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 Image / Aliaksei Skreidzeleu
The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Dana Wyss Healing Arts Breathe deeply, practice often, be well. http://www.danawyss.com/  Image / Marina Strizhak
"If I were asked for two words to summarize the habits of the heart American citizens need in response to twenty-first-century conditions, I would choose chutzpah and humility. By chutzpah, I mean knowing that I have a voice that needs to be heard and the right to speak it. By humility, I mean accepting the fact that my truth is always partial and may not be true at all, so I need to listen with openness and respect, especially to "the other," as much as I need to speak my own voice with clarity and conviction. American Democracy is a non-stop experiment in the strengths and weaknesses of our political institutions, local communities, and the human heart. The experiment is endless unless we blow up the lab, and the explosives to do the job are found within us. But so, also, is the heart's alchemy that can turn suffering into compassion, conflict into community, and tension into energy for creativity amid democracy's demands. Today we are in the middle of another election cycle. Once again, false claims, half-truths, hateful rhetoric, fear-mongering and demonization of the opposition dominate our civic space, driving out the genuine issue-oriented debate a democracy needs to survive and thrive. We need citizens with chutzpah and humility to occupy our civic space and call American democracy back to health. There is no reason, at least no good reason, why our number cannot be legion." - Parker Palmer drew the ideas for this article from his book, "Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit. Dana Wyss Healing Arts Breathe deeply, practice often, be well. http://www.danawyss.com/  Image / belikova
Recently, I had occasion to reflect upon The Broken Column by Frida Kahlo. The following is my own response, an attempt to give voice to what's being conveyed in this powerful piece: "You've asked me to give voice to this, to tell you something of what it means to inhabit this space. But voice relies on breath, you see, and mine comes only in sputters and gasps these days. Waves of pain, impending defeat, emerging sobs - all of these obstruct my voice, my words. I could wail for you the sound of an empire groaning under unsustainable weight, could shriek for you the metallic friction of disordered connections, could roar for you the voracious fire that has consumed all simple pleasure, could moan the instant of surrender, disintegration. But then, my voice too has been consumed. Let me instead show you..." Dana Wyss Healing Arts Breathe deeply, practice often, be well. http://www.danawyss.com/ |
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