Whence Goeth?

So, the title is old English. Sue me. I wanted to catch your eye and get you to read this piece. Hope I don’t disappoint.

Where are we headed? Where do we want to go? As a society, family, town or village, what are we aiming for down the road?

I know we don’t think of living life in these terms, but in many ways,  we do. We want the new car because it is shiny and more beautiful, sleeker than the one we already have. Or maybe, the new car is to replace one that is falling apart and no longer reliable. That’s a short term goal; may take several months or even a year or two to accomplish, but that’s short term nonetheless.

Or maybe we have a dream to live in a larger, grander house? We picture the high ceilings, broad windows, lush landscape. We sense the spaciousness of the dream and the type of living we will experience in such spaces. That’s a long-term goal, one that will need 10 or more years to gain.

Surely our dream contains more? Maybe our kids will experience a rich education and an expansion of their thinking and creativity? We imagine them living their own lives of joy and dreaming and achieving the levels of happiness we only imagined for ourselves. is this the ‘whence we goeth’ we had in mind?

Actually, no. I’m thinking of a more far-reaching image than that. I’m aching for a future in which our society guarantees equal access to all to follow their dreams. I picture a society that values each and every one of its inhabitants as a potential to be fully realized. What inventions will flow from such creativity. What art and expressions of true meaning will be produced for us to ponder and awe over! A society like that will surely encounter problems easily digested and repaired? Or maybe not, but each hiccup in society’s functioning will not amount to a mountain of grief as it now does to stymie clear thinking?

I believe in the human race. I believe we are each capable of reasoning and creating. We are not all the same. We have different viewpoints and perspectives. We have different abilities and interests. All of this builds a richness of layers, each gifting the rest of us with benefits unknown. This is good. All good. Why would we be afraid of it?

Working together means listening to one another carefully. It takes collaboration, so we can conjoin our ideas and deliver workable solutions to whatever is not working. We can do this together.  We cannot do this alone. Society is a group product of all of our energies.

I yearn for the day we see these possibilities clearly and work for them together. With that working in our favor, where we goeth will be fun and breathtaking.

At least we can hope. And undo some of the damage of the Kavanuagh hearing?

September 28, 2018

Coming Together for Crisis

As our society roils with many issues, arguments, values and manners enter the spotlight. A lot of that attention displays an ugly side of the American social personality. Anger, frustration and inarticulate arguments make it all seem worse. Much worse.

Here’s what it all boils down to in my opinion. And this is my opinion. Many of you may disagree, but I hope you will stay with this post long enough to see what I’m getting at.

1.      Women continue to be abused and disrespected without a reset of the justice system and social mores; this is just plain wrong. Half of us are women. These are our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, daughters and in-laws as well. We should respect women. We should allow them the freedom to explore life same as for males.

2.      White males continue to wield more power in our society than any other demographic; they are not even 33% of the population. It is up to the rest of us to insist equal access based on ability and qualifications. Not gender or ethnicity.

3.      The criminal justice system does not work equally for all. It stumbles on for the poor and minority defendant. Others have personal resources or image to help them get better treatment. In any language this is discrimination.

4.      Rich get richer and poor get poorer while the middle class continues to disappear. This means the economy is not working properly, or education, or any number of other institutions in our society. This must be repaired or else we face certain revolution.

5.      Issues of discussion continue to remain separate from one another; rarely are they combined as a holistic reading of our community status; they are part of the whole but are dealt with separately. Thus solutions are rarely found; we must attend to them in combination to make a dent in actual living conditions for us all.

6.      Education continues to be more expensive further eliminating lower income families

7.      Healthcare continues to be accessible by the above average income demographic; those who cannot afford good healthcare continues to grow as a group; this is the face of injustice

8.      Solving a social problem is less and less a problem for government and more and more the business of churches and charities; government still should play an important role here.

9.      Self-medication is on the rise: alcohol, drugs, food, tobacco, work, sex, et.al.

10.   Nationalism or globalism? Shouldn’t these be integrated?

11.   Hunger, housing, joblessness are the realm of the poor, disabled and despised(?)

I think it is far easier to address the problems as a whole than it is one at a time. They are interrelated to begin with. Separating them into different siloes only complicates solutions. Common threads exist in each of the issues. Repair one element in one arena and we are likely to see a solution working throughout many other arenas simultaneously.

We are all of one race – the human race. If we focus on helping each other, we should benefit more and faster than if we only help the blacks, or the browns, or any other ethnic group. It is common sense. We are citizens of one world. What happens in one part of that world happens to each of us – now or eventually.

An easier approach to all of this is to define what we basically hope to build as a long-term common outcome. What would that look like? Rather than separating everything into small cubes, let’s keep the whole together so we do not split our attention too finely in myriad projects.

For my piece of this, my ideal outcome is this:

All of mankind has equal access to a quality life based on their cultural norm; all of mankind has a responsibility to help all achieve this state of affairs.

This standard of living includes adequate housing, food & water, clothing, medical care and justice. Respect for self and each other is a part of this standard of living.

How do we achieve the standard? By all of us pitching in, speaking up, working hard to help, voting, paying taxes, and being involved in the discussions that set policy and legislation.

Watching out for each other does not afford us the duty to look after ourselves exclusively. This is a group exercise and benefit.

