Charlie Chaplin in the final scene of "The Great Dictator"

well, it's an early morning post today. how does the morning find you? are well? are you fully involved in the mysterious oneness of the universe? yes, i'm sure you are. we could not completely separate ourselves from that reality if we tried.

i am still finishing a paper for class that was due at midnite, and i don't feel ashamed about it. if i could have finished my paper on time, i would have. something is shifting in my heart, as i am sure something is shifting in your own. it's true: you have the whole universe inside you. there is no center; everywhere is the center.

may our hearts grow wide enough to fit in all this beauty...

in love,
ge

The Shade

this is a really nice short film [you're a really nice short film]. it is tragic, yes, but it is also beautiful and profound.

little kids want ice cream. it's a universal thing.

in love,
ge

John Trudell

this is so good. i mean, seriously, why aren't we listening to stuff like this? why don't we believe it?

it's not in the best interest of those in power for us to hear and see things like this.

"see how you got civilized, because terrible things happened."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Trudell
http://www.johntrudell.com/

this is so heavy...what are we doing? dear god, what are we doing?

stick around for the end of that second trudell video. there is a little kid reciting one of his poems...and it's awesome.

in love,
greg

Amma III

i just can't stop posting amma videos! what can i say? they're incredible...

this is a segment from one of the many films that describe her life and teachings. the little girl getting bossed around by her parents at the start of the clip is a potrayal of the young Amma, whose parents would often try to force her to abandon her spiritual practices, which she exhibited at a very young age...then on to those wonderful hugs and kisses!

it brings me to tears every time i watch the faces of those she is hugging. i hope that i get one of those physical hugs some time soon...her own face is pure love.

she is pure love. it's true. it's totally true.

she wants to hug you...right now.

in love,
ge

Please Buy More Stuff

this is better than anything in my diatribe below.

thank you, internet...i think.

we want your soul!

in love,
ge

George Carlin on Consumerism

this...is...so...awesome.

who knew george carlin was so awesome?

what do we do with this reality?

and no, barack obama is not a revolutionary figure. he is saving america and capitalism one day at a time. it is awesome that we have a black president, but what he does is ten times more important than who he is. i still have his poster on my door. i still love looking at pictures of him and michelle. hell, i still love to hear him speak. but if barack obama is our revolution, then the revolution has truly been co-opted. america and capitalism consumed it: bob dylan victoria's secret commercials. ...yup.

but you know all this. we are all too aware that we are settling. that we are going in to this world because all the alternatives have been destroyed or made to look foolish, outdated, and no longer necessary.

and maybe they're not. maybe capitlism will just get better and better until everyone has a hybrid suv, organic cotton t-shirts, and soy lattes in recyclable containers. sounds like heaven doesn't it?

but what if something else is going on? what if the machine, in its seemingly infinite power, is shifting to keep us engaged. "oh look, we can't get away with what we used to. let's get salads in mcdonald's. let's donate 10% of our profits to charity . let's change our imagery to address the rising awareness that we are killing the earth and oppressing its people."

we live on a land that is not ours. we live in an empire that will do anything to stay alive, including a change of tone when necessary. increasingly, there is no outside. the machine groans on, taking up everything in its path, keeping whatever secrets it needs to to stay alive, including the fact that "successful," "wealthy" people are depressed, suicidal, drug addicted, disconnected, isolated, consumers....they are still consumers! no one is beyond consumption!

Obama quote: “Reagan’s central insight — that the liberal welfare state had grown complacent and overly bureaucratic, with Democratic policy makers more obsessed with slicing the economic pie than with growing that pie — contained a good deal of truth.”

Excerpt from nytimes article about obama: "'The market is the best mechanism ever invented for efficiently allocating resources to maximize production,' Obama told me. 'And I also think that there is a connection between the freedom of the marketplace and freedom more generally.' But, he continued, 'there are certain things the market doesn’t automatically do.' In other words, free-market policy isn’t likely to dominate his agenda; his project would be fixing the market."

now don't get me wrong, capitalism and america are not totally evil. capitalism is indeed quite efficient. and neither is obama, of course. i'm totally psyched that he is president instead of mccain...but that's just it. as my favorite professor once said, "racism is not longer bull connor with a pitbull." it's confusing now. it's grey. it's hard to see where justice stops and injustice begins, where freedom becomes domination. it's slippery now. our vision is distorted. the image is twisted, turned upside down, manipulated intentionally to keep us placated and confused.

there's no room of evil men. there's nothing to be worried about. we just won. we have a black, progressive president..

then why do i feel so strange?

why do i feel so alone?

why am i so confused?

why do streets, cars, and buildings feel sinister?

what is this feeling in my heart?

to where are we truly headed?

the clock stays silent. the road does not talk back. the passerby gives no hidden signals. even the trees have nothing to say.

what is happening? what the hell is happening?

in love,
ge

Part 1 of History of Spanish Anarchism

this is the first part of a really good documentary on the spanish anarchist movement from 1936-39. it features interviews with some of the remaining survivors of the revolution.

so what do we do?

unfortunately, you can usually identify those who truly threaten the existing social order and power structures by how ruthlessly they are attacked.

how do we make peace?

how do we live radical lives?

in love,
ge

Robin Hood Disney Cartoon

ok, so we all know that disney is f-ed up. but this cartoon is so good! if you need to watch the whole movie on youtube, i understand.

thanks to all the recent comment posts from kim, haven, adrienne, the 1 question 50 people folks, adjua, and the rest of the gang.

keep comin back! tell your friends!

in love,
ge

Earth Spirit Action

ok, so i know that this is video is pretty new-agey, which i usually can't stand, but this one happens to be really charming, informative, and right-on about most things.

where are you at? what are you thinking about? how do you connect to the way you are currently living your life? how do systems of oppression, destruction, and domination impact your life? what would it look like to live a revolutionary life?

in love,
ge

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce

hello friends, adjua, my love, sent me this one. it is a sad reminder of what prop 8 meant for tens of thousands of happily married gay and lesbian couples.

thank you, sweet love. i hope your flight to new york isn't as bumpy.

in love,
ge

Michael Truckpile!

yeah! this is a friend of mine from the hudson valley. him and his partner jacinta (the other person in the second video) are awesome! jacinta actually used to hang out at my house when i was little with my cool-ass mom, who would wax poetic about eastern religion and philosophy. i got to hang out with them when i was living in tivoli, ny, and they performed with the sparkle kids action network in wilkes-barre while i was living in town. jacinta makes radical coloring books for kids and adults: http://www.girlsnotchicks.com/index.html check them out! she also does workshops on making zines and coloring books.

they're so great!

in love,
ge

Star Wars told by Someone Who Hasn't Seen It

totally awesome.

in love,
ge


Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

J Mac Attack!

here is another feel-good favorite. you might have already seen this one, but it's a beauty. my old buddy, lukas, posted this one.

every bit of joy makes a difference.

in love,
ge.

Ellen DeGeneres - I love Jesus but I drink a little.

this is a great little clip that some friends of mine posted on facebook.

laughter is so good.

come get some.

in love,
greg.

bon iver - like sipping good tea

hello friends, it's been a while since my last post. it was quite a week. through this time, bon iver has been my constant companion, playing his music almost non-stop for the last week. it's so amazing and warm, i love it so much. i am probably getting on some people's nerves who have already heard me say this in some form or another repeatedly in recent memory, so i want say much more.

i gotta thank my dad for getting me this cd for christmas. it came right on time.

these are my four favorite songs from the album, one of them is live.

in love,
ge