Crucibles

Rise. Start the day. Look into the mirror, brush the hair, wash the face, take the pills and wash the hands. Move to the thermostat and nudge up the temp. Turn on some lights. Into the kitchen for coffee making. While the pot works its magic, move to the computer and turn it on.


Soon the day begins. Not without its rituals, but format takes shape. The brain turns on and up. Emails read and answered, text messages answered, internet news digested. Before that, the blog written yesterday is posted and copied to Facebook.


News written and broadcast over the past 12 hours is scanned. World wide and national. Local, too, if available (increasingly not!). Ideas and reactions are forming. A tag is noted for possible blog topics for tomorrow’s posting.


The world is invited into the home. The brain exposed and tender to messages. The crucible of events and feelings awaken. The day is perking along with the coffee. Ah, the coffee!


Into the kitchen to retrieve the pot and pour a cup. Sip twice. Ponder the news of the day as the liquid goes into action. Deaths. Wars. Legislation. Court cases. Development of all the stories. What is happening where and to whom. What are the reactions of the players to such actions in which they are involved? What effect does that have on me? How do I feel about that? Ramifications of these happenings begin to percolate. An idea comes into view.


I write about it.


The stew pot of life – the crucible – melds ingredients toward meaning. We sample it. Taste it. Discern its value and lasting meaning. This is the way of knowing self and context. Challenge. Struggle. We inch forward another day.


Hoping. Longing for understanding and gracious outcomes. We struggle for which outcome? What is our hoped for outcome? Do we really know? Or are we on automatic pilot?


Why is this so hard?


February 28, 2020

Death of God?

On April 8, 1966, Time Magazine published a cover story entitled “Is God Dead?” The story was shocking to a lot of people. Their argument was society had become startlingly secular and that was pushing God out of people’s lives. Church attendance and membership had dropped off, people were increasingly focused on raising their families, earning a good income, building careers, and finding pleasure in a demanding and hectic world.


As the story read on and the public engaged in the discussion, no, God was not dead. In fact, there was a current reawakening to the presence of God in most things. Spiritual life was healthy but changing from old norms. People were tiring of religious ritual and demands. Instead they wanted discussion, learning and understanding the world in the context of current events and issues.

Might the same be said of today?


My experience notes vigorous public discussions and movements surrounding many current issues – racism, ecology, women’s rights, abortion rights, gay rights, immigrant rights, voter rights, and on and on. Fiery speeches, marches and fundraising events are staged. Books are written. Political campaigns are waged. All of these focus on someone’s ideal of right thinking and values. The debates are real; so are the feelings, and spirit of support.


Spirit. Spiritual roots. Right and wrong. Truth, fact, established record of history. Americans are struggling with these matters as they always have. History is changed and changing. Always has. It is the sinew of our life together in community – arguing what is right and what is normal. But then, what is normal is not always right. So the debate goes on in perpetuity.


Church life may embrace some of these avid activities, or not. Understanding the feelings and nurturing to the stresses and strains of life do happen. Ministry is an adoption of movements which embellish life’s value. Lives are embraced and spiritual matters are celebrated. Perhaps not religious matters, but certainly spiritual ones.


I feel fairly certain that if Time Magazine reran the story of God’s Death, the reaction would be similar to that of 1966. God is not dead. Churches are not dead. Spirituality is alive and kicking, and because of that, so is religion alive and breathing. Much has changed in churches and parishioners.

Our population is different, too. Young adults see the world through their lens and will act differently with the details than we did back in our day.


Life experience presses its understanding forward. The institutions of community change a little and a lot. They remain, however, as partners in our todays and tomorrows. Churches, too, affect and effect these changes.


Dead? No, assuredly no. God is alive and with us. Some folks just don’t let him/her into their lives until the need demands the presence.


February 27, 2020

Knowing Right

I  don’t know about you but I learned about right and wrong in a hodge podge of events. “Hot! Don’t touch!” that was most likely my first warning of something not good for me. The stove is not wrong or bad. Neither is the heat. But touching a hot stove is bad for the body, the skin, the finger or hand. Best avoid contact.


Ok. “Hold my hand.” That admonition was made to guide me safely forward. Across the street, surely, and into and out of the car without getting hit by passing cars. Going up and down steps was another peril to be guided through and around. So many of such things when you are tiny.


Anyway, over the years we are told what is good or bad, safe or dangerous, and whatnot. We gain some experience with these things. We observe others (brother and sister?) run afoul of these dangers, and woe is witnessed; best I avoid that!


As we pass through ages and phases of life, we garner a sense of right and wrong and proper behavior for the circumstance. Later, we explore each of these things on our own and come to realize how to navigate them as an adult. We change our mind, maybe, and create our own index of right and wrong.


Later still, the fine points of life beckon us to experience more details firsthand. We often plow ahead without much care. If results are miserable, we learn more about what made them miserable. Then we take note on what to avoid, or how better to encounter the danger more successfully.


With more and more experience we learn.


Like art, talent, music, speaking in public, whatever, we must take the plunge and step ahead away from our known base of safety, comfort. It is in this netherworld we gain knowledge of self and ability. Without the risk, we would not make the move. We would be devoid of the new experience. We would not learn about ourselves. Safe but bland. Not fulfilled.


