Paul Hawken's Commencement Address

Every once in a while, you hear or read a speech that makes your skin tingle and your heart leap for joy. Paul Hawken’s commencement address to the class of 2009 at the University of Portland on May 3rd is one such speech.

In his opening remarks, Hawken says that he was asked if he could give a simple short talk that was "direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful." I think he succeeded. Here are just a few excerpts from this mind blowing speech.

Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating.

When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a pulse.

You join a multitude of caring people. No one knows how many groups and organizations are working on the most salient issues of our day: climate change, poverty, deforestation, peace, water, hunger, conservation, human rights, and more. This is the largest movement the world has ever seen. Rather than control, it seeks connection. Rather than dominance, it strives to disperse concentrations of power.

Life is creating the conditions that are conducive to life inside you, just as in all of nature. Our innate nature is to create the conditions that are conducive to life. What I want you to imagine is that collectively humanity is evincing a deep innate wisdom in coming together to heal the wounds and insults of the past.

Please go now and read Paul Hawken’s commencement address. And be inspired to change the world for the better.

-- Pat Jones

Never Forget

My travels for work have taken me to Krakow, Poland (my first time) for an international conference. I took the opportunity of this trip to visit the nearby concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau which became the killing center where the largest numbers of European Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

Perhaps nothing can prepare you to confront the visual and psychological reality of the systematic human extermination that happened here. We had an extraordinary guide, Berta, who is a native of the small village of Oswiecim from which the camp draws its name. A history teacher, Berta was amazingly knowledgeable about all aspects of the camp. Allowing her facts and observations to unfold before us with patience and sensitivity, Berta invited us to face a reality that is impossible to ignore. I found a very interesting blog post about another group’s recent visit to the camp and our guide Berta here.

As a continual reminder of our own responsibility to prevent such atrocities from happening, visitors to the camp see this quote from George Santayana at the museum’s entrance: "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it."

-- Pat Jones

Cho Too

“When I first arrived here in the Church of Saint Clement, I could feel your love and welcome embrace. The way you surrounded me with your love made me feel as if I had come home.”

Those were the words of Cho Too, the seminarian from Myanmar (Burma) who preached at the 10:00 a.m. Eucharist this past Sunday. With her parents listening from one of the front pews, Cho Too broke open the words of the gospel by reflecting on her own experience of God’s love as expressed in and through the members of our church community.

After two years with us, Cho Too returns to Myanmar this month to begin teaching seminarians who are preparing to become Episcopal priests. As a farewell gift to our community, Cho Too presented Father John a framed image of the cross and lights at the center of our worship space – an image composed of tiny multi-colored precious stones.

The Sunday School children prepared a special song which they sang for Cho Too and the community following her homily. She will carry the light and love of our church community to a part of the world in which our Christian faith struggles under the heavy burden of official opposition. We will pray for Cho Too and the faith she helps to sow.

-- Pat Jones

Final Performance of "Fiddler" TONIGHT! Love, romance, revolution!

The final performance of T.C. Williams High School’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” is tonight at 7:30 at T.C. Williams High School! Themes include love, romance, religious persecution, revolution, and the challenge of trying (and failing) to control one’s spouse, children, community, country, and God. Read a student’s review of the performance in the Washington Post.

TC has put forth a fine crop of actors, musicians, stage hands and technical crew to produce this family classic. Of special note (to me, anyway) are Freshman Sam Jones as Perchik, the student radical from Kiev who courts daughter #2 Hodel; and Senior Katie Jones, lyrical flutist in the pit orchestra. Sophomore and neighbor friend Zachary Frank delivers a robust perfomance as Tevye...and he can't wait to shave off his scraggly beard. Both Sam and Katie are my children and members of St. Clement, though they often hide at the edges of the worship space…or cannot be seen at all. Well, they can both be seen and heard loudly and clearly TONIGHT at T.C. Williams High School beginning at 7:30 p.m. Arrive early to purchase your tickets: $8 for adults; $6 for students and senior citizens. They’re expecting a sellout crowd. Don’t miss it!

-- Pat Jones

“I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Congressman Jim Moran has written a thoughtful and courageous op-ed piece in today’s Washington Post that speaks to our duties as patriotic citizens and evangelists. He’s talking about the debate over where to relocate the 241 foreign nationals being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and/or where to put them on trial.

Here’s a portion of what Jim wrote: Like those in any other congressional districts, we Virginians would rather not have terrorism suspects held and tried in our back yard. Often, though, doing the right thing is neither popular nor convenient. Alexandrians are civic-minded people and are ready to do their duty if it serves the greater good. They have shown this public spirit time and again. Zacarias Moussaoui, who participated in planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon, was held and prosecuted in the Alexandria courthouse. Others who have been brought to justice in the court include the "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh; Beltway sniper John Allen Muhammad; and spies Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames. Taking the easy route and joining the chorus of those crying "not in my back yard" is appealing. But that's not the Alexandria I know and have represented in Congress for nearly 20 years. I am confident that if asked to step forward, Alexandria would demonstrate resolve for a higher purpose, echoing John F. Kennedy's call to accept the challenge presented because it is what happens to be right and good for our nation.

