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shadowkatWell, I lost three paragraphs of content after attempting to switch from no scripts to scripts on dream-width. So, I'm back here - because dream-width won't let me do cut-tags. And I can't write an entry without cut-tags.
What I learned today:
1. According to Fox News - 70% of people graduate with a high school diploma, and often late. Since we all know how reliable Fox News is, I found a second source - according to the Alliance for Excellence in Education (PDF so need scripts to read it): "Sixty-nine percent of high school students graduate from high school with a regular diploma each year. The graduation rate varies significantly between race groups, ranging from a graduation rate of only 50 percent for Native Americans, up to 79 percent for Asians." This is US statistics. I have no clue what they are internationally.
2. At church we sang The Internationale - but before we did so, we got a story about why we were singing it and what it meant. Also lyrics. Since neither match what I found on the internet, I am writing them here.
The lyrics to this version of The Internationale come from a woman whose family fought the Nazis, at the age of 14 her mother went to school during the day, wrote for her student paper, while at night she helped blow up bridges to stop the Nazis. Growing up in the US, her mother would not permit her to participate in singing any national anthems or the pledge of alliegance because they brought up negative memories of NAZI Propaganda and pomp and circumstance. However, there was one anthem her mother permitted her to sing - and this was The Internationale.
The lyrics are behind the cut below.
Stand up, all victims of oppression
For the tyrants fear your might
Don't cling so hard to your possessions
For you have nothing, if you have no rights
Let racist ignorance be ended
For respect makes the empires fall
Freedom is merely privilege extended
Unless enjoyed by one and all
Chorus
So come brothers and sisters
For the struggle carries on
The Internationale
Unites the world in song
So comrades come rally
For this is the time and place
The international ideal
Unites the human race
Let no one build walls to divide us
Walls of hatred nor walls of stone
Come greet the dawn and stand beside us
We'll live together or we'll die alone
In our world poisoned by exploitation
Those who have taken, now they must give
And end the vanity of nations
We've but one Earth on which to live
And so begins the final drama
In the streets and in the fields
We stand unbowed before their armour
We defy their guns and shields
When we fight, provoked by their aggression
Let us be inspired by like and love
For though they offer us concessions
Change will not come from above.
When I told Dadster about it. His response: Glenn Beck is right. Me (thinking not aloud, who the heck is Glenn Beck, oh right. A guy who gets paid to hate. I keep forgetting he exists.) What is he right about? Dadster: that Unitarians are Socialists? Me: I would say that's a gross generalization. Although, I sometimes wonder if I may well be on my way to becoming one, I know quite a few Unitarians who really aren't.
Then we sang the old Cole Porter Tune - Don't Fence Me In. (Hee - the Libertarian anthem.)
3. And this was immediately followed by the following - Karen Armstrong's Charter for Compassion. This was the result of Karen Armstrong winning the TED Prize and her wish was to create, launch and propagate a Charter for Compassion. In 2009 it was unveiled to the world.
From Farscape:
John Crichton: Show some compassion, they haven't hurt you in any way and they could have, they are merely trying to escape more pain and get back to their homes
Aeryn: compassion? what is this?
John Crichton: feeling for someone other than yourself, caring what they feel, not wanting them to feel pain, empathy...
Aeryn: We don't feel that. That's weakness.
Crichton: I'm on the wrong side. I'm going back.
Here's the text of The Charter of Compassion:
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.
It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.
We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
A man who had lived with Aids/HIV for over 28 years, with his partner of 28 years, spoke about being a church-going atheist, about buddhism, about living positively, and about tolerance. He said the Buddhist prayer is:
Life and Death are the two most important things, and are not to be taken lightly, time is short, a life squandered is not lived, do not squander your life, Awaken.
(Which resulted in me spending the next hour convincing myself that I had not squandered my life. I decided that I hadn't in case you're curious.) He said that being told you were going to die and not to have it actually happen is an amazing thing - it changes you. Prayer, he said, does not change things, but it can change people. And that's when he recited the prayer - I provided above.
Here in this church, he told us, sit a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist, an Agonistic, a Atheist, all side by side - who share similar goals if different theologies and philosophies. The goals are where we can come together. We can appreciate each others differences. We are a colony of living beings on this earth. The human body - 90% of it is not made up of human cells. The rest are largely bacteria and fungus, all of which are necessary for us to live. We are colonies of living matter. Our earth is a living being, made up of all of us together. Finding a way to overcome differences and live together in love should be the main goal.
The work-week is hard, at times I feel battered to a pulp by it and those racing and chatting and fighting around me. Their anger. Their frustration. Their needs - not always, but often, at direct conflict to my own.
