-
Recent Posts
Archives
Categories
Meta
Blog Stats
- 12,074 hits
Blogroll
Tag Archives: values
Swing dancing 101*
On a recent Saturday night as I watched a crowd of mainly young adults dancing Swing to the strains of the Toronto Jazz Orchestra, I felt a surge of hope for the future. A regular Saturday night event, this dance … Continue reading
Posted in dancing, imperfection, Inclusion, reflections
Tagged choices, dancing, inclusion, political philosophy, reflections, social commentary, values
1 Comment
There but for luck… #1
Not everyone has the good fortune to talk with people who “live the life” in the street or at a level of extreme poverty. I’ve had that opportunity on many occasions for reasons not relevant here. But every time I … Continue reading
Posted in causes, compassion, consciousness, education, Inclusion, personal growth, personal power, poverty, Reflection, schizophrenia, suicide, values
Tagged consciousness, feelings, ignorance, reflections, schizophrenia, street life, values
1 Comment
Lost friends #2
Seems to me there’s a lesson learned with each lost friend – as with all of life’s significant experiences. When the friendship is lost through death, there are perhaps different types of lessons, but they are there for the plucking … Continue reading
Posted in consciousness, education, friendship, ignorance, loss, personal growth, Reflection, values
Tagged consciousness, friends, personal growth, reflections, social commentary, values
Leave a comment
Lost potential…
“R” and I sat glued to our conversation, astonished and excited that, by some amazing coincidence, we both had a passionate interest in what we were talking about: how mental distress tends to be handled by the psychiatric or medical … Continue reading
Posted in causes, compassion, consciousness, education, ignorance, Inclusion, personal growth, Poetry, psychology, reflections, schizophrenia, suicide
Tagged community, consciousness, ignorance, inclusion, reflections, schizophrenia, social commentary, suicide, values
Leave a comment
My own ‘story of stuff’
I think it must have been in my twenties that I first became aware of the-problem-of-stuff; probably listening to conversations about “Silent Spring” – Rachel Carson’s consciousness-raising book that sounded the alarm possibly for the first time. I remember in … Continue reading
A moment, for mental illness…
Yesterday a friend emailed me a beautiful Powerpoint presentation about long-suffering women and how essential and precious their struggles are, everywhere and always. It was one of those things we’re asked to send on, and It would have been perfect … Continue reading
Posted in community, compassion, consciousness, fear, Feelings, Inclusion, personal growth, psychology, Reflection, reflections, schizophrenia, values, volunteer
Tagged community, compassion, mental illness, mental-health, opinion, psychology, schizophrenia, values
6 Comments
Community vs ‘Ghettoization’
Community is the single most important social group in our lives. It can take us a lifetime to figure that out, because we are diverted and distracted by other social groups: clubs, religious organizations, political groupings, schools, gangs and so … Continue reading
Posted in community, consciousness, Inclusion, modern life, psychology, reflections, values
Tagged community, consciousness, inclusion, social commentary, values
Leave a comment
Reality check…
Here’s a sad but true fact of life: everyone farts, and no one looks good flossing. Once you accept that reality, the world is your oyster. You can look in the mirror, and realize you are perfectly normal. No matter what. … Continue reading
Posted in consciousness, experience, fear, Feelings, ignorance, judgment, personal power, Reflection, reflections
Tagged choices, feelings, ignorance, power, reflections, values
3 Comments
Witness to poverty #2
I first met June when she arrived in my grade five class at Bronx Park School. Fresh off the boat from Scotland, her accent was so thick we could barely understand her and she made us laugh a lot. She and … Continue reading
Posted in consciousness, experience, friendship, personal power, poverty, reflections, values
Tagged choices, feelings, friendship, poverty, values
2 Comments
Thinking and Dreaming 
Dancing off on a tangent…
I’ve waxed ecstatic about Swing Dancing, but there are aspects of dancing which I don’t care for. One is the learning part. If I had it to do over again, I would only go to the occasional workshop rather than … Continue reading →