A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 30/04/2015
“O serviço desinteressado é o amor em movimento. Quando o amor é
colocado em movimento ele gera felicidade. Se você é o canal desse amor,
a felicidade passa por você para chegar ao outro, e você também se
sente feliz. Esse é o poder do serviço: ele faz com que você se torne um
elo na corrente da felicidade.”
Para ler o Satsang Completo, acesse: bit.ly/1DKa5Xd
“El servicio desinteresado es el amor en movimiento. Cuando el amor es
colocado en movimiento genera felicidad. Si eres un canal de ese amor,
la felicidad pasa por ti para llegar al otro, y también te sientes
feliz. Este es el poder del servicio: hace que te vuelvas un eslabón en
la corriente de la felicidad.”
“Selfless service is love in action. When love is set in motion, it generates happiness. If you are a channel of love, happiness flows through you to reach the other, and you also feel happy. This is the power of service: it makes you become a link in the chain of happiness."
“Selfless service is love in action. When love is set in motion, it generates happiness. If you are a channel of love, happiness flows through you to reach the other, and you also feel happy. This is the power of service: it makes you become a link in the chain of happiness."
Via Daily Dharma
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Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Via Huffington Post: 7 Things Churches Can Do to Make Queer People Feel Welcome
For as long as I can remember, the church, for me, has been a place
characterized by shame and hurt. I remember Christian high school
friends telling me that I would go to hell for being Queer. I remember
hearing sermons from televangelists about the evils of homosexuality,
and church leaders pressuring youth leaders to cast out their Queer
members. I've heard more talk of "love the sinner, hate the sin," and
"God didn't make gay," than anyone should, and I've even received
personalized hate mail declaring that "God hates dykes."
While I've never believed being Queer automatically counted me out, I've been unable to find a church community that I, as a Trans person, could really call home -- a place I could engage in conversations around faith and sexuality, faith and gender.
Last fall, a co-worker invited me to meet with a group of leaders from her church who were working to make their community more open and affirming. As the Director of LGBTQA Advocacy and Education at the local college, I suppose I was a logical choice, though this colleague knew nothing of my lifelong struggles with faith.
Through talking with these people about their desires to be inclusive and their belief in God's love extending to all people, I found my mind re-opening to faith, to God. Because of these conversations, I realized that it is possible for Queer people to feel welcome and safe at church. Ultimately, it begins with education and relationships.
Make the jum here to read the 7 things all churches can do to help make Queer people feel welcome.
While I've never believed being Queer automatically counted me out, I've been unable to find a church community that I, as a Trans person, could really call home -- a place I could engage in conversations around faith and sexuality, faith and gender.
Last fall, a co-worker invited me to meet with a group of leaders from her church who were working to make their community more open and affirming. As the Director of LGBTQA Advocacy and Education at the local college, I suppose I was a logical choice, though this colleague knew nothing of my lifelong struggles with faith.
Through talking with these people about their desires to be inclusive and their belief in God's love extending to all people, I found my mind re-opening to faith, to God. Because of these conversations, I realized that it is possible for Queer people to feel welcome and safe at church. Ultimately, it begins with education and relationships.
Make the jum here to read the 7 things all churches can do to help make Queer people feel welcome.
Via JMG: Sen. Bernie Sanders To Enter 2016 Race
Via the Associated Press:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will announce his plans to seek the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday, presenting a liberal challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sanders, an independent who describes himself as a "democratic socialist," will follow a formal statement with a major campaign kickoff in his home state in several weeks. Two people familiar with his announcement spoke to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity to describe internal planning. Sanders will become the second major Democrat in the race, joining Clinton. He has urged the former secretary of state to speak out strongly about issues related to income inequality and climate change. The former first lady and New York senator is viewed as a heavy favorite in the Democratic primary and formally entered the race earlier this month.Oh this will be interesting.
This Is How Fast America Changes Its Mind
By Alex Tribou and Keith Collins
April 26, 2015
April 26, 2015
Eleven years
after Massachusetts became the first state to allow same-sex couples to
marry, the Supreme Court on April 28 will hear arguments about whether
to extend that right nationwide. The case comes amid a wave of gay
marriage legalization: 28 states since 2013, and 36 overall. Such
widespread acceptance in a short amount of time isn't a phenomenon
unique to gay marriage. Social change in the U.S. appears to follow a
pattern: A few pioneer states get out front before the others, and then a
key event—often a court decision or a grassroots campaign reaching
maturity—triggers a rush of state activity that ultimately leads to a
change in federal law.
We looked at six big issues—interracial marriage, prohibition, women’s suffrage, abortion, same-sex marriage, and recreational marijuana — to show how this has happened in the past, and may again in the very near future.
We looked at six big issues—interracial marriage, prohibition, women’s suffrage, abortion, same-sex marriage, and recreational marijuana — to show how this has happened in the past, and may again in the very near future.
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 29/04/2015
“Enquanto tenta suprir a sua carência ganhando dinheiro, comendo ou
comprando coisas, você prejudica prioritariamente a si mesmo. Mas,
quando tenta suprir a carência dominando o outro, as coisas complicam.
Porque, para dominar o outro, você precisará fazer com que ele se sinta
inferior. Esse é um jogo perverso. Você faz o outro se sentir impotente
para poder se sentir potente; você joga a culpa no outro para não se
sentir culpado. Isso é maldade de verdade.”
Para ler o Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/prembaba01
“Mientras intentas suplir tu carencia ganando dinero, comiendo o comprando cosas, te perjudicas prioritariamente a ti mismo. Pero cuando intentas suplir la carencia dominando al otro, las cosas se complican. Porque para dominar al otro, necesitarás hacer que él se sienta inferior. Este es un juego perverso. Haces al otro sentirse impotente para poder sentirte potente, le hechas la culpa al otro para no sentirte culpable. Eso es maldad de verdad.”
