Causes Local and National

I live in a small suburban town 30 miles west of Chicago. Founded in 1833, Warrenville is one of the oldest of the Chicago suburbs. With a population hovering just shove 13,000, our town has come through the 1800’s and 1900’s just fine. The first 11 years of the second millennium has had its challenges, but again, we are doing just fine.

Today I thought it might be interesting to list the issues we have here in town as an offset to the items on the national agenda.

Education: one of the finest school districts in the state of Illinois; ranks high nationally as well. Wheaton-Warrenville Community Unit School District 200 does well at all grade levels and produces graduates with a sense of future and self reliance. The district does well in feeding well prepared students to the local junior college (largest in the state of Illinois) several trade/vocational schools, and many prestigious colleges and universities throughout the country.

Economy: suffering as most are, our community continues to be home to a stable population who are employed in executive, science-research, technology, technology-research, professions, service industries and light manufacturing. Over 20,000 people work in our little city for: national leader in nuclear power industry, regional power generation, regional natural gas provider, international truck and engine manufacturer, international producer of high tech manufacturing gear, sports medicine, medical specialties for cancer treatment, proton beam cancer treatment center, orthopaedic health center, and many other medical/dental/pharmaceutical specialties. Not big in retail markets, Warrenville does not rely on sales taxes that have slumped greatly in recent years; ours remained mostly the same as we continue to focus on commerce among businesses and service industries. Six hotels and 20 restaurants serve our commercial center of one square mile specifically designed for this purpose.

Location: We are situated on the east-west axis of the Chicago Metro area commonly referred to as the Research Corridor. Sited along Interstate 88 the corridor stretches from Oak Brook on our east to DeKalb on our west. Oak Brook is a major commercial center 18 miles west of Chicago’s Loop while DeKalb is home of Northern Illinois University about 35 west further west. In between are colleges and universities as well as Fermilab (energy physics lab), medical research, telecommunications research and development, international water systems (reclamation, desalinization, clean water delivery systems), as well as major players in finance, manufacturing and education. In sum our area is abuzz in what is forming as America’s new millennium future. We are invested in that future, not the past. Business start-ups are encouraged and nurtured in our environment.

Arts: Many local artists do well in a community which recognizes individualism and independent expression. A community arts organization is alive and well and serves individual as well as groups of artists. Bringing more art programming to the public is a critical element in the social scene. Art education access for all ages is a shared dream under development to replace traditional art education programs fading away. Cooperation with area towns with growing art communities is another feature of our city. 

Transportation: Two metropolitan commuter train lines are nearby for daily commutes to Chicago and all of the suburbs. Regional bus systems serve our community. State highways traverse the community and the critical east-west Interstate 88 runs through the southern edge of town. Two international airports serve our region plus two small regional airports. 

Ecology: A river runs through our community, and we are nearly surrounded by dedicated forest preserves plus Fermilab (over 6800 acres of prairie preserve on its campus). The city consistently pursues ‘green’ technology and practices as a means to purify the river, preserve a healthy aquifer for city wells, scrub air of transportation pollutants, and maintain healthy soil underfoot. The city’s carbon footprint is small and getting smaller. Citizens are active participants in recycling, and clean air/soil/water programs.  

City Finances: The city has no debt and maintains healthy cash reserves throughout its financial structure. All civic buildings and equipment are fairly new and built to long-term standards to reduce maintenance and replacement expense. The city plans and sticks to the plans. The citizens understand this and support prudent civic management. These features of good government are mirrored in the Fire District, and Library and Park districts as well.

Political: A community based on non-partisan issue discussion and decision making, Warrenville is an independent minded community. The county is overwhelmingly Republican and national political sentiments run conservative. The State of Illinois is a mixed bag with political wars creating gridlock in the capital similar to the drama in  Washington DC.  Warrenville, however, continues to do for itself and takes care of business in a practical manner. 

Contrast the above topic areas with the metro region of Chicago or of many communities throughout America and Warrenville comes out very well. Surrounding communities have weathered the down economy rather poorly while the state has been seriously injured by the national economy. This is somewhat strange when one considers that Illinois is primarily an agricultural state providing world markets with corn, soybean and hogs. Additionally the Chicago Board of Trade sets world prices on most agricultural products traded globally. Why then has Chicago fared worse than many metro areas? I suspect the real culprit is loss of focus on our competitive advantages while sinking energy and resources in political power struggles that have consumed the state rather than build a strong future. Gridlock will do that to you! Just ask Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Sacramento.  

Nationally we have problems that contrast with Warrenville’s:

• Energy policy continues to be focused on petroleum; that is the past not the future
• Education continues to serve past models not the future: research, development, employability
• Transportation is hampered by failing infrastructure. Same with water, sewer, and energy grids
• Environmental issues continue on the liberal versus conservative track and gain no forward momentum
• Arts is underfunded and a political football among those who don’t understand the developmental values of art education
• Health development and delivery continues to be mired in political gridlock; meanwhile people in the industry are getting things done
• Economics should be focused on transformative developments in cutting edge markets; these will produce the new jobs that will distinguish America from the rest of the global players; but political gridlock ties the hands of Washington DC, and the individual states. For shame!

All of the above suggests the following: if you want to get things done, stick with smaller communities who see the issues up close and personal. They get things done and help others understand the issues more clearly. If only our ‘leaders’ in state capitals and Washington DC would get the message and live by it.

Are we sick of the status quo yet?

February 29, 2012

A one day Breather

At last, a day I missed posting! I usually write a piece one day ahead but missed doing it this time. Have a newspaper to get out tomorrow and several articles to edit to say nothing about writing two pieces from scratch.  So I'm taking a break today.

One thought: my blog is truly a daily journal of my thoughts and comments on what grabs my attention. The topics are varied and shift broadly among genres. Through it all I'm hoping that my regular readers are seeing a consistency emerge. I will work on developing a message in keeping with that consistency of thought. Who knows? Maybe a book will come of all this.

Meanwhile, I invite you to scan through the past 155 topics for tidbits that interest you. Reread a piece or two to see if your thoughts have shifted since the last time you read it.

And thanks for visiting the blog. I appreciate knowing there is an audience for emergent thinking...a search for meaning in a complex, rapidly changing world. As always your comments are welcome anytime on any issue.

February 28, 2012

Feelings

The title does not refer to touch or other senses. It refers to mood, anger, delight, love, peace, calm, acceptance, judgmental or nonjudgmental. It is about perceiving the surroundings as positive or negative and the many shades in between. Feelings. Temperament maybe?

Opinion. How one understands a concept and what it means to him and others. Frustration. Opinionated. Angry. Rebelling against something or someone. Ideas as enemy or person as enemy.

In today’s political scene they appear as one and the same. An idea evidently represents a person to many people. They rail against the person; not the idea. They rant and rave. Say hurtful things about the person assumed to be the banner carrier of the idea. They turn this rhetoric into personal attack. Demean the other person. Target the person with vitriol, hate, spitting and spewing to the end of their comment, or interview, or blog entry. Detestation? Or frustrated inability to articulate about the idea? Person as substitute to idea. Or thinking.

