Poem - True Understanding

True Understanding

I feel the wind whistling by

I watch grass shake as the wind blows it.

I hear the waves crashing on the shore

Cold breath invades my nostrils

The sun blinds my computer screen

The computer blocks my view of the beach

I put away my computer

and write with pencil and pad

my thumb hurts from writing

due to a injury long ago forgotten

so I put down my pencil

and pick up my head

and admire and enjoy

all the sights

and sounds

and smells

around me

I still notice

Life in all its abundance

I still live

I move my sunglasses on and off

To see with different perspectives

I see the sand on the bluff

with the vast blue ocean behind it.

As if climbing reaching upward

Trying to get to the water

And pool clearers cleaning

And leave blowers blowing

And I, writing exploring, wondering

Like the sand trying to reach the ocean

Not ever realizing it is on a bluff

But still I reach

Still I wonder

Knowing true understanding

Is beyond my reach

But I am closer

than if I didn’t try

And I have learned some things

And I have experienced some things

As I dream

And reach for

The ocean of understanding

Just over the bluff.

Movie Review Golf In The Kingdom - 4 out of 10 on the JWO Scale

An adaptation of the book by Michael Murphy, it might get such a low rating due to my high expectations of the movie.  The book is I believe one of the greatest books that expresses the spirituality of Golf. But no, it gets such a low rating because it is a poorly made movie.  I am not sure if the movie was just done amateurishly due to a low budget, or if they were going for a Terrance Mallckesque type surrealistic vision.  However the cinematography was just poor.  The movie screen was mostly dark throughout the movie.  And although one could see this metaphorically that humans are living in darkness, it doesn’t make for an engaging movie.  The movie also suffered from characters with deep sometimes non understandable Scottish accents. So although this might have made it more authentic, it made it non understandable.   If one didn’t know the book, they would not gain even a modicum of the depth of its meaning from watching the movie. The only saving grace of the movie is that at many points it quotes the book and it was a good reminder as to why the book held such meaning for me.  Read the book, ignore the movie. 

My thoughts on the Tim Tebow Phenomenon

A recent article in the New York Times entitled "Tim Tebow’s Gospel of Optimism"  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/opinion/sunday/bruni-tim-tebows-gospel-of-optimism.html  and the response to it, has really forced me to go deep about my feelings about the Tebow situation and evangelicalism in general.  So here are the facts. His team was losing when he took over, and they are winning when he became the starter. With the exception of Green Bay, the quality of the teams they were playing at the beginning of the year were the same as after he became starter.  The facts that his stats are not good doesn’t interest me.  I have often said, “stats are for losers.”  Results are what matters, but even more so than results are how we relate to others, are we taking right actions in our professions.  I think Tim Tebow scores well in both of these areas.  Now I have to say that not being a big college football fan and living in Central Florida during the Tim Tebow era, his followers and supporters can be insufferable for their god like praise of him.  It may be deserved, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying to a non college football fan.  But now he is in the pros, and even thought he beat my Jets, and he often wins in unorthodox fashion, I have to say I actually looked forward to watching the game last Sunday against the Bears to see how it would turn out.  I have to respect the way he handles himself on and off the field, his competitiveness, his optimism, and his wins (although for all you conspiracy theorist, do we really believe that no offensive lineman on Denver held opponents the whole game vs. the Bears).  So as far as football goes, I am glad Tebow is playing and winning. I don’t know if it will last.  All I know is that it is fun to watch and it makes for good entertainment (which let us remember is what football is)

It is how Tebow handles himself off the field though that seems to bother more people, and I admit that I have had to reflect on why that is.  On the one hand, every interview I have seen of him, he seems like a likable guy, with a good sense of humor, and a deep faith.  I am not opposed to someone with a deep faith. He speaks to his faith, and how it has helped him throughout his life achieve what he has, and he gives credit to God for all his success.  Again, I would hope everyone’s faith could provide that for them.  I haven’t heard him say that God is causing the Broncos to win, but rather his beliefs and belief in God allows him to do his best and gives him resiliency and optimism in all that he does.    Again giving ones all, having resiliency and optimism are all good things.  I think it is important to note these traits can be obtained in ways other than the Christian Faith, but if that is what creates it for Tebow good for him.  If we don’t believe something is possible, then it more than likely it will never happen, or we will not even  attempt it. Optimism doesn’t mean we should be naïve, and cant be realistic.  (So I hope Tebow works on his throwing motion and practices more with his receivers)   Yes, Tebow’s success (as the author points to) goes against conventional wisdom and even logic.  But we can learn something from that.  I often have values that lead me in directions that others would consider illogical.  Yet internally they create a wholeness within me and my relation to the universe.

