Sara Davidson
|January, 15, 2021
Years ago, when I was interviewed by a university professor for an oral history project on the Sixties, he asked, “Who had the greatest influence on your life when you were young—a teacher, book, family member?”
Before you read further, please think: when you were in your teens or early twenties, who inspired you? A teacher, friend, musician or poet? Remember what comes up, and please enter it as a response after reading this blog.
When I was asked that question, nobody came to mind. No one at all.
Until the professor added, “a historic figure?”
To my surprise, I said, “John Kennedy.” The words left my mouth before they registered in my brain. I hadn’t thought about JFK in ages, but suddenly I was back in the summer of 1960, going with a girlfriend to see Kennedy accept the Democratic nomination for President at the L.A. Coliseum. I’d never heard of him until the week before, when I’d watched a woman waving a straw hat, singing, “Vote for Ken-ne-dy!” as she danced around the lobby of the hotel where delegates were staying.
JFK goes for a swim at Santa Monica beach
I don’t remember specifics about his acceptance speech, but I remember being awestruck . Two years later, when he came to speak at U.C. Berkeley where I was a sophomore, it seemed the entire student body was streaming into the Memorial Stadium to see him. The front page story in the Daily Cal read, “The eyes of the world will be on the university today.”
What excited me was his message: The torch was being passed to a new generation. That was us!
My girlfriends and I had stared at a newspaper photo of him in swim trunks, coming out of the Pacific ocean in Santa Monica, surrounded by fans.
In August of ‘62, he’d been reading a book beside the pool at the beachfront home of his brother-in-law, the actor Peter Lawford, when impulsively, he rose to go swim in the ocean. The Secret Service detail did not see him walk onto the beach, wade into the surf, dive through the waves, and swim about 200 yards north along the shoreline. But it was a public beach and word spread: “The President’s in the water! JFK’s in the water!”
When he waded out, he was mobbed before the Secret Service could move people away. JFK made eye contact and was laughing with the gal in the polka-dot swimsuit because, she said, they’d heard a woman yell, “Mabel, I touched him!”
Besides swooning over his picture, I took the message from JFK to heart: we, the new generation, could turn the tide, moving our country and the world toward democracy and freedom. The key word at Berkeley in those years was “committed.” Are you committed to something larger than yourself, to making the world better, to marching for civil rights and racial justice? JFK started the Peace Corps and my boyfriend volunteered. JFK challenged people to go on a 50-mile hike, at a time when people didn’t “work out,” go to the gym, or obsess about fitness. JFK’s challenge was novel, and I remember watching a group come tramping back to Berkeley, looking dirty and sweaty and holding a sign, “We did the 50 mile hike!”
The tragedy, of course, was that 15 months after JFK’s swim in the Pacific, he was assassinated. I remember students consoling each other, “Thank God, we still have Bobby.” But five years later, Bobby was assassinated, as was Martin Luther King, which made it hard to feel optimistic and soldier on.
Fortunately, inspiration came again in the Seventies, not from a political figure but from an inner astronaut, Ram Dass, whose book, Be Here Now, set my life and that of millions on a different trajectory—toward inner peace and light. The definitive book about his life has just been published, Being Ram Dass, which he wrote with his longtime friend, Rameshwar Das, and completed before dying last year.
Ramesh and I will be speaking about the book and Ram Dass’ life on January 19, in an online event hosted by the Boulder bookstore.
The theme of his life, as he came to recognize it, was the movement from mind to heart, from Harvard professor who excelled at thinking to spiritual teacher who embodied and transmitted love. He never planned his talks; he was a natural comic who kept people laughing, which made them relax and want to learn. “I loved my audience and they loved me,” he wrote.
In his last years, when he couldn’t speak much, people who came to meet him saw a “ball of light in a wheelchair.” Most important, they felt a sweetness move through them, enfolding them in love.
If Ram Dass had been asked who’d been the greatest influence on his life, it would have been a no-brainer: his guru, Maharaji. For the complete story of his evolution, enjoy the book and get a ticket for the event January 19.
NOW, please respond to my question. Who inspired you back in the day, and who, or what, inspires you now? CLICK HERE to respond.
EXAMPLE: When I asked my companion, Adam, who had most influenced his life when he was young, he said without a beat: “Bob Dylan.” Adam grew up in a small Mississippi town where “people hated each other,” he said. “It was frightening. But Dylan was making a strong argument against violence and stupidity. He was weird and people listened to to him. I was weird and nobody listened to me. But they could hear me through him.”
My 5th grade English teacher, who made me take risks. She also inscribed a poetry book I still have:
“To Susan,
who loves to write… beautifully!”
Lovely, Susan. Hope you still love to write.
JFK
Martin Luther King
Without a second, the most influential person in my life was Ram Dass. Without the expansive hope that Ram Dass offered, I don’t believe I would have continued to go on living. It took me many years to understand and experience what he was pointing at, but eventually, I got it. For me, Ram Dass was as close to being my “Maharaji” as anyone else….and like Maharaji did for Ram Dass, Ram Dass did for me, and that was to introduce me to my true guru…my heart of hearts…the source of my own awareness.
My boyfriend and now my husband. I met him when I was 19. He is one of the most thoughtful, deep thinkers I have ever met and helped me to become a better person.
You are lucky, and blessed. I know one other couple who feel that way and have been together pretty much all their lives. great to hear from you, Vicky!
Hi, Sara. Have really been enjoying your blog. Back in the day, Abbie Hoffman inspired me. He was well-educated, Jewish( (like me) and showed us that community-organizing and street theater could be more effective than violence in combatting fascists, bigots and imperialists. What a profound effect throwing dollars from the balcony of the stock exchange and his antics at the trial had on the rest of us!
Now, my inspiration comes, of course, from young people. Too many to name but we read about them every day and I see them every day among us. Organizing for sustainability. Demonstrating for #metoo and Black Lives Matter. And making art that is political. Refusing to see anyone as “other.”
Of course, Ram Dass was a huge influence. My favorite quote is one of his: “It’s perfectly safe to stand nowhere.” Because, of course, all you will get by looking for that safe place is suffering——-it doesn’t exist!
(Don’t laugh!) Captain Kirk on Star Trek. The possibilities of the future, combined with stories that paralleled current events made a big impression on me at a time when my own life was fraught with family issues. I hadn’t watched any original Star Trek episodes in decades until the pandemic started, and I was reminded again of current parallels in 21st century America.
My rabbi. I was a painfully shy little girl, and he had me stand up and sing in front of our congregation. that was back in the days when I couldn’t meet a stranger’s eyes but he saw something in me. He had a huge impact in developing my self-confidence. It changed the way I interacted with the world and formed the basis of who I am now.
