Claiming our own lives creates fulfillment and joy. We don't need to be controlled. We don't deserve to be repressed or stifled. We don't have to let anyone convince us that we do. We can trust ourselves. We know what we need, we know what we yearn for--we long to be set free.
What once seemed so overwhelming--creating and taking responsibility for our lives--wasn't really so. It was our belief that we couldn't do it, couldn't handle it, couldn't be trusted that made it so. We created our own prison by believing we were trapped, stuck. We became controlled by believing others knew better than we did what was best for us. We were afraid to take responsibility for our choices, so we gave up power.
Now it's time to step out, leave our prison of fear. We can take responsibility for our lives. We can take responsibility for what we create. We don't have to be afraid of making a mistake or doing something wrong. If we create a situation we don't like, we can create something different. We're free to create the life we want.
-Melody Beattie, Journey to the Heart
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Another Reason to Vote for Obama
“Dinosauria, We”
by Charles Bukowski
Born like this
Into this
As the chalk faces smile
As Mrs. Death laughs
As the elevators break
As political landscapes dissolve
As the supermarket bag boy holds a college degree
As the oily fish spit out their oily prey
As the sun is masked
We are
Born like this
Into this
Into these carefully mad wars
Into the sight of broken factory windows of emptiness
Into bars where people no longer speak to each other
Into fist fights that end as shootings and knifings
Born into this
Into hospitals which are so expensive that it’s cheaper to die
Into lawyers who charge so much it’s cheaper to plead guilty
Into a country where the jails are full and the madhouses closed
Into a place where the masses elevate fools into rich heroes
Born into this
Walking and living through this
Dying because of this
Muted because of this
Castrated
Debauched
Disinherited
Because of this
Fooled by this
Used by this
Pissed on by this
Made crazy and sick by this
Made violent
Made inhuman
By this
The heart is blackened
The fingers reach for the throat
The gun
The knife
The bomb
The fingers reach toward an unresponsive god
The fingers reach for the bottle
The pill
The powder
We are born into this sorrowful deadliness
We are born into a government 60 years in debt
That soon will be unable to even pay the interest on that debt
And the banks will burn
Money will be useless
There will be open and unpunished murder in the streets
It will be guns and roving mobs
Land will be useless
Food will become a diminishing return
Nuclear power will be taken over by the many
Explosions will continually shake the earth
Radiated robot men will stalk each other
The rich and the chosen will watch from space platforms
Dante’s Inferno will be made to look like a children’s playground
The sun will not be seen and it will always be night
Trees will die
All vegetation will die
Radiated men will eat the flesh of radiated men
The sea will be poisoned
The lakes and rivers will vanish
Rain will be the new gold
The rotting bodies of men and animals will stink in the dark wind
The last few survivors will be overtaken by new and hideous diseases
And the space platforms will be destroyed by attrition
The petering out of supplies
The natural effect of general decay
And there will be the most beautiful silence never heard
Born out of that.
The sun still hidden there
Awaiting the next chapter.
by Charles Bukowski
Born like this
Into this
As the chalk faces smile
As Mrs. Death laughs
As the elevators break
As political landscapes dissolve
As the supermarket bag boy holds a college degree
As the oily fish spit out their oily prey
As the sun is masked
We are
Born like this
Into this
Into these carefully mad wars
Into the sight of broken factory windows of emptiness
Into bars where people no longer speak to each other
Into fist fights that end as shootings and knifings
Born into this
Into hospitals which are so expensive that it’s cheaper to die
Into lawyers who charge so much it’s cheaper to plead guilty
Into a country where the jails are full and the madhouses closed
Into a place where the masses elevate fools into rich heroes
Born into this
Walking and living through this
Dying because of this
Muted because of this
Castrated
Debauched
Disinherited
Because of this
Fooled by this
Used by this
Pissed on by this
Made crazy and sick by this
Made violent
Made inhuman
By this
The heart is blackened
The fingers reach for the throat
The gun
The knife
The bomb
The fingers reach toward an unresponsive god
The fingers reach for the bottle
The pill
The powder
We are born into this sorrowful deadliness
We are born into a government 60 years in debt
That soon will be unable to even pay the interest on that debt
And the banks will burn
Money will be useless
There will be open and unpunished murder in the streets
It will be guns and roving mobs
Land will be useless
Food will become a diminishing return
Nuclear power will be taken over by the many
Explosions will continually shake the earth
Radiated robot men will stalk each other
The rich and the chosen will watch from space platforms
Dante’s Inferno will be made to look like a children’s playground
The sun will not be seen and it will always be night
Trees will die
All vegetation will die
Radiated men will eat the flesh of radiated men
The sea will be poisoned
The lakes and rivers will vanish
Rain will be the new gold
The rotting bodies of men and animals will stink in the dark wind
The last few survivors will be overtaken by new and hideous diseases
And the space platforms will be destroyed by attrition
The petering out of supplies
The natural effect of general decay
And there will be the most beautiful silence never heard
Born out of that.
