from the Atlanta Homeward Choir...
Donal Noonan, who serves as a church musical director at the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Atlanta, started a choir after for the men who shelter in a church basement.
Noonan wanted to bring them some joy – and a purpose.
On December 21, in the grand entrance hall of the White House, Noonan played the mahogany 1938 Steinway grand piano for two hours as his choir performed for people touring the East Wing holiday decorations.
Neal, 61, one of the oldest of the group and the longest on the streets, says: The choir is a reminder that there’s more to life than being homeless.
Baby Jesus had no home to be born in.....he was homeless too...but the little babe comes year after year bringing joy, peace and love. The least we can do is to stretch out our hearts to enfold those who this night are homeless, those who feel unloved and uncared for, those who feel lost.....
23 December 2015
15 December 2015
Learnt something yesterday...
when I was watching an interview of Arun Jaitley. He was talking? being quizzed? interviewed? by Dutt of NDTV.
I realized that he was hedging giving direct answers. He was either hiding behind a deluge of words, or he was deflecting his answers into the regions of 'we'll see tomorrow' and 'I'm not saying anything definitive' and other replies along the same lines, which were neither here nor there. In short, he was not willing to commit to anything - neither to what his party was doing, nor, worse, to what he thought, or believed to be a fact - There were just large numbers of words all floating around in the ether....and none of them were coming together to form cohesive replies...
By extension, I realized how often an adrenaline rush causes us to blather....or how sometimes, our adrenaline-charged moments cause us to say all kinds of things we don't mean...
How much better to keep quiet. Or, if one does want to express oneself, then it is infinitely more satisfying to ourselves, to say what we think or believe or mean. It's okay if it's wrong and we have to eat our words (they are OUR words), or change our thinking ( they are OUR thoughts), or do a mid-course correction in what we plan to do (they are OUR actions). It is all right to retract and try again. It is perfectly okay to go back 10 steps and then move forward one. It's also okay to go back many times, till we get the right note....It's much better to acknowledge we are wrong, change our thinking and go forward, rather than drown in our own sea of meaningless words...We ARE human - and as humans we have thoughts, beliefs, views, opinions.....they may be wrong, they may be right....but they are OURS....they show who we are....they express what we think, believe, feel....they connect us to other humans....they help us create the contours of our mind and thinking and feeling...they make us different from other humans.....they make us US - special, unique...
I realized that he was hedging giving direct answers. He was either hiding behind a deluge of words, or he was deflecting his answers into the regions of 'we'll see tomorrow' and 'I'm not saying anything definitive' and other replies along the same lines, which were neither here nor there. In short, he was not willing to commit to anything - neither to what his party was doing, nor, worse, to what he thought, or believed to be a fact - There were just large numbers of words all floating around in the ether....and none of them were coming together to form cohesive replies...
By extension, I realized how often an adrenaline rush causes us to blather....or how sometimes, our adrenaline-charged moments cause us to say all kinds of things we don't mean...
How much better to keep quiet. Or, if one does want to express oneself, then it is infinitely more satisfying to ourselves, to say what we think or believe or mean. It's okay if it's wrong and we have to eat our words (they are OUR words), or change our thinking ( they are OUR thoughts), or do a mid-course correction in what we plan to do (they are OUR actions). It is all right to retract and try again. It is perfectly okay to go back 10 steps and then move forward one. It's also okay to go back many times, till we get the right note....It's much better to acknowledge we are wrong, change our thinking and go forward, rather than drown in our own sea of meaningless words...We ARE human - and as humans we have thoughts, beliefs, views, opinions.....they may be wrong, they may be right....but they are OURS....they show who we are....they express what we think, believe, feel....they connect us to other humans....they help us create the contours of our mind and thinking and feeling...they make us different from other humans.....they make us US - special, unique...
09 December 2015
It is amazing...
how powerful negative words and thoughts are....how totally they can not only destroy our peace of mind but also totally change the way we view the world.
Have been going through 3 wretched experiences - two with banks and one with an online Christmas tree shop. Ever since we moved into the world of the cellphones getting to people is so difficult....press 1 for this, press 7 for that, and on and on till finally you press the number to talk to a customer care executive only to be told that all lines are busy....Then you go through the whole thing again and finally after an hour or so of frustration, dire thoughts, hair pulling, you get through and state your problem. Then, the line gets disconnected - if so, you go through this whole rigmarole only to get someone else at the other end, to whom you narrate your problem all over again.....OR, you are given a complaint number and then following through on that is another whole cyber-story.....
