Real Talk!

In 1981 the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 36/67 declaring an International Day of Peace. In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new resolution 55/282 declaring September 21st of each year as the International Day of Peace.

That’s all very nice but in the immortal words of Dr. Phil, “How’s that working for you?”

For me, not so good.

And? At moments like this, my father would look me straight in the eye and say, “So, what are you going to do about it?”

The computer has a bit of a virus. There are a few bad apples. There’s a wrench in the works. A kink in the line. A clog in the drain.

My answer has always been to look at a much used, seldom heeded, Zen adage:

"Pain Is Inevitable. Suffering is Optional."

We are capable of so much magic. When focused, our positive energy is capable of miracles. Wounds and injuries heal.

I am declaring 2008 the first YEAR of peace. Celebrate peace, daily, all day.

Let it be a year in which we build positive connections between all cultures. Let it be a year in which all nations and all people recognize and cherish our role as stewards of our home and all that shares with us, this planet Earth. Let it be the year in which we discover how to sustain world peace.

It is something many have wished for, it’s time to insist. It’s time.

The messages are all around us… and it’s not anything new.

I think we have all felt the winds of change.

An ancient Hopi prophecy, dating back thousands of years, speaks of the forces of purification “Blood will flow. Our hair and our clothing will be scattered upon the earth. Nature will speak to us with its mighty breath of wind. There will be earthquakes and floods causing great disasters, changes in the seasons and in the weather, disappearance of wildlife, and famine in different forms. There will be gradual corruption and confusion among the leaders and the people all over the world, and wars will come about like powerful winds. All of this has been planned from the beginning of creation.”

Some time ago, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith wrote, “The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective."

Luke 21 – “And there will be signs in the sun and moon and the stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

The prophecies of Fatima warn, “The night will be bitterly cold, the wind will howl and roar, then will come lightning, thunderbolts, earthquakes, the stars and heavenly bodies will be disturbed and restless”

A prophecy in ancient Islamic tradition (usul) indicates a black wind (huayra yana) will rise up at the beginning of "The Day" [of judgment].

Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce and other prominent “seers” have foretold of the winds.

In October, a team led by Son Nghiem of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California announced that a rapid decline in winter perennial ice the past two years has been caused by unusual winds. Nghiem said, “The winds causing this trend in ice reduction were set up by an unusual pattern of atmospheric pressure that began at the beginning of this century."

David A. Salstein, an atmospheric scientist from Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc., of Lexington, Mass. recently stated, “Changes in the atmosphere, specifically atmospheric pressure around the world, and the motions of the winds that may be related to such climate signals as El Niño are strong enough that their effect is observed in the Earth’s rotation signal.”

Egyptologist, Lemesurier, who has conducted one of the most recent analyses of the Great Pyramid, describes how he has decoded a message about 'The Final Reckoning': "The crisis is essentially a material one. We should expect the basic structures that underlie our whole civilization to suffer severe damage. Our financial structures, our communications networks, our supplies of raw- materials and consequently our whole standard of living are at severe risk. For some decades we may be forced back into a much more primitive way of life characterized by self- sufficiency and closeness to the land. Especially during the change over, social unrest, conflict and disintegration may result."

I have read of some who believe that predictions and warnings of wind are symbolic, as wind is void, without nourishing qualities. Wind is rather magical, if you think about it. While invisible, it is capable of enormous strength, both destructive and constructive. The wind can humble us and the wind can empower us.

So what if we are forced back into a more “primitive” way of life? Is there anything wrong with self-sufficiency? The way I see it, some of “Our financial structures, our communications networks, our supplies of raw- materials and consequently our whole standard of living” have been out of whack for a while. & Sometimes, change really is for the better.

There is nothing productive about negative emotions. In fact, they are selfish and singular. Fear, rage, anger, worry… nothing nice going on there… and I believe it is a choice we can make…

I know some people who are already practically “fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world”. From my perspective, it isn’t helping anything. It just breathes life into “what if”… and what exactly is the “what if”? It’s fear and it can be paralyzing, even controlling.

Not how I want to live.

2008 is my answer.

Run virus scans and lock them in the virus vault. Bad apples go to the compost pile. Put the wrench back; on the workbench. Un-kink the line. Baking soda and vinegar will unclog the drain.

Say no to fear. Live gently and thoughtfully, love. Help one another.

As they say, I believe in traditional Lakota, tatohiyatakiya – we face the wind together.