In the past few weeks, I’ve heard neighbors — good folks — say they don’t listen or watch any news, partly because “they are all lying,” no matter which “side.” This inaction is exactly the response authoritarians want — citizens who can’t or won’t discern lies from truth and who opt out, leaving the field wide open for the consolidation of power by leaders hellbent on grabbing all they can for themselves. In response to those folks who are turned off, there are resources, ev

And - just as importantly – How are we getting there? ~by Marcia DeJesús-Rueff, 6-28-26 In the wake of Trump 2.0 and the horrors that have ensued, I wonder if Indigenous cultures might have some type of “secret sauce” that could help our nation work through our current political struggles. “What if our best hope reaches for the future by sinking its roots deep in the past? What futures can we build on these other versions of the past, these other voices with other stories

In full disclosure I must tell you that I’m a Unitarian, Buddhist-leaning, lefthanded, SEPTUAGENARIAN, progressive whose main religion is kindness. I’d like to begin today by sharing a quote by Alok Vaid-Menon, from their book, Beyond the Gender Binary. “We want a world where boys can feel, girls can lead, and the rest of us can not only exist but thrive. This is not about erasing men and women but rather acknowledging that man and woman are two of many stars in a constellati

In this month of May, planting seeds and seeing if anything grows, are expressions of hope. We do not know what will result or if we will ever see that result. Hope inspires our plantings. And as we plant seeds in the ground, as we plant seeds in the people around us, and as we allow seeds to be planted in us, we proclaim our values: community, respect, empathy, compassion, love. In the words below, other PARA members share their thoughts on the gifts, the abundance, the wond

~ Madeline Schmitt My husband and I first visited the Fadden-family-owned and managed Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center [previously named a “museum”] in the northeastern Adirondacks in Onchiota, NY many years ago. Onchiota is a blip on the map – a hamlet – that has been the home to the Fadden family for generations. At the time of our first visit, the museum was a small building containing a wealth of primarily Haudenosaunee indigenous and indigenous history-related arti

My mom passed away at the age of 95 last May. Born in 1930, she was a child of the Great Depression. Like so many other people of her generation, frugality was of utmost importance. If we didn’t want to clean our plates at dinner we would often hear, “Think of all the starving people in India!” Cutting coupons from the newspaper and magazines was a weekly ritual. She was very frugal about our use of energy also. Electricity was very expensive so space heaters were used scarce