Diversity Remains

I have not counted how many posts I’ve written about diversity on this blog, but there have been diverse angles from which the subject has been addressed in this place. In the United States of America, the diversity is formidable. There are 50 States and so many Territories that I have lost count of them all. Including the original indigenous peoples, there are humans from every culture in the world here. The idea that America is a “melting pot” of cultures and ethnicities is taught in most of our public schools.

It is a common occurance that people with ancestry elsewhere are losing culinary traditions at the heart of our families’ cohesion. It’s been many years since the last holiday smorgasbord was held within the Swedish part of my family. During my childhood my great-aunts toiled away at preparing the vast array of foods to eat. There were several types of appetizers, hot and cold meats, salads, cheeses, relishes, pickled fish, the dreaded lutefisk that had to be smothered in mustard to make it somewhat palatable, and the traditional flatbread called lefse. Then there were the desserts that included the prized ostakaka (Swedish custard) that was covered in lingonberry sauce that was sent to aunt Emma in jars from Sweden. Smorgasbord embraced the diversity of foods.

Regarding the German side of the family, I don’t remember any specific German customs being celebrated during my childhood. This is probably because Americans with German ancestry downplayed their heritage so as to avoid problems with their neighbors during the two World Wars with Germany. Anyway, that was my maternal grandfather’s expanation. The one remaining custom they preserved was their membership in the Lutheran Church.

Yet in spite of so many families in America from various backgrounds and differently abled people, there is a tradition of national unity. In spite of these admirable values, we still have structural racism, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, and other manifestations of hatred that permeate society. One might say that there is a diversity of hostility present in the U.S. The underlying promotion of inequalities continues to harm society as a whole.

When discrimination becomes co-extensive with a belief system, then that institution is pitted against the diversity that defines our country and our democratic republic. It flies in the face of the ideal of acceptance of cultures and peoples who appear different from one another. Disagreements regarding discrimination and inclusion are best worked through in a civilized, democratic manner.

Our nation’s economy and workforce have traditionally come from different cultures. For example, the Irish were important in the early days of our industry. Chinese immigrants were instrumental in building our first railroad network. People from Africa were involuntarily drafted and sold to work in agriculture. We currently have Hispanics performing excellent work in all sectors of the economy. Yet, there is still widespread dislike of immigrants and indigenous people. Dislike of diversity is so common that measures to address it arouse reactionary hostility among a great many citizens.

At this point, I’m probably preaching to the choir. Yet I tap out these words because diversity and inclusivity are ideals I care deeply about. I love that there is a diversity of ideas and opinions; some of which I strongly disagree. I believe it’s vital that we can disagree with people and not be disagreeable. Although we can disagree on many topics, we can agree to disagree in a peaceful manner. There is also a good chance that we can seek common ground on many issues because that is the decent thing to do.

Americans are fortunate to live in a nation that is rich in diversity. At its core, this diversity has been the strength and foundation of the United States. We have a beautiful tradition of respecting our fellow citizens for their heritage and beliefs. There is the continuing tradition of eliminating discrimination that has been present ever since the founding of the country. With each new affirmation of freedom and liberty for all, has come reinforcement of national unity and strength.

It is not only minority populations who benefit from these affirmations, but all of us derive security in the knowledge that everyone deserves equal treatment under the law. We still have far to go in attaining this ideal, but progress is happening. After all, a healthy democratic republic is based upon diversity, equality, and mutual respect despite our perceived differences. The time is always right to enhance our appreciation of this diverse nation within this diverse world.

Namaste

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo. “The most successful of the nations of the world are those who do not fall into the lure of secession but who, through thick and thin, forge unity in diversity.”

Regarding Limitations

I Googled the sentence, “As time goes by, we get a little bit older and a little bit slower.” This blog showed up as the first item. I had quoted the Beatles snippet from “Revolution Number Nine”, on February 8th of this year. The reason I searched for the statement today was because I woke up this morning feeling quite old and sluggish.

