Wise Words…Are They Words A President Should Heed?
Posted by Michelle Moquin on November 9th, 2008
Good morning…
I had heard about the letter that Alice Walker sent to Barack Obama, (did Obama not bring this up in one of his speeches?) but I had not read it till a friend of mine sent me a message on Facebook. I found it to be inspirational, written from the heart. I felt the care and concern, nurturing words; words that a mother might say to her son, and how appropriate since Obama’s Mother and Grandmother have passed.
I believe them to be wise words, but are they words…words a President should heed? What do you think? Do you think Alice’s advice to Obama is worth paying attention to? I’m not interested in breaking down the letter and telling you my thoughts; I’m more interested in hearing yours. So, I posted the letter for your perusal. What to share your thoughts? Blog me.
An Open Letter to Barack Obama
By Alice Walker | TheRoot.com
Alice Walker on expectations, responsibilities and a new reality that is almost more than the heart can bear.
Nov. 5, 2008
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.
I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people’s enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, “hate the sin, but love the sinner.” There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people’s spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to “work with the enemy” internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker
Well?
I’m waiting….
:)
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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November 9th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Wow, what a powerful letter for him to receive. She says to relax, enjoy and keep the smile alive. He did this so well throughout the campaign. I thought I would add a blog entry, from my blog, here as it seemed to work well with this topic:
The Irony of Vox Humana and Barack Obama
The term Vox Humana is latin for “human voice”. The French phrase would be “voix humaine”, and “voce umana” in Italian.
Despite the literal translations to this latin phrase it also is a term used for a short resonator reed stop on a pipe organ, named of its resemblance to the human voice. There is a process in pipe organs to which an undulation of wind supply through the different pipe ranks causes a vibrato effect, referred to as a tremulant.
The vibrato effect which is created sounds much like the natural qualities of the human voice. A large organ may have several tremulants which affect different sets of pipes. There are different tremulants that allow for a variable speed and depth of the tremolo, which is controlled by the organist.
The vox humana is intended to evoke the impression of a soloist or singing choir. The actual success of this intent depends as much upon the acoustics in which the organ resounds, as it does the voicing of the pipes.
Why is this on my mind, you ask? I found it a bit ironic. You see, Bush and his policies have held and pushed our country back socially, economically, politically on both our local, national, and international communities. As this country’s, and the world’s organist, he failed to recognized the value to the power of harmony and the use of vox humana.
We have seen the energizing efforts that Obama has created by allowing the human voice to be heard. He, as a global organist, sees the power in the use of vox humana. Whether he is using it for his own solo efforts to add to the political dialogue or whether he is using it for the unification, and bringing the world’s voices together in a large choir to create harmony throughout the world.
Vox humana stops in very old organs had a fairly wide variety of designs and tonal qualities. It was during the nineteenth century that the design became fairly standardized. Today, most organ builders construct vox humana pipes in approximately the same way, though the scaling will vary between builders and according to the tonal style in which the organ is designed. The actual sound of the pipe is dependent upon the organ voicer, with an open “O” or a long “E” sound probably being the most common result. Occasionally, an organ will feature a lever or stop knob marked “Vox humana” that does not engage a rank of pipes, but rather the tremulant instead. While it is seen in pipe organs, this usage of the term is now more common on the harmonium.
As the organ stops over the centuries have become more standardized, much like our global economy and political landscape which has become so innertwined, as well. Although, they have not become one, and there are various ranks of pipes and soloists that still sing loudly, I believe that the world has found a new organist.
Vox humana is simply the human voice. There are moments of tremolo that take place in life, as well as, disharmony and global dischord, but having an organist that understands the use of vox humana can empower the global music of all of the voices that play a part in the human symphony. All voices are heard always only some are louder and more disharmonious to the rest of the world orchestra. It is knowing that all of the voices are singing at the same time and all need to be heard in a melodious manner in order to bring the world to a universal choir of harmony.
The irony of this Presidential campaign has given harmony and vibrato back to the Vox Humana.
(c)Copyright 2008 Doug Boggs
November 9th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Zen m’lady
As I drift over the atlantic heading to Germany before Africa, I think fondly of you. I imagine the sweet kiss goodbye, the long, intense love making done as if to leave an indelible mark in our memories of our commitment to each other.
Ah, the imagination is the solace of man. It like the infatuation is controlling. Sometimes in a good way sometimes not so good. My infatuation with you Zen Lill leads me to fantasize in flight. It reminds me of a movie I saw a few years ago. I think it was The Beach. Di Capprio (I’m terrible with names) had a soliloquy in which he defined where I am going with my own.
