A starving artist, his wife, and his three-year-old daughter were invited to dinner by a successful artist. After the meal, the young girl found a used napkin on the floor, squished, and smashed, and dirty. She picked it up and said, "Look, Daddy! It's a flower!" Her father took the napkin from her and said, "No, no, Sweetie. It's yucky!" The successful artist took the flower from his young protoge, handed it back to the girl and said, "It's a flower."

"Perhaps all the questions we asked of love to measure, test, probe, and save it has the additional effect of cutting it short. Perhaps the reason we are unable to love is that we yearn to be loved, that is, we demand something (love) from our partner instead of delivering ourselves to them, demand-free, and asking nothing but their company."

“I am not just trying to criticize my country for the sake of it. I want my country to be better." -Zhang Jianhua

BEIJING - It is not easy to forget an encounter with Zhang Jianhua’s sculptures of Chinese coal miners; that is, if one is lucky enough to see them.

Many of the life-size works depict miners sitting on the ground in their black rubber boots wearing looks of sheer fatigue. Some stare blankly into the distance or prop up their heads with both hands, their faces fixed in nameless agony.

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I'm a big fan of Al Gore, Laurie David, Sheryl Crow, George Clooney, Bono, one.org, etc. who are doing what they feel they must to make a difference. Gore and David's movie (An Inconvenient Truth) created a tipping point for global warming; David and Crow toured colleges in the U.S. to raise environmental awareness; Clooney quietly visited Beijing with Don Cheadle to discuss Darfur with the CPC; Bono accepted an editor position at Vanity Fair to push stories on Africa and world poverty. I lived in Ghana for two years--half of the time in villages, living three days a week with electricity and drawing my water from a well. Every African social issue appeals to me, and admire anyone who turns their sympathies there.

I believe these celebrities are sincere in their efforts, and reject the notion that they are simply jumping on a bandwagon. Humanitarian progress has always been supported first by artists, then the public, then governments. Some might say these events are all razzle-dazzle and do not do enough to translate awareness into action. I disagree. Just as Moses had to lead the Israelites around for 40 years, it generally takes a generation for things to turn. Even if these celebrities were disingenuous in their motives, it all serves to tip things in the right direction. I wish more venue-packing celebrities would get involved.

I remember reading about Live Earth earlier this year, and supported the cause. But I lost track. Work consumes me. I work hard, seven days a week, and eventually had to turn all my RSS feeds off in order to concentrate and get things done. (Sometimes we're all just a little too connected.) I would not have traveled to Shanghai for the concert, but I would have attended in Beijing had the concert come here.

Two books tipped me: "The Future of Life" by E. O. Wilson, and "Beyond Culture," by Edward Hall. I believe that the roots of environmental destruction are culural and psychological. As Hall argues:

"There are two related crises in today's world. The first and most visible is the population/environmental crisis. The second, more subtle but equally lethal, is humankind's relationships to its extensions, institutions, and ideas, as well as the relationships among the many individuals and groups that inhabit the globe. If both crises are not resolved, neither will be. Despite our faith in technology and our reliance on technological solutions, there are no technical solutions to most of the problems confronting human beings. Furthermore, even those technical solutions that can be applied to environmental problems can't be applied rationally until humankind transcends the intellectual limitations imposed by our institutions, our philosophies, and our cultures. Compounding all of this is the realty of politics."

Or as R World blogger, Ron Davison, states:

"We simply won't be able to address the problem of climate change (or any of a number of other problems) without first changing our operating system."

There are plenty of good books, movies, and websites informing us that the sky is falling, and there are plenty of credible science reports to back them all up. And while there are plenty of top ten lists offering solutions of what one can do to prevent or postpone catastrophe (drive less, recycle more, plant a tree), there seems to be a dearth of plausible, practical systems of mass implementation.

Various groups will tell you that the problem lies in government, capitalism, free trade, public education, "the man," God, Satan. Few, however, are attacking environmental destruction where it begins: unconscious, eco-aggressive patterns in the mind. Without a clear understanding of the social/psychological roots of environmental destruction, or an effective method for change, humans will continue to drive more, recycle less, and cut down trees.

A global tipping point is in order—a worldwide eco-friendly marketing epidemic. Nothing shy of brainwashing the entire human populace (or a large enough chunk to make a difference) is going to make a difference. Events like Live Earth push us in the right direction, however "trendy" they may seem in the eyes of the anti-bandwagon backlash.

I try to love my neighbor and bless my enemies... but I'm having a really hard time understanding the senselessness of this man's actions. He bit off the lip and ear of a 3-year-old girl. She is permanently disfigured. Apparently, the biting abuse had been going on for some time.

power
out-
ages, dark-
ness; con-
jures memo-
ries of me;
Africa; vill-
age; 19;
no amen-
i-
ties; natur-
al.
moon and
star clocks;
sun and
cloud show-
ers. in-
dust-
rial
r-
evolution.
umbr-
el-
la-
s and,
hats, c-
over head;
insul-
ate our lie-
ves. man-
made artific-
i-
al ill-
us-
ions
cloud.
surround.
out
power.

I wish I could go back and find my original words (written in 2003) on the BBS where I first posted them. I said, "Why doesn't someone make a phone, that's also a camera, that's also an iPod, that plays movies, and can get online?"

