On My Mind
In My Heart
A Man of Peace
18 March 2025
On March 22, 23, and 25, Catholic priest and long-time peace activist John Dear will be the featured speaker at different events in Lynchburg, VA. For those in the region of central Virginia, this is an exciting opportunity to hear this inspiring activist and educator.
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As a peace activist, Dear has been arrested 85 times in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience against war, injustice, and nuclear weapons. The author of 40 books and hundreds of articles, he is the founder of Bay Area Pax Christi USA in San Francisco, has served as the Executive Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and in 2008 was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
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In Dear’s autobiography, A Persistent Peace: One Man’s Struggle for a Nonviolent World, he has written: “The arrival of dawn comes at a high price. It requires good people to break bad laws.” He goes further to explain the nature of civil disobedience in a June 2009 interview in The Sun magazine. When asked to clarify his conviction that “nonviolence is not passive” he states: "Everyone presumes pacifism means passivity, that the only response to violence is to either retaliate or do nothing. Nonviolence is a third choice, and an active one. For me, nonviolence is not just a tactic or a strategy; it’s a way of life that requires us to love our enemies. It demands creativity, initiative, and engagement with the culture. There’s nothing passive about it.”
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The events in Lynchburg are open to the public.
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"I Feel Funny"
10 March 2025
Last Thursday, as usual, I woke pre-dawn. I rose, got dressed, and headed to the kitchen to feed the cat.
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But something was wrong. I just didn’t feel right. I debated whether to wait and see if I would feel better, or wake my husband. I didn’t feel anything specific—no dizziness, fever, chest pain, headache, nausea—but I sensed it wasn’t something to ignore. So, I went into the bedroom and woke my husband, saying: “I feel funny.”
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Very soon we had decided to call 9-1-1. The EMTs came, asked questions, and hooked me up to an electronic gadget. Within minutes it told them I was having an episode of atrial fibrillation and before long I was bundled into the ambulance on my way to the hospital. Looking out the back window as my husband’s headlights pulled out of the driveway behind us, I was thinking, “Gee, I had no idea my day would start like this.”
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In simple terms, my heart was out of its normal beat/pump rhythm. The treatment was to put a camera down my throat and into my heart to look for any clots that could possibly migrate elsewhere and cause a stroke, and if none were found, to jolt my ticker back into rhythm with an electric shock. Which is what the doctor did.
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Atrial fibrillation, or “a fib,” is an irregular heartbeat in the upper chambers of the heart that triggers an erratic and/or rapid heartbeat. This can cause blood to pool, and possibly clot, in the chamber. It is a fairly common heart condition, easily treated and controlled with medication, that is sometimes described as a “quivering” of the heart.
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I was interested to hear this description at the hospital. In Buddhism, compassion is often described as a “quivering of the heart” when seeing the struggles of others and feeling an empathetic response. During my brief stay in the hospital, I thought of others being treated in the same building for much more serious conditions. And at the same time, my heart also “quivered” with gratitude to to be cared for by skilled medical professionals in a state-of-the-art facility.
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" Thinking I Know" Energy
2 March 2025
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About a year ago I was part of forming a mindfulness discussion group. We decided to have the first organizational meeting at my condo, and I sent out invites with the address and contact phone number. When we gathered on the day of the meeting, we were missing one person. We waited a bit and then decided to go ahead and start.
But shortly after the meeting got underway, my cell phone rang with a number I didn't recognize. Not being a big fan or frequent user of my cell phone, I had an immediate, default response in my mind: “Nuts! I only get robo calls when I’m in the middle of something!” and I hung up on the call. Very soon it rang again, and, getting more annoyed, I had the same knee-jerk, reflexive thought and response. It rang a third time, same response…and then we heard a knock at the door. It was the final member of the group arriving a bit late.
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She explained what had happened by saying she was caught in “thinking I know” energy. After checking the building number earlier that day, she was sure she had the correct number when she arrived, but had no luck finding it and tried calling me. When she finally asked a passerby, she realized the correct building number was NOT the one in her mind. Her earlier confusion was simply because she was quite certain she had the right number!
And for my part, I was certain the calls were from annoying robots! So, we were both caught in “thinking I know” energy. It provided a good laugh for the group, and a simple lesson of not being stuck with “certainties” in our mind, but being curious and open to considering other possibilities.
