Wo befreundete Wege zusammen laufen, da sieht die ganze Welt für eine Stunde wie Heimat aus.
Hermann Hesse wrote that phrase in his book,
Demian.
Where the paths of friends coincide, there, for a time, the entire world does indeed look and feel like home.
__my rough translation of the above. (Feel free to provide a better one, I won't take offense. And I wasn't trying to be perfectly literal.)
I don’t know where it might be in the comment threads, but I feel sure I have told the story of my coming to Daily Kos somewhere on this site. It happened in 2006, when my sister, already a Daily Kos member for some time, convinced me to attend the Crashing the Gate book signing at Malaprops bookstore in Asheville. So I came and met kos for the first time.
We were still in the darkness of the seemingly endless years of the previous administration, so hope was a precious commodity.
Yet, I found some there, in kos’s words and spirit, in Chris’s. And I went home and became a member of Daily Kos right away, where I have been, ever since.
More below, but first, a word from our sponsor ...
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I knew that it was important for me to find a ‘home’ on Daily Kos. A micro-community, if you will, where I could meet and engage with a select group of people. Get to know them, let them get to know me. Flitting to and fro in many different diaries was never going to work for me.
About that time, a well-respected Kossack named Carnacki started a community series to try to feature high quality comments, as Susan Gardner’s (then SusanG) fantastic series did for under-appreciated diaries.
I don’t know how many such diary series Carnacki started. I believe he did one called Got a Happy Story? I’m pretty sure there were others. I don’t believe any of those are still active, and in ways it is a miracle that Top Comments is. For all his great talents, Carnacki was not an administrator. For a short time, I held that role, of scheduling and recruiting. Then gloriana did it, then sardonyx, and in these last years, so brilliantly, brillig.
Through it all, it has served as my blog ‘home.’ Where my friends are, where we make the fight in so many ways, if only through nurturing and supporting each other.
For all my commitment to community on Daily Kos there has been a glaring shortcoming. I have not been to a Daily Kos event, whether Yearly Kos or Netroots Nation or the new Daily Kos Connects series. Until this past weekend.
I absolutely would have attended Providence in 2012, but I had a terrible crash on my bicycle that nuked that idea. And in the years since, one thing or another has intervened.
But Daily Kos Connects/Asheville would be one hour away!
Of course, it conflicted with the World Cycling Championships in Richmond, the first time those race have been held in the US since 1986 (which I attended in Colorado Springs), and only the second time on the North American continent (Hamilton Ontario hosted Worlds in 2003. I attended that, too.) in that time frame. So, missing them was difficult.
But my friends would come that close! To make the fight here! To share energy, and ideas, and community!
I had very high expectations on my drive to Asheville. Events were scheduled to kick off with a speech by Reverend William Barber. I had heard good things about his oratory skills, but nothing could have prepared me for what I found. Simply the finest public speaker I have ever heard.
Reverend Barber began slowly, with a fine, clear voice. Every word came unmistakably from his heart, and flew arrow-straight into ours. His sentences achieved straightaway a melodic tenor, of conviction and integrity, of brilliant constructive intention - indeed, of deep love. And love not just for our shared moral purpose, but also love for our misguided and erroneously-intentioned adversaries. He may not wish them the political success he wishes us, but he wishes them the fulfilled, happy lives that await them once our moral world view attains ascendancy.
If there has been a finer speaker since the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., I cannot imagine who it could be. Because Reverend Barber, for me, shines brighter than all the others. And I can’t wait for the next opportunity to be in his presence.
In my younger years I had some experience in an Eastern spiritual tradition that introduced me to the term, darshan. I have read definitions of it, since, but none that quite captured what I understood it to be. For me it was a luminous beam of soul-level sharing between a human being of divine achievement and … someone (at least not yet) quite so advanced. A beyond-eye contact that touches on deep levels, in ways words could never completely articulate. A gift, an infusion of powerful energy and focus. Looking into Reverend Barber’s eyes as he held my hand was the closest thing to a true darshan experience I have ever had.
As Reverend Barber stepped off the stage and began to work his way toward the center of the room to greet those who had come to hear him, I was able to shake his hand, thank him for his great speech and look him in the eye, to glimpse the brilliance of another human soul. And as he moved on, the grabbed my hand, once again, for a little squeeze I’ll never forget, and will always cherish. Because I can feel the seeds he began planting during his speech further fertilized by that little squeeze, and I can feel them living within me, still, tonight.
Here is Reverend Barber with kos and randallt before he made it to me.
The rest of Friday is a bit of a blur. I met navajo, and peregrine kate, and a gilas girl. I got to see my old friend, Tom Sullivan, from Asheville. I got to meet the famous and remarkable OPOL and his fine son. I got a hug from Denise Oliver-Velez, who introduced Reverend Barber!
The main event of the Daily Kos Connects weekend was on Saturday, with a series of presentations, with navajo as master of ceremonies.
I have seen many people work in my lifetime. I have worked myself, as, I am sure, have you. But navajo’s work on Saturday had to be seen to be believed. She is a very fit woman, as many of you know, but the energy it had to require to do all she did is on a different level. Nothing happened at the entire event to which she did not contribute energy, intention and focus. Her attention, her focus, her commitment will serve me as an example and inspiration for many years. Disclaimer: I am on the Partner & Mentors team on Daily Kos. navajo is our team leader. I am not trying to butter her up in any way, I have no favors to ask. Period. What I have written is simply what I witnessed, what I would have said if I had never heard of Daily Kos before Saturday.
I am not going to do a complete rundown on all of the presentations. pajoly has done some of that in a fine event review diary (please rec!). But I do have some comments.
