Vote for Freedom's sake!

"United States of America portrait, Oct 2008" illus. by Paul Pleasant

America is "land of the free, home of the brave." People come from all over the world to the United States – for freedom, for hope, for the chance to make a name for themselves, to start fresh. It's so beautiful to have such a wonderful nation on earth.

Freedom involves risks. Things are not all figured out. Generally, someone does not dictate what is right and wrong - unless it can harm someone else. The glory of America is personal freedom - which many people have enjoyed and appreciated over the years. Our nation has stretched itself thin though recently - in it's pride and selfish-ambition. The pain is at the surface. We can't ignore it (or cope) much longer. Something must be done. Why didn't we listen when the pain was still tolerable?

Some see the US as a rebellious teenager or young adult. ... There is a healthy exploration time in that part of life - to make a name for themselves/to break away from parents (who can be controlling or impose their own expectations). It is an emotional time - the thrill of finally being independent and getting to choose your own adventure ... but if you go too far down the path of rebellion, the teenager may find themselves feeling isolated, lost & confused. They're not able to receive love or wisdom from others - only to cope in their self-sufficiency. The teenagers fought against the system which they felt confined in ... only to figure out a new system for themselves (although they wouldn't call it that). They denounced authority because all the examples they've seen seemed to have holes, secrets, and were just facades hiding (or not) something much worse. They saw the weaknesses and wanted the leaders to expose their secrets - their vulnerable places. Rebellion has no mercy though. It tries to pry open - not to cherish but to kill and rape. It has no love.

There are the freedom fighters though - who see the wisdom in the old ways but also gently want to share new, creative ways to look at things - in love. They have a humility to accept when they might not be completely right and the courage to take on things that lurk in the dark. They have the vision to see what things are out of order & need to be changed - in justice.

It takes mistakes - running yourself too thin, trying to be passionate in a place you're not supposed to be (or just coping with where you're at) to know your boundaries. And boundaries can be hard to learn experientially - it will probably come through wounds. ... Sure you can allow someone to dictate your "do's" and "don'ts" and impose their rules on you, but it may not work for you - they don't honor who you are or respect how you're made. ... It is painful to give up freedom - although sometimes it's necessary to learn wisdom & self-control.

What is just punishment for those who were too bold, too prideful, too selfish? ... Pride hurts other people. It doesn't listen. It thinks its way is right and will try to convince everyone else that they're right. They will even go so far as to kill those who don't agree with them (smirking in their evil ways). It's not pretty, and it's not right. On the outside, Pride will try to have a perfect appearance, but inside them resides decay and anger (which this generation has been pretty good at noticing). Pride-who-wants-to-Control-others is more dangerous, I believe, than some-Pride-who-desires-to-honor-Freedom ... who wants to respect other individuals' motivations & trust them with Freedom ... to let them find their own way, even if it means falling & scrapping your knees a few times. (I would much rather have that kind of parent & authority residing over the USA at this point - although that parent must be BOLD in declaring safe boundaries for society in general, to be okay in their own humanness but at the same time not fearing to speak the way things should be.) This year - 2008 - is a complex election, but an important one, I believe - how will we choose to clean, cut & stitch the big wound we have - that has been ripped open by Pride, Selfish Ambition & Intellectualism (thinking we have it all figured out).

The hooks of Pride will be removed eventually. It's ripping us apart. It's not what America was made for. It was made for the Humble - those who were being persecuted, for desiring freedom, equality in human rights, justice & democracy - for everyone to be able to pursue happiness in their own means, to dream anything & see how they can make it happen. America is beautiful, and we cannot forget who she is, what her glory and Name is about. It's written in the books, in people's hearts, memories & blood - even if today is just a remnant of who she was at her marriage. She's still in there. The humble will draw her forth, will see her whole - despite all her wounds & scars. The Humble will be given authority in the house & Pride will be evicted. It must happen. It will happen - as long as we keep letting the sun shine through the windows. ... Pride must not be honored any longer though. For too long it's taken authority in the house. The children must say "no more!" We're adults now & we won't tolerate your bull shit! You are a lying hypocrite & your words are false. We will not allow you to be in our house any longer. We can SEE you & have seen the junk you're trying to hide in your closet. OUT, now!

... When that break is made though, the humble child must be ready to be made an adult, with names & weapons of authority. They must be ready to take on the responsibilities of running a household, of taking care of others, of keeping the house clean and free from any traps that try to rip our flesh/family/Name.

Then - when Humble have taken authority over the House of America - Freedom will reign again for those who desire to take refuge in her ... and the glory of America will be remembered. It will be in Wisdom, Self-Control, Love & Justice. ... We must stand up now to help her though - she is hurting, in pain & she needs Order to be restored in her house. With those who have eyes to SEE ... speak, vote & make your voice be known! Call her forth with what strength you have & do not be afraid of the wounds Pride might try to give you.

Call forth Life & Freedom (even if it means laying down yours for a moment)!

tiny bubbles

tiny bubbles
Originally uploaded by themexican

where is the child
who loves to sing & dance,
who plays with beans & blocks,
who builds sand into castles,
and loves to fly from any height?

let hope & joy break through, I say!
come forth. it's safe to play.

