Happy New Year?

After yesterday’s post one wonders how I could possibly countenance wishing anyone a Happy New Year! I wondered the same thing, and still I write this post!

After some thinking, however, I came up with this reason to wish you, and everyone else, a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year in 2017. In fact I came up with several reasons, but one sticks out from all the others.

2017 holds the promise – as do all fresh, new periods of time – to make the best of circumstances and discover startling new things that will alter the course of history for the good of all people everywhere. And I think we have the wherewithal to do just that in 2017. Here’s why:

1. We know more about medicine and the human body today than we ever have, and we have the engineering know-how in biotechnological methods and materials to make wondrous things happen. We can replace worn out body parts much more simply and with less rejection of replacement parts.
2. We have the ability to lessen the effects of most medical conditions that have plagued humankind for centuries. And we now can plot how to eliminate many of those diseases entirely.
3. We know our public education system in the United States is not as effective as it should be and we have the resources to replace it and offer the very best methods to achieve desired outcomes – an educated and self sustaining populace. All we have to do is make the decision to rebuild and replace the system.
4. We have the ability and know-how to provide safe drinking water to every human being on earth. It is only a matter of will for us to do this.
5. We have the inventive genius of mankind to invent our way out of any problem we define as a solvable issue. All we have to do is identify the problem and gather the will to solve it. We can do this, and have had this ability for quite some time now. All we lack is the will.

With all of this going for us 2017 holds the promise to be a remarkable year for planet Earth. It will require agreement on priorities and use of resources. That will require leadership that intelligently understands the stakes at hand. It also requires intelligent followers to support the decisions.

The only question left is – will we make use of the opportunity before us?

I can only wish you the courage to engage in this promise and then experience a truly happy New Year!

December 30, 2016

Heart Sick

As the year comes to a close my mind continues on track to feeling desperately depressed. It is the election that did it for me. But then, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) also affects me at this time of year. It begins before Thanksgiving, probably about November 5^th when days are noticeably shorter and nights longer. With trees bare of their leaves and lawns beginning to brown for winter’s long night, the entire landscape takes on a barrenness that sucks joy out of our lives; at least mine!

Of course there is the season of expectations we call the Holidays, or Christmas to many. When we were little kids we placed great hope on Christmas for our wish lists to be fulfilled magically. And when some of those wishes went unanswered we became sad, disappointed. So there is this element, too, that adds to the seasonal woes for people like me.

Impending disappointment of the Holidays and SAD are both heavy causes of depression at this time of year. Add to that the joy and happiness of many others that are not shared in all households. The distinction is hard to avoid. And depression is often an outcome of this.

Now add the Trump Presidency about to begin.

You see the problem for people like me? And if you are not one who shares this problem, what is your response? Do you commiserate? Or do you gloat? If the latter you will only add to the problem. Perhaps that is what you wish to do. If so, you deserve our pity.

I thought I would gradually feel better about the election results. I haven’t so far. If anything, my feelings are worse. I have wondered what the specifics of those feelings are. I don’t have a full list yet, but here are some of them.

1. I am gay. I didn’t always know I was gay because I fought it but admitted finally when I was 37 years old. Didn’t do much about it, but another 13 years ended in divorce and gay bachelorhood at 50. Not the best of times to explore one’s universe! I am aware of the efforts to secure gay rights in a hostile nearly all heterosexual culture. But we did gain rights. Now I fear losing them under Trump.
2. I am a supporter of women and their rights as well. Through hundreds of years women’s rights were in question but finally they were secured. Now I fear losing them under Trump.
3. I am a supporter of abortion rights, mainly because I view this as a woman’s right. Now I fear losing them under Trump.
4. Although I support the 2^nd Amendment to bear arms, I do not see that as a right to sell unlimited numbers of guns to anybody who wants them, especially those who are incapable of controlling their instincts to kill. Now I fear losing even more control over guns under Trump.
5. So many important issues in recent years have been settled in the Supreme Court by way of ideological splits. The conservative/liberal power struggle is razor thin and not pretty. The Supreme Court has a key vacancy among its justices. Now I fear losing a reasonable ideological balance on the court under Trump.
6. I believe in democracy but feel collaboration and compromise are the lubricants that make it work. Such has not been present in American government for 16 years. Now I fear hegemony decisions made under Trump.
7. I used to believe in the Electoral College because it has been a part of our amended constitutional form of government for many hundreds of years. But it can be thwarted and has twice since 2000 – the Gore-Bush election and now the Clinton-Trump election. Never has the majority of votes gone to the candidate that did not become inaugurated on January 20, 2017. Now I fear the inequality of the Electoral College especially under Trump.
8. I believe in the melting pot strength of the USA with immigration a joyous addition to our nation’s culture and future. Now I fear losing that under Trump.
9. I am a lover of international relations and the hope it holds for a world at peace with itself. Now I fear losing that hope under Trump.
10. I believe in our nation as one of the people, for the people and by the people. Now I fear that has a radically new meaning under Trump.
11. I believe in educating all of our citizens of whatever age for life-long learning as freely and accessibly as possible. Now I fear losing that possibility under Trump.
12. I believe in free trade among the nations of the earth. Now I fear losing that promise under Trump.
13. I believe in the free practice of religion as long as it isn’t forced down anyone’s throat. Now I fear losing that freedom under Trump.
14. I used to believe in the free press but have witnessed its horrible decline in research and finding of truth. Now I fear losing freedom of the press under Trump.

I could go on but you see the well established pattern from the above. I am heartsick because I worry that so much of our history and national story of equality, logic and fairness will disappear under Trump. I have yet to see any hint that my worries are unfounded. Trump and his supporters are quick to maintain the fears of all of the above.

And I see no loyal opposition readying itself to bring witness to the opposition. This is our birthright in America. Will that be lost as well?

December 29, 2016

Doing or Not?

We are faced with many changes. Some are naturally pleasant; others definitively not. The Trump presidency looms and all portents suggest a hellish future of change and unpredictable calamities. I guess I simply do not trust the man or his grasp of our circumstances.

I know I am not alone in this fear and dread. We who feel this way are aware of history that tells us of the Holocaust, the Trail of Tears, the many revolutions that ended badly, and so on. Nearly all of these horrible happenings were done with good people looking on without lifting a finger to stop the horrors. They didn’t believe it was actually happening. For some reason they felt disconnected from the reality of it all. Years later they got it; all too late for them to repair anything but feel regret, deep, deep agonizing regret.

So the question remains what do we do about such circumstances? Do we take action? Do we sit idly by and observe history unfold? Do we attempt to alter the outcomes we fear so much?

Of course we wonder what consequences will befall us if we take any action to change the outcome. Do we go to court and sue? Or seek a friendly posse of millions to march on the scene and block progress? Or do we take up arms? And if the latter, how well do we accept the consequences of armed resistance from the authorities? This is, after all, the description of revolution. And it is outlawed, isn’t it? The definition of treason is heavy but easily penned.

So, pondering all of that, what is left for us to do?

And if there is a ‘to do’ list, there is the opposite of it in ‘what not to do’. So the question is to do or not to do. I know, it sounds like Hamlet, but really, folks, that is the question, is it not?

We can say ‘accept the results of the election’ as so many others have in past generations. But I wonder if then the stakes were quite this serious? Grotesquely serious? This is not about liberal or conservative. This is not about democrat or republican. This is about the order of law and constitutional government. Was this process of selecting a successor to the White House truly a lawful process? Or was it hijacked and distorted?

How much time do we spend determining the facts of the matter? How much is sour grapes and how much is ardent adherence to the law? The constitution? Arguments can be made in both directions.

I don’t want to be a spoil sport. I don’t want to be blind to facts. But I do want our government going forward to be legitimate.

