The Wisdom of the Heart

Throughout my teen years and on into my early adulthood, I was on an on-again/off-again search for something that would show itself to be spiritual truth.  Every step I took in researching various religions of the world too me farther and farther from the narcissistic, dictatorial, puppet master God of the Bible and closer to the ancient spiritualities of Europe and Asia.

While my studies of Buddhism were merely a stop-off on my journey, I find that many of the teachings of Buddhist leaders still hold, for me, some very perfect bits of wisdom.  Among my more favorite selections of Buddhist teachings is "The Wisdom of the Heart," by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

"The Wisdom

of the Heart"
 from the

14th Dalai Lama*

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1989)

1.  Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

2.  Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

3.  Sleep is the best meditation.

4.  Spend some time alone every day.

5.  We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.

6.  Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

7.  We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.

8.  Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.

9.  If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.

10.  The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.

*The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual and exiled leader of the Tibetan people. Born in northeastern Tibet, he was recognized at the age of 2 as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. After the suppression of the Tibetan national uprising in 1959, His Holiness escaped to India where he was given political asylum. Dalai Lama is a Mongolian title, which means "Ocean of Wisdom". "Dalai" means "ocean" in Mongolian, and "Lama" (bla ma) is the Tibetan equivalent of the Sanskrit word "guru", and is commonly translated to mean "spiritual teacher".

September 11th: Fallen Heroes & Innocent Victims

What I am publishing here today is neither original nor unique.  We all know that there were nearly 3,000 people killed on September 11th, 2001.  It will be another one of those dates in history that people look back and can all very specifically say "I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when....."

In several places today, I have seen people posting lists of people killed on that day.  There were firefighters, police officers, paramedics, Port Authority, airline passengers, civilians on the street, military personnel at the Pentagon, and thousands of businessmen and women and children all going about their normal workdays.  I would say that most every person in the nation was affected personally in less than the standard "six degrees of separation."

The sheer numbers of people are shocking and tragic. Here I have combined all the (reliable) lists I can find.   The list below contains 953 names, representing roughly one-third of the 9-11 related deaths.  As you scroll down the list, allow yourself to take in how very long the list actually is.  Let us not forget that, while this attack changed our country forever, many people were affected on a much deeper level because of the loss of someone they loved.

Red! Got A Late-Summer Makeover

Students and teachers alike just finished getting outfitted with new clothes for school.  Change can be a really good thing, and new clothes can be an outward expression of a renewed commitment or a new beginning.  In similar fashion, Red! has been given a new look and imbued with a new sense of commitment.

©2012,  Les Taylor Photography.
Used with permission from my friend, Les Taylor.

Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to nurture my relationship with Jack—although neither of us knows quite how to label or characterize what exactly our relationship is.  Just over one year ago, Jack was given an amazing chance to move to Japan and accept employment with an architectural firm there.  Over such a great distance, and with the communicative obstacles that exist in our relationship when we are geographically separated, Jack and I have used written words (well, typed) to share with one another everything from personal successes and sadnesses to light humor and strange sightings.  My blog has been one of the tools I have used to share many of my thoughts, not only with Jack but with many of my other friends as well.

Just as a conversation will grow stale without new topics, a blog will grow stale over time without new content and new visual interest.  The new content was never really a problem, as I had blogged frequently up until this past April when I decided to take a break.  But the visual interest on the blog just wasn't there anymore, and the several edits and tweaks I had made were more bandages than permanent solutions.

Under the old design, even though the name was "Red!," there was very little of the actual color red to be found on the pages.  While I still think the old design was pretty, it didn't have any special meaning beyond that.  I began to wish that I could put some real symbolism into the design of my blog, something that could be uniquely me and would complement my text content.

Fad Activism

A few days ago, a friend posted an observation online about the sudden disappearance of all the "Kony" videos and other posts.  They have vanished from common conversation as quickly as they appeared.  The Kony hysteria was a wave that passed over us all, then dissipated without effect.

So, that must mean that this Kony guy has been stopped from continuing to commit further atrocities, right?  Well, no.  It just means that the media hype and activism fad have ended.

