The fact that externalizing a thing makes it disappear is usually a bad thing. Describing rather than experiencing… In this case though… This reminds of me of how to make a headache disappear. I�m not making this up. You describe the headache�its shape, color, and location�then you estimate how much water it can hold. You answer each question in turn, looking carefully. Then you return to the first question. What happens is, your answers change each time through. I think this is because your headache changes. Or maybe it�s the other way around: your headache changes because your answers change. …
Here is a message that came by way of Phil Lane, the director of Four Worlds International. William Commanda is an Elder from Maniwaki, Quebec who holds a number of wampum belts which he uses for teaching. He sent this message to a conference recently held in Vancouver: I am sorry that I am unable to be with you for this important Conference. I have just turned ninety one, and at this age, it is not always easy to do everything one would like to. I see that you have many interesting presentations and workshops for the next few days, …
Good old whiskey river: “You have not lived a perfect day, even though you earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” — Ruth Smeltzer
My old friend and neighbour Tom Walker has surfaced as a candidate for a new political party here in BC: the Work Less Party. Tom has been a passionate advocate for the 35 hour work week for as long as I have known him, seven years or more. He has done some really interesting labour relations research in his day too. With the launch of this political party, it’s clear that he has put his money where his mouth is. The party is no joke…Tom’s work has largely been about the social, economic and cultural benefits of a 35 hour …
…most of us live as if we are seperate from nature. Whereas a deer is fully in its body, we have retreated into our minds. By thinking, we have set up parameters that divide the universe into things that can be categorized, and we call that understanding. This gives us a sense of power and control. We look at a forest and say, “That’s a white pine. That’s a white oak. Over there is a sugar maple,” and we think we know the forest. But we have no real contact with those trees. We miss the details – the subtle …