What’s Happening?

Change is happening. Always does. Sometimes it is fast; sometimes slow. But change is always present.


Yes, change is uncomfortable for most people. Especially for those who are not prepared for it. It can sneak up on us at times and we say, ‘Wha…?”


Consider the opposite: nothing changes. Just the same old, same old. What then is our reaction?

Mainly boredom results. And eventual suffocation. Death.


Change is life-giving. Stagnation is life-taking.


So, if you want your company to be more lively, find the change that will make it so.  If your family is stuck in a rut, find a way out of that rut and discover new dimensions of life.


The same is true of political parties, churches, cars, industries, and food.


The old stuff is familiar and known. It is therefore comfortable. But, beware; no change is unhealthy and we must find the new to create the future.


Our industries are changing. Example: electric vehicles are being manufactured more and more. They are getting better and better, go farther on a battery charge, and are coming down in cost. This is so true that Ford Motor Company is moving in the direction of electric vehicles for their entire inventory. That will take time to happen, but it has to start somewhere. Good going Ford for breaking out of the stale, old mold!


Now, if GM or Chrysler is ready for change, I bet a vital partnership with Tesla will speed up both Tesla and the acquiring or partnering corporation. Soon our society will have a ready supply of high efficiency electric vehicles using renewable energy sources. Hopefully this will cause air pollution and CO2 pollution to drop significantly.


If churches want to demonstrate their love for everyone, they need to attract more people different from their current congregations, get to know them, and minister to everyone’s needs. The population of the USA is changing, always has been changing. Fewer white people means more ethnic diversity in our nation. Congregations ought to look like a cross section of the nation of which they are a part. Isn’t it time we looked deeply into this issue and ourselves?


The retail industry is being totally rebirthed. Customers still exist. Those customers still need all sorts of goods. How they buy them, with what currency, and how they take possession of them, is totally adjustable. Sales of goods and delivery of them is not down. Customers are buying on-line and having them shipped directly to their homes. They forego the trip to the store or mall and transaction business directly with the retailer with a computer over the internet. That is becoming the new normal.


So, retail industries will need to adapt to this new standard. Malls will disappear in the main, and how we learn about new products and services will be invented along the way. That leaves mall real estate available for other purposes. What will they become?  Who is inventing this new normal?


I think this is an exciting time. Our population is on the rise. Current citizens are having fewer children per household, but more immigrants from other nations repopulate our nation and help us grow. They also enrich our culture with theirs, and their skillsets, and their viewpoints. This is good. Different. Good.


It is only a threat for those who fear the unknown.


Time to do something about that. Opening the doors would be a great start!


August 30, 2019

Foreign Relations

The 20^th century was unsettled yet promising. Two world wars, several international wars/skirmishes/whatever. Maturity of the global village occurred. Not a rousing success, but a partial one. Much more needs doing. Trouble is, the relationships among the nations of the world are not cohesive or focused on the same outcomes. The unsettledness creates room for more wars and civilian deaths.


Professional experts in foreign affairs are supposed to focus on how nations get along with one another. That work is never done. We need these pros now, more than ever, and the job requires major re-evaluations, definitions, and assessments of needed resources.


A problem is the autocratic or dictatorial societies that have gained more clarity and assets in the past 40 years. These include China, Russia, Hungary, Philippines, the Middle East and parts of South America and Africa. Let us not forget Burma/Myanmar and other East Asian nations, too. The big players no longer need succor from the USA. Cooperation, yes; but not endless financial gifts and aid. We can no longer buy our way to cooperation from who we see as needed allies and partners.


Another problem is the influence of religions in political matters. These are cultural matters and natural components of any society. Trouble is religion makes good fodder for manipulators and propagandists. It is argued that more people have died because of religion than wars. I believe it. Picture the Crusades and the nonsense reasoning behind it. The battle between Christians and Muslims is yet another horror in Eastern Europe, East Asia and the Middle East.  God’s love is not supposed to be the cause of death!


Dealing with nations – relations among two or three, or more – is hard business. Now add to it the complication of tribalism within each of those nations. Propagandists love to divide and conquer from within, but today, they stir up trouble in one nation after another and hope to gain advantages at the bargaining table. That’s if anyone actually makes it to the bargaining table.


Clearly a lot of work needs to be done in the international sector. America is one of the players, not THE player. And it is not the only player with resources to share with others to make good things happen for the health and happiness of the world community.


There are those who believe the global community is not our concern. It is; because we are part of that community. All communities require its inhabitants to take responsibility for its own health and future, So, too, entire nations.


Therefore, we need trained, expert, intelligent professionals in our foreign service apparatus. I’m not including the CIA or any of the other intelligence agencies in this mix. I’m talking about the ambassadors, attaches and other staff who talk with other nations, transact delicate negotiations, and basically help our nation get along with others all over the globe. Each and every day.


Second, we need to get our own house in order. We are one people comprised of many interest groups, nationalities, cultures, cuisines, religions and mindsets. We can get along if we remember just this one thing: Do Unto the Other Person the Way you Want them to Do Unto You. Sound familiar? It should.


Each of us has much in common with others. Not our self-selected groups similar to ourselves, but people across the board. We all want food, shelter, clothing, future, respect, love and companionship. Each of us. All of us. So, what’s the problem?  Are your insecurities driving you to lust after what someone else has that you want? Tough. What is important is how you feel and act toward the other person. That will help them act and feel toward you in a positive manner.


One plus one equals two. Sometimes a fractal is magically added and we arrive at four. But hey, that’s the reward we earn from doing the hard work right from the start.


I think it is time America got back to doing the right thing by others and carrying a proportionate share of the load for peace and prosperity. For the sake of the global community, and our own!


August 29, 2019

G7 Meeting Debacle

Well, it was not a debacle for other countries, just ours. The other nations had leaders who had their own agenda, a group agenda with which all would work toward common good for the planet, and a common defense against enemies. There were even discussions that helped understand who those enemies were.


Among the Seven, the so-called leader of the Free World, the presumed sitting president of the USA – donald tRump.


Just writing that tells most of the story. But I will enumerate details for those who need them.


First, France’s Macron controlled the agenda and much of the meeting’s core process.


Second, Other leaders of the G7 supported the direction chosen by Macron; they played roles accordingly.


Third, global warming is an existential threat to all of humankind. Every nation must play a role in addressing this issue. China and the USA are the primary source of pollution that has created and exacerbated the issue. Russia is another player of consequence, but so are other regions of the globe that are growing in economic influence. Brazil is a major player because of its lack of appropriate management of the Amazon Rainforest. Collaboration among all nations is needed to battle global warming. Division on this issue cannot be support.


Fourth, human rights is a cornerstone of all foreign affairs. Some world leaders have a problem with this issue, mainly China. They are not alone, however. The G7 leaders must tackle human rights on a global scale if this foundational issue is to be successfully addressed.


