Blind Yoga, Woodstock, NY (2025)

10/23/2025

From Fear Toward Courage: Part 5

An Unstable Fable?

Once upon a time there was a nation of people who lived in peace. Their lives were filled with laughter and tears, joy and pain, just like the daily rising and setting of the sun and the moon, and the coming and the going of the seasons. Life had its ups and downs, but it was a good life and one that everybody understood.

Then one day a new leader took over, and started hurting good citizens for no apparent reason. Most people were stunned at the weird behavior. But they all felt it was wrong. Some complained. Some watched but then turned away. They didn’t want to see. It was too painful for them.

As things got worse, more and more people began to turn away. Everybody now knew the harsh treatment of good people was horrible. But many became more scared of the violence. They kept turning away. They chose to not see. For them, the truth of the situation was too hard to bear, and much too scary to do anything about. So they simply chose to not see.

Some chose another path to not see. They decided to join the mean leader and his cruel enforcers. It was too hard for them to see what the leader was doing. Resisting became way too scary, but joining the leader gave them a chance to feel more secure, at least for a while. Unfortunately, those who followed the mean leader also were harshly treated by him, , and, in time, suffered as well.

Both groups who chose to not see ended up suffering greatly as the leader became more and more ruthless. All their lives were horribly compromised. Those who did their best to stand up against the mean leader started calling those who would not see, the “notsees.”. Are you one of them?

“None are so blind as those who will NOT See.”

10/03/2025

From Fear Toward courage: Part 4:

Don’t Complain, Organize!

We as a country are at a crossroads. We, as a strong democracy, have had the desire to do the right thing, and succeed by playing by the rules. Or at least it has appeared that way on the surface for years. We always knew that some corruption existed, but it was more or less taking place in the dark, and down alleys that were off the beaten path. It was ugly, but we did our best to turn the other way.

But now the blatant corruption of our current administration is front and center, and those in charge have no desire to hide their corrupt intentions. After the initial shock, we did our righteous best to look the other way, quietly wishing the whole mess was going to get better, somehow. But it hasn’t gotten better. No. In fact, it’s gotten consistently worse.

What to do? On the surface it looks mighty bleak. But the Jimmy Kimmel experience showed us all that we have a bottom line as Americans. Don’t mess with our free speech. That’s a horse of a different color! The sleeping giant has awakened, and we are that giant. We are now awake, and we just had a glimpse of our power as a nation. It’s economic power. This is where capitalism intersects with democracy. It’s called purchasing power. If we stop buying, the corporations will be forced to bend their knees to our wishes. That’s right. To OUR wishes!

Courage and power are ours to take… if we join together. Remember what happened when we started boycotting Tesla car dealers? Tesla stock plummeted and a couple of weeks later Elon Musk was nowhere to be found. Powerful corporations don’t want us to know about “people power.” It’s one of their greatest fears.

More to do down the road. On October 18th we are planning another “No Kings” national protest to show the administration that we will not lie down anymore and let them push us around. Remember Tessler? What’s next? Maybe we should join in to get a few big trucks to block a couple of big highways. Maybe we should organize a general strike throughout the country. Why not? We are awake now. We see our power when we work together. Nothing can stop us if we stay organized, and strategically use non-violent economic means to shift the power, from them, and to US. It’s scary. It’s not comfortable. And it wouldn’t hurt to pray for divine intervention. But praying alone won’t save our country. No. Remember John Lewis said, “When you pray, move your feet.” In other words, don’t complain, organize!

** One way you can organize is to share this article widely, if you are inspired to do so. Thanks.

08/27/2025

From Fear Toward courage, Part 2

We’ve Been Hijacked!

A few weeks ago I watched a movie called “United 93” about the horrific events that took place on September 11, 2001 in our country. But the film did not focus on the successes of the hijackers. I personally did not want to relive that incredibly painful day in our country’s history anyway. But this movie was all about what happened to the plane that was destined to crash into the White House, but never did.

The plane tragically crashed in Shenksville, Pennsylvania, and although all died on the plane, the hijacker’s plans were thwarted. It’s 24 years since September 11, 2001, but ironically, the white House, unscathed from the tragic and horrific events of 911, has quietly been taken over by Trump and the folks in his administration.

Throughout the film I was fascinated with the initial behavior of the innocent and naive passengers on the ill fated plane, and their slow, but steady shift, from fear and confusion toward their heroic acts of courage, once they began to learn of the plan of the hijackers.

