InSpiritry

 Gold!   Silver!  Bronze! 

Weren’t the Olympics amazing? Can we ever forget watching Michael Phelps finish race after race, breaking records and winning gold? And what about the amazing performances of American and international athletes in women’s gymnastics, track and field and the many team sports? In front of our televisions and in Bejing, we rooted for predestined heroes and little known underdogs. Across the country and around the world, for two weeks, young and old, rich and poor, Western and Eastern, women and men and children gathered to share in the triumphs and tragedies of sports at the highest level.

Best of all, as we watched, we allowed ourselves to join the world community, to care about athletes we had never met. From the opening ceremonies where light and sound and human movement became cultural art to the closing ceremonies with its fantastic celebration of humanity, we experienced each other. We looked into faces from other places and saw ourselves. At the Olympics, there was no discussion of border disputes or international deadlines or imperialistic invasions. No accusations or prejudices or threats. Wasn’t it wonderful?!

A commentator on NBC may have best described the possibilities inherent in this momentary peace:

If we can do for two weeks, why not three and then four…

Now with the Olympics behind us, we in America have two more television events this next month to draw our collective attention and inspire us: the Democratic and Republican conventions. The Democrats began last night with heart-lifting speeches by Ted Kennedy, Jesse Jackson Jr. and Michelle Obama, and then again tonight as Hillary thrilled the crowd. As we leaned in to listen, each of them told us their American story and asked us to envision our most passionate dreams for this country. In the coming days, others will do the same in their own personal ways both in Denver and later in Minneapolis.

I don’t know your political leanings, but whatever you believe, this is a great time to continue to build on the patriotic inspiration we felt during the Olympics. Remembering the amazing athletes we watched in Bejing, I would ask you to put aside cynicism and listen, really listen to the speakers we will hear at each of the conventions. Set aside disgust for those who disagree with you. Embrace those who offer their commitment to this country. Let yourself be inspired to believe in the future. Remember those moments during the Olympics when your heart pounded with hope for the athletes, and bring that sense of excitement to your television viewing of our political conventions as we journey toward the Greater Good for America.

When we allow ourselves to be inspired about our politics, we can be a blessing!

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“He was certainly a hero…

 He did have some difficulty dealing with it,”

Jean Offutt, a Fort Bliss spokesperson

News came today that we lost another hero, not on a bloody battlefield in Iraq, although he had served there, but instead back home in Texas where he should have been safe. No, after all he had been through, it was not gunfire or an IED or even friendly fire that killed former Army Spc. Joseph Dwyer. Instead, he died late last month of a drug overdose. Dwyer’s friends say he, like thousands of other veterans, suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. (more…)

Be the change you wish to see in the world.  Gandhi

With the Republican nominee decided and the Democratics yet to find consensus on a candidate,  the Presidential primaries have offered some interesting revelations:

• Women are not all voting for the only woman running.
• Blacks are not all lined up behind the one Black candidate.
• Experienced Senators are having trouble getting credit for long careers of hard-fought accomplishments.
• New young voters have turned out in record numbers for a candidate who seems young.
• The buzzword has been “change.”

What is going on?

I would suggest that we are experiencing the early pangs of a syndrome we, Baby Boomers, should recognize:

A Generation Gap!

Yes, there is growing evidence that the country is divided along generational lines with a disconnect between old and young.  Think about it:

(more…)

On a rainy afternoon this week, as I worked at my desk, I got the phone call I had been dreading for months: 

 ”Anne, it’s me. I thought I better call. I am leaving tonight for Iraq.”

(more…)

There is so much happening in the world!

To know how to respond requires our attention, our discernment and our Greater Good thinking. The problem is that most of us count on one or two sources for our information.  As a result, we Americans develop our ideas about things based on a western, mostly Anglo version of the world without realizing there are other points of view.

Consider how Iceland might view our resistance to environmental wisdom or how South Africa looks at China’s burgeoning economy or what Palestians think of the war in Iraq.

InSpiritry calls us to see ourselves as part of a global family. If you are ready to do that, here are some outlets you might visit. America’s freedom of information is an amazing gift, but we must listen for other voices if we want to understand the world.

A word of warning — this can be a study in open-minded contemplation! (more…)

Both the marketplace and the political world have seen a “dangerous erosion of the rules and principles” that have made American economy thrive in the past…“Instead of thinking about what’s good for America or what’s good for business,” he said, “a mentality has crept into certain corners of Washington and the business world that says, “what’s good for me is good enough.” Baltimore Sun article, September 17, 2007

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

These comments were made by Presidential candidate, Barak Obama, in a speech at NASDAQ this week where he chastising Wall Street values. Whether we support Senator Obama or not, his remarks are worth noting and worth expanding past financial considerations to the world at large. I think it is safe (and sad) to say that most of us operate with the mentality he described: what’s good for me is good enough.

You might ask: 

• What’s the problem with that? (more…)

Today, six years post 9-11, there are stories to be told.

(more…)

Think back to your childhood. What did you want to be when you grew up? A teacher? A fireman? An astronaut? A civil rights attorney? A United Nations ambassador? President of the United States?

Like so many little girls, I had ambitious ideas about growing up to be someone who would make a difference in the world…yes, to even be President of the United States.

(more…)