Sunday, October 28, 2012

Is The Rule Really Golden?

You can check out the audio version, with musical accompaniment, by clicking on the following link: audio version.

While in a crowded parking lot Saturday, I waited on three cars to pass before backing out. When I finally got a chance to do so, another driver stopped me, rolled down her window and yelled, "Wait your turn." Before she drove off (even though I wanted to do otherwise) I decided to treat her the way I would like to have been treated, with tolerance and patience, in the hope that she would pass that same spirit on to the next person. It was unfortunate that her concept of the 'Golden Rule" was 'Do unto me as I would do unto me..'  The 'we' was entirely left out of her equation, as it has been with all of us (including myself) at one time or another. This type of behavior sadly allows separation, rather than cooperation, to be the dominating factor in our interactions.

Divisiveness is a disturbing yet effective means of wresting power from the many and relinquishing it to the few. Divide and conquer is not an insignificant adage but a viable and oft used reality. It has been employed throughout the ages to control, and no group of people is immune from its debilitating effects. Yes even religion, the largest single entity of human consciousness on the planet,  has fallen prey to this perpetrator of hiearchal self-righteousness. The fact that a reported 3.5 billion people on the planet profess a belief in a Supreme Being, yet focus more on differences than on similarities, is a boon to those whose major objective is to be right rather than righteous. Right or wrong can only lead to separation and conflict, whereas true righteousness leads to unity (oneness) and peace.

The Golden Rule is one similarity that exists between at least five of the major religions of the world. However, divisiveness between them, whether purposed or not, contributes to the problems of our world today. Let's take a look at the parallel between religions in terms of numbers. These numbers are admittedly research figures that may be opinionated at best. However; they do serve to make a point, so let's focus on their qualitative rather than quantitative value.

Christianity: There are over 2 billion Christians in the world and the Golden Rule as expressed by Jesus in Matthew 7:12 reads, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
Islam: We have1.6 billion Muslims on the planet and the same rule is found thusly in the Prophet Muhammad's Forty Hadiths "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."
Hinduism: 900 million Hindus live in our world and their version of the same rule is found in chapter CXIII Verse 8 of the Anusasana Parva, and it reads," One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma {the universal law of being}. Other behavior is due to selfish desires." 
Buddhism: The Buddhists population is 376 million in number and in the Udana-Varga 5:18 we find,  "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." 
Judaism: Our world consists of 13.75 million Jews and we find the following words in the Talmud, Shabbat 31a, "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary."

Now I don't know about you, but I see the very same message in all the above quotations. If  you treat me the way you want to be treated then we will undeniably be of one accord. Each  and every quote expresses a reciprocating principle that advocates, defends, and supports the concept of 'Oneness' to the nth degree.

It's obvious that the world is not reflecting this sense of unity, so what is causing our divisiveness. Could it be that we are saying what we believe and who we are, and  but are not fully being (living) what we say? Are we, from time to time, speaking ill of someone who doesn't act like we think they should, and then, in the course of doing so, opening the door for someone to speak ill of us?  Do we occasionally forget that it took us a minute to get where we are, and then expect someone else to be where we think they should be (right now)? We have been given countless opportunities to become better people, yet are we possibly not allowing another a chance to improve? How about us looking at someone else in terms of where they are and not where we think they should be? I believe that once we start seeing ourselves as a body of one, each sharing the same hopes and dreams of living in harmony and peace, we can be more true to ourselves and to each other. 

Life's purpose is more about action than conversation, and I don't believe that we can put anything out there and not get it back. If each of us makes a concerted effort to be who we say we are, and works harder on perfecting ourselves and less on being concerned with what we consider someone else's imperfections, then separation and chaos can be mitigated. Once that happens, we can graciously accept and manifest the universal One that we have always been.


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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Words and Music By Grace

According to Corinthians 12:9, God's Response to the Apostle Paul's request to remove the tormenting  'thorn in his flesh' was, "My Grace is sufficient for you, for my Power is made perfect in weakness". By Grace we have been given access to varied venues of relief for whatever bothers us. I was inadvertently reintroduced to two of these venues just this past weekend. Albeit not knowingly involved in any tormenting situation at the time, I was certainly not feeling my best and thereby became willingly lifted to a higher dimension via the composition (music) of six women and the literature (words) of one man. Whether it be the humdrum of daily life or the anxiety and sometimes frightening doldrums of fighting our personal battles, there is a way out. Words and music can be that way because as they did for me this past week end, they can take you to places where no woman/man has ever gone and bring you back with a renewed and strengthened sense of where to go from here.

