Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 29/05/2015

“O adolescente rebelde está pedindo amor incondicional. Na verdade, ele não está dando conta do que sente, ele está desesperado. Esse é um amor exigente. Enquanto você está ali dando o seu melhor, ele está jogando pedras. Mas é preciso compreender que esse é o seu material de escola. Você está aprendendo a não se identificar com sua própria criança ferida, a manter sua mente equânime e não aceitar o convite para a guerra. No momento, esse filho é o seu mestre.”

“El adolescente rebelde está pidiendo amor incondicional. En verdad, no se está dando cuenta de lo que siente, está desesperado. Este es un amor exigente. Mientras tú estás ahí dando lo mejor, él está tirando piedras. Pero es necesario comprender que este es tu material de escuela. Estás aprendiendo a no identificarte con tu propio niño herido, a mantener tu mente ecuánime y no aceptar la invitación a la guerra. En ese momento, ese hijo es tu maestro.” 

“Rebellious teenagers are asking for unconditional love. In truth, they are not managing to cope with their feelings, and are in a state of despair. This is a very demanding form of love. While you are there giving your best efforts, they are hurling stones back at you. You must understand that this is your learning material. You are learning not to get identified with your own wounded child, and how to keep your mind balanced and not take up the gauntlet or accept the invitation to fight. At this moment, your child is your teacher.”

Today's Daily Dharma: The Myth of Enlightenment.

The Myth of Enlightenment

One idea that really hampers us is to believe that people get 'enlightened,' and then they’re that way forever and ever. We may have our moments, and if we get sick and have lots of things happening, we may fall back. But a person who practices consistently over years and years is more that way, more of the time, all the time. And that’s enough. There is no such thing as getting it. 

- Charlotte Joko Beck, "Life's Not A Problem" 

Via American Atheists's / FB

Since Senator Rubio seems to be confused about this: We don't want to criminalize Catholic teachings or even call them "hate speech." But his religious beliefs don't excuse his bigotry. And criticizing him for his bigotry isn't persecution, it's holding him accountable.

Via adicting Info: Teens Are Leaving Religion In Droves, And That Spells Big Trouble For The GOP

It is no secret to anyone who bothers to turn on a television news show or use Google that the current incarnation of the GOP is hellbent on turning America into a fundamentalist Christians theocracy. They believe that everything that is even a little bit progressive, from climate change to acceptance of homosexuality, to abortion, is some evil liberal plot to take away their Bibles, burn down their churches, and persecute Christians. While thinking people know that they are deluded, the people who make up today’s GOP pander to the nut jobs who believe it. Well, luckily for the rest of us, that base of people and their politicians are getting older and dying off. Even better is the fact that younger version of these people are not replacing them.

According to a recent- and quite thorough study, today’s adolescents are leaving religion in droves. It isn’t because they haven’t found god yet or anything like that, either, according to this study. It’s because there has been a cultural shift, and these people do not need or want religion in their lives. Jean Twenge, the psychology professor from San Diego State who led the study, says:

“Unlike previous studies, ours is able to show that Millennials’ lower religious involvement is due to cultural change, not to millennials being young and unsettled.”

Further, the study concludes that this is the least religious generation in six decades. Also, because it is a cultural change, these young people are unlikely to turn to religion as they get older. According to Twenge, who also authored a book on the Millennial generation entitled Generation Me, this shift has to do with the fact that children born in the 1980’s and 1990’s are simply more inclined to be individualistic than those before them. She describes Millennials as tolerant, confident, open-minded, and ambitious but also disengaged, narcissistic, distrustful, and anxious,” and calls them the “Entitlement Generation.”

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/05/28/teens-are-leaving-religion-in-droves-and-that-spells-big-trouble-for-the-gop/

For this CEO, mindful management means yoga for employees

Via The Washington Blade: Obama to host Pride at the White House on June 24

 

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/05/28/obama-to-host-pride-at-the-white-house-on-june-24/

President Obama is set to host Pride at the White House on June 24. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

President Obama is set to host a reception at the White House commemorating June as the month of Pride on June 24, the Washington Blade has learned. - See more at: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/05/28/obama-to-host-pride-at-the-white-house-on-june-24/#sthash.cKwXl72C.dpuf

President Obama is set to host Pride at the White House on June 24. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

President Obama is set to host a reception at the White House commemorating June as the month of Pride on June 24, the Washington Blade has learned. - See more at: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/05/28/obama-to-host-pride-at-the-white-house-on-june-24/#sthash.cKwXl72C.dpuf

President Obama is set to host Pride at the White House on June 24. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

President Obama is set to host a reception at the White House commemorating June as the month of Pride on June 24, the Washington Blade has learned. - See more at: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/05/28/obama-to-host-pride-at-the-white-house-on-june-24/#sthash.cKwXl72C.dpuf

