The Problem with Possibility

We must dream our way. 

-- Pablo Neruda

We have absolutely no idea what's possible, and that's a problem.  This thought occurred to me one recent morning while listening to Michel Petrucciani, a most incredible jazz pianist despite being born with osteogenesis imperfecta.  This disease afflicted him with brittle or "glass" bones, extremely short stature, and constant pain, particularly in his arms. His bones fractured more than a hundred times during his childhood, all movement was a struggle for him, and he was unable to walk -- i.e., carry his own weight -- until his teen years.  Given an opportunity to consider what might be possible as a career for such a child, few of us would think of piano playing.

To assess the possibilities that lie within us is a daunting task at best.  This is largely because we mistakenly connect possibility with our perceived capability; our attempts to determine what's possible for us are thus misguided, even arrogant.  Instead of analytically assessing what we might be able to accomplish, perhaps we should turn our attention to passion.  I'm not talking about emotion, but about intention, involvement, clarity and focus. Passion is something envisioned in full color and detail, something that commands our undivided attention and  for which we sacrifice tremendously.  Michel Petrucciani (1962-1999) became a legendary jazz pianist despite his small stature and the near constant pain in his arms not because he thought it might be possible, but because playing piano was his passion.

It's January 2014, and many of us are engaged in list-making, myself included.  But this January, we can focus on embracing our passion, and we can make lists driven by what resonates in our innermost being. We can dream about who we are, about the ancestral DNA we carry, and about what we have to contribute to our community and planet.  As we commit ourselves to our dreams -- not as stand-alone champions, but with intentional connection to all those who dream of life on Earth -- we will encounter what's possible. We will solve the possibility problem. 

Wanna sample Michel Petrucciani's amazing playing?  Click here.

Have a Dreamy and Passionate 2014!

Copyright January 2014 by Dianne Durham

Money on Our Minds

A few weeks back I attended a reading and book signing at a bookstore in Berkeley.  The folks who gathered didn't number many -- 17 by my count -- but the reading was excellent and the discussion that followed was quite interesting (for instance, I learned how fiction writing has changed since Reagan took office).  But not many books sold.  I know that the only reason a commercial bookstore hosts author readings is to sell books, and that this was consequently the chief concern of the bookstore's event coordinator. When I think of him owning the idea that book sales is the measure of a successful book reading event, I yearn for simplicity.  Isn't it enough that people were moved to near tears by incredible prose?  That we were impacted and inspired by engaging each other in discussion about the themes presented, the characters, the conflict, and why the story resonates?  Does it matter at all that we actually connected with each other?

And so a poem on the subject . . .

Poetry Slam!

Those two words juxtaposed always seem to

close

my

mind.

Who’s corporate brain thought up the idea of competing on a stage

with poetry?

Must be the same brain that thought up baby contests &

gospel choir competitions.

Some things are pure and are

oddly tainted

by the desire to win or be the best.

Since when did, Oh, she’s absolutely adorable! 
Hallelujah, bless the Lord!

and a room filled with Ah, yes! following the delivery of a profound poetic line

fail to fully satisfy?

Once we start pretending that money adds something

will we ever stop?

Copyright November 2013 by Dianne Durham

What If?

We live in a construct we call reality.  The rules of this construct are both visible (e.g., traffic signs) and invisible (e.g., women are inferior to men).  The visible rules are of course tangible; we generally know or can research their parameters, determine who put them in place and why. But few people will actually admit that the invisible rules are actually rules, largely because these rules have become our basic operating assumptions about the way things are – i.e., our reality.  We accept and rely on these assumptions (or frames of reference) to the extent that getting through the day without them is pretty much unthinkable.

Questions about these invisible rules will inevitably arise when our adherence to them becomes uncomfortable or burdensome.  This questioning process is one of introspection until we develop the courage to pose these questions publicly.  If you’ve begun this process and feel daunted by it, or just feel lonely in your quest, I’d like to offer some encouragement.  How?  By publicly posing some thoughts and questions for all to consider:

What if actively engaging our imagination is more productive and valuable than any other human pursuit?

