New Year’s Eve

A final end of 2018. The cusp of 2019’s beginning. The old and the new. Cycles ending and beginning. Over and over again. A reminder of fresh starts, second chances, and yes, even third and fourth chances.

Practice makes perfect, but we are slow learners. The new year usually ends twelve months from now with a host of disappointments. Hopefully more good things than bad, the year will have its chance and make its mark on history. But will we support or hinder the making of that mark?

The challenge is there. Always has been. To push or not toward a better outcome. The outcome’s ‘what’ is up to each of us. Will the goal be big? Will it stretch our boundaries? Will I become more of the dream? Or less.

Outcomes defined will help. Rough imaginings don’t often go the distance. Want a better car or house? Define what that is. Learn its cost, upkeep and reliability. Plan its acquisition. Or identify a better option and plan for that. if deciding between two very different outcomes (a car is not a house; a new home or a new job are also dissimilar), think of which option positions you to gain more at a later time. Consider putting off one goal and choose one that advances your position on the game board of life.

A little strategy enters the picture. Not all outcomes are equal. Some are self-sustaining; some are cost centers that drag down other desired outcomes. So consider well and choose wisely.

Long-term versus short-term, too. Long-term builds depth and value. Short-term delivers faster reward but less depth. Which is more important to you? Or your family? Or to the organizations that matter in your life? Long-term decisions usually pack more punch.

In high school many of us wanted to be free of classroom schedules. The choice then was to go on to college or trade school, or a job. Now the job would allow me to buy the car, get the apartment and the stuff that goes into it. And then have some fun! But the education would defer the fun a few more years and cost a bundle of money.

Which to choose? Which one pays lasting payback? Which one invests more in your potential ability, talent and value? Which one can you live off of for a lifetime? Which one gains the immediate gratification but depreciating value?

How many American youth game this choice? How many opt for the job and car? How many choose life, self-investment and long-term enrichment?

I shudder to think. Worse, how many choose education but only for enhancing their marketability for a higher paying job, rather than a career of happiness and fulfillment?

No wonder booze, sex and drugs become the problems. Now or later, the short term gets the attention.

Too bad, that. Investing in the self always pays better returns than the not.

Choose the long-term and have a happy and prosperous new year. And many more, too!

December 31, 2018

Post Holiday Scramble

All the prep is done. The big events staged. The doorbell rings, people come, welcomes and hugs for another holiday. The presents are gifted and opened. The food is brought out and gladly consumed. As the hours march on, the day comes to a close. Another holiday come and gone. Peace descends on the home. Deep breaths are enjoyed.

Then the cleanup, the tidying. And finally to bed.

The morning comes. The memories flicker on yesterday’s gatherings. A smile forms while duty calls, breakfast is made, more tidying up and plans made for the day. If a vacation day, many duties call of practical nature. If not, another commute and a return to work. Still the smile remains. Recalling the good times.

The after-days of holidays, especially Christmas, continue a beat still married to the holiday. Gift returns are one thing, but another is the chance to replace the bad fit with another item of even more allure; and on sale, too!  A double dose of cheer.

And then there are all the gift cards with credits amassed that will make a real difference in buying something special. Another opportunity to shop without pressure of money or time. This is for you. This is another reward of the season often forgotten. And very dear.

In a few days the calendar declares a fresh new year’s beginning. Time to clear out the Christmas gear and freshen the home for a holiday welcome of the new year. And friends gathering yet again but for a different reason. The holiday tempo continues.

We are reminded of the year’s celebratory close with Christmas, the glad hurrahs of a new year and fresh chances to see good things. The tempo. Of time passing. Of anticipation of the new. Remembering the old. Sensing the enrichment of it all. Tomorrows build on past. We are reminded we are not alone nor unassisted. We are family and nation.

The New Year beckons. And we wonder if we will give it a better chance to succeed than the past one? Still wondering……

December 28, 2018

Peace

Peace on earth. Goodwill toward all men. That’s the seasonal wish. We’ve been stating this forever. It is age old.

And yet peace eludes us.

The why this is so is not hard to understand. Billions of people, all yearning for something. Usually that is expressed in personal terms. I want, you want, they want. The requests, demands or dreams. All in competition with what others yearn for.

Yet peace still does not appear.

Peace between individuals is easier to gain. Peace between organizations is more difficult; it is because of more people involved. But leadership should be able to focus on the important points and make peace.

Yet peace does not happen.

Between nations peace is more elusive. Each wants something more than the other is willing to give. And both do not fully articulate what it is they truly want. Peace is not enough?

Peace should happen.

Why? Because it allows the quiet to embrace our thoughts. We feel secure in that moment. We are able to press our peace and hope forward. Without harm to others. Without sacrifice for others. Coexistence provides peace for each of us.

I wonder what goes on in the mind of Vladimir Putin. Does he want hegemony over all the world, like a despot? Or does he want space and calm in which to live happily with his people and nation to build a good life long into the future. Does he see America as the spoiler of his dream? Does he not know that we want the same calm and space in which to live our lives without threat of harm from others?

Imagine peace. Imagine the feeling. Imagine the lack of need for defenses. Imagine people getting along with one another. What you need does not threaten me. What I need does not diminish you. Together we swell the calm and space in which to live. True space. True peace.

Battles not necessary. Walls without purpose. Bombs, too, without need. Cheap is the price for all of that.

I do not want what Russia has. Or Putin has. I do not want what North Korea or Syria, or Iran has. I gladly leave them alone to live their lives. If they need help, I will gladly provide it. If we need help, I hope they would do the same.

No rifles or bullets are needed in this scenario. No machines of war are needed either. Only food, time, and shared experiences matter. To learn more of what makes them human. And us to be known by them as well.

Transactions of peace. Not war. Not demands. Acceptance.

Why is the opposite a long-standing truth in our lives?

December 27, 2018

Tomorrows

There is yesterday. There is today. With hope and perseverance, we will have a tomorrow. It is not guaranteed, of course. Not much is. Especially these days.

As we hover in a world of mad men, we wonder sometimes how we got to this point. I do wonder a lot, but it always comes down to ‘what do we do now?’  I guess that’s logic kicking in. If a fire appears, we put water on it, or smother it with whatever is handy. If it is out of control and we are powerless, we flee.

