Tag: choosing joy

Imagine, Part 1

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Mechanisms of SOcial Control

boy and goose saying hi

One of my newsletter subscribers emailed me on the eve of the Aug. 7 Aquarius Lunar Eclipse to say:

“Shortly after reading your two emails, the song “Imagine” played on my playlist. We all know the intention of this song and we’ve all heard it a million times, but how long has it been since we’ve all really listened to the lyrics? I think this song means more now than ever and I’m not sure if it would help the rest of your listeners, but it sure helped put me on a better path this morning. Just thought I’d put that out there in case you want to share.”

I have found the lyrics written in the late 1960s and early 1970s  by artists like John Lennon, Pink Floyd and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to be incredibly resonant lately. Wanting to double check that “Imagine” was indeed written during this period, I ended up on the Wikipedia page for the song. I learned that the song was inspired by a Christian prayer book given to John and Yoko by Dick Gregory. In John’s words: Continue reading →

The Taboo Against (Healthy) Pleasure

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Why the Revolution Starts With You

life is art

“Life is grim.”

That was one of my late grandfather’s stock responses to my mother when my mom was a child and couldn’t have or do something she wanted.

His other chestnut was a paraphrase of one of Jesus’ sayings in the Sermon on the Mount: “Into each life some rain must fall.”

We all heard things like this when we were kids. Often delivered either in a tone of mocking humor that demonstrated – consciously or not – the parent’s contempt for our desires. Or laced with enough anger to shut us up and back us down. Continue reading →