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Facebook has let me connect with friends old and new, of course, but also with groups that are part of what made me who I am, especially the music business in the ’70’s & ’80’s, a golden age, and the Harbin Hot Springs experience beginning 1-1-01, a new age. (Segue from “Life in the Fast Lane” to Madonna’s “Ray of Light”.) In between I became teacher of Shaolin Yoga, did a Vipassana meditation and discovered a living saint, Amma. She gave me a mantra, and my yoga practice became dedicated to the divine feminine, which was, conveniently, embodied in the Quan Yin statue at the top of Harbin’s sacred springs. But mine is also a warrior practice; my students were mainly martial artists. As a result, I try to preach compassion, tolerance, vision, positivity and a healthy (yet worldly) lifestyle. There are two levels of connection that really help me in maintaining health in body, mind and attitude. First is my marriage. For the sacred warrior to maintain his chi, his power to be strong for himself and others, he needs his Shiva energy to be matched with Shakti energy, that of the goddess, the divine feminine. My wonderful wife, Shashi, has learned my yoga (she could teach it now!); we practice together almost daily. She nurtures me in every way I could hope for. Second, and this has been another late-life blessing, I’ve enjoyed a growing network of friends, acquaintances and connections.There’s no doubt that Facebook (and its accessibility on smartphones) has been helpful in connecting. (I’m sure that LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapshot and others are also important, but my experience is with FB.) After the Valley Fire that devastated south Lake County and destroyed Harbin Hot Springs, FB kept us refugees in touch, and still does. It’s proven to be truly valuable. Beside the Harbin groups, I’ve got a Music Industry Reunion group. We’ve also been blessed to make some lifetime friends since we moved from Harbin to nearby Cobb Mountain. There is a ring around Harbin of dear souls who truly live the ideals Harbin represents. Not bound by anything other than common goodwill, they represent an orbit of compassionate power. We had to be away from the blinding light of the heavenly hot springs to discover the synergy available beyond. I feel so blessed with such truly supportive friends who I’m able to see with frequency. Where am I going with this? Simply, that I believe in positivity, and prefer to avoid negativity. Up to a point, this means avoiding confrontation. That point is when the sacred warrior needs to step up to be a protecter. Family, friends, the innocent… those he can. But it seems that there’s a fear-mongering going on in the world and our country now that is encouraging people’s worst prejudices in many ways. I don’t think I need to worry too much about that which I can’t control, or at least have some choice. But I can refuse to give in to negativity unnecessarily, and to do everything I can to spread positivity. We love to have dinner parties. I love to turn people on to music, movies and books. I don’t need to bitch (although I love Joe Walsh’s line, “I can’t complain, but sometimes I still do”). And Facebook has been an amazing way to resurrect, maintain and grow connection. I feel good just acknowledging the birthdays of those who’ve been in my life in any way. And so many have been so significant, or impressive, or both. So use your social media to spread the good word. And make more friends in the non-virtual world, to grow your network. Be a digital bodhisattva and a virtual peaceful warrior. Remember the Serenity Prayer, and may Shiva & Shakti empower you with chi, devotion, service, practice…and beloveds. (Repinted from an August '16 FB post) 
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1933. The sweet spot, post-sound but pre-code. Busby Berkeley's golden moment. Of the three films he did that year, with racier scenes and dialogue than would be allowed a year later, "Spotlight Parade" is my favorite. The chemistry between James Cagney and Joan Blondell was obvious, and the combo of Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler was reliably good. In clasic BB style, the movie ends with three spectacular numbers. And, dig this poster!  I just powered through the 3,000 pages of Ken Follett’s magnificent historical epic, the Century Trilogy. It begins with Fall Of Giants, as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage. Winter of the World follows the same five families—American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh—through a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil, beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the great dramas of the Spanish Civil War and World War II, and into the beginning of the Cold War and nuclear age. In Edge of Eternity, the families come to one of the most tumultuous eras of all: the 1960s through the 1980s, from civil rights, assassinations, Vietnam, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, presidential impeachment—and rock and roll. The last book starts about the time I was beginning college, so the subsequent events, turbulence, political activism and war are somewhat familiar. What’s fascinating is how deeply interestingly and understandable the earlier periods of the 20th century are rendered by Ken Follett. WWI always seemed absurd to me, but in fall of Giants we see it as the end of another world, that of colonies, monarchies, alliances and class discrimination. That Mr. Follett recounts historical fact through dramatic events affecting five families is brilliant. We care about, or at least are fascinated by, these people and their generations. He did the same in his medieval Kingsbridge trilogy, beginning with The Pillars of the Earth, set in the 12th century and the building of a cathedral in England. The same location is used in World Without End, but in the 14th century. The final volume, A Column of Fire, is set in Elizabeth I’s 16th century, and comes out in September. Each of these is 1,000 pages, also. Believe me, the time flies by. (Did I mention that there’s lots of sex to go along with the impecable historical research?) The overwheming sense of these books is a compassion for humanity. The aristocrats have no corner on intelligence. Goodness and evil exist among every nationality and class. We pull for the goodness, but must acknowledge the power of the dark side, too.  |
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