But, What’s On the Inside? September 8, 2020

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

– Mother Teresa

I was watching an interesting video the other day (see link at end of post). Some parts were awkward and clumsy, and there were times when some of the participants felt bad about themselves (and, as an empathetic viewer I felt bad for them). The parts where people felt bad about themselves were some of the parts that were awkward and handled in a slightly clumsy way. However, the participants felt bad for themselves because the topic of the video is a sore spot for many people, especially women in America: weight and appearance. The video was interesting and good – in that it was meaningful – because it was yet another reminder that there is more going on with a person (and their health) than what we see on the outside.

“True beauty is knowing who you are and what you want and never apologizing for it.”

– P!nk (born Alecia Beth Moore, today in 1979)

Michelangelo’s David was unveiled today in 1504 in Florence, Italy. At various times throughout history, the marble statue has represented the epitome of the male form. What captivates people, however, is not just the beauty of Michelangelo’s masterpiece. People love the story of David, because it is the story of the underdog. When faced with towering figure of Goliath, David used his inner resources. He drew from the experience he had (rather than being preoccupied by the experience he didn’t have) and he focused on what he could do (not on what he was “trying” to do). His inner strength, courage, and wisdom is what he takes into his reign as king. Yes, King David makes mistakes – he was human; but his legacy is represented by the statue, the story, and his son Solomon (who is considered the ruler with the wisest heart in the history of the world).

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

– Michelangelo

Consider the image of Michelangelo, the sculptor, staring at a chunk of marble. To the outside observer, it is nothing. But he sees inside. To someone who is not an artist, the process seems magical and impossible. If we were to undertake such a task, without knowing what to look for and what steps to take, the process would be frustrating and the final effort might even be embarrassing. But, even though it takes effort and sometimes it’s harder than others, the artist who is literate in their craft thinks nothing of the process: this is just what they do now.

What they do can be very similar to you reading this post (or even me writing this post). Yes, it takes effort and energy; however, if you are a literate adult (who learned how to read as a child) you don’t think back to the struggle of the learning process every time you read or write. Even though the yoga philosophy defines this exchange of words and meaning as one of the “powers unique to being human,” we don’t always think of it as being anything more than a tool. Or something that is part of our landscape… like the rocks on the ground before David picked them up. Or, like the hunk of marble before Michelangelo went to work.

But, what of the approximately 775 million people worldwide who are functionally illiterate? To those people who lack the basic reading and writing skills to manage daily living and employment tasks, my blog posts can be like Goliath. (I know, I know: Even when you are literate, these blog posts can be like Goliath – but then, you are David and you have what it takes to conquer!)

“David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart….”

– quoted from 1 Samuel – The Old Testament (17:32 NIV)  

There are huge financial costs to being illiterate (an estimated $1.19 trillion (USD) globally), but there are other extreme costs. Illiteracy limits possibilities. It decreases employment opportunities, increases chances for poor health and the inclination toward crime. There is an emotional toll, in that it can lead to depression, anger, frustration, and embarrassment. Illiteracy is often associated with poverty; however, there is also a gender component: 64% of the people who are illiterate are also women.

According to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), if all women completed primary education, there would be 66 percent fewer maternal deaths. This is one of the reasons UNESCO focuses on educating girls and women. This is also one of the reasons why, in 1965, the United Nations designated today, September 8th, as International Literacy Day. It is a day to promote awareness of illiteracy and cultivate compassion around this human rights struggle. It’s also an opportunity to buy a book for a public school or a library in a developing country, a rural area, or an impoverished area (even here in the United States). It’s also a great opportunity to buy a book for a friend or a loved one – maybe even a book that tells you not to judge “the book” by its cover.

Please join me today (Tuesday, September 8^th) at 12 Noon or 7:15 PM for a virtual yoga practice on Zoom, where we will do what we do. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

Here’s that interesting video I mentioned above.

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

– Michelangelo

### DON’T JUDGE, LOVE ###

The Result of Labor September 7, 2020

“Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind then that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; and while there is a criminal element, I am of it; and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”

– Eugene V. Debs, quoted from his statement to the Federal Court (Cleveland, Ohio), after being convicted of violating the Sedition Act, September 18, 1918

Today, the first Monday in September, is Labor Day in the United States and parts of Canada. We often think of Labor Day as the long weekend that marks the end of summer and the beginning of “our regular routines.” It’s one of the Federal holidays typically marked with big sales, fairs, parades, and the last big barbecues and picnics. However, there is nothing typical about this year and – with the exception of the parades – none of this reflects the original intention behind Labor Day.

