Sunday, November 6, 2016
Via JMG: Frank Bruni: The Ugliness Is Far From Over
“Tuesday nears, after such epic ugliness. ‘It’s almost over,’ friends say. ‘We’ll finally be done with this.’ What a lovely thought. What a naïve fantasy. There’s no end here, just a punctuation mark, a measly comma between the rancor that has built until this point and the fury to come. And there’s no way to un-see what all of us have seen over these last 18 months, to bottle up what has been un-bottled.
“Election Day will redeem and settle nothing, not this time around. No matter who declares victory, tens of millions of Americans will be convinced — truly convinced — that the outcome isn’t legitimate because untoward forces intervened. Whether balloons fall on Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, there will be bolder divisions in America than there were at the start of it all and even less faith in the country’s most important institutions.
“The person taking office will do so not on a wave of hope but amid tides of disgust, against fierce currents of resistance. Tell me how she or he moves forward. Tell me how America does.” – Frank Bruni, writing for the New York Times. The full piece is worth your time.
Via Huffington Post: Please Protect My Marriage: Vote For Hillary
When I was in college I met my first love in Paris and he moved to Boston to be with me. It was a nightmare because he couldn’t work, we constantly struggled with visa issues, and with time, it was too much to handle and we separated, young hearts broken. I swore no more international boyfriends! Of course, I met a guy from Montreal and that too ended, but years ago.
And then I met Giovanni. I was much older and long-single, so I
didn’t say no. And at first, it was casual and I didn’t really think
about him being Colombian. I first really felt it when I went to Africa
and he stood by me every day from home, but he couldn’t come to my
graduation. He couldn’t fly or leave the country.
I came back and
we moved in together. I started to see him talk to his family back
home, and hear how being apart for 17 years broke his heart, especially
when his dad got sick. His pain was too much to bear. So for him, for
us, I took on marriage equality in NYC.
My focus was on
the Equality Bill - but I was determined to free him, so I added this
to my plate. I took on immigration reform too. We had two pathways to
freedom from DOMA. The Supreme Court. Or Congress via Comprehensive
Immigration Reform. I couldn’t affect SCOTUS, although I did resort to
prayer, organizing a sunrise prayer service in D.C. the morning of the
hearings.
But I worked
deep in the trenches in immigration reform. There I learned that
straight immigrants suffer the same horrible fear and closet that gay
people do. Who knew. And bringing gay relationships in to that forum
with the Catholic Church & Evangelicals in the room was hard stuff.
Fortunately,
the SCOTUS came through on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. And on the
following Sunday, NYC Pride Day, Giovanni and I got married and paraded
down 5th Avenue with the sign “Just Married Today” — as the liberation
joy of millions poured forth. It was incredible and our faces hurt from
smiling.
Then came the
immigration process, extremely stressful and frightening as we revealed
our lives. But we got through that process. And the boot lifted. He
flew home finally. Although we were afraid he might not actually get
back in. He flew home again. Okay. Relief. We got his social
security number - a huge deal. Health insurance. He could join our
apartment lease. We finally got on a plane together and had our
honeymoon in his country.
But most of all
we were free. Free from watching other people get married when we
couldn’t. Free from feeling like a second class citizen in my own
country. Free from all the heart-wrenching stories from other
bi-national couples with whom we are forever bonded.
Amidst all of this, there was one incredibly painful and also happy day I’ve not talked about.
Two years
before DOMA was overturned we won Marriage Equality in NY. Soon there
was a big gay wedding day at the marriage bureau when they opened just
for us on a Sunday to issue licenses.
Seeing all the couples together was incredible. Marriage ceremonies going on all over. Old, young, all colors. Our tribe was on parade and it was beautiful.
Seeing all the couples together was incredible. Marriage ceremonies going on all over. Old, young, all colors. Our tribe was on parade and it was beautiful.
But I almost
didn’t go down because my heart was so heavy. We could still not marry.
DOMA remained. Our suffering remained. And a huge battle loomed
still ahead, an overwhelming battle in Congress or the Supreme Court to
overturn DOMA - a tall order.
But it’s gone now. DOMA is dead. We’re free & equal. And Hillary will make sure the SCOTUS keeps it that way.
Please protect
our “hard fought, hard won” progress, as Hillary rightfully calls it.
