+ updated at 10:52am ESDT on Thursday, April 29, 2010.
+ Deepak Chopra is always fascinating. You can hear and see him at
http://www.themanifest-station.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=105&Itemid=427
He says that the sense of continuity we experience is an illusion. He says every moment is perfect. He defines God as Everything There Is. We are totally united to God, to Everything. "You are the Universe." Understanding that changes your perception, your attitude, your goals. He says 80 per cent of humanity is suffering from not getting enough due to huge global imbalance. He promotes non-violence. Create Peace by Being Peace.
+ I am getting a lot out of the Spirituality and Practice E-Retreat: Intercessory Prayer led by Jane Vennard. It is not too late to sign up and expand your knowledge and ability in this important form of prayer. The sharing in the forum is powerful. In the current lesson, Jane says: "Sometimes we are tempted to try and figure out the right way to pray before we begin. We may remember that someone once told us that we should always pray for the person's highest good. But what do we do if that doesn't feel authentic in a particular situation? We may wonder how God wants us to pray and the confusion of not knowing keeps us from praying. Maybe we have no idea what the person or the community needs, so we decide not to pray. We must put aside all these thoughts and simply begin to pray."
+ TruthOut offers "Behind The Arizona Immigration Law: GOP Game to Swipe the November Election" by Greg Palast. Excerpt: "What moved GOP Governor Jan Brewer to sign the Soviet-style show-me-your-papers law is the exploding number of legal Hispanics, US citizens all, who are daring to vote - and daring to vote Democratic by more than two-to-one. Unless this demographic locomotive is halted, Arizona Republicans know their party will soon be electoral toast. Or, if you like, tortillas."
Showing posts with label American Narrative Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Narrative Project. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, November 29, 2009
COFFEE BREAK 89
+ updated at 6:25pm EST.
+ John Preston offers "American Narrative Project: Growing up in the 'Good' America".
Excerpt:
The innocence of being a member of a purely good nation has fallen. The claims of American exceptionalism are no longer persuasive. A reading of the times and of prophetically critical authors has brought me to the “other side of American innocence.” I am much more inclined to view our history as plutocratic from the founding of our nation. And, I see a trajectory in our history from plutocracy to having become a massive empire in the world.
I believe that such empire is never innocent. But can it be justified? There is a basic question in ethics, and that is: does the end justify the means? I now think that for the most part the answer to that question in most instances is either ‘no”, or, a very morally qualified and rationalized “yes”. Yet, I think that our narrative would essentially answer in the affirmative based on our “spreading democracy in the world” and countering global poverty through the spread of our market system and capitalism.
We are at a point of what some have labeled “blow back.” There are many contenders here, from terror inflicting groups to the Earth itself. One way to be an agent of transformation out of empire to what some have called “Earth Community” is to understand our narrative, critique what is false or omitted, add new themes, and always be aware of how political ideology has shaped and used the narrative for its own political power, and for building the empire.
+ John Preston offers "American Narrative Project: Growing up in the 'Good' America".
Excerpt:
The innocence of being a member of a purely good nation has fallen. The claims of American exceptionalism are no longer persuasive. A reading of the times and of prophetically critical authors has brought me to the “other side of American innocence.” I am much more inclined to view our history as plutocratic from the founding of our nation. And, I see a trajectory in our history from plutocracy to having become a massive empire in the world.
I believe that such empire is never innocent. But can it be justified? There is a basic question in ethics, and that is: does the end justify the means? I now think that for the most part the answer to that question in most instances is either ‘no”, or, a very morally qualified and rationalized “yes”. Yet, I think that our narrative would essentially answer in the affirmative based on our “spreading democracy in the world” and countering global poverty through the spread of our market system and capitalism.
We are at a point of what some have labeled “blow back.” There are many contenders here, from terror inflicting groups to the Earth itself. One way to be an agent of transformation out of empire to what some have called “Earth Community” is to understand our narrative, critique what is false or omitted, add new themes, and always be aware of how political ideology has shaped and used the narrative for its own political power, and for building the empire.
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