Do you have enough?

Great article on The Atlantic: What My Son's Disabilities Taught Me About 'Having It All'. The author encourages us to stop asking "Do I have it all?" and instead ask "Do I have enough?"

Reading Marie Myung-Ok Lee's article reminded me of a quote that I memorized to say whenever I need to remember to be joyous/positive: "If we are not happy and joyous at this season, for what other season shall we wait and for what other time shall we look?...Be calm, be strong, be grateful, and become a lamp full of light, that the darkness of sorrows be annihilated, and the sun of everlasting joy arise from the dawning place of heart and soul, shining brightly." ~`Abdu'l-Bahá

My favorite snippets from Marie Myung-Ok Lee's article:

"When I look at friends and acquaintances, many with perfectly beautiful children and wonderful lives, and see how desperately unhappy or stressed they are about balancing work and family, I think to myself that the solution to many problems is deceptively obvious. We are chasing the wrong things, asking ourselves the wrong questions. It is not, "Can we have it all?" -- with "all" being some kind of undefined marker that shall forever be moved upwards out of reach just a little bit with each new blessing. We should ask instead, "Do we have enough?" 

[W]hat bothers me is the implicit expectation: that people are waiting for our inevitable breakdown, a breast-beating howl against fate that is sure to come once we realize we'll truly never "have it all" -- because of our imperfect son.........For all the people who are puzzled by my seeming happiness, I'll be glad to let them know my "secret." I'm not in denial, I'm not on antidepressants, and I don't live in a fantasy world. I have a wonderful husband and I am pursuing a career I've dreamed of since I was nine years old. I have a beautiful son, friends, and a working stove. I am not paraplegic. I have parents who, through luck and fate, had me here in the United States, and not in North Korea. I live in a time where my awful vision can be corrected with glasses. I am a college graduate. I am never hungry unless I choose to be. Do I have enough? Resoundingly: yes. And I ask you to take a moment: I suspect you might, too."

Ziggy Marley: I'm a Runner

I am loving Runner's World piece on Ziggy Marley - "I'm more satisfied with natural highs. And running satisfies me in that aspect."....Click the video below to watch

If you haven't heard his music before, check out my favorite two Ziggy Marley songs:
Beach in Hawaii
Love is my religion 

Brooklyn hero: some happy news for your week

I have an obsession/interest with trying to be informed. I read my favorite news source The Economist every week. I browse Foreign Policy's Morning Brief daily. I laugh through The Daily Show (although with US politics it's more of a cry/laugh). Unfortunately the way the world is all this information can weigh on one's soul. So I love it when I come across a happy making story.

This week's happy story is about Stephen St. Bernard, a Brooklyn resident who caught a falling girl and saved her life. He even suffered a torn tendon in his shoulder from the event. I personally love how he thanked God that he was able to catch her.

Brooklyn Food Conference: Saturday, May 12!!!

Excited for next week's free food conference in BROOKLYN! My husband and I have had this on our calendars for 3 months now. I downloaded the program of events and was pleasantly shocked by the 92 pages of options and information. So many workshops :)

May 12: 9 am - 6 pm
Brooklyn Tech HS
29 Fort Greene Place
Brooklyn, New York 11217

More information: On May 12, 2012 over 5,000 people are expected to attend this free, all day event filled with keynotes from notable food activists, workshops, panel discussions, food demos, family programming, art and much more. The 2012 Conference will help strengthen the cooperative effort of individuals, groups and organizations fighting everyday for a healthy, sustainable and fair food system. Food activists, local farmers, academics, restaurateurs and health advocates and all those interested in food justice will gather to discuss the global food economy and its impact on our lives.

Mission Statement: The Brooklyn Food Coalition is a grassroots organization dedicated to the vision of a just and sustainable food system in Brooklyn through community organizing, public education, and research and advocacy. The Coalition is fundamentally committed to building an inclusive, multi-racial, multi-cultural alliance of residents and community-based groups from all parts of Brooklyn, reflecting the borough’s rich diversity. The Brooklyn Food Coalition is composed of neighborhood-based groups, working committees, and affiliate groups all working together in Brooklyn on projects that promote food justice and sustainable food. BFC staff provide coordination between groups.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: a NAACP man of the month in 1912

I’m so proud to belong to a religion that has valued unity and equality (race & gender) from day 1. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of the prophet of the Baha’i Faith, was even named one of The Crisis’ (NAACP’s official publication) “Men of the Month” for May 1912 by W. E. B. Du Bois. (read more here)  

April 30, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave a talk at the 4^th Annual Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at Handel Hall, Chicago, Illinois . He clearly states that ones color does not matter. What matters is ones heart:

“Color or race is of no importance. He who is the image and likeness of God, who is the manifestation of the bestowals of God, is acceptable at the threshold of God — whether his color be white, black or brown; it matters not. Man is not man simply because of bodily attributes. The standard of divine measure and judgment is his intelligence and spirit.

