Gandhi and Obama

Gandhi and Obama

We were visiting the residence of Gandhi in Mumbai…. It had been turned into a museum. It is amazing the power that the life of one person can have.

I had been puzzling over the role of religion or a better word might be spirituality in a person’s life. It has seemed to me that people who pursued the spiritual side of their being had a more complete persona. I am not sure how to describe it and I would not the reader to read “religion”; but perhaps the understanding that there is a higher power is the key.

There are basic aspects to a person; they all compliment each other. I think they are 1. Love 2. Compassion 3. Physical being as in fitness 4. Health 5. Intellect and 6. Spirituality or the acceptance of a higher power.

Gandhi said he was a Hindu, a Moslem, a Christian, a Gin, a Zoroastrian; he never said he was an Atheist. He recognized in importance of the acceptance of a higher power in the complete construction of the human being.

Obama is a Gandhi to the people here…. Or better put has the potential, read hope, of being a change agent like Gandhi. The view we get of the election of Obama is quite interesting. There are those that hope he can straighten out the economic mess as everything here in India is about economics. In Dubai, I think the hope is more political. The are looking for someone to change the Mid East Policies of Bush

However, as you read the press, there is a subtlety underlying all the words about our new president. I think the world really sees the United States as the place where dreams come true. The old Horatio Alger story. They also see the US as the place where all humans are equal, a place where the people want to help the rest of the world and not just dominate it. Our wars to these people were the great world wars where the US saved the world from evil empires. The Bush years belied all that. The hope is that Obama will bring back the “city on the hill”.

I think Gandhi would share those sentiments. I hope the power of one person can change many things. He is going to need some help though.

Woody Creek awake!  There is some shit we won't eat!
Where are politicians who will tell us the truth instead of passing blame and pandering to be reelected?

S&P downgraded out credit rate because of a math error? Really!  How about Congress publicly declaring that defaulting on the debt might be a good idea.  What would you do if you were a lender and the person you were lending to declared that maybe they would not pay you back.  I think you would charge them more, right?

We are running huge debt and we should cut expenses.  But tax revenue is at historic lows and needs to be addressed as well.  On top of this.... we still have a recession to dig our way out of; two wars that we financed with debt, a crumbling infrastructure, an education system that can’t even graduate 50% of the students in most large US cities.  What a mess!

Politicians spend their time telling us who is to blame.  Then they stake their own narrow turf.  “No new taxes.”   “Social Security is inviolate.”   “We need deregulation. “Cut taxes."  They sign pledges supporting narrow views that prevent them from compromise.

So...Woody Creatures...this is shit we won't eat!  Write your Congress and Senate today.  Come to the WC3 and express your views..  Above all: be willing to put yourself out there and demand that our leaders find common ground.

Fidel Duke

Feeding the Soul: the Sunday Soiree at WC3

I turned onto Hwy 82 around sunset, circa 8:32 or so these days.   Spent from a solid day of rock climbing – or attempted rock climbing – I felt a comfortable fatigue in my bones, the kind that comes from over-exertion and the promise of a good night’s sleep within the next 30 miles.

Time had flown, as it always does while clipping bolts, but I was hoping I could catch the tail end of the Sunday Soiree at WC3.  I’d seen the lovely little invitation, promising an evening of musical entertainment, food and wine and a night on the patio.

WC3 comes up with these really festive, comforting and communal creative gatherings – from the cross-country ski dinner last winter, to the Mediterranean Cruise themed food and wine extravaganza for the armchair traveler, in between passport stamps – and the Sunday Soiree looked like another heart-warming way to pass an evening.

I pulled up to the patio, lit up by strands of white lights strewn across the back fence. Music poured out the front door while a few guests gathered outside the building to enjoy the calm night air.  Inside, an intimate group was still passing some quality time, seated around the musicians and softly singing along to Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire.

The young musicians call themselves Abraham and the Booths and commanded attention at the piano, on the strings and across the crowded room with clear vocal harmonies. Chef Martin joined them periodically for his trumpet accompaniment; my ears stayed tuned for the next guest voice or musical interlude.

 The desserts were arriving, part of the three-course prix fixe with appetizer, succulent WC3 entrée and an array of sweet treats, all for just $20. Some folks were simply enjoying a glass of wine or a truffle, taking it all in with a peaceful smile.

I missed dinner but arrived just in time to soak up the camaraderie.  I sat with some frequent WC3 visitors, locals from just around the block and a dear old friend who’d been enjoying the evening for hours, sipping a cool glass of pinot grigio and laughing her glorious laugh.  Her laugh sounded melodic tonight, in perfect key with the music and stillness bouncing off one another during this mid-summer night’s celebration.

Kris came out to greet us and proffered a dollop of the newly-arrived Apple Whiskey. Beer and wine was the standard fair but WC3 is now welcoming some tasty, zestier after-dinner drinks, for the adventurous of palette.

Sunday Soirees will continue every Sunday throughout August, to showcase the garden, the cuisine and the general spirit of community contained within that white picket fence. 

It’s Membership Drive month at WC3 and the Sunday Soiree highlights the very reasons why WC3 is important.  By becoming a member – just $35 a year – I’ll be directly contributing to the goodness, helping the music and the laughter spread through the garden, and out into the world.

                                                                                                                               

 For more info on membership, and Sunday Soirees, visit: www.woodyc3.org.