I just saw a fascinating video on the TED site that I wanted to share with you all.  It is from a series co-sponsored by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA), and given by Jeremy Rifkin, author and frequent speaker on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society and the environment.

In this talk Rifkin tells us of a study conducted in a lab in Italy in the early 90s.  Scientists were studying the brains of monkeys using an MRI machine, and through a fluke accident discovered mirror neurons.  This is to say, they discovered that the neurons in mammal brains (monkeys and humans, to start) would “light up” while watching the experience of someone experiencing something outside itself. We know this feeling well.  Imagine the last horror film you saw.  Remember the fear you felt as you watched some unsuspecting protagonist flee from the villain, or experience pain?  Why do you feel that pain or fear if it is not happening to you?  Well these scientists found, and Rifkin posits, it’s because “we are soft wired to experience another’s plight as if we are experiencing it ourselves.” We are an empathic civilization. We’re not wired for “aggression, violence and self-interest…but for socialbility, attachment…affection, companionship; and that the first drive is the drive to belong.”  Have I piqued your interest?  Take a look!

“The Empathic Civilization is emerging. A younger generation is fast extending its empathic embrace beyond religious affiliations and national identification to include the whole of humanity and the vast project of life that envelops the Earth.”

We here at HarmonyWishes harbor a hope  and belief in this empathic civilization.  It’s even in our name: HarmonyWishes!  We hope that our efforts here to spread images and messages of tolerance, beauty, optimism and diversity can inspire that growing civilization-a civilization that might be soft wired in our nature as humans.  Help us spread this message of commonality today by sending out an image that can inspire your empathic emerging civilization.

I’ve got a lot of fun YouTube discoveries this month for you,  HarmonyWishes community.  So get ready to strap in and take the visual (or auditory) journey.

This latest find I stumbled upon while on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) video site.  (The link is actually via YouTube).  TED hosted a conversation about “Notes & Neurons” and the common, almost innate connection humans have to the Pentatonic scale. If you don’t know what a Pentatonic scale is, don’t worry, me neither. I had to look it up.  “A Pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per octave in contrast to a Heptatonic (seven note) scale such as the major scale.”  Apparently, Pentatonic scales are very common around the world, found in Celtic music, West African music, rock, blues, melodies from Korea, China, India.  The list goes on.

In this video you’ll see musician Bobby McFerrin demonstrate the very ingrained notes of the Pentatonic scale with the audience.  He comments that no matter where he performs this exercise, whatever country, the result is the same–”everyone gets it.”

It’s sometimes hard to believe in our giant world that we all could share some innate capabilities or instincts.  Here at HarmonyWishes our mission is to embrace and encourage diversity and tolerance.  Exploring our differences, as well as our common characteristics, whether through music, ideas, images or sound, is important to us.  We’d love to hear your stories of commonality in unexpected places.  You can share it with us here on the blog, or send us a line.

Happy May!

Cheers,

Megan

There’s been a bit of buzz around the “intertubes” of late about this particular YouTube video involving the subject of momentum.

Let me set the scene: There’s a man dancing at a music festival.  His style is a bit unique; but he’s clearly unreserved in his expression of pleasure at the song being played.  There are onlookers, fellow festival attendants, content to loaf on the grassy hillside, bopping their heads to the rhythm. They shyly observe the guy’s movement from afar.  And then, a second guy joins in.  Guy #1 gives him a bit of instruction on how to gyrate his arms properly.  Other than this, nothing else about the scene changes.  People may be a bit more overt about watching them; but it still just a spectacle.  At about the 1-minute mark of the video, something happens—and this something is what the internet is talking about.  It’s guy #3.

Here’s how blogger Seth Godin puts it: “Before him, it was just a crazy dancing guy and then maybe one other crazy guy. But it’s guy #3 who made it a movement.”

Once Guy #3 is on the scene the mood changes.  People are inspired.  Pairs and trios jump up to join in. And in a matter of seconds a mass of people swarm the area—creating a full on dance party. You can watch as the crowd flips from passive observers, to active participants.

“Initiators are rare indeed, but it’s scary to be the leader. Guy #3 is rare too, but it’s a lot less scary and just as important. Guy #49 is irrelevant. No bravery points for being part of the mob…We need more guy #3s.”

Whether or not dancing en masse is your scene, or this particular song (which incidentally is called “Unstoppable”) is your kind of music—I think the example it makes is useful for all.  What opportunities do you have in your world to create momentum? Can you help something you believe in grow just by joining in in some small way?

We at HarmonyWishes feel fortunate to have a myriad of people who have helped us launch our own vision of a site that fosters positive energy, intercultural exploration and tolerance through images and greetings.  From those who have invested in our efforts from the start, to the artists and photographers participating with their work, to those of you who enjoy membership—your presence in our community is invaluable.

We’re on the lookout for some Guy #3s.

We want to grow our community, and share the positive efforts we see happening around the globe; but we need some help to accomplish that.  There’s lots of ways to do it—and we promise you they’re “less scary, and just as important.”  Here are a few:

1. Join our network on Twitter (@HarmonyWishes). We’ll post when we’ve got a new blog up, promotions, or link to interesting happenings we hear about around the world.  We’d love to hear what you’re tweeting about. So, let’s link up.
2. Comment on our blog.  We would like to hear what you have to add to our conversation. Or you can make a suggestion for a future blog! We’re all ears.
3. Tell your friends about us.  Whether it’s by linking to us through your Twitter page, or sending them a URL link, help spread the word about us to those in your own community.  They don’t have to be members to read and join in on the conversation.
4. And of course, keep taking advantage of our ever-expanding pool of images and greetings to send off best wishes to your community.  Not only does sending a HarmonyWishes e-card help you connect with your circle, it also spreads the word about the great work of the artists you enjoy on our site. There are scads of ways you can utilize a HW e-card:

• Best wishes, birthdays, holiday greetings
• Send notices of your upcoming events and announcements
• As artists, use our e-cards to promote gallery shows or new work
• Share information about charities or campaigns you support; our images complement many non-profit initiatives.