I'd like to pontificate a bit on these two occurrences, if I may, and point out how the seven people involved in them both transformed and enriched my life.

The first was a two day event called 'Off The Page': Women Jazz Composers Festival. It was a collaboration of six ladies: Maia, Nicole Mitchell, Dawn Norfleet, Leah Paul, Tomeka Reid,  and Manisha Shahane, all accomplished composers in their own right, who at the behest of a Tomeka Reid brainchild got together to both showcase and share their creations with two totally encapsulated and enthralled  audiences at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica on October 12 and at the World Stage in Los Angeles on October 13. I was both privileged and honored to MC both these outstanding occurrences and grateful for the opportunity to both experience and be a witness to the  strenuous work, unflinching dedication, time consuming days and restless nights that accompanied these ladies as they arduously extrapolated indelible compositions and delivered unheralded performances allowing every member of the audience to leave with much more than they had imagined was available to them.

Jazz Composing Divas
L-R Manisha Shahane, Dawn Norfleet, Tomeka Reid, Nicole Mitchell, Leah Paul, and Maia

It was amazing to behold how each composer had to not only write a musical score for each instrument (voice included), but had to also ensure that each instrumentalist understood and was comfortable with the overall message that was to be conveyed. Needless to say, the musicians were handpicked because of their innate abilities to meet these criteria and were incredibly and undeniably adept at meeting the high standards to which they had been called. The result was a cornucopia of composition that included fusions of classical, folk, world, experimental, and jazz music that was irrefutably, as inferred by Maia's creative festival moniker..."OFF THE PAGE'. Their willingness to give of themselves to others at an unheard of $10 donation/cost for an event of this magnitude, the unselfishness of each composer to highlight  and display the awe inspiring skill and dedication of each instrumentalist to her/his craft, and the overall love for both music, audience and participant was indicative of how this event was an ideal microcosm of how we all can and should interact as One.

The ardent display, by all present, of appreciation for the collaboration; and participation in the celebration of our Oneness, transformed and enriched my life. It renewed my understanding that by the Grace of the Creator we are able and obligated to participate as co-creators in giving of ourselves to others,  by means of the gracious gifts that have so freely been given to us. As an added bonus a remarkable enlightenment arose from all of  this sharing and caring, that being the revelation that our co-creativity can easily be witnessed by the joyful exuberance displayed by our simply being present in the moment. It was all good ya'll.

The second occurrence was the receipt of an autographed copy of my twenty-five year friend, Paul Madyun's, first novel entitled 'The Candidate'. This compilation of literary expression depicts the life of a man besought by the need to understand his personal experiences and their relation to two universal and oft repeated queries: Why am I here? and What am I supposed to be doing?


I read half the book in one sitting and was so enamored with Paul's style of writing, his exceptional  assimilation and utilization of the English language, and the way in which the aural essence of each character jumped off the page that I decided to take my time and savor both the somatic and spiritual unfolding that emanated from each and every page. You see the book is not merely a fictional account of one man's life, it's an unobtrusive view of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual experiences that permeate the lives of every man woman and child. In addition to displaying the experiences we encounter in the course of attempting to live life on life's terms, Paul also offers insight into the choices available to us during those experiences that we might of heretofore been unaware of. Reading his book is like learning how to live life while being captivated and enthralled by the life of another who, like ourselves, is attempting to remain on that common yet elusive road of happy destiny.

In addition to all the subtle pleasures and substantive wisdom incurred while reading this wonderful novel, I am perpetually inundated with determining which character is closest to the author in terms of things like temperament, intellect, and spirituality, and in possibly discovering a little bit of him in every character. Then there is always the question of who and where I am regarding my own similarities to the make-up and behavior of each and every individual in this psuedo-fictional depiction of the life of all mankind. I'm loving this book Paul and ya'll.

No think about this. When was the  last time you read an enthralling book or attended a captivating concert? When were you last able to separate yourself from life's tormenting madness and celebrate the glorious gladness that a brilliant book or some mindful music can bring. Well, I'm inviting you to become one with the opportunity to combine creativity, to reciprocate love, and to promote positive consciousness and peace of mind. No matter where you are in your journey, take a little time to google either or all of these seven people; Paul Madyun, Maia, Nicole Mitchell, Dawn Norfleet, Leah Paul, Tomeka Reid, and/or Manisha Shahane. Familiarize yourself with their work (gifts) and do what you can to share your findings and insight with yourself and others. Let's all participate in a collaborative effort  to support, celebrate, and share with one another as we become one with the universe which, by Grace, is available to us all as we make our way to heaven right here on earth.


