Embracing the contradictions

There are two beliefs I have firmly held since I was an adolescent:

• Change is the only constant.

• Contradictions abound.

So, when you follow this blog, keep these things in mind. It will evolve as is necessary - according to my whims as the creatress and the environment in general. Don't resist the flow - even if it defies your understanding. We don't need to figure it out - we just need to breathe.

(This is what I keep telling my Self - as you'll read, I generally give my Self very good advice - though I very seldom follow it.)

It's important to me for my readers to know that I do see contradictions in my Self. I believe those who are willing to see the contradictions and accept them find the most peace in life. Of course, there are things I see in my Self that I would rather change than accept. I do my best, one baby step at a time.

For example, I am quite aware of the contradictory nature to, say - peace work, or activism, or charity. In other words, there is a duplicitous nature even to helping folks. I'd like to believe that I am always giving completely from the heart, merely for the joy of contributing to others' enjoyment of life. But there's usually at least a little sliver of selfishness hiding in the altruism.

Sometimes "shoulds" and duty influence me. Sometimes getting recognition is in the back of my mind. Sometimes getting paid is at the front of my mind. Sometimes establishing a mutual, reciprocal partnership is on my mind. And if those expectations aren't met...well, let's just say I'm getting better all the time...

Another example my mother shared with me a few years ago involved a trip her church group made to Samaritan Inn, the transitional housing center in McKinney. Collin County has a surprising amount of homelessness, hunger, and poverty, considering the vast wealth that most of the residents enjoy.

My mother said that after serving holiday dinner to the folks, as is the charitable custom across the country, she noticed most of her church peers hanging on the wall, whispering amongst each other, and seemingly uncomfortable with sitting down to eat with those they had just served.

Well, my mom, blessed as she is, sat her Self down and made conversation with the folks. She enjoyed the moment of connection, and soon, her colleagues joined in. But this divide often stays unbridged because the "servants" can't imagine ever needing to be "served." They falsely believe that they are better off than those who receive their good deeds.

Without going into the nitty-gritty details, I've learned that everything changes, including me (thank goddess!) - and that even I can't be completely consistent through and through. No matter how hard I've tried to be good, the urge to self-destruct never fails to bubble up into my reality.

In other words, I believe everyone has skeletons in their closets, bad habits they keep hidden, or guilty pleasures to relieve the pain of life - ones that often cause their own demise. I'm not talking about child porn or drug trafficking here - I'm talking about watching TV every evening when you get home from work, or eating fast food, or gossiping with your coworkers about your shitty boss.

Who doesn't do stuff like that - even every once in a while? We feel like we need to disconnect sometimes even if what we're really needing is a connection to the Eternal Silence and Source of Energy. Some could say this blog is but one more project I created to fulfill my need for constant busyness. (certainly not much business happening here...) And how does my time on the computer prevent me from being present with my body?

Especially those of us on the spiritual path need to keep it real. I do yoga nearly every day. I am meditating more and more. I have read about and contemplated diverse religious and spiritual ideals for years now. I haven't gone a day without some form of media entertainment for almost as long. I sometimes want to ram my car into my neighbor's house when her bloodhound barks.

I am but a novice on the path - as is everyone else I am walking with. I have secrets I'm not ready to share. I act in ways I don't understand and hurt my Self and those I care about. Luckily, I'm learning ways to be less judgmental of my Self (and others) now - but it's going to take some serious practice and repetition to transform that hard-wiring.

It's so funny because last night, I intended to attend yoga at the Cosmic Cafe - I didn't even pay close enough attention to my own calendar to notice that a buddhist meditation took place Tuesday nights!

So I walked in, laid down my mat, and took a seat in the chair. It was a book study/meditation session, and the (euro-american) monk who led the (westernized - i.e. english) discussion acted in a very interesting way from my point of view.

As he read the stanza, which discussed seeing a suffering being as a spiritual guide - no matter how much negativity they bring with them - I sensed him singling me out as a newbie and someone who had not planned to come.

"The amateur practitioner may find these concepts very confusing," he said.

Well, even though I'm sure he had the best of intentions, don't you know my ego had a thing or two to say about that! He doesn't know me, he doesn't know what I've studied, what I am living - he doesn't know my Story!