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Mark Twain expressed this peculiar human folly (that can apply to any human situation) with humor and incisive wisdom when he said: “It’ ain’t just what we don't know that gets us into trouble—it’s also what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”
21 February 2025
Winter Sky, 5:33 p.m.
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And so another day ends.
Rubber tires whir over asphalt and tail lights glow red
in the descending dusk.
Autos flow by,
stop-and-go, stop-and-go,
as they carry precious cargo
of work-weary mothers and fathers,
and school-weary children,
home
to dinner, chores, homework, media,
rest.
Like wooden sentries, telephone poles line the darkening road
with tangled wires, forming a chain of stark black technology
against the westward sky.
And beyond,
a spellbinding beauty emerges.
Bare trees in silhouette against the sky
reach upward and rattle bony fingers,
their backdrop a luminous mass of color,
gradations of coral and grey,
as the sun
slowly
moves
offstage.
Emancipation Deportation
Today's entry is offered by guest writer Douglas Thom III, who has generously shared his words in recognition of Black History Month and tomorrow's Presidents Day holiday.
16 February 2025
I was born (white) and raised in New York City. My first girlfriend, whom I almost married, was the charming only daughter – aka princess – of a Jewish oil tycoon. My father worked on Wall Street. I could have too. Had I played the hand I was dealt differently, I might well be a very rich and powerful man today.
Part of me wishes I chose that life path. Part of me wishes I became a wealth manager and married that woman and had children with her. Part of me wishes I owned a penthouse apartment that overlooks Central Park. Part of me wishes my wife and I were hosting a black-tie Black History Month party at our place this weekend because part of me has a burning desire to gather together all the privileged people – white and other – I’ve ever known to ask them one question: Who do you regard as black?
After the laughter died down, and while I was still being asked what I meant by the question, I would say, “Who’s more black—Jesse Jackson or Steph Curry? Jimmy Brown or Barack Obama? Martin Luther King Jr. or Patrick Mahomes or Tiger Woods? Who’s more race-obsessed – Donald Trump or Abraham Lincoln? Who was Ambrose Thompson and why is he important? What did Lincoln die of – a bullet wound or resignation-induced despair?”
After being told I’m the biggest party pooper who ever hosted his own party, I would explain that my intention all along was to make this party the last party I would ever throw or attend because I was emotionally spent and intellectually exhausted, as Abe was the night he died.
Ambrose Thompson was the wealthy white man who agreed most heartily with Lincoln’s assertion that the only viable and compassionate solution to slavery and racism in America was thoughtful and meticulous deportation of all Negroes to Liberia because it had become abundantly clear to the depression-prone President that white Americans would never allow Negroes to fully assimilate into Anglo-Saxon culture. Abe had hoped that his white brethren would see the error of their racist ways and come to welcome the freed and eager-to-assimilate-and-ready-to-work colored men and women into white society.
The day Lincoln acknowledged the fact that he had overestimated the ability of his peers – of his white tribe – to pause, reflect, reconsider, and adjust to circumstances appropriately was the day he decided to go see Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater. He had to get his mind off the Negro conundrum. He had to get away from it all. It was as if he knew – when he buttoned his last button before leaving the White House that evening – that the ultimate peace-maker awaited him.
A Different Kind
of Valentine
14 February 2025
Following the death of Jimmy Carter late last year, I came across an interview of the former President with Terry Gross on an episode of NPR's Fresh Air. During their conversation, she asked him to read a short poem he had written called "Difficult Times," which describes the pain he felt during a time when he and his wife Rosalyn were struggling in their relationship. While not a typical statement of feelings of love, the poem reflects the deep love he felt for the woman who was ultimately his wedded partner for seventy-seven years. Visit here to listen to his reading of the poem at 26:10.
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Five Lousy Minutes
4 February 2025​
I once saw a short video from a "virtual" retreat in which the teacher explained the basics of following the breath and correct posture, and noted the importance of establishing a habit of meditating on a regular basis. Elaborating on this, he explained that even "five lousy minutes"--if that is all we can manage in a given day--are invaluable in developing consistency in our practice.
