The Joshua Generation

More insights on race and Obama:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/11/17/081117fa_fact_remnick

Gains and Losses aka Life101 - Part.2

As the euphoria of Obama's victory and the country's awakening begins to settle, we witness another sign that indeed the road is steep.

We witness another sign that bigotry and ignorance still exist in a country that claims to be the greatest country in the world.

Proposition 8 was passed in California effectively restoring the ban on same-sex marriage.

C'mon America...SERIOUSLY?!

Don't you get that we're among the last of those still making this an issue?

Don't you get that we're still allowing religious zealots to manipulate the constitution?

Don't you get that if two men or two women get married your life WILL NOT CHANGE?

Why do some of us still cling to antiquated ideas stemming from misunderstanding?

Why do some of us resist change with every last fiber of our being?

Well as the election so vividly demonstrated, CHANGE IS COMING!

And it can't be stopped.

It might be stalled, postponed, resisted, refuted.

But it can't be stopped, and we're not going back.

During his Lyceum presentation Bishop John S. Spong (http://www.johnshelbyspong.com/) reminded us that once we have glimpsed the power of change we can never go back. We will not be taking the vote away from women; we will not be resegregating the south; we will not be enslaving another race of people. And there will coma a time, again, that will not withhold the rights of individuals because of their sexual orientation. It will become a non-issue.

Two steps forward and one step back is still forward motion.

I hardly dared to believe that I would see a black president in my lifetime.

I do believe we will see same-sex marriage legalized for good in my lifetime.

I believe love will conquer over hate.

I believe.

Gains and Losses aka Life101 - Part.1

The dream is realized, and as Obama reminded us in his inspiring acceptance speech, life goes on and the road ahead is steep.
I was sadly reminded of that by a jolting phone call that brought me back from my post-election-celebration high.
One of our closest family friends called to tell us her father had passed away after a long battle with lung cancer that developed from exposure to asbestos.
Dementia had begun to also take its toll and our friend was his full-time care-giver.
So although no surprise it was no less painful.

I'm writing this from the Lyceum at Unity Village.
Bishop John Shelby Spong reminded of the beautiful gift and responsibility and sometimes burden of being arguably the only conscious species on the planet.
As a result of this gift we spend our lives questioning.
We question our very existence; the meaning of it and our purpose.
We also question the end of it, and the after of it.

But in the moment of loss we can simply be with it.
In our culture we tend to rush our grief.
But true process can never be hastened.
We cannot rush wholeness.
Feeling loss and sadness and deep profound grief are important steps to wholeness.

So in the midst of this historic global moment I'm taking the time to feel my sadness for my friend and her loss.
How much time? As much as she needs.




--
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Obama vs Webkinz

So I said I'd wait til next week to update but this bit of madness had to be vented now.

We continue to ignore the simple fact that our world is not going to change if we continue to model evidence of our ignorant insanity for our children. I say 'we' so I don't offend 'them' but I'm pretty clear I'm not one of 'them'...yes, I know we're One and all that but indulge me on this one.

Joy came home quite disturbed because one of her friends told her (as told by her friend's parents) if Obama became president he would shut down the Webkinz website! WTF?! WTF?! I know there's a lot Obama stands for and against, but I hardly think he's taken issue with hairy/furry stuffed animals and their online likeness (which often turns out more appealing than the actual toys...but I digress). Then another neighbor kid comes over to play and stomps on our Obama sign! Another hearty WTF?!

What are we telling our kids?! Now a bit of backstory: Joy's school held a mock election a few days ago. In her school McCain edged out Obama; Obama won among all the elementary schools combined. Do ya think some parents might have had a hand in making sure their kids cast their vote a certain way?

To be fair, I'm sure it's coming from both sides. Joy knows we are Obama supporters and we've tried to communicate what his presidency would mean historically without McCain bashing (which wasn't hard til he picked Tina Fey...I mean Sarah Palin as his running mate). Kids (at least younger elementary age) will tend to emulate their parents. But do we really need to start the fear-mongering before the kid can write cursive?

It's bad enough to lie to your kids, but using Webkinz as leverage is an all-time dispicable LOW BLOW!!

C'mon folks.... we can do better than this.

Our children deserve better than this.

--

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Win or Lose

Obama's being modest, but with a 10-pt. lead 2 weeks before the election, let's have the fat lady warm up.