I often think these things if I suspect someone is doubting my intelligence, knowledge, or ability. I have come to see how sensitive I am to these thoughts and fears that others doubt me - which obviously indicates a crisis in self-confidence. (Just like the rest of the nation.)

I wanted to show him my superior understanding by walking up to him after class and asking him, "When I walked in late and confused, did you see me as a spiritual guide? Or did you only see me as a potential disciple - someone who needed teaching?"

Fortunately, my compassionate communication voice won out and valued the connection between us more than "being right" or "showing him up." I merely thanked him for his guidance and mentioned the synchronicity of finding the meditation group - since I've been on the periphery for a whole minute and have longed to participate.

Perhaps these beliefs are mere rationalizations for behavior that some might deem flighty at best, perhaps irresponsible or even self-centered? at worst. I'm willing to say it's possible. (I'm also willing to say - you spot it, you got it - so I've heard...)

But I do know this - the more I accept the contradictions within my Self and out in the world, the more calmness I feel. The more I expect perfection from my Self and my peers, the more prickly, controlling, and frustrated I feel.

By letting go of the mythical images I have of my Self and everyone else, I can begin to feel more comfortable in my own skin. I can start to repair damaged or neglected relationships. I can build our collective future on a firmer foundation.

Namaste. (The Light in Me Honors the Light in You.)

Read full article

Fellow Dreamer: Robert Hines

Some native Dallasites may recall visiting Deep Ellum and being approached by so-called "bums" once upon a time. Of course, some of these folks of yore actually had wares to sell.

One of the most memorable vendors from my earlier years in Deep Ellum was a guy who read my friends and I a poem in exchange for a donation. He always stuck in my mind because of his enthusiasm, tenacity, and inspiration.

Well, I recently ran into him at Club Speakeasy, the creative writing workshop that I am co-facilitating at The Bridge - Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance every Tuesday at 2 p.m. (Anyone can join us - the more the merrier!) Here's what he had to say:

How did you become the Deep Ellum poet?

I was looking for a way to earn money, and I remember a guy had taken me to Deep Ellum the summer before. So I went there. I started and soon found out there was another [poet] before me. I was then named the second poet of Deep Ellum and have been since 1996.

What is the philosophy behind your poetry? Why do you do it?

My poetry is about my own and homeless people's life experiences. I lean towards gradually connecting people with God on a one-on-one basis. I don't teach religion; I relate one-on-one with god.

How does poetry help you in your life?

It's my way of letting people know that I've been there, and I understand. When I look at others, I look at myself because I've been very high, and I've been very low. Now, I know I'm in God's will and grace, for his days are merely minutes in his realm.

What do you think about the poetry community in Dallas?
I think it's a self-centered ego corner. I do the streets, and it feels so good. Religion and societies that promote for causes should watch their efforts because feelings can stop a meaningful relationship with someone very valuable.

What is your vision for your art in the future?

As I write this, I'm being published and preparing for my first book signing. My job is to encourage others not to give up.

Like me!

Stay tune for a poem by Robert, the (second) Deep Ellum Poet!

Read full article

Compassionate Communication Check-In

I would like to share more specific information about my recent experiences with nonviolent, or compassionate, communication.

This past spring, I took a Foundations Course. It was 9 weeks long, and we met at Unity Church on Forest Lane. We read the book "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life" by Marshall Rosenberg. During each of the 2 hour classes we discussed the ideas, practiced with situations from our lives, and posed challenges to the changes the book asks us to make.

I am now taking a Deepening Class, also meeting at Unity Church on Forest Lane, that reviews the whole book with a workbook. I feel grateful for the opportunity to review the concepts so quickly and to grow my application of the concepts to my thoughts and relationships (even if that process is haphazard and rocky).

Our class was canceled this week because the church is closed for the holidays (the nerve! JK. ;-b) So, I thought it would be a good time to report one of the most helpful lessons from compassionate communication I've come across - observation vs. evaluation.

Compassionate, or nonviolent, communication states that all of our interactions begin in our minds. In other words, we bring our expectations, memories, interpretations, perceptions, and assumptions into every conversation we have. So if we've been having issues in (any) of our relationships - we have a part in it.

