Thursday, April 27, 2017

Another Grief Observed



It strikes you in odd places,
And at unexpected times.
Engulfs you like a tidal wave
As heartache’s redefined.

It's bound to knock you over,
And it's sure to grind you down.
It strikes you in odd places,
It feels like you may drown.

So take shelter where you find it;
Seek refuge while you may.
(Perhaps your mind designed it,
While your heart went its own way.)

Stand strong against the onslaught,
And the swings from pole to pole.
It strikes you in odd places,
at the center of your soul.


Tuesday, August 16, 2016

The True Quality



"To understand the true quality of people,  you must look into their minds, and examine their pursuits and aversions."

--Marcus Aurelius

Monday, August 8, 2016

A Uniquely American Heresy

The dominant ethos among American religious conservatives now seems to be defined by the assumption that every aspect of contemporary culture -- and the vast majority of Americans -- are on the highway to hell. All but gone is the former rational, relatively prosocial notion that Christians ought to be “salt and light” in society, transforming it for the better from within. This idea seems to have been largely replaced by a highly aggressive species of religious triumphalism. (Everyone knows religious people who are thoroughly at odds with this degradation of the faith, of course. Unfortunately, the loudest voices in any given demographic belong to its zealots.)

Fervent opposition to equal rights for LGBT citizens has become a heretical article of faith among these believers, along with a simplistic,  black-and-white view of highly complex disciplines such as bioethics and Constitutional interpretation. Their posture toward secular culture is by turns defensive, bellicose and apocalyptic. In an age of unprecedented diversity and pluralism, their bigotry is slowly consigning them to cultural irrelevance; they seem to realize this, if not always on a conscious level. The slow death of their cultural hegemony fuels their rage, which appears to be bottomless.

This brand of religion is, I contend, a uniquely American heresy. It will take the cooperation of secularists and moderate believers to disempower it and to rebuild the crumbling wall separating church and state.




Copyright 2016 William K. Ferro 

Friday, July 29, 2016

Health Food for the Mind?



Image from kyklosgreekcafe.com

Have you ever stopped to think about how your patterns of media consumption may be affecting your practice? Most yoga and meditation practitioners I know are motivated by the desire to unify body, mind, and spirit. A devoted yoga practice tends to result in a healthy, well-balanced body; meditation brings clarity of focus and a calm, lucid mind.

On a daily basis, media outlets overwhelm us with images and headlines designed to evoke a visceral, outraged response in us. Broadcast media are particularly infamous for their strict observance of the dictum, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Now that news and commentary have become a 24-hour-a-day affair, screens are everywhere, and most people stay connected to social media throughout the day, we wind up taking in an astonishing number of horrifying images and alarming headlines daily. Not exactly health food for the mind!

In fact, psychologists now have a name for the affliction that tends to strike empathetic individuals who binge on bad news: vicarious trauma. Interestingly, test data suggest that people who compulsively watch and read about traumatic events may actually sustain slightly more emotional damage than those who experience them first-hand.

We find ourselves in need of psychic shelter; desperately seeking refuge from the mental toxins that fly at us nonstop. Mindfulness is the key. If we can muster enough awareness through daily meditation practice, we'll know what's going on (Breathing in, I know I am handling emotionally combustible materials. Breathing out, I am alert to their effect on my psyche.) We'll thus be aware the moment we've reached our legal limit for bad news (“Breathing in, I know my mind cannot handle any more toxins. Breathing out, I take refuge in the beauty of my practice.”)

Broadcast news and social media, with their constant attention to What's Wrong and Why You Should Be Outraged, can paint an unrealistic picture of the world. Over-consumption of these media may convince us that there is only bad news, that nothing life-affirming is happening anywhere . For every atrocious news story we take in, we should seek out at least three observations of the beauty that constantly surrounds us:

“Today, the sun shone brightly on trees in full bloom, which busily converted sunlight into energy.”

“In a moment of extraordinary clarity last night, a grieving woman was able to visualize the presence of her wise ancestors in the palm of her own hand.”

“A village in the developing world just secured a dependable source of clean water for the first time.”

And so on.

If you manage a page or a group on social media, you may discover that you yourself sometimes fall into the trap of over-reporting the negative and the abysmal. Please help all of us -- and yourself -- by following the Three-for-One rule of posting. Please give us more of the things that nourish, sustain and empower us, and less to aggrieve us and threaten us with despair. 

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Let Me Flee


A Song for My Fellow Introverts

(To the tune of Let It Be)

When I find myself in Smalltalk City,
I am filled with ennui.
Voice within me whispers,
"Let me flee."

And in the hour of cocktails, 
I am trapped in strange perplexity. 
And the voice grows louder:
"Let me flee!"

"Let me flee, let me flee,
Let me flee, let me flee."
Yes, the voice grows louder,
"Let me flee!"

And when the extroverted people
Bear right down on top of me,
I am thinking only, 
"Let me flee."

The system is alerted;
I am feeling trapped and panicky.
Still the voice shouts louder,
"Let me flee!"

"Let me flee, let me flee,
Let me flee, let me flee."
Voice shouts ever louder,
"Let me flee!"

And when the hours are dragging
And I'm sagging existentially, 
I've just one obsession:
"Let me flee."

I hear the sound of desperation, 
Rising up inside of me.
Head is fucking pounding,
"Let me flee!"

"Let me flee, let me flee, 
Let me flee, let me flee."
My head is fucking pounding,
"Let me flee!"

"Let me flee, let me flee, 
let me flee, yeah, let me flee."
Voice shouts ever louder:
"Let me flee!"




Copyright 2016 William K. Ferro
All rights reserved

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Upon the Quaking Earth

Image from throughthevortex.org

The pious overlords 
Who try to legislate what's true
Will never comprehend the like
Of men like me and you.

Nor women, fiercely logical,
With firm, determined eyes,
Nor children, strong and confident, 
Accepting no more lies,

Whose lives they know are forfeit
In this world we leave behind.
That seismic shift, the reckoning 
Of a great, unpunished crime. 

But dance upon the quaking earth
With fearlessness and grace.
And recommit to earth,
Your own true nature re-embrace.

Lucid, free and solid,
In the present moment dwell.
One mindful step upon the earth,
Your ticket out of hell.


Copyright 2016 William K. Ferro 


Friday, May 20, 2016

Hegemony, Disengagement and Revolt


When billionaire sociopaths take hegemonic control over an erstwhile democratic republic, the only sane responses for citizens are radical disengagement or open revolt. They're counting on us to choose the former; let's choose the latter.