Sunday, August 30, 2009
Almost forgot: my itinerary
Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California. There. :) Take care.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Until the next computer
I'm laying my computer to rest before I head out, so this will be the last post until I come across another one. I don't know when that will be.
Take care. Be kind to one another. Eat lots of good food. Get plenty of exercise. Smile at someone. Do something that scares you. Forgive someone that your holding a grudge against. Forgive yourself, most of all.
Talk to you soon.
On Courage
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear."
~Ambrose Redmoon
or better yet...
"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway."
-John Wayne
~Ambrose Redmoon
or better yet...
"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway."
-John Wayne
The Way of the Tao
There is a Force, a great power that drives the universe. It is responsible for all that we see, and all that we experience. It is the Ultimate Reality upon which everything in existence rests. Men and women have called it God, Yahweh, Allah, Yehovah, the Tao, the One, the All, Brahman, Olodumare...the names are many.
Yet it is not so important what we call as it is that we remember that this Force loves us and lives within us. It is the light that enlightens all who come into the world, once they've opened their hearts and minds to its gentle voice. It does not beg, it does not cajole, intimidate or threaten. It merely waits patiently to be heard. And when we do open ourselves to it, it flows into us with the joy of the father who welcomes home the prodigal son.
Any discussion of peace, whether it be between nations or the warring parts of the self, must include a discussion of God, because it is in God that peace has its foundation. Peace is the natural harmony within the self that occurs when one is given over to the Divine.
Man-made laws may dictate peaceful behavior, but they are a temporary solution at best, because they depend on the threat of violence (imprisonment, taxation, or execution) in order to be effective. As long as the State relies on tactics of fear to create peace among its citizens, it will continue to teach its citizens that peace and fear are inseparable. And its citizens will use those same tactics in dealing with one another.
From the Tao Te Ching:
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He shall direct your path." ---- Psalm 3:5
Yet it is not so important what we call as it is that we remember that this Force loves us and lives within us. It is the light that enlightens all who come into the world, once they've opened their hearts and minds to its gentle voice. It does not beg, it does not cajole, intimidate or threaten. It merely waits patiently to be heard. And when we do open ourselves to it, it flows into us with the joy of the father who welcomes home the prodigal son.
Any discussion of peace, whether it be between nations or the warring parts of the self, must include a discussion of God, because it is in God that peace has its foundation. Peace is the natural harmony within the self that occurs when one is given over to the Divine.
Man-made laws may dictate peaceful behavior, but they are a temporary solution at best, because they depend on the threat of violence (imprisonment, taxation, or execution) in order to be effective. As long as the State relies on tactics of fear to create peace among its citizens, it will continue to teach its citizens that peace and fear are inseparable. And its citizens will use those same tactics in dealing with one another.
From the Tao Te Ching:
"The more prohibitions there are,
the poorer everyone will be.
The more weapons are used,
the greater the chaos will be in society.
The more that people seek "knowledge" for its own sake,
the stranger the world will become.
The more laws that are made,
the greater the number of criminals."
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He shall direct your path." ---- Psalm 3:5
In Dover
I'm in Dover, Delaware right now. My pilgrimage will begin officially tomorrow when I leave from Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware, which resides next to the Atlantic Ocean. I'm putting together a final rough draft of my itinerary, which I shall post when I'm finished, which will hopefuly be later in the day.
Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of meeting with a former Peace Pilgrim (http://pilgrimforpeace.wordpress.com/) back in New York City. We talked about some of the details of her journey and what I should expect on this one. Definitely check out her blog if you get a chance. She's an awesome woman.
Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of meeting with a former Peace Pilgrim (http://pilgrimforpeace.wordpress.com/) back in New York City. We talked about some of the details of her journey and what I should expect on this one. Definitely check out her blog if you get a chance. She's an awesome woman.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
About My Peace Pilgrimage
Now is a critical time in human history. We are faced with a global crisis that threatens to drive our species into extinction. It’s only been recently that the governments of our world have admitted that global warming is real and that potentially destructive climate changes loom ahead in the near future, as well as food and water shortages and vast species extinction.