Right and wrong are not black and white. There is a world of gray involved in life. It must be experienced to be known. More experiences inform us of finer details. We learn the difference between craft and art. We learn the difference between feeling and thought. And we know success and failure in many degrees.


I don’t automatically know right from wrong. It must be learned. Each of us must do this work. All of us, and at different moments in the continuum of time, making for differences among us in thought, deed, word and morality. We are different. Our experiences are different. Our timing is different. This all makes for a challenging social order in which to live.


Listening is important to understanding. Articulating one’s own mind is also important to the discussion. Having the discussion helps all participants grow in understanding.


This is why civility in discourse is so important. The right and wrong is yet to be determined. And always will be.


February 26, 2020

Making a Difference

Aching to make a difference. Yearning to do so. What is good and what bad, what needs help to fix? What can we do to make a more perfect union in our own country? What is our global role in the ills that bedevil the world community?


What can we repair? What should we fix? What intervention should we avoid? Anything? If yes, why? What is the rationale for leaving a problem unattended?


In all of this, what kind of country do we want for ourselves? Is that a distortion of what our historical roots say we are? Are we messing around with things we ought not?


Such questions are necessary. They are bold. They seek discernment of what is important and what is not. Then too, what is our business and what isn’t?


We will not know how this discussion will unfold unless we jump into it. Some of us have. The results to date are discouraging. Many people cry out in alarm that we are messing with things we shouldn’t. Abortion. Racism. Internationalism. Globalism. Immigration. Poverty. Criminal justice system. Equity and fairness. Justice.


I don’t know about you, but these are all fair game to me. If we say we are better people capable of doing miracles through collaboration and shared resources, then we have to address the what, who and how. Ignoring these things shows cowardice.


It also goes against all philosophies and theologies we have been taught through the ages.


Making a difference in the lives of others gives proof that we are alive and capable of good works. It announces that society is not all greedy and selfish. It claims that our nation cares about each person within our borders and outside of them.


The yearning for freedom and security is a universal need. Americans were raised knowing we could spread such freedom and security.


The question is: why have we relented on this quest?


If we do not answer the call to fulfill our potential, are we defaming what God-given talents and resources were provided us?


At what cost to ourselves do we pay for ignoring our birthright? Our possibility? The call to do the right thing?


February 25, 2020

Church Journey

Attendance down. Unchurched growing. Years accumulate for the trendline. Roman Catholic students are not entering seminary in numbers to replace retiring, dying or disabled priests. Same with nuns; number of sisters are falling with declining replacements entering convents.


Smaller protestant churches move to part-time ministers and pastors. Smaller churches continue to shrink in size and many eventually close. New churches open in burgeoning housing markets, but still population numbers do not support new churches as they did in past decades.


New churches opening tend to be independent of national denominations and housed in ‘big box’ facilities. Stadium seating and large venue stages appear. Television broadcasting is present in some of these new churches. Music throbs; so does dance, theater and many genres of music recitals. The methods of worship are shifting. The old is out of fashion and the new sparks interest of the unchurched.


Well; all of this bodes ill, wouldn’t you think? In some ways yes; in many ways, no. The story of churches – actually their journey from 1900 – has been similar all the way to 2000.

The first paragraph of this post is a good description of what was happening in 1950 and 1960. But it also describes what is happening in 2020. Nothing much has changed. The trends continue downward.


Smaller churches continue to morph from once larger congregations, and many small churches decide eventually to merge with other churches, or close their doors permanently. That trend is still fresh as it always has been.


Younger people are avoiding church membership entirely. 30 and 40-somethings have been disappearing from churches as well. Even the 50 and 60-year old’s have been dwindling.


What to do? Well, new options are appearing. Like they always have, parishioners have invented new ways to worship. Many have adopted new ministries that clearly speak service to others outside the walls of their churches. Following Biblical admonitions to love one another and serve them, congregations are finding ways to do just that. Young members like this approach; it engages them in the real world.


Millennials are vocal about hypocrisy observed. How can God love each of us and yet scourge gay and lesbian people? Or admonish and castigate those having abortions? What about diversity and openly welcoming parishioners who do not look like the majority? Yes, millennials are tough on the older generations. And with good cause!


When I was their age, I ached for my turn to be an adult and make a difference in our social order, a difference that was sorely needed then. Now 60 years later I face the reality that my tenure has left a world order much worse off than the one I inherited from my elders.


In the 1960’s our society was sick with racism and war mongering. Today, our society is sick with racism and war mongering. White supremacy is rife. Injustice appears in many places. Yet, we elders continue to pray to our God and seek answers for the very problems we did little about.

How does the church become and remain relevant? What must it do to embrace diversity to enrich our social order? Why does this remain so difficult to accept and master?


My view? We have a better chance focusing on these problems from within the church so we can carry it out to the people who are in need. The church is not a place. It is a way of life focused on helping others so we can forget ourselves.

Meanwhile, people still yearn for connection with others. They have religion in their souls, too. They just live differently than I did. That doesn't make it wrong. Perhaps they will create their own church?


