An Altar
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Standing Vigil
My walk in the neighborhood led me to Eastern Market this morning although I was not looking for anything in particular. A small group of people were standing at the four corners of 7th and C Streets Southeast, standing vigil for the children in Gaza and asking for ceasefire.
I asked if I might join them and they offered me a sign. The demonstrator next to whom I was standing was most curious about what led me to be supportive of Palestine and we mostly talked about Quakers and Quaker emphasis on peaceful and fair solutions.
How could I not, in this small way, not add my voice and add my physical presence when I imagine how much more brave to be speaking out and how much more painful for those with friends and family and familiar places under siege.
Tulip Mania
Whenever I see extensive plantings of tulips, it brings to mind the tulip mania of the 17th century Dutch. At the height of the mania, single bulbs could sell for several times the annual income of a skilled worker.
Now, the tulip is just another beautiful flower. How could it ever have been the focus of such outrageous extremes of lust, gambing, greed, and social mania?
It is a great contemplation to examine what leads us to desire and seek and value particular things–either individually or collectively. Do the desires bring us to a place of greater good and true fulfillment or is the desire just fueling the unhappy dance of craving and loss?
The tantric philosophers point out that desire itself is not bad. After all, it is what gets us out of bed in the morning and can turn us to the good. But if it is driven by external opinion and emptiness of self, then it yields suffering–the suffering from which yoga seeks to free us.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
Because It Was a Beautiful Night
It was a beautiful night, so I went for a longish walk after work. I found myself drawn to the two “Occupy DC” locations — Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square (shown). If it had been cold and cloudy, as it will be later in the week, would I have chosen to be out instead of in my nice house with the cats and a home-cooked meal and a good book? Most likely I would pick home, but still I go out of my way to witness every week or so and to remember that these are real people and this isn’t a one-night stand on only a nice night. I go to witness people who are living the courage of their convictions, to be inspired to serve in my own way, and to ask myself what more I should be doing. I know people questioning the way and the whether and the why of this movement, including those who are sympathetic, but questioning is a form of engaging and is a stage in expansion.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