In our world these days, billions of people around the modernized world are interconnected through social environments on the internet.  Facebook, of course, is now the largest of these, but they are certainly not the only game in town.  A quick glance at the data listen on this Wikipedia page will give you an idea of just how much a part of our lives these online social environments have become.

In many ways, these digital connections have helped to bring about improved quality of life.  Families and friends who are separated by geography have a simple way to stay in contact.  Scientists and medical professionals can quickly and easily share data with one another across the globe.  People who, because of handicap or illness, have a hard time getting out of the house have a way to connect to the outside world from within the safe confines of their own homes.  Students at all levels of education can access information that they might not otherwise be able to access, and some of them are even taught remotely by teachers who are hundreds or thousands of miles away, interacting through a digital campus.  News travels quickly these days, both the good and the bad, and emergency aid can be dispatched with life-saving speed when a disaster occurs somewhere in the world.

Unfortunately, living our lives at the speed of digital means that we misperceive the seriousness of some situations.  People also misunderstand what is needed to help some situations.  It is very common for people to share videos and news articles among their online social circles, and many of these videos and articles focus on issues that are controversial or need to experience change.  So we read these articles and watch the videos posted by our friends, family, and colleagues.  We get fired up about the issues represented in each, and we decide we want to "do" something to help.  So we repost the link to the video or article, thus sharing it with everyone in our own online social circles.

And all of that is wonderful, except....

Spring Equinox: Life in Balance

For generations, the arrival of Spring has signaled the start of a time for renewal, for cleaning, and for refreshing.  It's the time when we begin to shake off the winter gloom and turn our thoughts toward the bright happiness of lengthening days.

The onset of Spring is a time of balance, both universally and personally.  In our solar system, the first day of Spring is the day when the sun is most-directly above the equator—rather, the equator most-directly faces the sun—causing night and day to be equal in length.  Today I will live half my day in the light of the sun, the other half in nighttime darkness.

In some ways, I think my body sensed the equinox even while I was still asleep last night.  I awoke refreshed, for the first time in a long while, even though I got less actual sleep than on a typical night.  Upon waking, I felt instantly wide awake, determined to have a productive day, ready to get up and being Spring.

From time to time we all get that feeling that we are precariously perched on the edge of some unstable precipice.  Our footing wobbles and we know that at any minute one wrong step could plunge us over the side into some dark abyss from which there is no simple escape.  We are faced with hundreds of decisions every day, every one of which determines the course of our lives.  The goal, through all of our decision making, is to keep things balanced so that we can move toward our goals and accomplish those things which are most important to us.

So, how do we get there?  How do we achieve this all-important balance we all need?

Unfortunately, this is a question that we each must answer on our own.  I cannot tell you how to find your perfect balance point.  In truth, I am still searching for my own.  I do know that I feel like I'm moving in the right direction.  I have finally identified what things make me happy and what leaves me feeling empty.

What is it that brings balance into your life?  Identify it, then do whatever you must to move in the direction of your happiness.  Take advantage of the promise of Spring, the promise of new life all around you, and let the warm breezes of the season breathe renewed enthusiasm into your journey toward balance.

Why I'm Not A Christian

Several weeks ago, I wrote and published on this blog a post entitled "A Darn Good Christian," wherein I mentioned that a co-worker had told me I'd make a "darn good" Christian....if I only believed in God.  I went on to explain that I didn't need the Bible or church or any other religious trappings to see a need in the world and try to do my part to fill that need for the benefit of my fellow earth-dwelling creatures.  Christians do not have a monopoly on good works.  Within that post, I did not get into the reasons behind my non-belief, stating that they were fodder for another post.  This is that post.

Before I get into my specific reasons, there are a few things I feel I must state first if I have any hope of my words being understood in the manner intended.

