True pacifism is not unrealistic submission to an evil power...it is rather a courageous confrontation with evil by the power of love, in the faith that it is better to be the recipient of violence than the inflicter of it, since the latter only multiplies the existence of violence and bitterness in the universe, while the former may develop a sense of shame in the opponent, and thereby bring about a transformation and change of heart."

Martin Luther King


Over the past three or four days I have been engaging fellow bloggers on the topics of Barack Obama and pacifism. While I hope some fruit has come of my efforts, it has been frustrating at times having to respond to the various“caricatures” of what it means to be a pacifist….so…in an effort to not allow others to define what “I” and other pacifists “actually” believe, I am submitting a series of blog entries on the topic of pacifism for everyone who reads this blog consideration. My first entry is on the topic of the Myths of Pacifism.

Myth number one: Pacifism means you don’t do anything in the face of evil, except maybe stand around holding a protest sign while singing Kumbaya….

Apparently a lot of people associate pacifism with becoming a doormat and allowing others to run over you. Theologian Walter Wink asserts that the teachings of Jesus encourages us to, “Stand up for yourselves, defy your masters, assert your humanity; but don’t answer the oppressor in kind. Find a new, third way that is neither cowardly submission nor violent reprisal…Jesus says…Do not continue to acquiesce in your oppression by the Powers; but do not react violently to it either…Jesus in short, abhors both passivity and violence. He articulates, out of history of his won people’s struggles, a way by which evil can be opposed without being mirrored, the oppressor resisted with being emulated, and the enemy neutralized without being destroyed…Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez…and countless others less well known—point us to a new way of confronting evil whose potential for personal and social transformation we are only beginning to grasp today.”….Pacifism is pro-active…subversive…and…at times confrontational and coercive. Wink goes on to state, “Jesus is not telling us, in his admonitions to obey the government, to submit to evil, but to refuse to oppose it on its own terms. We are not to let the opponent dictate the methods of our opposition. He is urging us to transcend both passivity and violence by finding a third way, one that is at once assertive and yet non-violent.”…and…finally, Wink tells a an interesting story of a boy who creatively exhibited the “third way” of which Jesus’ teachings and actions imply…According to Wink there was a boy who rode a bus and was picked on every day by a bully. “The child was too slight of build to fight the far sturdier bully. But he has a weakness that he made into a strength: chronic sinusitis. One day, exasperated a the bully’s behavior, he noisily blew a load of snot into his right hand and approached his nemesis, hand outstretched, saying, “I want to shake the hand of a real bully” The bully retreated, wide-eyed, to his seat…and…That ended the career of the bully. Those sinuses were the ultimate weapon, and they were always at the ready!”

Myth number two: Pacifists are naïve

What seems naïve to me is the notion that we can solve our international problems/challenges by emphasizing and flexing our military muscles. We have spent around 21 trillion dollars since the 1960’s on our military and are we any closer to peace today than we were fifty years ago?...In fact, it seems from where I sit that we are not any closer to peace today than we were 50 years ago…and…I don’t see any correlation between peaceful societies and military might…In fact, one can argue the opposite might be true…and…the more we use our military muscle the more isolated from the international community we seem to become…Maybe if we had spent four or five trillion of those dollars on helping countries with poverty or rebuilding their infrastructures maybe we just might have created some friends and allies for life. Just a thought.

Myth number three: Pacifism doesn’t work or it exclusively only works in countries which are Democratic

I used to adhere to this myth before I, and the rest of the world, witnessed in utter amazement, the transformation of Eastern Europe and Russia through peaceful means. Some want to assert that Regan’s military arm race with Russia is what brought the once mighty communists down but this assertion negates and is a slap in the face to the heroic efforts of everyone from Lech Walesa, the Pope, the Solidarity Union, Gorbachev, and the millions of brave citizens who took to the streets for weeks and months.

Myth number four: Pacifists are narcissists who only care about their own personal comfort

This assertion was leveled at me personally during a recent online discussion about the war in Iraq…but…nothing could be further from the truth. Pacifists are trying to save lives of both civilians and soldiers alike. What is narcisstic about that. This assertion makes no sense…None..

Myth number five: Pacifists are all the same.

