Click here to view the embedded video.

“It was bound to happen, where greed and crude appear….” – Jimmy Buffett

It’s still impossible for me to imagine the level of corporate disconnectedness responsible for the perfect public relations storm earlier this month when Transocean (the Deepwater Horizon part of  BP) awarded a number of corporate executives huge bonuses based on 2010′s “safety statistics.”  In reaction to the resultant PR nightmare, the executives subsequently donated (some of) the bonus proceeds to the families of the 11 workers who died in the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Nice gesture. Too late. Business as usual.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“It took more than three thousand years to make some of the trees in these Western woods, — trees that are still standing in perfect strength and beauty, waving and singing in the mighty forests of the Sierra. Through all the wonderful, eventful centuries since Christ’s time — and long before that — God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand straining, leveling tempests and floods, but he cannot save them from fools — only Uncle Sam can do that.” – John Muir

I did a post awhile back about my birth date having placed me on the Libra-Scorpio astrological cusp, which made for fun and frivolous dialog in my dating years (the highest value I’ve ever placed in astrology and astrological predictions). But I’ve always enjoyed a good laugh – so I thought I’d run a bit with the impact of the new grid (which theoretically takes the earth’s wobble into account).

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16.
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11.
Pisces: March 11-April 18.
Aries: April 18-May 13.
Taurus: May 13-June 21.
Gemini: June 21-July 20.
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10.
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16.
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30.
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23.
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29.
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17.
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20.

Suddenly, not only am I no longer a Libra-Scorpio cusp – but in the new “more scientific astrology,” I’m not even a Libra anymore. (Makes me feel all out of balance in some mysterious way.)  I’ve apparently fallen backward into the previous birth sign – Virgo. Does this mean the stars – or my stars – have changed so much that I’ve suddenly become someone else entirely?  Or maybe you get to keep your old sign if you’re over 50 and were a Libra at birth back when the stars were all somewhere else.

And who decides when the stars have changed enough that I’m not who I used to be – the astrologists or the astronomers? Very scary, either way. But nowhere near as scary as the fact that both NBC’s nightly news and our local evening news ran this non-story as news, neither with any reference to the “new” astrological schemata as an interdisciplinary jab not a done deal. The local news even included it as one of their three “top story” headliners. (I will give NBC’s Brian Williams and our local anchor people credit – at least they delivered the story somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Williams even had the grace to look embarrassed.)

Since a little surfing demonstrates that mate-seeking is the arena that sells the most astrological “readings,” let’s see what happens with Griz and me on the new grid.  Back when I was a Libra-Scorpio cusp, I was, theoretically, particularly compatible with any Sagittarius-Capricorn cusps that happened my way – and behold – Griz was one that happened my way about 30 years ago.

But now what will happen? At what point did Griz’ and my stars become so misaligned that the outlook for the success of our relationship has tumbled to this level (addition of the new Ophiuchus sign keeps Griz a Sagittarius).

Virgo Woman and Sagittarius Man
The basic personality of a Virgo woman does not match with that of a Sagittarius man. In fact, both are poles apart. He is untamed and lives a life full of excitement and adventure. She, on the other hand, is very serious towards life and prefers to stay away from any kind of experiments. He will not be able to fulfill her needs of security and safety. In fact, he is more probable to make her feel anxious and apprehensive. She believes in loyalty and he has a flirtatious nature. He will grow tired of her predictability and excessive carefulness. – astrology/compatibility

Predictability and excessive carefulness?  Naw, don’t feel any of that coming on. (The fact that I’m actually doing another astrology post should provide some verification.)  Well, maybe I’m a little more careful about some things than I was in my youth – after all, this body’s not quite as flexible or quick to recover from trauma. But I always thought that particular change was the result of normal wear and tear from living many years in planet Earth’s gravity. Had no clue it might be because my stars had completely realigned.

Just goes to show – if you live long enough – the universe will realign around you whether you’re working at it or not. Not to mention that entertainment will become news and news will become entertainment.

Never doubted either of those for a minute.

pontificate 2: to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way -  merriam-webster.com

I had one of those interesting wonder-if moments after my post on quieting down. I wondered if conversational fatigue is a natural part of this path through and beyond middle age. After all, middle age is as much about attitudinal change and gaining perspective as it is about chronology. Doesn’t some part of the getting of wisdom involve developing a certain laissez-faire equanimity about a lot of things that seemed overwhelmingly important when we were younger? Perhaps, I thought, everyone quiets down as they age.

Ha!

