Thoughts: It’s within
Thoughts: And then, it’s over…
This incredible photo marks the end of Matador Torero Álvaro Múnera’s career. He collapsed in remorse mid-fight when he realized he was having to prompt this otherwise gentle beast to fight. He went on to become an avid opponent of bullfights. Even grievously wounded by picadors, he did not attack this man.
Torrero Munera is quoted as saying of this moment: “And suddenly, I looked at the bull. He had this innocence that all animals have in their eyes, and he looked at me with this pleading. It was like a cry for justice, deep down inside of me. I describe it as being like a prayer – because if one confesses, it is hoped, that one is forgiven.
“I felt like the worst shit on earth.”
– from Paulo Saraiva
Thoughts & writings: Remembering Wayne Dyer (a visit with Oprah about the Tao)
Like many folks, I’m still getting used to the idea that Dr. Wayne Dyer made his transition this morning. Gotta say, I’m happy for him as he moves on to the next round, and I’m happy that I got the chance to learn from him in his time here.
Out of a bunch of online writings & lectures & shows & things, I thought I’d re-post this visit he had with Oprah a few years back, with a talk about the Tao…if you haven’t seen him before, it’s give you a feel for the spirit & humor of his teaching & sharing.
Onward 🙂
Brother Ian
ENC: More people, more problems…
In this part of Brother Ian, we take a look at the things that are going on in the world that some folks seem to miss, no matter how important those things might be.
One of the Ten Things (in the menu bar above) is what I believe is the critical piece in sorting out any problem we face: “The world is limited in how many humans it can feed & support. We have too many, already.”
Family planning is no draconian thing; it gives the people who are born a chance at the earth’s resources. The math is easy: if the number of people exceeds what resources are available, people will suffer and, as the UN reports, die (some 24,000 every day of starvation – see here how many died today). If a terrorist blew up a stadium with 25,000 folks, the world would be aghast; yet nearly 11 million people will die of starvation this year, with hardly a whimper.
I would like to add the words of Dr. Martin Luther KIng, Jr. in 1966 to this:
Recently, the press has been filled with reports of sightings of flying saucers. While we need not give credence to these stories, they allow our imagination to speculate on how visitors from outer space would judge us. I am afraid they would be stupefied at our conduct.
They would observe that for death planning we spend billions to create engines and strategies for war. They would also observe that we spend millions to prevent death by disease and other causes. Finally, they would observe that we spend paltry sums for population planning, even though its spontaneous growth is an urgent threat to life on our planet.
Our visitors from outer space could be forgiven if they reported home that our planet is inhabited by a race of insane men whose future is bleak and uncertain.
There is no human circumstance more tragic than the persisting existence of a harmful condition for which a remedy is readily available. Family planning, to relate population to world resources, is possible, practical and necessary.
Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases we do not yet understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources we possess.
What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the solution but universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and education of the billions who are its victims. …
While some countries have minister-level positions to deal with population issues, and some countries have negative population growth (less people at the end of the year than at the first – Spain and Portugal come to mind), it’s time to push this to the front of the the discussion, if we hope to have a chance in the decades ahead.
So, that’s why I mention & agitate for that discussion here & now…so that we’ll have a chance. For you, for me, for the kids….
In loving light –
Brother Ian
About Brother Ian
Over the centuries, Brother Ian has been collecting stories & information & discourses for the purpose of elevating the human condition as needed, dissecting it when necessary, and building the case for hope.
In the spirit of noting that organized crime, organized baseball, organized labour, and organized religion tend to engender controversy & occasional discord, I promise to be neither organized or critical of those who are.