March | 2011 | Words We Speak

“Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for the better in the sphere of our being as humans, and the catastrophe towards which this world is headed – be it ecological, social, demographic or a general breakdown of civilization – will be unavoidable. . . The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and in human responsibility.” — Vaclav Havel, President of Czechoslovakia in his address to the U.S. Congress

“Over the past week this quote has been going through our minds like a mantra as we’ve watched the news and contemplated the causes of so much of the suffering and the goodness that are at play in our lives and world right now. May we all develop our capacity to be honest with ourselves and each other, to see deeply and clearly the nature of our reality, to discern the likely consequences of our personal and collective decisions and to care deeply about the impacts of our choices for action or inaction, and awaken great compassion for all living beings that guides how we live together in this precious and fragile world.” — Joel & Michelle Levey, www.WisdomAtWork.com

I believe that Earth is a living organism and we are simply inhabitants much like ants on a hill. Divinity is our imagination recreating our reactions to what happens around us, rationalizing what it is we want it to be.

I’m thinking peace and quiet, harmony and being. For it is the threat of non-being that pushes us toward the future. Without that threat, effortless being would be achieved only if we could imagine ourselves being quiet and living in peace. My poem further illustrates my thoughts on this issue.

I AM, THAT I AM
By Joan Cartwright (Grateful Goddess)

What am I?
I am a Human Being.
A human being what
Being whatever my mind can envision.
What does your mind envision you being?
My mind sees me being a mentor, a teacher,
A guide to joy.
My mind sees me bringing joy to
And out of other humans being.

What do you envision your human being?

Gaiamind Poems is available at http://stores.lulu.com/divajc

Joan Cartwright’s Gaiamind Poems is available at http://stores.lulu.com/divajc

Jazz is not just a WORD! It’s an art form that came out of the African experience in America. It’s a music that spoke of the FREEDOM of Spirit of a people kidnapped, exploit and worked to death by a vile and vicious oppressor in the form of European slave traders and owners.

Fast forward to the 21st century!

[Miami Gardens, FL] I don’t agree that Jazz in the Gardens is so great. I have never attended but this event draws 35,000 deluded people. This year, there will be only two jazz artists, Al Jarreau and Branford Marsalis and <strong>NO female jazz artists</strong> at all. This is an outrage.

The people on this festival are R&B and that is NOT Jazz. They never have jazz. It’s an insult to me and all the real jazz musicians I work with and promote in my organization. That would be like having a reggae festival that features country & western.

It’s abhorrent but the City uses the word “jazz” for insurance purposes. And they should be ashamed of themselves for exploiting the cultural production of African Americans who think above their navel.

Bobby Brown, Lauryn Hill, Gladys Knight, Charlie Wilson, En Vogue, El Debarge, Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick, none of these are Jazz Artists, meaning that people like me who perform jazz are continually OUT OF WORK. We are never engaged by these cities to bring real jazz to the community. I worked day in and day out to promote jazz music in South Florida and get very little recognition by any of these so-called jazz promoters. They are liars and thieves of the “only true art form in America”. Ella, Billie, Carmen, Betty are turning over in their graves from this fraudulent false advertisement. If I had the resources, I would sue the City of Miami Gardens for this terrible and continuous offense that is killing the art of jazz and all the hard work that so many African Americans artists did in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

It is a huge insult to the hundreds of African Americans in South Florida who know what jazz really is. However, I’ve moved away from being the complainer because people in South Florida have no respect for the culture of African Americans anyway, unless it’s gospel.

I wrote a book about Amazing Musicwomen – see it at http://fyicomminc.com/books.htm
See also my book