Do we ask the Supreme Court to intervene and stay the election results until the facts are better known? And if so, who governs in the meantime? And how long is the meantime? Months? Years? Or do we stage a do-over election just to be certain?

The orderly transfer of power from one governing authority to another is a proud tradition in America. It is what we have done well since the beginning.

I don’t want to be labeled a do nothing or a sour grapes kind of guy. No; I want to be known as principled and diligent in my thinking and actions. How then the rest of the nation? What is a proper response?

Or are the next four years a gigantic learning opportunity of how to be an effective citizen and upholder of the laws of the land?

Can we have a discussion on this without blowhard shouting and foot stamping? I know I’d appreciate a calm, cool chat about all of this. Would you?

Just name the time and place.

December 28, 2016

As the Year Closes

Another year whimpers to its end with billions looking expectantly toward the new year – 2017. That’s what keeps many of us moving forward, too; the expectancy of the time ahead of us. We don’t know what will happen, only that something will happen. The suspense hooks us and we are in for another chapter of life!

Soap operas are written in this manner. Many TV series fall to the temptation of ending one season with a cliff hanging plot so you will be sure to tune in for the first episode of the new season some months hence. And we do in spite of our complaints that we won’t.

I don’t watch many TV series. My preferred method is to hear the hype and oohs and aahs from audiences, then when bored, turn on the spooler/streamer gadget and see what the excitement was all about. Quite a bit of it was zip! But some were quite good at the start of their run. Later, however, writer exhaustion set in and rank commercialism and soap opera stereotypes took over and spoiled the original concept of the show. Yes I tend to get into the personalities of the characters and choose favorites. But when they are manipulated and twisted by plots to retain viewership, I call it quits. This is not intellectually honest and the writers and producers know this well. I call them on it and withdraw from the program.

There are many more programs to link to and I do. So ready entertainment is available as long as you don’t care it is old by several years. So am I, old by several years. So it doesn’t much matter.

As programs come and go so do calendar years. The tax year ends and filings are made; some on time, others not. Complications of tax preparations arise from time to time and professionals are asked to step forward to keep matters straight.

Other annual routines beckon attention as well: annual physical exams, annual renewal of licenses, registrations and subscriptions. The only good thing about these is we get the chance to cancel them and save effort and money. Some we will cancel at our own peril, so we usually take the easy way out and write a check and make the appointment. Oh well, that’s the cost of surviving another year.

With the close of 2016 we look back on it for clues as to what occurred that will make our lives different. Well this is an easy one this year – Trump trumped us all! And what that means is yet to be determined.

One other thing is clear – the past 8 years have been worked hard and diligently by the Obama Team and it succeeded in rebuilding the economy from the tatters inherited from the Bush/Cheney squad. What a mess. The economy can be much better than it currently is, but that will only come about when we all roll up our sleeves and begin re-inventing better operating standards, technology platforms, and regulations that protect citizens from greedy captains of industry! Much more needs doing.

Such as: infrastructure replacement and improved standards; reinvestment in public education with a renewed and re-invented educational process that focuses on outcomes, not process; global competition engaged as opposed to protection from it; shared global initiatives that beckon all international leaders and citizens to engage in a peaceful world.

Not bad, those needs. Too bad they are needs and not active goals. Too many pay lip service to them without contributing to an advancement of them.

That’s the nature of power. People who are hungry for it do so for their own selfish reasons rather than the good it can produce for others.

America is currently shifting from a selfless yearning (the 8 years of Obama) to the selfish era of special interest brokerage. This promises to be ugly for both America and the rest of the world. If oil interests drive international relationships, war is the sure result. If health, prosperity, education and caring for others is the focus, peace is the more certain result.

Why has this been so difficult to understand on a global basis? Are low income or struggling nations afraid they will be cast endlessly in poverty and servitude if they don’t first win a place at the table? Why should they be afraid if the rest of the global community is set on making peace the standard and quality of life ascendant? Is our trust for each other that low?

Probably. And it is a well earned ranking I fear. That is another thing in need of change.

If Trump is to be a great leader he will have to be measured by the gauge of improving life quality, not power or economic hegemony. Let’s see how he handles this challenge. It is, after all, the largest goal and purpose of world leadership.

December 27, 2016

Futility

Broken things. Broken people. Broken society. Broken. So much broken.

The landscape of our lives is broken. Curbs, streets, public transit. Government services and agencies. Work needing to be done but not accomplished. People seeking solace in drugs and booze and overwork and fun and so many things that don’t bring closure or purpose to life. So many people running around getting no where and getting so little done.

Boredom. Ennui. Play solitaire to engage the mind. But then that doesn’t do anything, either. It just passes time. Time and more time. Chores. Tasks. Needed to do but when done, they just need doing again. And again.

Take out that trash. Shovel that walk. Set the table. Clear the table. Wash the dishes. Go to bed. Get out of bed. Check the calendar and arrange the day’s activities.

How much of this is the same? How settled is the routine? Are we gaining ground on whatever it is we are doing? Or is it senseless and purposeless?

I think about Syria. Aleppo. Damascus. Today or in biblical times. We know these names from years spent in school and in Sunday school. We now read the same names in the newspaper or on the internet news feeds. Bombs dropped on neighborhoods where people live and work. Street fighting and civil war. Rebels and government troops. ISIS and international forces attempting to restore order and battle back which enemy? ISIS or the rebels, or the government troops, or Russia, or Turkish forces, or whoever? Who are the players this time? Who is friend and who foe? Do we know? Did we ever know?

Same old routine in Syria. People getting killed and killing. Government for the people, or maybe not. Who knows these things? Whose side is being propped up? Which side is getting gored? Who knows? Who cares? Does anyone?

Drilling for oil in the Middle East. Refining the oil pulled from the ground in the Middle East. Who refines it? Who stockpiles it and prepares it for distribution? Who then transports the oil, and to where? Who has bought the oil and how was the transaction managed? Who sold it, transacted the exchange of currency, recorded it and scheduled the shipping? And who then receives the oil and uses it? And where? So many steps in the transaction. Repeated over and over again each day. The commerce of energy. The commerce of politics and geopolitics. Power. money. Violence and death. Control.

Birthing of new babies. Raising the kids. Maturing to child rearing years. Having more babies. Educating each generation so life will be different, better. Yet the power struggles continue, and so too the violence and death. And yet people still have babies and generations come again and again.

To what purpose? To what destination are we steering our fates? We try for a better life. Tell that to the kids in Aleppo. Tell that to the kids in Calcutta or New Delhi, or any other huge, overpopulated city. Do they get the food they need? Do they get the schooling they need? Are there jobs to support their livelihood? Is the social contract working in these areas? Does life get better or just putter along?

Who is watching this? Who is caring about this?

The religions of the world build edifices in which to worship and conduct fellowship. Is the fellowship actually in those edifices? Or is it in the neighborhoods and cities?

Where is the cry for relevance and purpose? Where is the demand that life lead somewhere universally good? Of purpose. Of use?

Are we robots yet? Doing the routine without thinking and without real purpose, just the doing of it to keep our hands busy and our minds turned to ‘idle’?

We may spend a lot of time gathering food, preparing it, and eating it. This activity sustains life. We may work extra hard to maintain a splendid diet that does more than sustain life. Such would be food that inspires and creates exciting thoughts and futures.

When does one end – the routine and lowly – and the higher purpose begin?

Same for dress and housing. And transportation. And leisure?

We work for something better but when do we know when we have it? And then what do we do with our time and energy? Is it just the same thing over and over again like robots in a factory producing more and more of anything whether it is useful or not?

