Posted in life, world on May 31st, 2010 by emmajames
Thought I’d take you on a little journey through my brain because, really, haven’t you secretly always wanted to go there? (Humor me by saying YES!) Here’s what’s taking up space at the moment…
Is this cough tickling my lungs just my imagination, a chest cold, or pneumonia?
How many dolphins will die as a result of the BP oil spill? Will the rest of the marine population hate us forever and plot a suitable revenge?
Why does this country still pretend the aggressor is the victim in the Gaza flotilla tragedy and greater Israeli-Palestinian issue, and refuse to call a spade a spade?
Will I ever get back in shape?
When will I move past my frustrations with my mother?
If I never sweep the floor, will the dust bunnies continue to multiply or reach an equilibrium, like goldfish in a tank?
Do I believe my financial situation can radically change?
Will I regret it if I delete my Facebook account? What if I delete my LinkedIn account?
Why won’t people stop telling me about great blogs I’ve missed?
Why aren’t the FedEx and UPS guys who service my area ever cute?
Should I rent The Cove tonight, for a good cry of frustration, horror and impotence?
What should the next piece of jewelry I design for Noted Design look like?
Why does my cat eat my hair while I sleep?
Now that I know more about the connection between counterfeit products and human trafficking, thanks to Deluxe, will I stick to my principles and forego the next beautiful Chloe purse knock-off?
Why does laundry never fucking end?
Why am I letting my cough/chest cold/pneumonia keep me from grabbing coffee with a friend and heading to a BBQ?
Why don’t more people refuse to go to war?
It’s a wonder I ever sleep, isn’t it? I think it all justifies my love of romantic comedies, however. Anything to shut off my brain…
Hope you didn’t stub your toe on anything, or get lost in the mayhem.
What would a tour through your head currently look like?
I adore this planet. I’m pretty sure I’d love it even if it wasn’t the only one I knew. And I think it’s great that we’ve designated a day in which to celebrate it every year. I’m not sure, however, that 20 percent off sales at all stores at the local jumbo mall are the way to honor this mother-child-protector-provider-sanctuary phenom upon which we find ourselves. Maybe we should hold off on the streamers and listen to what SHE KEEPS TELLING US…
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Here are a couple fun and impactful reminders of why we should probably listen, generously provided by Annie Leonard.
Doesn’t it all just make you wanna go hug a tree?
Go walk barefoot in the grass for five minutes. Brush your hand against a tree trunk. Take a moment to breathe in the scent of a garden flower. And if you can’t do any of that today, on Earth Day, stop for a moment and ask yourself…
Posted in life, world on March 24th, 2010 by emmajames
by Hans Woltering/flickr
I’ve been wanting to write this post for weeks now but I’ve been intimidated by how much I want to say. In my latest attempt to procrastinate, I finally addressed a pile of unopened mail and came upon the latest issue of National Geographic, one of the few magazines I refuse to give up no matter the state of my bank account or limits on my time to read. The issue’s subject is WATER. What a perfect little nudge to finally make me sit down and tell you what I have to say!
by Hypergurl - Tanya Ann/flickr
First, I must confess, I am not an expert. On anything, really. Certainly not on the subject of water, clean water, water conservation, water contamination, or water usage. I am even guilty of taking showers that last longer than five minutes, filling up the bath further than the halfway mark, letting my cat drink from a running faucet, and, I’m sure, myriad other peccadillos that trump my desire to conserve water and participate in sustainable living.
But I am passionate in two beliefs:
Providing clean water to all populations is a necessary component for peace.
The less water we waste, the less we endanger future generations’ – human and animal alike – access to it and, by extension, the less likely it will be that water continues to provide a catalyst for aggression and control.
Here are a few eye-popping statistics from National Geographic’s April 2010 issue:
Two-thirds of our water is used to grow food.
It takes 2,900 gallons of water to produce 1 pair of jeans; 1,857 gallons to produce 1 pound of beef; 154 gallons to produce 1 pound of avocados; 37 gallons to produce 1 cup of coffee; 9 gallons to produce 1 cup of tea. This is the strongest argument I’ve yet found to get me to eat less meat and drink tea rather than coffee.