It is not socialism or communism. It is common sense and common decency.

September 27, 2018

Nonprofit? What’s That?

I have pretty much worked my entire life in nonprofits. Oh, there have been a few times I worked for for-profit firms, but most likely not much more than 3 or 4 years. And then nonprofit associations within those firms caught my eye and that was it.

An example: credit unions. They are member owned nonprofit cooperative financial institutions. That means they serve their members-owners with financial products and services without concern for making a profit. They are limited by their own size. Small means they are not able to offer a lot of financial services that banks do, unless they cooperate with partners that do so (mortgage partnerships, commercial lending programs, etc.).

And they must make some money if they are to survive. They cannot lose money in any major way repeatedly or they would cease to exist. So, credit unions target a strength benchmark of capital to assets, usually 10% or greater. This ‘owners equity’ figure provides a safety net or nest egg to help the organization weather difficult financial times. Today, the average capital/asset ratio is 9 to 10% for all American credit unions. Banks average 7 to 8%.

Self-serving or not? That is the primary method to determine if an organization is for-profit or nonprofit.

Another difference tells us why these organizations are different.

That difference focuses on purpose. Why an organization exists is important to know. Most businesses exist to provide a product or service which in turn produces profits or return on investment for the owners. This activity also generates jobs and other social benefits, not the least of which is wealth within the community.

Nonprofits, however, are not concerned with financial return as long as it is sufficient to keep the organization running. Their ‘why’ is more complex. It is the Mission of the organization that comes into play.

And focus. What is the purpose of the organization? Example: in the case of the credit union it is to provide financial services for its members. Why? Because financially stable and healthy members benefit the community, the employers in the community, and the institutions, too. Building wealth of whatever size for a person and family creates stability with which to build good lives of promise and depth. That’s the mission of the credit union – to help members create stable financial futures.

Another difference for nonprofits is their vision of the future. If the mission is successful over time, where does that lead the nonprofit organization? In the case of a credit union, 10 or 20 years of success will allow the credit union to grow larger and that means it will be able to offer more services to the membership. What services? Well, things like commercial lending for small businesses run by their members, investment products that help members build retirement savings or education funds for their kids. Or mortgages to buy homes. Small credit unions cannot do this type of work. They can only do so by working with other providers of such products.

So, Mission is Purpose. Vision is dream many years into the future.

Most nonprofits focus on these two important features of their existence.

For-profits, on the other hand,  are usually focused on operating profits. Without them they soon go out of business. But they make profits by doing what? … by providing products and services to people who want or need them. This is a good and productive thing to do. But serving the market quite often is not the focus of the business. Profits are.

I’ve worked for a couple of for-profits. They cared deeply about the social consequences of their products and services. For them, doing business was also a mission for the good of the community.

The major difference, however, is nonprofits exist solely for the purpose of meeting a need of others, not their own needs.

Enough for one posting. More in future blogs!

September 26, 2018

Dreaming the Big

I’ve planned for my own organizations and for client organizations. I’ve done it for good sized fees and for free. The process is the same. The contents differ by organization; their DNA is in the details and that’s what makes it work for them.

The hardest part about planning has two parts.

First, is clarifying the what and why they do what they do. What is their purpose for being? Articulate that clearly and half the planning battle is over. It is not as simple as saying – ‘We sell books to readers.’ No, it is more complex than that, but not a mystery either.

Why do you sell books to readers? No, not because they want them; it is more than that. Don’t you sell books to readers, so they can explore the world in many dimensions? Understand the world better? Isn’t reading a pathway to the brain and its ability to articulate subject matter and integrate it to everything else in the universe?

So, you do sell books, but the purpose is to feed curious minds on the complexity of the world.

This broad purpose is the mission of the organization. It galvanizes your efforts to serve this end. It is a motivator in major and subtle ways.

Now the dream is another issue entirely. This is the second part about planning. Over a long-term period, say 10 or 15 years, if the mission is very successful for your organization, what will you be accomplishing? What impact will your work have had? How would you describe your organization at that point in the future?

Impact is not an easy concept to grasp. For our book seller, let’s just say that discussion groups will form around many of our book authors, or topic groups will form around a diverse author group on the same subject matter. These groups will have a presence in literature, academia, and the arts. Social media will carry their messages far and wide. In short, these groups will take on heft in our social order all because they were attracted in the first place by book shops willing to buy, sell and distribute books on these subjects.

Society becomes more knowledgeable and articulate. Our governments and policy makers become more attuned to the issues and make wise decisions.

Your organization may also change its appearance. It may be a book seller AND a publisher or large distributor. It may cover more than the city of its origin, but now covers four midwestern states. A national presence may be in the offing, too.

Mission is purpose. Vision is scope. Both operate together separately. They help identify near and dear operating issues for daily functioning. At the same time there is a pull far into the future to build something bigger, better or more impactful.

I think societies can benefit from planning as well. What purpose does the American society have? Are we about freedom and acceptance in a messy world of differences? Do we get along while each of us finds our way in a confusing mass of options, all of which are good and proper? Or don’t we? Why should we? How should we?

And if we nail down that mission, what else would be happening in our society? The effect of our mission operating successfully in our midst will produce what?

