Technology Redux

Short posting today:

Well, I wrote yesterday’s posting in 22 minutes using the new mini lap top (Microsoft Surface) and it went quite well. Later I attempted to save it, then to email it and to catalog it for eventual use. I managed to save it successfully, but not email it. So I tried exporting it to the cloud, did that.

A day later I finally allowed my mind to free associate and I got on my old computer and downloaded the file from the cloud to my desktop and then readied for posting to the blog. I will do that on the routine schedule.

I feel like I graduated from tech school!  It worked and I am tickled pink.

Meanwhile I am in the process of dissolving a local non-profit organization I co-founded. The multiplex of documents required to do this is a little perplexing but it is a 501c3 organization and that requires more formality to detach from the various government authorities. They also supervise formation and dissolution of all such entities. No wonder volunteers pause to step forward to help local organizations!

At any rate the new technology is assisting me in the process. I’m the corporate secretary of the organization so these tasks fall on my plate.

Meanwhile this is newspaper publishing and distribution week so we have writing, editing, proofing, organizing and delivery routines to support. Again, the new technology fits seamlessly with these tasks.

Chamber duties call as well. Board member, Executive Committee member, secretary to both, and in charge of the Strategic Planning project. Have organized and completed pass off of two goals and action plans. The 3^rd goal is mine to do and I lead a panel of 5 volunteers to implement the goal for the board.  Again, new technology is put to use emailing, writing documents, sharing same and archiving it all for the formal record.

I can’t say I am an early adopter of technology. But I eventually do get it and adapt to it!  I want to but the complexities are off-putting!!  Oh well, this is one old dog willing to learn. Just let me take it at my own speed!

Thank you very much!

April 30, 2014

New Technology

Yesterday’s blog post reported our household illnesses of late. While recuperating (slowly, it seems for two old poops!) we decided to rest our reading eyes and watch a movie on DVD. Well, we had two at the ready, but when we moved we only had good cable to connect the DVD player to the entertainment center, but we used it on the new connection for the TV in the bedroom. So, to watch a DVD in the living room we had to remove it from the bedroom installation and arduously crane about behind the entertainment center to plug the dratted thing into the proper holes!  That is not easy for two hurting old guys to do, especially when ailing and on meds distorting their world view.

So we advanced our decision to buy another cable thingy and made a trip to Best Buy.  Of course while there, in clouded mind and mood, I looked for a possible new computer to replace the six year old Toshiba that has been well used: 600k of blog postings, six years of editing and writing for the local newspaper – includes a column, at least two stories and countless obits in each issue. You get the idea. This computer has had a lot of use and its original keyboard even has divots, dirt and is now missing 40% of key markings!  So I replaced the keyboard with a plug in wireless device.

Even with that assistance, the old machine would black out on me, sometimes five or six times in the same minute. Try working with that sort of interruption, add seventy years of age and you will get a full picture of frustration and impatience. All mine! So it was time for a new computer contraption of some sort.

I decided on a Microsoft Surface. It is small, portable, powerful and very, very cheap. It contained all the software I needed and it would accept files from my old computer easily enough. Add cloud storage to what I already have plus external hard drives, and I’m pretty well set.

For all other units I considered, all new software was mandatory. Nonsense. I wanted the latest but didn't want to pay for it. So here I am with Microsoft’s own product with its own built in software.

How so ever it is time for this geezer to learn how to use it. And that is what I’m doing at this moment. The blog posting for April 29^th is being writing on the Surface with the help of the Logictech wireless keyboard.  So far this is a snap!  Of course once it is written, I’ll have to figure out how to move it to the blog.  You shall be witness to that success – or not!

Inter-connectivity is what I wanted. One way or the other we had rigged that for me with past hardware and it worked. Not always easily but certainly we made it work. Now I’m hoping the new technology will be even easier and forthright.

Also, I’m aware of thinking circles – those relationship associations in the brain which support reasoning, logic and adjacency of thought that would magnify meaning and logical outcomes. The intuitive genius of Microsoft’s products is simply that – intuitive learning circles and circuits. I’m hoping to be right and benefit from this sort of thing.  Again you will be the witness of this – or not!

How utterly transparent is this? I’m impressed. Not to see if it all works.  More as we experience this together! Now I’m getting excited.

Let’s just hope it doesn't all crash into disappointment? Well, you’ll know when I know.

Witnesses, you know!

April 29, 2014

  

Ups and Downs

In recent posts I've shared Rocky’s ailments and brief hospitalizations. Last time we visited this topic I think he had been in the ER on Easter morning. Four hours later he was much improved. We had shared our confusion about diagnosis. The previous visit to ER 10 days earlier had been chest pains which were tested for cardiac and stroke conditions; none found. Actually his symptoms were almost exactly the same as for a gall bladder attack but his gall bladder had been removed last October! So that was not the problem.

On Easter Rocky was exhausted and scared and be begged me to take him to ER again after I was done with early morning church duties. I had him in ER by 8:15 am. This time they continued down the diagnostic path building on what they learned on the first visit. [I should break here to comment: Rocky is a patient of the professional physicians team of the hospital and his entire medical chart is on their computer system for immediate access. This is a blessing. We make comments, they look up the pertinent facts, and they continue a more targeted diagnostic analysis.

They found he was dehydrated and plugged him with an IV saline solution. He felt better in one hour. By noon he was good to go and we came home.

We had a follow up doctor’s appointment on Monday (next day) and he was pronounced fit. On Wednesday we had another doctor follow up (different team member) and she walked in the examining room and commented that he looked horrible. He agreed and off to the hospital again, this time an arranged admission.

The ER doctor ordered a CT scan and learned Rocky’s colon was inflamed, enlarged and infected. No idea how that happened but several causes are possible. They fought the infection with IV meds and he felt better within four hours. Some of the meds he was sensitive to, perhaps an allergy, so they experimented a bit. They hit on a good solution and he improved. He remained in hospital until Friday noon, 26 hours after admission.

Weak but feeling better, Rocky is home and doing better than I am.  During the first day of Rocky’s last hospital stay I came down with bronchitis. With my lung history I know to go to the pulmonologist quickly. I did and now I’m laid up, at home, pooped out!

The ups and downs of life. Often unimagined or unprepared for. But they are there nonethesame. And we deal with it.

Afterwards we feel blessed for good health. We take it for granted. Yes we do!

When healthy, life is so pleasant and exciting. Possibilities explode. Horizons extend. Better to be healthy than not.

By the way, I knew I was getting sick because my hair hurt! Laugh if you must but this symptom tells me I have a sinus infection that will soon change the shape of my skull or sinus cavity and then my vision will blur a bit. Fighting the blur gives me a headache and nausea. Then the chest tightens and bronchitis is on rampage.  Pretty simple, huh? Hair that hurts. 

