tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197816142011-12-23T10:03:00.985-05:00NOTES OF AN ICONOCLASTLarry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-10476234295825735852011-12-22T20:18:00.000-05:002011-12-22T20:22:36.019-05:00

Another solstice and i'm reminded more than ever that i don't have any time to waste. I feel there's still work for me to do before i shuffle off this mortal coil. I had thought my contribution was to organize the world's wisdom but it seems Intelligence has other ideas and has hit on me, innumerate candidate that i am, to bring a new economic theory to light. It struck me as ironic but, as the

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-74171470223597203562011-10-14T19:16:00.009-04:002011-10-14T21:01:35.632-04:00

I fully support the Occupy protests and gratified that some people are waking up and making their objections known. I place the demonstrations in the context of the Arab Spring uprisings and other demonstrations throughout the world. They have a common cause even if they have not identified it exactly - the economic inequity of the monetary system. To be successful, the single demand of each of

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-8498977277619504432011-10-08T19:39:00.006-04:002011-10-08T23:53:48.065-04:00

The chickens seem to have come home to roost as young people, unable to get ahead, while saddled with unserviceable student loans, and older folk, unable to find jobs in a shrinking economy, are taking to the streets to express their disgust at a system which has left out 99% and benefits only 1%. The Occupy Wall Street movement has taken inspiration from Tahrir Square, practicing direct

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-38979095454500570932011-08-13T13:37:00.009-04:002011-08-15T18:18:10.520-04:00

It’s not just that the threat of a double-dip recession has become very real. It’s now impossible to deny the obvious, which is that we are not now and have never been on the road to recovery. ~ Paul Krugman, "Wrong Worries," New York Times, August 4 2011 So now the band-aid has been applied and, in the temporary respite it has provided, the mantra will be repeated ad nauseam by every pundit

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-81176059890402121042011-07-27T17:06:00.006-04:002011-07-28T10:39:45.406-04:00

This whole brouhaha over the debt ceiling and deficit reminds me of nothing so much as the medieval church fathers' respective positions on the number of the angelic host that could fit on the head of a pin. Whether or not either side, or none, were right would not affect the state of grace of the average penitent, or in the instant case, the economic state of the average wage slave. The system

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-70096628174979039342011-03-27T21:46:00.000-04:002011-04-03T21:08:46.269-04:00

Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of its filling a vacuum, it makes one.~ Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790 ~ It's been a while since i had a real job, not since i walked out of my assistant manager position at an art supply store. I had high hopes of becoming a writer/publisher and though

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-88772378288226216052010-12-27T21:10:00.002-05:002011-03-30T22:43:25.599-04:00

The knowledge that we will die burns out our attachments to the dignified madness of our socially constructed existence. Death is an ally that helps us to release our clinging to social position, material accumulation, and superficial desires as a source of ultimate security. ~ Duane Elgin, 1943- ~ Last year this time i was beset with a series of aches and pains which gave me cause for

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-73775683157654078152009-12-21T18:54:00.003-05:002011-03-17T21:54:54.122-04:00

This is the true joy in life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-4202674690837930532009-11-17T20:19:00.000-05:002011-03-17T21:58:33.360-04:00

Whether you and I and a few others will renew the world some day remains to be seen. But within ourselves we must renew it each day. ~ Hermann Hesse ~Both my books, Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing and Wisdom for the Soul of Black Folk are still available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. These books are my bread and butter so if you haven't bought yet

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-13293672058008749262009-09-25T22:00:00.001-04:002011-03-17T22:09:15.868-04:00

One of Transition's key mechanisms is to set up a local currency to unify the community, encourage self-reliance and resilience. To this effect i started the Greater Washington Exchange to issue Potomacs. Here Dr Rogate Mshana, economist with the World Council of Churches, purchases the first Potomac at the Forum on Faith, Economy & Ecology, Washington DC, May 3 2009 where i was invited to

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-17675343664872332982008-12-23T19:29:00.006-05:002009-02-18T20:02:27.573-05:00

This is supposed to be the season of good cheer, right? I don't mean to dwell on doom and gloom, though i have every reason to. Having always been of the half-full glass persuasion, i consider the present age the most wonderful time to be alive, and see this crisis, the likes of which has never been seen, as an opportunity to clear the decks and set things up right for once. The election of

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-33607992300796221122008-12-20T23:22:00.003-05:002008-12-20T23:40:34.156-05:00

I'm going to venture a prediction that we will look back at this year as the last normal one, despite the challenges and tribulations that beset us. It may not seem so now, but we will look back at 2008 with nostalgia and longing. We've had a few intimations of what's to come but i daresay most people don't realize just how much life as we know it will change. It doesn't matter whether you're in

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-81460299297370114652008-06-01T20:10:00.009-04:002008-06-02T00:07:15.659-04:00