Thanks, Stephanie, for sharing this. It touched me deeply.You’re lucky to have had such a connection, that had such an impact at a tender age. Where and in what congregation was this rabbi? Warm wishes, Sara
I (a white Jewish woman) grew up in Atlanta GA in the sixties. The rabbi of the Reform temple that my family belonged to, Jacob Rothchild, stood up to white supremacy and an ally of Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement. Melissa Fay Green documented some of this history in her book The Temple Bombing. These events as well as the opinions of my father who understood the connections between racism and anti-Semitism shaped my life.
here’s the guy who inspired me – go to 21.20 in this link to see me giving a speech about Richie/Dick Allen – https://www.dropbox.com/s/h9rfac1ahfbrcrm/Dick%20Allen.mxf?dl=0
Great talk, Mike. Your passion and love come through. You’re blessed to have had such a relationship with Dick Allen, and he to have had it with you. You make me wish I’d known him.
I took the time to think of who influenced me in high school and college. I think it was my father and grandfather (my mother’s father). They had passed away years before, but I remembered what my father thought was important, and my family continued to talk about what my grandfather thought was important. In my senior year of college, I went to Brandeis Camp Institute and it firmed up my interest and commitment to Judaism (though I never became Orthodox). Now, so many years later, I became committed to Science of Spirituality and meditate daily. All of the above fit together.
I believe you invited me to go hear JFK accept nomination. Is that accurate? Thanks for your reflectionos.
Just thought that I should add Martin Luther King for his following of Ghandi’s nonviolence.
do you remember me, Shawnee…as in Michael Haimovitz?
Of course I remember you, mostly as Shawnee. Do you know what happened to Michael? Where do you live? Would love to connect. xx S
My Aunt Pearl inspired me. She was a Culture Queen and world traveler and introduced me to ballet,symphony, theatre and so much more. She had a big suitcase with colorful stickers from all the countries she visited and showed me a world much bigger than the small town I grew up in. She was a career woman who never had kids and was the happiest person I’ve ever known.
How lovely to have had such an aunt! I’m a little jealous.
Funny that Adam said Bob Dylan because that was the first name that popped into my mind! To me, his influence is that of being my favorite poet and songwriter of all time. When I discovered long ago that we shared the same birthday I felt like it was karma.
Wonderful, sounds like karma to me. I remember when Joan Baez & Bob Dylan first sang in Berkeley. It was mind boggling to me and my friends.
well I went to UCSB and the atmosphere was very different than at Berkeley. Wasn’t til my senior year (1965) that the anti-war demonstrations, etc. began. Mario Savio came down to speak one day and I went to hear him, but the crowd just wasn’t as moved.
I spent my childhood from about 9 years old until I was 18 working on Windmill Water Wells in West Texas. He explained to me when I asked about getting paid that he noticed that I was always at the dinner table and enjoyed sleeping under a roof. In this rural setting, 40 miles to buy groceries the summers could be less than entertaining. I would read novels, mostly fiction, to escape my circumstances. The thicker the book the better for I had time. Much later in my life with much reflection on why I was the way I was. A way that some in my circle of influence as a VP thought was self centered. they had many more adjectives to describe that behavior but most comments pointed in that direction. I learned…had to learn… to be self-reliant and beyond that I didn’t won’t to be ever manipulated by dependency on a relationship.
Atlas Shrugged, and Fountainhead I read without knowing I was drinking in her philosophy of self-reliance and capitalism. Both are in low regard in our culture today, so it seems, but her books gave me hope that I could improve my situation, my life. I was in the range of 15 years old and had never been out of the cave. I had no idea of what I was reading and the long term effect of the message. And I think the message, in a way, saved me.
Interestingly. to become a better person requires that I recalibrate my operating system. One that carried me most of the miles of my journey but will not get me where I want to be at the end.
a
Thanks, Art, for your thoughts. It seems to me that books and reading were the greatest influence on you. I’ve always loved the Fountainhead, even though it was considered politically incorrect by the early Women’s Liberation movement, because of the rape scene. One woman reported that in the NYC library, it was the most read page, dog-eared and worn. I’ll leave it to you to figure that out. Also, we ALL have to calibrate our operating system, which aint easy. Warmest, Sara
I first read ‘The Fountainhead’ after stumbling upon it while studying in Costa Rica, where English material was hard to come by. I liked the emphasis on self-reliance too, though I don’t think it means that we can’t contribute to and use community as well. The idea was reinforced for me when Jesse Jackson said that you are not responsible for your initial condition but you are responsible for your final condition; that you may have been in the slum but the slum was not born in you.
I was profoundly affected by your book
Loose Change I am an Emerson College grad in 1971 When I read
Your book I was blown away at how right on you were
I attended and all-girl Catholic college in White Plains, NY. My history teacher, Mr. Becker, a quiet soft spoken intellectual, was trying to teach us something about American history while the girl in front of me was polishing her nails (attempting to be secret, of course, and whispering about meeting her boyfriend after class) when all of a sudden Mr. B, slammed down his books and yelled at the class and pointing to the window said .”Do you girls know what is going out out there ? What is the matter with you? America is at a crossroads (or something to that meaning) and you haven’t a clue.”….That was my wake up call and I started paying attention to contemporary news from that moment on. Have been an activist since…(well, sort of). I even fell in love with my first husband because he marched in Selma…
My Aunt Edith who came into my life when I was but 4 years old. She and my uncle were Communists, had no children and would spend holidays with us. While my uncle, my mother’s brother, she and my dad would be drinking beer and arguing, Aunt Edith would be with me and my 4 siblings, reading books and talking to us like we were real people. She did believe childen should be seen but not heard nor did she believe in spankings, an everyday occurrence it seemed in our family. She went on to be an incredible influence in my life. I was so unlike my siblings, I wondered if I had been adopted. In Jr High, I chose to write a paper on Transcendentalism and Transcendental Writers. I don’t recall that Aunt Edith suggested the subject–not even sure why I chose it other than she had opened my mind to liberal and more worldly thinking. At 18, I went to live with my Aunt Edith and Uncle Bob and began to realize all the fruits of her influence. this Irish Catholic girl raised in a poor, conservative family was introduced to Unitarianism, liberal politics, open communication, community and the likes of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Today, at 77 years old I still fight the good fight, politically and spiritually and know how the forces of the Universe brought Aunt Edith and Transcendentalism into my life and created a joyful and fulfilling journey.
I agree with Adam. For me it was Baez, Dylan and Martin Luther King and the two Kennedys….
I was more affected by the Beatles, their first album swept through Berkeley like a fire storm. We’d lie oon the floor with headphones and listen to it play over and over. But I did love all the people you mention. Always great to hear from you.
Jane Goodall
Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem and all the unnamed women who joined consciousness-raising groups and made a difference in their own lives and the lives of others in their circles. We need a new movement now, a movement of equality for all. Hmmm, the ERA perhaps?!
In high school, it was the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson. In college, it was William Blake and the Upanishads.
Now, my inspiration comes mainly from the natural world and from the mysteries which unfold in silence.
In my teens and 20’s it was a few teachers that have me inspiration and showede what I love. An art history teacher in high school and a music teacher in college, I had found a renaissance group to perform with. And with my love if music all though I am Jewish I connected with Hildegard von Bingem. A christen mystic. I had studied Jewish mystism and was passionate about that. But, I heard the music of Hildegard and the wisdom she has in the middle ages.
