Sunday, January 30, 2005

click here to read kristy's post about the Noam Chomsky lecture

Kristy had to blog about this lecture the night she attended it. It set her on fire. And now I understand why. It's playing on TVOntario right now, I'm in the middle of the Question and Answer period and I could not wait.

He made a comment about Grassroots political movements, changes made due to valid electoral options, using the example of Brazil. Making the point that the people of Brazil have to suffer brutal issues on a daily basis. They deal with hunger, mind-boggling poverty and of course the fear of violent crimes. (I don't know much about what life is like in Brazil, but I know it's nothing like life in Canada or the US.) Why did the people rise up against political oppression there, but Canadians and Americans don't do it? Well because we North Americans aren't really aware of how they Are manipulated. like Kristy said, the people who sell toothpaste are more responsible for who gets elected than the actual men who run for election. I was reading somewhere the other day that we wouldn't have people like Ghandi if there was no oppression and racism. Maybe it's because we have been so manipulated that we are 'comfortably numb' so to speak. Nothing really bad happens on a wide scale for us to rise up against on a wide scale. There are small pockets but like Chomsky himself just said on my TV, "The Elephant gets what it wants".

Just a thought.

Monday, January 24, 2005

Canada and The International Criminal Court.

This is the place to go if you want to know What Canada is doing to change the world So I have some homework to do, now I've found my research tools.

Lisa - thanks for the inspiration!

Monday, January 10, 2005

what kind of world is it...

when people can describe the latest hollywood breakup as "the truth behind the shocking brad and jennifer breakup"

just whatever. Go read Steve's blog.

Saturday, January 08, 2005

The Second Agreement - Don't Take Anything Personally

what, you mean it's not all about me? like, that other people are living whole, real lives just like me, and they aren't simply revolving around me, for me?

"You take it personally because you agree with whatever was said. As soon as you agree, the poison goes through you, and you are trapped in the dream of hell. What causes you to be trapped is what we call personal importance. Personal importance, or taking things personally, is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about "me." During the period of our education, or our domestication, we learn to take everything personally. We think we are responsibel for everything. Me, me, me, always me!

"Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselfes. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completley differint world form the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is inour world, and we try to impose our world on their world.

"Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly , it has nothing to do with you. What they say, what they do, the opinions they give are according to the agreements they have in their own minds. Their point of view comes from all the programming they received during domestication." (pages 48-49, The Four Agreements).

So we re-program ourselves. And we choose not to let other programs affect, change, blur, ruin our new programs. Life keeps getting better as we constantly increase the quality of our "thought life". Stephen Covey says, in the 8th habit, that when someone is insecure because "they don't have their deep internal act together seek their security from sources outside themselves. Because they're codependent with their environment, they engage in ... destructive, cancerous behaviors."

When we take it personally, we internalize poisonous emotions. This causes us to act in ways that can harm or even destroy our relationships. I've been learning these lessons for years. We are never finished programming ourselves, and we can be inspired by our loved ones. The idea of internalizing was taught to me by Dan a few years ago and really helped me change directions. We do that for each other!

Sunday, January 02, 2005

The Four Agreements Or What I did over the Christmas Vacation

While I was in Waterloo visiting my mom, I was not provided with very much time to watch soap operas, which was one down side to my trip. yesterday I was allowed to watch most of a TEN hour marathon of The Dead Zone on Space channel (sci-fi geek out major!) and so I forgave her. That was totally fun. We went shopping ALOT. My brother was with us for a few days but he was totally bored by our shopping so he came home early. But it was a really good time for all of us. And while I was away I read this book: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, which was a gift from Kimberley last Christmas. And so, now, my book report. Well, not really. But here you go, The First Agreement.

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word - Speak with Integrity. Say only what you mean. The author basically shows that the latin root of impeccable means without sin. Our words express our will, our deepest heart, the core of who we are. And we can change our thoughts as we watch what we say - out loud and in our head - because what we say is what we think.

Here is a quote: "Religions talk about sin and sinners, but let's understand what it really means to sin. A sin is anything that you do which goes against yourself. Everything you feel or believe or say that goes against yourself is a sin. You go against yourself when you judge or blame yourself for anything. Being without sin is exactly the opposite. Being impeccable is not going against yourself. When you are impeccable, you take responsibility for your actions, but you do not judge or blame yourself."

He says later, in another part that when we judge ourself we have to punish ourself because clearly, we are not perfect. When we are not impeccable with the words we use we can affect others deeply - we can be hurtful and cruel and poison their experience and relationship with us. This applies to gossipping and just being thoughtless like calling someone a name.

The Full Name of this Book Is The Four Agreements, A Toltec Wisdom Book. A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. There's quite a bit of background provided on Toltec Wisdom. The idea is that our life is a dream of our making, and that we have the ability to make it heaven or hell. That through "Domestication" (the process of being socialized in our particular and special society) the majority of humans have produced a hell, basically because they have failed to notice that it's in their power to change it. No matter what happens to us we have the ability to choose heaven or hell.

Anwar al Sadat said "He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality, and will never therefore make any progress." This is from a man who would know. He changed the course of human history by changing his mind. whew, I get choked up just thinking about this man (who was interestingly enough, assassinated on the very day my brother was born).

Next Time: The Second Agreement - Don't Take Anything Personally (or like I always like to say, It's not all about you!) I am also now reading "The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. Finding Your Voice and Inspiring Others to Find Theirs" So I will be having a lot to say.

Good luck on your first "day" on the job Matt! I love you!