Check out the spoken version of this posting by clicking on the following link.Audio Version

To respond or comment, click on the word comments at the bottom of the page, or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com




Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Our Connection Is Not an Option...It's A Necessity

The thigh bone connected to the back bone,
The back bone connected to the neck bone,
The neck bone connected to the head bone,
Oh, hear the word of the Lord!


The foregoing is an excerpt from the song Dem Dry Bones, with melody composed by James Weldon Johnson and lyrics written by an unknown author. While in a Yoga class this week, the instructor commented on how each yoga posture has an effect on the entire body, including the internal organs, and how our awareness of this connection can enhance the benefits derived from the posture itself. I thought about this in terms of how President Obama had inadvertently referenced the importance of a 'national connectedness' in an interview with the television program 60 Minutes. He implied that as a result of his experience while in office, he would spend less time trying to garner the support of the Republican congress and more time on assessing and meeting the needs of the American people. My contention is that the president has realized or remembered that until all our needs are met, until we all collaborate and agree on 'what we gon do', there will be no real peace and freedom for any of us. We're connected, we're one, and until we initiate and sustain our actions from that premise, division, dissatisfaction, and the subsequent dismantling  of life as we know it will continue to plague us.

It's no mystery that there are only a few people on the entire planet who have collectively amassed almost all the material wealth. Along with that wealth is a semblance of power that seeks to strengthen and maintain their status by keeping the rest of us competitive and at each other's throats. A sense of I got to make sure that mine is bigger, better, and 'righter' than yours has become our mindset, and we spend a lot of our time concerned and bickering about things like: the Republicans or  Democrats being the best party, the Chicago Bears being a better team than the Oakland Raiders, Christians or Mormons being the only ones going to heaven, whether or not Haile Berry looks better than Angelina Jolie, if Hip Hop has a good or bad influence on the black community, or if a "Big Mac" is better than a "Whopper". These and many other issues keep us at odds  among ourselves while the supposed 'powers that be' are dedicated to collectively insuring that their stronghold remains intact. Their semblance of power is fueled by our elusive desire to be like them, and we thereby lose sight of who we are...one people whose existence is made manifest by One Creator for the sole purpose of helping one another experience heaven right here on earth. Once we realize that it ain't about what me or she has, but about learning how to depend on and treat one another, we'll be able to experience a sense of wealth and power beyond our deepest imaginings and our wildest dreams. We can then transition from the mindset of limitations to a consciousness of more than enough.



I propose that once President Obama is re-elected he can start incorporating the thoughts of the people in his decision making, from a foundation of inclusiveness rather than 'elitism'. He  can involve the recently unemployed in balancing the budget, because they have learned how to eliminate debt from experience and can assist the 'experts' who rely primarily on analyzing statistics, conjecturing solutions, and lining their pockets. He can call in retired insurance execs who are willing to tell the truth about insurance fraud on the corporate side, and have the knowledge and desire to formulate a means for allocating medical benefits in an honest and equitable manner. As for foreign affairs he can bring both allies and potential foes to the table, and they can all come to terms with the fact that their quest for nuclear power stems from a desire to keep up with the "Jones's. As my buddy Buzzy used to say, "White folks got it, you know I want it." From these and similar meetings an international forum can be established where the major focus is making sure that everybody has what they need, so that they don't try to get somebody else's.  You inferred the concept of 'connectedness' in your interview Mr. President, and I don't know how and if you intend to incorporate it, I'm just sayin. We can solve the problems together, as one, by  being inclusive and collaborative in our approach. 

"The neck bone connected to the head bone...". I remember singing that song as a child without realizing that it was a Negro Spiritual, because we never included the words 'Oh, hear the word of the Lord!  Well the 'Word' is and always will be 'One'. We all can do our part by recognizing, legitimizing, and utilizing a sense of oneness in our homes, on our jobs, and wherever and whenever we find ourselves in the company of others. All we need do is see ourselves in others and do our best to promote and solidify our connection to one another. We can sit at the table and eat dinner together. We can take a walk with a loved one. We can say Hi to the person walking by. We can give a dollar and/or a smile to the one with the cup in her hand. Neither the president nor anyone else can make anybody do anything, but our example can and will lead to beneficial results. Our every action affects another, and in turn affects all of us. We're one ya'll...we're connected. Let's do everything we do with that in mind.


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