Marvin Gaye. I always enjoy your reflections on the sixties and your time in Berkeley. I grew up in that town at that time myself. I was in that first group of students being bused, with Kamala right behind me (I’m a few years older than her). As a white girl growing up near the university I’d have to say I was most influenced by both JFK and the Motown artists. I had never heard the kind of music Motown was putting out. I had never shared a classroom with black people. I was so impressed with the music I was hearing, which battled the radio waves with the Beatles & Dylan and I liked that too. But I really responded to Marvin Gaye, the 4 Tops, the Supremes, the Temptations, and all the other Motown artists. I was also struck by the spirit black people in my classes seemed to have…it seemed very different from my white friends. When I saw black people dance to any Motown song, I was really impressed! and wanted to learn how to dance like that (I don’t think I ever did but I sure tried). As for JFK, I was in 7th grade at MLK Jr. High when he was assassinated–my science teacher collapsed as he gave us the news. I will never forget that either. P.S. JFK gave his talk in Berkeley in 1962 at the Cal Memorial Stadium (not the Greek Theater.) I was there too. A great speech, a big moment in my life.
Thanks, Christine, for your musical memories. I loved Marvin Gaye and motown also. thanks also for the correctin about Memorial Stadium. Let’s hope the country’s on a new trajectory now. The inauguration made me cry. Warmest,
Sara
Inspired by:
William Teunis (high school English teacher)
now: Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen
I wish I’d had an inspiring Enlgish teacher. They were good, but I didnt’ carry them with me. I appreciate Dr. Remen also! Warmest,
Sara
Joan Baez! So glad to hear she is one of this year’s Kennedy Center honorees.
Yes, Baez is still an inspiration. A one of a kind voice. thanks for naming a female! Most of us didn’t.
Joan Baez. She taught herself to play guitar and made it look easy. And following her, Dylan, MLK, and Kurt Vonnegut. All had unique outlooks on the world and shaped my world view.
I agree about Baez. She was the first to introduce us to Bob Dylan, when they appeared together in Berkeley in 1963. Her voice is incomparable, and though she’s lost some of her upper range, she’s still out there, leading by inspiration.
Then – Ayn Rand
Now – Michelle Obama
WOnderful that your influencers have been women. As you’ll see, few of us named a woman as a key inspiration. I wish Michelle wanted to be President herself. She’d win in a landslide. Warmest,
Sara
Walt Disney. His dedication to the creation of magic for people of all ages. It made the world one of endless possibilities and fed my desire to dream. Belief in magic of all types has accompanied me throughout my life. I see it in the healing of a friend with cancer, the coming together of me and my husband, the creation of art. I am gripped by a sense of wonder in so much of life. Magic is everywhere and anything is possible if you believe.
Thanks, Kerry. Disney himself was not an inspiring man, but the films and worlds and characters he created were original, daring, and immortal. My granddaughter loves Minnie Mouse. I remember going to Disneyland in 1964 with 3 friends from Berkeley, one of whom had a small, well trimmed goatee. We were refused entrance to the park, because, we were told, beards were not allowed in the park. They wanted a clean, family atmosphere. The female executive who informed us of that, said, “Personally, I don’t mind beatniks spouting poetry and playing guitars, but I wouldn’t want a beatnik living next door to me.” It was shocking. I wonder if they allow tatoos now.
I would have to say that Ram Dass’s book, ‘Be Here Now’ was my big life changer. That was in my early thirties. It’s somewhat sad to think there was no one that inspirational earlier in my life. There were others before Ram Dass, like my grandfather and a wonderful old carpenter I worked with, but Ram Dass was a life changer. And, I will add, that I was probably ready at that particular time in my life. I saw him at a conference at Tara Mandala in Pagosa Springs maybe ten years ago and I asked him sign my original copy of his book that I had and told him how that book influenced my life. His response was, “I get that a lot.”
So glad you had a chance to read that book and find it awakening. It must have been a longer time ago that you saw him at a conferece, because he’s been in a wheelchair, unable to travel, living in Maui since 2004. Events in the past seem closer to me now that they actually were! Warmest,
Sara
I was inspired by two people who were what would now be considered unfashionable socialists: Michael Harrington, who wrote “The Other America,” and Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker movement. I was a Catholic then but had lost faith in the Church. Dorothy Day emphasized the social justice teachings of Jesus, and those have stayed with me in a way that the church’s teachings have not. Harrington’s book is still sadly relevant today: he wrote that at least 25% of America lived below the poverty line, in large part due to systemic racism. It is believed that Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, and expanded social security benefits can partly be traced to Harrington’s ideas.
I was so inspired by your book, Loose Change, when I was 16. For better or worse, it made me want to take risks and lead a life less ordinary. I was also inspired by The Women’s Room by Marilyn French, for similar reasons – to get an education and avoid the life of a suburban housewife, and in a cautionary way, the book Go Ask Alice ensured I would never go near drugs out of curiosity.
I’m honored to hear Loose Change inspired you. As my friend Tasha said when we were students, “It was as if we took vows–we were going to make life as interesting a journey as possible, and were willing to suffer pain if necessary.” That sounds romantic and schmaltzy, but it didn’t feel that way. Thanks for getting in touch. Warmest,
Sara
Trying to register for the event. It won’t let me place my order. Help.
Hi Jennie, just saw your comment. If you click on this link, it should let you buy a ticket for $5. https://www.boulderbookstore.net/event/rameshwar-das-being-ram-dass-conversation-sara-davidson
If that doesn’t work, I suggest you call Boulder Book Store and ask to speak to Stephanie or someone about getting a ticket to the event tonight: 303-447-2074 Don’t worry, it will be available later to people who buy a ticket. Warmest,
Sara
Hello Sara!
My “tall, dark, handsome” intellectual father who taught me Aristotelian logic when I was 9 and about death! English teacher in High School. Philosophy Professor in College. Actor Bruce Myers for his complete dedication to the Art of Acting. The people of the Civil RIght’s Movement. The Arica School.
(AND transcribing Sara Davidson’s interviews with Ram Dass in the early 70’s! Thank you!)
And thank you for your blogs!
Love, Ricky
So great to hear from you, Ricky. How well I remember you moving in with us to transcribe the Ram Dass interviews. My husband later said he’d been flooded out of his home by me, you and Ram Dass. I was grateful to you then, and have been always. Would love to be in touch. I’d love to hear more about your father and other sources of inspiration. Soon?
My father who helped this hopelessly asthmatic child feel alive. He read stories, told tales, and helped me fall asleep.
What a blessing to have had such a fathe. Don’t know what age you are, but in my youth, fathers were not that close with their kids. Didn’t spend much time with them and weren’t the nurturers in the home. Thanks for writing about him. Warmest, Sara
The Beatles were and are the biggest influence on my life. They helped lift our spirits after JFK’s assassination, when they first played on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. Their ever-evolving creativity and outspoken rule breaking inspired me. They were the embodiment of peace, love, and rock-‘n’-roll.
I agree. I come to appreciate their music, their message, and their spirit of life more and more through the years. I’m learning to play ukulele these days, and the complexity of their music is astonishing. Thanks for writing.
