Feeling. COVID?

Recent mood shifts have accelerated. Impatience has been a personal hallmark of mine for a lifetime. Attention to detail mostly a constant. Slip ups with details unnerve me. Escalating irritation with lack of progress in any venue or issue is cause for anger.

Anger spills out of frustration and impatience. Those nearby see it. I am powerless to contain the disturbance. I lash out in word. Vocabulary instantly blooms into ugly. Spent, I sit back and stew but calmly.

Technical glitches instantly create helplessness. Feeling of incompetence looms like a geyser. Whether it is TV, cable connection, Wi-Fi, computer, Facebook, email or internet browser, if it works, I’m OK; calm. If it doesn’t function well, I’m instantly in a stew.

Politics nauseates me these days. Facebook is full of misinformation and skewing. Propaganda spawns like maggots. News becomes as bad as Facebook. Learning to mute objectionable pieces, but often not quick enough. Trigger finger is a new malady for me.

Aging has many symptoms. Aching joints, muscles and back. Painful walking. Shifting posture accompanying movement. And pain. Expected and accommodated, but it still irritates. Mood is colored by this. And the spirit tires.

Advertising on TV is constant, maybe 50% or more of all TV time? When did this happen? Or is this my imagination? Anyway, what is advertised is no longer needed by me. Luxury cars are not in my future. Vacations are not in my future, either. At least, not vacations involving hiking, swimming, zip lining or even basking on a beach. I’d prefer southwestern United States, sitting in or driving my car through beloved landscapes. Smelling the desert air and feeling the balm of its dry air. Seeing mountains again and vast, empty spaces. Other than that, there are no European cobbled streets in my future. Too wobbly and uneven for my aching frame.

These images conclude that the future now has limits for me, for us. Sometimes this is a startling realization. On the other hand it doesn’t startle because other interests have replaced them. I get more out of reading, or a movie, or a smell, a whiff of breeze, or something else ignored when younger. It is the little thing that attracts my attention these days.

Keeping my mind busy and writing is a tonic. Maybe that’s why anger is quick and molten when the keyboard freezes or the computer refuses to follow orders. My orders!

So, all of this is to say I am not the most pleasant person to be around right now. Maybe this is COVID? Maybe not. Probably aging.

Rocky’s Parkinson’s on top of his surviving a debilitating cancer surgery (twice) and his diabetes, makes him more dependent on me. I’m not always the best person for that job given my own issues. But we are all we have. More adaptation ahead.

Yes. More adaptation. Ahead. Today. And tomorrow.

uly 31, 2020

Work Ahead

Regardless of today's work list, much remains to do. I offer this blog to provide perspective on what we think ails us today. There is always much more for us to manage. Balancing many important issues at the same time should give us pause. Pause to weigh just how important things truly are.

Schooling: for a long time we have loaded up our public schools with tasks parents ought to have done. Then too, courts have added more assignments. Public health measures are part of the scene as well. Soon the kitchen sink and animal husbandry will be added. When will we get back to teaching our kids what they need to know to become self-sustaining adults, capable of adapting to many needs and changes they will encounter throughout all of life? Isn’t it about time we focused on how to do this job better and allowing teachers and schools to excel at their special talents?

Healthcare Delivery: there are doctors and nurses and medical technicians. Then there are the medical labs and researchers. Medical colleges, too. And hospitals; let’s not forget hospitals and all the clinics that dispense medical services at the moment of need. Emergency responders, too, are in the mix and pick up the ailing wherever they are and deliver them to hospitals in a flash. This is the work of the healthcare industry. Not included here are insurance companies. They soak up millions of people and their salaries, plus balance sheets and income/expense reports, lawyers, accountants and actuaries. Lots of overhead to keep the insurance companies in business and healthy. Yet they do not produce one speck of medical assistance to the patient. Or nation. Only function they have is spend money, our money, and inflate the cost of medical care. Isn’t it time to eliminate this waste and provide universal healthcare via the central government?

Open, Fair Elections: democracies rely on an informed electorate with full access to voting on election day. All adults have the right to vote. There ought not be any hurdles in order to vote. Open, free and fair access to the voting booth. John Lewis was right. Voting rights should be guaranteed. No exceptions. In time, let’s do this electronically so weather, illness and age do not impede voting. Until then, eliminate all blockages to voting.

Infrastructure: physical infrastructure allows society to work efficiently and safely. Dams where they ought to be. Electric utilities up to the job and unhackable. Roads and bridges where they need to be and in the condition to safely allow people, goods and services to travel through all conditions. Telecommunication systems including computer connectivity to all wherever they live and work. Full systems in full working order and maintained as such. Replacement with new technology and materials when such are available. This is what a modern, fully functioning society requires to be competitive with the global village. Isn’t it about time we built a process to maintain our infrastructure without wasting years arguing about it politically?

Free Markets: America claims to be a free market society. They say this is the foundation of capitalism and democracy. This may be true in principle, but it is not true in action. America has tweaked and twittered with free markets for so long that they are anything but free. If we truly believe in free markets, let them be free to set their own price by the law of supply and demand. Labor, utilities, goods and services, even government. Let the free market determine what prices should be. Right now we have government of, by and for special interests. It needs to revert to government of, by and for the people. We The People are the creators of our nation and government. Isn’t it about time we got back to being that? How is that done, you ask? Well, by providing tip top schooling, healthcare, fair elections, up-to-date infrastructure and guaranteed free markets.

Surprising, isn’t it? How far we have strayed from original principles and intentions. Thank special interest groups and sick politics for that. 

The time for change is now. The pandemic is important. But it is not the only task on our plate to do.