Fifth, economics is no longer the predominant issue among the G7 leaders. They will claim otherwise, but they are wrong. Only sharing economic abilities and equality among all nations throughout the world is a tool to find peace and harmony on the face of the planet.  That and battling global warming are co-dependent issues. They must be worked together.


Sixth, education and research is a common building block for all nations. It is not enough to feed, clothe, house and medicate citizens. It is necessary that all citizens grow in understanding not only their local and national issues, but also global issues. They, and we, have co-equal responsibilities to address all problems leading to peace and survival of the human race. Education and research teach common relevance of all facts and sciences. With these, people are equipped to live lives of purpose and consequence.


Seventh, the USA must remain a leader of high impact because we still have the lion’s share of resources to make good things happen. That does not ‘buy’ us legitimacy in the world community. It only buys a place at the table. Leadership is best when shared among willing partners. Today’s world seems too competitive to be labeled ‘partnered.’ That is an issue worthy of our concentration and resources now. Such an investment of focus and energy will lead to the successful handling of the other issued listed above.


August 28, 2019

Sword Rattling

Putin has swords. Shows them. Rattles them. Thunders his jets near other nations’ militaries. Buzzes his jets in cityscapes of US allies. Scandinavia mostly, but near-miss jet encounters have been mostly against US military.


Putin has missiles. Doesn’t like previous treaties agreed upon with the US and our allies. So he breaks those treaties and tests new missiles, new bombs, new warheads. All in violation of the treaties.


The US touts these violations and pulls out of the treaty. Russia looks shocked in feigned reaction. Then Putin tests his missiles more claiming he is going tit for tat with Trump’s military.


All of this is bosh and nonsense. Just gamesmanship. A TV reality start tweaking Putin and he retaliating with fake actions claiming opposite. One wonders if they chatted on tactics before taking action?


Then there is China making a show to build – yes, build – islands in the South China Sea. Islands they can arm and claim new territory, although international waters boundaries are well drawn and understood by the international community. And the UN. Gamesmanship again.


With tRump making a mockery of American agreements, treaties and trustworthiness, China and Russia appear glued at the hip to show their partnership to challenge America and her allies. This is their chance to rattle collaborative swords and statesmanship to reshape international power balances.


The trade wars are window dressing. Billionaires make more money. Taxpayers as consumers pay the burden of tariffs, and jobs in America are not affected at all. Only trading partners shift allegiance and resources. If prices are affected, they rise in the market to pay the false bravado claimed by a sitting president without moral authority.


All these paragraphs sum up the game as it now stands following the 2016 election. America is weakened and lesser than it was. Allies are shaken; they do not understand the new order of things and who is in charge of forming strategic initiatives among once trusted partners. The old foes are emboldened to shift their emphasis forward in daring ways. Inroads to trust these old foes are now shattered and impassable.


A sorry state has emerged. All at the hand of a president who has little understanding of foreign relations, diplomacy and dealing with agreements that matter more than trade. The real issues remain unmanaged: global warming; unrest and violence among the world’s religions; crumbling infrastructure of world health management; ignited culture wars that gain nothing; and a growing gap between haves and have nots.


The world is a tender tinder trap. Much more so than it was 3 years ago. Pity to have wasted what was so diligently worked for and gained over decades of hard work. Pity. Pitiful. Failed presidency of the current occupant who shall not be named.

The recent G7 meeting may have demonstrated leadership skills of France's Macron along with some others in the group. America is not the only stronghold of global power, strategic thinking and commonsense. I am thinking the western alliances may be shifting?


August 27, 2019

True or False?

1.       Tariffs protect our nation from unfair trade practices?
2.        Federal Reserve Board and its leadership (Board Chair) have power to hurt the economy?
3.       President has power to ban American businesses from doing business in a foreign land?


We could test other questions as true or false, but let’s stick with these three. Each of the three questions could be answered correctly both true and false. There is a bit of truth and falseness in each question.


Number one is almost always false. Tariffs were designed to protect important industries at home that were at a competitive disadvantage from foreign producers. Steel is an example. Producing steel at home is considered a core industry to a manufacturing and construction powerhouse nation. Importing steel is viewed as weak and dangerous; our nation would be vulnerable to predatory pricing from those nations wishing to weaken us. Friend or Foe? World community or competitors?


But tariffs produce unintended consequences. They raise prices on goods that are basic to many products and cause inflationary prices for derivative goods. Protected producers may become less motivated to improve their product. Innovation is stifled. The pace of inventing new and better products slows. Competitive advantage stalls. We all suffer.


Tariffs may be important for the short term to create a protective window of time in which a producer of national strategic importance figures out how to compete better and naturally in the long run. Then there’s the boomerang effect: tariffs can cause a nation to boycott their competitor nation and invent their own native industry that becomes better than the foreign provider. This is what happened in colonial America when Britain taxed the settlers on their goods. Americans responded by building their own ships, wagons, and many replacement goods. In turn that developed the American economy faster and stronger. It turned out to be a motivator.


In recent decades free trade has become the natural order throughout the globe. Trading goods and services at market rates that compete openly allows the market to determine the best price and terms. Trading partners then have the funds to buy and sell other goods in a broader pattern of goods. Those producers with the best products at the best prices win business. Those that have inferior products or higher prices lose. Both quality and price is relative, however. That is why quality is a competitive advantage. Price is not always the arbiter.


International trade is complex. Value of currencies is only one difficult component to manage. Shipping, damage during shipping, international regulations and a host of other complexities shroud foreign commerce in layers of mystery. The results are good if the end price and exchange of valued products fit the use of the buyer and seller. Both trading partners win.


Number two is false. The Federal Reserve sets objectives for performance of the economy. Setting interest rates is the mechanism used to do this. Banking regulations have effects on the economy’s performance, too, but interest rates are primary. Raising interest rates dampens economic activity. It makes borrowing money more costly and forces borrowers to plan carefully to afford the risk of why they are borrowing in the first place. Cheap borrowing motivates business risk takers to expand their businesses. In turn this produces more jobs, more goods and more competition. The economy runs bigger and faster. If demand or quality is poor, the economic results are negative and go bust.

So, increasing interest rates slow the economy, while lowering rates speeds up the economy.

Currently, the economy is moving quickly, but there are weak spots. Interest rates do not need to be lower at this time to spur the economy; besides, interest rates are near historic lows. Risk takers do not need lower interest rates to make good decisions in borrowing funds. Blaming the Federal Reserve (and its chairman) is inappropriate for the current condition of the economy. Our economy is in danger of being overheated and out of balance. It does not need lower interest rates at this time.

If the Federal Reserve were to bow to political pressure, that would be a manipulation of the levers of power and do damage to the economy. This is the design reason behind the Federal Reserve's autonomy. No one controls the Fed.


