Greetings Venusians and Earthlings too,

Normally I greet you as Venusians but I’m feeling all inclusive right now. My goal is for us to reflect on nationalism for a moment because one day we may have to say down with planetism.  So why not start with being aware of the pros and cons of borders or what we call nations. Every law and line is what we decided to create. There are pros and cons to each. When we remember this truly anything is possible when we seek to progress. I think we will always have differences that can either be celebrated in love or feared and dismissed with indifference and people will always roam because of it.  I got in a few conversations with friends who were really angry after the Boston bombings and wanted revenge.  I can relate but my concern is always if there is revenge then what. Does it solve our problem? Howard Zinn once said “How can you have a war on terrorism, when war itself is terrorism?”

We all know education and prevention are key and we’ve practiced war to no end and seem to be getting no where.  I just want to practice peace too.  Or can we be proactive and nurture the spirits of our children throughout their lives and even before they enter this realm. Alan Cohen in his book “The Wisdom of the Heart” talks about a nation or tribe in Africa that doesn’t punish people for anti-social behavior they just remind them who they are and how loved and unique their spirit is through song. In this place the mother hears the song of the child before she even names him or her. If everyone was singing your song about your triumphant over challenges, I think you’d return to love a lot faster. The truth can be so simple, it’s startling.

In my book Lyrics for Langston there’s a poem I selected to share with you on video for this poetry month, in hopes it will produce more world citizens and inner peace as we attempt to prevent more senseless violence.  

So what’s a world citizen you ask?  A world citizen is someone who appreciates the interconnected nature of our planet. A world citizen is committed to acting on behalf of humanity everywhere. If I have it my way these humane beings might even be open to being citizens of the universe.

Feel free to leave comments here  and on youtube. 

Questions for Discussion

Do you think nationalism hinders peace?
Is world citizenship scary to you and if so why?
What effect does music have on establishing our values?  What messages are in your music?
Do you think every child should come in the world with a loving and inspiring song that’s dedicated to their journey?