Ethno-botanist Terence McKenna once said, “We have the money, the power, the medical understanding, the scientific know-how, the love and the community to produce a kind of human paradise.” The resources are there. We simply need to agree, as a collective, that it’s time for a change.
In order to do that, we need to stop killing each other.
We are all living on the same planet, and the situation that we’re in is like a ship about to sail over the edge of a waterfall. Instead of working together to steer the ship away from danger, the crew members are murdering each other for control of the helm, and at the same time drilling holes into the bottom of the boat.
*********
(The information in the following paragraph comes from www.peacepilgrim.com)
“From 1953 to 1981, a woman calling herself only “Peace Pilgrim” walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She had no material possessions except for what she could carry in her pockets. She vowed to ‘remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food.’ In the course of her 28-year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America. Her message was both simple and profound. It continues to inspire people all over the world.”
“This is the way of peace,” she said. “Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.”
Her message has inspired me as well. On Saturday, August 29th, I will be going on a pilgrimage for peace, walking across the United States from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to San Francisco, California.
Like the original Peace Pilgrim, I will wear a blue shirt that reads “PEACE PILGRIM” on the front and “WALKING COAST TO COAST FOR PEACE” on the back. I will be carrying only a toothbrush, a pen, small notepad, cards with my contact information (for correspondence), a map and compass. I am not affiliated with any organization, or religious group, and I will not accept money. I will walk until given shelter and fast until given food.
My goal is to come into contact with as many people as I can and exchange ideas with them about the types of peaceful methods that can be implemented to resolve the conflicts that threaten to rip our world apart. I will also be using this walk as a prayer exercise, to lift up my thoughts toward the Divine and send out my best wishes for the people that I’ve come to know and love, and for planet Earth.
I hope to keep this blog fairly updated, but that will depend on how often I have access to the internet.
If you have any prayer requests, please feel free to write me at peacepilgrim2009@gmail.com.
Ethno-botanist Terence McKenna once said, “We have the money, the power, the medical understanding, the scientific know-how, the love and the community to produce a kind of human paradise.” The resources are there. We simply need to agree, as a collective, that it’s time for a change.
In order to do that, we need to stop killing each other.
We are all living on the same planet, and the situation that we’re in is like a ship about to sail over the edge of a waterfall. Instead of working together to steer the ship away from danger, the crew members are murdering each other for control of the helm, and at the same time drilling holes into the bottom of the boat.
*********
(The information in the following paragraph comes from www.peacepilgrim.com)
“From 1953 to 1981, a woman calling herself only “Peace Pilgrim” walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She had no material possessions except for what she could carry in her pockets. She vowed to ‘remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food.’ In the course of her 28-year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America. Her message was both simple and profound. It continues to inspire people all over the world.”
“This is the way of peace,” she said. “Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.”
Her message has inspired me as well. On Saturday, August 29th, I will be going on a pilgrimage for peace, walking across the United States from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to San Francisco, California.
Like the original Peace Pilgrim, I will wear a blue shirt that reads “PEACE PILGRIM” on the front and “WALKING COAST TO COAST FOR PEACE” on the back. I will be carrying only a toothbrush, a pen, small notepad, cards with my contact information (for correspondence), a map and compass. I am not affiliated with any organization, or religious group, and I will not accept money. I will walk until given shelter and fast until given food.
My goal is to come into contact with as many people as I can and exchange ideas with them about the types of peaceful methods that can be implemented to resolve the conflicts that threaten to rip our world apart. I will also be using this walk as a prayer exercise, to lift up my thoughts toward the Divine and send out my best wishes for the people that I’ve come to know and love, and for planet Earth.
I hope to keep this blog fairly updated, but that will depend on how often I have access to the internet.
If you have any prayer requests, please feel free to write me at peacepilgrim2009@gmail.com.
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