Don't get too heavy with it, though - the good news is that if we start in the mind, we can affect those thoughts, as well. (And we're only human - and every human does it...)

One of the most valuable lessons I've learned from compassionate communication is to draw my attention to the difference between observation and evaluation - and how often I engage in evaluation. (Yikes! - Especially of my Self...)

Rosenberg states that "...evaluations are based on observations specific to time and context...[and] we create many problems for ourselves by using static language to express or capture a reality that is ever-changing."

Another important lesson from nonviolent communication is this: "When we combine observation with evaluation, others are apt to hear criticism and resist what we are saying."

This is often difficult to see in the time, but if we begin to just observe our thoughts, we'll see how often we can do things like judge, compare, evaluate, diagnose, and criticize.

All we have to do is take a deep breath, see that the "other" person is really just human - like us, ask ourselves what we need in the moment, and take proactive action to take care of our Selves. Or at least that's what I think. I've learned I do that a lot, too. ;-b

To get back to the heart, to take time and space to breathe, to take our Selves seriously - this is to re-wire our brains and bodies, if we've been receptive to the dominant paradigm. Most folks have internalized some of the assumptions of the status quo in society to small degrees, at least.

Reprogramming our Selves to value our needs, to value the other party's needs, to breathe deeply and respond instead of react - what a task! But indeed, it brings more play, joy, and celebration to life - and that's what the good stuff is for, right?

P.S. It doesn't mean not getting angry, btw...It means looking at the roots of why you're angry and doing something proactive to address it.

Read full article

Summer SolstiCelebration Success!

I finally got the guts to visit the Summer SolstiCelebration (solo) - and I am oh so glad I did! The event promised music, community, spirit, art, celebration, and joy - and it delivered.

I arrived around 6:30 p.m. - just as the sun slowly melted aways everyone's skin as it sank in the sky. There were probably around 100 people or so at that time. By the time I went home (closing time), several hundred folks had cycled through.

Pictured above: Hadi J. - longtime friend of Drums not Guns and the Dallas Peace Center - shook his groove thang during the rhythm circle.

I said hello to Mavis B. - a Dallas Peace Center member and former director of the Peace Farm in Amarillo - and checked out her goddess-centered jewelry. I went by the North Texas Peace Learning Center table and told the folks I had linked to them on the blog.

I ran into Len E., the director of the board at the Dallas Peace Center (who writes about his new online radio show here). As some of you know, I was a long-term volunteer and short-term staff member of the Peace Center's until recently. He and I had a long and fruitful conversation about each of our ideas about the past and the future at the Dallas Peace Center.

Afterward, I made my way over to the drum jam, featured by Drums not Guns. I stood on the sidelines watching and taking pictures for a while - until Hadi J. spotted me! He quickly pulled me onto the dance floor, much to my chagrin.

I'm grateful to have folks in my life who push me past my limits - because if it were up to me, I'd often stay an anonymous by-stander. It is in the places that we are uncomfortable that we grow the most.

I loosened up eventually and danced my stress out. The woman who runs the Cathartic Dance class at Cosmic Cafe (not for long - she's moving!) - joined me out front and center. She has a beautifully graceful body - almost fluid in her movements. She gave me some info (in the car at Michael's work) - which I will most likely pass along later...

After dancing til I poured all my toxic energy out through my pores, I grabbed a drum. Although there were some "scenesters" present - I tried not to get caught up in judgment or defensiveness and beat out the best rhythm I could. A few rounds of improv and one "solo session" (for the whole crowd!) later - I felt loose as a goose and ready to scoot.

Some folks were gathering with candles to fill in a giant peace sign that had been chalked in the grass. I grabbed a candle and joined the chorus in a round of "Let the Sun Shine (In)" - I felt a little silly, I must admit, but maybe that's from the big, goofy grin I had on my face.

I walked with the crowd along the edge of the lake. The scene of the crowd dispersing by candlelight was rather remarkable - almost like little fireflies floating on a breeze. I stared at the fire twirler for a while before finally escaping the heat.