I think it will produce an open and accepting society where people do not discriminate against people who are different from themselves. I think they will learn to value the difference as asset, as gold in our midst. These are the builders of strength of our own personhood. Help others be strong while becoming strong ourselves.

My plan for America is to adopt this mission for us all. Then adopt that vision for us all.

Oh what we could become if only this were true!

September 25, 2018

Sickness of a Society

I am shuddering. I have come to know my nation has an illness that is deep and pervasive. I have fought against the illness for decades; thought we had beat one of the beasts 50 years ago but it is alive and well in 2018. I am heart sick.

The illness? Deep-seated discrimination against people who are different from others.

It is racism if someone feels superior to another solely based on race. It is racism regardless of ethnicity, skin color, or nationality. Racism. An ugly word. I thought we had outlived this horror.

It is sexism if someone feels superior to the opposite sex. If you respect women but see them as a commodity or object of desire without boundaries, then you are a sexist. The opposite is true as well; if you are a woman who belittles men, you are sexist.

Homophobes discriminate against people with same-sex orientation. They demonize such persons without understanding the difference and why it is so.

Discrimination against anyone who is different is an illness. It can be short people or tall, disabled or fully abled, red-haired or gray-haired, or any of hundreds of other differences we all have at one time or another throughout life. Maybe it is lack of education, poor body hygiene or clothing choice; all are surface issues that differentiate people. It is not right to feel better than anyone else, and certainly wrong as hell to treat them poorly because of the difference.

We are all of the human race. That makes us all the same fundamentally. The differences are elements of our humanity that make us individuals and enhance the human experience.

I'm terrible at technology but appreciate it. I especially appreciate anyone who can navigate the complexities of today's modern technology.

The same with people who make beautiful music with the talents they have, unafraid of what others think of their efforts. It is their expression of reality. It is beautiful to many others, just not all. That's OK. It adds to the complexities and wonders of life.

We should celebrate all of our differences.

Discrimination is not celebration. It is demeaning, often dangerous and harms the person loved most - you.

Society is sick if it allows this to continue. It becomes more sick if we do not stand up to it and defeat it. And yes, we encourage it if we laugh at sick jokes about it.

It is time, America. Stand up against all forms of discrimination. All. Ageism, sexism, racism, different-ism. All are debilitating of our social order.

Stand for respect.

September 24, 2018

Learning by Doing

For at least a millennia, probably longer, people have taught one another how to do something by showing them how, coaching them, and practicing alongside them. This is how we learned to farm, build houses, sew, cook, and so many other daily tasks we take for granted.

In school we learned how to read, do math and write. We were told about these things, then shown, then pulled into the practice of doing it. Doing it. Just doing it. Over and over again.

As adults we don’t need as much practice, but being told something does not teach it. Teaching leads to memory recall and use of a concept. The learning part involves accepting the concept into the mind, then relating it to something of value to the student, and finally use of the concept paired with the something of value. A connection is made. A lesson is processed. Learning took place.

How often are we the recipient of lectures, speeches and other spoken presentations? All of them designed to ‘teach’ us something, or at least that’s the marketed message. But do we really learn from these presentations?

Maybe something. For me such presentations provide a fresh view of an idea that can be used in different situations. Perhaps it can be used to fix something I think need improvement. Or maybe it just informs me of more environmental issues with which I must contend during my daily work. Helpful information but not necessarily a lesson learned.

I have attended many workshops. At first I thought the ‘workshop’ name meant I would get to use the material at the event so I would remember it better and know how to incorporate it to my life. But I was disappointed. Most workshops are mini lectures. Words, lots of words directed at an audience. In many cases those events are a marketing tool to get the student to abandon doing the work himself and hire someone who can. Sound familiar?

My sense of a workshop is different. I want hands on the topic. Work with it. Incorporate it with something on your mind and possibly of use back at your place of business or home.

Workshops should have outcomes that are readily identifiable. Useful. Practical.

Why aren’t there more of these available in the marketplace? Don’t we know how to do them?

September 21, 2018

Hiring a Supreme Court Justice

Politics is an ugly business. It is compromise and trading of favors for other favors. The trouble this brings is twofold: first, the favors are hidden so the rest of us do not know what the price/cost is for the rest of us. Usually the price/cost is power, money or ‘chips’ to use in the future for the same thing.

Second, the frequency of compromise creates confusion of principles. In that atmosphere bedrock values and principles can get lost or subverted.

I think we know now just how subverted our national value structure has become. Sex, divorce, pornography, cheating, lying, collusion…so many sins we all know well, become common everyday behavior. Holding people to account gets lax. Wrong doers and evil doers get away with their calumny.

What’s good for one person now becomes OK for another. Standards disappear and chaos results.

We have that now. In the presidency. In the Senate. In the House. Our national government is riddled with hypocrisy and outright dishonesty. It doesn’t matter that it occurs in one party or the other; it happens in both. But that does not make it OK. For them or for the rest of us.

Same goes for a Supreme Court Justice. There is a cloud over one justice now on the Supreme Court, Justice Thomas. And there is a similar cloud over nominee Kavanaugh. Are they guilty? The process does not do true justice here. And yes, the job is so important that someone under that cloud should be rejected. Justice Thomas ought to resign. Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination should be withdrawn.

