Prayer for the Victims at Charlie Hebdo
Spiritual Quotation
O Loving One, Ya Wadud, we grieve with the parents, family, and friends of the 12 people who were killed at the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015, by two French Muslim brothers presumed to want to punish the magazine for blasphemy over its depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. Comfort all those who have been touched and conflicted by this horrific event.
REPORT: "At least 12 people have been killed in a shooting attack on a French satirical magazine in Paris. Witnesses say masked gunmen entered the offices of the magazine, Charlie Hebdo, and opened fire. The dead include four cartoonists and two police officers. The magazine Charlie Hebdo has drawn multiple threats for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. In 2012, the magazine’s cartoon depicting Muhammad in pornographic poses helped spark protests across the Middle East. The outcry forced France to close embassies and other official sites in 20 countries. Charlie Hebdo has repeatedly claimed it publishes the cartoons as a defender of free expression and against religious extremism." (DemocracyNow.org)
Peacemaker, give us the patience, the wisdom, and the empathy to discern the teachable moments from this tragedy. It has given rise to widespread expressions of support for free speech and against censorship and violence against journalists, cartoonists, satirists, and others. At the same time, we lament the fact that these murders have spawned a new wave of charges that all Muslims are fundamentalists and terrorists.
We ask for your guidance as we try to discern when the media is exercising its freedom of speech and when it is inciting hatred and division. We seek understanding of what it means to truly respect the beliefs of the faithful, including what is considered to be blasphemy and an insult to revered teachers and prophets. Finally, with sorrow and fear that the end result of this incendiary incident will only be greater Islamophobia, we vow to stand up against religious and secular violence and to advocate a deeper exploration and appreciation of the spiritual practice of reverence.
O Loving One, Ya Wadud, we grieve with the parents, family, and friends of the 12 people who were killed at the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015, by two French Muslim brothers presumed to want to punish the magazine for blasphemy over its depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. Comfort all those who have been touched and conflicted by this horrific event.
REPORT: "At least 12 people have been killed in a shooting attack on a French satirical magazine in Paris. Witnesses say masked gunmen entered the offices of the magazine, Charlie Hebdo, and opened fire. The dead include four cartoonists and two police officers. The magazine Charlie Hebdo has drawn multiple threats for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. In 2012, the magazine’s cartoon depicting Muhammad in pornographic poses helped spark protests across the Middle East. The outcry forced France to close embassies and other official sites in 20 countries. Charlie Hebdo has repeatedly claimed it publishes the cartoons as a defender of free expression and against religious extremism." (DemocracyNow.org)
Peacemaker, give us the patience, the wisdom, and the empathy to discern the teachable moments from this tragedy. It has given rise to widespread expressions of support for free speech and against censorship and violence against journalists, cartoonists, satirists, and others. At the same time, we lament the fact that these murders have spawned a new wave of charges that all Muslims are fundamentalists and terrorists.
We ask for your guidance as we try to discern when the media is exercising its freedom of speech and when it is inciting hatred and division. We seek understanding of what it means to truly respect the beliefs of the faithful, including what is considered to be blasphemy and an insult to revered teachers and prophets. Finally, with sorrow and fear that the end result of this incendiary incident will only be greater Islamophobia, we vow to stand up against religious and secular violence and to advocate a deeper exploration and appreciation of the spiritual practice of reverence.
The Dolly Mama’s Guide to Democratic Meetings
Spiritual Quotation
This post has been contributed by Donna Schaper, senior minister at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. She is the author of numerous books, including Sabbath Keeping.
I sometimes call my how-to guide to saving democracy a "Dolly Mama Guide to Spirituality."
"Dolly Mama" is a blend of the Dalai Lama, likely the world’s most trusted religious leader, and Dolly Parton, likely country music’s most respected singer. He is always laughing. He says that death is just a change of clothes, in keeping with Wordsworth's idea that death is just moving into another room. He doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything, including the end. Dolly Parton is always saying things she’s not supposed to say. You feel better after being near her or hearing her sing. You want to blend your voice with those of others.
This post has been contributed by Donna Schaper, senior minister at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. She is the author of numerous books, including Sabbath Keeping.
