it's a far cry from pondicherry

but i thought i would add a few photos of my attempts to beautify the sidewalks. there is much to write about, all of it seemingly pressing, yet all i can muster at the moment are chalk drawings and the hope that mankind's creativity will lean toward the path of beauty more than the path of senseless destruction.

 

Women of the World, Unite with the Women of Pondicherry - in Kolam Drawing!

Until someone sent me this link, I'd never heard of Kolams. This is so beautiful. Enjoy watching it, and then find some sidewalk chalk. Art for Art's sake, beauty for beauty's sake, generosity for generosity's sake, play for play's sake. Yes, more of that, please! Watching this video led to spending the next couple hours on youtube! Thank you, Kaaren Beckhof, for making this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbQcGdyT86Mhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbQcGdyT86M

This practice is done daily as an offering, usually by females in the household, for protection from evil and to bring happiness/prosperity. I think the viewers prosper in seeing the daily designs as much as the makers. What a rich culture! Why don't I live in India?! The music, the culture, the colors, ahhh.

Rice flour is mixed with chalk dust, usually white, to make the dot and line drawings. Dots are drawn in a pattern and all lines must interconnect - to keep out evil spirits. Kolams are done on the floor/ground which is swept and washed each morning with water, the great purifier. I love its ephemeral nature and reminder of the boundless creativity and ways to say "thanks" and make offerings, here on this beautiful planet we call home.

So what's the point in pointless play/creativity/delight? (Who would ask such a thing!) The point is that in all this broken-heartedness we face in everyday living, the rotten news, the corruption of church and state, facing our own defects and shortcomings, death of our glorious ecosystems - despite all this, there is a way to give or at least enjoy some grace in our existence, a reminder to remember what we're made of, what this Universe is made of, and celebrate it and share it with passerby, maybe lift them up a little bit, too.

I will post some attempts outside our apt. fourplex building if I succeed in making any kolams. I hope the "threshhold" trend catches on. There are other art forms too. Men, don't feel left out! You can do rangoli! Men, women, and children do it. Rangoli often uses brilliant colored flour/chalk dust.

Here's a link to a rangoli video of a man making a Ganesh mandala on the street; beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C45QsOCb3Zg&NR=1&feature=fvwphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C45QsOCb3Zg&NR=1&feature=fvwp

rambling thoughts

So yesterday i'm surfing the web and reading emails and there's this video on yahoo news about the Japanese dog who was rescued from atop rooftop flotsam in the sea being reunited with her overjoyed owner - and tears are streaming and I'm a puddle. One simple act of serendipitous mercy - reunion of human and animal kin - in all this tragedy - can blast open one's heart and ignite a spark of hope and the rememberance that we all have within us this limitless capacity to love and be loved, no matter how buried it seems to be.

Every day on this gorgeous planet, the miraculous, the impossible made manifest, the destruction and creation of mankind and the ramifications of both, get a person to thinking - what's really important? Why is it that only humans have the privilege of choosing, and choose poorly and dangerously so much of the time, whereas other life forms have this superior intelligence to be what they are and go with what is? Who's really the "superior" species in this mix? Mankind would not be the first that comes to mind.

What are the moments that make life alive? Only this interconnectedness, this - surrender - for lack of a better word. How do we apply that to things we'd rather not know, rather not see? How can we bear this brokenheartedness that we carry every moment our eyes are open and don't look away? How do we nourish the seeds of compassion? I don't know. I still look away too often. Still use food as a drug. Still wallow in anger and self pity. Still make choices against life and living; yet still feel this supreme open heartedness in the moments I don't turn away.

I'm not religious in the traditional sense of the word. But I think every human wants some kind of cosmology to believe, and more important, experience. You don't need to hang a name on it or even put it into words. I have a friend who believes in the power of atoms and molecules - to forever create new designs of life and manifest seeming solidity and everything is dancing and made up of the invisible manifesting itself as visible. That seems about as close to something I can believe in as anything. May the unconditional love of the molecules surround Japan and its life forms, and perform their merciful miracles - and may we humans help them however we can.

a letter from Japan

At 2:46 p.m. today, the people of Japan took a moment of silence and prayers for the victims of the earthquake/tsunami. It had been one week exactly. May we all take many moments of silence to send the Japanese people our heartfelt hopes and solidarity, and to mourn their dead and thank and mourn their heroes. It's hard to know the truth between the sensationalist Western media exploitation and hype, and the Japanese media's understatement and caution in its disclosures.

