This is the sort of thing I want to hear from our leaders. The divisiveness has to end. Blacks, whites, women, men, gays, straights, Republicans, Democrats ... we ALL want a better future for those we care about. Let's focus on what that means with the recognition that we are more alike than unalike.
Obama's words echo some of my own. From my web site, landrybutler.com:
"I believe that those of us living on Earth in the 21st century are in a unique position to determine the future course of humanity. I am convinced that all of us want a better life for ourselves and those about whom we care."
"Life is for living and despite all that our spiritual traditions tell us of an afterlife, this current life, today, this moment is all that is guaranteed. I feel that we, both individually and collectively, must use this moment to put aside our differences and talk about what sort of future we want."
Pipe dreams they may be, but the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning is the thought that those dreams are gradually coming true. They are not a destination, but a journey.
The remarks of Senator Barack Obama continue below. Here's a link to some of the media coverage.
I saw this on someone's MySpace site. I guess which card I would get and turned out to be right.
Aside from the metaphysical connectedness that we all share, I have often felt as though my consciousness is naturally external to my body. My body is the car and I am the driver.
When it resides in my body, I feel that consciousness is centered both in my head and my heart like a subatomic particle that has not yet been observed. On observation, consciousness moves to one place or the other depending on the context of what I am doing.
The notion of a consciousness that is independent of my body is helpful in keeping me objective about the events in my life. Things both "good" and "bad" happen to me all the time and an objective point of view is a good tool.
There are times however when my consciousness is located firmly in the pit of my stomach. Those are not good times, but fortunately they do not come around often.
Life is about dreaming and acting on those dreams. Like it or not, all your dreams are coming true.
From time to time, however, life will kick you in the face for no apparent reason. This is normal. It is important to use those chaotic events as catalysts for self-improvement. When you improve your self, you make the world just a tiny bit better for all of us.
In this last-half of 2007, why not focus on taking care of YOU. Isn't it about time you treated yourself as well as you treat your loved ones?
"If Landry Butler has his way, March 31st will be the day of enlightenment for all who attend The Love Show 2.0: The Second Coming at the Plowhaus Artists' Cooperative. The Second Coming is a multimedia art happening to encourage positive action, self-actualization and the pursuit of one's dreams. Plowhaus artists will take on the task of creating work based on Butler's concepts as the gallery becomes a transformative experience through sound, light, movement, smell and texture."
-- Andee Rudloff, Nashville Arts, March 2007
Web sites
The Love Show
Plowhaus