I walked upstairs to the Bath Cultural Center. Ah, the sweet succulence of air conditioning! I peeked into the little Black Box Theater. A few gifted musicians shared their talents and emotions with the crowd. I felt moved by their sincerity and authenticity.

As I walked down for a final farewell to the tenacious drummers, I ran into my friend Julia. I was both pleasantly surprised and none-to-surprised at once. Julia and I don't call each other - we just run into each other...over and over and over again.

Thank goddess the Universe gives us so many opportunities for connection.

Julia invited me to her home with a few friends. I had known I'd run into folks I knew (and I did bump into several old friends before that) - and I was super-excited to run into someone my age to go hang with after the event.

Kudos to EarthRhythms and Moonlady for putting the whole shebang together. It was spectacular!

Read full article

Sustainable Lifestyles: A Beginning

Let me begin by saying that I have been meaning to make this post FOREVER! In other words, it's harder to BE sustainable than it is to THINK about sustainability.

I think about this - sustainability, doing vs thinking - all the time. In fact, I often think that if I could simply download my thoughts into my computer, it would be much easier to blog. Of course, I'm not volunteering for a cyborg experiment; I'm just noting how much easier it is to think than it is to do.

At its root, sustainability is about doing what works - in an organic, long-term sort of way. Sustainability - as it relates to economics - often implies durable development. Sustainability - from a human energy perspective - affects various facets of our lives - from employment to emotions.

What we're looking for here is not a flash in the pan - we want a slow-cooking crock pot that will take its time - which always results in a richer flavor anyhow! For me, some of the essential ingredients for sustainability include: authenticity, compassion, adaptability, mutual respect, honesty, and above all, willingness.

How I came to believe in sustainability:

Originally a political pursuit, I became interested in sustainability when those microfinanciers won the Nobel Peace Prize. Concurrently, the ecological movement picked up the model to improve how human ecosystems impact the natural environment. I've often hoped that economics and ecology would see how much they share and unite - I hope Green Mountain Energy is just the bare-bones beginning of a long and fruitful relationship!

Anywho, as I learned more about these movements, I continued to deepen my yoga practice and spiritual (self)education. I felt very moved by Buddhist conceptions of authenticity and compassion. I also greatly appreciated the concept "Namaste" - the Light in Me honors the Light in You - a sanskrit word repeated by the whole class at the end of most yoga sessions.

I began to identify high-strung energy in certain areas of my life (professional, political), which contradicted my spiritual values and aspirations. I worried about the infamous "burnout" of political activists. I had been writing, protesting, and participating in coalition-building and event-planning since college. I didn't want to fall victim to burning the candle at both ends - as my mother always used to observe me doing... ;-b

Nonetheless, awareness of compartmentalization and its opposite doesn't always help one transcend the every day dualisms. I faced my inevitable fear - total collapse and isolation - found that it wasn't quite as scary as I had thought - and that I actually did a lot to make it happen and perpetuate it. However, I also found that mourning is something we don't really value in this culture - and I actually had quite a bit of unresolved wounds waiting for some healing silence.

So, I take my deep breaths and realize that sometimes, we need to rest. Sometimes, we need to run. And sometimes, walking is just fine, too. I tend to get in the car, get halfway to my destination, then remember to ask for directions.

It is my hope that I can move closer to my sustainable lifestyle goal. I would like to write later about what that looks like, but for now, let's just leave it to how I got to the idea in the first place.

With love for my Self and others, I can breathe easy knowing we're all doing the best we can. When we get stuck in judgment - she didn't do it fast enough, he didn't give me all the details, they told me something different, I can't believe I just did something that dumb in front of the whole world - we can't heal our wounds.

By letting go of our constantly figuring it out, strategizing, making it happen brains and embracing our I just want to play and show you how much I care bodies, perhaps we can get a little closer to that vision we all hold of our Selves in our hearts. I want to see that vision, hold that vision, and embrace that vision. When I inevitably remain me, that's okay. I am human with average limitations. That doesn't mean I have to give up.

Sustainability means letting go of perfection. Start a recycling bin, even if you sometimes forget and trash it instead. Meditate whenever you have the courage instead of putting it off 'til the perfect time. Call your friend to go to a cultural event before you have time to think you got left out. Be okay with the fact that sometimes you don't get your way, and you want to stamp your feet.

