Then and Now

It has occurred to me a number of times, that people of a certain age are not aware of the continual and relentless loss of freedoms.  The reason being that they do not have a long enough memory of the before time.  So for these folks, and for those others who have forgotten, here is my list of Then.  If you like you can provide the now equivalent.

1. There was no indefinite detention
2. Air Travel was pleasurable
3. The air in the Western US was clear and crystalline
4. Our magnificent forests were not burning up
5. Most of our food was safe to eat
6. There was habeous corpus  
7. Congress was not bought
8. People honored the truth
9. Church and State was separate
10. Education was supported by the population and the politicians
11. Public Schools were publicly owned and run
12. Unions were strong and vital
13. Public servants were honored
14. The oceans were still savable
15. Peace was a possibility
16. The US engagement in unjust wars was challenged
17. People were not afraid to protest injustices
18. Protests attracted huge numbers
19. People were not arrested for peaceful assembly 
20. Corporation were entities that produced stuff, not owned the government
21. The music business was not completely commercialized
22. Movies were not all violent 
23. Our paychecks covered out expenses plus some savings
24. Banks were not completely corrupt
25. The United States Mail was supported
26. Social Security was a given
27. Medical services were affordable
28. The Constitution was honored
29. The Supreme Court was respected

I do realize that the past was not utopian, that there were political and social issues.  However I do feel that the above list is accurate.  I also realize that there has  been positive change over the last 50 years.  Perhaps I will make a list of these changes in a future post.  

I would really like to know what you think of this list, and see any additions you might have.   Please comment.

Thanks,

Engagement or Fear

The past couple of months has been about preparing and planting my garden. There was a lot of clearing to be done  It as always has been both a grounding and challenging enterprise.  So far not much has sprouted.  I have been digging and planting seeds, with little results.  I see this as a allegory for the world today.  Many of us may feel that it is difficult to see progress in personal striving or in world events. 


As I work in the garden my thoughts have often gone to the effect fear has on everyone.  I think our society and many of our personal decisions are driven by fear. This fear, deeply rooted in the population, is holding back the populist push that is needed to drive progress.


Fear stops people from right action.  I am amazed that so many are fearful.  People who "should" know better, people who have led eventful lives, who are spiritual practitioners, and who want to do what is right are fearful. Fear warps judgement and leads to misdirected or non actions.   For those who are arming due to fear, my question is  "What are you going to do with weapons?"  Defending oneself involves bravery not fear. Certainly a defense built on non violence is preferable to one built on guns.

On some level I do understand fear.  As a child and youth I was shy and fearful of public attention.  However, in overcoming fear,  I found that knowledge of and involvement in my subject or action lessened my nervousness. When I became involved in a action not in myself or people's perceptions of me, my fear lessened.  I can now perform and speak publicly without undue fear.

Beside an involvement with self I know fear can be driven by old demons. People who were abused as children have a harder time overcoming fear then those who were not.  The former have to work harder to have a secure concept of self based on a sense of inner control.  For many all decisions or actions are scary. Neither the inside or outside are to be trusted. This fear and lack of trust has continued impact on peoples' behavior in the personal and political sphere. 

Along with fear, I think many are experiencing hopelessness.  A lack of hope make all action seem ridiculous.  Their reasoning is why take action when nothing is going to matter.  Being with out hope can be paralyzing, and certainly not conducive to creating positive change. 

At the same time that we are experiencing fear and lack of hope, there is also the arising need to engage in the world.  The world is crying out for right engagement - engagement that is not selfish, motivated by greed and the wish for power.  Although we are all human, and therefore all damaged to a greater or lesser extent,  the need to overcome fear and hopelessness and to engage in the world is great.  Without our engagement the degradation we see will continue.  With our engagement there is still hope for a better world.  As Franklin Delano Roosevelt  is credited with saying in his first inaugural address "There is nothing to fear but fear itself".

The Political is Personal and Planetary

Today as I begin writing this blog the Moon is new in the sign of Aries, and also quite close to the Aries Point.  In short lots of new energy,  that I hope will result in change that will benefit all of us. I've been thinking about the personal as political for awhile and the many topics that could be discussed under this umbrella. I can go on at length about any of them. However, at the present moment,  I feel lucky to be inspired to write.  I think that inspiration is presently in short supply.   Fear, life's pressures, internal and external blocks affects us all.  I hope that this season gives everyone the chance to triumph in overcoming whatever is holding them back.

One of the things that I have learned in my life is that going straight forward and trying to break through obstacles often does not serve.  At times it is more effective and efficient to go around or to not be there for the barriers that arise. How to do this is a learning that each of us must do in our own time and way.  The path is individual to each walker. Gentleness is a must in our attitude toward ourselves and others.

With the above in mind. here is a  partial  list of  topics that  I believe effect us on a Personal, Political and Planetary level.  In an true sense there is no difference between the three P's. What each of us chose to do is Political statement and effect the Planet.

• The entry and emphasis of right wing Christian religion beliefs in the Political Discourse resulting in the chilling of  the expression of different ethical systems, and the erosion of freedom of religion.
• The encroachment on a women's right to control her body,  a keep them barefoot and pregnant mentality.
• The reality of Global warming and its effect on us all.  There as been no precipitation here in Boulder, although March is traditionally our wettest month. 
• The ever increasing cost of  University education, and the limits this imposes on the middle and working class.
• The erosion of our civil liberties with the ever increasing surveillance of all of our actions.
• The economic, psychological and sociological effects that the never ending wars has on each of us. 
• The ever increasing distortions and lies propagated by the corporate media.
• Unwanted local and global changes that seem out of our control.
• The limiting of options for work and career.
• Draconian drug laws that are incarcerating more and more people for non harm "crimes".
• The increasing power of the gas and oil industry both locally and globally.

Although I am alarmed by the things mentioned in this list, I am not hopeless.  I do not feel that we as individuals are helpless to effect the items on this list.  I believe that the people currently wielding political power in this country would like us to feel powerless, but indeed we are not.  We all have the power to act, and if we act together we are unstoppable.

I believe that having a contemplative and/or centering practice is essential  for our own well being, as well as helping us to act dharnically.  We need to practice awareness if we are to act in a way that is centered for the greater good.   A centering practice can range from sitting quietly for 10 to 15 minutes, to walking in a pastoral setting to structured practices such as  meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, and other formal disciplines.  These practices and resultant knowledge that we have been given are the saving graces of this time.  As a result  we are able to be alone,  to be quiet, and to just let it be.  This gathering of energy is the basis for right action.

It is becoming clearer to me that any change that we wish to make toward wholeness, peace and understanding will not come from the political arena or from our current political leaders.  The changes that we wish to see must come from each one of us.  We must be the model and the instrument.

Women and Retirement

I am interested in how retirement has affected those who consider themselves retired.  I am especially interested in the experiences of retired women.  If  you would share your thoughts regarding  your own retirement, I would appreciate it.   Please just enter your comments in the comment section below, or email them to me at conroeluzius@yahoo.com.

It is spring-like here.  I hope it is where you are as well.  Enjoy!

Thanks,

Leah