The character and purity of the heart is of all importance. The heart illumined by the light of God is nearest and dearest to God, and inasmuch as God has endowed man with such favor that he is called the image of God, this is truly a supreme perfection of attainment, a divine station which is not to be sacrificed by the mere accident of color.” 

Read the entire talk here 

African Men. Hollywood Stereotypes.

Great ~3 min video featuring Kenyan men poking fun at the way African men are portrayed in Hollywood films. There are so many stereotypes that continue to be reinforced in popular movies. Yes, there are a few Hollywood movies featuring Africans that are based on a true story. However, we only see the negative truths and often through the eyes of a Western. As one of my favorite author once said:

"The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete."
~ Chimamanda Adichie (from TED talk The Danger of a Single Story)

This is for all the students I taught while at Tukuyu Secondary in Tanzania who will be our future doctors and lawyers :)

911 Tapes Released in Trayvon Martin Killing

"Justice is not limited, it is a universal quality. Its operation must be carried out in all classes, from the highest to the lowest. Justice must be sacred, and the rights of all the people must be considered. Desire for others only that which you desire for yourselves. Then shall we rejoice in the Sun of Justice, which shines from the Horizon of God." ~ 'Abdu'l-Baha (1911, Paris Talks)

I'm crying as I type this so I will keep it brief. You can go to the link below and listen to the 911 tapes where Trayvon screams for help and then is shot. Also included is the 911 call his killer made as the dispatcher tries to tell him to stop following Trayvon.

http://www.theroot.com/buzz/911-calls-released-trayvon-martin-killing

Prosecute the killer of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin

Another case of "walking while black". This time resulting in the death of a 17 year old boy. This madness has to stop!

"Trayvon Martin was only 17 years old when he was gunned down by the Neighborhood Watch captain George Zimmerman. All Trayvon did was go to the store to get his brother some Skittles. According to police, George Zimmerman admitted to the shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was unarmed when he was shot by Zimmerman. All he had in his hands was some candy when he was followed and approached by Zimmerman - who ignored instructions from police not to confront the young man.Why has he not been charged and his case been handed over to prosecutors?"

I first read out the story on Los Angelista's blog. Then I noticed there is a petition to prosecute Trayvon's killer. Sign the petition to prosecute the killer of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin: http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-17-year-old-trayvon-martin

Mr. Happy Man

This video brought great joy to my heart. It features 88-year-old Bermudian, Johnny Barnes who devotes six hours every day to greeting people with "Hello. Have a wonderful day. I love you."

These 3 sentences have had a powerful affect on the locals there. Watch and feel your heart warm :)

Mr. Happy Man from Matt Morris Films on Vimeo.

Exercise and benefits of autophagy (self-eating)

Since I am addicted to running and post-work out endorphins, I don’t need additional reasons to exercise. However, I do love collecting info to try to convert others to my cause. This week’s Economist features an interesting study: Exercise and Longevity

Key points:

• Exercise promotes autophagy (Greek for self-eating)
• “Autophagy is mechanism where surplus, worn-out or malformed proteins and other components are broken up for scrap and recycle”
• A study on mice showed that autophagy helps prevent diabetes, slow down ageing, fight bacterial infections, slow the onset of neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and Huntington’s diseases.

Previously, whenever I mentioned slowing the ageing process to my fellow Economist/NPR nerds, the topic of near-starvation diets arises. This would never work for me because I love food and need calories to fuel my runs. Next time this comes up I can mention vigorous exercise as a better solution :)

Also check out the article, A history of dieting: Binge and purge...really interesting facts on the history of dieting.

Thank Loving

Thank you Mrs. & Mr. Loving

If I was born 45 years earlier I,  an African America woman, would not have been allowed to marry my husband (who is a white man) in many US states. Thank God for people like the Lovings who refuse to accept unjust laws.

