Chris Duel

Broadcaster, Soul Provider

Social Media Icons

Equinox

by Leave a Comment

Equinox arrives

From the heavens
Amid the starry sky
Flashes of lightning
Illuminate awakening
To the season of Spring
And the end of Winter
With its loss and grief
Days growing longer
But for this moment
All is equal
Light and Darkness
Hope and Fear
Pleasure and Pain
Chaos and Serenity
The unseen world appears
Translucently amid the twilight
I open my arms
Gaze to the sky
Listen intently
To the music of the spheres
And I am equal
To the bliss
To the fear
To the love
Welcome Equinox

 

The Summer of Our Discontent

by 4 Comments

 

American Summer 2016

American Summer 2016

How do we make sense of the senseless?

Beheadings and car bombs on the other side of the world.

Civilian “soft targets,” from Paris to Brussels to Istanbul, suicide bombed by “martyrs” in the name of their God.

A slaughter in an Orlando nightclub.

Over 2,000 gun deaths in Chicago this year.

Cell phone video of highly questionable shootings of African Americans.

And now, the ambush and assassination of Dallas Police officers during an otherwise peaceful protest.

Ironically, this most recent national tragedy occurred very close to Dealey Plaza, the site of America’s most notorious assassination.

How do we make sense of the senseless? 

We cannot.

But there are things we can do.

We can affect our own individual spheres of influence. 

Our family, friends, neighbors and communities.

It starts small.  It starts organically.  It starts with you.  And it grows.

We can choose reason over insanity.

We can choose light over darkness.

We can choose love over fear.

We can increase the peace. 

In our communities, in our state, in our nation, in our world.

The good people in this world vastly outnumber the misguided, vicious ones.

I am convinced that in the end, love wins.

We just need to consciously, actively intend the light and the love a little more.

 

Tonight They Scrub The Pavement Clean of Blood

by Leave a Comment

bloodstains

A beautiful day on Planet Earth

The Universe bestows its precious gifts

Life
Consciousness
Love

While less-than-human beings rain death upon innocents in the name of their god

Brussels today

Paris before

New York and other centers of civilization before that

Light will inevitably prevail

But tonight they will scrub the pavement clean of blood

3.22.2016

Shielding My Eyes

by 2 Comments

grief

 

Another horrific act of violence in America today and it was apparently captured on video.

This happens all too often. And we are presented with an option to view the day’s most senseless act on our computer and television screens.

No, thanks.

I choose not to see it.

I have read the story. I grieve and pray for the victims and their families. I lament that we live in a society where such murder has become so very commonplace.

Out of respect for the victims and their families and as a conscious choice to determine which images I allow into my mind, my psyche and my soul – I will not watch it.

May we all find a path to love, light and peace as we continue our journey through this wondrous life.

May You Live In Interesting Times

by Leave a Comment

May You Live In Interesting Times

Bob Dylan sang, “The times they are a changin’.”

That was in the early Sixties. Those of us old enough to remember that era recall tumultuous change, clash of cultures and a rift between the generations.

Recent events in America are rivaling the changes witnessed in the 1960s.

On Friday June 26th, the Supreme Court made Marriage Equality legal in all 50 states.

The next morning, female civil rights activist Bree Newsome evaded security guards, climbed the 30-foot steel flag pole at the South Carolina Statehouse and removed the Confederate flag, which has become a more profound symbol of controversy in the aftermath of the Charleston church murders.

I woke up this morning and looked at the image of the LGBT rainbow flag being waved on the steps of the Supreme Court along with the photo of Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag in South Carolina and a memorable phrase occurred to me…

“May you live in interesting times.”

Curious of the phrase’s author, I googled it. According to Wikipedia, it has been regarded by many as an ancient Chinese curse, although no actual historical Chinese origin has ever been found.

In 1966, Senator Robert F. Kennedy used the line in address to the people of Cape Town, South Africa on the “Day of Affirmation.” It has since been used in novels, films and television series.

I am surprised that some regard these six words as a curse. It seems more like a blessing to live in interesting times than in mundane or stagnant times.

If indeed the phrase dates back to ancient China, perhaps it is both a blessing and a curse.

In the Chinese language, many linguists point out that the word “crisis” is created by the use of two characters – one representing danger, the other representing opportunity.

Interesting times.

Curse.

Blessing.

Crisis.

Opportunity.

Take your pick.

And enjoy the ride.

We truly live in interesting times.