"When we try to compensate for our neediness by making money, eating or buying things, we are mainly hurting ourselves. But when we try to compensate for this neediness by dominating others, things get complicated. In order to dominate others, we need to make them feel inferior. This is a perverse game. We make the other feel powerless in order for us to feel powerful; we lay the blame on the other to not feel guilty ourselves. This is true evil. "
“Mientras intentas suplir tu carencia ganando dinero, comiendo o comprando cosas, te perjudicas prioritariamente a ti mismo. Pero cuando intentas suplir la carencia dominando al otro, las cosas se complican. Porque para dominar al otro, necesitarás hacer que él se sienta inferior. Este es un juego perverso. Haces al otro sentirse impotente para poder sentirte potente, le hechas la culpa al otro para no sentirte culpable. Eso es maldad de verdad.”
"When we try to compensate for our neediness by making money, eating or buying things, we are mainly hurting ourselves. But when we try to compensate for this neediness by dominating others, things get complicated. In order to dominate others, we need to make them feel inferior. This is a perverse game. We make the other feel powerless in order for us to feel powerful; we lay the blame on the other to not feel guilty ourselves. This is true evil. "
Via Daily Dharma
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Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Via JMG: Buzzfeed Predicts Win For The Good Guys
Chris Geidner writes at Buzzfeed:
At Tuesday’s marriage arguments over same-sex couples’ marriage rights, the majority of the court appeared to be comfortable with Justice Anthony Kennedy’s understanding of human dignity as including gay people’s equal treatment under the law. While Kennedy, who is considered the key swing vote in the case, did not make any unambiguous statement about the end result of the case, he harshly questioned the state of Michigan’s argument that it should be allowed to exclude same-sex couples from marriage.Geidner notes that Chief Justice John Roberts did not appear to favor either side.
At one point, Kennedy commented to Michigan’s lawyer that its law banning same-sex couples from marrying “assumes” that those couples can’t have the same “more noble purpose” as opposite sex couples have for entering marriage. Joined often by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, the lawyer defending marriage bans, John Bursch, faced repeated questions about what other limits states could constitutionally place on marriages and whether the states’ claimed interest amounted to anything more than, as Sotomayor asked, a “ceiling…that doesn’t have logic.”
Via JMG: Attorney General Loretta Lynch: Same-Sex Couples Deserve Marriage Rights Now
"I am committed – as is this department – to ensuring equal dignity and
equal treatment for all members of society, regardless of sexual
orientation. As we argued today before the Supreme Court, same-sex
couples deserve that treatment now. " - Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 28/04/2015
“Em algum momento do seu estudo de si mesmo, você é levado a
compreender o poder da escolha. Quando esse poder está a serviço do eu
inferior, sua força de vontade é usada para alimentar vícios e maus
hábitos. E muitas vezes você se coloca na posição de vítima, como se não
pudesse escolher fazer diferente. Nesse ponto se faz necessário
iluminar a virtude da autorresponsabilidade para compreender que você
está onde se coloca. A partir daí, você
começa a compreender as estratégias do eu inferior. Ele precisa da sua
energia para continuar vivendo, então ele faz de tudo para mantê-lo
preso ao sofrimento, pois é de sofrimento que ele se alimenta.”
Para ler o Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/1CviIRC
“En algún momento de tu estudio de ti mismo, eres llevado a comprender el poder de la elección. Cuando ese poder está al servicio del yo inferior, tu fuerza de voluntad es usada para alimentar vicios y malos hábitos. Y muchas veces te colocas en la posición de víctima, como si no pudieras elegir otra cosa. En ese punto se hace necesario iluminar la virtud de la auto-responsabilidad para comprender que estás donde te colocas. A partir de ahí, comienzas a comprender las estrategias del yo inferior. Él necesita de tu energía para continuar viviendo, entonces hace de todo para mantenerte preso al sufrimiento, porque es de sufrimiento que se alimenta.”
"At some moment in our self-study, we are led to understand the power of choice. When this power is at service of the lower self, our willpower is used to feed our addictions and bad habits. Many times, we put ourselves in the position of the victim, as though we could not choose to do anything else. At this point, it’s necessary to illuminate the virtue of self-responsibility to understand that we are exactly where we place ourselves. From here, we begin to understand the strategies of the lower self. It needs our energy in order to survive, so it does everything it can to keep us stuck in our suffering, because suffering is what feeds the lower self."
“En algún momento de tu estudio de ti mismo, eres llevado a comprender el poder de la elección. Cuando ese poder está al servicio del yo inferior, tu fuerza de voluntad es usada para alimentar vicios y malos hábitos. Y muchas veces te colocas en la posición de víctima, como si no pudieras elegir otra cosa. En ese punto se hace necesario iluminar la virtud de la auto-responsabilidad para comprender que estás donde te colocas. A partir de ahí, comienzas a comprender las estrategias del yo inferior. Él necesita de tu energía para continuar viviendo, entonces hace de todo para mantenerte preso al sufrimiento, porque es de sufrimiento que se alimenta.”
"At some moment in our self-study, we are led to understand the power of choice. When this power is at service of the lower self, our willpower is used to feed our addictions and bad habits. Many times, we put ourselves in the position of the victim, as though we could not choose to do anything else. At this point, it’s necessary to illuminate the virtue of self-responsibility to understand that we are exactly where we place ourselves. From here, we begin to understand the strategies of the lower self. It needs our energy in order to survive, so it does everything it can to keep us stuck in our suffering, because suffering is what feeds the lower self."
Via Daily Dharma
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