Independence or Interdependence? Reflections on Freedom

In America we swear allegiance to the flag. Not to the Queen, as in Canada, where my "citizenship oath" in 1994 started with: "I swear allegiance to the Queen, to be Her loyal and faithful servant..."  We are not servants of the Queen of England, here in the U.S. We swear allegiance to the flag.  And we celebrate our Independence on the Fourth of July.  With parades, fireworks and parties. What's not to like? 

INDEPENDENCE DAY

 Red - are the rocks of the Grand Canyon

 White - are the mountains, shining with snow

   Blue - are the waves of Pacific Ocean

         Red, White and Blue - colors of all.  

       Red - is the Earth from which we come

        White - is the Air that fills our lungs 

          Blue - is the Water inside us, with Stardust

           Red, White and Blue - connected in all. 

              Red - is pure Love, deep in our hearts

               White - is the Brightness of our clear minds

                 Blue - is the Peace of well-lived lives

                    Red, White and Blue - freedom for all. 

  

© 2018 by Maja Trochimczyk

But are we really independent? Truly? From everyone? Are we really free to do whatever the heck we want? Or, is the freedom and independence that we celebrate on the Fourth of July something that can be imposed on others? Brought in tanks, with guns and bayonets? (Those are old-fashioned, now we should say: drones... so many ways of killing, so many wars...).  

There is a lot of war in the words for Stars and Stripes our national anthem, and I do not like those words: I cannot remember them, I always sing them from a slip of paper with printed text...

Instead, why don't we make our anthem America the Beautiful? A pure celebration of the riches and abundant beauty of our world? 

America the Beautiful (1904 version)

Based on a poem by Katharine Lee Bates

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet

Whose stern impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness.

America! America!

God mend thine ev'ry flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for glorious tale

Of liberating strife,

When valiantly for man's avail

Men lavish precious life.

America! America!

May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness,

And ev'ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears.

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.

Maybe we should celebrate Independence Day as an Interdependence Day? seeing that we are all connected, all depend on each other... We all need the Earth with its core elements - air, water, food - simply to exist in physical bodies on this beautiful blue planet of ours.  We are all One, says the Law of One...

We are interconnected in societies, too - it is easy to miss that if you watch the news or read the propaganda filled newspapers, always finding someone to hate, detest, reject, or attack. We can do better than that, we can love. We can live in peace and allow others to do the same, leave out their choices in their own way, as we do ours. What better way of life is there, but being creative, accepting, open, and loving?

Soaked by water guns, poets at the 4th of July Parade (with Dorothy Skiles).

Let's learn a lesson from those who were displaced and killed by white settlers to America: Native Americans. Our Independence Day was a day when their civilization on this continent started to being attacked. Over 30 million citizens of First Nations were killed in an extended genocide over the last two centuries. Their cultures were destroyed, too - and there are many wonderful lessons to learn.

Two Wolves. A Cherokee Tale

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandchild about life. " A fight is going on inside me," he says. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego." 

He continued. "The other one is good - he is joy, peace, hope, love, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion. The same fight is going on inside you- and inside every other person, too." 

The grandchild thought about this for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee replied: "The one you feed."

So let's not feed the dark and evil wolf of negative emotions and convoluted, distorted thinking. Let's feed the nice wolf of peaceful, harmonious emotions, constructive and creative thoughts, compassion, kindness and creativity. This would make us truly Independent, and yes, Interdependent.

But then, what about Freedom? What about Free Will and the right of personal Sovereignty? I love my Declaration of Sovereignty as a Citizen of this Galaxy.  I posted it on this blog last year
along with the whole text of the Declaration of Independence and a story of my Mom, who died on the Fourth of July.  There is never too much of the good thing, so here's my Declaration one more time:

My Declaration 

I am a sovereign citizen​ of the galaxy

My heart goes out​ to the mountains​.​

My feet grow roots​ in the light​.​

My eyes touch​ heavenly stars​.​

I breathe gold air​ of goodness​.​

I drink lucid​ water of joy​.​

​Nourished by divine affection, 

I thrive, ​l​inked ​to all living beings​ -​

​snow crystals, seeds, ​trees, and sunlight​.​

​In ​harmony,​ we sing the chorale​ of dawn​.​

I choose to love all,​ live in love​.​

I am a sovereign citizen​ of the galaxy​.​

It sounds quite pretentious, really, all these lovely images piled up, one after another - but the last two lines hold true, even a year later: "I choose to love all, live in love. I am a sovereign citizen of the galaxy." The gift of love is freedom.

Thus, I assert my Free Will and right to do what I want, with two caveats - one) that what I do is motivated by Love, and two) that what I do does not purposeful harm anyone or any sentient being. Since "sentient" includes animals, I became a vegetarian two years ago, once I really thought through the consequences of my Galactic Sovereignty.  When I was asked to become vegetarian years ago, I refused. I liked eating turkey for Thanksgiving. I was grateful, but was the turkey?