Perhaps you will find this ailment a helpful one for quick diagnosis?

April 28, 2014

Thought for the Day

This quote comes from Anthony Douglas Williams from “Inside the Divine Pattern”:

            “I do not practice religion. I practice kindness.”

It seems to me the result of most religious concepts and beliefs is kindness. Focusing on that will go a long way to supporting the former.

Think about it. And wonder about the bumper sticker spotted recently that boldly stated: “I imagine no religion.”

Are the two quotes at all similar?

April 26, 2014

What’s the Motivation?

Yesterday’s blog focused on voluntary involvement in public affairs and activities. What types of people does it take for a community to accomplish the tasks that place sparkle and value to the image of a town? Are they opposites, some feeling enthused to get involved, while others sit on the sidelines wondering why some people are willing to do these thankless chores?

It is a complicated proposition. Some people don’t even need to be asked. They see a common need and address it in some manner. Others get involved with the activity or event once it is available but don’t give a moments thought to how that activity came into being.

Of course there are the cynics who worry such events are paid for by some public fund or taxpayer assistance! They may even believe that someone is doing this for their own gain – you know, build a successful event model and then go on to manage and ‘own’ that event in the future pulling ample profits from the till in the doing of it. Or maybe they suspect that someone is willing to do these public acts so they are primed to be noticed in the next election! Maybe even get elected to a job that pays a public salary. You know, the golden bonanza of public employment!!

Motivation I guess cannot be assumed. People will think it and talk about it. So I think it is important we admit that motivation is part of why people come forward to volunteer.  Here are a list of motivations that could apply.

First, “If I don’t do this how can I expect the job to get done at all?”  This is probably the number one motivation I think. Someone sees a need and fills it as best she or he can. They ask for bare bones help from their friends and family to make it happen. If successful others may emerge from the sidelines to lend their help as well. Long term success depends on others coming forward over time to adopt the activity and make it happen year after year. That’s a good thing. And no, no one got paid or earned a promotion or even was elected to public office. They did the work, and others benefitted from it.

Second, “I need to do this because it will make me feel better about myself.” This is probably the second most common motivation. Beautify my yard to boost the image of my neighborhood. Do the same for a public eyesore; clean it up and beautify it to improve the image of the community. In doing this activity I actually feel whole and healthy. I got to meet others who feel as I do about the task. Good people to know. Maybe we can get other things organized, too.  Motivation? To feel good. Be plugged in to the community, something larger than myself.

Third, “My kids need to see the family involved in the community so they do the same when they grow up.” Role model education is the motivation here. There is no telling what my kids will learn from this experience. They may find new friends, new art interests, new athletic outlets, social involvement and growth. Being involved with the community is infectious and growth oriented. It’s a good thing. And I want my kids to know this. Motivation? Is it recognition yet, or pay, or capital appreciation?  I don’t think so.

Fourth, “I don’t understand the issue everyone is talking about; if I get more involved maybe I will learn more.” Spirited public debate often seems polarizing, even nasty. How do I feel about the issue? Is it a problem I should be concerned about? Is it really that big or is someone playing a political game for some reason? I’ll never know if I don’t look into it for myself.”

Fifth, “Who deserves my vote in this election? Do I have a solid understanding of the comparative worth of the candidates? Are they reasonable problem solvers with their eye on the future of the community?”

Sixth, “How healthy is my community/neighborhood/block? Is it self sustaining? Do we exhibit pride of place and overall satisfaction of our surroundings? If not, why not? And what can we do about it?”

Seems to me this list of motivations can go on for a long time. And yet we do not encounter any personal payback as a motivator other than feeling good about self and better understanding of my community.

What do we get from this behavior from each person or a large number of them? A better community, a healthy one, town where people matter and surroundings are not taken for granted. 

I’d say that’s motivation enough, don’t you?

Cynics, hold your tongues!

April 25, 2014

Opposites

I believe in the possible. Others don’t; they think it can’t be done. There are those who easily pick up community work because it will make things better for others. Of course there are those who feel the opposite and don’t get involved in local projects because they think this is sappy and is mostly unappreciated by the masses.

Some people do good things because it makes them feel better. Yet others don’t do those very same good things because they think it makes them the fool; why should they be the patsy and do something for others and not get paid?

Those who do a lot of volunteer activities understand what I’m saying. Many of us truly feel that our lives will be better if we share our energy, vision, dreams and effort with others working toward the same ends. That’s how community gardening groups get their start. That’s how public plantings get done in small communities where budgets are tight and municipal staffs have much larger tasks to accomplish. Hanging baskets of flowers on light poles and bridges makes beautiful results. So many people view those results and smile. The locals notice them instantly. Visitors may see them, or maybe expect them, but however they register on their minds the flower baskets are part of a welcoming environment. They say ‘we are glad you are here and welcome’!

The same goes for weeding and planting flowers and seasonal leafy plants around memorial signs and municipal building entrances. These investments in beautifying the community are noticed. They soften the edges of a community’s presence and declare ‘welcome’.

Drive through a town and notice the edges of their roadways. Are they crumbling? Littered with refuse? Weedy and generally unkempt? What does this say about the town? Do the people care about their environment? Their appearance? If they do why have they let their community’s image become seedy and untidy? Why haven’t they done something about it? Why hasn't town leadership taken on this task?

What about the arts? Are there small concert series and art exhibits produced for the community? You know the sort of thing, where people gather and share their home grown art as well as performance talents in theater, chorus, orchestra, dance troupe or other recital type events. Some of these events are not amateur but rather professional. Not expensive but easily produced and paid for, at least at break-even. Events that people take their kids to and point to artists and performers as a possible role model for their interests.

Does your town have people dedicated in helping others enjoy these kind of activities? Are there avenues that kids of all ages can follow in determining if these are the kinds of things they are interested in? And what about adults at various age hallmarks who experience a budding artistic urge to pursue? Do they have avenues to travel for self discovery?

Are there writers, poets, non-fiction experts willing to author articles or books on subjects of deep interest to them? And others? Does your community herald such efforts and accomplishments? What has been the response if it does; what kind of community do you think you have if they don’t make these efforts?

Are your boards and commissions well populated with talented people willing to do the public’s work without thanks? Or do these bodies go partially filled year round with town leaders frequently begging people to step forward and be appointed to these public task forces?

Is your PTA active and well formed? Are new members joining and working their way to higher responsibility. Is a strong leader cadre readily formed year after year? Or does your PTA limp along with few volunteers and accomplish very little for the kids and local school?