1. I probably know more Christians than non-Christians.  Most of these people are my friends and are good people, and I respect their choice to believe as they wish, not because I think they are right, but because they are my friends and I care about them.  Those who are my friends and already know about my lack of Christian faith may not agree with the choices I make in this regard, but they all acknowledge my rights to believe as I choose, and they care about me regardless of our differing opinions.
2. I do not believe that Christianity itself is bad.  You'll understand more of what I mean by this as you read through the post.
3. As with all my blog posts, the comment section is open for your feedback.  However, remember to be civil with your comments.  Hate-filled comments will be deleted.  Strongly emotional comments, those aimed at "converting" me, or those filled with scripture are probably not comments to which I will post reply....unless you actually come up with a compelling argument.  One more thing: If you feel the need to post harsh criticism, at least have the courage to attach your name to it....I've grown weary of people hiding behind the "anonymous" label when spewing negativity.

With that out of the way, I'll put forth the primary 9 among the many reasons that Christianity has found no place in my life.

The Real Reason We Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

Today is supposedly St. Patrick's Day, a day where people celebrate the undeserved fame of the man who is wrongly credited for driving the snakes out of Ireland—a country that is believed to have been snake-free since the end of the last ice age when the ice melted away and left no path for snakes to travel to the island nation.  Can you believe that nonsense?!

I could, like many other bloggers do, post a history of St. Pat's Day or a list of debunked St. Pat's myths and misunderstandings (like this).  But that would only further reinforce the false belief that anyone still genuinely wants to celebrate a saint from the 5th century.  Everyone's jumping on that bandwagon!  Even Google is honoring St. Patrick with a Google Doodle:

I swear it just amazes me the stories people will invent to hide their real desire: to celebrate the beauty and awesomeness of the world's natural redheads!  (And also to drink beer dyed green.)

So, as I don my GREEN and ORANGE—yes, that's right, both of them—to head out to run my errands today, I leave you with this collections of Facts & Myths About Redheads.

Happy Redhead Appreciation & Awareness Day!

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

"Those" Homeless People

If you've driven around Pensacola for any length of time, you have no doubt seen at least a few local homeless sitting or standing roadside, often near high-volume intersections.  Some are holding a sign and hoping to earn enough money to buy something to eat....others are seen just sitting, alone or in groups, by the sides of the roads because they simply have nowhere else to go.  The homeless in our community have been getting a lot of press lately, as the Pensacola City Council and Escambia County Commission have been working overtime trying to pass anti-panhandling ordinances and other regulations limiting where people can sit, lie down, or "camp" without being fined (or worse).  And while the press may bring attention to the already-obvious fact that we have homeless in our community, it's not doing anything to fix the problem.

I don't understand why society spends so much time trying to take more and more away from these people who already have so little!  As a society, we spend millions more annually on providing food, shelter, and health care for our pets than what we spend on aid for the homeless!  How could we have forgotten that these people are still people?

While we're climbing into our clean, safe beds each night with stomachs full of nutritious food, it's easy to feel like that "homelessness" thing could never happen to us.  But we're wrong to be so sure.

"7 out of 10 Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless."  ~Pras Michel

It occurs to me that, thanks to society's mass dehumanization of the homeless, many do not have an accurate idea of exactly who these homeless are.  I had only a very loose understanding of this myself, so I decided to do some research.  Let me share with you some of the basic statistics I found.

P52, Somewhat: Week 9, "Distance"

This week's post topic is "distance."  I could think of plenty of distant objects the photograph: a setting sun, a tree in a field, a storm looming on the horizon, a boat heading out to sea.  And any of those shots, along with a multitude of others would be great practice for a photographer using this photo-a-week challenge to bolster their photography skills.  I, however, am not a photographer; and while I may see some improvement in my amateur photography skills by the end of this project, it is not my primary motivation for participation in this challenge.  Rather, my motivation for attempting this was to help bring some added variety and diversification to my blog and give me a chance to further build and exercise my writing skills.

So rather than deciding on what photo to write about, I decided instead to write about something that I could find a photo to complement.

What comes to mind when I think of the things in my life that are meaningful yet distant?

Jack.  Of course.