I think you and I might have been on a similar track. In 1964 being a small town midwest girl and graduating from college I entered the Peace Corps. After learning I was going to Turkey, I ran to the library to find out where it was. I was there for three years as a pre-school teacher and on the staff. President Kennedy had just died and I really believed that I could make the world a better place. Several years later, Ram Dass entered my life. My mother in law and I went to New Mexico and spent a week with him at the Llama Foundation retreat center. My spiritual life was jump started and has included many other teachers, Rabbi Zalman has been included in those. I live in Denver and enjoy your writing. Thanks!
What an amazing experience you had in the Peace Corps, and that you and your mother were able to meditate with Ram Dass at Lama. I visited there also, but not when RD was there. It was so beautiful and inspiring. And of course, Reb Zalman was a key figure and inspiration for me. But that came later in my life, when our subject was preparing for dying. Similar currents have moved through both of our lives. I would say, we’re blessed.
I’m trying to think of someone who would have inspired me as a teenager in the 70s. My first thought was the Beatles and I’ll will stick with that. I can’t really think of anyone else in particular, except maybe the New York Yankees. The Beatles and particularly the 1978 Yankees were a way for me to connect with the world when at the time I felt very different and alone. I am biracial and there were not a lot of us back in the 70s (little did I know future President Barack Obama, who inspired me years later, was only a year older than I am, dealing with his own struggles on the other side of the country).
Around 15 years ago, Paul McCartney put out a new album and although I had largely stopped listening to his newer music (hip hop had grabbed my attention after my mid-70s Beatles obsession and I held on to it for years), I decided to borrow the CD from the library. I loved it. Since then I have been listening to McCartney and the Beatles every day as well as watching them on YouTube. And Paul just released yet another new album!
Now that I think about it, though, your book Loose Change was definitely inspirational to me as a teenager. I took it as the playbook for what college was supposed to be like. However, I started college in 1980, so I missed out on it all. Your book is still an inspiration — I read it every 5 years or so — it may be time to read it again! It’s on my Kindle and I have a paper copy, too.
Oh, Debra, thanks for writing. Your words are so evocative, I’d love to hear more, especially about being biracial in your time. I share your fervor for the Beatles. The shooting of John Lennon was, for me, as devastating as that of the Kennedys and King, to which group I would add Gandhi and Anwar Sadat. The greatest path breakers and moral leaders are often killed. Thanks for your kind words about Loose Change. It’s time for me to read it again as well. Each time I do, I’m amazed, and aware of how much more I would add now. Warm wishes, Sara
There are two teachers whom I had who influenced me, my sixth grade teacher Miss Gabrielli gave me my love of words and Hazel Barnes, at CU, was a very important influence. But Idries Shah, the man and his writing has been the greatest influence of my life. His writing continues to influence me.
You were fortunate to have such teachers! I haven’t read Idries Shah, but will look into his books. Thanks for telling me about him.
For me it was Martin Luther King Jr. and Bob Moses of SNCC
Thanks, Terri. Always great to hear from you. You were clearly attuned to the need for racial justice… a need we are still attemptin to answer. I wish you good health and good spirits at this challenging time.
This is a tough question, but I think Gloria Steinem. I took a course in college called “Women’s Liberation”–a very creative title and the course changed my life. I became a real “libber” and read MS Magazine. I still remember the name of the final paper I had to write in that course which is still true today (and this was 1977):
Women’s Liberation = Human Liberation
Great question Sara. I just signed up to be at the talk on the 19th. Thanks for helping me the other day.
Gloria was an inspiration to so many, and I had the privilege of knowing her a bit and being at events with her. She was so articulate, spontaneously, and so dedicated. Have you seen the movie “The Glorias?” I enjoyed it. Warm wishes to you for you project.
A great inspiration of the past is my English professor from USC, author and journalist Clancy Sigal, who wrote for numerous publications including UK’s The Guardian. One of the things that always stuck was him drilling into us to be aware and listen to your surroundings. He’d say at a restaurant you should be listening to the conversation at the table next to you, “it’s not being nosy, it’s called being a journalist!” he shouted. I recently read a David Mamet quote (in an old Paris Review Q&A interview) that echoes this sentiment. I was lucky to be in touch with Clancy well into his 90s until he passed a way a few years ago.
I now would say my husband is one of my inspirations. He is a smart, honest and thoughtful man who champions every single one of my pursuits and whims. He’s also been an incredible father to our now young adult daughters. And they are my other great influencers: they are light, creativity and goodness, and I know the future will be fine because people like them are in it. We may have been good parents, but they too have been teaching us since they were babies.
Sara, this blog news/entry of yours comes at a very significant time. I’m working on a book myself, based on some recent experiences I’ve had, having to do with manifestations, life learnings, and the now. I did not know anything about Ram Dass previous to this. In fact, I’ve only ever known Be Here Now to be the title of an Oasis album! After reading a bit more on the book name, I see it’s also a George Harrison song, and so it all makes full sense. Noel Gallagher (Oasis brains), someone else who inspires me with his musical poetry, was a huge Beatles fan. The synchronicity of this all is not lost on me. It’s super cool! There’s some other incredible timeliness with all this that I hope to tell you about soon, Sara. I will try to race home from work in time to tune in on Tues (at the mercy of NYC subways).
Hi Gina, I knew Clancy briefly, and feel you’re lucky to have had him as a teacher and mentor. HE was passionate and brilliant. I suggest you read Ram Dass’s first book “Be Here Now,” it launched the spiritual movement in the US, and remains as good an introduction as anything to contemporary pirituality. Warmest, Sara
Wow, incredible that you knew Clancy! But then again, he lived many lives all over the place…an incredible writer and raconteur. I did a journalism semester with him in London and he brought out some of the best writing in me. He was still sharp as a tack even though he could barely walk the last time I saw him in LA. Definitely an inspiration. And I will read the Dass book, and yours next. Talk about inspiring!
My deep soul friendship w Christ. Felt very real and full of discovery. All else (good grades, boyfriends, popularity) felt fleeting and irrelevant. Understanding, thru other teachers, has evolved into Being.
What a blessing to have had such a soul friendship. I’ve always marveled that you felt embraced by love at a young age. It’s a gift to know you.
This has to be a editorial newspaper columnist from my hometown paper. He wrote about issues of the day, sometimes in a humorous manner and sometimes in a more serious manner. He inspired me to want to become a journalist. Once he said to me, “You can’t change the world. But you can change a corner of a corner of the world.” And, that is right!
Also, Sara, just curious: after finding out the way JFK treated women, including his wife, how do you feel about him now?
It’s not just JFK’s treatment of women that makes me uncomfortable now, it’s his misguided political actions: the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to remove Castro; the Cuban Missile crisis which threated to blow up the world; and his easing us into the Vietnam conflict, which Lyndon Johnson inherited. Kennedy was an inspirational figure who pointed us in important directions. But, in retrospect, he was not the most enlightened of our presidents. I wish Bobby had lived to do better on so many fronts. I believe he would have ended the war and advanced the rights of blacks and other minorities.
