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Nothing Human Is Alien II

NOTHING HUMAN IS ALIEN ll

by C. Jenny Walbridge

Inspired by Christopher Reeve’s speech at the Democratic Convention on August 26, 1996.

The early years:

I’d known bright joy at ovation

In a classroom situation.

I’d told others how to feel,

But could I see myself?

I had tasted their ablutions;

They were simple, clear solutions.

But my problems went beyond them,

And I had to get more help.

Later:

It was time for the Convention and

I heard Christopher Reeve;

He held me in detention, standing,

Heart upon my sleeve.

He said family values meant

In a country time is spent

On each other, sister, brother—

All cared for by one another.

The man had found some loopholes

In the American Dream:

He pointed out discrepancies:

Things are not what they seem

For those with shattered lives.

 And he said, We can overcome!

But ’til good heart arrives, it’s clear

The luckless are struck dumb.

Democracy’s in jeopardy—

The rich can lobby more!

Who pulls the strings?  Aren’t we ashamed

If we abuse the poor?

Tonight, in writing letters,

Some quite brilliant words I found.

They help cut through the old fetters

With which my eyes were bound.

“Nothing human is alien,”

Is the phrase I mention here.

I wrote it down so many times—

It seemed to stop my fear.

I’d suffered from psychosis then.

(It’s now under control:

The drugs I take can for me make

A more collected soul.)

When Reeve spoke and he mused so well

On our good land today,

“We must help those with mental problems

Too!” I thought he’d say.

I would not put it past him, though,

To quote, on second thought,

That if we can make a difference for

An ailing mind, we ought!

For all the knocks life hands to us,

It gives us talents, too,

And virtues such as empathy

It’s good not to eschew.

The struggle to be sound of self

Is not an easy one.  But

Of mind and body, health makes

Productive lives, and fun.

My own journey has taken me

Aways from whence I came:

By learning more about myself,

I’ve come to be the same,

But stronger, smarter, more aware

Of the fact that we are all

So very vulnerable to

A heart-ache or a fall

From the grace of full acceptance in

A culture that is mean,

A system that would hate its own

When they’re no longer lean

Or sprout a female chest or a

Cleft palate or are Black.

Discrimination hurts, my friend—

We’ve got to fight it back!

Nothing human is alien,

I’ve come to know it’s true.

For mentally ill I have been;

An artist too.  And you?

A family is what we are,

The rich parts and the poor,

And each of us inside our heads

Must build bridges for more

Understanding—it’s what we need,

Of ourselves, and of y’all!

My therapy’s been long enough

That I can make this call:

What grander art than that which

Rests between a set of ears?

But must psychology’s concern

Be solely that of fears?

Let us create a culture where

Art therapy’s the norm:

Where each one gets a chance to make

Some line, some movement, form,

And all feel inspiration 

To express their artist’s soul.

A healthy planet’s what we’d get 

If we’d assume this role!

I hold just that the world’s solutions 

Lie within our grasp,

Whether they be saving souls 

Or fighting plagues of asp.

Liberation of our souls is

Needed.  Hey!  I have seen

Within myself, recovery,

And hope.  Know what I dream?

A future where we utilize 

All of our greatest gifts, 

Where we’re engaged to teach, inspire;

In which my spirit lifts

The all of you, who come to know 

Yourselves as I’ll know me.

We’ll dance ahead, committed

To each other feeling free.

Life

Life

by C. Jenny Walbridge, June 27, 2022-October 5, 2023

If I get angry at you, I can cause a bullet to wound or kill your body.  But why don’t we work out our emotional problems using words?  Children and adults possess the right to life in other countries—even if they anger another.  Why isn’t that a given for Americans? The right to life is in our Bill of Rights! The Second Amendment gives us the right to own guns; maybe what’s missing in our Bill of Rights is a prohibition of using them! 

The term “pro-life” has a visceral appeal, especially to people who are scared to look at themselves and their own relationship to living.  If life means something scary to you, controlling it and asserting that you “value” it makes you not only right—and morally so–and to feel better.  It gives you something to cling to, and becomes a way of mastering the issue that threatens you.  The cost of this is other peoples’ lives and interiors and their resentment in the future.  But when one is terrified to look inside oneself—to learn about who one is, and maybe to learn that one needs to do some work to get psychologically healthier—it is VERY appealing to “own” other people in this way, to force them to do something so you can feel in control of your own self, pushing the issue away from you and into others’ bodies.

I am “pro-choice.”  But I am also supportive of life: I care about the environment we share with the animals and plants; I support groups that work for a greener future, and in my relationships I try for positivity.  This last aspect of my being is more than some people can lay claim to, because it entails introspection and self-awareness, tools I have learned from my parents and my therapists, social workers whose very existence probably threatens many of us.  Let me tell you, they have worked for me!  Although I was extremely screwed up in 1980 when I entered high school, due to parenting and worldly mistakes, I started seeing therapists and kept that up my whole adult life.  Finally, I found one therapist who could help me do the profound work on myself that I needed to do, and have seen her for the last 30 years.  It took a long time of simply talking with her, but we have been successful. 

However, the education I had to have to learn how to fit in with Americans was mindboggling.  I must say, the study of anthropology—of different peoples from around the planet—was extremely helpful; I thank Loyola University Chicago, as well as my therapist, for that, but a couple of years at Reed College and the School of the Art Institute were life-giving as well.

Wouldn’t it be nice if all human life was wanted life?  Yes, it would.  It would also be nice for our children to get a decent world to play in—not to work on.  That sounds good for us, adults, too, doesn’t it?  I loved Amy Shumer’s standup routine about sexual matters.  How about some more of this, America?  We love being the entertainers of the world—let’s act like it and work out these issues on stage!

The other thing is that there are MANY PEOPLE here now, and we live together on a limited area home that can be screwed up permanently.  Talk about gifts for the kids!  How about a place to run around and breathe clean air?  How about a clean river to swim in? 

We need a NEW DIRECTION.  I see it!  Let me help let us live peacefully.  My faith in myself as a woman tells me that we can do it!  We need to fly like butterflies from our cocoons, with every wing flap bringing the people of the world to a brighter day.

For starters, miscarriage is natural.  Some foods and spices cause the period to start back up.  We should utilize these natural, noninvasive methods for birth control.  I myself got progesterone shots, which were great because not only did my body not conceive, but they completely halted my period!  That was a freedom worthy of the name!  And I come from Libertyville, Illinois, so I know of what I speak.

Anyway, I love life.  What I don’t mean is “every sperm is sacred,” as Monty Python joked: of course each one is important, as every fetus who comes to term and get born is a baby, important to love and care for; they and each child and adult are part of the cycle of life and deserve protection and help (yet these are denied by those who oppose abortion). Those with eggs must be held as even more sacred than men because there are such a limited number for each woman. I’m not disputing that  life is sacred, but if it is, we are behaving hypocritically–even sinfully–when we pollute God’s Earth.

I support women’s choices about our own needs, while recognizing that our future species has needs that we can meet or ignore—our offspring will be living HERE, and our choices will affect them!  We need to get ourselves in excellent psychological shape so we can anticipate those needs—to SEE our kids and—wait—look out and around, to see how ELSE we can contribute, rather than just through family.  Call me a Jehovah’s Witness, but I see that God is on our planet now, trying to live WITH Her recalcitrant offspring. There is no Heaven after Earth. Eden is here! This road may be new, but it is a path with heart! 

All Help the U. S. A!

 

C. Jenny Walbridge ©2022  

(Inspired by Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the U. S. A.”) 

I love this land I stand on

Maybe more than some could grasp.

I’m in red, white, blue tie-dye,

And a peace sign is my clasp.

From Denver to Seattle,

Going south to Georgia too,

Where Old Glory’s overhead, 

The great bald eagles flew,

To Lady Liberty who towers,

Welcoming with hand of light

(Though our country in its guises was

Not always in the right)—

I am proud to be an American, 

Where my family came to live.

Like others from those distant lands

Who now are here to give,

I want to stand up

Next to you,

So we can both salute

Our brave past; now, our future

Needs our people not to shoot!

From Chicago down to Texas

Innocents murdered in cold

Bloody NRA gets richer

That Amendment Two—so old!

From the swamps of Leeziana

To the sands of Arizone

The people upset, crying,

Health care stealing all they own.

Yet I’m proud to be an American,

Sharing all the problems here.

Trying to get help we need,

Not have sad eyes that tear.

And I want to sit down next to you,

Take your hand and say,

That we must play “together”

‘Cause we love the USA!

From first responders’ hurt lungs

To broken bones of the police,

Soldiers’ missing limbs, 

PTSD—on the increase,

From teachers to bus drivers,

Truck unloaders, work all day,

Security guards, phoners

Working hard all night, I say,

That I love my fellow Americans

Who made the U. S. Number One!

They contributed their best

As our great citizens’ve done.

And I’ll gladly stand up next to them,

To save their bodies’ health

‘Cause they have strong American hearts—

Here’s where we know true wealth!

I’m glad to be an American,

But do we keep it for ourself?

Most of us came from afar;

Do we put others on a shelf?

Why don’t we stand up, write

A new agenda for our land

I think it’s time our country 

Will become a smart new brand!

Yeah, I’m proud to be an American,

My humble nest is here.

I sometimes order pizza,

On the weekends, drink some beer.

I’d like to stand up next to you

In all our grief and pain—

How can we use our freedom

To bring peace? wonders this brain.

USA Dot Two 

Is a newer version of

America, for winners,

Built by those of us who love

Our country and are ready 

To try something that’s more green,

Flex our muscles, stretch our bones,

Take a leap over the mean!