But the people on the BBS thought I was silly. "It's too much." "It would be awful." "The quality would be poor." "I would much rather have a really nice MP3 player, a really nice camera, a really nice phone, and a really nice computer."

I said it with Enron. I said it with Rove. I said with Libby. I said it with Cheney. When will people listen?

Two things need to be done:

1) The impeachment process needs to be used in this country.

2) Impeached presidents, like felons, should lose certain powers, and the first power they should lose is pardoning their pals.

Otherwise, who cares about oversight, the judicial process, or balance of power? Any administration can do whatever it wants and then pardon itself!

Post on your blogs and spread the word.

“Morality made by the mind gets in the way of natural goodness.” Zhuangzi

“People judge as right what they personally consider pleasant, and judge as wrong what they personally consider unpleasant. Convincing others of what is right cannot, therefore, be equated with teach the truth. That is only teaching others to agree with you. It is not about putting an end to error, but putting an end to opinions contrary to your preconceptions.” Laozi

“If some poor devil steals a belt buckle, he is decapitated. If a powerful politician takes possession of a whole country, all the professional moralizers flock to him to put their ‘wisdom’ at his disposal. The logical conclusion is that, rather than wasting one’s time with small thefts, one should steal a whole country. Then one will not have to keep stealing fear the executioner’s ax.” Zhuangzi

“Decadence began with the introduction of the laws of marriage and family, which seemed like progress at the time but which actually inaugurated the ruin of the primordial simplicity and natural promiscuity.” Zhuangzi

“All official proclamations designed to lecture people about what is morally good and just are artificial and against nature.” Zhuangzi

“I will not praise those who do violence to their nature by piously practicing phony, manmade morality. Human beings do not become good through practicing artificial goodness, but by living naturally.” Zhuangzi

“Artificial goodness and justice are as odious to me as vice and depravity.” Zhuangzi

“Abandon trying to seem good, throw out self-righteousness, and rediscover natural compassion.” Laozi

“Give up trying to seem holy, forget trying to appear wise, and it will be a lot better for everyone.” Laozi

“If you focus on people’s foibles and not their qualities, you will find it difficult to find a single good person in the whole world. There is no one who does not have shortcomings. It is the human condition. Accept it.” Laozi

“The foot does not feel a perfect shoe. The waist is not aware of a perfect belt. The perfect heart is not plagued by guilt caused by artificial ideas of what is good and bad; it naturally acts well. Perfection is being as something naturally is.” Zhuangzi

“Is life anything but a dream? Some who wake from a good dream are upset, while others who wake from a bad dream are pleased. Death is the great awakening, after which one says of life that it was all a long dream. But few among the living understand this. Most believe themselves wide awake! They actually believe they are kings and servants.” Zhuangzi

“Everything we perceive as objectively true in this world is actually personal and objective.” Wangni

“The mass of people believe their judgments to be their own. They get very offended when it is suggested that they have actually received them ready-made from others and have simply been puppets of popular opinion all their lives. The speak in the current jargon and dress in the latest fashion—not from any personal sense of style but just to fit in. And these servile imitators actually believe they are self-determining! How ridiculous! This is an incurable sickness because people are convinced they are not suffering from it. It is a universal madness because everyone is infected.” Zhuangzi

“A man lived for sixty years and in this time he changed his opinion sixty times. Fifty-nine times he was absolutely convinced he was right, and fifty-nine times he was forced to admit he had had it all wrong. And who knows if his sixtieth opinion, which he held when he died was any better than the fifty-ninth? This happens to anyone who focuses on little things, while ignoring larger. A pebble held close to the eye obstructs all else.” Zhuangzi

Later, I'll tell you why I am voting for Barak Obama. But in this post, I'll give you just one reason why I'm not voting for Hillary.

Let's look at the Bush/Clinton influence on American politics since 1980.

80-84 Bush Sr., VP
84-88 Bush Sr., VP
88-92 Bush Sr., Pres
92-96 Clinton, Pres
96-20 Clinton, Pres
00-04 Bush Jr., Pres
04-08 Bush Jr., Pres

That is 28 years of a Bush or a Clinton in the White House as either a president or vice president. Electing Hillary would extend that to 32, or possibly even 36 years. Do we really want to do that? That's almost 40 years. That was the average life expectancy a century ago -- an entire generation. That's how long the Jews wandered around in the desert.

It's time for new blood. It's time for the next generation of leaders to step in. Kennedy was a next generation election (1960). Carter was a next generation election (1976). Clinton was a next generation election (92). (A 16-year pattern.) I think America will vote for the younger generation. I think America will vote for Obama.

I don't think the republicans can find a viable candidate. Clinton, Obama, or Edwards could probably all beat anyone the republicans throw up. The republicans are putting up older generation leaders like Giuliani, Romney, McCain. Respective merits and demerits aside, these men simply represent old wine.

So why do we need new wine? Here's why:

The United States believes in the separation and limitation of power among its leaders. Term limits are an ode to this dynamic. Career politicking inevitably results in an inner circle of leadership—a congressional clique concerned more about group preservation than population represention.

This is seen through the compromising influence of lobbyists and the de facto sanctioning of bribes; through politicized legislation designed to engender constituent sympathy and support; through congressional ethics scandals and the general disinterest in pursuing and prosecuting one's protected peers, ("He who is without scandal, let him cast the first indictment").

Such enclosed oligarchies are ultimately out of touch with the needs of the people. Just say no to congressional cliques.