Lists That Could Change Your Life

Humanitarianism in Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:09:00 +0000

Thoughts on Returning from a conference at University of California Irvine: Critical Investigations into Humanitarianism in Africa

The following points touch on what I’m thinking now but are in no way a summary of what was actually presented at the conference, where numerous viewpoints and opinions were expressed. I believe you can get copies of the actual papers from the Center for Global Peace and Conflict www.cgpacs.uci.edu in a few months. More than anything I became cautioned to be conscious of my actions and how they affect others, and to be conscious of my motives and of my expectations.

1. Story is Powerful. Stories create definitions, meanings. What does it mean to be human? What are “Human Rights”? What do caring, assistance, aide, mean to us and to The Other? Who “owns” children- parents, the state- who defines children’s rights? Can we really see The Other or can we only see our story of them? We shouldn’t assume our definitions are the same as The Other’s and that our memories or meanings are the same. As I use it here, “The Other” could be anyone across the table from us, or across the world.

2. Image is Powerful. Will we continue to see The Other’s age, gender, and race? What assumptions do I make on these fault lines? Am I really blind in any of these areas? Do attributes that we can "see" dominante because they are easier than digging beneath the surface to get to know an individual?

3. Duality of interest can create danger. Dualities of interest can exist on many fronts: Government Interests vs. Individual Human Rights, Religious Conformity vs. Individual Human Rights, Corporate Profits vs. Human Rights, Economics vs. Human Rights, NGO Sustainability vs. Community Self-sustainability, World Bank Business Principals vs. Human Rights Agendas, The Press Release Sound Bite vs. Real Time to make an Impact, Measurable Return on Investment vs. Immeasurable Needs, and the Collective vs. the Individual. Much lack of progress and outright harm seems to be tied to these dual agendas. Our own agendas are sometimes hidden, even from ourselves, and need to be examined carefully before we take action that will impact others.

4. Solutions for Africa are solutions for everywhere. Victims are everywhere and so are perpetrators and rescuers. The focus of NGOs and Foreign Aide is usually on the victims, but don’t we also need to focus on rehabilitation and education of the perpetrators? Approaching a perpetrator with force and use of International Law may be critical to stop the victimization, but what then? For example, how do child soldiers or violent gang members go on from there? How does a country go on without a leader? How does a victim reclaim power without becoming the next perpetrator? How do we break the eye-for-an-eye cycle of violence before an umanageable majority end up in prison?

5. It takes cooperation and resources from every player to progress human rights. The State, the individual, the NGOs, foreign aide, academics, religious organizations, international leaders, and community leaders all have to contribute.

6. None of these thoughts is meant to imply anyone should give up. It is critical each and every one of us realizes and hones our unique skills, then finds the world’s greatest need for those skills. Answering the call to follow our passion will hopefully empower others to do the same.

Fundamental Human Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:54:00 +0000

I honor of International Human Rights Day, I am re-posting my list of Seven Fundamental Human Rights

If these are actualized, I believe peace, love, education, and health will naturally follow for all.

My List of Seven Fundamental Human Rights

Right to worship as you see fit
Freedom from Hate Crimes
Protection from Unprovoked Violence
Meaningful Productive Work
A Nurturing Environment (nutritious food, clean air & water, and shelter)
A Voice in your Community
Playtime

This is my opinion. I encourage you to make your own list and not to grapple with other’s lists too much. This helped me clarify my values and affects how I vote and donate money. It focuses my time as I follow international affairs.

How to Survive Waking Up from the American Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:39:00 +0000

It's an important time to remember that you are not your job, you are not your credit rating, and you are not your balance sheet. None of these things can give a person genuine peace of mind or joy. Only things that cannot be taken away from you by any outside force, things like your values and your love for your family and friends, can be relied on regarless of whether times are good or bad.

Here is a process that I use to center myself, regarless of my external situation.

1. Touch base with what’s really important to you- get grounded in your values.

2. Evaluate your skills & strengths- get grounded in what you have to offer.

3. Review weaknesses & fears. How are you getting in your own way?

4. Take a good hard look at relationships- express gratitude to family & friends.

5. Identify your priorities based on your values, positive traits, & relationships.

6. Save and direct your energy to your top priorities first.

7. Tackle your fears and weaknesses. Make your relationships right, become willing to do what it takes to apply yourself to your priorities.

