The Melody Of This Moment / Oxford Apocalyptic Risks / Spring Break This Week

Dedicated to Brian Youngblood,
Associate Director of Bands and
Director of the Horned Frog Marching Band,
T.C.U. School of Music,
who has dedicated his life
to teaching and sharing his Love
of the astonishing beauty found
in the magic of music.
Thank you.
Rylee

There is a powerful sense of beauty in the melody of this moment.

Everything that could possibly happen
is waiting in the wings,
eager for its opportunity, its big moment.
And as soon as it gets a chance, it’ll happen.
Don’t take it personally.
– Christian de Quincy

The mind, in its natural state,
Surrendering to its fullness,
The astonishing beauty of the present moment,
Is not tarnished with harmful emotion.

We need do nothing to find inner peace,
Just listen to the sound
Of what feels warm to our heart.

Music – That Next Place

Immanuel Kant
Gave us insight into our perception of reality,
And the objects of our perception.
His was the realization that all we ever truly know,
Or think we know,
Is generated in our minds.
The world itself, what lies outside of perception,
“the thing-in-itself”,
Remains unknowable.

Now, did you do what Dr. A asked you to do?

Now, did you do what Dr. A asked you to do?

The night bird’s song
May be living a life of its own.
For in your mind,
Long after this tiny artist’s
Gifts of life and Love are gone,
The magic moment of its melody
May go on and on,
Like the music of your life,
In the heart and mind of another.

Music – Hymn to the Sea

A piece of music,
Composed with such Love,
Can drift through life
And remain suspended in our memory,
Without sinking,
Into what we assume,
Is our reality.

It may move through space and time,
As it transgresses what we imagine
Are laws that govern what is known.

Through your mind,
Such Celestial vibrations can wander
In seemingly aimless directions,
Although a pathway is charted,
As it creates warmth and tenderness,
With beautiful anticipation.

Music – Whisper of a Thrill

Effortlessly, the gift of music transports you

Sometimes it pays not to measure up.

Sometimes it pays not to measure up.

To a place of consciousness that lies
Outside the plane of awareness.
The delicate sound of a caressing song
Enables your mind to visualize images
Of what may be more real,
Than is real,
To you.

It may transcend the illusions of the material world.
With everything physical in perpetual motion,
In a dance of seeming indifference,
The imagination of the mind can freeze
A frame of pure emotion.

The shadow of its smile
May fall upon an image of what you truly feel,
A fragment of your creation,
Conveyed to the very heart of desire.

Music – Somewhere in Time

There is a powerful sense of beauty,
In the melody of this moment.

Sign bAwareness of this beauty,
Can set your mind truly free,
Make you feel so deeply,
That you are suddenly in touch
With your inner reality,
The essence of your being,
Revealed.

Music – Blessed are the Dead Which Die in the Lord

You are born free
to follow your heart.

Life is only worth living,
if you are born free.
– John Barry, Don Black

It can take you to a better place,
Much better than a house
Built upon so many dreams.
The music of your life
Can allow you to become
Fully aware of being,
In a truly effortless moment.

Music – Born Free

As Julito Tabalba  expresses:

  I thought they were gone – but hearing this song –
I could, for a moment, find me and my friends
racing against the wind – and hear while calling my name.
We continued the race through the endless land
that stretches so far and high that somewhere,
it finally meets the sky.
We had all the time in our hands
and everything we touch was ours then.

Experience what has been so

We don't explain them. We just train them.

We don’t explain them. We just train them.

Beautifully crafted for you.
The sounds of song,
The vibrations of life,
Are essential signals
On the path to intimacy,
To insight, to Love.

Music – In Paradisum from Requiem op. 48

My friends, relax and allow your mind to experience
The incredible softness
And healthy caress
Of the magical elixir of poetic moments and relaxing music.
There is no need for your mind to remain weary,
As you toil to exist day by day,
Harvesting a few meager moments of meaning,
From what can become
An unreal world.

Someone, somewhere,
Listens to hear your song.
They have been listening all day.
And your day is not long.

Its cadence is the very beat of your heart.

One day, in the brief dawn of this life,
You may hear your own song,
Mirrored in the heart of another,
Reflected off the walls
Of a world you never knew.
And its echoes will go on and on.

Music – Legends of the Fall

Let us pray,
It is not on the day
You die.

Hey! What can I say? He's gifted.

Hey! What can I say? He’s gifted.

“Pull out the chair
Beneath your ego,
And you will fall
Into the Heart of God.

Music – Unchained Melody

Oxford University scientists warn of these apocalyptic risks

From our friend , here’s the list of apocalyptic threats documented by Oxford University scientists:

1. Global pandemic
2. Super Volcano
3. Artificial Intelligence
4. Extreme climate change
5. Synthetic biology
6. Asteroid impact
7. Ecological collapse
8. Nanotechnology
9. Nuclear war
10. Government collapse
11. Global economic collapse

The report, covered in the Financial Times and also the Daily Mail, offers a scientific assessment of the twelve most likely risks of a literal apocalypse across our planet.

Artificial Intelligence, nanotech, synthetic biology and GMOs are all technologies that scientists say can only help humanity; yet that’s what they also promised about DDT, Agent Orange, nuclear weapons, chemotherapy and a long list of other sciences that were later used to cause widespread suffering and death.

Murphy’s Law says that if something can go wrong, it will.

Biotechnology has no special immunity against Murphy’s Law. Nor do AI research firms like Google, which has already developed weapons-carrying humanoid robots with laser rangefinders, following in the path of fictional Terminators from the realm of sci-fi.

               “Technology without wisdom is suicide.”