No one generally make this assertion explicitly but when I hear people talk about pacifism the caricature of a pacifist sounds pretty much the same which implies that all pacifists must think and act alike. While it is true that all pacifists are committed to non-violent actions the means in which that vision is carried out dramatically varies from one group or individual to another. Some are much more confrontational…others are willing to use coercive measures…some more traditional…while some lean towards more indirect subversive methods…in other words, the methods used by pacifists are much more fluid than what most people understand or suspect.

Myth number six: Pacifists are naive regarding human nature

Many critics assert that pacifists don’t take seriously the dark side of our human nature because if they did they would realize that pacifism doesn’t work in the face of evil. While it is true that not all pacifist methods work equally the same in all situations that does not prove that one cannot find a way to penetrate even the hardest of hearts or the most evil regimes. Many cite Nazi Germany as an example where pacifism would never work but one cannot, imo, make such an assertion because Germany was a militarist society where pacifism was not a part of the cultural ethic to begin with…and…if millions of Germans would have taken to the streets like they did in Eastern Europe and Russia as they did in the late 1980’s I propose Hitler wouldn’t have been able to stop them any more than the leaders of Eastern Europe…

Translucent Revolution: Part II

This is part of two of my miniseries on Tranlucent thinking. It is not my intention to endorse or proselytize others into jumping onto the latest and greatest spiritual bandwagon, but rather, to pass along, hopefully, some food for thought. Here are some more quotes and sayings from Arjuna Ardagh,s book The Translucent Revolution.

Translucents do not choose between spirit and the world.: They embrace both or they have neither fully. Spirit is expressed in form, and form only works when it is infused with spirit. The inner life is incomplete without material life, like a metal untested by fire. Material life is incomplete without spirit, like a cathedral without an altar. To be successful in a rapidly changing world, you need to be at the source of your experience, awake to who you really are. Translucents embrace life, inclusive feelings and sexuality, the shadow as well as the saintliness, the failures as well as the triumphs.

Translucents are in their bodies, and care for the body as a sacred garden. They practice yoga, martial arts. They play tennis, ski, and surf, for sheer joy of being embodied, not to achieve anything. They dance as a sacred art form. And translucents are generally very sexual and sensual: they experience the body as a doorway to the real.

The tendency to resist life, to become a pattern of interference, is so strong in all of us that it takes considerable awareness, honesty, and willingness to feel what is uncomfortable, to not resist it. This is the pivotal difference between contemporary translucents and traditional mystics….and…unlike many traditional practitioners of spiritual life, translucents are not interested in running away from anything or amputating any part of their experience. In fact, they have learned to walk toward what they have previously run away from.

Translucents embrace spiritual practice not as a means to achieving a future goal but as a way to a more fully lived present moment, with open heart, open mind, and open body.

In the maturing beyond dogma and the rules of tradition, translucents have also grown beyond hierarchy. The tradition setting of one Enlightened, one sitting on a raised podium, answering questions from differential devotees, is being replaced by the sacred circle, where wisdom is everywhere in the room at the same time, where meeting is eye to eye, heart to heart. Realizing the deepest truth of who we are may occur on the mediation cushion or in a cave. To discover our potential to live as radiant love and humorous art requires involvement with other people. Through the alchemy of meeting with others in honesty and trust, we can take our inner wisdom for a test-drive and find out what happens when the rubber meets the road.

Tranlucents are lions, not sheep. They walk alone, although sometimes in each other’s company.

Translucents display willingness to be wrong, to let go and move on. Their perception of their identity is the way we might experience a crazy uncle who can be tolerated, enjoyed, even loved. There is no reason to change your mad uncle, but there is also no reason to defend him or apologize for him. If he disturbs the neighbors, a little damage control is simply intelligent.

Translucents have a natural interest in forgiving and moving on. Forgiveness is no longer a moral virtue, or something we need to practice, but the effortless by-product of no longer needing to protect an identity with a story attached to it. The past is not healed: it simply ceases to be useful….A translucents forgiveness is neither a moral quality nor a cultivated virtue, but the natural and inevitable consequences of knowing oneself as something more than the past.