When the fire is out and we have returned to the site, we assess the damage, lament the losses, and begin the cleanup. As we do this our minds turn to what comes next, what will we rehab on this spot, or perhaps, what will be built in its place. The mind turns to the possible. And suddenly tomorrow is born.

We live with a shuttered federal government. Life goes on. We do what we always do. And so does everyone else. Services continue as needed. Those not needed we do without. It’s OK; we are functioning. Nothing has stopped us.

The stock markets are down; way down. They have sought a value level that is sustainable; the previous heights were not. They were bubbles of possibility with a stock price to match; no substance to support it; they were bound to fall. They have. Nothing else is much changed. Live on. Create your tomorrow. The markets will rise again.

A young woman enters college. She is equipped with a very worthy high school education. Her school helped her with that. But she added to it with wit, curiosity, reading and study of her own. She completed her schooling still wondering what was next. She searched for it, entered college and will continue to explore.

She is making her tomorrows one day at a time. we expect great things from her. She is rooted in music, art, theater, history, math and science. She cares for others. She pushes her limits in every direction. She does this unbidden but for her own inner need. Yes. Her tomorrows will be promising. For her, and for us.

Tomorrows are not guaranteed. Likely they will be there, an empty canvas upon which we can create what we will, what we want; and need. The structures that come from those efforts build careers, institutions, and motivations for others. Tomorrows are contagious. Positives do that. We use them to build toward the horizon of possibility and wonder.

Thus the beat of humanity continues. With or without help. With or without government. But always with others near. Let them in. Include them. Together we can and will build tomorrow.

December 26, 2018

Christmas

They were on the move. Without a home. A young man and his young female companion. They were expecting a baby. And nowhere to rest, to give birth, or to build a future.

It was dark and cold. They were in a city of some substance. Tall buildings loomed overhead. Cold damp streets held the cold that escaped daytime sun. At night few people were around. Just them and shadows.

Suddenly the woman bent over with a cry of pain. The baby was coming. No one was around. The man ducked down an alley and found shelter. It was a garbage dumpster with a lid hanging open. Nearby was a shipping crate now empty. He positioned the crate so it would carry the weight of the dumpster lid; a roof like overhand was made. Now-empty cartons were placed as walls. Shipping-packing materials provided ground cover and warmth.

They huddled inside their rude structure. Captured body heat kept them from freezing. The woman advanced in her labor. The child was coming. The man struggled to recall any memory of how to help deliver a baby. Cops did it. Taxi drivers, too. He resolved to fill the need himself.

The baby arrived. The woman cuddled the babe to soothe her own moans of pain. The man felt the promise of new birth. He knew, just knew, this was a sign of a better tomorrow. For them.

This scenario, is real. This happened. Is happening. In every large city in America. Homeless people seek shelter and future. Alone. Powerless. Their wits and hopes fuel them toward a better tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the promise of America dwindles as mean people look after themselves and not their fellows in need. Their Bible tells them to welcome the stranger. Their creed demands they do unto others as they would want to be treated. Their God pleads with them to do the right thing. Yet only a few respond. To the many in need.

Our souls pull us toward the powerless. We help in small ways. We try to ease the suffering.

In a rich nation it is often difficult to see those who suffer. That is part of the problem. Blinded by plenty we do not see those with little.

So it is up to professionals to help the unfortunate. But they need sustenance, too. Who guarantees that? Government? Churches? Volunteers? Or us; you and I.

Christmas is a special time of year. But it must prevail throughout the entire year, not just a week or four. Christmas is a reminder of our purpose and resolve. To do better and be better. Not just for ourselves, but for all of our fellows.

May your days be merry and bright, but may you also share your plenty with those without. Brightness grows with such sharing.

Merry Christmas.

December 25, 2018

Winning and Losing

We are losing. Each of us. All of us. The nation. The world community. NATO, common defenses everywhere. The United Nations.

The defeat is complete. When people cannot meet, greet and agree, then they are powerless.

When people meet, discuss and compromise, they have power; they share the power. They each get something they need, and maybe want. But something positive has occurred.

The absence of agreement is loss of power.

That’s what we have been building toward in the US Congress for some decades now. And in the White House, too. Occupants in seats of authority (not power if unused!) who refuse to agree on much of anything. whether conservative or liberal, democrat or republican, lack of agreement means nothing gets done.

There are those in each of the camps who are glowing with pride on what they have done; which is actually nothing. Nothing done. And they are proud. I say, proud of what? So they didn’t have to live with agreeing to something they dislike? The price of that is that nothing got done and they are in the same powerless position as they had before.

Someone has to move. It does not matter who. Or what. Just something. Some movement so ideas can be exchanged, softened, tweaked, and agreement established. Movement. Forward. A means to govern.

What we have now is an unwillingness for people of authority to achieve anything.

The government shutdown is a sham. It is meaningless. Except: it exposes naked people with empty brains and useless being.

Embarrassing. To me. To you. To all of us. That we have come this far in human history and accomplished so little of anything. just standoff.

Much is needed doing. Governing is continuous. Its need never ends. And support of human activity and purpose continues on and on until the end of time.

The end of time has not yet occurred. So why are intelligent, wealthy people of authority and ego not getting anything done? Because they cannot deal with humility.

The same occurs in international affairs. It is occurring there. It has occurred there. The United Nations gets little done. NATO gets little done. The USA gets little done.

And the whole world watches this calamity unfold. Strutting peacocks on a world stage showing off their lack of beauty, smarts and purposelessness.

Sad. The only thing sadder is the occupant of the White House who is the pole dancer of nothingness.

I don’t hate trump. I see right through him. And Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, too. They do nothing. Accomplish nothing. Mean nothing.

Such a horrid waste of potential.

December 24, 2018

Pieces

Raining bits and pieces. A part here. A part there. Here an indictment. There a guilty plea. There a plea deal. And then court cases completing with verdicts and prison sentences. And probation. Years of probation.

Many cases pending. Still working their way through the process. More to learn. More to add to other cases. All building. The crescendo swells. Sounds beginning. Each legal case related to the others. Each a piece of one another. All leading to a primary case. A primary suspect. The defendant #1.

