monday missive...

To all those friends and intimates who may start wondering where I've gotten to these past few days, and who will wonder after my whereabouts during the days and weeks to come, please understand that I'm buried under a stack of semi-pointless paperwork and managing inane procedural crises the likes of which are not even worth mentioning in the most banal of small talk. I will return when I've done enough paperwork penance to be released from my temporary bureaucratic purgatory, I promise.

Can you tell the kind of Monday I've just had?

words, words, words...

You stand still for three days

for a piece of wisdom

and everything falls to the right place

or wrong place

You speak

don’t know whether

seraph or bitch

flutters at your heart

and look through windows

for cue cards

blazing in the sky.

The solution.

This last year I was sure

I was going to die

Michael Ondaatje, Secular Love

wednesday is the new friday...

Since I'm currently filling two positions in my office (ah the joys of being overqualified -- they keep giving you more work!), and have found myself increasingly worn-down by the never-ending bureaucratic paper-chase (multiplied by two!), I made the executive decision yesterday that I would take Thursday off, which when added to the four-day Easter long weekend, gives me a wonderful FIVE days of rest!

I won't lie, it's been a stressful few weeks, both on the work front (two jobs!), and on the personal front as I find myself increasingly on the defensive when faced with certain difficult situations. My horoscope told me there'd be days like this...but a five day weekend should provide at least temporary relief from the mania for a little space of time. It's now official: Wednesday is the new Friday.

To kick-off my expanded weekend, I'd like to offer up a touch of L. Cohen (his 'Book of Mercy' has been my meditative companion as I've navigated the recent rough waters...):

I heard my soul singing behind a leaf, plucked the leaf, but then I heard it singing behind a veil. I tore the veil, but then I heard it singing behind a wall. I broke the wall, and I heard my soul singing against me. I built up the wall, mended the curtain, but I could not put back the leaf. I held it in my hand and I heard my soul singing mightily against me. This is what it's lilke to study without a friend.

Couldn't have put it better myself...

a point of contemplation for a monday evening...

Some insightful words written by Thomas Merton, from his collection of essays Contemplation in a World of Action (p. 109-110):

“…man has a responsibility to find himself where he is, namely in his own proper time and in his place, in the history to which he belongs and to which he must inevitably contribute either his responses or his evasions, either truth and act or slogan and gesture. Even his gestures of evasion and withdrawal may unfortunately be decisive contributions to a void in which history can take on a demonic orientation.”

where is sheila when you need her??

This morning I found a tidbit about Canada in the Guardian Unlimited's "Books/Review" section, and was more than a little stunned to learn of our waning cultural standing in the world in such a 'cyber-accidental' way. I'm not sure if this is the work of our new political masters, or if this was a quiet backroom decision by the last regime in its dying days, but either way it's proof positive that the government continues to discount the value of culture both at home and (especially now) abroad. Sigh...where is Sheila Copps when you need her??

Say what you will about the former grand dame of all things CanCon, but she got results and was able to keep culture much more front and centre in a political climate that has in recent years come to favour the technocratic over the creative. Why is it that our government now seems to view culture as a luxury to be championed when economically useful or good for our image abroad, but to be cut at the first available opportunity once its short-term usefulness has passed? You'll note that the Brits have eyes to see the problem, and yet I don't think any Canadian news outlet has reported on this, or likely will. Not a good sign at all...

From the Guardian Website (bold emphasis is mine):

Canada has for a long time considered culture a third pillar of foreign policy. In the UK particularly it has put its money where its mouth is, hiring officers specialising in literature, performing arts, film, TV and visual arts. From a literary point of view, the past decade has seen a massive increase in interest in Canadian writers in this country; three of the six 2002 Booker nominees were Canadian (and a Canadian - Yann Martel - won). Recently an aboriginal writer called Sky Dancer has read in British schools and libraries and been sent on a tour, and at last year's Edinburgh festival there were 17 Canadian authors, including Margaret Atwood, John Ralston Saul, Romeo Dallaire and performance poet Shane Koyczan (who was such a hit he is now going to the Hay festival). Many were brought over with the aid of government money, and as Catherine Lockerbie, director of the Edinburgh international book festival, noted this week, they were writers she would not necessarily have heard of if she hadn't been taken to Canada, and been introduced to them. But the Canadian government seems to have lost faith: this week the four cultural officers, who have more than 50 years of specialist experience between them, were made redundant, to be replaced by two cultural relations officers.

St. Francis was no fool...

I'm posting, unedited, a text a good friend forwarded to me this afternoon. It's from the website Living Compassion, and is a message I find deeply resonant especially at a time in our global reality when it seems nothing but chaos remains to be looked forward to in the years to come.

On the morning after the United States 2004 national elections, Cheri Huber sent these thoughts on peace to the worldwide email list of Living Compassion:

“It is time to reconcile all beings in the world.
Peace is no longer just a good idea, a dream without any real belief.
We can no longer hope that war and violence can defend and protect.
We must choose peace if we are to survive.
We must make a radical turn from the right, and a radical turn from the left.
We must make our way back to center. Not a political center, but the center of our being.
We must become a good friend to those who agree with us and those who do not.
We must invite everyone to the table; we must sit together, share, learn, listen, open our hearts, and, together, move to the place that is the most compassionate to all.”

That radical center, that center of our being, is a place that is not against anything. That is perhaps what is most radical about it. Many of us who are committed to peace, passionate about peace, activists for peace, conduct our quest for peace from a conviction that we are against an adversary, and we know who that adversary is. We wage war for peace, and peace eludes us.

