Here at "Hope 4 America",

It's about its people,

Not its politics.

Also Visit Patty at MySpace (click here)

photo by Craig Smith 

The Honesty of a Man of Nature

Wheat Fields and Cypresses by Vincent Van Gogh


"I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful."..."I will tell you from the beginning that everyone will say that I work too quickly. Don't believe it. It is the excitement, the honesty of a man of nature, led by nature's hand." ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Wildlife Conservation Icon, Jane Goodall ~ Her Thoughts and Her Cause Featured In the May/June Issue of Sierra Magazine

photo by Craig Smith


Jane Goodall's early work "demonstrated that chimps in the wild are unique individuals that show emotions, use reasoning, and exhibit strong personalities ~ all traits once thought to be exclusive to humans. Besides making her world-famous, Goodall's engaging descriptions of chimpanzee society transformed our notions of what it means to be a primate ~ and what it means to be human"...."Today the Jane Goodall Institute supports family planning and rural development in central Africa, recognizing that chimpanzees can survive into the future only next to stable, peaceful human populations." ~ Paul Rauber

Paul Rauber is a senior editor at SIERRA. Following are a few excerpts from his special interview with Jane Goodall:

Sierra: What has your many years' observation of chimpanzees taught you about human behavior?

Goodall: It's taught me that our aggressive tendencies have probably been inherited from an ancient primate some 6 million years ago. But also love, compassion, and altruism ~ we find these qualities in chimpanzees as well. So if we believe in the common ancestor, both of these characteristics ~ the dark side of our nature as well as the more noble side ~ we've probably brought with us from the past. Some people say, therefore, that violence and war are inevitable. I say rubbish: Our brains are fully capable of controlling instinctive behavior. We're not very good at it, though, are we?

That's why I started Roots and Shoots (at the Jane Goodall Institute) and...Since 9/11, we've also had a very strong peace initiative, helping young people better understand those of different countries, cultures, and religions. My hope is that these young people can break through and make this a better world.

To learn more about the Jane Goodall Institute programs, click here: http://www.janegoodall.org . And, to read this entire interview by Paul Rauber, go to: http://www.sierraclub.org and click on Sierra Magazine on the menu.

Patty Ann Smith's MYSTIC DREAMS Album and Singles Available Now on ~ iTunes

Our Connection to The Earth is Our Deepest Source of Hope, Strength, and Renewal

Total Health Is:

photo by Craig Smith


"A feeling of being one with all of nature;
One with the ocean, one with the heavens.
What we live for is this union which completes us.
Being vulnerable, yet exhilarated
By the energy of love
Making us whole.
Being daring and letting go
Without anyone having to push us,
We get back what we give ~
It's the spherical way of life."

~ Patty Ann Smith

Rigor Vitae: Life Unyielding (click here)

If you want to learn more about nature and art, checkout this thoroughly beautiful and educational site of nature and wildlife artist, Carel Brest van Kempen.

Nourishment for Body, Mind, and Spirit

photo by Patty Ann Smith


Being out in nature "takes the edge off" and allows us to be more happy, loving, and serene. Even if it's only for a little while at a time, it's really worth it.

Trying To Survive In An Overtly Patriarchal World....

But "The Times They Are A-Changin' "

photo/art by Craig Smith


"Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall.
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside and it's ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin' "

~ words of wisdom from the One and Only Bob Dylan

A Lily for Peace

photo by Craig Smith


"Everyone jump upon the peace train"

In the words of Cat Stevens:

"Now I've been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun

Oh I've been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be, someday it's going to come."

Chicks are "Moms", too!

chicks


Here are just a few of the lyrics I love from 2 of the 12 great songs on the Dixie Chicks new CD "TAKING THE LONG WAY ( http://www.dixiechicks.com ):

"Sunday morning, I heard the preacher say
Thou shall not kill
I don't wanna hear nothing else about killing
And that it's God's will

'Cause our children are watching us
They put their trust in us
They're gonna be like us
So let's learn from our history
And do it differently

I hope, for more love, more joy and laughter
I hope, you'll have more than you'll ever need
I hope, you'll have more happy ever after
I hope, we can all live more fearlessly
And, we can lose all the pain and misery
I hope, I hope" (from the song "I Hope")

and these words from a mother to her child in the song "Lullaby":

"I slip in bed when you're asleep
To hold you close and feel your breath on me
Tomorrow there'll be so much to do
So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up"