The world has certainly changed in the last 10 years.
A former president has been indicted. That happened this week. The thing is: we've been anticipating an indictment for some time now. That's the world we now live in.
We now have machines -- AI -- that can converse with us so naturally they feel like a person. And they know everything that the internet knows (which is just about the sum total of human knowledge, plus a fair degree of human ignorance thrown in for good measure), so they make for a pretty handy conversation partner. They are, in effect, "counterfeit people" -- and maybe they pose a threat to human society just as counterfeit money does. That's what some folks argue. They might be right. What a world!
I read today that scientists have created a woolly mammoth meatball. Yep. They can grow meat cells in the lab, without having to grow them inside the body of a living animal. So they took some muscle cells of sheep and mixed in DNA from a woolly mammoth. How did it taste? No one was allowed to sample it because, being woolly mammoth, it contained proteins that haven’t been eaten in thousands of years -- so the scientists weren't sure it would be safe. What a world!
Still and all: the best that life has to offer is community and friendship. Each other. And so we gather, as people have for as long as there have been people (about 200,000 to 300,000 years, I'm told), to afford to each other this greatest of gifts.
Yours in the faith we share,
Meredith
Join a Journey Group: http://cucwp.org/journey-groups
I.C.Y.M.I. (In Case You Missed It)
The Mar 26 service, "The Importance of Vow":
The Mar 19 service, "Musical Awe":
PRACTICE POINTER
It’s time again for our Ecospiritual practice for this month – adapted from Rebecca James Hecking and brought to you by Community UU’s Environmental Practices Social Justice Team. Meeting the Soul’s Needs.
Sustaining the planet requires sustaining our spirits. Healthy living doesn’t come naturally for us, who were built to crave salt, sugar, and fat. We’re also built for spirituality – to connect to a larger meaning, to have genuine friendships and community, to be generous and of service. But just as we can get lured into unhealthy eating, we get lured into unhealthy, lonely TV watching and consumerism – the junk foods of the spirit.
The “Primal Matrix” we seek is “a healthy, wholly functioning psyche in full-bodied participation with a healthy, wholly functioning Earth." It’s the interconnected relationships with our inner selves, each other, and the ecology. For most of us, alas, rediscovering and reintegrating this Primal Matrix requires significant effort.
Looking deeply at your own life, and honestly considering your soul’s needs requires regular, ongoing introspection. Each day spend some being still and quiet, some time journaling, and some time with spiritual texts. Bonding with the ecology around us heals and transforms us and the Earth. The work of sustaining our souls and the work of sustaining our planet each is necessary for the other.
Ecospiritual practices for this month include: Cloud Watching – spend a half hour just gazing at clouds. Small change --adopt one new simple Earth-friendly habit. And Touchstone Connection. For details on these, as well as group activities for your Ecospiritual group, see the post: Meeting the Soul's Needs
Here it is, your...
MOMENT OF ZEN
#152: Power
Dao De Ka-Ching!
Case
Owl asked, "Does the Way have its own power?"
Raven said, "It circulates."
Owl asked, "What is its path of circulation?"
Raven said, "Why don't you lead the discussion tomorrow night?"
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