It sounds so easy. It isn’t. The church journey would be doing much better if it were.


February 24, 2020

Upside-down-ism

I want to be a citizen of a country that values each other and embraces values of social justice for not only ourselves, but for all people throughout the world. If it is good enough for me, others should have it as well. All the while I want to live in a world that I know deep down wants me to treat others as I would have them treat me.


That’s it. That’s what I believe, think and feel.


I know the world contains both good and bad people. I know that bad things have been done to others. The why is not important; the fact that the bad has happened is the point to focus on. What is done about this occurrence is what we need to ponder. What will the consequences be for the evil act?

If we take an ‘eye for an eye’, do we not perpetuate the evil? What then happens if we do the opposite? Do we embrace the evil doer and tell him/her they are forgiven, go and do not do that evil again?


The consequence of that magnanimous act is what? Will the evil one turn his/her life around? Or will he do evil again? And if the latter, what then? What does society do about the repeater?


There is no good answer to this question. However, to assume the evil doer will repeat denies the possibility of the doer to do well rather than bad in the future. Might forgiveness cause a life to rebuild? And if so, how many chances do we allow to get this forgiveness thing right?


Those who believe in the positive are the faithful. They believe in second chances. They believe in the goodness of mankind.


Those who believe in the negative are the realists. They believe second chances are for foolish victims and they will repeat as long as they are allowed to. Ill-gotten gains will accrue to the evil doer until someone stops him. That result will motivate the evil doer to continue repeating.


Thus, a justice system was created.   


It has not worked perfectly. It is a human construct so is riven with problems and faults. However, it is administered as best it can to do justice among us.


There are those who believe some deserve better treatment than others. They lobby for wiggle room and special treatment disguised as something else. Over time such tweaks are allowed, and the system morphs a bit. Still more time and the system morphs a lot. Eventually the system becomes unrecognizable.


It is now upside-down from where it began. The guilty are allowed to walk away unscathed and unpunished. Even if they earn a modest sentence, one in greater authority awaits to pardon the guilty. Others who do not agree become enemies of the greater authority. They now feel the full weight of the justice system only now it is injustice given.


Upside-down. Downside-up. Which is your poison for a democracy run amok of its principles?

And what do we do about this? Now, not later?


February 21, 2020

Reins of Reign?

Our nation has roots in the late 1500’s. Most of the 1600’s was a time of building a foothold on the North American continent. We feel our roots are in the 1700’s, but that would misstate our beginnings by over 125 years.


By 1770 the American colonies of Britain had had it. Not everyone, but a majority. The British King insisted on holding sway over our fledgling nation and to earn wealth by trading off lands, building rich trading routes for the Crown, and taxing colonialists for every little thing. This is what rankled Colonial America. This and not knowing what might come next to pinch more pennies from their meager purses.


Loyalists to the Crown were many and kept silent. They plotted with authorities of the Crown to keep things the way they were. These were citizens who ‘owned’ the best lands and trade deals with the homeland. They were making a good living and wanted to keep it that way.


On the other side of the issue, colonial leaders insisted the colonies have a voice in their own governance. And so it went until the Declaration of Independence was written and announced for all to see. Before that, the Continental Army under the leadership of George Washington was formed. They prepared for war with the King’s men, but hoped to avoid carnage. They wheeled and dealed until they knew it was fruitless. Only then did the American Revolution become a certainty.


And so it was. To throw off the bonds of a distant King.


Hundreds of years later we find ourselves with a ‘president’ who acts like a king. And throwing off his bonds is next on our agenda if America is to continue with its experiment with democracy. The issues are similar. Only this time we have a homegrown ‘king’.


He who shall not be named sets tax rates where he wants them for his own good and for the good of his friends. The common man is forgotten. It is they who pay the price of the society in every respect, but crumbs are left for them. Checks and balances built into our governing system to make certain no kingdom would form, have been ignored, even by the checkers themselves! Shocking. And now the courts and mechanisms of justice.


What the ‘king’ says is touted far and wide in his kingdom. But it is all false. It does not have the force of law. Nor does legitimacy even enter the picture.


King Donald has uttered his tweet incessantly to establish a fake authority.


One question: where are the true authorities to restore balance and justice? Who are they? For whom do they act? Us or the King?


February 20, 2020

Bucket List

Let me see. What would I like to do before I kick the bucket? The list is easy to arrive at; it’s the doing that is not probable. Anyway, here it is:

1.      Drive up the Highway to the Sky in Montana, Glacier National Park

2.      Visit North Dakota. Montana and North Dakota are the only two states I have not visited in the lower 48. I will never get to Hawaii or Alaska. 

3.      Travel for a month to towns throughout the Midwest and Near West. Spend a day or three in several of them. Interview residents at local diners or churches and write their stories for this blog.

4.      Visit New Mexico for two weeks; one week in Santa Fe and another in Taos. Day trips throughout the region and rekindle our love affair with the area.

5.      Visit Arizona, especially northern Arizona high deserts. Grand Canyon. Monument Valley and Zion Canyon in Utah. Drink in the smells, heat, and air of the places.