I’m thinking we need to ask these questions and earnestly find some answers that make sense. Mundane is not necessarily useless. Lowest common denominator might be purposeless. To what do we aspire? And is it worth it?

Really? Ask that question if you dare.

December 26, 2016

Balm in Gilead

Is there a balm in Gilead? What is a balm? Where is Gilead? To what does the phrase refer?

Well, this is a biblical reference. Balm is a perfume or aromatic liquid that was used in Old Testament days to soothe people with aches, pains and frightened demeanor. Think of it as an ointment or salve that made you feel better during times of crisis, like Mentholatum, or Vicks Vaporub, or Vaseline on burns, or dried lips and nasal passages when suffering from a cold. The aroma, too, actually makes you feel better. The burn and itch of sore skin is eased.

In biblical times such a balm or salve was one of the few medicines that could be administered for relief of physical complaints.

Later the ‘balm’ became linked to spiritual upset and soothing of same. Is there such a thing? Is there a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul? Like the lyrics of the old folk song, mankind has been seeking such salves for eons. No wonder; suffering has accompanied man’s journey through history. Reeling from one crisis to another, or at least from one unanswered enigma to another, is the story of man understanding his essential being; all while living with others day to day, year to year, crisis to crisis. What does it all mean? How will we handle this latest problem? Who are we really? Do we understand our own selves and situation? Can we? Or is this in the hands of some other being we cannot see.

And such cultural upsets pressed man to find answers in knowledge and spiritual ways. Universities were formed in those days for those purposes. So too religions and training centers for the priests who would be needed to carry on the practice of those religions.

Gilead or no – Detroit or not – places existed throughout history where their troubles intersected with the history of mankind. And in a middle eastern place named Gilead – a village, no larger – citizens sought relief from all kinds of problems. And an ointment with an aroma pure and sweet was discovered and slathered on hurting bodies. Relief came soon thereafter.

And so we learned that there was a balm in Gilead.

Later, religions of the day asked whether there was such a salve for the aches and pains of the mind and the soul. Of course that was when the verse was created and it became a mention in the bible. Much later it became a spiritual from the African church and later an American folk song from slavery camps on southern plantations. The ‘sin sick soul’ was not hard to imagine then. And something was needed to cause peace to descend on the suffering souls.

The song calls on spiritual forces and beliefs to produce the balm that will rescue the souls in question.

And that’s how the hymn ‘There is a Balm in Gilead’ came to be. A sweet song with yearning breathing through each of the words. Check it out for yourself. And recall if you can what age you were when you first heard or sang this soulful ballad?

December 23, 2016

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Regardless of your religious background this time of year it is filled with holidays celebrated by creeds, philosophies, cultures and religions since the beginning of time. Whether it was a phase of the moon or a die-off of a significant animal species, mankind has attempted to make sense of things. Those ‘things’ were often deep philosophical questions and puzzles no answers appeared ready at hand. So myths and magic were created to fill the voids of comprehension.

Around those myths and magic were formed belief systems and accompanying rites.

America has an overwhelming history of Christianity among its people and thus Christmas is a predominant period of celebration. But Judaism and Islam have significant dates of celebration at this same time of year, as do other religious belief systems.

So Happy Holidays is as good a greeting today as anything else.

Regardless of which you prefer, these are not happy times. There is too much poverty, sickness, violence and suffering the world over to truly celebrate good times. These are not good times. These are bad times. If you doubt this, leave your familiar haunts for a few hours and observe the world from the perspective of many people who are in deep trouble. See their world first hand. Understand their suffering and fear.

Syrians? Libyans? Egyptians? Israelites? Africans from many nations – Somalia, Chad, Cameroon, so many more to choose among – and nations from South America, too, and Central America where drug cartels and power hungry despots run amok in their lands. Asians in far flung communities from the Steppes to Mongolia and the frozen wastes of Siberia. What of the Malaysian villages laboring for medical and dietary assistance? And what of the scourge of violence against minorities and women that occur daily throughout many of the nations of the globe?

Are you truly aware of how life is lived in places not in Europe or America? Do you understand the troubles experienced elsewhere? Or do you turn your face from these realities, and go to yet another party at this time of year?

Yes, there are communities in America where such travails also exist – hunger, starvation, illness, death, violence, poverty, illiteracy – all within the borders of America. We have much to be thankful for, but also ashamed of. We do not take good and proper care of our fellow citizens. We say we do but most of us do not know what the actual statistics are. We shy away from such bad news reports. We prefer to see life through rose-colored glasses. We ignore the bad and face the pretty and move on to live the rest of our lives.

Until, that is, when a reckoning is needed. Entire villages and cities collapse under the weight of bad policies and poverty. Crime and decay claim such cities as Detroit in states like Michigan, as well as cities in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Back water towns and villages or larger cities, they are rotting into the compost heap of history. All because of neglect. People too interested in themselves rather than others. Greed obscuring their vision and their feelings, they care not for those less fortunate and the scourge continues its inevitable course towards an abyss too large to fathom.

I don’t expect many churches to respond to the call of those less fortunate. They see their own unfortunates among their congregations. They have their hands full. Whatever will they do? And will it be enough?

If governments like that found in America forfeit their responsibilities to the less fortunate, what will happen to the promise and hope of the founding fathers of America?

For those celebrating the win of Donald Trump, there are more of us shuddering at the loss of America’s sole and conscience. We see the abyss coming closer every day and wonder who will stand up for those unable to do anything?

Is this what it felt like to be a passenger on the Titanic?

Happy Holidays? I think not. The times are too pressing to celebrate at this moment.

December 22, 2016

Facing an Uncertain Future

Not knowing what the future holds is a clear and present reality. All the time. Never do we truly know what the future holds. Period.  We can guess, we can project, we can calculate permutations and probabilities, and from those calculations we may even come close to predicting the future accurately. But there is never a clear answer that is known. It is still guess work at some level of sophistication or another.

That’s the real world. We live in it. We can like it or lump it. Two choices for us to deal with.

There may be softer choices between the two if you consider small differences among them. We can like the option if we are in general agreement with what happens. Or we can look upon the negative option as an opportunity to do something with that happening. It’s the basic question of “is the glass half empty, or half full?”

Looking at it in that manner gives us some other options, but it really is only buying us time while we work out options and possibilities with the negative happening.

Of course we can study and research what each outcome is – the good or the bad – and determine what the positives and negatives of each are. The indisputable truth, however, is that we are stuck with the basic question: either this happens or that happens. And regardless of what does happen, we have something we can do about it. We can either take advantage of the happening in the one direction, or if it turns against us, we can do something to counteract that happening and build towards a better future result.

This is what managers do in organizations that deal with the day to day realities of their operations. If things go well, then they move on to the next action plan and make another good thing happen, hopefully. Of course if things don’t go well there is a back up plan to handle that situation. Over time the organization continues to function and do its business, employ its people, buy and sell resources and turn out products and services.

Governments do much the same thing. They have functions to handle. Their agencies have a mountain of work to do. And the long term efficacy and success are both plotted and planned. Back-up plans are prepared as well should they be needed. This is what professional management people do. They function through thick and thin. They assess probabilities and options, then make plans to handle whatever comes down the path.

The stock market is a hedge making apparatus. So is the Futures Market. Hedging values one way or the other – the commodity (or stock) goes up in value, or down, and what are the options to implement according to the scenario that occurs. Mankind has faced these issues time and again and prepared for it. In modern times mankind faces these issues on a daily basis, and yes, sometimes on a minute by minute basis.

The difference between the past and today is simply this: America is at a crossroads. What will it do for good or ill; and what results will those actions have for good or ill? And then what will most of us do about that set of resulting circumstances? Will we follow good with ill or more good?

