Category Archives: Wild World

Unusual happening in the world.

How Education Reform Heals Our Planetary Home

Our intent on separating ourselves from nature has limited our vocabulary. Our lack of understanding of nature and our place within makes us deaf to the heartbeat of our world.

Education reform must be the priority of our nation. Mandatory curriculum’s’ must reflect our well-being, the well-being of our communities, cities, states, countries and the planet; at all levels in our educational institutions, never-ending and free. Appropriate time must be allowed for such intricate education. It must not be hurried if we are to heal ourselves, nature and our Planetary home.

Understanding how we arrived at our present state is best explained in a YouTube video titled ‘The Happiness Machine’. It reveals the influence of Sigmund Fraud and his Nephew Edward Bernays had in shaping our ‘ self-based’ society…which still prevails! We are not here at this juncture by accident. It was planned and based on ‘economic growth’ entirely, without thought of the consequences to ourselves and our planet.

In contrast, and left out of much of our history, ancient sages felt knowing thyself so important they chiseled ‘Know Thyself’ in stone over the tomb of the mythical god Apollo. Why did they take the time to chisel these words in stone? The answer is complicated. Perhaps, it can best be answered in a poem by a presidential candidate, long before she was a candidate, Marianne Williamson.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

We are ‘powerful beyond measure’ if given the ability to get there. Ancient sages believed:

“Self-knowledge is all-encompassing. What is learned on one scale of experience can be applied to all scales. It is the highest form of knowledge, surpassing all other knowledge. Self-knowledge is also timeless, which means that what is gained in one era, benefits all subsequent generations.”

Knowing oneself has intricate beginnings. Time-consuming beginnings. Beginnings which are apart of every living being; soil, water, air and all we see and don’t see. The connections are innate and undeniable. Everything has a purpose and is connected.

Going beyond the name of a thing is the language of science. It is a language humans must learn to speak. Life in all its forms is precious and necessary. All life that surrounds us sustains each of us in ways we do not fully understand. Making the appropriate time to understand the language of science will take a shift in how we approach education. We need to do more than churn out a workforce.

Currently, our Education Standards are geared to produce a workforce. Humans are more than a workforce and must be educated accordingly. We, each of us, are stewards.  Stewards of maintaining the well-being of ourselves and our Planetary home. The two are not exclusive of one another…we are intricately connected and we must educate ourselves accordingly.

Making the language of science a mandatory part of our un-civilization will unlock the mystery which lies within each of us. Learning the language of science will answer that question which is always gnawing in our being, alluding us and seems unanswerable.

When we learn the language of science, we learn who we and the life around us are, how to maintain optimum well-being, which we each deserve and how we connect. Doing so, we learn our purpose within this network of life.

The world does not standstill. Neither must we. Change happens no matter what we do or do not do. My intention is to flourish. Join me. Make your well-being a top priority and the rest will fall into place.

We, humans, are fortunate. We have the ability and brilliance to direct these changes. What we do and do not do matters enormously!

Happy Trails!

Doughnut Economics: Planing for Planetary Well-Being!

Women (and some enlightened men) are rising up everywhere. The broom is in hand by Wild Women: we’re cleaning up men’s mess! Women are becoming more engaged than ever before in their communities, city, state and national governments!

Now what? What course do we women take? How do we make a sustainable home? And, as Kate Raworth asks, what language do we need to speak to make the changes in the world we want to see? She believes its ‘Economics’. I agree. Kate went to college to become an economist. However, she soon discovered our economy was not rooted in anything she cared about.

How do we create an economy which supports well-being for all? She has an answer: the theory of ‘Doughnut Economics’. Guess what, it turns our current economic system on its head! Which is a very good thing as far as I can see. Good for our Planetary home and all life! Remember the theory of ‘what’s good for the goose is good for the gander’! Same principal.

Looking back to where we come from and how we got here helps us to understand how to plot a more sustainable course. Our centuries of imitation reveal men at the helm. They have knowingly and unknowingly plotted a short-term course, without thought to the repercussions of their plotting.

