~Hope~

Hope is one of those perpetual, eternal things,

and signs of its existence can be seen

in all seasons.

Last year, March was still a cold month

and snow still covered the ground.

This year is quite different -

we haven't had much snow this winter

in the northeast and we are already

enjoying Spring temperatures.

But I wanted to post this collage before we got

to into Spring because it is a reminder

of that care, that sustenance, provided to the birds,

seen through those red berries.

As the season of frost-covered beauty

officially comes to an end,

the promise of Spring is a reality.

Crocuses are beginning to bloom,

even as they did last year beneath snow,

showing that they were given

sufficient light and nourishment

to grow.

Black Maria Film Festival 5 - Connected

The fifth film shown in the Black Maria Film Festival lineup was Tiffany Shlain's "Connected", also referred to as "Yelp:  With Apologies to Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl'".


Here is the trailer for this film, which includes insightful commentary about its message.



I will start with a disclaimer here, because this short (less than 3 minute) film begins with a quick animation of an evolutionary sequence in which an ape gradually becomes a man and the man gradually hunches back over and jumps into his computer. I have to lay this out because evolution is a sensitive issue. Personally, I believe that man was created uniquely, and you can laugh at my belief, or you can nod with me, and I'll love you no matter what...

What I wanted to say was that lately I have been able to grasp the understanding of evolution in terms of the human mind. The brain evolves over time, and each generation grows with the knowledge gained by the former. Looking back through history, I see the changes and the growth, and now as we have technology on our fingertips and humanity explores outerspace, it's obvious to me that mental changes take place the more we live on this planet. And I think perhaps that is the heart of evolution theory, not that humanity actually evolved from apes. It is not a topic I wish to debate, just wanted to put this out there since evolution can be a sensitive subject that may stop people in their tracks just from seeing this video start with that segment...  and if possible, I don't want that to happen because there is such an important message that this film explores and encompasses.  Here it is:


If for some reason you can't view this here, follow this link to view.

What do you think!? 

"Unplug!...  Visit the present tense." 

This film echoes my feelings and resonates with me deeply.  With all this connection at our fingertips, I have felt so disconnected.  With Facebook taking the place of real life relationships, of hearing voices over the phone, of receiving handwritten notes, of seeing expression on faces...  I have felt like I don't want to accept the counterfeit.  I see the good and bad in it.  Because of how Facebook has left me feeling like I'm way too often left hanging, I have wanted to disconnect from it, but I can't do it.  It is such a good way to keep connected, to see photographs of family and friends I don't see often, to keep in touch with friends old & new.  It just challenges me more to continue making those real life connections I seek, and overcome the urge to sit back and stay comfortable in the easy connection rather than writing that note or making that phone call. 

The internet is also a great way to collect information, and I love to collect information...  so much so that I need a break sometimes because my synapses feel like they're going to burn at the overabundance of it available these days.  My family & I have just returned from a short trip in which we spent the days together without the distractions of technology.  At home, with the computer right there in our kitchen/dining/office area, it is always easily accessible.  I find myself checking emails throughout the day.  I find myself distracted, following one link to another, forgetting what I even went on to check originally.  Being away from it was good for me.  I did check in a little bit in the hotel lobby with my laptop, where free wi-fi was available.  It was a break from the usual every day and it made me realize that I want to be more present with my family while I am at home.  It's not even that I am distracted for much of the day, but that it is so easy to lose the connection while I am surfing the web that it takes time to then get re-connected again.  It's just something for me, personally, to think about and reconsider.  When I have time to go online, perhaps I should focus on something else?  My writing?  Projects I've wanted to work on - both my own and with my kids?  Won't I get more satisfaction out of accomplishing goals rather than frittering time away? 