This is good advice. It relates to a passage from the book "Long, Quiet Highway" by Natalie Goldberg, in which she describes how Plato differentiates between a poet and a philosopher. The poet, according to Plato, "takes a momentary leap from ignorance to knowledge and writes a great poem, but because that insight is not built on a foundation...the poet cannot maintain the height the poem achieved." In contrast, “the philosopher works slowly at his understanding and builds a foundation, so when he arrives at an epiphany he stays there. There is a structure that holds him up." Goldberg goes on to emphasize: "This is the value of practice, done under all circumstances, epiphany or no epiphany."
This is a key to mastery of any discipline--dedicating ourselves to making an effort under all conditions. A runner preparing for a marathon does not limit her training only to sunny days when she is feeling good; she runs in the rain, or with a cold, or with doubts about her ability. In the same way, whenever we meditate--even if only for a brief period that is full of distractions--we strengthen the discipline needed to develop a long-term practice.
But we can go beyond the benefit of discipline to look at other lessons to be learned from "five lousy minutes." Those with a meditation practice have heard that non-striving and non-judgment are important qualities to develop in our practice. And yet, we typically feel our meditation is "better" and/or more "successful" on those "good" days when we are able to maintain a feeling of calm neutrality, even bliss, for longer periods than usual. But in reality, “lousy” meditation minutes may be much more valuable.
When we sit with distracting circumstances—i.e. a dog barking next door, sleepiness, thoughts of work of family stress, feeling anger, discomfort or pain—we allow ourselves to simply be with, and observe, whatever conditions are present. These times present a good opportunity to develop wisdom and self-compassion, steadily, incrementally…five lousy minutes at a time. In the end, the more we practice having a bad day (or five minutes) well, the better our days will be.
Family-Friendly
Football
27 January 2025
From Shakespearean dramas to Hollywood hit movies to championship sporting events—humans are drawn to a good contest of skill and will. In all these examples, most hope for “the best man” (or “my favorite”) to win. Especially in sports. Following the semi-final NFL games on January 26, we now know which two teams have survived the playoff gauntlet, earning a “thumbs up” to face each other as modern-day gladiators in the 2025 Super Bowl.
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​This climactic sporting event triggers mixed reactions. Some fans become borderline rabid in supporting their favorite warriors. Many vow to boycott the matchup, seeing football as a crass money-making machine that exploits the players’ testosterone-fueled violence. Others go to great lengths and expense to see the game in person—while this year hoping for a victory celebration in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
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​But most who will watch the game, at home or a local tavern, simply enjoy the thrill value of a contest that is equal to the Olympics—an exhibition of incredibly skilled athletes doing what they do best. Isn’t it always uplifting to witness innate human talent on display in any arena, honed by years of dedicated training and commitment?
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It’s also good to remember that the manly men who compete in each Super Bowl are not vicious brutes but--like all of us--multi-faceted human beings with widely different capacities and views. A 2014 video of a player doing an end zone victory dance offers a touching reminder of this.
Standing in the Gap
20
21 January 2025
Driving to the gym yesterday, I caught part of an NPR interview with U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, a senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the very same church where the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was pastor. During the interview, Warnock made the point that King, as an icon of the Civil Rights Movement, demonstrated that it matters "not how long you live, but how well you live."
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Warnock noted how inspired he was by the perseverance of Dr. King, and the way he "used his faith to fight for justice...for the 'beloved community.'" Looking back at history, Warnock felt we sometimes have a sense of inevitability about the progress made by the movement during the 60s, while "forgetting about the challenges that King had...but he kept on pushing...he kept his eyes on the prize."
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The work of the most devoted activists is like planting trees that will never grow tall enough in their lifetimes to shade them on a summer's day. Warnock expressed this idea by stating "if you are engaged in work that can be finished in your lifetime, it's not big enough."
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Support for this idea is found in the work of Parker J. Palmer, founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal. In a 2012 interview, he explained a phrase he uses in reference to progress with social movements, "the tragic gap," when he notes: "The gap between reality and possibility...is where all the action is. It's the gap where Martin Luther King, Jr. stood... I call it "tragic" because...No one who has stood for high values...has died being able to declare victory, once and for all...we need to...stand in the gap for the long haul." With this type of commitment to making social progress, we can all embody King's belief that "the arc of the moral Universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
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Give Peace
Literacy
a Chance
11 January 2025
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Each year around the winter holidays, the topic of peace is a highlight in songs and greeting cards. And with every new year, even before the holiday bills are paid, it seems peace is forgotten until after Thanksgiving. Everyone claims to value peace, so why does this happen? Year after year after year, why is there so little progress in our journey toward a peaceful world?
