Marriage

The current initiatives to legalize gay marriage in the US and around the capitalist world are misdirected from a purely humanitarian point of view. The right to gay marriage is actually a right to be the same as heterosexuals. True human rights include the right to be different. When single, childless and sexually active gay men and lesbian women are considered equal, then homosexul rights, indeed sexual rights, will have been actualized. For this to happen, single, childless, sexually active heterosexual men and women would have to be considered equal to married, parenting and monogamous or sexually inactive heterosexuals. It seems this reality is a long way off.

Prophets

Prophets, seers, have been present in societies as long as societies have kept record. Unfortunately, societies contaminated by majority religious cultism often assume that prophets must come from their religious cults. These societies assume that foresight must be wed to religious conformity. This is a basic flaw of cultism, or religion. Al Gore, Gore Vidal, Michael Moore, Howard Zinn...these are a few of our modern prophets. These people are committed to extending themselves to bring the message of their educated foresight to the public consciousness. Not only for praise or profit. As science sheds light on the Universe, men of learning and science will more and more become the prophets of humanity, all of humanity. It is part of my own practice to listen to them, to learn from them and to steer my own path in part by the light of their intelligence. I see this as another use of my intelligence to achieve personal evolution.

G-8

Last week, the puppets of the world's greediest people, the so-called "world leaders", met in Germany, where they fawned on each other with embraces and applause, while thousands of committed, brave and mindful protesters were kept miles away by the fascist troops of the global corporatocracy (the government constituted by the concerted influence of corporations on world governments). This summit was not reported in this light by any of the several radio, television and mainstream Internet outlets I frequent. I feel I need to add my view here in this obscure space, because the number of those who are awake to the evils of fascist and oligarchic domination of the population of the world seems to be shrinking. How has the age of information brought us to this place? How has the age of information allowed for this surrender of the masses to economic and psychological enslavement? Perhaps this is simply evidence that knowledge itself does not bring mindfulness unless incorporated into practice. The practice of living in the light of truth, honesty with oneself and others in all things, does not allow for submission to the powers who are now trampling on human rights, the environment and the core values of civic responsibility to the people of the world, not the elite. As can be seen clearly in those whose forebears have submitted to slavery, the road back from enslavement is much longer than the road to submission.