The film is worth renting and watching. I was mesmerized by the intensity that took place at the air traffic control towers, as well as with the life threatening situations the passengers found themselves in. but my reaction was palpable when I realized, oh my god, that we Americans are going through the same exact hijacking experience with the Trump administration. Yes. Our country has been hijacked!

Homework: Please watch the film, United 93 and focus on the passengers, and how they woke up to the perilous situation. Americans were on that plane, and americans are waking up, in a similar fashion, to our current situation.

** Please share this widely if you are moved to do so. thank you.

06/12/2025

The Courage to Care

Friends, What you see happening today in LA may be the beginning of a long, hot and volatile summer. Our way of life may be at a crossroads. It’s very scary for any of us who are still open to feeling our humanity. Surely we’d all prefer to be joyful, but at this moment the emotion at hand is FEAR. Are you feeling it? Or are you numb?

All our lives we’ve been trained to either freeze when scared, fight desperately, or run away when threatened. But now we must make a new decision to face the fear while acting in anew way. At the end of the next paragraph is an old quote from a cherished spiritual leader named Ram Dass. Please read it and think about his words. He speaks about a good strategy.

I also want you all to know that I have been totally blind for over 50 years since the end of the war in Vietnam. Yes, I am a blind veteran. I learned over the years to face my fears. It took me a long time, but I found that facing my fears helped me create a meaningful and half way decent life for myself. I learned that just crossing the street brought up incredible fear. But facing that fear took lots of courage every day. It wasn’t comfortable and it wasn’t fun. But I learned that when you keep deciding to face your fears, well they lose their power over you. There always is fear. But the more courage you develop, the less those fears have power to run your lives.

Now we all need to make a new decision. Our way of life is being threatened. But facing our fears will lead us to our courage. Our courage will lead us to our power. And our power will find the way to help us thwart the undermining of our democracy. Each one must face our fears, and those who are successful with facing our fears, and finding new courage, will be the ones who will lead us to a stronger, more honest, and more compassionate way of life. We are now all learning of what it is to be a first responder. Fear, or courage. Which one are you going to focus on?

May God bless the United States of America!

***********

Some wisdom for those troubled in this current moment.

"I can disagree with a political leader’s actions. I can legislate. I can do civil disobedience if I think what they support is wrong. I can disagree with actions that are not compassionate. But I want to keep my heart open. If I don’t, I am part of the problem, not part of the solution. And that’s just not interesting enough. That’s what the inner work is—to become part of the solution.

So going around being angry at everything and everybody is a cheap pie. It really is. You don’t have to act out of anger in order to oppose something. You can act to oppose something because it creates suffering. You can become an instrument of that which relieves suffering, but you don’t have to get angry about it.

Social action does not have to be pumped up by righteous indignation or anger. That’s working with the dark forces. That’s working with fear. You can work with love. You can oppose somebody out of love. You can do social action out of love. And that’s the way you win the whole war, not just the battle"

- Ram Dass, Love Serve Remember

05/26/2025

Memorial Day; Seeking divine Intervention!

This past May 9, I showed my documentary, “Why Can’t We Serve” for the first time in public since the Covid pandemic. Many folks who attended were fascinated and learned a lot about the ongoing tragedy of veteran su***des. It’s been over 5 years since I brought the su***de issue to the public, when 22 vets were taking their lives each day. But the problem is still here in our country. Today 17 vets will decide to end their lives. That’s today… and every day after today. 17 vet lives. After 5 years it’s still an ongoing tragedy!

When I produced the film I did not think, for one moment, if the vets were Republicans or Democrats. I didn’t care if they were male or female, white, black or Hispanic, gay or straight, or what their religion was. I only focused on finding ways to help reduce the su***des.

6 years ago I was the keynote speaker at a Memorial day gathering in Kingston New York. Please click the link below to watch and listen to my thoughts from that day. And please take a few moments to ask for some Divine Intervention for our honorable veterans, as well as for our precious United States of America. Both the vets and our country could sure use some help from above.

Keynote Speaker Kingston, NY's Memorial Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koYTvoucAAQ

01/06/2025

Dear Cherished Friends and Family,

We had such a draining Fall season, with hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and an exhausting political campaign. But all that intensity is now in our past. We all made it through. Some of us were fortunately unscathed. Others did not do as well. My heart goes out to anybody who struggled mightily, and to those who are still trying to find some balance and calm in their lives.

But now our focus is on the holiday season and the concept of “Peace on Earth. Good will to all.” Easier said than done, of course, . But it’s still a good idea to let go of the past as best as you can, and focus more on this moment, and all that is still a blessing in our lives.

