Tag: looking back

by jad

New Year’s Eve, 2023

There’s been an odd circularity to this year; an ouroboros of inner work that opened and is now closing the year on themes of loving others more deeply by tending more gently to oneself. Lully, lulla,thou little tiny child,by by, lully lullay. That hymn made me weep on the First of January and today, on the Thirty-First of December, the symmetry was not lost on me when I was asked to read these lines from a once-familiar lectern: “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”” … Continue reading “New Year’s Eve, 2023” →

by jad

Re-Witnessing Lebanon

I asked @ouroboros.community what the cosmic soup had cooking for me, and this is what she said: “You are closing the calendar year with a gorgeous full moon in your sixth house of day-to-day life, work, and health. Even though the world wants us to make New Year’s resolutions, the transits currently want us to reflect on the past. How far have you come regarding these areas? How much do you feel supported by your community?” x I found my old #CanonPowerShot A710IS while rummaging through boxes at my parent’s place and was pleasantly surprised to see a bunch of … Continue reading “Re-Witnessing Lebanon” →

by jad

Father of my Father

I woke up to a surprise this morning; my dad had sent me a photo his brother had sent him after their other brother had shown him an old family album that none of us had ever seen. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever seen my grandfather. It’s fitting and bittersweet to see his face and my dad’s chubby smile today. I’m heading back home for the first time in five years tomorrow—the first time since I arrived here, and the first time since becoming American. It’s fitting and bittersweet because my heritage is as complicated as … Continue reading “Father of my Father” →

by jad

Soon it will be Christmas Day

“City sidewalks, busy sidewalksdressed in holiday style.In the air there’sa feeling of Christmas.” I’m going back home for Christmas for the first time in five years. My mother asked if I’d be upset to see our old place decorated; she knows how I’ve been feeling for the past month or so, and even Bethlehem is canceling the festivities. I told her no, quite the opposite. Christmas joy is what keeps my hope alive. The last time the festive season found me this blue-tinged, we were in the depths of the pandemic, and now that feeling always reminds me of this … Continue reading “Soon it will be Christmas Day” →

by jad

(NON)INCONJUNCT

For those of you who’ve been following for a while, you might have noticed that we’ve finally called it quits on @inconjunct. The project came together without warning and fizzled out just as spectacularly, which is cool and sad and not atypical: I make myself available to the universe, come what may. Thanks to everyone who supported us while it lasted. Done, done, on to the next one.

by jad

The Dream of Palestine

I shared yesterday how I’m seeing more people talking about Palestine for the first time, and I thought about posting those thoughts in a way that might facilitate further sharing. But as I was thinking about doing that, I started reflecting on how I started talking about Palestine myself. About the people I met along the way, the voices I’ve centered, and the faces I’ve left outside the frame. I’m still going to share what I intended, but I want you to read the rest of this with that interior eye wide open: how did you come to think what … Continue reading “The Dream of Palestine” →

by jad

Nuclear Specters

It struck me as morbid irony to read about justifications in diplomatic circles of the current carnage in Gaza that apparently make reference to the atomic bomb. Apparently, these references have shocked the sensibilities of the American interlocuters who leaked those conversations. Apparently, they’d forgotten who unleashed this moral stain on the history of mankind in the first place. A shocking reference point and a mirror to blink back at. We are still living in the long shadow of WWII. These claims of self-preservation; this righteous indignation; these dying and dead — they are a legacy of that monstrous era. … Continue reading “Nuclear Specters” →

by jad

The Compass Still Points to Palestine

Have you heard of Handala? He’s a little cartoon boy with his back turned and his hands clasped behind his back, a posture I find myself instinctually taking at protests like these. Handala turned his back to the audience in 1973 and became a symbol of refusal and more – in the words of the man who drew him, Handala was “the arrow of the compass, pointing steadily towards Palestine. Not just Palestine in geographical terms, but Palestine in its humanitarian sense—the symbol of a just cause, whether it is located in Egypt, Vietnam or South Africa.” I say “was” … Continue reading “The Compass Still Points to Palestine” →

by jad

In the Shadow of Hiroshima…

In the shadow of Hiroshima, Günther Anders argued for a renaissance of the imagination over mere perception: “Not only has imagination ceased to live up to production, but feeling has ceased to live up to responsibility. It may still be possible to imagine or to repent the murdering of one fellow man, or even to shoulder responsibility for it; but to picture the liquidation of one hundred thousand fellow men definitely surpasses our power of imagination. The greater the possible effect of our actions, the less are we able to visualize it, to repent of it or to feel responsible … Continue reading “In the Shadow of Hiroshima…” →

by jad

Seattle’s Nuclear History: James Acord

“Art and science are parallel paths to truth and understanding.” This is a quote that a Seattle artist I just connected with shared with me. It’s something James Acord said and believed. It’s something I believe in as well. Acord’s faith in the “transmuting” power of art was relentless, giving him the stamina to pursue his life’s work for decades. This is how he became the only private individual in history with a radioactive materials handling license: WN-10407-1, a number he tattooed on the back of his neck. His pursuit cost him dearly, not unlike Will Navidson in Mark Z. … Continue reading “Seattle’s Nuclear History: James Acord” →