Consider

Did you really want to die? No one commits suicide because they want to die. Then why do they do it? Because they want to stop the pain. -Tiffanie DeBartolo   It is a dark place when people see no escape except to permanently turn out the lights. This is where my 51 year old friend has been for the past few days. For weeks the light in his …

“Why is covid-19 killing more black people than white people in America? For many on the left, the answer is easy: “systemic racism.” That answer drives conservatives bonkers. Covid-19 comes from a virus; it does not care whether victims are white or black and, indeed, doesn’t have eyes to distinguish. Conservatives, I understand why you feel this way. But on this issue, the left is, well, right.” – Megan …

‘”Responding to ideas you disagree with by belittling the other person or shutting them down can push them further towards hate. ‘Far too many human beings of all backgrounds and political beliefs see kindness as weakness, as if it’s capitulation, it’s rolling over,” said Michaelis. “When really it is a weapon. And one of the most powerful weapons against hate that we have.’” -Deseret News: Can people be ‘converted’ …

Some Faith Matters Discussions that explore racism in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and what members can do to eliminate it. “Racism is intoxicating and racism mixed with religion can be particularly pernicious. The Latter-day Saint message has always included a universal foundation. “All flesh is mine” Jesus told Joseph Smith in 1831, “and I am no respecter of persons” (D&C 38:16). It also included universal …

An Apology to Our Black Brothers and Sisters “Unitedly we declare that the answers to racism, prejudice, discrimination and hate will not come from government or law enforcement alone. Solutions will come as we open our hearts to those whose lives are different than our own, as we work to build bonds of genuine friendship, and as we see each other as the brothers and sisters we are — …

Spend an hour with Dialogue Sunday morning If you are missing meeting with peeps to talk about things of God then I highly recommend the Dialogue Journal of Mormon Thought’s virtual Sunday School. I think last Sunday they had nearly 400 people tune in. This is not your parents Sunday School. Those who teach are thinking about the Book of Mormon deeply, broadly, and in terms of contemporary issues …

I love this place. This place called earth. And I love and appreciate it even more since climate change and covid-19 have impacted our planet. Once we get past the pandemic, I hope we don’t get back to normal. Normal was destroying our home. Every living thing’s home. We are getting a taste of what clean air and water is like. What we can do when we do without …

I’m late to this party but… This recent New York Times article highlights a number of ways to access poetry to fend of the coronavirus blues. Here a several of my current favorites: David Whyte. I’ve posted him before. Mary Oliver Wendell Berry  Billy Collins (Thanks to TA-FA members Doug & Jeff Christensen for this newer discovery) And then, not anywhere near the quality, maturity, depth, or beauty of …

Ways to Engage in Earth Day Fifty years ago the earth turned a corner in its health because enough humans had the humanity to better care for it. Water and air quality improved, awareness of chemical pollution and the plight of endangered species became heighted and much more. But we have continued to extort from the earth its gifts rather than use them with wisdom and appreciation. A world …

US Written in response to the “us vs the virus,” “us vs God,” and “us vs others” narratives I have been hearing.”  This is not about us. It is about US This virus doesn’t see you— not the real you. We are just one more place to hang out. A possible host offering hospitality. It is not our enemy nor our friend. It has no heart no capacity for …