Every day, I have high hopes - which often means that at the end of day, I have a fair share of bitter disappointments. I let those go for the next day, and the next, and the next - accepting that dish I wash will become dirty again. That's okay because the meal shared was prepared and enjoyed with love. Getting between the hills and the valleys can be rough going, but recognizing our limits, asking for help, and staying clear on our truth all make the journey that much more fulfilling.

Read full article

Authentication Introduction

Hey Folks!

I've been pretty busy this last week while carrying on an ongoing employment opportunity dialogue with a current client of mine - among various other family, personal, spiritual, and social activities...

Simultaneously, I have been continuing my intense introspection of where my so-called "career" is heading.

I believe in following opportunities. I believe in listening to my intuition. Unfortunately, sometimes there is so much static (expectations, distractions, worries, busyness) - that it's hard to become clear on what's at heart.

Dallas Dreamer has been a kind of evolution in self-reflection for me, as well. When I first began this project, I had all these ideas for what it could become - just as I have all these theories of who I could become (if this, and if that - in my head, you know)...

So I've been trying to filter through the what-ifs and could-bes to get to the what's most important - and most importantly, what's most authentic. It's so difficult, not to mention scary, to start shedding the image to reveal the truth underneath.

In that spirit, Dallas Dreamer will be the first product to undergo my newly-devised "Authentication 101" process. I will write more about that, sustainable lifestyles, and other current projects of mine in the near future. For now, cross-promotions will be confined to those projects/groups I am actively involved in.

In other words, posts may be fewer and less timely for a minute here while I continue to develop my infrastructure, focus, and vision. As I feel I have represented my Self more clearly, I will begin a regular content schedule. Relaunch will be announced and promoted as it is prepared.

I must be honest about my beginnings, about my current positions, in order to foster new growth. If I try to front, or grow too fast, or spread my Self too thinly - it will all collapse in on itself.

For now, I have my weekly creative writing workshop at The Bridge (everyone is welcome! - from 2 to 4 p.m. every Tuesday), my developing relationship with The Writer's Garret, my hopeful goals as a Constant Contact biz partner (more on that soon), my very patient children's novel, my growing involvement with Nonviolent Communication, not to mention my aspirations for more creative, social, and spiritual involvement in public. That's a "growth opportunity" - but I have been getting out more, so it's still present.

And I remind my Self to take a deep breath. Just keep breathing.

Give presence. Accept presents. Be present.

(Easier said than done.)

Good luck! ;-b

Read full article

Blast from the Past: Dallas Peace Times

Darfur tragedy involves access to resources
By Beth Freed

Only a few years ago, few Americans could identify the Darfur region of Africa, let alone imagine what was happening there. Although many now realize that Darfur is part of Sudan, an East African country, and that there are massacres taking place there, few know what to do about it.

Freshman Leaders on Campus (FLOC), a University of Texas-Arlington (UTA) student group, arranged a panel of diverse speakers to educate their community about the genocide occurring in the Darfur region of East Africa. The event aimed to not only provide information, but also active solutions.

Dr. Rick Halperin, director of the Human Rights Education Program at Southern Methodist University, moderated the program. In his introduction, he reminded the audience that for decades, the public had cried, “Never again,” in the aftermath of multiple mass murders.

Many folks believe that the Holocaust of WWII was the last large-scale murder of a people, but many such events have passed out of collective consciousness in the last half of the twentieth century. Briefly, Dr. Halperin mentioned Indonesia in the ‘60s, Cambodia in the ‘70s, the Kurds in the ‘80s, and Rwanda and Bosnia in the ‘90s.

“When your children learn about what is happening in Darfur now,” said Dr. Halperin, “they will ask you: What did you do?”

Since 2003, almost half a million people have been systematically killed in Darfur, an area that covers parts of Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic. Both Janjaweed militia and Sudanese military have participated in the killings. At least two and a half million Sudanese citizens have been displaced, and three and a half million mouths depend on food aid.

The first speaker, Dr. Alusine Jalloh, founding director of the Africa Program at UTA, spoke about the way American media can distort the facts of the Darfur situation. He said that since Americans see race as a black-and-white dichotomy, they tend to make sense of other conflicts through that lens.