In France there is the idea of, “Presence a Soire”. To develop our ability to be present in this moment. It’s a practice worth nurturing. Remember though, it’s a practice. It takes time. Ram Dass wrote “Be Here Now” and Eckhart Tolle is famous for his book, “The Power of Now.” You get the message? It’s all happening in this moment; moment by sacred moment.

A dear friend of mine, Doris Anderson, wrote something that fits right here. So here are her beautiful words.

“I was just thinking, today is the only day of my life. All the past is over and done, except for what we hold onto in our mind. Most of this being the story we have created of circumstances. The future is not real, only what we imagine. So today we have choices to make about how we want the only day of our lives to be. Today let us do our best to let go of all the pain from our past and stop the constant planning and thinking about what we want for the future. Let’s embrace what we have right here today. Let us allow Spirit to guide us into the fullness of each moment as each moment changes, and morphs from one thing to the next. And let's have faith that Spirit is creating something good and beautiful in our lives. Can we trust even when things seem uncertain? For some, this may be easy. For others of us it may be more difficult. I send love and compassion to all who may be dealing with difficult things, and gratitude for all of you, and the role you play in this great time of awakening.”

Sending blessings, love and light to all for a joyful and meaningful holiday time. And may we all stay open to the possibility of a surprisingly good New Year of 2025!

Marty

10/29/2024

Thinking About JFK!

Our nation has had to handle so much over the last few years. Thousands of lives have been through such upheaval from floods, fires and hurricanes, varied diseases, increased intimidation with threats of violence, and uncertainty at every corner. It’s been a tough go of it for sure. But we are a gritty society. We have had to bend a lot. But most of us are still here. We all are seeking some kind of a more peaceful and stable future, so we can continue to chase our dreams and desires. Our flag stands for freedom, and our right to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What I see when I look around are people everywhere, just trying their best to carve out a half-way decent life for themselves and their families. That’s the beauty of our country, and our democracy. In spite of all the struggles, we still have the right to go after our dreams. What a gift!

There are many countries in our world where it is not so easy to pursue one’s dreams and desires. There are some countries where the people are constantly beaten down by the leaders. Where the idea of dreaming for a better life Is discouraged. Where lives are in danger, and where music and dancing can lead to nothing but trouble.

Maybe that’s why the United States of America is still recognized as the country where opportunity exists. Where you can dream, and just maybe your dreams can still come true.

Although many of us who were born here may take for granted the blessings of freedom, it’s time to realize that our freedom could be taken away. There’s an old saying that pops up in my brain. “You don’t know what you got until you lose it.” I know this very well because I once had sight. Twenty twenty vision. But now I am blind. Totally blind. I lost something precious, never to get it back. Your freedom is precious. I would hate to look back and be reminded of the expression, “None were so blind as those who would not see.”

Please ask yourself these two questions. Who am I as an American, and what do I want for America? Do you remember what JFK said at his inauguration? “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

10/26/2024

Young People Power

Here are a few important facts about our upcoming election.

- 20 million people who voted in the 2016 election, only 8 years ago, have since died
- 40 million young adults who were too young to vote in 2016 are now eligible to vote in this election.
- On November 5 we will be voting, not just for a Republican candidate or a Democratic candidate, but for the continuation of our Democracy or a change to Fascism.

What does our younger generation know about when it comes to our country? Are they informed enough to vote in a smart way? Well?

Our younger generation has grown up with the growing concern about climate change. Climate change used to be laughed at as a hoax. Those days are over. More hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, fires, and floods have shown us all that our climate is getting warmer. And most of the results are not good. Young people know this is true and they know it’s not a hoax.

It’s been 4 years since the dreaded Covid virus pandemic shocked the world, and the younger generation was deeply affected. They watch loved ones die, over and over again, as a quiet terror took over our country and the world until vaccinations were created. Schools did their best to keep students engaged, but the kids really suffered. After 4 long and stress filled years, the virus no longer has a choke hold on our way of living, but it certainly disrupted the lives of every young person in our nation. And the virus was not a hoax. It was real.

Two years ago ushered in the overturning of Roe v Wade, and the right to choose for all women. This decision by our Supreme court has basically thrown women’s right to choose, under the bus. There are a growing number of states in our country where abortion is now against the law. This has made life more stressful and dangerous for many women, and may only get worse in the future, if nothing is done. Women know a lot about this and have been organizing to help protect the right to make decisions about their health and well being. Those decisions should be between their family and their doctor. Not the government. Young folks are outraged by the overturning of such an important right that women held for fifty years.

