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Monday, July 14, 2008
Losing and Finding Freedom
I can't believe that she gave my book away.
I don't buy too many books anymore, but instead frequent the library down the street. If they don't have a book, CD, or DVD there, another library in Colorado will deliver it to the one near me, so there are very few limits to what I have access to. Still, I couldn't get Jarvis Jay Masters' Finding Freedom through the system, so I ended up buying it. I was glad to buy it, because Masters is a wonderful man and I'm happy to support him.
I previously wrote a post about Masters' book Finding Freedom. You can read it by clicking here. But this post isn't about the writer or the book. This is about what I learned when one of my best friends gave my prized book away.
When I bought the book, I read it like I read many books that I enjoy. I inhaled it. I dived into it and didn't come up for air until I closed the back cover. Once done, my plan was - as it is with many other books that I have loved - to go back to it and to slowly let the words and concepts sink into me. To savor it and let it infuse my soul.
BUT before the second phase of reading happened for this particular book, my good friend from out of state visited. She was passing through on her way to a retreat. I lent her the book with the understanding that she would send it back to me when she got home. But she didn't. On her retreat, she loaned it to a mutual friend - one that doesn't live near me and that I don't often see. It's been months since this happened and I still have not heard about Finding Freedom.
When I heard about the fate of the book, I first felt disappointment. Over time, I worked with letting go. Yesterday, I realized that if I would have taken my time the first time I read it, if I would've savored each moment instead of dancing on top of the words, I would've been fully done with the book as the last page was turned and its loss wouldn't have mattered so much.
Then I wondered... is this how I go through life? Quickly and on the surface, counting on the opportunity to come back and let the experience go deeper later? In a land of no guarantees of a "later", this isn't a wise philosophy.
After all of the studying that I've done about slowing down and staying present to the moment, am I still surfing the channels of life and thinking that I'll have another chance to stop and smell the roses or wildflowers or dog shit?
Funny thing is that the essays in Master's book are supreme examples of his ability to stay present to the moment even while sitting on death row.
And I had to lose the book in order to get it.
I don't buy too many books anymore, but instead frequent the library down the street. If they don't have a book, CD, or DVD there, another library in Colorado will deliver it to the one near me, so there are very few limits to what I have access to. Still, I couldn't get Jarvis Jay Masters' Finding Freedom through the system, so I ended up buying it. I was glad to buy it, because Masters is a wonderful man and I'm happy to support him.
I previously wrote a post about Masters' book Finding Freedom. You can read it by clicking here. But this post isn't about the writer or the book. This is about what I learned when one of my best friends gave my prized book away.
When I bought the book, I read it like I read many books that I enjoy. I inhaled it. I dived into it and didn't come up for air until I closed the back cover. Once done, my plan was - as it is with many other books that I have loved - to go back to it and to slowly let the words and concepts sink into me. To savor it and let it infuse my soul.
BUT before the second phase of reading happened for this particular book, my good friend from out of state visited. She was passing through on her way to a retreat. I lent her the book with the understanding that she would send it back to me when she got home. But she didn't. On her retreat, she loaned it to a mutual friend - one that doesn't live near me and that I don't often see. It's been months since this happened and I still have not heard about Finding Freedom.
When I heard about the fate of the book, I first felt disappointment. Over time, I worked with letting go. Yesterday, I realized that if I would have taken my time the first time I read it, if I would've savored each moment instead of dancing on top of the words, I would've been fully done with the book as the last page was turned and its loss wouldn't have mattered so much.
Then I wondered... is this how I go through life? Quickly and on the surface, counting on the opportunity to come back and let the experience go deeper later? In a land of no guarantees of a "later", this isn't a wise philosophy.
After all of the studying that I've done about slowing down and staying present to the moment, am I still surfing the channels of life and thinking that I'll have another chance to stop and smell the roses or wildflowers or dog shit?
Funny thing is that the essays in Master's book are supreme examples of his ability to stay present to the moment even while sitting on death row.
And I had to lose the book in order to get it.