I disliked actor Ronald Reagan

All the things that he would quote

And the trickle-down idea’s

Not exactly all she wrote.

Yet, I’m proud to be an American,

With friendly border lands.

No need for trade in weapons—

We want better games for our hands.

And I have to stand up

Next to those

Who’ll choose our leader new

By votes we’ll use our freedom,

Finding one who has a clue.

Stars on every U. S. flag, 

Thirteen moon-months stripe

If any space is “tainted,” 

Use that banner, “clean,” to wipe!

That’s the way we’ve ruled the Planet.

There could be a change:

Global collaborations with all over—

Is that strange?

I’m proud to be from the U. S.,

Tall mountains majesty,

And know that I don’t need a gun,

There’s peace, no tragedy.

From the lakes of ancient Persia

To the hills of Vietnam

Let us not fail to celebrate,

Not drop another bomb.

War finally done, some great ones died.

None need face fear now, right?!

The U. N. must do its work,

All nations giving light!

All share a home, it’s Planet Earth,

From sea to shining sea.

Why don’t we now collaborate

On laughs for you and me?

And I’d like to high-five you and hug

My neighbor from afar,

Let’s cooperate.  We can still

Save our Earth, the Sun’s all star!

There ain’t no doubt we love our lands—

Let’s all help Earth, today:

The children from all over

And the ones with hair that’s grey—

It’s fine for the U. S. to lead

As long as we recall

That China’s differences are nice: 

They’ve still got their Great Wall.

I can reach from where I’m at 

To generate some health

For the whole planet’s welfare

Not just missiles labelled “Stealth.”

Let’s see if we can guide our hearts

Around the Earthly curve

With trips up into Space we’ll soon

Be viewing blue with verve!

How ‘bout some runs for poorer folks

From nations like our own—

With egos big but tools small—

Still dialing on the phone…

Well, wait a minute, here,

Maybe there’s a place for us::

On the world stage in peace—

Could we avoid a fuss?

I want you to stand up,

Next to me,

Look at ourselves and see

If we can extend a hand 

Of justice, to be free!

Feminist Poems

Feminist Poems

by Catherine Jennifer Walbridge ©2022

  1. Fingers

I’m in the bathroom at night

I’m sitting on the toilet

I need some toilet paper 

It is dark.

I reach for the end of the roll

I have to find the end

I touch the roll, very gently I find the end of the roll by turning it around its pivot slowly.

I’m in the book store

I’m at Whole Foods

I’m in their bathroom

The toilet paper is not hanging down conveniently

I reach under the plastic toilet paper dispenser

I have to turn the roll with my hand to find the end.

Gentleness is called for.

Precision.

My baby gives me the cigarette we are smoking

Very tenderly my fingers touch his.

He hands me the cigarette;

We must be careful because it is hot.

This is nothing that machines can do.

The hand…the fingers…the paper…the pen!

2. What it Is to Be a Girl

Walkin’ round with nothin’ hangin

Getting banged, not givin’ bangin.’

Feelin’ fine, sharing the future

Nature says I have to nurture.

Worshipping who I desire?

Goddess—talking on the wire—

Tellin’ me that I can work it—

Practice hard, showin’ you, jerk, fit

As a drum you playin’ on

Inspiring you to write a song.

Where’s the credit?  You get some

Providing schooling, sports; not dumb,

You’re simply discriminatin’

Want all control of who you’re datin.’

But she doesn’t grow while still.

Listen here—I see you will!

3. We could make life a lot easier for a lot of people!

In some other countries the folks are allowed

To do small capitalism, and proud 

Of their fruit stand they are.  And why don’t we

Give some small housing?  Austin, Portland—see?!?

One might just heal when they come to possess

Their own door knob, and even to feel blessed

To live in a space where they can just cry

Or take a nap, in privacy.  Sound good?  Let’s try!

‘Cause people are touching, and people need warming.

They want to run inside when the bugs are swarming.

We all have toes which belong to our feet—

Directing us whither we tread, who we greet.

Do we feel we don’t need manners with our neighbors?

Friends, enemies—for all folks—we must labor

For shared results, progress, two folks on the see-saw—

Neglecting each other, can’t get high, it’s a law

Of nature.  (Good deeds make us happy together!

Gifts, sharing, good-natured acting—whatever.)

Enjoy being ourself as we impact another,

And they’re holding us, like a sister or brother.

Family and friends—we do need ‘em.

See all the nations who know they must feed ‘em?

Not leave fellows to rot while leaders drink up,

But help people be strong, all join with a cup!

4. Sexy!

Our place in the world is erotic: 

no control over the weather.

No control over the stock market—

No control over our feelings, our finances, our dinner’s quality

because it comes from polluted fields—they may be polluted, we don’t know,

just like we don’t know how our lover will respond from day to day.

Nature is sexy.  We are part of nature.  

But does our history from now on have to be so hurtful, just because we are trying to live the fact that the world is sexy? that we are not in control, that peoples get hurt because forces are so powerful, like sex?

And we must prove that we can synthesize things; even though we are part of nature, we “are above it”—an abstraction good for who?

“They got screwed.”  

Make love, not war!

5. Feathers

Falling into place as I again comb them with my beak.

Life keeps going!   I fly!

I feel like a jukebox.  All the selections keep dropping into my slots and then I play them…New tunes each day.  I learn.

Momentary panic

——worked through—-

Played through

I think of our pet millipede who,

when I turned the light in the kitchen on,

looked at me and ran from the open peanut butter jar to behind the cabinets—

We were both shocked.

We saw it again.  I said to my boyfriend, “This is our friend.  Don’t kill it.”

Really a beautiful animal with too much style to murder.

My boyfriend!   My boyfriend shares with me.

He tries to help me fix my computer and leaves a grease spot on “return.”

Life—decent.

I am 50.  Death is approaching, very slowly.

Am hoping not to crash into a window…

If I do and they find me, maybe they will give me to the natural history museum to identify and catalogue: 

the Jennybird:

she didn’t shave 

she looked at the sky

(a rainbow was there sometimes)

6. The Third Sex

Calculate the appearance—colored clothes and something hair—

Strike up a conversation if you want to take a dare.

Your instinct’s right, because you can’t just look inside the pants—

Your body wants to party, not analyze the dance!

It’s dark and light in stripes in division on a horse—

Picture the zebra now—it’s an animal, of course.

Each one is different—you can see, they really are unique.

Straight markings are impossible—stripes show in curves, go peek!

All in order, some of them are sexy in one way,

Others in another.  God makes them—it’s okay.

Humans have fingerprints and some realistic gripes

But when the zebra moves, you don’t think about its pipes.

Are there really only two sexes?   Well, ask a doctor—“No.”

How about three then, if there’s hermaphroditic flow?

I say we have some billions, and every person’s great.

Each of us is unique.  Some will, maybe, mate;

Some of us have babies; some just clearly can’t.

Sexual organs differ, like the leg that wears the pants.

Don’t cop out, friend, be truthful to your feelings for

A person, not a gender, ‘cause in bed there’s always more

And trans folks can be amazing, just like the others can—

Please remember the zebras before you make a ban,

For God creates with panache, sometimes in black and white,

Somewhat he and somewhat she but always in the right.

If He makes us in His image, well, that means He’s more complex—

He is also She and More—that’s how They stack the decks.

Each person gets a special mix of dark and then of light—

The feminine, the masculine—everybody’s right!

Wise one, know that we can live in peace together—

But we must be creative, like God Itself, no tether.

Open doors but also, sugar, look within, I say—

I’m ready for more tolerance, now and here, today!

7. Frozen Pizza

“The Pill and frozen pizza were women’s liberation,” says my boyfriend.

The progesterone birth control shot and frozen pizza are indeed my liberation:

no blood, no babies.  Dinner!

But my guy and I make quality meals, too,

and we sleep together,

and study and read and write and learn about each other and the world, discuss

and walk 

and look for pennies, dimes and quarters

and often we find them!

Our pizza costs $5.99 and there are always leftovers for lunch.

The shots are freeing and free 

because I have insurance from the government

for being bipolar 

which means that I am free to work part time and not be rich.

We endlessly review good business policy for food and liquor establishments, 

he saying “You must always please the customer,” and

“I would have specials all the time in a club that looks really classy.”

We love cheese and halvah.  

“What can we do, we are only human,” as he says.

8. To the Class of ’21, 

from C. Jenny Walbridge

I wrote this speech with my “Judgement Free Zone” pen.

It’s from some planet fitness thing.  Now’s when

I’m comin’ from the future, makin’ a stand

Talkin’ of art and healthy in this land,

And sea emocean true.  I notice that you grew

Now, we be needin’ your peace signs, too!

My love life, ‘cause I have dignity,

Depends on you having fun.  Here, see,

This state, this world, where we be living,

You and me.  I’m okay giving,

Though I need you motivated 

To pay attention: you’re not dated.

We can care likewise for Earth

While I’m alive, and give you birth.

Lemme just share a couple things

I found out—they might give you wings!

From an artist these words coming,

Who studied peoples, not be dumbing,

Learning all about the others

In the world, our sisters, brothers.

My life is performance art…

Is yours, too?  That’s a good start!

Using all the rainbow hues—

Love is wise—that’s my good news.

You can make your body wild

Just like when you were a child

But document your progress, so

You can see just how you grow.

A skateboard sticker I have goes,

“GREEN IS GOoD.”  (Seedless should know.)

Not cash green!  I now suggest

We give our nature here a rest:

Each day, dance for all and me—

Surprise us—creativity!

No one needs to waste away.

‘If not fun, why done?’ I say.

Science tells us the best way

Most inventive, now, is play!

Sitting versus dancing, here—

Make the world reject fear!

