tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55636192011-11-27T18:44:41.370-05:00toward unityLeenoreply@blogger.comBlogger921100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-8622374305221326892011-01-08T15:14:00.001-05:002011-01-08T15:15:01.498-05:00

I have rediscovered the joys of walking in the woods. Good for the body and soul. After the snowstorm ended this morning, I was the first on the Fortier trail. The only tracks I saw were animals'...

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-80802064354907620692010-03-21T19:43:00.005-04:002010-03-21T20:08:19.791-04:00

My dear friend Abe took his spirituality seriously. Here's one small example: three images covering six pages in a little brocade book where he transcribed prayers and writings from Tibetan Buddhism. I hope you like them as images... I tried typing the words, but it didn't do justice to the depth of Abe's devotion, God rest his soul.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-16926503951982047572009-12-20T22:28:00.003-05:002009-12-20T22:31:44.927-05:00

Frank Rich reviews the hypocrisy of the millennium's opening decade. What's a person to do? Perhaps think locally, act neighborly...

Leenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-86674349329605914232009-02-16T21:18:00.002-05:002009-02-16T21:23:31.998-05:00

On today's Fresh Air, Michael Pollan makes a persuasive argument for sanity in food policy. Like changing subsidy priorities so fast food isn't cheaper than good food.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-73273114667066153382008-12-15T20:35:00.000-05:002008-12-15T20:35:53.253-05:00

Taylor Barstow and Adrian Mott have launched unbiasd.com, a hot news site that provides articles selected to provide a spectrum of left-to-right bias. After opening an article, the next navigation pulls up an easy-to-complete rating form. The first time it's opened, the reader simply enters their e-mail address, and they're ready to go.It's a great idea that will hopefully help readers become

Leenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-83026531424927888812008-11-09T09:16:00.004-05:002008-11-09T10:56:39.594-05:00

As joy has exploded in the process of electing Barack Obama, one expression has been new songs, dedicated to him and the vision we share through him. With thanks to Kari Njiiri, who played these on his Jazz Safari show last night, here are a few:Will Galison sings "Taking it Back with Barack, Jack" (Swing)"Oui, on peut -- Yes we can!" (Zydeco)will.i.am sings "Yes We Can"Cocoa Tea sings "

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-72083095353838188152008-11-09T09:00:00.001-05:002008-11-09T11:35:48.178-05:00

Alice Walker celebrates her election joy through advice to Barack, centering on the need "to cultivate happiness in your own life." Thanks to Lisa for tagging this.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-56737085175356634972008-07-18T08:44:00.000-04:002008-07-18T08:45:04.112-04:00

by Andrea Ayvazian, pastor of the Haydenville (MA) Congregational Churchif we dug a huge grave miles wide, miles deepand buried every rifle, pistol, knife, bullet, bomb, bayonet,if we jumped upon fleets of tanks and fighter jetswith tool boxes, torchesunwelded them dismantled them turned them into scrap metalif every light-skinned man in a silk tie saidto every dark-skinned man in a turbanI vow

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-19356842450042273502008-05-05T21:29:00.001-04:002008-05-05T21:30:22.418-04:00

Watch this!

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-71685039134804346762008-03-22T08:41:00.004-04:002008-11-09T11:19:17.957-05:00

"Though the human body is born complete in one moment, the birth of the human heart is an ongoing process. It is being birthed in every experience of your life. Everything that happens to you has the potential to deepen you. It brings to birth within you new territories of the heart."-- John O'Donoghue. Anam Cara. New York: Cliff Street Books, 1997.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-91175742170354201092008-03-22T08:20:00.002-04:002008-11-09T11:20:10.753-05:00

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."-- Albert Einstein

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-11979488286500711862008-03-21T13:43:00.004-04:002008-11-09T11:20:52.706-05:00

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-15470040856517569712007-12-29T11:31:00.000-05:002007-12-29T11:32:47.884-05:00

Robert Greenwald has compiled a short bibliography of articles on the current trend of personal greed and its devastating effects on the poor, the middle class, and our social fabric. Another excellent article from Rolling Stone is Paul Krugman's "The Great Wealth Transfer."