Labels: freedom, Jarvis Jay Masters
posted by Carol at 9:03 AM
9 comments
Friday, July 04, 2008
July 4, 2008
Chimes of Freedom by Bob Dylan
Far between sundowns finish an midnights broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An for each an evry underdog soldier in the night
An we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
In the citys melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden while the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin constantly at stake
An we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
An the unpawned painter behind beyond his rightful time
An we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Through the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts
All down in taken-for-granted situations
Tolling for the deaf an blind, tolling for the mute
Tolling for the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an cheated by pursuit
An we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Even though a clouds white curtain in a far-off corner flashed
An the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale
An for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
An we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Starry-eyed an laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an we watched with one last look
Spellbound an swallowed til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an worse
An for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Labels: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, freedom
posted by Carol at 1:00 AM
3 comments
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
P.S.
I am so happy that some Palestinians got to get out of their captivity to get some food, medical help, and supplies.
Let the walls tumble!
Labels: freedom, human needs, Israel, Palestine
posted by Carol at 5:22 PM
4 comments
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
For Our Future
From Robert @ Left of Centrist. If you are moved to take action in support of these students who non-violently expressed their right to dissent, please sign the petition below or write the superintendent or principal.
Subject: Chicago H.S. Students Face Expulsion Following Antiwar Sit-In - HELP NEEDED
Please pass this petition around. Take action against the Superintendent tell him to drop all charges and expulsion orders!
By Chicago Indymedia - November 4, 2007 | News
Click here to sign the "In Defense of the Morton West Antiwar Students petition"
Berwyn, IL - November 2, 2007. Over 70 students participated in a sit-in against the Iraq War on All Saint's Day, Thursday, November 1st. It began third hour when dozens of students gathered quietly in the lunchroom at Morton West High School and refused to leave. The administrators and police became involved immediately and locked down the school for a half hour after class ended. Students report that they were promised that there would be no charges besides cutting classes if they took their protest outside so as not to disturb the school day. The students complied, and were led to a corner outside the cafeteria where they sang songs and held signs while classes resumed.
Despite a police line set up between the protestors and the student body, many other students joined the demonstration. Organizers say they chose November first because it is the Christian holy day called the feast of All Saints and a national day of peace. They wrote a letter and delivered it to Superintendent, Dr. Ben Nowakowski who was present at the time, stating the reason for their protest.
Deans, counselors and even the Superintendent tried to change the minds of a few, mainly those students with higher GPA scores to abandon the protest. The school called the homes of many of the protestors. Those whose parents arrived before the end of school and took their students home, or left before the protest ended at the final bell, received 3-5 days suspension. All others, an estimated 37 received 10 days suspension and expulsion papers. Parents report that Nowakowski stated those who are seventeen will also face police charges.
Sign the "In Defense of the Morton West Antiwar Students petition"
Parents who are frantically trying to spare their child's expulsion flooded the school yesterday to file appeals on the matter. So far, Superintendent Nowakowski has held firm on the punishments. They are expected to find out the results of the appeals on Tuesday. Parents and students report and the school's videotape shown to some of the parents confirms that the students were non-violent in their action and there was no damage to property.
The protest came on the heels of a recent incident on October 15th, when a student reported hearing that another student had a gun on campus. The story of the eyewitness was deemed unreliable and the school was not locked down. Later that week (October 19), the Berwyn police, acting on a tip arrested one of the youths originally questioned for gun possession and he allegedly confessed to carrying an unloaded semi-automatic handgun that day. All these issues, plus the expected announcement of whether uniforms will be established in the school should make the next Board of Education meeting on Wednesday at 7:00pm at the Morton East campus very well-attended.