We sense who that is. It is a he. Someone who works in the White House. Someone with vast staff and resources to run the federal government. It was not enough for him. He needed more money. More influence. More authority. He feels his muscles and pushes limits. Opens his mouth. Powers his vocal chords. Words come out. Sentences partially formed create messages that are questionable. Facts are not fully connected. Logic is a bit disjointed.

Claims are bold. Stories are told as if history. Not much is true. Not much is achieved. The platform of the future is but a scaffold. None too strong, it moves in the breeze and threatens to buckle.

Sad. So very sad. A great nation. A nation with achievement and reputation. Strong and trustworthy. The capital of truth and honor well-earned but now misspent. Wasted.

Government is not about one person. Or one reputation.

Government is service to the people for the long-term and for worthy purpose. It is to be self-sustaining for the people. The nation shall stand. As one. The one of our unity. Not the oneness of a sole person.

That’s the lesson in all this. The public servant serves not himself. He serves all of us.

We lead for the good of our community of one nation. Comprised by millions of smaller communities made up by individuals. But community is the core concept that holds it all together.

E Pluribus Unum.

Indeed.

December 21, 2018

Heroes

A few days ago we watched the CNN special show on heroes. They had asked for nominations from the public for people who were known to do special things for others without any reward. Well, of course, there was satisfaction as reward, but CNN meant no monetary reward.

And so the show unfolded with introductions of ten people, each of whom have a story of helping those less fortunate. Perhaps it was poverty – housing, food, social contact. Or maybe it was disability and dire ill health. Some were of forgotten people left on their own to survive in desperate conditions.

Along with naming these ten heroes, four young people who have already shown promise of similar accomplishments, were named. Their stories told. How they got an idea to make a difference in someone’s life. And they took simple, direct action. Small but evident. Something larger happened, like a miracle. The youth were as surprised as were the recipients of the generosity.

By the end of the show, the public was asked to vote for their favorite hero of the ten. This would be the Hero of the Year. Each of the ten heroes received prize money of $10,000. The Hero of the Year would receive an additional $100,000. The kids were not rewarded, just encouraged to keep at their missions of mercy; perhaps they too, would become a hero. Of course, they already are!

The show was well worth the 2 hours spent watching it. The stories told of each youth and hero were moving and welcome in our age of greed and selfishness. But something more emerged from the evening.

I work with entrepreneurs starting new businesses. Or small businesses in trouble in need of a boost. Some of these small entities are nonprofits, forming or in a very early stages of operation. Their work is very similar to the stories shared in the CNN Heroes program. Many of the missions were the same or very similar.

One such woman is appalled at the homelessness of American veterans. She is adamant about doing something about that. Not for her sake, but for our nation’s sake and our veterans who seem forgotten. She has latched onto the tiny home movement to fill the gap of homes for the vets. As expected, she is having a hard time of it. Community building codes often stand in the way of tiny home placement or construction.

There are exceptions, but creative solutions are emerging. Veterans are getting much needed housing. So too, are others in similar need. A revolution is taking place in housing; first a concept; then a lifestyle change; followed by acceptance and recognized value. Tiny home or not, a place for those in need is found. A place for a new lifestyle is also found for those who desire it and are already housed.

My client is fighting a good fight for the vets. But she is also opening doors to a new housing movement that just may catch on. She needs help. Organizational help. Planning help. Then investment dollars and helping hands to make the dreams come true.

We are doing the strategic planning today. Free. To help her. To help the vets.

Another hero for CNN? Next year? We shall see. Her quest is true. Her star is bright. I think she will shine.

December 20, 2018

Christmas Wish

The perfect gift. What is it?

Depends on who is giving; and who is getting. It is a transaction. Between two people. A giving mind and a receiving mind. Both must be present for the meaning to be present.

Years ago, the lists were made. The people to focus on; what would they like? What would have special meaning for them? Especially, what would have a unique meaning just between the two of us?

And so, the list took shape. There was Mom, Dad, sister and brother. What are their interests? What are their fears and hopes? Is there a memory to share and recall? Or a glint of a hope to wish for in the future? What ‘thing’ would represent that accurately? Does that give definition to a possible gift?

For others in our life we offer a heartfelt wish or nod to the holiday. We share it with them. No tangible gift is necessary. Just a remembrance or smile. A greeting. A card. Homemade apple pie. Or merely a hearty greeting and opening of a door for them.

But others require more thought. More connection. Something of value to the giver and getter. Maybe a poem. A short story? Or a well thought out comment on a holiday card. Something personal, shared by the giver to the other.

In earlier times when income was generous, gifts of distinction, of value took the place of the personal. Oh, there was some matching of want and giving going on, but superficially. It was the thing that counted, the act of following through with the gift that mattered. Generous enough, the item was appreciated, almost as much as the ‘thought’ that was missing. In time this sort of giving became heavy, expected.

But it missed the mark. It didn’t express the personal. It was felt on both sides of the transaction.

With income missing in these later years, only the personal is possible. Only the presence of self at a time of being together. Often that is the best present; and the only one possible.

Odd how the cycle runs its course. I wonder how many are trapped in this? As I once was?

A good question. Uncomfortable answers likely. Still an uneasy peace with the presentless presence.

December 19, 2018

Edging Forward

It doesn’t seem so. But we do. Edge forward. Bit by bit.

Sometimes the direction reverses a tiny spit, but generally forward the direction. If for no other reason, time is spent. A second here; a second there. A whole hour gone. Gone. Slipping away. Ever onward in a march unstoppable until the end of all time.

Each will experience that. End of time. our own end of time. But the end of All Time?

Only a speculation. Now and then we catch a blip of it. Imagination latches on for a snippet of time; then gone. Quiet times allow rekindling the thought. Just a bit at a time. always a bit. Nevermore than that.

Young people don’t think of this topic much. For them much time exists. It is a large reality, not a bank with constant withdrawals. They spend their allotment much as we did when their age. No, it was not a waste of time; just a spending. An investment in reality. A time to see, feel, experience time and the activity contained within it. From that we understand ourselves a bit more, and the world around us, too.