One wonders what they see in the mirror in the morning? Do they see themselves clearly, lovingly, intelligently? Or do they see themselves as weak, flawed, incapable, unworthy? Is there rant later in the day about themselves or the “other?” I’m sure psychologists and psychiatrists have theories about this. Knowing these theories may help unravel the cause, but in the meantime what do we do with the behavior?

Social communications are in disarray. Leaving comments on a news item is all the rage. Unhappily the “rage” is rant and ugly. It is defamatory not articulate. It is not cool. It is not clever or witty. It is ignorant. Defensive and offensive all at once.

The sadness swells when we realize these voices vote in elections. They perpetuate ugly into government, into process, into social consciousness. How do we pull back the curtain on this stage? How do we expose the viciousness and emptiness? How do we steer public debate and discussion to a more fruitful plane?

Indeed, how do we capture the attention of these folk so they can 1) see themselves clearly; 2) hear themselves clearly; 3) process fact more logically; 4) think creatively about the issues and future; and 5) learn to enjoy shared conversation and different points of view as valued added?

The pendulum swings in a broad arc and slowly. It embraces the rhythm of the universe, the planetary movements. But move it does, without interruption of trajectory. Logically swinging from limit to limit, considering all the degrees of movement in between. Moving forward. Edging toward understanding…and light.

Perhaps the answers lie within the person. When will they uncover their clear self view? How will they arrive at this transformative point? Does someone lead them to it? Does experience? Does art? Does a parent or friends or…

Help me here. Help us! What can we do to pull rage back to wonderment and constructive effort? How do we as a society mend broken souls so they can trust and participate in citizenship that builds to positive ends? Must we always waste so much talent and possibility to destructive selves?

So many challenges exist that have nothing to do with opinion or rants, rages or raves. Just work that needs to be done. Finding new sources of energy which replace petroleum. Building self sustaining communities with minimal carbon footprints. Expanding access to education to all who are able and want it; evolving a life-long employability model for each person. Strengthening the social compact for richer living in community.

Ideology as trump to life. Ridiculous. Wasteful.

February 27, 2012

Sensory

Attended a concert Friday evening. The annual music extravaganza of the Music Department at North Central College (Naperville, Illinois). No intermission. No applause until near the end. Our job as audience was to experience a range of diverse music, of its forms and formats, its sensory stimuli.

We entered the lobby awaiting a family member with the tickets. Music began in the lobby; swelling tones and close harmonies. Invisible source. Turned out to be massive speakers tuned to the acoustics of the building: its lobby, stairwells, grand staircase, plate glass window wall, carpets and milling crowds. Tones of timbre, hue, shape, and movement; grumbling low notes paired with moving alto flute notes; moving, always moving. Transfixing sound. Sensory, sensuous. Part of the environment but more…

Then a small choral ensemble piqued our interest; madrigal like. And the doors opened and we took our seats. Building structure as musical instrument. Prologue to concert. The excitement built.

What followed was 90 minutes of diverse performances and musical forms. Women’s chorale, large mixed voice chorus, madrigal chamber singers, string ensembles, flute choir, piano solos, computer synthesizer, violin solos, percussion solo, folk ensemble. Renaissance, classical, baroque, romantic, American jazz, contemporary, modern, moog-modern…you name it and the eras were presented. Tonal qualities pitch perfect, close harmonies, dynamics came in whispers to thundering.

Images changing throughout the performance: ensembles moved in and out of lighted spaces; sometimes unseen but definitely heard. The building as instrument; angled walls, soaring heights; hidden sound chambers off stage; multi leveled sites, around in front, along the sides and to the rear of the hall. Modern architecture but well tuned to its purpose of sound…sensory sound. Enveloping sound. So much sensory information to receive…and process…and think about…sometimes faster than the mind could take it…but always a forward motion of sound sensation.

Scintillating intellectual challenge. From familiar to experimental. All good. All making cogent statement.

The arts are alive in the Midwest and the young. Thank God! Think about it.

February 26, 2011

  

Done with Old; On with New

Notice the title is not “Out with the Old.” Done is different. I mean we need to move on. In so many ways.

• House too big? Downsize
• Car costly to keep? Get another one with usable life; new or used
• Job going downhill? Opportunities shrinking? Find a new employer
• Job not in demand? Find a new career
• In an abusive relationship? Admit it and move on to a new one
• Not feeling well? Consistently? List the symptoms and go to the doctor
• Got an opinion? Think it out and share it; with anyone! Just get it out.
• Tired of your routine? Really bored? Find new interests and move on!

The list can be extended endlessly but these seem good for a start. The home downsizing is not very practical in the current housing market, but you know what I’m referring to. We acquire housing that fits our family situation over the years; that changes over the years as well. So there is a time to think downsizing, or if that bothers you, ‘right sizing’. It will save you work, money and worry. It will give you time and energy to invest in other interests that will give you new zest in living. Think about that seriously. No rash decisions, but consider deeply the alternatives.

Right sizing the car, or transportation in general. What do you need? On the rare occasion when you need utility (space, carrying capacity) can you borrow, rent or ask for help? Own what works for you 90% of the time. Don’t worry about the other 10%. If the current car is costly to maintain, consider a newer model with a good warranty; used or new doesn’t matter; just the warranty and history of maintenance expense. Reliable, efficient and easy on gas. Maybe time to trim back to one car for the household? Think about the options and have courage to make the right decision for you. Smaller may be better; cheaper allows more flexibility in spending.

Abusive relationships. I’ve witnessed a few up close. They are toxic. The abused doesn’t realize his/her status; it grew over time without realizing the consequences. The abuser may not know he/she is doing it. Someone needs to help them see the situation clearly. They either mean something to each other or they don’t. If unsalvageable, the relationship needs to be ended. Free of the abuse new options become abundantly clear. Hard choices. Courage needed. Freedom trumps abuse. Be safe. Seek help. But do it!

Another touchy matter to consider: job change. If you are in a good employer/employee relationship but your job is going nowhere you need to take action. Ask the employer for his outlook on your career future, with the firm or elsewhere. Is there a future in this job/career? Are there opportunities to advance in a direction desirable to you? If not, is this due to skill limitations on your part? Or the firm’s capability? Or maybe the job itself is destined for obsolescence? Are times leading to the elimination of your job entirely? If so, how much time do you have to make a change?

Consider your career options. What fascinates you the most in life? What are your interests? Is there any intersection of these elements that may help define a new career for you? This is your business, not anyone else’s. You need to do this work. Life changes and we change along with it. Better we do so with self knowledge. Always: seek what feeds your interest and life force. Don’t settle. Move on to the new, the exciting, the self fulfilling future! Think about this. Intentionally. Your employability is in your own hands.

