The worldly consensus seems to mandate that we choose and profess a religious affiliation. Then it offers automatic credibility and authoritative license to those of us with a 'title' before or after our names. I've always experienced hesitancy in regard to accepting religious beliefs as spoken and demonstrated by those who claim to love God and are so-called conveyors of God's Word. I'm talking now about not only Christians, but Muslims, Buddhists, and all others who profess one thing and seem to live another. As far as I'm concerned, who we are, who we're with, and what we know is not nearly as important as how we live (love).
The purpose of this posting is to address the need for developing, manifesting, and maintaining a consciousness that doesn't replace but transcends any and all theological beliefs. It's about being more concerned about our spiritual connection than our religious affiliation. It's about loving each other where we are and not where me, you, or anybody thinks we should be. Mankind has taken its own interpretation of what God would have us do, and packaged, labeled and advertised it under the premise that whoever doesn't buy it is going to hell. I believe that if we do our best to live according to the two things that Jesus said summed up everything..."Love God and love each other..." then we will not only have eternal life but can experience heaven right here on earth.
Love is the act of being one, not only with God but also with each other. What Jesus and other spiritual teachers had (have) is a "doing whatever it takes to bring more love Into this place" type of attitude. They had (have) a Love consciousness. Our religious affiliation, and who and what we want to be known as, has little or nothing to do with what we're supposed to be doing. Our love for God, for one another, and for ourselves,...that's the place we're supposed to be working from. We too can develop, manifest and maintain a Love consciousness, by realizing and accepting that we're in a position, right now, to do what needs to be done. The fact of the matter is that the world is calling for more love and we are all in the right place, at the right time, title or no title, to answer that call.
We can all be participants in a revived 'I'm going to bring love to this place' consciousness by looking at what we're doing and starting to ask ourselves if we're doing whatever it is out of love. Then, if we're not, making an effort to do so. Our religious affiliation will be part and parcel of that consciousness and we will not have to promote who we are, what we know, and who we're with, because people will be attracted to what we are doing. Love, the act of being one, can then be made manifest in our own lives and the lives of all mankind.
To comment or respond click on the word comments at the bottom of this page or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
It's Not About What You Bear Or Wear...It's About Who You Are
Once when I walked into a Christian church wearing an ankh, one of the deacons looked at me and greeted me with "We don't wear crosses in here, we bear them." You ever been in a situation like that where you wished you could, but you just couldn't find the words that would make you feel that you had righteously put a person in their place? Well that was one of those times, and I now realize that the following is what I would liked to have said. "First of all Junior, this is not a cross it's an ankh...an Egyptian symbol of eternal life. And secondly, why are you still bearing the cross if Jesus did it for you?" There, I feel better now so allow me to pontificate just a bit about how I felt then and how I still feel today.
All my life I've heard that God Gave His only begotten son so that whoever believed in him would live forever. I've also read the following biblical verses Matthew 16:24 and 1 Peter 2:21 respectively, "To this we were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.", and, "If anyone would come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. " I believe that these passages are paramount in that they describe how true sacrifice is made and they indicate that we might experience discomfort in doing God's Will as demonstrated by Jesus. But is sacrifice and suffering supposed to be the gist of our focus? Do we have to tell everybody, all the time, that we be going through this and going through that (bearing the cross) so that they believe we are the ones who are saved, sanctified, and full of the Holy Ghost? I bet that Jesus feels we should even diminish the attention we give to his suffering on the cross, and display other images of him like his healing the sick, feeding the 5000, setting the record straight with that Samaritan woman, or restoring the life of a child. In retrospect, maybe we can start talking more about the good we gon try to do rather than the suffering or sacrificing we've already done. Doing good in the hood, ain't that something we'd all like to hear and see more of?