During the last 8 years, we all have continued to experience more and more mass shootings, with our schools now forced to have “active shooter” classes, so students will have some training toward surviving the next mass shooting. Our children are not just learning about this from a textbook. NO. they are also learning from real live incidents. It has to be affecting our younger generation, but in an incredibly stressful and very sad way. Semi-automatic weapons are the weapon of choice in these mass shootings, and somehow those weapons are still legal in our nation. In addition most states now have “open carry” laws, so almost anybody can carry a gun. Under the simple desire for joyful celebrations these days, must be the quiet terror that, at any moment, our joy could turn to tragedy. Not a good way to live.

40 million young people will now have the power and ability to be instrumental in the direction our country goes. I have a deep faith in the younger generation. They are not stupid. They are not naïve. Many of them are brilliant and are still hopeful that their future will be much better than the last 8 years have been. They have the power to make a big difference and insure the best for our nation. Between the 20 million elders who have passed and the 40 million young folks who are now eligible to vote, there clearly appears to be the kind of shift that we, who still care deeply about our country, are excited about. We want the younger citizens of our country to take the power that is theirs. We want them to embrace this special time, to step up and make the difference that they will be proud of, FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. I know it’s in their hands and I’m sure they understand. . Come on, young people.

Take this new power that awaits your embrace!

10/18/2024

A Wake Up Call!

I am a 76 year old Jewish man, and my father was born in Germany, and grew up there. I never had the desire to visit Germany because of the atrocities that took place during WW2. But I read many books about the Holocaust and the struggles of Jews during that time. I was fascinated and sickened by the accounts of the concentration camps, and the valiant efforts of the Partisans who fought back. I feel on some level, I am lucky to be alive. I love my life, and I love many Jewish people. But this upcoming election is frightening to me, and it should be as frightening to all other Jews as well.

I am concerned that there are quite a number of Jewish people who may be planning to vote for Donald Trump. He’s offered wealthy people more big tax breaks if he becomes president again. That’s the carrot he’s dangling in front of anybody who is wealthy. The Democrats won’t be so easy on those with lots of money. Their plan is to tax the wealthy to help pay for other services that will help the large majority of people in our country. I think it’s the right thing to do. But it’s easy for me to say that, since I am not one of the wealthy ones. In fact, those tax increases won’t hurt wealthy people much. But it’s written somewhere in the handbook for the rich, that if you have lots of money, well you should always want more. You know, “Cash is king” and “Greed is good.”

But let’s not forget about the thousands of wealthy Jewish folks in Germany who couldn’t take their money to the concentration camps. Their money meant absolutely nothing at some point. Let’s call that time, the point of no return. And they never did return.

I think of Heather Hyer a lot. She’s the only person who died during the Charlottesville riot a few years ago, where, according to Trump, “there were good folks on both sides of the conflict.” Good people on both sides? Really? Her famous quote was, “If you are not outraged, then you are not paying attention.” Please. The below information is about events that took place in Germany about 100 years ago. It could happen again. Right here in our United States of America.

The association of German National Jews was an organization formed in 1921.

The goal of the association was the total assimilation of Jews into the German mainstream.

It primarily attracted members from the anti-Communist middle class, small business owners, National conservatives and World War 1 veterans.

Many of them believed that N**i Anti-Semitism was only a rhetorical tool, used to stir up the masses. But not all Jews felt that way.

In 1927 their monthly magazine reached 6000 people with their ideas. But not all German Jews were in agreement. There were some major debates among Jews about the rising popularity of the N**i party and their charismatic leader named Adolph Hi**er. Some Jews thought he was a rising star, and would help the German economy, which was still reeling from the effects of World War 1. Others thought he was very dangerous, and a direct threat to German Jews.

In spite of the ongoing debates during the next few years, the magazine came out in favor of supporting Adolph Hi**er and his policies in the 1932 election. Hi**er became the new chancellor of Germany and the rest of the story is history.

Epilog: Facts.

Over 6 million Jews were killed during World War 2, mostly due to the targeted campaign of the N**i regime, which was called the Holocaust.
Estimates of people killed in world War 2 range from 40 million to 85 million. It is historically known as the war with the most casualties ever in the history of our planet.
Donald Trump’s favorite book was Mein Kampf, by Adolph Hi**er.
Trump idolized Hi**er and wanted to be just like him.

Trump has stated that he would love to be a dictator, if he gets elected.

If you are Jewish , and you are really thinking of voting for Trump… Please think Again!

Blind Yoga

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