The thing I struggle with in this story though is the exclusivism.  The article states that Tebow has said that heaven is reserved for devout Christians.  I have never heard Tebow say this, although it is something I have heard many evangelicals say.  When people do say this I often ask them if they believe that Ghandi or the Dali Lama (clearly holy people) are not going to heaven?  Some say they are not, and some do religious gymnastics and say, that even if they don’t profess it, somehow, the spirit of Jesus is within them.  My religious beliefs lead me to accept the right of others to believe differently than I do.  I try to inform others about my religion as well, as it has helped me transform my life and helps me lead my life in accordance with my values. Due to this, I do not object to Tebow sharing his beliefs. (Are there any Unitarian Professional Athletes though)   So I guess the thing that I struggle with is do I have to accept someone whose beliefs are, that due to my beliefs I am going to hell. This exclusivism leads some Christians to cause others (even in their own religion)  extreme pain.  So I must stand up and speak truth when people of any religion use their religion to cause others pain.  I cant control what others think, but I can control how I think, and how I act towards others. 

I recently read a quote/poem by Edwin Markham in Eboo Patel’s book Acts of Faith which was

            “He drew a circle that shut me out

            Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout,

            But love and I had the wit to win

            We drew a circle that took him in!”

So in addition to optimism, I will preach the gospel of love, love even for those whose beliefs are different than mine. I hope Tebow does well, and gives all underdogs in the world a reason to believe.  But if Denver faces the Jets again in the playoffs, I will be rooting against Tebow.

Movie Review - "The Concert" - A 6 out of 10 on the JWorld Scale

So I had mixed emotions about this movie.  I think this movie had and made a very important point.  However the plot was entirely implausible.  Now that would be okay, if it didn’t really try to have a plot….such as “Tree of Life”.  But this movie tries to have a plot.  It tries to play as a farce, but it is somewhat a tragic story of what suppression of art does to a person and a society.  I find farce and tragedy don’t always mix well especially if you want an inspirational ending….I wont even bother going over the plot, since it is ridiculous, but suffice it to say, I think a better ending would have been if he had been imagining the whole event from the Soviet Gulag. Ok, one point.  The story involves this ragtag group of musicians, who haven’t practiced together. playing a major symphony in a major venue. Dont ask how they got there.  So perhaps the message is that creativity finds a way to express itself. That may be true individually, but I think especially not with groups of people working together, like a symphony.  But perhaps I am looking at this too literally.

So having said all this, let me indicate the power of the movie. First, if you like the symphony, the ending of the movie has a wonderful symphony concert piece that makes the movie worth watching. In some ways, I think the movie is structured just for that very purpose.  The important point I think made in the movie is that creating art (in this case music) is transformational. It is not only transformational personally, but also societally.  And the stifling of art or the creative impulse, leads to self destruction, individually and societally.  When I think about the movie in a big picture way, I liked it a lot.  I just wish the story could have been told a little more creatively.   

A Government, by of and for the people - my thoughts on the occupy movment

I have been thinking deeply about the Occupy Movement.  I have committed to attend the event in Davenport next Saturday (22^nd) to add my support.  I was curious when the movement started, and then surprised when I saw that it lasted as long as it did in New York.  I was astonished to see how quickly it spread. It is heartening to see the young people of this country become engaged.   I hope that the Occupy movement is not completely coopted by but rather integrated with other activist movements . 

I am not sure what the 1% slogan means.  I know it is a symbol for those in power, for the wealthy.  The average income of the top 1% of the people in this country is over 1 million dollars a year.  Is that what this movement is about?  I have had numerous discussions with family and friends about just what is middle class?  I have discussions with people who make over 100k a year who truly believe that they are middle class.  So that will be a discussion for another day.  My point is, where do you draw the line.  Does someone making 900k fit into the 99% Are we talking about lifestyle excess? Are we talking about lack of opportunity for all? Are we talking about our lack of ability to control our own fate? Are we talking about rage against a rigged system?  Or possibly all of the above?

I see a demonizing of business and businesspeople. Not all business are evil. Capitalism has often provided the incentive for tremendous creativity and invention.  On the whole businesspeople do not see themselves as evil.  Investors have risked capital and want to reap the rewards of that risk. They see themselves as playing by the rules of a game, and they are the best at playing the game.  I think that is the point.  The problem as I see it is that we have gotten to the point where the business people are writing the rules to the games so as to create a rigged game. 

