the aliens finally came.

the aliens finally came.
they were highly intelligent.
amazingly they were low tech.
they did not like our creations because they were too toxic.
they showed us how to have technology that did not poison our environment
they showed us how to make enough food to support all humans
they had the wisdom to show us how to stop the cycle of violence, kick our addictions from drugs, eliminate greed, lust, abuse, exploitation.
they taught us how to contemplate upon matters, in the manner of a meditation and they gave us such fulfilling ideas and truths, and their pathways to enlightenment so well lighted, that all were able to achieve a deep knowing and peacefulness.

once that had been achieved along with the fear of food, of education, of a future, almost all walls fell down.

humanity entered a golden age, lead by the aliens who were beyond our imagination in that they were not advanced, rather, they seemed to embody the ancient wisdom of olden times.

we wondered how they had achieved the great secrets of time travel, space travel. how had they found us?

they explained to us, that they lived in harmony with their home planet which was much smaller, colder and less hospitable than our own.

somehow this condition allowed them to realize what we seemingly realized, but were incapable of embodying, which is, that they must live in accordance with their world and resources. in this way, they were able to persist in their civilization for millions of generations.

the effect of this, was that they were able to see that there are no "new" ideas. and so, they did not change, or chase technology. each "advance" was not embraced, ideas and ways of life that had worked for millenia were not abandoned for "advances" that resulted in the waste of precious resources and "garbage".

these advanced beings, embraced only that which was biodegradable or easily deconstructible. besides their technology, they did not embrace complex structures. they left their craft in space, far away from their planet.

their children were raised as simple beings, knowing nothing of the space. when they were old enough, once they understood the care of their environment, they were then allowed the oportunity to become educated in their higher technology. such wisdom was revered and taught only to those who would be the equivalent of shamans in our society. their idea was that mechanical technology was used to preserve life off of the planet, but not to be used for life on the planet

they saw their purpose to simply preserve their world for future generations.

for those in space. they saw their mission as the study of the universe. it was a burden, a calling and a yearning that us on earth also share. somehow, they had the ability to monitor all life in the universe. somehow, they had devised a way to identify all planets with life.

for those planets, they saw their mission as to spread the ideas of how to continue their species. just as we see ourselves on this planet as all one people (granted, this was not our original idea), they see all life in the universe, as one people.

the effect of their wisdom was simply devastating upon our civilization.
but the foolishness of allowing greed and money determine the destiny of our planet, became plainly evident. how had we allowed a "free market" to become our oppressors? how did we allow an idea, or ideas, or profit, or "standard of living" to become more important than life itself? The aliens revered indigenous culture. They found such great resonance with native american tribes, African tribes, those who lived on the islands and all cultures that lived peacefully in harmony with their environment. They saw non-symbiotic food gathering, whether it was hunting/gathering, or politically organized food production as the most vital threat to peaceful co-existence.

to the aliens it made no difference why we had lost our way. what was important was to find our way. we did not have to contemplate "how" we had lost our way anymore than we had to contemplate "how" a honeybee learned to fly.

the death of our human egos was at first hard, but as the first waves of people shook off the oppression of greed, lust, and thoughtlessness, it became easier for others. it was supportive to enter the world of the egoless, earth loving, life loving first wave of converts.

of course there were those who could not make the transition. they were not allowed to live within our peaceful society. they were forced to live with one another in a secluded area where they had to fend for themselves. they were all continually given the opportunity to repent and steadily as children were born, others died, and others became tired of the grind, they became extinct due to assimiliation and isolation.

and so now man had to face perfection straight in the eye. the loss of power of human destiny was hard for some to take. although the aliens saw us as their brother, many humans felt that we would have arrived at the same conclusion eventually. many humans felt that we had been robbed of our ability to pick and choose our own destiny. many argued that technology would have eventually yielded a solution to our environmental issues. Those that hold these ideas are viewed with suspicion. Many humans hope that our alien brothers do not leave us, for fear that a faction of technology loving humans will once again dominate. some see it as inevitible.

but this was a small minority. the vast majority, cared not where the good ideas and good speech came from. all they cared for, was that it was true and right and assured that all of our errors would be erased.