The International Photography Center (1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street) has an exhibit on The Lovings now until May 6. And it's free on Fridays :)

"Forty-five years ago, sixteen states still prohibited interracial marriage. Then, in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court considered the case of Richard Perry Loving, a white man, and his wife, Mildred Loving, a woman of African American and Native American descent, who had been arrested for miscegenation nine years earlier in Virginia. The Lovings were not active in the Civil Rights movement but their tenacious legal battle to justify their marriage changed history when the Supreme Court unanimously declared Virginia's anti-miscegenation law—and all race-based marriage bans—unconstitutional. LIFE magazine photographer Grey Villet's intimate images were uncovered by director Nancy Buirski during the making of The Loving Story, a documentary debuting on February 14, 2012 on HBO. The exhibition, organized by Assistant Curator of Collections Erin Barnett, includes some 20 vintage prints loaned by the estate of Grey Villet and by the Loving family."

Rich get richer

Income for the wealthiest Americans has sharply increased in the last 30 years - 275% for the top 1%. Meanwhile, the bottom 20% saw income rise by just 18%. Middle class saw their income rise by about 40% ~ Congressional Budget Office (NPR article or CNN)

Meanwhile Republicans in Congress weeks ago were willing to have the United States default rather than repeal a portion of the Bush tax cuts and raise taxes for the rich by 3.5%.

In a lovely letter from A Voice From the 1% - "Here is a secret about rich people:  we wouldn't have noticed a 3.5% tax increase.  That is not only because there isn't a material difference between having $1 million and $965,000, which is obvious, but also because most of us don't actually know how much money we are going to make in a given year.  Most income at that level is the result of profits rather than salary, whether it comes in the form of bonuses, stock options, partnership distributions, dividends or capital gains."

Many are saying if we "punish" the "job creators" they won't be able to help the unemployment rate.   A Voice From the 1%  says “I was not amazed but disgusted when John Boehner and his crew tried to justify the extremity of their position by rebranding the wealthy as "job creators."  While true in a very basic sense, it obscures the fact that jobs are a cost that is voluntarily incurred only as a result of demand.  Hiring has no correlation at all to profits or to income - none.”

Over at Occupy Oakland...

Tuesday evening police used tear gas and baton rounds to force protesters to leave their camp. Scott Olsen, a 24-year-old former US Marine who has served two tours in Iraq, was struck in the head with a heavy object. He remains in the hospital in critical condition with a fractured skull. “The irony is not lost on anyone here that this is someone who survived two tours in Iraq and is now seriously injured by the Oakland police force” (BBC article)

Today I'm meditating on the following quotes from the Bahá’í, Muslim and Christian background....and shaking my head at the state of my country.

"Some being enormously rich and others lamentably poor....It is important to limit riches, as it is also of importance to limit poverty. Either extreme is not good. To be seated in the mean is most desirable. If it be right for a capitalist to possess a large fortune, it is equally just that his workman should have a sufficient means of existence." `Abdu'l-Bahá's Paris Talks

The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The one who looks after a widow or a poor person is like a Mujahid (warrior) who fights for Allah's Cause, or like him who performs prayers all the night and fasts all the day." Bukhari Volume 7, Book 64, Number 265

 

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’  Matthew 25:41-45

arrested while being Black

September 5 - Labor Day....City Councilman Jumaane Williams was, as the saying goes, “arrested while being Black”. This story, which was featured on the NY Times’ front page online along with tons of others, is even more personal because Jumaane is my cousin.

The son of a doctor from Grenada, Jumaane Williams, 35, was elected to the City Council from Central Brooklyn in 2009. He is well-educated, articulate and a rising star among black politicians.

Why was he arrested? Jumaane was walking through a police “frozen zone” after the West Indian Day Parade to get to an event at the Brooklyn Museum. He had permission from police supervisors to go through this area. However, when he came to the third checkpoint the police refused to let the Councilman pass. While trying to confirm his credentials the cops surrounded him and put him in handcuffs.

As Jumaane states in his official statement: “This was an incident involving a select number of police officers that quickly and unnecessary escalated itself. We believe that had Mr. Foy or I been white, this would not have happened. Plain and simple. It is a reflection of a culture which includes stop and frisk protocol that I hope after this incident will finally end, based on how unfairly it targets innocent black and Latino young men.”