Women can do better! The roundtable of ‘Doughnut Economics’ offers a plan for well-being for all! And as Kate asks, What if economics were based on human well-being? Let’s each take a journey to the ingenuity of creating well-being for all!

Happy Trails!

The Elusive Unconditional Foundation

I’ve been reading a ‘Forward by John Paul Jackson’. To what, I’m not sure. I found the forward in a stack of papers on my desk. I did look the guy up and it looks like he has published a great number of books about Earth, who we are, and, where we come from.
 
John Paul Jackson says in the beginning sentence of the Forward, “The Earth is a wonderful and mysterious planet. It is unique and one of a kind.” I think we can all agree here. Then he says, “In all of creation, no other sphere contains the beauty and variety of life this planet does.” For me, this perspective seems narrow. Or, maybe my perspective is a bit broad. You decide.
 
We look with our human eyes and see little of what the universe is made of…we only see the 4 percent of physical form…and infrequently acknowledge the 96 percent unconditional foundational energy that is ever present. We each have, what I call an electrical pulse. Frequency.
 
I’m all over broadening the human perspective and bent on fulfilling my purpose. Increasing my effort to cleans the Earth, our home, and myself, Acknowledging my purpose in the Network of Life is paramount in healing and creating a flourishing planet, which we are meant to be.
 
All of us exist in the elusive 96 percent unconditional foundation. How we perform there is up to each individual. Your frequency tells a story. One of well-being and happiness or something else. You are the master of your fate.
 
I applaud John Paul Jackson in his research and the valuable information he writes down.

Nurturing: It’s in Our DNA

Outrageous!  Women have had it. We are hitting the streets, the halls of government and are saying ‘no more’. We are changing the course of our nation and the world. We will no longer be a party to what Market Watch has defined as human nature. Using Economic Growth as the single measurement of Well-Being and success maybe men’s idea and nature but not mine or the majority of women I know.

“There really is only one answer: Deep inside we love war. We want war. Need it. Relish it. Thrive on war. War is in our genes, deep in our DNA. War excites our economic brain. War drives our entrepreneurial spirit. War thrills the American soul. Oh just admit it, we have a love affair with war. We love “America’s Outrageous War Economy.” – Paul B. Ferrell, Market Watch

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) — Yes, America’s economy is a war economy. Not a “manufacturing” economy. Not an “agricultural” economy. Nor a “service” economy. Not even a “consumer” economy.

Ask the so-called ‘ordinary’ human how they feel? What’s important? What they would like to change in their life. I guarantee it would have nothing to do with going to war. It would be much more personal; like not having to work two and three jobs just to break even, a home and food on the table.

I’m 73, I’ve worked all my life; still working. My fear comes from not getting a raise in my Social Security, from the fact that I will never stop working, from the homeless eyes I meet on the street, from the lines of people at the food bank, from the starving people of the world and from the violence and anger on the streets of our nation.

Did you know the United States as of September 2014 was in 134 wars around the globe? Do these wars help you meet your mortgage? Keep you well? Have anything to do with your daily life?

War has been our ‘go-to’ answer for centuries and men have been pulling the trigger. We need to look at the outcome and results. War is not working for the majority of us. War does not benefit the majority of our citizens. The main beneficiary:

“America may be a ticking time bomb, but we are threatened more by enemies within than external terrorists, by ideological fanatics on the left and the right. Most of all, we are under attack by our elected leaders who are motivated more by pure greed than ideology. They terrorize us, brainwashing us into passively letting them steal our money to finance “America’s Outrageous War Economy,” the ultimate “black hole” of corruption and trickle-up economics.” – Market Watch, 2008

Those who would do harm to life on this planet must be stopped. However, life on this planet takes many forms. We need to re-evaluate our priorities about whose life we are protecting and how we are protecting it.

Men have kept us in an ‘Age of Imitation’ long enough. Women are coming into their time and are bringing our world out of perpetual war and into nurturing life. It’s what women have always done. Nurture. It’s an innate part of our being. It’s our nature and in our DNA.

