Sunday Sermon [Your Personal Song]

¡Hola! Everybody…
It’s another beautiful day here in The Center of the Known Universe…

Here's a hilarious take on sexually repressed, right-wing extremist teabagger candidate Christine O'Donnell:

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-=[ Your Personal Song: The Power of Listening ]=-

Sometimes we don’t look at things as much as overlook them. The most important tools to our happiness are right there in front of us waiting. But like an old friend who now suddenly appears as the person you have been looking for all along, we see the power in things we take for granted if we take the time to simply pay attention.

Being present, or paying attention, is a good example of what I’m talking about. We spend so much of our lives lost in the tangle of things past or plotting for a future, that we have no time for the present moment. The fact is that without now, we can’t do anything. We can’t even love without being fully present. Love in the past is merely a memoory; love in the future is a fantasy.

The NY Lottery has an ad campaign with the slogan, “You gotta be in it to win it.” And so it is with life.

Most of us don’t pay attention; we’re too full of assumptions. We don’t actually see our loved ones, we see our own projections. Most of all, we don’t really listen...

I had a teacher who used the following story to highlight the power of something as simple as listening. Some of the details are sketchy, but I think I’ve been able to preserve the essential message.

In an east African tribe (I forget which) a child’s life is counted not from the day it’s born, nor on the day its conceived, as in other cultures, but on the day the child is a thought in the mother’s mind. As soon as the mother realizes she wants to have a child, she will go off alone somewhere, under a tree, for example, and she quiets herself and simply listens. Not listening for anything, or asking for answers or anything like that -- just listening. Simple, bare attention...

She waits to hear the song of the child who wants to be born in her heart. And as she hears this song, she sings it to her herself. When she returns to her village, she teaches the song to her husband. In that way when they make love, when they unite, they sing this song to invite this child to be born. Later, when she conceives, she sings this song to the child in her womb.

She teaches the song to her neighbors so that the first thing the child hears when it is born is its song in celebration of its birth. Later, as the child grows, if it falls and scrapes its knee, an adult will soothe the child’s cries by singing its song. When the child grows into adulthood, the song is sung in celebration of their rite of passage. When there is a marriage both songs are sung.

Finally, when that individual grows older and passes from this existence the song is again invoked.

Imagine living in a society in which such attention and listening skills were truly valued. A world where stopping and being present is like a hit song we all celebrate and dance to...

What would your song sound like? What would our communities look like... ?

Love,

Eddie

Enemies of the Open Society

¡Hola! Everybody...
Today, some idiots from the right wing are actually saying that the racial epithets used at tea party rallies proves racism is dead . One of these goobers is Bill Bennett, the “morals” crusader-cum-obsessive gambler once submitted that you could aborted every black baby and the crime rate would go down. This makes sense to some people, BTW. I am not making this up.

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-=[ The Open Society and its Enemies ]=-

A demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.

-- H.L. Mencken

The following rambles, but it makes a point (I think)...

Not too long ago, I walked by a “community garden” in one of Brooklyn’s less affluent neighborhood. It’s a garden full of beautiful plants and even tomatoes and some corn growing by one corner. You can hear the laughter of children as they play on the swings and the little carousel, or act out on the makeshift stage. Mothers with newborn children in their carriages stroll through... and I was reminded that when I first saw that small plot of land, it’s was an empty lot full if refuse, overrun by tall weeds, and the working space of a few local prostitutes.

I once knocked on almost all the doors of that run down city block (and several adjoining blocks), asking people about the rat-infested, dirty, dangerous empty lot. I listened to the countless stories of babies being bitten by the infestation of rats caused by the empty lot. How crack heads would gather there, and the countless times children were exposed to the open-air sex trade.

After listening, I asked each person who opened his or her door to me one question, “If you had the power, what would you do to fix that empty lot?”

I heard many solutions, very innovative -- from building affordable housing to making it into a park, etc. I would invite everyone I engaged to join a “group of concerned neighbors” who were doing something to change that lot and everything it represented.

Actually, I really didn’t have a group; it was part of my strategy.

Eventually, I would help bring together a small group of community residents organized around that empty lot. At first it was small -- maybe 7-9 people. One day, I was able to convince two mothers. You know the type if you were raised in any kind of community. These were the archetypal “universal mother” -- everyone’s mother. Leaders among their neighbors who nobody fucked with. With their help and the help of the rest of my rag-tag group of leaders, we were able to grow that community group to over 100 members. Many of those members were far from radical. Many were very conservative, in fact. Some were anti-choice devout churchgoers, others were more progressive. In short, these were working stiffs tired of that lot and everything it represented.