I know there are people who proclaim that we’re only as old as we feel. There is some pop psychology truth to that; however, sometimes a person simply feels crotchety. I believe this should be honored because it’s an authentic sensation. To deny that there are limitations to the human experience is unhelpful to individuals and society.

One of the core Buddhist theories is Anicca or Anitya which means impermanance. In a nutshell this means that everything changes and nothing lasts forever. This condition of the way things are includes everything from the smallest microbe up to galaxies and the Universe itself. Everything around us is continually changing, including ourselves.

To accept impermanance adds profundity to one’s life. Understanding that each of us has a literal deadline, means that realistically, we have one go at living. If you’re searching for a reason to stop procrastination, the truth of impermanence is a pretty big one.

Take my experience of grogginess this morning for example. Most mornings I am refreshed and eager to get going with the day. Yet some mornings, this is far from the case. On mornings like today, an extra cup of coffee induces wakefulness and eagerness to begin the day.

I need only to thumb through a family photo album to remember that I’m not the person I used to be. There are photos of me as an infant. Snapshots of me as a schoolboy. Photos of me as a young man. Photos of me as an older man. I hope that someone will take a photo or two of me as an elderly dude, too.

When I was much younger, I was able to attack physical challenges like hard labor and outdoors chores with hardly a care or concern. Nowadays, I must think more strategically about pacing my efforts, taking more frequent rest breaks, and knowing when to quit. Not doing these steps could result in serious health consequences or even a sooner demise. This type of mindfulness about working and resting is common to most if not all people who grow older, so I’m not gatekeeping about this.

One of my complaints about contemporary pop psychology is the saying, “You’re never too old to __.” Well, yes, we eventually grow too old to do many things. For instance, I can no longer mow the yard on a hot-humid day with only one or two resting breaks. The reality now is that I must forgo mowing altogether on hot-humid days. In fact, I’m considering having to hire someone younger to perform this task.

Accepting the reality of impermanence and limitations does not mean giving up on living a fulfilling, joyful life. Just because entropy will slowly erode the progress we attain does not mean there will not be more to do to remain viable and happy. In fact, knowing there will always be limitations allows us to realize the preciousness of life and to be grateful for our existance. The wisdom of living fully one day at a time becomes more vividly apparent.

Understanding the universal nature of impermanence reinforces our inborn empathy and compassion for all living beings. Knowing that every person must come to terms with their own limitations and ultimate demise helps us feel closer to each other. Understanding limitation encourages us to become more generous and kind to our fellow beings regardless of chronological age.

The fact of the matter is that limitations are existential conditions of life. Whatever we are thinking and experiencing at this present moment will change tomorrow. The only permanent thing in the Universe is impermanence.

Namaste

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes 20th century American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician, Orson Welles. “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.”

Pondering Friendship

As part of my gratitude practice, I like to mentally list people who have shared friendship with me throughout the years. This is helpful at bedtime, especially if I’m worried about something. The visualization of the names and faces of present and past friends is a source of great comfort and pleasure. I recommend this type of gratitude practice for anyone who feels neglected, forgotten, and lonely.

Last night, my memories included long-distance friends–people who do not live near my town in Nebraska. Some of these friends live in places like the San Francisco Bay Area, Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan in North America. Overseas, there are some lovely friends in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Algeria, Israel, India, Pakistan, Japan, and Thailand. There are also numerous WordPress blogging friends who live in various locales around the world.

There are the friends who live close to home. These are people who share frequent close up time in person. These friends join me for coffee, meals, celebrations, walks, shared errands and tasks. We spend quality and quantity time at each others’ homes. We interact much like family but with less dysfunction.

I have poignant memories of past best-friends who have passed away. We shared much of the goodness of life and vanquished evils together. To have experienced friendship with those best friends was a blessing. A common social meme is “best friends forever–BFF”. I believe the BFF meme is valid because best friends will always reside fondly in my heart. If a person has but one best friend forever, this is a sign of auspicious good fortune.

“Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.”–Virginia Woolf

As I ponder those friends who have been “true blue”, I recall that they were not the acquaintances who provided solutions, cures, advice and proselytized religion. They were the people with whom were shared pain, grief, happiness, and joy. Although we sometimes discussed solutions, cures, advice, and world religions, these were never the main foci of our friendships. The relationships have always been more about compassionate, warm, intimate give and take. There were no agendas other than unadulterated friendship.

I believe there is an instinct within each of us that attracts human interaction and friendship. That instinct encompasses generosity and thinking of the welfare of others. When that instinct intersects with the same instinct of another person, a basis of friendship unfolds. It is this intersection on level ground when each lives for the other that life paths merge together for awhile. The way to having a true friend is to be a true friend.

In the end, friendship enhances life more deeply than romantic love. Elie Wiesel wrote. “Love risks degenrating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” If true blue friendship and romantic love coexist, that is a rare and special type of friendship. Meanwhile, in my experience, Wiesel has been proven correct. One loyal best friend is more valuable than numerous relatives and acquaintances. Such a friend is someone I can count upon.

Namaste

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes American novelist, Alice Walker. “No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.”

Tap Into The Stream

“Just let your love flow like a mountain stream
And let your love grow.”
–20th century American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, and pianist, Lawrence Eugene Williams

Ever since the first time I read the metaphor about the continuous flow of water to the flow of life, I’ve personally felt drawn to it. I even chose to live in a house adjacent to a small river partly because of this comparison.

We have plenty of reasons to love rivers and streams beyond them being sources of life-giving and life-saving water. Many cities have been founded upon their banks as places to live and thrive as human communities. Hence, the flowing of water is deeply tied to the flow of our lives.

Fluid streams not only flow past us, but within us as arteries and veins circulating vital blood to every living cell and fiber of our bodies. This essential circulation allows us to glide through life itself and to appreciate the flow of life all around and within us. The circulation system is a microcosm of Mother Nature’s water cycle. Water flows on the surface, then evaporates, and falls again as precipitation, so does our lifeblood flow with essential life ingredients, with the depleted blood flowing through the heart and organs, to flow again–refreshed with more ingredients.

“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time? That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.”–Herman Hesse

The stream of life never stops as it takes us through life from birth to demise. It is in perpetual motion containing everything that we fear and adore. Every moment represents another way to appreciate and feel respect. There is a paradox regarding the stream. In spite of the endless flow, the stream exists in the same place. Without the flow, the water would be a stagnant pool of fluid. So it is with life, life exists within us in the same body, and without the flow we become stagnant as well. To thrive in the river of life we allow ourselves to move forward without losing sight of our authentic, true character.

The streams of life are manifestations and metaphors for the precious, moving, living parts of life within and throughout the world and ourselves.

Namaste

The Blue Jay of Happiness again quotes Herman Hesse. “The river has taught me to listen; you will learn from it, too. The river knows everything; one can learn everything from it. You have already learned from the river that it is good to strive downwards, to sink, to seek the depths.”

Express Expressions …Floral Friday

Sometimes we instantly realize that combinations of certain things simply “work” well together. That is, they compliment each other in concert. I believe that it’s good to capture such realizations as early and simply at the times they are revealed to the mind. This line of thinking is the inspiration for today’s projects. The elements of each project seemed like intuitive combination choices.

The varnished Indian brass vase with stem blossoms just had to be displayed with a water-dragon figurine. This is especially appropriate because 2024 is the Year of the Dragon.

The modern Polish glass vase quickly inspired working with the primary colors of blue and red. A solo Gerbera in the vase is the perfect number of floral elements. The almond-white door frame adds contrast to the blues and reds.

The contemporary bottle vase with grasses gets second-billing to the hand-carved statuette from Ghana. The pair offers shapes for contemplation.

Ciao

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes Walt Whitman. “Simplicity is the glory of expression.”

Living In Peace

At first glance, the subject of peace should be peaceful. However, it’s discomforting for people to have serious, peaceful discussions because much of the time, we are not at peace with ourselves. It’s similar to the scenario that loving oneself enables us to love others. So being at peace with ourselves allows us to better engage peacefully with others.