I know this sounds very philosophical, but if you doubt this logic, you likely will feel no pain in the coming months because you are unable to imagine what’s ahead, or you are in favor of what is to happen and will experience joy and fulfillment from the result. The rest of us, however, are fairly certain that the outcomes will sorely test the backbone of America. Will we understand the essence of what is happening and react well or poorly?

The options are not all that many.

The real question is if our nation realizes that situation is staring us in the face at this very moment. Does it?

My hunch is too few understand this reality. I fear too many of our people will go out for a drink, a good dinner, and possibly a night of entertainment and dancing, and then return home for a dreamy, boozy sleep. The morning will demonstrate to them that the world progressed without them and they might not like the outcomes.

The rest of us will be working out the details of what happened and why, and what we can do about it now that the damage has been done. Those who danced the night away will hope the more serious among us have done their work and will save the day eventually.

Only today the reality is that there may not be a day to be saved after all.

If the options are not many, then who and when will they arise to change the scenario to a better one?

Who among us gets this? Who among us is willing to do the hard work to correct the history before it falls into the abyss?

Hmm? Who among us? The question pends, hanging in the air. Waiting for an answer.

Will you answer the call?

December 21, 2016

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

So far Trump’s ‘team’ seems to beg credulity. His picks include people who hold antithetical views to what he claimed during his campaign. Working class? His labor secretary is against minimum wage and improvements in working conditions. It remains to be seen if the Secretary of Labor is anti-Union. So what will the secretary do to improve things for the working class? Or is his responsibility to serve the employers by ensuring a pool of labor is always available no matter what? If that is true, then what does ‘no matter what’ include? Cheap hourly rates? Ready skill sets the employer didn’t have to pay for? Or a ready overseas market in which the employer can move his operations to avoid American labor?

Education Secretary? She has supported proposals in the past to pull funding from public education in favor of providing vouchers for citizens to use to pay tuition at private schools. In other words, the rich can have such schools – and have – whenever they want because they have the private resources to pay for them. Public schools however, need public support to excel. If they don’t poorer citizens – anyone who isn’t rich – must use their voucher to pay for schooling elsewhere, but the vouchers don’t cover the full cost so the citizen has to dig deeper into his pocket to pay the rest of the tuition. Equal access? Hardly.

Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency? He favors drilling in wilderness and protected areas for more oil. He favors lesser restrictions on air, water and soil protections so cost of manufacturing and commerce are less. This will produce dirty air, water and soil, but who cares, huh? Despoiling the planet is OK as long as it allows someone to earn more money. But what happens when the planet can no longer sustain such despoliation before sustainability of our lives is in mortal danger? Oh, I guess the answers to such problems can be asked and answered later!

Attorney General doesn’t believe in equality? So protected classes of historically subservient peoples in our own country will no longer have protection from discrimination? Does this include women, too? Like your mother, aunt, sister, granddaughters, and lover? Who gets to decide which woman is discriminated against and when? Will they lose their right to vote? How about deciding against having children? Will they be made to bear children? And what of their right to just say no? And gay citizens, will they be once again forced into the closet? Whose superiority are we actually protecting? And race. What about all the racial protections and progress we have so earnestly worked for and gained these past 60 years or more? Will they be abandoned in favor of a white supremacy agenda? Just who is in charge here?

Secretary of State – will this be a person who is able to work with broad differences among hundreds of nations and gain confidence, equanimity, equality, and fairness among them all, or most of them? For whose gain? America’s? Russia’s? the Middle East? Or mankind? Will peace be pursued? Will continued hegemony of ideology be stabilized in regions all over the globe no matter what? Will health and human values be uplifted or diluted in such dealings? And for what gain?  Money? Power? Hegemony, again? Or will this Secretary of State work tirelessly for peace and well being for the largest number of human beings on the face of the planet? Just what is the goal of the Secretary, anyway?  And who is in charge of defining that?

Housing Secretary – will this position actually address the needs of the homeless and the poorly housed, living conditions that threaten the well being of the very inhabitants of such dwelling places? Does America care about its people or not? And how do we warranty that life quality rises above bare minimum levels?  Who decided such questions? Who even asked these questions? And will the proposed Secretary seriously carry out such missions tirelessly for the benefit of the people of his nation?

National Economic Adviser – is this person in charge of making life wonderful for bankers, investment houses and mortgage providers? Or is he/she entrusted with helping the economy function smoothly for the benefit of the most people? Will he or she serve the interests of specific industries? Will he favor the rich over the poor, or will he support the yearnings of the middle class? Where is the middle class in all of this? Who is the middle class and do they matter at all in the broad scheme of things?

National Security Adviser – will this person look equally over all the threats posed against America and wisely advise the President of hidden threats and dangers? Will this person truly see into the murky waters of international intrigue and plot a course of safety and wisdom for the USA? Or will he scheme to do the right things for just specific people, industries and regions? How do we know he is not acting with treason? Who watches over such a position? And why should we trust this person?

Secretary of Defense – will this person maintain civilian controls over the military or will he favor the military mindset and willingness to go to war; what else will we do with a prepared and ready military but use it? Huh? Why is it we do not have military in charge of military in America? Why was this policy of checks and balances installed within our constitution and government ethos? Will the military-industrial complex be served at the expense of all else in our nation? To what end does the military serve the nation? Who asks these questions, and when? And then who judges the validity of the answers?

Homeland Security – will this person be up to the task of planning large scale responses to external threats to the nation? As well as responses to natural calamities that threaten the country as much as an external attack? How do we measure the potential of this person and decide he or she is up to the job? Why should we trust the decision to appoint this person to the job in the first place?

And so many more positions to consider. The list is long. This is the inner circle of the President’s cabinet. These are the people he will listen to – or ignore – when multiple voices are needed to be heard at times of crisis and need.  Will the President have chosen well these voices? These minds? These people of wisdom and experience and probity?

Or is this a joke being made at the expense of the American people and freedom lovers all over the globe? Is American democracy itself being mocked? If so, doesn’t that include you and I? and how did ‘they’ who are making the joke decide who was the goat of the joke? Is it you? Me? Someone other?

Who decides these things? Who is in charge here?

I hate to break it to you but we are in charge, the voters and citizens of this country. That is what democracy means, entails. We get to decide these things one way or another.

Should the current president elect think otherwise he needs to remember this:

He questions established authority and won enough votes to gain office. He played the trust card among his voters. He claimed they didn’t trust America anymore. And he won the election, at least in the Electoral College.

But this argument cuts both ways. He needs our trust in his actions. So far he doesn’t have mine or a majority of Americans. That trust has to be earned every day. Each day. Not just some.

So far things are not promising. Trust appears to be absent.

Beware the trust issue! It matters to each and every one of us.

December 20, 2016

What’s Happening?

Watching the news is depressing. We learn about war torn areas and the suffering of others located in the midst of the strife. We learn who is fighting who and sometimes learn that 3 or 4 parties are involved. One wonders how they tell each other apart? And if they do, is it done in time to prevent friendly fire?

And Syria’s government fighting its own people! So rebels take up the fight. And others help them right wrongs and find justice. America’s troops are there to fight ISIS. But those folks are fighting both the rebels and parts of the Syrian regime, and American forces. American forces are there in the first place to help an international coalition battle ISIS. But among those allies are their forces fighting Syria, too? And then Russia enters the fray to help Syria. Of course this means they fight the rebels and ISIS. And wouldn’t they just love to mix it in with a few of the other international forces?

Too much confusion. Too much bloodshed. Too much tearing down and suffering. Where are the balanced minds who truly seek peace, and end to the violence, and a meaningful solution to the problems that caused the uproar in the beginning? And just where is that beginning? What did cause the uproar? Does anyone remember?