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-39087911585317656732007-12-08T11:39:00.000-05:002007-12-08T11:39:56.448-05:00

The Irreverent Reverend: Beating the Holiday Blues

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-73609270900607792412007-11-24T09:39:00.000-05:002007-11-24T09:40:47.415-05:00

Muslim leaders declare the unifying tenets of the three Abrahamic faiths in an letter submitted in September 2007 to Pope Benedict XVI: "A Common Word Among Us."

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-39652660600674476932007-06-26T16:34:00.000-04:002007-06-28T13:05:08.567-04:00

In this 2004 interview Mariane Pearl displays great maturity and insight as she reflects on her experience during and after the abduction and execution of her husband, Daniel. The 50-minutes interview is from the radio show, "Speaking of Faith. with Krista Tippett." To listen, download, or read a transcript of the interview, click here. Here's an excerpt:"For me they clearly haven't won as I'm

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-24561784981603853882007-06-24T19:11:00.000-04:002007-06-24T19:13:46.312-04:00

Bill Moyers delivered a transformative speech to the the United Church of Christ's bi-annual General Synod in Hartford yesterday. Moyer's talk provides moving examples of the current threats to American democracy and of outlandish economic and social injustice. And his talk calls th church to action, for "it is a small, committed, determined people of conscience that can turn this country around,

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-75525892673286238902007-06-22T07:02:00.000-04:002007-06-22T07:02:46.543-04:00

Here's a New York Times article that glimpses extraordinary personal dedication to limiting growth: Not Buying It.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1159143110148483462006-09-24T20:11:00.000-04:002006-09-24T20:20:58.950-04:00

In this essay from The New York Review of Books, Cheney: The Fatal Touch, Joan Didion manages, through unremitting scholarship, to disrobe our vice-emperor.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1155950782365572972006-08-18T21:26:00.000-04:002006-08-27T22:12:17.066-04:00

Sailing is a wonderful way to engage with beauty... of wind, waves, the curve of a sail and a hull, the strain of a line staying true. The boat doesn't move by dominating its surroundings, but through understanding, yielding, respecting. Will and I were lucky enough to go sailing overnight last week with my oldest friend, Bill, on his beautiful ketch Black Pearl.

Leenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1151154856975992632006-06-24T09:12:00.000-04:002006-06-24T09:32:40.223-04:00

I went to a wonderful concert Monday night, sponsored by Robert Jonas's Empty Bell center, and featuring Vince Redhouse. Vince had been a jazz musician from childhood who, at age 37, embraced his "Indianhood" and began playing the Indian flute. He extended its traditional Dorian scale into a full chromatic scale, and thereby can perform with European instruments in playing classical western music

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1141267167292711692006-03-01T21:39:00.000-05:002006-03-01T21:39:27.380-05:00

In a 3/1 salon.com artlcle entitled Impeach Bush,Garrison Keillor suggests "The U.S. Constitution provides a simple ultimate way to hold him to account for war crimes and the failure to attend to the country's defense. Impeach him and let the Senate hear the evidence." Hear, hear.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1141094465576469772006-02-27T21:41:00.000-05:002006-02-27T21:42:34.250-05:00

Bill Moyers takes on the scandal that is our national government in a Feb. 27 article, Saving Our Democracy on http://alternet.org. As usual, he cuts to the heart of the matter while providing full -- in this case, lurid -- detail. Here are a few conclusions, but you've got to read the article for the stories behind them. They made my hair stand on end."It is a Dick Cheney world out there -- a

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1131210002308887172005-11-05T12:00:00.000-05:002005-11-05T12:03:09.523-05:00

Here's Wendell Berry's manifesto for conserving community through localism. Berry argues persuasively that: "the great, centralized economic entities of our time do not come into rural places in order to improve them by 'creating jobs.' They come to take as much of value as they can take, as cheaply and as quickly as they can take it.... They are structures in which, as my brother says, "the

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1129807618594560842005-10-20T07:26:00.000-04:002005-10-20T07:42:19.846-04:00