We've totally lost human contact.....and the humanness that goes with a human contact. This is the really sad thing. Not for a moment am I denigrating the digital world....I'm not dismissive about the wonderful things one can achieve in the digital world.....but we also need the human contact - and not just a disembodied, uninterested voice.
Have been going through 3 wretched experiences - two with banks and one with an online Christmas tree shop. Ever since we moved into the world of the cellphones getting to people is so difficult....press 1 for this, press 7 for that, and on and on till finally you press the number to talk to a customer care executive only to be told that all lines are busy....Then you go through the whole thing again and finally after an hour or so of frustration, dire thoughts, hair pulling, you get through and state your problem. Then, the line gets disconnected - if so, you go through this whole rigmarole only to get someone else at the other end, to whom you narrate your problem all over again.....OR, you are given a complaint number and then following through on that is another whole cyber-story.....
We've totally lost human contact.....and the humanness that goes with a human contact. This is the really sad thing. Not for a moment am I denigrating the digital world....I'm not dismissive about the wonderful things one can achieve in the digital world.....but we also need the human contact - and not just a disembodied, uninterested voice.
Have we lost our ability to care.....?
really, really care? As in find out more about why someone is going through the experiences they are going through and even if we cannot do anything, at least just hold that person's hand and say - I'm around...? Or spend a moment enjoying the another person's happiness, laughing with them, enjoying the pleasures of life with them?
Have we lost our ability to look around us when we are outside to look at other people, at trees and flowers....?
Have we lost our ability to listen to the sounds of life, the chirping of birds, the voices of children....?
I'm wondering if we are not losing our human-ness in this whole new digital-cyber-world....If we aren't losing the reaching out to each other, instead of messaging in abbreviations....If we are not becoming the poorer for a perfunctory nod while checking our cellphones instead of spending time talking....If we are not putting our parents and those of earlier generations into a second zone simply because it would take more time to communicate with them, seeing as they do not quite belong in our primary zone, the digital-cyber zone....If we are not forgetting that we are a part of nature, and becoming incapable of listening to the sounds of birds, the voices of children, and seeing the beauty nature unfolds every day...If we are not forgetting the tone and texture of human contact, the human touch as it were.
Basically, we need to care for others....care about others. More importantly we need to give of ourselves....if only for the good of our own selves...
Have we lost our ability to look around us when we are outside to look at other people, at trees and flowers....?
Have we lost our ability to listen to the sounds of life, the chirping of birds, the voices of children....?
I'm wondering if we are not losing our human-ness in this whole new digital-cyber-world....If we aren't losing the reaching out to each other, instead of messaging in abbreviations....If we are not becoming the poorer for a perfunctory nod while checking our cellphones instead of spending time talking....If we are not putting our parents and those of earlier generations into a second zone simply because it would take more time to communicate with them, seeing as they do not quite belong in our primary zone, the digital-cyber zone....If we are not forgetting that we are a part of nature, and becoming incapable of listening to the sounds of birds, the voices of children, and seeing the beauty nature unfolds every day...If we are not forgetting the tone and texture of human contact, the human touch as it were.
Basically, we need to care for others....care about others. More importantly we need to give of ourselves....if only for the good of our own selves...
01 December 2015
Questions...
Am I willing to step outside of myself to extend a helping hand to someone who is struggling? Or offer my shoulder for someone to lean on? Or give of my time to someone who is in distress/confused/hurt/sorrowing?
Am I willing - especially when I have a thousand things that need my immediate attention - to put everything aside and listen, really listen, to someone who needs to talk, or spend time with someone who is lonely.
Am I willing - when it is distinctly uncomfortable to do so - to extend a hand in friendship over miles of misunderstanding and hurt?
Am I willing - when it is certainly not convenient to do so - to walk an extra mile with someone who is faltering and afraid to take the next step?
Am I willing - my own problems notwithstanding - to send a message to a needy person that I am there for them?
Am I willing - especially when I have a thousand things that need my immediate attention - to put everything aside and listen, really listen, to someone who needs to talk, or spend time with someone who is lonely.
Am I willing - when it is distinctly uncomfortable to do so - to extend a hand in friendship over miles of misunderstanding and hurt?
Am I willing - when it is certainly not convenient to do so - to walk an extra mile with someone who is faltering and afraid to take the next step?
Am I willing - my own problems notwithstanding - to send a message to a needy person that I am there for them?
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