(Oh, and do not miss SteelerGrrl’s incredible Daily Kos Connects Asheville recap diary today! Excellent!)
The first ‘presenter’ was kos, himself, in an ‘Ask Me Anything’ segment. He spoke about the changing philosophy and mission of Daily Kos. Where originally it was ‘more and better Democrats,’ that has evolved, so that now the emphasis is on empowering members to make the strongest contributions possible to Democrats and Democratic causes.
Here is a picture of Denise Oliver-Velez (back to me) conducting a panel with Al McSurely and Bob Zellner, a warrior who fought with MLK.
Another morning sessions was conducted by a member of Southerners on New Ground (LGBTQ Organization) staffer, Mary Hooks. Ms. Hooks does not give up much to Reverend Barber, himself, in oratory skill and passion, and she can SING, too, with great power, with her beautiful voice! She has a short bio on their website. If you ever get a chance to meet her in person, TAKE IT.
One of the most remarkable sessions was in the morning, when DocDawg presented information on data-driven activism, featuring statistics he (and others) assembled about voting in North Carolina. It was a riveting presentation, with (I think!) incredible potential for positive change. Go right now and click ‘Follow,’ to get postings from this fine Kossack in your Daily Kos stream. You won’t regret it.
Two of the most powerful presentations of the afternoon were from a husband-wife couple, FishOutofWater, on sea level rise and ocean heat storage, and then his wife of 45 years(! ::applause:: ), Tbirchard, speaking on rural health care realities in NC. FOoW has graciously posted a video link of her excellent presentation in a comment in SteelerGrrl’s diary today. (Top Comment!!!) If you have time, do not miss it! If you do not have time, bookmark it until you can MAKE time.
FishOutofWater demonstrating just one of the ways we're messing up our planet home.
The presentations I have mentioned were just a small percentage of what the experience offered. My takeaway is somewhat simpler.
Being in the presence of these remarkable, remarkable people was … life-changing. I am a relatively even-keeled fellow, most times. My commitment to a more progressive world is absolute, and I do not think of myself as needing reinforcement or regular infusions of outside energy to keep me motivated and ‘on track.’
And, yet, I would be lying to you if I did not say that I came home from this event with a sense of new purpose, of greatly enhanced momentum.
It reminded me of the old song for Frosty the Snowman. Remember?
\
There must have been some magic
In that old silk they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
Surely there was magic aplenty, in the old silk hat that was Asheville. For, like Frosty, once placed ‘upon my head’, I did indeed begin to dance around. And have ever since. And I don’t think I’m alone in that!
Every person I met gave me energy and strength. Every person I met became my teacher, for a time. Every person I met planted welcome seeds in my soul, that I hope to do some justice in my remaining years.
I can say without any reservation: I love you guys. And I will never forget you.
And to those of you who could not be there. Please try to make an event like this, when and as you are able. I don’t think you will regret it.
Personally, I cannot WAIT until next time.
UPDATE: navajo just posted a diary about a new Daily Kos collaboration opportunity with Reverend Barber! Do not miss it!
On to tonight’s comments! Assembled and collated by brillig! The finest collab partner on Daily Kos!
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From TrueBlueMajority:
Hilarious comment in Garrett's blood moon diary. You need hester's parent comment to know what Thinking Fella is responding to.
From BeninSC:
I am submitting this comment from FishOutofWater, not only to honor his incredible presentation, but also because it contains a video of his wife's excellent presentation of her own, Tbirchard. Please take a few moments to view that when time permits!
From VirginiaJeff (well, from brillig but definitely flagged by VirginiaJeff):
This comment by monkeybrainpolitics for the second sentence!
Top Mojo for yesterday, Sept 27th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary
FAQing Top Mojo.
1) Thank you. I am, of course, by pixxer +108
2) This couldn't have been easy to write by BoiseBlue +104
3) You make it so clear how this could have happened by Tamar +96
4) That's the spin you're going with? by KuchiKopi +93
5) January 2012 by gooderservice +85
6) I imagine that there is some by high uintas +84
7) What a coward by BoiseBlue +83
8) Pass a budget and raise the debt ceiling by bluicebank +82
9) Obama had a vague, inspiring message. by expatjourno +75
10) So, he went off half-cocked? by nosleep4u +73
11) Roe isn't even their ultimate target by spacecadet1 +71
12) Simpler than that -- Planned Parenthood by teresahill +70
13) #sekritarmy warning-- by kerflooey +64
13) I'd be dead if there'd been a gun in the house. by RationalSouthCarolina +64
15) This is the first in a series of bios by FaithChatham +60
15) Every time there's a diary about this by Ashes of Roses +60
17) The problem is by DisNoir36 +59
17) The Republicans built that. by I love OCD +59
19) He's not by Sun dog +57
19) Power & Control Wheel by Karen Hedwig Backman +57
21) . by Colorado is the Shiznit +56
21) Even at $13 the original price was gouging by Puddytat +56
21) Texas has strong candidates running for Congress by FaithChatham +56
21) #sekritarmy surplus sale! by Elizaveta +56
21) On the nosey by AmmoLady +56
26) I was struck by the fact that Big Pharma stocks by Eyesbright +55
27) Thanks Susan by a2nite +54
27) Clinton's campaign hasn't been horrid. It's just by Tool +54
29) I think you are right. You put it very well, too. by sfinx +53
29) My Fundraising Diary for snoopydawg by JekyllnHyde +53
Top Pictures for yesterday, September 27th. Click any picture to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!
Mon Sep 28, 2015 at 9:23 PM PT: Update: And please read and rec Chris Reeves's terrific diary on the weekend, with a brilliant call to arms!