Claiming Common Ground

I recently received a newsletter from Bill Frist, MD... yes the ex-senator. The newsletter has several broad statements about the dangers of an Obama Presidency, like, "your taxes will go up," and culminates with the following:

If he is successful in his campaign to capture the White House, the U.S. Senate could very well be the Republican Party's last line of defense...We simply can’t afford the damage the Democrats could do to the War on Terror. Nor can we afford the looming prospect of a bigger and bigger federal government, nationalized health care, open borders, or huge tax increases.

I replied that I was disappointed in the negative rhetoric ... it does nothing but increase the division among Americans. I know from experience that we can claim common ground. Our strategies for achieving our common goals may be different, but if we continue to close doors and promote differences, then we cannot even have a conversation.

I like Obama's chant "Yes We Can," and I really like this musical version of his speech...

Long Winded Happy Monkey ...

I just read my last post, and yeah it was long and rambling. That seems to be how my brain works these days. Writing helps me get all the stuff out of my head so it does not live there rent free... the grief, the joy, the anger, the peace... all of it gets put on paper these days!

The impetus behind my writing has changed over the last year. It has become a big part of my healing process - healing from the trauma of divorce and the death of my son.

So sometimes I ramble and let you see it...

The Iron Giant

Last night I watched the Iron Giant. I was distracted with dinner and doing all of those little things that need to be done before leaving town, and it was just a little cartoon movie… right?

Not... As the movie played, I was continually drawn to the words I was hearing.

Hogarth Hughes: I know you feel bad about the deer, but it's not your fault. Things die. That's part of life. It's bad to kill, but it's not bad to die.

The Iron Giant: You die?

Hogarth Hughes: Well, yes, someday.

The Iron Giant: I die?

Hogarth Hughes: I don't know. You're made of metal, but you have feelings, and you think about things, and that means you have a soul. And souls don't die.

The Iron Giant: Soul?

Hogarth Hughes: Mom says it's something inside of all good things, and that it goes on forever and ever.
[Hogarth leaves. The Iron Giant lies back to look at the stars]

The Iron Giant: Souls don't die.

I was captivated. This movie spoke to my heart, and before it was over, I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

The Iron Giant, reacting to the violent attack of the military, became a weapon himself. With all of his guns loaded, he defended himself brilliantly and powerfully. Nothing could stop him… except love.

Hogarth Hughes: It's bad to kill. Guns kill. And you don't have to be a gun. You are what you choose to be. You choose. Choose.

These words tell my story… choosing who I want to be in each moment. I was very aware from the intensity of my reaction, that my feelings were also about our country as a whole. Time and time again we have responded out of fear and resorted to war as the best possible solution, and the lessons not learned keep repeating themselves.

Kent: We didn't build it, and that's reason enough...to assume the worst
and blow it to kingdom come! Now, you'll tell me about this thing. You're gonna lead me to it. And we are going to destroy it before it destroys us!

I know, I know, it is just a movie. But that is the thing about art… it puts heart stuff together in a way that I can see it, feel it, hear it. It says with a story what Happy Monkey feels… Omnia vincit Amor or Love Conquers All. I will not give away the end, but I will say that it reminds me of another quote: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

Martin Luther King just popped into my head again. That happens a lot, probably because his speeches are heart boggling… the way he uses the English language never ceases to amaze me. One of my favorite passages:

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force...."

He also said, “There are those who are choosing to equate dissent with disloyalty.” I understand. I am beginning to think I am a pacifist. I usually avoid labels, because they put people in a box, and here I am giving myself one. Go Figure?