6.      Revisit Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and upstate New York. Love the region. Not its winters, but spring, summer and fall are wonderful.

7.      Visit Chicago Art Institute in a wheelchair to sit and gaze at the exhibits. Take as long as needed to make a connection with the artist’s message of each piece.

8.      Revisit the University of Chicago campus, especially the new facilities of the Chicago Theological Seminary.

9.      Attend three organ concerts in fabulous Chicago area churches; Bach and Buxtehude, and a little Cesar Frank compositions please.

10.   Attend Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert mainly of Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms.

I think that sums it up. I’d like to see some plays and Broadway musicals in Chicago, too, but the first ten items were what came to mind in an instant.


Thanks for indulging me. Note this is about people and sense of place and the art messages of genius minds. Just thinking of the bucket list is tantalizing.

I guess peace on earth and goodwill toward all men comes next?


February 19, 2020

Ends Justify the Means

I have friends who don’t understand the title of this post. Here are some examples.

·        Fear whites will be outnumbered. They will be in the minority. Action? Fight immigration of non-whites. Discriminate against blacks. And Hispanics.

·        Don’t understand gays and lesbians. Action? Gossip about people suspected of being gay. Accuse gays of horrid crimes without any proof. Eliminate gays from elected positions. Remove gays from teaching positions. 

·        Don’t trust intelligence of voters. Action? Make voting more difficult via identification cards, complicated registration procedures, etc.

·        Afraid equal access to education will compete with their kids’ career opportunities. Action? Allow tuition and fees at colleges and universities to soar making education prohibitively expensive.

·        Fear their children will learn bad things in public schools. Action?  Dilute public school funding and allow private, religious and charter schools to flourish for their kids. Better yet, home school the kids so they will not learn about homosexuality, liberals, science and sex.

·        Don’t like point of view of some candidates. Action? Spread false stories and reports about the candidate. Gossip to undermine the candidate’s chances.

There are other examples. Same pattern of actions. Shut down the opposition at all costs. Close off options for others to hear opposing views. Rage and bully others so your point of view is the only one available for others to read or hear. Look at only one news source because it makes you comfortable.

Divide and conquer is the action. The ends? Not healthy for the larger society, but it does agree with you viewpoint.


Why the ends do not justify the means: the ends may be legitimate, but how we get there poisons the body politic and our own minds. Erosion of values within ourselves takes root. Soon it doesn’t matter what the ends are. Only goal is to win. And by winning, we lose ourselves, our souls, our very futures.


Pretty simple, really. Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Set the standards high in what we do, and the ends will most likely turn out fine. Worry about the means first. The ends will happen one way or the other. Keep an eye on them and work to change them if they are not what you want.


Above all, nurture discussion and understanding of the points of view. It is the only true way in which we fully understand the issues in the first place.


The Electoral College was a compromise among the Founding Fathers of the United States to protect landowners and slave owners. Not every resident of the nation had the right to vote. Rural areas were given disproportionate power to offset the power of cities. What was current in those days is not today. And yet we perpetuate the Electoral College because it still gives rural areas owned by few people more power. The ends did not justify the means then. It is doubly so today.


How far has ‘ends justify the means’ infected our social order?


February 18, 2020

Snow Day

For my first eleven years, I lived in southern California. Pasadena, Altadena, Inyokern (Mojave Desert), back to Altadena, then to Glendora. We saw snow in the winter up on the mountains, and every now and then would drive high up to see the snow on the ground. Never saw it falling. Just sitting there on the road and ground.


Then, following my 11^th birthday, we moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Lived there six years before relocating again to Syracuse, New York.


Now, Pittsfield is in the Berkshire Mountains. Compared with California mountains, the Berkshires were hills. Nice hills, but still hills. The highest peak is Mt. Greylock at a mere 2800 feet. We had snow all throughout Massachusetts. It was a thrill walking home from the bus stop kicking at the small skiff of snow falling at the time. Later, the storm dumped 11 inches. We dressed in heavier coats and scarves, mittens, too. Then we Californians played in the snow experiencing first hand just how cold snow is on bare skin.


It took getting used to but we enjoyed the snowy seasons. We learned to appreciate them. Tried skating, skiing and sledding. Even tobogganing. And just looking at it. Peaceful. Quiet. Beautiful.


Syracuse was another world. The Berkshires probably average 35 to 40 inches of snow per winter. Syracuse gets about 135 inches per season. They call it the snowbelt for a reason! Buffalo gets upwards of 200 inches per season. So, we lived in Syracuse for six years and came to understand winter has standards of performance. And some misery!


In Chicagoland snow averages 34 inches per season or used to. I’ve lived in the region since 1965 and the 34 inches average was pretty much accurate. Some years were especially heavy (1966-67, 1978-79, 1979-80, and 1981). Since then, however, snow has been much more moderate. The 34-inch average has underperformed in recent years.


Today, 5 inches is forecast. It looks like we might get it. Cold temperatures are helping it stick to everything. Still, 5 inches is not a lot of snow. And this season we may actually see total snowfall amount to 10 or 12 inches. That’s pretty weak.