“Like in Rwanda, these conflicts often develop over access to resources,” he said. “Cattle herders compete with farmers for water, but the ethnic perspective tends to gloss over this economic imperative.”

Nonetheless, Dr. Jalloh admitted that perceived race and the historical legacy of slavery in the area did indeed play a part in the Sudanese conflict.

As Arab traders came into the region centuries ago, they ‘Arabized’ and/or ‘Islamicized’ some of the indigenous people. These people engaged in the trans-Saharan slave trade, capturing their neighbors and selling them to traders. Over time, a prejudice of superiority developed among certain tribes, even though they originated from the same area.

The United Nations has been hesitant to label the Darfur massacres as genocide. Doing so would necessitate a larger commitment of UN resources.

Victoria Smith, a young activist who got her start in Darfur activism at Trinity University, recently returned from a trip to Chad where she worked at a refugee camp. She expressed frustration with the perceived impotence of the UN in the region, reporting that the UN is good for aid, but not security. Still, the Sudanese government won’t even allow aid into the country.

She advised that the Security Council would have to be reformed, allowing more than the five elite members (U.S., U.K., France, China, and Russia) to have a voice and removing the individual veto power that each country claims, in order for the organization to have more power.

Smith participated in a student-to-student letter exchange and met several people who wanted to participate in medicine or civics as a result of their experiences. She said that because of minimal access to water, food, and medicine, there is a high risk of disease for people in the camps.

“Still, many of the people I met in these camps were hopeful,” she said, “just because they were alive.”

Smith encouraged audience members to contact 1-800-GENOCIDE to receive up-to-date information about Darfur and to contact their representatives directly. Ismail Ibrahim, the final speaker, moved to the United States in 1999 from a small village in western Darfur.

He said that although many media outlets report that the atrocities have been happening since 2003, he knows that violence has been pervasive in the region for decades. As was the case in Rwanda, reporters showed up long after the violence had begun.

Ibrahim said that he does believe the Darfur slaughter qualifies as genocide because certain ethnic villages are targeted while others are spared. He reported that at least two and a half million people have probably been killed over the decades.

Thousands of women have been raped in Darfur, which was established as a war crime in 1993. He said this tactic was shamefully effective since Darfur has a religiously conservative culture.

Most importantly, Ibrahim made connections between international trade and why the crisis there continues. China buys oil from Sudan and shields them from international intervention.

Likewise, Russia sells weapons to the Sudanese government, which passes them on to the militias. As long as two of the Security Council members benefit from the corrupt Sudanese government, the violence is likely to spread.

Audience members walked away with a plethora of information, including two letters to sign and send to their own congressional representatives and the Sudanese Minister of Justice. A long list of Darfur websites was included, along with a “take action” agenda.

Some suggested items included raising awareness by writing letters to the editor (see SaveDarfur.org), meeting with representatives to discuss Darfur (visit DarfurScores to see how your reps vote), supporting divestment (check out SudanDivestment.org), and joining an organization (like the Dallas Peace Center).

Although Ibrahim has witnessed much tragedy in his life, he said speaking to Americans about the situation helps. People are always willing to see how they can help, and that gives him hope.

“You will never know how much good you can do until you do it,” said Ibrahim.

Read full article

Peace Begins with ME!

Contributed by: Len Ellis

What: Peace Begins with Me online radio program
When: Second Friday of the month from 2 to 2:30 p.m.
How: To listen, click on the link.

Welcome to Peace Begins With Me, a monthly dialogue to promote peace through personal responsibility. News Flash!! We live in a society, in a culture, in a world surrounded by violence. Like a drop of water in the ocean, violence is so prevalent, so much a part of our daily lives, we many times don't even recognize it or are aware of it.

Hence the impetus for this program, to raise our awareness of violence, and provide ways to deal with conflict and violence in our lives. From language to abuse to fighting and to the ultimate expression of violence - war - we always have choices of how we are going to deal with not only our fellow human beings, but with all of life.

