SOF Observed

The Daily Show, Heckling, and HopeAndy Dayton, associate web...

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:32:12 -0600

The Daily Show, Heckling, and Hope
Andy Dayton, associate web producer

There was a bit of stir a few weeks ago when Jon Stewart welcomed Ann Baltzar and Dr. Mustafa Barghouti onto The Daily Show. Baltzar is author of Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories, and Barghouti is “a leading figure in the Palestinian democratic and nonviolent movement for peace.” The stir resulted from having two guests that approach the issue from a “Palestinian point of view.”

At one point in the interview a member of the audience yells “liar” to Barghouti (apparently the first heckler in the show’s 11 years), and Stewart quickly turns it into fodder for discussion asking Barghouti how he maintains hope when people “can’t even agree to begin the conversation.”

Trent had a look at the video of this exchange last Friday, and clued me in on something I completely missed — a close connection to a story Karen Armstrong tells in this week’s program. Both of these situations involve someone in the audience disrupting the discussion, and a consideration of how best to handle it. From the transcript, a story that took place at the “God 2000” conference at Oregon State University:

And then when we were on the final panel, suddenly erupted in the hall a fundamentalist who started to shriek at us incoherently. What I could make out was that he was saying that Jews and Muslims denied Jesus and therefore they were going to hell, and all of those of us who sided with Jews and Muslims were also going to hell, and this was evil. And you couldn’t hear much, because he was so incoherent with rage and despair. What I could hear, however, was the note of pain in his voice. This was not just some loony. This was somebody who was suffering and in pain, and felt profoundly threatened by what we were saying.
And the point is that we, seven of us on this panel — we’re all articulate people, we’d all been talking nonstop to each other and to the audience for the last two days. We were utterly struck dumb. None of us could say a word. We felt utterly winded by this assault. Even me, and I should have known better, because I’d just finished my book on fundamentalism. I couldn’t think of anything to say. Eventually this man was hustled out, and the moderator said, ‘Well, I wish we could have talked to him, because he is part of the conference of God, “Where Is God at 2000?” He’s part of this conversation.’ But somehow we couldn’t talk with one another. He was incoherent, we were struck dumb and useless, and this is the problem that we’re facing.

With that in mind, there’s something in Barghouti’s response that he would “very much like to meet” the man who raised his voice and heckled. Perhaps simply a willingness to start the conversation is hopeful enough.

The Tao of Cow Trent Gilliss, online editor Sometimes the most...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:33:00 -0600

The Tao of Cow
Trent Gilliss, online editor

Sometimes the most delightful surprises and promises of insight come in the form of a Facebook status update:

“So, Mom called. The cows broke out again. Two separate locations, and Dad had just repaired the fences. Hunters everywhere (makes them stampede). Hopefully they can get all the repairs done in time to make our family concert in Fergus Falls tomorrow… I know Hindus revere the cow, but Buddhists should as well, because they are really good at teaching impermanence and letting go.”

The author? Andra Suchy-Pierzina, a friend and regular performer on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, who grew up on a farm outside of Mandan, North Dakota.

As I read this, I couldn’t help but feel lighter and be reminded of Matthieu Ricard’s story (next week’s program, “The Happiest Man in the World”) about two women navigating muddy Himalayan roads. One kvetched; the other smiled and embraced. Andra reminds me to be the latter.

(Photos: cows on the Suchy farm before jailbreak, courtesy of Andra Suchy-Pierzina)

“Looking Out for Hope” Trent Gilliss, online...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0600

“Looking Out for Hope”
Trent Gilliss, online editor

It’s been some time since I’ve posted a Friday video snack. I don’t know about you, but these last few months have been a blur — hectic and almost harrowing at times. And there is good, a lot of good, that’s come of meeting new people and sharing our work and talking to long-lost friends back home.

Looking for a contemplative moment, an adult time-out, a centering event, I was lucky enough to happen upon this short film that puts into play Bryan Mallessa’s fictional letter to Raymond Carver with music by the band Low. The film’s remarkably meditative in its quietude for the medium. It allows one ten minutes to reflect, to peer into blizzard and cold, to think about hard times, and the joy of the road ahead.

(h/t things are happening*)

"Fort Hood Has Enough Victims Already"

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:23:00 -0600

"Fort Hood Has Enough Victims Already": Trent Gilliss, online editor Wajahat Ali, one of the voices...

Countdown to CompassionAndy Dayton, associate web producerLast...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Countdown to Compassion
Andy Dayton, associate web producer

Last time we put out our program with Karen Armstrong, one of our producers wrote about Karen Armstrong’s call to build an international “Charter for Compassion.” In her speech, Armstrong states that “I think it’s time that we moved beyond the idea of toleration, and moved toward appreciation of the other.”