some aliens lived among us to help consult, but not more than 3-4 at a time which was more than sufficient, for even one of them had the power of mind and speech to transform our entire world.

and things wound down on earth. life slowed, populations decreased, food and education became plentiful, and as the aliens cleaned our messes and purified our air, land and water, diseases decreased. as diets got better, health improved, as anger and stress decreased, happiness increased, families became more stable. sharing, community, education, mind/body connections flourished.

man had truly entered their golden age. once things were on line, many political bodies dissolved, for they were not needed. communities were so fully in control and engaged, there was no use for systems beyond regions.

this all happened within 3 years of when the aliens first landed.

it was not something we could anticipate. it took all of us completely by surprise.

life is a flash

i had a dream where i realized i was dreaming.
walking by the subway entrance, i fell to my knees, closed my eyes and began to meditate.
what would happen?
it was just like a conscious meditation, the only difference being that the "reality" of the dream melted away and disappeared. my eyes were closed, and the sounds of the city, the feeling of depth, the sound of depth in my ears disappeared. there was only me.

since that time, one of my favorite places to meditate are in high traffic places, even on the train.

the beauty of a world that does not melt away when your eyes are closed. the beauty of a meditation, that no matter how deep you get, the world does not go away.

it helped me to realize many things.

when we meditate, once our minds are empty, then we have achieved. to be aware of the sounds of the world, to be aware of others, of the moment.. those are all beautiful gifts and to be aware of them should deepen your meditation upon reality, not lessen it. there is no such thing as a distraction, unless you allow it to distract you. and if it's reality, then it can not be a distraction from your reality.

it's a subtle difference, but significant.

it also taught me an essential truth of our existence.

our existence, is defined from nothingness, by the fact that there is an element of continuity, of continuation, of persistence in reality. in physical reality. in our integrity as beings.

somehow an opportunity was provided for reality to freeze for a period of time.

life, as it were, represents a freezing of a consciousness within a living being.

and so the beauty of death can also be seen.

death is the unfreezing of this conscious being.

this being is released, where? to where it was before it was frozen.

and this seems to be one truth that may be inescapable. that death, as unknown, as strange, as mysterious, as sad as it is for those of us who remain alive, is not so much a mystery, as it is a return.

how beautiful, that although reality may exist for billions, or even trillions of years (?), we only have to wait a few years to return to that whence it all came... HA!

it seems that the only way reality can exist is if all that was given to it, is one day returned. everything that exist, must not exist again.

perhaps like an amoeba, existence moves through different dimensions, bringing it's beautiful reality "freeze' to other forms of consciousness, living and otherwise.

and so, as i sit upon the train, meditating, being aware of this persisting reality upon my consciousness... a consciousness made up of and made possible by this same condition, i allow this awareness and this condition, to elevate my meditation to a prayer for the moment.

Dante's Inferno & Uncle Tom's Cabin

For those of you who have been following this,
you know I've been into Harriet Beecher Stowe and uncle tom's cabin for a while.
I've read the book twice and am finishing my 4th book of essays on the subject as well as the author.

I had the strange idea that the plot was very similar to several classics.
it predates two of them, and was written after the third.

The first, is Frank Baum's 1900 classic, The Wizard of Oz.
It's not a stretch to liken Alice's flight from oppression and search for a wizard to bring her back home to George, Eliza and Uncle Tom's flight towards their own forms of utopia.
Along the way, there are numerous cowardly lions, tin men and scarecrows, as well as the silent lurking pursuer of racism and devilish intent.

The second novel, is the 1865 take, by Charles Dodgson, Alice In Wonderland.
Somehow blacks fell into the rabbit hole, which represents the middle passage.
They emerge into a world that is both wondrous and also bizarrely askew.
Nothing seems possible, or real.
Characters are capricious, disconnected, unfeeling and baffling in their logic and justification for the world they live in, and the lives that they lead.
In the end, tom and Eva awaken in heaven, while George, Jim and Eliza find a very real, and free reality.

The final classic, was written around 1306, and this one is Dante's inferno.
Dante's journey through the levels of hell, represent both George and Eliza's flight north,
and Uncle Tom's descent south.
Virgil in this case is represented by Christ for Tom, and the Quakers for George, Jim and Eliza.