Number three is false in the main. The president does not have the unilateral power to ban American business from foreign markets. Mechanisms could be imposed to have the same effect, but it would take a concerted effort by regulators, Federal Reserve, and Congress to make it happen. The components are so complex that the court system would likely be tested to determine constitutionality of the legislation or policies attempting to curb international trade.


That’s my Economics 101, 102 and 201 and 302 lessons for the day.


August 26, 2019

Slimming Down the Pack

Leading up to the Presidential election of 2016, more than 20 republicans entered the primaries. Along the tortuous path of those campaigns, many candidates dropped out of the race until there were only four. Then the republican national convention chose tRump.


Today, we are leading up to the Presidential election of 2020. Twenty-four Democratic candidates signed on for the primaries. Already a few have dropped from the race, and several more are fading from view. This is the slimming down of the pack. Personalities, leadership styles and core messages are being tested and winnowed out. Just because some issues are moved to a back burner, does not mean they will remain there. All messages are being considered. All are important. But some will retain potency in the final selection of a candidate, and a winner of the election.


Democracy in America is messy. It is loud and noisy. It is complex and confusing. It is emotional and aggravating. And it is terribly costly.


My nerves are battered and bruised. I applaud the messages touted and discussed, although sound bites are not discussions. Also, on display is a wide variety of ages, experience, and genders; even a gay candidate is in the mix. All of that is good for our democracy and form of government. This is how we the people become informed and engaged in the process.


Still, even as candidates leave the race, their issues, messages and participation have enriched the conversation. Jay Inslee of Washington state is a good example. His key issue is saving the planet from global warming. He is correct to support that issue. It is the one issue that is truly life or death for all of us. Global warming is real and must be dealt with if we dare to hope for a long future for successive generations of our families. Period.


Bernie Sanders is correct in many issues he supports. Whether all of those issues will be addressed and solutions implemented is highly questionable. There are not enough resources to do so, and that’s pure fact and logic. However, the issues deserve their time on the front burner.


And so it goes; issue after issue from one and many candidates. Not all of them – the candidates – will win; only one will. The issues, on the other hand, will continue to be present in our minds, and on our agenda for work to be done on them. They have a life long after the candidates have disappeared.


Slimming down the pack will happen. Today and over the next several weeks and a few months. The pack will be reduced to maybe 5 or 6 candidates. All I ask is these favored few represent what is good for we the people.  Included in that is electability.


The finalist in the Democratic campaigns must be electable if we are to be rid of the current president. That is the biggest issue to me at this time.


I do not think Bernie Sanders is electable because of his advanced age. He is also too shrill and liberal to be elected. He is, however, a good agenda builder, discussion leader, and government problem solver. He will be invaluable as a ‘kitchen cabinet’ member for whoever wins the Presidency. I want him included after the election. That is very important to me.


The same is true of Elizabeth Warren. I believe she, too, will be too old to be President if elected. Her message is excellent; her logic is impeccable; and her nerves and presence are made of steel.  All great assets for a President. But she will be in her 70’s when elected. I still think that’s too old to embark on a grueling journey of national leadership. She would be near 80 years of age at the end of a two term presidency.  Much too old.


I’m 76. This is not an ageist position of mine. It’s a health and stability issue. We elders have good minds and abilities to share with others. I am a proponent of that sharing. Many of the current candidates are terrific. But in that pack is one who will be best. We need to determine who that is.

Electable.  Healthy. Capable. Sustainable. Stable.


Let the journey carry on. But let’s look for the best and remove the current occupant of the White House.


August 23, 2019

Getting Along with Others

I was taught to be polite. This was a long time ago before I attended Kindergarten. I was told to say ‘thank you,’ ‘please,’ and ‘yes, sir, yes, ma’am.’ I was also taught to listen to my elders, show them respect.


In recent news exchanges with the press, Mr. tRump has reported he was the ‘chosen one’ to wage a trade war with China. He unilaterally claimed that all problems he is now battling are the ones not engaged by his predecessors. He now reports he is viewed by Israelis to be the ‘second coming of God.’ And he explained his cancellation of a trip to Denmark was due to ‘not a nice thing to say’ by the Denmark leader.


It appears Mr. tRump has an elevated view of himself and insists that all of us on the planet see him in the same light. Good luck with that, donald!


If this one day in the news does not inform his supporters that he is a complete lunatic, then there is little doubt about their veracity. Reasonable people do not speak as he does; nor do fans accept such dubious self-encomiums.


The sitting president of the US needs to be quarantined and declared incompetent and removed from office. Impeachment is not workable. Waiting for the 2020 election cycle is too slow. Justice, sanity and good manners require his removal. And yes, the Constitution and protocols provide for this.


Perhaps the institution that he is remanded to can return him to remedial Kindergarten classes. He needs retraining on being a polite and productive member of society.


August 22, 2019

Struggle - Connectedness

Struggle is a special word for me.  Struggle.  It is a noun and a verb. The noun labels a condition in which a person or organization works hard - struggles - to understand something, become connected with a problem, other people, or anything that is different from their previous understanding. That condition is encountered throughout our lives.

The verb, struggle, is the action it takes to engage the work to understand the unknown.

Example: as a 76 year old white male, I struggle to understand the simplest matters concerning computers and technology. I deal with it. I am aware of how my mind is not organized to function like a computer (although we all know it is; that is the language of computers and technology, the logic of it all). I like to say I use computers as tools. My real function is to create 'content', messages, and gathered information to make sense of. I dump those efforts into a computer like I am doing this moment writing this blog.

Using the computer as tool is a struggle for me. I used to place paper onto the platen of a typewriter and bang away on the keyboard, producing words on the paper. Correcting those words was a bother of erasers, White-Out, and other messy means; often we penciled corrections onto the page and later re-typed the bloody thing.

Now of course we merely backspace on the computer screen, fix the word or typo, and move on. The miracle of computers has transformed communication, and I love it; appreciate it. So I do get the new technology, I just don't know how it works and don't want it to get in the way of my creating content.

OK, so now we have struggle as a condition of unknowing (and presumably wanting to know), and struggle as a set of actions that are used to find connectedness and meaning with the unknown.

Being a person familiar with operations of non-profit organizations, I am aware of the mission and passion of others who wish to serve and make a difference with people who need help. The helpers are different from the people receiving the help. The reality of the conditions for the helper and helpee are different. Bridging the gap is the work that delivers the help to the recipient. The conditions of the two parties are quite different. The person in need only knows of the need, not what would make a difference in that need.  The helper must format the help accordingly to actually be of help. The manner of delivering the help matters as well.

This is what I mean as 'connectedness'. There must be a joining of the two parties if they are to be of purpose to one another.

Example: entering a group of people who speak a language different from yours, creates a barrier to knowing or understanding the group. The same for them understanding you. We learn to cope in such situations by way of smiles, handshakes, nodding of heads and facial expressions that communicate our not knowing but willingness to know. In bits and pieces we begin to acclimate to one another at least on a basic level.