The sun still hidden there
Awaiting the next chapter.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Live with Love
Live With Love
By Liz Wertman
Our children mean everything to us. We want the very best the world has to offer for them. Our job is to nurture their minds and bodies, to guide their souls. This is the job of every parent! This was the job of your parents!
How we live our life, the decisions and choices we make affect both our parents and our children. We were created in love; your children were created in love. They deserve to live with love. So do you.
The ideal is to live with love from the other parent of your children. But we must be realistic and admit that this is not always possible. In this century, half of all marriages end in divorce. What about the other half? Are we to assume that they are blissfully happy or have some of them decided to stay married for the children sake? If you are among those that are staying married for your children’s sake there are some thoughts you should consider.
While staying married for the children’s sake is a noble idea in theory, in practice you are probably doing more harm than good to both your children and yourself. You need to ask yourself two vital questions. Is this the life your parents want you to have? Is this the life you would wish on your son, or on your daughter? Most likely the answer would be NO! Your parents most certainly want you to be happy. If you are not happy, you certainly wouldn’t wish this same life for your children.
You are showing your children that you don’t have the self-confidence to demand happiness out of your own life. That it is all right to sacrifice your happiness for someone else. Your children will follow your example. They create an image for themselves from what they see their parents do. You set the standards.
A better image to show your parents, your son, your daughter, is one of self-worth. If your marriage is the cause of your unhappiness then you need to do whatever necessary to repair the marriage. You must go to counseling and do whatever it takes to make you happy. Even if that means you must get a divorce. Staying and accepting a bad marriage as your lot in life just creates an image of worthlessness. Divorce, if necessary, creates a standard of self-confidence, strength and self-worth.
It’s your life. You can’t change the past; you will not be able to relive your life. But you can change the present to control the future. Your self-sacrificing will not improve your children’s lives and it most certainly will not improve yours.
You want your son or daughter to be strong, self-confident adults with control of their future. You want them to be happy. To do whatever is necessary to achieve that happiness. That’s what your parent’s want for you.
Create an image for your children of “do what I DO.” You need to set the example. By you taking care of yourself and showing them that you care about yourself you will be teaching them to take care of and care about themselves.
Create standards in your life that they can emulate, standards that you wish for them.
Live with love for yourself.
By Liz Wertman
Our children mean everything to us. We want the very best the world has to offer for them. Our job is to nurture their minds and bodies, to guide their souls. This is the job of every parent! This was the job of your parents!
How we live our life, the decisions and choices we make affect both our parents and our children. We were created in love; your children were created in love. They deserve to live with love. So do you.
The ideal is to live with love from the other parent of your children. But we must be realistic and admit that this is not always possible. In this century, half of all marriages end in divorce. What about the other half? Are we to assume that they are blissfully happy or have some of them decided to stay married for the children sake? If you are among those that are staying married for your children’s sake there are some thoughts you should consider.
While staying married for the children’s sake is a noble idea in theory, in practice you are probably doing more harm than good to both your children and yourself. You need to ask yourself two vital questions. Is this the life your parents want you to have? Is this the life you would wish on your son, or on your daughter? Most likely the answer would be NO! Your parents most certainly want you to be happy. If you are not happy, you certainly wouldn’t wish this same life for your children.
You are showing your children that you don’t have the self-confidence to demand happiness out of your own life. That it is all right to sacrifice your happiness for someone else. Your children will follow your example. They create an image for themselves from what they see their parents do. You set the standards.
A better image to show your parents, your son, your daughter, is one of self-worth. If your marriage is the cause of your unhappiness then you need to do whatever necessary to repair the marriage. You must go to counseling and do whatever it takes to make you happy. Even if that means you must get a divorce. Staying and accepting a bad marriage as your lot in life just creates an image of worthlessness. Divorce, if necessary, creates a standard of self-confidence, strength and self-worth.
It’s your life. You can’t change the past; you will not be able to relive your life. But you can change the present to control the future. Your self-sacrificing will not improve your children’s lives and it most certainly will not improve yours.
You want your son or daughter to be strong, self-confident adults with control of their future. You want them to be happy. To do whatever is necessary to achieve that happiness. That’s what your parent’s want for you.
Create an image for your children of “do what I DO.” You need to set the example. By you taking care of yourself and showing them that you care about yourself you will be teaching them to take care of and care about themselves.
Create standards in your life that they can emulate, standards that you wish for them.