We settle into ruts easily. The path of least resistance. The familiar and comfortable. The predictable. But these are not always the healthiest for our body, mind and spirit. Health concerns accumulate slowly over time. Some may relate to others. Symptoms and causes do not always appear logical. List symptoms in writing. Keep the list current. If something lessens or disappears, remove it from the list. If another seems more acute, update the list and see a doctor. Share the list. Hand it to him/her. Let them determine what is important. Follow their advice and take their tests. They are the professionals. Rely on them. This behavior also leads to successful prevention actions. Adopt them.

If you have an opinion on something, write it down. Maybe share it with someone, but mostly write it down. Stare at it long enough to determine if you are satisfied with the statement. You are not writing a book! A sentence; or a few to define the issue and your opinion about it. Let it steep for several days. Revisit it and refine the statement. Perhaps read material related to the opinion statement. Maybe you can improve on its articulation? Try to remove heated words; they get in the way for others to understand your meaning. Keep the ideas pure of emotion if you can. Now share it with another person, a friend who thinks like you, and then family members you trust for an honest opinion. Once you are confident that you have something to share with a broader audience, write a letter to the editor of a local paper, or share it on the Internet, or Facebook, or whatever other channels of communication you may have available. Don’t lose your cool! Just share the idea. Watch for feedback. Let it inform you about your idea. Refine your idea as needed. Move on to other opinions. Be respectful. Be open to learn what others think. Develop this habit.

Are you bored with your life’s routine? Really? Even after following the above suggestions? Did you really try moving on? It has rewards waiting for you. Trust me. Or yourself.

February 25, 2012

98 and Collaborating

Today is my mother’s birthday. She is 98. Living in Arizona in an assisted living center, happy as a lark, has a boyfriend who turns 98 in two months. She reads every day, works two or three crossword puzzles, and makes the rounds of her friends in the center daily. They flock to her dining table because she remembers each person’s diet perfectly and directs them to the right meal selections. She does claim that many of her center mates belong in the Alzheimer’s Unit, but they are happier here with a little guidance.

And so it goes. Neighbor helping neighbor. Even at 98! May we each have this spirit then, today and everyday!  Please. Have the spirit. 

I know I harp on collaboration. You know why? Because it is a sign of humility. Helping someone else allows us to ask for help when we need it. It is training for us; so we can learn to lean on others when needed. Most of us are too stubborn or prideful to ask for help. Aren’t we? Yes. We are. 

I’m glad to help someone else. It makes me feel better about myself and the world at large. It is selfish I know. On my part. But it does make me feel useful and of value. Then I think of the value I have been to the other person. They feel it. They have a need and it is filled. And we have fun. We talk and laugh and enjoy each other’s company. It is good. It is all good. And the other person senses connection, and worth and forward living. Yes, it is good, all good. 

In this way – large and small – we build, live and affirm community. Not commune; community. Living in community teaches us sharing. Community builds connection. Commonality. Humanness. We learn together; live, share, play and enjoy together. Life’s possible. Life is good. Affirmed. 

Have a messy neighborhood? Tidy it up; start by yourself; curb to sidewalk; your block, then the next one. Soon someone will come out and ask what you are doing; your answer: getting exercise, breathing fresh air, and tidying up the block. Laughing, the other will talk a little, then maybe stoop over and lend you a hand. Tidying together. 

The block looks better; kept tidy. Then the next block, and the next until it is the entire neighborhood. 

Same with schools. Need mentors or after hours coaching? Need study partners for a few students lagging behind the others? Maybe it is helping with the lunch hour? Maybe it is watching the kids walking home after school, or before? Guarding against bullies? Against rogue dogs or predatory humans? Watchful eyes are good. Phone handy, or glaring from the door or window. Protection for the kids. Neighborhood watch indeed! 

Guy hobbling to the train station; on crutches; temporary ailment or recuperation. Maybe I can drive him to the station? Learn his story? Help him out? (This actually happened to me over several months following foot surgery!) 

Drab landscape in neighborhood. Plant flowers to brighten my day; for others, too. My plants attract attention, people ask how to do the same, soon new gardens planted. Many are small: first around the mailbox, or tree. Then next to the front walk, front door stoop. Then along the driveway, or parkway. Soon other yards are wearing their be-petaled finery. Beautification taking root. Spreading color and texture instead of weeds.

Collaboration. Doing for self and helping others pitch in. Collaboration. Sharing action. Then ideas. Then solutions. 

Community and collaboration. Sharing to be stronger. To be participant. To live more fully. This is how you get to 98. And happiness. 

Happy Birthday Mom! And thanks! For the collaboration in life.

February 24, 2012

Housing Leadership

Bloomberg Businessweek reported in their February 6th to 12^th issue that three investment groups are seeking to buy more than $2.5 billion worth of foreclosed property. Their intention is to acquire the homes at below market cost, rehab them for health and safety purposes, and then rent them on the open market. They project quick investment profitability while removing empty housing stock from a market glutted with unused inventory. Eyes are on this investment experiment. Will it catch on? Will it have a measurable impact on housing market prices?

Time will tell the story. It is reported that by 2016 homes worth over $1 trillion will be liquidated via foreclosures. That covers an estimated 7.5 million homes. (Morgan Stanley analyst Oliver Chang report.) This surge of homes will be added to the existing home rental market of 20 million properties. Investment groups hope to buy these properties in bulk from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and banks.

These developments picture the open market doing its job. But a few questions arise:

First, how are these rentals to be managed? Will they be in groups, by regions, communities, market niches, or target people in financial need? Will the management template be efficient in its task? Can it be with scattered properties?

Second, what effect on local communities will such programs present? Will neighborhood esthetics be respected? Will populations in need such as elder and single parent households, be served or sidelined? Will local authorities have any say in the program? And third, who pays for the losses on these purchased properties? The US taxpayer? The housing industry? The banking and investment industry?

In short, we have too many properties on the market, thus the decline in market values. However, we also have a household income picture which does not allow the broader market affordability to purchase or lease available housing. Until household incomes improve, housing affordability will continue to plague this key market in the American economic scheme.

Jobs creation and careful community planning will help restore the housing market in the long run. Will the short run investments outlined above accomplish much in the meanwhile?

The economy works in conjunction with many markets, conflicting market forces, private and public investment and just plain luck. How can we help it along? Is there room for public/private collaboration that will boost chances for success?

I suspect there are many people pondering the same questions. The pondering needs to be joined and pondered some more. This is called collaboration and it is a useful method to discover new ways of being effective on a national basis. It doesn’t hurt on the local scene either! It takes faith and goodwill to proceed in this direction. It also takes leadership and selflessness. Can we expect this possibility to take root and serve our needs?

Time will tell. There are those, however, who will bleat negative messages and fears and threats. They don’t know of course; they just fear. And that fear holds them and us back from trying new things when such is needed. Can we listen to our inner hopes and dreams for awhile rather than the voices of doom? Can we?

Calling all leaders. In many industries and professions. Many are ready to serve. Who’s doing the calling? You?

