The Pageless Book

I recently found this video clip of a guy explaining why he supports Barrak Obama over Hillary Clinton. The cameraman’s intention was to show that Obama supporters chose Obama for emotional reasons rather than logical reasons. The guy he was interviewing, Derrick Ashong, soundly disproved the cameraman’s theory in about five minutes. This made me curious so I dug further and found this video:

In case you don’t have time to watch it, apparently the original video went viral and Derrick had been getting a torrent of e-mails about the views he had expressed and wanted to explain what happened that day and his personal motives. Derrick, a.k.a. DNA, is a naturalized immigrant from West Africa, where people have few rights and almost no say over who governs. As he explains it, voting in this country for a candidate who actually stands for something is so empowering in his view that no one should let their chance slip away. If I was not voting Obama before I saw this video, I certainly would be voting for Obi afterwards.

This video sank its hooks into me, and wouldn’t let go - I had to know more about this Derrick Ashong guy! So I dug even deeper. Turns out that he’s a member of a seven-man band named Soulfege out of Boston. Turns out that the three individuals who founded the band met in Harvard. They’re listed as Hip-Hop/Reggae, which really isn’t my style, but I won’t hold that against them for a second. The band’s stated purpose is to change how the media views African Americans, and how Africans on both sides of the Atlantic view each other. They have just relocated to Los Angeles and are, in my opinion, well on their way to stardom.

Derrick and his band are heading up an initiative to “take back the mic” from the media and put it back into the hands of the youth of America. In fact he’s challenged those who’ve come across these videos to engage the band members and himself in discussion through the following video:

If I had the power, I’d nominate this man for political activist of the year - and it’s only February! I’m not only inspired by Derrick’s message, but hope to make others inspired by spreading his message. To know more about Soulfege, you can visit their website, and to know more about Derrick Ashong, you can visit his blog. Please help me in spreading this man’s message and give this post a thumbs up on StumbleUpon.

Namaste.

Above Photo by Señor Codo. Photo Below by Gabriel Agu.

I’ve noticed a tendency among members of liberal religions and other spiritual seekers to discount anger as an emotion that might accompany spiritual experiences. For those who believe that the Divine is perfect love, the idea of spiritual anger, also called righteousness, as being a valid spiritual expression seems misguided at best. However, it is our aversion to anger that is misguided; anger can be spiritual.

The first example that most individuals think of when asked about righteousness is the stereotypical fundamentalist preacher condemning one group of people or another for some minor infraction of biblical law. I would argue that this isn’t righteousness - it is hatred. Unlike legitimate anger which is open to listening to rational arguments, hatred is an extreme form of anger that no longer is bound by reason or conscience. As it is capable of horrible acts of violence and cruelty, rage is rightfully disdained.

Not all anger is hatred, nor can all anger be called righteousness. Anger over a small matter, such as being cut-off in traffic or being given bad service at a restaurant couldn’t be called righteousness with a straight face. So if mundane anger does not qualify was righteousness, what does qualify?

That question goes to the heart of what spirituality is about. Spirituality is nothing less than universal love. Whether we call the subject of that universal love God or something else, that love is the stuff of which spirituality is made. Righteousness, by extension, would be anger tempered by such a love.

What does righteousness look like? It looks like Dr. Martin Luther King speaking on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It looks like rainbow banners held by men and women marching for GLBT rights. And it looks like a gathering of young people wearing Guy Fawks masks outside of Scientology headquarters. This is righteousness in its most honest form - anger tempered by a love greater than any one individual.

Last week, I added my voice to that of other democrats in my state and voted for Barack Obama for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. While I could name and number the faults I find with Hillary Clinton, I voted the way I did not because I was voting against Senator Clinton. I voted for Obama because I saw in him something that I did not see in her; righteousness. He is angry over what has become of this country in this last decade, and yet his love for what this country has been - and can be again - guides his hand. We should all be so brave as to embody righteousness as he does.

There are dangers in righteousness; if you lose the humility that honest love demands, it becomes self righteousness - pretense to that deep spiritual anger. Yet I do not think that we, as a community, are at any risk to losing our humility. I think we can and should risk more of ourselves by expressing our righteousness more than we do currently. It is a part of our spiritual truth and our responsibility to each other.

Image Above by Jordan Stilist. Gonzo Photo by Fernando de Sousa. Penguin Image by Mark Lewis.

A little under a month ago I had written an article about humor and spirituality entitled “Religion: Not A Laughing Matter - Or Is It?” At the end of the article, I posed the question of how humor could be incorporated into worship. I honestly couldn’t think of any practical way of accomplishing this myself, so I asked my readers to give me suggestions. I was hoping for more of a response than what I received, but blogging rarely works out exactly the way you planned.