In today’s climate of distrust, no nominee should be advanced until the voters have a chance to address the political balance in congress. Those elections are just around the corner, less than two months from now.

Wait for the election results. Then revisit supreme court nominations. If the president’s political position is weakened, then wait for the new congress to be seated.

That is a just process to follow given the horror of the current malaise of principle and honesty.

September 20, 2018

On the Edge

On the bubble. Finding the point of discovery. How does one find that?

By doing it. By stretching one’s own abilities. And how do you do that? By purposefully attempting to do something you never have done before.

Like a mysterious road on a country afternoon ride, taking the path unknown offers the chance of discovery. Sometimes it is fun; often it is just blah, but the ride along the way offers value. Destinations are hoped for rewards, but they often disappoint.

I remember road trips where one discovery led to another. The unfolding of one vista upon another truly delightful. Another curve unveiled a sweeping scene of farther mountain ranges and deep valleys. An occasional town popped into view, too; sweet, contained and somehow inviting. A visitor or an alien invader? Some villages are like that; enticing but forbidden. I wonder why?

A project comes to mind. What if we did such and such? What would be the value? What would it lead to? What skills do we need to do it? What would happen if we just did it?

We’d learn what we don’t know. We’d find gaps in our experience. We would fill those gaps with something and learn even more. In the end we would have more experience, more understanding, and realize the voids of life are infinite. From that we gain confidence to do it again – engage the unknown for whatever it has to offer.

Reacting to unmapped stimulus stretches our ability. In that instance and for future ones. That is how we learn. Teaching is the act of learning in the minds of others; each mind is different; each act of stimulus is experiment. It is the experiment that teaches. The teacher guides each student on a path of singular discovery. That is a gift. And the gift keeps giving. It requires both the teacher and the student to be in a bubble that is both insecure and safe. Safe to find; safe to not know; secure in surroundings open to change.

On the cutting edge or in the bubble. Both offer views of the possible.

September 19, 2018

Anticipating Future

Years back I would see a home I liked and think, ‘one day we could make that happen.’ Or, I’d see pictures of interesting places around the world and think of the day we could travel there and experience it for ourselves.

What lies in the future? A lot of possibilities.

Today it is different. I’m 75 and that car I’m driving may be the last I ever buy. The home I’m in may be the last I’ll ever have. The trips of hoped for destinations will most likely not happen. Time limits all. So does health. And financial resources, too; but finances are the least of the concerns, really. Walking, standing for long periods, and climbing stairs are now all limited.

This is not a pity party, however! Far from it. Today, life is good. It is spent with family, friends and quiet times. Naps in the afternoon are especially sweet. An occasional morning siesta is more than super! And food, of course, continues to amaze and please.

Brain food is another facet of life. What we think about and the time we spend pondering important matters is a delight of major proportion.

I bumped into old friends the other evening and they admitted following my blog daily. In fact, he smiled broadly and told me to keep writing the blog. He starts his day reading it and loves it. He urged me to just keep doing it.

That was a pleasant surprise. Words matter to many people. Ideas – old and new – are always fresh for thinking about and figuring how they all fit together. That’s the brain food I meant.

Sunday afternoons are good for reading the newspaper, doing crossword puzzles, watching golf or a football game, and just lazing. Then 60 Minutes or the PBS News Hour pops up on TV and ideas flow. The brain comes alive and we are thinking about things that matter.

So I don’t plan a trip to France, or Cabo San Lucas. It doesn’t matter. Yes, I would love to plan a road trip from time to time and then just sit in diners and cafes in small towns. I’d like to talk with people there and write about how people think and feel about similar topics in different ways. That would be a fun adventure to me. Maybe traveling in a small camper with Rocky and the dog, too. And the computer of course, with a wi-fi connection to keep the blog going.

Somehow that seems like something worth doing. And it gets me thinking again of the road.

There’s something very special about following the hood ornament down the road. Wide open spaces still beckon, even if climbing aboard a plane, or hiking the sidewalks of Paris don’t. People have a stronger pull for me; that and the open road. Somehow, they just go together.

That’s all the future I’d like to anticipate. I wonder if it will happen? Now that's something I can do; wonder.

September 18, 2018

Off-setting Trends

The yin and yang of daily life gives much to think about. If a trend rises in one place, is there an off-setting trend lowering somewhere else? Logic tells us this must be true. Rising tides that raise all boats means lowering tides elsewhere; the earth as slop dish tells the tale. No new ocean water is created, just redistributed.

If homelessness rises, does this mean self-sustaining households are declining? One pondering this encounters a trend of disappearing middle class homes. Then one question is household size, and distribution of incomes among such households? The picture becomes muddied in a hurry.

If housing is trending toward costlier, and if average wages are mostly stagnant – OK, maybe a little up – then what is the ‘give’ side of the equation? Less spending on food? Fewer automobiles per household? But if households contain fewer people, the auto statistic is meaningless.

So, the give and take of economic life remains. We don’t always know who is giving and who is taking.

Wait, there is a statistic that generally helps understand that: distribution of household incomes: the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer; the middle class is melting away into both sides of those two statistics. Some middle-class homes are advancing to the richer segment while many are slipping into lower income groupings.