Labor Day has a bloody history rooted in the Labor Movement, whose history runs parallel to the history of the Socialist Movement. It was one of the outcomes of social activism and what happens when the government decides not to honor its citizens’ right to assembly. In fact, the federal holiday was established in the United States as a direct response to conflict which arose the first time the federal government used an injunction to break up a workers’ strike in the United States.

During the last twenty years of the 19^th century, there were approximately 37,000 strikes in the United States, resulting in at least 800 people being killed – with almost all the deaths being the result of altercations between the striking workers and state security forces or the military. Everything came to a head, however, with the Pullman Strike (and subsequent railroad boycott) during the late Spring and Summer of 1894.

The Pullman Palace Car Company was not only a major employer of a diverse workforce, it was also the owner and operator of the Illinois town where most of its workers lived. The company provided homes as well as groceries and all other amenities…for a fee, of course. When the economic depression kicked in 1893, the company lowered the workers already low wages; however, it did not lower rent or the cost of other goods and services within the town. Facing starvation, the workers attempted to schedule a meeting with the company’s president, George M. Pullman. When Pullman refused to meet with the workers they voted to strike. As the strike began, the company announced that the factory was closed – essentially undermining the workers’ leverage. Most of the workers, however, were part of the American Railway Union (ARU) and when the union met, for its first annual convention, it voted for a boycott.

I’m condensing and simplifying the situation a bit here, but the bottom line is that there was a cascade affect that successfully tied up railway traffic on all lines west of Chicago and eventually in most of the United States (with the exception of the East and Deep South where the striking unions were not as strong). While the union leadership, in particular the ARU’s president Eugene V. Debs urged the striking workers and their families to stay calm, people were filled with anger and that anger turned a peaceful rally into a rage-filled moment that derailed a locomotive which was attached to a U. S. Mail train. Previously, states and local militia had engaged the wildcat strikes that were breaking out, but after the events of June 29^th, an injunction was obtained which cited the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Interstate Commerce Act – and prevented the ARU leadership from communicating with the striking workers, even  to urge peaceful protests. The injunction also enabled President Grover Cleveland to order in federal troops, whose orders were not focused on peace, but instead on making sure the trains kept running.

The arrival of the federal troops further enraged the striking workers and their supporters, who overturned trains, erected barriers, and destroyed railcars. Ironically, this uptick of destruction started on Independence Day. By July 7^th, the altercations had turned deadly. By the second week of July, upwards of 250,000 workers in 27 states were participating in some aspect of the protests and riots. Whereas people outside of the workforce had initially sympathized with the workers, it had become something the general populace feared would directly impact them in a detrimental way. The mainstream media and the United States Congress also started changing their minds about the situation. By the end, at least 30 people had been killed, the ARU leadership had been arrested, and the strikers had lost over $1 million in wages. The railroads had lost millions of dollars in revenue and in looted and damaged property.

And, this is where things turned again.

Previously, as trade unions and the labor movement worked for workers’ rights (including fair wages and safe working conditions), different groups chose different dates to celebrate and honor the “contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and wellbeing of our country.” After the deaths of the workers in the Summer of 1894, Congress and President Cleveland needed something to maintain peace and acknowledge the needs of the people. They decided to dedicate a day, complete with a street parade, to recognize the “social and economic achievements of American workers.” Of course, May Day (May 1^st) was already International Workers’ Day, but it was so closely associated with the Socialist Movement – which some of the ARU leadership was gravitating towards – that President Cleveland wanted a day that would not encourage additional strikes and protests. Today is that day.

“I am not a Labor Leader; I do not want you to follow me or anyone else; if you are looking for a Moses to lead you out of this capitalist wilderness, you will stay right where you are. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I led you in, someone else would lead you out. You must use your heads as well as your hands, and get yourself out of your present condition; as it is now the capitalists use your heads and your hands.”

– quoted from “Life of Eugene V. Debs” in Debs : His Life, Writings and Speeches by Stephen Marion Reynolds, edited by Bruce Rogers and Stephen Marion Reynolds

Please join me on the virtual mat today (Monday, September 7^th) at 5:30 PM for a 75-minute virtual yoga practice.

This is a 75-minute Common Ground Meditation Center practice that, in the spirit of generosity (dana), is freely given and freely received. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.

If you are able to support the center and its teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” my other practices, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible, class purchases are not necessarily.)

There is no playlist for the Common Ground practices.

“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.”

– Eugene V. Debs, quoted from his statement to the Federal Court (Cleveland, Ohio), after being convicted of violating the Sedition Act, September 18, 1918

### RELEASE • RELAX • REST ###

I Can’t Say That… Can I? August 30, 2020

“Beauty cannot exist without ugliness.

Virtue cannot exist without vice.

