there's always work to do to learn what's true..

post #526                                      The Hurtle Ahead of Us

 Everyone needs to acknowledge that Joe Biden clearly won the 2020 election,                             especially the people who work in government, who are supposed to work for all persons in our nation.

  

The time has come for all of us to face the consequences of how much Donald Trump relies on lies. 

  He lies everyday.  Often.  Regularly.  He must be desperate for attention.  It's sad seeing someone so damaged.

   

There's that video footage of Trump telling the crowd to be strong, and to fight.  It's plain to see that he's using the worked up crowd to cover his inability to accept that       he could have lost a "race" even though the other guy got millions more votes.                                                          

 Yet now so many choose to ignore the implications and the power of his lies.  People were killed. Denying it happened damages the soul. All people are wounded when so many of us choose not to value the facts.

                As I have said often on this blog, truth has ever been a guiding lantern in my life.  SO  I say all this simply because truth is important to me.  We don't have to agree about everything with each other, but we can value truth enough to seek it out. Honor it. Check it out. Use the brain and the heart together. It is not necessarily convenient, but it can be an anchor.   

            I realize that even my photography reflects my focus on the truth. Of course there's art involved, but I prefer seeing what I actually saw and sharing what reflects the reality before me.  Here are several photos from different years that reflect that inclination of mine to go for unexpected real happenings in front of me:

with Pat on Martha's Vineyard's Lucy Vincent Beach

ice from above and below

Sandy's, every Christmas

a good night's work in the shed

You are my SON shine....

beautiful in boots

Forrest and Allen

SF Art Museum wall, with Liz

It will be spring again. Only ten weeks until the Redbud Show.

I was fascinated by how the Golden Gate Bridge looked while in progress.

Violet Joy

Grayson Lake: our one world held together

Thanks for looking at these photos. There's beauty in the truth.

Let's be brave.  Much more brings us together than keeps us apart.  

 

the role of snow and truth seeking

post #525 

    Today, by sharing the beauty of snow, I honor the change of administrations in America. 

     So much that's difficult and dangerous could have happened this past week.  Instead, what traditionally happens -- on January 20th the fourth year after a previous inauguration in the USA -- took place.  The President and Vice President with the most votes, in fact the most ever in any such election, have become our duly elected 46th President and V.P..

      This election was held during a tragic and challenging pandemic. Even so, this year ours was one of the best conducted elections ever.  So many hard working and dedicated people across the land made that happen. Only a man who can't bear to lose, for his own personal inner reasons, could be so distraught as to lie over and over and over to his fellow citizens about the truth of the election's outcome.  Losing happens.

       I see the snow of this season as an image that speaks to me of a covering over of what is past, what willl quietly be feeding new growth, like underground roots.  This provides what's needed in order for there to be new growth in the spring. It actually mirrors what happens in our lives and with our committment to democracy.  This year there may not be vast amounts of snow in Kentucky, where most of my photos are made, but I think the idea of a rite of passage still exists.  I hope these snow photos do convey something about how nature faces the need for renewal. It’s work, but that’s what’s required for the huge rebuiliding task ahead of us.  

 

a visiting Coopers hawk , 2015

goldfinches, in their winter mode, 2015

2015

 

cardinal, the bird of Kentucky, 2015

2015

2015

 

 

 

Even the guest has to work for her keep --- THANK YOU red bird MELVA! (2015)

 

 

        The last two photos are by Rebecca, in February a year ago!

 

    May winter's job work its wonders and do the same for the humans -- who don't always give nature credit for what we can learn by paying attention to it.  

    Stay safe, seek truth, and let's practice being kinder to one another.

a statement of fact

post #521        

             All I want today is to speak up for truth.    

            Truth is what keeps us upright. It nourishes us even when it's painful.

            A serious sadness comes from hearing truth abused, again and again.

            It leads to severe harm from the shredding of trust, the next basic part of our being.

            Working together to overcome the pandemic would at least give us something to practice                 in common -- rebuilding together, after truth has been so maligned and trust so                            shattered.             

            You may know where I am headed. 

             

            We have had four years where truth has been severely abused, over and over. 

                     Our nation is in shock.      So many have died.     So many are deceived.  

                     Over 100 legislators and attorney generals have forgotten how to count!

                     What were they thinking?!   Are they ready to discard democracy?

                    Instead, what is left behind are potential threats of violence, and fear, the kind that insinuates itself throughout our daily lives. The world's health suffers from neglect, especially in our United States.  We should have been ahead of the game instead of so behind.

                   The pandemic doesn't care about any of this. 

              

        Look at all the blossoms opening at the same time! Working together! Doing their best! Looking after each other! Trusting where they are. Just showing up (along Sideway Road!)  Celebrating their moment in the sun!  Offering the simple truth of who they are!

 
          Basically, I'm pretty trusting, I have been a truth nut since I was very young, and all the time I try to figure things out. These days I am stumped by how could so many have been conned by our president who is more mean than presidential, more a bully than anything else, and who has been badly damaged along his own life's path.  

        I'm going to publish this now even if I end up deleting it in the morning.  I'm not trying to criticize anyone, but I'd love to see more of us actually thinking this through and examining the pieces.  It's always interesting and important to increase one's understanding of the one precious life we have been given.

 

 

 

political pause

post #399
       Even as I look out on blue skies for a second day, after rain, rain, rain, I find that I remain caught up in the current wrenching display of wounds to the core democracy that supposedly defines our nation.  
      In honor of all those who are finding their voice, and in recognition of all the work that still needs to be done to inspire greater empathy among all of us, I feel the minimum I can do today is say a few words myself, instead of sharing photos as usual.
      These are not usual times, and I, for now, trust they are not some kind of new norm.
       
      My understanding is that those who make it to a confirmation hearing for a place on the US Supreme Court prepare for that day almost their whole life. I would think not being welcomed with open arms once the time comes could feel like a huge repudiation of hard work and the definition of self. I suspect that there has not been equal emphasis along the way on learning to cope if, for some reason -- and there are many possible reasons, as a matter of course -- the actual appointment does not actually happen. It would seem that somewhere along the way, some candidates soak up the idea that he or she is entitled to the appointment. 
       Of course women are not so likely to experience that entitlement aspect of the preparation because they have been barred until recently for even a place at the table. 
       It is also my understanding that the rant we heard on Thursday from Judge Kavanaugh, beyond the pain he was clearly experiencing for not being welcomed with those open arms, was so full of partisan rancor that it revealed his truer motivation. He is supposed to be the knight in shining armor designated by his "clan" to cement deeply conservative ideology on the Supreme Court. He doesn't want to be the one to disappoint the team.
       He has also made some pretty dicey explanations, under oath, that defy common sense. Perhaps his team doesn't call him on his inaccuracies because they would act the same way were they in his shoes? Or are lies now so commonplace in our public discourse that they're barely worthy of mention? 
       Maybe one big question is whether we are still able to value the truth when we hear it! I happen to think that the testimony by Dr. Ford on Thursday was filled with honesty. I think that is one reason why so many found her public statements compelling. And generous. She clearly did it not for herself but to have the information out there for consideration. 
       
       Since I am blessed with many friends over my lifetime, I can share that one of them called me Friday to let me know, for the first time, what happened to her 12 year old self. She has tried over the years to get into the habit of not remembering it. It's not like a badge. I'm so glad she's finally speaking about it. I thank her for her trust and, as always, for her friendship. 
       
Probably this post has enough words for now. Thank you for reading this through.  Ann