As Theodore Parker, a Unitarian Minister in the 19^th century said:

“The idea that all men people have unalienable rights; that in respect thereof, all men people are created equal; and that government is to be established and sustained for the purpose of giving every man person an opportunity for the enjoyment and development of all these unalienable rights. This idea demands, as the proximate organization thereof, a democracy, , a democracy, that is, a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; 

I do believe there is a purpose for responsible business.  The goal of most investors though is to maximize profits. This however must be balanced by the common good of society.  Business has shown it has the inability to regulate itself. Therefore the only recourse for the citizens is for the government to be a counter measure of business so as to protect the citizens from the excesses of business.  The pendulum in this country has continued to swing back and forth throughout its history.  We never seem to find a balance. It just keeps swinging from one extreme of business run rampant (child labor, unsafe working conditions, no concern for the environment, etc.) to regulations that have diminished business’ creativity and inventiveness.  We need to find a balance.  A balance where the workers rights and rewards and the needs of the greater society are balanced against and linked to the investors risks and rewards.  In our current climate of fear and recession, business’  are using this as an opportunity to take advantage of the workers and taxpayers of this country. 

What must be done?

I think first and foremost we need to repeal the Citizen’s United decision. Corporations are not people. They do not have the same goals or ends as the citizens of this country and thus they should not have the same rights as citizens.  The rage that I sense within the Occupy movement is that Business is controlling the government.  Business has rigged the system in their favor.  This has been exacerbated by the unlimited funding of political campaigns by business. We need to get business out of the business of choosing government officials. Secondly we have to enact some lasting campaign reform and term limits for government officials to obviate entrenched special interests. 

If we are to survive and stay strong as a country, we need to avoid excesses and find balance.  The pendulum has swung too far.  The Occupy movement is the step to bring us back into balance. This is why I will support the Occupy movement. A Government, by of and for the people, not a government by of and for the corporation. 

Yom Kippur Service

I went to Yom Kippur Kol Nidre Service last night for the first time in 35 years.  I attended at the reform temple here in Davenport, Ia.  I had met the Rabbi a number times at inter-faith meetings.  I don’t know why I attended.  The last time I went to any Jewish service was about 7 years ago when in Orlando the reform temple was having a Kaballah service.  I had been reading about Kaballah and wondered what a service would be like.  The service was mostly singing in Hebrew, and the people were generally unwelcoming to me as a guest. The last time I went to Kol Nidre service I was 18 or so. I had not been to Temple in a few years and out of respect to my parents I decided at the last minute to attend.  I did not have a ticket though, and asked to be let in. They did not turn me away, but the Rabbi, at the beginning of the service made a point to comment sarcastically how many people just show up at the last minute without a ticket and expect to be let in.  I didn’t let the door hit me on the way out. I have talked to other Rabbis over the years and they often have this same disdainful attitude toward unpaid visitors.   Now 35 years later, here I am again, an unpaid visitor, who at the last minute decided to go to services.  Some observations follow:

• ·         There was a police officer at the entryway.  A reminder that I am not in New York anymore and that Jewish people are in a deep minority here which I assume creates some fear.
• ·         No one asked if I had a ticket. (I did call in advance and ask if visitors were welcome)
• ·         The people in general were friendly and welcoming and willing to strike up a conversation.
• ·         They service book is now written left to right as opposed to right to left when I last went.  I actually do think going from right to left in some way helps train the brain differently.
• ·         There is at least an attempt for some inclusive language in the prayer book compared to how I remember it as a youth
• ·         There is little transliteration of Hebrew to English in the prayer book, so if you cannot read Hebrew (which I don’t anymore) you cant follow along
• ·         There seemed to be a lot more Hebrew in the service than I remember (this could be my memory)
• ·         The s have become t at the end of many Hebrew words
• ·         Chants of prayers had different tunes than I remembered (not unusual or surprised by this)
• ·         There were some prayers and songs that I still remember by heart from when I was 17 years old.
• ·         The sermon was excellent, much better than I remember ever hearing as a youth.  This probably has more to do with age, and where I am in my spiritual life than anything else. But the sermon was one that I think could easily have been given in a Unitarian Universalist congregation and was very relevant and moving.  The sermon also included a guided meditation which was excellent.  It was clear that the congregation was uncomfortable with the guided meditation, but I found it powerful.
• ·         There was a lot of talk about God. I understand this due to the theology, but it was ongoing and unending.  Rarely using the word God in Unitarian services made hearing it constantly somewhat unusual.  In some ways by constantly using and repeating the word, seemed to minimize the meaning of the word for me. Further reflection needed on this topic for me.
• ·         There were words used like grace, and holy spirit that I had always thought of as specifically Christian that were used in the liturgy.
• ·         I was a little surprised by a lack of reverence by the attendees.  Maybe I am remembering this with a child’s memory, but this was always a serious time in my family. Last night,  throughout the service, people were chatting, and a few even walked out early. I tried to imagine they were ill and had to go to the hospital.  I could never imagine leaving a Kol Nidre service early except for something that extreme.
• ·         There was a hauntingly beautiful cello performance of Kol Nidre.

