Derrick Jensen

another busy day in big heart land, huh team? i have never read any of derrick jensen's books, but now i feel like i need to.

let's do this, friends.

we need to.

are you doing it?
do you want to?
are you seeking?
where are you?

there are three more of these videos on youtube.

in love,
ge

"The Green Beautiful" - Part 1 and 2

whoah, so i just stumbled across this movie (which is in its entirety on youtube), and it blew my mind. it is soooooo good. you should watch the whole thing. seriously. get some tasty snacks, preferably local ones, and call me when the movie is over.

after doing a little research i found out that this film was banned in the EU and had almost no international distribution...why?

because it might make you change your whole life.

i am purposefully posting parts 1 and 2 to entice you to watch the whole thing.

in love,
ge

Severn Suzuki at the 1992 UN Earth Summit

this is such a powerful video. her words are so true, so real. we must start acting boldly, yes? perhaps you already do.

how do you act boldly for the world and the people who inhabit it?
how do you listen to those who are too often silenced or ignored?
how do you fall short of the radical lifestyle you envision?
how do you continue on despite the setbacks?

or better yet, how do we do this together? how do we forgive each other for falling short? how do we encourage each other to keep going?

in love,
ge

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

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

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

Locusts (Docu-Music-Video) - Invincible and Finale

i made may way to this through the youth program of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. they have co-organized a tour called, Drop Beats Not Bombs, for a few years now, and Invincible was on the most recent tour. The nonviolence and anti-oppression training that comes out of the same program, called the Peacemaker Training Institute, has been so very important to me for six years. some of the most amazing people i have ever met were through PTI, and i am so thankful that many of them are still in my life today. isaak, alejandra, kavitha, maryrose, cesar, hayden, hawah, anna, elandria...all of you (plus so many un-named!) are amazing in so many different ways.

this video is very powerful and effective. contemporary cities are battle grounds, colonized land, where city governments, real estate companies, multinational corporations, and educational institutions purchase neighborhoods and remake them as they see fit. this was really evident in nyc, where "williamsburg" continues to grow eastward, taking over neighborhoods predominantly populated by people of color, and turning them into condominium play-lands, first for young white people, who don't mind living in slightly more "dangerous" and "cheap" neighborhoods, then for the businesses and "life-style" enthusiasts that follow them looking for the next "hot spot." meanwhile, the people who were already living there are forced to relocate further and further out or find some other way to stay and make ends meet, provided they are allowed to stay. this is just one example. we forget that this happened to manhattan as well.

it doesn't sound like this is exactly what is going on in Detroit, but it is the same dish with a different flavor. as i think about where to settle down, i flounder trying to find a place that does not already feel taken over. there are some really beautiful examples in this film of how people can reclaim abandoned spaces and turn them into spaces that exist for the community. not to mention some really, really good hip-hop!

i hope the tour went well!



oh, and p.s. -

invincible is amazing! here is her music video for "Sledgehammers."

Tracy Chapman - Talking About a Revolution

who doesn't love this song? it's been a little while since i posted a music video/performance. powerful stuff.

i hope you are well.

in love,
ge

Tamera

i first heard about Tamera from Jeff, a friend of mine who co-founded a non-profit called The Common Fire Foundation with his partner, Kavitha. he went to eurupe to check out some intentional communities, and when i asked him if any of them stood out, he said, "Tamera."

the more i learn about this place, the more i feel like i need to go. you can see for yourself at tamera.org. the first video is the last segment of a half hour long documentary mostly about the "sunvillage" they are building over there. this last part goes into what Tamera is about as a whole.

the second video is the opening speech from last summer's "university" at Tamera, a ten-day program focused on revolution, ecology, sustainability, love, and sex. the speaker is 19 and a member of the community there.

whoah...

Sunni Patterson - We Made It

this is not a "feel-good" performance or poem, so if you are looking for something purely uplifting, this might not be it. this poem is, however, incredible. sunni patterson invokes the prophetic voice, speaking radical truth and transformation. the first time i saw this was accidental. i was visiting a friend, and Def Poetry Jam just happened to be on tv. my mouth nearly dropped.

so why is this video on bigheartvideos? because having a big heart requires that we open ourselves to the radical proposal of Love. i call it a proposal, because Love is an agreement we make with our hearts. and that doesn't mean it's always pretty. if it is not challenging us to go beyond ourselves, then it isn't love.

she has a lot of other amazing videos on youtube.

i hope you're well.

in love,
ge