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.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
SCORE!!! Olympics Officials Make HUGE Pro-Gay Move
In what's already being hailed as "a great step forward," the International Olympic Committee has taken a significant move against future intolerance toward the lesbian, gay and bisexual community in the Olympic Games.
The Chicago Tribune reports that IOC members unanimously voted to approve a recommendation which adds non-discrimination language regarding sexual orientation to the Olympic Charter.
"The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status," the Charter now reads, according to the publication.
The decision to update the wording, which will also be included in all future Olympic Games host city contracts, follows a flurry of controversy surrounding the 2014 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sochi, Russia. A number of high-profile LGBT rights advocates called for the U.S. to boycott the Sochi games in response to Russia's controversial "gay propaganda" legislation.
Cher, Madonna and Lady Gaga were among the high-profile celebrities to decry the law, which imposes fines and sentences on anyone deemed to be distributing "pro-gay" information to minors. Full story here!
Via WGB: International Study Finds Widespread Anti-Gay Discrimination in Sports
The findings were contained in "Out on the Fields," released Sunday, which officials said was the first international study and the largest conducted on discrimination against gay, lesbian and bisexual participants in sports.
The study, which also canvassed heterosexual respondents, surveyed nearly 3,000 people in Australia, 2,025 in the United States and 1,780 in Britain. The study was also conducted in Canada, New Zealand and Ireland. Full story here via Edge!
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 12/05/2015
“À medida que a sua consciência vai se expandindo, que a sua percepção
vai se ampliando, e você começa a enxergar as partes da sua
personalidade que estavam trancadas em negação, simultaneamente, seu
canal espiritual vai se alargando. Ao mesmo tempo em que trabalha para
transformar os aspectos negativos da sua personalidade, aos poucos você
vai se tornando uma usina de transformação do sofrimento planetário.
Então você passa a captar os karmas dos
grupos mais próximos, e conforme o seu canal vai se abrindo, o diâmetro
de captação vai aumentando.”
“A medida que tu consciencia se va expandiendo, que tu percepción se
va ampliando, y comienzas a ver las partes de tu personalidad que
estaban trabadas en negación, simultáneamente, tu canal espiritual se va
ensanchando. Al mismo tiempo en que trabajas para transformar los
aspectos negativos de tu personalidad, de a poco te vas volviendo una
usina de transformación del sufrimiento planetario. Entonces pasas a
captar los karmas de los grupos más próximos, y conforme tu canal se va
abriendo, el diámetro de captación va aumentando.”
"As our consciousness expands, our perception widens and we get to see parts of our personality that were locked up in denial. As that happens, our spiritual channel continues to broaden. Even while we work to transform the negative aspects of our personality, we become 'power plants' for transforming global suffering. We start taking on the karma of those closest to us, and as our inner channel continues to open, we reach circles with an ever-expanding radius."
"As our consciousness expands, our perception widens and we get to see parts of our personality that were locked up in denial. As that happens, our spiritual channel continues to broaden. Even while we work to transform the negative aspects of our personality, we become 'power plants' for transforming global suffering. We start taking on the karma of those closest to us, and as our inner channel continues to open, we reach circles with an ever-expanding radius."
Via Daily Dharma
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Monday, May 11, 2015
Anon FB Post of the Day: Dream on fundamentalists.
"I
love this explanation:
So this whole universe is infinite as far as human perception goes and one galaxy is a spec of dust in that universe and the earth is a spec of dust in the galaxy and God really cares if one is gay or straight? God is that small and petty?
Dream on fundamentalists."
So this whole universe is infinite as far as human perception goes and one galaxy is a spec of dust in that universe and the earth is a spec of dust in the galaxy and God really cares if one is gay or straight? God is that small and petty?
Dream on fundamentalists."
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 11/05/2015
“A mente condicionada normalmente nos leva a seguir na direção oposta
àquela que determina o coração. Isso gera tensão e angústia. Esse
conflito de direções dentro de nós é o que conhecemos como sofrimento. A
mente condicionada quer agradar; ela quer ser respeitada, considerada e
amada. Portanto todas as ações que nascem dela são estratégias para
receber esse amor. Mas amor forçado não é amor. Esse “amor” não
preenche, somente aumenta a angústia. A
ação capaz de preencher o vazio existencial do ser humano com alegria é
aquela que nasce do coração. É preciso saber ouvir a voz do coração,
mesmo quando somos julgados e criticados por isso.”