When I got enough people, I invited my group to attend a rally. During that rally, police needlessly manhandled a few of the church ladies. This changed everything! The church ladies didn’t understand why they were treated disrespectfully. After all, they were working people, they paid taxes, and followed rules, were law-abiding citizens!

They got the fever...

Eventually, this group (still in existence), took over that empty lot, and through a series of actions and negotiations, they made the city clean it and eventually it was given “park” status, meaning it was officially under the direction of the City’s Park Dept. They didn’t stop there. They took over several area abandoned buildings, made the city take over them and utilizing state/ city programs (sadly done away with as soon as Giuliani took over) created permanent affordable housing. That block was transformed, as well as some of the surrounding blocks, and while the neighborhood isn’t Park Avenue, it’s a far cry from what it used to be. Today, the Yuppies are taking over in droves as gentrification creeps up from the now unaffordable Williamsburg.

This post isn’t about me, so please, don’t emphasize that part. This post is about what it means to be a participant in the democratic process. I worked as a community organizer for a very short time. Too short. I left mostly because of philosophical differences with the organization. Still, that organization did a lot to help people like those hard-working church ladies of my group. They also did a lot to help millions vote.

Today, that organization doesn’t exist. It doesn’t exist because the right-wing focused their cross hairs on the group and took it down. They took tapes and edited them to make it look as if the workers of that organization were agreeing to agree to traffic in prostitution when in fact, they were doing the exact opposite (click here to view an exposé of this cowardice).

That organization was called ACORN and today it doesn’t exist because those who fear and loathe the democratic process wanted to take it down. They succeeded and today we’re less of a nation because of it.

Eddie

Sunday Sermon [Community]

¡Hola! Everybody...
I’m going to find a way to avoid the whole Superbowl Day frenzy.

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-=[ What is Community? ]=-

Prison isn’t merely a physical structure, it is, more than anything else, a state of mind...

We hear a lot these days about “community.” More and more of us, we’re told, are seeking it. There is talk about the African-American, Latina/o, and Asian communities; the gay and lesbian community; the political community; a community of peers; the local community. But what is this thing called community? Why are we seeking it? Heck, how will we know when find it?

I have found that a central human quality is this yearning for the company of others. A desire to find meaningful connections, to be with and be touched by family, friends, and clan, is wired into us. As a formerly incarcerated person, I know too well the feeling of being alone and isolated. I think if we’re all honest enough, we can all admit to a familiarity with the sense of being stuck in our own skin, apart from others. I also know that one of the principle factors in my successful reintegration has been my struggle to reconnect with loved ones and the community at large. To be incarcerated is to be removed from society. All too often, unfortunately, to be released from prison is to continue to experience isolation from a sense of belonging or community.

To complicate matters further, in this world gone slightly mad, we rarely find time to extend ourselves to our neighbors and loved ones. Today we work longer hours for less money, and it’s almost as if living without an appointment book (or PDA) is an impossibility. Add to this the fear and anger at the outrages committed by narcissistic public figures that serve to drive us deeper into isolation. It is true that taking the time to look within can help us learn to live with this deep alienation, but the only way to live genuinely and fully is by making deep connections with others.

This is what I mean by community.

I was raised in a community of extended family that included family members, adopted friends, and neighbors. This is not the same reality my now adult-aged son experienced growing up. Indeed, many people today dismiss community as an unrealistic ideal that is destined to fail and we close our doors a little more securely. Expecting or anticipating disappointment (or worse), we shy away from trying to find or build community. But the truth is a little more complicated than that, however. Throughout history, both recent and distant, there have been many examples of successful communities. But even these communities weren’t perfect and every group that comes together in community will experience its own unique set of problems, challenges, and opportunities.

I find myself writing and speaking of community a lot these days because much of my professional work is deeply connected to community. As someone working for social and economic justice, I come into contact with men and women who have a burning desire to reconnect, to find their place in a society that mostly spurns them. My professional and personal experience informs me that there is nothing more valuable in the difficult work to “re-enter” society than a sense of community. And this is true not just for people looking to reintegrate -- it seems these days as if a great many of us live lives of quiet desperation... I have come to think of community as a kind of vitamin. The experience of connectedness with others is as necessary to a fully healthy life as the minimum daily amount of nutrients is to a balanced diet. We isolate from one another at a great economic, physical, and spiritual price.

