I think it was George Lakoff who suggested that the “health care” debate would have gone differently if we had called the system sickness profiteering. It describes this system better, he argued, because there’s neither health nor care in it. I remembered his words today as i was learning that insurance doesn’t really insure that i would get the care i need (something i knew already, at least theoretically). With a clogged up ear for two days that was starting to hurt again, i saw someone in my doctor’s office. She prescribed three things: eardrops for the pain, a nasal … Continue reading »
Jan 042012
Dec 242011
This time of the year is always difficult for me. I tend to disappear in all the “holiday cheer.” I don’t celebrate Christmas. I don’t believe in a God, Christian or otherwise. Yet, when you wish me “Merry Christmas,” you don’t see that part of me. And that hurts. “Happy holidays” sounds hallow, too. There are no holidays i celebrate around this time. The inner voices then tell me to just “get into the spirit,” which i guess means ignoring myself, too. So, feel free to call me a scrooge. This year i won’t disappear. I could celebrate winter solstice. … Continue reading »
Nov 232011
A friend of mine pointed me to the movie “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward.” I feel grateful that i watched it even though i broke down crying at the end – feeling some deep mourning for the state of our planet! We’re still so far away from changing this damn life-alienating system! As hopeful as Occupy is, it seems so small and powerless compared to the stuff we’re facing (as outlined in the first hour of the movie…). I fear it’ll result in just more accommodation like the movie pointed out toward the end in regards to the 1960s movements. And the … Continue reading »
Nov 122011
I went to the Green Festival today. I’ve been meaning to check it out for a couple of years now and i was able to drop some honey off with a friend while i was there. Since i didn’t want to spend too much time, i simply decided to walk through the exhibitor hall. I felt overwhelmed by the amount of stuff and people! I’ve been carrying a fork & spoon wrapped in a cloth napkin with me for a while now but apparently i should’ve bought these bamboo things in a carrying bag. And everyone tries to hand me … Continue reading »
Having done this research, i received an invite for a Googlegroup associated with Occupy Wall Street. I was saddened by the irony of Google founders’ presence in the 1%. To me, Occupy Wall Street is bringing up questions around the system. We live in a system – possibly systems – that skew toward the few, making it difficult, often impossible, to meet everyone’s needs. I long for a world where we consider all of our needs no matter who we are or how much we earn. To start moving toward that world, i am slowly switching my consumption patterns. Sometimes … Continue reading »
Oct 132011
Update on October 17: There are some 1% who are identifying themselves and some of them are standing with us, the 99%. Original post The Occupy Wall Street slogan is “we are the 99%.” It resonates with most of us (if you don’t know why, check this out). We want a society where everybody’s needs are met, not just the needs of the 1%. So, who exactly are those 1%? The Institute for Policy Studies recently looked at Forbes 400 – they surely are in the 1% – all of them billionaires, reflecting the income redistribution to the rich since … Continue reading »
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