See the link below for the Superintendent's statement on the matter:
http://www.jsmortonhs.com/news/contentview.asp?i=203515
For letters or phone calls of support, please see information below:
Dr. Ben Nowakowski, Superintendent
District 201
2423 South Austin, Cicero, IL 60804
bnowakowski@jsmorton.org
(708) 222-5702
Mr. Lucas, Principal
Morton West High School
2400 S. Home Ave.
Berwyn, IL 60402
jlucas@west.jsmorton.org
708-222-5901
Mr. Jeffry Pesek, President
Board of Education, District 201
3145 South 55th Avenue
Cicero, IL 60804
708-802-1863
For the rest of the Board Members see:
http://www.jsmortonhs.com/board/default.asp?c=4867
For parent contact:
Pam Winstead 708-749-3163, serp@comcast.net
Alma Moran 708-717-4202, qtalmita@yahoo.com
Adam Szwarek 847-587-8849, tsq9743@aol.com
Chicago Indymedia: http://chicago.indymedia.org/
--
Thomas Good, Editor
Next Left Notes (NLN)
Subject: Chicago H.S. Students Face Expulsion Following Antiwar Sit-In - HELP NEEDED
Please pass this petition around. Take action against the Superintendent tell him to drop all charges and expulsion orders!
By Chicago Indymedia - November 4, 2007 | News
Click here to sign the "In Defense of the Morton West Antiwar Students petition"
Berwyn, IL - November 2, 2007. Over 70 students participated in a sit-in against the Iraq War on All Saint's Day, Thursday, November 1st. It began third hour when dozens of students gathered quietly in the lunchroom at Morton West High School and refused to leave. The administrators and police became involved immediately and locked down the school for a half hour after class ended. Students report that they were promised that there would be no charges besides cutting classes if they took their protest outside so as not to disturb the school day. The students complied, and were led to a corner outside the cafeteria where they sang songs and held signs while classes resumed.
Despite a police line set up between the protestors and the student body, many other students joined the demonstration. Organizers say they chose November first because it is the Christian holy day called the feast of All Saints and a national day of peace. They wrote a letter and delivered it to Superintendent, Dr. Ben Nowakowski who was present at the time, stating the reason for their protest.
Deans, counselors and even the Superintendent tried to change the minds of a few, mainly those students with higher GPA scores to abandon the protest. The school called the homes of many of the protestors. Those whose parents arrived before the end of school and took their students home, or left before the protest ended at the final bell, received 3-5 days suspension. All others, an estimated 37 received 10 days suspension and expulsion papers. Parents report that Nowakowski stated those who are seventeen will also face police charges.
Sign the "In Defense of the Morton West Antiwar Students petition"
Parents who are frantically trying to spare their child's expulsion flooded the school yesterday to file appeals on the matter. So far, Superintendent Nowakowski has held firm on the punishments. They are expected to find out the results of the appeals on Tuesday. Parents and students report and the school's videotape shown to some of the parents confirms that the students were non-violent in their action and there was no damage to property.
The protest came on the heels of a recent incident on October 15th, when a student reported hearing that another student had a gun on campus. The story of the eyewitness was deemed unreliable and the school was not locked down. Later that week (October 19), the Berwyn police, acting on a tip arrested one of the youths originally questioned for gun possession and he allegedly confessed to carrying an unloaded semi-automatic handgun that day. All these issues, plus the expected announcement of whether uniforms will be established in the school should make the next Board of Education meeting on Wednesday at 7:00pm at the Morton East campus very well-attended.
See the link below for the Superintendent's statement on the matter:
http://www.jsmortonhs.com/news/contentview.asp?i=203515
For letters or phone calls of support, please see information below:
Dr. Ben Nowakowski, Superintendent
District 201
2423 South Austin, Cicero, IL 60804
bnowakowski@jsmorton.org
(708) 222-5702
Mr. Lucas, Principal
Morton West High School
2400 S. Home Ave.
Berwyn, IL 60402
jlucas@west.jsmorton.org
708-222-5901
Mr. Jeffry Pesek, President
Board of Education, District 201
3145 South 55th Avenue
Cicero, IL 60804
708-802-1863
For the rest of the Board Members see:
http://www.jsmortonhs.com/board/default.asp?c=4867
For parent contact:
Pam Winstead 708-749-3163, serp@comcast.net
Alma Moran 708-717-4202, qtalmita@yahoo.com
Adam Szwarek 847-587-8849, tsq9743@aol.com
Chicago Indymedia: http://chicago.indymedia.org/
--
Thomas Good, Editor
Next Left Notes (NLN)
Labels: Chicago students, freedom, Left of Centrist
posted by Carol at 7:53 AM
0 comments