I sometimes call my how-to guide to saving democracy a "Dolly Mama Guide to Spirituality."
"Dolly Mama" is a blend of the Dalai Lama, likely the world’s most trusted religious leader, and Dolly Parton, likely country music’s most respected singer. He is always laughing. He says that death is just a change of clothes, in keeping with Wordsworth's idea that death is just moving into another room. He doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything, including the end. Dolly Parton is always saying things she’s not supposed to say. You feel better after being near her or hearing her sing. You want to blend your voice with those of others.
Applause
Spiritual Quotation
"I had a problem when I began public speaking. People would clap wildly for what I said. Sometimes they even jumped to their feet. That made me nervous. I appreciated it, but I didn't think I was that good. I was somewhat ashamed at the delight I took in their applause. I pondered it. People's applause concerned me for several years. Then one day I got an insight. They were not applauding me. They were applauding themselves. I learned that if what I said called and inspired them in their hearts, they would really applaud. But if I said something they disapproved of, or disbelieved in their hearts, their applause would be reserved. What did this mean?
"They applauded what they knew in their hearts, their best selves. All I did was supply a fresh way of saying what they already understood. Once I understood that, the more they applauded, the better I liked it."
To Practice: Pay attention to what inspires you and what gets the most applause.
Jose Hobday on the basis of joy expressed through applause.
A New Civility Initiative in San Diego
Spiritual Quotation
More than half the people on Earth now live in cities and are becoming more tuned in with the need to share housing, transit, and knowledge. Creative urban leaders are calling for collaboration on some of the problems of our times. For example, there's Carl Luna, a professor of political science at San Diego Mesa College and director of the Institute for Civil Civic Engagement at the University of San Diego. In this speech reprinted at timesofsandiego.com, he recalls that schools used to teach the skills that make for dramatic and fulfilling engagement with the community. But now, it is a different ballgame:
"Our students leave school able to digitally communicate with thumb and index finger on a phone or tablet but not in face-to-face dialogue with their follow corporeal citizens."
More than half the people on Earth now live in cities and are becoming more tuned in with the need to share housing, transit, and knowledge. Creative urban leaders are calling for collaboration on some of the problems of our times. For example, there's Carl Luna, a professor of political science at San Diego Mesa College and director of the Institute for Civil Civic Engagement at the University of San Diego. In this speech reprinted at timesofsandiego.com, he recalls that schools used to teach the skills that make for dramatic and fulfilling engagement with the community. But now, it is a different ballgame:
"Our students leave school able to digitally communicate with thumb and index finger on a phone or tablet but not in face-to-face dialogue with their follow corporeal citizens."
Notice & Eliminate
Spiritual Quotation
Notice how often the conversations you are involved in are based on gossip. The more you become aware of this, the more you can change the course of a conversation midstream or simply remove yourself from it. Make sure you do not go on a crusade and judge others. Simply practice eliminating gossip and notice how that impacts those around you.
A prompt not to participate in gossip in any way.
A Bouquet of Kindness Practices
Spiritual Quotation
"How do we preserve kindness?" asks Rami Shapiro in The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness. One way is to treat ourselves to a bouquet of lovingkindness practices. Just like bouquets of flowers lovingly given and gratefully received, a bouquet like the following exercises from Rami's book gives us the benefits of variety — which flower or practice calls out to you? — within a unified artistry. Here are Rami's suggestions:
Visualize Lovingkindness
"Practice these two visualization exercises daily. Wake up each morning and stand in front of a mirror, seeing your body as the incarnate Name of God. As you go about your day, see everyone and everything as the Name as well. Listen for your angel announcing your true nature, and listen for the angels of others doing the same. In time you will break up the hard-packed soil of the narrow mind and plant in it the seeds of lovingkindness that will soon grow and awaken in you the spacious mind that is your holy and most true self."
Serve Others with Kindness
"A rabbi I know devotes one day a week to simply being of service. She gets up in the morning and dedicates the day to God. She then leaves her home for the city close by and wanders about looking for ways to be of service to others. 'I have no plan for the day, other than to be present to what needs doing and to do those things I can without pride or prejudice. Sometimes I will find myself helping someone move into or out of an apartment, or sitting with the homeless, or walking tourists to their destination. The idea is to be free of any idea other than to serve, to befriend, to be kind."