February 23, 2012

 

Polemics and Respect

Good manners are infectious. Bad manners are too. Having respect for someone is not the same as acting respectful. The former is an acquired appreciation. Sometimes it is an assigned appreciation, one that comes with the specialness of the place, or office, or role, or whatever. When we meet the President of the United States, the person in that role carries the history of the office, the weight of having been elected to that high office, the hopes of many for the success of the office holder in matters large and important. Respect is due the office and the title; but also to the holder because of the symbolism he has inherited. 

Withholding respect is a personal choice. It is intentional. It is a message. It is clearly broadcast. It is political, ideological and…bad manners. No matter how you cut it. 

Some things we hold in, forbear. We do this out of respect; also to keep peace. We perform this act many times a day at work, in the marketplace of stores and shops, in transit when commuting, when driving in heavy traffic, in family gatherings where tensions and hurt feelings may be present. We act in forbearance to be polite; it keeps the peace and gives positive vibes which may heal rifts. 

When we disagree with another person we have ways, protocols, to deal with it. Sometimes it is a smile and nod while backing away; other times it calls us to state our negative politely with the offer to discuss the matter at a later date. At times a joke softens the moment of heat. Kindness and respect. Manners. Good or otherwise. They are often needed. 

Current society begs disagreements via tweets, Facebook and Internet. Off the cuff comments hurled quickly without thinking. Honest statements given in a hurry. Our feelings bared and maybe brutal. It’s OK; it is the technology. The always present technology allows instant communication whether needed or not; whether valued or not. 

Bad manners. Celebrated in some camps. Lionized in others.  

Honesty is a good thing to curry. Also freedom of speech and thinking and sharing all of the same. It is the when and how that we are discussing here. What are the protocols that guide us in these matters? When is a good time. When do we defer to another time and place? And even then, when are other formats used to deal with the matter: debate, reasoned papers; email string, symposia, classes, research project…? 

Honesty is a precursor of finding truth; it is not the finding of truth, but it is a necessary if we are to locate it. Expressing doubt and unformed conclusions; stating questions for pursuit of answers; lamenting our frustrations over unclear understanding of issues. All of these honestys helps us declare so we can pursue more information and facts. It is a proper base for research and collaboration. This is how we move forward together. This is progress and future building. 

Bad manners dashes that work. Poisons the effort. 

It may vent one person’s rage and frustration; but the action rarely hits home. Collateral damage is borne by many: the innocent, the blameless, the unwitting. Nothing much gets accomplished other than more frustration and shared gloom and negative thinking. That’s the poison. 

How do we control for this? Some needs to happen. It is natural. But endlessly? No; we must remind others of good manners and collaborative behavior that brings understanding and solutions for all. Maybe even peace. 

I think some of the bad manners we learn to ignore. We avoid the places where it occurs. Others we allow a ‘harrumph’ and then walk away. In some cases we support the victim and ignore the attacker. In time the rude fade away. They may never wonder why they got the cold shoulder; but maybe they do. We can only hope. That’s when learning happens. 

The sheer weight of negative thoughts, opinions and rude discourse is beginning to tip the sense of our group propriety. I sense a growing intolerance of bad manners and a return to civility. I suppose it will happen if we let it, help it. But don’t push it else we become bad mannered as well.  

Invite discussion. Work at sharing ideas. Collaborate on possible answers, even partial ones. Go as far as you can. Pose questions to pursue. Together. Meanwhile, ignore the bumptious and rude people. They will eventually get the message. The pendulum moves oh so slowly! But we can hope for better times in which we work well together. And play, too!

 
February 22, 2012

Possibility?

       Economy – The Engine that Sustains Us All

            Job creation for all ages, interests and cultures

            International trade that enables full global participation; shares the

                wealth

            Adaptive to changing demographics, cultures and technologies

            Quality of life spread to all; equal access to economic benefits

            Invest in creativity, innovation, technologies, sciences, etc.

            Broad understanding of economics and political policies 

On December 28^th, 2011, I posted a blog on the Key Issues or topics we have before us to work on, settle, develop future options for – all that stuff! For the good of the nation we have work to do. Building blocks remain with us – those are the key issues I refer to.

Today I will deal with the last one left on my ‘to do’ list. The Economy. The Engine that sustains us all. For America to be sure; and much of the world as well, I think.

The other day I posted a piece that mentioned a local meeting of the Chamber of Commerce with a local state representative. My concern at the meeting was the cataloguing of ailments our state of Illinois has on its ‘to do’ list. And how horribly difficult the ailments will be to correct. My patience was strained because I had heard this listing of problems before; a hundred times before; maybe even more than that! And my patience was tested; my frustration at this pointless task of listing problems was matched by my colleagues at the meeting. Finally I challenged the state rep: Either fix the problems, or move on to address the future. Make it happen!

Of course he wanted to know how to do that. I’m afraid he may be willing, but he doesn’t know how, or even willing to learn, I think. So I threw out this important fact: enlist the aid of the business community including the non-profits. They will engage in what they understand and know: creating jobs to get important work done. Get out of the way and let them do what they do best.

Of course, if they are successful, tax revenues will pour forth to the state and municipalities, dollars which will then be available to fix the problems the state government doesn’t appear able or willing to do. The economy will take on the work and provide the resources at the same time. It is what it does. The markets will work if they are left relatively unfettered. 

Of course, we need monitors for those markets less greed for money and power distract the state from solving its problems. That goes for the nation as well. Federal regulations keep the beasts of dishonesty and greed at bay. Not perfectly; but manageably. Regulations are needed if we are to reap what we expect. We have had plenty of nasty results with poor or lax regulation; surely we know we need safeguards. 

Armed with the guideposts and monitors, the economy will do well. 

What we need most of all are goals clearly stated. Some of these will probably be:

• Gross Domestic Product of a certain size, annually. $12 Trillion? What is sustainable?
• Unemployment goal; 7% in so many months; 6% in two years? 5% sustainably by 2015?
• Our national competency will be what in 10 years? Here are some to ponder:
• Energy self sufficiency on a national basis; new energy sources created
• Career education for all who need it; life-long employability; adaptability
• Innovation in science and technology
• Engineering solutions for ecosystems: water, air, soil, noise
• Growing standard of living and household incomes
• Our leading exports will be these in 10 years:
• Education systems to spread wealth to all corners of the globe
• Energy technology to the globe to reduce oil dependency and geopolitical tensions
• Growing quality of life shared with the global community; they are our fellows, our markets, our labor pool
• Food and health care shared broadly with the global community
• Health care will be available to all in USA by 2020?
• Medicare will be solvent with growing reserves by 2018
• Social Security will continue to be solvent, but reserves will grow to cover expected future benefits by 2020
• National debt will be managed to lower levels:
• $12 Trillion by 2020
• $10 Trillion by 2022
• $8 Trillion by 2024
• $5 Trillion by 2025
• Thereafter use debt in reasonable amounts to accomplish shared goals and meet emergencies 

We can’t do all of this at once, but we can start to work on all of them at once. We will need to sort out which ones come first, which later. We will need time to see results and manage them for more and better results. But setting the goal; that is what we have not done! 