Finally, the fireworks: beautiful and deadly, a peaceful use of war technology. It is all fine and dandy, the colors are enchanting, the patterns in the dark sky delight with their transient grace, dancing through the air. Should we even have fireworks in California? In the arid West? So close to the vast expanses of forests and chaparral, dry and ready to explode into wildfire infernos from the smallest spark? 

Perhaps not, perhaps we should go to the ocean shore and watch the fireworks over the ocean. That would be as lovely as those that Charles Ives saw and immortalized in his Fourth of July: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8S1aGY80Us.

This is an amazing piece, discordant, chaotic, it captures the spirit of the day...

Happy Independence Day, Everyone!

My Declaration, Purpose and Intention - Found on the Road, With Pears and Whales

I walk down

 a sandy road, straight

into childhood

The question is, as usual, what is the best thing to do. Do I write this or that, go here or there, dig and plant in the garden, or write on my laptop all day, go swimming alone, or to lunch with poets, take that collect call or not... The question is, how am I to be sure that what I do is the best for me, and the best for everyone, and the best for the whole planet?

so many stars

in squares and clusters -

arriving home

I read recently and heard from my enlightened poet friend Susan Rogers that the best things are those that you feel joy inside when doing. So if I feel like getting that spade and shears, and go fight with that old root and trunk of the apricot tree that gave me two apricots in its entire career, before giving up on living - yes, that's what I should do.  And if it is time to go swimming, and looking at sunlight that scatters diamonds on the blue surface of water of the pool, while listening to children's laughter scattering in the air, yes, it is time to do that, too. And, if it is time to write in the evening or on my day off, that's the best use of my time. Actually, writing is the best use of my time, period. But to do it and sit sill on my patio chair, with a teacup nearby, I have to exercise my spine and muscles, i.e., have working spine and muscles. Hence the planting and digging and swimming and walking... 

overabundance

is the name of the game

for pear trees

But to write, you have to read, so I read sometimes things on the internet, some very strange things, sometimes order books over from used books on Amazon (at one cent plus $3.99 for delivery the price cannot be beat, unless you go to the bookstore at the local library, but then would they even have these strange kinds of books?). And some of the things are find are inspirational, some silly, some annoying, so I pick and chose between ideas, like picking the best pear from those that fell off the tree in an orchard. It will taste as if it were baked by sunlight, absolutely the best fruit you can have. But watch for those with rotting spots, you'll be sorry the next day. As always, the virtue of prudence is essential. And moderation. And the wisdom to choose what's best to do. Eat or not eat, this is the question. 

I pick a pear

from a happy orchard

of sun-baked fruit

So then, once full of pears, you can write what's on your mind. Actually I wrote my declaration while driving down to San Diego. It is "My" because I made it up, a "Declaration" because it is a formal statement of belief and purpose, and it has only 12 lines because that's the maximum I can remember, without writing down until I come down to a spot where I can stop and write down what's been formulating in my mind. On the way back, I read and recite to myself, line after line, and write down the final version upon arrival. So much fun! I call this genre the "Freeway Poetry" - you should try it, sometime. Beats road rage any time! 

happy hills

sing a happy song

in a happy valley

My Declaration 

I am a sovereign citizen​ of the galaxy

My heart goes out​ to the mountains​.​

My feet grow roots​ in the light​.​

My eyes touch​ the heaven of stars​.​

I breathe the gold air​ of goodness​.​

I drink the clear​ water of joy​.​

​Nourished by divine affection, 
I thrive, ​l​inked ​to all living beings​ -​

​snow crystals, seeds, ​trees and sunlight​.​

​In ​harmony,​ we sing the chorale​ of dawn​.​

I choose to love all,​ live in love​.​

I thank light for its warm brightness.
I thank trees for their oxygen-rich leaves 
graceful dance in the wind, and the flavors
of a fruit rainbow. I thank water for its lucid 
beauty, strength and patience —filling
streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans—
sparkling and sustaining  me, a parched 
droplet of stardust. I thank air 
flowing in my lungs and whispering 
in the treetops. I thank the Universe 
and stars that exploded eons ago 
into the miraculous gift of my body. 
I am grateful to you all.

I am a sovereign citizen​ of the galaxy​.​

My life is a song of gratitude.


I sing, I love, I sing.

A selfie in Julian, CA

Before getting to that point, I had to do some spiritual exercise and think through what I have been doing on this planet and what's my job to do for the rest of my time on this planet.  This was an interesting exercise and got me into a corner for a while, because I absolutely did not know where to start? Then, I had a revelation while swimming as I often does, the rhythmic motion is excellent for letting the mind wander and find things and ideas that are simply wonderful.  Why don't I start from what I do each day, each week, each month? Maybe I'm already fulfilling my purpose and doing what I intend to do? 

