Conley talks about the fact that in business, managers measure progress by certain parameters, none of which have anything to do with happiness, fulfillment, transformation. It is a beautiful speech, and I think that the implications are broader than he suggests.

We live in a time of an economic decline. It is clear that the government has no intention to push another bailout. We also have an economy that relies on consumption. In the past 15 years the economy has been floating on bubbles. First it was the technology bubble and then the housing bubble. They both burst.

Since the recession of 2008 economists and politicians have been talking about a recovery. I have no idea what they are talking about. I hope they are not waiting for the next bubble. Nobody has been able to predict them.

We are looking towards a reduction in living standards for a long time to come. But when I say “reduction in living standards” I am referring to those standards that we have measurements for. GDP, average income, consumption, housing prices, and other such measurements.

What we don’t measure provides real value for our lives. That is why Chip Conley’s message is so important. He suggests that we can measure what is truly important. What makes you happy? Instead of sitting around the proverbial kitchen table and discuss income and bills, what could you discuss that makes you happy?

When I think about happiness I am always reminded of Eve Ensler’s statement that happiness is giving what we most most want to receive. And usually, what we most want to receive has very little to do with measurable economic matter.

That is what I will be thinking about in the coming week. How do I and can I measure what truly matters. Of course, I have to re-acquaint myself with what really matters to me.

You can see Chip’s speech here. Watch him talk about Robert Kennedy, the king of Bhuttan, and Einstein.

Snarly comment alert.

As a toastmaster, I am thrown off by Conley use of the word actually. If you didn’t catch it, watch the speech again, and you will realize how throwing around meaningless words distracts from the message.

Obama has stated that LGBT people have a friend in the White House. ENDA? DOMA? Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?

The bright spot is that 2009 saw more pro-LGBT bills passed nationwide, than 2007 ad 2008 combined. I am sure that Obama’s election had at least an indirect effect on that.

But today’s news that Obama is going to freeze spending except the Pentagon’s, well…

Paul Krugman is right, “It’s appalling on every level.”

And Robert Reich shows that “Wall Street is delighted. But it means Main Street is in worse trouble than ever.”

I am becoming a citizen because I want to have a stronger voice in this country that is now my own. A voice of resistance is what it will be, a voice of resistance to Barack Obama. That was not what I was hoping for, but for the change he spoke about, we will have to fight ourselves. Obama is old school, Wall Street’s lapdog.

The ceremony will be held in Masonic Auditorium on Nob Hill.

Last Sunday Rev. Deborah Lee spoke about a Haitian green card holder, who was on the list for deportation for a conviction he had served time on ten years ago. He is still in the US, and alive, because of the civil disobedience by faith leaders and activists. They literally blocked the road and prevented deportation that way. That story impacts me in two ways. First, I don’t want to have to live under the threat of deportation if I do something the police doesn’t like, and second, I would like to be able to block the road myself. That kind of protest is also presenting your whole body as a sacrifice to God.