Now, transport all of that to the world of churches. In our communities we have churches of several denominations, even Asian temples. I know of two mosques as well. We have African American churches, Hispanic, Chinese, and of course churches mainly of white cultures. They all deal with similar or the same message and content of their theology and religious rituals and creeds. The culture and language is different among these churches.

Bringing them together to accomplish common work, is a struggle. Getting to a place of comfort to work with them takes work; struggles. Letting them into our own personal space so they can be comfortable working with us also takes work; struggles. The effort produces magical results if we are successful.

Twenty years from now - 2040 - America will look and be different from what it is today. Our diversity will be more marked. White America will become a minority. It is inevitable. It is pure math combined with time. How will we struggle successfully to produce magical results?

There is no turning back. There is no way to remain separate but equal communities based on race, religion or ethnicity. It is a forward motion of becoming a culturally enriched community. And world.

Whether a church community or a town or city, we live with and through others, and they through and with us. It is a mutual sharing of existence and place. Best we roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Engage struggle. It is what enriches and liberates us. What a treat!

August 21, 2019

Keeping Up with the Jones

I grew up with this phrase. It was the late 40’s and all of the 50’s. By the 60’s it was trite and we were replacing the phrase; with what I don't know off the top of my head.


But 'keeping up with the Jones' was shorthand for acquiring the same or better lifestyle than the neighbors.  If they can do it, we reasoned, so could we. Parents said otherwise. So, the shiny new Schwinn was a wish saved for birthdays and Christmas. We dreamed of new cars, too, and wondered why dad didn’t spring for the newest buggy when it came out. We kids were excited at the new car models, but dad and mom were not.


Visiting neighbors, we were treated to their new TVs, new carpeting, and appliances we could only hope for. In time we had those things, but not when they were the newest gadgets on the market. We were slow adopters of new technologies!


No, our family was stodgy and not showy. We limped along with the 10 year old torpedo shaped Pontiac coupe. You know, the one with 120,000 miles on it. Dad got it during the war, and new cars simply were not available. The next new car came in 1951, a dull light blue Dodge. Getting it was exciting, but that soon wore out when we realized what a boring car it truly was. No radio. No turn signals. No power equipment. And in Southern California, no heater. Just new. Time did not enhance that evaluation, either.


I remember the day we got the new 1956 Buick. Boy Howdy that was a super car. Red and white, four door hardtop, convertible. You know, four doors without the center post. It was the newest thing of the day. Sporty and a little luxurious. And it had Dynaflow. Wowzer, that transmission was smooth. After that, a 1961 Ford Galaxie 500 came along. Two cars I know dad liked. All the rest were transportation. Dad was not one for keeping up with the Jones.


Mom was, however. She wanted the new washer and dryer, the dishwasher, the garbage disposer and the new car. She liked decorating the house, buying draperies and replacing the furniture from time to time. She was an American consumer!  Dad tsked tsked his way through decades resisting her urge to keep up with the Jones.


My tastes followed my mom’s. Cars, shoes and watches are still of particular attraction to me. I don’t need them as much as I once thought, nor do I have the disposable income to afford them.  But then my wife through many of those years felt the same as my dad: no sense keeping up with the Jones. I 'suffered' until the divorce. Then I had a ball. But now, aging causes a drop in consumer goods fascination. But hey, the income is now used for health-related expenses.  The rhythms of life do have their toll.


As we learn to live with less, it is what is in our minds that interest us most. Thinking, reading, writing and sharing all of the content, that’s what occupies our time these days. And there is little associated expense for any of it. No repairs, no adjustments, no polishing or waxing. Just thinking and enjoyment.


Come to think of it, there are no Jones to compare this with; nor would they be interested if we could find them. So, two things solved in one stroke: saving money, and getting along with what you have.


I think that is what dad was trying to tell me back in the day.


August 20, 2019

Clutter

Days plod along. Mail arrives. Packages appear, too. Opening them creates waste paper and cardboard boxes. Mail envelopes, spam advertising, and so much more creates more waste.

New machines are unpacked for Rocky. A suction machine. A new electronic larynx (buzzer voice box thingy), supplies for the laryngectomy, pills for Parkinson’s, instructions on assembly of the new items, and more instructions on how to use it all. The literature piles up. Along with journals and a few magazines.


SCORE client files and session notes stack up as well. New clients add to the stack.


After discharge from both hospitals, instructions on daily care and cautions of what to look for add to the paper presence. And a part-time job required to monitor it all. So too, the billing papers to track with insurance documents so we know what to expect financially. So far nothing has arrived to inform us of the terrible toll of medical bills. I’m guessing high, but then hope for the best on what is left for co-pays and deductibles. It will be high no matter what.


We will sort that all out when it comes. Meanwhile, it is the other stuff that accumulates.


We have returned the transport wheelchair; not needed at this time. We maintain a plethora of canes, and one rollator (a walker with four wheels and a handbrake system, seat and storage compartment; all that’s missing is a bicycle handlebar bell!).


Remaining are several piles of medical supplies. Most are not used but came home with us as possibly helpful. Most are not, but once dispensed at hospital, they cannot reabsorb to their inventory. We still need to sort these out.


We continue with two bathrooms. Mine is pristine and ready for use. Rocky’s is not pleasant. That is because it is in constant use for medication procedures, wound site cleaning, stoma clearing, and specialized bathing procedures. The rest you can guess. Without daily maid service it rapidly declines in acceptability. I am not so inclined to provide that particular service.  So Rocky will need to do that.

Hard hearted caregiver, I know. But there are limits.


Limits also become more important as insistent claims on my time rise. If they are foreseeable, they can be planned and made routine. I will rise to the routine, not the feigned emergency which is not. Writing a paragraph requires concentration; interruptions are the enemy of that. So too, completed book chapters while reading; or, of course, TV programs that are interrupted at the crucial moment of discovery and plot resolution.


Things are not the only clutter in our lives. Lack of routine is the new clutter. How I hate unplanned, non-routine obligations. They clutter the mind and the mood. Yet they are required until we make new routines and understand the new normal.


Clutter as process. A new understanding of daily living.


Argh!!


August 19, 2019

Scripting

It’s Friday and mid-August. Evidently many public schools started classes this week, at least brief days of orientation. Next week most of the Illinois kids will be back in classrooms. That means the morning rush hour will be heavy until we get used to it again.


Colleges and universities start next week, too. It took me years to realize that Illinois universities up and down the state space out their starting dates in fall to accommodate student traffic on the I-roads. I had wondered why they didn’t all start at the same time. But whoa! That would have made for a state-wide traffic jam on I-55, I-57 and I-74.


