moved, touched and inspired...

Had class all day yesterday - 10 am to 10 pm - at Landmark. I'm taking the Self Expression and Leadership Program. It's a powerful class dealing with the possibilities of being moved, touched and inspired in the area of community participation and leadership. As a part of the class we are creating a community project that in some way helps a target community.

There are projects dealing with Alhzheimer's, MS, breast cancer to planning a girl's softball all-star tournament to teaching girls how to do nails in order to volunteer at nursing homes to do elderly ladies' nails. No matter what the project, its scope or size each one is significant because it all deals with giving back to the community in some way.

What is inspiring about the projects and the class is that none of the b.s. that spins around the media now-a-days gets in the way. There are African-Americans, Arabs, Caucasians, Latinos, Native Americans, Gays, Lesbians, Fundamentalist, ministers you name it, in the class. There is only one difference between everybody there: our external appearance. Everyone of us is exactly the same inside. Oh, our experiences are different but in effect they all lead to the same thing - the human experience. The wonder of our difference, to paraphrase, lies in our differences and the way that we combine them to make truth and beauty.

On the news, on websites, on blogs, in conversations, and with gossip we hear more about what is not the truth and what is not beauty. It seems as if the world is nothing but lies and ugliness. Yes, it's a cliche to say that the news only reports what's bad, but that is what people listen to the most. They are enamored by the risque, the dangerous, the gritty things of living when they relish in their comfortable homes, jobs and lives. Well, not everybody.

What are we learning from Iraq? What do the Imams in Iran want to tell us? What do the people of Colombia think about all the drugs Americans use that the Cartels hang over their heads? Why do gays & lesbians have to hide their lives for fear of reprisal? Why does the veteran have to worry about medical benefits? Why does a child have to be hungry in the richest countries in the world? Questions? Questions? Questions?

just asking...