Living, we know death.

Struggling, we know ease.

Rising high, we know the depths.

Being quiet, we understand noise.

Everything gives rise to its opposite, therefore we work without conscious effort and teach without agenda.

We enjoy everything and possess nothing.

Our accomplishments do not emerge from our ego, so we do not cling to them.

Thus they benefit all beings.”

– (2) quoted from  A Path and A Practice: Using Lao-tzu’s Tao Te Ching as a Guide to an Awakened Spiritual Life by William Martin

Every once in a while it is good to check in with your bandwidth. I don’t mean the electronic frequencies that transmit a signal (although, I supposed it’s good to check that too). I’m talking about “the energy or mental capacity to deal with a situation.”  Even though I didn’t use those exact words, I was explaining to a couple of dear, dear friends that given all the things that brought me back to Texas – not to mention all the things that have happened since I’ve been here – coupled with all the things that have happened this year (and, yeah, let’s be real, the last few years), I sometimes feel like I don’t have the bandwidth to take on certain classes/practices the way I use to approach them. Getting a good night sleep (no laughing, y’all who know me) can be helpful in that it provides a little reset and I wake up with a little more mind space and a little more energy to address certain things. Other times, the reset button just allows me to let go of something I was holding on to, something that no longer serves me or something that is just not serving me in this moment. Because, I have found, that if something serves me – even if it’s challenging – it actually increases my bandwidth.

For example, Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice today in 1967. He had already established a legacy within the Civil Rights Movement, a legacy that still serves us today, and he would serve on the United States Supreme Court for 24 years before retiring. There’s a part of me that always wants to remember and honor the many ways in which Justice Marshall served the country and upheld the finer points of the United States Constitution – especially as it could be a way to also remember Chadwick Boseman, the amazing actor who portrayed him in Marshall. I even get a little jazzed about the idea – but it’s not the only thing on the docket…and so I don’t have the bandwidth today. Good thing I remembered his birthday (because now you can refer back to this) and honored his legacy (which you can see here).

“We will see that the true miracle was not the birth of the Constitution, but its life, a life nurtured through two turbulent centuries of our own making, and a life embodying much good fortune that was not.”

– conclusion to the speech given by Supreme Court Justice (and former NAACP chief counsel) Thurgood Marshall at The Annual Seminar of the San Francisco Patent and Trademark Law Association, Maui, Hawaii May 6, 1987

Being a Texan, from Houston no less, I also get jazzed because it’s the anniversary of the birth of Molly Ivins. Born today in Monterey, California in 1944, she grew up in Houston and became a national icon (especially in light of the fact that Texas was once its own nation). She was a larger-than-life, force of nature who knew President George W. Bush when they were teenagers, referred to him as “Shrub” (among other less than flattering things), and said, “The next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be President of the United States, please, pay attention.” In her nationally syndicated column and best-selling books, she took equal aim at Democrats like President Bill Clinton (calling him “weaker than bus-station chili” which is a Godzilla-sized insult in Texas). Of herself, Molly Ivins wrote that she “remains cheerful despite Texas politics. She emphasizes the more hilarious aspects of both state and national government, and consequently never has to write fiction.”

If you’ve ever wondered what Molly Ivins could and couldn’t say, she’s probably made you smile and, as several of us discussed at Nokomis Yoga a while back, the world could use a little Molly Ivins right now – unfortunately, I don’t have the bandwidth for much more than this.

The Second Battle of Bull Run (also known as the Battle of Second Manassas) ended today in 1862. Like the First Battle, it was a critical battle that left thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers dead, wounded, missing, and broken. It was a blow to the Union morale and a significant tactical victory for the Confederates, which emboldened General Robert E. Lee to push forward with his Maryland campaign. It was part of the reason General John Pope was relieved of command and reassigned to Minnesota (where he, unfortunately, created a lot of suffering). According to many historians, including those who believe in the “Lost Cause,” the Second Bull Run was also a critical battle because of the way it changed the relationship between Lee and Lieutenant General James Longstreet (also known as “Lee’s War Horse’). While the Confederate Army may not have won this particular battle without Longstreet, his questioning of Lee (i.e., insubordination) at the Battle of Gettysburg is highlighted as a factor in the confederacy’s ultimate defeat.

Typically I would mention some of this in class, because our history is important – and it is critical to the way we move forward. But, alas, I don’t have the bandwidth (and since I didn’t pose on Friday, I have only this.)