Now, we are once again replaying “The Freelance Monotheism of Karen Armstrong” one week before the Charter for Compassion itself is unveiled. In some ways, the charter’s mission is surprisingly simple — it’s essentially a call for everyone around the world to follow the Golden Rule. Less than a month ago, Armstrong articulated this mission in a letter co-signed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

“It is not simply a statement of principle; it is above all a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time. In addition to participating in one of the many launch events, we invite each individual to adopt the charter as their own, to make a lifelong commitment to live with compassion.”

It seems a little serendipitous to me that the charter is being released on November 12, the same day we’re releasing our program with Buddhist thinker Matthieu Ricard to podcasters. Ricard is another person very interested in the idea of compassion. In his conversation with Krista, he offers the idea that compassion is a skill that we develop with practice: “You don’t learn to play the piano by playing 20 seconds a week,” he says, and much like we exercise to keep our bodies fit, we should also be practicing compassionate thinking to remain spiritually fit.

While the charter’s mission is to tell the world why we should be compassionate, Ricard is teaching how we can be compassionate.

I’m interested to see what happens after the charter is officially revealed. How will it be received? On what terms will it put forth its mission? Will anyone notice?

Echoes of the Golden Rule Nancy Rosenbaum, associate producer I...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:10:00 -0600

Echoes of the Golden Rule
Nancy Rosenbaum, associate producer

I get a charge out of noticing subtle connections between the many different conversations we bring to the airwaves and webwaves each week. This happened recently as I was prepping two upcoming programs: one with author and scholar Karen Armstrong, the other featuring developmental cognitive neuroscientist Adele Diamond.

Both Armstrong and Diamond discuss Rabbi Hillel and The Golden Rule in their conversations with Krista, but they come at this story from slightly different directions. For Armstrong (download mp3 of audio above), who grew up Catholic and once lived as a nun, Hillel’s words opened up new doors of thought about compassionate action as an expression of religious faith.

» download (mp3, 1:06)

Adele Diamond — who was raised in a religious Jewish home and says that Judaism is an important part of her identity — has a different take on the Hillel story. As Diamond sees it, Hillel’s injunction to “do no harm” doesn’t go far enough. She’s inspired by Jesus’ words from the Gospel of Luke: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

While Armstrong and Diamond have different reactions to the same story, both seem to draw kindred inspiration about the importance of living and acting with compassion.

"Thinking Negatively Can Boost Your Memory, Study Finds"

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:43:46 -0600

"Thinking Negatively Can Boost Your Memory, Study Finds": Trent Gilliss, online editor Am I more...

"Brain Game"

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:04:25 -0600

"Brain Game": Trent Gilliss, online editor Malcolm Gladwell’s article has been garnering a lot...

All Souls’ Day Kate Moos, Managing Producer The confluence...

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:40:00 -0500

All Souls’ Day
Kate Moos, Managing Producer

The confluence of the rambunctious American ritual of Halloween with the somber and sobering feast days of All Saints and All Souls that follow on its heels has always been confusing to me — never more so than when I was a child. Halloween ranked second to Christmas for the near-hysteria of our anticipation.

The thrill of dressing up to be something scary was delicious, especially so because, as the smallest and youngest member of my large Catholic family, I was much more experienced at being scared than being scary. Halloween allowed me to become the monster. This, no doubt, is at the heart of its hold over us. We’re able to put on the clothing of that which frightens us: darkness and death itself.

As the observance approached this year, I did a little research to remind myself of the roots of these rituals and observations: Halloween, or Hollow’s Eve, marks the night before All Saints’ Day, which falls on November 1st. Generally, it’s thought that the Solemnity of All Saints can be traced to the eighth century and was meant to honor the early Christian martyrs and, more broadly, all of the saints who have died and gone to heaven, or, as the Catholic Church would say, have attained the beatific vision.

All Souls’, which follows on November 2nd, is a day reserved for the rest of the dead — those who died in a state of sin and are being purified by the cleansing flames of Purgatory.

This observance began, some believe, in the eleventh century when, the story goes, it was reported to the Bishop of Cluny by a pilgrim returning from the Holy Land that he had met a hermit who heard the demons in Purgatory complaining that the intercessory prayers Christians said for their deceased shortened their time there. These days of the dead are commonly believed to be timed to ancient harvest festivals that marked the onset of winter, including the Celtic samhain and other earth-based pagan festivals.

There is something deeply intuitive about these festivals of the dead, coming as they do when the earth itself is preparing for its long slumber, the days are growing short and the night ever deeper. The idea of praying for, and tending one’s dead is ancient and universal.