Happy Nurturing Trails

 

 

Age of Imitation

erma-bombeck1Confucius said, “Study your history and you may define your future.”

In the age of imitation, many outwardly follow along with things and inwardly fail to clarify their minds. Even if they do great works, they are not ultimate. In general, it is the baseness and vulgarity of the people with whom they associate that makes them that way. 

It is like the case of insects: if they gather on an ox, they do not fly more than a few paces; but if they stick to a swift horse, they can chase the wind and pursue the sun, simply because of the superiority of what they cleave to. So students should always choose carefully where they will stay and always go with good people. Then eventually they can cut off  error and bias, approach balance and right and hear true words.” – Zen Lessons, The Art of Leadership

Extraordinary. I could not agree more. History is full of examples of our ‘age of imitation’. Humanities trail through history reflects how we imitate what we think is ‘ultimate’. Dictionaries define ‘ultimate’ as ‘the best or most extreme of its kind’.

Our society has chosen to ‘fly only a few paces’.  Look at our history of warring. And yes, we are the ‘most extreme of our kind’ and the ‘best’ of our kind. However, given our history, the majority of us do not ‘approach balance and right and hear true words’. We are still warring on every continent. Sickness and disease run rampant. We majority have chosen to imitate a part of history that benefits only a few. And the ‘benefits’ are mostly unsustainable. We cling to a history which teaches ‘error and bias’. Inequality is everywhere. Poor choices that deny our true ‘ultimate’ human nature.

How does one become ‘ultimate’? How do we find that superiority to cleave to? Perhaps we might think of what a superior or ultimate education for all looks like? I’ve been thinking about ‘education reform’ for many years. Doing research, talking to teachers and looking at the most important curriculum that is being skipped over or entirely left out. A curriculum that would bring enormous change to the world we live in.

Our education should reflect only ‘the best of its kind’? Isn’t our species, as thinking beings, moral obligation to make it so? Education of this kind will heal the planet and its inhabitants; create well being, joy and harmony. This is what I want. Lofty thoughts? Perhaps. Perhaps not. You may say, ‘How the heck can we do that’?

Education reform begins with our government officials creating a consistent mandatory curriculum foundation throughout our nation based on the ‘human body system’. 

The foundation I speak to is a part of history we left behind and did not ‘imitate’.  Why did we ignore our ancient scholars? They believed to ‘Know Thyself’ was important enough to carve the message in stone, (imagine the time it took to carve one letter),  This message was carved over the mythical tomb of Apollo. These ancient sages surmised that to ‘Know Thyself’ creates a rippling effect. They believed:

“Self-knowledge is all-encompassing. What is learned on one scale of experience can be applied to all scales. It is the highest form of knowledge, surpassing all other knowledge. Self-knowledge is also timeless, which means that what is gained in one era, benefits all subsequent generations.”

This is the consistent mandatory curriculum foundation I want to see throughout our nation. Why?

Education World says:

“The human body is the most fascinating and fantastic machine in existence. No one understands all of its many mysteries, and no single source can do justice to its many parts.”

How can our society know so little about how our bodies work in the 21st Century? Well, it is understandable when our National Science Standards curriculum’s focus is:

To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students’ interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field.”

The first 14 words sum up the reason why we know so little about the human body system. “To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce,”

Imagine what a different world this would be if we were not focusing on ‘preparing a workforce’. What if we understood how to optimally maintain our bodies? Pursuing optimum well-being would change industries. Understanding how to optimally maintain our bodies would eliminate poisons in the world. Our diets would be different. How we live would be in harmony with all life. Isn’t this what we want?

Changing our focus in education will shake fortunes and will be fought ‘tooth and nail’! For once we understand ourselves (as supreme and ultimate beings) we will not want what is being shoved down our throats.

A teacher friend writes:

“Learning about our bodies and how they work is one of the most important things we can learn in science class. I think I’ve learned more about it once I needed to understand how my body was malfunctioning (and that of my friends & family). There’s no standard that addresses “you are what you eat.” I wish I could create lessons about “stop eating processed foods because….” or “an acidic body, cancer, and you” or “there are wheat flour and sugar in everything you eat” or “eat organic or else.” You get the jest, I’m sure. Our 7th graders have been studying the different systems in our body this semester, but it really is just an intro-level. I was lucky enough to be given a lot of control over the curriculum teaching in bush Alaska so during biology I emphasized (read-spent more time on) the human body systems.”

