively new.

Friend, don’t be sorry for your mistakes.
Be proud of them.
You had the courage to give something of yourself.
It takes years to be centered; it takes more years
to understand and to be now.
Until then, beware of both extremes,
perfectionism as well as instant cure, instant joy, instant sensory awareness.

Until then, beware of any helpers.
Helpers are con-men who promise something for nothing.
They spoil you and keep you dependent and immature.

Frederick S. Perls

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The Prophet
Kahlil Gibran
Uploaded by KathrynCassidycom


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Saturday, January 12, 2008

KARL ROVE DEPLORES THE TRAIT OF INAUTHENTICITY

PLAYING POLITICS

VANITY FAIR got Karl Rove to tell us about himself. The questions are below, but most of the answers can be found at the Vanity Fair link. He says he most values in his friends
honesty and loyalty. Apparently, his friend, George W Bush can be dishonest to the rest of us. The text below is from Vanity Fair.

Karl Rove

A principal architect of the disastrous presidency of George W. Bush, Karl Rove, 57, has charted a long course from the internship he landed with the Republican Party in Utah almost four decades ago.

illustration by Piotr Lesniak February 2008

Karl Rove

What is your current state of mind?

What is your greatest extravagance?

What is your greatest fear?
Living foolishly above my means and running out of money.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Not being authentic.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Patience.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Try to be more patient.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Quiet confidence.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Strength of character.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Which talent would you most like to have?

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Where would you like to live?

What is your favorite occupation?
Politics.

What is your most treasured possession?
My books, starting with the first one I can ever remember reading, Great Moments in History.

Who are your favorite writers?

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

Who are your heroes in real life?
The men and women who volunteer to go into harm’s way wearing the uniform of our country’s military.

What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty and loyalty.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Energy and precision are tied.

How would you like to die?

What is your motto?
I like the one that used to be the motto on the unit coin of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the Blackhorse: “Be prepared! Find the bastards. And pile on!”

Read the entire Proust Questionnaire from Vanity Fair

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Thursday, November 29, 2007

SO BARACK OBAMA IS MY KIND OF HONEST

I BELIEVE IN SEPARATION OF POWERS IN THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

and I believe in separation of church and state.

However, I found this video clip interesting. One thing I like about Barack Obama is his integrity. I like his honesty. And I like that he thinks that We The People are an important part of the government. I like that he doesn't cater to the "sound bite" trend of the "almighty media" branch of our society. Here, as in many of Barack's expressions, you have to listen to what he is saying and not for some quip to extract for headline purposes. He requires his listener to think for himself while expecting the listener to hear what he is really saying - and not what you want to hear - but an honest sharing of his thoughtful deliberation. This is a man I could trust with my future and my son's future.
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http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3hq4q_jesus-christ-would-not-vote-for-bar_politics

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Are you fasting for Darfur?

On December 5th, join Danny Glover, Bradley Whitford, Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield, Samantha Power and thousands of students around the country for STAND's DarfurFast. The idea is simple: fast from one luxury item for one day and donate the money you would have spent on that item to protect civilians in Darfur. Just three dollars -- less than the cost of a latte -- can provide protection for one woman for a year. Find out more at www.STANDnow.org.

Discuss Darfur with John Prendergast, Samantha Power and Nicholas Kristof

Join hundreds of activists and viewers across the country on December 6 at 8:00 pm EST to watch the HBO premiere of Sand and Sorrow, a powerful film about the tragic and ongoing genocide in Darfur. Following the film, GI-Net, STAND, the Save Darfur Coalition and ENOUGH will host a conference call with John Prendergast, Nicholas Kristof and Samantha Power. The conference call will give you the opportunity to talk about the film with these leading Darfur activists and discover practical ways that you can make a difference to stop the genocide. RSVP for the call.

Share this experience with your family and friends by hosting a house party. Click here to find out more.

U.S. Torch Relay Finishes in DC

Dream for Darfur's Torch Relay has been traveling around the world since August, calling attention to the relationship between China and the genocidal government of Sudan. The U.S. leg of the Relay kicked off in New York City on September 9, with events taking place in more than 60 cities across the United States since then. On December 10, International Human Rights Day, the U.S. leg of the relay will finish up in Washington, D.C. The relay will travel to the White House and the Sudanese Embassy before ending at the Chinese Embassy.

If you are in the DC area, please join Olympic medalist Joey Cheek, Actress Mia Farrow, members of the Darfuian community and others, as we urge the Chinese government to help bring the Olympic motto "One World, One Dream" to Darfur. RSVP at dctorchrelay@savedarfur.org


STOP GENOCIDE IN DARFUR

Call 1-800-GENOCIDE

TELL U.S. SENATORS TO SUPPORT SADA


Call President Bush

202-456-1111

and Tell Him to Act for a Change

instead of the rhetoric

he has been spouting about Darfur for years

GENOCIDE

is

Our Defining Issue as the Human Race

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