Just some random and not-so-random thoughts.
watch people who are barefoot or have open-toe shoes. did you ever notice that the toes find the ground after the feet? almost out of fear or anticipation.
rabbits are speedy. tough to catch. turtles are slow movers. easy and fun to catch. turtles are almost laughable at how slow they are. rabbits live on average 8-10 years.
turtles live on average . . . 200 years. may we seek to be more like the turtle.
we hate what we don't know. we hate what we fear. we hate what we've been taught to hate. we hate that which is foreign to us. we hate that which is us. we hate all. we hate thoroughly and completely, yet we love with as many boundaries as there are countries.
become YES!
there is much confusion about who we are. many of us walk around believing that we are human beings having a spiritual experience. however, the truth is far greater than that. we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
"There's a dyin' voice within me reaching out somewhere,
Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair.
Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake,
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break."
Bob Dylan, Every Grain of Sand
Thursday, July 8, 2004
Wednesday, July 7, 2004
"I got somethin' to say, and I thought it might be worth to mention. If you're not pissed off at the world, then you're just not paying attention." -- Kasey Chambers
Last night I was at a camp doing a performance for campers and staff who ranged in age from 11 to adulthood. I was deeply moved by the power of my show. I don't know what to think. I certainly did not create what it has become. I fear I am not worthy enough to create such beauty. Indeed, I am only the vessel for these miracles. I am deeply moved.
There was a girl who approached me last night . . . she was probably 14. She is going to be a freshman in high school this fall. She went on to tell me some painful stories about her reputation being tarnished by the boys in her school because of one indiscretion. She spoke about boys taking advantage of her. She spoke about feeling powerless. I listened to this girl talk in detail about what she's done with other boys, and my heart broke. I was upset at the whole system of power. Upset at males and how we often make our lives invested in making others feel abused. How being a heterosexual man is frequently quantified by how many girls or women you've been with. How being a homosexual man is qualified by a similar barometer. How many girls after being victimized seek to re-create future encounters, because it gives them a sense of self, albeit a fickle one. I listened to this girl tell me that she performed oral sex with this boy in her grade, and it nearly ruined her social reputation; yet, after that incident she has repeated that act with three other boys in her school, because as she put: "I thought I had to. They wouldn't leave me alone until I did it to all three of them."
I wish that I could save them all. I think about my daughter, Saskia, and how innocent she is at 3 weeks. I wonder who she'll be when she is 14. I know I cannot protect her from all of this world's ills. My parents could never protect me. I was involved with things at age 10 that I should not have known about. I am stronger because of them, but I don't think it was the only way to go . . .
I am aware that Saskia will make tons of mistakes (I hope so). I just hope that through those mistakes she learns how to respond differently . . . better than before. What made me sad last night about that girl was that I am not convinced that she will seek to make more conscientious decisions. I encouraged her to be active in her choices, to realize that she is not powerless. I challenged her to be proactive concerning her decisions to "fool around" with some boy. I hope for the best. I fear the worst.
A friend of mine who is a counselor at that camp asked me if I was working on sainthood because of all the lives I touch. Interesting. I thought about that. Sainthood? No, I'm still working on Humanhood . . .
Last night I was at a camp doing a performance for campers and staff who ranged in age from 11 to adulthood. I was deeply moved by the power of my show. I don't know what to think. I certainly did not create what it has become. I fear I am not worthy enough to create such beauty. Indeed, I am only the vessel for these miracles. I am deeply moved.
There was a girl who approached me last night . . . she was probably 14. She is going to be a freshman in high school this fall. She went on to tell me some painful stories about her reputation being tarnished by the boys in her school because of one indiscretion. She spoke about boys taking advantage of her. She spoke about feeling powerless. I listened to this girl talk in detail about what she's done with other boys, and my heart broke. I was upset at the whole system of power. Upset at males and how we often make our lives invested in making others feel abused. How being a heterosexual man is frequently quantified by how many girls or women you've been with. How being a homosexual man is qualified by a similar barometer. How many girls after being victimized seek to re-create future encounters, because it gives them a sense of self, albeit a fickle one. I listened to this girl tell me that she performed oral sex with this boy in her grade, and it nearly ruined her social reputation; yet, after that incident she has repeated that act with three other boys in her school, because as she put: "I thought I had to. They wouldn't leave me alone until I did it to all three of them."