Speaking of returning the holy to the holidays, here's a national campaign to "buycott" Wal-Mart and the other "big box" stores in favor of local, organic, sustainable. Includes a directory of eco-friendly products.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1129669448243312872005-10-18T16:54:00.000-04:002005-10-18T17:04:08.246-04:00

Here's a wonderful essay by Meredith Jordan that reminds us to treasure the holy in our upcoming holidays.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1129670118895432702005-10-12T17:07:00.000-04:002005-10-20T07:37:40.080-04:00

In a clarion letter to our weekly newspaper in Amhest, Mass., local Christian and Jewish clergy call us all to do more than passively watch the current administration destroy our world and the lives of our fellows, and in the name of God.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1128513566531049032005-10-05T07:59:00.000-04:002005-10-20T07:44:04.093-04:00

The conversation about how to best protect the family will be expanded formally Nov. 13-20 during a "Wal-Mart Week of Action" sponsored by the United Church of Christ.The actions don't include boycott, but rather seek to open a conversation about whether Wal-Mart's employee treatment is good for the families and communities it serves. "Does Wal-Mart really support strong, healthy families with

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1126175818360221202005-09-08T06:36:00.000-04:002005-09-08T06:36:58.366-04:00

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1121166715093054442005-07-12T07:11:00.000-04:002005-07-12T07:58:02.633-04:00

Flowers are everywhere on Kauai. Here are a few, and a green friend...

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1113890154326350642005-04-19T01:55:00.000-04:002005-04-19T01:55:54.326-04:00

My Sermon on Good Shepherd Sunday is more about the sheep than the shepherd.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1113672809131509852005-04-16T13:12:00.000-04:002005-04-16T13:34:22.516-04:00

From Richard Wilbur:"Corn planted us; tamed cattle made us tame.Thence hut and citadel and kingdom came."- Mayflies, Harcourt 2000

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1110461179271297032005-03-10T08:11:00.002-05:002009-04-14T14:27:08.839-04:00

Here is a centering meditation I like from Marcus Borg. Note: though the preceding linked page ignores it, I find an essential aspect of Borg's theology to be his recognition of the validity of paths outside Christianity. He points out, for instance, that though creeds and scriptures may appear contradictory, it's hard to tell one tradition from another when one reads their mystical poetry.Eyes

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1109360225673671222005-02-25T14:31:00.000-05:002005-02-25T15:38:20.156-05:00

As Marcus Borg said a couple of years ago in Hartford, we need to reclaim the phrase "born again" from conservative interpretation only. I tried to do this in my sermon February 20.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1109037501174306792005-02-21T20:23:00.000-05:002005-02-25T15:42:48.240-05:00

An exotic bird was lost last night when Hunter Thompson shot and killed himself. Our environment is poorer for the loss. Thompson was among a very small group of people who told the truth in ways that the royal consciousness would consider utterly distasteful, even depraved, and who attained prominence despite their eccentricity. Who else can we think of? Jack Kerouac. Lenny Bruce. John Lennon.

Leenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1107435435833754892005-02-03T07:54:00.000-05:002005-02-20T22:27:16.840-05:00

And we all know how this turned out...Thanks to Bill for this awful déja-vu:"United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting. According to reports from Saigon, 83 percent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1100270055085029942004-11-12T06:34:00.000-05:002004-11-12T09:50:22.896-05:00

Foreign Policy: blogs 'an elaborate network with agenda-setting power' Henry Copeland links to an article in Foreign Policy, reminding us you just can't overuse the first amendment. Thomas Paine would be proud. While we're at it, let's remember the text: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1100229746133952202004-11-11T22:22:00.000-05:002004-11-11T22:32:25.693-05:00

Beware the leader who... My friend Phil shared with me this quote, sent to him by his daughter: "Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind... "And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1100134363367556622004-11-10T19:52:00.000-05:002004-11-10T19:52:43.366-05:00

Blues Here's a wonderful essay by Hendrik Hertzberg in this week's New Yorker. An exerpt: "The early analyses credited Bush’s victory to religious conservatives, particularly those in the evangelical movement. In voting for Bush, as eighty per cent of them did, many of these formerly nonvoting white evangelicals are remaining true to their unworldliness. In voting for a party that wants to tax