Protect Marriage Equality. Protect my marriage. My husband. Our lives
and freedom depend upon it.
#ForwardTogether #ProtectOurProgress #Hillary4President2016 #VoteEQUALITY
Via Ram Dass
You
are constantly going to sleep and waking up. All you can do is keep
searching for the clarity and quietness amidst the confusion of your
melodramas...
Via Daily Dharam / November 6, 2016: Experience Freedom Directly
Liberation is only found here and now, the direct experience of freedom, beyond the concepts of nirvana or enlightenment.
—Jack Kornfield, "The Wise Heart"
—Jack Kornfield, "The Wise Heart"
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / November 5, 2016: On Mind Control
To
use your mind in a natural way means to avoid trying to control it. The
more you try to control your mind, the more stray thoughts will come up
to bother you.
—Master Sheng-Yen, "Being Natural"
—Master Sheng-Yen, "Being Natural"
|
|
Friday, November 4, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / November 4, 2016: Cultivating Radical Care
|
|
We
can’t live ethically without caring about ourselves as well as others.
And we can’t be mindful without caring about what is happening here and
now. Care underpins the radical attention that dharma practice accentuates.
—Winton Higgins, "Treading the Path with Care"
—Winton Higgins, "Treading the Path with Care"
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Via Huffington: When You’re LGBT And Your Family Is Voting For Trump Come November, my mother is voting for Donald Trump. So is my father.
November 8 is looming. It
seems the closer we get to Election Day, the more heightened the
emotions, thoughts, comments and stakes involved.
I’ve done my best to stay out of the fray. I’ll post funny little ditties about both candidates on Facebook, hoping to keep things light. But the reality is this election is far from light ― it’s incredibly dark. And as an LGBT individual, it’s downright scary.
We reached a milestone last summer when gay marriage became legal across the country. My mother called and left a message on my phone that nearly brought me to tears. “Congratulations!” she said in her heartwarming and adorable motherly voice. “That’s the way it should be.”
Come November, my mother is voting for Donald Trump. So is my father. Both of them love me unconditionally. Yet, both of them hate Hillary Clinton with a boiling passion that has been bubbling to the surface, across the country, for months ― even years.
This is hard to reconcile for me. On one hand, I respect their political views and right to vote for whom they choose. On the other hand, I don’t get how they can vote for someone who has threatened to appoint Supreme Court Justices that would overturn the marriage equality ruling. It directly affects me. It affects my family. It affects my daughter.
Straight people who have enjoyed the privilege of getting legally married, and all of the benefits that legal marriage provides, don’t think about things like this. Not even my parents. It’s not part of their world, one in which they’ve been able to blindly take these kinds of things for granted. And they aren’t the only ones.
The other night, a relative of my wife’s came over for a visit. He’s a genuinely nice guy. He loves our daughter and often brings her gifts and stuffed animals—mostly oversized cows, which she loves because, well, she loves cows.
It was a brisk yet pleasant October evening. We were sitting outside in front of my house. Glasses of wine were in hand. Naturally, election and real world chatter arose. I don’t mind engaging in this type of conversation, as long as its civil and constructive. Like my parents, this relative is voting for Trump. But I’d venture to say he’s more of an active fan. When he asked why we weren’t going to get on the “Trump Train” and cast our vote for him, I said simply: “As gay individuals, we can’t afford to. We have to take that into consideration.”
(Sure, there are a billion other reasons why I am not voting for Trump. But being an LGBT individual is at the top of the list.)
This particular relative decided at that moment, that it was a good time to tell my wife and I ― and our four-year-old with perky ears who was busily playing at our feet ― that he believed marriage was only between a man and a woman. I stopped him right there. I got up and hurried my daughter inside for a bath.
I like to think I’m an understanding person. I respect all people and their political opinions, no matter how drastically I disagree with them. I’m fine with family members of mine voting for Trump. But to question the validity of my marriage in front of my daughter, that’s where I draw the damn line. My wife and I took the same vows as every other married couple on the planet. We work hard to live a decent life, raise our family in peace, and be good human beings. Our marriage is no less or greater than anyone else’s, and we go through the same exact trials and tribulations. The only thing that makes our marriage different is an ignorant and outdated point of view.