Why not right here in DC?Taking to heart the wisdom i've collected in my book Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennium of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing, start where you are with what you have. Ok, i'm here and what do i have? The will, the vision and some skills. I've discovered there are already some in the DC area who are interested in the idea of an intentional community, in permaculture, in

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-14861503297139917722008-05-29T12:46:00.021-04:002008-12-08T19:12:21.321-05:00

Many experts have figured that supplies of readily accessible oil will soon no longer be available. The cost of gasolene continues to rise without any relief in sight. There is a scramble to substitute bio-fuels, mostly ethanol derived from corn, which has diverted production away from food for human and animal consumption, thus driving up the price of grains. Along with global warming and its

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-78432263140821282382008-05-28T19:17:00.013-04:002008-12-08T19:12:21.439-05:00

A confluence of factors have influenced me into thinking about acquiring my own home. I was granted permanent residence in the US a couple months ago and thought it might be good to put down some roots now that the spectre of being rudely shipped out is that much less likely. In the current housing crunch, the ads have very convincingly said i could be paying much less for a house than i'm paying

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-66802454647002386712007-12-31T17:45:00.000-05:002008-01-01T19:16:37.460-05:00

Every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the world’s phenomena intersect, only once in this way and never again. ~ Herman Hesse, 1877-1962 ~ Fun and joke aside, we have a lot to be thankful for. Just to get up this morning and see another day is gift enough. The prospect of seeing another year,

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-72034729639423281242007-12-21T14:41:00.000-05:002008-12-08T19:12:21.759-05:00

Celebrate, then, the days of rejoicing and do not tire of them. For lo, none may take their goods with them and none who depart ever come back again.~ Khemetic Book of Songs ~ The sorrel is drawn, dark and strong, biting with white rum and fresh ginger, the way i like it, served chilled, no ice, in wine goblets. I had the best intentions of making steamed pudding, the dried fruits soaking since

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-16363334216760321962007-12-13T11:13:00.000-05:002007-12-13T12:59:07.061-05:00

If you meet the Buddha on the way, kill him.- Zen koanI was hurrying down Georgia Avenue to satsang which i convene so i didn't want to be late. I swept past a male version of the baglady, a rotund African-American freighted with shoppers, greeting everyone calling them by name. They addressed him as Baby Ray. "How ya doin?""Hey Master, Teacher!""Piece a shit!"Only then did i realize he was

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-46300182186509995682007-11-22T11:08:00.000-05:002008-12-08T19:12:21.842-05:00

Proverbs are full of poetry and twists. They are made up of words that have been molded for centuries, if not milleniums, until a minimum of words carry an extraordinary potential for meaning.~ Gaston Kaboré ~ Have you ever observed that we pay much more attention to a wise passage when it is quoted than when we read it in the original author?~ Philip G. Hamerton ~ The new book is out and i've

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-6916011057344656412007-05-17T19:10:00.000-04:002008-12-08T19:12:21.963-05:00

The book is done and out - not down and out, hopefully - on bookshelves in stores and libraries across America, and in homes across the world, in some pulpits too. I've done what i could to flog it through personal appearances, interviews and book fairs, and will continue to promote it as a perennial, if not best, seller. It's up to you all to hold up your end and go buy a copy. If the

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-1135291009540456922005-12-22T17:31:00.000-05:002005-12-22T17:59:17.156-05:00

In order to start, we must make a decision. This decision is a commitment to daily self-cultivation. We must make a strong connection to our inner selves. Outside matters are superfluous. Alone and naked, we negotiate all of life's travails. Therefore, we alone must make something of ourselves, transforming ourselves into the instruments for experiencing the deepest spiritual essence of life.

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-1135290299969498082005-12-21T13:48:00.000-05:002005-12-22T17:58:03.730-05:00

Objects are defined subjectively. Since objects are defined arbitrarily, this gives rise to your arbitrary subjectivity.- Fuyan Qingyuan, 1067-1120You must see the infinite, i.e., the universal in your particular or it is only gossip.- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., 1841-1935A minor cyclical adjustment within the solar system has exercised the minds of humankind for millennia, giving rise to beliefs

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-1134351451937607762005-12-11T19:45:00.000-05:002005-12-15T22:17:53.346-05:00

You must not procrastinate. Rather, you should make preparations so that even if you did die tonight, you would have no regrets. If you develop an appreciation for the uncertainty and imminence of death, your sense of the importance of using your time wisely will get stronger and stronger.- Dalai Lama, 1935- A couple weeks ago i was having chest pains and was whisked off to the ER and admitted to

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19781614.post-1134340094072997442005-12-11T17:07:00.000-05:002005-12-19T12:49:33.670-05:00

Think of all the years passed by in which you said to yourself “I’ll do it tomorrow,” and how the gods have again and again granted you periods of grace of which you have not availed yourself. It is time to realize that you are a member of the Universe, that you are born of Nature itself, and to know that a limit has been set to your time. Use every moment wisely, to perceive your inner

Larry Changhttps://profiles.google.com/101789125903697704949noreply@blogger.com0