Yes. I am aching for a good winter snowstorm that bows us down a bit. Humbles us. Maybe even cause us to remain indoors while hearty crews dig us all out. Give pause so we can appreciate each other freshly!?


Oh well. I don’t have to commute anymore. I don’t even have to shovel snow or walk a dog in it. For me it is an indoor sport gazing out the window at a winter wonderland. Mother Nature is a grand old lady who must be obeyed from time to time. it’s good for us.


Instead of complaining about the weather, let’s appreciate it. And enjoy.


February 17, 2020

Winnowing

Iowa’s primary caucus showed the way toward a smaller field of Democrat presidential candidates. Clearly Biden is in trouble. Arguably Warren is in trouble. Too early to tell, but the signs may be there.


New Hampshire’s primary offers more signals. Warren and Biden polled poorly. To say it was expected for Biden, and maybe Warren, is putting too soft a face on the facts. Both Biden and Warren are slipping away from the prize.


Stepping forward however, are Buttigieg and Klobuchar. Sanders was expected to win both Iowa and New Hampshire. Buttigieg was not expected to win Iowa, but he did, and he came in a close second in New Hampshire. Mayor Pete has earned the spotlight and now we watch for what comes by the end of March.


Meanwhile, Amy Klobuchar surprised everyone in New Hampshire as she surged forward following Buttigieg. Going into South Carolina we have Sanders, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Warren and Biden. And pretty much in that order. If they come out of South Carolina with some jockeying of position but still in that five candidate grouping, I think we may have our final five going to the convention.


A lot of time remains before then, however, and we still have to calculate Bloomberg’s position in all of this. He may be the eight ball that opens the race among the remaining candidates.


Already Yang, Bennet and Duval Patrick have withdrawn from the race. The number of candidates is smaller and more focused.


My consistent position is that party elders need to form a ‘kitchen cabinet’ during the primaries to curry and mentor emerging leaders of the party. They should help the younger folk step forward to represent all of us but especially those under the age of 50.


Accordingly, I think Biden, Warren, Sanders, and yes, Bloomberg, should step aside to help Buttigieg and Klubuchar win strong positions prior to the nominating convention.  


The face of America is changing. We are younger, less white, much more diverse, and a healthy mix of diverse opinions and values. Elected representatives should represent that diversity and fresh ideas for the future. We cannot do that with a gaggle of elders running the show, all white, and mostly male. It is time for new postures and personalities to match the times.


The elders have long experience in government, institutions and corporate life getting things accomplished. They ought to help make more accomplishments under the leadership of the younger generation coming into their own.


This is not ageism. Rather, it is wise use of our collective wisdom and know-how.


The phenomenon of trump is just that – a unique and limited anomalous interruption of history.  

Democrats must be focused on defeating trump and help the nation find its new footing.


February 14, 2020

Glittering Award Shows

We watched a lot of the Oscar Awards Show Sunday evening. Not all of it. But more than two thirds. One reason we watch is to see artists mingling with each other. Another reason is to see the glitter and formal wear. Nice. Presentable. Not all, but most.


Some of the actors hold a special place in our hearts and we want to see them and hear what they have to say. Also, presenting can be a bore and it is fun to watch how some find unique ways to spice it up, make it more fun. We were not disappointed in that department this year!


A part of me wonders why the public is so interested in award shows. Is it celebrity worship? Is it a thirst for glamor and glitter?


Inevitably during the show, I wonder why it is so important that a small, select slice of society select from among themselves who wins and who loses? This is pretty inbred, don’t you think?  Self-selected folk choosing who is best this year?


There is important work being done everyday by millions of ordinary people. They labor to do the work that many do not want to do, but it is important they do it. Working with the very sick. Feeding malnourished children among us. Fighting poverty, crime and social injustice. Reaching out and touching others so they know they are valued, cherished.


These good people do not get recognition or awards for their work. No, our society highlights the wealthy, the influential, and the glamor people. The real work of the nation is performed by you and I. All we get is a paycheck (if not a volunteer position!), and self-satisfaction.


I do recognize the value of the artistry of actors. They portray characters that struggle with life’s slings and arrows like our own. They help us see that others recognize the problems. We know someone is emoting what we emote in our daily lives. It helps to know that these things are not forgotten or discarded.


Actors lift the ordinary so we can see it, feel it, taste it. It helps our understanding of it. And others note similar things, even though they might not be interested in that specific issue or group of people affected by it. It’s a good thing for society to inspect its lives and problems. It is what makes us human.


So, I have mixed emotions about award shows. Most don’t attract my attention; the Oscars do. Maybe it is a thing from childhood as we glimpsed on TV the larger world outside our town and region. Just knowing others were tuned in to our struggles gave comfort. Recognition. We existed if but for a short while.


The glitter isn’t bad either!


February 13, 2020

Pendulum Moves

The arc is long. The pace slow. It moves. Inexorably it inches forward to its apogee. Then moments of rest and the return trip begins. Slow. Slow. Very slow. Tempo gathers in journey but slows as the opposite nadir nears. Another rest. Stasis for a mere moment. Then motion again in reverse for another round trip.