If I may digress for a moment, George(again I am not sure if I have the name correct. I apologize in advance if I have made a mistake), I can’t remember the name of your blog. If you are still reading this one could you give it to me again. I would also appreciate it if you could print that soliloquy by Mr. Di C. All I can remember is it was about his infatuation with a young french girl who was on vacation with her boyfriend.
You see Zen Sweetness, I am taken with you and I too imagine that whatever it is that has caught me via you is unique unto itself. Yet, I am on my way to a place where you wish me not to be going. I will return sans the need of any shrink making an additional mess of what i like to think is my common collection of conduct towards the stuff the world brings to my doorstep.
I am not unaware of the risks involved in my choice to return to the scene of the crimes. But it is something I must do. Please, think of me as a sane adult making a choice to involve himself in a certain amount of risk to achieve a worthy goal. Or at least worthy of the risks.
Michelle
This brings me to you. I appreciate your offer to protect me until I reach those who I feel are responsible for what happened to Nia. But as it is more complicated than just killing a few beasts unleashed by a rogue government, I would like to be on my own here.
I intend to topple that government by any means necessary. This will involve more than a few months. But as I live and breath the government of Sudan that plays the monstrous role of genocide in Darfur will fall.
Allow me to do this at my own pace and without interference in my personal destiny. I have brought with me a few comrades that share my interest in the toppling of that cruel regime.
As they will be risking their lives along with me, I find it intolerable that I will have to know that decisions made by us that could jeopardize our lives will only jeopardize THEIR lives as mine would be protected my Madaline.
I respectfully ask you to butt out of my life. Take Madaline with you. I made this journey knowing the risks involved. If I feel that you can not be trusted I will cease all contact with you and your blog.
Anonz
November 9th, 2008 at 10:34 am
A STEP CLOSER TO FINDING A NATURAL CANCER FIGHTER
Scientists around the world are working to find natural substances that have potential as anti-tumor agents in the hopes that they will be more available and less costly than synthetic drugs and would also deliver a less grueling form of treatment than chemotherapy. Already recognized as a cancer fighter, vitamin E is high on the list of possibilities, but while it may help, there is no evidence oral supplementation is potent enough to kill cancer cells. Researchers at Ohio State University College of Pharmacy in Columbus have taken an important step to solving that problem.
Study coauthor Ching-Shih Chen, PhD, professor of medicinal chemistry, internal medicine and urology, and other researchers used vitamin E succinate (alpha-tocopheryl succinate) to see what mechanisms were involved in killing tumor cells. Scientists knew already that vitamin E succinate nudges cancer cells toward self-programmed death (apoptosis), but they hadn’t figured out how. Dr. Chen not only discovered the answer but then went on to devise a way to add more power to its punch as well.
“E” FOR EFFECTIVE
To dodge the lethal apoptosis bullet, cancer cells require a protector protein called Bcl-xL, which exists naturally in the body. Dr. Chen discovered that vitamin E succinate keeps the protein from getting into cancer cells and thus makes the rogue cells vulnerable to apoptosis. Fortunately this process doesn’t seem to affect healthy cells. Dr. Chen’s next challenge was to figure out what could make succinate more effective. His team discovered that on one end, vitamin E succinate has a long, hairpin-like tail that prevented the substance from binding tightly to the Bcl-xL. Their solution: Simply to truncate the tail, which allowed the succinate end of the molecule to burrow in and become a better barrier between Bcl-xL and the destructive cancer cell. And thus the novel compound, derived from a common vitamin, was created.
I spoke with Dr. Chen about the potential of his findings. He has great hopes for them, he told me. Most exciting is the fact that since all types of cancers need Bcl-xL to survive, being able to inhibit it could be helpful in battling virtually all forms of the disease. It’s important to note, however, that this research is still in the preliminary stages. Dr. Chen and his team are also looking at other substances, including those found in cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, to see if they can find an agent toxic enough to kill cancer cells, but gentler and easier for the patient. We’ll keep you posted.
Source(s): ??Ching-Shih Chen, PhD, professor of medicinal chemistry, internal medicine and urology, Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, Columbus, Ohio.
November 9th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Anonz, sweet pea, you keep talking sweet kisses and long intense all that and I’ll be parachuting out of a small craft over Darfur, yes…so if you’re watching the horizon one day and you see a wild-haired Amazon woman dressed in camo cargo pants, a tank top and aviator shades to cover some fierce and fiery eyes, an AK slung over a shoulder (where it’ll stay, I cannot control the spray well, though I haven’t tried lately and I’ve got stronger upper bod strength now) and a cocked Glock in hand, and my best Italian ‘do not fug with me’ look on my face, do not be surprised. Remember to identify yourself so I smile instead of shooting first and ask q’s later : )
Oh my…was that visual as good for you as it was for me…?