Just as we cannot force love, we cannot force peace. There have been countless peace treaties signed by adversaries only to be broken soon afterwards. We have the United Nations, which was conceived out of high, idealistic visions. But when push comes to shove, the UN only has very limited influence. These limitations are most apparent when superpowers are involved–which is often.

Regardless of how one feels and approaches the subject of peace, there will be disagreements about how to implement it. This is true on the individual and the global scales. Discussions where each others’ views are challenged are fraught with misunderstandings and much jockeying for power. Too often, peace settlements merely cover up the lingering contempt the disputing parties have for each other. Their resentments simmer until they boil over into more violence.

When we look closer, we notice that the warring parties suffer rebellious factions within themselves. Nations suffer domestic unrest and individuals suffer internally. The challenge is to grow together in ways that outweigh the contempt we have for ourselves and others.

“People don’t want to make peace; they want to feel peace.”–martial arts historian, Tamerlan Kuzgov

In order for us to live in peace, we must realize that peace is a turnkey operation that depends upon peace within. Our inner peace helps foster external peace through our thoughts, words, and actions.

Ciao

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes American author, philosopher, and physician, Debasish Mridha. “If you want to live a peaceful life, let others live in peace.”

Adapting To Our Weird World

I’ve long been attracted to eccentrics. I’m guessing that this attraction is due to my own eccentricities. In school, I hung out with other weird kids as we shared our social exile from the rest of the crowd. We weren’t bad nor unruly, we just had different interests than most everyone else. Each of us was also infamous for some physical trait.

One friend, Perry, wore a prosthetic leg because he had been injured in a car wreck as a young boy. Danny had a severe case of acne. Marty was an effeminate genius who tried unsuccessfully to hide his gentle nature. I was the awkward redhead whose bright carrot top attracted the scorn of the bullies. Together, we found strength in numbers.

This writer believes many of my insights and observations about people and stuff derive from being an outcast from mainstream society as a gay man. Shunning led me into becoming a religious, spiritual renegade. This empowered me from a young age to think and imagine outside the box of orthodox belief systems. The journey was supercharged by religious condemnation of people like me that continues in many belief systems to this day. I learned that how we are born and how we behave far outweigh what is believed by society.

The ostracization from mainstream belief systems that offered no authentic, unconditional refuge, propelled a journey of studying religions and various manifestations of spirituality. There is also the reality of spiritual gatekeeping and exclusivity present in many belief-based institutions that do not jibe with the vastness and variety in our world. Yet some tenents of a few religious systems remain in my “spiritual toolbox”.

Because many of us in the LGBTQ world grew up as shunned, weird folks we found strength in our differences. We discovered that it’s not only OK to be different, but we found ourselves through discovery and authenticity. We respond to the call of social adventure and strike out on our paths with gladness in our hearts.

Mythical paradigms and analogies come close to describing our happy, weird genre. There are Batman and Robin; Buddha and Ananda; the Chinese hermits; and Knights of the Roundtable to name a few. We understand that a transformation of the world away from toxicity is in the cards. We cannot help but feel inspired. Not all of us feel this way, but enough of us have become justice warriors for our cause and others.

Our varieties of weirdness make us political and religious targets. That’s OK to a point, because social resistance to unconventionality helps us develop more strength. We know that our inborn unconventionality is not only real, but is a lovely gift to be treasured and utilized. During the journey, we realize that nearly everybody is weird in their own peculiar ways. I know people from many walks of life who have deadpan senses of humor. Other people like to clown around. Humor begins with the unusual, so why not laugh with others and not at others?

I hope that in some small way that my freaky perspective might have some positive influence on people’s perceptions and relationships to the Universe and with one another. Although there is plenty of ambiguity finding harbor in everyone’s minds, it’s wonderful to embrace it along with the eccentricity and nonconformity present in the real world. We grow by accepting the ups and downs, paradoxes, and puzzlements of our weird world. To do so is to actively practice the art of love.

Namaste

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes lead singer of the rock band “Heart”, Ann Wilson. “Just being out in the world, you see so many things, and every day, you experience so many concepts and different people and their coolness and weirdness. It’s a feast of ideas.”