Translucents have fewer beliefs to protect; They are comfortable with not knowing what to do until they really know. They have less need to think and dramatically less need to be right. When we are acting translucently, our actions come from a different place within us. Instead of reflecting a system of belief, they are a direct response to the situation as it is…Often we talk and take action based on preexisting set of beliefs about what is right and wrong. Our behavior is predictable and they almost always meet the present moment based on our past…and…having developed a complex system of beliefs, we become more interested in defending them than in knowing what is true. The actuality of life becomes secondary to the principle of the thing.
The role of a translucent teacher is to relax and allow a deeper part of the questioner to tell her what she already knows but cannot hear. This is the deeper role of a teacher; not to deliver a precooked set of dictates and theories but to be used by the Great Knowing…The key to accessing a deeper source of thought and action is the willingness to relax and wait...rather than accept the statue quo notion of avoiding “I don’t know” at all cost. Translucent action requires the wisdom of “I don’t know” as its firm foundation….

It's Official

Drum roll please.....It's now official... Guillermo Del Toro has signed a contract to direct the Hobbit and he will be joining forces with producer Peter Jackson over the next four years in New Zealand to bring us the much anticipated prequel to the Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit is tentatively scheduled to arrive in theater's in 2011...but...here is the interesting part...there is a sequel...In 2011 the team of Del Toro and Jackson will release the "long discussed theoretical middle story" that connects the Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings. There is no book explaining these two stories but apparently Tolkien left behind hundreds of notes and concepts that will used to bridge the gap between these two stories...

Del Toro has a reputation of potentially being the next great fantasy film director in the league of Jackson, Speilberg, and Lucas. His background is steeped in the world of fairy tales and he has already directed some very interesting and critically acclaimed fantasy stories such as Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, Hellboy, Mimic, and the upcoming Hellboy II: Golden Army...and...he is currently working on a film called Saturn and the End of Days, which is a story about a young boy who witnesses the rapture and the Apocalypse and apparently lives to tell the story...I have heard an in depth interview with Del Toro and he does seem to possess the creative/fantasy genes in spades.

I am excited and jazzed...but...apparently not everyone thinks this is a match made in heaven. Andrew Heir of Salon, who interviewed Del Toro at Cannes in 2006 asked Del Toro what he thought about Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and Del Toro said, "I was never into heroic fantasy. At all. I don't like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits -- I've never been into that at all. I don't like sword and sorcery, I hate all that stuff."....Hehir goes on to say this about Del Toro, "His aesthetic is darker, more Gothic and more grotesque than the Tolkien-via-Jackson universe; it derives more from the medieval mire of middle-European fairy tale than from the high-toned, pre-modern northern European epics Tolkien was channeling."...While it is true that many of Del Toro's films do lend themselves to the "dark side", that doesn't mean he can't suck it up and do one for the team...which is my hope...As far as the challenge of two heavy weights working together, that remains to be seen, but Peter Jackson has always come across to me as a lovable current day hobbit who is easy to get along with...and...if my take on Jackson is correct and Del Toro works his magic on his end than the fans of the Middle Earth may be rewarded with another great adventure in a couple of years...

The Translucent Revolution: Part I

Over the years I have identified myself at different times as a Reaganite, Evangelical, Christian Anarchist, Baby Boomer, Country bumpkin from Bakersfield, mystic, Pomoxian, Obamamaniac, and modern day hobbit. Personally, I don’t like labeling others, but I don’t mind labeling myself as this or that if it stimulates conversation. I also enjoy the shock value but I also don't mind making fun of myself either.

Recently I have been reading a book called, “The Translucent Revolution”, by Arjuna Ardagh. While I can’t relate to some of the Eastern leaning philosophy I do identify with a number of the characteristics of a Translucent Revolutionary. So what is a Translucent Revolution and what are the primary characteristics of someone who fits the definition of a Translucent Revolutionary? …Rather than try to explain the answers to these questions I will include a series of quotes from the book that define the questions at hand…


Some definitions:

“Webster’s dictionary defines translucent as “letting light pass through, but not transparent” A transparent object, like a clean sheet of glass, is almost invisible. You see everything through a transparent object as if it were not there at all. An opaque, on the other hand, blocks light completely. A translucent object allows light to pass through, but diffusely, while maintaining its form and texture. Objects on the other side cannot be distinguished. A crystal is translucent. So is a sculpture of frosted glass”….A translucent person is an individual who has undergone a spiritual awakening deeply enough that is has permanently transformed their relationship to themselves and to reality, while allowing them to remain involved in ordinary life in a process which is evolutionary and endless.