I wish that I could save them all. I think about my daughter, Saskia, and how innocent she is at 3 weeks. I wonder who she'll be when she is 14. I know I cannot protect her from all of this world's ills. My parents could never protect me. I was involved with things at age 10 that I should not have known about. I am stronger because of them, but I don't think it was the only way to go . . .
I am aware that Saskia will make tons of mistakes (I hope so). I just hope that through those mistakes she learns how to respond differently . . . better than before. What made me sad last night about that girl was that I am not convinced that she will seek to make more conscientious decisions. I encouraged her to be active in her choices, to realize that she is not powerless. I challenged her to be proactive concerning her decisions to "fool around" with some boy. I hope for the best. I fear the worst.
A friend of mine who is a counselor at that camp asked me if I was working on sainthood because of all the lives I touch. Interesting. I thought about that. Sainthood? No, I'm still working on Humanhood . . .
Sunday, July 4, 2004
Well, people never cease to amaze me. The older I get, the more I realize that it is not just people who differ from me politically, religiously, or philosophically. It's the MASS mentality. Recently, there was a movie released that has caused quite a stir. The title being: Fahrenheit 9/11. It's the latest work of fellow sojourner, Michael Moore. What irritates me is the vast number of people who have made judgments about the movie or Moore, but who refuse to see the film for themselves. What's that about?!?! I don't care where one stands politically, but I do care when asinine comments are being stated without any sensible data. Personally, I enjoyed the film. I took it for what it was: a docu/mocu-mentary. Moore knows his stuff. This is for certain. Does he have an agenda? Absolutely! Is his work important? Without a doubt. Is it propaganda? Not unless you think truth or speaking out against the president is automatic propaganda.
Now, that's just my opinion. Someone else can see this movie and feel that it is nothing more than the liberal agenda or pure hogwash, and that would be their opinion. The issue at hand, however, is if the individual speaking has seen the movie for themselves. If you are going to criticize something, please be educated about your criticisms; otherwise, kindly remove yourself from the dialogue. Bumbling, slurping comments of: "That was dumb!" or "Moore needs to loose weight," hold the intellectual equivalent of a solitary leptonic photon! I desire people to be thoughtful in their bias. Good luck, right? But why shouldn't I demand more than just moronic gurgling?
Of course some of you out there would like to just pin me to having a liberal agenda as well. I want you to know that I do have an agenda! My agenda is to decrease ignorance, increase understanding and compassion, and to confront and challenge the norm. I was just as offended when the Passion of the Christ came out and some of my liberal or Jewish friends refused to see this movie, because it was "anti-Semitic," though they had not seen it for themselves. Or some of my liberal friends who ranted that Mel's movie was a right-wing conspiracy. Personally, I didn't feel it was anti-Semitic, but then again, I grew up in a home where the Christian framework was set for me. I did, however, feel that the movie more pertained to a Christian audience than the mainstream. But I would not excuse anyone who attacked Mel (via his father) or the movie (via Jesus), if they had not viewed it for themselves. (One friend said that she didn't need to see it because she read a lot of reviews about the movie. I just hope she doesn't take a similar approach to life as she did to this movie.) I ranted away at these people as well. I think that both films are important for different reasons, and I believe that both are explosive and controversial. And for anyone who knows me, the words explosive and controversial are tasty morsels that nourish my soul.
But why is all this talk about these two movies relevant? To me, it's so much larger than the movies at hand. It has to do with the attitudes of people. People are afraid of that which is different. I spend my life performing characters who have been marginalized and ostracized by other segments in society. The athlete who does not want to be seen with the Goth kid (or vice versa), because it may cast a negative image to observers. The very mention of the words "homosexual," "gay," "lesbian," "queer," or "transgender" send certain people into convulsions. When I perform my football player who is gay my monologue revolves around his desire to be understood and accepted as a human being. He seeks not to be the target of attacks. He wants to belong. He strictly focuses on orientation, not behavior. Yet, when I perform this character I am always amazed at the idiocy of some of my audience. People claim that I am recruiting kids to be gay or that I am talking about the benefits of the gay lifestyle. Granted, the people who often say such remarks have not personally seen the show, yet they judge what they do not know!!!! Still, I have had students, faculty, and parents who have issued tirades about me promoting a liberal agenda, because they fear that students will walk away thinking that to be gay is o.k. And this is wrong . . . because? Don't get me started . . . the issue of homophobia is for another day . . . or book. I want to focus on what I originally started to say. This attitude of being so set in one's beliefs that we fail to see truth outside of our narrow-minded spectrum is at the core of most of the ills today. Take any issue that raises eyebrows and tempers, extract your personal biases, and see if you can understand the other side. If you can't, try again. Or better yet, write an essay defending a viewpoint which is not your own. You will be amazed at what you might find.