Bit by bit we know existence. Wonder at it. Push its limits. Test its elasticity. Feel the pushback of time and possibility. The weaving of broad cloth ideas. Formation of knowing. Understanding larger ‘things’ that pull scrim far enough away for us to see more clearly. The something ‘out there’ that is not yet fully viewed. It suggests more but we know not.

Hello world. We are here. When will you unveil yourself fully? When are we to share in your meaning?

Not for a long time, if even then. The enigma beckons; suggested rewards await.

All the time it is the allure that is the prize. We think, reason, feel. And become the real.

Life is funny that way. And so enticing.

December 18, 2018

Emergent Leadership

Needed. Leadership. Now. On a national scale.

Recall the candidates for president in 2016. Republicans fielded 23 candidates. Many were weathered professionals capable of handling the job. Each had deficiencies. To be expected flaws. Yet no one emerged as a truly great candidate. Not one.

But one candidate did come out the winner in the primaries and at the republican national convention. It was donald trump. He went on to win the 2016 election but via truly odd circumstances. The results were not embraced by establishment or citizens in general. But the legal machinery of the government moved onward with him at the helm.

Democrats fielded at least 13 candidates. I forget the final number. They too were professionals in government and weathered. Proven leaders, each with flaws. The clear front runner was Hillary Clinton. She won the primaries and the nomination at her party’s convention. She went on to lose the electoral college to donald trump but did win the popular vote.

There are many who would argue that a Hillary presidency would have been better than the trump mess we have now. But many more would argue the opposite point of view, that Clinton was not presidential timber. I disagree with that view, but the numbers indicate I would be in the minority.

That was then. This is now.

The nation prepares its view of the 2020 presidential election. We all wonder who will step forward to lead each party into the future.

Democrats are searching for candidates now. They need to. Although they have favorites from the past, and a few new faces for the near term, the truth is no one individual is emerging as The One Leader. More work is to be done to make that happen. Beto O’Rourke is a possibility. He is young. He is attractive. He is outspoken. He is courageous and hard working. He has heavy campaign experience having lost a valiant effort to Ted Cruz. Beto’s campaign energy was legendary and marvelous to watch. Many hope he tries for the 2020 presidential ring.

There are other young fresh faces to consider as well. But they are not household words, yet. Yet.

Of course, there are many familiar faces wanting consideration for the race: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi. And others. But they all have one thing in common: age. 70 or close to it. Some nearer 80. Wrong for this time. Wrong for modern leadership.

Recent mid-term elections witnessed a fresh crop of new faces to take congressional seats. They are mostly young. Very young. With new ideas and experiences. Also a zestful vision of the future for the nation. They need to be mentored and nurtured.

And their presence should inform us that the national leader position should hearken to their message: new leadership, fresh ideas, not business-as-usual.

Both parties have this challenge. They both must yield to new realities.

Trump is a failure. The old guard will likely also fail.

Now is the time for Warren, Sanders and Biden to mentor the newbies so they will step forward and lead a brave new generation into the brave new world. A mentor group for strong new leadership.

Will they? If they don’t, we are all in deep doodoo.

December 17, 2018

Folly Over Brexit

The British are members of the European Union. They are in close proximity to the other European nations, share history with and of the entire region, and provide a formidable economic presence among equals. They belong in the EU.

By way of misdirected nationalism, British voters questioned the balance between their nation and the rest of the EU. In a fit of pique, they voted to separate from the EU. Thus was coined the term Brexit, for the exit of Britain. Brexit – clever.

With the vote, opinion and pique were known. Aired. Broadcast to the world. But the real work lay ahead. How does one go about separating the nation from the EU? Complicated contracts, agreements and treaties have been a common part of the Union to make the machinery of trade, law and shared bits and pieces of governance work. To fashion the separation, much complexity has to be dismantled, severed.

Over the past year or so British Prime Minister Theresa May has had the unenviable task of doing just that. Negotiating an agreement of separation more complicated than a marital divorce. And just as emotional. Instead of having help from her countrymen, she has been challenged to make everyone happy with the process. That task is impossible.

One does not just walk away from a marriage without consequences. Legal, social and honor. All are part of the marriage pact. Severing it is not simple. Walking away creates more headaches and legal entanglements that will strangle the nation for generations to come. That’s why an orderly withdrawal is necessary. And that is precisely what PM May has negotiated. No simple fix to a multi-faceted treaty. She does not control it. Nor does any one other nation control it. It is a massive complexity that the voters simply did not understand.

Now it is there’s to discern what to do. The Prime Minister is not the problem. The politicians and citizens are. The problem. They need to own it. To fix the problem.

They won’t because they are lazy. They will not do the hard work needing to be done to make things work better.

Sounds familiar to me. Cousin America is in a similar fix. The need to be better but few willing to do the hard work to make it so.

Pity, that.

December 14, 2018

Governing by Tantrum

December 11^th provided a keen view of the white house and its occupant attempting to govern a nation of laws and principle by temper tantrum accompanied by serious misdirection. Quite a spectacle it was.

There are those who think this face-to-face contretemps is good politics and great ideology. They are misled in this conclusion. High level gaming is just that – gaming. It is not serious governance. By any stretch of the imagination. It is a subversion of the serious.

The president claims to want a wall. It is a symbol for him of barring the door to immigration from people to our south. He has claimed throughout his political demagoguery that Mexicans and South American peoples are rapists, criminals and terrorists trying to break down our doors to citizenship and chaos. The wall seems to be a natural barrier to stop such immigration. So he preaches the wall at any cost.

That’s rubbish, of course. The wall is ineffectual. In theory or practice, the wall is only effective in the one place where someone wants to cross the border. In truth, thousands of miles of border exists over which anyone can pass. Detected or undetected, no wall will stop the trespasser where no wall exists, and ocean fronts (thousands upon thousands of miles of shoreline) don’t have walls possible.

Border Security is the issue. Not the wall. There are many means to secure our borders. Much of that work is already being done. It is not perfect. Never has been perfect. But the nation continues to rebuff unwanted immigrants while welcoming others. All the time. For generations this has been going on.

Want to do this better? Then sit down with the people in the know to conceive and implement such border security methods. Building a wall is symbolic only, costly, and very ineffective. That is the fact of the matter. It is also inescapable logic.