There has been much criticism of the Japanese government in the west, mostly by people from the United States. I find this ironic, given our own government's abysimal record of outright lies to, and manipulation of, the American people. In a crisis of this multi-layered magnitude, a government doesn't have a whole lot of time to give a blow-by-blow televised account of what's happening. This is not a football game or some televised "reality show" event. I'll bet many high level Japanese officials have hardly slept for a week.

Here is a letter that was forwarded by a friend of a friend. It's from a Japanese woman living in Tokyo. Names have been deleted, but her message  seems to embody the heart and spirit of the Japanese people. Since this letter, written early in the crisis, she has send updates, but its message stands.

My dear friends,  

This is the second email for some of you to let you know I'm fine in Tokyo and my family is fine in Fukushima.

Though my hometown is in Fukushima where was damaged by tsunami, my small village is more close to the Japan Sea side. 

I think many of you have seen those terrible photos and videos on TV, web and in newspapers for past two days, and they are all happening in my country.

Tokyo is o.k. now as we are getting normal transportation and lifelines back. Even we can feel aftershocks quite often, it's not so scary as it was yesterday. 

But of course the Pacific Sea side, north east Japan is completely attacked by earth quakes and tsunami, and we're getting more and more tragic news.

I am very, very sad and feeling so sympathetic to those who are suffering, but on the other hand, I feel much better than yesterday as we have worst but real information to have recognition what's happening actually and what we can do from now on.

I do not want you to be emotional or overwhelmed. You can help us with support and encouragement there, where you are. 

I think it's very important for the people who are in safe area or other countries just stay being calm, stable and keep normal life with people around together with love and trust.

Not forgetting we are one and one is for all, it means people who are not directly involved in can give the peacefulness, gentleness, feeling of connection and deep, profound love to those who are in severe situations including the ones are passing away.

I would like to ask all of you to just bring some attention to those people in my country. Just think about their suffering and pray in a moment without becoming too sympathetic or emotional. Just pray for better or the best for them and some situations. This is the most helpful thing for us at this point, and this is the only thing I (we, the people in normal life) can do for others.

And I want you to be with loving people around you, and feel and cuddle love together. That energy will be transferred to others. That feeling of appreciation will be others' feeling, too. 

We don't need to listen to fear messages or no need to be involved in emotional attacks. Just we stay present and pay attention, just be with others in the moment. 

Thank you very much for your reading. I do appreciate your concern and love every moment, as I can feel it that you're with me being present. 

Please take care and have beautiful time in your place each other, with laughter and smile.  

With best wishes and lots of love,

What has happened in Japan in the last several days is horrific and grievous beyond belief. While Japan is reeling from its biggest natural disaster and tragedy since World War Two, we have to consider the manmade contribution to this tragedy of nuclear disaster facing the Japanese people, and all peoples affected by windborne radiation fallout. Last night I watched a long press conference, and the honesty of the engineer who designed the nuclear facilities, and his genuine grief at what has happened, was apparent. So different than here in the U.S. where all is cover-up and we are treated like dumbed-down fattened calves.

While we continue to hold the people of Japan and affected areas (including, perhaps, ours) in our hearts, while we continue to mourn loss of life and loved ones, loss of animals and plants and sea life, in a nation which has been a good friend to the United States, even though our government killed millions of its people; while we find ways to help Japan, while we sorrow with the Japanese people, we also need to educate ourselves to the stark fact that what happened in Japan CAN and likely WILL happen here - and how do we think the US government will treat its own people? Louisiana, Mississippi, and all Gulf of Mexico states and countries should give us a clue; one that affects all life on Earth as we know it. We still are reeling, and mourning those continuing losses.