The first answer that came to mind was a book about journalist Nelly Bly, who inspired me in that direction.
I know nothing about Nelly Bly, so I look forward to reading about her. Thanks in advance. Sara
I ws a young Air Force wife in the Fifties and Sixties. Curtis Le May let us know why we weree doing what we were doing. When the Berlin Wall came down I was visiting in a hostel in Alice Springs, Australia, leading a life of my own. But I knew I had been on a winning side, and that made it all worth it. Just a few years ago, some very young Army wives heard me remark that I had loved the Military life at the time, and those sweet girls immediately responded, “Thank you for your service!!” No one had EVER said that to me before. It had been 40 years and more since I had been myself as a very young wife living with men who were in danger on a daily basis. They died regularly. I kept the house and babies. Except for a flawed husband, it was a good life. Not sorry not sorry. We won we won. Even after seeing Dr. Strangelove, we kept on keeping on.
Thank YOU for your service, all through your life. Warmest,
Sara
Michael Harrington was a role model. His book The Other America was a devastating exploration of poverty. Cesar Chavez the activist leader of the farmworkers was also important for his work. Both were vital influences on my life as an idealist, then and now.
Hi, you’re not the only person to mention Michael Harrington. Thank you. I look forward the re-reading his book. It’s been a long time. Warmest,
Sara
Meher Babas howed up in the 60’s with don’t worry be happy. Then on the 70’s Ram Dass came to me in the form of his book,”The only Dance There Is” and I came to the realization that I was on a spiritual payh.
I was also drawn to the Kennedys and never missed his speeches. It felt great being an American with JFK as our President.
I used to have an orange Meher Bab t-shirt, that said, “DOn’t worry, be happy.” I remember an immigrant grocer in NY saying to me, “I’m a worry, and I no happy. Who is that guy?” Thanks for reminding me Warmest,
Sara
Sara- I know you don’t remember me, but we were friends in Berkeley, and I stayed in your home in LA for a couple of nights. The most serious answer to your question? My father. He was a humanist architect, former partner with Gregory Ain (look him up) to left the US in 1950 after having been placed on the Attorney General’s list of subversives for his activities in support of low cost housing for workers. He was deeply philosophical, profoundly concerned about living conditions for the poor, and settled in India in 1952 where he worked until his death in 2001. To this day, I seek to start dialogues with him on important issues – global warming, corruption, the failure of religion to tame human behavior, and humane urbanism.
What an extraordinary father! YOu were indeed blessed. How did we know each other in Berkeley? I’ve forgotton so much, so many people, I’d love to hear how we connected. Warmest,
Sara
Good to hear-see-feel your words again, Sara. Blessings to you and your family.
My instinctive, no-reflex answer to your question was John Lennon. It rolled in with the tide of JFK, LBJ, MLK, RFK, Dylan and Ram Dass, seemed to resonate and fulfill all of them.
Last year, we visited Lennon’s home in Liverpooi, and sat for an hour next to the big white piano, on which he composed “Imagine,” listening to the masterpiece again and again, quiet joy-tears.
We just said goodbye to another contemporary angel, Jerry Jampolsky, here at the Hawaii Forgiveness Project. His work fulfilled the promise of all those before him.
Life gets bigger and richer, as we enlarge toward the ocean…
Thanks, Michael, your note makes me want to visit Liverpool. I play Lennon’s songs on the ukulele. What a gift he was to the world, and how egregious was his leaving. Thanks for letting me know about Jampolski. I was influenced by him as well. Warmest,
Sara
Sara, I didn’t read ahead before answering your question. Bob Dylan made a big impression on me when I was a teenager. I was singing his songs, playing guitar, never got the knack of harmonica. I had already identified as a folkie before he came along. The day JFK was assassinated I was playing hookie from high school for the first and only time, wandering around Greenwich Village. A passing stranger walked up to me with the news that the president was dead.
Thanks for sharing your memories. I was in the study hall at Berkeley, cramming for a test, when a friend came up to me and gave me the news. There was no test that day in that class. But what a test for each one of us.
The Beatles because they moved me in way no one else did or has since and Bobby Kennedy. I am 65. I was also entranced by your book about your Berkeley friends when I was a bit older. Love your writing.
my wonderful parents
my church (UCC liberal protestant) youth minister Jeanne Haynes
Kahlil Gibran
Hmmm, for college me it would have to be Anna Akhmatova (the Russian poet). She taught me that there was no tyrant, no army, powerful enough to subdue the ferocity of a woman’s grief. I remember a few years back, catching a radio rebroadcast of an interview with Emmett Till’s mother – and for hours my nose was filled with the remembered smell, not of desecrated flesh, but of the peculiar 1970s eastern European mimeograph samzidat (underground publishing) pages on which I had first encountered Akhmatova’s words: “No, ya preduprezhdayu vac / shto ya zhivu v posledniyi raz…” (Hear me – I am warning you / this is the final time I walk this life…). I knew by then that life wouldn’t always be fair, or easy, but her words, like Mamie Till Mobley’s actions, taught me that it doesn’t have to break you – you can let it forge you into the kind of steel that carves the face of history.
http://max.mmlc.northwestern.edu/mdenner/Demo/texts/warning_you.html
https://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/akhmatova/requiem.html
I was not inspired by an individual in my personal life – no teacher, coach, family member. I was inspired by JFK and RFK and MLK and Dylan and the Beatles and by films and books – all of whom told me loud and clear that a big world of possibility was calling me. Calling me to political, social, creative, and spiritual possibilities and calling me away from my lower middle class Catholic family and my small town (Cocoa, FL) surroundings. I think I was also inspired by myself and my closest friend and the ideas and visions we could conjure of our entrance into that bigger world. PS I share a birthday with JFK.
Never knew you share the birthday. I would imagie being at Harvard at the exact moment you were was a great influence. So much idealism, passion, and conviction we could make a difference.
Of course my parents and my older brother were influential, as were my high-school math, history and English teachers. But it was mostly people I encountered in reading who influenced me. Cortez’s incredible, audacious and mean conquest, Atahualpa’ story, and Heinrich Heine’s and Isaac Asimov’s writing. Above all, though, it was Spinoza and my understanding of his writing of the world as a living entity that most influenced me, at least for the next few decades, though tempered by my ex-wife.
If You were to ask me what EVENT most influenced me, it would be the murder of Martin Luther King. Yes, the JFK murder had shocked me, especially since Kennedy’s idea of the Peace Corps had galvanized us in high school when we first heard of it as a proposal, but neither that tragedy nor the glorious fulfillment of his pledge to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade had quite the impact as the killing of the man who had so inspired me in college.
I think MLK gets more recognition in this comment stream than any other single person. Fascinatig to hear about the effect of Spinoza on you. I will investigate. Thanks, Sara
Jim Rouse, who imagined and began the building of the new town of Columbia, MD. I got a job at The Rouse Company and worked on the Columbia team. It was very exciting, a new town rising from Maryland farm land. Columbia opened with open housing BEFORE it was law. People were attracted from all over the company to work on the project. People moved from elsewhere in the country to live there. The air was alive with hope and possibilities.
