Monday, December 26, 2016

There will be Joy

Blog 8

There will be Joy

December 26, 2016

As a long time therapist I know well the dangers of what in the field is called a “problem saturated” story.  It is a story that is repeated again and again about what is wrong and whose fault it is.  We have a Donald Trump problem saturated story.  And for today, I am searching for alternative stories that offer possibilities of change and even joy.   In a blog comment my friend Jim wrote:

I spoke with my friend Fred yesterday about the surreal experience I have in going to watch my son play basketball games with the other 4th graders. At the back of my mind is something like, "how can I go to a basketball game at a time like this!" Fred's words were quite helpful to me though. He said "You can't take that away from him" in the spirit of preserving some 10-year-old joy no matter what is happening right now in the world. Then Fred, who is doing all kinds of significant work in restorative justice, went on to say that he is starting a novel in January. I asked what is prompting him to engage in a creative act right now, and he said it is arising from the conviction: "I won't let you rob what my soul can produce." This carried me for much of the afternoon. 

Then I read the headline that after all “The Rockettes won’t be forced to play trump inauguration. So there is still sanity in the world.

For the past three days we have been celebrating Chanukah and Christmas at the same time.   What better time in history could these two holidays come together.  I saw wonder as my granddaughter Harper for the first time got that Santa had arrived and at the end of Christmas day celebrations flew into her mother’s lap and said, ’This was a perfect day.”  Then the two sons of my daughter’s boyfriend came for Boxing Day brunch, both a bit leery of who we are, and what is expected of them.  My daughter had bought a game in which two people put on masks and shoot whipped cream at one another.  Somehow the silliness of it all broke any barriers that had existed and we all, even in this new tentative relationship, had a lot of fun.  

More seriously, I spoke with my friend Jane and my husband Patrick about my sense of urgency  to enjoy life even as I fret about the craziness of our political upheaval.   I remember when my first husband Ron,who had ALS,  lived on a ventilator at home for seven years.  At that time, I rarely  found joy ,but somehow, even in his dire situation, he did.  I am still learning that lesson today.  One way is to allow  myself to  be enlivened is to take in the love and involvement of many people right now who are resisting what must be resisted.  Freedom Concert here we come!


Wise words:




Excerpts: The Book of Joy-Lasting Happiness in a changing world
Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

“I say to people that I’m not an optimist, because that, in a sense, is something that depends on feelings more than the actual reality. We feel optimistic, or we feel pessimistic. Now, hope is different in that it is based not on the ephemerality of feelings but on the firm ground of conviction. I believe with a steadfast faith that there can never be a situation that is utterly, totally hopeless. Hope is deeper and very, very close to unshakable. It’s in the pit of your tummy. It’s not in your head. It’s all here,” he said, pointing to his abdomen. 

“There’s a Tibetan saying: ‘Wherever you have friends that’s your country, and wherever you receive love, that’s your home.” 

“What is this thing called joy, and how is it possible that it can evoke such a wide range of feelings? How can the experience of joy span from those tears of joy at a birth to an irrepressible belly laugh at a joke to a serenely contented smile during meditation? Joy seems to blanket this entire emotional expanse. Paul Ekman, famed emotions researcher and longtime friend of the Dalai Lama, has written that joy is associated with feelings as varied as: pleasure (of the five senses) amusement (from a chuckle to a belly laugh) contentment (a calmer kind of satisfaction) excitement (in response to novelty or challenge) relief (following upon another emotion, such as fear, anxiety, and even pleasure) wonder (before something astonishing and admirable) ecstasy or bliss (transporting us outside ourselves) exultation (at having accomplished a difficult or daring task) radiant pride (when our children earn a special honor) unhealthy jubilation or schadenfreude (relishing in someone else’s suffering) elevation (from having witnessed an act of kindness, generosity, or compassion) gratitude (the appreciation of a selfless act of which one is the beneficiary)” 

“If you live with fear and consider yourself as something special then automatically, emotionally, you are distanced from others. You then create the basis for feelings of alienation from others and loneliness. So, I never consider, even when giving a talk to a large crowd, that I am something special, I am 'His Holiness the Dalai Lama' . . . I always emphasize that when I meet people, we are all the same human beings. A thousand people -- same human being. Ten thousand or a hundred thousand -- same human being -- mentally, emotionally, and physically. Then, you see, no barrier. Then my mind remains completely calm and relaxed. If too much emphasis on myself, and I start to think I'm something special, then more anxiety, more nervousness.”