Are your elections vibrant opportunities of participation and discussion on public issues? Or are they moribund, lackluster polling with 15% voter turnout or less?

Is your town budget balanced? How much public debt does your community have? What percent of the annual budget does public debt represent? Do you know? Do you care?

We know what Hamlet asked: “To be or not to be?” I add: “To get involved or not?”

Ah, that is the question. Do I have the willingness to do the thankless but know the effort is worthwhile for me and others? Can I make these investments of myself in the community while knowing that many others have no clue to the worth of these activities?

Just how vibrant is your town? Am I doing my part? Will doing so encourage others to do the same?

We won’t know unless we try.

Please do.

April 24, 2014

Voices

This blog posting is fashioned from an opinion piece I wrote for the local newspaper – Village Chronicles. We have the obvious challenge of engaging each community covered so the paper’s voice for that community is representative of its citizenry. We don’t make things up. We report on what is happening. Better yet, we provide the opportunity for each community to voice their own ideas without much interference form us.  See for yourself:

Our Role

A newspaper is a reflection of the voices contained within the community it serves. Voices. Yours and your neighbor’s. The paper should be representative of those voices. Some are majority thoughts, others are lesser so. Each is of value, though. They form the whole of our voice and conversation in and among the community.

In the case of the Village Chronicles, three communities are reflected. That makes it a little confusing to the reader not of the community the article is focused on.

Our name itself – Village Chronicles – was chosen for two specific reasons. First, we wished to value the communal nature of living in a community, any community. The word village itself conjures a meaning and feeling of smallness, of connectedness and of shared life. Warrenville is a city, but a small one. It contains a sense of small town America and we wanted to echo that characteristic. And of any community the paper attempted to cover.

Second, we wanted to reach out to nearby towns and perhaps become their small town newspaper as well. Winfield is incorporated as a village and contains the sensibility and family nature of a village.

In a lesser way West Chicago is more complicated, larger (its population exceeds that of Warrenville and Winfield combined) and contains an economic identify far different from the other towns. In fact each of the communities has far different economies from the others.  But it is that diversity that interests the Village Chronicles. Differentness is not a negative; rather it is a positive. Alone each town stands on its own. As neighbors, though, they stand together and prosper in subtle shared ways.

And that is something the newspaper hopes to showcase over time. Each of the three communities are unique and lead separate lives. Yet there are similarities each shares with the others because of being in the same county, the nearness of our economies, the commonality of our topography. Different but if not in the same boat at least in the same flotilla!

Three libraries. Each has its own ‘brand’ of service to its community. Each shares its services and programs with the paper, some in greater detail, some in much less detail. Same with park districts. One shares a lot about its doings, while the other two are spare in their sharing. Town governance is another variable. The Village of Winfield share very little officially. West Chicago contributes lots of news, not all of which can be accommodated by the paper’s tight space availability. Warrenville’s city government is well covered, but that’s because we have locals who volunteer their services to that end.

No volunteers have stepped forward in West Chicago, just city staff. In Winfield a volunteer group emerged at long last but there are those who feel their voice is not representative of the village. We would not know. That is the role of the community itself. If there are voices to be heard, where are they? The staff? Elected officials? Other volunteers, institutions and organizations?

A community is not made up of its political ideologies. It is made up of its churches, neighborhoods, libraries, fire districts, park districts, schools and all of the families who interact with those institutions. Each person has a story to tell. Each person has something to share that reflects well on the community. Why are these stories not being heard? Not because the paper bars them. We simply have not received them.

Same is true for West Chicago.

Yet we are confident there are those of you who have a good reflection on what the community is doing and what it means to fellow residents.

Won’t you step forward and offer your help to best form the voice of each community?

If you don’t, who will? And how will they represent your community? Fairly? Objectively? Where will your chips fall? Will it be a pleasant voice? Or an angry one. Will it be persuasive or condemning?

Or constructive? That’s the challenge. How do we build our community day by day, year by year, idea by idea? We think not via shouting and invective. Rather calm reasoned discussion.  We hope you agree and will join the voices.

I’ll let you know how this editorial/opinion piece played out. It should be interesting!

April 23, 2014

Layers and Layers

Have you faced layers and layers of problems at the same time? Have you managed through a ton of distracting details?  Parenthood provides plenty of challenges – childhood illness, not knowing if the ailment is real or just seems so, or is serious and no clear solution is yet available – or maybe career obligations that complicate the calendar – the commute, business travel, tight turn around times, leadership challenges, touchy client relationships – and of course household responsibilities that pose time pressures all their own.

Layers of issues in need of attention all at the same time. Nothing new here, right? It’s what we deal with each and every day.

I sometimes marvel at women who work outside the home yet have this incredible yearning to do all the things as a wife, homemaker and mother that their mothers and grandmothers did in the home. Their jobs, their careers pull them away from hearth and home and yet not really – they are still rooted there heroically mothering the family through sickness and health. Also through moods of elation and crashing sadness.

By comparison the lives of men seem simpler. But we would be wrong, I think! Men have this inner sense of responsibility for family financial security, maintenance of home and car, yet also of happiness of all who dwell under his roof. Yes there is this sense of protective gender role – that no harm shall come to those who live within his embrace! Not easily put into words, I think, but guys want their homes to be whole and safe and happy. And they labor in strained ways to provide all of that.

Career demands take on a life of their own. Both men and women experience this but those women with little kids at home I think divide their attention properly so; their attention may not be totally on the career job outside the home. Yet the men don’t have that divided focus. They know the long term future for their family relies on how well he performs within the career and opens up career and income opportunities. Part of this is gender role and taken for granted but not fully understood. Part of this is ego driven. Some of this is very practical. And some is just plain dumb luck!

However it comes down, both the man and woman of the home have layers of complexities they manage day in and day out, year in and year out. The ‘others’ in our life don’t fully appreciate these layers. Adult sons and daughters, adult nieces and nephews, and all of their offspring, each generation deals with this simultaneously with everyone else’s layers of complexities.

No wonder large family gatherings are such a stew of emotion and drama!

On Monday mornings, however, each of us faces our own daytime drama of family, home, commute and job. And the return to same each day. A rhythm builds over the years and changes slightly through the seasons of our development phases. We are not always young. We are not always middle aged, or childless, or parenting, or retired. Each year has its seasons. Each group of years has its phased development. We are not living through this again with practice. No! We are applying ourselves afresh because it is new to us.

That’s as it should be. Life is to be lived, we are told. And the living of it is often dull and boring but it is ours to persist through. The routine is our constant teacher if we pay attention. Life is not all high drama or festive. It certainly is not always understood!