So it goes. The pendulum swings through its arc. Certain. A tempo. Over and over again.


Since the beginning of time. until time does not exist. Repeat again and again.


Eons have passed. Babies born. Peoples gather in tribes and settle in daily routines – growing food, hunting food, making fabric, cooking meals, finding shelter, surviving weather extremes. Wondering about the unseen. Telling stories that build understanding of the unknown. They bend their heads in silence. They think of the unknown. Mumble sounds to the unknown.


They worship. Then and now. The arc is followed. Day in and day out. Millenia in and millenia out.

Kings are invented. Queens, too. And princes and special people. People with power. Might. Influence. Authority. The people obey. Until they don’t. They don’t when they are not pleased with the temper of rules enforced. Change occurs. New kings are named. Or tyrants. Or chieftans.


Food is grown. Eaten. Digested and waste ejected. The cycle of sustenance. Life. Health. Death. Birth. Cycles lived over and over again only different people always evolving and emerging.


The sweep of time is witnessed by history. Some of it is recorded. Remembered. lessons learned. New things attempted. To be different. To be better.


Bits and pieces of life, of time, of place.


The pace is slow. Millions of years. Billions, too.


The planet was born. It was inhabited. Its people lived upon it and experienced life. More time. More people. Born and died. Cycles evermore. Changes with each cycle, changes so small they are not noticed.


Will it stop? Ever? When?


And how?

And with what quality life?


February 12, 2020

Death of Truth

And, death of fact.


Saying something is true doesn’t make it true. Printing something is true doesn’t make it true. Just because it was in the newspaper doesn’t make it fact or truth. Or a magazine, book, whatever.


Facts taken together can mean something if logic connects them. Putting things together alone creates a jumble. Thought and logic combine facts into a statement that has meaning and authenticity. It can be proven. It will stand the test of time.


Digging for facts and understanding their context discovers meaning. Meanings amass to a body of knowledge. It can be used to understand other bodies of knowledge. Testing meanings is aided by following the threads of research to origins of facts. This is how we come to understand the world.


Each of us comes to such understandings. Alone or in a class of peers, we learn things about the world, about life, about ourselves. We do this by rote in early years of school. Later, we learn to conduct our own explorations into things we do not know or understand. We continue to explore and discover new facts, new truths, an ever expanding universe of meaning, of knowledge. This is how we grow inside our skin, inside our head.


Sharing ideas with others we notice differences. We wonder about those and explore them. With humor and trust, we discuss how different we are, yet how much alike we are. Cracks and crevices of our individual logic appear. We come to know them and understand them, too. In fact, the gaps are filled with fresh understandings.


There are those who go on to study more and delve deeply into detailed subjects. They amass larger bodies of knowledge that are shared and combined with others. Our understanding of the universe expands more.


And we are able to do more with this knowledge.


Until we cancel trust. Fact. Truth.


That void only exists if we let it.


Stick with facts, logic and well-earned knowledge. Prove those conclusions each time. Trust in the logic and proofs. Keep knowledge and intellect alive.


Do not let ignorance erode truth.


There are those who want you to abandon facts. Don’t let them.


February 11, 2020

Democrat Presidential Candidates

What have we learned so far? Twenty four candidates started the race and we now have what, 8 or 9?


Iowa continues to demonstrate its odd manner of selecting primary candidates and forward balloting, but this time, the process was botched by a computer program that disappointed. That’s putting it mildly, but we at least learned these simple facts: Buttigieg and Sanders were nearly tied with Pete barely in the lead. Warren was third but with distance. Biden was much in the fourth position and very disappointing for him. Klubuchar was in fifth place.  All five of these candidates were in the showing and remain viable.


There are some emergent concepts, however. First, Buttigieg is to be taken seriously. Second, Sanders controls an agenda that resonates with voters. Biden is a relevant party elder, but in conference rooms, not in office. Warren and Klubuchar are talents and forcefields that must be heard and included in leadership forums.  If not a final presidential candidate, perhaps vice presidential? That and a continuing role in leading the party forward. They have seats at the table now and in the future.


New Hampshire primary should be used to winnow the candidate field down to 4 or 5. The rest should be contributors of ideas, energy, and leadership to support the successful candidates who make it to the nominating convention. They are the party elders and have a vital role to play.


The penultimate goal of the candidates is to unseat Trump, not each other.


The soul of America is at stake. We must all toil to save and preserve it. The Senate’s acquittal of a failed impeached president is all the evidence we need to define what is wrong with our beloved country.


Control of the White House is not the only prize we need to win. To protect and preserve our nation, we must restore order to both houses of Congress. That does not mean control, just order and decency and civility.


The chapter of our history currently being written is pitiful and must be undone. That begins with each of us doing the right thing. The decent thing.


The time is now.


February 10, 2020

Incompetence

So, the Iowa caucuses were bolloxed up by a computer system snafu. Suddenly, this is mismanagement by the Democrats?

Hardly. Our 2016 presidential election was hacked by Russia. Computer systems were at the center of the mess. Both Russia and America were not blamed. Neither were the parties. But boy oh boy, the US Constitution took a drubbing, as did the Electoral College, and people lined up on either side of the issue dependent solely on who they wanted to win.


