Taking the Side of Peace

Peace is not something you wish for. it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away. John Lennon

Make Peace

PEACE

Today I am taking sides.

I am taking the side of Peace.

Peace, which I will not abandon

even when its voice is drowned out

by hurt and hatred,

bitterness of loss,

cries of right and wrong.

I am taking the side of Peace

whose name has barely been spoken

in this winnerless war.

I will hold Peace in my arms,

and share my body’s breath,

lest Peace be added

to the body count.

I will call for de-escalation

even when I want nothing more

than to get even.

I will do it

in the service of Peace.

I will make a clearing

in the overgrown

thicket of cause and effect

so Peace can breathe

for a minute

and reach for the sky.

I will do what I must

to save the life of Peace.

I will breathe through tears.

I will swallow pride.

I will bite my tongue.

I will offer love

without testing for deservingness.

So don’t ask me to wave a flag today

unless it is the flag of Peace.

Don’t ask me to sing an anthem

unless it is a song of Peace.

Don’t ask me to take sides

unless it is the side of Peace.

Rabbi Irwin Keller, Oct. 17, 2023

I Had The Strangest Dream

In our hands now lies not only our own future but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth.”
— Sir David Attenborough

Peace not War! President Biden, Secretaries Blinken and Austin need to immediately be working on a cease fire. the loss of civilian lives is not acceptable. A ceasefire is the way to release hostages!

Working together we can make the world safer and more peaceful. Let’s work for compassion and understanding. Civilians always bear the brunt of these conflicts, and should never be targeted in war!

What does war accomplish but more suffering, lots of death, environmental destruction, and more anger. The people who suffer have very little to do with the actual conflict, and most are children and their mothers. Healthy and sane people talk and compromise. They do not make fun of other people, rape, bully or kill. They work for healthy communities even if they don’t always get their way. Peace Not War!

An Ode to Peace

Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war
I dreamed I saw a mighty room
The room was filled with men
And the paper they were signing said
They’d never fight again

And when the papers were all signed
And a million copies made
They all joined hands end bowed their heeds
And grateful prayers were prayed
And the people in the streets below
Were dancing round and round
Well swords and gun and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground

Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war by Ed Mccurdy.

“It’s time we prioritize empathy and compassion. It’s time to recognize the individual suffering of those who have lost so much on all warring sides. It’s time to ponder how we can comprehend and stand by those who bear the weight of suffering. Let’s step into their shoes, endeavor to see the world through their eyes, and acknowledge that empathy doesn’t equate to endorsing violence or choosing sides.

Empathy signifies recognizing the real people obscured behind the headlines, people grappling with unfathomable pain and despair. It’s an acknowledgment that there are no victors but only losers in conflict.” The Planet

Peace not War!

Why the history of the densely populated Gaza strip is key to understanding the current conflict

Positive January

The Actions for Happiness group has many good ideas to add positive energy to your days for this January.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/staying-hopeful-in-a-cynical-time#details

2022 Good News

What’s better than to end 2022 with stories of good news from the past year. For me the 2022 elections were good news, election deniers lost, and most voters weren’t fooled by poor candidates, and Democracy survived.

Parks are for everyone!

Future Crunch does their annual list of 99 of the best news stories. The reduction of world poverty, protection of land, oceans and the creation of parks made me happy. A decline in smoking and of course increased solar and increased use of electric vehicles all are important good stories.

From the New York Times: Murders in large U.S. cities are down more than 5 percent so far in 2022 compared to the same time last year, according to the research firm AH Datalytics. Gun deaths, injuries and mass shootings are also down this year.

Let’s hope there are many new and good stories in 2023. We have a new smiling baby girl in our family which gives me hope for the future.

Celebrate Diwali!

Take time this week to celebrate Diwali, “Victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance”

Be kind, work for peace, relax and enjoy!

Good over evil, knowledge over ignorance!

Symbolizing the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness, Diwali usually falls in the early autumn, coinciding with the new moon, deemed the darkest night of the Hindu lunar calendar. This is why dates change every year.

Overperform October

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
– Albert Camus

October is a magical month bursting with rich colors of red, orange and yellow, with a background of green. Stunning! Go for a walk or bike ride! Love our fragile planet!

Nature overperforms in October, and we need to respond by overperforming to take care of her! Every action matters.

Protect our beautiful world!

Unfortunately, 2022 has been an awful year for bad storms, and this year’s extreme weather is worse than in the past, and sadly future weather extremes will be worse than what we have seen this year. The good news is that it is not too late; scientists agree that we can still avoid many of the predicted impacts of future climate change, but only if we take compelling and urgent climate action. Because elected officials are slow to respond, we must all take individual climate action.

We are in a climate crisis, a plastic crisis, a democracy crisis, mental health crisis and a lying crisis.

We need to work overtime to protect our planet!

What can we do? Individual action is a powerful tool for reversing the climate crisis especially when millions of us unite together. The Actions for Happiness calendar below will help you navigate in a positive way through each day. Add your own daily positive thing to do for the Earth; use less plastic, drive less, waste less, vote, and always tell the truth, Demand people you know tell the truth and never share anything that might not be true. Like a historian check all your sources for truth! Finally, vote for our planet and truth!

