Community and Family

thoughts on how we fit into the web of community, family and society

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    An Example of How Budget Problems Can Help the Environment (and It’s An Ill-Wind That Blows No Good)

    ByElizabeth

    Here’s the text of an email we received earlier in the week from building management:

    As a result of sequestration, effective Friday, March 8th the Frances Perkins Building (FPB) Facilities Management Office will be modifying the hours of operation for the FPB heating and cooling systems to achieve required savings detailed in OASAM’s sequestration plan.   Normally, the FPB heating and cooling systems are operational for 14 hours, from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily.  In order to achieve the reductions required by the sequestration, the FPB hours of operation for the heating and cooling will be adjusted to the General Services Administration standard 10-hour operating day, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

    We encourage you to prepare for the building being cooler/hotter in the morning and evening hours by:

    –making sure that window blinds are opened or closed appropriately to maximize the sun’s effect,

    –leaving private office doors open to maximize air circulation, and

    –dressing appropriately, layered clothing that can be added or removed during the day.

    We appreciate your cooperation as we implement these sequestration-driven cost reductions.

    We apologize for any inconvenience.

    Here’s what I wrote back (restraining myself from noting that when President Obama called upon federal workers to make suggestions for how to save money two years ago, I suggested that we change the dress code and the building temperature to reflect the season, not some outdated notion of what is “professional” dress and was resoundingly ignored):

    This is fantastic news.  I have long advocated making the inside temperature more consistent with the outside weather for our health and for the environment.  I hope that you will keep a policy of spending less money and precious fossil fuels on heating and cooling even if the budget picture improves.

    I’m thinking that building management doesn’t usually get positive feedback.  😉

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    State of the Garden

    ByElizabeth

    There was one week with highs below freezing and nights in the teens fahrenheit, but other than that this winter in my garden has been perfect weather for greens and root vegetables.

    Tyrone came for a quarterly check for various vermin (yes, I know that rats and termites are no less divine than anything else, but it’s much easier to think that of them when they are not in your dwelling place). I followed him out into the garden. He said that last time I gave him some carrots that he ate in the truck.

    I found a couple of good carrots and enough turnips and kale for both of us. It is time to eat up the vegetables that wintered over to make way for new planting.

    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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    Golden Radiance

    ByElizabeth

    My younger sister, too, loves the luminous work of William Laib, whose work is currently on exhibit at NY MOMA. The radiant golden square of hand-gathered hazelnut pollen brings to mind saffron-robed monks; think of the loving patience needed to gather this much pollen.

    For me, it also is reminiscent of Lakshmi–goddess of prosperity, who is said to glow golden and whose energy we invoked the day before at a workshop with scholar and intuitive Constantina Rhodes.

    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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    The Importance of Doubt (and Shrada)

    ByElizabeth

    I was just led by a friend’s Facebook posting to the website for an upcoming movie about the Siddha yoga ashram (Siddha yoga was part of the teaching and practice lineage of John Friend and Paul Muller-Ortega, and both have told stories about how useful the fierce ashram  discipline was for them, but who adopted too much of the ashram style in their yoga organizations for me ever to have tried to be in the inner circle).   In watching the trailer and reading the background materials for the movie, it struck me that the most important point for me is that the followers who were most injured were those who doubted least and who were the most hungry for an authority and love figure.

    As a born and bred doubter (how could I not be one who consistently doubts as part of my spiritual practice, given that I am a culturally jewish, New York intellectual who was raised on the Quaker system of queries and advices, who studied western philosophy and law, and who works inside the Beltway?), I believe that you will always be able to get the good out of teachings without losing your own control, sense of self, and discriminating (viveka) ability to evaluate your commitment to a teacher or organization and the teachings offered, if your faith is in your own intuition and education and not in any one human or organization or specific teaching.

    Faith (in Sanskrit shrada), in order to serve us well, needs doubt; it needs questioning; it needs testing at every point of the way or it is superficial faith.  Don’t let anyone–particularly someone with whom you study or engage in religious or spiritual practice ever tell you otherwise.  Sometimes doubting with faith means getting involved or staying fully committed to an organization or teacher despite misgivings or despite troubling  behavior (assuming you are not sticking with being abused yourself or standing idly by when witnessing the abuse of others).  After all, no humans, organizations, or relationships are without their shadow sides.  Sometimes doubting, even with faith, means a radical and complete separation–quietly or loudly.  Sometimes what is best for you is something in between.  Learning to be in community is part of the practice, after all, keeping in mind that you are the company you keep.

    All I can say is this:  Please doubt.  Please doubt with sincerity.  Please doubt with love.  Please doubt with respect.  Please educate yourself, and with appropriate doubt, have faith that there is good in connecting and in the teachings, no matter how challenging is getting and sharing the teachings and the practices with and through the filter of others.

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    Go Out and Take a Walk, Please

    ByElizabeth

    Perhaps it is too simple a remedy.  We’ve been convinced by the great advertising machine of capitalism to  want our treatments to cost something, to be something to complain about, to be an instant fix.  Wouldn’t it be better just to take a little time every day for our health and good cheer?  Here’s to taking a walk in whatever the weather (almost).

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    “Remember Thich Nhat Hanh”

    ByElizabeth

    My boss with whom I’ve worked for over 20 years and who has an unfortunate tendency to get agitated (gentle understatement here) at the workplace has just discovered Thich Nhat Hanh.  My boss was intrigued by Thich Nhat Hanh’s suggestion that when you find yourself getting angry, “don’t.”  Knowing that he is still going to have to take action in response to the things that tick him off (and, as I would add, that not getting angry is distinct from disengaging, failing to act, or being apathetic), my boss still invited us to say to him when we see him getting worked up, “remember Thich Nhat Hanh.”   I liked that.  I like that he recognizes a need to change and grow and is starting to take steps after years of appearing not to be aware of the impact of his tendencies on himself and his co-workers.

    One of the best ways I know to shift our reactiveness is to develop a steady meditation practice.  If you don’t already have one, I invite you to begin to develop a daily meditation practice, which could include conscious breathing or visualizations.  If your practice is only sporadic, notice how much better it is when your meditation is part of your daily routine.