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1100133865008629652004-11-10T19:44:00.000-05:002004-11-10T19:53:44.006-05:00

Correcting the blue/red balance Even when you know the election maps skew the red/blue balance in favor of area, not population, it's still hard to shake the impression that we're a red country. For a more accurate graphical view of how we voted, take a look at these Election result maps from the University of Michigan. Am I crazy or does the cartographic map with purple show very little pure

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1099684590291336572004-11-05T14:56:00.000-05:002004-11-05T15:06:18.410-05:00

The Whole World Is Watching My friend Willa said this cover makes her want to take back the tea from Boston Harbor. I agree -- a vote for George W is akin to a vote in 1773 for George III.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1099533722425671632004-11-03T21:02:00.000-05:002004-11-05T14:32:28.736-05:00

Shock and Awful The Times writer must have written this post-election editorial before the election. After, the depression wouldn't have allowed this level of reason.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1099444606657448432004-11-02T20:16:00.000-05:002004-11-02T20:16:46.656-05:00

The Revolution Will Be Posted Imagine... on the Times' op-ed page... bloggers!

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1099017390743000892004-10-28T22:36:00.000-04:002004-11-02T20:21:59.313-05:00

The Choice: A Threefer The New Yorker magazine has taken the unusual (unprecedented?) step of devoting the entire Talk of the Town section in the current issue to an election editorial called The Choice. The two other essays I have found most thorough and authentic recently are Garrison Keillor's and, from a Chrisian perspective, Bishop John Spong's. If you still prefer Bush after reading these,

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1098994073220256492004-10-28T16:07:00.000-04:002004-10-28T16:10:13.310-04:00

Everything you ever wanted to know about global warming but were afraid to ask This site, called Discovery of Global Warming (Weart), is a stunning reference on global warming and shows the value of hypertext in a specific work as well as across the entire web.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1096927234173299382004-10-04T17:55:00.000-04:002004-10-04T18:03:15.656-04:00

A couple of photos of Taylor Will, 9, and I spent a night with Taylor about a week ago after he crossed Pico and Killington peaks. When he got on the trail the next day, we got a photo of him facing us, and another one of him heading up the trail.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1096900883417587692004-10-04T10:41:00.000-04:002004-10-04T10:44:33.316-04:00

Taylor on the Long Trail My 22-year-old son, Taylor, called Saturday from Jonesville, on his way from the Mass./VT border to Canada along Vermont's high ridge. He expects to be in Johnson on Tuesday and at the Canadian border by Friday. I think today he's about in the middle of this nifty topo map which offers two-layer zooming and navigation north and south, as well as a little info on a few

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1096652930358848492004-10-01T13:48:00.000-04:002004-10-01T13:51:16.860-04:00

Garrison Keillor Takes Off the Gloves I have seen no more astute rendering of the current demise of democracy than this blast from Mr. Keillor. Thank you, Garrison.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1096641770642523802004-10-01T10:42:00.000-04:002004-10-01T10:46:23.666-04:00

Presidential Stature In the first debate, Bush looked small and peevish, and his understanding of the hell in Iraq seemed to rest on his notion of "hard work" and tv images of the war. Here's a New York Times article that gives a decent high-level critique of the two candidates' performances.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1093873490038963212004-08-30T09:40:00.000-04:002004-08-30T09:44:50.036-04:00

Aging & Choice From my best friend, who has been a recovering alcoholic for lo these many years: "Aging. And we pride ourselves in living longer. Here I am: weak, broke and no wood. Oh yea, haven't had a drink today, though I did take a bunch of pain killers for a gall stone. Rather like them, the pain killers; and if I don't eat fatty foods the gall stone doesn't bother me. Then of course I

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1090700129996106662004-07-15T16:14:00.000-04:002004-07-24T16:16:34.686-04:00

Spearfish, South Dakota to Sheridan, Wyoming Bear Lodge America's first national monument, the rock monolith known as Devil's Tower was sacred to several Indian tribes, most of whom called it "Bear Lodge." In the visitor's center was the following quote from Johnson Holy ROck, a Lakota Elder:"If a man was starving, he was poor in spirit and in body, he went into the Black Hills. The next

Leenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1090700051033456792004-07-14T16:11:00.000-04:002005-05-19T14:43:52.866-04:00

Lead, South Dakota (pronounced "Leed")We visited Lead, South Dakota (pronounced "Leed") before Spearfish. Lead is a gold-rush town. Like so much of the experience of settlement in the west, many came to find a better life, but only a very few remained, and those ended up with the land.In the case of Lead, only one remained: George Hearst, father of William Randolph. George founded the Homestake

Leenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1089461178144262362004-07-08T20:02:00.000-04:002004-07-22T01:50:34.480-04:00

Westward, ho! Cynthia has worked since January to plan a family trip to the west, focused mainly on the westward expansion of the U.S. in the early 1800s. Yesterday we set off in our Toyota Previa van, planning to camp about half the nights, and return July 28. Over the next three weeks, we'll pass through nine states in our quest to plumb the experience of those who participated in the

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1087616373577685082004-06-18T23:36:00.000-04:002004-06-18T23:39:33.576-04:00

The Beloved, part 2 Here's the sermon I preached last week, on the subject of forgiveness.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1086554774110044052004-06-06T16:46:00.000-04:002004-06-18T23:42:32.560-04:00

The Beloved Here's a sermon I preached at South Church in Amherst on March 28. It's another take on the idea that, "If you there is a place where you want love, put love there, and you will find love."

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1084849743506885412004-05-17T23:09:00.000-04:002004-05-17T23:09:03.506-04:00

Endangered Wisdom Ethnic diversity is as important to our combined intelligence as species diversity is to earth ecology, says Wade Davis, the visionary who looks into the depths of the cultures he visits all over the world. He explains some of his ideas in this National Geographic interview.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1076468582969292742004-02-10T22:03:00.000-05:002004-02-10T22:04:50.606-05:00

Howard Dean and the UCC The president of the United Church of Christ comments on the tradition that Dean avows in an op-ed piece in the Boston Globe.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1070998362705769812003-12-09T14:32:00.000-05:002003-12-09T14:34:07.186-05:00

Open Source Everywhere If you haven't had a chance yet, read Open Source Everywhere from the 11/11/03 issue of Wired Magazine. Thomas Goetz underlines some of the benefits held dear by bloggers, such as the power of fast collaboration. The potential applications are mind-boggling, notably those made possible by this instantaneous peer-to-peer communications marvel. Question: when is it

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1069809151506832722003-11-25T20:12:00.000-05:002003-11-25T20:30:31.936-05:00

In the beginning... We're off for a week in colonial Virginia, where at least two foundation stones of America were laid in Jamestown, the English foothold, settled in the hopes of vast riches. The men who barely survived the first years of privation found no gold as promised by their sponsors, the Virginia Company of London. But they did find the country's first boom crop: tobacco, and thereby

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1066878897107708902003-10-22T23:14:00.000-04:002003-10-24T16:03:12.650-04:00

What I Got from Cliff Thanks to Cliff, I arrived home last night a lot happier than when I started out. I had spent a fruitless hour searching in the drizzle and cold for the pda I depend on utterly. I knew exactly where I had been during the half-hour in which I lost it, but it wasn't there. So I headed home depressed with no confidence I'd find it and insufficient funds to replace it. You have

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1066749932005760802003-10-21T11:25:00.000-04:002003-10-21T11:30:17.590-04:00

Keep it Simple... I have missed posting since August 30. How time flies. I had lots of time during my recuperation from surgery this summer; now my life often feels like an out-of-control train, and one of the casualties is blogging. I have felt isolated as a result, and so I'm happy to report that my friend Henry Copeland inspired me in an e-mail today to go for small, simple posts, and I will.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1062276103387935062003-08-30T16:41:00.000-04:002003-08-30T16:41:43.340-04:00

Out of the Mouths of Babes... My eight-year old Willy, when his guinea pig Leafy died the other day, was faced with the choice of where to bury him. He decided on a place in the back yard which, he said, "is where the heart would be if the back yard were a person."