John Fitzgerald Kennedy got it right: Place a man on the moon by the end of the 1960’s. We did it a year early. We didn’t know how to do it when we started. But the goal made us think in new ways to accomplish the end result. 

Along the way we discovered a lot about ourselves. We can do much. We can learn much, discover many things. We can learn how to apply what we learn to solving immediate tasks. We can build a plan into the future to complete unknown tasks using unknown technologies. We created new technologies. Those still are emerging 50 years later. The Moon Shot accomplished great things. But most important of all was our self realization. 

We can do it again. I suggest this goal: by 2020 create energy sources that essentially replaces oil. Use your own imagination to list the benefits, both intended and unintended. The possibilities are endless. Peace is one of them. 

The possibility. Just think of it.

February 21, 2012

People and Politics

Funny thing happens when we go to elect a person to a public office. Think about it:

• To be a candidate a person has to agree to ask the public for their votes
• The candidate is just like you and I, a citizen, family member, and resident
• We all share in the fruit of the candidate’s labor – that task to be done is for us all
• Issues to be acted on by the candidate’s authority are varied and need lots of study
• Most issues are not fully understood by voters; the issues have many impacts
• Sorting out which impacts to avoid and which to encourage is complex
• Making decisions on these issues must serve the interests of all citizens
• The best decisions focus on long-term results, not short term
• Long term thinking helps understand consequences of short term action
• Imagining the future is another way of thinking long term
• Unfortunately, long term thinking is not a strong feature of the public; any candidate thinking long term ideas builds distance from the electorate
• The electorate tends to vote for people who they understand; short term thinkers

And thus it goes. Our nation’s future is in the hands of short term thinkers. How sad. 

I don’t want to lay blame on people who don’t think as I do, but I will anyway! I do so because I think the critical point here is simply this: we go into the future with confidence or we protect what we know, the past. One is forward reaching; the other is clutching and holding in. One is possible; the other is impossible.   

Scientists look toward discovery. Historians study the past to understand it; hopefully they pass their learning to the rest of us to guide us into the future. But that is not a guaranteed outcome. 

For scientists, the current knowledge is the past. It is the threshold of our knowledge. Pushing past it is discovering the new, the future. What we can do with the new. Always the known is our anchor to reality but we dare to press beyond it. That is natural for the profession; it is also natural for the mind of mankind. 

It is also natural for mankind to be fearful of the unknown. Practical, safe, respectful of the past, knowledgeable of our culture and values; all of these are good. Except when they form a wedge of protection that stymies forward movement, extension of learning, innovation and invention.  

The future belongs to those who dare to reach for it. The rest seek safety and the familiar. 

Which will America be? Which sort of nation will the global community witness in America? Will it be creative? Will it expand our knowledge of the universe? Will it share this knowledge with the rest of the world so we all can benefit? Will we face problems along the way which we bravely counter with solutions or attempts at same? Will we dare to reach for the future? 

Imagining the future we hope for is exhilarating. It tests our creativity. It strains our current knowledge. It poses questions to be researched, studied and answered; to the best of our ability. It requires us to expand learning. It challenges insight and perspective. It allows us to get out of ourselves and into a different, expansive frame of mind. It helps us glimpse the unknown, the possible. 

Not doing this exercise is boring. Not reaching for greater understanding – whether of the world or our fellow human kind – smothers our natural abilities.  

Which will be our future? Daring or safe? 

February 20, 2012

Inspiration

Here are two quotes from highly dissimilar sources: 

            “Out of clutter, find simplicity.

              From discord, find harmony.

              In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.”

n      Albert Einstein 

“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital.

  Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have

            Existed if labor had not first existed.

  Labor is the superior of capital, deserves much the

            Higher consideration.”

n      Abraham Lincoln

The first citation is consistent with my recent postings. Opportunities abound when we see our surroundings in a different light. The noise of disagreement, the debates in public media, the chaos of change and discomfort raise fear and dread. Wanting peace, desiring order, seeking comfort our minds tend toward simple thoughts; core ideas. From these we can construct a bridge toward agreement; solution. From this opportunity emerges followed by a leap to action; the future comes nearer. Possibility begins to form. 

One can almost see Einstein’s scientific mind processing through challenges. Logical. Step by step. Oops; something doesn’t fit; re-think. Gather fresh breath, input from others, collaborate a bit more. Seek silence and privacy. Allow concentration to push logic through the mush. A trickle of an idea forms. Moving in and out of mists, the thought grows larger until it stands on its own. Stands to be viewed from all directions. Tested and probed until it yields a clearer, more provable point. Something to hang onto? Something that will help us find a future answer to a puzzle. Maybe even an answer to  unasked questions? Opportunity and possibility. Related. Positive. Strengthening our thinking. Yield yet to be determined. But there for our use.

Lincoln’s statement bold in its fresh realization: Capital stands not alone; it relies on Labor. Is Labor then capital? Maybe. But it is surely the equal of Capital because capital has no power unless hands are available to do the work, to do the thinking, to do the processing, to make the capital do its work. The two together. Both are needed. Superiority of one over the other? Perhaps, maybe not. Who cares. The two must combine to make opportunity and possibility happen. 

Comingling these two quotes provides creative tension. One states disharmony and/or chaos is good because it leads to discovery of opportunity. The other pits capital and labor in a struggle that suggests a parity exists; just the suggestion raises unharmonious discussion to a better plane. Possibility. Opportunity to explore ways of joining forces, of collaborating. Building that which has not been; building future. Possibility. 

With this perspective, then, Lincoln’s statement becomes useful. We have two resources to work with. Stop arguing over which came first or which is more valuable. They are both valuable. Besides, labor came first! It is the basic asset with which we were born. We sought shelter with our labor; built it. We found food and established a reliable source of it for self and family. We created tools to use in all of our endeavors. We accumulated things that helped us survive in the wilderness. We nested, nurtured and survived.

The accumulations of tools and household items led to other aggregations, mostly from social groupings or tribes living together for improved chances of survival, and yearning for quality of life. Over time our work became sorted by skills and special talents, and the need for division of labor. Long afterwards the notion of ownership of things both tangible and intangible took shape and the concept of Capital with a capital ‘C’ came into full being. Along the way Labor with a capital ‘L’ ebbed, faded. And then ideology argued the relative values of each. Endlessly. To this day.

It is good to know the etymology of these terms. But it is even better to realize the length of the discussion or debate! Isn’t it time to settle on some definitions so we can pursue the future undistracted by ideological side trips?

It seems to me that concerns over capitalism, socialism, even communism or collectivism, misplaces our energy and focus. Yes these debates continue in our day, but need they? Can’t we agree on some of these terms so we can collaborate on finding opportunity and make possibility a reality?