Being Friday, we can expect a summery mix of events, distractions and short trips (just not near a university campus!).  News media will report on the weather, sports and public events as expected. By Sunday evening we will have an accounting of shootings and gun deaths in the Chicago region. Financial gurus will opine for hours on talk shows about what has happened with the stock and bond markets and what that bodes for our combined futures. News junkies will also share their views with anyone bothering to listen. All of this will amount to a lot of words with little lessons to learn.


At this stage of summer, it is better to focus on fall months and how we will spend our energy toward year-end results. This is the heavy lifting season of the year. If you are a returning college/university student, you know what I mean. You have felt the pull of purpose and it’s time to buckle down. Have some fun, but think of the possibilities, then build plans to achieve. If you are a small business owner, you feel the same tug to complete the year on a high note. Who are the best customer prospects? What do they really need? How can I help them? And then, make the sale?


Getting prepared for cooler weather – yes, snow and ice – always makes me serious about fall. Concentration comes easily at this time of year. Springtime is more fanciful and time-wasting.

Yes, it is time to plan the rest of our year. What will we make of it? Who will we come to know? What ideas will birth in our minds and lead to stunning fresh conclusions?


Some constants will stay with us – expenses, income, aches and pains, loves and yearnings, and yes, politicians. But their script is about themselves and why you should vote for them. They seem to have lost why they labor in the first place. What needs to be accomplished? Why? And how will they and we make that happen?


They have possibilities. So do each of us. We have possibilities to explore. Possibilities to make happen. To do.


That’s a script worthy of our attention and energy. Don’t be distracted.


August 16, 2019

Fundamentals

The stock market took an 800-point hit. At the same time world oil prices took a direct hit. Those two markets rattled the public. Was a recession near? Was a massive financial upheaval underway?


Most likely the upheaval has been underway for some time. Major trends start small and seep upward until we notice them. Often, trends make themselves known from a combination of factors. A shortage in a simple product – paperclips – makes us notice that other common office supplies are slow to obtain from the supply chain. This actually happened in the late ‘70’s. At the time, interest rate markets were insanely high; mortgages were going for 18%; auto loans were 12%. Money was short and prices were soaring. Gasoline shortages were headline news.


Here’s a trend that few talk about: declining age of workers. Elders are increasingly not present. They have retired or were pushed out of careers in favor of younger staff who had high tech skills. Greeters at Walmart became their refuge jobs, or caregivers in their neighborhoods. Then Uber and Lyft appeared and new careers opened up. These new careers for elders, however, came with low wages, no benefits, and much of the risk of the job placed on them directly – think auto expense for Uber and Lyft drivers.


At the same time tech workers surged, management workers ebbed. Corporate culture softened and wobbled. Those who knew and understood the corporate culture had been let go. Corporations soon were engaged in their own re-invention; many did not fare well. The newer corporations are still brittle and unproven in their lasting power.  Think of Amazon and what it is like to work there. So many new employees, so much repetitive work and routines, so much boredom and burnout. Work hours are designed to avoid benefit programs, but the hours for overtime and double shifts are welcome and hungrily absorbed until health and psychological issues develop. Not a happy place to work, I hear. How sustainable is their business model?


Labor trends in America have been afoot for at least 10 years, probably longer. But hey, thinking, logic and analysis is apparently not valued in the new workplace, so troubles are becoming evident.

Maybe some older, experienced hands should be consulted?


There is a lot more happening in the American economy than volatile stock values, labor shortages, and vast unused labor resources. There is a value shift from career workers to piece workers, skill set contributors until the project is finished, and then on to the next new thing. Constructing a lasting framework for sustainable products, services and careers is growing scarce.


This questions the underlying value of much we say we value. Are we forgetting why we labor in the first place? Are we chasing our own tails without end or purpose? Are we building a future that is worthy of our values?


The foundation of our culture, our nation and our very lives is at risk. Are we aware of this? If so, what are we doing about it?


August 15, 2019

Americans – The Who

A lot of noisy talk these days. Shouting, invective, cursing. Bulging eyes, red faces, strained neck tendons. An ugly view of discourse in modern America.


As the media continues to ramp up coverage of modern day American discourse, some of us fall back, silent, considering what each side is saying. If not two sides, how many others? What voices are trying to be heard? Are they heard? What are they saying?


Here are some of the messages heard when we are listening:

•  Hear me; know I am here among you
•  I am being left behind; help me keep pace with you
•  Include my concerns in whatever solutions are enacted
•  I do not trust decision makers, elected or not  

These messages are personal, not societal in scope. They have impact on society scope, but they are not focused on the larger picture, only the personal one.

Other messages heard:

• America stands for freedom
• America stands for personal initiative 
• America is creative, inventive
• America wants to embrace all its people; that is its history
• America has made mistakes; we must overcome them, forgive ourselves for these mistakes
• America does not want to be played for a fool
• America does believe in peace, lasting peace embracing all souls on the planet
• America loves nature and instinctively protects it
• Elected leaders have sold their soul to get elected and keep their positions
• Government has been corrupted by money, corporate culture; the two must be separated

These messages are large in scope. They can only be practiced if a majority of people support them.

Yes, there are other messages heard as well. But the primary issues are contained above. Both the personal and the Big Picture messages should be in control at this time. The personal tells us there is a problem in need of repair. The Big Picture messages tell us we care, we support the long-term vision, and we will include everyone in the solutions.


The machinery of government, however, has been corrupted in many ways. The people must be in control of that government. We The People rule America; not its government. That is a major distinction in American life we should never lose sight of. Other nations watch us and hope they can acquire what we have. But first, they must shed the machinery that holds them back.


In the same way, We The People need to shed the machinery that is corrupted and restore trust in our values, government, and future.


New leadership is required. Younger leaders with energy and fresh ideas are needed now. Hopefully the elders will hear this message and heed it. Their role is to coach and mentor, not rule. Now is the time for the next generation to step up and lead.


August 14, 2019

Can we Change?

Yesterday’s blog was a challenge to change. Friends told me that most people will change only reluctantly, and only if they need to. Not changing would deliver consequences so inconvenient and uncomfortable, they succumb to change for survival’s sake.  Example: not paying the mortgage ends up in foreclosure and homelessness.


Another example is not paying the auto loan will eventually lead to repossession of the car. Not a happy thought.


So, the individual changes enough to maintain the home and/or car.


Once sick or recovering from a dread disease, we learn that lifestyle choices created the health crisis in the first place. Changing lifestyle routines will lead to healthier results. So, we change. Maybe not enough, but we take on new habits with the hope that better results will accrue.


One friend told me in no uncertain terms that integration of American society with minorities will happen only when interracial marriage is widespread. That is already happening, but the numbers do not yet yield major success in terms of integration.


Maintaining purity of blood lines, however, is pure racism. Think about that; then claim you are not racist if this is your particular belief.


I do not mean to be radical about this. However, healthy integration takes time, perhaps 3 or 4 generations are needed. I suspect one generation is not enough, but at least it is a start.