I was asked once by a friend: "What would you give to be twenty years younger?" He said, "I'd pay at least $100,000" - that's $5,000 per year, I thought, pretty cheap. But I answered: "Nothing, I already live a perfect life and I'd never want to re-live again those difficult years that I barely survived and now I'm thriving!" So, since I'm already doing what I'm supposed to be doing, here it is: 

My Purpose and Intentions

My purpose is to love and share, with joy and gratitude, the infinite, luminous beauty of the natural and human-enhanced world, as seen, heard, felt, sensed, and comprehended.

My first intention is to be always grateful and happy for being alive, on Earth, in sunlight: breathing, walking and swimming; feeling connected to all living beings, visible and invisible – from air and water to distant galaxies, all sharing in the infinite love and presence of the Divine.

My second intention is to grow in love and knowledge of the Divine Love and Light, through contemplation of sublime beauty of revealed wisdom and the communion with the Divine Presence in my heart.

My third intention is to be always loving and caring for “my people” in ever increasing circles of Love, from my children and family, to strangers – in kindness, compassion, and generosity of the gentle, loving heart.

My fourth intention is to observe and capture in words (poems) and images (photography) the richness of natural beauty, from rock formations through cloud patterns, and everything in-between: plants, trees and flowers; leaves and petals; the noises of bees or breeze in the trees; melodious patterns of birdsong; the calming rhythm of ocean waves; the sweet scent of orange blossom in the spring;and many surprising delights yet to be discovered.

My fifth intention is to care for my garden and environment: plant, trim, water, and admire all the plants that surround me and create a healing shelter for me and for all the living beings that make it their home, from bees and crickets, to songbirds. I intend to fill my environment at home and work with harmonious, uplifting beauty.

My sixth intention is to observe, capture and contribute to the inspired beauty of the arts and to document the details of what I see, hear, and admire in words (essays and poems); I intend to understand creative individuals, composers and artists, to study their biographies and ideas, and to convey this understanding to others.

My seventh intention is to bring harmony and balance to the Earth through being aware, witnessing, enjoying, caring for, and sharing its natural and human-enhanced beauty, from the mountain ridges on the horizon, to the balanced beauty of gardens, filled with refreshing scents and sights, and to the inspiring harmonies of music.

My eighth intention is to teach others to see, hear, feel and record the positive, harmonious, joyous, and serene aspects of their lives, so they enjoy the path of compassion and gratitude that is full of new blessings every day.

My ninth intention is to leave a legacy of my unique life on two continents, in three countries, two languages and cultures, so that my pathway leading to the discovery of the Divine Love and Presence everywhere, in everyone and everything, helps others in their search for the One Love, the One Source of All.

My tenth intention is the Victory of Light! This means the transformation of Earth into the true Garden of Eden, peaceful, harmonious, blossoming with an abundance of gifts for all living beings and creatures, a Paradise that it has been designed to be, and is meant to become!

~Maja Trochimczyk

The amazing philosopher-artist Scott Froschauer made some road=signs that express similar ideas in fewer words:

Artwork by Scott Froschauer

Artwork by Scott Froschauer

I added "My Declaration" to the "Into Light" book of inspirational poetry, that also gained a poem about whales and their song. Did you know that whales and dolphins are that amazing set of extra-terrestrial species that were placed on our planet to constantly patrol its waters, measure the level of love in our world, and increase it by their song, resonating from the deep, coast to coast? No? 

That would explain why Californians and bi-coastal peoples are so inspired, when compared with the rest of the country, I thought when I read this story. They are simply so much closer to the whales. Just kidding, what about the landlocked Tibetans? 

Then, it made me think of my "totem stone" I got once, years ago, while traveling through a Native American reservation in Canada. I kept it, though I did not like it one bit, initially. Why should I be as large and clumsy as a whale? We use this word as an insult for women... And, why a killer whale? 

Now, though, I'm far more positive about my animalistic "patron saint." I love water, swimming, freedom, singing, and the graceful, smart, and beautiful orcas that teach me to love it all, their way. So here's my poem about whales:

A Whale of a Song

They sing, as they ride the waves,

laughing.  They sing to the depths

of the ocean, reaching sand on the bottom,

submerged peaks and valleys. Their song

echoes through the crystalline expanse

of the sky, bounces off the translucent

rays of starlight.

They dance on the waves, weaving

the web of love from their song.

In the invisible rhythm of seven billion

heartbeats, they encircle the globe,

traversing all the oceans.

Did you know

that whales and dolphins

are our cosmic guardians?

Did you know

that Orca the Whale

is my patron saint?

I have a totem stone to prove it, a gift

from a seer who once told me:

Do not forget to listen

to life-giving music.

Do not ever forget

the song of the whales.