Like the eastern European bloc of nations fighting a Muslim war and history, hundreds of years have passed with enmity growing and violence killing and the cycle continues endlessly. All in the name of religion? And who remembers what started it all? Anyone?

I don’t think so. This is an abomination made by man and suffered by man. An eye for an eye consumes all the eyes as well as the bodies. Life ceases there. And if a glimmer of it remains, the suffering drowns it out.

Same in the Middle East. Same religions battling each others. Same religion, really, just different sects. The foolishness of this is obvious. The stalemate is as well. Nothing good comes from this. Not a thing. Such is the meaning of nothing.

Nihilism is the word. The seeking to end all things. 

OK. Take a deep breath. Now do another one. Maybe four or five deep breaths. That’s it. That’s better. Ponder what you and I really want as an outcome. What would be good?

I’m not sure I know enough of the background to offer guidance on recovering from all the open wounds suffered by the masses. But I do know that forgiveness might be a magical potion to salve some of the wounds. Maybe enough salve to cause people to take a fresh look at what they want for the future? Leave the past behind and focus on the future?

We have one planet. We have to live on it together. Better that we do that face to face rather than in separate neighborhoods. Helping each other make the best of what we have to share – land, air, water, space, life. From this comes happiness or sorrow depending on what we do with the resources. So far the actions are not good and the outcomes even worse.

If we wish a better outcome we will have to do something different.

Obvious but so difficult to actually do.

The same is true in America. Big government or little? Big doesn’t have to be intrusive or all powerful. Little doesn’t have to be uncaring and heartless.

But we need to face the reality of problems too large for one person or agency to fix. It takes more than a village to solve some of our problems. And it certainly takes more than one nation to do so, too.

I would welcome a refreshing discussion on the role of government versus endless personal freedom. I think we all agree that we all have to give up some personal freedom to gain strength in social effectiveness. Just how much and how little is the point of discussion. This is not all government or no government. Social order is needed. Some police protection and order is required. And some military, too. Uncomfortably true, both of these forces are needed.

But what of the rest? Education, health care, taking care of the disabled, the dying, the aging, the insane, the…whatever. You fill in the blanks. Do you think private charity truly does the best job? And in time to limit suffering?

Churches have done a lot of this work for hundreds of years. But their attendance is falling and now less than half the population. Much less than half. A resurgence is nowhere in sight. So relying on churches and their agencies to soothe human suffering rife among us is unrealistic.

That leaves public agencies, doesn’t it? Or do we allow suffering to befall the weakest until it is good riddance time? Are we really that unfeeling and uncaring?

I don’t think so. Some government is necessary in every society. Social order. Social yearnings. National identity and purpose. Who are we and why are we? Are we peaceful or power seeking? Are we moralistic and heavy handed in imposing that morality on others? Or are we able to take care of ourselves and let others do so on their own terms in their own lands?

America does not have all the answers. We don’t even know the answers to our own problems and challenges. So let us not cast stones on other cultures and nationalities and religions. Take care of our own and offer help to those who wish it.

It’s the good neighbor syndrome. It has helped many for thousands of years. It is still a good process to use and rely on. Don’t give up on it.

If we watch the conjuring of the Trump Presidency turn America inside out and we don’t want that to happen, then we have only ourselves to blame. We must stem this tide of change back to what we believe in and want for our nation. First, we have to have some frank and knowledgeable discussions. Then agreement on what we believe in and are aiming for.

The election didn’t settle this issue. It only exacerbated the unfinished business of generations of lazy people unwilling to read and learn fact-based realities. This should not be about ideology. It should be based on facts only. Proven facts. Logical facts. And a willingness to move forward toward progress.

Are you in for this project? Or are you out?

December 19, 2016

Withdrawal?

If a person labors to make a difference in the lives of others and does see dents being made, does he keep laboring on this quest? If the dents appear minor and inconsequential, does he ask for help in his labors or withdraw from the effort entirely?

That is the question today. Do we struggle on or not?

Arguments can be made in both directions. To give up will provide more time, energy and resources for other quests. But wait! Giving up rewards the negative and others may see this as license to continue their negative journey that harms others.

Which is correct? Which do we pursue?

Well, the answer for one person is one thing while the answer for the other is both. Regardless of what I decide the others will continue their roles in whatever travesty they call a principled journey.

Such is the pain of principled quests. Either side is both wrong and right simultaneously.

Philosophy was crafted to ponder such enigmas! For many of us this is the reason why philosophy was abandoned as an academic pursuit! Those that continued on became politicians, evidently, and now we know where that has led us.

So what other course of intellectual development is open to those truly seeking the truth?

These pop to mind:

Mathematics: it is the language of logic

Accounting: it is applied math, the simple sort

Actuary: applied high level math; who will live and who will die, basically; and what are

            the chances that something specific will happen, or not?

Engineering: also applied math plus various empirical sciences to solve problems in the

real world

Teaching, pedagogy: learning how the mind learns, then teaching others using the

            science

Physics: if it isn’t about the mind, it is about physics; study this to know the world

Psychology: trying to determine how someone thinks and acts; not empirical; sloppy;

beware!

Medicine: it is empirical science applied to individuals who are all different; similar to

psychology; see above

Music (composing or performing of): applied math in sound; tweaks psychological

strings in human mind so is of non-empirical world as to outcome

Information Technology: applied math and language skills; excellent empirical science; content, 

            however is suspect!

What to avoid as a discipline of thinking and doing:

Cooking: applied chemistry that intersects with the endless permutations of personal

            taste

Manufacturing: harnessing of physics, math and psychology to make things; the hard

sciences rule; the soft sciences counteract the former

Business/Management: not empirical while loaded with numbers which makes you

Think it is empirical, but it is not; it’s the psychology and behavioral sciences aspect of business and management which screws this all up as a discipline of thinking!

Entertainment: application of all behavioral sciences without any empiricism; see

            business/management; can leave you detached from reality

Transportation Sciences: relies wholly on behavioral sciences as to outcomes; totally

            non empirical

Well I guess that leaves gazing at ones navel as the only option remaining. Politicians have been doing this for eons and look where this has gotten us? Pity; the navel is truly a philosophical thing of beauty to behold! So many shapes and colors. Rats!

Well, I’m not ready to withdraw just yet. Call me an optimist, but there must be a way if there is the will. And I do have that still.

December 16, 2016

The Hills are Alive With the Sound of…Voices!

For some reason this blog has become more heavily accessed – read – by many people throughout the globe. Used to be some heavy traffic from Russian readers and some Chinese. I took these visits from readers to be from universities, perhaps language classes or comparative cultures that read international blogs to grasp a taste of what was going on in the different countries.

My blog is nothing more than the meanderings of the mind of a 73 year old guy. Yes I have a classical education in liberal arts, theology and philosophy. But I also am rooted in the social sciences, history and English language. I write. I enjoy writing. It is my vent for internal pressures building up over uncontrollable happenings in life.

One gets ill and lives with the consequences. One also deals with career challenges and adjusts and adapts to whatever forces are present. Same with social stresses, too. Politics is another such stressor.

In America these days it is the phenomenon of Donald Trump running for President and winning. Unheard of before now. Totally unpredictable. In fact much of Trump’s campaign rhetoric seemed designed to lose the campaign as though he truly didn’t want the damnable position in the first place. He seemed to be playing a game. And lo and behold he won!

It tells those of us in the audience that the electorate is uninvolved, undereducated, self centered and totally capricious.

Like Brexit in England where the Common Market partnership has been jettisoned, Trump’s presidency promises to be a game changer in world affairs.

Although I am no fan of Trump or his supporters, I do think his unusual behavior may shake things up a bit that needed some shaking.