Now, it seems, even Oxford scientists are beginning to acknowledge the very real risks of pursuing runaway science, runaway global debt and runaway ecological destruction in the name of “profits.”

Leaning Out For Love / Civil War Museum

We dressed up for the stock show!

We dressed up                for the stock show!

From beautifully crafted music we weave together a tapestry of thought and reflection that brings meaning to our lives and fosters understanding of the world around us. We are all in need of finding within ourselves some significant degree of unity with the seemingly incomprehensible stage upon which we play.

The writers of song are the poets and philosophers of our day. Their innermost thoughts can provide a lamp post for the mind that pervades the darkness of our narrow dwelling here on earth. I am grateful to these gifted artists who, with no small measure of courage, reveal the innermost depths of their hearts for the benefit of us all. So please allow me to share a tapestry of their love and understanding, that in blending together, forms a clearer understanding of the greatest quality of being that we can have for ourselves and our beloved children.

Sia fell in love with a rabbit.

Sia found a Rabbit she loves.

From the exquisite song, Suzanne (Link) by Leonard Cohen, we find a deeply meaningful message:

“There are children in the morning.
They are leaning out for Love,
And they will lean that way forever.”

Yes, our children, all of our children, will today and forever be, “Leaning out for Love”. Sometimes we fail to understand the behavior of our children, when their message of love becomes entangled with other things that we do not love. We do not recognize that what we are bearing witness to is not the real message our children truly wish to convey, a message they struggle to share in their every thought and deed.

Alden wants a dozen of these beauties.

Alden wants a dozen                  of these beauties.

A good time was had by all.

A good time was had by all.

Our gaze has strayed from looking at the compass of our hearts and, instead, seeks to look far down the pathway of life ahead.

And in so doing, we lose our direction. And sometimes, we lose our way. And in trying to find our way back home, we look everywhere, but in our own hearts. And then, we are startled to discover that we are suddenly lost – set adrift upon a vast, seemingly endless sea, with no sight of the shore.

Allow me to introduce the stunningly beautiful thoughts, found within the of lyrics of “Heaven on Earth” by Spadecaller, with music by Thomas Newman:

“That Next Place”
(click here to listen to this song)

“Beyond the turbulence of anguished thought
We found this special place within
,
Where pride intrudes not on the soul of love,
Imposes not on another’s Sacred Journey,
Respects humbly the right to be wrong,
Accepts silently the right to be right,
Awaits not for the wrong to be righted.”

We found this special place together
After the turbulence of anguished thought faded,
After the vexations of bitter hearts perished,
After surrendering yesterday’s regret,
After giving away tomorrow’s worry,
After the allure of Utopian dreams,
Drove us to our knees
in Forgiveness.”

I told you, it's a school for the creative!

This inexplicable creature was found roaming the halls. Hey, it’s a school for the creative!

We are here, in this time and space, neither yesterday or tomorrow. But forgiveness may be found on this day, and it shall remain with you forever. For your forgiveness to be moment by moment, will find you to be forgiven. Then the love you sought to share shall remain embedded in the heart of your child forever.

“The weak can never forgive.
Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

– Mahatma Gandhi

On Friday, 1-31-14 we will meet at the Texas Civil War Museum (817-246-2323) 760 Jim Wright Freeway (Loop 820).

Drop-off will be at the Museum at 10:00 a.m. Pick up will be at the MUSEUM at 2:30 p.m.

What a surprise! It's Michael.

What a surprise! It’s Michael.

FINANCIAL: $8.50 fee for students & $10.50 for adults. This fee funds our docent program, slush fund for confederates reenacting the war and not fully accepting of Robert E. Lee’s surrender, and entrance to the museum (with a great lesson on the Victorian Lady). Please pay Dr. Anderson. Emergency Tele. No: 682-777-1908

The tub proved to be a popular gathering spot.

The tub proved to be a        popular gathering spot at the Stock Show.

LUNCH: We will dine at a nearby restaurant. Please provide funds. GIFT SHOP: Yes! They have a GREAT gift shop with items related to the war we have not necessarily lost!

Uniform pants with a belt & red monogrammed school shirt are required. Polish your shoes, the rebels are recruiting this week. This fabulous museum can be enjoyed by the entire family,

Students are NOT to leave the Museum or restaurant at any time for any reason, including the need to secure a ride, go off to war & whip the Yankees (which also requires a uniform, powder and gun) or use the restroom, without the approval of Dr. or Mrs. Anderson.

MUSEUM RULES
* No loud talking, running, or jumping or one of the new Anderson school staff will get you. (They are ALL ex-school principals. Notice their threatening gaze searching for any sign of misbehavior!)

* Stay with your chaperone at all times. If Dr. A seems jittery, he has had enough! Just offer him coffee with extra cream and allow him to quietly mutter incoherently to himself.

* Use clipboards for worksheets. Do not lean or write on exhibit display cases or walls or, you guessed it, Dr. A.

* No food, drink, candy, or gum is allowed inside. Give these items to Dr. A. He knows what to do with them.

* The museum has video surveillance & alarms so don’t be alarmed and please smile.

They reserve the right to refuse service and rough up those who do not wish to follow the rules of conduct. Now, there are exceptions and one of them is Dr. A. He is a good guy and won’t remember the rules, and he already looks roughed up.

IMPORTANT DATES
Feb. 1 Tuition Deposit Due for 2014-15
Feb. 7 Movie: Monument Men
Feb. 17 (Mon.) President’s Day Holiday
Mar. 10-14 Spring Break Holidays
Mar. 21 Texas Indian Market and Southwest Showcase (Arlington)

 A . n . d . e . r . s . o . n