For me, the concept of Purgatory is one I spent a lot of time with in my youth — pre-Vatican II, we were not only allowed but encouraged to say prayers for indulgences — a sign of the cross, spoken aloud, worked 100 days off one’s future Purgatory sentence, and I found it easy and quite satisfying to rip through several dozen signs of the cross in the occasional unoccupied moment. Of course no one could tell me what those 100 days meant, relative to Purgatory time, so I never felt I got ahead of the game. But I tried, even as I suspected there was something a little too easy about the practice.

More deeply puzzling, was reconciling the little witch I became on Halloween with the girl who sat piously in the pew for early Mass the next day.

(body photo: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

"One of your colleagues had me in the papers with horns and a tail, red horns and a tail...."

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:01:00 -0500

““One of your colleagues had me in the papers with horns and a tail, red horns and a...

A Humble Offering

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:26:39 -0500

Nancy Rosenbaum, associate producer (photo: Nancy Rosenbaum) Last week, I traveled with Krista,...

Campaign Update: Final Days to Contribute Krista Tippett, host A...

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:38:43 -0500

Campaign Update: Final Days to Contribute
Krista Tippett, host

A hearty thanks to all of you who have contributed to Speaking of Faith so far. Since we began this online campaign, more than 270 people have donated nearly $25,000 toward our goal of $50,000.

And, more than 50,000 of our audiences subscribe to our e-mail newsletter alone — and download more than 750,000 mp3s per month. Internet bandwidth, which allows us to provide these free downloads and audio streams, is expensive.

If each of you donated just a couple of dollars, we’d quickly exceed our goal. That’s all. Or contribute $120, and we’ll send you the new Speaking of Faith t-shirt. Please act now.

The photo above was taken several weeks ago when I interviewed Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk who is involved in the Dalai Lama’s ongoing dialogue with scientists and has been decreed the “happiest man in the world” by a scientist. He is undoubtedly one of the world’s wise men. We spoke about happiness in terms of presence to the fullness of experience — an approach to life that must be cultivated if it is to deepen and flourish.

We streamed live video of our conversation from Vancouver, British Columbia for you to watch in real time. It’s just one of the many extra efforts we make to include all of you in the process. Please do your part today. Contribute now. You can make a big difference.

And, once again, thank you all for listening, reading, watching, and supporting our efforts.

Four Pairs of Interfaith Fellows: Arash + RaminAndy Dayton,...

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:48:31 -0500

Four Pairs of Interfaith Fellows: Arash + Ramin
Andy Dayton, associate web producer

» download (mp3, 8:32)

You may recognize these two voices from last week’s program, “Curiosity over Assumptions.” We used an excerpt from Arash and Ramin Nematollahi’s conversation in the show, which included as part of audio above. Hearing their conversation, one gets a sense of their bond not only as Iranian-Americans and Muslims, but also as brothers.

Much of their conversation seems to center around the complexity of identity that can come in a pluralistic society. “I don’t have a particular identity,” Arash says, “I’m very proud to be American … but there’s an Iranian part of me that is there, and there’s a Muslim identity in me.” Ramin picks up on this comment, contrasting that experience to the country they were born in, Iran:

“You would say ‘I am Iranian’ and that’s it — case shut. And I’m Muslim because that’s what everyone tells me to be … But in America you have all these different choices. I totally understand what you’re saying, ‘cause I am American, but I’m also Muslim, I’m also all these different things. What does that mean at the end of the day?”

For me, this really resonated with what we’ve heard in the last few months from our “Living Islam” and “Revealing Ramadan” programs. I was especially reminded of Samar Jarrah, who wrote about what makes being an American Muslim unique: “Living in the USA and being exposed to so many different Muslims from so many different countries and cultures made me realize that there are many faces to Islam.” Later in her essay, she writes:

“But being a Muslim in America makes me a better Muslim. A more hopeful one. I have had hundreds of amazing messages of love and support. I have had Americans shake my hands with tears in their eyes asking me to speak more. Just this Saturday morning, I was in the company of a very intellectual group of retired men and women (oldest was 95) who are still wanting to learn about Islam from a Muslim, and for this I am forever grateful to be a Muslim in America.”

Find more stories from other NewGround fellows here. Special thanks to StoryCorps, who recorded these stories in Los Angeles in 2009.

A First Rite of Passage

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:16:40 -0500

Colleen Scheck, producer This is a personal entry, in the spirit of the “Your Voices, Your...

Guggenheim Forum: Krista's Live Online Chat for the Kandinsky Retrospective

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:51:43 -0500

Guggenheim Forum: Krista's Live Online Chat for the Kandinsky Retrospective: Date: 2pm EDT today...