Just circumstantial evidence supports the opposite. The very afternoon of my musing, I ran into Liz, the 80-year-old antithesis of my theory. I share a 90-minute, parking-lot conversation with Liz about once a month. Liz was a next-door neighbor when I was growing up in Seattle. She moved to this area after her daughter bought a property not far from us (one of those small-world serendipities.)

A contemporary of my parents, Liz is one of those people who NEVER stops talking (as is her daughter I’ve discovered). At this point in her life, Liz’s monologue is rife with a long thread of what’s-wrong-withs – what’s wrong with the world, the country, our small town, the internet and all associated technologies; and on down to her favorite subjects – what’s wrong with her children and grandchildren.

I do have to give Liz this much – she is a colorful and somewhat gifted orator with a well-developed (if consistently judgmental) sense of humor. She was a cocktail waitress in her formative years – back in the day when all cocktail waitresses wore – well, not much. Her bawdy, occasionally-profane tales boost my tolerance of her stream of complaints. With time and a change in my own perspective, she’s evolved from just a gossiping busy-body into something of a tolerable character. I like characters. (I’ve been told I am one.) When I run into her, unless there is something truly pressing, I give her my time and my ear. We always end our conversation with her invitation for me to come by for tea. I haven’t so far. I guess I’m not quite that tolerant.

I have to admit that for us quiet types, effusive blabberers can be a conversational boon – all we have to do is listen and nod occasionally and “conversation” takes care of itself. And although Liz is an extreme, she is certainly an excellent reminder that not everyone values quiet serenity as a life goal. (In fact, a little googling leads me to suspect quieting down as a function of aging is rare – just another behavior on the list of hermit idiosyncrasies.)

But back to Liz. As entertaining as Liz can be, I always feel a little sad when we part after a conversation. I always think I should take the time for tea; after all, it won’t be too long before we won’t be meeting in parking lots anymore. I’m saddened that she’s entered what’s probably the last chapter of her life so dissatisfied with the way things have turned out. I’m saddened that, given the very peripheral nature of our friendship, she confides in me as much as she does. Perhaps I’m the only safe forum she has for her complaints.

Perhaps she’s lonely. Her judgmentalism may have set her up for that. I certainly would not want to be one of her children – or grandchildren. It sounds like Liz tries to micro-manage her whole family, down to the smallest circumstantial details, often using financial rewards or threats as the pivot point. Many of the behaviors Liz disapproves of in her children are, in fact, part of my own routine. Liz doesn’t know that, of course. She doesn’t actually know me very well and when we talk, I don’t need to talk.

Unfortunately for Liz (and in spite of her occasional entertainment value), Liz tops my list as the kind of elder I don’t want to become: the judgmental pontificator. The source of much inter-generational divisiveness, the loudest pontificators seem quite certain that, having lived a certain number of years, what they’ve learned must surely be gospel.

I’ve got news. What you’ve learned through experience is not gospel – it’s just a chronicle of your experience within the circumstances of your life. Yes, we do learn from experience, but much of what we learn that way cannot be taught. By the time our children enter high school, most of what they learn is coming from their own experiences, not from our pontifications. Yes, they’ll still need a few more years of guidance, and parenting is really a lifetime commitment, but the rapid change of today’s world almost guarantees that many of our children’s life experiences will be very different from ours. Most of our pontifications later in life (certainly by the time our children reach 30), especially those in the realm of specific circumstantial formulas that worked for us, already don’t (or soon won’t) apply at all. Let it go. The world is not going back to the way it used to be. The happiest among us find ways to celebrate that, even participate – not continually denigrate.

There’s a word for the belief (or desperate insistence) that everyone else (including your adult children) should do things the way you always have, make the same kinds of choices you always do, and live their lives as a reflection of the way you live your life. You may think the word is caring, but it isn’t. Most often, the word that best describes those manipulative, mini-me expectations is CONCEIT.

The good news is it’s never too late to stop trying to change others, especially other adults.  It’s also never too late to consider changing yourself – the one part of the equation over which you have some real control.

Share wisdom if you’re asked, but skip all the petty circumstantial stuff – what car to drive, what clothes to wear, your preference for certain neighborhoods or professional choices.  The kind of wisdom to share is the stuff that holds up beyond culture, fashion and clique; the stuff they’ll need to survive the greatest changes and the direst circumstances – the health crises, natural disasters, wars and economic downturns -  the inspirational stuff like courage, tolerance, love and compassion. But even that kind of wisdom is best taught by demonstration not with a diatribe of empty shoulds.