So now, the Iowa mess is a party thing?  I don’t think so. And saying it is one way or the other is not a factually based, supportable position. Knee jerk reactions usually aren’t fact based.


Another example: A county government in the role of an agency serving low income senior citizens, realizes a couple has been denied their ability to have eye exams and upgraded lens prescriptions. Due to an act of criminal violence on top of poverty, the couple has no glasses. The agency decided to provide up to $350 of expense to cover the cost of two eye exams, two sets of lenses, and two eyeglass frames. The only requirement was to work through Perle Vision and make an appointment for the exams. They were told to bring the paper work granting this benefit with you.


They did. I drove them. The clerk didn’t understand. Anything. Kept insisting there was a co-pay required despite paperwork claiming otherwise. So, she called the county. They couldn’t match the paperwork with the beneficiaries sitting before the clerk. We don’t know if the clerk even called the correct agency phone number.


So, we realized we were caught in an endless cycle of incompetence, and left the store.


On the way home, we stopped at a Walgreens to purchase a newspaper. The cashier processed the debit card four times, thinking each time the transaction was not taking. The customer said no; reject the transaction and back it all out. She wouldn’t. So the manager was called. He promptly backed out all four transactions and then correctly processed the debit card correctly. Clerical incompetence once again.


We have a constitution that clearly states the definition and terms of presidential impeachment. It even spells out the process. Cooperation would take it the rest of the way home. But no; politics reared its ugly head and republicans refused to cooperate, sat on all the subpoenas for testimony and documents, then complained that the charges were not well-enough documented. They refused to call witnesses for clarification, instead claimed the whole process was a hoax. A process defined and provided by the constitution. Guess they refuse to support the constitution? In spite of their oath of office?


Now, is this willful criminality on the part of the Senate, or incompetence? Or both?


Incompetence to be sure, but that is too nice a name for what the Senate has perpetrated on the American people.


Just because the sitting president calls it a hoax doesn’t make it so. Last time I checked, facts were facts and stood on their own authority.


Incompetent representatives. Playacting as leaders. As far as I can tell, these people could not lead their way out of a paper sack. That’s plain pitiful.


We are in deep trouble, America. Wake up and see the reality of our situation.


February 7, 2020

Finding Relevance

In an age of chaos and topsy turvy morality, how do we find relevance that fits us? That fits me, you, whoever? This is a personal thing, rooted in self-identity and worth.


I have struggled with this over the years. More so today than before. Yesteryears – 50+ years ago – I noted huge social needs and found ways to serve them. That took time and commitment, but such was found, and conditions improved. Today I see the same problems only worse.


What to do? How to act today that makes sense and complements my sense of self and worth?


Well, I know from experience that doing for self doesn’t work. Doing for others does work.


Starting with that as a foundation, several actions become naturally visible:

a.      Support others in discussing and clarifying the issues that matter to them

b.      Laugh and learn with them; share common humanity with them

c.      Help others with the simple acts of kindness to ease life’s challenges

d.      Seek no reward for this work; the acts are their own reward

The benefits from these efforts are several:

a.      Kindness permeates the community

b.      Larger problems become manageable

c.      Community finds resources to solve common problems

d.      Values grow within to embrace the possible

e.      The possible reaches out to larger communities

f.       Broad spread community derives the values to drive morality

g.      Morality embraces the national society

You see where this is leading? A nation that cares about its people in ways that transfix kindness and caring to standards of honesty and fairness. Armed with these, how can it fail?


Now, contrast that paragraph with today: a president who grabs p---y, has multiple affairs while married, cheats investors, boasts of wrong-doing, manipulates truth, lies continually, and still is supported by his political party, big money, corporations and the US Senate. The Constitution is overturned by such behavior. And that is only the top of our national government. State governments have similar challenges. So too, regional and local governments. Not all, but far too many.


We also have a society that looks the other way in matters of discrimination in race, gender, gender orientation, poverty, healthcare coverage and environmental protection. We honor and worship greed, athletics, games, glitter and sexuality and power. We seem to have given up on fairness and honesty.


All of those problems challenge the individual’s sense of worth and relevance. Yes, I am demeaned by a glittery social order that values things over people. Isn’t it time we reversed this trend?


February 6, 2020

Screwy Times

Annual award shows are in full swing. Every other week or so another blockbuster TV show airs an awards soiree. So much excitement. And glitter. Smiles and posing. Unspoken wealth, too. The good life in full view.


The Super Bowl has been played. The penultimate game has been staged, presented, played. The glitter, the half-time show, the bared female bodies gyrating to mad music and rhythms only young souls appear to understand. The gawdy and the glorious. The celebration of athleticism and physical presence. It almost seems America is on parade.


But didn’t we just have New Year’s Day and its football bowl games, Rose Parade, Crystal Ball Drop ringing in the new year?  Wasn’t that America on parade?


All this celebrating. Arts and athletics. Survival and calendar turnings.


All the while a stark reality stands boldly in our face: the US government leadership is broken, dishonest and untrustworthy.