Hope for America

What is Hope for my generation - the young people of America? Everything has been given to us, and yet it's still not enough. Everything is available at our fingertips, and yet we're still looking for more. Our leaders have stretched themselves thin by overextending their arms into other people's lands - without even acknowledging that we have problems here at home. Our systems have been built to encourage young companies to grow and increase their profits, but there is little reward for steady leaders who choose to give back to their communities and families. We are a country of adventurers, of pioneers ... but when we've come back from the highest peaks, the deepest seas, and have experienced it all, what's left to discover? What's left to hope for? We are left dry and despairing, with a world that seems to be falling apart.

The vision of glory that we sought after – that was passed down to us – has faded. We see the cracks starting to crumble in the statues, the pursuits and the systems. They are simply facades. Who can we trust? Who is truly good enough to revere? Their character must be flawless, but is that humanly possible? So many search for the cracks. If they look hard enough, they will find them. But do the cracks diminish the whole? If that's what you're focused on - yes. And then it becomes a sad world because all you see are the cracks, the dirt, the brokenness and you feel completely useless. The Dark seems inevitable.

If you choose to look at the heart though, I think you'll find Hope when you see people giving of themselves so that others might live ... and not the giving out of abundance, but the giving of what is precious, of laying down treasures and dignity to serve others. Is it not the lowly, the aliens who do that for us now - without us even appreciating them? There is real beauty in their gifts - it's choosing to pursue wholeness for another at the expense of our pride. It's learning to honor other people's decisions, sometimes even if you disagree. It's learning wisdom in how to pursue your passion - with patience, humility and compassion. It's learning to appreciate what you've been given - the uniqueness of the people in your life, the serendipity of events that happen throughout the day and the idiosyncrasies which give things their definition and personality. It's learning to enjoy the simple things, the intangible things, the things close to home. Indeed, it's making Home and inviting others into it.

Who are we though? Where is our Home? We are a mix of so many cultures, so many backgrounds, so many nations. What does it mean to be "American?" If you're in America, you are always expected to say where you came from BEFORE ... somewhere in your family's history, they're expecting that a relative came from some other place, some other Home. Some people are able to keep parts of that history with them, and that's what they claim as their Home here ... but it's really more of a home away from Home at that. The USA is one of the few countries where the Name is "to find a name for yourself." People can start over here. They can search for who they want to be. They can sail the high seas looking for the coast of their Hope. Anything is possible. Any Hope is acceptable to strive for. It's even encouraged. There is beauty in the freedom of allowing others to discover their hope – whereas in many places it's dictated to you.

Where is the resting place though? If our Name is "To Find a Name," what then do we have to offer? If the Adventurer has no Home to return to, then he's really more of a Wanderer - lost without a Home. The wilderness can make you strong and resilient, but there's also a place of comfort, enjoyment and family that are so important for Life. What would the "American" family look like? Where is some common ground? The Home of the past is fading. The memory has quieted to a whisper. We're Here now – which is a much different land. We are becoming more like our neighbors - mixing cultures, hats, foods and family names. It's a much different world now then where our parents grew up.

Now the world is limitless. Names are less Names. Heart streams start to flow together - apart from space and time. To someone looking for a Name, the voices are endless and can drown you out. It takes learning how to say "no" and where your boundaries are to find peace within you. It's growing in wisdom - of who you are, of what's realistic for you, of what you desire to do and finding out how to make it possible. There can be personal hope to go after, but Hope must help you get there ... an eye that notices your Name and gives you the opportunity to share it. It takes someone who is willing to wash away your dirt, to patch your cracks - someone who chooses to see you whole and helps you to remember your beauty. They give you your Name - even though you might have faint memories of what it sounds like. It takes someone else to call your Name out and make it be ... and then you start to know it for yourself as you experience the walk of those shoes.

Hope is in finding the one who helps you find your Name - for it is your Home, your resting place - a place of comfort, enjoyment and family. There is always more fullness to the Hope. It always seems to be a journey. But when you find your Home, it changes things. From then on the Adventures you go on become reminders of what makes Home so special.

I hope that America finds it's Hope, it's Name in this generation ... That one could say "I'm an American!" and be filled with Hope, Honor, Delight and Purpose. It's much different than the old Names. But I believe the glory will be more beautiful - once Wisdom is learned and Pride is laid down. Then one can start to see and gently give room for the Name in others to blossom. Then Hope will be shining brightly - even into the past.

"Falling Slowly" Wins Academy Award

I'm so glad that Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová won an Oscar for their music in the movie Once! They sing of HOPE ... looking past the suffering & despair, focusing on the beauty of what IS and the hope of what CAN BE. It's beautiful to see the Irish & Czech hearts singing together to bring hope to the struggling artists all over the world, to keep looking up and believe. Once is a beautiful movie and their story is amazing as well ... just ordinary people passionate to share their hearts of love, of beauty of hope.

I hope you are honored tonight.
Thank you for sharing your voice!