83,000,000 more people are added to the world population each year. That’s a lot more mouths to feed and thirsts to quench.
Women in developing countries walk, on average, almost 4 miles to get water. And frequently it isn’t even clean water.
I highly recommend picking up this issue of the magazine, or even subscribing to it. I swear, there’s always something jaw-droppingly fascinating every month. If you do grab the April 2010 issue, be sure to check out the articles by Barbara Kingsolver and Tina Rosenberg – they are particularly fantastic.
How often do you question whether the water you’re drinking is clean or not?
One out of eight people in the world lacks access to clean water. The statistic is deeply troubling. Having a visual picture of what that actually means, however, is truly horrifying. Check out the following video, which was created as a marketing tool for charity:water, a non-profit that works with organizations – including Partners in Health and Care, among others – throughout the world to provide sustainable sources of clean water to communities in need.
I was first introduced to charity:water through Chris Guillebeau’s inspiring blog, The Art of Nonconformity. I’ve donated money or time to causes in which I believe for years. The timing of Chris’ post, however, correlated with my renewed desire to streamline my charitable giving. I was feeling overwhelmed by how many amazing organizations can benefit from support and how great the needs of our species and our world appear. To be perfectly honest, I was feeling overwhelmed by life in general, and this was just one component of it but refreshingly tangible.
I want to save the whales, the dolphins and the polar bears; the children dying of AIDS and malaria; the women suffering from rape and genital mutilations; the homeless; the polar ice caps; those stricken with MS, ALS, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer; those suffering from obesity, underfunded schools, lack of health care; those in need of an abortion, a roof over their heads, shoes on their feet, or a place to bury their dead…
I am a spiritual person, but I was raised in a liberal household by a recovering Catholic and an experimentalist seeker. I was reprimanded by stern nuns and priests throughout elementary school, broke my collar bone the summer I attended Jewish camp, avoided our family kitchen during my mother’s sojourn with fermented Chinese herbs and the Dao, dreaded the plethora of mayonnaise salads that are my only lasting association with the Episcopalian faith of my grandparents, and cried at every story of injustice in the name of God, Jehovah, Allah, or Vishnu.
As a result, when someone uses the word “god” in a non-blasphemous way, I get the heebie-jeebies. So many acts that I do not condone have been committed, and sanctified, under the auspicies of that little three-letter word.
However, I whole-heartedly believe that there are mysterious powers in the universe that are greater than myself. I believe in spirits and energy and love, things not entirely defined by science. So I no longer arbitrarily dismiss someone or something because their lexicon includes “god” when they articulate their ideas or explain their actions. Instead, I dive deeper to see what they actually mean.
With respect to charity:water, I came to the conclusion that founder Scott Harrison’s choice to credit a return to his Christian faith as the impetus behind staring the organization did not threaten the integrity of the services it provides. Charity:water works with highly respected non-profits, most of which are not faith-based. They do not prosthelytize, withhold help to non-Christian communities, or link religious conversion or specific family planning practices to aid. They have a phenomenal record of action. So, after weeks of deliberation, conversations with friends and colleagues, and a fair number of internet searches, I decided to support them.
Days after I made this decision, one of my favorite journalists and bloggers, Nicholas Kristof of the NY Times, articulated my dilemma about faith and charity far better than I ever could, first in his column and then on his blog.
In addition to simply sending charity:water a check once a year, or when a crisis like that in Haiti occurs, I’ve designed a necklace stamped with “Water is Life,” which is available at my three-week-old Etsy shop.
via Noted Design
I will donate 20 percent of proceeds from the sale of it, on an on-going basis, to charity:water. I’m super excited about offering this necklace because it feels so much more tangible than just signing a check; I’ve created something that can do some good, in addition to being pretty, and that conveys my philosophy as well as that of anyone who wears it.
If one child avoids dying of dysentery because she had access to clean water, if one girl can spend the 5 hours each day that she’d previously allotted for fetching dirty water to learning to read, if one woman can use her muscles to herd cows or sew clothes to generate income rather than to manually haul diesel cans full of water up a hill, the whole world can change for the better.