Demonstrate serenity and acceptance. Demonstrate inclusivity, not exclusivity. Overcome judgment. Demonstrate peace. Demonstrate love without circumstantial conditions and expectations. If you can train yourself to consistently prioritize and demonstrate any of those (or even a couple of them), not only will you be happier and healthier, you’ll probably mysteriously discover you’ve also overcome most of your complaints about the way things turned out.  Don’t be surprised if your need to pontificate declines accordingly.

I’m not pontificating, mind you. All I really know is what works for me.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Healing cannot be accomplished in the past, it can only be accomplished in the present to release the future.” – ACIM

John Lennon’s Imagine (1971) sung by Scott Bakula

YouTube Video by strode416

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I know. Who knew Scott Bakula could sing?

I do believe in a something-moreness, though: collective consciousness, ultimate source, transcendent connectedness, immanent divine creative field – something in each of us and all of us beyond randomness or biology. I also hold fast to a positivity about some variety of continuance beyond biological mortality – though I’m not addicted to a particular outcome – other than I most assuredly do not believe in hell or other similar eternal punishment scenarios. Frankly, those particular religious stories just seem mean-spirited (excuse the pun). A universal benevolence is integral to my spiritual orientation.

I believe I have personally experienced some moments of personal realization of this benevolent something-moreness – during meditation or contemplation – I call it a fearless peace. It’s a feeling of being enveloped in a radiant lovingness. It doesn’t really matter to me whether my experience is just a fabricated emotional state inspired by a quiet, peaceful landscape; or a particular sequence of neurons firing inside my brain in reaction to trouble or uncertainty – I like the feeling, it’s reassuring. I’m not likely to abandon it. Nor am I likely to pursue it with life-altering zeal – nor feel the need to. It’s always there, I have access to it when I need it. But it’s a bit like a wild animal – hard pursuit alters my relationship with it and moves it further away. Just accepting it as integral to the way things are allows for the comfortable sharing of ground.

Today is Easter. I had enough peripheral Christian upbringing that I can watch the big celebrations with a reasonable level of understanding and appreciation. Even though the whole crucifixion/resurrection tale seems a bit grisly to me, I do like the idea of miracles. Miracle is a good word for the inexplicable – whether it’s a spontaneous remission or some other variety of surviving the unsurvivable; the simpler stuff, like the beauty of a flower or the birth of a child; or the grander versions of those – like love or life itself.

Although I look to science more than spirituality to gain understanding of the world, science itself is something of a miracle when it comes right down to it. I don’t begrudge scientists who pursue the “god” particle – or the “god” neuron, although I think there will always be a part of the unknown that will remain unknowable. Whether collectively or individually, I tend to think by the time we find the ultimate answers, we’ll no longer need to know.

I go through phases of spiritual curiosity and pursuit, then step back – studying the details sometimes feels more like it’s obscuring truth rather than revealing it. I don’t know if it’s inspiration or defensive reaction, but the noisy religious holidays do set me to thinking about these themes more than usual, and perhaps I should thank the biggies for that at least.  This Easter week I’ve been working on a simple way to describe my spiritual orientation without committing to a particular label. So far I’ve got it down to this: I’m confident there’s something afoot beyond randomness and I’m comforted by an ever-present certainty in the overall benevolence of uncertainty.

Some would call that godless. Others might call it God.

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://blogfromahermit.com/2010/04/04/beyond-random-the-benevolence-of-uncertainty/feed/ 2 http://blogfromahermit.com/2010/03/09/political-science/ http://blogfromahermit.com/2010/03/09/political-science/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:36:37 +0000 Trish http://blogfromahermit.com/?p=3476 Much of the hoopla over the global warming controversy seems to be the “shocking revelation” that science is being used by (and thus ostensibly soiled and manipulated) by politicians. So? Science has always had a strong thread in and of politics, just like all other human endeavors, including religion. The only non-political human endeavor is probably solitude – and it’s only apolitical to the solitaire. As soon as one other wonders about or tries to find the  hermit, his solitude becomes part of a political debate. All human interaction includes politics. The more people, the more complicated the politics.

Science as the ultimate objectivity has always been an ideal not a fact. Scientists are human, too – with mortgages and egos and tuition debt, too.  Most research is at some level politically funded – whether the funder is the Catholic Church, the Exxon Corporation, or government. (We all know how apolitical government is. Right?) Who gets the money for what research – in our culture often a variable of potential profit in the research product – is part of the process. Unfortunately, money as the engine of research comes with a built-in corruptibility factor – sometimes very subtle, sometimes openly controversial, but rarely completely out of the picture.  Which is worse:  good science with bad intentions or bad science with good intentions?  Add to that debate “whose science” and “whose morality” then define “good” and “bad.” Yeah, I know.