Throwing a temper tantrum on TV with your political foes is also symbolic. And childish. Equally ineffective, except for the power it gives to the political foes.

No wall is wanted or needed. Good minds meeting to solve worthy problems is wanted and needed. Grandstanding only wastes time and financial resources. All the while the real problem goes unaddressed.

Tantrum as governance? Ridiculous. Give the baby his pacifier while the adults in the room get back to work.

December 13, 2018

Paying Attention

The national nightmare continues. A sitting president is under a huge cloud of suspicion for wrongdoing – both in his campaign to achieve office, and in misusing his power before and after attaining the presidency. The facts are many. The circumstances appear right. The facts are not yet known by the public.

Someone knows the facts. Several people know them. The public only has the Special Prosecutor and his team working for them. All the others in the know are part of the problem. They know what is fact and/or fiction. They know what was intended and what was accidental. If by accident, it is still a factual wrongdoing if no attempt to correct it was made.

Fact. Fiction. This is what we are dealing with. People uncovering the bits and pieces to determine what the court system can use and which bits are not usable. And then we have the people covering it all up, wanting the public to think something other than what the facts are.

We will be honest here. We do not know the facts. Yet. But they are coming. Soon.

Then we will need to sort through it all and discern what it all means.

A court system and process will do much of this work. But the principal players in this drama will strut the stage and attempt to make their own meanings. They are trying to save something. Their name. Their reputation. Their freedom and legal fees.

The rest of us are trying to save a nation – its reputation, its name.

And that is what is important. Will America be known as the sleaze machine driven by greed and the lowest common denominator? Or will it strive to be known as principled, truthful and honorable?

At this time of history, the hammer could fall to one side or the other. It is up to all of us to make it fall on the right side of history. Not political. Not ideological. But right, as in correct.

Where else would we Americans want it to be?

December 12, 2018

Integrity

A handshake communicates many things. Firmness suggests confidence. Eagerness to connect invites engagement. Lingering grasp hints of connectedness. Warmth means the person is alive and vital.

The opposite words provide a different view: limp handshake indicates a lack of commitment or self confidence; half-hearted approach signals withdrawal and unwillingness to engage; short, weak grasp is a signal of low interest and ‘get me outta here’ sentiment. Cool skin temperature indicates nervousness and lack of connectedness.

Body language accompanies the handshake. So do smiles, readiness to chat and maintenance of nearness, or close quarters.

Something clicks between two people when they are able to share body bumps, ready smiles, a chuckle and open friendliness. The click signals readiness to agree on ideas, tasks and forward motion together.

All the above are social indicators of relationships between individuals, of willingness to relate. It doesn’t have to be personal; but the more it is so projects a successful prospect to transact tasks well. Spread this behavior and ambience to a small group, and team attitudes develop. The larger the group the more important such attitudes become. And the more difficult to create and maintain.

Group dynamics are built on individual relationships. If two people are relating well together, that wellness is transmitted to others nearby. Buoyancy of attitudes among small groups is contagious and spreads to an entire room.

Motivational speakers know this. They know the words they utter will affect an individual listener if an emotional chord is struck. If the chord is positive, the speaker is apt to move others in the room toward uplifting thoughts. The momentum builds as the message soars and amasses more content. Moving the audience to commitment and action takes much more energy and effective messaging. It is personal in a crowd setting. It is possible to connect the members of an audience to one another in common feelings toward a topic. Once the connections are happening, the group emotion swells and leads to commitment and action.

The opposite is true as well. Negative messages of fear, hopelessness and threat of pain and dissolution, rapidly take an audience down a spiral of negative feelings. Connectedness of this audience generates moods supportive of commitment to act out such feelings.

A speaker may thus affect a positive or negative outcome. Talented speakers easily capture group dynamics to produce moods that support the message communicated. This is how motivational speakers work their magic. And propagandists too. The dynamics are quite similar. Motive and desired outcomes are the only difference.

An actor can replicate these dynamics. So can politicians.

The question is: does the audience know the difference? Do they know they are being used? Are they readily able to discern the truth of the messenger?

Is our national integrity at stake at such times?

It is time for us all to think hard on this matter. We have much to lose if we get it wrong.

December 11, 2018

Fancied Up and Nowhere to Go

Ever have the feeling that something is missing? Of course you have. The sort of thing where you are all set for something, but nothing is on the schedule. The house is clean, the refrigerator stocked, and chores all done. Time to have guests over. Make a great meal, share it and have fun with others. But no; there is nothing planned.

Or your desk is cleaned off, tasks all done, typewriter all cleaned…oops, computer all refreshed, rebooted, printer full of paper and ink, and nothing to do with it. Time available. Tool at hand. Nothing on the agenda.

The other day I replaced the tires on the car. Quiet, road grippy, and smooth. Round. You know, they actually make a difference! That led to cleaning out the junk from the car. And of course, that led to a rare car wash inside and out. Clear weather. Sunny. No precipitation. The clean will last. Now, what to do with all this readiness?

Nowhere to go. Calendar obligations mean I have to stay home and available.

The mind wants to smell and feel the southwestern desert. The nose yearns for the smell of warm, dry sand, or newly moistened landscape from rain and light snow in the desert. Or the ears to hear the wind soughing through the low brush and high pines of mountains outside of Flagstaff, or Albuquerque, Gallup. Santa Fe, Taos…other locales beckon. Each with their aromas and scenic tickles.

Even Wyoming and Montana beckon, but this is the wrong time of year to chance a treacherous trip to those regions. Too much snow without warning there; too iffy of being marooned in a lonely place.

But somewhere without hordes of people. Landscapes yes, people, no.

The car’s ready, but I’m not. I’m tied to home and duty and thin wallet.

At least gas prices are on the cheap these days.

Maybe there’s someplace near to explore? Time to get out the atlas! But oh those desert vistas...

December 10, 2018

Young Minds

I work with teen drug addicts on Wednesday evenings. Been doing this for 6 years now. At first I struggled with understanding them. Why had they slipped into addiction? At such a young age? What were they looking for or escaping from? What was their mindset that allowed this to happen to them? And were they concerned about this now?

