Desiderata 1692

"...And whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,
Keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

Dallas Peace Project

Meditation on peace this evening at CSL for the Peace Project to reduce violence in Dallas. The number of violent crimes has been dropping over the past couple of months. The Dallas police chief offers "no reasons" for the drop in crime. HMMMMmmmm.

Personal Peace

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where

there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the

midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

~Anonymous

TMtB Video - three projects

Creative & Joyous!

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

Art and Life

"Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind: Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses - especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else." Leonardo da Vinci

The art of science, the art of communication, the art of personal expression and the" art of art" are integral to every society. The graffiti murals on city streets today and the prehistoric murals in the caves of France tell stories of daily life. Jazz, classical, and hip hop create a cacophony of sounds that stir our feet and bodies into action. Shakespeare festivals and Renaissance Fairs; David Mamet and Tennessee Williams; Caroline Cheatwood and Gretchen Dyer - all remind of us our histories and hint at the future.

Proud Flesh

Diane Hosey, the current TMtB President and breast cancer survivor, is heading up a new project. The project, called PROUD FLESH, is a series of workshops designed to use the arts as an exploration of the emotional jouney through the struggles, insights and triumphs of breast cancer survivors. Lou Michaels, current VP, is helping create the workshops; some of which will culminate in a theatrical piece. You can read Diane's story of her diagnosis at age 27 in the Dallas Morning News article written by TMtB co-founder Karen Blessen. Go to the The TmTB website, www.todaymarksthebeginning.org and click on PROUD FLESH under current projects.

MasterPEACE

Look at these pictures of Dallas school children. These kids are taking control of their lives through the practical use of art to look at new ways of thinking and communicating. MasterPEACE teaches history and reading in the heroes of non-violence lesson. MasterPEACE teaches design concepts in creating collage portraits and drawing their personal place of peace lessons. MasterPEACE teaches social studies and effective communication through improvisational skits to help resolve conflict with peers and siblings. MasterPEACE teaches emotional control in the "how to handle stress" rap. The kids are accessing different parts of their brains: critical thinking, judgment, discernment and appreciation. This is more than "art for art's sake". These are critical skills that help build a better society locally and globally.

Favorite quotes

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."
— Groucho Marx

Picasso

I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else.
Pablo Picasso

Artists like Picasso; theatre directors like Peter Brook; musicians like Laurie Anderson and playwrights like Caryl Churchill - all have taken that leap. They capture our visceral imagination and fling it about, bringing us face-to-face with our potential selves.

EMOTION UNBOUND

color bleeding
all together.
swirling, pulsing
tone and pitch.

to the edge,
feel the ledge.
one toe over...
feel the itch.

be the paint
dive on in
creator, play!
don't give an inch.

Art and Social Issues

Check out the NY Times Sunday Magazine story about the artist doing portraits of Bernanke, Greenspan, etc. He creates the portraits and places them so the public can write comments and express their feelings on them. He refers to the writing on the portraits as "the healing power of art". Sounds a lot like STATIONS and the upcoming STATIONS TWO. Go to www.todaymarksthebeginning.org to see pictures of STATIONS and the "writing on the wall."

This I Believe

I believe there is room enough at the table for everyone to be heard.
I believe that there ARE enough hands to help, hearts to reach out and minds that are open.
I believe that despair is paralyzing and motion too often confused for action.
I believe that is it not necessary for me to have all the the answers.
I believe that IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT ME!
I believe in the continuing cycle of life and death.
I believe there is freedom in letting go and knowing future generations will continue without us.
I believe it is not so important that we live a long life but that we do live a good life. That our smallest acts are among the most important, for better or worse.

TMtB and Peace One Day

My friend, Dallas artist Karen Blessen, co-founder of Today Marks the Beginning, illustrated the book, Peace One Day, authored

by Jeremy Gilley. You've gotta love it! This book is the story of how Peace Day happened. A portion of the 2008 International Peace Day report follows:

"In 2008, Peace One Day's aim was to see Peace Day activities take place in every UN member state. The passion and commitment of millions of people from all over the world made this year such an incredible success.

In Afghanistan, the U.N. reported that guns fell silent across the country on Peace Day. There were pledges by the US, NATO, the Afghan government and the Taliban to halt attacks. Furthermore, tens of thousands of international troops, Afghan soldiers and Taliban militants "stood down from offensive military operations in support of the biggest International Peace Day effort that Afghanistan has known." Government officials around the country reported no violence, and several credited Peace Day efforts. (Source: UNAMA - United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan)"