Saturday Links for the Week — November 24, 2007

Dry Season, by the astounding and talented artist Mary Mattingly
(check out her 7-firm oligopoly posts)

Mostly about love, conversation and community this week. My new holy trinity. All I am thinking about, and all I seem to care about these days.

No Love Left in the World: A lovely little Thanksgiving post from Jen Lemen. A heartbreaking work of staggering genius.

A Polyamorous Potpourri: Since I’ve recently become somewhat obsessed with this subject (in the context of creating natural intentional community), I’ve been reading a lot about it. Here’s some of what I’ve discovered. Thanks to the wonderful women who pointed these articles out, and who, just to be on the safe side, I won’t publicly identify here:

Polyamorism in the news
Polyamorism weekly blog
Polyamorism – livejournal (just rich conversations, and so, extremely useful)
Monogamy vs Polyamorism – a startlingly candid view from a guy who’s living it
The Green-Eyed Monster – managing jealousy in polyamorous/open relationships

Stephen Downes on the Reality of Virtual Learning: This guy’s just brilliant. Learning as flow, and everything you thought you knew about reality is wrong, or at least subjective. Just go listen/read/browse.

Jeff Buckley’s Everybody Here Wants You: Melisa’s nomination for most romantic song ever, a perfect choice.

Thought for the Week: from The Feet of Duende by Michael Meade (thanks to Eric Lilius for the link)

Duende is anything that knows earth, that has black sounds, anything that has enough shadow and blue descending to black. Pena Negra, the black sounds that rise from the mystery of ’Äúthe root fastened in the mire’Ä¶the fertile soil that gives us the very substance of art.’Äù The mysterious sense of life wound around death speaking dark sounds into the ear of memory, whispering where the breath of day gathers in the blindrecesses of the soul.

2 Responses to Saturday Links for the Week — November 24, 2007

Stephen Hinton says:

November 27, 2007 at 01:27

I’ve been watching as your focus has been drawn towards polyamory and community, fascinated. A few comments. Looking through all the recipies that have been proposed for HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD – and having researched and written a cook book myself (Inventing for the sustainable planet) – I, too, have come to the conclusion that love is the answer. Don’t get me wrong, I have spent years looking into permaculture, energy descent, peak oil, biogas, biodiesel, intentional communities you name it. All these things are good and can be used – but we have to explore our own fundamental nature in order to understand where these fit in. When I am happy in myself and content I am generous, I solve problems with my fellow men, I give and take. When I am unhappy and feel threatend I am unaccomodating. This message is of course, not new, but I am glad to see it is even coming to the United Nations as a way to bring peace to the world. No one says it better than Prem Rawat. (http://www.tprf.org/podcasts.htm)The other thing is about sex and relationship addiction. In terms of giving a “buzz” these are some of the most powerful things on earth, I am sure these forces are there for natural reasons. Unfortunately troubled people can flee to these forces and what could be a wonderful experience turns into a situation of abuse. So to really enjoy these forces one needs to be in touch with ones true nature. I do hope the virtual communities springing up do not result in new types of addiction.
Siona says:

November 27, 2007 at 14:48

Perhaps I’m merely exposing my own bias here, but the topic of your blog IS ‘How to Save the World,’ and if anyone asked me to come up with an answer, my reply would be “through community, conversation, and love.” You’ve no idea how much your opening sentence made me smile.