02.13.08
Deeds Not Words
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices that we make, and those choices are ultimately our responsibility.”
-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
02.10.08
Keep the Faith
“Each time a [person] stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, [she or] he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
-Robert Kennedy
02.05.08
Finding Happiness
“One thing I know; the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”
-Dr. Albert Schweitzer
12.29.07
Equanimity In Action
“Be intent on action, not the fruits of action.
Avoid attachment to the fruits and attraction to inaction!
Perform actions firm in discipline, relinquishing attachment.
Be impartial to failure and success;
This equanimity is called discipline.”
- Bhagavad Gita 11:47
05.05.07
Blessing for the Animals
Bless Mrs. B, the kitty who was taken to the shelter twice for simply talking too much. Meow!
Many of you were interested in my previous blessing of the animals blog. To follow up with that, I want to direct you to Elizabeth’s blog which has a detailed outline of the blessing of the animals service that was used at her church. Good stuff!
I especially like the Fyodor Dostoyevsky quote they read:
“Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.”
Our faiths must not forget that the spiritual values of mercy, personal responsibility, strength, love, and compassion also apply to our treatment of other-than-human beings. It is only appropriate for our faiths to reinforce this fact in their sermons. Yay! 
04.15.07
Nature is Better than Prozac™
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature”
- Anne Frank
04.09.07
A Compelling Combo: Love, Courage and Wisdom
Ammon Hennacy
“Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. Therefore one with love, courage, and wisdom is one in a million who moves the world, as with Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi.”
- Ammon Hennacy (1893 - 1970)
04.06.07
Patience as Power
“He who loses patience, loses Truth as well as Non-violence.”
- Mohandas Gandhi
• How does losing one’s patience cause a person to lose Truth and Non-violence? Can you think of any examples of this in your life?
• What activities are you already doing to cultivate patience in your life? What other activities could you do to cultivate it more?
• In what situations are you unwilling to be patient? What are the negative results of that impatience?
I find it very difficult to be patient with violence and injustice. I want the violence to end as soon as possible. Still, I find that being impatient doesn’t allow me to change the world any faster. Quite the opposite, it can stress me out and frustrate me to the point where I am discouraged and require more down time to regenerate my strength to continue the struggle.
I think many of the activists who “burn out” are those who didn’t see the need to cultivate patience in their life. Social change can be glacially slow, but we need to be in it for the long haul and patience allows us to persist.
Patience also allows us to be calm and friendly as we promote our causes. Impatience can lead to frustration, anger, and the judgment of others. If we promote our message in this way, people won’t be inclined to listen to us. If we look miserable, why would anyone want to follow our lead?
In summary: Patience is persistence. Patience is persuasive. Patience is power. Read the rest of this entry »
03.17.07
Walk with the Sages: Version 2
This speech won my Toastmasters club’s inspirational speech contest. Yay! The purpose of my talk is to show you how to use the wisdom of the sages to cultivate your spiritual values and improve your life.
After giving an earlier version of this speech to the Dupont Circle of Speakers, I overhauled it based on their helpful suggestions. Thanks Dupont Circle of Speakers!
This version was given on February 27 at Capital 1 Toastmasters–my home group. Because I won the club competition, I will now compete at the area level on Wednesday, March 21. Wish me luck! 
Here is the transcript for the new and improved “Walk with the Sages” speech: Read the rest of this entry »
03.16.07
Is a Vegan World Possible? Heck Yeah!
Leafletting at Compassion Over Killing’s Vegetarian Feed-In in DC
Matt Ball, the Executive Director of Vegan Outreach wrote an excellent article titled One Possible Future: A Roadmap to Animal Liberation. It helps us readers envision how a vegan world will come about, despite the dispiriting reality that “uncle Dick hunts” and “cousin Jeb is always mocking me for being vegan.” Read the rest of this entry »