Yes, life is a challenge precisely because it is not fully known nor appreciated. As well, we are distracted by other things then current. Our attention is divided and we apply what is available to the responsibilities and obligations. The surprise is we do so well as it is!

OK. The moral of this blog today is simply this: your life is a challenge; so is each life of those we know and love or even are uncomfortable with. Not all of life is focused on your happiness. Nor is your focus only on you and yours. Rightfully we are called upon to live with the unknown and the familiar at the same time. The crux of this is the interest we ought to have for each day as it unfolds. Without routine. It will happen as it will and must.

And we are called upon to act accordingly whether we want to or not. In the long run it will work out.

Trust me. Meanwhile do what you have to.

April 22, 2014

Perplexities

There are times that perplex. There are times that don’t. I think I’m in the perplexed stage.

Let me explain. All that we have been through these past few years, especially this past year alone – home foreclosure, trying to find affordable senior housing, bankruptcy, short selling the house, but not quite over, ever – then moving to an apartment.

It’s a nice apartment. Beautiful, actually. Just the right size for us – 1140 square feet, all on one level, made of solid concrete so its quiet and solid – two bedrooms, two full baths, an in-unit laundry. But there’s more: spacious kitchen fully equipped and ample enough for a small dining area plus breakfast counter. The living/dining room is open and bright as well with its own balcony for the grilling and sitting in the sun. Next to the front door is a walk in guest closet that is actually a store room for all manner of things including racks for kitchen counter top appliances when not in use. To boot we have a storage locker down the hall, a shared garbage chute very near by, plus an elevator to the mail room, lobby and heated garage with even more storage space.

All in all the new apartment is perfect for us. And we moved in. And we are settling in, still have a little more to do, but the bulk of the hard work is over.

And then, Rocky gets sick. Or some organs are not working correctly. Doesn't appear he has a contagious illness like the flue, just vague complaints of chest pain, acid re-flux, nausea, diarrhea, sweats, gross lack of energy and no appetite.

We did the emergency room routine after calling his doctor’s office, just to be sure he wasn’t prepping for a heart attack or stroke. Nix on both of those. No, for all the world it seemed he was having a repeat gall bladder attack. Only thing is, his gall bladder had been removed last October!  So that clearly was not the problem. Everyone doubts appendicitis. Blood work indicates no liver or kidney issues. Urine work details no problems there either. Anemia, but that could be caused by a host of issues, most likely an internal bleeding process that reabsorbs the blood without involving urine or stool evidence.

So, tests for pancreas chemistry, and a probably need for an endoscopy (a scope down the esophagus and stomach) for a direct look-see. So far we await more consultations before the tests are performed. Then the scheduling of the tests that are approved. Time to think about the aches and pains, the medical events about to take place. Time to worry and obsess.

And that’s where we are now. Obsessing on what might be and whether we have a big problem ahead or not. Not knowing. That alone is a large problem. And the subsequent worry.

So much has happened in the past 24 months. Finally that is behind us. And the transition from old to new home was managed. Not entirely easy but it was managed with the help of lots of family and friends. All that is left is really getting settled into a new routine, and one we imagined to be simpler and easier to maintain and live.

But now there is this complication of health. Suddenly doing the laundry, cleaning the house, walking the dog, paying bills and organizing daily activities is a big deal. Not simple. Not easily handled as we had imagined.

No; it is complicated. And painful. And frustrating. The peace of the home is threatened. It is definitely upset.

More on this stage of life as we learn how to cope with it.

April 21, 2014

Thought for the Day

A brief challenge for the weekend:

            “Second Bill of Rights: Every American has the right to:

1.      A job

2.      An adequate wage and decent living

3.      A decent home

4.      Medical care

5.      Economic protection during sickness, accident, old age or unemployment

6.      A good Education.”        

                                                          ~Author Unknown

I think this quote came from the FDR era while battling the Great Depression. Given the turn of  recent history it seems we are still in need of this Second Bill of Rights.

What do you think?

April 19, 2014

So…

This old man walks down the road. In the country, not quite a highway, but a paved, rough edged roadway with sparse traffic. He stumbles every now and then. He feels the breeze lick his cheekbones in little whippets, not too strong. The air is dry, July dry. Plenty of sunshine and soft breezes have absorbed moisture. Clouds are few and sky is bright blue.

Vegetation is wild – grasses, dried sparse reeds, plains weeds of spindly grace blowing in the breezes. Scraggly trees and bushes dot the landscape before the margins of the woods – not a forest actually, but hardwood trees with full foliage of leaves and clumps of neighboring trees.

As he ambles forward on his trek we wonder his route. Where is he going? From whence did he come? How old is he? What is his purpose? What story do we sense he is about? And why don’t we just ask?

Dare we intrude on his privacy? Would he welcome the intrusion?

Are we ready to share our story to learn his? A give and take is now imagined necessary. Are we ready to engage?

Perhaps not just yet. But lo, a dog appears snoogling in the wastes of the road’s edge. He has not yet spotted the man, nor the man him. Their tracks are toward one another. Unplanned trek for both?

The dog spots the man. Alert now he lowers his head and is stock still. Eyes focused; ears pert; tail at half mast, a little lower maybe; muscles tensed. Not knowing the dog is ready.

The man still doesn't see the dog. Blindly slogs on his path toward wherever. He nears the dog, which is on the other side of the road. It would appear the man does not know of the dog. But the dog knows of the man!

Their trajectories near. The dog is less tense, sensing a friendly being. The man stops. Seems to rest a moment. He stretches an arm and waggles a leg rid of tension and ache. His gaze wanders to the landscape, then to the other side of the road and sees the dog.

A smile washes his face. He seems open to meeting the dog. The dog loosens his muscle-lock, raises the tail and drops his ear. His mouth opens with a tongue lolling sideways. The tail begins an excited dance.

No traffic. The man looks both ways. Tsks at the dog who responds at first warily, then excited to greet the man. The dog crosses the street. He reaches out to the man with his nose and panting mouth.

The man stoops to greet the dog with an outstretched hand. The two meet. A scratch behind the ears and a massage pet of the dog’s shoulders. The dog melts into the man. And the man does the same.

A meeting. Chance. On the road of life. Somewhere two beings happened to be. Unknown to each other. Which makes the first step of welcome? Who let’s down their guard? Both? In which order.

Trust is the issue. Allowing the unknown happen. A mutual exploration enriching the participants.

How ready are we to trust the other? How guarded are we?

April 18, 2014

Amerindian Wisdom

A Native American Proverb goes like this:

            “Everything on Earth is borrowed….

             There is no ‘mine…or yours…there is only ours.’