Meanwhile, religious zeal among many denominations and sects create hate that has demanded genocide in several global sites. World War II and the Jewish Holocaust is but one seminal example. Think of the Muslim purges in Eastern Europe, Malaysia and Asia. We know it goes on. We knew it happened before. It will continue to happen unless and until people learn to get along with one another in peace.


It is easy to find disagreement. It is easy to feel upset and insulted. It is commonplace to build resentments. Then we merely need to sit back and watch the disaster unfold of another holocaust.


What is more difficult is to learn are ways of getting along with people different from ourselves. That takes discipline and resolve. Recall our current difficulties getting along with our own family members and close friends. Those relations are often stormy and scary.


If humankind is to be successful long into the future, we must learn ways of living in peace with one another. It begins with learning, accepting and adapting to diversity among us.

In small steps we begin.


August 13, 2019

Live Post - Diversity

I have never done this - write to the blog live. Normally I write a post on a Word document, edit it, then publish it to the post. Not today. Too much going on, too many topics flooding the mind. So I decided to just sit down and write to you.

A sermon yesterday morning dealt with change and dealing with it. Wishing for no change means total stasis. No change. No activity. Mere existence. Dormancy.

We need to embrace change. It proves we are alive. It is the stuff life is made of. If no change is happening, our live is winding down to death. That is true for organizations as well. If an organization - company, hobby group, church - is not changing, it is dead, or the walking dead.

Change is challenge. Challenge is exercise for the whole person and the whole organization. We must respond to change, the challenge. We gain insight, ideas and whet the intellect from this activity. It breathes new life and interest into the organism we call 'life.'

There are two distinct changes I think most churches need to embrace.  This goes for all other organizations as well.  Here are the two:

First, knowing our purpose or mission is dandy, but if it does not make room for what is going on in society all around us, then our mission or creed is no longer relevant. All religions, for example, came into being pre-history as mankind attempted to make sense of its existence. Over millennia creeds refined to what we see today as Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhism, Taoism, and so forth. They all emerged from history as changing dynamos. They were and are a product of a changing history and morphing social order in cultures around the globe. All different from our own.

All different from our own. But each is a part of us.

We must accommodate these differences, this diversity, somehow to remain relevant in the world.
 Second, the world society and American society changes over time to look increasingly diverse. In skin color, gender, gender orientation, culture, cuisine, thinking and much more, we are diverse. We should become more diverse in our organizations and churches to reflect that diversity. If we don't, we remain an increasingly isolated ghetto of sameness.

If our companies, schools and churches do not look or seem diverse, then our social structures are dying. Simple test: stand before a representative gathering of your organization - company employee meeting, church service, or school assembly - look out on the sea of faces; do they all look alike or do they show a rich diversity? Are you aware of more diversity beneath the skin and superficial surface?

If your church looks all white, or all black, or all brown, then your church is not diverse. Same with your school or company. These organizations are living artificially. They are not living with the full challenge of social change and integration of differences.

If we wish to be members of private clubs and filtered societies, then I guess change is not welcome. On the other hand, if we wish to be alive, dynamic and expansive in possibilities, we need to seek diversity and actively integrate it into our lives.

The future of mankind rests in this activity. Are we currently up to this challenge?

August 12, 2019

Consumer Technology Shifts

Over the years it has been exciting to buy the new TV with the latest technology. Remember when color came to TV?  In was in the ‘60’s. By the ‘70’s it was much more prevalent. By the ‘80’s everyone had color TV in their homes. By 2000 there was a color TV in nearly every room of the home.


Computers were those funny little keyboards with program cartridges you slid in. Hooked to a small portable TV, you had a computer terminal complete with monitor! At first it was games for the kids. Pac Man and such. Later we adventurously attempted to write programs that would inventory our record or cassette collection.  


Later still the Personal Computer came into being – the PC. We wrote some small programs to serve personal use, but mainly we bought programs that we could readily use. Database managers for one; word documents for another; and still more games.


As PC’s entered our office spaces we became more used to their presence and utility. Eventually personal computing and work applications merged. We were processing all sorts of things, still mostly documents, files and replacement of electric typewriters.


When the Internet came into being we were connected to the world, or so they said. Yes, that was true; world connectivity became a reality and by 2019 we are loaded with potential connections everywhere to the point of exhaustion.


Parallel to these developments, music collections morphed from LP records, to 8-tracks, cassettes and CDs. Now we are shifting to records again, but on-line music files and selection have made most sound technology obsolete. Amplifiers, speakers, CD players, turntables, TV connections, surround sound and all the rest. A dizzying array of products and services to please the ear and the mind.


These same technologies became wedded to our automobiles. CDs, sophisticated stereo systems, GPS navigation, all were heaped into our cars using countless tiny computers hidden behind the dashboard. Now our cars talk to us, we converse with them, and the brakes, steering, HVAC and sound systems coordinate with one another for a rich driving experience. Or one of horrendous distraction and crashes!


And then there is Wi-Fi. Cordless connections between devices. Convenience magnified by a factor of 10. And voice activation as well.


And the complexity. What we thought was mind-bogglingly complex, became even more so.


Now add age of the user. We used to crawl along the floor, near baseboards and dusty corners to connect one device with another. Plug-ins for this channel and the other, stereo and video inputs, and outputs, and all the rest. Speaker not working? Check the cable connections. Switch plug-ins.

Consider the permutations available, and try each one.


Finally, we crawled back a few feet, tried the switch again, and…nothing. Maybe some static; but not the music or the TV image wanted. Back to the baseboard and dusty back of equipment. Try more plug-in alternatives. Read the tiny script of what is what and where is where. Follow an outline of the wiring diagram in your head. Think through the circuitry required. Check that plug-ins mirror this diagram. Have I missed anything? Ah, yes. Now try it.


Back to the front of the equipment array and switches. Flick the power switch on. Suddenly music pours forth, and all from the correct speakers. The channels are aligned and so is our surround sound. So are my TVs, computers, wireless headphones and what not. The only thing left to do is figure out which remote control controls which device, then keep them separate. And yet conveniently placed for rapid access.


We don’t get on the floor anymore except by accident. We cannot get up from the floor very easily. We must huff and puff and pull and push to get upright again. This makes arranging wires and plug-ins impossible today.


Later this afternoon a member of the Geek Squad will visit for the first time. We will tell him of our audio needs and wants. We have the equipment. It just isn’t set up correctly anymore. Too many add-ons of newer equipment over the years. Too many new technologies vying for dominance among the older ones. Connectivity, intermingling and appropriate integration is needed. Can this young man make this happen?  [Note I am assuming a young man!]


If he can, we will have our stereo system back. And our CD player. And our surround sound. Wow!


I’ll let you know how this works out. Meanwhile, we will have fun watching him bend, stoop and crawl where we no longer can go.