8. Hone your skills, stay focused on what you have to offer.

9. Create value, use skills & strengths to help your family, friends, and community.

10. R & R to replenish your energy!

What is "Home"?

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:37:00 +0000

What constitutes “home”? As my daughter travels to the refugee camps on the Chad/Darfur border, I hear repeated over and over how strong the desire is to be at home. It’s got me thinking about how I define home.

1) The place where I have the freedom to state my opinion without any more fear of reprisal than lively discussion with friends and family is my political home.
2) The place where I come into contact with the divine is my spiritual home.
3) The place where love is waiting for me is my emotional home.
4) The place where laughter and good cheer abounds with others is my social home.
5) The place where I find shelter from the storm is my earthly home.
6) The place I go to use and expand my knowledge is my intellectual home.
7) The place that I have a hand in shaping is my creative home.
8) The place where I invest my resources is my fiscal home.
9) The place that contains my memories is my historical home.
10) The place that connects me to who I am is mine and my responsibility.

I suppose the list could go on and on. Some of us find these things grounded in one place, some of us wander our entire lives and only find a few of them. I’ve found them in a tent on the side of a frozen mountain, swimming in the ocean, in a bungalow on Queen Anne in Seattle, in my daughter’s eyes. I can only hope to give back to these places what they have given me, but I know that’s only a dream, because they have given to me so abundantly.

Today's Wish List

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:26:00 +0000

My Mom e-mailed me to ask what’s on my wish list today. I decided not to edit my list to try and “look good” or be “politically correct”. It’s better to examine our heart’s desires in raw form. Here’s my answer:

1) An end to Genocide in the hearts, minds, and lives of all humanity
2) A Chinese Calligraphy Teacher
3) Organizational Strategy and Legacy Planning Clients
4) A home overlooking the sea near my daughter (and/or in Morocco?)
5) A flat in London near my friends
6) An end to World War IV - terrorism - both mental and physical
7) That I was slim enough to wear Yves Saint Laurent in mourning

Living as a privileged first world citizen, I have a wish list with a broad range and even real hope that some of these things may come true. A freedom to hope and dream, even for trivial things, that I don’t take lightly.

I notice that what I want is concrete for me, theoretical for others. In my heart I feel Genocide and Terrorism are wrong but maybe, just maybe, I want an end to them because of their current impact on me personally.

And I notice that even if I do serve enough clients to own two homes, would that be justified? And will I feel sorry for myself if none of these things come to fruition? That would be a sad commentary on someone already so comfortable.

I can’t change what I want but maybe I can adjust what I think I must have. Why? So that I become the most loving person I can be, instead of the most wanting person I can be. Wants lead to things like terrorism and genocide. The only desires that seem justified are the ones that create more love, and only our hearts know the difference.

Stop Genocide Now

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:27:00 +0000

Save the Human Family

View my page on Stop Genocide Now

Life Maps

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:12:00 +0000

A Life Map is my reminder not to get too hung up on any one aspect of my life, and a reminder that the big picture can ironically bring me back to the precious moment of NOW.

Geographic features of my Life Map:

Creativity
Home
Body
Career
Finances
Emotional Life
Spiritual Life
Family
Friends
Mate
Social Life
Community
Cuisine
Education
Playtime
Meditation & Prayer
Sports
Opera
Philanthropy
Wardrobe
Art Collection
Book Collection
Jewelry Collection
Reading List
Current Affairs & Politics
My Car
My Blog

Okay WOW my life is rich and full. Overwhelming if I try to think about it all at once. I keep a life map to remind me of how many overlaps and layers there are, how many ways to focus my attention and energy.

I embrace a few areas with goals – no more than five at a time – and attach action items to enrich my experiences in those areas. The timeframe can be a day or a year. Some areas lay fallow or run on automatic for seasons or decades. The goals are a guide, not a rule or a stick.

The point is to love my life no matter what!

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:52:00 +0000

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M Pirsig pushed its way into my consciousness this week. I read it maybe twenty years ago and am tackling it again.

A favorite examination of values, culture, and sanity; an inspiration for those aspiring to understand their own mind and life while searching for peace on earth.