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We all see the news reports. Mass shootings. Polarization. Road rage. War. These are not disconnected problems. Their cause is not mysterious or surprising. They are signs of our collective failure to understand our human condition and prioritize education in peace skills.
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Providing a path to the understanding and skills that are needed for peace is the educational mission of the non-profit Peace Literacy Institute (PLI). Under the direction of founder Paul K. Chappell, a West Point graduate and Iraq War veteran, PLI states a critical problem facing humanity: The most dangerous weapons in the twenty-first century are not bombs and bullets, but the weaponization of mistrust, alienation, rage, disillusionment, nihilism, and cynicism, which make societies more unstable and all forms of violence more likely. To heal these root causes of our problems, the elements of peace must be taught and practiced in our education systems—just as literacy in reading and writing is taught.
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In spite of the critical issues facing humanity today, we humans are not terrible or doomed—we can learn new ideas and skills for living. We can learn the nine non-physical needs of humans that motivate human action. When these needs are not met, we can learn how tangles of trauma manifest in society as conflict and violent acts. We can learn to recognize and develop the nine character “muscles” of our humanity. We can learn how to calm the fires beneath aggression. And we can learn the shared conditions needed for strong communities. All this can be learned through Peace Literacy, and so much more. Such education will enable humanity to strengthen local, national, and global communities and help all of us reach our highest potential. Only when humans have such training will we have the power to create a peaceful world culture in which all beings can thrive.
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At the heart of PLI is the effort to promote peace as a literacy, an active set of skills, understanding, and capacities. Toward this goal, the PLI website offers a comprehensive blueprint for teaching peace skills to all ages, providing free curriculum in different formats for pre-K to graduate levels. This is supported by ongoing research, design, assessment, and distribution of their educational materials. In addition, PLI offers facilitation of professional development training in Peace Literacy for educators, counselors, community leaders, faith leaders, and the general public.
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In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 26 states that everyone has a right to education, which begins with basic language literacy—the ability to read and write. The UN commitment to this right has led to profound improvements around the world. Imagine… if Peace Literacy were given the same priority and attention today, what changes might our world see in the coming years?
The ultimate goal of PLI is a world in which education in Peace Literacy is recognized as a Universal Human Right. Peace Literacy education will enable humanity to strengthen local, national, and global communities and help all of us reach our highest potential. It will empower us to heal the root causes of rage, violence, mistrust, and alienation and protect all of our other human rights to create a more just, secure, and prosperous world.
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Many people think peace is a naive, impossible dream, yet history teaches us that countless goals once thought impossible have been achieved.
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Isn't it time we give Peace Literacy a chance?
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Across the Universe
17 December 2024
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding, on Monday, Feb. 4, 2008 at 7 p.m. Eastern time, NASA beamed into deep space a recording of the Beatles song, “Across the Universe.” The chosen date was also the 50th anniversary of the recording of the iconic, beloved tune written by John Lennon.
Lennon reportedly wrote the song following an argument with his then wife, Cynthia. Despite his agitation (or perhaps because of it) the classic song transforms his feeling of unease into a reverie on a “limitless undying love” that extends “on and on” as a source of enduring love and light, across the ages and across the universe.
Lennon’s gift to the world was music, and his song is a reminder that deeds matter. We each have something unique to offer, although at times it may seem frustrating and futile to do so. The key is simply to act, to accept the challenge and not obsess about results.
When I was a little girl, I remember my amazement when Daddy told me there are as many stars in the universe as there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. Since then I’ve realized that all the words written in human history are like the grains of sand on all the beaches—a single grain, tossed to and fro by the tide, can be carried far, far away to another shore.
Launching this site, I don’t expect my words to travel across the universe to reach billions. I’m not a TikTok influencer, a gazillionaire, a public figure with thousands or millions of followers, or the leader of a powerful country. But, like a message in a bottle that is dropped into the sea, my words may travel to reach others who read, consider, and possibly act on what I offer.
You just never know. Anything could happen.
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