Friendships worth having require a great deal of shared work and mutual responsibility to keep them healthy.  And maintaining such relationships over long distances grows exponentially more difficult.  For it to work, you must care enough to work for it.

Frequent readers of my blog will already know who Jack is and how we met.  (If you missed that post, you can catch up here.)  Jack and I share a relationship that neither of us quite know how to properly label.  We are friends, for certain, but there is more too, and it is the addition of this "something more" that makes our friendship so valuable to us both.  And even over the 10,122 miles (16,290 km) between here and Jack's current home in Japan, that "something more" gives a reason to stay close.

P52, Somewhat: Week 7, "Love"

It's hardly surprising that the P52 topic this week was "love," being that this is the week of Valentine's Day.  I have plenty of things I love: my little boy, family, friends, pets, books, shoes, chocolate....the list goes on and on.  I could think of plenty of things to photograph for this week, from the mundane to the extraordinary and from cliché to unique.  But I couldn't narrow down my options and decide what sort of photo I wanted to take!

To: Minha ruiva! [My redhead!]
Love: Seu devoto! [Your devoted!]
(Brazilian Portuguese [English])

But today, my sweet Jack solved the question for me, sending me a gift with a story.

Most people who read my blog have heard of Jack.  He's my....well, I don't know exactly what to call our type of "us-ness"....but there's definitely something here.  He's my friend; he's the person who knows every single one of my secrets; he's the first person I want to talk to when I've had a bad day, or a good day, or a day that's notable for any reason at all.  I could spend all night extolling the virtues of Jack, but that is not the purpose of this post.

♫♪ Let's start at the very beginning....♫♪

In December of 2002, I was married to a guy in the Marine Corps and we were living in Ramona, CA just north of MCAS Miramar where my then-husband was stationed.  Several of the other kid-free military wives in our apartment complex had begun volunteering at a V.A.-run recovery center in downtown San Diego where a number of recently-wounded Marines were living while undergoing extensive physical therapies for a range of injuries.  The other wives invited me to come along with them, and it sounded like a worthwhile cause, so I went.

Major & Minor World Religions: Correcting Some Common Misconceptions

I assume that anyone who knows me much at all (or who has read the bumper stickers on my car) already knows that I long ago walked away from the Christian faith I was raised with, and have since "tried on" a variety of other religious belief-sets.  During my travels through the world of religions, I encountered any number of misconceptions people have about "other" relgions, and many of them are things I continue to hear on at least a semi-regular basis.  I'm sure that the majority of people do not openly disparage other faiths intending to be mean, but rather because they have been so routinely misinformed.  So, hoping to correct some fallacies, I've listed here a collection of the mistaken beliefs I've heard most frequently.

► Members of alternative religious groups haven't studied the Bible or heard about Jesus.

The implication of this myth is that if these people really knew about Christianity, they would become Christians. It is the fundamental basis for most of the missionary work - and crusades - in Christian history. It is not, however, the case for the vast majority of those worshiping in smaller religions today. Practically all of these members have a background in Christianity and chose to leave it for their current path. They are as well-versed in the Christian faith as most Christians.

► Those smaller groups aren't 'real' religions.

The American Heritage dictionary defines a religion as "A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader". This definition does not specifically mention which leader - or which teachings - these beliefs must be based upon. Therefore, any group, no matter how small their numbers or how unusual their beliefs, which bases their practices in spirituality is a religion.

Statistical Geek-Fest!

Anyone who writes a blog or manages any other type of website can tell you that page statistics are fascinating to blog authors and webmasters.  I'm no different.  I love seeing my blog reach new milestones in readership and tracking what key words and search terms lead people to my site.  It's amazing to me to see how many readers come to my blog from places outside the United States.

I thought I must certainly have a reader or two who were similarly geeky and might get a kick out of viewing my site stats.  So, I have created an InfoGraphic packed with site stats and posted it for public viewing.  The InfoGraphic was fun to create, but somewhat time-consuming, as I wanted it to be unique and not automatically generated by some web tool.  Because of the work involved, I think that for now, I will update it annually.