Ah well. The point was to try to spring board off of the creativity of my readers, which I’m able to do from the suggestions of Seth Pickens and Shelby Meyerhoff. My thanks to both of you. Lets start the list with their suggestions…

• Spontaneous Laughter - Imagine a minister stepping up to the pulpit and begin laughing, with seemingly no reason. This minister then tries to encourage her congregation into laughing with her. Kind of hard to imagine, right? Well, not really… remember that laughter is contagious. It may seem fictitious at first, but there seems to be a tipping point at which forced laughter becomes genuine. Of course, this isn’t something that should be done every Sunday, but for that one special Sunday your church could be filled with cleansing laughter. This tip was provided by Seth Pickens.
• Humorous Illustrations - I don’t know about the rest of you, but the first thing I go for when I read the local paper is the cartoon section. Maybe I just never grew up, but a little laughter always makes the rest of the news paper a little easier to read. Using a humorous cartoon or illustration that is related to the sermon topic is a good means of easing into heavier topics. This suggestion was given by Shelby Meyerhoff.
• Self Deprecating Humor - Sometimes a congregation needs reminding by their minister that she is human as well. Being able to frame your own short comings in humor isn’t always an easy task and, as with all of these suggestions, can be over used. However, a person anecdote in which you place yourself as the butt of the joke can be both illuminating and endearing.
• Children at the Pulpit - Is there no lesson that children cannot teach us? Aside from unintentional humor, which is the hallmark of any good Christmas Pageant, the way in which children see the world around them does not only provide practical wisdom, but can also be pretty darn funny. Can children run an entire service? Not without help. I think it is safe to say that a service written and given by children would be unlike any service you’ve ever seen before.
• New Twist On Old Stories - Don’t be afraid to add a humorous twist to a familiar story - it catches people off guard. However relevant the story is, if the congregation had heard it before, the message of the story will not register. By adding that unexpected twist, not only do you get them to chuckle, but you get their attention as well.
• Pop-Culture References - I’ve come to the realization that pop-culture exists only to keep comedians employed. Why not take a page from their play-book and put it to good use at church? Not only will you seem more topical and interesting as a minister, but using current events or trends as your examples makes your message more relevant to your listeners. And, of course, there is the added bonus of getting paid to make fun of pop-culture.
• Quote Comedians - Most of comedy these days are not made up of joke or running gags, but rather are stories that end in an absurd moment. Stories can always be used to demonstrate a message in a sermon, so why not use comedic quotes in your service? The work is done for you, all that you need to do is frame the story with a moral or lesson.

I hope you find these suggestions inspirational. I know of a couple I plan on bringing up in my next worship associates meeting. Perhaps we can begin a service with a quote from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy… hrm.

This week in our corner of the blogosphere, politics seems to be on everyone’s mind. The big question is whether you support Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama; the Republican candidates just are not getting much press.

So, Hillary cried. Rev. PeaceBang asked on her blog whether it was even that big of a deal. 83% of her readers responded that either that they didn’t care, or that they were voting for Barack regardless of how much she cried. Ouch… UU Momma also weighted in on the tearful moment and even posted a link to the video. I have to agree with UU Momma - Hillary Clinton seemed genuinely choked up. The injection of emotion into the campaign is inspiring in my opinion; I have a much better understanding of her as a person than what I did last week.

My buddy, Shelby, from Looking for Faith, is feeling positive about Clinton’s win in New Hampshire, while Rev. Sean points out a number of hopes raised by the recent turn of events. I have to admit in sharing this encouraging feeling that this time will be different. Perhaps that’s because I’m an eternal optimist, which is true even when things seem back sliding in this country.

Cathy Crovis, from Ripples of Improvement, wrote an article this week about her anger with the present state of the United States. It’s important for me to point this out, because we need to be reminded of why we are building up this hope for our candidate. There are a lot of problems in the U.S., and if we are to have the strength to solve these problems, we cannot lose sight of what is at stake.

How do you weigh in? Which candidate are you looking forward to supporting? What issues matter the most to you? I could continue to observe my fellow bloggers and write about their opinions or even tell you my opinion, but neither are as important as your own.

Photo of Flag by Existentist. Photos of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama by Seiu International.

Photo by j / f

What is, in your opinion, the most pressing issue facing this world today? Is it the possibility of nuclear warfare? Starvation of tens of thousands of people in third-world countries? Perhaps you believe that global climate change to be the biggest threat. Whatever it is you believe to be the biggest problem humanity faces, firmly envision this problem. I want you to try, if you can, to imagine all global issues solved with exception of your particular global issue. Hard to imagine, isn’t it?

Why is it so much harder to imagine an issue reaching critical mass when it is the only global problem? Seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? If I may suggest, perhaps it is because so many of our global issues are interrelated. It doesn’t make sense for humanity to be able to solve the issue of famine and starvation without disarming and finally putting an end to war. We cannot honestly picture bringing global climate change under control without making corporations responsible for the health and well-being of all their employees. Each one of these problems are so interrelated, that it’s hard imagining any one of these existing on their own. These global scale problems must be symptoms of an even greater issue.

According to Global MindShift, the issue is humanity’s perception of its identity and understanding of the world. The paradigm under which we live as a global community is inherently flawed. In order to effectively resolve this issue, humanity must be willing to take a good long look at itself. Such an awakening on a global level doesn’t happen easily, yet that is what Global MindShift seeks to initiate.

