A Proem - Visiting the Texas Border

My son (almost 14 yrs old) and I often hold dissimilar views in politics, religion, civil rights, and social justice issues. I appreciate that he is usually open to discussing things and he is not afraid to push back if he disagrees. He will be a leader someday and has a strong personality which, although can be trying, is ultimately a great skill. Recently, he joined me on a trip to El Paso to check out the Beto O'Rourke's presidential campaign announcement.

To watch him engage with protestors, ask participants questions, walk the Spanish markets, and converse with me about all that's going on at the Texas border was a satisfying experience for me and a learning experience for him. I was fascinated by his depth of insight of walking around as one of the few white guys and his deep articulation that ultimately, he felt he was never a minority.

I enjoyed the campaign announcement and speaking to the locals. I even listened to an interview that a journalist from Japan did with a woman who lived in El Paso. He had been sent there specifically to write about the campaign, which surprised me. Below are a few photos from this interesting trip.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.  Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."  ~Mark Twain

A Busy Morning of Nothing

Coffee and cozy in my snug. 

Listening to birds chirp as neon, baby green leaves have begun to camo my home again for the Spring. I rest watching a busy mockingbird bound across the lawn with a beak full of freshly cut twigs gambling on if it can add just one more in its mouth. This ambitious bird has a huge dream-nest vision and visits a few times.

After its final launch, a salsa cardinal lands on my fence and calls out to his love who is grooming while balancing the electrical line above. The morning is busy with activity...and I'm so thankful to be a bystander.

Are You A Seeker?

Photo from: https://www.intelligenthq.com/10-inspiring-quotes-by-jason-silva/

Seeker - noun; A person who is attempting to find or obtain something. One that seeks to discover, inquire, endeavor.

I've always been a seeker. I want to know people, their perspectives and their experiences. Lately, I've begun enjoying new speakers and philosophers like Sadhguru, often referred to as an Indian Yogi, and Gaur Gopal Das, the former Hewlett Packard engineer turned Indian lifestyle coach and motivational speaker. Thanks to my new Google mini, I've been connecting to a larger source of outside news and science reports as I get ready for work in the morning.

I've been reflecting a ton on a recent short segment I heard from, "Curiosity Daily." The segment in this link shared about how our human networks changes how we think. Basically, the people we surround ourselves with modify how we see the world. As a result, if we are only getting our information or news from our immediate social network, then we are getting a slanted view.

Yesterday, I came across an interview video of storyteller and futurist, Jason Silva, by Vishen Lakhiani. I enjoy listening to these deep thinkers talk, share, and provide their different perspectives. One true quote I heard was that, "once a mind is stretch by an idea, it never returns to it's original position." Seekers like to have their minds stretched. I don't always agree but I'm inspired quite often to reach outside myself and my immediate social group to experience a richer thought life.

In the interview, they spoke about many topics that are worth a listen:

• Nationalism
• Socialism verses social democracy
• Being a "Wonder Junkie"
• The Search 
• Flow and humans as "infovours"
• The Venn diagram - science and art intersecting in wonder

You may ask yourself, "But should a Christina listen to views that maybe opposite of what they currently believe?" The answer is yes. Don't just stay around a specific social network all the time. Learn about people. Learn about how they think. Stop being so scared. When you are open to others' thoughts and experiences, often they are open to you and what you share.

Photo from: https://www.tumblr.com/search/open%20minded%20quote