“The Dead Sea in the Middle East receives fresh water, but it has no outlet, so it doesn't pass the water out. It receives beautiful water from the rivers, and the water goes dank. I mean, it just goes bad. And that's why it is the Dead Sea. It receives and does not give. In the end generosity is the best way of becoming more, more, and more joyful.” 

“Suffering is inevitable, they said, but how we respond to that suffering is our choice. Not even oppression or occupation can take away this freedom to choose our response.”


From Jonathan Omer-Man
I found this to be one of the more interesting attempts to understand our new reality, focusing more on "how did we get here" than on "what next."
Trumpism did not begin on November 8, and would still be a looming presence even had he lost the election, as Brexitism was a force irrespective of the results of the referendum, and extreme right-wing forces are ascendant in Europe and elsewhere. This is a global phenomenon, and many of us find ourselves in a world we no longer understand or recognize. Rage, resentment, bigotry, racism, hatred prevail, at home and overseas. What is happening? Old models of political theory are generally unconvincing. What should we do? Economic explanations seem simplistic. Where should we go? The best of punditry is hollow. What should we think?
This profound and provocative article by Pankaz Mishla helped me. 
It is long, and sometimes difficult reading, but worth the effort.


Action:

Monica McCormick Sent: 

WE ARE ASSEMBLING A LIBRARY OF RESISTANCE
This is a community created, community shared and edited, living document. (It started as a Facebook post & comments .)
Arising conventions: Only titles linked. Last name listed once, multiple titles listed with name.

Links are to main WorldCat record permalink (just check that “world libraries” lists many locations). Authors listed without titles are linked to either a major collection of work (a“Collected works” or comprehensive reader, e.g. Gloria Anzaldua) or if that would insufficiently
represent the scope of their work, to the results of an author search. If WorldCat record is not helpful (does not lead to accessible versions), a link to a web version is OK. (e.g., Anna
Akhmatova’s “Requiem” vocal/symphonic version was available in few libraries, so linked to record company page.) --SR
Slowly but surely, entries are being added to a public WorldCat list and a Goodreads list .

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Abu-Jamal, Mumia We Want Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
Agamben, Giorgio State of Exception
Ai (poet)
Akhmatova, Anna Requiem (Vocal/symphonic version, composed by John Tavener)
Albert, Michael and Robin Hahnel, Looking Forward: Participatory Economics in the Twenty
First Century
Alexander, Michelle The New Jim Crow
Aleksievich, Svetlana Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets , Voices from Chernobyl
Alinsky, Saul Rules for Radicals
Anthony, Susan B.
Anzaldua, Gloria The Gloria Anzaldúa reader
Apted, Michael Gorillas in the Mist (film)
Arendt, Hannah The Origins of Totalitarianism , The Human Condition , On Humanity in Dark
Times
Aslan, Rezi No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam
Atwood, Margaret The Handmaid's Tale , Oryx and Crake
Auden, W.H. Age of Anxiety
Ayers, Bill Demand the Impossible! A Radical Manifesto

Planned Parenthood Petition to sign:




























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Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Blog 7
December 21, 2016

The Man in the High Castle - Alternate Realities

Some of you may also be watching Season 2 of The Man in the High Castle.  Based on a Philip K. Dick story,  the outcome of WW2  leaves America vanquished.  The Germans rule on the East coast and the Japanese rule on  the West coast    A resistance group is fighting from the shadows,but even more interesting is another reality in which different endings to the war co-exist with the main story.  Watching the malevolence of the Germans and Japanese is disrupted by flashes of this other reality.  As a viewer I am often left in confusion about which side people are on and which reality really exists.  

 My fears of a  Trump reality mirrors the  authoritarian control  of the Germans and the Japanese .  At the same time , I am searching to join the resistance and fantasizing about other possible outcomes.  The show is powerful in its ability to show the effects  of political and cultural mind control up against the human capacity to choose good over evil.  Fear permeates as a political weapon of control and a personal obstacle to resistance and change.