 Even time is borrowed. We kill over a plot of land that belongs only to our Mother Earth. All you have is what you came with and what you will leave with: Your Spirit.”

As I read this I felt peace and serenity. The world of real space and nature, space for us to enjoy, feel, sense, smell, touch. And wonder about. A world much larger than self, something we do not and cannot control.

The world is filled with individuals and their spirits as well. We don’t control them or their spirits. And they do not control us or our spirits. The soil, air, water, plants, sun, moon and stars. All there for some purpose and our wonder. Not for us to control. Or fully possess for that matter.

From this conceptual framework come other thoughts, all peaceful. Such as:

            “Before you assume, learn the facts.

             Before you judge, understand why.

             Before you hurt someone, feel.

             Before you speak, think.”  ~Anonymous

Take a deep breath. Learn, understand, fell and think. Pause for serenity; for balance. Calm. In our busy day do this and restore balance and peace in your life. Like imagining yourself standing alone in open spaces slowly turning to view the vista before you. Like a mountain range, a vast canyon land, open desert, vast horizons of ocean. A starry, starry night with deep blue/black skies embracing a zillion points of star light.

Another thought to ponder:

            “A child is like a butterfly in the wind.

             Some can fly higher than others,

             But each one flies the best it can.

             Why compare on against the other?

             Each one is different.

             Each one is special.

             Each one is beautiful.”         ~Author Unknown

Like a butterfly…conjuring an image of light, diaphanous and flittering. Peaceful image, no? A moment of nature and all of her beings in the universe? Childlike innocence. And happiness. Acceptance. A being in nature, equal in stature with all else. Serenity.

Another quote that captures my imagination:

            “The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear…”

                        ~LifeTastesWell.com

The Zen like acceptance of life seems consistent with Native American culture and inner thinking. Perhaps it is the natural setting of what we think of as Indian land and space in the American southwest. But American Indians were not native just to that region. They were native also to woodlands all over the north and southeast of the North American continent. They were seaside dwellers in the Carolinas and Florida. They were Gulf of Mexico natives, too. Up and down the Mississippi River they called home. They adapted to their surroundings, accepted them, and lived fully within them. They survived hardships. They worshiped the otherness of the spiritual world. They accept their own skin and life.

Why can’t we modern Americans do the same? Are we so separated from our roots of nature to embrace only the man-made chaos we name civilization? Where did we go wrong? What does the American Indian have to teach us? After all these years? In spite of our injustice to them?

Perhaps we need to become quiet and hear the world around us…..

April 17, 2014

Out On A Limb

Caught sight of a news item this morning, something about a person’s being positive in outlook and attitude being the result of genes and DNA. I state this because many people probably think of me as critical and constantly working on ideas and opinions. It is probable that many of these folks think of me as negative.

I think they would be wrong to think of me that way. My manner of critique is my way of searching for understanding and truth. I know truth is fleeting at times because it is the result of facts and static moments in time; so much changes so quickly that our frame of reference is challenged constantly; truth is found in those moments but then the present moves on to the future a split second away!

Anyway, seeking understanding is my big thing. That alone, I think, is a positive thing. If we seek more information to better understand something it also is a statement we do not know it all at this moment. Not knowing it all. That is the positive beat in the tempo of searching for understanding.

Having said that, I’d like to press ahead with a few quotes on current events and social discussions that have plagued our national culture for quite some time. Perhaps there is a solution available we ought to try? I’ll share that near the end of this piece.

The iconic Mark Twain had this to say:

“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.”

We laugh at these words. Mostly we laugh because they are true and uncomfortable. They are also accurate as to human nature. We know there are smart people among us. We often count ourselves as such! But we know nonsense is rampant in our midst and we wonder how to stop it, or even if that is our task to do.

Well, I think it is our task to do! That’s why I’m of critical nature. I want the good to succeed. I want the brilliant idea to spring forth from someone at sometime so it can do its magic and help countless millions of people live a good and happy life. I think we have that power in us. Each of us. And it springs from not just a good intention, but also good thoughts creatively forming in our talented minds to share with others. I firmly believe our minds are under used. I think the human race is capable of thinking its way out of most of our problems and challenges.

Why we don’t do that regularly I’m not sure. Probably we do not perform at our highest capability because we are afraid we might be wrong? We don’t want others to laugh at us?  Phooey! 

Think about the 73 year old former Ku Klux Klan leader from Missouri who is accused of the heinous slayings of three innocents last weekend – three people going about their daily lives. This kook comes along and kills them randomly only because they are at or on the property of Jewish community centers. In America in the year 2014. Long after the Holocaust. Long after years of education and enlightenment. Long after public sensibilities have expanded to accept people who are different from each other because it enriches us all. We all have something to add to the fabric of civilization. Differentness brings us the spice we so dearly need to live full lives.

Resistance to otherness often leads to hate. And hate leads to violence that is senseless, hideous, heinous. Killed was a woman of worth walking in the parking lot of a local Jewish social center. Also killed was a retired physician in the company of his 14 year old grandson, already an Eagle Scout at that tender age. A young man who loved high school, theater, music and sports and mixed well with kids of his own age, and went on to excel in scouting at the same time. Such future and promise removed from our society. Such loss of elder accomplishments as well. At a time their lives should be celebrated especially, they are taken from us.

By hate. By ignorance. By twisted thinking.

Even more tragic, the killer perceived the victims to be Jewish. But they were not!

We still have much to do to eliminate this scourge from our social consciousness I think.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has this to say of current civics:

            “Where enough money calls the tune, the general public will not be heard.”

He was one of the dissenting voices in the court case in which corporations were allowed citizenship in matters of election campaign finance. A corporation has an opinion. It has the right to contribute to political campaigns and propaganda campaigns. It has the right to donate large dollar amounts because it has such available, and can purchase political results it wants for its own success. It can affect political outcomes in our democracy. Just like an individual citizen, but wait! It is not just like a citizen. It has clout, money, influence and lots of employees to do its will. Yet the Supreme Court feels otherwise and allowed this travesty to infect our body politic.

Shame on them.

Often we feel education would help our society be all it can be. We support public education efforts to inform society and make it more logical and clear headed in its decision making in our democracy. Yet education is not always available to each of us. Education is not equal throughout our land. Education is not truly free to those who need it.

Noam Chomsky stated:

“Students who acquire large debts putting themselves through school are unlikely to think about changing society. When you trap people in a system of debt, they can’t afford the time to think.”

And thus the benefits of that educational dream for our society is spoiled right off the bat. Not everyone gets the education they are capable of, not everyone is allowed to participate in the full educational process, nor is the educated public a reality in the end. It is a part time thing. It is a partial success. It is a hampered and crippled element in our social being. An element we don’t see as such a handicapped thing.