Went to see one of the best movies I've ever seen and I think it's a must see for all. It's called The Beasts of the Southern Wild and it speaks volumes to how the so called least of us have learned to endure and appreciate life's sometimes painful lessons. One of my favorite passages was the mother talking to Hushpuppy, her six year old daughter, who she hadn't seen since birth. It went something like this..."Every woman is a waitress and one day you gonna drop the plate and ain't nobody gonna pick it up for you. You gonna have to pick it up all by yourself without crying cause don't nobody like a pity party havin woman." Now as far as I'm concerned, that's sound, brutally honest advice for men and women alike, and something that we should at least think about cause the person it was directed at, six year old Hushpuppy, wound up having to live it before the movie was over. So in addition to what I've already directed to Junior back at the church; I say let's focus more on serving and sharing, and quit talking so much about what we're bearing and what somebody else is wearing.
To comment or respond click on the word comments at the bottom of this page or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com.
All my life I've heard that God Gave His only begotten son so that whoever believed in him would live forever. I've also read the following biblical verses Matthew 16:24 and 1 Peter 2:21 respectively, "To this we were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.", and, "If anyone would come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. " I believe that these passages are paramount in that they describe how true sacrifice is made and they indicate that we might experience discomfort in doing God's Will as demonstrated by Jesus. But is sacrifice and suffering supposed to be the gist of our focus? Do we have to tell everybody, all the time, that we be going through this and going through that (bearing the cross) so that they believe we are the ones who are saved, sanctified, and full of the Holy Ghost? I bet that Jesus feels we should even diminish the attention we give to his suffering on the cross, and display other images of him like his healing the sick, feeding the 5000, setting the record straight with that Samaritan woman, or restoring the life of a child. In retrospect, maybe we can start talking more about the good we gon try to do rather than the suffering or sacrificing we've already done. Doing good in the hood, ain't that something we'd all like to hear and see more of?
Went to see one of the best movies I've ever seen and I think it's a must see for all. It's called The Beasts of the Southern Wild and it speaks volumes to how the so called least of us have learned to endure and appreciate life's sometimes painful lessons. One of my favorite passages was the mother talking to Hushpuppy, her six year old daughter, who she hadn't seen since birth. It went something like this..."Every woman is a waitress and one day you gonna drop the plate and ain't nobody gonna pick it up for you. You gonna have to pick it up all by yourself without crying cause don't nobody like a pity party havin woman." Now as far as I'm concerned, that's sound, brutally honest advice for men and women alike, and something that we should at least think about cause the person it was directed at, six year old Hushpuppy, wound up having to live it before the movie was over. So in addition to what I've already directed to Junior back at the church; I say let's focus more on serving and sharing, and quit talking so much about what we're bearing and what somebody else is wearing.
To comment or respond click on the word comments at the bottom of this page or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
We're Born To Win
Everybody loves a winner... even the 'haters' who just don't realize that you're not a winner based on what you have but on who you are. When you project who you really are, not who you want people to think you are, everybody can't help but to want some of it.
My wife and I had the opportunity to attend a concert this past Saturday at UCLA, and witnessed an incredible display of jazz compositions performed by a classical music orchestra. The concert was preceded by JCOI (Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute) a week of intensive study facilitated by eight of the most prolific and honored jazz composers on the planet, and administered to 40 very accomplished jazz musicians, chosen from a field of several hundred applicants, who sought to expand and embellish their composition skills. The focus was on the inherent gap between classical and jazz music, that is fueled by the same heirarchal attitude that permeates our society today. The participants spent 10-12 hours each day discussing ideas and techniques that would help to bridge that gap, expressing their experiences, hopes, and dreams in regard to developing a means for garnering respect for all musicians, regardless of their genre, who sought to hone and share their work, All of this was undergirded and intensified by the anticipated and culminating concert that would give the participants and listeners a peek into what the future holds for the world of music.
I would like to give you my insight on each piece performed and the response of each and every composer, but am going to limit this talk to the composition written by my friend Alvin , who calls himself Calvin without the C, entitled Almost A Boogie. Now I'm not going to focus on the content of his peice except to say that it included and demonstrated all the principles and precepts discussed during the weeklong UCLA endeavor. What I am going to do however, is draw your attention to how Alvin and everyone present is a winner in their own right. The humility and obvious acceptance of their many accomplishments and endeavors as something that can be achieved by anyone who strives to make a difference was a sight to behold. A primary example is how as the audience applauded; Alvin got up out of his seat, walked to the stage and personally congratulated the conductor and orchestra for their appreciative and complimentary rendition of his piece. This act was aptly duplicated as he personably and graciously accepted each and every kudo handed him by the audience, and mirrored once more by the way in which he mingled and interacted with the attendees at the reception afterwards. What I garnered from Alvin was that he and his fellow musicians were hailed and celebrated as winners by everyone present not because they tried to be but because they are.