We have work to do. Can we finally get down to doing it? Hang on to your point of view. Remember your heritage. Pay homage to your anthropological roots. But please; let’s get on with the business of living.

The future beckons!

February 19, 2012

Possible

Allow me a time to ponder softly. The power of poetry is a good tool for that.

Possible 

The edge of known is unsettling

The inky darkness seems vast

As we ponder stepping into the unknown

To find out what is there.

What we have is comfort, familiar

What we sense is challenge, maybe danger

If we do not keep moving, keep learning

To find out what is there

What we feel for is safety of the known

Yet we realize the new is untested, unknown

So the pull of gravity is toward the untested

To find out what is there

Dipping the fingertips or toes into the inky dark

Pulling in sensations of temperature, texture, space

Gives sketchy dimension to the darkness

To find out what is there

Expanding the sensations of the unknown

Is timorous inches of movement but it still

Builds understanding of the untested to help us

To find out what is there

There is no knowing, no new knowledge

Without testing, probing, feeling and questioning

Assembling vision and theory is basic

To find out what is there

Seeking is the first step of possible

Boldness allows movement

Feedback paints a picture

To find out what is there

Who is the seeker?

Who has the energy?

Who will create the image

To find out what is there?

February 18, 2012

Adapting & Adopting

The supposition is this: we can build the future. We can make it happen the way we want it to be, not always on the mark, but we can shape it, tune it, improve on it. 

With that statement in place we can also posit the following:

• The future will happen anyway; but just letting it happen is fatalistic
• Attempting to shape the future is not fatalistic; it is normative
• The nature of man is to build one’s own nest – home
• The future is the landscape we can improve upon as it is building
• Our nests are placed within the landscape
• Our environment – past, present or future – is a learning arena
• We adapt to new environments, and make them work better

What has been and is happening is globalization of our cultures. Tensions have resulted as cultures are not only meeting one another, but also clashing and struggling for survival or even hegemony. Our livelihoods are shifting to new jobs, careers and all within new economic models. We are being challenged internationally on the basis of economics, ideologies and religions. Our lives are out of balance with our past; new modes and norms are being shaped; we are reluctant to adopt or adapt. We drag our feet.  

Is it any wonder that elected leaders reflect the same reluctance to adopt or adapt? They sense their electors’ confusion and follow their lead. Yet what we all need are people who will help us understand the new stage upon which our lives are unfolding; people who will lead us to better understanding; lead us to key decisions needing to be made; lead us to explanations of the pros and cons of each decision, and help us find our way forward. 

If no leaders step forward, we are still at odds with our new surroundings. We seek comfort, security. We ache for the familiar. Like us, others are seeking comfort from their stress. They too have feelings and beliefs; somewhat different from ours, perhaps. They have their camps. We have ours. Separate but similar; different with no bridges to span the gap. 

America’s model has been dynamically evolving for over 300 years. We have done well. We have met challenge with resolve and change. We have invented solutions. Some big; some small. But adapt and adopt always. To the new. To the fresh and exciting. Sometimes these changes have taken a few months; others have taken years. Some even took decades. But those were in days of slow communication; we had time to understand and learn. We had time to adjust to change and invent the adoption of the new. 

Today communication is at the speed of light. Information is at our finger tips instantly. Processes are fast, also. We make things quickly. We travel at high speed. We shift our points of interest quickly with a touch of a button. We stimulate our senses with many forms of externals – sound, smell, taste, physical pleasure, exercise routines, travel, sight – you name it, we do it. Not always coordinated, but always changing at our own demand. 

Adapting to the new asks us to speed the process toward adoption; so fast we are left in doubt as to our willingness to adopt. We pull back. We focus on the elements, the problems, the differences, the puzzles. What shall we do? What should we do? It becomes more pressing and we answer with stubborn refusal to move; not ready yet.

What will make us ready? When will we be willing to see clearly what we need to do to uncover the future and make it happen safely and constructively? Who do we need to help us with this task?  Are we looking for leadership? Do we think we can trust leaders to manage this enormous task well enough for all of our sakes? And whose sakes are those? Exactly? 

I understand the timidity. I get the reluctance. But times are getting critical. We need to get moving: to solve problems, to build futures, to get on with the business of life. I hope it will be filled with justice, opportunity and life quality for all. Reward the risk takers. Reward the innovators. Reward the leaders. But maintain quality of life for all. Give all people the comfort of knowing that together we can do amazing things. And it won’t hurt a bit. 

Where this will take us and the rest of the globe is an unknown. But an exciting unknown. If only we can get past today so we can enter the exciting exploration of the unknown. Not in fear, but with respect for the possible.

February 17, 2012

Building Future

As we struggle with problems it is easy to lose sight of basics. Most notably, the future. What do we want for the future? How do we want it different from today? How do we imagine it looking? Feeling? Interacting with our lives? 

What needs to be happening to make that future continue its course? Does it require us to do things we are not doing today? Does it assume current problems are gone, fixed or erased somehow? Does the future require us to see people and things in a different light? Appreciate them more or at least differently? How? 

In imagining the future, what resources will we need to make it happen? Are those resources available? The ones which are lacking, can we find other resources to replace them, or can we just do without them entirely? Can we still create, innovate, make good things happen without them? 

Here’s a thought I’ve had repeatedly of late:

We citizens have the smarts, experience, capability and competence to build a new future. Basic resources required: stable governance, reliable laws and contracts, and an educational system that is accessible, provides life-long learning and helps keep us continually employable. 

If this idea is correct, then we have the necessary ingredients to reinvent a vibrant society and economy on the ashes of the current mess.  The state of our nation and economy is such that large pieces are broken. They are negatives that distract our attention from innovation. They are anchors whose lead weight alone drags us down and impedes forward motion. It keeps us from imagining the future. So first we have to shed those negative images so we can do what we know how to do: imagine the future and build it. 

I was in a committee meeting of the local Chamber of Commerce yesterday. Our elected state representative was present to inform us of state resources available to assist small businesses. Instead the discussion rapidly focused on the state’s financial chaos and political gridlock. The same message is in most newspapers, magazines and on most radio and TV news broadcasts. This is life in Illinois. And in California, too. Probably most states as well! But we can easily include these discussion points for the nation. America has systemic problems of significance. 

If the problems become the whole of our consideration, they snuff out ideas; they overwhelm our sense of proportion and most importantly, our future. 

Problems will always be with us. How we live with them tells a lot about us. But problems do not or should not define us. We must define ourselves more dynamically. We are innovative creatures. We have brains capable of reasoning and inventing. We have done so endlessly over 300 years. And we will continue to do so. Weighed down with problems and responsibilities? Sure. Defeated by them? I don’t think so. 

We act defeated, however. The pension obligations of public service employees are huge. Future financial stability of Social Security is enormous. Medicare challenges us financially in so many ways, far into the future; it seems impossible to fix. 

