Wow... Kudos Mr. Leno for your gentle determination to get a straight, truthful answer out of a very twisted subject! Too bad the only response was waffle with a side of gibberish. (...sigh)
The passion in this article is incredible and the subject matter really hit home for me; In the past, you would have found me in the closet right next to yours- the Broom Closet, as it were because I'm Pagan. The fear-mongering terrorism that is being perpetrated today by the Christian extremist groups is disturbing, to say the least. I wish there were some peaceful way to end this, call a truce and promote peaceful coexistence, but as their angry voices become louder, I don't see that happening. They have sucked us into their "Holy War", once again... as has been done for centuries and all we can do is stand side-by-side and remind each other that we are loved!
Fabulous, from-the-heart writing and I will be scanning ele for more of your stuff. Blessed Be, my friend and may you always know that you are loved and valued!
Wow... I just heard this for the first time and I am covered in goose-bumps, heart chakra wide open. This man speaks of our wholeness from a rough-around-the-edges and raw, uncensored place. To those who would criticize I say, silence your egoic inner-voice, let go - for just a moment - of everything you think you know about the English language, stop waiting for your turn to speak and listen - REALLY listen - with your heart. I know from whence he speaks... I AM that: both the shaker as well as the dust, and I wrote "LOVE" on my arm.
I like this article, very much. It is written clearly and in simple language for those who may be new to the concept of taking back their own power through, "What other people think of me is none of my business" ideology.
I once knew someone who told me that responsibility meant the same thing as blame. I think there are many, many people who belive this on some deeply ingrained, subconscious level and act from that place of, "If I never take responsibility for ANYTHING I think / feel / do / say, then nobody can ever BLAME me." It is the conscious understanding that owning one's beliefs and behaviours is empowering that frightens many, because then you have to own the outcome, as well... Remaining the "victim of circumstance" is MUCH easier and requires no concsious choices to be made.
Well spoke. LWells! Freud would have a field day with this thread! Fear reigns supreme in all too many ideals... As my husband says, in paraphrasing the prevailing social and religious memes in place, "If you can't eat it or F%@K it, KILL IT!"
Apparently, some still see the ability to bleed for several consecutive days without dying as something to be feared and shunned, rather than a natural process. I always look sideways at a woman who insists on referring to her cycle as "the curse"... Given that this is 2011, I always puzzle over this mindset, wondering why hasn't science liberated us from this thinking?? Yet, it remains acceptable to portray or view full-frontal female nudity in many venues, but not full-frontal male nudity. Is this because the vagina is seen as more beautiful, or an object to be degraded from being "sacred" out of fear of it's power? I bear no judgment on other faiths or belief systems, but being Pagan gives me a different perspective on this subject, I suppose.
This made me wonder just HOW much of the time I walk around looking that way! LOL!
Karl beat me to it, but yes... RELIGION! The biggest lie ever told that has been the foundation for wars and death from the beginning of recorded time; "My god can beat up your god, because mine is RIGHT and yours is a false idol!!" Egos are fed on this nonsensical dogma with its tennants of "good" and "bad" that does nothing but divide us as beings. Deep within each of us is the inherent spiritual understanding of respect for one another, but religious ideology over-rides that. Isaac Asimov said it best, "Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right."
Here's another one... FASHION! ~ Yuck! REAL women do not look like 12 year old boys with breasts! So, by creating (*cough*) "clothing" for that unrealistic image, hanging a $3000.00 price tag on it, deeming it "haute couture" then putting it in $15.00 magazines with airbrushed and photoshopped models, we give REAL women multitudes of reasons to feel bad about themselves. Even Cindy Crawford said, "I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford."
I absolutely LOVE it when people are able to present irrefutable logic and plain, old truth through humor, and this guy does it well! I already know that the phrase, "I'm glad you like a book!" WILL be coming out of my mouth at some point in the near future. This was the best laugh I've had in a couple of days ~ Thanks!
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venusmiled 
Brainchild