I rather enjoy being married. I’ve been in one for seven years now. And I hope to enjoy my legal marriage to my wife for the rest of my life, with our daughter a witness to our love and appreciation for one another ― sexuality aside. But as the election nears, I’m beginning to wonder if that’s possible. Trump has a decent shot at winning. And people, even those in my own family circle, don’t seem to care about how that outcome could possibly affect the LGBT community.
All they seem to care about is beating Hillary.
Make the jump to read the original and more here
I’ve done my best to stay out of the fray. I’ll post funny little ditties about both candidates on Facebook, hoping to keep things light. But the reality is this election is far from light ― it’s incredibly dark. And as an LGBT individual, it’s downright scary.
We reached a milestone last summer when gay marriage became legal across the country. My mother called and left a message on my phone that nearly brought me to tears. “Congratulations!” she said in her heartwarming and adorable motherly voice. “That’s the way it should be.”
Come November, my mother is voting for Donald Trump. So is my father. Both of them love me unconditionally. Yet, both of them hate Hillary Clinton with a boiling passion that has been bubbling to the surface, across the country, for months ― even years.
This is hard to reconcile for me. On one hand, I respect their political views and right to vote for whom they choose. On the other hand, I don’t get how they can vote for someone who has threatened to appoint Supreme Court Justices that would overturn the marriage equality ruling. It directly affects me. It affects my family. It affects my daughter.
Straight people who have enjoyed the privilege of getting legally married, and all of the benefits that legal marriage provides, don’t think about things like this. Not even my parents. It’s not part of their world, one in which they’ve been able to blindly take these kinds of things for granted. And they aren’t the only ones.
The other night, a relative of my wife’s came over for a visit. He’s a genuinely nice guy. He loves our daughter and often brings her gifts and stuffed animals—mostly oversized cows, which she loves because, well, she loves cows.
It was a brisk yet pleasant October evening. We were sitting outside in front of my house. Glasses of wine were in hand. Naturally, election and real world chatter arose. I don’t mind engaging in this type of conversation, as long as its civil and constructive. Like my parents, this relative is voting for Trump. But I’d venture to say he’s more of an active fan. When he asked why we weren’t going to get on the “Trump Train” and cast our vote for him, I said simply: “As gay individuals, we can’t afford to. We have to take that into consideration.”
(Sure, there are a billion other reasons why I am not voting for Trump. But being an LGBT individual is at the top of the list.)
This particular relative decided at that moment, that it was a good time to tell my wife and I ― and our four-year-old with perky ears who was busily playing at our feet ― that he believed marriage was only between a man and a woman. I stopped him right there. I got up and hurried my daughter inside for a bath.
I like to think I’m an understanding person. I respect all people and their political opinions, no matter how drastically I disagree with them. I’m fine with family members of mine voting for Trump. But to question the validity of my marriage in front of my daughter, that’s where I draw the damn line. My wife and I took the same vows as every other married couple on the planet. We work hard to live a decent life, raise our family in peace, and be good human beings. Our marriage is no less or greater than anyone else’s, and we go through the same exact trials and tribulations. The only thing that makes our marriage different is an ignorant and outdated point of view.
I rather enjoy being married. I’ve been in one for seven years now. And I hope to enjoy my legal marriage to my wife for the rest of my life, with our daughter a witness to our love and appreciation for one another ― sexuality aside. But as the election nears, I’m beginning to wonder if that’s possible. Trump has a decent shot at winning. And people, even those in my own family circle, don’t seem to care about how that outcome could possibly affect the LGBT community.
All they seem to care about is beating Hillary.
Make the jump to read the original and more here
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Via Daily Dharma / November 3, 2016: Outer Pleasure vs. Inner Freedom
If
we had to make a choice between outer pleasure, comfort and peace, and
inner freedom and ultimate happiness, we should choose inner peace. If
we could find that within, then the outer would take care of itself.
—Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, "Invisible Realities"
—Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, "Invisible Realities"
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Via Ram Dass
One
day in India on my second stay, Maharaji said to me, “You don’t have to
change anybody; you just have to love them.” In relationships, when the
other person doesn’t fit into your model of how heaven would be, you
don’t have to play God. You just have to love individual differences and
appreciate them the way they are. Because love is the most powerful
medicine.
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