Estrella

In this time in this country, we have seen an uptick in loneliness, depression and youth delinquency that have been unprecedented. What can be done to battle such upheavals in Ferguson, Boston during the Boston Marathon, school shootings in Connecticut and other shootings elsewhere? Is America to only decay into a violent society where it picks itself apart to the soundtrack and script of a Chris Nolan film? I believe that we have the power as Americans and residents in this country to resolve these issues and reclaim the former power, unity and peace of this spirited nation. With God as our guide, we have the power to reclaim the village. The Village versus Community Some may ask why I use the term “village” rather than “community”. They are both similar terms, but one has a deeper responsibility to a brother’s keeper than the other while the former term “village” carries with it some of the connotations of shunning, exile, social exclusion and moral puni...

On November 18 th , I stepped into the office of my new job as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) with the non-profit Connections to Success. AmeriCorps is similar to a domestic version of the Peace Corps, but there are more venues and fields that participants can volunteer with. In addition, an AmeriCorps commitment is usually only one year long compared to the two-year commitment of the Peace Corps. The VISTA differentiation means that my position specifically focuses on the alleviation of poverty in a community through building capacity of current programs and processes.             Connections to Success Image from Google Images The non-profit organization for which my VISTA program partners with is called Connections to Success (CtS). Connections to Success seeks to break the cycle of poverty through the empowerment of individuals through professional development and access to...

The Reed Flute's Work I say to the reed flute, You do the work, but you know sweet secrets too. You share the friend's breathing. What could you need from me? The reed replies, Knowledge is for total destruction. I say, Burn me completely then and leave no knowing. How could I, when it is knowledge that leads us? But that knowledge has lost compassion and grown disgusted with itself. It has forgotten about silence and emptiness. A reed flute has nine holes and it is a model of human consciousness, beheaded, though still in love with lips. This is your disgrace, this moaning. Weep for the sounds you make. ** Provided from The Collected Translations of Coleman Barks -  Rumi: The Big Red Book - The Great Masterpiece Celebrating Mystical Love & Friendship - Odes and Quatrains from The Shams