Everyone can play a part by raising their voice, sharing solutions, and advocating for change –

https://www.startribune.com/climate-change-made-summer-drought-20-times-more-likely/600213266/

Communicating on Climate Change | United Nations

Wealthiest 10% Responsible for Nearly 50% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Study Finds – EcoWatch

Climate Change: Everything You Need to Know – EcoWatch

Tips To Use Less Plastic

Overperform this October, be optimistic, have fun, and enjoy this magical time!

Holding Hope Alive

We need a dose of good news!

A deal, for now
This is from David Leonhardt of the New York Times
The U.S. has a uniquely important role in fighting climate change. It has produced far more greenhouse gases over the course of history than any other nation and remains a leading emitter today.

Many parts of federal policy shift back and forth over time. Taxes rise and fall, as do spending on anti-poverty programs and the military. If a package of policies doesn’t pass one year, it might pass in a future year, and the long-term trajectory of the United States probably won’t be affected much.

Climate policy is different.

The world has already warmed to dangerous levels. Heat waves, wildfires, droughts and severe storms have become more common. The Arctic is melting, and seas are rising. If countries do not act quickly to slow their emissions of greenhouse gases — and, by extension, slow global warming — the damage could be catastrophic, scientists have warned.

The U.S. has a uniquely important role in fighting climate change. It has produced far more greenhouse gases over the course of history than any other nation and remains a leading emitter today. In recent years, the U.S. has done considerably less to reduce emissions than Europe. The U.S. also remains the world’s most powerful country, with the ability to influence climate policy in China, India and elsewhere.

Until yesterday, the Democratic Party seemed as if it were on the verge of squandering a major opportunity to combat climate change. Democrats control both Congress and the presidency, and yet they had been unable to agree on a package of climate policies to accelerate the use of clean energy and reduce emissions. Senator Joe Manchin had been blocking any deal, and the Senate is so closely divided that the Democrats cannot afford to lose a single vote.

Yesterday, however, Manchin appeared to change his mind. He announced that he had agreed to include hundreds of billions of dollars for climate and energy programs in a bill that would also reduce prescription drug prices, raise taxes on the affluent and shrink the federal deficit.

If Manchin and other Democrats remain united, it would be a very big deal. “This has the opportunity to be an enormous breakthrough for climate progress,” Sam Ricketts, co-founder of Evergreen Action, an environmental group, told The Times.

It’s especially significant because congressional Republicans have almost uniformly opposed policies to slow climate change (a contrast with conservatives in many other countries). And it remains unclear whether Democrats will again control both Congress and the White House anytime soon. If Congress fails to pass a climate bill this summer, it may not do so for years — while the ravages of climate change worsen.

After all the recent bickering among Democrats, I know that many people remain skeptical that they actually have a deal until Congress has passed a bill. That skepticism makes sense. Last night’s announced deal between Manchin and Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, is different from a complete bill that can pass in both the Senate and the House.

But I would say this: If this tentative agreement leads to legislation, it will probably have more lasting importance than anything else President Biden signs in his first two years in office.

David Leonhardt

Do Good January

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu

Yahoo, a new month and a new year, and another month of uncertainty. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but every day is a gift, and we can create new intentions and new good and joy in our lives. The Actions for Happiness calendar below has many ideas to put little bits of good together!

As we enter a new year let’s turn to the beauty and natural wonder of our Earth. Every day is unique. Spend time outside or look out the window and create your own joy. It doesn’t cost money or take much effort to enjoy the beauty of each day.

View today outside my window.

Have fun and do good for yourself, your community and our world. Start each day with hope and kindness.

From Darkness to Light

Happy Solstice!

Slowly the days become longer!

My winter Solstice walk.

The equator divides the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. When the Northern Hemisphere has summer the southern Hemisphere has winter. On December 21, the Earth’s tilt starts to slowly tilt back towards the sun. This slow nod to the sun causes our seasons and longer days.

The best about the solstice in the north is that the days start to get longer. We begin to move from so much darkness to brighter longer days. Daily change is slow, but by mid January you can notice the days are becoming longer! Many cultures and people celebrate this return to light. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/1539015/stonehenge-winter-solstice-celebrations-traditions-evg

As we move from darkness to light, get out and get vaccinated. We must move from the darkness and the lies of Covid to truth and light.

What is the winter solstice? Here’s what you need to know. (msn.com) Solstices occur because Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted about 23.4 degrees relative to Earth’s orbit around the sun. This tilt drives our planet’s seasons, as the Northern and Southern Hemispheres get unequal amounts of sunlight over the course of a year. From March to September, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted more toward the sun, driving its spring and summer. From September to March, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away, so it feels like autumn and winter. The Southern Hemisphere’s seasons are reversed.

A poem for the Solstice

Snow and ice and whelming dark
sink mind and heart until
long Solstice night dies again.

Even beneath snow and ice
the elder greens of moss
stay bright, knowing in each cell

that growing days will once more
beat back dark, wake spirits,
bathe each waiting green in light.

John Caddy

World Kindness 2021

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. The purpose of this day, celebrated on November 13 of each year, is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. This understanding has the power to bridge the gap between nations.

Make a special effort to be kind.

We all want to live in kind healthy communities. We want to live where we are respected and can thrive. Each of us can work for kinder environments by limiting the noise we create, picking up litter and after our dogs, sweeping our sidewalks, and listening and smiling more. How hard is that? We can create environments that are pleasant places to live. Kindness doesn’t cost any money! Kindness creates a ripple, it radiates out, and together we create happier and healthier places to live.

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”– Albert Camus

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
– Albert Camus