Our planet wants to be known

As a kind place, be a safe home

To stay and dine, without rapine—

(Grabbing others, saying ‘They’re mine.’)

A-R-T ’s in Earth—so, get it?

Grow up, go save your life with it!

Make some noise with pots and pans—

You can grow some grown-up plans!

Makin’ music—olders like it—

Givin’ hope—don’t drive but bike it.

Get tattoos if you need ‘em, whitey,

Browns, you, too, can be delightey.

What’s the rhythm of the game? 

Lust is love, they are the same.

Appreciation, courtesy,

Are cool—they make humans to be

Friendly, optimistic, free

To help each other up.  You see?

9. Live Child

When “with child” happens in a tube

When no use can be found for lube

Then tell me I’m no animal

Who needs warmth, whose rhythms pull

Me through my life, in winter rain,

Me feeling joy, me feeling pain,

‘Cause I am one with human needs

I cry to you in voice that pleads

That here I sniff and air goes in 

And there are you, and here we been

We’re touching now in simple skin

I say your name—you let me in.

10. A Poem

Your recycled paper is more expensive than regular.  

It takes a lot of water to clean out a can for recycling.

Having a car must needs be part of your lifestyle.

You are a vulnerable woman, you need the protection.  Rape.

Your car is the “greenest” model available.

I am unreasonable to suggest that you are unreasonable.

11. Wild 

She was always shoving her wet, wild nose into some cavernous place in the Earth, as if to convince it it still spoke in a valued tongue.

12. If I were the President,

I would need things to be somewhat stressful,

but also fun.  

I would need not to have to dress in fancy clothes;

and not to run

‘Cause walking is my sport of choice—

and stretching, too—

I would need to dance around

but not to come unglued.

I would need to get a chance to 

talk to people of my State—

Publicity, you know, 

and chances to be great.

But wise counsel tells me

that I might be hated;

Though that advice pales

before ones who aren’t dated.

It seems that the U. S. 

is in such a hole

We need to rise again and can,

‘cause we got soul!

A many people hurtin’ here

and I do care—

Don’t like to see my sister-girl

up quit, bad fare.

So tired that my brother-man

can only go

As far as rich folks let him,

no bootstraps, and so

Can’t pull up himself;

he needs to live, not die—

It’s serious.  I can ask myself

‘cause why?

I’ve learned that to be healthy means

you’ve dignity, you sigh

In pleasure sometimes, 

smiling, too—

If you deny the poor, 

you work for who?

Lazy are you, one might say?

“Get up and run, and start today!

“You’re good as Hillary in some ways—

With Trump it’s already a craze!”

We’re international, I see—

And that means I can start with me.

Am I a banker?  Or have degrees?

No!  And yes, I have to tease,

‘Cause I can see what you may not—

A way out for the melting pot!

Be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, more—

Stick with me for an open door.

It looks like pain from way outside

But I won’t ask you to swallow your pride.

We can work, not slave, but play

For future kids and us today.

On this planet there’s a lot

Of wisdom—some is in my plot,

I’m thinking: no more shame

For rich because

They’ll quit supporting 

Stuff that does

Not help the matters 

Here at hand,

Like empowering folks

To form a band,

To sing wholly the songs we love,

To see again the settling dove.

Peace, baby!  Vote this way

in November

And you and I will suddenly

remember.

Love,

~C. Jenny Walbridge

13. My Pledge

I’m gal who’s strong, I’m woman tough

And times ahead, they may be rough

But, see, my heart is big and round–

The Planet wise, the Planet sound

Is first to me–then I’ll make love,

And free the caged white turtledove,

But not before, man!  Can you see

I plan in you a door to free?

No mating now is how I say

We need the world fixed up today!

So let’s try no sex any more

’Til females stop being so poor

And plastic ceases being dumped

In water home of whales with humps.

14 Give up those condoms, stand with me—

Abstinence will make us free.

One painful year we’ll slow our lust

’Til Sister Earth can breathe, we’ll trust:

“To-get-her” sing, all safe, and then

Next year here, sex back, our friend!

14. Kali’s Song to the U. S. A.

I worship with my eyes

And my eyes are touched by fire.

I’m Kali, the Destroyer,

Who is likened to a liar,

But it’s never that I’ve killed–no,

Nor ever have I stolen;

You see, I’m not a woeful man

And neither am I rollin’

Deep in guilt and steep hypocrisy,

Cold-heartedness and sin–

I love my every brother,

But he will not let me in!

The worship of the natural can

Take great one Yahweh’s powers,

Though also what’s effective

Is a field full of flowers.

To balance on a seesaw–

Yes, you’ve done it with a friend–

Takes two, but then it needs one more–

The center point–to end.

Say Holy Ghost, call what you will,

But I remind you that

This one who charms by warmth and 

Arms is not an idiot!

I’m waiting at the door, you see,

And wondering I be

About who runs the show down here,

God–is it you or me?

We light fire and it licks for us;

Its sight gives our minds a turn.

That’s fuel for the flame;

Thus our hearts do slowly burn.

One cannot fight the glowing 

Of one’s nature.  And to grow

Takes Earthly womb, and woman’s

Room is soon within the tow.

I, Kali, Indian goddess,

Say let not all grace be men’s:

Fire’s power’s the Eiffel Tower

Of modern folk, with friends,

But male control of nature has

Taken us down a road of pain

And caused in us a longing

For removal of bloodstain.

So do not divorce from love, my friend,

Your worship or your soul.

Your heart’s attached to all these things–

To share all three’s the goal!

Though dime and gold are moon and sun,

They now are linked with fears.

Recall that you are good, oh, land,

You’re beautiful, you’re oh-so-grand,

But if you do not understand,

We’ll drown soon in our tears!

15. Woman’s Day

It’s Woman’s Day today

So all women, please knit something

Then cook something

Then we’ll hear your televised criticisms of the government.

16. Human Needs

Waitin’ at the bus stop, Chicago north range

Lady in pink says she’s homeless, asks for change.

I say “No, I don’t have no coins.”  True.

Man beside me pulls out a five for her—whoo!

Lady’s very pleased.  To the guy I say,

“That was really nice to treat her that way!”

“My religion,” he replies, “won’t permit me to

Not help her if I can. “ Say what?  Say who?

“I’m a Muslim,” he says.  I’m familiar, though

Have never read most holy books, Koran and so.

Shelters for our rest

Beds because we nest

Human needs have all of us

Life is what it means to trust.

Invest in a better life for you and your;

Be happy—can you, seeing pain and poor?

Does your religion let you accept it all?

Who do you have to make the call?

Little toes have everyone

Caring and a need for fun

Human needs of all of us

Life is what it means to trust.

Winter quick approaches here

Dark outside, cold people peer

From places warm? or temp housing—

Hearing sound of church bells ring.

It makes me feel enlivened when

I shake a hand and message send

I give some help for human needs;

Love is how contentment breeds.

Shelters for our rest 

Beds because we nest

Humanity is all of us—

Life is what it means to trust.

17. Wise Eyes

Seeing in the pond, “I’m beautiful,” she thinks. 

Her god has given to her a perfect right to drink.

Hunting with his tools, “I’m powerful,” he states.

“God gave me this talent; he must want me to mate.”

They’re Muslim.  Come along a Christian, born and bred.

He’s learned trauma and his sex fills him with dread.

A rational belief system, ‘cause God, who made us all,

Wants us to love in peace, use our hearts, not take a fall?

Oh, no, we must be careful of the female of the race:

We need to control her—make her mind, bind her in lace.

The very mom of Jesus had to be a sinless lass;

Born of mother virgin, to appease the sounding brass.

But customs are as customs do, and variable and so

Creatively invented—they don’t grow up from below

Or from on high.  It’s easy to assume yours are the best—

After all, they’re popular, we drink them at the breast.

Jesus came for helping, yet there are others to hear:

Mohammed and Baha’ullah don’t make love seem less dear.

The Christ did not preach pain, self-hate;

Stop flagellation!  Find a mate!

18. Rap After Sir Mix-A-Lot’s 1992 “Baby Got Back”

Lady Don’t Lack

We got big butts

And we will not lie

You other peoples

Might ask why

It’s how we’re made, we just size up–

We gonna fill your cup!

We so lovely you tearin’

You look and you can’t stop leerin’

That girl in the mirror smilin’

That fat on her backside pilin’!

In the butt we’re radical!

We be international!

We like our rear 

And we think we’re fine

Whoever made us 

Was sure tryin’!

Drivin’ to be livin’

Women got much fat

Drivin’ to be livin’

And we sure don’t lack!

We stick out in wide ways

I say we gonna get some lays

Cellulite is here to find?

Jigglin,’ sister, we don’t mind–

We beautiful!

We got big butts 

And we think we bad

They givin’ by our mom and dad!

Nobody who be less than cool

Will learn it all at this good school!

We love our butts 

And it’s so okay

Bitching about it’s yesterday

My body it ain’t yours for free

Unless you gonna respect me!

Lady don’t lack

Lady don’t lack

Decent folks find our form pleasin’

Nature made us for a reason!

Drivin’ to be livin’ 

And we got much fat

Drivin’ to be livin’

And we fine with that.

What is that in your head?  It’s corny!

That thought you got makes you too scorny!

Critic baby you may be

Well free your mind, y’all, say me!

Dial 1-800-FIX-A-LOT

And ditch those sexist thoughts!

Lady don’t lack!

19.  Chicago Connection

Rap after NWA’s “Express Yourself” and Above the Law’s “Freedom of Speech”

ARTEMIS

There’s been a lot of hiding and terrifying out there and I’ve never had the chance to tell anyone what way is up.  It’s time to dig reality.  I’m workin’ on me.  I’m tryin’ to

Connect myself…

People tell me I should

“Express myself!”