Live with love for yourself.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.”
Lots of changes in my life of late.
Life is change.
More later.
Life is change.
More later.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Why I Care About Other People's Religions
My friend Tim Foreman posted a very thoughtful discussion of why an atheist would care about other people's religions. Please enjoy it here. The rest of his extensive blog is also pretty cool and worth checking out.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Democrats v. Republicans
"The difference between American political parties is actually simple. Democrats are in favor of higher taxes to pay for greater spending, while Republicans are in favor of greater spending, for which taxpayers will pay."
P.J. O'Rourke
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The Opposite of Poetry
Tal wrote recently wondering how to address his students' use of the term "retard" in casual conversations/insults/etc. We discussed how this is a hurtful word, and one that is passing out of common use. Tal observed:
"My take on it is when these never ending teen converations go on about what's dumb, retarded, lame, and stupid, they fill up empty space that could be filled up with 'I love,' '____is great,' 'I wish,' or something beautiful. That is, the void gets filled with the opposite of poetry, music, or ideas."
"My take on it is when these never ending teen converations go on about what's dumb, retarded, lame, and stupid, they fill up empty space that could be filled up with 'I love,' '____is great,' 'I wish,' or something beautiful. That is, the void gets filled with the opposite of poetry, music, or ideas."
Thursday, February 21, 2008
I'm a Judge
As of February 20, 2008 I am a Judge! I'm now working as a workers' compensation judge with the State of Minnesota, Office of Administrative Hearings. Nice robe, eh?
Monday, February 4, 2008
Corporate Jargon
The following are a sampling of buzzwords in use at my current place of employment. I don't think I'll be hearing these as much at the new job...
Drive
Operationalize
Lean Into Your Discomfort
Raise the Bar
Value Proposition
Circle Back
Drink from a Firehose
Drink the Kool-Aid
Line of Sight
Going Forward
Leverage
Take Offline
Change Agent
Appetite for (X)
Onboard (verb)
Matrix Organization
Reach Out
Boil the Ocean
Work Life Balance
At The End of the Day (usually uttered by EVP, P&C)
Drill Down
Deep Dive
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Nick and Eddie
My friend Mark (pictured left) celebrated his 45th birthday yesterday at Nick and Eddie. We had a great meal there, which is described in my Yelp review (see the Link Log).
There were a couple of things that didn't fit in the review. First, when I walked in I saw Scott Seekins whom I have not visualized in a long time, being from St. Paul. The next thing I saw was Dave Foley mixing drinks, then Lori Barbero serving food. And so it is confirmed: Nick and Eddie: Axis of Cool.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Hopes
How so many absurd rules of conduct, as well as so many absurd religious beliefs, have originated, we do not know; nor how it is that they have become, in all quarters of the world, so deeply impressed on the minds of men; but it is worthy of remark that a belief constantly inculcated during the early years of life, while the brain is impressionable, appears to acquire almost the nature of an instinct; and the very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason.
Charles Darwin, Descent of Man
Last spring we were all discussing religion. My views on the subject are well known and won’t be repeated at this time. During the conversation, Vivian said, “I don’t think of praying as talking to a person up in heaven. I think of it as saying what my hopes are.” She thought this “made more sense” because she could act on her hopes to try and make them come true. This is quite sensible and I was (and am) proud of her for saying it.
One of my strongest hopes for Vivian is that she will continue to approach the world with an inquisitive spirit not tamped down or restrained by the dogma of religion. There is nothing wrong with a healthy skepticism. I hope that whenever someone asks her or tells her to believe something she will never blindly accept, but will ask “Why?”
Last spring we were all discussing religion. My views on the subject are well known and won’t be repeated at this time. During the conversation, Vivian said, “I don’t think of praying as talking to a person up in heaven. I think of it as saying what my hopes are.” She thought this “made more sense” because she could act on her hopes to try and make them come true. This is quite sensible and I was (and am) proud of her for saying it.
One of my strongest hopes for Vivian is that she will continue to approach the world with an inquisitive spirit not tamped down or restrained by the dogma of religion. There is nothing wrong with a healthy skepticism. I hope that whenever someone asks her or tells her to believe something she will never blindly accept, but will ask “Why?”
* * * *
The photo above was taken by V earlier that same day, while we were at The Living Desert, a zoo and natural history park. What better place to demonstrate the truth of Richard Dawkins’ observation: "It is grindingly, creakingly, crashingly obvious that if Darwinism was really a theory of chance, it could not work."Peter Calls It
The scene: Peter sitting at the top of the stairs, parents standing nearby. Suddenly a parent (who shall remain nameless) let fly with an unanticipated fart.
Peter looks at parents, then says "Toot!"
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