Characteristics of today’s Translucents

“Today’s translucents live for the most part outside the context of organized religion and hierarchy. They no longer need to have one teacher or teaching, but rather have many teachers or experiences of life as a teacher. Ram Dass speaks of no longer being a Buddhist but being a generalist. Richard Holloway, a retired bishop of Edinburgh, has reevaluated his relationship to the Christian church since recognizing God to be everywhere, both behind the eyes and in front…Cynthia, who has attended events with the Dali Lama, Wayne Dyer, and Thomas Moore, says, I think I’m as much a Buddhist as a Christian, or maybe I’m just all of it and none of it” Right now I’ve got Eckardt Tolle, The Tao Te Ching, Cosmopolitan, and a thriller on my bedside table. They seem to be getting along just fine”

“Today’s translucents have fallen in love with the present moment and the possibilities of living right now as a gift of love, as a work of are. They’ve lost interest in potential future states. Translucents have seen past the dangling carrot of future enlightenment. They live for now, and now, and now”

Translucents speak of life as a rivering, a process without end. Like a fountain that is always pouring forth, it is an endless and spontaneous enlightening, not a fixed state. Unlike the goal- oriented self improvement industry that has dominated our culture for so long, this process is an endless unfolding of discovery and delight. There is no attempt to fix a problem or to achieve a final higher state. Translucence is more a direction than a destination. Like heading East, the process doesn’t imply a specific point of arrival. It is a way of living life with art and humor, returning continuously to here, and here, and here, always steeped in the vastness of the view and blessing each moment with a gift of creative presence.

Translucents are always evolving, but they also display an extraordinary and often humorous acceptance of themselves just as they are… Translucents have canceled their subscription to the self-improvement industry; They no longer pin their sense of well-being, their connectedness and peace, on the process of fixing themselves. Yet they fully recognize the dysfunctional habits that hurt people and create separation, and they take a tremendous amount of energy from the simplicity of this moment, from being able to live fully and acknowledge the gift of life.

Translucents delight in color, sex, children, blood, dance, and music as the very expression and demonstration of divinity in flesh. Art, music, images, and sensations are just as sacred as words.

The Season of Hope

Today was a beautiful day so I went out in the neighborhood and took some pictures of flowers. It has been spring like for the past month but it has only been the last week or so that the flowers and other plants have reached full bloom. The neighborhood is currently bursting in reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, and purple and it is the most beautiful time of the year. It’s hard to imagine that in two months we Bakersfieldians are going to be sweltering in the heat and the beautiful flowers and other plants are going to be hanging on for dear life and at the mercy of local homeowners who decide when and how much to water.

Spring is important because it reminds us that winter is over and that which was dormant or at deaths doorstep now has new life… As I ponder my own life there are some areas in my life which are currently dormant or feel dead…so…the flowers remind me that life has it’s cycles and that which currently appears dead or dormant will in time come back to life. Flowers represent hope and without hope life is unbearable. If you want to see more photographs of flowers go to Bilbo’s Picture World and you can see
a large collection of photographs I have take of flowers on my various trips on the west coast.

World Wide Suicide

Sometimes one listens to a song and hears the music...and...at other times one hears a song and "feels" the music. Tonight while I was at the gym listening to Pearl Jam's song World Wide Suicide I found myself "feeling" the emotional force behind this song...then...later I found my mind pondering why I sometimes feel like we are at the brink of a World Wide Suicide...and... Here are 15 reasons why I sometimes feel the existential angst behind this particular song.

When I am reminded of the war in Iraq and the loss of American and Iraqi lives.

When I continue to hear one bad story after another regarding the economic situation in America and the potential implications for the rest of the world.

When I am reminded of the story of a woman I know who was raped by her father who was a deacon in the church and a leader in the community.

When I see people I know who have been legitimately victimized and can't break themselves from the shackles and bondage of the victim mentality.

When I see politicians willing to do "almost" anything to win an election.

When I see so much money spent on the nomination process.

When I am channel surfing and come across one of those ridiculous reality shows. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I "hate" all these shows...for the record.

Whenever I hear one more story about the Reverend Wright and the guilt by association implications that come from some quarters.

When I see people I know who are caught in the destructive web of workaholism.

When I visited my mom's vacant house and discovered gang bangers had tagged the entire inside with graffiti. I almost threw up.

When I drive around town and see house after house after house either for sale, rent, or in the process of being foreclosed.

When I am overwhelmed with such powerful emotions like fear to the point where I feel like I am having an out of body experience.