JMG HomoQuotable - Armistead Maupin

"I'm the only gay man I know who has never been to Fire Island. I have not made a point of staying away -- its charms are legendary, of course -- but the occasion has simply never presented itself. Now, it's quite likely that I will remain forever virginal in that regard. Or at least until these guys are no longer collecting money at the dock. When I coined the term 'A-gay' forty years ago, these were just the sort of creeps I had in mind. It was never intended as something to aspire to." - Armistead Maupin, reacting to this New York Times profile of hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass. (Tipped by JMG reader Aaron)

 

Labels: Armistead Maupin, boycotts, Fire Island Pines, HomoQuotable, Ian Reisner, Mati Weiderpass, Ted Cruz

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 28/05/2015

“Pais e educadores precisam tomar consciência da grande responsabilidade que lhes foi dada: interromper o ciclo da ignorância neste planeta. Porque através da educação das crianças podemos quebrar o círculo vicioso da destruição e realmente mudar o mundo. Para isso, precisamos fazer nossa parte que é ajudar as crianças a encontrarem seus dons e talentos, e se alinharem com a sua verdadeira missão. Não basta largar a criança na escola, é preciso se responsabilizar e se comprometer com o despertar do amor desse Ser.”

“Padres y educadores necesitan tomar consciencia de la gran responsabilidad que les fue dada: interrumpir el ciclo de la ignorancia en este planeta. Porque a través de la educación de los niños podemos romper el círculo vicioso de la destrucción y realmente cambiar el mundo. Para eso, necesitamos hacer nuestra parte que es ayudar a los niños a encontrar sus dones y talentos, y alinearse con su verdadera misión. No basta dejar al niño en la escuela, es necesario responsabilizarse y comprometerse con el despertar del amor de ese Ser.”

“Parents and educators need to become aware of the great responsibility they have been given: to interrupt the cycle of ignorance on this planet. Through our children’s education we can break the vicious circle of destruction and create a change in the world. We need to do our part in order for this to happen. We must help our children to discover their gifts and talents, and to live in alignment with their true purpose. It is not enough to put your child in a school system – you have to be responsible and committed to awakening the love within this human being.”

Today's Daily Dharma: The Dawning of Truth.

 

The Dawning of Truth

  If we use the practice tools that develop intelligence and clarity with a confused, selfish motivation, reality is bound to collide with our fiction. This is where practice is supposed to bring us. This is the proof that the dharma works. It’s the end of our confused, fictive world, and the dawning of truth.

 - Lama Tsony, "Facing Fear"

 

Via JMG: Wikipedia Updates World Marriage Map

As I reported yesterday, Greenland's Parliament has voted to adopt Denmark's laws on same-sex marriage. That vote goes into effect on October 1st, prompting Wikipedia's map monitors to change Greenland's color to mustard, which means "pending." That tiny dot of dark green in the Middle East is Israel and if you squint you'll see that same-sex marriage is also pending in Nepal (although that bill has not yet been presented). Chile is apparently mustard-shaded because in February 2015 the government announced that it was formally dropping its opposition to same-sex marriage. Civil unions were signed into law by Chile's president last month and the marriage bill is expected soon.

Labels: Greenland, marriage equality, Wikipedia

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel Spokesman Says Same-Sex Marriage Is "Not A Goal Of This Government"

 

Via Reuters:

Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition agreed on Wednesday to make small changes to same-sex civil partnership rules but staunch opposition from conservatives in her party means Germany will not follow Ireland in allowing gay marriages any time soon. Although there are growing divisions within the party, Merkel's Christian Democrats are still overwhelmingly opposed to same-sex marriages partly due to fears it could upset voters on the right. However, polls show 75 percent of Germans are in favour of legalising gay marriages, as are the Social Democrats (SPD) and all opposition parties. The overwhelming "yes" vote in Ireland for same-sex marriage had triggered a discussion in Germany about the lingering gap in rights between registered partnerships and marriages. "Today was an important milestone in dismantling discrimination and the chancellor is pleased about that," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said. "But same-sex marriages are not a goal of this government." "Every country makes its own laws - some countries go one route while others go another," said Seibert, when asked about Ireland. "In Germany we'll take a path that suits Germany."

Merkel was elected to a third term in 2013.

Labels: Angela Merkel, Germany, Ireland, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Julianne Moore Says #IDO to Equality

Via JMG: Where Gay Men Are The Happiest

Via the Washington Post:

Planet Romeo, an Amsterdam-based dating and community site, collaborated with the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany to carry out an online survey of 115,000 gay men around the world. They combined rankings on public opinion, public behavior and life satisfaction – how gay men feel about society’s view on homosexuality, how gay men feel they are treated by other people, and how satisfied gay men are with their own lives, respectively – into one worldwide ranking on gay happiness. Iceland tops their list as the country where gay men are the happiest, followed by Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Uruguay, Canada, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg. The United States ranks 26th in the list. The 10 worst countries by this ranking are Kazakhstan, Ghana, Cameroon, Iran, Nigeria, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda.

