"The Insider" and Charlottesville

When the movie, "The Insider" came out in 1999, it never entered my world. It was brought to my attention recently as appropriate in considering a response to the Charlottesville horror.

In case someone reading this is not aware of the event, I will summarize:
A plan is under consideration to  remove Civil War hero statues in public places in North Carolina  where they stand.
 A peaceful rally was held by the extreme right wing Neo-Nazi group. They were advocating that the statues remain where they are.
Another peaceful rally also was held by another group advocating the removal of the statues from public places.
Both groups were passionate about their perspective which led to violent interaction between the two groups of protesters. Lives were lost.
Various news sources report the day's events with different biases regarding the motives behind the protest rallies.
Most of the people I know were struck with disbelief that either of these rallies could be happening in this world today.
Apparently, the prejudice of both perspectives has been seething beneath the surface for generations. I find myself wondering if there are plans to remove statues in the North USA as well,  as I remember the Taliban bombing ancient Buddhist shrines some years back.

The movie, "The Insider" was about an Executive VP of a tobacco company who blew the whistle on the practice of adding a chemical to cigarettes to make nicotine more addictive.  I thought the story was going to be about him, which it was, but it was also about Lowell Bergman who was producing "60 Minutes" with Mike Wallace, commentator at the time.
"60 Minutes" reported the news factually. You could trust what was reported and form your own opinions in relation to the facts.  Bergman and Wallace got to the heart of the matter and had a reputation which reflected great integrity and credibility. The story showed the extreme pressure to not pursue the truth of the horror of putting profit before people's health.

Of equal horror are the two stories:  one  of making cigarettes more addictive and; the other of violence caused by a movement to leave statues which stand for a slave based economy clashing with a movement to tear down memorials of lost lives.

Lowell Bergman never wavered in his quest to get the truth told. My life has been deeply addressed by his passion and integrity to get to the root cause of human suffering and bring it to the consciousness of, at the time, 30 million viewers,  in  a way that it could not be ignored.

I am inspired to be so committed and to call for the truth in a way that can not be ignored. I also want to add that the truth to which I refer is not the opposite of lying.  It is about exposing injustice which hinders the highest good.

Who in Public Service is there doing this today? Who is calling these destructive forces into account, demanding that what history has created will not be destroyed. I have heard only shallow, biased, and politically advanrageous responses to this tragedy of our times.

We see the same happening every day in so many ways, be it regarding climate change, public education, human rights or  health care, to name a few. 

The travesties of today are overwhelming. The truth is being denied public access, while at the same time we are suffering the consequences of realities. 

We, the public, are being terrorized by relentless threats to our sense of well being, to our trust in those who we have chosen to be our leaders.

 How do we be the Lowell Bergman's who catalyze the deep resolve that exposes the truth which blocks progressive policies and respect for human differences?   

A Life Lesson in Local Politics

Our  children, metaphorically and really,  continue civilization,  moving ahead from what we have created. Some will be carried on, some will be set aside as no longer needed.

I have always been interested in being a part of creating a community where everyone feels that they belong, that they are valued,  and are able to be  responsible for its well-being.

Our family was part of a great movement to make sure that there were demonstrations of this possibility.

Today I live in a small town where people are separated by many different belief systems and mindsets.  A political hierarchy is present in every organization. Here, those who can play what I call the King Kong game get to have it their way.. I do admire their skill.

Every time I attempt to get involved, I end up in the trash, metaphorically speaking again. I just never learned to follow the herd just because that is what is what is expected.  

Recently, I  have been involved in  pioneering an organization whose mission is to inspire creativity in this community. I have been intent on creating an environment in which people feel they belong and are responsible for its well-being.

Without going into details, having pulled a group together to pull off a new event towards this goal , the planning is not going in the direction that I would prefer. In fact ,everything is going in the direction that makes it impossible for me to participate in that event.

What am I to do?

My intent  is to occasion a community building event in which inspired creativity is of the essence, I choose to go with the flow. Otherwise my expectations become Dogma which has no place in community building.  Now, having no responsibilities I can fulfill because I will not be present, I take yet another trip to the trash with this venture.  

When such occasions rise,  it is always healing to remember original intentions that were birthed in  care.

Also important is to weigh up the value of each others' gifts and limitations. Being realistic, anything I might have to offer can be offered by anyone else, and in most cases more successfully. In other words, I am expendable AND replaceable.

This intrusion on my trust in the consensus building process, really is an opportunity to assess what is important to me, where I really want to put my life, and who I want to have in my  life.

Most important, since consensus rest in what is best for the future our children inherit, is to live as a demonstration of peaceful coexistence.

The foundation of the future that is happening,  and it happening  in this small community service project. 

The realignment process is continuing with or without my approval.

So, I send the event and all involved a blessing and let whatever will be, Be!!

I read the other day that you come into this incarnation to learn lessons. If you don't learn them, you get to come back to try again.  Well, the opportunities to learn lessons are too painful to desire their continuation,  so I intend to learn the lesson I am here to learn this time.

Am I the only one experiencing this radical call to explore new ways of living?  How's it going for you?

Because I Care

Passion Flower in Crescent City FL

Sometimes I get so angry I can't even sort out the source of the eruption of this feeling.

At least four times this past year Anger has taken over and vented its frustration on whomever was around me at the time. 

I knew each time it was displaced, belonging to a deep unhealed wound.

One time it was because someone who offered to assist me left me in the lurch.

Another time it was because someone chopped down my flower bushes without discussing it with me.

Another time it was because someone lied about someone else  which caused serious damage to her ability to do her job.

Another time it was because everything changed on the national scene and I reached a point where I was even angry at every attempt by the resistance movement.

Most recently, by what seemed to be a blow to my own ego, I just quit a project I was working on.

Not until I listened to my own protest on the injustice of it all did I  hear the origin of that Anger which was overwhelming.

Out of the depths I have cried in raw anger. Real tears streamed down my cheeks.

I have never felt relieved by venting my anger. I get even more frustrated by being embarrassed and disappointed by my immature behavior. I even have ignored mindful practice of breathing when I feel Anger taking over. 

Breathing does assist in the disidentification from Anger,  and from actually performing the acts of violence I am contemplating. (note: embellishing to emphasize)

Having reached the point where there appears to be no purpose in talking things over, forgiving and forgetting, letting it all go, or getting to the root of the problem (which I already have done a hundred times), I nevertheless am making new decisions.

Mostly I cry instead of lashing out. I might confront with a question instead of letting it go. I vent my frustration instead of creating an alternative. I wish things were different instead of  discerning the gift in the reality of it all. But, mostly I cry.

At the same time, I am discovering it is relatively easy to be happy when I am making decisions about how I am going to live my life given the intrusion of events which unjustly change the status quo.

When I do not assume the role of victim, but rather create a response which respects the goodness of the changes, and disregards any presumptions about the  intention of that which has caused Anger to surge,  I am free.

When I understand my own anger, I alleviate the suffering which angry tears express.

Underneath it all, and bottom line, I care with a passion for the love of of this Earth Community.

And this Earth Community happens in these everyday events.

So the truth is, our whole lives are changing and will keep on changing. Some bring Anger to center stage. 

When we deal with our responses by the way we live our lives, we are free to be passionate creators of this  Earth Community.

When we make that kind of decision, support comes from everywhere.

How do you deal with your anger?  Where is the source of your freedom to be the gift that you are to the creative process?