The Vengeful God That Destroyed Haiti

(photo courtesy marc sandrow)

With the tragedy of Haiti, like those before of Katrina and 9-11 and Madrid and the Congo and Rwanda and Holocausts before and on and on, once again people ask (who have these beliefs): How can God allow such things to happen? (Spoiler Alert to Pat Robertson) God doesn't allow these things to happen. We do.

Then why does God stand by and 'watch' such pain and suffering? My guess is a part of S/He/God grieves deeply that humanity uses the greatest gift it has -- freewill -- to choose to constantly look the other way.

Perhaps God would prefer that His/Her children would one day grow up and quit asking for Divine Intervention, finally understanding that WE are the hands and feet and voice and hearts of God. WE are the tools of the Divine.

Perhaps a loving God loves everything and everyone unconditionally, so much so that He/She/God must sometimes allow -- not create -- great and terrible events in order to wake us up to our birthright as beings capable of extraordinary love and compassion -- before it's too late.

Though my guess is that a part of God is growing weary of our seemingly unending adolescence.

We -- rightly so -- express our shock and horror at an event such as that which devastated Haiti. Our collective hearts go out to the victims, as does our charity. Thank God.

But the fact is that Haiti was devastated long before this earthquake, by poverty and lack of education and AIDS and all forms of corruption. And we turned a blind eye. As we have with genocide in Africa and poverty in Central and South America, as we have with a million other horrors around the globe and in our own backyards. It's all business as usual, even when that business-as-usual is devastating our own neighborhoods through lost jobs and foreclosures, while corporate America robs the bank -- and us.

As I was watching an online video of the agonizing rescue attempts in Haiti, I was interrupted by commercials for a sleep drug and a TV comedy show. As human beings (and I include network and corporate executives in this category), can we not take a single breath from buying and selling, long enough to try and make a genuine connection with our human neighbors? To heal our wounds? (And credit card companies just HAVE to take 3 per cent of every dollar we give to crisis relief.)

Have our lives and the tragedy of most of the world -- including the destroyed environment -- really become just another diversion between commercials and Amazon.com?

Perhaps the financial collapse was 'God' warning us: Pay attention to where your wealth goes. Perhaps Katrina was 'God' saying: Pay attention to your communities. Perhaps 9-11 was 'God' saying the world is a small place and the old way of settling differences will no longer work. Perhaps global warming is 'God' saying you can't keep turning your only home into sludge pond. Perhaps Haiti is 'God's' way of saying: this land -- your brothers and sisters -- needed help long ago.

And perhaps we are God and a part of us has just about had enough of the other part of us that doesn't yet understand the Survival Truth that we are our sisters and our brother's keepers. That what happens to the least of us will eventually happen to all of us.

When will we quit waiting for the next disaster to happen in order to open our hearts to act -- and simply ACT?

Now.

new horizons

(photo courtesy ben britten)


"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

never doubt.....

(photo courtesy tauntingpanda)

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead

The Power To Transform

by Sheila Ivy Traister

Have you looked in the mirror lately only to see worry and uncertainty staring back at you? That's been the face most Americans have seen as we try to make sense of the mess we find ourselves in as a country and a nation among nations, all of whom are struggling to make sense of our current state of affairs.

When the world is crashing in around you how do you as an artist find meaning in what you do... in who you are... in what matters?

As an actor, I reflect on the fact that as a character in a story whether it is a film, a television show, a play or any one of dozens of performance vehicles; I have the power to transform the moment to uplift and enliven the human spirit.

Through the exchange of ideas, dreams and fantasies we have the power to create understanding where there has only been detachment... to usher in laughter where there have only been tears... to allow for healing where there has only been anger, pain and depression.

Throughout history, artists of all walks by way of music, poetry, plays, films, books, dance, the fine arts and more have challenged us to examine who we are and how it is we walk this life. Like the court jester who has an audience with the King, the artist has the ability through the realm of entertainment to cause us to question our behavior and the world we are creating. They can make us forget or remember... to want to try harder... to examine why... to not settle for and to challenge existing paradigms and established modalities in order to usher in much needed change; be it our own or the world around us.

Often it is simply the gift of making us smile for an hour or two so that we can forget the problems of the day in order to face tomorrow with greater agility for the challenges it will surely bring.

There is much beauty to celebrate in a world that appears to be crumbling around us. If we can find that in the gifts given us as performers perhaps we can help others through the magic of our collaborations to do the same.

Let's look for the places within that unite us in our common cause to celebrate life and one another... let's take up the challenge to be our best selves in the most difficult of times; even when our own work opportunities have dwindled under the weight of economic and political strife.