Listen though, I’ll say I’m sorry – I was indulging our ‘public’ who thought I should kick, scream, shout or otherwise entice you to stay. I know better. Of course I don’t want you to go, it’s dangerous, would you if the tables were turned? The part of me that cares about your well-being (physical and currently wounded psyche) thinks why bring on more of the same of what you’ve seen to avenge anyone? This is not to minimize Nia (at all), though clearly doing just that for her is huge to you, and worth the danger. I have good instincts, I’m thinking you’ll do what you must and get your ass back here asap (and that’s my ‘female intuition’ story and I’m sticking to it). Wednesday was ugly bc I was busy remembering what happened last time, but that was then and this is now.
I wish you would remain protected but I also understand that decision. What can I say, I get it, I get why you need to do this and you won’t rest until you do. I think a minor compromise on your part would be in order though, babe. How about this: if we do not hear from you after a specific time period (a week, two weeks, you pick…) we can send Maddie to check out the sitch, not change it, but, you know, if your allowed to go put this business to rest, why can’t you allow me to rest – knowing if you’re ok or if in fact you ran into difficulties? I won’t ask Mischa or Maddie to interfere as that is your wish, but please…be fair to me : ) think about it…
I have no idea why we became so taken with each other without meeting, the chemistry is just there and maybe that’s just how it is, it would be truly amazing to me if it exists after meeting. I am totally capable of communicating in person exactly how I do here should that chemistry exist, can you say the same? Actually I do recall why I started flirting back at you, yes…it was the sweet verbal ass kicking you gave me. Totally necessary and totally cool with me, you were kind enough to tell me to ‘snap out of it’ and point out what I couldn’t see for myself. I usually refer to it as you ‘flipping the lid’ on my life, it was one damn heavy lid and it’s caused me some long days/nights but I am more me and more happy than I have ever been so once again, thank you for that. I know it would’ve taken me a lot longer had that lid been left in place.
And, btw, I’ve studied enough psychology to know that you do not sound like a broken man other than on this one issue, I’ll take you at your word that this Darfur trip will lay it to rest.
With that, I will say it once again, safe travels, sweet pea.
Luv – Zen Lady Lilly
November 9th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Hey Mischa, went to go write on my blog and caught your comment, I usually don’t indulge much (except when alone, hahaha) but crying can be a cleansing experience, of course, with my luck : ) when I pulled over to attempt to subdue myself it just happened to coincide with a gang of 30 women runners do a night time beach run, they all looked at me in empathy/pity, I was exasperated, hahaha, can’t I freakin’ weep in peace?! Jesus…don’t look at me…hahaha…
I’m glad for you that you’re holding your own without the tears or the need even, there’s something nice about a long span between having a cry. I’m done for awhile…(I hope)
Luv, Zen Lill
November 9th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Anonz
Will you stay in touch with your fans? We would like to know how you are doing in the wild, wild, west of the Sudan and the rest of Africa.
We here in the wicket love you. The Aussie men have no sense of romance. You make our panties sweat when you swoon about Zen Lill. You weight our hearts with the need to hold you close to our breasts when you speak of Nia.
Your broken heart hurts me. I am a 68 year old woman. I’ve been happily married for 43 three years. My two daughters and three sons can’t believe how much I love you( I am constantly quoting you or saying how wise you are.). They say that they thought my world began and ended with their father.
It did. But along came you, Anonz, your writings work me into a frenzy of interest. It was my two daughters who introduced me to Michelle’s blog.. I love the anything dealing with aliens. They know that so it was natural for them to introduce it to me.
I hope this gets in and that you get to read it. I was motivated by the thought that you could die and never know how I feel. Crazy, but it leaves me sleepless some hot nights.
My husband whose is 59 says that I just have a thing for younger men. He is not as rich as you are but we are serious millionaires. I get all my money from him. He was an only child. I got him to run off with me and get married. He was a lot more mature than his 16 years of age would imply. We hid out until he was legal. Then we began a family and life has been great.
I love the way you relate to Zen Lill. Charles treats me the same way. I always feel so important to him. He know that he has my heart. I wish you all the luck in the world and I will be praying for your safe return every day.
Do make an old lady’s day by writing in as much as you can.
kathleen