Says Pirsig: "The study of the art of motorcycle maintenance is really a miniature study of the art of rationality itself. Working on a motorcycle, working well, caring, is to become part of a process, to achieve an inner peace of mind. The motorcycle is primarily a mental phenomenon."

Do you have a "motorcycle"? I'm not sure I do...time to open my heart and see if one rides in.

Threats to Our Species

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:16:00 +0000

Greatest threats to the Human Species:

1) Lack of ability to respond to a nuclear emergency
2) Microbes
3) Inability to heal from emotional trauma
4) Addictions
5) Prejudice
6) Failure to nurture and educate our young
7) Consumerism

More later on what I think we can do to lessen the threat.

Wish I Had Done Sooner

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:56:00 +0000

1. Kept a bibliography of every book I've read.
2. Asked for a letter of recommendation on the spot from bosses, teachers, and clients who praised my work.
3. Started a journal/scrapbook of tickets, programs, and postcards with notes on all the wonderful things I get to do every day.
4. Kept a guestbook at all my homes and asked each visitor to jot a note.
5. Written short stories on rainy Saturday mornings.
6. Taken a walk after dinner with a loved one every evening.
7. Kept a journal of all my prayers, so I’m reminded how they were all answered.

A Fast Way to Learn

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Inspired by my daughter and inspite of common sense I recently joined a 100 day fast in solidarity with the victims of genocide in Darfur. I signed up for one day of fasting at the Stop Genocide Now website and made a contribution to the World Food Programme

I confess I did a liquid fast which included my morning tea, a protein drink and fresh vegetable and fruit juice. Thus I didn’t receive the full "gift" of the fast because I didn’t have to go through withdrawal from caffeine and sugar nor did I have to threaten my health.

I was, however, surprised at the benefits I did receive. A list of my revelations and ultimately the opening of my heart for one young girl in a refugee camp in Chad is reflected in my letter to her below.

Dear Zanuba,

I thought of you all day yesterday during my fast. I wondered if you were playing or singing songs or learning something new. I know one thing for sure, you did not have enough of anything you need. I wish I could come there and bring you everything you need to grow into a strong young woman. Because I believe you and each of your friends have something wonderful and important to contribute to our human family.

Dubai Cares just gave money- a lot of money -16.6 million dollars- to help educate Sudanese Children through Save the Children UK and Sweden. This seems like a good idea but all I could think of was how will you get your share of this education, in a camp in Chad? How can you learn when you are not safe or comfortable or fed? As a girl will you get your share?

I tried to work and fast yesterday. It was very hard to concentrate, to think. I wondered how you can learn anything new after days and days of not eating properly or sleeping well.

It was hard for me to sleep last night on empty stomach. I am cranky this morning- I have not yet had my breakfast. I want to be mad at everyone and everything. I am extra tired. I wonder if it must be hard for the adults to show how much they love you when they are cranky from not eating or sleeping well.

I know my fasting cannot change your life in the camp in Chad directly, but it will mean I will never forget you and your family and friends in the camps. I will think of you three times a day, at least.

Your Friend,
Kathleen

Give it Away NOW

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:42:00 +0000

I married early and by the time I graduated from college, we had accumulated an entire three-bedroom ranch house full of Respectable Stuff.

Sadly the marriage didn’t last and after graduation I headed from Tucson to Seattle in a small compact car to accept my first grown up job. I left everything behind except my clothes and a few important mementos secured in a carved Russian box.

The first night in Seattle, someone broke into my car and snatched the mementos off the front seat. The car window could be replaced but what about the Russian box? I couldn’t even rouse a satisfactory inventory of the treasured items. I was crushed.

Time flew by and even though I didn’t really miss nor need my Tucson Stuff I summoned movers who brought me what I had left behind. Decades passed. I accumulated more and more Seattle Stuff.

Time to move again. I discovered I had packed so much bulk into my little bungalow that it filled a HUGE moving van. When I reached the new house I realized that the Tucson Stuff and much of the Bungalow Stuff was no longer relevant, I was clinging on to it out of the fear that someday I might need it. I decided to give away everything I didn’t use.

At first it felt good. I gave my ten year old suits to a program for women attempting to get back on their feet. Then it broke my heart to see these brave women go to job interviews wearing outdated clothes I refused to be seen in. What if I had given the suits away as soon as I had stopped wearing them?