But these problems do not define who we are and who we can be. They only inform us that we didn’t manage our affairs well enough to avoid the problems. We can fix these issues and avoid them in the future. But first we have to repair the engine that makes all of this possible in the first place: the American inner spirit and the economy that results from it. Innovative, cutting edge, leading the world to new futures continually. That’s our role and destiny. 

We have been resting on our laurels. For too long. We are living on yesterday’s capital. And it is running low. It is time to rebuild and reinvent.

This starts and ends with each person. We need encouragement. We require safety and nurture. We will thrive on challenge. We need a stable legal environment of laws and contracts, and we must have a reliable governance system. We have the former. We evidently lack the latter. So it is up to us to do without it temporarily, or replace it in the long term. 

But we have no time to waste. We must begin collaborating and innovating now. Today.  

This requires new leaders and a willingness to follow. Are we ready to take this on? I think we are. I know I am. Are you?

February 16, 2012

Nesting

A twig. A piece of string. The beak dibbles the ground, stirs up nature’s debris. The bits and pieces of everyday litter. The bird selects, pulls up, flitters off. Comes back. Flits from spot to spot, branch to branch until another prize is found, secured in the beak. Off it flies to return once again, soon. What’s it doing?

Building a nest. One bit at a time. A small pile of material, growing to a blob of stuff. In a day or two a shape begins to tell. A curvature, a bowl like shape. Relatively round. Fluffy looking, but sturdy. A tuck of twig here, a fluff of seed pods there; the nest is building and becoming realized. Now. It’s ready for use.

The bird perches above the nest on another branch. Then flits down to test it. Walks a few circles within it, then settles in. Flies away yet again for a finishing touch. A crown of new material placed just so.

In time the mother bird settles in; next time she moves three eggs will be delicately nestled in safety of the nesting components…of their home. Warmth provided by the mother. Feeding attention to the bird by the male bird that finally appears. Now that the housework has been done!

Nesting. Providing a home. A place to rest, a place to birth, a place to raise a family. Home. A place to be but also a space in the mind. Where we dwell in thought and memory. Where we feel safe and protected. Where we know self and those selves close to us. Together we are defining each other. We are family.

And now we are mankind family. We build nests, too. We pull from life to find the materials to build a place where we are safe and whole and real. We flitter about the space and make it clean, and bigger, and softer and better than it was. We are making a house into a home. We are decorating it, furnishing it, shaping it and giving it dimension, color and texture.

We refresh the space. We recolor it; replace textures form time to time. We rearrange furniture and rooms, and their assigned use. We alter. We are never done fussing with the space. We are nesting. Over and over again. Defining spaces and places until we find…home.

Are we satisfied? Will we ever be? Is this a place to be, or an extension of presence, of ego of reaching for a larger ‘star?’ Are we fluffing our feathers or our egos? Is our preoccupation with the real world and meaningful or stuff that means little? Are we pretending to be something we are not? Or is this a real place, a real home in which we find love, and peace, and sustaining power to live and become more of whatever we can be?

Do we need the McMansion? Do we need two family rooms or living rooms? Do we need more bathrooms than bedrooms? Is this a hotel, or a home? Is this a shrine to success or pretension? Are we filling the home with what it needs? Love. Respect. Aspirations. Strivings. Accomplishment. Are we?

Perhaps the nest is an expression of who we are or want to be. But then that is different from pretension, isn’t it? We express ourselves in décor, in color, in furnishings of all sorts. It is our inner thinking writ on the surfaces of our life. It is an expression of who we are. I am. Not always perfect. Not always exactly stating what I wish. Thus the spur to alter it continually? To make it more me? To make it up to date? To make it comfortable.

Making a home. Of one or two, or three or five. The personal spaces of our life. A nest to some. A stage for others. But hopefully home to all.

How’s your home?

February 15, 2012

Word on Free Press

The free press isn’t. Free that is. Oh its free to opine and report events, happenings and news. But only if they have the courage to do so. Increasingly the press cannot pay its bills so they sell their services to people who can afford to do so. But that crimps the freedom in speech of the press, don’t you know? If you print something an advertiser doesn’t like, you lose ad revenue. Or at least live with that threat. And so speech is softened, curtailed, perhaps omitted? Is that free speech? Is that freedom of the press?

The highest bidder does not make for free speech, especially in the year 2012. Let us count the way:

• The top 1% can afford to buy ads, or buy ‘free’ speech
• The 99% cannot individually
• Corporations and business firms can afford to buy ads, and free speech that supports their view in order to further their net income, so they can continue to support the 1% who own them
• Employees cannot buy ads or free speech because they may lose their jobs; where’s the free speech in that?
• Continuing a way of life for the very few with some largesse thrown in to the lesser people? That may be free speech to the few, but not the many.

Our nation is a society of, for and by the people. Period. Freedom of speech, religion, and press are key elements to keep that society moving forward. What the rich may have lost sight of is they are where they are because of the accident of birth, inheritance, talent, skill or whatever assets that allowed them to propel to the heights.

When any of the freedoms begin to contract, we all lose. I may not agree with your religion, or your words in speech or press, but you help me form a better, more healthy thinking within me. That strengthens me. It strengthens you. Yes, it strengthens society as a whole.  Any imbalance destroys the dynamic of a strong and healthy society.

If you need a template of a free press, go to www.villagechronicles.net. That’s our local paper. We cover Warrenville, Illinois. Free of charge. Every home and business in our postal zip code gets the paper. Every two weeks. The good, the bad and the ugly is in there. It’s out town, Our story. We chronicle it.

And we do it with volunteers. No payroll. Little overhead. Administration, office space, computer systems, all donated. Paper clips and paper stock, slightly reimbursed. Postal and printing costs are covered by advertising revenues.

We are careful to provide knowledgeable news and opinion, as well as language that edify and encourages. We try to avoid bombast and ill manners so all readers have the chance to read clear information and hopefully can understand it. We don’t pull punches when they are needed or deserved. But that is not our intent. Accordingly we irk some people including leaders and movers/shakers. That’s their problem not ours. Meanwhile we keep on doing the task in good times and bad, in favor and out. And people can rely on that. They can allow us our opinion without disciplining us.

Now that’s a free press.

Try that, however, with the Tribune, the New York Times, LA Times, Miami Herald, etc. They have to listen to their opinion makers and captains of industry and government. Or else they will lose the needed dollars to keep their companies alive. Not the Chronicles. We do our thing because the community deserves it and supports it. In Many different ways. When was the last time you wrote a column or news article for free in the larger publications? When did you last read that sort of thing in one of those publications?

Probably never. A letter to the editor or opinionated piece, yes; but not news. And that is the failing of the modern day ‘free press’ establishment. The 1% has its grip on it.

Care to support a healthier template of success? Visit our website!

February 14, 2012

Ideas and their Intersections

Every now and then a thought surfaces. It may linger there only for a moment. Or it may last a while, or pop up tantalizingly from time to time. It may even become delicious…you know, the evocative idea that grows and barges into your life…exposing everything before and after it to a bright light of rationality. Suddenly things make more sense. They hang together. A good moment.

