Not a Poem

You are supposed to show, not tell. Not a poem, but let’s call it “Feather”

Feather

Haven’t grounded

since you left

feet not on

my place here

touching things

I don’t quite

reach them

I was lost

wayward

when you left

I am not

yet landed

since you left

surreal

just above

just outside

close

but so far

Peace

Love, song, touch

your not quite

hippie

child

sends.

C. Villeneuve

 

When Women Play Guitar

Smoking and Success

This question was on Quora today and I decided to post an answer, one learned from experience –

What smart strategies should poor kids do to succeed in both life and education?

There are many ways that this could take place but developing the strength to avoid succumbing to negative peer pressure could make all of the difference. Negative peer pressure is more prevalent and intense in poor neighborhoods and tends to be one of the main ways that poverty keeps its grip on families.

An excellent way to avoid the pitfalls of peer pressure would be to never start smoking cigarettes. I know this seems odd, but when someone makes a decision to do something that is so obviously bad for them, costly, and really has no positive return, they open a mental door that makes it easier to make more of those decisions.

Also, when a young person smokes cigarettes they are likely to spend time with other people who smoke in places where young smokers gather. If the smokers are young enough, these places will tend to be away from onlookers and therefore begin the process of disenfranchising from regular society.

When young smokers are at school they will hang out in the smoking area of the school rather than spend their lunch hour participating in sports or other healthier and more positive activities. Right from the get go the smoker is beginning to associate with other “rebels” and beginning to develop or strengthen cynical attitudes towards society.

So, based on the above, you have a poor young person who is choosing to engage in very risky behavior. You now have a cynical risk taker who is developing a peer network of others who are the same. Eyes begin to glaze over with belligerence and the habit of trying not to get “caught”.

If you can keep your kids from smoking cigarettes, you can go a long way to keeping them off of the wrong path. Schools could do a lot to promote staying out of the smoking area by promoting a lot of extracurricular activities and providing a lot of opportunities for high risk children to have safe places to do homework, develop talents, and access positive mentoring.

In short, keep kids out of the smoking areas of life.

C. Villeneuve

Traveling Wild Horses

A traveling version of the song Wild Horses, originally done by the Rolling Stones

Anarchy

Yes, actually, anarchy is the opposite of obedience, but that anarchy, again assumes garbed and positioned authority figures as a given. Anarchy, in this sense, implies rebellion, but true anarchy isn’t rebellion nor is it the opposite of obedience.

True anarchy takes place when individuals recover their own minds, hearts, and souls, and make that their governing compass. So, anarchy in that sense, is the only means to freedom. It is not an opposite then, because it does not assume any outer authority figure as an immovable or inevitable given.

True anarchy is the experience of self-ownership. That is the experience that makes anything possible because it makes all outer authority transient and illusory. It is how true freedom takes place. If common individuals expressed and interacted on the planet from that starting point, no outer authority figure, corrupt or otherwise, could hold the kind of power that has caused so many atrocities on our planet.

True anarchy is the journey to and experience of self-ownership. It is the basis of all sincere human rights activism. To thine own self be true.

Strong Dose of Innocence

I was given the gift of love tears today, they came with a song, a boat carrying balloons and a little artist girl, a summer afternoon with her friend, and the breeze  C. Villeneuve

I discovered this group a couple of days ago, came across this song and listened to it about 10 times, heart swelling, tears welling. They were not sad tears though, they were love tears. My little artist is now 32 years old and lives in a different province than I. This video and this song are a mom’s whisper to her children. Such innocence as this reminds of summer days. Innocence for adults is how I would describe the music that this group, The Weepies, make. Almost embarrassing for us toughened by the glamourizing of corruption and perversion, but worth the risk.  Enjoy –