Reprise

Tomorrow's my guest post on the Balanced Life Center's Blog. The title will be The Great Spirit and the content's about my personal experiences with Native American Spirituality.

Even though I was raised by two Christian ministers (Mom and Dad), my Indian experiences were much more "spiritual" then what our family did...

Now that I'm in my 60's I can see the value in all Spiritual Traditions.

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Since I wrote that guest post for Balanced Life Center, I've begun reading Black Elk Speaks
--had to; couldn't help it even though I had other, more "important" things to read...

So, here I am in a rather contemplative mood--a Caucasian with a love for Indians, a blogger who's actually a poet, a man who has his feminine side well-honed, a Baha'i who loves all religions, an American who's striving to be a Global Citizen...

And that Global Perspective brings me back to a focus in this blog's recent past:

Please check out the post, Be The Change.... It's only a couple days old but, in the Blogosphere, that's ancient.

I really want to shift from the Personal Commentaries to a more Global Perspective but I'd really rather have some of You steer me in the direction of the stories or topics or issues You'd like Spiritual Commentary on...

How Dare You Show This Picture !

{ image credit }

I debated putting this picture here but things are getting to me. . .

How dare anyone do that to children !

How dare we not do more to put an end to it !

For those just tuning in to this blog, the post, The Death of Violence !, has 64 simple yet powerfully effective things most anyone can do to add to the momentum of peace in our world.

Some may say there will never be an end to violence since humans are just wired that way. For anyone inclined to say that (or even harbor it in the dark recesses of their minds), I'll offer A Force More Powerful. It's a WebSite, a book, a TV documentary, and much more. Their effort chronicles 100 years of non-violent response to violent circumstances--responses which
Worked !!!

Tags: dead+babies, dead+children, death, children, youth, child, global+warming, violence, non-violence, Season+for+Non-Violence

Losing Our Future . . .

This image is from the Guardian Unlimited and carries this caption: Iraqi boys in a refugee camp in Baghdad play with toy guns.

Since this is still a Season for Non-Violence and since children Are our Future, I want to make a Major Comment. If you're in your teens or twenties, you may not even be aware if it; if you're in your thirties or forties, you may be tuning in to it; if you're in your fifties or sixties, you're probably dealing with it big-time; and, if you're in your seventies or more, I hope you're over the hump and can relax...

Major Comment: The teachings from our parents and the signals from our environment are so powerful an influence in our childhood that most people have never gotten beyond them to discover their True Selves.

Just because most haven't doesn't mean you can't; but, the only sure way to break the bonds of unsuitable upbringing is the Spiritual Path. (Naturally, we can praise God for all the good influences...)

Here are some links for further exploration:
From Case Western Reserve University, an article on a new study, Kids Who Threaten Are Likely to be Violent.

From the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the article, Children and TV Violence, which has further links for exploration.

And, from the National Institute of Mental Health, a page full of valuable links for further study.
Here's a quote from that site:

"Not all children enjoy the "carefree" days of childhood. Unfortunately, when things start to go wrong, people often despair of being able to repair the damage.

"This is a time of high concern about violent behavior by young people. As a nation, we are in a period of reflection as to what can be done to stem this tide. Helping young people avoid or overcome emotional problems in the wake of violence or disaster is one of the most important challenges a parent, teacher, or mental health professional can face. Moreover, children often face violence in their own homes..."

N.B.: This is still a Season for Non-Violence.

Tags: non-violence, war, child, children, play, toys, childhood+development, parental+influence, youth

Youth & Spirituality

It's very heartening when you start a blog and a friend comes bopping by and makes an early comment that steers you toward a rich web resource that you must bring right back to the blog.

I'll be working to incorporate this site's information into
this blog from time to time because I honestly can't think of a more central issue in the quest for spirituality in our world or a better way of assuring continual spiritual growth for our civilization than Spiritualizing the Future:
our Children and Youth !

Comments?