Good enough to share!

I’ve been reading Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat published in 2005 and updated in 2006 and 2007. I’m still reading it. Two thirds finished and savoring each page. Because each page holds such good material. Rational. Mature. Positive. Constructive. Accurate observation backed by research. Data and wisdom research.

The title is engaging and puzzling; but in time it makes sense. Here’s the essence of what Friedman says: technology has flattened the world economic stage; we have talent and time and action to sell to those interested and in need of acquiring what we have. We get paid for that only if we are unique, in the right place at the right time. Many others are doing the same. They compete with us. Me. You.

If Friedman is right, and I think he is, we really need to wake up to the simple facts. Here are some of them:

• USA has been innovative and inventive for more than a century; we led the world with this brilliance
• Our national spirit supported individuals, education and innovation
• Success has worn thin our sense of these key traits. Selfish does not equate with individualism. Education is about future unfolding, not explaining the past or learning old, boring skills. Innovation comes from inner brilliance, clear thinking and unique perspectives.
• Current education does not provide support for the latter
• We need math and science cross connected with art and music and heart
• We need competition; it challenges the individual
• Our nation needs challenge; it chases away contentment and laziness
• If you won’t do it, there are billions of people elsewhere on the planet who will because they want what you have had, and will work for it
• If you don’t work for it, you will lose it
• Got the lesson plan now?

I was at an auto dealer waiting for my car to be serviced. Routine. Waiting room contained a flat screen TV murmuring the news and weather, and music, and ads and noise to the surroundings. Young man endlessly scanning the content of his I Phone. Smell of new rubber of tire display. Me reading the Friedman book.

Situation made me ask the young man: are you under 30? yes. Are you done with schooling? yes. What schooling was that? Double major, university, Valparaiso, in chemistry and economics. Did you find a job? No, I was going for a medical degree! Changed my mind, and then couldn’t find a job. What did you do? Worked for a construction team, small; we flipped houses – bought low, repaired and resold for much higher price – and that did me OK until I started to do it myself. How’s it going? Fine; just completed my real estate training and got my license. Is this what you want to do for your career? No, but it pays the bills. I buy destroyed properties, trashed, really; bring them back my way; fully for good living in it; then sell at reasonable, highly profitable price; I do my own rehab work but hire others to help. I make the money, now. Is this what you want to keep doing? no. What will you do then? Don’t know.

I suggested a combination of all of his experience but leading to an objective that would build on his curiosities and passions. Such as re-using housing stock in new ways to support socially needed function; maybe alternative elder housing with intended intersection with single parent homes; all affordable; each household positioned to help each other to succeed with their lives. Other combinations of communal cooperation might develop? He pondered that, looked at me; searched my eyes. He was intent.

Was he thinking about old things in a new way? Or did he merely think I was nuts?

Who can possibly tell? Time will sort those things out. I hope he saw himself differently. I hope he walked away with a sense of new possibility. Future. Thomas Friedman’s ideas at work!

Now to find another person to talk with. I’ll share with you what I learn.

February 13, 2012

Keeping up with the Jones

One thing I remember as a kid was how much older our family car was compared with the neighbors. When asked about this Dad said I shouldn’t be concerned about that. The care was then if our car ran well and could do so for many more years. He said he wasn’t interested in the Jones. Of course I thought he was just being cheap! I really wanted a car that outshined the neighbors. Bright shiny red would do. 

Years past and cars came and went in our garage. Rarely were they special, or glamorous. But they did work; quite well actually. They provided the service they were designed for. And lasted. Dad made sure of that.

For my senior year in college Dad gave me the old family sedan, a 1956 red Buick; this was 1964. It had nearly 100,000 miles on it but it carried me from my upstate New York home to Galesburg, Illinois. Back and forth several times, actually. Very reliably. But it had gaping upstate New York rust holes riddling its body! The car was large and roomy but appeared very much like a derelict. I was more than a little embarrassed by it. 

Just before I graduated in 1965 a local Ford dealer allowed me a massive pile of credit, no down payment and the keys to a brand new, poppy red Mustang with white interior. It had a V-8 engine, white wall tires, and full wheel covers. Oh, it had a radio, too. But nothing more. No power brakes, no power steering, no power windows. Just a snappy new car that made me feel spiffy. I kept that car for nearly a year and enjoyed every minute of it. 

The next year I bought a 1966 Chrysler 300 two door coupe. It was yellow with a black vinyl roof. Power steering and brakes; fancy car with huge engine. It slurped gas but oh was it a smooth ride with plenty of pep. I kept that car about a year. 

In 1967 I bought a new ’67 Ford Mustang, this one fairly well equipped. It too was sporty but the Mustang brand in those days was trending toward larger and cushier, not snappy and performance rated. I kept that car less than a year. Sold it to my landlord, got out from under the auto loan, and saved furiously to enter seminary. 

I was carless until 1968 when my bride bought a ’68 Camaro. It was a dud performance wise, but it sure looked good. Dark forest green with a huge white racing stripe. Black interior with bucket seats and a great radio. Young and zippy. The image was mighty fine. We held onto that car until we bought the 1972 Chevrolet Greenwood station wagon. By that time we had been married 4 years, had a baby, a house, a dog and a cat. We needed more practical transportation, and already you could tell that family financing kept us from buying a new car every year! 

That behemoth wagon lasted to 1978 when we bought a new Chevrolet Impala station wagon. Although that car came with high tech upgrades, it didn’t work as well as the ’72. Got better gas mileage, but much less zip. Still it was a good car for two kids, an ancient house constantly in rehab (lots of trips to the hardware store and lumberyard, don’t you know!). Then Ann went to work full time and cars began to proliferate our garage and driveway exponentially! We eventually had five; a van, a convertible (old, very old), a company car, and an Omni, and something else I don’t remember (how about that?). 

Once the kids were through college, the fleet downsized naturally. But I focused on a good sedan for business travel and my old Mustang GT convertible. I continued to go through cars regularly, usually 24 months was the longest tenure. Each new car became fancier, heavier, and better equipped than the last one. Then came a string of Mercedes, first a C-320, then an E-350, and finally a C-300. Each was super terrific. Each came loaded with features I could only have dreamed of as a kid. Each did great service. The first Mercedes I drove 100,000 miles; the second 72,000, and the last was only 19,000 when I had to downsize financially. 

Now I drive a heavily financed used Ford Fusion, an ’08. It’s quite a good car, actually. Sound. Quiet. Great ride. Powerful enough for me (not a zippy Benz!). Well equipped with a lot of electronics aboard. A lot of benefit for a fraction of the cost of a Mercedes. It’s white, by the way. The Fusion. White, black walled tires. Mag wheels. Good looking actually. But nothing special. 

I hope the Jones aren’t looking. Oh hell; I don’t care now. I really don’t.

February 12, 2012