That aside – because those are totally speculative and results will need to be observed as they happen rather than knowledgeably predicted – the American people do not know any better than the rest of the world what will happen because Trump is resident in the White House.

My sister – 74, soon to be 75 – has tagged Trump “he who shall not be named” does not accept him as her president. No way. Although I am sympathetic with such feelings, I know that the rest of us must deal with the real situation. And that includes Trump as president.

He does not represent my views. Hell, he doesn’t even represent my mood, attitudes, or values and philosophy. I don’t know what he believes in, but I think he believes in himself and his own abilities. I don’t think he is very smart, but I do think he is very intuitive. He is good at working out deals that smile beneficently on himself and not his fellow investors. So I suspect he will do well if America’s interests and his own are in sync. If they are not, he will follow what is good for him.

In his own special way, The Donald feels that what is good for Him is good for America.

That, I think, will be the true trump card in understanding the Donald.

Do I respect him? Not one bit. I don’t understand him nor like him. I do understand he is the President-Elect and will soon be inaugurated as President. He will then have bully pulpit powers and real authority to take some actions. He will exercise leadership in ways we haven’t seen in generations. So what will result eventually is totally unknown at this time. But it won’t be all bad.

Nor will it be all good. There will be difficulties along the way just as it has been for other presidents through history. Trump will have to forge his own way through the thicket of policy and politics and constitutional law.

I just hope he doesn’t do any real and lasting damage as he muddles his way through that thicket.

To the rest of the world, welcome to the nightmare of bad politics and an detached electorate. They know not what they do. And they seem glorified with that dangerous attitude. But they will not be denied their hour in the sunlight.

For the rest of us – and yes, that means leaders in Europe, Russia and China – we will have to wait and see what all of this means. We are on uncharted ground here. You and I may think we can use the usual responses and strategies to deal with Trump, but we would be foolish to do so.

No. Wait and see a bit first. Then let’s gather round the fireplace for a chat and see what is what. Perhaps then we can plot a better path forward for you and I and the rest of the caring world community!

Sheesh!  What a mess! 

It will be interesting, though. Nothing dully about The Donald; well, maybe his intellect is a little dull. But those intuitions; those darn intuitions may surprise us all yet!  Stay tuned.

December 15, 2016

The Day the TV Went Black

Two TVs in the house. One 50-inch plasma high definition model. The second one in the bedroom, a 40-in flat screen LED model. Both have good crisp pictures. Or did until I pulled the plug on the cable company (AT&T). The date was December 2, 2016.

The cable contract was over. Our $127 promo offer was over a few weeks ago, and the rate jumped to $162 plus taxes. We complained and they offered us $117 plus taxes but kept raising the non contract price by a dollar or two. Soon we were back to $132. So I called it quits.

We had called AT&T three or four times in recent weeks to seek lower costs, but then, when we learned that they had us on some contract for internet, I had to retain the internet at $30 per month, but without cable TV, the rate doubled to $60 per month until the contract runs out in July 2017. So I took the deal because there was a hefty cancellation fee associated with cutting the internet service along with TV service.

So here we are with high cost, high speed internet, no cable TV, and ROKU service via Netflix at $10 per month so we do have access to countless play backs of old TV programs. For a little extra per month we can buy subscriptions with HULU and many other streamer services, but the program is spotty and not all is in HD.

I know – and so do many of you know – that computer connections can be made to have TV service over the internet. But we don’t know how to make that connection or make it work at all. I have asked several savvy people and queried others on the internet and no one knows of a service that would help people like us get the TV programs we want without costing an arm and a leg.

We are senior citizens. I’m 73 and my partner is 72. We live solely on Social Security. I make a little extra money as an election judge, and then retain one consulting client from my past business, and earn an extra $3000 annually net of expenses. That connection will disappear next year or maybe the year after, so that money cannot be counted on.

And at our ages no one will hire us.

I write this blog. I write other posts for other organizations for a readership of 6000 monthly. I also produce minutes of organization meetings (several) and also produce concept papers from time to time to help others focus on their business opportunities. All of this work is pro bono. I do it because I can and because someone else needs it.

The blog I do for my own mental health. I need to express myself so my brain doesn’t explode.

I’ve been told many times by many different people that I have a talent or gift for writing. But still no one is willing to pay for that gift. That’s why they call it a gift, I suppose.

At any rate, the TVs are now silent. The only good things this will produce, I suspect, is a lower electric bill, more reading time, and more blessed quiet in the apartment. What comes from those improved pastimes I can only guess at. Hopefully more peace of mind and better understanding of current events. Internet will replace all of our news needs for now. And that is a considerable information flow.

For now nerves are frayed at home. I see cutting the cable cord as a necessary financial responsibility. My partner thinks I am starving him of his entertainment. Time will tell which of us is more correct.

In the meantime at least we won’t be bombarded by endless ads. Now that’s a good thing!

December 14, 2016

PS: The blackout lasted one week. We attempted an amplified antenna for both TVs and neither worked very well. Streamers continued to work OK but no current programming. On a lark we contacted our cell phone service provider and he had just acquired a franchise with Comcast for a discounted service. We visited his shop and in 8 minutes he set us up. The next day Comcast was out to our home to install cable again. It will cost $58 including taxes. So we are saving money and reconnected to the world. We gave in! I’m not proud of that but at least we have peace between the two of us for the time being. Oh, the contract runs for 2 years with no rate increases guaranteed.

Moving On

Here’s the challenge today. How does America move energetically into the future with a guy like Trump as President?

Good question. For 8 years the nation weathered the Bush/Cheney administration. Weathered it not well: two wars unpaid for ($Trillions); weapons of mass destruction not found and a crafted lie to go to war; deregulated banking and investment banking industry resulting in the largest economic collapse since the Great Depression of 1929; a trillion dollar buy out of the banking debacle; expansion of the military with massive privatization of military vendors; gutting of the Foreign Service through demoralizing international missteps; huge collapse of the real estate industry; enormous loss of jobs to foreign nations eager to soak up our industries; underfunding higher education with the consequent loss of technology for American competitiveness; gutting of new energy initiatives resulting in shoring up greedy oil markets and ignoring solar, nuclear, wind and new physics energy sources.

Then the nation weathered 8 years under Obama who had the nasty task of correcting the disasters outlined above experienced during and because of the Bush years. Many haters of Obama will claim they weathered the tyranny of Obama for 8 years, but then their economy came back – slowly but with a solid platform for future gains – and unemployment dropped, energy supplies grew, new technology for new energy expanded, education rebounded with research and development to support massive improvements in manufacturing and labor productivity. America became more competitive on world markets. Foreign relations were repaired in spite of ugly Middle East wars and upheaval caused by the Bush misadventures. And no, tyranny was never a part of the Obama experience!

If we can survive the past 16 years of ugly, uncivil discourse, then I think we can survive the ugly years ahead of us during Trump’s reign. And make no mistake about it, Trump intends to make this a ‘reign’. Whether of revenge, remorse or repair remains to be seen.

Meanwhile we will wait with bated breath whether America’s reputation will collapse under homophobia, misogyny, racism or xenophobia. All four are hideous and ugly to think about, let alone live through. Surely the checks and balances of our system of government will preclude this happening? But if it does, maybe – just maybe – Americans will be awakened to their better instincts and historical character and refute bigotry and anti-intellectualism of poorly developed minds and characters we are currently suffering.

When raw power is wielded in America we react. Governance involves influencing desired outcomes by persuasion and policy not raw power. Nazi Germany was the icon of raw power government. Americans will reject that if anything like it is attempted here. I firmly believe that.

