One of my Christmas 2007 pics.
Let's go back to ourselves in the present moment: An inspiring post from Patti Digh on being present, every day. That reminds me, it's time for me to do my next semi-annual list of intentions.
Written Off as a Crazy Person: Jim Kunstler, in his Christmas Eve blog post,
recounts how a friend of many years, learning of his position on Peak
Oil, basically wrote Jim off as crazy. In a week when my ideas on
intentional community, and more specifically those of the poly variety,
have been excoriated by more than one friend, I found his response
inspiring and delightful, and I dedicate it to my critics, who I love
dearly despite their sometimes-visceral disagreements with me:
It was disheartening, of
course, to be written off as sounding "like a crazy person" by an old
friend. I don't doubt that his perception is genuine. I'm prepared to
live with the disconnect between what my friends believe and what I
think. I even reserve a portion of my mind for the possibility that
their view may be more realistic than mine -- but I won't torture
myself about it. Someday, surely, I'll meet this old friend again and
perhaps he'll say something like "...things didn't work out quite the
way I expected...."
(Jim's previous post on why the US financial systems are failing is also worth a read -- thanks Jon.)
The Anti-Monogamy Song: Performed by Sarah Burton. Reminds me a bit of Laura Kipnis' "Against Love". Glenn, maybe you and I should just shut up and let the women tell it.
A Village is Not an Intentional Community: An interesting distinction between responsible, sustainable community models that are intentional, and those that are not,
from Village Forum. Anyone out there tried this type of 'village' who
can tell us if it's just (like mine) and interesting and promising
idea, or something that actually works?
The Missing Tapes and the Bush/Cheney Torture Agenda: Naomi Wolf chillingly explains what the worst president in the history of the US, and his regime, have to hide. It seems that nothing much has changed since Hoover planned to lock up anyone that didn't agree with the Truman regime in 1950, without charges or a trial, forever, in military prisons. A nation gone mad.
A Group That Gets the Importance of Wilderness: I'm supporting the Habitat Trust because they're willing to buy and set aside wilderness areas and not let any humans into them. Thanks to Teresa for the link.
Do It Yourself Music Video: An Alley Somewhere by Scott Andrew. Could this kind of home-made, self-published work be the future of art? (Thanks, Martin.) Meanwhile Karen Shanley points out a fun Christmas music video.
Thought for the Week: The story of Maya's Veil, summarized by Mariella Rebora:
First there was Brahma, all alone and very bored...
so he decided to create a beautiful goddess to have some company and he created Maya...
he told her that he was bored and wanted to play...
OK she said... but you must promise me you will do whatever I ask you to...
and he accepted...
she asked him to create the sun, moon, stars, earth, water, animals, plants...
then she said, now you must create an intelligent creature able to understand the beauty of your creation...
so he created men and women...
(now close your eyes and wait...)
she took Brahma, cut him into tiny pieces and put a little piece inside the heart of every human...
and she told him.... now the game begins... you will forget who you
are, and you will have to find yourself and get together again...
and until today Brahma is still playing the game...trying to remember
who and where he is.... trying to get together again.. and he
will play until Maya´s veil falls from his eyes....
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MADE IN CANADA
trust your
instincts 