When I think of the young scout in Kansas being shot to death by a KKK crazy, I think of the possibilities that young man could have provided our nation; now not to be. Now a cipher. Nothing to come of his bright life; well, we have the memory of his promise cut down by idiocy and ignorance. And incomplete education for the KKK guy who wanted to spend his life hating, destroying.

Maybe it’s time that all education be free for everyone, everywhere at all times. If a person is capable of advancing his/her understanding and education, then support that. Let the individual soar to unlimited heights of possibility. For his and her own dreams as well as the usefulness they bring to the rest of us.

Universal free education. At all levels. Through graduate school and post doctoral degrees and advanced studies and symposia ad infinitum.

This would fuel enormous advances in all areas of intellectual pursuit. Such a positive idea. Such a probable fuel for human advancement for all people on this planet to enjoy and benefit from.

Expensive? You bet. But a good industry, like Defense and Medical industries. We think nothing of paying for those. Why not then all of education? Perhaps the education dollars would help eliminate the need for so many dollars invested in defense and medical pursuits. Who knows? Who could possibly say?

But isn't it worth our thinking about it? Considering it?

I suggest we pursue this thought found anonymously on the internet the other day:

“Sometimes, you just need a break. In a beautiful place. Alone. To figure everything out.”

Surely we have beautiful places available? And the time to spend alone? And the freedom to think on complex matters that need to be sorted out? Surely we can afford this investment?

Perhaps we need to do this to seek the rightness of investing in education all the way.

One can hope!

April 16, 2014

The Snub

Ever encounter a thought that niggles your brain for a few hours? Sure, I have. Probably more times than I wish to admit, but here’s a quote that has worked on me for some time:

            “Once you feel avoided by someone, never disturb them again.”

            ~Great People, Great Thoughts

Can you relate with this? I have. But it is not in my nature to leave someone alone who has avoided me. I wonder why they acted as they did. I struggle to determine if I did something to cause the snub. Or in a flash of creativity, perhaps they see me as a reminder of something they need to do, or fix, or come to grips with?

The snub. The conscious act of avoiding someone. The decision not to deal with that person then, or perhaps every again.

I can only think of a few instances where I have been the actor of the snub. I can remember other cases where I was the target of the snub. It wasn't until I did the snub that I came to understand something – some people are too much trouble to know and my equanimity relies on my separating them from my life. Ignoring them is one way to handle them. Avoiding them is another. An outright snub sends an unmistakable message when the other party continues to be a presence without your invitation.

Feeling snubbed is a wake up call. How do I handle that? Is this a problem the other person has, or do I own it exclusively? Do I pursue an answer or resolution? Or do I perpetuate the snub as an intentional separation now adopted by both people?

I guess it depends on my understanding of the situation. I have one in-law who is a mystery, a bother, a hugely negative influence within the family. For a few years I was not a target of her twisted personality. Then I was. She continued to manipulate and play psychological games. Then our paths crossed in a social setting and I had to decide how to handle it. I addressed it forthrightly, greeted her and her daughters with a ‘hello ladies’, and briskly continued walking to my assigned seat in the auditorium. Never heard from them again.

What peace! She who knows no boundaries of skullduggery, is now silent in my life. I care not to ever talk with her or share space in the same room. She does not exist. She taught me a valuable lesson.  Although I snubbed her in the end, she had been doing it for a long time; me and nearly everyone else in the family. It took me a long time to realize it. But now, I am free.

I will let this sleeping dog be. Life is so much more pleasant now. I owe her nothing. She owes me nothing. I forgive her. And my life goes on.

From a website named LiveLifeHappy.com comes this quote:

“Don’t worry about what other people say behind your back, they are the people who are finding faults in our life instead of fixing the faults in their own life.”

Oh how very true this is! Funny how this matters at different stages of life. Later, many years later, our peace depends on our understanding that we control very little in life, especially other people. They will think and do what they will. Do not attach special significance to it. They have work to do on their own lives. And they would make a poor life coach for me at any rate.

No. I have my work to do. I have my self to hone and become happy with. It is a process. A long process. One that makes a journey of worth in the end.

April 15, 2014

Simplicity from Complexity

As we dumble along day by day routines manage much of our life. Getting up from bed is automatic. Fixing something to eat. Shaving and showering. Catching up with the Internet, emails and other daily writing tasks. All fall into a routine that makes it easy to get things done.

Unusual duties are a little more complicated. Making doctor appointments, keeping the same, and following instructions all have a logical line of task associated with each other. It only gets more complicated if other doctors are involved near the same time.  Keeping it all separate and in focus is a struggle. But then in time these duties are repeated often enough one comes to expect how they will occur as well as their results.  The complex has become routine. Routine tends to simplify matters.

Same with commuting. Have you ever stopped to consider the complexity of this daily routine? Some of us walked to the train station, waited on the platform for the scheduled ride, got to know the same people week after week, month after month (year after year, oh, stop me!). Then the ride, the same riders over the long haul as well as the conductors and ticket takers. Once downtown Chicago, another walk to the office. The schedule. The office door, open or locked? The call to security to report my entry if before hours. In time the easy relationship with campus police as they got to know my early morning schedule, and my understanding their security ritual as well.  And of course, the return home commute, undoing what we so painstakingly constructed early in the morning to get to work in the first place!

I remember wondering how my father would have handled such a complicated commute. Four hours each day spent getting to and from work in a megalopolis of 8 million or more. Traffic heavy enough to choke the globe. But all simplified by routine. A rote practice. Year after year.

Actually I learned years later that my commute had been healthy. It burned calories, it refused to accept fat on my body, it charged my metabolism so my physical functions were steady and ever ready while my mind shared the alertness and readiness. It was a heady time but I think now the commute made it so.

Another aspect of this experience: four hours of commuting is a lot of time to decompress from one aspect of life to another, from home to work, from work to home, and so forth. It also gives a person an opportunity to think through complex issues, sorting out the important from the not so important.

Yes, the complex commute provided simplicity in my life so other complexities could be admitted and handled.

At my stage of life I have witnessed many comings and goings of friends and family. Births and deaths repeated in patterns that never end. As it always has been and always will be. The complexity of life is made simple in some ways by the simplicity of death. The switch has gone off for one life. But the associations, loves, likes and dreams of the deceased live on in the survivors. This may not seem so for one who has experienced the loss of a loved one, it seems so huge and insurmountable. But time will teach another lesson that the loss provides the gift of insight. And value of the other’s life and reach.

