Saturday, July 28, 2012

Politicians Who Can't and Won't ... and Us Who Will

Peggy Noonan was writing the in the Wall Street Journal on Friday 27th July about the Aurora shootings and violence embedded in our cultural entertainments. The subtitle of her opinion column was - "Everybody knows the culture is poisonous, and nobody expects that to change."

My response is "yes" and then again "yes". Sadly.

Early on in her piece Noonan lays out the trajectory ... the momentum ... the cultural changes that some are pushing ... that many are passively accepting (and experiencing) ... and ... that many are ingesting, and then processing into their "everyday" lives.

She says this. "Did "The Dark Knight Rises" cause the Aurora shootings? No, of course not. One movie doesn't have that kind of power, and we don't even know if the shooter had seen it. But a million violent movies have the cumulative power to desensitize and destabilize, to make things worse, and that's what we've been seeing the past quarter century or so, the million movies. Each ups the ante in terms of carnage."

Agreed. Agreed. Agreed ... and agreed.

She goes on to make some good analysis about what "politics" can and cannot (and will not) be capable of. But really, it's a "spiritual" issue, and a consciousness issue. Which is why we change our own consciousness "first". Since ... our own mind is the only mind that we can choose to make different. And then we impact our environment. Because me ... and you (all) and our environment are "One". Oneness. Thought creates. Choice exists.

As I say in the essay that is the closing bookend of Gathering Stillness ... "Those who begin to quest begin to treat all of Creation, all of Mother EAerth and all upon Her Breast, with love and compassion. They begin to Serve All of Creation. In small ways - rescuing a snail fallen from a flower bed - and larger. And, some times, big."

As an artist I am an activist artist and a "spiritual" artist. These are not two separate paths, two different threads. As an activist, spiritual, artist I offer resonances that invite readers to consider the possibility of making changes in their own consciousness. That is my way as an artist. Other artists perceive and work differently in how they want their work to "impact". I honor them all without judgement. And I travel my way. This is what I do.

And ... as an artist ... I am NOT a working, salaried politician. And never intend to be. Nobody expects politicians to accomplish much. Though, they could accomplish more if they really wanted to, if they really wanted to build societies with better fundamentals rather than play politics with the other side. But they don't. And won't.

Which means change in consciousness will happen in other ways. By storytellers, poets, musicians and all meeting with those who want to be resonated and then transform themselves. Honestly ... truly honestly ... if you love Mother EAerth and all upon Her Breast, and Love that upon which Mother EAerth emerges from and resides, then you will come to not want to perpetrate cruelties upon others ... and indeed other beings.

Om Shanti | Peace, be still and Know that I Am

Monday, July 23, 2012

I was having a FaceBook conversation with Sambodhi Prem - musician for meditation, reflection and stilling - yesterday ... about what artists-in-service-of-Spirit always talk about  :) and he said this - "Yes, the artist's ego… I'd say: Why be a hero when you can be a zero? :-)"  Couldn't put it better myself.