In listening to Trump supporters I find myself in an alternate reality.  What they believe and desire clashes up against what I hold dear.  And yes, I know we all have human convergences of feelings, but getting past the wall of difference is daunting.  Not sure how The Man in the High Castle will end (still three more episodes to go.)  Right now an A bomb is threatening the city of San Francisco.  Germany is attacking from the East.  The resistance is planning an uprising.  In the alternate reality a multi-race family is repairing old wounds and learning to live together.  Political activists of that time are staging “Ban the Bomb” rallies. Where would you rather be in that story?  And at this time, in our reality, what will each of us do to stand up for what we believe even if we feel afraid.


Wise Words

SundayReview | OPINION
Is Donald Trump  Threat to Democracy?
By STEVEN LEVITSKY and DANIEL ZIBLATT DEC. 16, 2016

Excerpt:

Donald J. Trump’s election has raised a question that few Americans ever imagined asking: Is our democracy in danger?

…..American democracy is not in imminent danger of collapse. If ordinary circumstances prevail, our institutions will most likely muddle through a Trump presidency. It is less clear, however, how democracy would fare in a crisis. In the event of a war, a major terrorist attack or large-scale riots or protests — all of which are entirely possible — a president with authoritarian tendencies and institutions that have come unmoored could pose a serious threat to American democracy. We must be vigilant. The warning signs are here.


 Excerpt: Obama Interview

Building from the Ground up

Obama: Building from the ground up and communicating to state legislators and financing school board races and public utility commission races, and, you know, I am a proud Democrat, but I do think that we have a bias towards national issues and international issues, and as a consequence I think we've ceded too much territory. And I take some responsibility for that…… 

Politics
To Rehabilitate Democratic Party, Obama Plans To 'Coach' Young Talent

Obama:  I'm less likely to get involved in all the nuts and bolts of electioneering. In that realm, I'm much more likely to just give advice. What I am interested in is just developing a whole new generation of talent. There are such incredible young people who not only worked on my campaign, but I've seen in advocacy groups. I've seen passionate about issues like climate change or conservation, criminal justice reform, you know, campaigns for a livable wage, or health insurance, and making sure that
whatever resources, credibility, spotlight that I can bring to help them rise up. That's something that I think I can do well, I think Michelle can do well. That's part of what makes me optimistic about our future because I know those young people are out there ready to lead, and when they start moving into more and more positions of authority, then I think the issues that I care most deeply about are going to be well served.


Peter Fraenkel
Trump Bullies Beware: “This Time It’s Personal”

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about why Trump’s impending presidency
is pissing me off so much. In my adult life, as a lefty liberal from birth, I’ve
always been disappointed, uneasy, worried, and irritated when a
Republican wins the presidency. But this is different – I am really mad, I am
really angry, I am really, really pissed. There are all sorts of reasons to be
angry about the election process and about a Trump presidency, and
these have been repeatedly enumerated by many in the press, so I won’t
repeat the list. But I realized today that of all the reasons to be agitated
and angry, the one that hits me to my emotional, personal core is that
Trump is a bully. Bullying is defined essentially as “one person, or group of
persons, being deliberately cruel to another person or group, for any
reason.” (see www.mentalhealthsupport.co.uk). We all know about Trump’s
many middle-of-the-night bullying tweets, his bullying, demeaning
remarks at rallies, his bullying comments on TV….And we have seen how
his acolytes (some? many? Who knows the numbers) have followed his
lead, and lodged death threats to anyone who speaks up and out against
Trump. So, those of us committed to speaking up and out continuously
must be prepared to be bullied, and to see the people we care about – our
families, our friends, our colleagues, our students, our clients – be bullied.
We must have productive, protective ways to respond. It’s not a question
of whether, it’s only a question of when. McCarthyism redux. And worse….

