Aren't you the least bit bothered by your culture's obsession with wealth and fame?

Aren't you the least bit bothered by your culture's obsession with wealth and fame?

Video Message Title:  Spirituality and the Material Realm

If you are having difficulty viewing this video, click here to see it in a browser.

Continue Reading...

Gratitude, Wonder and Acceptance - December 24, 2013

If you have any difficulty seeing the video below, you can view it online by clicking here.

So many reasons to be awestruck!

Continue Reading...

My Apologies to the Pope

Today I became so excited when I read on-line that the Pope had made some amazing statements from the balcony of the Vatican about the validity of all religions. I found the source of the quotes and then read them in public before discovering -- it turns out -- that Diversity Chronicles, where I found the quotes, is a primarily satirical blog.

Urgh...

Nevertheless, my disappointment was lessened somewhat when through my further online reading I found quotes attributed to the Pope that most likely form the basis for the exaggerated and satirical statements on Diversity Chronicles.

So my apologies to my listening audience for not doing my fact checking thoroughly enough, and to the Pope for misquoting him, and also my admiration for his progressive position on religion.  

Here, from various sources, are some quotes attributed to the Pope.

"If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, well who am I to judge them?"

Reapteam.org

 "We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods ... The church's pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently ... We have to find a new balance ..."

Arch Diocese of Cincinatti

"Those who today always look for disciplinarian solutions, those who long for an exaggerated doctrinal 'security,' those who stubbornly try to recover a past that no longer exists - they have a static and inward-directed view of things."

The Buffalo News

"Women are asking deep questions that must be addressed. The church cannot be herself without the woman and her role. The woman is essential for the church. Mary, a woman, is more important than the bishops."

Thinking Faith

"How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?"

New York Times

"The thirst for power and possessions knows no limits. In this system, which tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule."

The Washington Post

"No to a financial system, which rules rather than serves. Behind this attitude lurks a rejection of ethics and a rejection of God."

Americans for Financial Reform

"We are far from the so called 'end of history,' since the conditions for a sustainable and peaceful development have not yet been adequately articulated and realized."

People's World,Teresa Albano

Continue Reading...

'Tis the season to share, on social media too! You Can Change Other People's Opinions

Greetings of the season to you!

I was watching a social media expert talk about how his company pays attention to the way people function in the e-world.  He said that his company is not so interested in what people click on or “like” as it is interested in what people share with their friends.  Most likely that is because the power of word-of-mouth has long been known to be more effective than advertising or any other kind of information distribution.  Indeed, in this world of increasing advertising, we the information consumers seem to be more and more likely to appreciate, listen to and consider the advice, opinion and recommendation of a friend or colleague over what an advertisement is trying to convey.  We apparently will change our position on whether or not to see a movie based on the favorable or unfavorable opinion of a friend even if we long ago decided not to see it.  We can change other people's opinions!

Understanding Your Power

For this reason, it is important to know the difference between “liking” something and “sharing” something in the world of social media if you want to understand the power you personally have to raise and redirect attention.  I heard someone comparing “liking” a post on Facebook as being similar to giving a “thumbs up” gesture of approval, which is as good as it is for as long as people are noticing you did it.  Whereas, sharing something is more like repeating the information in the style of “have you heard about….,” effectively increasing the shelf life of the news you are sharing. 

One Small Weekly Investment of Your Time

I encourage users of Social Media who want to make a beneficial contribution to an organization in the form of raising awareness of its programs and services to do one small action a week: choose something from that organization’s website or Facebook page and share it.  In other words, copy the url of the item from the organizations webpage and paste it on your own timeline with a comment.  Or, click the “share” button on the Facebook post you are interested in helping, and you will have the option to share it on your own personal timeline with a comment.  That such a small investment in time and energy can produce such an increase in awareness is a wonderful thing to me and helps me remember not to take for granted what power is in the hands of the end users.  That’s us! 

'Tis the Season, After All

It is after all the season for sharing, so get to it!  Share share share, and in so doing shape the awareness of your world.

Oh, do be careful though, there is such a thing as being an oversharer.  And as with many other things in life, too much of a good thing can have the opposite effect.  Persistent sharing of information in social media or anywhere else has the tendency to turn your e-voice into something irritating and people will likely listen to it less and less.

Happy Return of The Light Time

Continue Reading...