I filled an ENTIRE DUMPSTER with things too dingy from storage to even give away. I learned that Giving was much better than Having and infinitely better than Discarding. Look around your life and see what you can give away before it’s too late.

My List of Things to Give Away Now
1. Art supplies I haven’t touched
2. Novels I’ve read and won’t read again
3. Cookbooks – after I copy down a few recipes
4. Clothing that doesn’t fit or I don’t wear (once a year)
5. Unused Technology that still works - clocks, calculators, telephones
6. Sports equipment I don't expect to use again
7. Kitchen gadgets I’ve never used and will never use
8. Artwork I’ve grown tired of or is tucked out of sight
9. Unused beauty supplies
10. Classes on tape I’ll never listen to again

Occasionally a memento from the Russian box will float past my consciousness: my class ring, a LOVE button from the 60’s… the memories surface when I need them.

Giving sooner rather than later is now my act of faith.

I don’t worry about making a mistake. I’ll be okay regardless.

PS Others are following suit Voluntary Simplicity

Fundamental Human Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:48:00 +0000

It may be whiplash to go from one person on a desert island to the entire human race in one post, but I wanted to give a sense of the breadth and depth that can be covered when one contemplates lists.

In this list, I tried to include those things that I thought were actually possible, because we can individually assure them for each other and or they are available if mankind as a whole will cooperate.

If these are allowed, I believe things like peace, emotional support, education, and health care will follow naturally.

My List of Seven Fundamental Human Rights

1. Right to Worship as You Choose
2. Freedom from Hate Crimes
3. Protection from Unprovoked Violence
4. Meaningful Productive Work
5. Nurturing Physical Environment (I believe there are enough resources on this planet for all of us to have nutritious food, clean air & water, and shelter.)
6. A Voice in your Community
7. Playtime

This is my opinion. I encourage you to make your own list and not to grapple with other’s lists too much. This list helped me clarify my values and affects how I vote and donate my resources. It focuses my time as I follow international affairs and inspires me to take action when I believe it will support these values.

Desert Island Game

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:29:00 +0000

In honor of my Gramps.

This list is about luxury and sanity.

If you were banished to a desert island for a very very long time, what ten items would you take?

Assume you have only minimal clothes, shelter, fire, food, tools, medicine, and water on the island.

Assume you do not have electricity. Generators and batteries are not allowed on the island. No escape vehicles allowed.

There are no other people on the island, this is solitary isolation. You may have a crate of one item.

List of Ten Things I would take to a desert island:
1. Shakespeare, complete works
2. The Bible
3. A Hang (see a great post butuki absolutely-in-love )
4. My Giant Faux Mink Pillow
5. A Crate of Paper
6. Calligraphy Pen
7. Giant Block of Ink
8. A Poem by My Daughter
9. Magnifying Glass
10. Telescope

Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen Scott) — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:38:00 +0000

At age ten I didn't worry about my values, commitments, or priorities. I couldn't tell you what they were or where they came from. However, I did get an inkling from my favorite family game. At dinner Gramps would ask: 'If you were banished to a desert island FOREVER, what ten things would you take with you?" I received a shock at some of the answers given by my family and friends. You would take what?! A dictionary, a basketball, paint brushes, rose bushes, your hot water bottle. Is that what's important to you? Wow! Or, Why?

It made me realize there were things going on in other people's heads and lives that I couldn't imagine. It inspired me to take a good hard look at my own list, and thus, I honed my soul via Contemplation of the List for the first time.

Over the years I learned that lists of Chores To Do on Saturday, or Books Recommended by Friends, or Due Dates for Bills could enhance my quality of life and bring peace of mind. I used lists from "experts" to inventory my Spending, my Use of Time, my Insured Belongings, my Career Expectations. I relished using lists at work to break Impossible Assignments into Important Things to Accomplish Today.

Then I hit the heavy stuff. I used lists of Climbing Gear, Disease Symptoms, and The Unforgiven to save my life.

Sometimes fun, sometimes irreverent, sometimes spiritual, or grim, there was a lesson in every list I created.

I'm delighted to share my lists with you, and I would love to read your lists. I put them forth in no particular order of importance. Some will be lighthearted, some heavy handed. They keep me in my heart and on my toes.