Sounds amazing. I’m wondering what Columbia is like now. Have you stayed in contact/involved?
Emory Basford (head of English Dept at Andover), Peter Gimbel, Tom Wolfe
Interestig to see your choices.I remember Peter Gimbel from the film, “Blue Water, White Death,” and that you’d be involed somehow. Would like to hear more about how Tom Wolfe influenced you. He had a major impact on my reporting and writintg.
I was most inspired by the unconditional love I received as a young Catholic nun from the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace. The nun who most inspired me was Sister Louise when one day she said “it is not good enough to respond with love. We need to anticipate another’s need and offer love.” I left that community when I was 32 but never forgot her and was just as impressed with her kindness when we happened to reconnect at an Intercommunity Justice & Peace retreat in Seattle about 30 years later.
As a spiritual companion to others at the end of life, I cherish & refer to your & Rab Zalman’s December Project. Thank you for that.
Wonderful to hear about your experience as a nun. I wrote a long piece for Oprah Mag about the nuns at the Abbey of REgina Laudis in Connecticut. The love and intelligence of the sisters was so strong, I actually longed for that kind of community. Thanks for your kind words about The December Project. Warmest,
Sara
James Taylor, Rod McKuen , The Beatles….
Loved Ram Dass, saw him in Dayton, Ohio.
So many of your memories are my memories. Born in 1947.
I agree, those of us born then have many of the same touchtones. Thanks for yoru words.
My world history teacher, senior year, Class of ’61, West High School, Waterloo, IA: Miss Marie Shellard
She was also the Extemporaneous Speaking team coach. She required every student to deliver an oral 5 minute report, in front of the class, on some aspect of world history. She sat in back of room, recruiting for her team, unbeknownst to us.
Those whom she deemed had potential, she offered a deal:
“You let me coach you a few times. If I choose you for the Extemp team, I will train you how to speak well and confidently in front of a group of strangers.
“Every world history class period, you and the others on the Extemp team will meet in the empty classroom next door, to practice for Extemp competition, at regional, then state, speech competitions.
“Without attending a class, you will get an A in world history. Deal ?”
I agreed. She taught us all to speak, for any length of time, without uttering a single “um”, “uh”, “I mean”, “You know”, or a dozen other distractions that litter and contaminate and diminish our spoken language, especially in USA, expecially among the young.
And, starting sentences with “What …” unless they are questions (“What does this mean?) or exclamations (What a fine day!”). Thus the distraction and noise of: “What this means is …” and “What we’re going to do now is …”
It’s tragic: allowing ouselves this mental laziness leads to lazy nthinking about everything, leading to vulnerability to misinformation and the demagogue who spawned it, leading to today’s dangerous state of USA affairs. All because too few of us have had a Miss Shellard to train us to think, thus to speak.
See my recent speaking at energy conferences. I’m not perfect. I edit-out my imperfections.
http://www.leightyfoundation.org/earth-protection/conference-videos/
We need to discipline ourselves to think before we speak. Then, speak well, without litter, contamination, confusion, and ambiguity. Use our minds fully. Be present. Don’t waste your time, and mine, on the noise of meaningless and distracting utterances.
Thank you for your consideration. Eschew awful English. Carpe diem. Don’t mistake the edge of the rut for the horizon. Build a world Beyond War. Pledge allegiance to Earth.
What an extraordinary experience you had with Miss Shellard. I wish more people could have had such a teacher. Warmest,
Sara
Hi, Sara.
I adore you, and read each of your blog posts.
I’m especially interested in why you omit (in this post) women thinkers who influenced you. Why…only men? Surely, the tragic murders of JFK, RFK and MLK influenced us all (as did their fabulous lives and likewise fabulous missions)–myself included (I’m about your age, coming of age in Southern California)–but, c’mon. Your omission of great women “influencers” in your life as indicated in this post seems…lopsided.
Like you, no doubt, ’bout half the people I love & who’ve inspired me are women/another half are men.
Thanks for reading. Be/stay safe and well. ~Roxana
P.S. Contact me with at my work e-mail address below (I’m a Gender Equity Educator in the San Diego area) & I’ll add you to my list of folks I send e-mail “posts” to occasionally; I think you’d like to read my work, too. 🙂
Thanks for posing that question. It’s interesting, only one of the people responding to the questionin in my blog named a woman–Gloria Steinem. Part of the reason is that I’d asked who had the MOST influence on you as a young person. Among the women who’ve inspired me are: bioligist Jane Goodall; Sylvia Earl,the aquanaut; Colette Aboulker, a Kabbalist I met in Jerusalem; Joni Mitchell; and above all, Joan Didion. I think she’s the finest writer alive, and she introduced a distinct voice and style into literature and personal essays. I wrote a Kindle single about her that you can find on Amazon: JOAN, 40 years of life, loss and friendshipn with Joan Didion. She inspired me as a friend and mentor. The second reason I think almost no one mentioned a woman as the greatest influence on them was that, when our generation was growing up, women were not well represented in public life. Few women were admitted to Medical Schools or Law Schools, few women held elective office or important international roles. I was trying decide between going to graduate school in English for a PhD, or going to the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. My advisor in the English department at Berkeley told me, frankly, that women were not welcome — there was only one woman in the fculty of the English department. So I went to Journalism school, but when I applied for jobs afterward, I was told flat out, “We’re not hiring women.” THings have changed so dramatically that I suspect, if I asked the question of young people today, there would be far more women cited. Thanks for your challenging question I enjoyed thinking about it. Warmest,
Sara
Mikhail Baryshnikov and Zubin Mehta! I swooned when either performed and they inspired me to “follow your passion”.
Fascinated by your response. It was a dancer and musician that most inspired you. Not surprising that you both dance and make music! though your chosen profession was medicine. AS they say in Israel, “Kol ha kavod,” all honor to you. Warmest,
Sara
The first person who came to mind was my father. He was a man way ahead of his time. He was open mined, accepting, kind and compassionate. He didn’t have a racist bone in his body, and this was a time when many of my peers parents did. He taught me never to judge people. Every person has a story and you don’t know it, so there is many reasons for people acting or saying the things they did. I am an only child but on Fathers Day he got dozens of cards from my friends. He was the kind of dad that always told me if you feel you are in trouble somewhere just call me and I will come get you, no questions asked. Just happy I made the right decision and trusted him. This he extended to all my friends as well. All of this molded me into who I am today. I didn’t have a famous person that jumped out to me is was just my dad. I can never repay for being the man he was.
Karen, you are so blessed to have had such a father. You didn’t have to look outside your family for strength, love, guidance and inspiration. I wish I had known him! Warmest,
Sara
Back in my early 20s, my last two years in college, I was inspired by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. I had already decided to be a journalist, but their Watergate triumph confirmed that decision to join an honorable profession.
Nowadays, I am inspired by Kamala Harris, Joe BIden, and the Obamas. They show that you can become a politician and stay a decent human being and, like Woodward and Bernstein, hold people in power accountable.
