June 14, 2016 by IdealisticRebel

How Many More?

I don’t have an answer for the question, How Many More?, and I wish I did. What I do know is that we need more music, art, conversation, love, compassion, caring, random acts of compassion. We need to take care our ourselves and our own issues remembering there is not one of us that is perfect. We need to heal our own blemishes first before even beginning to think about someone else’s problems.

Kindness should come before boasting, healing hands before violent ones, medicines to cure diseases should come before guns. Food for every person should come before Christian Dior bags (and I love them). Housing should come before a luxury car. Trees to improve the air we breathe should come before chemicals in our food. Clean water should come before stock dividends. Helping someone should come before what color their skin is, what their sexual preference is, or what spiritual path they follow.

Peace should come before war, being a part of the family of man should be more important than how different someone seems to be. Action is more important than talking about mass shootings and doing kindnesses is more important than thinking these events should never have happened. Perhaps most important, those who have been taught not to think for themselves and not to speak must learn to speak once again or for the first time.

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Unlearning not to speak

Blizzards of paper

in slow motion

sift through her

In nightmares she suddenly recalls

a class she signed up for

but forgot to attend.

Now it is too late.

Now it is time for finals:

losers will be shot.

Phrases of men who lectured her

drift and rustle in piles:

Why don’t you speak up?

Why are you shouting”

You have the wrong answer,

wrong line, wrong face.

They tell her she is womb-man,

babymachine, mirror, and penis-poor,

a dish of synthetic strawberry ice cream

rapidly melting.

She grunts to a halt.

She must learn to speak

starting with I

Starting with we

starting as the infant does

with her own true hunger

and pleasure

and rage.

—Marge Piercy, feminist poet and novelist

World Peace everywhere for everyone

June 6, 2016 by IdealisticRebel

All Quiet on the Western Front

The silence spreads. I talk and must talk. So I speak to him and say to him. “Comrade, I did not want to kill you. If you jumped in here again, I would not do it, if you would be sensible too. But you were only an idea to me before, an abstraction that lived in my mind and called forth its appropriate response. It was that abstraction I stabbed. But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me. I thought of your hand-grenades, of your bayonet, of your rifle; now I see your wife and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, comrade. We always see it too late. Why do thy never tell us that you are just poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and the same agony—forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy? If we threw away these rifles and this uniform you could be my brother like Kat and Albert. Take twenty years of my life comrade, and stand up—take more, for I do not know what I can even attempt to do with it now.”

—Erich Maria Remarque

” Think of what a world we could build if the power unleashed in war were applied to constructive tasks! On-tenth of the energy that the various belligerents spent in a war, a fraction of the money they exploded in hand grenades and poison gas, would suffice to raise the standard of living in every country and avert the economic catastrophe of worldwide unemployment. We must be prepared to make the same heroic sacrifices for the cause of war. There is no task that is more important or closer to my heart.”

—Albert Einstein

You have to work for peace.—Barbara Mattio

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May 30, 2016 by IdealisticRebel

Happy Memorial Day!

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Today is a day to remember all of the many thousands of soldiers who chose to defend their country since the Revolutionary War. Some chose and some were drafted. Some gave a few years and some gave all they had…they gave their lives. Thank you seems inadequate but as a pacifist those words and my respect for your choices is all I have. I will continue to work for peace and harmony in the world; you did not fight nor die in vain.

April 16, 2016 by IdealisticRebel

Playing for Change

This year’s sixth annual Playing For Change Day is September 24, 2016.

Here’s some of what happened in 2012, as musicians around the world Played to make the world a better place.

Sing along, dance along, hum along, work for change!

Namaste,

Barbara

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https://youtu.be/Ob_AScYiAzk

April 14, 2016 by IdealisticRebel

Let Me Walk in Beauty

From Self Reliance Book

“What you believe you become.

Believe in beauty, for the Earth Mother is covered

with beauty.

Believe in love, for your Earth Mother and Sky Father love you.

Believe in magic and you release your soul from the prison

your mind tries to build around it.

Above all, don’t be afraid.

The Great Spirit provides all that is needed.”

—Sun Bear

Sun Bear, Chippewa Tribe

Thy Sacred Dwelling

“Why have I two eyes if not to behold Thy glorious vision?

Why have I two ears if not to hear Thy gentle whisper?

Why have I the sense of smell if not to breathe the essence of Thy spirit?

Why have I two lips, Beloved, if not to kiss Thy beautiful countenance?

Why have I two hands if not to work in Thy divine cause?

Why have I two legs if not to walk in Thy spiritual path?

Why have I a voice if not to sing Thy celestial song?

Why have I a heart, Beloved< if not to make it Thy sacred dwelling?”

—Hazrat Inayat Khan

Weeping Cherry Tree Photograph and copyright by Barbara Mattio, 2006

Global Peace

“Man Must first create peace within himself if he desires to see peace in the world;

for lacking peace within, no effort of his can bring any result.”

