Being Naomi Shihab Nye III (In Honor of Aziz Shihab)

Here is my dear friend the poet, Naomi Shihab Nye, and her dad, Aziz Shihab speaking about his memior, Does the Land Remember Me?



Mr. Shihab passed away last year and we are blessed that he was here. During this time, I am thinking of my friend, Naomi.



Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on Earth,
the peace that was meant to be.

With God as our Father,
brothers all are we,
Let me walk with my brother,
in perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me,
let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
let this be my solemn vow,

To take each moment and live each moment
in peace, eternally.
Let there be Peace on Earth,
and let it begin with me.

Words and Music by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller, Circa 1955

Being Inspired by Others

It was during the time after 911 that the then 74 year forever young legendary soprano, Leontyne Price, offered this blessing to America.

In this current difficult season for many remember God still has blessed America and we have much to be grateful for and inspired by.

Be encouraged.

Being James Reeb

There are many civil rights activists that I know, including Viola Liuzzo, a Unitarian mother from Michigan who was murdered after the Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama, and some that I am coming to know.

Today I learned of the sacrifice of Reverend James Reeb, the Boston Unitarian minister who responded to an urgent telegram from Dr. Martin Luther King to participate in a non-violent march in Selma, Alabama.

Many thanks to the Unitarians for their love, sense of justice, and bravery. It's not by accident that in the very heart of such unrest both were of this particular religious denomination from two different states. People of other faiths fought non-violently too.


Reverend Reeb and two other Unitarian ministers responded to Dr. King's call. The day after their arrival in Selma, he and the other ministers were beaten by four white assailants. Reverend Reeb later died after having taken blows to the head. Dr. King eulogized the good reverend:

"And if he should die, take his body, and cut it into little stars. He will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night"

These beautiful words from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet so eloquently describe the radiant life of James Reeb. He entered the stage of history just 38 years ago, and in the brief years that he was privileged to act on this mortal stage, he played his part exceedingly well.

With the election of Barack Obama, it is very important to remember that many people have brought us to this very day. These include dedicated Abolitionists who lead the Underground Railroad and the Iowan voters who delivered that initial victory for President-elect Obama, without which this day would not have been possible.

Being Symbolic

Flanked by a team of outstanding financial advisers and governors of hard-hit states, framed by a series of American flags, President-elect Obama delivered his first news conference since the campaign. For those looking for the President-elect to offer detailed solutions to the current financial crisis, beyond what was said during the campaign, you looked for far too much. While we only have one president at a time, the image signaled presidential confidence and calm. The symbolism was not lost.

Being General Motors

Listening to a clip of Rick Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors, explain that the fate of Lehman Brother cannot be that of General Motors, I thought of the possibility of further job losses in my state and throughout the country. Wagoner insists that GM cannot share the fate of Lehman Brothers and a financial rescue package is necessary. Not too many would disagree that GM cannot fail; a failure would be far too systemic.

Being from Michigan and seeing the effects of plant closings and the impact on many other ancillary businesses, including suppliers of all kind, it seems critical that General Motors can't fail. It seems surreal that we are talking about the possible failure of GM. Such a failure would be both immensely systemic and emotionally devastating. The latter cannot be understated.

General Motors can't fail. But in thinking about a financial rescue package, how are we assured that the rescue will be used properly? (Banks were given a bailout which was suppose to stimulate the economy and they're not lending.) How are we assured that more jobs will be created here in the US to include perhaps green initiatives? How are we assured that there will be productive engineering and not merely the financial kind. For example, Cerberus Capital Management's buyout of Chrysler may indicate more of the latter. This firm also owns 49 percent of GMAC, GM's financial arm.

In considerations of a financial rescue package, how are are we assured that management and production will run more effectively, even more so in booming times as preparation for leaner ones? How do we know that this is not a Band-Aid? How are we assured that there will not be one bailout after another? How are we assured that the massive red tape that goes into production will be replaced with a better streamlined system?

I don't have the answers but I have plenty of questions. Any insight?

Being Manic Depressive

In an informative interview yesterday on CNBC with Nassim Nicholas Taleb, he described the market as "manic depressive." (The variables are many relating to human proclivities.) But there also seems to be something else that defines the market: hopeful in bad times. Today the Labor Department reported that Americans lost 240,000 jobs in the month of October. The market is up. With all the job losses I, for one, am feeling down.

Being the Change

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

--Mahatma Ghandi