(Be enlightening this geek will–

You’ll want to read the sequel!)

I’m expressin’ with my vulnerability

And I’m a comin’ from bipolarist virility.

I get sick of takin’ pills to self-deadicate;

I’m an ape and have biology to medicate.

With you I pledge to share my design–

And what I need to be more or less fine.

I’m connectin’ for my responsibility

Of livin’ in a world with human fra-ility

I make lovin’ thought with each embroidered stitch

My needle’s workin,’ I’m like a acupuncture witch!

The war now over, here’s what I’m gonna make—

My mind is free, it’s just like I’m gonna break

Dance in the street–I’m ‘a level with you:

My city’s real pretty but I’ll tell it what to do.

“Heal thyself” said the doctor by the name of Dre–

“First, do no harm—” We should be goin’ that way!

Connect myself…

Express myself…

Yeah, I’m a sewer and it’s time for relatin,’

Connectin’ the dots for the inundatin’

Of all us citizens–why, you wanna know?

I’ve been through the trial, wanna help our love to show.

Drugs have seen their day and ECT has, too;

There’s better stuff out there, we should see it through!

Just like that alternative energy tech–

Earth and our bodies need apology—heck!

Mental illness ain’t a place to dwell in long

Discrimination there’s the way to do it wrong;

Why attack with words and antiquated solution 

When all are in the boat of chemical pollution?

Be enlivening the meek will–

Come out and be our equal!

Connect ourselves!

Countin’ on my method, well, I think that I can do this

Though conventionals may say I’m lookin’ foolish.

I been healing–don’t criticize me;

Talk to me close up–look into my eyes–see?

I’m plannin’ a great world party!

Let’s get there now—we ain’t tardy!

It seems that a lot a us have depression.

Ain’t no surprise–but there’s a lesson

For us, it’s the consequences of messin’

With Nature–I do it too, I’m confessin,’

And holdin’ back our good hearts from each other,

Including our differently-abled brother,

And our poor sister, who ain’t got one dime–

The children, too!  Isn’t now the time?

They say, “express myself”?

—Respect myself?

In fifty years, doctor billing will catch up with news.

But by then our health and compassion will lose!

We just have no trust in all but the painful–

Big medical treatment is often disdainful!

Bodies a universal language for all to hear—

Don’t go drownin’ in your beer!

Some don’t agree with my unique approaches:

I stay away from illicit drugs and roaches,

Cause they make a sister foolish–

I need all of my body parts to do this!

A fancy degree?  Well, I lack it.

I got style though, but others will attack it!

It’s scary to me, the form of folks out in the cold for the norm but I’m warm!

Connect myself…

Respect myself!

Lookin’ at the mirror;

No reason to fear ‘er!

I want to put Libertyville on the map;

My mid-U. S. hometown’s the source of my rap

Tom Morello and I be there on the crew

We be Illinoisan if we can’t reach you!

Why I got to be here, talking so much,

Stitchin’ and preachin,’ and tryin’ to touch

You, neighbor, acquaintance, ‘cause you tellin’ me

That we needin’ help?  Yeah, this I can see!

Don’t let your bad contort us,

‘Cause it could abort us!

Like is the U. S. just a correctional facility?

‘Cause I’m concerned with our psyches’ mobility:

I see talent that’s been wasted extreme;

WPA-like’s what I dream.

There’s methods around that would solve people’s problems–

Whether they be Jews, Christians, or Moslems–

Why they be in hiding

When they could be guiding?

This woman’s got to criticize two or ten–

There’s stuff going down and it’s hurting a friend–

He can’t do painting when there’s shooting outside:

How will he feel some pride?

Fifty stars on the flag, but the actors are soakin’

Up the blues of addiction while their nannies are jokin’

“See you in rehab,” say the rich girls and males

“See you in prison,” say the poor, “in the jails.”

Just take it around U. S. country and then

Go further and learn, and then listen and when

You see with your heart like I have done that soon

All people are one and we need the same tune:

To express ourselves,

Connect ourselves,

Respect ourselves!

People call it wise when you sharin’ the truth

‘Cause how you gonna be when you don’t have youth?

Is there gonna be a future for you or for me?

‘Cause we closin’ our eyes, and we just don’t see.

For many a muted voice here do I speak–

Chicago’s my home and the strong and the weak

Are both humbled by Lake and sidewalk and poor– 

Those who aren’t lazy but can’t find a door.

My thinking is different, my projects, they rock me,

Though many would see my appearance and mock me

Yet I live inside this big body of mine

And I say to you that conditions are fine

That here in this brick house, this person can count

The goodnesses that to her heart and it’s fount

Have been from the brave world extended and so

Are making it right for my virtues to grow.

(Some people say that my whole self is arty.

I want to hear them, smarty!)

See a therapist, yeah, this is what I do, 

And make some inner working break the hold on you.

See society, and then take a look at the world–

Help the Planet get the Earth flag unfurled!

I want to teach citizens and educate

See, females are now in the ring–are you late?

I ask bulls**** prevention for the future date

For expressin’ myself and improvin’ our fate!

I need some good fuel to live in peace.

Touching and home-cooked food are my grease,

And love from my tan man to make me create:

3-, 2-D and rhymin,’ my medicine’s great!

Unfortunately, in my present condition,

To function I make an unwelcome addition:

Yeah, I’m taking drugs, though I don’t like to do it,

But these days, sanity—they get me to brew it.

Sooner or later I may find my peak—

Instead of the drugs, Alexander Technique—

“The Body Has Its Reasons”—so, my body, speak!

I want to hear me, from howl to squeak!

Am I but alone in the law of the land?

My arms are but two–is there but one more hand?

Let’s hear from the people whose voices are few—

From the tens, and the hundreds, the millions, and you!

Express yourself, baby!

Please, do it—no maybe!

Friendly folks are reachin’ out to meet us, true,

So welcome to the start—celebrate the heart! 

Connect yourself, respect yourself—express yourself:

Elect yourself to Artemis and heal our part!

American

Recovery

Team

Ecological

Muse

International

Synthesis!

20. Peace

Peace doesn’t come from quietude,

From standing like a tree;

Creation is its action mood,

So set the spirit free!

21. Blissful

Blissful is everything—

the nouns and the verbs.

Even the predicates follow their hearts.

We realize with eyes some, 

with fingers others,

with love singing through the air others still.

But who are we, in happiness?

Why and wherefore do we this and that, making babies?

Tell us, please—if not in love, where are we?

22. Recess

Now let that I have said it here

Be evidence for more—

Americans are feeling how

Our culture makes us sore:

Sore when we build up the strong cult

Of power, and then just

Watch that great strength start to break down

The gentlest hearts, and us.

By rejecting a large part—

Its Nature—the U. S. has

Both lied to all and turned away its

Very soul—its jazz!

See, people, we cry out and cheer

When Michael Jordan moves,

Yet we don’t let on to the fact

All humans need to groove—

We evolved to exercise, 

To move our bodies, stroll;

Our ancestors were great walkers;

This sitting takes its toll!

John Kenneth Galbraith said,

“The ideas by which people…in measure guide their 

behavior were not forged in a world of wealth.”

He’s dead,

But John’s words seems to echo

What we know from science books:

Our heritage is that of schemer,

Not so much of rich-folk’s looks.Let’s learn about our past, 

For learning often is the key

That, combined with dreaming,

Brings a better home to be.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge,”

Einstein thought.

I’m telling you that we need both;

To help our Earth we ought!

A position that supports us in 

Naturally unfolding will

Find great rewards from those it serves,

Will hear no voice be still.

Teams are a great way of working—

A true solution, fostering friends.

Creativity’s for me

Not only means, but happy ends.

The ideas of rich and poor,

The leveling of their wealth,

So all contribute to the world,

Would bring great results!  Stealth

It seems, so simple! but

Fine work for you and me.

With wonder as a cornerstone,

We’ll build to set us free!

But look we should into the past,

So we can get inspired.

The task is grand and we must plan

For a natural kind of wired,

That to one another.  Hey,

You—man, woman, Turk or Norse—

It’s time to play with each other, For our kids’ lives, of course!

Letter to Environmental Defense Fund

For the Environmental Defense Fund May 2022

“The sea beats like a great heart on which all life depends.”

—Marilyn Jean W, (my mother, now 84, at age 17)

The article of the Environmental Defense Fund in their Spring 2022 Solutions newsletter, “Fishing for a Future,” by Tom Clynes, brought up some important issues.  This year, 2022, is the United Nations International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture.  It is time to see “the estimated 820 million people who depend on marine foods for their livelihoods” (page 9) as representatives of a worldly cultural icon that we choose to preserve.  Societies have become very good at embracing large-scale technology.  Do we want to support the skills it takes to run a huge trawling ship, which can—obscenely— scoop up all down to the bottom of the sea, or, on the other hand, do we want to learn about and admire the potent fishers, who often have skills passed down over generations—because they’re worthwhile?  We can let the nature domination model go in favor of the lovely drama of the fisher, embracing life on the human scale.  Fishers work wonders for our species—and don’t destroy other species, or our future. 

EDF “facilitates communications between traditional fishing communities across the world to share information and strategies for management and advocacy,” page 11.  In utilizing of information in common there is great emotional power, as people perceive their similarities and learn from each other, possibly developing relationships which lay the groundwork for progressive global collaboration.

A UN-declared International Year of the Ocean (“Sea Emocean,” as I call it) would bring attention to aspects of our human relationships with the sea not limited to gathering data and using technology.  We can grow and develop our connections based on our emotional bonds with the sea, the largest feature of our home, planet Earth.  I suggest that EDF, and/or other groups, gather not just data about fishing but also art inspired by the sea and working in, and with, it and its creatures.  Indeed, EDF reports that the community of Cabo Blanco, Peru got recognized as a National Cultural Heritage site because of its fishing traditions (pages 10-11).