— Hazrat Inayat Khan

The Healing Heart

Sympathy—a china doll sheds a tear

and a piece of the Great Wall comes down.

Synchronicity—at the same time, in New Your City a lover’s heart mends a tear

and a flower breaks through the concrete.”

—Hadj Pearlman

Painted Sky Orchid. Photograph and copyright by Barbara Mattio, 2013

Let Me Walk in Beauty

“O Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds,

and whose breath gives light to all the world,

Hear me—I come before you, one of your children,

I am small and weak.

I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty,

and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things that you have made,

my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise, so that I may know the things

you have taught my people,

and the lesson you have hidden in every rock and leaf.

I seek strength, not to be superior to my brothers and sisters,

but to be able to fight my greatest enemy, myself.

Make me ever ready to come to you,

with clean hands and straight eyes.

So when life fades as a fading sunset,

my spirit may come to you without shame.”

—Yellow Hawk Sioux Chief

Yellow Hawk, Sioux Chief

February 22, 2016 by IdealisticRebel

A message to humanity

This video spoke to me, about all that is wrong with the world and how much better it could be. I am a pacifist, but the call to fight for goodness still resonates.

Namaste,

Barbara

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February 19, 2016 by IdealisticRebel

A True Heroine and an Inspiration in a Time of Hate

I found this on the “A Mighty Girl” Facebook site, a story of a truly remarkable, brave woman who, during World War II, was so ruled by love that she saved thousands of Jewish children.

I think, in today’s world where hate is dominating our lives, news and elections, we could all learn from her goodness and love.

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A Mighty Girl
February 15 at 10:15am ·
Today in Mighty Girl history, Irena Sendler — one of the great, unsung heroes of the WWII who led a secret operation that successfully smuggled 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, saving them from almost certain death — was born in 1910.
Sendler was a Polish Catholic nurse and social worker who began aiding Jews as early as 1939 after the Germans invaded Poland. At first, she helped to create false documents for over 3,000 Jewish families and later joined the Zegota, the underground Polish resistance organization created to aid the country’s Jewish population.
In 1943, Sendler became head of Zegota’s children’s division and used her special access to the Warsaw Ghetto, granted to Social Welfare Department employees to conduct inspections for typhus, to set up a smuggling operation. She and her colleagues began secretly transporting babies and children out of the Ghetto by hiding them in an ambulance with a false bottom or in baskets, coffins, and even potato sacks. The children were then given false identities and placed with Polish families or in orphanages. To allow the children to be reunited with any surviving relatives following the war, Sendler buried lists containing the identities and locations of the children in jars.
After rescuing over 2,500 children, Sendler was arrested by the Gestapo, tortured and sentenced to death. Fortunately, Zegota was able to bribe the German guards as she was on her way to execution and she was forced to live in hiding for the remainder of the war. In 1965, Sendler was honored by Yad Vashem as one of the Polish Righteous among the Nations for her wartime efforts. She passed away in 2008 at the age of 98.
A fascinating part of Sendler’s incredible story is that it may have been entirely lost to history except for the impressive research efforts of several high school students in Kansas. In 1999, high school teacher Norm Conard encouraged three of his students, Megan Stewart, Elizabeth Cambers, and Sabrina Coons, to work on a year-long National History Day project. Starting with a short news clipping that mentioned Sendler, the girls conducted a year-long investigation into her life and, ultimately, wrote a play about Sendler entitled “Life in a Jar.”
The play ignited interest in Sendler’s story and it has been performed hundreds of times across the US, Canada, and in Poland. The young researchers also had an opportunity to meet Sendler in Poland in 2001; the forgotten hero whose amazing story they helped bring to light.
If you’d like to inspire your kids with Irena Sendler’s amazing story, we recommend the following titles for young readers:
– “Jars of Hope:How One Woman Helped Save 2,500 Children During the Holocaust” for ages 7 to 11 at http://www.amightygirl.com/jars-of-hope
– “Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto” for ages 8 to 11 at http://www.amightygirl.com/irena-sendler
– “Irena’s Jar of Secrets” for ages 6 to 10 at http://www.amightygirl.com/irena-s-jars-of-secrets
– “Irena Sendler: Bringing Life to Children of the Holocaust” for ages 10 to 14 at http://www.amightygirl.com/irena-sendler-biography
For an excellent book about Sendler’s life and the Kansas students’ project to bring her story to light, we highly recommend “Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project” for ages 13 and up at http://www.amightygirl.com/life-in-a-jar-the-irena-sendler-…
There have also been two films produced about Sendler: “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler,” starring Anna Paquin, for ages 13 and up http://www.amightygirl.com/the-courageous-heart-of-irena-sendler) and a documentary, “Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers,” for ages 12 and up (http://www.amightygirl.com/irena-sendler-in-the-name-of-their-mothers).
And, for more books for children and teens about girls and women who lived during the Holocaust period — including stories of other heroic resisters and rescuers — check out the recommendations in our blog post for Holocaust Remembrance Week at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog/?p=2726

May we all be able to get past the hate and bigotry and walk in a world filled with people who practice compassion and love. May we all have the courage of our convictions and not settle for just walking through this life asleep. May we all begin to take baby steps toward peace and acceptance. Ready to care about others and to stand up for those who can’t help themselves.

