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4th of July Weekend Wisdom - (if you don't send these to at least eight people, who cares?)
I found these two pieces, one old and one new, appropriate not only for this long weekend but for these "interesting" times. I've noticed alot of curiosity among twenty-somethings like my son passing the YouTube videos of the classics like "Seven Words." I've noticed that some of my contemporaries have just kind of gone underground, as if they are measuring what to do at this juncture. So much is strange in the present and unpredictable for the future, yet there is a poignant sense of deja vu as well, particularly as politicans cross the country and fill the airwaves and talk about "values" and the economy as we advance toward election time. It's tempting to gravitate toward "hope" and "change" yet easy for anyone with a memory to be on guard for pandering, innuendo, euphemism and the like. Anyway, these felt like wisdom to me this morning.
From the late George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings butshorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, moreexperts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up tootired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares?
& from Katharine van den Heuvel, Editor of The Nation:
Are you a pro-democracy patriot? I am. Like millions of Americans, I experienced a surge of hope after the most nationally inclusive race for a presidential nomination in US history. It was that hope -- a sense that the time is ripe and right -- that moved me to write a manifesto about how to invigorate our democracy and capture greater power for the people. My essay, "Just Democracy" addresses the crisis of our democracy, the opportunity we have to repair it and the steps we can take to build a more perfect union.
While The Nation has published clarion calls for change before -- most recently in 2001 and 2004, the confluence of events suggests there may never be a better time to renew our electoral process. Just a century ago progressive forces brought about a flurry of constitutional amendments, including women's suffrage and direct election of senators. We have a similar opportunity to pass the reforms that will build a more just democracy. A pro-democracy movement already has the grassroots and netroots in place, as well as the principles and concrete proposals. Of course, it will take political will, savvy strategy and hard-nosed organizing -- organizing that should be integrated into the 2008 campaign and continue after this year's voting is done.
By developing a holistic and galvanizing democracy agenda, the larger public interest and progressive community can unify and amplify particular issues -- health care, the environment, an end to reckless war and economic injustice.
What would a core agenda be? How about Just Democracy -- a program to ensure that every voter can vote, that every vote gets counted, that money talks no louder than the many and that every challenger gets to make his or her case? Many of the reforms I propose are embodied in legislative proposals that have already been introduced in Congress.
A Just Democracy movement will require determined idealism and hard-nosed realism; it will demand a broad coalition committed to making these reforms a high priority. Working together, I believe we can repair the broken system we've been handed and confront the crisis of disenfranchisement that has overtaken our democracy. We want 100 percent registration. We want increased participation. We want full representation with majority rule. We want the right to vote. We want to vote without fear--that our votes will not count, or be counted by hacked machines.
Isn't it long past time to place democracy at the center of our politics? This July 4th, let's begin to make America a more perfect union.
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These are from Sami Sunchild, an elderly woman who runs The Red Victorian in San Francisco
THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR (for fun)
By Sami Sunchild
That the floor is under us where it can catch all sorts of things that we spill or drop. It would have been very inconvenient if it were on the ceiling.
That we have two legs. That number is just right. Three would have been too many and one is not enough.
That the liquid on our planet is water. If it had been coffee or cola or split pea soup it would not have been nearly as convenient or versatile.
That our teeth are located inside our mouths and not outside, or on our backsides where they would have been very uncomfortable to sit on.
Talk about intelligent design, it is wonderful that tails on dogs and fish and birds are all behind them. If they were in front it could interfere with their eyesight and it might cause accidents.
Have you ever thought about what it would be like if the world turned left to right instead of the way it does now? You'd just be getting ready for bed and the sun would come up!
And what if the equator slid up or down a little? The hemispheres would no longer both be the same size, they wouldn't match!
About the Universal Law of Lost Keys and Other Objects: have you ever noticed that it's not really them that are lost; it's you! You lost your proximity to them, your time, your mind and your cool.
The late George Carlin became famous for his comedy routine on the “seven words you can never say on TV.” But presidential candidates have four words they can never say on TV or anywhere else: “I changed my mind.”
Other words they cannot utter include: “As circumstances have changed, so have my positions” and “I have learned a thing or two.”
This is not allowed, because it is proof of flip-flopping, pandering, moving to the (gasp) center and, worst of all, trying to get elected.
And you have to be very careful of that last one.
Roger Simon, Politico.com
Tony Snow passed away today.
Back in the early days of internet, the AOL Newsroom was where many politicos and white house staffers would visit to float ideas, trial balloons, keep a pulse on the rapidly expanding technology known as chat rooms and early blogs.
People famous today as journalists/ commentators/bloggers populated the Newsroom, trying out the new medium.
Tony snow came into that newsroom often, he was polite and interesting person to speak with. He died a Young man, my sympathies are with his family.
Excellent insights by George Carlin. He is one of my favorite social commentators.