I agree with you completely. The writers who most inspired me were Joan Didion and Tom Wolfe. I admired what Woodward and Bernstein did, and how they set the standard for investigative reporting, which still holds today.
I met both R Shlomo Carlebach and R Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in the Summer of Love in SF when I was 20 In SF and in Winnipeg later That summer. They both had a profound effect on my life and I was especially close to R Zalman for many years on many levels. I am writing about this now. Better late than never! loved the December Project
What a gift that you came to know both those teachers. They were once-in-a-generation leaders, and had a profound effect on young Jews and leaders of all faiths. I’ll be eager to see what you write about them.
In my late teens the person who inspired me the most was Viktor Frankl and his book: Man’s search for meaning. Until then I didn’t realize that there could be a positive meaning to the Holocaust experience that my parents went through. His message started my spiritual journey.
Thanks, Ori, for responding. I re-read Frankel’s book every decade, and it never ceases to inspire me. Have you read The Choice by Edith Eva Eger? It was equally powerful for me. Wonderful to hear from you. Sara
Jack Gariss had a meditation program on KPFK Sunday morning, opened up a whole new world for a young person.
How wonderful that you connected with Gariss. Many people have told me their first itroduction to spirituality was listening to Alan Watts. I haven’t heard of Gariss but will investigate. Thanks, Sara
My inspiration: Jim Morrison of The Doors. His poetry empowered and energized me, helped me feel free and yet disciplined.
Aloha Sara
interesting to get your question now
i’ve been reading LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS by Richard Louv
& have been remembering how that my dad encouraged me to interact with nature & my mom let me bring all kinds of critters & plants into our home
teachers, I was a very smart student in the schools, had great teachers, Mr. Anderson, homeroom and Algebra, high school, and my junior high physical education teacher.
So great you had wnderful teachers. and that one was P.E.! I imagine thereby hangs a tale. Warmest,
Sara
The first influential person in my life was Steve Gaskin, my 1965 English 101 teacher at the SF State Extension campus on Sutter St. Who introduced me to his pal Ken Kesey’s writings, beginning with Sometimes a Great Notion; until, of course, one flew east, one flew west and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Later Barack Obama swayed me when asked what super power would he have liked and replied, to speak every language on earth.
Louis J. de Deaux
louisjdedeaux@yahoo.com
Is that the Steve Gaskin who started a commune, I think in Tennessee ? I didn’t know that about Obama. I’d like that too.
I read Pema Chodrin’s book “The Wisdom of No Escape” when I was 19 and it was like a lightning bolt that shifted my perspective away from the self-improvement mentality of my upbringing.
Anne Tyler. She’s a minimalistic writer that I have adored since I read her first novel. She focuses on the “every-dayness” of life that is SO intriguing to me. I also love that she writes a novel every 2 years. I rely, because of my own insecurities, on her discipline.
My history teacher, Mr. Eugene Sharp, 7th grade, 1960. He really challenged us. We were assigned “The Affluent Society” by John Kenneth Galbraith. I learned so many new words and then challenged myself to use them in the book report. It was lots of fun. He assigned us many books like that. Sitting in class one day I had an epiphany, I knew to the very core of my being I was a teacher.
My future mother-in-law when I was 16 asked me a question about how I felt about something and I was speechless…no one had ever asked me what I thought. Since then I’ve learned that I can speak up and have opinions about issues. It was an eye opener for me to know that someone wanted to know my thoughts.
Eleanor Roosevelt.
She was so inspiring in the many ways that she served the world and in her outspokenness and her courage in living her own life, in spite of her husband’s “dalliances.”
Ram Dass reminded me of something I always knew; that there is a dimension of human existence that runs through life as real, if not more so, as everything I experience in my day-to-day life. I have had many inspirations, but they all influenced me in the domain of worldly reality. Ram Dass so graciously and gently invited me into a part of myself that was not bound by, although it included, my physical being. He showed me how simple it is, and how available if I so choose. He has been the all-kind and all-loving gatekeeper to my heart and soul, although, in his humility, he would point out that we are together in that place. He helped me recognize I am loved; no greater gift can be given. He has modeled for me a profound and longed-for way of living and I am forever grateful.
Me too, Jeff.
Joseph Campbell and R. Buckminister Fuller were huge influnces on me. Later Alan Watts joined their ranks.
Joseph Campbell had a huge influence on me. I watch and re-watch “The Power of Myth,” the interviews he did with Bill Moyers. Thanks for reminding me of his work.
Most welcome you are. I started Campbell with Myths To Live By. The Moyers interviews were excellent! As I have grown older, I have become way more cognoscente of how politicians wield myth – in fact that is one of their main jobs. I loved the stuff you wrote on Woodstock last year B.T.W
As I was always interested in logic, philosophy, science, and literature, my early influences included: daVinci, Galileo, Einstein, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, Voltaire, Goethe, Nietzsche, Joyce, and Bertrand Russell. To this group I added John von Neumann, Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, and J.B.S. Haldane.
Kennedy? His father arranged for him to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize he didn’t legitimately win for a book he didn’t write; he lied about the missile gap, cheated in the election, cheated on his wife, presided over the Bay of Pigs debacle and brought us to the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban missile crises. He then got us into Vietnam, which hung over my generation for years. He advocated hikes, and acted as though he was “vigorous”, but hobbled around the White House on crutches. To me he represented the triumph of style over substance.
YOu are absolutely right about Kennedy. I mentioned that in one of my comments to this blog, that his actual deeds did not match his image. In the early years of the 1960s, he seemd to shine a beacon that we wanted to follow. He did ease us into the Vienam war, and the two Cuban fiascos are unforgivable. I wonder if we’d have come to that realizition sooner if he hadn’t been killed. Or if he might have course-corrected. Thanks for clarifying. I share your appreciation of Joseph Campbell and Jung.
Back in the day, I was inspired by the weird, cool, moving words of Jim Morrison. Didn’t always understand him, but then no one understood the rebel in me either
Today my hero’s are Bill Wilson and Dr. BOB of Alcoholics Anonymous because the fellowship of AA literally saved my life. Now I try to pass the message on and if I can help get even just one addict off the street alive, then I’ve done something right.
Thanks, Tammy, for reminding me of Jim Morrison. It’s a shame no one was able to help him with his addictions. He might be with us still. Great ot hear from you.
retired teacher in my neighborhood had the greatest and lasting influence. I grew up during the second eorld war in a rutal community in Hawaii. My parents wanted yo be sure that I was American.
Hi Jane, You’re blessed to have had such a teacher. I wish there had been such a teacher in my life. I gleaned different things from different ones, but none that I went deep with. I’d love to hear more about your experience in Hawaii during the war. Another time….?
Alanis Morrissette was my idol in my teens.