To support my belief all citizens are called upon to stand up for their beliefs and principles when and as they are called upon to do so. Sitting down and laying back like 48% of eligible voters did in this last election will not work. That 48% set up the perfect storm for a very small minority of Green Party and Independent Party voters to skew the election in Trump’s favor.

Rather than playing games to tear down Hillary, Republicans should have worked harder to find a better candidate to represent their views. Because they didn’t, we got stuck with Trump who beat a reviled Hillary. Make no mistake about this: Hillary was an excellent, prepared and experienced candidate for the position of President of the United States. And she had the respect and support of international partners wanting to work with her. She was not the damaged goods so many felt obligated to agree with. The fake news, twisted news, international interference in our elections, and just plain dumb voters have created an unholy mess for us to live through.

But I am a positive soul. I think this travesty of political nonsense will create an opportunity through which we will rediscover the importance and long lasting value of the American Ideal. Working together, thinking together, and collaboratively discovering solutions to our common problems will put us back on the right track. It will not be done by Trump. He has no public policy experience at all. His advisers are wealthy toadies who will suck our American system dry for their own greedy purposes. No, it is up to the rest of us to pull the nation back on track and deliver what is good, lasting and purposeful for the common good of America.

It will take hard work on our part to bring this about. It will take each of us studying, working and discussing honestly the issues that matter and shunning the issues that do not matter. Discipline, people. That’s what it will take to bring the hope and dream of America back to a reality for each and every one of us.

We do not need white supremacy bigots to make America great again. We do not welcome misogynists, either. Nor homophobes and xenophobes. It takes all of us to make a nation great. Let the best of us shine to overcome the least among us!

December 13, 2016

Yearnings

OK, I get it. Getting older means thinking backwards in time. Memories pop up unbidden. They are just ‘there’. And I either ignore them or think on them awhile. Some would say the latter is wallowing, but I deny that temptation! Yes sir! I vehemently deny that I wallow in pining about the past.

I admit thinking about the past at times. Yes; I wonder why I do that, but normally it is because I am casting about for answers to a problem or question that does not yield a handy answer.

There are times in our life that seem idyllic when I think back on them. I recall the struggles to complete my studies in college, so I don’t think fondly of the studies part or the deadlines! I do remember graduation day and the gathering of family members from afar to enjoy the festivities. And the sense of completion. And the ‘getting on with life’ sensation!

And yet there were many pleasant interludes during the college years. The friendships made that last even to this day. Not in contact with most of them still but a few remain. The rest I remember fondly and wonder what they are doing today and what did they do with their lives and talents? Those are nice thoughts but remain mysteries because we will never know what happened to them, will we? Not unless we pursue a vigorous line of seek and discover!

Flitting about in the mind are many memories that can be recalled but not many of them pull strings for me. The sense of yearning comes from another place in the mind. And that is what I want to address today.

Yearning. For what? And are those yearnings consistent and patterned?

If so, perhaps a clue persists that will tell us why we think in this way?

Memories from times past are rooted in meaning or significance. Such as – when you met your wife before you knew she would be your wife; or the college roommate that remained a friend until his death; or the seeking of core meanings that would guide your life for decades; or the sense of open, expansive opportunity to create new things that would anchor one’s life endlessly into the future; or yearning for calm, serenity, intellectual completeness, the ‘secret of life’ and whatnot. Oh the whatnot's! They figured large in the past – and still do! I’m still rooted in awe at the possibilities we could accomplish, and the good it would produce!  Just imagine it all!!!

Well. Time to come down to earth again. Always the reality, right? Always getting hold of one’s present and keeping grounded. The now and the reality of now.

What a bother! It is so much more fun to ponder what can be and then really try to make it happen. That’s what college did for me. That’s what seminary did for me. That’s what working with countless groups of people from countless diverse backgrounds did for me. It enlarged the mind and the sense of possibility.

Problems always exist: what to eat for supper; is there enough food to make a meal; will rent be paid on time, or the mortgage? Will we be able to take the trip we want so badly to do? Will the kids get through college successfully, and will they do so with their health and able minds enthused about the future? Will our jobs continue to excite us and fuel energy long into the future? Will life be pleasant or hard? Will life be productive or boring and ill-used? Will the big things in life be attempted and solved? Will we even encounter the big things and know that we are doing so?

Yearnings to know all of these things even while we are knowing them. We don’t always know that at the time, do we? No, we don’t.

Perhaps that is one of life’s secrets?

Many wise people in my life have challenged me to live on the edge at times; be vulnerable to failure and embarrassment and humility. Reach out as far as you can and experience that which you don’t know. Learn from that experience, that dissonance and discomfort of not fitting well. It informs you of things that are present in the lives of others all the time. And that should tell us something important. That we don’t know how others really live, or really suffer, or really experience joy.

Yearning  is a way of expressing ‘wanting to know’ about something or someone. To experience that ‘other’ is to yearn for it.

When were my yearnings large in my life? Are they still? Yes, they are. I yearn for peace among my communities, our nations, our people of America, of young people coming to know and experience life as adults in formation. I yearn for goodwill among us all so we can give space to yearn and be vulnerable and learn. And grow.

Especially to grow so we know we are able to live well with whatever we are dealt.

Today that is important. Live with what you are dealt. And yearn to learn how to do it. The essence of mankind’s journey from life to death is yearning for something that is good.

When will we know we have found it? Will we ever do so? And then will we be satisfied?

Hmmmm. Damn questions!

December 12, 2016

Let it Snow!

Heavy snow is forecast this weekend. I say, let it snow!

With the holidays upon us hope is challenged to be a force in our lives once again. We yearn for peace and calm in our lives at least for a short while to catch our breath and finish this year of change, effort and some challenges.

Health issues certainly score high on the anxiety list for our family this year. So many taken ill and others undergoing surgery and convalescence. Still others witness the process of aging; that’s OK, but it makes for unknowns that are not always comfortable to think about. Others are having babies and filling their homes with coos and baby giggles and lots of smiles. For them the holidays will have a different significance. For the elders winsome thoughts of lost loved ones and pending goodbyes.

Social issues were big in this election year. Those issues remain important to most of us as authority over them changes hands due to the elections. Some will trust the new hands on the helm; over half will not trust the political shifts. Still others won’t trust anything having to do with government. In this season of mistrust we are nervous and tentative, wondering what will happen.

The campaign was nasty and vindictive. Divisive is too nice a term to summarize what transpired from coast to coast. Because of that incivility more vindictiveness is expected. And we worry about things we have no control over. That is natural. The political losers fear the winners and policy changes. The winners fear the losers will stand in their way to make changes. The past demonstrated such worries have basis.

So why let it snow? Because a show of Mother Nature’s power might be just what we need at this moment. A thunderous snow storm with 10 inches of snow or more; maybe 18 inches!? That would cause us to stop doing what we are doing and administer attention to removing snow from walk ways, stoops, driveways, and maybe even roofs. If the storm is long and drawn out we may have to shovel and trim the walks and drives several times to properly control the weight of the storm.

Doing storm duty will cause us to keep our minds on mundane things in need of doing. Our schedules will change; work hours will be reduced as commuting times are lengthened or offices and schools even closed. Meal times will be more important. Keeping the outdoors from the indoors will also be paramount.

We may find time to venture out and play in the snow. Rebuild that snowman from our youth. Make snow angels, too. Teach the newer generations what we did back in the old days. Reminisce of times long gone, and the people too. Memories now. Good ones. Fond ones.

As we focus on each other and our safety and happiness, we will prepare ever more for the holidays and what they mean. History tells us what the holidays were and are. But somehow we live lives that give heart and soul to the holidays of today. We make them our own. With whatever resources are at hand, we craft the meaning and wealth of the holidays. They are yours and ours. They rarely belong to one person. They are social and familial. That is a reminder that we are not alone or an island. We are social beings and the family unit is a cornerstone.