August 9, 2019

PS: It worked out just dandy. In less than an hour he had everything set up right, even had time to teach us how to use it all. Tomorrow will be fun getting back to some great Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and all the rest of my old friends.

Insanity II

We covered the dumb handling of the gun issue yesterday. Now the economy.


You don’t cut interest rates as the economy is doing well and threatening inflation. Lowering interest rates usually is the spur for higher prices, inflation and a whole lot of grief. When the economy is doing well, you keep interest rates stable. If the economy is running toward a bubble, you raise interest rates to dampen economic activity. That’s the way this works. Has since the Federal Reserve was created.


Expecting it to work differently to encourage different results, is another definition of insanity.


Another form of insanity is using words that mean one thing and trying to make them mean something entirely different. Like truth and fact. Asserting something not in evidence by provable fact, is not truth. It is empty assertion. Saying it over and over again does not make it any less false.  This is the tactic of the propagandist.


Saying we have an invasion of our southern borders accompanied by a surge in criminal activity, simply is not supported in fact. Saying otherwise repeatedly doesn’t make it true. It is still false.

Saying Mexican and South American immigrants are eating up free services paid by American taxpayers doesn’t make it true. The facts are the exact opposite. Studies show Mexican immigrants pay taxes of $70 billion annually into the American economy. Yet as noncitizens, they are not eligible for social security, Medicare or Medicaid. They may receive free food handouts from charities, but they don’t get benefits from government paid programs. Saying otherwise is still not provable with facts.


Claiming global warming is a hoax does not make it true. Facts have established global warming to be present, steadily so on an upward scale of temperatures. The cause is a flood of CO2 gases. From burning fossil fuels, from forest fires, brush fires and chemical imbalances all caused by mankind’s wanton use of such. These factors have been studied for many decades and the cause/effect relationship well-established.


Violence arises from many causes: fear, emotion, anger, revenge, resentment, mistrust, greed, hate, etc. There are means to dampen these causes; and there are means to heighten them, too. Speeches, rhetoric, blame, and language of disrespect towards others who are ‘different’ from us. Saying otherwise doesn’t make it so. Rhetoric has effects; we need to understand that and dampen the harsh words. And yes, 'white supremacy' is a palpable canard that is fear based and mongered by propagandists. It is not a hoax. It is real and dangerous.


Civility helps people get along. Politeness matters. It keeps heads cooler. Hot reactions are fewer.

The debate over immigration and melting pot dynamics is a rhetorical war, not a debate. We must see ourselves as what we are – a blend of many cultures, bloods, ethnicities, and skin color. We remain humankind, the common call of our identity. Not better than, but different. Different, not lesser.


Insanity builds from poor understanding. This leads to conclusions that make no sense. Accepting false conclusions without proving them, is another definition of insanity.


Which are we? Sane or insane?


August 8, 2019

Insanity

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.


At some point, sane people figure out what to do that changes outcomes. That means we are learning how to cope with our world and make a difference. Allowing gun ownership to expand beyond one gun per person living in our country (330 million guns versus 325 million population) and then living with mass shootings where someone brandishes a gun in public, then uses it to kill anybody and everybody around him. Killing the shooter or sending him to prison for the rest of his life does not solve the problem.


Grabbing all the guns in the nation will not solve the problem either.


However, making gun laws that are so weak they are generally uneforceable, is nothing but cover for the gun industry and its asinine lobbyists and gun owners. No one is taking responsibility for the outcomes decried by everyone.


So, at least we can agree on one thing: we want and need a reduction in gun violence. That is the objective. Focus on that.


Now for the solution. We don’t truly know enough to solve the problem because it has become so overwhelming an issue. What do we do about that? We study the issue, research it, and come up with commonsense approaches to solving the problem.


Trouble is, the gun lobby asked and received support from Congress not to study the issue; no research; no government funding for the research. It is a banned subject. In spite of the need for it, a wall of denial has been built. It appears to be more effective than any wall we shouldn’t build on our southern border.


My position on gun violence has been to request gun owners to come up with a solution. Allow them to participate in finding the solution. Include them in the process so they believe in what is getting done.


If they and their lobbyists shrug off this responsibility, the next solution is simple: confiscate guns by category of violence.  AK47’s? Melt them down if they are not owned by the military or police department. Handguns? Same solution.


Now, I don’t want this to happen. Responsible people owning guns is OK. For sport or hobby, I don’t care. For protection I do care. To maintain a well regulated militia I think is OK, too; however, be reminded every state has its own National Guard Units, and we have well equipped police and sheriff departments across the land; and lastly, we have the US Military.


Doing anything less and expecting the desired result is insanity.


Another instance of insanity is imposing tariffs on friend and foe nations around the globe. Expecting them to wage no retaliation is foolishness.


Fair trade, fair pricing, fair commercial operations can only be expected as the result of sincere and meaningful discussions and negotiations. Shooting the enemy first, then asking for his help is not only unreasonable, it is too late. The victim is dead.


So will our nation and its economy be dead.


Congress, do your job. Courts, do your job. The Constitution demands it. And We The People expect nothing less.

We already know the chief executive is out of control and part of the problem.


August 7, 2019

Freedom from Fear

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is what our form of government guarantees we the people.


Everything the government does – whether in the nation’s name or by each of its several states – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a right we each have. It's inalienable.


Anything that restricts rights to those ends, is subject to control, regulation or elimination. Anything.

I am here to state that unfettered gun ownership is a clear and present danger to each of us. Therefore, some form of control or regulation is needed to restrict gun ownership to we the people. Acting in our name are law enforcement agencies and military institutions. Those should be exempt from elimination of arms. The we the people, however, are not exempt. If we do not govern gun use in our nation, then each gun is subject to removal from harming people.


That’s the simplicity of the law. The Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms to support a well-regulated militia. Where police or militia institutions are absent, we each have the right to bear arms. To what end? Well, to protect ourselves and our property from others who would take it from us. And to protect ourselves and families and communities from groups or nations bent on taking our freedoms from us. That’s it.


There is no guarantee to own guns for hobbies or sports. To preserve and protect, yes; to have fun with, no.


Middle ground is broadly available to find reasonable regulatory action with respect to guns. We don’t have to outlaw private ownership of guns simply because we have a social problem in which some people – a small minority – cannot control their actions and use guns to kill and injure others.


Having said that, we have a problem with gun violence.  If we are to continue to experience gun violence at unacceptable levels, then those who own guns have to figure out a method of reducing gun violence. If they don’t, we take the guns away.


Pretty simple. I don’t want your guns. I don’t think you want to shoot me. But I don’t own a gun and don’t contribute to the violence. Your having a gun creates the tension that leads to gun violence. Figure out how to keep others from running amok with guns, and you can keep your guns. Otherwise, no.


This is a root to freedom from fear. And that, friends, is also guaranteed by the Constitution.