Social implication of these numbers is huge. We have known that for a long time. Sociology, social work, psychology, psychiatry, medical research and many other disciplines track the effects of socioeconomic movements. Social programs are developed to respond to human needs caused by socioeconomic trends. For example, rising homelessness versus higher housing prices. How can this be addressed by industry moguls, government policy makers and consumers?

Another one: fewer cars per household versus rising car prices. Is this a good thing for society and community? Fewer cars might mean less congestion and air pollution. Different modes of transportation may be fostered and increase community interaction in healthy ways. How active should policy makers be in encouraging more or less cars on the road?

Homeownership or rent? Which is better for society and community? Is there a better or worse? Why? What are the key elements included in this decision process in the first place?

There are a lot of issues we should be thinking about. Hidden unemployment due to loss of career paths is one of them. How much unemployment of this type exists? Whose responsibility is it to tend to this trendline? Do employers have a role to play in this? They say they don’t have enough job applicants, yet they allowed excellent career employees go as skill requirements shifted. How about re-training those folks?

Trends. Good and bad ones. Progress or retrenchment? Depends on which side of the issue affects you the most. Still something for all of us to think about.

September 17, 2018

Forcefields

With hurricane Florence battling the eastern seaboard, forcefield is a term we readily understand. There are different kinds, and that’s what I wish to speak of today.

People are forcefields, too. Many come to mind. We have each known our share of them. The mayor, who after retiring from teaching, gave voice to local issues with a logic so pure she was asked to run for mayor, did and served five four-year terms. At 90 she still tends the flower gardens of the city, quietly going about town doing her best to beautify. She accomplished marvelous things for her students, and then for her community.

The retired businessman who always wanted to run his own coffee company. He borrowed on his Brazilian family roots, imported coffee beans from all around the world, blended them, roasted them, and built a solid following throughout New York State and the Big Apple, too. He died at 95 doing what he wanted to do. The company continues with successive generations of his family.

The effervescent black lady who wanted to break into the Walmart business model. And did. Perseverance kept her working it, but brilliance and flexibility combined to make it happen. The experience taught her something she must share with others. Today she is mentoring and teaching women of all backgrounds to live their dream and build their own businesses. She is living proof that forcefields have personality as well as energy!

Not always easy to live with, these forcefields. They challenge us to do more, see more, think more.

Doing that opens us to a world of opportunity. It is there. Staring us in the face. All that’s needed is our two cents and some effort.

The trick is to be open and confident. And willing to try.

I have observed this process over and over and learned to get out of the way of the forcefields. They are powerful and constructive. Not always immediately understood, but they sweep us along for their ride. Usually it is a good one. So relax and enjoy!

Now Florence is another matter. We hope for the best for all those in her path.

September 14, 2018

Taking the Pulse

Awoke this morning to rebooting the computer before doing anything else. Always a drag. The anxiety that something will be lost in the process. Not knowing what that ‘thing’ might be.

Got through the process. Everything seems OK. Found my blog draft for today and didn’t like it. Scanned the news feeds and everything is about Florence approaching the Carolinas. A necessary read, and timely, but it doesn’t impact the issues I’ve been tracking for the past several months.

Curious, I looked for those ‘items’ and found nothing.

A while back I wondered what it would be like if I turned on the computer in the morning and found nothing about the person inhabiting the White House. I thought that would be a terrific morning! Now that has happened today, I’m wondering why the silence?

Could it be hurricane Florence has stolen his thunder? Could it be the nation awaits landfall of Florence and is not easily deflected from that focus? Or are we waiting to see the devastation caused by the storm and the efforts and effects of FEMA’s assistance to restore the affected area quickly and humanely? And then compare to Puerto Rico’s awful mess from last year’s hurricane and wonder if FEMA’s reputation will improve or worsen?

Silence from the trumpeter should be a good thing. Then why am I worrying? Why is this ominous to me?  Anyone else feel the same?

Funny how we get used to things – the unwelcome tweets, scurrilous remarks, snide put downs, off the cuff comments.  All take on normalcy eventually. A kind of normalcy. We tsk about them all but come to expect them. When none come, we wonder why. We wonder how long the silence will be? And then we hope someone has silenced his twitter thumbs and finally shut down his awful habit.

Now we wait for what comes next, hoping that nothing does.

Am I the only one with these thoughts or worries?

Ah well, these days one only has to wait a few days to get used to it as a new normal. Relief is in sight, unless….the tweets begin anew!

September 13, 2018

As Rome Burns

Fiddling. Gaming. Gossiping. Fuming.

Not governing. Anything but tending to the business at hand. It is not personal. It is serious business. National business. And global community business.

China is weaponizing the South China Sea. Russia is rattling sabers in its old Soviet regions; and outside of that region. It plays war in Syria. It has done so elsewhere in the past. To little avail; Afghanistan? But now? Syria. 

Things are taking shape all around the world. The US is idle. It is consumed with its supposed king and his personal foibles.

While Rome burned, Nero fiddled.

Remember history. It shapes futures. Lest we forget.

Important work needs to be tended. By whom?

Good question.

Let that sink in while remembering the 17^th anniversary of 9-11.

September 12, 2018

A Gathering

Last night 20 people gathered at a local restaurant. In West Chicago, local to some of us, not the rest! Some came from as far as Washington DC. Others from Evanston, and many other Chicago suburbs. Twenty of us.