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1060562976850709002003-08-10T20:49:00.000-04:002003-08-10T20:53:35.226-04:00

Emerson on Spirit In her review of Lawrence Buell's new biography, Emerson, Brenda Wineapple passes on a quote from Emerson that caught me:''Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom which animates all whom it floats, and you are without effort impelled to truth, to right, and a perfect contentment.''

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1060398814367181102003-08-08T23:13:00.000-04:002003-08-08T23:50:21.030-04:00

We need more heart, more than ever In an editorial in the Times Magazine last week called The Tug of Paternalism, James Traub makes a powerful argument for allowing the heart to enter our policy making. He is speaking specifically of deciding whether to intervene in Liberia, but his call for more heart could serve as well in any area of policy, foreign or domestic. He writes, "When Liberian

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1060132552289302192003-08-05T21:15:00.000-04:002003-08-05T22:02:06.553-04:00

Doing the right thing v.s. doing things right During my annual conversation today with my friend Chris Moore, an Episcopal priest who has much wisdom and whose book, Solitude, is a welcome support for "alone time" in the midst of the crazy demands of life today, we talked about this notion of form v.s. substance. Chris said that the most common failing of ministers is to insist on their way of

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1060022972671269002003-08-04T14:49:00.000-04:002003-08-04T19:34:43.683-04:00

Form vs. substance In a book review in this week's Times, Robert Wright raised some questions for me in his discussion of the role of fundamentalism in promoting violence. In his review of the new book, Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, by Jon Krakauer, he says, "Krakauer writes that 'as a means of motivating people to be cruel or inhumane … there may be no more potent force

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1059759815443313092003-08-01T13:43:00.000-04:002003-08-09T00:18:09.660-04:00

Beyond "smelly little orthodoxies" Terrance Keenan, the zen twelve-stepper who I mentioned in an earlier post as the author of St. Nadie: Zen Encounters with Loneliness, delves on page 12 into one of my deepest concerns: fundamentalism, aka in its sneakier form, dogma. He writes, "...Orwell [George?] would have us stand against all the 'smelly little orthodoxies which are now contending for our

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1059268615245681722003-07-26T21:16:00.000-04:002003-08-01T13:44:01.270-04:00

Helping helps I missed a couple of posts Sunday and Monday because my car broke down on my way back to Mass. from Maine, and I ended up in a motel for the night with my son Taylor and his girlfriend Emily. Besides the chance to spend the time with them, the other good part of the whole fiasco was the helpfulness of people throughout. One example: the manager of the truck stop where we had broken

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1059147787235682722003-07-25T11:43:00.000-04:002003-07-25T11:44:19.760-04:00

Technology encourages disclosure, at least while holes are open... Here's some great research that shows how Word document info revealed British truth-tweaking -- Microsoft Word bytes Tony Blair in the butt: "Microsoft Word documents are notorious for containing private information in file headers which people would sometimes rather not share. The British government of Tony Blair just learned

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1059147505748184612003-07-25T11:38:00.000-04:002003-07-25T11:38:25.786-04:00

Blogs shake the political discourse An article in yesterday's Boston Globe entitled 'Blogs' shake the political discourse is worth the read. It says in part: "Blogs, they predict, are harbingers of a new, interactive culture that will change the way democracy works, turning voters into active participants rather than passive consumers, limiting the traditional media's role as gatekeeper, and

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058825834400559722003-07-21T18:17:00.000-04:002003-07-21T18:57:12.100-04:00

My friend Tawnya Kelley Tiskus sent a thoughtful response to my previous post, reproduced here with my reply following: "Hi, Lee! -- ....I just got back from a weekend with Mike & 2 friends camping in Vermont. The Dali Lama's comments were tuned into human matters (which of course is what usually concerns us) but when I stretched out next to the campfire, the stars visible above me, the fire

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058733743831363302003-07-20T16:42:00.000-04:002003-07-21T11:02:13.990-04:00

I heard the following story about the Dalai Lama a number of years ago. I have never seen it corroborated, but as an indigenous storyteller might say: I don't know if this is how it happened, but the story is true. The Dalai Lama was scheduled to speak at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. When the ceremonies began, there was standing room only -- he is exotic and legendary,