Early revelations suggested they were unhappy at being told what to do, and not. They felt they were just fine; why would the adult world force them to live otherwise?

Later, I watched them become aware that they were self-medicating. From what, was unknown.

Probing, we learned more. They were bored. They were not listened to. They were not asked for their thoughts and feelings. They were tolerated, not embraced or welcomed. They felt isolated, alone. With drugs, they found a peace, and a group of friends with whom to relate. They understood each other. They knew the score.

Until they overdosed or were caught by authorities.

Of course, the overdose was sobering. Being caught by the authorities was not sobering or helpful. It was an outrage to their personhood and independence! The loss of independence weighed heavy and derailed them from their path to sobriety.

The distance between sobering and outrage is interesting. It is in this divide that answers help shed light on the cause and effect of drug addiction, and what then to do about it.

One thing I have learned about these young people and their ‘take’ on society: they are thoughtful, caring and respectful of those who listen to them or give them respectful attention. This creates a communication pathway. They listen in return. As partners to the sharing of thoughts, they learn a bit at a time. Enough bits build stepping stones that lead them toward lessons of sobriety.

And other lessons, too. Most of these kids are bright. Allowing them freedom to explore inner thoughts exposes them to discovery. Personal truths form from this exercise. They become partners in their own journey and fellow addicts, too. Soon we are laughing at that which caused anger and sorrow only a few weeks before.

I have worked with one new patient recently. He is from South Korea originally. The collision of American and South Korean cultures are titanic to him. He has a blossoming intellect. It is on full display and challenging. But it is also his highway to health. Slowly he admits to addiction. Slowly he is finding this unhealthy. More and more he senses a future that is brighter and more valuable than that of drugs. He is 18 and has much to live for and enrich the lives of others at the same time.

Two weeks in the program and we see these changes. They are not yet results. They are not yet solutions. But they provide hope that sobriety is attainable and sustainable for his life. Then the promise that he embodies will have a chance to be used and felt in the world.

That’s why we do this work. For others. For the rest of us. For the future of all of us. Because not doing so would be such a colossal waste.

December 7, 2018

Jobs and Profits

Looked through automobile data the other day. Learned that many of the top quality rated vehicles are made in the USA. Content may be imported from all over, but assembled and final fit and finish is done right here in America. Most of the name plates are foreign corporations, however. Some are American through and through, but not many.

This leads to the pros and cons of this set up.

What’s more important: jobs at these manufacturing sites, or corporate profits earned from the product sales?

Jobs. That’s my pick. Why? Because jobs support families, local economies, and our national economy, too. Those jobs fuel financial transactions throughout the economy through food, shelter, transportation, education, support services and tax collections at all levels of our society. So, jobs are a huge engine of economic activity and future. That doesn’t even address quality of life, security and a host of other issues.

Profits. Corporate profits. These are important for the long term but short term benefits actually do support local economies. Before profits are booked by the home corporation in its home country, the money flows throughout the American system and fuels a lot of residual economic benefits. What profits do in the main, is fuel future investment and product improvement and replacement through research, development and scientific breakthroughs applied to product evolution. This is a big thing and it fuels technological advancement, education, research and other major investments in human terms.

Both jobs and profits are important. They each play a major role in our economic health as a nation. But the local economic benefit is most importantly the result of jobs. This is the what we gain by foreign investment in America.

Something else happened in this miracle of change: foreign competitors demonstrated to American manufacturers that they can make automobiles better than American firms. Even some of the most glamorous name plates and most expensive cars made in America are the worst in quality. Shameful. And a wakeup call to both American firms and labor groups that American products are not always the best.

We can do better than this. But really, do we have to?  Can’t we just spend our time, talent and genius in developing the newer generation of products, technology and life-quality assets?  Foreign trade, after all, is supposed to allow best-use-of-resources (land, materials, engineering, utilities and labor) wherever they are. So some locales provide excellent land availability, raw materials and labor supplies than America. Using our scarce inputs on higher value goods and services is a smart thing to do.

Both foreign and domestic investment in these matters needs – nay, requires – a global market for goods and services. Lower cost of goods and higher economic benefits accrue to all in this scenario.

Refreshing that being a good neighbor is also good economics. Imagine the peace benefits from this activity as well. Who wants the disruption of war when we all have so much more to protect with peace?

Think about that the next time you buy a car. Foreign or domestic. Things are not always what they seem.

December 6, 2018

Issues or Values?

A comment logged to my blog the other day stated issues and values are different. Because that is so, says the commenter, values will elicit the strongest pushback rather than intellectual discussion. Issues are task orient, so goes the argument, thus we can discuss what works and what doesn’t. Values, however, are subjective and contain emotions. Deep emotions.

Objectivity surrounds issues and is thus discussable. Unless that is values enter the scene. Then the talk becomes emotionally charged. Fear or flight becomes the norm. Just like today’s politics.

I get the commenter’s viewpoint. She is correct. My problem is not so much my point of view, but that I don’t provide enough room for the values discussion to feel welcome.

Before getting to that step, however, I have to share this: values have been touted by every political sect and religion since the beginning of time. Values have been used to divide discussants most of the time. Family values? For some, there is no room for any model other than a man and woman getting married or having sex. Any other matchup is out of the question. It goes against the grain of current religious thought, mores, and cultures.

Only it doesn’t. Not anymore.

The year 2018, and soon to be 2019, is a time period of change and acceptance of change. Women can marry each other. Men can do the same. Babies are adopted by many of these couples, many of those babies being born out of wedlock and stigmatized. In my mind this is the only answer to abortion: adoption of the unwanted. If not that, then abortion should be broadly available. That should be the policy to address a serious issue that has life and death consequences. Those are the values I hold dear. If an action by one creates agony, death and suffering for another, then something needs to be done to lessen the original action.

On the other hand, unwanted pregnancies can and ought to be countered with adoption by willing couples who otherwise cannot have their own offspring. Gay couples and aging couples are great examples. Here we witness a merging of cultures, values and issues.

My point here is simple: issues affect us all in one way or another. They cause us to feel – sorrow, sadness, loss, unhappy, anger and many other types of negative feelings. That’s all the more reason to address the issue to turn those frowns and tears of anguish into smiles and tears of joy.