And 20 years of association. Twenty seems to be the core number, here – 20 people and 20 years. Not all knew one another; everyone had a few different connecting points, but all were pinned to one person, the fellow from Washington DC.

For many we volunteered to help people living with AIDS, dying from AIDS and raising money to fund those same services. The AIDS bicycle rides from St. Paul/Minneapolis to Chicago back in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 were our focal points. I volunteered at an agency that served the AIDS population and we were one of the beneficiaries of the AIDS Ride. Those dollars meant everything to our mission.

Later, when AIDS no longer was a certain death sentence, we helped AIDS patients transition from dependent care to self-sustaining lifestyles. Later still, we worked to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Our work extended to Kenya as well. There we 'adopted' a village to help them get through hard times. We helped build an orphanage for kids who had lost both parents to AIDS. We built a school for them as well, then a medical clinic. We outfitted two bakery operations with solar ovens to increase their output and kickstart small businesses that would support formation of other small businesses. These were successful. Soon the village was producing more than enough bread for themselves and selling over-production to other villages. A couple of industrial sewing machines helped start tailor shops, too.

The village did not accept that their social custom and taboos were a part of their health problem. But they were. Sex among men was long ignored, but then AIDS arrived, killed the men and infected their wives and children. The rest unfolded quickly and decimated their cultural life together.

These experiences taught us valuable lessons. The first, keeping one's head in the sand does not produce workable solutions to current problems. Second, serving the sick and dying does not stop the disease. Third, admitting uncomfortable truths will get at the cause of the disease. Fourth, changing how one lives will stop the spread of the disease. Fifth, not hiding these lessons will help future generations protect their culture and lives.

Our gathering was with people who did this sort of work and lived to see the associated wisdom. They are special people. Special friends.

After 20 years, we shared much laughter, jokes on aging, and our own graying hair. And lots of good food. A special time of gathering. And recalling past times of shared effort and achievement. A good thing to do. A great reminder that we are all capable of extraordinary things if we but try.

That's a good lesson for what ails us today, eh? Heed it well, my friends.

September 11, 2018

Kneeling Kaep

At the beginning of this controversy I was disappointed a person making $19 million annually couldn’t find a better way to publicize his concerns over violence in black neighborhoods, or suspected police violence against the black community. At the time I felt he disrespected something more fundamental in our lives.

I was wrong.

I have always believed black lives matter; all other lives, too, including those in blue who are entrusted to protect and serve us all. For me, that was a stumbling point.

However, when I observed the horrendous national outcry in retaliation of his symbolic gesture, I realized that racism was much more prevalent in our society than I had suspected. I had thought – and hoped – that much of that was behind us. Many of us fought over 60 years ago to end racism. We didn’t succeed.

Kaepernick’s odyssey in this matter has informed the nation that racism is alive and well in America. That makes America very sick. And we need to do something about that now.

Our nation needs an awakening. If Charlottesville last year didn’t persuade you we have a problem, then the Charleston church massacre should have; the removal of the Confederate flag from state houses in the southland; and the removal of Civil War statuary; all have sparked nasty public displays of racism.

Even the trump rallies do the same. Exclusionary, all white, and racist language to boot. Shameful but illuminating.

America has a problem with race. Still. It is ugly and beneath our dignity. We must solve this awful problem. It is a cancer that will destroy us. It is already destroying us.

Kaepernick’s kneel has become our Achilles Heel.

He has signaled a problem for the nation to take care of. In response the signal is blatantly repurposed to signal contempt for a national symbol. A symbol, that stands for equality, freedom of speech, expression, religion, assembly and all the rest. But the symbol is hollow if free speech and inequality are rejected as a problem.

There is no doubt that America’s black citizens suffer disproportionate violence, gun death, discrimination, marginalization and poverty in our country. Saying we are equal does not make it so. We must live that equality every day for it to be real.

Kaepernick reminds us of our promise to one another. He simply states the promise is not being kept.

That is a message we all need to attend to.

The issue of police violence is real. How large a problem I do not know. There is prima facie evidence of police brutality and gun violence against black citizens at the hands of police. The full scope of the problem has yet to be probed and adjudicated. Anecdotal support is not proof for all suspected events. We must be careful here.

Police are called on to serve in dangerous situations at a moment’s notice. The conditions of the area or neighborhood may be a prime causal element for the violence in the first place. Neighborhoods are not only the scene of these events, they also are the culture of them. Why does the culture stop collaboration with authorities to solve the underlying issues? Why is trust such a barrier in these situations? What do we do to get beyond this point?

Violence begets violence over time. But what caused the violence in the first place? That is what needs a solution, not the policing that attempts to keep the peace and protect the innocent public. In this case policing is a symptom.

Racism to me is the primary cause of what ails America. Solve that and I think much more will be solved as well.

If the Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s didn’t solve the problem, then let’s do it again and get it right this time!

September 10, 2018

Missing Rahm Emanuel

He announced he will not run for re-election for Mayor of Chicago. He will complete his 8^th year in office in May 2019. I will miss him then. I miss him already. Here’s why.

