Monday, July 23, 2007

Why I fly my flag

Flags. I see so many of them these days.

Americans like to hang their flag. For decoration, out of feelings of pride, and for some, I suspect, blind patriotism (my country -- right or wrong).

I hang my flag when I feel patriotic, but that doesn't happen much these days -- considering who we've got as president and his abuses of power and disregard for the waste of human life each day in the war in Iraq.

I hang my flag when I see our constitution working the way it was designed, chiefly, limiting the powers of government when it steps over the line of abuse. I hang it when I remember someone who fought and died in defense of human rights.

I hang it when I see a Muslim man praying in the street of a very "American" village, almost exclusively Christian, a place where people sometimes ignorantly equate Islam with terrorism. Recently, in my town, I saw a man prostrate himself in the street, facing Mecca. Perhaps he was afraid, but he did it.

It made me feel patriotic and so I hung my flag. Read the full story about what happened in my Waking Up column on United Press International.

By the way, what makes you feel patriotic about your country?

Monday, July 09, 2007

The Space Between our Fingers

From Tricycle Magazine's Daily Dharma: July 7, 2007

Looking At Our Hands
Peace is a natural mind-state in every one of us. Peace has been there since the day we were born and it is going to be there until the day we die. It is our greatest gift; so why do we think we have no peace of mind?

Experiencing peace is like looking at our hands. Usually, we see only the fingers--not the spaces in between.

In a similar manner, when we look at the mind, we are aware of the active states, such as our running thoughts and the one-thousand-and-one feelings that are associated with them, but we tend to overlook the intervals of peace between them.

If one were to be unhappy or sad every minute of the twenty-four hour day, what would happen to us? I guess we would all be in the mad house! --Thynn Thynn