Could the ocean be declared an International Cultural Heritage site?  It is one feature we all share.  It can inspire any human.  Our experiences with it (fishing and sailing techniques; culture and art based on it; etc.) are therefore very interesting, and nourishing for us to know about—to feel—to express—together.  One of my ideas for Sea Emocean is for governments to send some citizens to see the ocean, if they never have, if, for example, the nation is land-bound, then report back to others their experiences as part owners of the largest feature on Earth.  The purpose of an International Year of the Ocean is to inspire us humans to be motivated to care for ourselves and the other Earthly denizens better.  It is, also, to get us more related—to ourselves and to each other.  Because this may threaten some of us psychologically, we must proceed carefully and use science and documentation to back us up, without jettisoning our creativity.

We are now in the middle of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, according to the United Nations, and are supposed to be focusing on the science we need to proceed with a healthier future.  Two summers ago brought the UN Ocean Conference.  “To mobilize action, the Conference will seek to propel much needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action…The science is clear – the ocean is facing unprecedented threats as a result of human activities. Its health and ability to sustain life will only get worse as [sic—should be “if”] the world population grows and human activities increase. If we want to address some of the most defining issues of our time such as climate change, food insecurity, diseases and pandemics, diminishing biodiversity, economic inequality and even conflicts and strife, we must act now to protect the state of our ocean” (italics and boldface added).  Yes, the sea is at the center of future planetary success.  We can act now, as opposed to sitting and studying some more!  An International Year of the Ocean would bring these matters to light.

When we use outdated assumptions, we leave progress behind.  In some peoples’ cultures, raising cows involves certain customs that folks do not want to give up (i. e., some African countries; the U. S. A.).  Planetary connection could build new values and behavior patterns for these folks—such as eating fish instead.  There is a company raising salmon in vats in Canada and Indiana (AquaBounty).  Globalization, new experiences for everyone, means the possibility for something different, right?

I have also come across the idea that if we manage our bodies’ energy with meditation and exercise, we may not need to eat so much—and maybe not as high on the food chain.  Were this true, the future could change for the better, in a simple manner.   

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Also, it’s clear that there are a lot of people in the world now.  If these folks can only find meaning in life by having babies, that’s a problem.  If people don’t want to use birth control and still have sex, that’s a problem—especially if societies like the U. S. punish folks for having kids by refusing to help support children once born.  But we have a planetary situation here—and part of Earth’s constitution is inspiration.  Instead of making projections and then blindly fulfilling them because that’s how it’s always been done, let’s grow up!   As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”  Let’s take a moment to feel and hold hands and see ahead about seven generations.  

Art Cooley, one of EDF’s founders, recently deceased, called himself “‘an eclectic optimist,’” shares Fred Krupp, EDF’s President (“Art Cooley: The torch he lit,” page 3, Solutions Spring 2022).  He was a man who “‘could get a group of people excited about a blade of grass,’” according to co-counder Charlie Wurster (same letter).  Surely Art’s “generosity of spirit,” as Fred Krupp called it, will live on in EDF and the other advocates for change for the better in relationships with each other, our planet, and our fellow Earthlings.  Here we are, on a new day.  Let’s get our feet wet and splash around, sharing stories of our situations.  Maybe, then, solutions for tomorrow will emerge!

~Catherine Jennifer Walbridge

Chicago, IL 

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Health Determinants

Twenty Health Determinants for the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) to Use to Study Whole Person Health 

C. Jenny Walbridge, April/May 2022

  1. Possesses a sense of humor 
  2. Smiles; is friendly; is kind; compliments others
  3. Has needed charity or help, and has received it
  4. Engages in creative labor/fun (“Creativity is intelligence having fun,” as Albert Einstein said; “Let the work teach you how to do it,” an Estonian proverb)
  5. Maintains body and mouth health; has good posture, foot strength 
  6. Can improvise in surroundings (lands like a cat, as in Luke 12:11-12, Bible:, Luke in Limericks! by me: “And if you’re in a tricky spot/Then worry what you’ll say do not./For the Holy Ghost/Will tell you the most/Appropriate words.  Cool—a lot!”) 
  7. Eats and/or exchanges energy healthfully
  8. Is humble yet proud of self
  9. Has or had at least one love relationship in life (including to an animal)
  10. Moves body a lot and often
  11. Collaborates with other(s) to help plan Earthly celebration (“If not fun, why done?”)
  12. Has hand or foot print somewhere at least semi-permanently 
  13. Proximity to pollution 
  14. Can, daily, see sky and walk outside
  15. Sees someone with opposite-color eyes regularly: brown vs. blue/green
  16. Has a prize possession that can be carried and held (i. e. photograph/pendant/etc.)
  17. Doesn’t have too many choices to make each day (is not super rich)
  18. As a child, ran around outside, investigated nature, played
  19. Dwells near at least one hand-made, antique item
  20. Receives and gives caring touch

About my intellectual/creative background: I have an anthropology degree (B. S. Loyola University Chicago ’95) and have studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; have lived in Illinois, near Chicago, most of my life.  However, for two years I lived in Oregon and for two months in Hawaii.  I am a writer, in verse and prose, these days, and a craftsperson/artist. Regarding #10, please ask me for information on movement–and anything else; I might have it to share!  I keep files and books on health and culture, including food and women’s issues & etc. 

Also, I have had profound experience with mental healing. My website (alternatefuturesinstitute.com) features 66 paintings of images from my talk therapy of psychological hurt and healing. 

Thank you for your work!!  Now, let’s play!

Notes on the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

with notes by Catherine Jennifer Walbridge

Preamble

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,…”

  • Yes, mankind—humanKind—has a conscience! or should—or will.  These freedoms aimed for are the highest aspirations of all people, not just the common people, whatever that means, because we are so psychologically connected that we can only truly thrive if all other people are thriving! These people will help our home, Earth, be healthier for everyone!-CJW

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, therefore,

The General Assembly

Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. 

  • This document aims for respect for a rule of law that is not applicable only to some, in a corrupt manner. Instead, it should apply, equally, to all. (This suggests to me that my nation, the USA, should join the International Criminal Court at the Hague, and be subject to the UN instead of being able to have veto power there.  Our current hypocritical behavior is typical of humanity in this day and age; however, we humans are moving toward more wholesome behavior, if only–today–toward reaching for a mirror.) -CJW 
  • In future, there may be no Member States but, instead, everyone may be a member, so this document may only be partiallly relevant until the the world’s change of life happens.  Yet it is an important historical effort and much can be learned from it.  Indeed, it shapes the future (or at least my mind) importantly!-CJW

  • However, I balk at the concept of “progressive measures” to secure observance of the Declaration, because immediate adoption could happen, instead, if all were convinced of its relevance.  Instead of being adopted one city/state/nation at a time, an overarching feeling connecting all to each other could bring a common desire for peace.  It is in this vein that this document has been created, it seems to me, though the document is not, in itself, the link to world peace at this point (if it ever will be).-CJW
  • We should not expect that the standard of achievement that this Preamble refers to will be upheld unless the entire world population is involved.  This is because the new experience of being universally connected in harmony may need to be felt, in order for the whole (world) to progress.  I predict that law will not feel as important in the future, as good feelings for others will become easier to muster after we gain the maturity for peace.  The Baha’is agree with me that humanity is not yet mature enough for world peace (see To the Peoples of the World: A Baha’i Statement on Peace by the Universal House of Justice, 1986, p.x; “The Ages of Humanity and Our Future,” me, foolsfortheydonottakethelongview.site  Matriotic section) but it is obvious to me that we have effort to make in order to discover how to play on a global scale.-CJW

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.  They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

  • Hansa Mehta from India, apparently,  (see UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights website), had helped change the language in this Article from “all men are born free…” to “all human beings are born free” but they forgot to change “brotherhood” to something more equal and inclusive!  Where is “sisterhood” in relation to this document?  I hope my reflections will be helpful in finding it.-CJW
  • Conscience and reason need to be supported in able to develop, I believe.  This is a duty of the world, which reading and understanding this document should help get accomplished.  But yes, we all— all humans, it is important to assert—are born free and equal in dignity and should have equal rights, as laid out here in this document.  It should be taught that we should engage with each other like others are our sisters and/or brothers. -CJW

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.  Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

  • We need everyone to feel connected to and supported by the whole human world; it does not matter where they live.  All people get the rights and freedoms set forth in this document. -CJW 

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

  • Please define security of person for me.  Does it have anything to do with there not being war, and not being assaulted (even psychologically)?  Does “life” have to do with partaking of decent nutrition and mental health?  One of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development goals is “No hunger.” I hear a lot of people crying “Help!” today, including in my homeland!-CJW

Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

  • Does being female make anyone held in servitude?  What about not paying workers a living wage; and withholding benefits; and polluted work environments?-CJW

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

  • Sexism, racism: outlawed here—finally! What about living in a polluted atmosphere? How about working for the greedy and other psychologically-offensive conditions? And growing up without a humane civilization, being expected to contribute somehow–or worse, not even being expected to help, because there is not the structure for it now, and elders are not in good enough psychological shape to have faith in you–and lack the tools that other societies may have? How about seeing potential in the world and not being able to help?-CJW

Article 6

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

  • This includes women, children, trans folks, prisoners, workers, artists, musicians, and artists of all ages and hues (we are hueman!).  Even if law becomes obsolete in the world of tomorrow, it is important to recognize this today. -CJW

