LAUGHING AT MY NIGHTMARE.COM

There are a so many things to do on Facebook, YouTube, 

and even in real life....

Some are worth spending a few minutes of your time.  

This is one of them.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shane-burcaw-laughing-at-my-nightmare-documentary?c=home

REALITY TV LIFE

I watch "The Voice," "American Idol," "Undercover Boss," etc....for the pain and tears, not for the talent. Like in sports, I don't care who wins, as long as everyone appears to grow. If they reveal themselves, I feel less alone. Death is less scary if we all die, even at different rates. Thank you cynical exploitative producers for allowing us to share each other's suffering, so our own is less unique and intense....I mean it.

Vivienne Flesher

More:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/opinion/sunday/bruni-show-us-your-woe.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130519

ACTIONS LEFT UNDONE

There are two specific, practical, moral things our nation can do within this year: relieve poverty and bring Americans into a sane, relatively fair economic balance. We all know it will not be done. But it is possible to do in reality. Therefore, the responsibility and blame is on the politicians of both parties, the citizens who accept and vote for them, as well as our own personal lack of compassion and courage....Writing this, I don't feel superior. I feel equal in human hypocrisy, weakness, guilt, fear, awareness, and lack of redemptive positive action.

BALANCE

AMERICA

Non-Americans must understand that America is not culturally insulated, cloistered, monolithic, evil, or good. America consists of people from every other country, culture, religion, race, and language in the world....including Americans who are brilliant, stupid, open-hearted, prejudiced, terrified, brave, creative, boring, super-rich, homeless, nationalistic, internationalist, fundamentalist, atheist, power-mad, immoral, amoral, moral, greedy, charitable, humanists, environmentalists, and people who hate people, nature, and the Earth.....America gives wrong and even insane people the freedom to be wrong and insane, but not to legally kill, rape, or abuse each other.... America is full of lofty philosophical ideals and destructive hypocritical reality, because America is not Heaven, and Americans are not gods...only human, and very flawed.

HATE

Why do fundamentalist clerics, extreme conservatives, ultra-nationalists, and the super-rich almost always look so tormented and ugly?

EGO

An experience to learn from....Last night, I was an "expert" in a professional panel, and treated as important. This morning, I was clumsy in beginning dance class, and treated as someone to avoid. The 24-hour highs and lows of my ego are useful....to put me in my place as part of this massive flood of humanity, all desperately trying to survive, not feel invisible, be treated with respect due all human beings, and maybe even get a little love.

CHANGES

Transitions are difficult....

Changes of neighbors, friends, lovers, spouses. Changes in the environment, politics, economy, habits. Flowers die, favorite trees are cut, beautiful buildings crumble, leadership changes, friends and loved ones disappear. Life is constantly changing and challenging us. It can't be stopped.

REMINDERS

W  H  A  T     I     L  E  A  R  N  E  D

                      

I was a teacher for the past 5 months. Sometimes I think I was a great teacher. (Some of my students wrote me emotional letters...after I gave them grades.) Sometimes I think I was a bad teacher, because there was so much I wanted to communicate, but could not. (Laziness? Language and cultural barriers? Just Life?)

Most of all, I was and always will be, a student....Paid more than my students. Treated with more respect than my students. With more life experience, self-confidence, and the "wisdom" of age (maybe), than my students.

What did I learn? (Of course, as soon as I learn something, I forget it and must continuously re-learn it.).....

I learned that everybody's pain feels the same.

CHILDREN & THEIR FAVORITE TOYS

Revealing, moving photographs of children around the world, by an Italian artist....

http://www.gabrielegalimberti.com/projects/toys-2/#

DEAR MARGO ®

Margo Howard is (by far) the best, most psychologically astute, mentally healthy "advice" columnist in the international English media. Her wise advice is not always 100% correct, as she is not a mind-reader or God, but it is as close to constructive and useful reality, (not self-help dogma or nice-sounding politically-correct platitudes), as humanly possible. 

If your newspaper doesn't have it, you can read her column at no charge on the net, from Creators.com [This is not a paid endorsement.]

A GOOD WOMAN

February 3, 2013

Sotomayor, a Star on the Book-Tour Circuit, Sees a New Niche for a Justice

By JODI KANTOR

CHICAGO — At her Wednesday night book talk here, Justice Sonia Sotomayor glided through her audience of 700, dispensing homespun wisdom through a cordless microphone, interrupted by impromptu applause.

When the moderator read a question from Tabbie Major, age 7, about which books Justice Sotomayor loved as a child, she found the girl, locked her in an embrace, held on while reminiscing about Nancy Drew mysteries and then called out for a photographer to capture the moment. No need: a good portion of the crowd was already snapping pictures.

Welcome to another night in the life of Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court justice, current queen of the best-seller list and suddenly the nation’s most high-profile Hispanic figure.

MONEY AND THE SOUL

Mr. Kalayanasundaram worked as a Librarian for 30 years. Every month in his 30 year experience(service), he donated his entire salary to help the needy. He worked as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. He donated even his pension amount of about ten lakh rupees to the needy.

He is the first person in the world to spend the entire earnings for a social cause. In recognition to his service, United Nations Organization adjudged him as one of the Outstanding People of the 20th Century. An American organization honored him with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rs 30 cores as part of this award which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual.Moved by his passion to help others, Super Star Rajinikanth adopted him as his father.

WE ALL CHANGE

At the extremes, there are two basic kinds of people (aren't there always): those who ravenously crave any change because their lives are terrible or boring, and those who hate and/or fear any change. 

I'm someone who usually resists change, because I feel most of it are superficial diversions that keep us from confronting and changing ourselves, as well as working to improve political and social realities. Development changes are more often than not negative, destroying the life-giving beauty of nature and artistic creation, solely for the purpose of personal profit, power, and ego gratification. Technological changes severely harms healthy human feeling and human communication, intellectual exploration, unique individual expression, and the vital critical standards painfully developed at great sacrifice over hundreds of years of movement towards a civilized planet.

This article suggests why we may not be able to see, plan for, react to, or accept change....

VALUES

     For Sale: $65-million.

     Phoenix, Arizona.