“La mente condicionada normalmente nos lleva a seguir en la dirección
opuesta de aquella que determina el corazón. Esto genera tensión y
angustia. Este conflicto de direcciones dentro nuestro es lo que
conocemos como sufrimiento. La mente condicionada quiere agradar, quiere
ser respetada, considerada y amada. Por lo tanto, todas las acciones
que nacen de ella son estrategias para recibir ese amor. Pero amor
forzado no es amor. Ese “amor” no llena, solamente aumente la angustia.
La acción capaz de llenar el vacío existencial del ser humano con
alegría es aquella que nace del corazón. Es necesario saber oír la voz
del corazón, hasta cuando somos juzgados y criticados por ello.”
"The conditioned mind usually leads us to the opposite direction from where our heart guides us towards. This causes tension and anguish. We feel this clash in directions simply as suffering. The conditioned mind wants to please, so as to make us feel respected, considered and loved. All actions born from this place are strategies to receive this love – a forced love that really isn't love at all, for it doesn't fulfill us and only increases our anguish. Only actions that spring from the heart can fill up with joy that existential emptiness human beings feel. We need to learn to listen to the voice of the heart, even if we are judged and criticized for it."
"The conditioned mind usually leads us to the opposite direction from where our heart guides us towards. This causes tension and anguish. We feel this clash in directions simply as suffering. The conditioned mind wants to please, so as to make us feel respected, considered and loved. All actions born from this place are strategies to receive this love – a forced love that really isn't love at all, for it doesn't fulfill us and only increases our anguish. Only actions that spring from the heart can fill up with joy that existential emptiness human beings feel. We need to learn to listen to the voice of the heart, even if we are judged and criticized for it."
Via Daily Dharma
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Saturday, May 9, 2015
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 09/05/2015
“Qual a diferença entre a dependência e a entrega num relacionamento? É
a mesma diferença que existe entre medo e confiança, são extremos
opostos. A dependência é um desdobramento do medo, a entrega é um
desdobramento da confiança.”
“¿Cuál es la diferencia entre la dependencia y la entrega en una relación? Es la misma diferencia que existe entre miedo y confianza, son extremos opuestos. La dependencia es un desdoblamiento del miedo, la entrega es un desdoblamiento de la confianza.”
“¿Cuál es la diferencia entre la dependencia y la entrega en una relación? Es la misma diferencia que existe entre miedo y confianza, son extremos opuestos. La dependencia es un desdoblamiento del miedo, la entrega es un desdoblamiento de la confianza.”
"What is the difference between dependence and surrender within a
relationship? It's the same as the difference between fear and trust –
they are extreme opposites. Dependence is an offshoot of fear, while
surrender is an unfolding of trust.”
Via Daily Dharma!
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Friday, May 8, 2015
Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 08/05/2015
“Temos reproduzido na esfera coletiva as mesmas dificuldades que
vivemos nos nossos relacionamentos afetivos, na nossa família, com
nossos vizinhos, com quem está perto. Precisamos rever nossos
comportamentos, mudar a nossa relação com o outro e com a natureza. Os
sintomas da crise que estamos vivendo são desdobramentos da inabilidade
do ser humano em lidar com a própria sombra. Assim como suprimimos o
ciúme e a inveja, deixando esses
sentimentos influenciarem nossas vidas de forma indireta, temos deixado o
ódio inconsciente destruir o planeta. Na base da crise planetária está a
guerra dos sexos, a distorção do masculino e do feminino.”
“Hemos reproducido en la esfera colectiva las mismas dificultades que
vivimos en nuestras relaciones afectivas, en nuestra familia, con
nuestros vecinos, con quien está cerca. Necesitamos rever nuestros
comportamientos, cambiar nuestra relación con el otro y con la
naturaleza. Los síntomas de la crisis que estamos viviendo son
desdoblamientos de la inhabilidad del ser humano en lidiar con la propia
sombra. Así como suprimimos los celos y la envidia, dejando que estos
sentimientos influencien nuestras vidas de forma indirecta, hemos dejado
que el odio inconsciente destruya el planeta. En la base de la crisis
planetaria está la guerra de los sexos, la distorsión del masculino y
del femenino.”
"We recreate the same difficulties at the collective level that we endure within our loving relationships, with our family, neighbors or whoever we are around. It's time we take a better look at our behaviors, so as to transform our relationship with others, as well as with nature as a whole. We are experiencing a crisis, the symptoms of which stem from our inability to deal with our own shadow. In the same way that we feed jealousy or envy, allowing these feelings to indirectly influence our lives, we have also been allowing unconscious hatred to destroy the planet. At the very root of this whole global crisis lies a war between the sexes, acting through the distortion of the masculine and feminine principles."
