Love

Love is the only thing that really matters. The only thing. There are other things that matter. But love is the main thing. Love is the master key of the universe. Love makes everything else possible. So as much as you can, love yourself, love others, and love nature.
But wait a second ~ what is love?

Love, to me, is almost entirely impossible to characterize. So I'll just mention a few things that it does:

It makes me absolutely sick.
It makes me phenomenally happy and energized.
It makes me despair that I'll never find a partner and be in love.
It makes me incredibly hopeful and brave in my actions and my dreams for true love.
It makes me feel so sad and sorry for all the beings who are suffering in the world.
It makes me so joyful and happy for all the healthy, loving, beautiful people and beings in the world.
It makes me want to be a better person.
It makes me want to create a better world.
It rips apart my bullshit and makes irrellavent the things that I wrapped myself in before.
It liberates me from my old phony life.
It makes me a slave of its dictates to act, do, and live as a bold, loving person.
It makes me lose my appetite.
It gives me a new appetite - for intimacy, for connection, for communication., for communion.
It makes me want to build a nest so all the birds can come in and rest.
It makes me want to smash through walls that stop truth from coming through.
It hurts.
It pushes and squeezes me, prods and pokes me, nudges and nips at me.
I hate it.
I love it.

What am I supposed to do when I feel it?
 

Love

Love is the only thing that really matters. The only thing. There are other things that matter. But love is the main thing. Love is the master key of the universe. Love makes everything else possible. So as much as you can, love yourself, love others, and love nature.
But wait a second ~ what is love?

Love, to me, is almost entirely impossible to characterize. So I'll just mention a few things that it does:

It makes me absolutely sick.
It makes me phenomenally happy and energized.
It makes me despair that I'll never find a partner and be in love.
It makes me incredibly hopeful and brave in my actions and my dreams for true love.
It makes me feel so sad and sorry for all the beings who are suffering in the world.
It makes me so joyful and happy for all the healthy, loving, beautiful people and beings in the world.
It makes me want to be a better person.
It makes me want to create a better world.
It rips apart my bullshit and makes irrelevant the things that I wrapped myself in before.
It liberates me from my old phony life.
It makes me a slave of its dictates to act, do, and live as a bold, loving person.
It makes me lose my appetite.
It gives me a new appetite - for intimacy, for connection, for communication., for communion.
It makes me want to build a nest so all the birds can come in and rest.
It makes me want to smash through walls that stop truth from coming through.
It hurts.
It pushes and squeezes me, prods and pokes me, nudges and nips at me.
I hate it.
I love it.

What am I supposed to do when I feel it?
 

Politics Are Bullshit - But Only Because We Make It So

Recently, like many around me, I have been feeling the Bern... Why?

Well, here's this old guy who spent his whole life serving the country and really doing it well. And an old lady who has spent her life serving the country and really making a mess of things. Never mind the Republicans, they're all going to lose this race, in my opinion. So, as I see it, it's between Bernie and Hillary. But far more important is the how than the who.

If Bernie wins, it will be a win for the small donors, the positive campaign, the independent minded people, and for Progressive values. If Hillary wins, it will be a win for big money donors, for business as usual politics, and for...a woman. Not necessarily all women. But certainly a woman. Now, don't mistake me for being sexist here. I'm just saying that Hillary more for corporations than people - men or women. And considering her deep entrenchment in the Democratic political establishment, a victory for her wouldn't really feel like a victory for the truly progressive women's movement. It would feel like a victory for the corporations who have succeeded in leashing the Democratic Party and now the feminists are getting the corporate-approved tiara. 

Never mind burning your bra. Never mind radically rejecting and throwing off the bonds of paternal slavery. Just join the system, suck up to it, and do its bidding - and you shall have the mantle of power. Oooh goodie! And just to make sure people don't figure you out to be the Faux-Liberal that you are, make sure you do a few Progressive things here and there in the margins, as time permits. This is how I see Hillary and Bill Clinton. And this is the opposite of what Bernie Sanders is saying - and doing.

Bernie doesn't want or accept big money. He doesn't have a Super PAC. And he is boldly calling for universal healthcare, banking reform, campaign finance reform, a drawing down of our military action, free public college and university tuition, a huge infrastructure investment, and many many other truly bold and progressive measures. Will we get all those things? Probably not right away. But someday, we can all hope for these and much greater things. But it's brave and bold to stand up for what is right and true, especially this day and age. And that is why I've been inspired by him.

Because it's not just about politics. It's about people. It's about using our collective resources to make the world a better place for everyone. That's the purpose of government. If the government doesn't do that, then what purpose is it serving?

"I am willing to lie, cheat and swindle my way to a position of power to make the world a better place."

Does that sound like a good compromise to you? Sadly, that's probably among the most enlightened viewpoints currently taken by politicians... Until Bernie came along and made everything in this race about one thing: serving the people.