Uncle Tom's Cabin was published first in 1852 as a serialized novel in an abolitionist newspaper, The New Era.

In reading one of the essays in one of the four books I've recently read, another author also likened the tale to Dante's Inferno.
Thus, this blog.
So perhaps my idea is not quite the leap of imagination it seemed at first.
It's hard to not think of other stories that combine the unreal, the surreal, and bizarre with a journey along a precipitous path along the razors edge of good or the sane, an evil or insanity.

Black History: The Bad and the Ugly: Nicky Barnes, Mr. Untouchable

>Mr. Untouchable is the name of a documentary DVD on the life of Nicky Barnes, a huge heroin dealer in all 5 boroughs of new york. His criminal enterprise had an estimated net gross of $72,000,000 a year in the 70's. He was one of the only black drug king pins who had direct dealings with the mafia. He and his 6 partners formed 'the council' that ruled his empire like a fortune 500 company.
Mr. Untouchable is a charming, intelligent, articulate, well-read, philosophical, charismatic as well as mesmerizing, loquacious and hypnotic speaker. What is most notable about Mr. Barnes, was that a few years into his sentence, he turned states evidence and provided direct testimony that lead to the convictions of 75 individuals, most or all of which received sentences of 15 years to life in prison.
Mr. Untouchable has no compunction about his testimony. Nor does he have any particular feelings about the effect of the all of the drugs in the community and the lives that were ruined.
In any event, the DVD is a fascinating watch. like a train wreck. I found it enlightening, in hardly any way, but fascinating all the same. it was also disgusting in many ways and sickening to not only view the glorification of a drug lord, but to also, have no ability to not also be in awe of the individual known as 'The Black Godfather'
When asked why he snitched, which is the cardinal sin of all criminals, Mr. Untouchable says, "What good is a rule, if it isn't a jewel, that's fit for the crown of a King? If you gonna take the rule, and just use it for bling and you gonna say, 'fuck the king', then the King gonna sing."

William Still. The Father of the Underground Railroad: Black History Month, February 2010

Well, it's still black history month. I'm off to a rousing start. over a week ago, I put up three and a half posters of black history profiles. But, despite that, I still feel that something is missing.

I was re-introduced to the incredible life of william still.

william still was a black man, and perhaps the most prolific, well-documented conductor on the underground railroad that ever lived.

Not only did he assist an estimated 2,700 african-americans to freedom, but he also dictated over 600 of their personal stories. this rich treasure trove of names, incidents, dates of arrival, means of travel and geneologies, forms one of the richest cultural artifacts of the entire underground railroad.

Still maintained a network of abolitionist and conductors ranging from horse drawn carts, ship captains, safe-houses and helpful families further north who were ready to ease the transition from slave to free.

individuals such as william still, can never be over-estimated for their importance, not only to the underground movement, but to the human ideals of freedom, self-sacrifice, charity and compassion.

god truly blessed him and us with his appointed task in life. he worked tirelessly as his life's work, like an angel, or better yet a god, transforming and changing lives that were wrecked, made desolate and hopeless by the 400 year legacy of slavery that was sealed by our fate, by the forefather's that drew up the documents of incorporation for the united states of america.

Click HERE for a link to William Still's site on the internet.

WILLIAM STILL (1821-1902), abolitionist, writer, and businessman.

Often called "The Father of the Underground Railroad," Still helped as many as 60 slaves a month escape to freedom, interviewing each person and keeping careful records, including a brief biography and the destination of each person, along with any alias that they adopted, though he kept his records carefully hidden. He is one of the many who helped slaves escape from the United States. During one interview of an escapee, he discovered that the man, Peter Still, was his own brother. They had been separated since childhood, and his brother knew little about the rest of his family. Still later published The Underground Rail Road Records, which chronicles the stories and methods of 649 slaves who escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Peter Still later collaborated on a book detailing his experiences.

Still was born near Medford, in Burlington County, N.J. His father, Levin Steel, was a former slave who had purchased his own freedom and changed his name to Still to protect his wife Sidney, who had escaped from slavery in Maryland. After her first escape attempt had failed she ran to her husband with two of their four children and changed her name to Charity. Their son William was the youngest of eighteen children. From early boyhood he worked on his father's farm and as a woodcutter. He had little formal schooling, but read what was available and studied grammar on his own. He left home when he was twenty, finding employment with neighboring farmers. In 1844 he went to Philadelphia, where he worked at various jobs, including handyman in several households.