There’s much talk about Polarization these days, but if we’re to survive we need as a community to have an honest and intelligent conversation exploring how our social policies negatively affect our ability to educate our young. We need to fully explore the many different possibilities that lead to a better experience and sense of community. We need to explore examples of how our communities can work for the benefit of all, becoming more inclusive, empowered, and safer in the process. Where are the ideas about helping to make community a part of our future and the future of our children?

I would like to end with the following for the entrenched cynics among us. The problem of community, as with all of society, is in saving and expanding the priceless value of freedom, while at the same time maintaining a mutual respect, mutual regard, and mutual responsibility, as well as a common effort for common goals. This much is true: if we are to preserve and pass on to our children basic human values, a wholesome community life is imperative. Unless we choose to work and live together in connectedness of community life, there can never be a truly unified nation or a community of humankind.

If you do not love your neighbor, whom you know, how can you love the human race? If you have not yet learned to work with a few people, how can you be effective with many?

Love,

Eddie

The "G-Spot"

¡Hola! Everybody...
I’ve been very busy today!

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-=[ Hitting the “G” Spot ]=-

Well, my birthday picnic/ BBQ was a blast! I had a great time, my feeling was that a good time was had by all. I want to thank my friends and family for making it such a special occasion... special thanks to my sister for hosting the event, Julie for slaving over that grill, and Deborah for making ti though she's this far from the emergency unit and for lugging that thousand pound watermelon. LOL! And of course much thanks to everyone else! Unfortunately we didn't have any white or black people. I hope next time there are more gringos to help create diversity.

Not too long ago, I was having a discussion with my boss regarding my work. I’ve been experiencing some major challenges and feeling stuck. At one point, she turned to me and said, “You’re not hitting you G-spot, Eddie, that’s the problem.”

I was a bit taken aback by the comment because my boss is more often than not more politically correct in her language usage. Then I started laughing. I asked her to clarify and how she explained it was that hitting your G-spot is a lot like losing touch with your creative flow. I’m known as a creative individual who makes it a habit to think “outside the box,” but sometimes, as we all do, I lose focus and get stuck on what I can’t do, rather than what I can do.

But more importantly, “hitting the g-spot” is really about enjoying the process of what one does. It’s about being immersed in the work, of finding that balance between flow and dynamic tension. It’s hitting the g-spot even during difficult times or when doing mundane stuff, like washing the dishes or sharing times with friends and family.

Life is full of countless opportunities for hitting the g-spot and yesterday was one of them.

As I sat down and watched all my friends get together, sharing laughter and good feelings, I was once again reminded that life’s greatest riches are found in such moments. As human beings, we are social creatures and connection and contact are like psycho-spiritual food. without it, there is no meaning and we starve and wither. In the midst of our support network, we find common ground, we feel safety, and we rejoice, partaking in sustenance and good feeling.

That’s what life is all about.

Hitting that G-spot with friends old and new and with family.

I grew up in a horrible environment rife with poverty, ugliness, and violence. But I was fortunate in that I grew up in a community. I was fortunate in that I grew up in neighborhoods where people looked out for one another, helped rear each other's children and created some measure of sanity in a world that was at best apathetic to our existence. It’s sad truth, but community -- real community -- is hard to find these days. It seems to me that we have all contracted into solitary pockets of isolated small groups living in fear of one another and living lives of quiet desperation.

That’s a sad existence.

Yesterday, I was reminded once again that community is not only possible, it is necessary and wonderful. sure, there will always be personality issues and egos and pettiness -- the full catastrophe of life! But at heart, when we come together, it is the principle of community that trumps the personalities.

When we’re too old and sent to nursing homes, all we will have are these moments of connections -- instances of hitting the g-spot. the only thing you will be allowed to take with you are those moments of joy that you accumulate throughout your life. And that joy will reverberate long after you’re gone and in that way, you will live through your actions.

Personally, I will always strive for community, whether it’s a cyber community, or a fellowship of men and women, or me acting out when they throw my nassy ass in some nursing home when I get old and cantankerous.

Thanks to the men and women who came yesterday, broke bread with me, and shared their joy.

But ladies? Next time wear panties! I was only kidding about the event being a “no-panties” event.

Duh!

::runs::

Love,

Eddie