unaffiliated green

The Green Party does not accept donations from corporations, political action committees (PACs), 527(c) organizations or any soft money. The party's platforms and rhetoric harshly criticize any corporate influence and control over government, media, and society at large.

Right now, that’s probably why the Green Party is not very popular in politics; There is absolutely no Green Party representation in our Federal Congress, and of all the state legislatures, the Green party holds only one seat, in the Arkansas House of Representatives.

But we’ve got mayors and councilpeople, that’s for sure.  And grassroots support, too.

Across the US, the Green Party happens to be most popular where it’s green, with party popular support on the Pacific Coast, Upper Great Lakes, and Northeast. Californians elect Green candidates. So do folks in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Maine.  In fact, Maine has the highest per capita number of Green elected officials in the country, and the largest Green registration percentage, 3%. Ouch.  

But don’t be discouraged - not all states allow Green Party ballot access so, in the whole US there’s over 300,000 registered Greens and countless unaffiliated Greens. Literally countless.

But let’s put those pesky national politics aside for a moment, and think about greens globally. There are Green parties in over 90 countries.  

The party’s ideology rests on four pillars:  ecological wisdom, social and economic justice, grassroots democracy, nonviolence and peace.

Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation for world peace.

It’s no surprise that most Greens in the US aren’t involved in politics, when even the most fervent party members debate the value of efforts towards electoral change.

Peacemaking begins with one’s self, within one’s community...

Get to know your local Green Party, or better, get to know your local Greens.  

empathicus

The way I see it, if I am to achieve my goal, I will not be aware of having achieved it in that moment, and perhaps not even my lifetime.  This shift in my perspective brought me closer to the concept of "a life's work".  And that created a lot of momentum in my life for me to make bold choices.

Lately, I've been imagining the social conditions that could inspire people to co-create radical solutions for sustainable development.  This is really fun because it requires a lot of imagination. For example:  I watch a few minutes of FoxNews and then start contemplating which orchestra of media groups and lobbying firms and corporations would need to play to the public's ears to make a big enough fuss for one talking head to be chastised or found not credible.  Doing this helps me recognize other humans beneath the bullshit and sometimes even drowns out the news.

It's most fun for things outdoors, though.  I like to connect places around Phoenix without cars.  It's a fantastic endeavor -- literally, because it would only work with eco-friendly flying machines that fold up, and that won't really work well given the high DUI rates.  A friendly sidenote about our Phoenix skies, Arizona's bid to be a test site for unmanned drones was recently rejected.

All this to say, I've decided that there's value in describing empathicus.  And yet I don't think it suits my fieldnotes so descriptions will live here.   

There is a harmony between the old and the young.  This harmony creates balance in every lifespan and promotes sustainable evolution.

There is abundance, more often than not.  There is also very little waste, for our design and usage are wise and our recycling clever.

There are shades of The Venus Project and countless bits of Stephen Hawking.  Occasionally it seems a bit like The Jetsons or maybe sometimes a mini Star Wars.

...

 

  

In 2013, I went to 110 bikram yoga classes.

That's 165 hours, almost a week of my year if condensed into days.

Mr. Bikram Choudhury receives mixed review among doctors, fitness professionals and yoga enthusiasts alike.  I once heard an instructor during a teacher training describe his exercise science knowledge as "piss poor" and of course, it's trifling that he copyright ancient asana.  That said, many recognize his positive contributions to alternative medicine and human flourishing.  Deepak Chopra went so far as to say, Bikram is doing a great service to yoga. 

Bikram's beginning yoga class has certainly done a great service to me.
I had experienced it first several years ago, a few times, on and off;  It is never too late to start or start again.

I connected deeply with the practice at Bikram Yoga Capitol Hill.  I arrived at 9AM on a late-March Sunday morning, and I remember praying, consciously hoping that this practice would help me.  I had been struggling with various shades of anxiety but a specific challenge drew me to bikram:  I had quit smoking cigarettes for some time and there was nothing - nothing - that I was more proud of than quitting smoking cigarettes.  And yet, despite all logic in this beautiful springtime weather, I wanted to smoke cigarettes again.  I couldn't let that happen, so I rushed to BYCH and from then on met any craving with a sweaty ninety-minute session. I went to fifty-five classes over the following ninety days and didn't smoke at all.

Then I moved to Phoenix.  The first commitment I made in Arizona - before housing, before employment - was my membership to Bikram Yoga AZ.  I am often the youngest person in class.  The teachers are some of the best I've experienced across yoga disciplines.  I am stronger and more peaceful than ever before. 

And photos like the one above - same people, 23 years later - keep me drinking the kool-aid for now.
  

Greetings from the Valley of the Sun

While the rest of America has been bundled up, screenshoting their Weather App and tossing cups of boiling water off their porches, we in Phoenix have been driving with our windows down. 

Driving with the windows down is somewhat of a benchmark in these parts.  I noticed it most when the summer was ending.   As the season changed, I heard it from the driver of almost every car I sat in: "Ooh, I think it's windows-down weather".  What a wonderful thing, indeed.  

Phoenix is the 12th largest metropolitan area in the US.  The public transit system is not awesome.
It was incorporated as a city in 1881.    The public transit system has improved since then.
 I came to Phoenix because I like the heat and the desert vibe, and because many of my family members live here or nearby.  I like that people hike.  And notice the clouds, and the stars...

Driving was the main obstacle for me in the beginning. But I came around and driving has been worth it so far. I drive a Prius, like a whole lot of other Phoenicians. 

Car culture sucks, but at least we have moon roofs and driving with the windows down.