Fahrenheit 9/11 and the Passion of the Christ are polarizing movies because they are approached from a distinct worldview. Nevertheless, both contain important truths to be gleamed. To write of either movie because of one's fears and biases is the equivalent of intellectual suicide. At the very least, one should approach these movies with an attitude of "I want to know what my enemy thinks." You might be surprised. Your enemy may have analogous thoughts. We will never break down the barriers of hate and prejudice in schools and other organizations, until we are ready to confront the accepted embrace of these attitudes within the larger society.
Now, that's just my opinion. Someone else can see this movie and feel that it is nothing more than the liberal agenda or pure hogwash, and that would be their opinion. The issue at hand, however, is if the individual speaking has seen the movie for themselves. If you are going to criticize something, please be educated about your criticisms; otherwise, kindly remove yourself from the dialogue. Bumbling, slurping comments of: "That was dumb!" or "Moore needs to loose weight," hold the intellectual equivalent of a solitary leptonic photon! I desire people to be thoughtful in their bias. Good luck, right? But why shouldn't I demand more than just moronic gurgling?
Of course some of you out there would like to just pin me to having a liberal agenda as well. I want you to know that I do have an agenda! My agenda is to decrease ignorance, increase understanding and compassion, and to confront and challenge the norm. I was just as offended when the Passion of the Christ came out and some of my liberal or Jewish friends refused to see this movie, because it was "anti-Semitic," though they had not seen it for themselves. Or some of my liberal friends who ranted that Mel's movie was a right-wing conspiracy. Personally, I didn't feel it was anti-Semitic, but then again, I grew up in a home where the Christian framework was set for me. I did, however, feel that the movie more pertained to a Christian audience than the mainstream. But I would not excuse anyone who attacked Mel (via his father) or the movie (via Jesus), if they had not viewed it for themselves. (One friend said that she didn't need to see it because she read a lot of reviews about the movie. I just hope she doesn't take a similar approach to life as she did to this movie.) I ranted away at these people as well. I think that both films are important for different reasons, and I believe that both are explosive and controversial. And for anyone who knows me, the words explosive and controversial are tasty morsels that nourish my soul.
But why is all this talk about these two movies relevant? To me, it's so much larger than the movies at hand. It has to do with the attitudes of people. People are afraid of that which is different. I spend my life performing characters who have been marginalized and ostracized by other segments in society. The athlete who does not want to be seen with the Goth kid (or vice versa), because it may cast a negative image to observers. The very mention of the words "homosexual," "gay," "lesbian," "queer," or "transgender" send certain people into convulsions. When I perform my football player who is gay my monologue revolves around his desire to be understood and accepted as a human being. He seeks not to be the target of attacks. He wants to belong. He strictly focuses on orientation, not behavior. Yet, when I perform this character I am always amazed at the idiocy of some of my audience. People claim that I am recruiting kids to be gay or that I am talking about the benefits of the gay lifestyle. Granted, the people who often say such remarks have not personally seen the show, yet they judge what they do not know!!!! Still, I have had students, faculty, and parents who have issued tirades about me promoting a liberal agenda, because they fear that students will walk away thinking that to be gay is o.k. And this is wrong . . . because? Don't get me started . . . the issue of homophobia is for another day . . . or book. I want to focus on what I originally started to say. This attitude of being so set in one's beliefs that we fail to see truth outside of our narrow-minded spectrum is at the core of most of the ills today. Take any issue that raises eyebrows and tempers, extract your personal biases, and see if you can understand the other side. If you can't, try again. Or better yet, write an essay defending a viewpoint which is not your own. You will be amazed at what you might find.
Fahrenheit 9/11 and the Passion of the Christ are polarizing movies because they are approached from a distinct worldview. Nevertheless, both contain important truths to be gleamed. To write of either movie because of one's fears and biases is the equivalent of intellectual suicide. At the very least, one should approach these movies with an attitude of "I want to know what my enemy thinks." You might be surprised. Your enemy may have analogous thoughts. We will never break down the barriers of hate and prejudice in schools and other organizations, until we are ready to confront the accepted embrace of these attitudes within the larger society.
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