Truth and Meaning: A Sacred Season

Truth and Meaning: A Sacred Season

We are in the midst of an exciting time of the year for many people of faith. My Christian colleagues are celebrating the Holy Week leading up to Easter. My Jewish friends are completing their Passover observances. And my Pagan neighbors recently observed Ostara, the vernal equinox. It is a time rich with symbolism and metaphor. From the resurrection to the exodus to the hare and egg, this spring season ushers in thoughts of new beginnings and rebirth, of light and warmth, of the cycle of our lives.

Whatever your faith tradition, this season is one of reflection — of self-examination and reaffirmation of core values and beliefs. In particular, core values of these religious observations emerge as critical in our lives. Easter gives us the unconditional love Jesus felt for everyone — a love unfettered by judgment or prejudice. Easter gives us the love for humanity and the goal of creating the beloved community among all men and women. Passover gives us the courage of people enduring hardships and suffering to persevere. Passover reminds us that faith and conviction are always rewarded with self-determination and freedom. And Ostara gives us confidence that our love and conviction will live on if we care for our children and for our earth. Ostara reminds us that life is about change and growth and that we are meant to never stop evolving toward more enlightened selves.

Acceptance of each other regardless of our differences, mutual courage and perseverance despite any obstacle, and love for all and commitment to their well being — these are core values to which we can all agree. Whatever you call your god, your higher power, or the eternal mysteries of our universe, we can come together in acceptance, courage and love. Whatever your appearance, your identity or your heritage, we can come together if we try.

But in order to do this, we must also embody other meanings of these holidays. Easter teaches us the need to sacrifice. Passover teaches us the need to have faith. And Ostara teaches us the need to live in balance with our world. Can we do this? Can we join — as people of all beliefs, all walks of life, all attributes — in sacrifice, faith, and balance? I believe that we can.

Start today. Put aside your differences and seek out common ground. Look for solutions that benefit all parties and do not simply gratify your own needs. Try to understand those unlike yourself — walk in their shoes before making assumptions. With acceptance and sacrifice, courage and faith, love and balance, there is nothing we cannot do.

Truth and Meaning: A Special Spring

Truth and Meaning: A Special Spring

Truth and Meaning: Religious Liberty

Truth and Meaning: Religious Liberty

Truth and Meaning: Religious Connection

Truth and Meaning: Religious Connection

Truth and Meaning: Real Men

This week on Valentine’s Day, February 14, I will join women and men across the globe as we stand and dance as part of the One Billion Rising event. I will be at Delta College in the morning and then at the Tridge in Midland at 5:30 p.m. to rise up against the global pandemic of violence against women.

But, what happens on February 15? I believe that until men reclaim their manhood and define a useful and productive masculinity, then our mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives will continue to live in fear. So, I propose a Men’s Manifesto to do just that. I hope that men everywhere will read this and sign on to this redefinition of our gender.

I will be Strong, applying my body, my character, and my will to productive pursuits. I will care for my body through exercise and diet; my character through moral commitment; and my will through a proper balance of purposeful action, creative expression, and intentional relaxation.

I will be Wise, using not just my body but my mind to resolve conflicts nonviolently, solve problems creatively, and build upon the world left to me by my fathers.

I will be Responsible, caring for others, especially those in need. I will own my actions and do everything I can so that others do not suffer because of my choices.

I will be Visionary, looking beyond my own immediate needs and gratification. I will strive each day to think beyond that day, toward building something greater in my own life and in the lives of others.

I will be Forceful, working with purpose, but forsaking violence. I will teach my children and mentor for others the power of ethical reasoning, controlled energy, and the proportional application of my abilities to any problem.

I will be Honorable, keeping my word when given and holding others to their commitments. I will live with integrity, obeying the rules of my societies, while living according to my personal moral code.

I will be Passionate, unafraid to show my love openly and in healthy ways. I will work tirelessly, giving my time, energy, and commitment to causes I believe in.

To this end, I vow never:

• To take what is not mine;
• To strike another person in anger;
• To intimidate through the threat of violence; or
• To abuse others through my position, control, or influence

Civil Rights for All

As the Boy Scouts considered an historic (and long overdue) elimination of their ban on gay scouts and leaders, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights released its report on LGBT Inclusion Under Michigan Law. The report contains shocking and compelling stories from gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals across Michigan who have faced discrimination in the workplace, schools and housing. The study concludes that there is indisputable evidence of alarming rates of LGBT discrimination in the state and outlines the negative economic impact discrimination has not only on LGBT residents, but also on employers and students in Michigan.

Whatever your personal opinion about sexual orientation and gender identity, legalized discrimination against LGBT individuals must end. Just as we did with women and then people of color, we have learned that discrimination against people on the basis of who they love has no foundation in science, law or morality. Discrimination against gays and lesbians is unjust and should be made illegal.

The Report called for the expansion of laws that protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in employment, housing, and the full and equal utilization of public accommodations, public service and educational facilities. The current nondiscrimination clause used by the City of Midland Human Resources Department “considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap or disability, or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran in accordance with federal law.” I call on our city officials to be proactive and take the steps needed to add “sexual orientation and gender identity/expression” to its nondiscrimination clauses for hiring, for contracts, or for any other public use.

Let’s join other progressive communities in Michigan, like our neighbors in Mount Pleasant, and support this action.

Recent Activity

I have been cheating on the muse kennel and pizzatorium.  I found another blog.  But fear not, dear readers, I have not forsaken my blog for another.

I was recently asked to become a contributing writer to the online blog of the Midland Daily News.  Since the paper has a reputation of leaning to the conservative side, I welcomed the opportunity to present a progressive voice.

I will be posting weekly on timely issues, and usually on issues of social import with justice implications.  Now that I have settled in and received an enthusiastic (?!) welcome from some of the local regulars, I will cross post to the paper and to the pizzatorium/

Also, BIG NEWS!!!  My e-book is up and available for purchase on Amazon.  Sauntering: Wandering the Path of Mystical Omnitheism offers beginning advice on how to open your body, mind and spirit to new insights without resorting to complicated spiritual practices or time-consuming meditative arts. By sauntering, you explore the path of Mystical Omnitheism - the idea that ours is only one of countless universes and planes of existence - and that all existence is god, everything is sacred, and that you and everything that exists is important. Sauntering opens the door to mystical experiences with all universes.

After years of trying meditation and prayer, various arts and devotional activities, I always returned to the spiritual practice that worked for me - sauntering - the act of mindful wandering. I offer tips on how to use this spiritual practice in your life. With each chapter, I also include reflections on my own saunters through woods, along railroad tracks, or through city streets (some of these saw their first publication here in the muse kennel).

As a long-time atheist, I have found the hard line attitude of most atheists combative and unrealistic. In a world where people want the good that religion has to offer, I feel that the answer is not to reject all religion, but to find a cosmology that allowed one to live a useful religious life - one dedicated to helping others and to making the world a better place.