Unschooling Anthem (song)

Artwork by Amy Steinberg

I am fascinated with the unschooling philosophy. I think it is a nice compliment to my natural parental instinct: bossy control-freak. I guess I like to think that the unschooling philosophy balances me.

I would love to attend a conference like the LIFE ROCKS! Radical Unschooling Conference.

On their website they say that Amy Steinberg's song, "Exactly," from her album, "Must be the Moon," is becoming their anthem.

I always thought that the perfect song to describe this alternative educational philosophy was John Lennon's, "Imagine" or Pink Floyd's, "Another Brick in the Wall." Freedom is a big enough place for many anthems.

I wanted to share the song "Exactly" because the lyrics are amazing and part of the song reminds me of slam poetry. Slam poetry put to music. A worthy anthem.

Here is Amy singing "Exactly."




Exactly

i am exactly where i need to be
i need to be exactly where i am
i am a blessing manifest
i can undress the moment
naked time unwinds beneath my mind
and from within i find the kind of beauty
only i can find

i am exactly where i need to be
i need to be exactly where i am
i am surrendering so willingly
to be the perfect me inside this now
and truly how else could it be
destiny she blesses me
destiny she blesses me

when i try to fight or run
i only wind up back at square one
when i think i know what's best for me
fate she takes me back
to exactly where i need to be

i am exactly where i need to be
i need to be exactly where i am
i am divinely timed and shining brightly
yes i believe that there's a purpose just for me
yes i believe that we are light
and we shine infinitely

i am exactly where i need to be
i need to be exactly where i am
i am not aimlessly existing see
i am in perfect harmony with universal energy
and i am truly free when i accept my own divinity

look at me look at me closely
what exactly do you see
if you are paying attention you will now begin ascension of the mind
why, because if you look at me just right you will see a kiss
for it took a kiss to make this breath exist
the intersection of my mother's and father's lips
to touch twist and perfect what came next to produce me
look at me and you will see the breeze
the breeze it took to shake the leaves to make
my mother's hair move, my father dare touch it and say
please may i have a kiss
yes the breeze made me exist
and if you want to get even deeper into this
when you look at me you will see a cloud
the cloud it took to form the storm to shake the leaves to
inspire the liplock - yes a raindrop will pop up out these words
you heard me right
if you look at me close enough you will see a dark stormy night
and what is night without it's polar opposite of sunlight
so if you watch the way my hands sway
you'll see the light of day
and everyday is a testament to the sediment of the earth's core
it's ever spinning enormous force so if you look at me just right
you will see a spark of the source
but the most fascinating thing about this, and it's true
is that if you look at me close enough, you see you
it's only what you perceive how you believe the space between
you and me
that creates reality
so when i sing you can feel it
when i cry you can heal it
when i speak words you can be the words i speak by singing with me

peace love free
peace love free
peace love free

and when i am alone and full of fear
i just remember the rising sun always appears
everyday miracles that i see
well they take me back to exactly where i need to be


* * * * * *

I hope that you are exactly where you need to be!

Day of Wuv or Wust?

I was looking at some of the latest headlines from around the world and saw a few articles that I thought were very interesting. Apparently, some deeply religious men on the other side of the globe are protesting the infiltration of western "lust." Not our rated R movies or our Paris Hiltons, mind you, but our "lust" manifested in the shocking form of card stock folded in half with a red image printed on the front. Buildings and shops are being burned down in protest of Valentine's Day. “Death to those who would partake in this Western day of lust!” or something like that.


But, it’s not murder if they were lusting when we kill them, right? They were evil first? They started it by handing me this darn card with lacy looking stuff on it! Too girly! I guess no one over there wears pink to prove they are real men.


Maybe these deeply religious men have a point. As a child I would have identified with them. I don’t know how it was where you guys grew up but when I was a wee-Becca Valentine’s Day was not a fun day. I would have gladly faced death rather than the mortification of having to give BOYS cards with hearts on them! I remember holding the list of classmates in my hand and the humiliation and horror I felt as I imagined Shane or Mark getting the big “will you be mine” card. I was picked on enough as it was back in elementary school. Everyone called me “horse lady” and all the boys pulled my pigtails IF THEY COULD CATCH ME. I could outrun them all except for Anthony.


Anyway, the process of deciding who would get what card was a very intense time of strategic planning. First off, I would not hand out the cards that actually had the word “love” or “be my...anything ” on them. Those went to the trash can. Maybe I would have liked to burn the offensive cards in a public display of outrage like our anti-western pals. That would have been very dramatic! Nah, I was too mature for that.


I would have loved to throw some of these anti- ♥ -Day articles in my teacher’s face. Could you see little snaggle-tooth with her Pippy Longstocking braids (that’s me as a 7 year old) squeaking, “I will not practice this lustful tradition with you infidels!” to my elementary teachers? I wonder if they would have bought it.


Now that I’m older and more mature I enjoy a gushy card! Why can’t these men just be flattered and get over it? I did. It’s just so strange to me that on the other side of the world people are threatened with violence if they DO buy cards and flowers for their loved ones. There would be violence if my husband ever decided to NOT celebrate Valentine’s Day in the form of flowers and chocolates. I think I lust after chocolate? Is that a crime somewhere? Probably.


Not only are Valentine’s Day cards and the practice of this "day of lust" seen as evil but in India couples are actually fined if they kiss in public. I saw an article about how during a wedding ceremony when it was time to "kiss the bride" there was someone ready to give out a ticket for the offense!

We think we have religious fanatics here in America? Ours have nothing on theirs! Valentine's Day a day of lust? PLEASE. Evil IS in the eye of the beholder - what are they thinking they are getting with their cards? ::giggle::

First published here.