There are those we know who struggle with the dying of a loved one over a long period of time. They are prepared we think for the final loss when it arrives. But I think we would be wrong in that thinking. The loss is a real point in time. It forces our thinking to dwell on the person’s absence from our life and what that will mean. It enables us to better understand what that person’s life meant to us before and now. The two are likely to be different. Odd isn't it?  Think about that for a while.

Of course there are those who lose a spouse or parent suddenly, unexpectedly. The shock of it is its own loss. But then there is the actual loss of the person still to be handled. And there are deaths by tragic accident, horrid disasters, filling our minds with the last moments of that person’s life as they came to understand their end. We hope not to experience that sort of end. We wish our loved one had not as well.

But death is death, the final stop for that one person’s ride in life. The mystery is not in the loss, I think. No. The mystery is in making the most of life before death for oneself, and then valuing others while they are still with us.

Death makes us think of these things. And the lessons keep coming. From the complex comes the simple, and the meaning.

At least one hopes for that.

April 14, 2014                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Thought for the Day

A short one today:

            “I will clean my house today. Oohh, look!  A book!

                                    ~Facebook/TitlewaveforBooks

A good one. I even learned to re-read books, sometimes for the third time. And they were even more wonderful the next time through.  Oh what a good book brings to life!

Not all procrastination is bad!

April 12, 2014

Parenting

Anxiously awaited and wanted. Scary, too, but wanted nonethesame.

I always thought I’d make a good dad. When the time came I had many doubts!  I kept looking for a How To Manual but none came to light other than Dr. Spock’s classic epic. I didn't read it. Ann did. And she did quite well.

No preparation for parenthood, just good intentions. Good enough? Maybe but probably not.

A lot goes on in the world. As kids we were affected by those happenings. As adults we continued to be affected. As parents, whoa! Now the situation took shape in a completely fresh and challenging way.

The 1970’s was one era of challenge. The challenge of the 2010’s is huge as well. Maybe different than in our day, but still a huge challenge. We enter these contests without training or special knowledge. Just good intentions and love. The latter gets us through it. We have our doubts and our nightmares. We have our successes and our celebrations. We also have friends, neighbors and family which meet the challenges in different ways with completely different results. And yet many of the results are similar.

Today we have a rampant drug culture. Of course had it 40 years ago as well, but today’s drug culture seems more insidious. It is everywhere. In good neighborhoods and bad. The one constant is illegality with the attendant threat of violence and court cases with maybe a prison term thrown in for good measure.

Why? Why is this a specific threat to us now?  Of course it has been all along the journey. No generation is immune. We all have to deal with it. Some of us have had it visit us in our homes. Others were lucky and escaped that intrusion. But the threat of involvement with our kids and grandkids remains a large social issue yet to be solved.

Working with drug and alcohol abuser teens, just for 9 months, I came to realized that the youth do not feel heard. Whether that is a fair conclusion on their part (or mine!) is not the point. They turn to those who will listen to them think through their questions, feelings and fears. Also their hopes and dreams.

Most parents have a hard time finding the time to take out the trash and plan their finances. Opening up to their kids’ life-stretching questions is a tall order. So many of us turned a deaf year, then and now.

But we cannot afford to let this slip by.

Here’s a quote that may help us understand.

“There comes a point in life when fun no longer means clubbing, drinking, or being out til 4 AM, or thinking about yourself!

Fun means Disney movies, family dinners, bedtime stories, long cuddles, a messy house, sleeping by 10 pm and hearing little voices say ‘I love you’.

Becoming a parent doesn't change you, it makes you realize that the little people that YOU created deserve the very best of your time.” 

~Author Unknown

In fulfilling this changed lifestyle we will also learn and love our kids much better. It takes discipline and selflessness. Both of these are not always available, so mistakes happen. Sticking to the mission, however, we wind up successful with preparing our kids for their adult life and their years of parenthood.

Of course a lot of luck is needed as well. Most of all it takes time to set aside time to build solid communications with the younger generation. That and paying attention to them.

Some of us were successful at this; others of us were not. As I said, luck has a lot to do with it. And love. Don’t stint on the latter.

April 11, 2014

Volunteers – A Dime a Dozen?

Absolutely not! Volunteers are pure gold and the horsepower of much that is done in America that is good. Think PTA, local governing boards and commissions, as well as government bodies.  All are dependent on volunteers. People stepping forward to make a difference. People interested in a specific arena of public life willing to get involved. People who care about other people – and issues that shape and enrich those same people!

Several years ago I had an idea that focused on supporting local artists in their growth, nurture, expression and educational value to others in the community. The idea grew and became the Warrenville Arts Council. A tax exempt organization dedicated to both performing and visual arts, WAC presented concert series and art exhibits for the local community. Six successful seasons were completed. One season was spent investing in and creating the following six seasons. And the germination of the organization itself took three years to get off the ground.

Nine years of commitment and vision dedicated to local arts.  A good thing. But in the end it died for lack of adequate volunteer support.

I suppose most people think volunteers grow on trees. They don’t. They come out of the woodwork in response to attractive opportunities to serve and be a part of something bigger than themselves. Their work is a complement to their interests as well as to their sense of community.

Ignoring or misunderstanding volunteers is a dangerous thing. They need to be nurtured, appreciated and thanked! They also need to be asked to get involved, to do a specific task, or to stretch themselves to acquire a skill needed to make the organization more successful. Organizations which do not attend to these niceties soon will lose their ability to get things done.

I witnessed that happen locally. Just this week. WAC succumbed to dwindling support among its volunteers. At the end only three board member remained and the resignation of one of them collapsed the house of cards. Could the organization be saved0?  Maybe. Truth be told it had been saved in recent years as stalwarts continued to stand up and take on new work loads as others disappeared. Temporarily this can prolong an organization’s life; permanence, however, is gravely in doubt unless significant repairs to voluntarism are made. That was the fate of WAC. In the end there simply were too few people willing to do the work of the organization.

I am 70 years old. I have been a member of countless organizations, served on countless boards of directors, and spent much of my professional career in organizational development. The latter does not refer to fund raising but rather forming organizations, helping them survive and motivating volunteer assets so the mission and vision of the organization succeeds over the long term. There is much more to organizational development than volunteers, but volunteers form the base of the pyramid of every organization. This is true also of for profit organizations. We just don’t pay much attention to that part very much.

Gloria Steinem said a while back:

            “Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”

How true. Supporting a goal is one thing. Envisioning the goal is another. And vision itself is a form of dream.  ‘What do we want to be when we grow up?’ ‘What do I hope results from all of our efforts together over time?’ Fulfilling a purpose or mission is one thing; determining where we want that mission to wind up several years hence is another matter entirely.