 Overall it was a good experience.  Some of the readings were powerful.  There were many readings that included calls for justice.  However the reality is that the theology still doesn’t resonate with me. It never did. 

Tree of Life - A visual tour de force

Tree of Life – Unrated on the Jay Wolin Scale (ok, I will give it a 9) – a beautiful experience

This is unlike any movie I have seen and is not for everyone. In fact when I went, it was clear that most people walking out felt they had wasted their money. I read that it was actually booed at the Cannes film festival. When you go to a Terrance Malik movie, you should not expect it to be Transformers. In truth, I am not sure I would call it a movie. Which of course begs the question, what constitutes a movie. This is more of a piece of multimedia art, using mostly images and music with voice overs of whispering to express itself. I was concerned every time my chair creaked that I would miss some whisper of insight :)

It is surreal, ethereal and slow paced. It is a beautifully done visual tour de force. It imagines (similar to images I have seen from the Hubble telescope) on screen in a beautiful way, the creation of the universe. It shows the experience of a family, birth and death, tradegy and beauty and everything else that fills up the space of our lives…What I enjoyed as well was how it captured the little sometimes innocent, sometimes cruel, sometimes fun things that children do and think as they experience the world and themselves. The movie made me slow down, and appreciate all the beauty in every day objects, sounds, and sights. It is a movie that is somewhat unexplainable, so I will only repeat a line that the movie repeated - “The only way to be happy is to love. Unless you love, your life will flash by.” I loved it.

Midnight in Paris – an 8 out of 10 on the Jay Wolin Scale

I don’t know that it truly deserves such a high score, but timing and locale have a lot to do with it. Most of the movie fare I have seen recently has been super-hero movies or documentaries, so it was a pleasure to see an entertaining, intelligent and creative movie for a change. Plus of course I cannot resist the scenes of Paris. Ah Paris, the city of lights. I have fond memories of visiting this beautiful city. I loved just walking the streets and seeing the different neighborhoods, and walking along the Seine such as the protagonist in this movie does (as well as easily getting lost in the winding streets). The movie also imagined what it might be like to meet our artistic and literary heroes. It brought to bear the question of finding our own artistic integrity, and the juxtaposition of materialism/vanity versus artistic vision. But ultimately it is about having the courage to live fully in the present moment, and not living in the past. No super heroes necessary.

Black Hawk - Book Review

Black Hawk.
An “Autobiography” from Penguin books, that indicates it is the closest of the various versions of this autobiography. One of my new friends from Iowa sent me a copy of the book, as Blackhawk was from that area. I had originally heard of Blackhawk from wondering where the name Black Hawk came from after watching the movie Black Hawk Down. I was never taught about him in history class in school. The lack of information about Native Americans in our education is another issue to write about it at another time. I put autobiography in quotes as of course his words were translated by Whites. There is no question in my mind that there were certain edits in the translation. So it is hard to tell what words and which stories are really his versus the translators. He is often overly complimentary about the American Military leaders, to the point of being deferential. And I also have to wonder how much of this was spoken by him as a way to burnish his image after his defeat. Although there is much that the he is honest about in his errors of tactics and judgment.

Most of what I have researched about Black Hawk portrayed him as a fierce warrior of the Sauk people. And in fact the Black Hawk War was the only war named after an individual. He and his group of people fought against the Americans in the War of 1812 as well. He chronicles both his victories and defeat. Yet in the book he is portrayed as often bewildered by the clash of cultures, merely trying to preserve his people’s way of life. I found it interesting that in his decision to continue the war (as opposed to the remainder of the tribe which capitulated early) he still had women and children with him. Certainly a different cultural phenomenon than what we are used to. As well I imagine as stated, his hope was to reclaim the land they had planted and lived on, and their ancestors were buried upon. But clearly, he did not anticipate the pragmatic challenge of fighting a war with the Americans. It also shows the lack of unity among the Native Americans and how the White Europeans took advantage of that.

