Okay, admittedly I have fallen behind on my "one Ted talk a day" promise, but come on--I'm in grad school and I do have a tiny bit of a life outside the internet. How about a more realistic promise? I will offer at least one reference to something you can read, watch or listen to that might change your life every time I post. Today I watched the documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon. It was what you would expect, not an exceptionally well made documentary, but still I couldn't help but cry through much of it. I guess there's something especially poignant about the work that John Lennon devoted the latter half of his life to, considering where we are today. Another senseless war that won't end (amongst other national blunders and tragedies), only this time who will rise up and lead us? Where are the constant streams of candle-light vigils and peace-niks? Where are the artists? What are we doing? Rolling around on the floor in Boulder, Colorado! Actually, I am just where I need to be--what we need is more famous, rich and influential artists like John Lennon to get on their damn soap boxes. After several years of trying to convince myself to become more moderate, to integrate with the world I live in rather than railing against it constantly, there is a truth that I always return to. We have to stop collaborating with corrupt power, and this includes large corporations who only want to make a buck and politicians who's views get more middle-of-the-road every day as election draws near. Seriously, Barack Obama is all we've got to unite around? Shopping at Whole Foods and buying a new hybrid car is going to stop global warming? Don't get me wrong--I will vote for Obama, and as a symbol he will represent a massive cultural shift which might trickle through our country in positive ways. And I will shop begrudgingly at Whole Foods since this "hippy" town I live in doesn't have any other option besides Safeway. But who will take a stand for peace, regardless of profit? Peace is not a fad--it did not go out with bell bottoms. Peace is a vision, a way of life, and something that one Mr. Lennon and his lovely lady artist worked tirelessly to promote. Peace is in art, peace is in collaboration, peace is in refusing to accept less than peace. One does not have to roll over and get whipped just to be peaceful. One can develop a strong core and not be so easy to tip over.
I will finish my tirade with a quote from my latest re-read, Pema Chodron's When Things Fall Apart;
"All over the world, everybody always strikes out at the enemy, and the pain escalates forever. Every day we could reflect on this and ask ourselves, 'Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?' Every day, at the moment when things get edgy, we can just ask ourselves, 'Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?'"
P.S. Here is the million dollar question of the year for me; How do I practice peace and still take a stand? Is it unpeaceful of me to talk about Whole Foods in a derogatory way? Is it unpeaceful to show scorn, cynicism and doubt? Can I be a collaborative person and still have a list of "those who I will not collaborate with"? Its just that we are so easily duped, us humans. We can spend our whole lives thinking that we are participating in the "fight against breast cancer" only to find out that the entire pink ribbon movement is funded by the dairy industry and this is why the dialogue only starts once you've been diagnosed, but the movement with its millions of dollars does nothing to educate women on the possiblility that they could prevent breast cancer with certain lifestyle changes. I am not saying the movement hasn't done anything positive, but what is their motive? There is almost nothing but dirty money left in the world...
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