At the moment NYC is fighting over whether a Mosque should be built on Ground Zero. I'm trying to understand why people are against this. But I'm at a complete loss. I can't think of any other reason but hate and ignorance. They feel it is insensitive, but how exactly? Muslims did not bomb the World Trade Center, Terrorists did. A Mosque is not a concession that the Terrorists requested. And what the terrorists did is at direct opposition to the Muslim faith - which is against killing. Building a Mosque tells the world that we are not what the Terrorists paint us out to be, we are not intolerant of others, we are not religious bigots. How can't they see that? I don't understand. Any more than I understand why people are offended by or against same-sex marriage. Why is this a problem? I can't think of a reason that is not linked to ignorance or hate or intolerance. The hate and anger is so persuasive in society, it leaves a stain on all. I exit the week feeling battered by it. The resentment, the anger, the frustration, the incessant whining, the irritability, and the hate. It feels like smog - not unlike the peat smog polluting moscow, except this is an invisible, colorless, odorless gas that you barely notice - until you reach Friday, and feel the need to curl into a ball. I go to church to wash it off - cleanse myself...get rid of the rants, and fury. And it works..for a bit.
Today I was reminded of how precious life is and how lucky I am. While far from perfect - I do have things in my life, many don't. And the ability to help, that others do not have. Compassion - it's such a simple word. Tis a gift to be simple, a gift to be kind, and to dance, oh just to dance...an old shaker dance hymn. The shakers did not believe in any institutions, marriage or religion, outside of just dancing. There's something to be said for that. Also may explain why there aren't that many shakers still around. To dance. To sing. To laugh. To play. To work at something that makes you feel as if you are contributing accomplishing helping society in some small way. To accomplish. To love.
Ways to fight off anger, and hate. Hate which tears and rips and derails. If I have one prayer for myself and you, whoever or wherever you may be, dear reader - it is this, that hate does not touch you in any way this week either in thought or in deed. That you are able to avoid it at least for this week and maybe the next. Or just for tomorrow...maybe that's all I can ask.
What I learned today:
1. According to Fox News - 70% of people graduate with a high school diploma, and often late. Since we all know how reliable Fox News is, I found a second source - according to the Alliance for Excellence in Education (PDF so need scripts to read it): "Sixty-nine percent of high school students graduate from high school with a regular diploma each year. The graduation rate varies significantly between race groups, ranging from a graduation rate of only 50 percent for Native Americans, up to 79 percent for Asians." This is US statistics. I have no clue what they are internationally.
2. At church we sang The Internationale - but before we did so, we got a story about why we were singing it and what it meant. Also lyrics. Since neither match what I found on the internet, I am writing them here.
The lyrics to this version of The Internationale come from a woman whose family fought the Nazis, at the age of 14 her mother went to school during the day, wrote for her student paper, while at night she helped blow up bridges to stop the Nazis. Growing up in the US, her mother would not permit her to participate in singing any national anthems or the pledge of alliegance because they brought up negative memories of NAZI Propaganda and pomp and circumstance. However, there was one anthem her mother permitted her to sing - and this was The Internationale.
The lyrics are behind the cut below.
Stand up, all victims of oppression
For the tyrants fear your might
Don't cling so hard to your possessions
For you have nothing, if you have no rights
Let racist ignorance be ended
For respect makes the empires fall
Freedom is merely privilege extended
Unless enjoyed by one and all
Chorus
So come brothers and sisters
For the struggle carries on
The Internationale
Unites the world in song
So comrades come rally
For this is the time and place
The international ideal
Unites the human race
Let no one build walls to divide us
Walls of hatred nor walls of stone
Come greet the dawn and stand beside us
We'll live together or we'll die alone
In our world poisoned by exploitation
Those who have taken, now they must give
And end the vanity of nations
We've but one Earth on which to live
And so begins the final drama
In the streets and in the fields
We stand unbowed before their armour
We defy their guns and shields
When we fight, provoked by their aggression
Let us be inspired by like and love
For though they offer us concessions
Change will not come from above.
When I told Dadster about it. His response: Glenn Beck is right. Me (thinking not aloud, who the heck is Glenn Beck, oh right. A guy who gets paid to hate. I keep forgetting he exists.) What is he right about? Dadster: that Unitarians are Socialists? Me: I would say that's a gross generalization. Although, I sometimes wonder if I may well be on my way to becoming one, I know quite a few Unitarians who really aren't.
Then we sang the old Cole Porter Tune - Don't Fence Me In. (Hee - the Libertarian anthem.)