Namaste,

Barbara

December 19, 2015 by IdealisticRebel

A Solstice Legend

The Peacemaker

The Native American myth of Deganawidah ahs many astonishing parallels with the story of Christ

The Native American myth of Deganawidah has many astonishing parallels with the story of Christ

The influence of Christian myths may well have affected another story from Native American traditions — that of the Deganawidah the Pacemaker. This semi-mythical character, also known as the Man from the North, was born into the Wendot tribe, later known as the Huron, who lived along the northern shore of present day Lake Ontario. According to tradition, Deganawidah was born of a virgin who, when she confessed to her mother that she was pregnant but had never known a man, was revealed to have been visited by a messenger of the Great Spirit Tarenyawagon, who was sending a messenger to bring lasting peace to humankind. At first there was much doubt among the tribes-people, and it is even told that Deganawidah’s grandmother tried three times to kill the child after prophecies that he would bring no good to the tribe. Yet Deganawidah survived, and grew imbued with wisdom, intelligence, and kindness. He spoke with animals and birds, and began to teach a message of peace among his fellows. The walking Huron found this distasteful and strange and tried to drive Deganawidah away. On reaching manhood he wandered in the wilderness for a time and then set forth in a white canoe said to have been made, astonishing, of stone, to visit other tribes. In the years that followed he traveled amongst the tribes and eventually founded the great Iroquois Confederacy, a democratic union of five tribes from amongst the northeastern woodlands, the concept that influenced not only the founding got of the United States constitution, but also that of the United Nations.

Deganawidah’s death remains mysterious, and like King Arthur, it is believed that he will return at the time of the his country’s need. Remembered still as the Peacemaker, he is seen as a harbinger of peace and as messenger of God. His life parallels that of Christ in many ways, especially in his birth and youthful deeds. He is a perfect example of the Children of Wonder, who come in the dark heart of Winter to bring light and a message of peace to the world.

Deganawidah, the PeaceMaker, was brought up with intelligence and kindness and, like Jesus, went on to spread a message of peace and democracy

–From The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas by John Matthews

December 9, 2015 by IdealisticRebel

Higher Ground

The light center we took a day trip to, a couple of weeks ago, is dedicated to prayer for personal and planetary transformation. It is in Black Mountain, NC. It is open 24/7 for prayer and meditation. It is owned and operated by the United Research, Inc.

The building is circular and there is a room which is set up with lights and comfortable chairs. A panel of light surrounding the room below ceiling height is programmed to shine one color at a time for four minutes, with one minute of darkness in between each color. The seven colors begin with red, continue with consecutive hues of the rainbow, and end with white light. There are so many people who have prayed and meditated here that there is a very strong energy of peace and of togetherness.

We can all pray for transcending peace where we are and along the lines of our spiritual path. Or you can simply talk to God as you know him/her/it. There are some things which can make our prayers more powerful.

They include: releasing all of your past, all negativity, fears, relationships and judgements to the light.

Understanding you are a light being, a child of the Universe.

Knowing that you can radiate light from your light center to everyone.

Knowing that you can radiate light from your light center to everything.

You are in a bubble of light and only Light can come to you and only Light can be there.

You can thank God for everyone in your life, for everything in your life and most importantly for yourself.

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Peace is not the product of terror or fear.

Peace is not the silence of cemeteries.

Peace is not the silence result of violent repression.

Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all.

Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity.

It is right and it is a duty.

—Oscar Romero

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Ask for the hope we all need. Pray leaders will stop playing politics and lead this world to peace.

November 25, 2015 by IdealisticRebel

Giving Thanks

We, in America, are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. It is tomorrow but I have company coming in for the feast. So I will not be blogging tomorrow. Every person on Mother Earth will be on my mind and in my heart.

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I would like to wish all of my American readers a very joyful and happy holiday.

To my readers around the world, I would like to wish you a safe, healthy and happy weekend. May all put aside differences and focus on gratitude and the miracle of being alive. I wish to thank all of my readers for your loyalty and your wisdom as you leave your comments. You have all blessed me greatly.

We give-away our thanks to the earth

which gives us our home.

We give-away our thanks to the rivers and lakes

which give-away their water.

We give-away our thanks to the trees

which give-away fruit and nuts.

We give-away our thanks to the wind

which brings rain to water the plants.

We give-away our thanks to the sun

who gives-away warmth and light.

All beings on earth: the trees, the animals, the wind

and the rivers give-away to one another