Still there’s good scientists (and some not-so-good) working hard in their labs zealously pursuing “truth.”  There probably is even such a thing as “pure” science happening somewhere in some labs. But even the most ardent and disciplined objectivists among us are still subjective human beings. The process leading up to who gets a lab, how they design the experiment and who does what with any discoveries will always be a function of politics.  The “science” that reaches the masses will always have spin. Most of the “masses” wouldn’t understand the science if you spoon fed it to them straight from the scientist’s mouth. I have great respect for Al Gore’s intentions. I voted for him when he ran for President partially because of his environmental stance. I  have warmist leanings. I am not, however, blind to the inconvenient truth that Al Gore is not a scientist – he “just plays one in a movie.” But science without politics wouldn’t get very far.

And with well-established criteria for peer review and reproducible results, science tends to self-regulate. The global warming controversy really emphasizes the stability of the scientific ideal not its erosion. It’s the old torpedo effect of all human progress – we launch out of the tube in the general direction of our target, we stray off course, we make corrections.

Challenge and controversy have always been a part of scientific progress, whether the battle is between scientists and institutions, or scientists and other scientists. Today’s unavoidable transparency just makes the noise a lot louder and faster – out where we all get to watch and comment. And after all, it is science that brought us the internet – the vehicle of its own exposure.

Climate change is almost a non-term here in Western Washington where the weather is so variable year to year, climate change seems almost normal.  Unlike the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, we’ve just had our warmest winter on record. Last winter we had our taste of the ice age.

But in spite of recent controversies which expose some extremely-careless or just-plain-bad science, there’s some good science behind global warming, too.  Weather extremes are integral to the theory, so discounting the whole idea because your butt’s cold today is definitely throwing the baby out with the bath water.

On the other hand, there’s some very smart people countering the theory and some very good science behind their counter claims. Ironically, the very reason we find global warming so hard to believe when our butts are cold mirrors the reason why global warming has rational skeptics. It really is difficult for us humans (including scientists) to stand far enough back from our tiny little lives to get accurate, objective perceptions. From a geological perspective, the global warming theory itself is just a report on what’s happening right now. Several decades of climate statistics do not necessarily make an arguable trend. Well, obviously it is arguable, but that’s not the same as provable.

But it’s the furor of this discourse that deserves applause. It means awareness of environmental degradation (whatever the cause) has whole-heartedly entered our public consciousness. A recent New York Times article pointed out that therapists are even seeing a trend in environmental issues as a significant cause for family discord. And as much I hate to see families in stress, the environmental dialog matters; and the things that matter most to us should be discussed (and sometimes argued about) in our homes.  An integral environmental consciousness – public and private – represents true progress.

I have warmist leanings.  There’s much more to the theory than whether you should be driving a Prius or a Hummer. But selling global warming as yet another variety of armageddonism is counterproductive and unnecessary. Extremes always create backlash. Most of the noise between warmists and their skeptics is not about whether humans are negatively impacting the environment,  it’s about how, what’s the timeline and what’s the fix.

Anyone completely devoid of environmental awareness at this point is either under-educated, living in impoverished desperation, or choosing to remain intentionally blind. Lack of education and impoverished desperation are both forgivable, and illiteracy and poverty must be addressed as part a holistic environmental dialog.  But intentional blindness, whether motivated by greed or just laziness, is no excuse at all.

But that’s another human foible, isn’t it – it often takes the noise of controversy to force our eyes open. It’s called awakening.

“When people generally are aware of a problem, it can be said to have entered the public consciousness. When people get on their hind legs and holler, the problem has not only entered the public consciousness — it has also become a part of the public conscience. At that point, things in our democracy begin to hum.”

- Hubert Humphrey

I’d also hate to get too attached.  Big trees fall. Some have to be cut down.

And most of our trees grew to their glory before we arrived here – without  the need for words or names. They just are, surviving tough conditions right where they stand, beyond analysis or judgments – and they’re mighty nonetheless. Passive endurance resulting in magnificent splendor. Unintentional artistry. (Though some would say it’s intentional.)

Look upward while standing quietly beneath a big tree. You cannot avoid feeling the power. Imagine what it takes to oppose gravity to that extent, processing sunlight, circulating nutrients and water to such great heights?