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058640814285479302003-07-19T14:53:00.000-04:002003-07-21T18:53:27.740-04:00

Frightening fundamentalism: destroy the environment to save it(!!!) During the Vietnam War, I found one slogan particularly meaningful: "Fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity." Now an article I just read posits that some of the Republican leadership/Religious Right believe they can save the world by destroying it. Their idea is that environmental science is bunk, and that God's real

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058587083891786592003-07-18T23:58:00.000-04:002003-07-18T23:59:01.646-04:00

Ghandi's 20-20 vision "The things that will destroy us are: Politics without principle; Pleasure without conscience; Wealth without work; Knowledge without character; Business without morality; Science without humanity, And worship without sacrifice." -- Mahatma Gandhi This quote courtesy of Care2.com, the environmental site that brings us Race for the Rainforest and other pages which provide

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058585120676961232003-07-18T23:25:00.000-04:002003-07-18T23:37:53.640-04:00

Amnesty International's 2003 report Amnesty International recently released its 2003 Report, which "documents human rights abuses in 151 countries and territories during 2002" and "is a contribution to the work of human rights defenders struggling to achieve a safer world, a world where human rights take priority over political, military or economic interests." Those interested will find

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058579389422620312003-07-18T21:49:00.000-04:002003-07-18T23:26:53.863-04:00

Because the kids will lead us A post by Henry Copeland yesterday led me to David Weinberger's wonderful web book for kids -- What the Web Is For, which was written by Weinberger for his 11-year old as a kid's version of his Small Pieces Loosely Joined: a Unified Theory of the Web. I wonder where the web will be when my Emily (10) and Willy (8) are my age (none of your biz).

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058578275679950602003-07-18T21:31:00.000-04:002003-07-18T23:28:57.883-04:00

Will the real Pat Roberston please stand up? For a good blog search engine that reviews listings, check Blog Search Engine. It led me to a new favorite -- Meditatio, whose delightful truth-telling includes a post that advocates Operation Pat Robertson -- a 21-day prayer offensive "to change Pat Robertson and make him a compassionate human being." This in response to Robertson's 21-day prayer

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058456020369653682003-07-17T11:33:00.000-04:002003-07-17T11:34:45.713-04:00

Sojourners An excellent site offering progressive social action interactively is Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058330493059622152003-07-16T00:41:00.000-04:002003-07-16T00:54:16.666-04:00

Blogging through the presidential race Presidential contender Howard Dean is mining the internet's campaign potential in a big way. His Blog for America offers many ways to connect to Dean's platform and effort. An early benefit is to his warchest, which a July 16 post says is fatter than other Democrats' for the April through June quarter. Close to half of it came from the Internet and most of

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058329619645615842003-07-16T00:26:00.000-04:002003-07-16T00:47:02.413-04:00

More evangelism for blogging-as-change-agent Christopher Lydon (image-laden/slow) is a progressive journalist who preaches the power of blogging. Chris interviewed Dave Winer, a founding father of the new republic of Blog, because "I want to know what kind of democratic experiment this blog idea really amounts to." He raises more questions than answers, but isn't that the point? Transcripts and

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058328266729863442003-07-16T00:04:00.000-04:002003-07-17T13:54:46.613-04:00

Blogging is a radically democratic conversation My friend Henry Copeland, who introduced me to blogging, draws an analogy to the elite salons of the early 20th century. Apparently, for each session every participant was asked to begin by recording salient details of their gestalt, and then minutes were taken during the day's conversation. This material was sometimes published so others could

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058249800438621272003-07-15T02:16:00.000-04:002003-07-15T02:17:43.893-04:00

One Person Can Make All the Difference My friend Mark Cherrington recently pointed me to his Discover magazine article describing how one man has managed to create a viable habitat for migratory birds in Israel that has actually saved a large portion of European birds and the ecosystems that depend on them on three continents(!). I responded to Mark with my concern that if so much depends on the

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058248530939040642003-07-15T01:55:00.000-04:002003-07-15T03:04:39.060-04:00

Building Bridges One Photo at a Time A couple of months ago, we went to New York to learn about immigration with our eight- and ten-year-old kids. Just before the ferry left the dock for the Statue of Liberty, I dislocated my artificial hip for the fourth time in two years. I spent the next 12 hours with first responders and medical personnel on the scene on 9/11. All of them wanted to talk...