The Congress has been broken for a long time. the Senate more recently broken. The White House obvious in its dysfunction and immorality. But the courts? The Supreme Court? The US Court of Appeals? The District Federal Courts? The states’ courts, too? Certainly many state legislatures are broken and dysfunctional. Illinois’ is on the mend, finally, but it has a long way to go. What is the condition of other states? I wouldn’t know; I live in Illinois.


Those we elect to represent us and lead our better spirits far into the future have let us down. It could only happen if we voters let it down beforehand. We should know who we vote for. We should know what these people stand for and whether they will represent our views, morals and ethics. By not knowing this, we have allowed scummy people to populate our government. It no longer does our business, it is busy doing its own business.


Self-serving greed for wealth and power. Sad. Disgusting. Apocryphal.


But now we know this is true. What do we do about it?


How do we regain control of our nation’s soul and humanity? Must we fight yet another revolution on our soil? Is this what all the work and loyalty has led to?


This week the US Senate will acquit the sitting president. Not on facts. Not on history. Not on substance. But on politics, greed and power. All in your name. And mine.


Nope! I’m not a part of this. Neither should any of us be counted as part of this.


That means only one thing.


Time for a change.


February 5, 2020

Gotta Tell Ya

I simply have to spill the beans. Many things have been building up since I last unloaded. The ‘angst.’ That’s pronounced aahhngst! It’s German. It means perplexity, built up feelings, not all good, fighting with one another, and angry, tied into a knot, or several!


Here are the items filling me with dread, with angst:

·        My beloved country is turned upside down. What once was correct, is now wrong. People act terribly toward one another and specific groups and get away with it. Even with cheers from the sidelines.

·        One President is prosecuted and impeached for lying. Another one lies all the time – all the time – and gets away with it. The first guy lied about a sexual peccadillo performed in the White House. Impeached but not found guilty of an impeachable offense. The second fella has done all sorts of things dealing with the government’s operations, policies, and actions, lied about them, and is being defended as though those are not impeachable offenses. Really? Why the first guy and not the second? One was a sexual, personal thing; the other is directly related to his job description and laws governing those actions.

·        Churches all over the USA are fighting to retain their members and attendance on Sundays. These numbers have been falling for generations. Studies indicate this trend does not indicate people are losing religious beliefs, but don’t feel it necessary to belong to a church or support a church. Instead of inventing new methods to deal with this, they cut professional staff to maintain their presence and their ability. The question remains: how do they know they are doing the needed programs and impacting society in a positive, meaningful manner? Are they staying true to their theology? Their principles? There soul?

·        As the days of life dwindle down with age, what remains to be done with this life? What impact have we made? 50 years ago, we saw the needs. We addressed them, or thought we did. Now the same problems bedevil us. Why? What did we do wrong, didn’t do that needed doing? Why is our society soul-sick today as yesterday?

·        With people chasing happiness in the form of power and riches, are they happier? Are they satisfied? Are they over the moon with satisfaction? What about everyone else? Do they deserve help and nurture? Or are they merely the debris of life?

·        If we throw people on the trash heap of history (and our social policies), are we wasting what they could share for the common good by ignoring them?  How many Einsteins, Kobe Bryants, Michael Jordans, and Michaelangelos are buried in the trash heap of humanity?

·        Is global warming going to kill our planet in the lifetime of our kids and their kids?  If so, what can we do about that to avoid it, or put it off for many more generations? Do we have a duty to do this?

·        What form of government is best for humankind? Should individuals have rights to full power over their lives, or should government have full sway over individuals? Or might there be something better in between the two extremes?  What do we have now in America?

Well, you see the problems I’m living with. Struggling with, actually. These things bother me. I don’t know why. They just do. I keep looking for better answers, but….


February 4, 2020

Soul

In the head. Thinking. Ideas flitting about. Ordering themselves yet sparking to another perch for another thought. Something forming, just not yet known. Fullness of concept is birthing. Creation is taking place. It is not yet finished. Maybe in a moment, perhaps next week; maybe never.


The ideas that do exit the head for expression, still need tailoring to fit time and use. Aptness is a consideration. Purpose, too?


The idea, is it rooted in something? If so, what? Is it logic, history, mathematics, physics, or what? Playing with it, does the idea have value? Does it feel right? Or off the mark? Is it of value? And if so, why? What makes this idea a good one? Am I weighing its potential effect on other ideas?


What about its effects on others? Will this serve them or control them? Is control a service? What constitutes serviceable value? Is this idea something that will help others or harm them? What do we mean by harm?


What is the morality of our thinking? Is the subject of our concepts barging through the mind of worthwhile purpose and value? Why are we thinking of these things? What is the anchor for them? Where is their soul?


Soul? What is that? a name for the voice in the head? An identity that matters. A value for identity. A worthy thinking that enriches existence in some way, small, tiny or large. Soul. The guiding hand of how we think, how we feel, how we interact with others and make them feel.


Soul. The companion that tells me I’m OK and the now and future nows will be OK.


What is the condition of my soul? How well is it? Am I aware of it? And all it can be?


Same question for others. How well are their souls?


Together, how well is the soul of our nation?


February 3, 2020