3. And this was immediately followed by the following - Karen Armstrong's Charter for Compassion. This was the result of Karen Armstrong winning the TED Prize and her wish was to create, launch and propagate a Charter for Compassion. In 2009 it was unveiled to the world.
From Farscape:
John Crichton: Show some compassion, they haven't hurt you in any way and they could have, they are merely trying to escape more pain and get back to their homes
Aeryn: compassion? what is this?
John Crichton: feeling for someone other than yourself, caring what they feel, not wanting them to feel pain, empathy...
Aeryn: We don't feel that. That's weakness.
Crichton: I'm on the wrong side. I'm going back.
Here's the text of The Charter of Compassion:
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.
It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.
We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
A man who had lived with Aids/HIV for over 28 years, with his partner of 28 years, spoke about being a church-going atheist, about buddhism, about living positively, and about tolerance. He said the Buddhist prayer is:
Life and Death are the two most important things, and are not to be taken lightly, time is short, a life squandered is not lived, do not squander your life, Awaken.
(Which resulted in me spending the next hour convincing myself that I had not squandered my life. I decided that I hadn't in case you're curious.) He said that being told you were going to die and not to have it actually happen is an amazing thing - it changes you. Prayer, he said, does not change things, but it can change people. And that's when he recited the prayer - I provided above.
Here in this church, he told us, sit a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist, an Agonistic, a Atheist, all side by side - who share similar goals if different theologies and philosophies. The goals are where we can come together. We can appreciate each others differences. We are a colony of living beings on this earth. The human body - 90% of it is not made up of human cells. The rest are largely bacteria and fungus, all of which are necessary for us to live. We are colonies of living matter. Our earth is a living being, made up of all of us together. Finding a way to overcome differences and live together in love should be the main goal.
The work-week is hard, at times I feel battered to a pulp by it and those racing and chatting and fighting around me. Their anger. Their frustration. Their needs - not always, but often, at direct conflict to my own.
At the moment NYC is fighting over whether a Mosque should be built on Ground Zero. I'm trying to understand why people are against this. But I'm at a complete loss. I can't think of any other reason but hate and ignorance. They feel it is insensitive, but how exactly? Muslims did not bomb the World Trade Center, Terrorists did. A Mosque is not a concession that the Terrorists requested. And what the terrorists did is at direct opposition to the Muslim faith - which is against killing. Building a Mosque tells the world that we are not what the Terrorists paint us out to be, we are not intolerant of others, we are not religious bigots. How can't they see that? I don't understand. Any more than I understand why people are offended by or against same-sex marriage. Why is this a problem? I can't think of a reason that is not linked to ignorance or hate or intolerance. The hate and anger is so persuasive in society, it leaves a stain on all. I exit the week feeling battered by it. The resentment, the anger, the frustration, the incessant whining, the irritability, and the hate. It feels like smog - not unlike the peat smog polluting moscow, except this is an invisible, colorless, odorless gas that you barely notice - until you reach Friday, and feel the need to curl into a ball. I go to church to wash it off - cleanse myself...get rid of the rants, and fury. And it works..for a bit.
Today I was reminded of how precious life is and how lucky I am. While far from perfect - I do have things in my life, many don't. And the ability to help, that others do not have. Compassion - it's such a simple word. Tis a gift to be simple, a gift to be kind, and to dance, oh just to dance...an old shaker dance hymn. The shakers did not believe in any institutions, marriage or religion, outside of just dancing. There's something to be said for that. Also may explain why there aren't that many shakers still around. To dance. To sing. To laugh. To play. To work at something that makes you feel as if you are contributing accomplishing helping society in some small way. To accomplish. To love.
Ways to fight off anger, and hate. Hate which tears and rips and derails. If I have one prayer for myself and you, whoever or wherever you may be, dear reader - it is this, that hate does not touch you in any way this week either in thought or in deed. That you are able to avoid it at least for this week and maybe the next. Or just for tomorrow...maybe that's all I can ask.
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no subject
Date: 2010-08-15 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-15 09:18 pm (UTC)Ways to fight off anger, and hate. Hate which tears and rips and derails. If I have one prayer for myself and you, whoever or wherever you may be, dear reader - it is this, that hate does not touch you in any way this week either in thought or in deed. That you are able to avoid it at least for this week and maybe the next. Or just for tomorrow...maybe that's all I can ask.
Nods.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-18 05:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-15 10:59 pm (UTC)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz9x33atx44&feature=related
no subject
Date: 2010-08-19 09:40 am (UTC)http://folk.ntnu.no/makarov/temporary_url_20070929kldcg/internationale-fr.mp3
I must have an inner commie somewhere :) Thanks for reminding me of it.