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058244497512471202003-07-15T00:48:00.000-04:002003-07-15T00:55:06.540-04:00

Brian Weatherson's Philosophy Blog I found Brian's terrific philosophy blog through Crooked Timber (where Brian is part of the solid team) thanks again to (is this getting embarassing?) Henry. They have joined my nascent list of admired bloggers.

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058240028947232102003-07-14T23:33:00.000-04:002003-07-15T00:10:53.836-04:00

Attraction vs Alienation Another blog that Henry led me to is Akma's Random Thoughts, with which, as a seminarian, I feel a kinship. One of Akma's posts speaks to an issue that has been on my mind since I started blogging, all 48 hours or so. I am drawn to blogging in part for its power to educate, to inspire, and ultimately to raise the consciousness of readers. I think humanity will jump (to a

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058237275030770692003-07-14T22:47:00.000-04:002003-07-14T22:48:29.670-04:00

Yet more from Henry Henry gave me a plug last night and then he came for lunch today (no quid pro quo). As my generous blogging consultant, he turned me on to Eschaton (by Atrios), through which I discovered the massive/incisive info portal moose and squirrel information one-stop and the action-oriented Failure Is Impossible and even Progressive Majority. All these are now on my sidebar. This

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058199423732627732003-07-14T12:17:00.000-04:002003-07-14T12:19:00.313-04:00

Blogger Ben Ben Franklin was a blogger at heart. Check out his essay "Apology for Printers" linked on this PBS feature page. Of all the focus on Ben lately, I'm most attracted to Walter Isaacson's, who focuses on Ben's vision and radical democratic idealism. We could use such a hero today. But wait! Given that imagination is beyond time, we can turn to Ben!

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058152430076987402003-07-13T23:13:00.000-04:002003-07-14T01:11:57.473-04:00

Longing & Mumchance "In a universe of so-called oneness, what is not the same? We want it to be us. And we do not want it. The Chilean poet Cecelia Vicunos writes: 'In Nahuatl, one of the names for God is nearness and togetherness.' We wish to be unique and together at once. It is a kind of sadness, this longing. . . . "There is a word that comes to us from the Middle Low German that means to

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058151712552335872003-07-13T23:01:00.000-04:002003-07-13T23:43:19.000-04:00

What Kathleen Knew Here's an excerpt of the excerpt from Kathleen Raine, which was linked in my last post: "This at least we know, that humanity cannot be defined or described in material terms or in terms of quantity. Measurement cannot discover the immeasurable. The power that moves the sun and the other stars lies altogether outside the order of materialistic science and its child, technology

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058042396029762822003-07-12T16:39:00.000-04:002003-07-13T01:31:06.583-04:00

The ground of reality is spirit "Art and religion are the same thing," said Yeats, according to a Times obituary that introduced me to Kathleen Raine, who died Sunday at age 95. The Times says she was a "mystically inclined British poet and a scholar of Yeats and Blake" who was a "grande dame of European letters." She founded the Temenos Academy of Integral Studies, a "teaching institution [

Leenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058041400614354362003-07-12T16:23:00.000-04:002007-06-28T06:57:24.247-04:00

Truth is One:: The truth is the truth.:: The truth doesn't change, no matter what we say about it.:: Religion, philosophy, art, etc. are human creations.:: In Buddhist words, each path is "a finger pointing to the moon.":: Because we are part of the Truth, we can know it.:: We will never know it all.:: We need bridges, not walls.:: Our success will match our humility.

Leenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563619.post-1058040948957969062003-07-12T16:15:00.000-04:002003-07-13T01:38:07.880-04:00

Now I am a blogger Now I am a blogger, thanks to Henry Copeland. I am excited to have this new facet of identity. I'm also excited to have the forum since, as my family, friends, and acquaintances will tell you, I have more to say than anyone wants to hear. A weblog is just the ticket... those who want to listen can, and the rest can spare themselves. If you're one who comes back for more, I look

Leenoreply@blogger.com0