GET YOUR HAPPY ON! - a meliorist worldview

Many of you might never have seen “Babylon 5,” but its many fans knew it to be one of the best TV shows that ran during the last few years of the 20th Century.

In “The Paragon of Animals” (the third episode of the last season), the leader of an alien race, G’Kar, is commissioned to author a belief statement that would define a tenuous bond among a congress of interstellar species. Entitled ‘The Declaration of Life Principles,’ a paraphrased version of that statement follows:

The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice… It speaks in the language of hope; It speaks in the language of trust; It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul. But always, it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors, speaking through us. And the voice of our inheritors, waiting to be born. It is the small, still voice that says, ‘We are one. No matter the blood; No matter the skin… We are one. No matter the pain; No matter the darkness; No matter the loss; No matter the fear; We are one.’ Here, gathered together in common cause. We agree to recognize this singular truth and this singular rule: That we must be kind to one another, because each voice enriches us and ennobles us, and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light the way to a better future. We are one.

I take words of wisdom wherever I can find them, so it shouldn’t be surprising that I would find inspiration from a popular science fiction serial.

Actually, I never saw “Babylon 5″ while it aired. I didn’t discover my love for science fiction until long after college, when I no longer cared what was popular or cool. I’m not certain that I would have appreciated a sentiment like the one above when I was younger and more capricious, but I sure do appreciate those sage words now.

Be kind to each other, my friends. Step into the world each day with love in your heart and you conscience as your guide. And don’t be afraid to look at the world through a new perspective. I love you all very much.

This has been a sad month for losing great American patriots who helped peel back the media’s tendency to air disinformation. First, we lost Tim Russert, the great NBC anchor whose infectious excitement about the issues made Sunday morning politics a little more interesting.

Today, I learned of George Carlin’s death. I loved listening to George Carlin and watching him live was amazing! George Carlin told truths that people didn’t want to hear, but he always made you laugh when he shared his perspective; he was a folk doctor, whose mission was to cure social ills with his bittersweet pills. Awesome!

George Carlin, Bill Hicks, and Richard Pryor were my three favorite stand-up comedians, and now all three of them are dead. It doesn’t seem fair. At least, we still have the memories of them recorded digitally, so many future generations can enjoy the insights of those fallen comic prophets.

R.I.P. George Carlin. You will be missed.

This is an exciting time to be alive! So many atrocities are happening all around us, yet at the same time, Marvel Comics has been turning so many of the most loved comic books into films. That isn’t necessarily anything new, but lately Hollywood has been churning out worthy box office draws.

This year Iron Man came out, and it was hands down the best action movie in years.

Earlier tonight, my wife and I saw The Incredible Hulk, and we loved it! Hollywood has done so well by Stan Lee lately. Spidermans 2 and 3 were a little disappointing, but 2008 is the year for comic book lovers. Promise!

Edward Norton and Liv Tyler gave such emotionally evocative performances as the star-crossed lovers Bruce Banner and Betty Ross.

And these film are just the beginning of the larger Avengers saga!

I am so excited about this period in pop culture. More later.

Be well, my friends! I love you all!