"We recreate the same difficulties at the collective level that we endure within our loving relationships, with our family, neighbors or whoever we are around. It's time we take a better look at our behaviors, so as to transform our relationship with others, as well as with nature as a whole. We are experiencing a crisis, the symptoms of which stem from our inability to deal with our own shadow. In the same way that we feed jealousy or envy, allowing these feelings to indirectly influence our lives, we have also been allowing unconscious hatred to destroy the planet. At the very root of this whole global crisis lies a war between the sexes, acting through the distortion of the masculine and feminine principles."
Via Daily Dharma
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WGB Poll: Americans more comfortable with gay presidential candidate than evangelical
Americans would feel more comfortable with an LGBTI presidential candidate than an evangelical Christian one, according to a new poll.
The latest WSJ/NBC poll asked 1,000 adults last week whether they would 'be enthusiastic,' 'be comfortable with,' 'have some reservations about' or 'be very uncomfortable with' a list of qualities of a potential leader.
Some 61% said they would be either enthusiastic about or comfortable with an LGBTI candidate, while only 37% said they would have reservations or be uncomfortable and 2% were not sure.
By comparison, 52% said they'd be enthusiastic about or comfortable with an evangelical Christian running for president, while 44% expressed some degree of hesitancy about the idea and 4% were not sure. Full story here!
The latest WSJ/NBC poll asked 1,000 adults last week whether they would 'be enthusiastic,' 'be comfortable with,' 'have some reservations about' or 'be very uncomfortable with' a list of qualities of a potential leader.
Some 61% said they would be either enthusiastic about or comfortable with an LGBTI candidate, while only 37% said they would have reservations or be uncomfortable and 2% were not sure.
By comparison, 52% said they'd be enthusiastic about or comfortable with an evangelical Christian running for president, while 44% expressed some degree of hesitancy about the idea and 4% were not sure. Full story here!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 07/05/2015
“Ao longo da jornada evolutiva a entidade humana constrói máscaras para
se proteger da dor. Essas máscaras são criadas de acordo com o que ela
tem, com sua história, com o ambiente onde vive - de acordo com o karma
que ela carrega. Alguns aprendem que, para conseguirem o que querem,
precisam ser vítimas, outros aprendem que precisam ser agressivos.
Alguns entendem que precisam ser caridosos e religiosos, outros que
precisam ser criminosos. Alguns vestem a
máscara da autossuficiência, da superioridade, outros da impotência e
da fragilidade. Mas, não importa qual seja a máscara, ela não tem nada a
ver com a verdade de quem é você.”
“A lo largo del camino evolutivo la entidad humana construye máscaras
para protegerse del dolor. Estas máscaras son creadas de acuerdo con lo
que ella tiene, con su historia, con el ambiente donde vive - de acuerdo
con el karma que carga. Algunos aprenden que para conseguir lo que
quieren, tienen que ser víctimas, otros aprenden que necesitan ser
agresivos. Algunos entienden que necesitan ser caritativos y religiosos,
otros que necesitan ser criminales. Algunos visten la máscara de la
autosuficiencia, de la superioridad, otros de la impotencia y de la
fragilidad. Pero no importa cuál sea la máscara, ella no tiene nada que
ver con la verdad de quien eres.”
"Throughout the evolutionary journey, human beings create masks to protect themselves from pain. These masks are shaped through our possessions, our life’s history, our personal environment, and the karma we carry. Some people learn that they have to be a victim to get what they want, others learn that they need to be aggressive. Some people believe that they need to be charitable and religious, others believe they have to be criminals. Some people wear the mask of self-sufficiency and superiority, others wear the mask of helplessness and weakness. No matter what the mask is, it has nothing to do with the truth of who you are.”
"Throughout the evolutionary journey, human beings create masks to protect themselves from pain. These masks are shaped through our possessions, our life’s history, our personal environment, and the karma we carry. Some people learn that they have to be a victim to get what they want, others learn that they need to be aggressive. Some people believe that they need to be charitable and religious, others believe they have to be criminals. Some people wear the mask of self-sufficiency and superiority, others wear the mask of helplessness and weakness. No matter what the mask is, it has nothing to do with the truth of who you are.”
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