April 2008
RING THE BELL OF POWER, IT COMES BY RINGING THE BELL OF SERVICE!
Posted by Doug on April 20, 2008
True power, true peace comes in service to others, in loving all, the fortunate and less fortunate, the strong and those physically challenged by blindness or other crippling aliments. True strength and power come through the heart, courage and determination of character and spirit. At 81 years of age Pope Benedict appeared to us not as the growling, protective German Shepherd and strict, conservative German theologian but as Christ the gentle, loving shepherd, a man and leader of strong conviction clothed in love and kindness. His message was one of peace, hope and reconciliation coming at a time the Catholic Church in the United States and the state of the world so desperatley are in need of this tender, loving care. How did his visit resonate with you? Was the messenger and message one of power because he spoke and demonstrated that this was a message of service?
POPE BENEDICT XVI CELEBRATES HIS 81ST BIRTHDAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE; THE LORDS PRAYERS IS SUNG ALONG WITH A 21 GUN SALUTE!
Posted by Doug on April 16, 2008
Bells ring and people sing as Pope Benedict visits Washington DC and New York for the first time as the papal leader of the Catholic Church. 86% of people polled in the United States thought that religion is very important/rather important and 60% of people polled thought mostly positive Pope Benedict XVI on his birthday visit to America and the White House.
As a deeply faithful and extremely learned man the Pope has been called a voice of faith and a voice of reason and his visit certainly underscores this saying of Jesus, “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” This balancing of faith and reason will be a difficult task, even here in the United States, a nation Pope Benedict loves. The Pope is fond of America because we are, unlike Europe, “a nation which values the role of religious belief in ensuring a vibrant and ethically sound democratic order.”
As White House press secretary Dana Perino points out, “He will hear from the president that America and the world need to hear his message that God is love, that human life is sacred, that we all must be guided by common moral law, and that we have responsibilities to care for our brothers and sisters in need, at home and across the world.” Benedict, without minimizing their very real differences, is able to reach across different religions and begin a much needed dialogue at a time when religious extremism threatens the very existence of our civilization . Do you think his visit will have a positive effect on the United States especially at this most crucial in our history and the history of the world ? What effect might that be only time will tell.
IS THE OLYMPIC TORCH BECOMING A SYMBOL TO LET FREEDOM RING?
Posted by Doug on April 15, 2008
The Olympic Torch is shedding light around the world on the human rights policies of the Chinese Government. Was it a bad idea to give China center stage and host the Olympics at this time or is this a way of showing the world what kind of repressive government the Chinese have? Will this criticism and protest of Chinese policies to the Tibetans get them to become a more open and free society? My guess is that because of how China is tied in economically around the world it certainly will make a difference. China is the cradle of bell making in the world, will it finally soften its policies and Let Freedom Ring!?
THE BELL HAS BEEN RUNG FOR ACTION AND MANY HAVE HEARD ITS CALL!
Posted by Doug on April 13, 2008
Have we moved past Woodstock, a sort of “me” generation happening, where nearly 400,000 “hippies” came together to celebrate under the slogan, “three days of peace and music” to a “we” generation, past the call to save the planet in “thought” to the true call to save the planet in “action”. More of us fully understand the consequences of inaction (“I know not what weapons WW III will be fought but WW IV will be fought with sticks and stones. ” Albert Einstein) and we more fully understand the circumstance that will create true Peace. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has said we must make the world a “beloved community”. Can this be done as Marianne Williamson has written, “by redesigning the world not along traditional economic geopolitical lines but along deeply humanitarian ones”? Will the world will be at peace when more people are fed, housed and educated; when more people are given medical care; when more women are free; when more opportunities and resources are shared equitably? This is still not the case in the most prosperous country in the world, The United States, so the challenge to make it so around the world will take all the imagination, effort, coordination and patience we can muster if it is to be so. Every since the devastation of World War II many have not only reflected on the pain and suffering it caused but they have created successful ministries and movements to counteract this lack of goodness, the misery and destruction cause by conflict and war. Who is willing to join them in making the world, “One World”? Do we have a choice?
TINKERBELL AND JIMINY CRICKET
Posted by Doug on April 11, 2008
Jiminy Criket was appointed by the Blue Fairy to serve as the official conscience for Pinocchio. Who is your Jiminy Criket? Not only is it good to have a JC, a conscience, but it is necessary to have a right, properly formed conscience and this is an ongoing process. We need to move away from negative domestication toward positive understanding and knowledge. Since we now live in a global community it is necessary to take our specific lives and place them against the backdrop of our universal world community. Are we becoming the solution or are we part of the worlds problems? Today more than ever Citizen Leadership is imperative to make our city and town, nation and the world community a better, safer place. We can no longer just tinker with change, it has to be real and effective. The world often promotes a fairy tale life, a Tinker Bell existence. A romantic picture postcard of what life should be but this is as thin in substance as the card it is written on. It tells us we can just get away from it all, with a little fairy dust we can fly to wherever we want, to Neverland. But we need to have our feet, our being, firmly planted on solid ground before we can fly, before we can discover what life is truly about, a life of service to others. In this way we will not need those watching children to sustain our life by shouting out “I believe in you (fairies),” and clapping till we wake, for our lives and what we have done and are doing with speak for themselves. The older we get, however, the more we realize, like fairies, that this life is extremely short and it is best to be the best we can to bring peace, love and understanding to all, while we can. So go out and be The Best You Can Be! in service to others.
DO WE FURTHER UNDERSTANDING AND WORLD UNITY THROUGH DISUNITY?
Posted by Doug on April 8, 2008
China, know as the birth place of bronze bells, has a history of human rights violations and the Tibet situation is the most recent example. Will a boycott of the opening ceremonies and/or the games send the wrong message? What would this boycott accomplish? Is it not better to attend making our presence felt and through subtle diplomacy let the Chinese know of our displeasure at how they violate basic human freedoms?