I could give the reason why this has happened and is happening, however, most know and it’s a topic for another discussion.

Happy non-imitation trails!

City of Colorado Springs: Homelessness and Poverty

Tree Guard in Stratton Open Space
Tree Guard

September 3, 2015

Honorable Mayor Suthers and City Council Members,

I understand your dilemma with regard to the issue of people displaying themselves in what you have deemed as inappropriate places and in inappropriate manner.

It saddens me to see our beautiful city streets filled with poverty and homelessness. No one in our nation or the world should be living in such a manner! We the people have been lazy. You only have to look at our voting records and the state of so much dis-ease in the world to see how little involvement citizens have taken in governing ourselves better.

It is everyone’s job, not just yours to find positive and long term solutions to homelessness and poverty.  We are not alone in this struggle. Our entire nation struggles with this scourge on our planet. Now, our city has an incredible opportunity. We can become a beacon in this endeavor; if we all put our heads together and take time.

I believe you could postpone acting on ORD 9.2.112 and give the citizens, businesses and organizations of Colorado Springs an opportunity and time to assist you in coming up with more positive and long term solutions.

I have a few idea:

  1. Lets get our community businesses (Home Depot for instance) and people who have graciously contributed to Habitat for Humanity to rise to this emergency by creating more housing for the homeless.
  2. Lets began a City of Colorado Springs Work program which many of the homeless could fill; With this creative effort our tax dollars would be spent to give people pride and encouragement. Good will goes a very long way to keeping peace and justice!  Much more so than jail and fines.

These kinds of ideas are what is needed. Ideas which bring positive and long term solutions. I want to live in a city that shines and is a beacon for other cities. Colorado Springs can be that city if our focus and attention address the root causes of poverty and homelessness.

Thank you,

Gail Black

My Dream

Once upon a time we reproduced to shun extinction. Now we must stop reproduction for the same reason.My Dream

is that we be more realistic about how many humans our world can sustain. Do we need to continually manipulate nature to support a population who seem to believe there is no boundaries to how many people our world can sustain?  Are the consequences we are witnessing not enough evidence of our mis-guided nature? Introducing poisons’ into the world to manipulate agriculture and feed an over-populated world; when you think about it, it’s a craziness.

My dream is that we are more thoughtful in our approach to bringing more and more humans to the the planet.

Is sex a form of entertainment? Is your only claim to fame having a baby…then our world is doomed! The challenges our children face are greater than what we adults in our mis-guided actions can presently correct. It’s appalling that we would bring more children here; believing life will be better for them and they can correct our mistakes. Is it fair to bring children into a world which is bursting at the seam and scrambling to sustain an already over-populated world which is continually at war, with systems of government who work for the rich? Governments who view it’s population as mere resources and pawns and care so little that every society has poverty and suffering…and its’ citizens say, ‘It’s okay that we have poverty and suffering, it’s always been this way’!

is that our development stops creeping in on wildlife habitat; that we continually expand spaces which acknowledge our inter-connectedness with nature and wildlife. My dream is for spaces that celebrate this connectedness; exciting and joyful places; places where bird songs, babbling brooks and the wind through the trees supply much of the entertainment we crave. Am I delusional?

My dream is that Offices’ of Economic Development and Public Finance around the world offer environmental incentives which have an extremely high tax break for people and business who want to move here and NOT drain or poison our resources, employee locally; and not destroy wildlife and natural habitats. Wildlife does not understand the ‘concrete jungle’ that keeps crumbling the land.

My dream is that all governments make education (free for everyone) and infrastructure (including agriculture) their priorities.

My dream is that everyone accepts their responsibility as a steward to our planet and understands what being a steward means: Setting aside our ‘wanting’ to look at what is ‘needed’.

