Selecting Topics

When I first began this blog I planned on providing a commentary on current events and emerging issues. I wanted to do this for a number of reasons. First because the news was filled with unresolved issues that continued their march to evermore critical status. I mean, when will we solve some of these issues so they are not critical news items anymore?

Second, I needed to vent my personal frustrations over items of interest to me that I felt were being mishandled. More importantly, I still feel these items are being mishandled to the detriment of mankind. Truly, the globe is endowed with the intelligence, the will and the resources to mend many broken things; we do not do so. Maybe the reasons are many, but still, if mankind is to survive and live well, what is blocking our progress? And how do we move beyond these points?

Third, I wanted to identify what each of us could do to ease the burdens of the world and help make a difference. Along the way I learned a lot of things I could do; I’m doing many of them. Not all, but many. Some things I have tired to do and learned I could use my time and energy better in other ways. So I’ve made adjustments in my activities and doing just fine, thank you!

Fourth, I yearned to understand what life was all about as I entered the senior years. It is not always easy to accept one is entering that hallowed phase of life (!) but one does slip into it pretty much unannounced. One day you get it: I’m now officially old. But my mind is still functioning so I might as well use it.

Fifth, I hoped to gain wisdom along this journey. I feel as though I have. I hope it is a fact and not a figment of my imagination. At any rate here I am, 72, in fairly decent health and able to continue doing interesting and valuable activities. I hope they are for you as well.

So, with all that being said, how do I select topics to write about on a daily basis?

The answer is not all that disciplined. I tend to read through the news on the internet, allow it to percolate a bit, and then an idea comes to mind and I write about it. That’s it. Pretty simple.

Over time I realize I repeat themes often. I don’t intend to do that, so pardon me if I’m boring you. On the other hand, I repeat important themes simply because they are still burning issues and nothing much is being done about them. So the pressure to solve issues remains with us. Why do we allow important things to dribble on incessantly for years and years before we finally get around to doing something about them?  I see this as a major failure of leadership in our nation and global community.

Yes. Global community. It exists. And you and I are part of it. Very much a part of it. And it is time we all realized that.

I know life is busy. We each have much to do just to manage our own lives, our family’s life, our household, our careers and our community’s. But we really need to do more and move beyond our own personal thresholds.

The challenge is this: how do we get outside of our own lives enough, often enough and far enough, to learn that the communities beyond our immediate reach are important? In focusing on those issues we discover much about our own lives. We find the inner strength to prevail in more important venues, with larger consequences for us all. This is important stuff. It deserves our attention and labor.

I’ve heard many people complain about their situation. I’ve watched many people suffer through major illnesses and personal crises. I get it. There are things that absorb our energy like lost jobs, heavy debt loads, foreclosures, bankruptcies and family worries. I’ve experienced some of these as well.

However, I have also observed that people who move beyond their own troubles and into easing the load for others find peace, serenity and wisdom. They not only help others, they help themselves by leaving their own troubles behind. At the same time they make the world a better place in which to live.

Now there is a topic for us to contemplate! Some will say this is false idealism. Others will claim I’m a Pollyanna. Still others will accuse me of hiding my head, not in the sand, but in the clouds.

My response is merely this: making good things happen teaches us what those things are, their value, and enriches the spirit of our own lives. Try it. You’ll see what I mean.

In the meanwhile, you will be reducing the ills of our communities, enriching our lives together, and enjoying life in ways unimaginable.

I’ve learned that I’m never too old to learn this and value it. It works for you, too!

August 12, 2015