Japan's technology, highly superior to our own in the U.S. regarding earthquakes, could not contain the force of a 9 point earthquake and tsunami that people had zero time to address. Even the professionalism and dignity shown by Japan's officials cannot help the millions suffering, the many thousands lost.

Please read this article in OpEdNews by Michael Collins, and particularly note the interactive map and graphs further along in the article. Look at your location on this world map. What do you see? These nuclear reactors are ticking time bombs, many on serious fault lines near coastal tsunami areas. To deny that mankind has a part in the potential demise of planet Earth is to either be out of touch with all reality, or unfeeling. The time for pressure on our autocrats, worldwide, is now. We must move toward a nuclear-free world. Just one reactor core has the radiation potentiality of 300 A-bombs. It's time to globally rethink this and even so, our actions in proliferating this poison into our earth, waters, and air, may already be the demise of life on Earth. It is likely already too late. We must do all we can to stop the nuclear madness.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Post-Nuclear-Japan-Pre-Di-by-Michael-Collins-110314-252.html

here's a link to the press conference i watched; probably old news now, since the second explosion happened and core meltdowns are imminent. (long: 1 hr, 38 min.)
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13295291?lang=ja_JP

Inspirational people and the passing of someone inspirational

When the earthquake in Haiti happened last January, I read about a married pair of surgeons who went to Haiti immediately to treat the severely injured and save lives. The hospital in Port Au Prince had been destroyed, along with most of its staff. This couple had rudimentary tools, there were no other; saws were used for amputations necessary to save lives. The horror and suffering they witnessed all around them was unbelievable, but real. They acted, unflinchingly, in the face of what would make most people crumble. I wept when I read their blog entries. In their blogs, which were sometimes graphic and hard to read, they wrote with passion and the best of their humanness. They didn't turn away from the massive suffering, the heartbreak, the stench of death. They were heroes (I'm sorry - I forgot their names, but will research that and put up a link as soon as I can find their blogs again). I honor and thank them. They are inspirational.

They asked people to help; the situation in Haiti was (and likely still is) unimaginably dire. There were no medical supplies or antibiotics. People had no place to go (and still live in tents). One of the organizations mentioned was Partners in Health (PIH), who had been operating in Haiti and certain places around the world. PIH's chapter in Haiti is called Zanmi Lasante. They'd been helping in Haiti for many years before the earthquake. Partners in health has a sterling reputation for integrity, including their handling of the monies they receive. You can read about the work they do and the fundamental principles of their work here:
http://www.pih.org/pages/what-we-do/
The PIH newsletter I opened yesterday contained eulogies to their founder, Tom White, who lived to a ripe old age and died surrounded by some of those who he loved and who loved him. Reading about him (of whom I knew nothing) restored my faith that there are some really rich people on this planet who are dedicated to spending their lives and fortunes on relieving suffering and contributing something good and healing. Tom White saw the interconnectedness of things. Probably there are more like Tom White, but you rarely hear of them.  He gave his entire fortune, which was substantial. He gave his homes (moving to smaller and smaller ones), his assets, whatever was needed, as Partners in Health grew. Thank you, Tom, for devoting your life to helping others. Thanks for not looking away, for making the time, for caring, for giving your all. Thanks for the high bar you set for humanity.

Here are a few links to read about Tom  White, visionary and true friend of all peoples, who wanted to make this world a better place, and did.
http://www.pih.org/news/entry/remembering-a-true-partner-in-health/
http://www.pih.org/blog/entry/tom-white-eulogy/

Everyone who has suggested violence, overtly or covertly, against anyone with differing political or religious views, helped contribute to the Arizona murders

 All the spin-doctors and hate mongers who stir people into a froth of misplaced rage and misinformation - inciters of talk radio, the far right, tea partiers, T.V. propagandists, and anyone who has taken advantage of American outrage and suggests, openly or covertly, violence against ANYONE - is guilty of creating this sad and sick milestone yesterday in Tucson, Arizona where innocent people died at the hands of an insane gunman.

Read about the assassination attempt of Representative Gabrielle Giffords HERE (be sure to scroll down and read it all)