Be Kind in Speech
"Avoiding hurtful speech has as much to do with how you say something as it does with what you wish to say: Keep it simple; stick to what you know to be true; and move on.
"Two thousand years ago the Rabbis asked this question: It is customary to compliment a bride on how beautiful she looks at her wedding, but what if this particular bride doesn't look beautiful at all? Is it permissible to lie? Is it better to avoid saying anything than to say something that isn't true?
"The Rabbis debated this as a means of exploring some of the subtleties of hurtful speech. They concluded that lying isn't acceptable, but neither is hurting a person with the truth. And avoiding talking to the person sends a negative message all by itself. So what is a person who seeks to practice lovingkindness through speech to do?
"Find a way of complimenting the bride without violating the truth of her feelings. For example, the Rabbis said, Say to her, 'You never looked more radiant' or 'You never looked lovelier' or 'You are positively glowing tonight.' You get the idea. Find a way of being for others — not down on them — whenever possible."
Preserve Kindness
"I rarely tell stories of kindness. I tend to remember slights — those I have made and those I have received. The more I tell such stories, the more I become the stories I tell. I had to work on shifting my storytelling to include at least some tales of kindness. And while I do that much more than I used to, a careful examination of my tales still shows that I tell such stories far more often about other people than about myself. I am not saying that I don't do acts of kindness; I am saying that I tend not to preserve these acts in the stories I tell. And since I am the stories I tell, I fail to reinforce kindness by failing to tell those stories.
"How do we preserve kindness? We preserve kindness the way we preserve any other value we cherish — we tell stories about it. Preserving kindness means telling stories of lovingkindness from your past, but not only your personal past. Working this attribute means exploring your family history to find stories of lovingkindness. Talk with relatives and explore your collective memories to sift out these tales. They may be small incidents of kindness that were largely unnoticed at the time, but which, in hindsight, are the stuff of kindness tales. When you find these stories, share them. The more you tell them, the more kindness will take root.
"One of the best ways to practice preserving kindness is to create a ethical will. Writing an ethical will is a centuries-old Jewish practice that is making a comeback among Jews and others. Originally an oral tradition, with parents passing on their values, blessings, life lessons, and forgiveness to their children, ethical wills have been committed to writing for the past one thousand years."
An array of exercises to cultivate lovingkindness.
Cuddle with Someone
Spiritual Quotation
Cuddle with somebody. It could be your lover, but it could also be your brother or sister, child, niece, nephew, or your dog. Cuddling can be very therapeutic.
First, pick a comfortable spot, preferably one in which the temperature is just right. If you can be outdoors, on a lounge chair perhaps, the elements can add immeasurably to your satisfaction.
Just lie there in each other's arms. This is not meant to arouse, only to soothe. Quiet talk about things that interest both of you will enhance the moment. But silence is also fitting.
Soothing another and yourself.
Don't Say Anything Negative
Spiritual Quotation
One of the things I ask people at my lectures to do is spend twenty-four hours without sharing a word of gossip. Don't say anything negative about anyone, and don't say anything to anyone that has the potential to hurt them. Do that for twenty-four hours and see how you feel at the end of the day. "And," I say to my audience, "please trust me: At the end of that day, you have been a peacemaker."
It might be an interesting way to become the change that we wish to see in the world.
Becoming a peacemaker.
Reasons for Speech
Spiritual Quotation
At the end of each day, take time to reflect on the interactions in which your words were less than totally transparent, honest, and kind. Make the effort to honestly assess the reasons and emotions behind your speech. Forgive yourself for the times that you spoke out of greed, anger, or another unhealthy emotion. Vow to improve upon these in the future.
Reflecting on your words.
Gatha for Anger
Spiritual Quotation
Anger ruins joy, steals the goodness of my mind, and forces my mouth to say terrible things. Overcoming anger brings peace of mind, leads to a mind without regrets. If I overcome anger, I will be delightful and loved by all.
Remembering that anger ruins joy