...I’ve started reviewing the research and practical literature on bullying and
on what is suggested as a response to bullying. These are the behaviors
all sources recommend:
1. Avoid the bully whenever possible
2. If possible, ignore any bullying behavior
3. Use humor. (I don’t think this suggestion works for politically-based
bullying: I’m not gonna joke around with my politically-motivated
tormentor. This shit is not funny.)
4. Confront someone with whom you spend time with regularly. This is a
good suggestion for when a co-worker, neighbor, or other person you see
regularly is bullying you. Go to HR if it happens at work.
5. Remain calm. Don’t show fear. Bullies feed off of fear.
6. Be mindful of your physical and emotional reaction. Stand/sit straight,
keep voice steady. If responding in writing, use calm language, stay
centered.
7. Don’t take the bullying personally, even though it is personally directed.
Keep in mind that this bullying is a byproduct of larger social forces.
8. Don’t reciprocate the bullying
9. Don’t get into a verbal or physical altercation
10. Reach out to others immediately, tell what happened, don’t isolate. The
People United Will Never Be Defeated!
11. Document offenses. Report cyber-bullying to your online service
provider and to law enforcement (see www.stopbullying.gov)…….

What I want to say to you, President-Elect Donald Trump, if you happen to
read this (hey, I’m not putting it past him, or at least, one of his self-appointed lackeys), is that if you, your staff, or your supporters, henchmen
and hence women bully me or any of the people I care about – and I care
about a lot of people – I will not back down, and I and my friends will come
after you in a legal, nonviolent, adult manner, and you will be very sorry
that you bullied me and the people I care about. That means you best not
chase after Muslims, undocumented immigrants, welfare recipients, and
other groups you’ve repeatedly threatened to assault. If you do, it is
bullying, and there will be zero tolerance for it. We will grind you down,
perhaps slowly because you have way more power than us, but we will do
it, like water on a stone. Bruce Lee, the great martial artist, when asked the
secret to his fighting prowess, responded calmly, with a smile: "Be like
water, my friend." Speaking of water, as the tagline of the movie Jaws: The
Revenge, says, “This Time It’s Personal.”


Action:


Excerpt:
Indivisible-Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda
EONE PAGE SUMMARY 
Here’s the quick and dirty summary of this document. While this page summarizes top-level takeaways, the full document describes how to actually carry out these activities. 
CHAPTER 1 How grassroots advocacy worked to stop President Obama. We examine lessons from the Tea Party’s rise and recommend two key strategic components: 
A local strategy targeting individual Members of Congress (MoCs). 
A defensive approach purely focused on stopping Trump from implementing an agenda built on racism, authoritarianism, and corruption. 

CHAPTER 2 How your MoC thinks — reelection, reelection, reelection — and how to use that to save democracy. MoCs want their constituents to think well of them and they want good, local press. They hate surprises, wasted time, and most of all, bad press that makes them look weak, unlikable, and vulnerable. You will use these interests to make them listen and act. 
CHAPTER 3 Identify or organize your local group. Is there an existing local group or network you can join? Or do you need to start your own? We suggest steps to help mobilize your fellow constituents locally and start organizing for action. 
CHAPTER 4 Four local advocacy tactics that actually work. Most of you have three MoCs — two Senators and one Representative. Whether you like it or not, they are your voices in Washington. Your job is to make sure they are, in fact, speaking for you. We’ve identified four key opportunity areas that just a handful of local constituents can use to great effect. Always record encounters on video, prepare questions ahead of time, coordinate with your group, and report back to local media: 
Town halls. MoCs regularly hold public in-district events to show that they are listening to constituents. Make them listen to you, and report out when they don’t. 
Non-town hall events. MoCs love cutting ribbons and kissing babies back home. Don’t let them get photo-ops without questions about racism, authoritarianism, and corruption. 
District office sit-ins/meetings. Every MoC has one or several district offices. Go there. Demand a meeting with the MoC. Report to the world if they refuse to listen. 
Coordinated calls. Calls are a light lift but can have an impact. Organize your local group to barrage your MoCs at an opportune moment about and on a specific issue.

Sign this petition:
Tell Trump to #ActOn Climate

Take action with Planned Parenthood.





CHAPTER 1: HOW GRASSR 
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Saturday, December 17, 2016

Shopping While Under Siege

Blog 6
December 17, 2016


Shopping While Under Siege

At our recent team meeting, my friend Jim said that he was working at keeping a balance between living his daily life with family, friends and work and staying attuned and involved with the politics of the moment.  Not an easy task.  I’m hardly in balance.  I go from intense head down shopping for the people I love, searching for recipes and decorating like mad and then in a panic return to my computer to see what has happened and find actions to take.