 

Is this a crazy dream?

 

Understanding Climate, Catastrophic Consequences and Changes

Earth boyClimate seems like such a complicated issue…or do we make it so simply to keep from taking the appropriate steps to correct our behavior. Catastrophic consequences to humanities bad choices is leaving the worlds population with options we would rather not consider. However, we must not only consider, we must act now!

“Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” – Mark Twain

It is way past time in developing a World Policy for cleaning up human kinds mess…isn’t that the function of the ‘Climate Talks’? Though it may be inconvenient and costly, the world’s population has to ‘bite the bullet’. Each country, according to their ‘tons of co2 emissions’ pays! Heavy $ fines per ton…which would lessen as we clean up our act. We could also create ‘heavy $ incentives’ for those who reach certain levels! It’s really pretty simple. However, as always the ‘power players’, those with the greatest impact and who would receive the heaviest fines are not willing to create such a plan! No surprise there.

“Rising global temperatures lead to other changes around the world, such as stronger hurricanes, melting glaciers, and the loss of wildlife habitats. That’s because the Earth’s air, water, and land are all related to one another and to the climate.” –  Climate Concepts, a Students Guide to Global Climate Change

We all bought into this mess, so we all have to clean it up!!!! Nobody seems to want to pay for their mistakes and take responsibility for climate deterioration. It really is ‘simple’. We all live here, we all must be responsible stewards of the planet. Anything else is trying to skip around the truth!

“The best discoveries we make are when we step out of our comfort zones.” – Erin Pettit, Global Warming: NG Live!: Erin Pettit: Glaciers on the Run

Breaking down and identifying who holds the most responsibility is fairly simple. We have more than enough data to do so. Some will pay more for their part, others will pay less. We can also create rewards or incentives, jobs and a budget for people all over the world to help make these changes happen.

WE are ‘already there’ (past the point of no return). We’ve all witnessed the consequences of our actions. We’ve already opened that door and it can not be closed. The best we can do is understand, take what we have learned and do differently; adjust to the changes already occurring and minimize further destruction by stopping what isn’t working!  WE act now or, what’s the saying, continue to ‘bite off our nose despite our face’!

Happy Trail Cleaning!

Same Sex Marriage: To Be or Not to Be

An historical moment in our history is about to occur this week. We are moving towards including the homosexual segment of our population. The Supreme Court is about to decide if Same Sex Marriage is a constitutional right; if same-sex marriage a class of people being discriminated against? Should same-sex marriage be judged the same as ‘blacks’ and ‘women’ rights, as ‘class discrimination’?

One in seven adults (14%) have changed their mind about same-sex marriage. Personally, I’m finding many of my friends have a gay or lesbian in their family. Who knows how many are still closeted; afraid of family and friend disapproval.

Recently, Colorado, in a sharp turnaround, approved civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. This comes only a few years after voters banned same-sex marriage in 2006. The law goes into effect May 1, 2013 and Colorado will join eight states that have civil unions on similar laws. There are nine states and the District of Columbia that allow gay marriage.

” Is the tide turning for support of same-sex marriage in America? The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments next week on the legality of California’s Proposition 8 and will talk exclusively with David Boies, one of the lawyers arguing for the law’s repeal before the Court next week.”

-NBC News Meet the Press, March 23, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Moral disapproval, without any other asserted state interest, has never been a rational basis for legislation”  – Judge Walker

Is this an uncomfortable topic? Does it make you anxious? Angry? Scared? You are not alone. What does it mean to make same-sex marriage legal? Who does it hurt? For me, if I chose to make a legal commitment to someone (man or woman) what does that decision have to do with anyone else? If I chose to have the law legalize the commitment my chosen partner and I have agreed to, who doe it hurt? This should not be a debate.

Merriam-Webster says: (1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) : the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage>

It looks like Merriam-Webster has already made same-sex marriage apart of their definition of ‘marriage’. Can we make them take it out?