If one war is prevented because a lake refills enough to satisfy the needs on all shores, if one aquifer is left intact to avoid destabilizing the earth above it, if one creek is cleaned up so that a healthy variety of fish returns to populate it and possibly provide food for nearby animals and people, the whole world can change for the better.
Am I naive, too Pollyanna? God, I hope not.
Are the subjects of water, charity, faith, god, and peace much more complex than this particular long-winded ramble? Without question.
Do I want to know what you think of all this? YES.
Oh heavens, my lovelies, I just got the most gorgeous catalogue in the mail today! I don’t normally receive catalogues, and I have no idea how this one ended up with my name on it, but I’m ever so happy to have received it. It is from a British company called Toast, which specializes in women’s fashion and home decor. The clothes look absolutely perfect – much more classy than my yoga pants and hoodie but equally as comfortable. And the photographs to illustrate each item? Oh lordy, they just make me sigh in appreciation.
by Jenny Zarins for Toast
In fact, I barely got four pages into the Spring 2010 catalogue of clothing before I salivating and dreaming of escaping to some Mediterranean hideaway with a shoulder bag packed with choice pieces of linen, a good book and a feather.
by Jenny Zarins for Toast
I have no idea why I had the impulse to pack a feather, but that is how inspiring this catalogue is to me! Check both the Spring Line and House & Home catalogues for yourself, and let me know what you think.
by Jenny Zarins for Toast
The photographs are by Jenny Zarins, the wardrobe styling is by Lesly Dilcock and Gaelle Paul, and the design and art direction is by Lesley Dilcock. I think I’d like to have them all over for tea.
Is there any particular catalogue you’ve received, unexpectedly or not, that transported you someplace delightful?
Posted in world on February 18th, 2010 by emmajames
Tibetan Woman
President Obama met with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, today. As happens whenever our government acknowledges the Tibetan spiritual leader, China is pissed and making lots of noise. And my heart shatters a little, as it always does when confronted with examples of political or social injustice that appear to have no resolution. I am an EMOTIONAL CREATURE, as Eve Ensler would say. I simply do not understand how a country can justify usurping a neighbor, forcing a foreign language on its people, destroying its monuments, and traumatizing its citizens. I simply do not understand how whatever it gains in land or minerals or water is valued more greatly than humanity. I know this lack of comprehension reveals a mind more appropriately matched to a five-year-old in the sandbox, but I’m okay with that. After all, no one has ever explained to me what is WRONG with wanting the world to be fair, expecting people to share and receiving a kiss or lollipop after cleaning up a mess.
Family Walking Along the Cora
I was in Tibet for four days. Seven years ago. A very short visit, a long time ago. I’ve mentioned before that the journey seared my soul. I pity anyone who goes to that place and does not feel the earth and sky dance in sublime harmony for just a moment when graced with a smile from one of its children or upon first glimpsing the prayer flags fluttering to a silent melody. It is a gift to our planet, its people a gift to our species, and it is being treated with the same disregard for its true value as the earth as a whole. You may think my words are just hyperbole. They are not. Go for yourself, and see. Better yet, FEEL.
Street Shopping
On the same visit, I traveled through many parts of China. It is a phenomenal country. It is the only place outside the U.S. where I met individuals as confident, blind and arrogant about their country’s position and dominance on the world stage as are some Americans. I also met people as friendly as many here. But NEVER ONCE did I mistake a Chinese person for a Tibetan. NEVER ONCE, while in Tibet, did I think I was in China. The differences in Tibet are not those blithely attributed to regional variance. To its core, Tibet is a place unto itself. I hope someday the Chinese will accept this, but that day is clearly not today. Today, the Chinese government creates policy after policy, applicable only to Tibet, designed to eradicate as much as possible of its soul.
Children At Play
By meeting with the Dalai Lama today, President Obama took one of the few actions that is available to all of us, one that is infinitely powerful. He LISTENED. We can all listen. We can all SEE. Wherever we are. Whatever our circumstances. And then, perhaps, we can even ACT.