Rahm is a man of integrity, intelligence and selfless dedication to the City of Chicago. He has taken on a thankless job when the problems of the region are enormous. Some are listed here:

·        Pension funding in Illinois, Chicago and many other states and regions of the nation have been in serious arrears; this represents a broken promise to many employees who worked with the assurance their retirement years were secure. Now they are not. But the honor and word of the people cannot be easily revoked because elected officials erred in their administrative duties. He didn't, but his predecessors did and a host of aldermen

·        Chicago Public Schools have many problems including: aging, decaying physical plant that is costly to maintain, operate and/or replace; the teachers’ union has steadily concerned themselves more with the salaries and benefits of their teachers than the quality of education provided for the students; financial resources are sorely short of the need for them, yet the union only hinders the school system in making necessary changes to improve conditions; student enrollment is down; older teachers have lesser skills than younger ones; innovation will require an infusion of new talent and retrained elders; much to do and few willing to do the work. And new ideas are needed, not old ones

·        Neighborhood decay is getting attention but still so much to do. Many partners from nonprofits, for-profits and institutions are needed; they are being attracted; this is a slow process; but neighborhoods do have a newer life forming; new jobs and new construction are happening; the Obama Center is coming; new schools are being built; slow progress but building on a steady rhythm long overdue; it came with Rahm

·        Police Quality Control has been a problem for generations; it festered with too strong union leadership which blocked reform and collaboration with city leaders. Solutions are coming, slowly like all else; more neighborhood policing; more officer training; more supervision; more neighborhood collaboration; still the community is sick and people distrust the process, the police and leaders; they must work together with each other to solve these complex issues; these are the issues that define our future; we must solve them. For the sake of the neighborhoods, the people, the city and the region. We need to solve these problems for all of us. Yes, even those of us living in the suburbs. This is our metro region, too; we all have a stake in the shared future

·        Transportation and urban congestion. This is a symbol of both success and failure. We have the bones of the best public transit. We can refresh and build. The people are coming. For jobs and homes. They are moving into the city again; they are replacing those leaving. They are coming without cars or the demand for cars. They need and want public transit; and walking. Build it and they will come; build it and they will use it. This is the future of our nation, too; urban centers are the answer to housing, transportation and employment centers. Cities are the hubs of modern society, learning, sharing, inventing; progressing. Rahm saw this and encouraged it, supported it. He saw it, helped it along for the people trending new ground

·        Economic growth responding to new trends and historic change. Rahm recognized the signals and responded. In time new companies formed; they moved into the city; they shared their hope for the future with Chicago’s; they are willing to collaborate and build with us. Chicago is positioned for these gains because of the foundational work accomplished by Rahm. These are the building pieces, the cornerstones upon which the future will form

Rahm Emanuel knows better than anyone else in Chicago how the work of the city is collaborative if it is to be successful. It doesn’t revolve around Rahm or any other single person. It revolves around all of the people getting into step with what is happening and trending toward the future. It is a new world, not the old one refreshed. We must all change to see it, adapt to it, even adopt it.

The Mayor’s job is one of leadership. If few follow, he must still press forward in the right direction even when others do not see it. Invest in the new vision. Invest in the people’s lives. Invest in infrastructure. Invest in education, jobs and quality of life. All support vibrant people, cities and societies.

Rahm is a multi-tasker and reads complexity. This places him in a lonely position. Others may follow, or not; yet he continues onward and time will catch up with him because the others need this to happen.

How many more leaders will we burn through before we all realize these things? This is a truth in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, the Midwest, and the Nation. We live in complex times; it takes complex minds to manage the many important elements we rely on for a quality life; it also takes collaboration to make it happen. And trust.

September 7, 2018

People in the Attic

Who are they? Are they one of us? Or different?

Rumbles from above. Steps, thuds and other mystery sounds. No rhyme or reason, just noises. The mind tries to connect these to some pattern, a cause. Maybe an effect? Of what? Or a result? The roof is collapsing, the timbers are shuddering their last? Soon the ceiling will fall in? That kind of result?

I doubt it, but the mind wonders.

If the windows creak in windy conditions, are they about to fail? No; just flexing in the wind, a sign they are strong and doing their job. Same with creaking roofs; maybe not the thuds and other sounds, but creaks, yes.

I only once lived below another resident. The building was of concrete so little noise was heard, just an occasional squeal of a chair or table being moved across the floor. Most times I was on the upper floor and made the sounds others wondered about. Most years, however, I lived in a single-family home and the only noise was our own; we knew where each other was and knew that all was OK.

I guess I’m really getting at the people we imagine living in an attic space, or the attics of our minds. What wondrous creatures they are! Some are hideous and scary, but most are friendly and help us recall people long in our past. I can’t help but wonder what they would think of ‘modern’ times. Would they be appalled? Or would they be calm, ‘seeing’ a broad span of time and its happenings and then knowing that those all passed in time and we all managed to survive and prosper.

Those are the imaginings that give me some peace. Still, they have the power to haunt present moods.

What matters most is how we handle the upsets and threats as they arise. Do we take a deep breath and continue our way? Or do we react and add to the chaos?

I’d rather we calmly consider the options and move on. These are the times that teach us what is good and right. Hopefully, these are the times that will build resolve to plan, create and solve problems. We are good at that. Best we carry on with that task and carry a smile to brighten the day for others.

