On the unknown road, who, more faithless?
It's Thor's day . . . and the mailbox at my little cottage in Wokestan, U.S.A. is filled with freedom reminders and examples.
Today is the 4th of July when we Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. That declaration, the very foundation of our democracy,made clear one thing, if nothing else: We will never accept a King ... at any cost,
Kirk Swearingen this very morning is flying an American flag – properly upright – in protest this 4th of July.
Examples and reminders of the gifts of freedom
Birthdays yesterday: Franz Kafka, was born in 1883 Prague; and British playwright and screenplay writer Tom Stoppard was born in 1937 Zlin, Czechoslovakia
In 1855, Walt Whitman first published, Leaves of Grass.
In 1845 Essayist and philosopher Henry David Thoreau moved to his retreat and began writing at Walden Pond.
In 1865 Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was first published
140 years ago on this day in 1884 Paris, The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States' ambassador by the French.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, died 180 years ago today in 1826, – 50 years to the day after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
The road unknown
Resuming, marching, ever in darkness marching, on in the ranks,
The unknown road still marching ….
Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)…
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
– Walt Whitman, Leave of Grass, in the public domain
Two x One = still only One
It's Odin's day …
Yesterday was the birth date of Wisława Szymborska. The Nobel Laureate poet was born in 1923 Prowent, Poland.
87 years ago yesterday, Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world
. . . The who, what, where, when and how tenets of journalism . . .
Anthony Davis is a multiple award winning independent journalist and broadcaster. He recently posted a reflection on WHY they gave Trump immunity. And WHO was behind the plan? An excellent deconstruction and worth the :15 minutes, IMO of course. Check out this brief intro from Davis, a Brit with a stake in democracy and independent journalism.
More excellent backlash to the SCOTUS immunity debacle … this one from one our besties: Heather Cox Richardson writing in her Letters from an American. BTW: Ms. Richardson has been featured by Mr. Davis (above).
Nothing Twice
Nothing can ever happen twice.
In consequence, the sorry fact is
that we arrive here improvised
and leave without the chance to practice.
…
Even if there is no one dumber,
if you're the planet's biggest dunce,
you can't repeat the class in summer:
this course is only offered once.
…
Why do we treat the fleeting day
with so much needless fear and sorrow?
It's in its nature not to stay:
Today is always gone tomorrow.
– Wislawa Szymborska, in Poems New and Collected: 1957-1997, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998.
The crack: where the light gets in
It’s Tew’s day … Lots o’ cracks, lots o’ light ….
Presidents are Kings. Joyce Vance unpacks the latest disastrous SCOTUS ruling. If ever you or anyone you know needed a good reason for voting a straight democratic ticket this November... this is it.
July 2nd marks the day that the Second Continental Congress declared that the thirteen colonies were no longer subject to King George III? That’s right, July 2nd. Congress subsequently revised the wording of the Declaration, removing Jefferson's vigorous denunciation of the British monarch for importing the slave trade, and finally approved it two days later on July 4th. – Jeff Krasno
In other words: No Kings.
"None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody — a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony, or a few nuns — bent down and helped us pick up our boots." – Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, who was born 116 years ago on this day in 1908 Baltimore, Maryland.
The Japanese concept of wabi-sabi prizes and praises the soulful beauty found in the irregular, incomplete, and imperfect.
If we understand every action to be a cause that produces a result, there is no action that is too small. Every act should be considered a decision, and we should be conscientious as we decide whether to engage in an action or refrain from it. Never underestimate an action or disregard it because it seems insignificant. No action goes unaccounted for. – Khentrul Lodrö T’hayé Rinpoche
The Question: This that I am about to do, will it contribute to the wellbeing of all? The answer from “the beginner's mind” is most often “I don't know.” We must trust our intent that it will do so without justifying, rationalizing, or lying to ourself, remaining open to what consequences may come to us. Ego is a great trickster and can masterfully hide self-serving behind a mask that looks like knowing.
Asleep on the Shores of Naxos
There is no sickness worse than forgetting what we must never forget.
Where has our love gone / or did we leave ? /
How did we break the trust / or did it break us in our ignorance? /
We mourn separately / not knowing really why, /
making up stories about how, / remembering only when.
Our hearts healing in dreams.
— jab