Hopeful Thinking

Who are we to become from this moment? I have a tendency to look at things cosmically. When trying to decide whether we are in good times or bad I find it much easier to take a step back. Look at the longer timeline of human history. It changes the view dramatically. We have done a remarkable thing, we humans. We have successfully created functioning early-stage models of Government by the People. One could argue that citizens of ancient Rome had the right to vote, but not all people could be Citizens. Women were equal to slaves, children were no higher. We have made significant improvements on the earlier versions of democracy. I am no expert historian, but the way I see it: We are preparing to launch Democracy 2.0. This is an enlightened age we are living in. We have come so far to have this opportunity. This is our first big test as a true democracy. Have we finally designed a system well enough to withstand tyranny? Of course there are still many flaws in the mechanism to ...

            During a challenging time in my life I composed a prayer. Among my faith practices, I am also a believer in signs and things cosmic. I believe that God is still speaking to us, and will choose any method through which we are truly willing to listen or speak. I believe there is something to the power of astrology and the moon. I won't pretend to know what it is, but at the very least, human civilization has empowered the heavens to give us signs. Perhaps these signs come from within us, but since we doubt ourselves we would prefer to get our information from “above.” In truth, I believe that whatever can connect us to something larger than ourselves, even if only in our own imagination, has both value and merit. The new moon symbolizes new beginnings. The number nine symbolizes completion. I had reached a saturation point where it was time to take what I had learned of my life to that day and begin anew. I thought o...

Today I graduate from seminary. A Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Global Interreligious Leadership from Andover Newton Theological School. To be honest, I did it for my hometown. I couldn’t stop myself. Of course there are many reasons. I’ve been moving toward it my entire life. Ever since trying to adopt my first frog. In my hometown I found that my efforts are able to be put to best use. Everyone has their sphere in which they best operate. For some it is their family unit, for others it is as CEO of a major corporation. Mine is the hometown level. I’ve lived in the big cities. I loved them. Moving home was not giving up, but giving over. I felt the pull and came. That was over seventeen years ago. This city has taught me practically everything I know. I have grown up from one end of Main Street to the other. Walking the length, I can show you block by block the businesses and institutions that have taught me to speak, to sing, and to serve. I am compelled to retu...

I run an afterschool and evening music program called the Tribe. We have a saying. Be the Mayo. It means to be the tastiest part of your community, your school, your family. To be the thing that may only think it’s just oil, vinegar and eggs, but that’s just the parts, not the sum. The mayo is the great catalyst. The sacred third ingredient in a tuna sandwich. That which makes it all work together. Every successful reality has a bit of mayo in it. In the instance of the dharma of Christianity, the “mayo” is Gratitude. It is the state of mind that can appear to be the cart before the horse, the chicken before the egg. Gratitude is both the natural result of and the only thing that will help us fully benefit from the practice of Christian dharma. We often hear it quaintly said that we should maintain an “attitude of gratitude.” Traditional Christianity expresses this in the form of praise and worship. Sunday morning worship is all about the opportunity to express gratitude around a...

Most of us live by a set of rules we have agreed to follow. Laws, social customs, ethics. We choose for ourselves what rules we will follow and why. Until we, as thinking individuals, consciously decide on our own to follow them, rules are merely suggestions. What are the rules of the road you choose follow, for example? Do you always use your turn signal? Do you text and drive? Do you drive the speed limit? What do you do when someone is tailgating you? Your personal system of ethics determines the answers to these questions. The dharma of Christianity is not fully unique. The teachings in one form or another are evident in many of the different faiths and social systems which focus on egalitarianism. Equality among all life. Any time we distort equality on purpose we develop power structures which are then compelled to focus their efforts on the self-preservation of their unnatural state. The Christian dharma is about equality and, more importantly, it’s a practice of how to ...