In 1847 he married Letitia George, who became the mother of his four children. The year of his marriage, Still found employment in the office of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. His duties were janitorial and clerical, but he soon became involved with aiding fugitives from slavery. He was in a unique position to provide board and room for many of the fugitives who rested in Philadelphia before resuming their journey to Canada. One of those former slaves turned out to he his own brother, Peter Still, left in bondage by his mother when she had escaped forty years earlier. William Still later reported that finding his brother led him to preserve the careful records concerning former slaves which provided valuable source material for his book The Underground Railroad (1872)(View Excerpts).

When Philadelphia abolitionists organized a vigilance committee to assist the large numbers of fugitives going through the city after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, they named William Still chairman. John Brown's wife stayed with the Still family for a time following the Harpers Ferry raid, and several of Brown's accomplices received aid from Still. Although he concluded his work in the antislavery office in 1861, Still continued his association with the society, serving for eight years as vice-president and president from 1896 to 1901.

While working for the abolition society Still began purchasing real estate. During the Civil War he opened a store handling new and used stoves, and later established a very successful coal business. In 1864 he came to Camp William Penn, where Negro soldiers were stationed.

William Still's book on the Underground Railroad was an important addition to the literature of the antislavery movement. One of the small number of postwar accounts written or compiled by Negro authors, it provided a much-needed corrective to the memoirs of white abolitionists. Still recognized the many contributions of white abolitionists, but he also pictured the fugitives themselves as courageous individuals, struggling for their own freedom, rather than as helpless or passive passengers on a white Underground Railroad. His journals were the only day-to-day record of vigilance committee activity covering a prolonged period. In addition to the accounts of the fugitives, he included excerpts from newspapers. legal documents, letters from abolitionists and former slaves, and biographical sketches.

Although the executive committee of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery had asked Still to write his book, the work and its publication and distribution were a product of his own effort. His stated purpose was to "encourage the race in efforts of self elevation" He believed that the most eloquent advocates of Negroes were Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, and other self-emancipated champions. It was his mission as a Negro to record their heroic deeds and he hoped the book would serve as additional testimony to the intellectual capacity of his race. "We very much need works on various topics from the pens of colored men to represent the race intellectually.' He told one of his sales agents. Still's book went into three editions and became the most widely circulated work on the Underground Railroad. He proudly exhibited it at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876, a powerful reminder of the condition of Negroes slavery.

Still worked in other ways to improve the status of Negroes. In 1855 he traveled to Canada to visit communities where refugees from United States slavery settled. His positive reports counteracted some of the criticism of Negroes in Canada then in circulation. Five years later he cited the examples of successful Negroes in Canada to argue for the emancipation of all slaves. In 1859, he started a campaign to end racial discrimination on Philadelphia railroad cars by exposing the injustice in a letter to the press. Eight years later the campaign ended successfully when the Pennsylvania legislature passed a law forbidding such discrimination. In 1861 Still helped organize and finance a social, civil, and statistical association to collect data about Negroes. When some Philadelphia colored citizens opposed Still's crusade for equal service on the streetcars, he wrote A Brief Narrative of the Struggle for the Rights of the Colored People of Philadelphia in the City Railway Cars (1867).

In 1874 Still was again involved in the controversy when he openly supported a reform candidate for the mayor of Philadelphia. To explain his repudiation of the Republican candidate, Still spoke to a public meeting and later published a pamphlet entitled An Address on Voting and Laboring(1874). As an active member of the Presbyterian church he helped found a Mission School in North Philadelphia. He also organized in 1880 one of the early YMCAs for Negro youth, served in the Freedmen's Aid Commission, and was a member of the Philadelphia Board of Trade. He helped manage homes for aged Negroes and destitute Negro children, as well as an orphan asylum for the for the children of soldiers and sailors.

He died of heart trouble caused by Bright's disease, and was survived by his widow, two daughters, and a son.

*Dictionary of American Negro Biography-1972-Larry Gara