But then again, there is so much good information and I use the computer to make real life plans and real life connections.  And sometimes I feel like if I just have 5 minutes or so here and there, I can't accomplish anything worthwhile, so I might as well fritter.  Some benefits of the investment I have put into creating community through internet outlets are the real life-physical world friendships in my life that have been initially established through computer connection, and I wouldn't trade them in for the world.  (Note: I live in an area where it was difficult to find community intially, and with others who felt like me, started a chapter of Mothers & More which began by making connections with local mothers online, and turned into real-time, face to face community and amazing friendships that continue to exist and transpire.)  My kids and I explore subjects online and find extremely useful information.   Reading blogs is enjoyable to me - it opens my mind, gives me new insights, helps me connect with others who are on similar planes of existence, and I love my online artspace here...  I think the key is expressed in the interview linked to below, in which Tiffany Shlain expresses the idea that it is what we do with techology and all this connection that is imperative.  How we utilize it is important.  It's up to us all to individually assess our own lives and our own internet usage, and discover how to move forward with our collective knowledge.

For more:
Here is an insightful interview of Tiffany Shlain with Tavis Smiley
Connected the film:  official website
Tiffany Shlain:  official website
Words of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"

I also want to include some of the lyrics from Sara Groves' song "Obsolete," which sum up my feelings about friendships and family relationships over the internet:  "And I don't know where we are, are we passing through these wires, are we walking through the streets of invisible empires?"  In her audio commentary of Invisible Empires, Sara explains that the Internet makes her feel like she is not enough and will never be enough, and I feel that too.  It also makes me feel invisible at times, like I am not seen, when posts are not responded to, when emails or comments are left unanswered, but you can see the activity of people, and that they are online playing a game or conversing with others...  It's a yucky feeling, but without such outlets, these feelings wouldn't exist.  In "Obsolete", Sara also sings these lyrics, "Are you and I an apparition flickering upon the screen...  tell me you can really see me?"  I put these in my "About Me" section of my Facebook profile.  It is a challenge to overcome what has taken the place of what I deem to be true connection, and I am guilty of not being able to fulfill the expectations I have for others...  But all of this, the film "Connected," the song "Obsolete," challenge me to "be the change I want to see in the world."     

And the main thing is this, dear ones - 
I don't want to see the best minds of my generation distracted or destroyed.... 
and I don't want my mind to be so, either.

Sustenance

There are red berries everywhere.

On the ground, and we eat them,

delicious winterberries we found.

And they hang from trees,

popping red against gray bricks,

bright with nourishment.

Holding within their tiny existence

food for the birds,

 unfettered and free,

that You so lovingly care for.

The berries are never all gone,

never demolished or ravenged

by fear, or greed, or over-indulgence.

I see them everywhere,

these reminders of Your goodness,

of Your sustenance,

supporting the resilience

of my body, soul, and mind

as surely as I glimpse them

out of corners of my eyes -

these bright red truths

to sustain and nourish
even me.

Job 12

The Message (MSG)

^7-12 "But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you;
let the birds tell you what's going on.
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics.
Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories.
Isn't it clear that they all know and agree
that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand—
Every living soul, yes,
every breathing creature?
Isn't this all just common sense,
as common as the sense of taste?
Do you think the elderly have a corner on wisdom,
that you have to grow old before you understand life?"

Resilience

this is dedicated to one

of my dearest and

most loyal friends

today

there is brilliance in resilience...

the ability to recover the shape

of original molecular design,

and add strength besides,

when shock rushes in

like a comet streaking through the sky

relentlessly bombarding life

in an attempt to stall kinetic movement -

but you don't let it...

the pressure simply fortifies

the physique of your bones,

and your muscle cells re-member,

embodying elasticity,

adding suppleness to the facets

of the gem that is you,

assuredly able to reflect radiance.

all this, my friend,

is nothing short of miraculous -

a sure sign

of God-alive at work in your life,

bending beauty

as you respond -

expanding under compression

with keen, alert mind,

resiliency shines

through your life

spreading change

to mine.

2 Corinthians 4, New Living Translation

^{7-9 "}We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.  We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed."

If you please, click here to watch

Israel Houghton perform

Chris Tomlin's Our God is Greater,

declaring these lyrics: 

"and if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us,

and if our God is with us, then what could stand against?"