Success an Inside Job

-taken through a window in Scottsdale Arizona

A friend in Tennessee sent this to me yesterday. I thought it would be good to share. It is written by the writer Alice Walker.

Nov. 5, 2008
Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear.

And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung
about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that
the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing
the world back to balance.

A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large.

We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as
white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking
strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they
remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family
deserve this fate.

One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most
damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those
feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain
religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies,
but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely.

However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often
fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of
healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker

Conversations with Oneself

Before I left for my mini trip to Saltspring, I scanned the bookshelf knowing there was no need to buy a book when I had so many in my own bookshelf that I'd yet to read.

The book I grabbed was Conversations with God. I had purchased this book at least 10 years ago and for some reason, I read the first little bit of it then but never actually completed it. Lately, for more than a month, it has been in the back of my mind as if nagging me to read it.

I think because I have been feeling in a similar place to where the author Neale Donald Walsch was when he first was used as the instrument to impart the conversation with God that he had according to his book. I find it very strange when things like that happen; when the right book comes to you at the right time.

I'm sure every wannabe author would hope that someone else would just come through them and voila, their best seller would be written almost as if they had been in a trance while the exercise was being conducted, only to wake up to great hoopla and find themselves being interviewed on Oprah's couch.

Conversations with God was originally published in 1995. I believe it was a bestseller. A friend of mine said that if she had only one book to take with her to a deserted island, Conversations with God would be the book.

I finished it on Saltspring reading the last bits by flashlight in the tent. It's the kind of book where you must be in a place where you're receptive to the insights within it. You'll know whether you are, I expect, by whether you're able to continue reading it.

If I remember nothing else about the book, I will remember the part that asks you to ask yourself the question, What would Love do?

The next time you're having difficulties in any relationship and let's not forget the most important relationship we'll ever have - the one we have with ourselves - try asking yourself: What would Love do?

What would love do? Maybe I'll try and remember to ask myself that a little more often.

The Truth about Lies

You've probably had this experience. You're reading. And, an idea or two strikes you as so important at the time that you stop. You read it out loud. And again. And, then you just want to SHARE it.

You'll recall, because you're hangin on my every word of every Blog post, that I won a book at the Ridge Theatre sometime in the past month from the doctor who was speaking about why giving, or more specifically loving kindness, is good for our health.

Here it is. From Why Good Things Happen to Good People. Here's my stop and read out loud statements...

Three lies:
1. The lie that we are what we have
2. The lie that we are what we do for a living
3. The lie that we are what other people say about us

Now, I believe that I was never that tied to lie No. 1. That's just a no brainer. And, I've never been able to afford an Emerald Green Jag, a private island or a pool boy. I'm so far from that reality, I don't even know what I should be wishing for. What it's called. Who makes it. The name on the label. My monetary reality makes not buying into Lie No. 1 pretty easy. George Carlin set that one straight a long time ago.Just stuff, Baby! Nice stuff in some instances, really beautiful stuff, but still, the monkey on your back, the Albatross around your neck, the Garage Sale covered in dust, this guy is trying to get the damned thing for free and I'm only asking $5 stuff.

My big problem lie was definitely No. 2. Especially when I was younger. It may have been because I had such lousy jobs.

But don't be fooled. It works both ways. Don't lie to yourself because you're the President. Don't lie to yourself, underestimating yourself, because you're the janitor. Who are you really if you know what I mean. As a person? How do you treat other people? What does your inner self bring to the world. It's got nothing to do with how much you're being paid and what your job title is. At some point, you won't be attached to any title. Then what? Just you and the mirror staring back.

This past 10 months, which I like to think of as "the pause" between the first and second half of my life, has been fantastic at allowing me the luxury of time to take a more objective look at those things that we sometimes just accept but may no longer be valid for us.

The past 10 months has definitely been about getting closer to the truth.

What are you hanging on to that just has no place, anymore, in the present? What's the hardest thing to let go of? What does it say about you? Does it really say what your ego is saying it says. Check it out!

Maybe you can come up with a few more - lies we tell ourselves. Feel free to add them as comments so we can think about those as well.