August 6, 2019

Witness

An experience that sheds meaning on my life is a good thing. Understanding the fullness of the meaning is another good thing, related to the first experience. With the expanded understanding, other things in life become more known and understood. That’s what I mean by witness. Seeing, hearing, experiencing.


Now, in religious life, we hear of people ‘bearing witness.’ Usually that refers to a church person standing up in their congregation and telling others that he or she experienced an event or happening that brought him/her closer to God. Perhaps it was feeling or sensing Christ in some way that made it very real. Perhaps they wished to describe a ‘calling’ to action that came from a religious conviction.


I suppose a part of my term of ‘witness’ derives from the previous paragraph. However, I feel compelled to expand that meaning. For example, Rocky’s recent pre-surgery circumstances questioned whether he would survive the surgery. We feared surgeons would encounter a situation once they opened him up that was hopeless. They warned us of this happening. If it did happen, they would make him comfortable but withdraw from further surgical intervention. His prognosis would likely have been one to two months to live.


That didn’t happen. The surgery was not only successful, but the circumstances were better than they had hoped and 3 of the 8 surgeries planned that day were avoided. That sped up recovery and quality of medical condition. Rocky survived the surgery and has an excellent prognosis. A lot of things have to happen, but long-term he has multiple years of future life ahead of him.


We went into surgery with more than 100 people saying they would pray for him. The results were very good. I infer from that – no, I learned from that – prayer works. Good things can happen as the result of prayer. I believe that. I don’t think this is hocus pocus. I accept the power of prayer.


Now, that does not mean I believe that we can pray for wonderful things and success in all things. In fact, I now realize that life contains many simple wonders that we often do not recognize. Sometimes, serious things survived provide appreciation for the little things in life.


I have come to love early morning: early light, threads of sunshine beginning to light the landscape, fresh smell of humid air of the day, awakening birdsong gladdening our surrounds, even the gladdening. That alone is a little thing that is not little.


The little things are big in and of themselves. They amass to a wonderous presence of good in the world.


We miss much of this because of aches, pains and irritations. Newscasts are irritations mostly. They tell of negative things, awful things, harbingers of more bad things. We become engrossed in all this negativity and the good is masked, covered up, not seen.


Witness is an intentional act of telling others of what you notice that matters.


It matters to me that I can smell plants growing, that I hear the tiny rustle of budding breeze in tender, young foliage. I see droplets of dew on the edges of flower petals. I smell sweetness of blooms. I taste butter on my toast, in my eggs, in a pastry. I know butter is there; its distinctive taste tells me that. It is a blessing of life. You are a blessing in my life.


Yes, you, known or unknown, you are part of the ‘we’ of community life. That is a blessing for certain. Knowing what to do with this blessing is entirely another matter. So let’s remain with the simple, the blessing itself, the spying of it in our midst.


Witness tells me I am alive and notice things. I am not so busy living that I miss what living is for.


Allow this to happen in your life. Give it a try. Or just let it become.


August 5, 2019

How Much Time?

Great question! Can be used in many settings, for many people, on millions of topics. "How much time does it take…? How much time do we have left before…?" And so on.


A quick scan of the news this morning: first interest rate cut by Federal Reserve since 2008; time is melting away until a climate change cataclysm; too much to do with the time available; when’s the next Presidential election? How much time does each democratic candidate have to make his/her point before they run out of steam with the public?


You get the point. Time is a constant in all we do. It is the marker we live with consciously or not; time passes. The past is behind, the present is now, and the future is ahead.


The point is, what we do with the time available? Or what others did with the time available for them sometime in the past? Or still, what will we do with our now time to do what others did not do when they had the chance?


Managing the economy is such a topic. Interest rates go up and down; the market mechanism usually does this for us, but at times the Federal Reserve is the actor-in-chief. If the economy is stuttering, interest rates are lowered to give people a reason to go into debt; this boosts economic activity and saves us from a recession; or so the thinking goes. If the economy is doing too well, then interest rates are raised to give borrowers a second chance to consider if they should go into debt or not, and if they don’t, economic transactions, manufacturing and retail sales take a dip, slowing the economy and averting a disastrous inflationary period.


Time. Monitored by interest rates. Time pricing the value of money and financial activity.


Election cycles. Time urging people to decide on who to vote for or against. Time to get the message out so voters make an informed decision.


Events come and go. Time. Do we attend or not? Do we have other demands (on our time) that keep us from frivolity? A sick relative. A death of a loved one. Interruptions of busy lives that force a change in how we use our time.


The Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church takes time to look at time – how did the creator create the universe? And in how many days? They say it took 6 normal days for God to create the world; and on the seventh day he rested. The Bible says so.


The rest of us scoff at this. Metaphor or not, a day is not 24 hours in Biblical time; it is most likely millions of years. No one knows. We are left to consider the possibilities and the science of such things.


Yet a sect of a major Christian denomination chose to spend its time and energy on this biblical reference rather than focus on the problems that threaten the continued presence of the world itself. Climate change may very well destroy the earth and all of its inhabitants. In just a few years. Yet they recycle the old, tired question in how many days did God take to create the universe?!


Folly.


Some of us are focused on serious issues. We don’t spend our time toying with fun, frivolity or fiddle-faddle. We consider fate, faith and family.


Where do you spend your time?


August 2, 2019

Getting Back to Normal

After four weeks of hospitals, rearranged household chores, logistical challenges and all the worry, there is a glimmer of finding a routine, a new normal, and what’s ahead for the next few years. That statement alone, is the bridge to tomorrow.


For some it is a bridge too far. For others it is painful, disappointing, and crushing.


Flip that image upside down and the bridge appears.


Step onto the bridge. From wherever you are, feel the new and different surface of the bridge. Feel for its heft and stability. Does it shudder when you stomp your foot? Does it swing back and forth? Or does it hold firm and promise a steady path forward?


Usually the latter. A connection to what’s yet to be. A future of…possibility.


The future is not known. That’s what makes it the future. We can wonder about it. We can estimate it. We can dream it. But only stepping into it will we come to know it.


And what it will do for our life.


I don’t know how I will react to the changes. I can’t know how I will understand the new, incorporate it into my life. I can try it and live it moment by moment and experience the freedom I have in getting to know it. What does this new world mean? What does it mean specifically to me? How will it affect my life going forward? Will I discover new strengths and talents? Will I know what to do and how to make the most of it?


Or will I cower, duck and avoid? Will I turn around and get off the bridge where I first got on? If I do, what will my life be like then?


Possibility is attractive to me. Possibility holds excitement, wonder and promise of things I will learn to cherish and enjoy. The past life and its routine are now gone and the new beckons. It is the promise of possibility that makes the transition a worthy enterprise and attractive.


After life-changing events, there is no getting back to normal. It is only a getting to a new normal.

What it holds is the possibility and the promise. It won’t be easy, but it will be interesting.


What delights await my discovery? And ours?


August 1, 2019