When I hear idiots who have not stepped into a classroom in twenty or thirty years assert they know and understand the terrible plight of public education in this country.

Anytime I allow myself to listen to talk radio...and...remember that millions of people listen to this "shit"...pardon my French...

And finally, whenever I hear a anyone assert that Barack Obama has no substance and anyone who follows or supports him is simply caught up in a "cult of personality"

Soulful Relationships

Over the past 10 years I have spent a significant amount of time reading, thinking, and pondering about relationships. Divorce has a way of getting one's attention on the subject. Anyway, I want to introduce a new blog I have created on the subject of relationships. The blog is called Soulful Relationships and the site is devoted to the topic of the nature of relationships. The blog which will be updated from time to time will contain many quotes from my favorite authors on the subject and some of my own personal ponderings and commentary. The site is neither a personal record of any of my relationships nor is it a self help guide to relationship bliss...but...rather a collection of thoughts by myself and my favorite authors which will hopefully stimulate and inspire your own imagination regarding one of the most important aspects of our lives. So, if you are either curious or seriously interested in the "dance of relationships" than check out my new blog from time to time...

I've noticed I haven't updated my blog for a couple of weeks now. No particular reason...I have been busy with other things including practicing with my new camera, working on a new blog which I hope to launch very soon, and following closely the Presidential campaign. Speaking of the campaign...Did you happen to catch Obama's speech on race yesterday?...Just amazing, both in terms of content and ability to deliver a nuanced message which simultaneously addresses the legitimate concerns of both white and black Americans and empathizes and humanizes controversial figures like Pastor Wright...and...in my lifetime, I have not witnessed a politician or any other nationally know public figure who has been able to pull off what Obama has been able to do regarding such an explosive issue. Obama appears to be the real deal and is a fresh of breathe air to the political landscape which imo has been on the decline for most of my adult life....other news...went up to see my mom who is currently in a rest home. She is now 93 years old and is still hanging in there. Each time I see her I wonder if it will be for the last time but both myself and other relatives have written her off many times before and she just keeps making a comeback...She is no longer able to walk and is confined to a bed, probably for the rest of her life and it is my hope and prayer that she die a quiet peaceful death in her sleep when the Good Lord decides to take her home. In the meantime, I try to see her whenever I can and remember all the sacrifices she has made for me...On the sports front...There is currently a lull in the action for me until the basketball play-offs start. I am a huge Laker fan and I am excited that the Lakers are back near the top of heap but have no assurances how far that Lakers will go this year considering the Western Conference from top to bottom is the strongest in history...in fact...I don't remember, ever, in any sport where you literally have the top eight teams that are pretty much on equal footing...which...I hope translates to an exciting play-off run...March Madness starts on Thursday which will give me something to watch. I don't have a favorite college Basketball team so I will probably root for the west coast teams. I have always really enjoyed the College Basketball tournament because it provides one of the rare opportunities in sports where the little guy and the unknown are allowed to play on the big stage with the big guys...and...every year there are some big surprises....Well, that' it for now, I need to get out and get some exercise and get some work done....

Obamamania

I've got the fever. Obamania has finally reached the Shire. It took awhile but I now have all the classic symptoms of Obamania. You know the signs...Checking the internet at least three times a day to see the latest poll numbers on what is happening in Texas and Ohio. Watching at least two news programs when I get home just in case I missed something on the internet...checking out the other Obamania bloggers off an on all day…and…the final act…volunteering to work for Obama’s run to the White House…. I didn’t jump on the Obama bandwagon until about a month ago after listening to a speech by Barack Obama at his home church but now that I am on the bandwagon I intend to stay there until Obama reaches the White House, Lord willing. While it was the speech that got my juices going it was the two recent debates that sealed the deal for me. Let’s just say I was impressed, particularly by his attitude…. Today is a big day and according to most pundits, if Obama can win Texas than he will probably get the nomination…but…it is also an important day for me because, if Obama wins Texas today then I will make a trip to the local Democratic headquarters and sign up as a foot soldier and join the growing legion of Obamaniacs who are ready to do our part to help Obama reach the White House later this year. I know it may be a bit premature to count Hilary out if she does win Ohio and Rhode Island but I really don't see "how" she has a chance if she loses Texas tonight. She can fight until the end, and she may, but losing Texas tonight will, imho, send her into a wormhole that she will never find her way out of....