What if the most highly evolved and intelligent species on earth is dolphins?  or bees?  or sunflowers?

What if digital technology is actually the single greatest deterrent to human advancement and progress?

What if everything we've learned – from our nuclear families, our friends and associates, our teachers and mentors, and our various news and information sources – is skewed or wrong?  For example, when I was a child in the early ‘60’s, I learned that cow’s milk was an absolutely essential part of a healthy diet; had my parents refused to give me milk, they most likely would have been considered neglectful parents.

Since over the passage of time research changes the facts, should not our thinking right now embrace the possibility that what we understand and accept as valid in any given area of thought just might be completely wrong?

What purpose do these questions and thoughts serve?  How do they help us to live and get through the problems we encounter every day?  Questioning our reality helps us to better understand the nature  and essence of the problems we face, enabling us to actually solve them rather than apply mere temporary fixes.  Questioning our assumptions means that we’re willing and able to think freely for ourselves, a fundamental quality of freedom.

What if our ability to live as free human beings hinged on the questions we asked?

Copyright October, 2013 by Dianne Durham

Running for the Bus!

When I moved to Mendocino County in 2010, I sold my car, knowing that I could survive among the magnificent trees up north without wheels.  I recently moved into a poor West Oakland neighborhood, where getting around without a car is slowly but surely changing me.

Public transportation in my neighborhood is quite the standard, and those of us who rely on it have become intimate with frustration and desperation.  Despite the positive aspects of  becoming adept at trip planning and learning to be flexible, the little amount of control we have to arrive at our destination at an appointed time redefines us.  Last week, a middle-aged woman got off the bus I was on and ran with all her might to catch her connecting bus, only to see it pull away.  My heart sank, and I believe that everybody on my bus who witnessed the woman literally felt her defeat. Something slowly falls apart inside when we regularly experience doing everything we can, to no avail.

Defeat.  I'm more acquainted with the word and experience now than I've ever been. Missing a bus now and then is not in itself defeating; knowing that I can do everything in my power and still miss the bus, is. This is a necessary life adjustment, yet it gives me pause about the society of low-income people we are becoming.  I won’t here repeat the oft-quoted stats about the increase of poverty in the United States; what I will say is that increasing poverty absolutely means increasing despondency. 

I honestly don't know what to say about the growing despondency.  So what's my purpose in writing this blog post?   I would just ask that all artists – critically thinking and creatively engaged people – make a conscious effort to think about what life is like for those without the comforts you may take for granted.  Then weave those thoughts and imaginings into your political discourse or abstract paintings or photography or whatever may be your particular art form.  Your personal experience and perspective are indeed precious, as is your willingness and ability to allow your artwork to reflect more than that.  I believe that in these most difficult times, we must extend beyond ourselves if we are to survive.

Copyright September 2013 by Dianne Durham

Let's Go To War!

Critical thinking will always discredit the validity of what government officials say when they’re gearing up for war.  And creative thinking will always render a war option foolish, even idiotic and diabolical.  So as artists – creatively engaged people – we must declare war on the shameful stupidity of a government that rushes to engage militarily when alternatives are available and desperately indicated.

Artists could begin a “truth campaign” in which we use creative ways to, for example, expose how the U.S. in recent years used white phosphorus (yes, a chemical weapon!) in Fallujah.¹ The U.S. military also dropped depleted uranium (DU) in Kosovo,² Iraq,³ and Libya,⁴ and of course used Agent Orange in various places during the Viet Nam war, causing serious long-term damage not only to the “enemy” but to U.S. soldiers!⁵  An artistic truth campaign might not result in immediate embarrassment and remorse among our elected officials, motivating them to change their behavior, but it would enable folks to be more clear about what’s really going on – the first step in making fundamental societal change.

Remember the song, “We Are the World,” the 1985 collaborative project  written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie and performed by 47 artists? Whether or not you liked the simple song, artists came together to make a profound statement.  Artists do have power, and I’m not just talkin’ collective celebrity power, but power to paint a different picture for all to see, images painted with indelible ink that will remain in the minds and hearts of those who partake of them.