We may wish that it was easy, that some day our leaders will simply proclaim "peace" and that would be the end of violence. But our leaders are a reflection of our consciousness, they represent and manifest all our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Until each of us can be at peace, to act in a nonviolent way, we are part of this culture of violence. The challenge is to create, then grow, a culture of peace.

And where are our leaders going to learn the skills required to model peace? To promote peace? I guarantee you that at the stroke of midnight some hand will not be waved and all of a sudden every leader on this planet will know how to live a nonviolent life - not gonna' happen!

That's where we come in - we are the ones that must learn nonviolent methods, and as each of us learns, so too will others. When I say 'we' I'm talking about me, because no matter how hard I try, I can only be responsible for my behavior, I can only have control over my own life.

I can't force someone to be nonviolent, or force them to learn (by definition, forcing someone to do something is an act of violence). We will examine all aspects of our life - our thoughts, our words, our actions, and question why we act in certain ways.

We are all connected. Everything we think, say and do contributes to the state of the world. The question is, how do we increase the number of peaceful thoughts while decreasing the number of violent thoughts, and then turn those peaceful thoughts into words and actions?

Colman McCarthy, describing his classes on nonviolence, talks about a term paper submitted by one of his high school students. The term paper summed up the situation in 15 words and went like this: "Q: What are we violent and not illiterate? A: Because we teach people to read."

I often wonder when we, as a world society, resorted to violence as a way to resolve conflict. Was it when the first caveman picked up a rock and struck the head of another caveman who was taking his food? Is violence a natural instinct, or a learned behavior?

From thoughts of judgment and hatred, to verbal abuse, to physical abuse, to fighting, to murder, and then to the ultimate form of violence, war, when did we find it acceptable to attempt to resolve conflict in this manner? Indeed, if violence is learned, it can be unlearned, and new methods of nonviolence taught. Back to the term paper, we can teach people to read AND we can teach people to be nonviolent.

Let me be clear - being peaceful does not mean an end to conflict. On the contrary, it means having conflict and resolving it in a way that is life-enriching, in a way that is without violence, in a way you are at peace in the middle of the chaos. Conflict is necessary; it gives us a chance to grow and to see things from a different perspective.

What is not acceptable is to resolve the conflict in harmful or deadly manner. And to that point, that is the purpose of this program, to explore ways to resolve conflict in a nonviolent way, to explore how I contribute to the violence in the world, and what I can change so that I am contributing to peace.

What we will learn together are ways to promote peaceful resolutions. We will explore ideas and tools to model this peace in our lives, to contribute to a peaceful society, a peaceful planet.

It is not easy! Kids, traffic, politics, all opportunities to rant and rave and look to see what we can be against, or, to see how to handle these situations in a peaceful way. This is all I can control - me. Peace begins with ME! I only need to make the commitment to do something about it, to put my words into actions, to live in integrity with what I know and believe.

There are people everywhere who want to help create a better world – people deeply concerned about widespread suffering, environmental destruction, escalating materialism and the loss of our sense of community.

There is a deep and growing hunger for a wiser and more loving society. Gandhi and King modeled the vision to create such a society, as well as showing us that the power for social change lies within individual consciousness. We really do want to create a nonviolent world, so we must first become nonviolent individuals. With a vision of a society governed by love and the common good, we have a powerful antidote to the violence, distrust and division of today’s atmosphere of fear.

In practicing the relational principles of nonviolence we recover and renew ourselves and our families, so violence and secrecy no longer shape our behavior. We realize that our lives, and those of our children, depend on transforming our culture of violence to one of nonviolence. Learning to be nonviolent is a new way of living, creating a healing process that begins with 'me' and ripples out into the larger world.

As we heal our own relations we are demonstrating that people, organizations and governments can move the world pro-actively toward peace and wisdom. Each and every one of us, must be active participants. We must speak out against violence and injustice wherever it shows up, we must raise our voices, we must BE the change we want to see in this world. Peace begins with ME.

Read full article

Free Health Screenings Tomorrow

The Health Care Clinic at Ross Ave. and Henderson Rd. in East Dallas is getting a boost from the local gentrification of East Dallas and moving to the posh new strip mall on that corner. Thankfully, they are sharing the love with the community by offering a free health clinic on Saturday, June 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free Services:

• Health Screenings: diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, anemia, BMI, and more...
• Educational and safety information
• Petting zoo, face painting, raffles, and refreshments
• Center tours and many more surprises...