Big trees demonstrate the great wisdom of nature – they bend to buffeting winds, lean toward sunlight or bow to obstacles as necessary. When partially knocked down, they slowly redirect themselves back skyward, fortifying themselves even more at the bending point. They shed the unnecessary to better endure and prosper. I admire them.

Hard to believe such giants start out smaller than this volunteer western red cedar struggling for a foothold in our driveway gravel. This 3″ youngster was a seed last summer. I pot and replant more of these little buggers than is practical, but it’s hard for me to think of them as weeds.

The great tree symbology in James Cameron’s Avatar pleased me.  Avatar’s popularity demonstrates a positive direction in our collective consciousness. As little as twenty-five years ago, I doubt if Avatar (with or without 3D) would have captured such a large audience. Twenty-five years ago, only us die hard sci-fi types would have gone. Sure, there are probably more sci-fi enthusiasts now than ever before, but Avatar goes beyond sci-fi – it touches our growing ecological and spiritual awareness – our acknowledgment of an immutable connectedness.

A serendipitious tree article showed up in Griz’ Nuts & Volts Magazine last month. An Idaho company, Voltree manufactures a bioenergy harvester which attaches to a living tree and uses the tree’s metabolic processes to create electricity. The small electrical generators do not harm the tree. (At least we don’t believe they harm the tree.) Of course, the amount of energy you can generate this way is limited – these generators are used to power passive surveillance and scientific monitoring equipment. Still, it’s a kind of symbiosis that tickles me.

Voltree’s products are the kind of green technology we’re heading toward  (very slowly) – ways to use our resources without depleting or harming them.  We are starting to make those critical connections – artistically, figuratively, literally.

Of course, you get a lot more energy (quicker) from a tree if you chop it down and burn it to heat the shelter you’ve built with it’s carcass.  (Intentional shock value.)  See my next post Tree Power Down: Timber!

]]> http://blogfromahermit.com/2010/01/30/tree-power-up-tall-inspiration/feed/ 0 http://blogfromahermit.com/2009/12/25/the-seed-of-a-fearless-peace/ http://blogfromahermit.com/2009/12/25/the-seed-of-a-fearless-peace/#comments Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:41:12 +0000 Trish http://blogfromahermit.com/?p=2995

There resides within each of us
The seed of a fearless peace.
In some it sprouts
Uncalled.
For others it rests
In deep dormancy
Beneath multi-colored
Layers of life’s soil.

The wise, the lost
And the questioning
Conduct a search,
Initiated perhaps by
Suggestion from another,
By curiosity or
By sobering need.

And once found
This fearless peace
Will break soil,
Though it may wither
Without nurture
Or acknowledgement,
Needing for further growth
A careful balance of
Sustenance and liquidity,
Both oft delivered by
The very soil of life
Through which
The tender sprout
First emerged.

The highest purpose
Of this fearless peace
Is to expand outward
Breaking through to
Sunlight
In such abundance
That it may sustain itself
Beyond its lowly roots
Sometimes entangling
In celebratory union
With other emergents
In a shared dynamic,
Which in symbiotic
Expression prompts
At least one other
To conduct a search
For the seed within.

You cannot buy this seed
Of  fearless peace.
Nor can any other
Gift it to you.
A proferred trellis
May provide
A temporary brace,
Timely fertilizer helps,
As does the
Occasional flashlight.
But ultimately
You must leap
Beyond the trellis,
Beyond even the bed,
Sometimes through darkness,
Launching yourself
In self-sufficient
Commitment -
Into thin air!

Remarkably,
The leap itself
Provides something
Of an indestructible
Bridge to quiet certainty,
Leaving you thereafter
Paradoxically more grounded
Rather than less
Like you’d think.

For now
The fearless peace within
Exists beyond uprooting,
A recognized
And constant presence
Within and without,
Unshakable ever after
Which with minimal vigilance
Becomes your chosen
And preferred
State of being
And resting place.

There are many names
For this fearless peace
In the multiple
Tongues of man.
With words and rituals
For the process
Of its discovery
And cultivation.
Use caution near those
Who would exclude
All names other
Than their preferred
As less perfect
In some way.
And question those
Who use exclusion,
Or any other rule,
As an excuse to
Cultivate fear
And stray from peace
Entirely.

There resides
Within each of us
The seed of a fearless peace,
Present before any words
And thus beyond all names,
Awaiting excavation
And destined to be found
By all of us and each of us
Sooner
Or later.

Trish Wareing, (c)  2009