We need your help to make HarmonyWishes an even stronger community. For us, the e-card is only the beginning of the exchange.

Cheers,
Megan

Copyright 2007~ Rebeca Beeman

Celebrations marking Guelaguetza week have arrived here in Oaxaca. Also known locally as Lunes de Cerro (Monday on the Hill), Guelaguetza is one of the most important customs celebrated in Oaxaca. The word—a bit tricky to pronounce (gay-lah-GHET-sah)—comes from Zapotec, an indigenous language still widely spoken around the state. It means: “reciprocal exchanges of gifts and services.”

The focal point of Guelaguetza week is the large folkloric dance festival that takes place on the two Mondays following July 16 in a large amphitheater on the hillside overlooking Oaxaca City (thus, Lunes de Cerro). Indigenous delegations hailing from the seven regions around the state flock to the city to present their region’s traditional music and dances in the intricate and colorful costumes representative of their home communities. At the close of each dance, delegations heave giant palm-thatched baskets up onto stage, dipping in, and hurling treasures from their villages to the eager public in the stands. Clothe-wrapped cheeses, artisanal breads, sombreros and the like, are tossed out wildly. The dancer who can heft with the most gusto receives the wildest cheers from a grateful audience.

But Guelaguetza involves much more than the two dance festivals atop the Cerro de Fortín. Parades, or calendas, begin days before the big show; brass bands, giant puppets and roving revelers hoisting up luminaries march through town, gathering up passersby in their wake. A mezcal festival squats down between the walls of Santo Domingo and Carmen Alto churches, offering visitors a chance to sample from the myriad flavors and varieties of Oaxaca’s artisanal producers.

Copyright 2007~ Rebeca Beeman

Guelaguetza week draws many tourists from around México, and the world. The town is pulsing with new activity. I’ll confess that I prefer the celebrations out in small villages, or the ones that take place in homes all over Oaxaca, to the pomp and circumstance in town. Small pockets of communities all over the state host their own dance festivals over the next two weeks. The crowds are less, but more local. And the celebrations take on some air of what the Guelaguetza originally looked like when there was no amphitheater or Secretary of Tourism—but just a hillside packed with those proud to share what their ancestors taught them.

Copyright 2007~ Rebeca Beeman

My own adopted Mexican family here invites loved ones over for a lunch that stretches from two in the afternoon until dawn. We sprawl and eat, dance and chat. We embody the Spanish word “convivir,” which a dictionary will tell you means “to exist,” but also literally means “to live with.” I like both meanings. And I like to think of Guelaguetza as a time to personify that verb in action. I invite you, wherever you are in the world, to celebrate your own kind of Guelaguetza this week. It’s a great excuse to reconnect!

Saludos,
Megan

** Photos courtesty Rebeca Beeman.

A friend recently sent a link to this site and made my day….how can you not feel better after watching one of these videos?  Take a look…share them with friends….Founder Mark Johnson’s concept is to music what HarmonyWishes is to ecards -  spreading the message of the global family where similarities outweigh the differences…

Have any world music sites that you like?  Feel free to share via our comments section.

Cheers!

Meg

Welcome to the HarmonyWishes blog!  If you are familiar with HarmonyWishes, you know we are a fine art ecard site whose intent is to promote spiritual diversity and understanding through positive imagery.  We are the yin to the yang of negative thought, speech, imagery that surrounds us all daily - HarmonyWishes strives to provide the balance and equilibrium we all need.  Whether Christian, Jew, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, agnostic, athiest - everyone is welcome in the spirit of hope and optimism that despite different cultures and beliefs, we are ONE.

Our ecard site was launched two years ago - and we’ve focused on supplying a steady stream of images to inspire you….but there is more that we want to share beyond just beautiful photography, painting and mixed media imagery - we want to challenge you to dialog with us about music, books, the arts and who knows what….

Our hope for this blog is to provide a thought provoking place to land every now and then where you can find links to sites we like, books we’ve read, music that lifts us up…and we strongly encourage reader feedback - tell us what you are looking at, what you find inspiring or, on the other hand, what troubles you in a global sense that you would like to fix!

My husband always accuses me of sounding ‘too corporate’…well, that’s my background and it’s pretty deeply ingrained at this point but I’ll try to loosen up as I share my ideas, hopes and dreams for a better world…

Mike’s the Art Director of our HarmonyWishes site and will be throwing in his two cents worth every now and then….

And Megan is our Media Outreach Coordinator - she’s currently based in Oaxaca, Mexico after completing a Fulbright scholarship year there, so I expect interesting blog posts from her!

I think it’s only appropriate that HarmonyWishes blog launches from somewhere other than our home base in the U.S. - we are working on some projects right now in Vietnam….a place we return to often..more on that in future posts…in the meantime, enjoy one of Mike’s images taken on a previous trip to the area…

Hoi An,Vietnam ~ Copyright 2003 ~ Michael Matlach

Cheers!

Meg