This whole JCOI event was not about people trying to impress and be lauded. It was about every day folk sharing their musical gifts with one another so that all who experienced their subsequent contributions could hear what winning through collaboration sounds like, and hopefully seek to win through like means in their own respective endeavors. It's all about us being who we are, doing what we do, and wanting everybody to profit as a result. We all can't help but to be winners when we want some of that.
I thank all you JCOI participants for showing me how to win.
To comment or respond click on the word comments at the bottom of this page or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com
My wife and I had the opportunity to attend a concert this past Saturday at UCLA, and witnessed an incredible display of jazz compositions performed by a classical music orchestra. The concert was preceded by JCOI (Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute) a week of intensive study facilitated by eight of the most prolific and honored jazz composers on the planet, and administered to 40 very accomplished jazz musicians, chosen from a field of several hundred applicants, who sought to expand and embellish their composition skills. The focus was on the inherent gap between classical and jazz music, that is fueled by the same heirarchal attitude that permeates our society today. The participants spent 10-12 hours each day discussing ideas and techniques that would help to bridge that gap, expressing their experiences, hopes, and dreams in regard to developing a means for garnering respect for all musicians, regardless of their genre, who sought to hone and share their work, All of this was undergirded and intensified by the anticipated and culminating concert that would give the participants and listeners a peek into what the future holds for the world of music.
Alvin and Calvin
I would like to give you my insight on each piece performed and the response of each and every composer, but am going to limit this talk to the composition written by my friend Alvin , who calls himself Calvin without the C, entitled Almost A Boogie. Now I'm not going to focus on the content of his peice except to say that it included and demonstrated all the principles and precepts discussed during the weeklong UCLA endeavor. What I am going to do however, is draw your attention to how Alvin and everyone present is a winner in their own right. The humility and obvious acceptance of their many accomplishments and endeavors as something that can be achieved by anyone who strives to make a difference was a sight to behold. A primary example is how as the audience applauded; Alvin got up out of his seat, walked to the stage and personally congratulated the conductor and orchestra for their appreciative and complimentary rendition of his piece. This act was aptly duplicated as he personably and graciously accepted each and every kudo handed him by the audience, and mirrored once more by the way in which he mingled and interacted with the attendees at the reception afterwards. What I garnered from Alvin was that he and his fellow musicians were hailed and celebrated as winners by everyone present not because they tried to be but because they are.
This whole JCOI event was not about people trying to impress and be lauded. It was about every day folk sharing their musical gifts with one another so that all who experienced their subsequent contributions could hear what winning through collaboration sounds like, and hopefully seek to win through like means in their own respective endeavors. It's all about us being who we are, doing what we do, and wanting everybody to profit as a result. We all can't help but to be winners when we want some of that.
I thank all you JCOI participants for showing me how to win.
To comment or respond click on the word comments at the bottom of this page or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com
Friday, August 3, 2012
Where Do We Go From Here?
There is a common response that makes me wonder how we got to this point. It's usually made by dependent youth in response to a conversation that goes something like this... "I put a roof over your head, buy all your clothes, and feed you each and every day. Why can't you do what I ask you to do?" The paraphrased response is the same in any language. "I didn't ask to be here...it's your job to take care of me." What's going on ya'll, what happened to work ethic and responsibility? I certainly don't know the answer but allow me to share my thoughts if you will.