The commenter who offered her insight is a valued reader and friend. She has caused me to think  more about the divide between values and issues. I will contemplate long and hard on this and let you know what I come up with.

Meanwhile, thanks to all my readers, and commenters, too!

December 5, 2018

Passing of Bush Senior

So many thoughts running through my mind. George Bush Senior at one time was an idol of mine. In time that wore off, but still, George H. W. Bush was a uniquely qualified person for the presidency at his time, the right time.

It was his role to make sense of the changing of the guard from cold war to soft war. The USSR crumbled into bits, overwhelmed by its own size, weight of weaponry, and complex obligations it made for itself in a hugely bureaucratic sprawling empire. To make the most of this historic happening, a gentle hand that welcomed a former ‘enemy’ into the fold of global collaboration and power sharing was needed.

George Bush was there to do that. All of his previous government jobs taught him well what was needed. He surrounded himself with talented advisors but made up his own mind. He was a leader of leaders at the time.

I remember him for a different reason. It was the political morass of his final campaign that saw him make a misstep. Faced with competition for the presidency, Ross Perot and Bill Clinton were garnering the votes Bush needed to remain in his job. To help him do that, he agreed to welcome the evangelical Christians into his support group. At the time I thought this a mistake because the evangelicals were too hot on topics such as gun control, abortion and gender orientation discussions to help Bush broaden his tent of supporters. Instead I felt he was narrowing his appeal.

I was right. He lost his plurality in the election and he was kept to one term only. Bill Clinton took the reins of the White House along with the enmity of republican evangelicals that turned American politics into a cesspool of nastiness that continues to this day. The religionists of the era have retained their unforgiving and unforgivable behavior in American politics. They have poisoned the well of compromise so that none is available to us today.

It was this fatal move on Bush’s part that separated me from the republican party. Plain and simple. And I have had no reason to change my mind since.

As decent a man as was George H. W. Bush, the failings of the republican party since his time are laid squarely at his feet.

So many people through history have warned against mixing religion and politics. We did at the time with Mr. Bush in 1988. Thirty years ago. A long time; but the nasty beat goes on and on.

As we celebrate the life of Bush in this week of farewell, I hope good people everywhere will stir their values enough to take on the return to decency and compromise so our governing class returns to leading the nation and making key decisions.

One can still hope!

December 4, 2018

Accumulating Pressure

The beat goes on. Russia probe for collusion in the 2016 presidential election. Financial and business conflicts of interests both in the Trump Campaign and the Trump business empire. Influence peddling in both political and business arenas of the Trump organization. Dark dealings with Wikileaks and key players. Lying throughout the campaign against all trump competitors. Distortion of facts with compelling results on the body politic. Lying about all facets of the above to law enforcement officials and congressional authorities with the authority to investigate.

Indictments handed down. Guilty pleas recorded. Court cases begun and ended with convictions. A host of potential charges lined up against a host of supporting characters from the Trump organization and campaign. Both foreign and domestic businesses indicted. Both foreign and domestic individuals indicted. The weight of all this processing is real and having an effect on the principals.

The big names not yet exposed. The focus of the probes not yet made clear to us. The accumulating sounds of shoes dropping from overhead repeat the tempo of things to come.

We wait patiently. Not with abated breaths because life must go on. But for those who will be most affected the breathing does change tempo. Gasps and tics appear. Sweat beads brows. The pressure is on. It is building.

Before or after Christmas? Before or after the Democratic Congress takes the reins of the capitol building?

We watch. We listen. We wait. But soon, it will be…

It’s Mueller Time!

December 3, 2018

Top Public Issues for 2019

Issues are with us whether we do anything about them or not. So, I thought I might make a list of the issues I think are most important for America in 2019. These are the ones that affect us all in some manner and need attention. 

1.      Too many gun deaths; what will change that? How do we make society safer from gun violence?

2.      Too many unwanted babies born without viable futures; what would reduce this problem?

3.      Too many people unprepared for change; how do we help them, reduce their painful adjustment, make the best of it?

4.      Too much poverty in the world; here and in other nations. How do we reduce poverty without taking anything away from the unwilling?

5.      Broken immigration system; what would an efficient, well run system look like? How can we acquire this in the next few years?

6.      Social justice: equal access to opportunity; an end to discrimination (gender, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation). How can we address this complicated issue without making it worse?

Each of these issues is a hot button for divisiveness in our country. Politicians manipulate these issues for power, votes and money. They play on fear and injustice without doing anything to lessen the problems. No solutions. Just animosity. How do we manage this context so the rest of us can focus on the problems and actually achieve desired results?

I think most problems need attention in these three areas:

a.      Serious attempt at defining the problem; what is it all about? What are its effects on our society? How large is the problem? How many people does it affect? How much does it cost our nation to abide with this specific dysfunction? What do we need to do to better understand the problem itself?

b.      Identify all the causes of the problem. Clear factual research on understanding how and why the problem works as it does. Knowing these elements, are we pointed in potential directions for solving the problem, or at least massively reducing its ill-effects?

c.      Identify all possible solutions to the problem. All the solutions, regardless of cost, complexity or simplicity. Work out realistic social costs to implement each solution; conduct a cost/benefit analysis on each. Choose the top three solutions for broader discussion and debate.

Let the nation decide which solution is best for implementation. The selection will be affected by resources needed, time allocation needed to achieve desired results, and costs to the citizenry. Let the democratic process work. Believe in the wisdom of the people. Once the selection is obvious, implement it with all due speed.

Of course, the listed issues are interrelated. So, prioritize them; which should be tackled first? Which second, and so on until all have been prioritized.

Work with the issues in priority order. It may be that only two per year can be engaged rather than whacking away at all of them simultaneously. Besides, fixing one issue may reduce the scope of other issues, making their solutions easier and less costly. Keep the priorities straight from the beginning.

There are many other issues that need attention. We will get to them eventually. First we have to solve the larger problems that have created gridlock and dismay.

Now, who can we count on to get this work started?

November 30, 2018

Personality Defect

I had a colleague state triumphantly on the day after election day, November 2016: “now you liberals will learn what we felt every day with Obama in the White House. Trump will restore balance.”