St. Francis said, “Do not try to change the World. Change worlds.” He did not mean escape, write off the world and walk away. He spent most of his life walking into the world, talking with people, engaging them. He did not try to wrench the people or the world into some shape he was convinced they should take. Rather, he greeted all with “Pace e bene”: Peace and Good. He simply lived in a world in which he and everyone else belonged.

T.S. Eliot describes: “A condition of complete simplicity, costing not less than everything.” The radical center. The place lived from by Francis, by Clare, by Gandhi, by Martin Luther King, Jr. Costing us our identity, our righteousness, our separateness, our against-ness. Costing us all the mean victories.

Yet it creates a universe of possibility, generosity and freedom. A woman in Kenya sees the devastating result of deforestation and begins to plant trees. A mother in Washington, DC, befriends the young man who killed her son. Communities around the world rally to support local organic farmers and establish farmers’ markets. Indigenous people in Ecuador seek partners in the United States to save the rainforest that is their home. A group of Zen monks learns that children in an African slum need food, and they say, “We can help.”

To be sure, even when the path of peace seems clear, the work can be demanding and challenging. It takes practice. Peace is a practice. And, it is exciting, rewarding and the most fun a human being can have. We choose peace; it is a matter of survival. We invite you to join Living Compassion at the table of peace.

finally, a comic that reflects the deep truths of my life...

god is an american

It was evident from yesterday's Speech from the Throne that the new Conservative government will make a warming of Canada-US relations a top priority. Below is a list (thank god for anonymous email forwards) that serves to remind us all what we stand to gain by chumming up to the Bush administration and it's ideological base...if you're easily offended by 'tongue-in-cheek' anti-American rhetoric, please click here instead.

Things you have to believe to be a Republican today:

• Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

• Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

• Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

• The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

• A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

• The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans'benefits and combat pay.

• If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

• A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

• Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

• Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

• A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

• Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

• The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

• Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

• You support states' rights, but the Attorney General can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.

• What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

a friend's notes from the frontlines of human possibility...

Below, unedited, are notes taken by a close friend who attended a lecture given by the incomparable Karen Armstrong. I will let her account speak for itself:

Karen Armstrong

St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Toronto
Friday, March 31, 2006

Karen Armstrong gave a 45-minute lecture on her latest book, The Great Transformation, and answered three questions. These are my notes. jk

• The great transformation took place between 900 and 200 BCE, a period known as the Axial Age. (A second great transformation began about 400 years ago and is still in progress.)

• The chief characteristic of the Axial Age was getting rid of religiosity. Theological speculation is a waste of time, it said. A teacher is like a raft: you use it to cross water to get where you want to go but, once there, you do not carry the raft around with you on your back; you get rid of it.

• The Buddha refused to speak about God. He said that silence is the only true response to any divine reality one might experience.
  

• The key to experience of the divine is getting rid of the ego, a reaching into the unconscious world. God is at the opposite pole of ego.

• The WAY to get rid of ego is to cultivate COMPASSION. In this effort, Confucius stands out. He was the first to teach utter altruism or, the golden rule; i.e., do nothing to another which you would not wish to have done to you. All religions insist on this way of encountering the divine. “Love the stranger in your land.”
  

• Love (in the scriptures) was not an emotional term, but a legal one. You didn’t have to like the stranger, but you had to wish the same for her as you wished for yourself.

• The Greeks made a great contribution to this kind of love through their tragic dramas. One of the purposes of a play such as The Persians by Aeschylus was to make the spectators weep out of compassion for their enemies. The catalyst for this kind of drama was revulsion at violence and wars. (It was nothing like the violence that exists in our own times, but it was significant.)

• The development of YOGA was another way out of violence. It was the first attitude to adopt. It gave space for compassion to develop. It brought joy.

• “Religious” people, then and now, prefer to be RIGHT rather than COMPASSIONATE. This, of course, is EGO, whether one is speaking of religious or of secular opinions.

• So, the Axial Age tried to mitigate violence.

• We live in a time of enormous danger. The challenge of the 21^st century is to learn to live together, to have concern for EVERYBODY. We must see other nations as we see ourselves. We already KNOW this, so we do not need great prophets and sages to explain it to us.

Questions and Answers

Question 1: What do you think about “intelligent design”?

Answer: I think it is a red herring. Why does it matter who made the world? The way to live is to bless everybody. As for me, personally, I don’t share in any religious belief but, if it helps someone else to be kind, I think it’s okay. Be wary of strong opinions, be they religious or secular. They are egotistical.

Question 2: Do you have a team of researchers to help you write your books?

Answer: No! Research is the good part, the best part, of writing a book. For me, it’s a kind of prayer.

Question 3: How do you see the future of Christianity?

Answer: ALL religions now have to adapt. The future must lie in a greater pluralism. The scriptures are abused today. We must think about how we use difficult scriptural texts, i.e., ones that glorify war. Christianity must be compassionate to survive. And don’t rely too much on our leaders to show the way!

more dispatches from the random files:

"Jo Jo Melons" has a lot to answer for. This is nothing but unadulterated nightmare-fodder. And honestly, who in their right mind buys melons from a clown??

I stumbled across this and many other vintage melon labels while conducting some google-based research too ridiculous to explain...you can find the fruits of my labours by clicking here.

And, in the news today:

Boy's pancake breakfast delayed the end of WWII

This is 100% true, and truly random! And really, how often do you get the chance to write both "pancake breakfast" and World War II in a headline? Fabulous...