I wanted to wait a week or two before writing about this….to calm my anger etc. When I first heard about this I was overwhelmed with the sense of injustice too many people have to live through every day. It reminds me of something a family member once said….”Never forget that you are Black. Don’t get too comfortable, finding yourself in a place of wealth or power. The moment you forget someone will be there to painfully remind you.”… I am still waiting and working towards the day when the color of one’s skin or where they live does not determine their life/how people view them. Sadly though, the US is very far from this.

How to Save the World?

No, seriously….how do you save the world? When I was a Peace Corps volunteer living in Tanzania people back home in America would say “She’s off saving the world”. When I decided not to join the corporate world and do non-profit work they’d remark “Good for you, saving the world.” However, every week I read The Economist, watch The Daily Show and read Foreign Policy’s daily morning brief…..it’s quite clear the world is not doing much better.

There are so many ills going on in the world. The US continues to disappoint me as the rich become richer and the poor poorer. The government denies 9/11 first responders covered cancer treatment. So many countries are experiencing wars/fighting. The current famine going on in Somali continues to stay on my mind. I read things like “29,000 Somali children under 5 dead in famine” and I want to do something to help.

How do people who want to help make sure they are actually helping? I almost wish I could go back to my pre-Road to Hell ignorance. The time where I thought just donating some money every month would help fix things.

I stay firm that education is the way out. If everyone gets quality education they can help themselves and their country. Corrupt governments will have a harder time bulldozing their citizens. Although I cried through most of the book Half the Sky, the common theme for happy endings involved education.

How do you help?

Extremes of Poverty and Wealth in the US

"But if conditions are such that some are happy and comfortable and some in misery; some are accumulating exorbitant wealth and others are in dire want -- under such a system it is impossible for man to be happy and impossible for him to win the good pleasure of God. (Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 41)"

It seems every week I come across an article outlining how the gaps between rich and poor keep widening in the US. The richest 20% in America own 85% of the wealth. It truly is sad and unjust.

Reading this article Blacks' economic gains wiped out in downturn, the extreme difference among racial lines is also clear. "By 2009, the median net worth for white households had fallen 24 percent to $97,860; the median black net worth had fallen 83 percent to $2,170.....for every dollar of wealth the average white household had, black households only had two cents."

I am glad I belong to a religion with central tenets against extremes of poverty and wealth. I urge everyone to “Be the change you want to see in the world.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

Black love, human love

There's been a lot of media attention this past year about "black beauty".....

--> The movie Good Hair about the obsession and million dollar industry around black women's hair (or more accurately, the dislike of our natural hair hence all the chemicals and Indian hair purchased)
--> Dark Girls: A documentary exploring the deep-seated biases and attitudes about skin color - particularly dark skinned women, outside of and within the Black American culture.
--> Writers crazily saying black women are not attractive re: Kanazawa's article in Psychology Today.

I must say, I felt like someone slapped me in the face when I read Kanazawa's article. Using "science" to explain why beautiful black women like myself, my mother and countless others are less beautiful. I might just use my "surplus" testosterone (the supposed reason black woman are less attractive) to kick his behind.

And I can't tell you the amount of times some guy has said to me "You're the prettiest dark skin woman I've ever met". Or before I put my hair in dreadlocks, how many people warned me I'd look less attractive for embracing my natural hair.

I am fortunate that my parents raised me in a house full of appreciation for black beauty, that my life is full of love, that my husband tells me I'm beautiful daily and whenever I might give pause to whether or not I'm beautiful some random guy on the street screams a reminder at me. I'm worried about people who don't have these things in their lives.....

In the Baha'i faith we view all humans as varying flowers in one garden. The diversity adds to the beauty of the garden:

"If the flowers of a garden were all of one color, the effect would be monotonous to the eye; but if the colors are variegated, it is most pleasing and wonderful. The difference in adornment of color and capacity of reflection among the flowers gives the garden its beauty and charm. Therefore, although we are of different individualities, different in ideas and of various fragrances, let us strive like flowers of the same divine garden to live together in harmony. Even though each soul has its own individual perfume and color, all are reflecting the same light, all contributing fragrance to the same breeze which blows through the garden, all continuing to grow in complete harmony and accord. Become as waves of one sea, trees of one forest, growing in the utmost love, agreement and unity." (‘Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 24)

Please be kind with your words:

"The tongue is a smoldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century." Baha'u'llah

UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet

An interesting article I randomly found......"A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today." click here.