Everyday Bliss For Women In Leadership

I belong to the Global Business Women’s network on Xing.com. One of our group members posted the call to light candles for Tibetan Freedom from Chinese occupation in our group. Since receiving the blessing of teachings from that avatar of personal freedom, His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2001, I’ve been very involved in this cause. In gratitude, I am passing on the word-for-word notification here.  Bring your Presence to this event if you can…

Event start date: 07 Aug 2008, 12:00 am (local time)

Description http://www.candle4tibet.org/

On the night before the Olympic flame will be lit in Beijing, at least 100 million people all over the world will light a candle for a free Tibet. That aggregate flame will be brighter and will call for freedom in Tibet and in any other place in the world.

"Take part in our Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. Light a candle for Tibet."

One candle, in a hundred million of windows all over the world, is symbolizing the right of all human beings to self determination, freedom of speech, thought, conscience and religious belief."

The Olympic Games in Beijing are a unique opportunity to focus the world’s attention on the annulment of those rights in Tibet and in many other places in the world.

The message is simple: Every human being who cares about freedom has a responsibility of lighting a candle. The act of lighting a candle, being personal and spiritual, can also be viewed as a vote. Such massive vote that world leaders will not be able to ignore.

The internet is bringing people together and empowering them to act and effect change. If individual users from all over the world learn to organize themselves not by country borders, but behind common ideas, causes and values they will promote freedom in their own lives.

It’s all about solidarity in standing unified behind Tibetan aspirations. When people unite in large enough number behind an idea, regardless of their nationality, gender, religion or political views, and take a stand, they can change their reality. The internet provides the individual today an opportunity with being seen and heard.

We are going to create a unique moment when so many millions who otherwise would do very little or nothing for Tibet, or any other cause, would actually do something spiritual and meaningful. And do it together!

Our modest objective is to reach 100 million people.

People from all over the world have volunteered and turned the web site that coordinates the action into a true global one. By the end of this week it will be fully operational in 20 languages, and we promise that they will have 50 languages before the event.

I would like to urge you not only to join us at www.candle4tibet.org/ and read all the details about the event, but also to use your connections and help the campaign grow. Please invite as many contacts as you can and talk about it with people of the media.

You can also help by organizing public candle vigils in your area, and by enlisting performing artists and other celebrities to help promote this important event.

Needless to say the whole campaign and the web site are totally non profit and are financed by private funds.

http://www.candle4tibet.org/

Please join us and forward this message to all your friends

On this fine day I always think of freedom and what it means to me. This year I asked some neighbors I don’t normally find at home during the day. "Freedom," said my neighbor Leonard, a proud Texan, "is being able to sit in my back yard and eat hotdogs and stay drunk all damned day and no one can say a thing about it." Mrs. Leonard hands him another cold one. His fourth, if we count the crushed empties scattered around him.

Leonard has a further epiphany: "Naw, seriously, being free is all about  the gub’mint can’t tell you how to worship and the church isn’t supposed to get any gub’mint support….aw hell…I mean dangit! Freedom don’t mean what it did once." 

Leonard, you said a mouthful. Thanks for sharing your fine hickory smoked brisket, and a Happy 4th to you and the missus.

"I think independance for people of color should have been left in the constitution." said elderly Annalee through a mouthful of her daughter’s strawberry-rhubard pie. "They took it out you know. Jefferson was for leaving it in but of course now we know he was seeing his maid on the side. Poor Mrs. Jefferson. Bless her heart." Annalee and her daughter Ruth live together in a tiny Craftsman with eight cats. She has me thinking about all those not free today because of the color of their skin.

God bless, Annalee, enjoy that pie.

"Freedom is in the mind." said neighbor Akane, a Japanese decorator "it is personally created. Either you have it or you don’t, what the government does or does not do is immaterial."  Well said, Akane. Very Buddhist and very true.

I was thinking about this question myself. Are people free? And whatever the answer is, is that true?

Appropos to the last post being partially about Byron Katie, I dialogued with myself: "People are not free, that is why we place so much emphasis on freedom."  and then: "Is that true? How can I know that’s true?"  And turning this around on its ear I thought: "Freedom is an illusion…lack of freedom is an illusion".

Agree with this? Disagree? Feel free to leave a comment.

Or simply think within yourself…what is the one thing that I am saying NO to, that I really want to say YES to? And what is the one thing I am embracing that I need to let go of?