~a smattering of sarah~

Changes and Things

Posted on Tue, 2007-03-27 13:24 by sarahfelicity
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I realize I haven't been blogging much. A few reasons for this:

1) I've been getting ready for my rapidly approaching move to Toronto. Oh yes, it's true. So I'm busily wrapping things up, packing, cleaning out, and psyching myself up. I leave Vancouver in 4 short weeks.

2) Anonymous threatening phone calls regarding content you posted on your blog don't really lend themselves to a feeling of comfort about *having* a blog. And no, I'm not saying any more than that.

3) I'm less than inspired by my site these days, though haven't really had the energy to put into making it better. Someone sweet built me a new template for my birthday... look for the unveiling soon!

By way of quick updates...

1) I love Byron Katie. Check her out and watch the many video clips. She's just great. If you're tired of suffering because other people won't change... then take her teachings to heart.

2) I got do do Yoga for Geeks on The Lab with Leo! Airing May 4th (or was it 5th?)

3) Spring is coming and I'm glad. :)

Your Suffering...

Wed, 2007-03-28 20:19 — mfuller

You know what you problem is, Sarah? You are a cliche. Upper-middle class, attractive, skinny white girl. University educated, paid for (in-part if not fully) by upper-middle class mommy & daddy. You have had an eating disorder. Typical upper-middle class white girl problem. You are ashamed of the fact that you are from a good, well off family, so you develop an eating disorder to make everyone you know feel pity for you, and then, as you deal with it, others feel proud of you for overcoming such a difficult life experience. You try so hard to be unique, but you are not. Yoga, enviromental activism, "social change"? It's been done before.

You think you suffer because other people won't change, poor you! Let me tell you something sweetheart, you do not know what suffering is. You will never know what suffering is. And instead of accepting that and feeling happy to be blessed with the countless advantages you have, you have need to whine and complain and blame everyone else for not bowing down to you and addressing your specific hang-ups. Get over youself.

I know what you're going to say, I'm an asshole. And you know what, Sarah, you're right. You are not the problem It's me, I won't change, therefore, you suffer.

I don't know you, or Sarah

Sat, 2007-04-28 02:53 — Juneauite (not verified)

I don't know you, or Sarah per se, but can concur with your evaluation.

First of all, what young woman hasn't had an eating disorder? Second of all, having met sarah on one occasion she didn't seem very open or friendly to anyone who wasn't of her "higher status".

Not all of us have the privlage to be able to take time off from supporting ourselves to delve into months of yoga retreats and such, and if we did I would hope that we would come out of them withsome understanding and compassion for people and their struggles with both internal and external. I don't doubt that you have good intentions, but as far as I can tell, you represent an elite group of privlaged individuas who have the opportunites that much of the world can't relate to. If you are really working toward social change, then I suggest you begin by trying to understand the struggles much of the general population faces just to support them selves and fight for equality among the classes. Until then you wil just be another pretty elitiest preaching to their own supporters and what good does that do? You all agree that the rest of the world needs to change, just as long you don't have to sarifiece your cushy andpolitically correct lifestyle.

Oh, my

Fri, 2007-03-30 12:40 — conductorchris

Wow, what a nasty comment. You don't deserve that (nobody does).

As your friend, I am rising to your defense. Maybe it's best to let such a comment die of it's own spirit, but anyway:

1. We are who we are. The cards that get dealt to us are not ours to choose. It's OK, who we are. There was good, there was bad -- for everybody, no matter how "privileged" or not. None of us is especially unique if viewed from the right perspective. From another perspective, of course, all of us are. It's what you do with what you got.

2. It's all right to be focused on the particular cards we happened to be dealt. Our own experience is the best source for any good we might do in the world and for the learning the lessons we need.

3. You cannot compare suffering. One person may be undone by what another finds strengthening. Or vise versa. Inner experience belongs to each person uniquely. Once you suffer, you suffer -- there is no "more" suffering or less suffering.

4. Sarah is my friend. I find her smart and charming and I like what she has to say. I'm sorry you are blind.

the anti-rant

Sat, 2007-03-31 12:44 — AnastasiaH

Damn, us skinny, white middle class yoga loving, environmental activist women just can’t get a break. It seems we are so commonplace that our existence on this very planet is not only cliche, but enough to fuel self righteous, cheap-shot rants with little basis in reality. Okay, Mike, you’re right. I am going to stop giving a shit, because obviously my own inexperience with true suffering renders me completely incapable of such a thing. I’m going to throw away my yoga mat, my biodegradable soap and my Ani DiFranco cd’s. I’m going to lose my bike for a pink hummer and matching accessories and….

…and as I write this, I realize, this is just the kind of response you are looking for, Mike. You are looking for people to feel anger about your post so that it can justify your anger, and fuel it even more. Yes, the middle class, university educated, attractive woman in me, who does happen to give a shit about all the awful things that happen in the world, is not only angry but insulted to the core about your post. But I don’t want to give you the satisfaction. Mostly I want to tell you how happy I am that there are people like Sarah who actually care about the sad and unjust things in the world, and put their energy to trying to change them in whatever ways they can. So let me ask you Mike – how do you attempt to change the sad and unjust things in the world? By attacking people you presumably don’t even know on the internet? You seem like an intelligent person, and so this kind of action seems like a real misappropriation of energy. Why not take this passion you feel and direct it towards something productive, something that will actually infuse some positive and healthy change in the world? Why waste your energy feeling so angry with people like Sarah? Because allowing this kind of anger to fuel us is just poison, Mike. It’s poison to you and the entire world.

different names for the same thing

Tue, 2007-04-10 12:22 — sarahfelicity

Sure, it's true that upper middle class white girls seem more prone to developing textbook "eating disorders". However, my experience is that an eating disorder is just a particular manifestation of self-hate, and us privileged white girls sure don't have any monopoly on *that*. That seems to be pretty universal – though there's a huge diversity of ways to express it and embody it.

Someone wise once pointed out to me that "we never treat others any worse than we treat ourselves." Sadly, I believe it's true. May we all learn to love ourselves a bit better.

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About this Site

A hodge-podge of random thoughts, musings, and links – sometimes about social change, sometimes about technology and the web, sometimes about yoga, and occasionally about knitting. Sometimes (because I'm a Canadian girl with deep roots in the British Isles) I even write about the weather.

I'm a yoga teacher, founder of Yoga for Geeks, and a freelance web writer, strategist, and project manager. I also help to co-create the amazing Web of Change Conference, every September in beautiful British Columbia.

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