For more information, contact Alicia at 214.826.2151x317. Read on for more information on the new center, including its extended hours.

Opens Monday, June 15 at 8 a.m.

Hours:

Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Walk-ins and same-day appts.

Practice:

• Family Medicine
• Coming August 10: Obstetrics and gynecology
• Coming soon: Pediatrics and internal medicine
• Diagnostic Center with new CAT scan and vertigo testing
• 27 exam rooms and 3 procedure rooms
• 2 waiting rooms with WiFi and plasma TVs
• On-site independently-owned ACORN pharmacy
• Accepts most insurance plans, mediaid, medicare, and cash (most affordable rates I've found for uninsured clients!)

Read full article

Fellow Dreamer: Yvette Richardson

1) What sparked your participation in activism?

I would like to believe that I have always been an activist - always taking up for the underdog. So if I have to pick a time when I began to be completely active, I would have to say after the first year the Iraq War began.

Even though I was against the war from the beginning, I never took to the streets until it became unbearable to just sit by and watch the death toll of both the soldiers and Iraqi civilians rise.

2) Which campaigns, groups, and issues are most important to you?

Although I have several “projects” that I keep up with, I do have a few that are extremely important to me: CodePink, a women’s peace organization that works on a wide variety of campaigns, from focusing on human rights to ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Peaceful Vocations, a grassroots organization that works to end the militarization of our youth; and I also work at a domestic violence shelter that works towards empowering women to leave violent relationships.

3) Talk about your daughter Alicia, and why it's important to you that she participates with you.

I believe it is important to expose my daughter to all aspects of my activism. I felt like while I was growing up, my parents tried to protect me from the world and in the process shielded me from seeing the atrocities of the world. I want my daughter to be knowledgeable of these things, so that she can be empowered to do something.

I also encourage her to not only listen to what I am saying, but to also listen to what others are saying. I ultimately want her to see both sides of the issues at hand so that she can make a well-informed opinion for herself.

4) Does a particular philosophy, spirituality, or religion inform your activities?

I’m not a religious person, but I am a person who believes that everyone should be treated with kindness and understanding. I believe that all people are equal, regardless of their skin color and regardless of where they happen to be born...simple as that.

5) What is your vision for the metroplex?

I would like to see the people of the metroplex look outside their bubble and see that we are all the same. We all want the best for ourselves and for our families. So I work to enlighten the average metroplex citizen that there is more than the issues that personally affect them.

Just three hours away from DFW sits a private prison, T. Don Hutto, that profits from imprisoning children and just two hours away is the largest U.S military post, Fort Hood, which regularly sends young soldiers to die in two unnecessary wars.

Although there are many issues that we should all be working towards, these issues are right here in our own backyard, and together we have the power to stop it.

Read more for Yvette's perspective on why resisting soldiers need our support. As a former vet herself, she knows that the idea that "they're soldiers, so didn't they expect to have to fight" doesn't usually accurately reflect each soldier's experience.

I asked my mom what would make her empathize with Victor and/or Travis, and her first question was "Why did they join the military in the first place?" Since I didn't know, I asked her to answer anyway. She basically said that if they joined for economic reasons rather than patriotic reasons, she could understand.

But once again, I got that "they should have known that if they joined the military, that going to war was inevitable." That goes back to why I work with Peaceful Vocations.....most kids join thinking they won't go to war because either the recruiters lie or downplay it, or they just don't think it will happen to them.

But there was another thing...after discussing this with my mom for a while and feeling like I was losing my argument, I found myself telling her that Victor was hispanic....not sure why I did this... throwing out the race card like that, but it worked. She began to empathize with him! Recruiters prey on the poor and disadvantaged that tend to be hispanic and/or black. So maybe you can tie all that together...the economy, the poverty draft, race.

No tying necessary! You did it for me!

There is ample evidence that people of color are disproportionately poor. And everyone knows that Senators' sons don't make it to war - What's the point of dying for your country when you can just go join a frat?

Read full article