I found it interesting how the Easterners were fascinated by him, and overtly friendly to him. He pointed to the fact that the people who lived in the mountains (along the train ride throughout the east) seemed to follow the Christian Golden Rule and the Settlers who had conquered his land did not. There have been many other books written about how Americans have idealized Native Americans (or their vision of what Native Americans are).

It was interesting to read his surprise as certain customs and tactics of the Whites. A reminder for ourselves when we engage other cultures, how strange we may appear to them and in turn to be respectful of differences in other cultures.

Ultimately though it is about the story of a defeated, conquered people overwhelmed by a superior force in numbers and technology and one man’s desperate attempt to maintain some dignity in the face of this, and his ultimate defeat, yet survival to tell his story.

So I look back and see I have written “it was interesting” numerous times. Although the pace of the book was stilted, clearly if you like history it is a good read to at least gain a partial perspective of how our settlement of this country looked from the perspective of one Native American.

And then of course I wondered, what in my life today, do I not see the full picture of. Are there forces in our culture that I just do not understand that will overwhelm and defeat me. Should we adapt to and combat the inevitable force, or accept defeat and be assimilated by it. Do we go off and live in our quiet little place and just shut out the rest of the world or do we rage against the world that has defeated us. The question is how do we adapt the superior force to change and to integrate a minority position. Do we create polarities and wait until enough people have been negatively impacted by the majority so that the minority becomes the majority or do we try to find a middle ground where both polarities are integrated, where we can hopefully find a better middle way for all. How can we unite our various fractured constituencies to unify to move forward towards a different vision of what America can be.

The Adjustment Bureau – an 7.5 out of 10 on the Jay Wolin movie rating scale

This movie (based on a short story by Philip Dick) with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt asks the basic questions about free will vs. predestination, and reason vs. intuition. For me the issue of free will is basic. Yet, I can say without question that my life has been full of coincidences and chance meetings with people (often strangers) who have helped me in a particular time of need, or have given me information that was helpful. Originally I considered these coincidences, but over time these events have led me to a more appreciative nature of the interconnectedness of all of existence.

Although the movie posited that humanity on its own would allow our passions to lead us to ruin, it also points out that we create our own destiny, and that intuition can help lead us in the right direction. And the movie’s ultimate point is that we must risk everything for what we believe, even if it does not appear to be the reasonable thing to do. I can only say that for myself, when I have risked everything for what I believed to be true in my heart, is when I have felt whole in my life.

I thought it funny that it depicted angels as upwardly mobile bureaucrats who are afraid to think independently. But it also gave a nod to an old Transcendental Unitarian belief about the afterlife which was that we continue to evolve and grow after death. I thought it was an interesting movie and the trip through the doors was a nice visual trip throughout New York City which is always nice. Definitely a movie worth seeing if you like this sort of movie.

1st graders response to aphorisms

A 1st grade school teacher had twenty-five students in her class. She presented each child in her classroom the 1st half of a well-known aphorism and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb.

I dont know if this is true or not, but it cracked me up nevertheless.

1. Don't change horses .....until they stop running.

2. Strike while the.... bug is close.

3. It's always darkest before... Daylight Saving Time.

4. Never underestimate the power of.....termites.

5. You can lead a horse to water but.... How?

6. Don't bite the hand that... looks dirty.

7. No news is...impossible

8.A miss is as good as...a Mr.

9.You can't teach an old dog new...Math

10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll...stink in the morning.

11. Love all, trust... Me.

12.The pen is mightier than the...pigs.

13.An idle mind is...the best way to relax.

14.Where there's smoke there's... pollution.

15.Happy the bride who..gets all the presents.

16.A penny saved...is not much.

17. Two's company,three's...the Musketeers.

18. Don't put off till tomorrow what... you put on to go to bed.

19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and You... have to blow your nose.

20. There are none so blind as... Stevie Wonder.

21. Children should be seen and not...spanked or grounded.

22.If at first you don't succeed.. get new batteries.

23. You get out of something only what... you see in the picture on the box

24. When the blind lead the blind..get out of the way.

25.A bird in the hand...is going to poop on you.