I agree with Jim Moran. We should accept these prisoners if the Obama administration asks us to do so. We can also look at this responsibility to accept Guantanamo detainees as part of our call as Christians. In the book of Matthew (Chap. 25), Jesus talks about how the King of glory will separate the sheep from the goats at the end of time.

Jesus said: Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

My friend Bud Hart is active in the Kairos Prison Ministry here in Alexandria and can tell you all about what it’s like to serve the spiritual needs of incarcerated men, women and children, their families and those who work in the prison environment.

We are called to be patriots and evangelists. Let’s respond with full hearts.

-- Pat Jones

“Come to me…and I will give you rest”

Vermont Avenue and South Jenkins Street (between Duke Street and Wheeler Avenue) are two of the smoothest stretches of asphalt in the West End of Alexandria. I skated there this morning on my refurbished inline skates; I put new wheels on the skates last Saturday. As an inline skater, I look for surfaces that are smooth and hard, but with just enough friction to give my rubber wheels the chance to bite into the surface and make easy turns.

In today’s New York Times, writer George Vecsey describes his love of bicycling and some of the very rough surfaces that competitive cyclists must ride. The Paris-Roubaix race in France features a very bumpy stretch of road made of cobblestones. According to one cyclist, “The best I could do would be to describe it like this — they plowed a dirt road, flew over it with a helicopter, and then just dropped a bunch of rocks out of the helicopter! That’s Paris-Roubaix. It’s that bad; it’s ridiculous.”

We all face struggles in life, some more difficult that others. The cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix are a self-imposed struggle for competitive cyclists. Other rough patches are less welcome. Gliding on my skates along Vermont Avenue in the West End, these words of Jesus came to mind: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

-- Pat Jones

Time Traveler

Well ladies and gentlemen, I’ve finally done it. I am a TIME TRAVELER! I’ve often joked with people about the possibility of time travel. You’re familiar with the “Back to the Future” movies and “Time Machine” books and films. Now, even one of the most popular science fiction programs on television called “Heroes” has a character named “Hiro” who can stop time and move forward and back in time…as part of his plan to save the world.

Well, I have traveled forward in time. It’s only a day, mind you, but it’s a start. Now, for the record, let’s stipulate that today is Saturday, April 11, 2009. The time stamp at the bottom of this text tells you when I actually posted this entry. I don’t control the time stamp. That’s done by some large computer in a faraway place…so we can trust that it’s accurate, right?

Well, earlier today when I sat down to read copy of The Washington Post that was delivered to my house, I opened the paper to the editorial pages and found – low and behold – I traveled to Sunday and came back to today with tomorrow’s paper. I’ve included a couple of pictures to prove it. I have not manipulated these photographs in any way except to crop them to fit in this space so you can see the date. These are authentic photographs, taken on Saturday, April 11, 2009, of the newspaper that will be distributed…TOMORROW.

Note to the amazed and confused: This disturbance in the time space continuum must be the result of the Post’s ongoing restructuring of its newspaper. All the other pages in the front section bear the correct date of Saturday, April 11. Only pages A12 and A13 bear the mark of Sunday, April 12. Perhaps it's just editorial writers and opinion makers who are time travelers. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

-- Pat Jones

Snickers

Our pet hamster Snickers died overnight. We buried her in the backyard beneath a favorite plant pot. We recited the 23rd Psalm by heart and concluded the funeral liturgy with these words: “We commend you with all the angels and saints to live with our Lord Jesus Christ forever.”

(Note: the picture at left is not Snickers. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an actual picture of Snickers that looked this good. But, you get the idea.)

Snickers was a good hamster. She lived almost two years, which is pretty old for a hamster. She bit my wife only once and peed on our daughter Maria and bit her only once, too. Snickers spent many hours running around the family room and kitchen in a clear plastic sphere. This allowed her to explore every horizontal surface on the main floor of our house and enjoy a good cardio workout every day without the danger that she might disappear behind the piano or underneath the sofa where it would be hard to extract her. If she had any fears or worries, she didn’t talk about them much. Sometimes after gently removing her from the cage for her workout, we would hold her tenderly and feed her a little snack. She would fill her cheeks with food until her head was nearly twice its normal size. Then she would gently burrow and snuggle into the folds in our clothing or the creases in the easy chair where we sat with her.

Her simple plastic and metal cage had two main levels. The bottom level contained her food, water, and exercise wheel. A clear plastic tube led to her upstairs “apartment,” a much more intimate space where she organized her bedding and took long naps.

Snickers was a constant reminder to us of the quotidian mysteries, the daily, ordinary, simple things that one must do to maintain a life: eat, drink, sleep, clean up after yourself, and play. We’ll miss Snickers and all the joy and wonder she brought into our home.

-- Pat Jones