A snow storm will help us focus on what is important. It is a sign of the seasons, too. But it is so much more this year. We need this respite from routine. This year has challenged us; and the future, too, will demand much from us.  Respite will give us pause and strength.

So, let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow!

December 10, 2016 

Going Home?

Yesterday, I wrote about visiting a town I once lived in. I was happy there but was fresh out of college and living alone. In that town I found myself in early adult formation without any restrictions imposed by family. These were my decisions and ones I would live with for a long time.

Often we say we can’t go home again. And for the most part that is correct. We surely cannot rebuild what once was many decades ago. Times are different. I’m different. You are different. All of the synergies are different and we are new inventions of ourselves. We have fresh purpose and a lifetime of experience that was absent back then.

I recall a time I visited an old employer after many years. This was the job I held full time during college breaks and summers while still in college. The people were terrific. The company’s product was super good and very special. I could stand in one doorway and observe all of the key operations of the firm. I worked on production lines, in the warehouse as new raw inventory was delivered, and also when finished goods were distributed to our customers. I took phone orders from the public and arranged emergency deliveries of fresh product in out of the way places.

I also worked in administration, tallied and analyzed sales data, did accounting, and helped the senior boss and owner in testing new products. I knew this business inside and out and loved it. In my college classes I often used my experiences at this business as a case study for special projects and class papers. And yes, nearing graduation, I offered my services to this firm but they thanked me for my interest and advised me to stay clear of a family owned business. The future would never totally work out as I would like because family members were most likely going to take on the ownership and management positions I would like for myself.

So I didn’t work there after graduation. But I do remember the feelings of pent up excitement as I walked in to visit with my former co-workers and see, feel and smell the old place again. My heart thumped in my chest. My hands shook. I was nervous as a cat but also excited and way over expectant. Of what I’m not sure – then or now. All I remember was shaking throughout the entire visit.

My visit to Oak Park, Illinois yesterday was different. I did not shake. I calmly drove into town early enough to wander around to my old haunts. The town had changed in many ways but, being a locked in urban suburb, land mass had not changed. Population has become more dense. The grand old homes remain and in good shape. But many new buildings have been built in place of old homes. The new are high rise and modern. Even the single story library was razed and replaced with a four story structure.

I noticed the huge old trees. They were a fixture 50 years ago, too. Today they are even larger with some of the old removed when dead, but new plantings now flourish to fill in the gaps. Streets were still the same just more congested. Downtown shopping had intensified and become more diverse. Shopping malls are scattered near and far but the walking traffic of most residents keep the downtown and neighborhood markets alive and prospering.

Oak Park abuts Chicago on its west side. It is 10 miles from Lake Michigan and a quick train ride to all that Chicago has to offer. Universities and colleges abound and public institutions are of high quality. Public schools are very highly rated. Diversity of race and ethnicity abound along with an enriched education attainment level.

My visit quickly recaptured the sophistication and erudition I remembered from 50 years before. A lifetime of learning and experiences in civic matters has quickened my knowledge, questions and grasp of complicated issues. The public in my other towns have been slow to grasp these issues, but not Oak Park! In one 90 minute meeting our discussions ranged far and wide and the grasp of issues was astounding. In five word phrases people gathered significant data and ideas and creativity soared in the room. Exciting does not fully explain the exhilaration I felt. The people were alive and filled with ideas and understanding. They were realistic and hopeful. Suddenly I recalled how I had felt 50 years before – everything was possible, everything was rife with potential.

That’s how our communities should be today. Alive, alert, and aware of the assets and talents of the community, and ready to do whatever is good with whatever is available for the good of the people’s quality of life. It does not always require more money. Just an investment of time and effort to understand reality and create new futures.

That is exciting stuff. It fills the mind and the spirit with accessible futures of opportunity. Not to be wealthy, but to live well with what one has.

Now that’s something that will make America great. It already has. But it could use some polish!

December 9, 2016

Moving Back, Yet Forward

Confusing title today! I’ll share the background and you will see why.

Fifty one years ago I took up residence in Oak Park, Illinois, directly after graduating from college (Knox College, Galesburg, Ill. 1965). I immediately joined a Congregational Church (United Church of Christ), sang in the choir and embraced the fellowship of the congregation. It was a large church but friendly and accepting. Through them I learned about Oak Park, spent many wonderful hours philosophizing about life and generally getting a great indoctrination to life as an adult.

My parents lived in upstate New York, my brother remained in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and my sister resided in Southern California. I was alone. Except I wasn’t. I had cousins in Wheaton and Morton Grove and others in Chicago. We connected and got to know each other better. In this period – 1965 to 1968 – I had my first job out of college, then my second, then got caught up in social issues and entered the seminary in fall, 1968 following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. My Oak Park church family made this career change possible. This was a major crossroads in my life and it mattered what was to follow.

Although I left seminary after one year, I changed career paths to one of helping others. First in private industry in the Human Resources arena. Then as an Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There I remained for 17 years.  I shifted yet again by becoming a field consultant for the Illinois trade association for credit unions. I had been a volunteer board member, table officer and chairman of the board for many years at two employee credit unions. Now I became the creator of a professional consulting firm operated within the trade association. My territory was in Illinois, Missouri and Minnesota. After nearly 8 years there I went solo and opened my own consulting firm which I operated for 20 years until retirement. All non-profit agencies were my focus. All in the discipline of strategic planning. It was a good and interesting career.

And I continue it as a volunteer today with SCORE – Service Corps of Retired Executives – helping form small businesses and helping small businesses succeed through challenges and major change. Still helping people after all these years. And in return their work with me helps me be me.

So, after 51 years yesterday I visited an Oak Park group of volunteers forming a new non-profit focused on helping senior citizens age in community. That is, remain in their home surroundings as long as possible and build a fruitful life regardless of the changes brought on by age.

As I drove into town I sought out my old apartment homes, my church, significant other institutions, and finally the library where our meeting was to be held. The library I remembered, a one storey structure, had been razed and replaced with a four story edifice back in the 70’s. Beautiful facility and architecture that plucked the yearnings of design excellence!

As the meeting assembled and grew through its program I was struck by the earnestness of the attendees to accomplish good things together. I sensed strong commitment to the mission, but also dedication to collaborative thinking and sharing to make miracles happen. A good vibe was present then and as we adjourned later.

Sophistication was present, too. Some of the attendees were retired lawyers, agency professionals, library personnel, health care professionals and academics in both teaching and research. Issues were clearly identified. So too were goals and objectives. People stepped up to the plate to handle specific tasks. Obtaining a 501c3 designation from the IRS was such a task. So too strategic plans and organizational design issues.

This group recognizes that as life changes through aging, things become different not worse. Elders represent the community’s acquired and retained intelligence and history. They age to be better, fuller persons capable of accomplishing yet more good things in life. All the while they are teaching younger generations what is ahead for them, and the wealth of experiences they have yet to enjoy and acquire. All of this is good. Very good.

Visiting Oak Park was a going back to my roots during a very important era of my development. But it was also a very important step forward both for me as well as the group with which I was serving. We relied on each other to gain what each had. That is the secret of collaboration. It is also the secret of maturity and development.

Retaining our seniors and nurturing full rich lives to the very end is an important thing for us to do. It is also a value we should hold dear and retain. Only then can we all step forward into the future. Together.

“Generations discovering fabulous futures” was a phrase that kept popping to mind. I wonder how true this will be for the group. We can hope and dream and work together. And then the future is sure to appear. How fabulous remains yet to be seen.

December 8, 2016