Volunteers are the very people who keep us on target of our purpose. They serve because it matters to them. We need to understand that intimately. And we need to nurture those sentiments and meanings carefully and intentionally if we are to retain the volunteers we need to fulfill our mission.

Whether a church, a charity, a commission, board or government unit, volunteers are a huge part of our organizational life. We ignore them at our peril.

A dime a dozen? No sirree! They are worth their weight in gold!

April 10, 2014

Bread

Walking down the grocery aisle in hot pursuit of a loaf of bread I encountered a bag of hot dog buns. Ten buns. As I pressed on to the desired bread variety, my mind stuck on the number 10. Ten buns. How many hot dogs in a package? Eight I thought. So I made a detour to the meat section.

Sure enough, 8 dogs in a package. Then why 10 buns in a package?

Well I pondered this a few moments and then noted how fresh the pork chops looked. Six thin ones in a pack. Above them were four thicker ones; just about the same price. We could freeze two and eat two right away. The six-pack didn't work; too thin, and doesn't lend to convenient freezing of the inventory. Skimpy, don’t you know!

Well, four pork chops in hand (the thicker ones) I wandered toward the front of the store. I scooted around by the dairy case and spotted the butter display. Easter’s soon upon us and butter is $3.69 a pound. Wasn't it $2.89 at Christmas? Hmm. I’ll have to look into what’s causing the price shift.  Picked up four yogurts; good price and handy as snacks.

Continuing on my way to the cashier I noted toilet paper on sale and grabbed a 6-pack. By now my arms were getting full and I needed a cart. Why didn't I have a cart already? I recalled I came in for one item. But what was it?

As I rounded the aisle’s end I ran into a neighbor, one who had been gone for over two months; Florida tan fresh on her face, I realized she had told me she would return in spring. So April is spring; yep. Despite the cold temps and rain, it’s not snow so it is spring and she was due her return, the neighbor, that is. In our quick chat of glad welcome, she showed off her purchase of a frozen pizza for dinner. They had just returned within the half hour and the fridge was bare. So pizza was the menu this night.

That reminded me of pizza dough, pizza bread, and tomato sauce. Ketchup! We were nearly out of ketchup. Waving goodbye to the tanned traveler I jogged over to the condiment section and picked up a bottle of ketchup. Or is that catsup? I think the ‘k’ word is better, more American. Slangy, don’t you know? Which brand? Oh Heinz will do. What other is there?

Once in the cart, ketchup reminded me of mustard, so a little of that as well. Then relish was the natural next item. Pretty soon I had a taste for hot dogs so back to meat to get the dogs. Then back to bread to pick up the buns.

Nagging sensation. What was I missing? Butter? No. yogurt? No. Cheese? Maybe. What had I come to the store for in the first place? No list to refer to. Phone left in the car. Hmm.

In my quandary I spotted my tanned neighbor checking through the cashier, pizza in hand. Pizza? No. Ahhh! Pizza bread. Bread. Back to that aisle for the final item.

Got it. Now to the cashier. Can’t use the express checkout; instead of a handful of items I now had 23. How did that happen? Oh well.

Now to the car with a few sacks. Got behind the wheel and the phone rang. Rocky calling. Could I bring home a bag of cookies and a pound of bacon? Sure. But why wasn't that on the list?  What list, he says.

And that’s why I came home with 25 items instead of a loaf of bread.

Just a reminder to make a list and stick to it. And focus. Focus is good. Maybe the express line next time?

April 9, 2014

Odds & Ends

It’s one of those days I want to clean out some quotes I ran across but have yet to do anything with.  So topics today will be highly varied.

First, from an unknown author:

            “You don’t need religion to have morals.

             If you can’t determine right from wrong, then you lack empathy, not religion.”

I’m not certain empathy is the defining characteristic here but morals do not automatically follow from religion. Nor is religion always moral. Morality emanates from a fine tuned sense of right and wrong and keeping one’s eyes on just that. Converging this with real world living conditions is most difficult. Discernment of truth in the midst of chaos is a challenge. Perhaps empathy – seeing the world thru the eyes of others – is a major element in discernment. It helps with a grasp of the moral. Either way hard work is required of us in these matters.

Second, from www.someecards.com:

           

            “The Constitution is a lot like the Bible in that you have a lot of idiots

             Who've obviously never read it, but still try to tell you what it says.”

Both the Constitution and the Bible are complicated wordy documents of history. To understand them is to understand the history from which they emanated. It takes hard work and concentration. It is work not for the lazy or undisciplined. Accordingly, ask for credentials before believing what is said by someone about either document.

Third, from Senator Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt):

“The obscene and increasing level of wealth and income inequality in this country is immoral, un-American and unsustainable.”

I think this is true. The key word is unsustainable. From a policy point of view sustainability is of critical importance. To imagine the current condition as automatically successful on a sustainable basis is to not understand economics. The ideologues will state the opposite. But then they do not have the training of a degreed economist.

Over the ages history has proven to us that the common good and shared standard of living among all people is the consistent ingredient of long term healthy economics. Our current circumstance is anything but. The poor get poorer; the rich get richer; the middle class disappears. Soon there will be no consumers for the middle product lines from which most wealth originates. Think about it.

Fourth, anonymous shares with us this thought:

“Any lawmaker, while making a six-figure salary, receiving a Cadillac benefits package and becoming a millionaire from being in office, who tells the poor, the disabled and the disadvantaged that they must make sacrifices has no business as a legislator or being called a decent human being.”

Really now!  A congressman earns close to $200,000 per year, has paid holidays, vacation, sick time and health insurance benefits. The health insurance is top notch at little or no cost to them, without deductible and with no life-time limits on payout. Their coverage is the dream of most citizens. On top of all that they get retirement benefits equal to their annual salary for life; did I say life? Yes I did! 

Do you have this kind of salary and benefit package?  And don’t forget a biggie: congress people have expense allowances that pay for their staff, office space at home, in district and in Washington. They have travel benefits that most of us would love to have and business trips that take them all over the globe without much relevance to their job responsibilities.

Yet these people have the gall to judge the rest of us and what we should be granted in benefits from benefit programs we pay for in the first place, not them.

My solution to this egregious imbalance is to provide congressmen and senators with the very same benefits we get as citizens: social security benefits, Medicare and Medicaid program benefits, the whole nine yards. If we pay for them, so should they. If our benefits are less than theirs, then theirs should be shrunk to our benefit scale.

The sacrifice they should make is a given! We already make those sacrifices.

I could go on with these odds and ends but I think you've had enough for one session.  Meanwhile I’ll save up some more for a future session.  Until then….

April 8, 2014