Hit the link and scroll down for the full ranking.

Labels: Iceland, LGBT rights, surveys

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Feds to Induct Gay Rights Pioneer Frank Kameny Into Labor Hall Of Honor

 

Via press release from the US Department of Labor:

Frank Kameny, who for decades fought to end discrimination in the federal workplace, will be honored by the U.S. Department of Labor in June with an induction to its Hall of Honor. Kameny's legacy as a civil rights leader has made a monumental difference in improving the lives of all workers all across America. A World War II veteran and Harvard-educated doctor of astronomy with the U.S. Army Map Service, Kameny was discharged and barred from federal government employment in 1958 after U.S. Civil Service Commission investigators asked if he was a homosexual.

Kameny fought the injustice, eventually taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied his petition in 1961. The setback led him to become a co-founder of the first gay rights organization in Washington, D.C., and began his tireless fight to force the nation's largest employer — the federal government — to end discrimination in its employment practices based on sexual orientation. "Frank Kameny was a groundbreaking leader in the LGBT civil rights movement. He fought tirelessly to live out his truth and to end workplace discrimination," said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "At the Department of Labor we work every day to carry on his legacy and ensure that all workers, no matter who they are or who they love, have equal access to opportunity."

Kameny died at age 86 in 2011. Earlier Hall Of Honor inductees include Ted Kennedy, Bayard Rustin, Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, and the 9/11 Rescue Workers. Kameny's ceremony will take place on June 23rd and the Labor Department suggests the Twitter hashtag #ThankFrank. (Tipped by JMG reader Jeremy)

Labels: activism, American history, feds, Frank Kameny, Labor Department, LGBT History, LGBT rights, Obama administration

Reposted from Joe Jervis

JMG Quote Of The Day - Daniel O'Donnell

"As for many, there is a deeply personal element to this historic victory for me. I am very recognizably Irish-American, from my face to my name, but until these last few weeks, I have often felt that I don’t belong. Last month I was invited to Ireland by the Lawyers for Yes Campaign to help kick off the final weeks of advocacy. As the legislative sponsor of Marriage Equality in New York State, I shared my experience on the fight to achieve equal rights. Irish people from all over the world returned home to vote in this election. I returned to the birthplace of my family to help in any way I could. I feel proud to be Irish in a new way today after the people of Ireland declared that one can be Irish and gay and recognized in loving same-sex relationships. Thank you, Ireland, for voting for another step toward universal human rights for all." - New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, in a letter published today by the New York Times.

Labels: Daniel O'Donnell, Democrats, gay politicians, Ireland, LGBT rights, marriage equality, New York state, NY Assembly

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via NYT: On Same-Sex Marriage, Catholics Are Leading the Way

Take a look at this list of countries: Belgium, Canada, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, France, Uruguay, Luxembourg and Ireland. Name two things that they have in common.

They don’t share a continent, obviously. Or a language.

But in all of them, the Roman Catholic Church has more adherents, at least nominally, than any other religious denomination does.

And all of them belong to the vanguard of 20 nations that have decided to make same-sex marriage legal.

In fact, countries with a Catholic majority or plurality make up half of those where two men or two women can now wed or will soon be able to.

Make the jump here to read the full article on the NYT

Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 27/05/2015

“Nascemos querendo receber amor exclusivo. Passamos a vida exigindo esse amor em nossas relações. Mas isso não existe, então sofremos. Apanhamos até perceber que tudo que buscamos está dentro de nós mesmos. Então compreendemos que seremos amados somente quando esse amor estiver fluindo abundantemente dos nossos próprios corações. Parece absurdo, mas assim é.”

“Nacemos queriendo recibir amor exclusivo. Pasamos la vida exigiendo ese amor en nuestras relaciones. Pero esto no existe, entonces sufrimos. Sufrimos hasta percibir que todo lo que buscamos está dentro de nosotros. Entonces comprendemos que solamente seremos amados cuando ese amor esté fluyendo abundantemente desde nuestros propios corazones. Parece absurdo, pero así es.”

"When we are born, we want to receive exclusive love. We spend our lives demanding this love from our relationships, but it does not exist, so we suffer. We get caught up in this idea until we realize that everything we are looking for is within us. Then we understand that we will only be loved when love is flowing abundantly from our own hearts. This seems absurd, but that’s how it works.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Caught Up in Thoughts.

 

Caught Up in Thoughts

The thoughts are not the problem. Thoughts are the nature of the mind. The problem is that we identify with them. 

- Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, "No Excuses"