From WM3.org:

Shortly after three eight-year-old boys were found mutilated and murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, local newspapers stated the killers had been caught. The police assured the public that the three teenagers in custody were definitely responsible for these horrible crimes. Evidence?

The same police officers coerced an error-filled "confession" from Jessie Misskelley Jr., who is mentally handicapped. They subjected him to 12 hours of questioning without counsel or parental consent, audio-taping only two fragments totaling 46 minutes. Jessie recanted it that evening, but it was too late_ Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols were all arrested on June 3, 1993, and convicted of murder in early 1994. <BR><BR>Although there was no physical evidence, murder weapon, motive, or connection to the victims, the prosecution pathetically resorted to presenting black hair and clothing, heavy metal t-shirts, and Stephen King novels as proof that the boys were sacrificed in a satanic cult ritual. Unfathomably, Echols was sentenced to death, Baldwin received life without parole, and Misskelley got life plus 40.

For over 13 years, The West Memphis Three have been imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit. Echols waits in solitary confinement for the lethal injection our tax dollars will pay for. They were all condemned by their poverty, incompetent defense, satanic panic and a rush to judgment.

But there's still hope for them, and you can help.

I came across this saying this morning on of all things - a teabag tag. "When ego is lost, limits are lost." It's such an important idea to reflect upon. I realized a few years ago, when I commenced on this huge psychic housecleaning, which required leaving jobs and relationships that were really unhealthy and moving into a space that made more sense w/people and ideas - that decisions and desires based on ego were poisonous. That in order to live a productive life, one should come from a place of authenticity not ego. What was stunning about this realization was that it led to the very abrupt ending of several relationships and directions - clarity settled in so quickly that it was suddenly very easy to see what was full of shit, and what worked. Life's been simpler, mostly, since then, though not w/o challenge, as I think it's harder to live this way, but what's stayed w/me as I navigate this more demanding map is how many people ruin themselves for ego.

How many times have you heard people taking jobs, going out for careers, or getting involved w/a person for all the wrong reasons? Ego is not just about its extreme manifestation - narcissism, it's also about self-delusion, sometimes on a mundane level. Artists that are in it for the fame (which, btw, is the antithesis of art, and any real artist of any media/discipline will tell you that. Fame is marketing, and it has nothing to do w/art or w/being a proficient entertainer, academic, or whatever...), employees that are in it for the vacation time (obvious antithesis there), or people that pursue careers solely for the kudos.

Consider this last point the next time you go for a check-up. Even medical and dental students are misplaced and can get C's.

If instead of listening to expectations - of parents, the media, partners, friends, the voices in our heads, instead, try and peel all of those layers of utter shite away and look for truth. Where are your real talents and abilities? Where is your real connection? What does it take for you to be fully focused? Whatever can hold your attention absolutely is worth looking into. That may be where you're well-matched - a career is a relationship, and it's crucial to find one that matches one's genuine bliss. It is lethal to back into something b/c of the glory, money, perks, or potential for fame. Beginning to touch one's truth also liberates one from the shackles of outside expectations and mis-fitting desires. It's enormously freeing to accept that one doesn't have to be [your harrowing goal here] and to let other people do it and do it well.

I saw Liev Schreiber on the stage a few days ago. I sat two rows away from this actor, and I was stunned by his performance. There was no moment that he was out of his space or out of his character. There was no second that he was Liev being the famous guy - he was Barry Champlain - a very unlikable and complex character for a solid hour and 40 minutes. There was no orchestra pit, so the audience was practically pressed up against him, yet his concentration was solid. I'd probably not have noticed this if it were not for two things.

One - the other actors were little more than window dressing, really. It could have been that their characters were intentionally peripheral to this main character played by Schreiber, or it could have been that the actors were too turned out. Whichever it was, it was distracting, and they served as a contrast to the raw and the trained talent in Schreiber.

Two - two acting students sat behind me. One of them was so shredded by Schreiber's performance that he was talking of giving up acting all together.

Now - the latter could have been about being that moved and impressed by the actor's performance, or it could be a glimmer of recognition that s/he's in the wrong place. This I say, b/c of one of the comments this student said. S/he said that s/he could never be that great, never so worthy.

Worthy of what? Accolades? We all want them, but that should not be what governs our choices and efforts. That's ego. When direction is taken based on that internal compass of truth - nothing can knock us hard enough to push us off course, barring legitimate disability. But when we pursue things from a place of ego instead of a place of truth - we are destined to be neurotic, external gropers, instead of steady, internal navigators.

Schreiber's performance serves as something of a metaphor here, b/c nothing knocked him off kilter. I was close enough to him to see that when he came out for those accolades from his rightfully appreciative audience, he was still so steeped in character, that it seemed to almost offend him or injure him. Schreiber hadn't emerged yet...Barry Champlain was still suffering his internal tragedy. It was very moving and kind of instructive, really.

It's why there are so many tragedies in the celebrity world too - Pollock's accidental/suicide, Rothko's too - fame fucked them up, b/c it forced them to live externally - their inner lives were rich and raw - fame made them self-conscious and disoriented. It got in the way of the work of people like Basquiat too. I've seen it in lesser publically celebrated circles too. I have a very talented and distinguished friend, who finally said 'fuck it' to the relentless star-fucking world of academia (it's everywhere!) and dropped out. He's a very happy and gifted carpenter now.

I see it in people too - students, who think that college is the natural next step. It's not - not for most people, really. Just out of high school - too young to be forced into a major and they've learned so many bad habits and garnered such distaste for what they were told was learning (ie memorizing and cramming for bullshit tests that measure only their ability to take a test - how's that for fucking away 13 years of someone's life...forget oil, our more precious natural resources are being made to color in tiny circles w/No. 2 pencils - no wonder they're pissed off!) - and they need to cleanse those pierced palettes before committing to what is potentially profound and exciting - which is life, really. They may find it in college - many who are ready for the experience do - or they may find it in craftsmanship - many do - or they may find it in myriad ways that are not socially prescribed. Those prescriptions can get in the way of authenticity, and that's the biggest tragedy and one that's often peddled by our society of exploitation.

So, think about this idea - "When ego is lost, limits are lost" - and guard your innocence and truth w/vigilance. That's the real secret to a life well-lived.

Well, Calpurrnia crossed over Tuesday night from this life to...whatever happens next. Hopefully there is a 'next', and I can scratch her behind her ears again some day in the Summerland.

She had a good life, and so have I because of that little rabbit-brained girl.