Postmodern dialogue?! While there are many definitions for the word or category ‘postmodern,’ the way I’m employing the term here is in the broad generic sense that ultimate knowledge (truth) escapes us, whether that is because it cannot be known or is helplessly situational; i.e., it’s up to individual perspective(s).

Like other levels of development on the spiral of consciousness (such as warrior, traditional, modern) the postmodern level of consciousness carries its own set of dignities and disasters. What I will attempt to do in this post is mention some ideas I have centered around one of its plusses, even though this simultaneously means the possibility that some will no doubt miss the point and reply with an entire litany of minuses (oh the joy of blogging!). Continue reading…

Though I don’t typically delve into politics – mainly because I always feel smarmy even wading into those waters – there’s a thing or two on my mind today.

I was reflecting on my ‘real’ job which is peace and reconciliation via The David Group International. Specifically I am evaluating plans for a fall meeting in the Middle East. It may or may not happen, but just the idea of it triggered a plethora of thoughts in my mind.

Governments are corrupt. Often to the core. What a shocking statement, eh?

There are times when, while looking at the big picture of anything from corporate greed leading to the abuse of third world countries to political and geo-political war games, power struggles, egoic madness, et.al, that I’m tempted to say that things are relatively hopeless regarding justice for what has become the nameless/faceless masses of earth’s citizenry.

It takes a while to talk myself down from these episodes – usually a good long cigar and a bit of Frangelico helps – added to that a very large dose of ‘just do what you can do and leave God’s business to God’ and eventually I rebound again.

But today, for whatever reason, I couldn’t get past these political statements of ‘regret’ put out by the U.S. over such issues as the recent Gaza blockade debacle where innocents (one of them a U.S. citizen) are slaughtered – yes, I believe that’s the appropriate word – and little if any action from the international community is taken.

For our part, the word from the Oval Office was that we ‘regret’ that the Israeli government has committed such a senseless and lawless act upon the high seas.

How nice… a group of people (unarmed and representing no particular government) giving their lives to putting politics aside in the name of extending humanitarian aid are killed and the best we can say is, “we regret this.”

Wow, way to invoke justice on behalf of the victims of this lawless act of unabashed murder. We showed them, didn’t we? We REGRET what they’ve done.

Let’s say that President Obama’s oldest daughter gets mad at his youngest daughter, bloodies her nose and shoves her down the steps and out onto the White House lawn. What should he do? What would he do?

Can you imagine the absurdity of telling his youngest that he ‘regrets’ what her older sister has done and then leaving it at that?! Really? No punishment. No discipline. No consequences whatsoever? Is that what happens in the real world of parenting? Could even the most abusive of parents respond that way?

Eckhart Tolle says that the only thing more insane than the “I” is the “we.” It seems that when the collective is involved all sense of reality is sometimes lost. And so it is that the collective world looked at the actions of the Israeli government and responded with sheer, unabashed insanity. Not even a slap on the wrist.

Do you remember the 60’s song War? The lyrics blare with the words “War, good god ya’ll, what is it good for?!” I’m hearing it in my head right now… except it goes “Regret, good god ya’ll, what is it good for?!”

I’m sure by now most of you have heard that yet another mining tragedy has occurred in West Virginia. Since I was born in W. Va., these things tend to hit a little closer to home for me than perhaps for most of the country. I know the state. And I know the ‘state of the state.’ It’s poor. In many places it falls below the poverty line. Much of this poverty is systemic and multi-generational. The educational system, while not the worst in the nation is also far from being the best. Add these two things together and you have a bunch of people without much of an opportunity to move ‘up’ or ‘out.’

And that is what makes many of them choose to work in the mines… work in harm’s way day in and day out. What is the option? What other employment opportunities do they have? Where do they go if they have little education and even less money? The short answer is ‘nowhere.’ Continue reading…

Religion is a mess. The Catholic Church is so filled with pedophilic scandal that the words of any Easter Sunday Mass ring hollow if they ring at all. And as per their counterparts, the Protestants, well they have quite a mess on their hands as well… mostly from the way their leaders see, understand and teach regarding the world in which we live.

Yesterday I saw a sound-bite from Rick Warren, one of the (if not THE) leading voices of Evangelical Christianity today. It was Easter Sunday, and his message?? According to the clip, it was one of reminding people that we live in a world that is ‘broken’ and that does not function ‘perfectly.’ Continue reading…

No doubt there are some who would read this series of posts and protest that I’m little more than a naïve U.S. citizen who was duped into becoming a mouth-piece for the Palestinian cause. People might claim that I only saw one side of the story, etc. But let me assure you that this was not the case.

This was no site-seeing tour. It was ten days of meetings with both Jewish and Palestinian citizens and government officials. One such group is simply known as ‘the Refuseniks’ – Israeli citizens who refused to serve in the military because of an unwillingness to contribute to the grievances and abuses occurring with regularity within the occupied territories. Their only agenda was peace and justice for all. Continue reading…