Article 7

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

  • This includes sex discrimination, right?  The reason I ask is…(read on) -CJW

Article 8

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

  • Should be “granted him/her” or an alternate use of pronouns.  -CJW

Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

  • This topic is a motivator for humans to get the future right, so we have no need to punish or detain.  Dancing with each other, so we have no need for weapons or to use arbitrary force, may be the method of future human interaction. Like doing capoeira, the Brazilian fight-dance art, and learning to move our own bodies healthfully by doing the Alexander Technique if we need to. Especially because when the world’s a whole planet, with lots of people living on it, where could the exiled go?  We need to get the future right the first time!  For example, Finland’s jails where the emphasis is on rehabilitation and the doors are unlocked. In any case, prisoners have value, as everybody does.-CJW

Article 10

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

  • Here again, we need “his/hers” and “her/him.”  -CJW

Article 11

1 Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

2 No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

  • We need “he/she” and “hers/his” here—the sexism of the language utilized is tiresome.-CJW

Article 12

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

  • Let me see, here; where to begin to report damages?  (“his” and “his”) -CJW
  • Interference with my privacy: most advertising. -CJW
  • Arbitrary interference with my home: war; resource destruction, especially without understanding its value on many different levels; pollution; hunger; failure to structure society to enable my fellow people (Earth’s huemans) to thrive.-CJW
  •   Attacks upon my honor: failure to celebrate the beautiful Earth, my home, and its denizens, my human and nonhuman neighbors, who should be my co-creators of the future; attacks upon my wonderful environment, as if it is not; failure to hear my ideas for saving humans and Earth; dispiriting attacks on women and children; failure of the world to save children, women, trans folks and men from diseases and hunger; failure to enrich the lives of all humans by supporting artwork in inhabited areas of the globe, including dancing, as a common occurrence; failure to support each other in discovering and utilizing our full potential.  -CJW

Article 13

1 Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

2 Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

  • Here we go again—“his/hers” needed.  A world language should, like Farsi (Persian), avoid gendered pronouns.-CJW

Article 14

1 Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

2 This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15

1 Everyone has the right to a nationality.

2 No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16

1 Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

2 Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

3 The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

  • Yes, the family has been the natural group unit of society, til now, but what if the family ceases to be the fundamental group unit?  In the future, might we take the viewpoint of clan families, such as “it takes a village to raise a child” (which is an African proverb)?  What about same-sex marriage and childrearing?  Does a single parent and a child or children constitute a family?  What about limiting amount of children in overinhabited areas—like Earth today—as China has done?  What happens when “society” becomes the total world population?  What does “State” mean and what will it mean in the future? -CJW

Article 17

1 Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

2 No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

  • “His”?  “This Land Was Made for You and Me” (popular American folk song)! The USA, before the Europeans, was doing well.  Did the Native Americans own the land they lived on, or not?  What about the Vikings or Mongolians or Gypsies—folks on the move?  -CJW

Article 18

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

  • Again, “his,” “his;” how about “hers”?  What about when belief becomes harmful to person and/or society/ the world?  Such as American belief in an economy based on weapons? Does the American right to “pursuit of happiness”extend to hurting others for one’s own comfort? -CJW

Article 19

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20

1 Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

2 No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

  • The change of Earth’s humans might involve everyone—but nobody would be forced to take part.  That might mean that it can’t happen without absolutely everyone associating (if only temporarily). -CJW

Article 21

1 Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

2 Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.

3 The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

  • “[H]is/ “his.” -CJW
  • It doesn’t say whether these representatives will be paid.  Making money seems to be contrary to serving the society through the government.  How about government service being a privilege?  Do the poor get the choice of a representative who will help them ascend to the position of being middle class, or do the representatives serve the rich and advocate only for the interests of the wealthy?  Can a poor person be a representative or not? -CJW 
  • One person, one vote, right?  I’m asking as a member of a group which didn’t have the right to vote in the past.  This is, unfortunately, a really important issue for the USA right now.-CJW

Article 22

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

  • Again, “his” and “his”—could we get at least one “her,” please?  -CJW
  • I surmise that the dignity and development of every person on Earth is going to be limited so long as we are divided into nations (and as long as sexist language is used!).  Culture, however, cannot be shared outside national borders—or, can it, in ways that contribute to the richness of peoples the world over?  -CJW
  • The idea of a world language has been popular throughout history, right?  Also, what about a place furnished with handmade treasures from different cultures, filled with regional music inspiring and resonant, that one can enjoy virtually, when not there in person…alternatively, how about these places around the world—maybe seven of them, able to be visited like Mecca, housing regional (prehistorical/historical) artifacts—animals; foods; musical instruments; clothes; etc.  This would be a gift for posterity, along with a Library of HumanKind— a collection of videos of Earthlings laughing or singing or whatever. -CJW
  • Ultimately, we might have an economy for the world that is based on presents—gifts, and presence.  My full presence with you could teach me what you need or what would delight you.  My full being in my place would show me the resources around me available to be shared.  If you could grasp the feeling of the source of the gift for you, the Earth and its people could be celebrated by the gift.  For example, my clean coast could offer a fish for you, a Midwestern sushi lover.  You might reciprocate with a present of peppermint oil to stop the ant problem you know I had last week.  Knowing our community—biological, cultural—intimately could allow us to participate in an economy of meaning that would build ties to our Earth and each other.-CJW
  • Dignity means one’s human needs are being met, so that one can express one’s talents and aid other people/society: food, shelter, clothing, places to exercise and move around, and touch.  I suggest that the people of today also must have an understanding of their identity, if not from mythology, than from education about the world and experience, so they can co-create the future.-CJW  
  • Touch is an interesting need.  When does it become a wonderful gift, and when is it denied, in a society?  If the UAE has a Minister of Happiness; and England a Minister of Loneliness; how could we make the whole population of humans healthier for good?  (I suggest more informality and commonness of touch!  There are plenty of peoples in the world who touch more than some others do.)  I understand that it is possible to develop one’s energy to the extent that one can eat less, as well as living a higher quality existence; I think more touch, too, might help people live longer, more exciting lives! -CJW

Article 23

1 Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

2 Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

3 Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

4 Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

  • “Him/his” again.  Yes, speaking of equality, equal pay.  Yes, trade unions.  Yes, an existence worthy of dignity.  Yes, other means of social protection if necessary.  But what about work? -CJW
  • Well, I think everyone wants to contribute to the common good.  If this requires work, people should work and be paid for it.  What if this requires creativity and/or play? as in, said Albert Einstein, “Creativity is intelligence having fun”?  I think the appropriate consideration is to make sure all people a) are fed and housed and feel dignity by b) doing work and play, using their talents for the world and themselves, because it feels good to contribute and it is certainly needed—we know not, today, exactly how, for tomorrow, but things could certainly get better on the planet.  When things are better, if people are engaged completely in playing—instruments; games; etc.—and their human needs are being met, that’s great!  They should live lives of virtue and celebration—if play works, then by all means, enjoy! -CJW
  • As some cultures believe, it’s good to have pleasure with your wife.  If not fun—the kind of engaging with joy that leaves you a better person—why done?  I query. -CJW

Article 24

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

  • To enjoy doing “work,” giving to one’s fellows and fellow creatures and planet, is a good thing.  But vacations are nice, too, and are popular today amongst humans.  Maybe educational/work trips could be nourishing and even more fun, and freely chosen by the people. -CJW

Article 25

1 Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

2 Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

  • “Himself, “his.”  “Herself,” hers”!  I guess trans-gendered folks don’t have a name at this point.  Are we okay with that?-CJW
  • When speaking about securing health, prevention is very important.  A program like ARTEMIS (my idea of an American Recovery Team, Ecological Muse, International Synthesis study of sustainable worldwide illness prevention methods), which could be an effort of the USA’s National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, might serve world citizens.  We would want their access to it facilitated.-CJW

Article 26

1 Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

2 Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

3 Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

  • For 1., I would add to “on the basis of merit”: “and/or talent.”-CJW
  • Education should indeed promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, by teaching all people about others of today and yesterday.  It should use the arts, including music, to share the expressions of humans throughout prehistory and history around the globe, to provide for tomorrow.-CJW  
  • Peace can only be maintained if the UN’s work/play is positive, remembering that Thomas Jefferson said, “god forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion;” he may have been referring to the possible passivity that could ensconce a people like the early Americans, and maybe the world’s citizens, in relation to their government, or, here, the UN.  I suggest that Earth’s people stay alert and humble, actively examining our system(s) for the possibilities of improvement, expressing our talents and growing in mind and heart as well as abilities. -CJW
  • I also recommend, for humans, higher consciousness —development of our minds and hearts in ways that we will be able to do when connected as a planet (just so we have a sense of which direction(s) to head, or what to reach for).-CJW
  • Until we speak a world language, parents should have the right to help their children decide what languages to learn to speak.  Parents should also have the right—and should be instructed to have the capacity—to help their children learn disciplines of movement—such as martial arts, types of dance, etc.  Education of parents is extremely important if they are to use the right to decide about their kids’ education. -CJW

Article 27

1 Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

2 Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

  • Okay, “he”?  I don’t think so.  How about “of which she is the author”? -CJW 
  • Please, go ahead and implement the changes I suggest in my work/artwork such as my website, if they will help the world; I need enough to live on as a member of the middle class—nobody needs more compensation than that, if the world is looking more lovely by the hour!!-CJW 

Article 28

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29

1 Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.