The enormous task of changing the world on such a fundamental level is a bit like swimming upstream through gelatin inhabited by a colony of man o’ wars. That it is to say, this venture is difficult. What is it that they are doing to accomplish this task? Their strategy is probably summed up best in four words: People, Conversation, and Memes. Through their website, Global MindShift.org they gather like minded people and encourage them to talk about the issue. From their conversations, ideas are concentrated into memes - a units of cultural information used to inform and reform the paradigm of our global culture. These memes then feed back into the site, drawing in more people with whom the memes resonate, leading to more conversation and new memes.

How is this site different from other “Save The World” type causes? It’s the first organization to attempt treating the root of humanity’s problems rather than to just ease the symptoms. That isn’t to say other organizations aren’t important, but rather the internal motivation for why we need to make support these organizations are as important as the organizations themselves. Global MindShift even has a collection of recommended charities and causes.

Are these memes effective? I can’t make that judgement for you. Take a look at the videos below (each under six minutes) and make up your own mind. Is this an organization and movement you would be proud to be apart of? Do you want to see yourself as apart of the solution?

“The North is to South what the clock is to time,
There’s East and there’s West and there’s everywhere life,
I know I was born and I know that I’ll die,
The in between is mine; I am mine.”
- Pearl Jam, I Am Mine.

Photo by Mats Lindh

I want to wish you all a Happy New Year. By the time you are reading this, I will most likely be quite inebriated - I only wish that I were celebrating with all of you. May peace and love keep you in 2008 and for many years to come.

Namaste.

“People kill and are killed because they cling too tightly to their own beliefs and ideologies. When we believe that ours is the only faith that contains the truth, violence and suffering will surely be the result.” - Thich Nhat Hahn.

Photo by Till Westermayer

People who are moderate, tolerant, and level-headed don’t get a lot of press anymore. There must have been a time when tolerance was news-worthy, otherwise individuals such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. would have never had an effect on the world. Tolerance just doesn’t turn heads like intolerance does. It’s too unassuming. It doesn’t sell.

Lies - blacker lies then the ashen heart of the abyss. It isn’t the movement towards tolerance that has lost it’s momentum, it’s the people who champion that cause. The people who wanted to change the world have all become too moderate. It’s like we’ve all become so tolerant that we are now tolerant of intolerance. Why?

I can’t even look you in the eye and tell you that I haven’t fallen into the same lull of complacency. My life has recently dealt me some difficult cards; I’ve used that as an excuse to not pursue my dreams for sometime now. I feel afraid, powerless, and a little sad of my own lack of enthusiasm. I want to change the world so much…

That’s my big dream, by the way; to change the world. When I look to religion, I see so much potential for wisdom and good, yet I’m repulsed by how it is used to promote foolishness and evil. In politics, religion has become so important that American votes are practically calculated by denomination. Religious extremist are wrestling with schools to promote intelligent design and abstinence only sex education instead of true science and honest sexual education. I’m just tired of seeing these bigots being given so much credit.

We need to start calling them on it. We need to become intolerant of intolerance and be a little extreme ourselves. That’s part of what I’m doing with this blog. It’s about taking religion out of the hands of the few and placing back into hands of every man and woman. This isn’t one God against another - its about people taking back what is rightfully their own.

The religion that belongs to an institution only serves that institution. I strongly believe that it’s time we pushed back against those monolithic structures and show that they are not as invincible as once thought. But I am no great leader. Honestly, I don’t know where to start, so I’m starting right here, on this little corner of the internet. Little me, trying to make the world a better place. This leaves me with one question…

Who is with me?

Although there has already been a number of blog articles written about Mitt Romney, none of them really grabbed me until this morning. Chris Walton, the webmaster of Philocrites, has posted an excellent article regarding Romney’s “Pluralism” speech. I highly recommend that everyone give it a look-see.

I don’t have anything to add concerning that article; politics has never been my strong suit.

If there is one thing I cannot wrap my brain around, is how naming a teddy bear after the prophet Muhammad could ever be considered insulting. In case you haven’t heard, a visiting British teacher was imprisoned by Sudan on November 25th for letting the children in her class name a teddy bear “Muhammad.” She could have gotten up to 40 lashes with a cane and 50 days in jail. The good news is that the President of Sudan stepped in and pardoned the lady after a few days in jail. The bad news? There were actually protests against her release in Sudan.

As a Westerner, I can’t hope to understand why this would be an offense that warrants even an hour of jail time or one dollar fine. If I were to name my Cthulhu Plush after Jesus Christ (which I have not done - by the way), it would be tasteless and insulting. Yet, most Christians would just shake their heads, tell me that I am an idiot, and go about their day. And rightly so. To do anything else is adding more power and meaning to the actions of one fool.

And yet, this action was not the action of a fool, but instead the decision of her class. Children as young as 9 felt that a cuddly stuffed animal, the symbol of childhood innocence, should be named after the Prophet Muhammad. This is so saccharine sweet that I’m getting a tooth-ache just thinking about it.

Can anybody help me understand this mess? I’d like to believe that I’m a tolerant and open minded individual, but I just can’t be tolerant of this. Is there anyone else who feels as I do?