When I was 16, I was inspired by my cousin who was 2 years older. We had been close since childhood. When I was 16 and she was 18, she went off to college, and I learned from talking to her that she had exciting experiences there such as smoking pot and losing her virginity! That’s what I aspired to! She was my role model, and I had my chance within a year to accomplish both those goals. When I was in college, I too was inspired by Ram Dass who set me off on a spiritual path. When I was older, my spiritual inspiration came from the books of Shakti Gawain And Sonia Choquette. I currently use their meditation techniques along with trancendental meditation as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi which I have adapted to suit my schedule timewise. There is also my current voice teacher who is teaching me to write music in a way I never thought possible. Really pushing far out of my comfort zone.
HI Harmony! Have we met in Honolulu? thanks for your thoughtful notes. Someone said that the freshman rite of passage at UC Berkeley was to “get stoned, get laid, and get arrested.” I did two of those, sounds like you did also. Shine on!
No, I never met you in Honolulu. I was referred by my friend, Ken, who wrote in his comments about his disillusionment with Kennedy.
I was also inspired by Ram Dass & Shakti Gawain for meditation & Sonia Choquette for her book Your Heart’s Desire.
Lately my voice teacher has been inspiring me teaching me to write music & pushing me far beyond my comfort zone & having much more confidence in me than I have in myself
I LOVE reading your emails. I am 73 years old and relate to everything you talk about. I was greatly influenced by RAm DAss when he came to Dayton Ohio where I live. I think it was in the 1970’s. I eventually followed guru Amrit Desai for many years. I am now influenced by some authors that I really like to read. Louise Penny is one. Ann Cleeves is another. I love British tv.
I am looking forward to reading the book about Ram DAss’s life. BE HERE NOW is a mainstay for me.
Thank you Sara Davidson for sending your words. I so look forward to hearing from you!
Barbara
Ben Spock, Sidney Peck leaders on the “teach in” movement at Case Western Reserve University. Malcolm X, John Coltrane, Leroy Jones, MLK, Rabbi Heshel, Stokely Carmichael, Eldridge Cleaver. Lyndon Johnson, JF K.
My soul was being fed by the music, poetry and non fiction writing during the 60’s . Read “Loose Change” and loved it.
Thanks for the kind words, Michael. My soul, also, was fed by the music and writing and remarkable leaders who spoke out at that time.
I am now 78, early inspiration came from Pacifica Radio, felt like a lifeline while growing up in Orange County, California. Pacifica had KPFA in Berkeley, KPFK in LA and WBAI in NY. KPFK, on occasion would broadcast what was going out on the air from WBAI, Ram Dass taking calls from about 10 at night til 6 in the morning, fresh news from another planet, I was not alone in the universe and that there was a way forward, changed my life forever.
Thanks, Sara. I always await your blogs and love reading them. They never disappoint and always inspire. They also help me in my never-ending quest to become a better writer. You’re a huge role-model for me in this regard. Okay, to respond to your question, the individual who has had and still has the greatest influence on my life is the late Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo (1901-1987), the Javanese (Indonesian) founder of the Subud Spiritual Practice (“latihan kejiwaan Subud”) and the initiator of the World Subud Association, an organization with members in 100 countries. Subud, an acronym of SUsila BUdhi Dharma, is the most widespread spiritual practice no one has ever heard of. As a 60-year member, having been initiated at age 21, I can state unequivocally that my life has been changed by my twice-weekly half-hour practice facilitating growth into my biggest and best self. I got to know the founder personally, thanks in part to my study of Indonesian, which enabled direct communication. I reacted to being present with him as you have reacted to your visits to Ram Dass. He, Pak Subuh, was someone who combined strength and loving presence, but more importantly, the spiritual exercise he opened to me made possible inner growth and total inner (and outer) transformation. We Subud members are encouraged not to proselytize, but if any of your readers are interested in learning more, they can read the excellent article on SUBUD in Wikipedia or go to http://www.subud.net or subud.org. They can also contact me at reynoldruslan@gmail.com.
Best and warmest regards on this lovely snow day,
Ren
Reynold Ruslan Feldman, Ph.D.
http://www.reynoldruslan.com
I wasn’t going to respond, moved on to the next email … next two emails are from Amazon. Book recommendations, which I always like to peruse … books, women’s history month, read this and this. Music, podcast, just tell Alexa …
I don’t want to be a part of it. A strong part of me just refuses to get drawn in any further and another says, “yeah, but you’re gonna miss out …” They’ve done such an excellent job of winding like tiny roots into my head, knowing my wants and fears of missing out. I’m afraid Amazon knows more about me than some of my friends. I don’t like it.
Well said! Thanks
Who inspired me most? Simple, and it may surprise you to know, like Ram Dass, very unexpected and never imagined. In the mid 70s after graduating a very liberal state University (SIU in Carbondale, Il) I was adrift. As a “left leaning” sometime hippie, I was convinced there was something more to life than, parties, drugs and girls. In 1974 I found myself over a 1000 miles away in Rochester, Ny. I stumbled upon an event called “the Celebration of Life” and inter-cultural music event capped with a brief “religious” message about the true mission of Jesus. I found myself uncharacteristically intrigued and went to a workshop sponsored by the Unification Church and we studied the Divine Principle, a teaching received through revelation by the Rev Sung Myung Moon. I was surprisingly totally inspired by the teachings with among other things explained that Jesus, was not sent to die on the cross (it was a secondary mission) and the fall of man was not caused by the eating of an apple.
To make a very long journey very short, over 40 years later I am still with my wife, who introduced me to my wife, we were blessed in the historic blessing of 2075 couples on July first in Madison Square Garden by Rev. and Mrs Moon. We just welcomed our third granddaughter in late December 2020, both of our daughters are happily married, one of the was matched by Rev Moon to her husband. So…the answer to your question would be unequivocally …the Rev Sun Mung Moon. His teaching and influence gave my life a sense of purpose and value and…helped me to understand one the most important truths is living for the sake of others. That is the path to True Love. Thank you!
Without a doubt – apart from yourself, Sara! – Gene Simmons. He dared to be different and refused to believe ‘it couldn’t be done.’ And he STILL believes it!
JFK challenged people to go on a 50-mile hike, at a time when people didn’t “work out,” go to the gym, or obsess about fitness.
One of my high school English teachers, who seemed to enjoy life infintely more than anyone else I had ever known at that point. Somehow that ability of his to enjoy life made other people enjoy it as well.
I believe I may be a bit younger than Sara’s followers. I was influenced by two sisters of Mercy. I was eight years old in 1966 and Sister Gertrude was happy and played the guitar and opened the windows to bring in fresh air even in the winter. I found myself knocking on their convent doors the following summer to ask if they needed any help. I stacked canned goods in the kitchen. I was taken by how cheerful the nuns were but I got tired of stacking groceries quickly. Sister Gertrude let me see her bedroom, her closet had a few uniforms of the habits they wore and one sweater that her parents had sent her for her Birthday. That she had parents, a birthday and received gifts was a revelation. When I was in 7th grade, in 1970, Sister de Paul wrote the word, fuck, on the black board. She spoke to us like we were actual people, not as children. And by that, I think she acknowledged and touched within us our emotions, our fears, hopes, dreams and that they were valid.I believe she loved us for the beauty and mess we were and we loved her for accepting us and her gentle guidance.