“The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog’s back 1234567890”

– The first message from Washington to Moscow via the “hotline,” sent to ensure the keyboard and printer worked correctly, 08/30/1963

With all due respect to Cold War aficionados and/or fans of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, I will add as a footnote that Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born today in 1797 and that the Moscow-Washington hotline (also known as the Washington-Moscow Direct Communications Link) was activated today in 1963. Frankenstein’s “monster” wanted people to see him for who he was on the inside, but everyone was too distracted by the outside. In the same way, popular culture as focused on the idea that the “hotline” was a red phone when, in fact, it was not only not red – it was never a phone! While the technology was tested on a regular basis, its first official use (by the United States) as a “hotline” occurred November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The Soviet Union’s first official usage occurred June 5, 1967, at the beginning of the Six-Day War (in the Middle East).

While I could, easily, work Ms. Shelley and the hotline into a pretty straightforward vinyasa practice; it seems a little unfair to leave out everything else. And so, I free up some bandwidth by letting it all go.

  Or do, I?

“‘You are in the wrong,’ replied the fiend; ‘and instead of threatening, I am content to reason with you. I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all…? Shall I respect man when he condemns me? Let him live with me in the interchange of kindness, and instead of injury I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of gratitude at his acceptance. But that cannot be; the human senses are insurmountable barriers to our union. Yet mine shall not be the submission of abject slavery. I will revenge my injuries; if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear, and chiefly towards you my archenemy…’”

– quoted from Chapter 17 of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

After all is said and done, there is a part of me, like Mary Shelley, that finds a kindred spirit in the heart of the “monster.” There is that part of me that would like to know only peace and love; and would choose to practice those favorite mantras (“Peace In, Peace Out; Inhale Love, Exhale Kindness”) as if we live in a vacuum. There is also a part of me that recognizes why so many in the world are turning towards the “monster’s” other choice. And, in this moment, I seek (and seek to teach) the practice that helps us deliberately choose peace and love in light of the situations that cause others to rage.

“I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”

– quoted from the movie based on Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, August 30^th) at 2:30 PM. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. PLEASE NOTE: Zoom 5.0 is in effect. If you have not upgraded, you will need to give yourself extra time to log into Zoom. You can always request an audio recording of this practice (or any practice) via email or a comment below.

Today’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. (This is the playlist dated “07292020 Breathing, Noting, Here & at the UN”)

“Nothing is more painful to the human mind than, after the feelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows and deprives the soul both of hope and fear.”

– quoted from Chapter 9 of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

“This is a path of letting go so there will be room to live.

If we hold on to opinions, our minds will become dull and useless.

Let go of opinions.

If we hold on to possessions, we will always be at risk.

Let go of possessions. If we hold on to ego, we will continue to suffer.

Let go of ego.

Working without thought of praise or blame is the way of true contentment.”

– (9) quoted from  A Path and A Practice: Using Lao-tzu’s Tao Te Ching as a Guide to an Awakened Spiritual Life by William Martin

2022 Errata: This post originally contained date related typos.

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How Do You Love Ye? August 25, 2020

“Love is not to be found in someone else, but in ourselves; we simply awaken it. But, in order to do that, we need the other person.”

– quoted from 11 Minutes: A Novel by Paulo Coelho

In addition to being the “International Day Against Intolerance, Discrimination, and Violence Based on Musical Preference & Lifestyle” – also known as Sophie Lancaster Day – yesterday, was also Paulo Coelho’s 73^rd birthday. Born into a strict Catholic family in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 24, 1947, Coelho dreamed of being something his parents thought was illogical and unreasonable. They committed him to a mental institution at the age of 17 and he escaped three times before he was ultimately released at the age of 20. Expressing more understanding and grace than anger in 2005, Coelho told a reporter for The Telegraph, “It wasn’t that they wanted to hurt me, but they didn’t know what to do…. They did not do that to destroy me, they did that to save me.”

There are lots of people who do things to “save” someone, but their actions ultimately destroy something very vital in the person they are trying to save. Some, like Coelho did in his early twenties, try to hold on to the perceived intention of love by doing what their parents want them to do even when it doesn’t line up with what’s in their hearts. Others, like Coelho started to do – also in his twenties – recognize that while harmful actions may be presented as “loving” they are actually coming from a place of confusion and ignorance (avidyā), which leads to suffering. Throughout his life, Coehlo has known a great deal of suffering – in addition to his parents attempt to convert him to their way of thinking, he was arrested and tortured by the government in 1974 for “subversive” activities – and yet, he writes about love, acceptance, spiritual awakenings, and following ones spirit.

“Love is looking at the same mountains from different angles.”

– quoted from The Valkyries by Paulo Coelho

Please join me today (Tuesday, August 25^th) at 12 Noon or 7:15 PM for a virtual yoga practice on Zoom where we will look at your own personal “mountains from different angles.” Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

### THREADS ###