Another friend Jane spoke to me about what it was like living in Israel when bombs were falling.  She said most days people went about their lives as if there was no danger until they had to race into the bomb shelters.  In Kosovo, following the war there, everyone who had escaped to camps returned to  grieve, to rebuild  and to cook . In Pristina, after our work with the mental health teams  our evenings were spent, eating, drinking, singing and dancing as if we were not in the midst of a war-torn city.  

Humans are a resilient lot which I believe has kept our species alive.  Right now when I pick my head up from my daily life however, I have a sense of fear that we are about to face shattering changes that will capture all our attention and freedoms.  I can only hope that I am wrong, and I will be able to continue to flip between my every day and opposition to what we cannot allow.


Wise Words

a bit of parody received from Peter Fraenkel:


Excerpt:

How the Trump Stole America 

In a land where the states are united, they claim,
in a sky-scraping tower adorned with his name,
lived a terrible, horrible, devious chump,
the bright orange miscreant known as the Trump.

This Trump he was mean, such a mean little man,
with the tiniest heart and two tinier hands,
and a thin set of lips etched in permanent curl,
and a sneer and a scowl and contempt for the world.

He looked down from his perch and he grinned ear to ear,
and he thought, “I could steal the election this year!
It’d be rather simple, it’s so easily won,
I’ll just make them believe that their best days are done!
Yes, I’ll make them believe that it’s all gone to Hell,
and I’ll be Jerk Messiah and their souls they will sell…..

Posted by Gene Combs:


“Peacemaking doesn’t mean passivity.  It is the act of interrupting injustice without mirroring injustice, the act of disarming evil without destroying the evildoer, the act of finding a third way that is neither fight nor flight, but the careful arduous pursuit of reconciliation and justice.”

“Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle you must fear or hate them.  The seconds that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe, say do.  Both are  nonsense.  You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.” Dave Chappelle


From Connie Rubiano:

Neoliberalism turned our world into a business. And there
are two big winners
Ben Tarnoff

Excerpt:
….Neoliberalism can mean many things, including an economic
program, a political project, and a phase of capitalism
dating from the 1970s. At its root, however, neoliberalism is the idea that everything should be run as a business—that means market metaphors, metrics, and practices should permeate all fields of human life.

No industry has played a larger role in evangelizing the neoliberal faith than Silicon Valley…….



Van Jones: Only a 'Love Army' Will
Conquer Trump

Though it's important to fight Trump's policies, "it's at the values level that we need to do a reset," says Jones…

Interviewer:It’s interesting that you're starting with values, not policy. 

Jones:There were five things on the ballot on November 8th, 2016: the presidency, theSenate, the House, the Supreme Court and the character of the country.Progressives lost all five. But the thing that hurts the most is losing on the character of the country – the idea we're going to be divisive as a country. So we have to start there, and reassert that we want to be an inclusive country where everyone gets treated with dignity and respect.  I’ll tell you this: If you believe that "love trumps hate," you can't be marching around saying that and looking more hateful than Trump.
Everyone is going to want to fight – as they should – at the appointment level, the policy level. But it's at the values level that we need to do a reset. And it has to be inclusive, by the way, of rural poor people, of people in coal country, red-state and industrial Heartland voters who are also going to be let down by Trump, who are also going to be in a lot of pain. …..


Action:


Find Your State capital events and protest electoral college vote.


Imaginings
Story Circles will take place in the Bay area between January 27-February 5th.  Kaethe Weingarten and I will host a story circle during this time.  Stay tuned.


Sign petition asking Facebook to list local and state elections so people will know when to vote.



Doing Hope Together: Activating Reasonable Hope 
in a time of global despair

Co-facilitated by Kaethe Weingarten and Greacian Goeke

Many people are understandably anxious this year about what the future will bring.   In this workshop we will strengthen our resilience by sharing our own stories and vicariously leaning into others’ stories of resilience.  Resilient people are better able to resist fear and take effective action.   We will do reasonable hope together.

Date:   Saturday, January 28, 1-4 PM
Pay at the door: $25-$40, cash or check
Venue: 4th Street Yoga, 1809 Fourth Street in Berkeley, CA 94710
RSVP: kaethew@gmail.com






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