We are so used to the adversarial win-lose scenarios of our predatory culture that we forget that win-win scenarios are not only possible, but so much more advantageous for everyone. In win-lose scenarios one party must lose for the other to win, such as in our many team sports. Same goes for business. We believe we can only make enough money and come out on top if the other party gets less than enough. Kids are told that they need to learn to be a good loser. What a bunch of…..it feels terrible to lose, no matter what we are told. It’s time we opened up to a new reality. Using mediation instead of litigation to resolve differences is an example of this new way of thinking. Litigation works according to the old model, one party wins, the other loses. Mediation, on the other hand, looks for the common ground and considers both parties’ needs, then brokers win-win outcomes, the new model. Thinking win-win takes some truly worthwhile rethinking.
rain, lots, finally
Finally it rained, lots. We really needed it and you can tell from the pictures that the plants loved it. Culturally, we tend to emphasize the negative. We associate rain with a cold gray gloomy day. But what would we do without it? It is good to consider the positive aspects of things. The pearly raindrops on the leaves looked beautiful and nature's colors became vibrant again. The rain drops that had collected in the lupine leaves looked like crystals. The world becomes different when we appreciate the beauty in everything.
Ghost
I just returned from watching a preview of Ghost on Broadway. It's a musical for our times. Why? I believe that we are slowly moving towards a more heart-based culture (or at least towards a culture that balances head and heart better than in the past), as well as a culture that acknowledges the unseen part of our reality more readily. This musical opens us up to both, as the characters move between different realities, seen and unseen, life and death, emotional and rational, mix them up, turn them inside out, and toss them up in the air. But besides all this emotional and in-between-life-and-death planes stuff, the production is a totally amazing technical tour de force and aesthetical eye candy. I just loved it.
the geraniums are back out
Although it’s early in the season, I think the geraniums are out for good because it has been such a warm winter and early spring.
There was a time when I didn’t know that geraniums are perennials. I rebought them every year like pansies. Now come November I take them in and keep them on the kitchen counter by the window where they bloom all winter long in their popping red. The children don’t like their peculiar smell and my husband finds that they take up too much space on the countertop. But I can’t bring myself to let the geraniums freeze to death in the fall and then rebuy new ones every spring. Not only is it wasteful and feeds that industrial machine, but I like feeling the circularity of the seasons via the geraniums. There is comfort in knowing that some things don’t change, that, come fall, the geraniums will be back inside with us.
an egg is not just an egg
Why do we complain so much about the price difference between organics and conventional foods? Quality – in eggs in this case - is something inherent that arises out of how and where the chicken lives, what it eats, and how it is treated. When eggs are grown in conditions as Nicholas Kristof describes them in today’s New York Times, is it any wonder that eggs from farm hens that run around freely and feed on grubs cost more? Their shells are strong and healthy, their yolks a deep yellow or orange, and the whites don’t run. While science has not yet come up with quick ways to measure the energetic and qualitative difference between a healthy and a weak and sick egg, yesterday’s cat food story illustrates the difference clearly. So, an egg is not just an egg. Without balking many people pay more for the perceived value of some name brand purse, then complain about the high price of organic foods. I believe we need to reevaluate our priorities.