2 In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

3 These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

  • 1. “[H]is.”  Yes.  This “community” seems to me to mean the entire world, bearing in mind those (i. e., in the Amazon) who have asked not to be contacted; how to respect and/or involve them or not is a good question.  And these “duties” don’t necessarily have to be unpleasant.-CJW
  • 2.  “[H]is”?  I would hope that these limitations and requirements would additionally be applied to non-democratic societies if there were any in the world—not that democracy is not the best system for society, but to include all members of the human species, which may be living without democracy at the moment.-CJW
  • Reminds me of the Asian concepts of harmony in society (“wa”), which could perhaps be useful to use to muse on togetherness in world society.-CJW
  • 3. Today, my country, the United States of America, is empowered to act against the will of the UN.  This veto power is not fair and should be retracted, along with that of the other powerful nations that have it. -CJW

Article 30

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

  • Looking out for every one’s whole personhood, as I have attempted with my notes, I hope I have helped to solve the problem of where “sisterhood” is in this document.  Using the notes, if you can also fix the sexist language, as Hansa Mehta started to do, this document will be newly inspirational.  Let’s keep up the good work—and take the time and love to move toward playing!-CJW

Notes on Earth’s Future

Notes on Saving the Planet: How to Shape an Environmentally Sustainable Global Economy, by Lester R. Brown, Christopher Flavin, and Sandra Postel (The Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series, 1991) and the Earth Policy Institute website. 

Saving the Planet: Foreword [Should read, Forward!]

p. 11: “Such an economy has a population that is stable and in balance with its natural support systems, an energy system that does not raise the level of greenhouse gases and disrupt [E]arth’s climate, and a level of material demand that neither exceeds the sustainable yield of forests, grasslands, or fisheries nor systematically destroys the other species with which we share the planet.”  

Are we going to get anywhere (i. e., to tomorrow) when we talk in “yield” terms of our home: Earth?  The Planet?  We, us, the people, la gente, Earth’s children, her Sisters and Brothers?  Offspring of our Mom?  No, I do not want to rape my mother, friends and/or neighbors!

p. 12: “The next step is for the world community to articulate a vision of a sustainable society, and for each individual country to develop its own plans for a national economy that can endure…Finally, a series of concrete policies are needed…carbon taxes on fossil fuels, extensive family planning programs, incentives for reforestation, and the establishment of global environmental restoration funds.” 

What is mental health on a global scale?  Plans for future trade come from creative play! Nations are divisions and at the same time projections of hugeness that are not necessarily natural or fun; subdividing the globe into concrete abstractions makes for little play and little creativity—and thus an impoverished future.

“[T]axes”—always a “nasty” thing in the U. S.  Yet look at Germany, where the high taxes actually serve people, not corruption. 

“[P]rograms” for family planning?  Where is the wonder, the magic, of life itself?  How about some inspiration for controlling our own bodies with help from our elders and youngers with imagination? Many plant foods can discourage conception; we should learn about them (see “Conception,” in the Feminist section of this website).

[“R]eforestation” is natural and will happen without human intervention.  Still, old growth forest, which traps lots of carbon dioxide, takes years to develop.  Simple tree planting, especially of genetically similar plants, does not cut it—does not serve humans to the best of trees’ potential abilities!  Deforesting is a crime against humanity, indeed—and against the future of the planet!

p. 12: “What is lacking in corridors of power is an ecologically defined vision at the United Nations headquarters in New York, at the World Bank in Washington, or in national capitals such as Mexico City or Tokyo.”  [Boldtype mine.]  “National governments and international development agencies still focus on the environmental assessment of projects rather than the formulation of strategies for thriving that will lead to environmentally sustainable economies.”  [See “Thriving of HumanKind,”on this website.]

We will invent methods for enjoying and improving our spaces.  We will find ways to share that do not hurt!

p. 13: “The real challenge is to go beyond viewing environmental issues as discrete problems, and begin moving to the basic economic and social reforms that are needed if we are to save this planet.  And, indeed, to save ourselves!”

But new consciousness is needed—when we have that, reforms will follow–or we will not need them, because we will feel connected to ourselves and each other.  

These results we want to see—for the future, for our dignity—depend on experiential phenomena which we cannot exactly predict but can energize, when we act creatively and with each other’s soulful participation.

p. 14: We want “the process of reform” to “become self-sustaining.”  We choose to live.  The beat goes on!

Saving the Planet: Chapter 9, “Better Indicators of Human Welfare”

One problem with the traditional measure of human welfare of the West—Gross National Product—is that it describes different economies, defined by nations.  The world is, however, not made up of nations but people.  Borders are not natural for animals like us.  Neither is economy.  Producing is something that gods do.  Tending is something humans do.  As the book says, making goods and services does not envision the maintenance needed for the “natural endowments” (p. 122) to continue endowing.  “Natural wealth of all kinds is whittled away with no record of the loss appearing in the national accounts” (p. 122.)  “As economist Robert Repetto of the World Resources Institute points out, this failure to distinguish between natural asset destruction and income generation makes the GNP ‘a false beacon, and can draw those who steer by it onto the rocks,’” p. 122.  

It seems to me that presence, and gifts, are the economy we want to run in the future.  Abstracted things and jobs of service tend to develop prices tags which can be adopted by the highest bidder; the buyer and seller may not know each other, so the good/service is less personal and, therefore, is not necessarily passed on with virtue.  Likewise, the materials used or personal situations of the seller may lose their relationships to the buyer, thus failing to generate a full experience of value and appreciation in both parties. WE NEED SOMETHING: IT IS TO LIVE IN PEACE. I SEE THAT THIS CAN OCCUR!

Natural endowments employed to create the traded item or process cannot be known if the exchange of gift or present is abstract.  Thus, I can’t summon up enthusiasm for using your river gently rather than abusing and polluting it if I’ve never seen it.  National/worldly accounts of loss/damage to people and nature are needed–including personal situations. Of course, gift giving becomes beneficial for getting to know the world and its elements; presence is shared with a custom touch.  

Yet if new human life is getting produced pell-mell, without villages/clans to breathe value into it, all will probably suffer.  And older human, animal and plant resources are needed for education and introductions.  

“What counts is not growth in output, but the quality of services rendered.” p. 124.  The GNP “assigns a positive value to any economic activity, be it productive, unproductive or destructive,” as Frank Bracho of the South Commission Office in Venezuela is quoted as saying p. 122.  “As ecologist and philosopher Garrett Hardin puts it, ‘For a statesman to try to maximize the GNP is about as sensible as for a composer to try to maximize the number of notes in a symphony.’” p. 124.

“By the same token, if deforestation rates, carbon emissions, illnesses and deaths from unclean drinking water, and other measures of well-being were reported more routinely, our ability to judge how well off we are would greatly improve.”  p. 130. 

Yes, and we need information that is positive to judge how well-off we are—like good news and shared hopes! 

“Equally important, we would have the information needed to better set priorities for political action and social change,” p. 130. 

We would be in the midst of social change for the better if we had access to each other and our hopes and projects; we would be building relationships based on care and friendliness—with talents applied to the future.  

“The effort required to create a sustainable society is more like mobilizing for war than any other human experience.” p. 29. 

Wow—couldn’t it be fun instead? 

“Once the self-reinforcing trends of environmental degradation and deepening poverty are too deeply established, only a superhuman effort could break the cycle and reverse the trend.”  pp. 29-30. 

Yes!  I am saying that we can all become superhuman—that is within our reach, and indeed is necessary to save the planet/ourselves.  That is what I am saying, and it’s based on personal experience, insight, and study.  Will you allow me to lead you into the future, where everyone becomes a leader (see Total Leadership by Stewart D. Friedman, 2014, Boston, Harvard)?

“Earth Policy Institute” online:

“EPI works at the global level simply because no country can fully implement a Plan B economy in isolation…

“EPI’s goals were (1) to provide a global plan (Plan B) for moving the world onto an environmentally and economically sustainable path, (2) to provide examples demonstrating how the plan would work, and (3) to keep the media, policymakers, academics, environmentalists, and other decision-makers focused on the process of building a Plan B economy.

“Activities[…]

“People change behavior either in response to new information or new experiences. 

“Chris Hoffman of Whole Systems Consulting created an Earth-dashboard, showing the multiple indicators on how the planet is doing …The four Dashboard clusters—Stabilize Population, Stabilize Climate, Eradicate Poverty, and Restore Earth’s Support Systems—represent the four key goals of Plan B for saving civilization.”  

But EPI didn’t provide appropriate examples or make effective plans because you can’t see exactly what global phenomena would look like, because part of them would be experiences that we have no way of knowing about.  We can approach them creatively, but cannot claim certitude.  They ask for our humble inspiration, and connection with others on a real, humane level. 

Furthermore, keeping the “decision-makers”—to the exclusion of the rest of the world citizens—informed and focused on building a new world, and expecting that to work, is ridiculous.  And do we really want to “sav[e] civilization”?  Wouldn’t we rather start again, if possible, trying to create something that really is more to our liking—and better able to let us not just live but thrive?

Here are my reflections on each cluster of the Earth-dashboard.

1. Stabilize population.  Now, people decide on pregnancy (or don’t decide) by themselves.  Would this change?  Who would be in control?  If everyone’s mind changed, behavior could change…As EPI states, “People change behavior in response to new information or new experiences.”  New consciousness is needed here!

These results we want to see—for the future, for our own dignity—depend on experiential phenomena which we can attempt to plan for: if we act creatively and with each other’s soulful participation!  See my suggestions for the thriving of humanKind!

2. Stabilize climate:  As we see, this is not yet happening—not on the level of change/stabilization that we need, which is global.  For it to occur, we need cooperation; new experiences and new information or new phenomena of an interpersonal sort (like people sharing their ideas and talents, as well as genes, more artistically; art; etc.)—these will nourish us so we can better care for, tend, the globe and each other.

3. Eradicate poverty: This could be approached in an attack, employing morality.  But the health of people’s minds/hearts, also, depends on each other’s wellbeing.  And all people are necessary for creative works/plays.  This means that we are all in the same boat, and it is not a cruise ship.  

