build back better | blah blah blah

Youth activists GretaThunberg and Autumn Peltier criticize world leaders over empty words and broken promises. We know something is terribly wrong when our children are at the forefront of a fight we stirred up long before they were born.

Autumn Peltier & GretaThunberg

Autumn Peltier is a 15-year-old Anishinaabe clean-water activist from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. Peltier has been nominated three times for the International Children’s Peace Prize and continues to fight for Indigenous communities around the world. In 2019, she was also named chief water commissioner by the Anishinabek Nation, which means she speaks on behalf of 40 First Nations in Ontario.

Greta Thunberg is a 17-year-old climate activist from Stockholm. In 2018 she picketed Swedish parliament, projected her message around the world, and addressed the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019, before becoming Time Magazine’s youngest-ever Person of the Year and being named one of Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women.

community spirit in food pantries

As many as one in five people are food deprived, especially in major urban centers where growing our own food is not an easy option. While the pandemic has highlighted and further exacerbated inequalities in our society, it has also brought forth more heroes and helpers in local neighborhoods. 

local community pantries nationwide

This week in Philippines news a wave of community pantries have sprouted in the wake of the media buzz generated by the Maginhawa Community Pantry set up by Ana Patricia "Patreng" Non. 

lies we lived

I gave myself Friday, Saturday and Sunday to revel in the US election turnout. YAY Biden/Harris team! Good riddance Trump/Pence cabal. 

I gloried in the joy of the Kamala Harris win most of all. As a woman. As a mother of my daughter. As an American. An Asian American. An immigrant. A rebel. A change warrior. 

I had the great satisfaction of being happy and hopeful once again. Not having to self talk or convince myself that things will be alright. Just being immersed in the joy and delight of what if and all its possibilities. 

All of which I was beginning to doubt as highly unlikely in the shadow of a Trumpian world - the all consuming, morally rudderless, egotistical clown bus, careening out of control. 

hopeful & happy

reciprocal co-creation

If it is the destiny of all humans put on earth to discover unconditional love, how then have we been going about it? Not so great by the looks of our current reality, even it nothing is permanent and always changes.

There is a traditional practice of reconciliation and forgiveness called Hoʻoponopono. It is practiced and performed on islands throughout the South Pacific, including Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti and New Zealand. 

a simple home altar that we can change as we do

hopeful or hopeless? our choice

If life is a mirror what do we see when we stand in front of it? How many heart breaks can attack us before we collapse or give up? 

In stark contrast the world spins on - nature restored and glorious while humanity flails around in constant chaos of our own doing and device. 

As if this pandemic were not life threatening enough. Nationwide the disUnited States of America have imposed citywide curfews in an effort to dissuade demonstrations and looting. 

Police and even the National Guard have been deployed to monitor the protests, though in some cases has resulted in violent confrontation between law enforcement and civilians.

City Mayors and governors are in conflict with presidential and federal directives that tender no help and only aggravate their already beleaguered states. 

Now more than ever apathy and cynicism need to be stomped out. This is not a time to be silent or submit. Rise up and uplift whoever and whatever need our assistance and assurance. 

Time to take matters in hand and hold accountable those responsible. Injustice and inequality must end at all costs. Historic mistakes cannot be allowed to repeat - period.

It ends here today. Time to get on to better things in our lives. We have to be better. 

Sunday thoughts

This time last year Change Warrior was clear across the world - blogging about earth rumblings and volcanic eruptions. 

Today Change Warrior is reposting some worthy contemplation from Rick Jarow on A Culture of Awakening: The Inner and Outer Revolution. 

The post ignited some thought provoking ideas that shook me to the core and made me erupt at the cosmic joke being played out for us all. 

over here, over there

For however many conveniences a more mobile life has procured there are some downsides to it.

Where Heavens Meet

What gets to us all is when we are here there are things that we miss from over there.

And the same goes the other way around.