September 6, 2018

Turning Tides

They come in and go out. Like clockwork. Following the moon and seasonal pulls of gravity. The Earth revolves around the sun. The tilt of the Earth’s axis changes the angles of the sun’s rays striking our planet. Because of this seasons change. Days get longer or shorter; summer and winter reverse one another in time. Day after day. Year after year. It has been like this for how long?

Patterns. Routines. We follow what came before, and do so over and over again. Every now and then we change a pattern, but the larger ones remain because they are there by nature.

And so the yin and yang of life. We yearn for freedom. We win freedom. We are challenged by change – some good, some not so good. We toil in that context until our freedoms are threatened. Then we yearn for the norm to return. We win. Those who threaten the freedoms lose. The yin and yang.

The trumpet has had his moment on stage. He performed badly. He lied. He cheated. He warped facts. He did not follow rhythms, patterns or routines. That is how we learned of his agenda and behavior. It gave reason and understanding.

What we saw we didn’t like. The freedoms and natural order we expected and loved were threatened.

Eventually we saw it pure and true. These were now the facts. The evidence. They are the tide of reality flowing in and out. The people know this to be true. The polls are underscoring this fact.

November mid-term elections loom. It is the action day – November 6^th – when voters will inform the trumpet of their reality, not his. Soon after his time will lapse.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. We will rescue our society by installing another Humpty Dumpty, not the old one. It would be too cracked and mended to be of service.

His tide has gone out.

The tide comes in with the new. Who will arrive with it? In name only? Or a leader with substance true to the people? This is America and it is good because of its people. The succession of leaders is orderly. The next two in line are not in favor of the people. So then, who will it be?

September 5, 2018

tRump’s Deals

They never were. Helsinki. North Korea. Words and stagecraft. And much of that poorly done.

The master of the deal is found without clothes again. Putin warns trump that Russia is going into Syria and attacking. What does the Don do? Nothing. No agreement; Helsinki was for naught. And North Korea fans the fires of failure when the Don cancels Pompeo’s visits. Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula? In spoken words only; no written agreements. No proof of agreement. Nothing.

Same with trade deals with China. And Mexico, and most likely Canada as well.

The Don wanted to distract the nation from McCain’s honors in death, so he upstaged him with a fake announcement of a trade deal with Mexico. Even the phone connection didn’t work. And the upstage was Don doing it to himself.

This is a fake president. A fake candidate. A fake dealmaker. A failed businessman. A fake billionaire. A fake and hollow person.

This, folks, is what voting poorly does to the nation. This is what we all get when too many people don’t understand the issues. We are a democracy in name only. We are a failed democracy at this moment in history.

It is time to do something about it. What are our options?

We all, in many ways, got us here. It is up to all of us to get us out of this spot.

So what do we do? What leaders to we follow? Or do we lead where we can? Others to follow?

You do see the problem, don’t you? We have pummeled each other for so long that trust is diminished among us. Leadership and followership require trust. We must rebuild that first. We must listen to one another and learn. Learn what ideas hold the most truth. Then use the truth to set us free once again.

A revolution of knowing the full scope of our situation. Then picking our way forward toward the light as we have done many times before.

First, we must be willing to know the truth. And then we must trust enough to follow the leader. Whoever that is. More trust is needed. In ourselves to choose wisely.

September 4, 2018

Labor Day – Voter Focus

Yes, it is Labor Day, a national holiday intended to honor all of us working men and women and the labor movement that won bargaining rights for millions via their unions. You may not be a personal supporter of labor unions, but best you recognize all the benefits we all gained because of their hard-won battles.

I won’t go into the long and often gruesome history. It is one of sacrifice and violence, and yes, death. Like most victories won with great effort, however, the benefits far exceed the costs incurred.

Union member or not, we all share the good they brought us. And I am grateful. The vacation benefits, holiday schedules, sick time and many other benefits like health insurance, retirement plans and the 40-hour work week. All from unions. So thank them all.

This year, however, I would also like us to focus on voter responsibility.

There is a campaign being waged by republicans accusing democrats of building a long list of investigations planned for endlessly probing trump until he disappears from the national political stage. As much as I would like to see that happen, the planned probes are fiction. Fake News.

We have this November the opportunity to vote in responsible representatives that truly mirror our own values, thoughts and positions on key issues. Republicans have not done a good job with that in recent years. They have focused instead on power of the party over interests of the nation. That effort has come home to roost. National concerns are larger than ever, and as intractable, too. No matter what the people want, the politicians get what they want for their own personal gain.

It is time this joy ride ends.

Only you and I can make that happen. By voting for the best candidate regardless of party. In my view anyone but a republican at this point. They have proven not interested in you and I. They say one thing and do another. Campaign finance reform is one such issue. So, too, immigration reform. Messing with women’s rights on abortion is a biggie. Undercutting environmental protections, upsetting the balance of trade via tariffs, unsettling international relations, and a host of other topics, all critical to the long-term health and prosperity of both America and the world community.

Do we care? Do you care? I do! So now it is our turn to make a difference.

Know your candidates. Do not believe the dirty tricks campaigning now long the hallmark of republicans. Understand the issues and vote.

It is that simple. Do not sit out the mid-term elections. This is our chance to restore a semblance of balance and compromise to the body politic both nationally and in our individual states.

Resolve is a good thing. Vote. For. Change.

Oh, and Happy Labor Day!

September 3, 2018