We all have a tendency at times, to blame some one or some thing else for our uncomfortable and compromising situations. According to the Bible Adam blamed his wife for eating the forbidden fruit'. "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." The fact of the matter was that God and Adam (the we) had a deal andAdam forfeited when he ate the fruit. Upon realizing that he was exposed(naked) he tried to cover up. Then, when he got caught and God called him out, he blamed Eve for the infraction. Today it's the same scenario. We get caught not doing what we should or doing what we shouldn't; and place the blame on our parents or children, on our bosses or the school system, or on the media for our subsequent separation from the 'we' consciousness. The bottom line is that our existence on this planet has always been and will always be predicated on a we thing. No matter how we got here, no matter what we do or feel, our very presence means that we have a pact with the universe which guarantees that the way we treat each other is the way we will be treated. That's an inevitable, universal truth and it's the real deal. We and the universe are one, we are all part of the we. Whenever we break away from that reality, which has already been established, we are at fault for what some of us still claim is not our responsibility.
Each of us has a purpose for being here and not until we realize that we have to be of one accord to make that purpose manifest, none of our projects or goals will reach their full potential. If one child leaves food in the room causing ants, cockroaches, or mice to appear; the whole household and everybody in it is affected. If the father and mother are at odds with each other, whether they're in the same house or not, the children are going to suffer along with them. The schools play a role in this scenario as well by not mandating that everyone in a child's life be involved in the educational process. Shows like 'Basketball Wives' should not be accepted as 'Reality' shows, but for what they truly are... 'What People Do Who Ain't Doing Nothing Else'. In order for each of us to make manifest our reason for being here, and to change the things that are not really in our favor, we must first realize that something has to be done, and then understand that before we do anything we must first take into consideration how everyone else will be affected. Then and only then can a beneficial and altruistic change come about, and then and only then can we truly fulfill our individual purposes for being here.
The next time we get 'checked' or 'treated by somebody else, let's stop responding with excuses. Instead let's recognize and accept that we're essentially being notified of how we've separated ourselves from the 'we', and how important it is to come back home to the we in that 'Garden of Eden' where it all began. Once we acknowledge and accept where we're from, we will truly recognize and realize where it is we're going.
To comment or respond click on the word comments at the bottom of this page, or email me at grace.calvin 187@gmail.com.
We all have a tendency at times, to blame some one or some thing else for our uncomfortable and compromising situations. According to the Bible Adam blamed his wife for eating the forbidden fruit'. "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." The fact of the matter was that God and Adam (the we) had a deal andAdam forfeited when he ate the fruit. Upon realizing that he was exposed(naked) he tried to cover up. Then, when he got caught and God called him out, he blamed Eve for the infraction. Today it's the same scenario. We get caught not doing what we should or doing what we shouldn't; and place the blame on our parents or children, on our bosses or the school system, or on the media for our subsequent separation from the 'we' consciousness. The bottom line is that our existence on this planet has always been and will always be predicated on a we thing. No matter how we got here, no matter what we do or feel, our very presence means that we have a pact with the universe which guarantees that the way we treat each other is the way we will be treated. That's an inevitable, universal truth and it's the real deal. We and the universe are one, we are all part of the we. Whenever we break away from that reality, which has already been established, we are at fault for what some of us still claim is not our responsibility.
Each of us has a purpose for being here and not until we realize that we have to be of one accord to make that purpose manifest, none of our projects or goals will reach their full potential. If one child leaves food in the room causing ants, cockroaches, or mice to appear; the whole household and everybody in it is affected. If the father and mother are at odds with each other, whether they're in the same house or not, the children are going to suffer along with them. The schools play a role in this scenario as well by not mandating that everyone in a child's life be involved in the educational process. Shows like 'Basketball Wives' should not be accepted as 'Reality' shows, but for what they truly are... 'What People Do Who Ain't Doing Nothing Else'. In order for each of us to make manifest our reason for being here, and to change the things that are not really in our favor, we must first realize that something has to be done, and then understand that before we do anything we must first take into consideration how everyone else will be affected. Then and only then can a beneficial and altruistic change come about, and then and only then can we truly fulfill our individual purposes for being here.
The next time we get 'checked' or 'treated by somebody else, let's stop responding with excuses. Instead let's recognize and accept that we're essentially being notified of how we've separated ourselves from the 'we', and how important it is to come back home to the we in that 'Garden of Eden' where it all began. Once we acknowledge and accept where we're from, we will truly recognize and realize where it is we're going.
To comment or respond click on the word comments at the bottom of this page, or email me at grace.calvin 187@gmail.com.
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