Which brings me to a another post-election concern: The OFF-DA-CHARTS PARTAY that will break out after his victory.

There's probably going to be:

1. People yelling and screaming

2. Things getting smashed

3. People getting hammered

4. Hammered people yelling and smashing things.

Come to think of it...it's probably the same reaction we're going to get if he loses!

Apparently jubilation and outrage look alarmingly similar.

Either way...lock your doors.

Election night's going to be one for the history books!

Welcome To My Yard - Part.2

No fear...the new yard signs haven't disappeared.

But I heard a pretty amazing story last night...

As in my case, an Obama sign was stolen and the culprits left the wire frame/stake behind.

This obviously evolved individual put a white card on the frame and simply wrote:

"I RESPECT YOUR CHOICE...PLEASE RESPECT MINE."

I admit I was instantly jealous when I heard this...why didn't I think of that?

My petty human response to my theft was anger, and now another petty response...jealousy.

But the jealousy quickly graduated to its light-side-of-the-force counterpart: Admiration.

Admiration for the ability make, I think, an even more powerful statement.

It is a statement that reflects the better part of us, that part to make a stand yet not give over to chaos when things aren't going our way.

For all the faults of the democratic and electoral process in this country, things to deteriorate to bedlam.

Granted, the McCain-Palin rallies have been getting a little crazy, yet no matter who becomes our next president, I'm sure there won't be violence.

(There may be some outta-this-world celebrating when...I mean if...Obama wins, but that's another story)

I'm holding firm that the better part of us will emerge triumphant.

We owe it to ourselves.

Obama's Moment

Sent to you by Ogun via Google Reader:

Obama's Moment

via Rolling Stone: Features on 10/14/08

The Democratic nominee for president talks about how George W. Bush screwed up, why John McCain turned ugly and what he's learned from Bill Clinton. It's the morning after the vice presidential debate, and Barack Obama strides onto the football field at Abington Senior High School in suburban Philadelphia as Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising" rings out over the loudspeakers. The bleachers on both sides of the field are packed with cheering students and their parents, and the crowd has spread out onto the lawns beyond the goal posts. Abington is one of the swing districts where the presidential race will be decided on November 4th. It's...

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IS IT OVER YET?!

so it took me a while to come up with a response to the presidential debate on wednesday.

it's an overwhelming IS IT OVER YET?!

i'm pretty much done...cooked...fully saturated...can't hold another drop.

i love obama and his ability to not get ruflled - last thing we need is a short-fuse on the mythical button.

yet in some ways he's sounding more and more like the politican he purports not be.

and mccain...well he just looked like he was having petite seizures all night.

we expect obama to perform a miracle.

truth is the country is in a hole so deep neither candidate can probably get us out in four years.

i believe obama's direction is the right one and so does the rest of the world (jump to http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/global-poll-how-the-world-sees-the-2008-election/article102257.html to see what i mean).

i truly believe obama will win in the next agonizingly long 3 weeks.

then it's up to us.

let's not forget what he is inspiring us to realize that we, not he, have to make the responsible changes on an individual level.

let's not forget things often get worse before they get better.

let's not ask how much worse things can get.

i don't believe in fate but let's not tempt it just to be on the safe side.

Welcome to my yard

Last week our Obama yard sign was stolen. I was honestly surprised, then pissed, then surprised I let myself get pissed by the actions of some moron who thought stealing a sign might somehow affect anyone's voting decision. So today I went to my local Obama hq and bought not one, but two new signs. There was a woman also buying new signs because her's were also stolen. The guy in charge said over 200 Obama signs were stolen from Lee's Summit. 200?! Couldn't even wrap my mind around that one! I get the country's divided (thankfully leaning towards Obama now) and some deluded soul will actually vote for McCain, but do we have to resort to petty theft?

I guess some folks out there choose to resort to petty theft to avert the sense of powerlessness they might feel in face of the approaching tidal wave of change. We all sense it. Obama represents our chance to catch up with the rest of the evolved world who have released the attachment to leaders looking the way they've always looked and thinking the way they've always thought. But admittedly many fear change. Even after we've experienced change and come out better for it. Well change can't be stopped. The question is how little resistance will we put up to make this an easy and graceful transition.

So go ahead...steal my yards signs...I've got more. And when they've all been stolen, change will still happen.

Welcome to my yard.