Personally, if I chose to enter into a  legal commitment (marriage) with a person (man or woman) it is because we have chosen to live together for mutual benefit and love. We feel dedicated and devoted to one another. We are loyal and faithful to one another. None of the feelings I’ve listed  have anything to do with sex. Shouldn’t I be permitted to have all the benefits of any married couple no matter who I chose to make that commitment with?

Weather or not in couple chooses to consummate their marriage with sexual intercourse is their business, not yours or mine and not the courts. I do not believe ‘marriage’ should automatically assume the persons marrying are making a sexual commitment or statement. Love does not make a statement of sexual preference or sexual behavior.  I’ll say it again. I believe my personal sexual preferences or whether I chose to participate in sexual activity or not is my business, not your business or the courts. Therefore, I believe I should be able to make a legal commitment (marry) anyone I chose. I believe I should have access to the same legal and  financial benefits afforded to heterosexual couples.

A number of years ago I was in a relationship with a woman for ten years. We were committed to one another. We loved and were devoted to one another. We were very naive when it came to our financial relationship, as many couples are, we did not draw clear lines about dealing with finances; that coupled with my partners battle with alcoholism brought an end to our commitment and relationship. None of the property was in my name. She was the primary on the bank account. None of the three cars were in my name; there was no rental agreement and according to the law, I had no legal right to be there.

I left the woman who I thought was the love of my life. She locked the home I had known for 10 years against me. I did not get to enter the house to get my personal belongings, she put every thing I owned out into the rain. I had to walk away with absolutely nothing. If it had not been for my friend, I would have been homeless and on the street. I had no legal recourse. My friend should not have had to bare this burden. The law should have been there to protect me and my partner.

Happy same-sex marriage trails!

Genesis: Trail Building the Planet

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:32 (NIV)

Firstly,  I’ve made many mistakes in my 69 years; bad judgement, cheated, lied, stolen and disrespected life.  Each of us, I believe can lay claim to some part of this statement.  Does it matter what our discretion? My discovery:  I’m an ordinary human being who has discovered a trail to becoming extraordinary. Join me.

John was right, “the truth does set you free’. However, remember, you have to ‘know the truth’ to be ‘set free’. What will the ‘truth’ set you free from?

Many find the ‘truth’  sets them free from something they don’t want to be set free from. You could say the ‘truth’ came back to haunt them. There are many kinds of ‘truths’. The ‘truth’ that sets you to building a new trail. Or a ‘ truth’ might set you to maintaining a trail that has been neglected. A ‘truth’ that sets you to covering a trail that should not be traveled.

Our lightning fast medias’ bring us all kinds of  ‘truths’. We have to chose which truth to believe. We have to ‘know the truth’ before it can ‘set us free’…and that could be a difficult truth to build into our trails…or stop our trails altogether!

Relax, this is just between you and me. Let me put you at ease…yes, we’re ordinary, but we have the ability to become extraordinary in whatever way we wish. We can live our dreams…or maybe some part of them.  Isn’t that a relief?

Okay, now that you’re relaxed, take a few deep breaths:  Imagine. You have just been elected President. You are the new leader of a nation! You have just moved into your new home and  stepped into your new office. Extraordinary! You are going to change the world!  All the work and money to get here paid off…pinch yourself. It’s real, you’re here.

Many helped get you here. You have debts to repay. Things are expected. You have a ‘things to do’ list that would choke a heard of horses! There are all kinds’ of battles to be fought; 7 billion people are scrambling to live on this planet; communication is lightning fast! Global thinking is a prerequisite.  There is a multitude pushing you forward…it’s a race to change the face of our planet! What was that dream you had? Is it still here? Or,did it get lost along the way?

Now’s your chance to shape the world. Are you up to the challenge? Just answer one question. You’ve already surrounded yourself with those you trust and believe can help you most. Now let the rest of the world know your intention. What’s your plan?

Think about this and get back to me. Just go to the ‘Share the knowledge’ below and click on ”Comment’.  If you need some ‘plan help’ you can also go to the top and click on the video. Jill Stein has some good thoughts. Are go to Mitt Romney or President Obama’s web site. The main thing is to take the time to discover! Have at it!

Happy Trail Building!