I’m wondering if this fellow is still feeling triumphant? Is the balance where he wants it? Are we a great nation once again? Have our values soared to new heights? Are you proud now?

I don’t speak to this guy anymore. His sense of a healthy nation does not mesh with mine. Only sparks would result. I favor peace. I also know that ‘balance’ will instruct his take on reality one day. Then he will know.

Yes, I am upset every day with ‘he who shall not be named’ is in the white house. I have trouble capitalizing his name, the white house, or the names of the political parties. The reality of our national values are so at odds with what we knew and treasured.

I remember once when a California republican ran for president; I don’t remember his name offhand, but he announced his candidacy at the base of the Statue of Liberty. He pledged his support for closing the borders and fixing the broken immigration system. I wept at his misplaced pledge. At the base of the Statue of Liberty where it states: "Give us your tired, huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."  I could not be consoled. The irony was poison to my soul.

Today, that candidate's name is not remembered. He didn't finish the primaries. He was not in the running for the presidency. Yet, there is another person of the same ilk occupying the white house with the same aim.

We are an immigrant nation. All of us breathe the air of freedom. Others on the planet yearn for what we already have. They are not yet here. We are. We have taken the torch of freedom and saved it for ourselves and for our future generations; and for all the past generations who came before us. We inherited this treasure from them. It is ours to carry forth to others.

There are those, unfortunately, among us who feel those others don't deserve that freedom. Not yet. Not without other conditions are met. Not without passing 'go' and bowing down to some unknown power or icon?

Yes, the immigration system is broken. Has been for decades. But for some hideous reason our elected officials in Congress refuse to address the problem. They let the office of president deal with it, where it can be an even more distorted political football.

Fix the system. But, maintain and deliver the promise of freedom to those who need it. Asylum seekers are granted asylum. They are welcomed into our midst to receive safety. They need this. From us. And we need to provide it to them to keep our social DNA intact. This is who we are.

Or allow our past and future to fall to the defective personality who is the current occupant of the white house.

If this is not what we want, what then do we do about it? And when if not now?

November 29, 2018

Recalling…

Maybe this is an aging thing? I can be involved in practically anything and an idea pops into my mind about something that happened many years ago. I know that this happens to all of us, but as we age do we have more ‘down time’ that allows us to recognize these pop up thoughts? Maybe at younger ages we have these thoughts but are so busy with other things we pay them no mind?

Well, that’s a possibility. Another possibility is the younger you are the less you have to remember? Think about that a bit to see the logic. So clear we miss it.

Now you may wonder what sort of thoughts are popping into my mind. If so, here are a few.

·        Remember my father giving my mother a fancy watch for their anniversary; it was 1947 or 1948. I was 3 or 4 years old. I remember because I wanted to see it up close and the clasp on the watch snagged on mom’s sweater and broke it. Right then as she had just received it!

·        Hail and snow storm on the Mojave Desert; must have been 1948 or 1949. Frozen precipitation in the desert was a major event. We had a few inches, then it rained, melted the snow and hail, and soon we were dealing with flooded streets. I remember this event. The rest of the family had to deal with the mess because I was too young to do anything about it. I simply remained out of the way.

·        Smelling lilacs blooming in southern California one spring. I probably was 6 or 7 years old. The aroma was tantalizing; we were back living in Altadena, fresh off the desert.

·        Roaring silence of sitting outdoors on the desert near mountains and rock outcroppings. Dead silence. So quiet you thought you could hear the deep blue sky! The ears strained to hear anything, so you scuffed a shoe in the sand to be certain you hadn’t gone suddenly deaf.

·        See a train today and remember seeing a long freight train crossing a vast desert stretch in my far distant youth

·        My first real snowfall was at age 11 in Massachusetts. Tantalizing. It soon grew to 13 inches!

Of course there are many other memories from early years; triggers must be present to connect the recall mechanism. The how is known; the why is not.

Heard a piece on NPR Sunday that called this process a yearning for the past, as though the present is lacking something we need. They termed it a form of depression, linked to nostalgia.

Let me make this clear: I am not being nostalgic! I am simply remembering solitary moments. Interesting banquet of thoughts. Some fun, some not. This process has given me insight as juxtaposition to present day. I am sitting back and enjoying the experience.

Still wonder if this is an elder thing. If you know, please share that information.

November 28, 2018

True Spirit of America

With each passing day it is clear that America is a land filled with good people living their own purposeful lives while all the time sharing with others to help less fortunate folks. America has a generous heart and gives year-round. It also expects its national government to do the same. Just because it is a good thing to do.

This spirit has been around for a long, long time. An example: following World War II America created the Marshall Plan to rebuild war-torn areas. It did so for many reasons. The world needed to get back to work; helping rebuild destroyed regions would help make the recovery self-sustaining through economic revitalization. In turn, this proved to be terrific foreign relations. Other nations jumped in to help as well.

America did this good work because it felt impelled to do so. But we also had the wherewithal to make it happen. This work built foundations for international relationships that have prospered and lasted many decades. Strong institutions sprang back. The United Nations expanded and matured mightily during this period. So did international banking, trade and cultural exchanges.

The world community came to expect American generosity. They were not disappointed. In education, research, deep scientific discovery and development, the global community learned the breadth and depth of America’s sinew.

In the last two years the American reputation long-earned, has suffered dents and bruises by the current White House administration. Increasingly, however, that damage is attached to the person of the current president, and not the American people.

Although America’s allies are questioning mr. trump and his aims and motivations, they are secure in the knowledge that the American people do not reflect the same values. They know us well. They don't know donald trump.

Breathe deeply the fresh air. Pause for a moment of silence and peace. Then resume your activities as in the past. The anomaly of trump will pass soon enough. If we hold up our end of this commitment, we will survive for the return of America’s reputation. Shading the trump persona and ignoring it, is a good first step toward normalcy.

The press should report the routine presidential exclamations but avoid detailed coverage. Instead they should report on continuing relations and progress that matter throughout the nation. That’s where the work is really done. That is where discovery and invention happen. That’s where our values reside. Not in the White House at this time. That is just a fact of history made clear.

So, business as usual people. We have much to be thankful for. And much work yet to be done.

Let’s get on with it!

November 27, 2018