Dancing “Heaven” Marc Sanchez, associate producer Up...

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:33 -0500

Dancing “Heaven”
Marc Sanchez, associate producer

Up and coming choreographer Morgan Thorson recently premiered her new work, “Heaven,” at the Diverse Works Art Space in Houston. Here’s her description of the piece:

“This project is inspired by the rigor and austerity of religious practices while decrying the barriers that religion creates. We will approach our research as a devotional practice allowing this intension to essentialize our communal purpose. Simplicity and economy can demonstrate how extreme restriction can be turned into powerful kinesthetic expressions. This project seeks to create a performance that is the sum of perfect gestures and total sensory engagement.”

The performance also features original music by Alan and Mimi Sparhawk of the band Low. And, upcoming performances are scheduled at PS 122 in New York, Wesleyan University in Middletown, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

Interfaith, Interreligious, Pluralism, Dialogue, Etc.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:59:00 -0500

Mitch Hanley, senior producer We often struggle with crafting interesting or catchy titles for each...

Four Pairs of Interfaith Fellows: Sarah + Joanna Nancy...

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:04:00 -0500

Four Pairs of Interfaith Fellows: Sarah + Joanna
Nancy Rosenbaum, associate producer

» download (mp3, 5:17)

Sarah Kelman and Joanna Schochet are friends who are half-Jewish on their fathers’ sides. “We’re both halfies,” they say. “By the book I don’t count,” says Joanna.

When Joanna says she doesn’t count, she’s referring to the principle of matrilineal descent in Judaism where Jewishness is passed down through the mother. Not all denominations in Judaism observe this law, but it’s still a very real issue that Sarah and Joanna seem to have wrestled with throughout their lives.

In our latest show, “Curiosity Over Assumptions,” Krista explores the notion that interfaith engagement isn’t just about encountering “the other.” Along the way, people may come to know themselves and their faith traditions differently.

Earlier this year Sarah and Joanna interviewed each other about their experiences as NewGround fellows. Listening to the conversation, I’m struck by how their Jewish identities are still evolving — and how they seem to find connection and comfort in each other stories. Joanna reflects on how her brother (who himself decided to formally convert) once told her that she didn’t “count” as Jewish. Sarah asks, “Do I consider myself Jewish and why and who is it good enough for…and what do I think about that?”

Find more stories from other NewGround fellows here. Special thanks to StoryCorps, who recorded these stories in Los Angeles in 2009.

Live Interview with Ernie LaPointe, Great Grandson of Sitting...

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:56:00 -0500

Live Interview with Ernie LaPointe, Great Grandson of Sitting Bull
Trent Gilliss, online editor

UPDATE: In a delightful twist of events, I was able to set up a live video stream of Krista’s interview with Ernie LaPointe using his home wireless connection in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I also taped the conversation with a couple of HD cameras, and will do my best to produce this interview in the coming weeks.

Thanks to all for watched the interview. It’s gratifying to see several hundred people watched at least some of the conversation during the workday!

Tatarstan, A Model for Interfaith Dialogue Trent Gilliss, online...

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:59:00 -0500

Tatarstan, A Model for Interfaith Dialogue
Trent Gilliss, online editor

The most unexpected connections are often made through the most unlikely sources. A couple of days ago, a friend of mine (whose name you might see in our photo credits from time to time) sent me an e-mail asking for advice on restaurants where he could entertain some diplomats from the republic of Tatarstan.

Now, Marc’s got a sly, subtle, playful humor. I immediately thought he was joking and made a play on words — Tatar, as in cream of tartar or steak tartare, and a dining establishment. But, I know that he also served in Turkmenistan as a Peace Corps volunteer and that the NGO he works for conducts a fair amount of business in that area of the world where most countries end in “stan.”

A quick search revealed that Tatarstan is an actual place, and part of the Russian Federation. My ignorance shining brightly, once again.

In the most delightful way, I also happened upon a number of reports detailing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Kazan, its capital. And, more serendipitously, an article from Radio Free Europe reported she said that “the Russian republic of Tatarstan could serve as a model for tolerance and coexistence between Muslims and Christians.”

Our current show, “Curiosity over Assumptions,” highlights the work of two women who are leading a Muslim-Jewish interfaith group in Los Angeles, and might serve as a new model for this type of dialogue within local communities. As we look domestically for people coming together with their religious identities intact, it’s helpful to be reminded that other countries in unimaginable areas have wrestled for centuries with these issues and have much to teach if we are only aware — and do a Google search.

(photo: U.S Secretary of State Clinton visited the Kol Sharif mosque and later the Annunciation Cathedral in Kazan on October 14, 2009.)