So, let’s go to war against insanity!  Let’s embark on a mission to expose lies and tell the truth in our poems and essays, our song lyrics and theatre scripts, our murals and photography, in the stories we read to our children and grandchildren, and in our celebratory dances that exalt the human spirit.  Let us individually and collectively resolve to remain honest, untainted by the lies that would lure us into justifying the killing of people in Syria or anywhere else!

Photo:  Ede Morris singing her tribute to Trayvon Martin at an "All Humanity March" in Ukiah, CA, March, 2012.

¹ ”America’s Fallujah Legacy,” by Karlos Zurutuza. http://www.globalresearch.ca/america-s-fallujah-legacy-white-phosphorous-depleted-uranium-the-fate-of-iraq-s-children/30372

² “Uranium Risks Haunt Kosovo Survivors,” http://www.dw.de/uranium-risks-haunt-kosovo-survivors/a-16366645

³ “US Depleted Uranium as Malicious as Syrian Chemical Weapons,” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-considine/us-depleted-uranium-as-ma_b_3812888.html

⁴ “US-NATO Forces Used Depleted Uranium Ammunition in Libya. Selected Articles,” http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-nato-forces-used-depleted-uranium-ammunition-in-libya-selected-articles/24367 

⁵ “Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, increased cancer risk – study,” http://tvnz.co.nz/lifestyle-news/vietnam-veterans-exposed-agent-orange-increased-cancer-risk-study-5556223

Copyright Dianne Durham, September 2013

Getting Through Today

I can so easily become heavily burdened by the racistsexistmoneyhungrydeceitfulmasterfulmanipulation called life in these United States.  This morning I pondered the thought that many folks are painfully aware that our society (indeed, our world) is in desperate need of transformation – I’m certainly not the only person with this realization and burden.  Yet, we all somehow get through each day.  How?  What is it that we do to stay centered, what do we tell ourselves?

I’ve experienced some very difficult days these past few weeks, during which I completely forgot that I’m connected.  I allowed my inner turmoil to jeopardize my relationship with my family, and I was so internally focused that I lost sight of my connection with nature.  I forgot how much calm and perspective I've derived in the past from walking slowly among the trees, from looking closely at a flower. 

In my quest to live freely, I'm deeply comforted by the unconditional love of my family and immensely grateful for the ever-present opportunity to indulge myself in the simultaneous euphoria and grounding offered by nature. 

So I will get through today.  And what about you?  Are you ever overwhelmed by the injustice and insanity offered up on a platter daily? Pretending that things aren't so bad is not a truth that can maintain a strong connection.  Looking closely at a flower may not impact you like it does me, but hopefully you can find something that will remind you that life is diverse, and cannot begin to be summed up by your own perspective or experience. Knowing how downward-pulling disconnection can be, I encourage you to somehow make yourself remember that you're connected!  Our sustained connection to each other and to the Earth will make the transformation of our society and world possible.

Copyright August, 2013 by Dianne Durham

A Work of Art

I think about commissioned art:

does the commission cause a compromise? 

If anyone ever commissions me to write a poem

I hope I will confer with the Writing Spirit

then

just

let

the poem

Be

I listened to Amy Goodman interview Cornel West a few weeks ago¹ and I was incredibly moved by Dr. West’s courage to expose the hypocrisy of the Obama administration.  A well-known philosopher and intellectual, Dr. West spoke freely and passionately.  His words weren’t beholden to anyone with power or influence, but to his own standard of moral integrity. 

I'm inspired by his words to do likewise:  to not allow the promise of success, comfort, or any convenience to weaken my character, and to not allow the various agendas of people and powers to compromise my art.  I don’t pretend that this will be easy; it will be a work of art.  May we all develop the eye for detail, the perfect timing, the critical analysis and profound courage that will create the masterpiece of an uncompromising life.

¹ http://www.democracynow.org/2013/7/22/cornel_west_obamas_response_to_trayvon

Copyright August 2013 by Dianne Durham