Check it out!

Red Blog's Annual Statistical InfoGraphic

You can also link to the InfoGraphic from the bottom of any page on the Red! main blog, to view it as you wish without having to revisit this post.

Responsibility, Part VI: Caretaker of Mother Earth

We do not inherit the earth

from our ancestors; we borrow

it from our children.

~Native American Proverb

I think it would be safe to say that, today, every person in the modernized world has been taught about the importance of protecting and preserving our precious planet.  Native people all over the world have understood this since time began, because they lived more closely in tune with the lands they inhabited, but industry and modernization and technology seem to have caused a collective amnesia of this fact in the minds of modern people.  Over time, this selective forgetfulness has allowed us to cause damage to our environment, some of which may be irreparable.  But this doesn't mean that we ought to simply give up and let the swift destruction continue....quite the opposite, in fact.  Rather than resign ourselves to the inevitable outcomes of events already set in motion, we should instead redouble our efforts to correct our behaviors and accept responsibility for the fate of our planet.

As Earth's caretakers, we have numerous responsibilities, many of which fit into our daily lives without inconvenience.

Responsibility, Part V: Citizen of the World

"I must do something" always solves more problems than "Something must be done."

~Author Unknown

Where do you live?  Of what larger entity are you a part?  Of what place are you a citizen?  I, personally, am a citizen of Pensacola, FL, Escambia County, the state of Florida and the United States of America.  Each of those levels of citizenship comes with its own set of responsibilities.  However, the citizenship that is the most meaningful to me is being a citizen of the world.  Moreover, I want to be known as a responsible citizen of the world.

This means many things to many people, but to me there are two things of primary importance in being a responsible citizen of the world community.

The Origins of "XMas!"

Over the last few weeks, as with every year, my Facebook news feed has become flooded with the angry postings of my devoted and well-intentioned -- albeit misinformed -- Christian friends railing against the atrocities of substituting the word "XMas" for their perceived-to-be-holier term "Christmas."  I generally shake my head, since I know more about the origins of the word XMas than my Christian friends apparently do.  But, since I believe that knowledge is the key to solving many problems, I've decided to tackle the issue in a blog this year in hopes that my news feed will be more XMas-friendly next year.

I'll be quoting excerpts from several other sites, but will include links back to the original articles for those wishing to read them in their entirety.

First, quotes from this article on the Christian Resource Institute's website The Voice:

Stingy Jack of the Lantern

Last year, as Halloween approached, I wrote a blog post entitled "Halloween: Are You Being Tricked?"  It discussed many of the various beginnings of Halloween traditions and their roots in pagan holiday festivals.  It occurred to me today, as I am sitting here thinking what sort of face to carve into this pumpkin I bought for Kaleb, that last year's post did not include the Jack-O-Lantern tradition.  So, here it is!

================================

When we think of Jack-o-Lanterns today we think of the carved pumpkins with candles lighting them brightly from within; but did you know that the Jack-o-Lantern actually has deep historical roots and originally didn't even involve a pumpkin? The Jack-o-Lantern stems from an old Irish myth about a man named Stingy Jack.

Shoe Collection Drive — A Last-Minute Request for Help!

Ok, Pensacola friends! I need some help, and I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me before to ask you all. This is extremely last-minute, so I understand if you aren't able to help out.

The school I work at is holding a Used Shoe Collection/Drive through Tuesday of this week. The teacher coordinating the event volunteers for an organization that distributes used-but-useable shoes to needy families as well as trying to help supply them to people around the world affected by poverty and natural disasters.

The homeroom class that collects the most pairs of useable shoes will win a pizza party.

Most of you know that I am a teacher's assistant working with ESE/Special Needs kids. Our homerrom is 14 students, half the size of the other homeroom classes in the school. More than half of our 14 students come from very-low-income families themselves. These factors usually put us was behind when it comes to making a difference through Collection Drives like this one, or the one for the Manna Food Bank that was held before Thanksgiving.