I do believe as artists we have an innate ability akin to alchemists to transform the mundane into magic. How will you as an artist, this very day, use your gifts to transform worry and uncertainty into a celebration of possibility and new dreams... creating a new landscape for the year ahead.

Talent is a responsibility not to be taken lightly... honor it and embrace the gift you are to this world and share it unselfishly; then rejoice as you reap the rewards that will certainly come your way. ~Sheila

old world vs new world part 10

(photo courtesy russellreno)

The business -- and life -- mantra for the new world must become: How can I help you to succeed?

old world vs new world part 9

(photo courtesy henkster)

adult spirituality isn't about the books or seminars or films or businesses or healing centers we create, it's about how we treat each other in the process of creating these things.

listening

(photo courtesy tom@hk)

We are moving out of a time when we focused on trying to solve ourselves and each other, and into a time when we honor each person's journey.

A time when the most healing energy we can offer others -- and ourselves -- is simply to be present for them, to listen to them without judgment, to hear their story without trying to fix them. The obsession with trying to fix things, us, the planet, has gotten us into more trouble than contributed to genuine healing.

Because when we try to fix something we start from a place that we are broken. And maybe we aren't (there are always exceptions, such as people with biological challenges, or planetary problems that we have created).

Maybe we're divine beings who chose to lose themselves in the dense world of matter in order to better understand the complexity and power and beauty of creation from within.

Maybe if we'd honored one another from the beginning without judgment, we would naturally have returned to our divine state in a more graceful and timely way.

Maybe if we'd been allowed to 'flow' without having our 'waters' diverted or damned-up by trying to fix everything, we'd have gently returned to the 'ocean' eons ago.

Offer help and encouragement, of course; share -- absolutely.

But also simply be present and listen and offer an understanding smile and a comforting hand.

That might be all the miracle someone -- and ourselves -- really needs.

Spiritual Hollywood

(photo courtesy alan light)

In the case of Hollywood, adult spirituality isn't really about making more films about spiritual folks, thought there's nothing wrong with this and it may be helpful to many on their individual paths. It's not just about maintaining the status quo while increasing personal wealth (again, nothing wrong with this) and getting to hangout with spiritual celebrities at the spa.

Billions of praying Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and New Agers haven't fundamentally changed the world, though it makes us feel better about ourselves. Christ dying on the cross and Siddartha leaving his wife and family haven't fundamentally changed the world.

"E.T" and "Saving Private Ryan" and "Ben Hur" and "Apocalypse Now" haven't fundamentally changed the world.

What changes the world is how I deal with you and how you deal with me. Changing the world is about changing individual consciousness -- and then putting it to work in the real world.

It's about honor and integrity and patience and compassion and inclusion and forgiveness and love.

It's about spreading the love and the wealth. It's about taking the time to go the extra mile than is called for. It's about treating everyone as equally important and worthy of being listened to and supported. It's about how can I make you successful?

That's how you change the world.

You change the world -- not by the products the world produces -- but by changing the way the world does business in the first place.

Not through a massive weekend box office or back-slapping at an award's show. You change the world by changing ourselves then changing others, one person at a time. One heart at a time.

And if a terrific movie comes out of that exchange, then how cool is that?

Mastery

(photo courtesy fatal cleopatra)
True mastery is not tested and achieved on the mountaintop, but in the desert, not in the ashram, but in the slum, not in the healing conference, but in the AIDS ward, not at the peace gathering, but on the battlefield. Not in the calm, but in the storm.

August 8th Visions

(photo courtesy _bastian)

I envision:

A colorful, joyful carnival at the North & South Korean border.

An international flower market and festival at Tienanmen square.

Jerusalem and Gaza and the West Bank as a global center for religious/spiritual studies filled with libraries and lecture halls and conference centers.

Iraq as a thriving metropolis.

Iran as a pluralistic society filled with global universities.

The refugee camps in Africa as wildlife parks and environmental housing projects.

The battle zones in Africa as peaceful, economically developed nations.

The slums of South and Central America as beautiful, clean and simple housing communities with parks and civic centers.

Mountainous waste dumps as parks and ecological study centers.

The oceans and lakes and streams as sparkling, clean waterways.

The sky brilliant blue, free of smog.

Leaders in Washington and all nations taking a moment of silent prayer/meditation for the highest good of all before doing business.

Wall Street and Hollywood replacing greed with the pursuit of abundance for all.

Myself as being non-judgmental, open, flexible, forgiving, loving and compassionate.