Inner Peace: Trump made my stabilizer conk out
The presence of Donald Trump on the national scene has created such havoc among my friends (and I confess, in me, too) that I went out and invested in beefing up my stabilizer.The stabilizer is a piece...
View ArticleBaby steps to forgiveness
There are people who want to forgive and can’t. Others lack the desire to forgive the object of their grievance. Within the deep and long-held grievance is overwhelming emotional pain that has...
View ArticlePeace is never piecemeal
Chronology: At the age of 8 years old, growing up in India, I enjoyed school as much as playing different village sports, which was rough and at times tough and challenging. There was no expectation of...
View ArticleHappy Holi, Easter, Passover and Ramadan
Dear Inner Peace followers:In March the Hindus celebrated the Holi Hindu Festival, Passover is from April 11 to 18; Easter is April 16 and Ramadan will fall on May 27.All four arrive during the spring...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: The election is over. Now what?
Election season is over, thank goodness, and the business of governance is kicking into high gear at all levels. Elected officials everywhere are now asking the question, "Now what?"The "Now what?"...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Ashland’s economy of the future
When it comes to our local economy, Ashland has had a very interesting history, to say the least.We have transformed from a Southern Oregon mill town to an area of the country that is renowned for our...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Local action on issues is essential
The recent Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration has given me hope and determination concerning the importance of local action to address the issues we will be facing in 2017.The last election...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Happy returns; embrace our differences
It is Saturday morning as I write my first Council Corner. A fresh cup of coffee and a fresh, brand-new day. I love mornings, often getting up at 4 a.m. to prepare for the day.I am happy and grateful...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Excerpt from the State of the City 2017
Here is a sequence of six propositions, each of which builds on the ones before it, that concerns the curious relationship between survival and opportunity in these tumultuous times:1. This...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Ashland’s climate action plan
For many in Ashland and further afield, this has been a frightening start to 2017, with the change in priorities of the current administration and the effect this change may have on the elimination of...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Welcome to Ashland — it's complicated
I've said before that I sometimes think on our “Welcome to Ashland” signs, our town slogan underneath should read “It’s Complicated.” That seems to embody what it is like to deal with the myriad issues...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Reasons to be optimistic
There is a lot of angst and frustration with government right now in our country and our communities. Times are challenging, resources constrained and expectations often out of sync with limited...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Getting acquainted with Traci Darrow
Since this is my first Council Corner after being appointed to the City Council on Feb. 21, I thought I should let readers know more about me.Who is this person? Where did she come from?I was born and...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: It's April 12 — do you know what your community is doing?
It has been five months since the fall elections. For many of us these five months have felt like a revolution. Personally, my appetite for the crises of the day is waning. I've come to the conclusion...
View ArticleInner Peace: Bearing witness to a divine presence
Recently I was asked an intriguing question: “ How does Divine presence show up in your life?" The veil between this existence and the hereafter becomes most transparent for me when I accompany one who...
View ArticleInner Peace: The insidious nature of marginalization
There are many polarizing issues in our society. They deal with politics, religion, abortion etc. The result of these intractable views has led to human discomfort and tragedy. These conflicts are in...
View ArticleTrue righteousness (peacefulness and love) and true patriotism
Believing that one’s political views are the only correct ones is being righteous. When one feels the need to convince others that this is the only correct viewpoint, it is arrogance.Therefore, two...
View ArticleNext time, reach for the music
Many people know that listening to music can lower blood pressure, slow heart rate, deepen breathing, lessen pain, reduce stress and generally improve one’s sense of well-being. Such documentary films...
View ArticleActivating the inner spirit leads to true freedom
I want you to imagine two apples — one is sour and the other is sweet. They both have seeds in the middle which represents core beliefs. You came on this planet to learn and become smarter, learning to...
View ArticleTaking a walk in the divine path
I’ve never done this before in my life: 240 pages, written, rewritten, edited and polished in a little over six weeks. George Frideric Handel did his Messiah in about that much time, but he was a...
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