I fully understand that the purpose of this event is to help the less fortunate, but I also know the good that would be done for these ESE kids (who never win anything and are often picked on by "normal" kids) to WIN something! I'm speding the weekend going through my shoes, sorting out most of them to be given away. Since becoming a mother, my wardrobe has changed, and many of my shoes have been neatly tucked away, unseen, under my bed for over 2 years now. I'm keeping the ones I wear regularly and the few with sentimental value, but the rest are going to the donation at work.

If any of you have any used-but-useable shoes you'd be willing to donate, please let me know. I can pick them up from you tomorrow (Sunday) or possibly Monday evening afer work. Or if you're going to be in the Michigan Avenue area and would like to drop them by the house, that would be great too, and I'll happily send you the address!

Any size and style of shoe is fine, as well as shoes for all ages and genders. All that matter is that they still be in useable condidtion.

Thanks to anyone who can help!


Update:  We won!  Our class won with a total of 130 pairs of shoes, thanks in part to some of you!  The 2nd place class collected 42 pairs of shoes, slightly less than a third of what we had.  Thanks so much to anyone who contributed!

Oh, The Things People Will Eat!

Countries all around the world have written laws disallowing certain foods.  In many of these cases, I have an extremely difficult time understanding why anyone would want to eat these things in the first place, much less why they would need specific laws forbidding them!  Look for yourself, and you'll see what I mean!

Halloween: Are You Being Tricked?

As the weather turns cooler, the aisles at grocery stores are filled with orange-and-black packages of candy and toys, and  seasonal costume shops are doing a booming business.  Parents usher their little darlings up and down row after row of costumes, some cute and some grotesque, searching for the "perfect" look.  Every grocery store, every other street corner, and half the churches in town have all set up their "Pumpkin Patches" to bring in revenue by selling pumpkins to be carved into Jack-O-Lanterns.  Everyone prepares in their own way, even though many haven't got a clue what they're preparing for.

While some of us are preparing for one of the most spiritual holidays of our year, others are testing out various candy-carrying options to see which has the greatest capacity or weight limit.  Personally, I don't expect everyone to view this holiday the same way.  Certainly every holiday is celebrated by different people in different ways.  But, I think that Halloween is one of the least-understood holidays commonly celebrated in America today.

Perhaps the one thing that annoys me the most is people who do not live their lives according to their professed beliefs.....and this is no different at Halloween.  It seems to me that the same people who post scriptures and "God" statuses on Facebook almost daily and who, in less than two months, will be ranting and raving against the "commercialism of Christmas" are the same ones who are preparing to escort their kids to a local store to begin picking out Halloween costumes for Trick-or-treating and candy to hand out to the neighborhood kids who will come to the door one evening at the end of the month.  Please be aware: Christmas isn't the only holiday being commercialized.

A friend of mine shared on Facebook today this link, which mirrors many of her own views as to why she and her family do not celebrate Halloween.  While she and I are basically on opposite ends of the religious spectrum, I fully respect that she lives her life according to her professed faith, and I think that all professed Christians ought to read the article.

So, I thought that I would use this post to share a little bit about the origins of Halloween and how and where it began.

65 Years Ago Today.....

65 years ago today, the world became a much scarier place, and the face of modern warfare changed forever as the first atomic bomb to be used in war was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.

A Uranium bomb (which weighed in at over 4 & 1/2 tons) nicknamed "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima August 6th, 1945. The Aioi Bridge, one of 81 bridges connecting the seven-branched delta of the Ota River, was the aiming point of the bomb. Ground Zero was set at 1,980 feet. At 0815 hours, the bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay. It missed by only 800 feet. At 0816 hours, in the flash of an instant, 66,000 people were killed and 69,000 people were injured by a 10 kiloton atomic explosion.
The point of total vaporization from the blast measured one half of a mile in diameter. Total destruction ranged at one mile in diameter. Severe blast damage carried as far as two miles in diameter. At two and a half miles, everything flammable in the area burned. The remaining area of the blast zone was riddled with serious blazes that stretched out to the final edge at a little over three miles in diameter.