4. Restore Earth’s support systems:  We can go green universally—this would entail becoming more perfectly human, more humane—thriving.  Confusing?  Unimaginable?  Too hard?  Take heart!  Parts of humanity have lived or are already living in harmony with Earth’s support systems, but we need it on a different, new level now—a global reforestation of our hearts. Our hearts are affected by emotional experiences, as we’ll see when we allow our natures and Nature to breathe, by all holding hands together or some such inspirational act—maybe, rather, laughing at the same joke.  Pope Francis quotes in his Querida Amazonia, or The Beloved Amazon, a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, “Only poetry, with its humble voice, will be able to save this world.” (Vinicius De Moreas, Para vivir un gran amor, 2013, Paragraph 46).  And I say, “Peace doesn’t come from quietude, / From standing like a tree—/ Creation is its action mood, / So set the spirit free!”

Dalai Lama Peace

Notes on Ethics for the New Millennium, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 1999, Riverhead Books, NY.

Chapter 14, “Peace and Disarmament”

starts by quoting a guy: “Chairman Mao once said that political power comes from the barrel of a gun.” (p. 217)  This is a very male idea.  The chapter is rife with masculine urges—fully appropriate, written, as it is, by a man.  Yet I think my feminine response and reflections on the topic here are important. 

“A spirituality which forgets God as all-powerful and Creator is not acceptable.  That is how we end up worshiping earthly powers, or ourselves usurping the place of God, even to the point of claiming an unlimited right to trample his creation underfoot.” (Paragraph 75)  Pope Francis’s words express caring for our common home—profoundly, you see when you read Laudato Si.’  He quotes a writing of St. Francis of Assisi in the first paragraph of this encyclical letter, On Care for Our Common Home: Laudato Si’, 2015: Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. St. Francis said that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life: “Praise be to you, my Lord,” says the Pope, quoting Francis, “through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.” (Paragraph 1)  Thinking of our planetary home like a sister retains the feminine aspect but leaves behind our strong resentments, if any, towards our feminine parent.

Later, however, Pope Francis asserts that “The best way to restore men and women to their rightful place, putting an end to their claim to absolute dominion over the earth, is to speak once more of the figure of a Father who creates and who alone owns the world.”  (Paragraph 75)  I disagree with the Pope.  It is time for a Mother/Sister who shares the world!  This daddy thing doesn’t work because it is part of mens’ chemical structure to find pleasure in the suffering of others—the experiments of Dr. Tania Singer, neuroscientist, on the Charter for Compassion website in a landmark paper in Science in 2004, are described by Dale Debakcsy in “Dr. Tania Singer and the Neuroscience of Empathy:”  Singer reports on research she did regarding gender differences in empathy-related brain responses, finding that females were more empathic– when an unfair reward distributor felt pain –than males were.  “Male participants, on the other hand, glowed with empathy whenever the Fair actor was [electrically, painfully] shocked, but registered no response at all when the Unfair actor was and, in fact, showed marked activation in their pleasure-associated [brain] reward centers when they knew that the guy behaving unfairly was getting a nasty jolt.  It was a fascinating result that has since spawned a flood of interesting questions about when our Empathy Engines are engaged, and when they are left dormant, and evolutionary questions about why the difference between men and women in this and subsequent experiments is so substantial.”  If it is true that women might make better decision-makers in tense situations than men, and might not act with revenge-motivation—why not hire us as world leaders, as some nations have done?  Really, why not?  Really? 

Females are psychologically different because our sexuality isn’t hanging in front of us 24 hours a day.  We can be just without proving anything!  

To return to the Dalai Lama’s chapter, he states that “The potential is there,” to create a “more compassionate world,” (p. 217).  This is good news, but I would write, “The potential is here!”  As the man asserts, people like peace, there is plenty of evidence for that (pp. 202, 208, 215); but people are enthralled by fancy weapons and military bands, too (p. 204).  He suggests we “disarm ourselves internally” (p. 206): developing internal peace, we can create external peace (p. 206); and we must conceive of genuine, lasting world peace, a condition not just of cessation of fighting war (pp. 203, 206). 

However, since people are not today capable of avoiding conflict—“there will have to be ways of dealing with miscreants” (p. 207)—the larger picture will include United Nations troops (p. 212) and, also, voluntary disarmament efforts, which the Dalai Lama suggests will be “gradual” (pp. 207, 212). 

I have problems with this.  If we learn to deal with conflict effectively, we will not resort to violence to resolve it, according to the work of Doug Noll.  He has entered prisons and taught inmates to treat conflict with “emotional competency” and says that when given the choice—when educated—they choose his nonviolent techniques for conflictual situations (see yogabody.com, EP#488, “How to De-Escalate Conflicts with Doug Noll on the Lucas Rockwood Show”).  The Dalai Lama fantasizes about a “‘smart’ gun with bullets that could custom-assassinate a particular person” (p. 205), this as “more fair;” but it seems to me that changing the substrate here is what is needed—so violence of ANY kind is not relied on.  We cannot imagine a totally peaceful world, with residents who do not hurt others, but that does not mean that there could not be one! I am a fan of touching arts that do not hurt people much, such as sex, capoeira and judo, and involve interaction and sorting things out. 

We be!

C. Jenny Walbridge 

January 4, 2022

My Method

Mentally

IL

Good Neighbor Posse

Clutterbusting Team

meets

Interior Decoration!

Meanwhile, This Wild, Sweet Person Loves Bees!

Bees, fruitful,

multiplied by

devoted framers,

constitutional 

lawn-paintings of 

swords into snowblowers!

Save Us—We Be!

Wee bees, needy sweeties

Love um 

House em

Home um

Tree honey Forest money Selling candy Capitalist fantasy

Roamin’ buzzin’ flyin’ homin’ 

Insex: we love like em

Help!  Care for our buddies, our workers, our Queens!  

The future rides upon bees’ wings—Yikes!

The website leasehoney.com states: “Bees pollinate crops such as apples, cranberries, melons, almonds, and broccoli. Fruits like blueberries and cherries are 90% dependent on honey bee pollination, and during bloom time, almonds depend entirely on honey bees for pollination.

“The fruits and vegetables you eat on a daily basis are also made possibly by honey bee pollination, including but not limited to watermelons, pumpkins, squashes, zucchinis, lentils, tomatoes, strawberries, mangos, avocados, plums, peaches, apricots, pomegranates, pears, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, peanuts, macadamia nuts, mustard seeds, coconuts, soybeans, and coffee.”

treehugger.com states of bees that “Their work means that coffee plants produce 20-25 percent more fruit.  That extra production can mean the difference between a small farmer making enough profit to support his family and his family not being able to eat.  And because about 80 percent of the coffee we drink is grown by people running small coffee-growing businesses, keeping bee populations healthy matters to both producer and consumer.”  This from “How Bees, Coffee and Climate Change Are Inextricably Linked,” by Starre Vartan.

This makes me think of a few things.  Firstly, doesn’t the Bible have God giving Nature to humans to tend like a garden?  To rape, plantation style, including slave labor?  No, that’s not what it says.  

I came from a place transitioning from rural to suburb—Libertyville, Illinois, an hour by train from Chicago.  Our hundred acres were planted with various and sundry fruits, nuts, vegetables and crops.  We had a large grass lawn, but there was a wild field (“the pig lot”) and there were wild spaces, nurturing rabbits, groundhogs, opossums, raccoons, the crayfish that lived in the basement, etc.  I only got stung once by a bee or a wasp—I had put my hand into a pile of cut grass, its temporary home, so was not resentful.  

Point being, I know how rich complexity can be, and how much work it is to tend a garden.  But I also feel how deadly an environment can be when reduced to simplicity; just like racial composition for humans, communities need to be integrated.  A natural environment is often composed of many families (insect and human; dandelion and oak; bird of many feathers, including raptors, and small mammals—overlapping in their life cycles), but when reduced to the simplicity of one species caring so much to win against nature that it will poison its own countrymen, the pickers of the food crops, with insecticides, even—get this—as it relies on insects to pollinate it, I worry.  I feel in myself the sentiment that American poet Robert Frost relates in “Mending Wall,” “Something there is that does not love a wall.”( https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44266/mending-wall )

My last name is Walbridge, and I hope I can live up to it!  A fellow “Jen” of mine, Gen. Hiram Walbridge of New York, a congressman, in January 1865 gave a speech to his colleagues regarding slavery, and why it should be stopped—it was “on the proposed amendment to the federal Constitution forever prohibiting slavery in the United States: delivered before the Committee on Federal Relations, in the Assembly Chamber of New York”.  He suggested that, odious as slavery has been perceived by Europeans, if the North of the USA didn’t get rid of it, maybe the South would first.  It would be in their interest to then make commercial trading deals with other countries.  

I don’t know about you, but I am an ape.  I like to say that I’m a great ape, ha ha ha, and am similar to a bonobo.  My friends, the African great apes—chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos—are under attack by this world, and this concerns me.  “In recent history,” according to treehugger.com, “Can We Save Africa’s Great Apes?” by Mary JoDiLonardo, “we have seen significant declines in all great ape populations and their natural habitat…Habitat loss is caused by the extraction of natural resources through commercial logging, mining, conversion of forests to make way for large-scale agricultural plantations or other human development activities like roads and infrastructure, all of which encroach on great ape habitat.”  The great apes are extremely cute when they are youngsters.  Bonobos have amazing behavior patterns, see below.  Plus, they have hair on their heads that is parted in the middle, like me.  This is the amazing thing: when they are stressed out, they have sex.  God made them!  Do you think we should be learning here?