July 30, 2020

Dysfunctional Government

Not local or regional government entities, but the Federal Government. Yes. The Feds are proving to be dysfunctional. Let us count the ways.

First, instead of calming the protest waters, they are inserting themselves into local matters and making things much worse. Locals know the context. They know the leaders or influencers who could be effective in quelling the protests. Besides, protests are not inherently violent. Troublemakers make them so intentionally. Find out who they are and you are more than halfway toward a solution. Meanwhile, the Feds take on stormtrooper personae. Not necessary. Very unamerican. Bad play, white house.

Second, slow response from republican senate. Intentionally drawing out the drama on extending unemployment benefits in a situation totally not caused by economics. This is entirely a public health crisis. Fix that first, then the other things resulting from it. Extend unemployment benefits; extend $600 weekly pandemic payment until the pandemic is under control and the economy can re-open. Anything less is pure political drama.

Third, keep schools closed until local pandemic conditions can support a return to classes. Safely.

Fourth, take a leadership role on reinventing public education. The talent is there. The research is there. The only thing missing is the organization of the new system. Study how to do that and then commit to implementing it to replace the old system choking in mandates that are not all effective.

Fifth, take a leadership role and reinvent community policing. Re-fund criminal justice system so it works and is not choked by political gamesmanship. Make Justice fair and equitable for a change. The public is losing faith in the current system. That is a shame. But federal interference has made this the new reality. The American people deserve better.

Sixth, re-invent the healthcare industry and system. Lose the insurance component. Streamline the delivery system. Allow the experts and professionals to run the show. Keep politics out of it. Be certain that special interests are not allowed to control any part of the administration and delivery of healthcare to the public. Make it 100% accessible to everyone.

Not doing the above means we allow a dysfunctional federal government to continue to deconstruct our lives. Do we have to fight another revolution to regain what is ours? Thought once was enough!

July 29, 2020

Unemployment Compensation

Argument persists over extending the Covid-19 unemployment bonus of $600/week to the normal unemployment benefits. I asked a barber how she did during the shutdown of her shop. She said OK as long as the $600 bonus was included. That made the difference for her to pay her rent in full and on time. The rest of the funds went for utilities, health insurance premiums and food. Bare minimum and squeaked by. Couldn’t have done it without the extra $600.

Now republicans in congress are saying that bonus payment is tantamount to paying people not to work. They claim it is an incentive to stay away from work because the benefits are greater than their former paychecks.

Hmmmm. Interesting argument. You mean these people were so poor they barely existed financially before Covid? You mean, their incomes were so paltry that they had little or no incentive to work? What?

A congressman makes in excess of $176,000 per year, plus all expenses paid, free health care, and the same benefits and income for life as a retirement benefit. I think these legislators have lost sight of how real Americans live their lives.

To cure them of this oversight, we really do need to reduce their income to something around $60,000 annually, a group insurance policy for which they pay premiums in cooperation with the government, and that their retirement is Social Security plus whatever they are able to fund with their salary. Oh, and their spouse’s salary. And oh yes, all after deducting taxes, child care, and health care premiums for all the kids and spouse.

Let’s see how they handle this reality. Well, they won’t, will they? Because they are almost all quite wealthy in their own right. And for the officials who are not officially wealthy, they have wealthy friends who want the elected ones to remain in office to do their bidding. So, money truly is not a problem for most of Congress. Add to the wealth they create for themselves over the many years most of them have been in office, and you begin to see why We The People have a problem with Washington DC.

The Covid stimulus program being voted on soon should include an extension of the $600 bonus payment weekly along with regular unemployment benefits. The pandemic is the issue keeping America from having an open economy. It has nothing to do with $600 weekly ‘incentive’ checks.

Sheesh!

July 28, 2020

Technology Hell

Went to bed Saturday night with the computer totally unresponsive. To any command. Struggled with it for 45 minutes growing increasingly frustrated. Rather than tossing it out the fourth floor window, I went to bed.

Rocky did something with it to get it back in order. I know not what.

Next morning, I published my blog successfully after winnowing around in minutia presented by whatever operating system was now resident in my computer.

Went to email accounts. Unable to find them. After more struggle, found Google.com and reinstated email accounts. Then my calendars which are derivative of each email account. Then I found my solitaire game.

Then SCORE software login screen was finally found.

But that’s it. MSN.com does not respond. Briefly the MSN page appeared; got three articles up, but then it would not respond beyond that. Got weather report. Then nothing.

So, here I sit at a keyboard that no longer provides much of anything as input. Only output from me. I have Word and my blog applications. That’s it.

More tomorrow on my quest to return to normalcy of at least my computer.

I will say this: at 77 it is very difficult to train me on a new operating  system of any kind. If I can’t see results quickly, I will sign off. I will have no other option.

Who created this hell? Hmmmm?

If this is someone’s sick joke on demoralizing America, I’m not sure it will work. It will, however, on this elder.

PS: It is now 24 hours later, just about to post this. I was able to adapt to a number of new methods. Think I'm getting the hang of this, but still not even close to normal. Wonder if that will ever happen. Sort of like Covid? New normals will be elusive for quite some time.

July 27, 2020

Stimulus

As the lowly politician continues to figure out how to stimulate the economy now in a COVID-induced slump, they forget what stimulus is about.

It is not about pumping money into the hands of individuals. It is not about putting a Band-Aid on an open sore. It is not about patting people on the back and calming them down.

No; stimulus is about sparking people into action that creates future benefit. The action may be now; or later.

Investing in people is the secret. Helping people see their potential is part of it. Educating them is one process that can be used effectively. Training them for a skill set or specific work process, is missing the point. That sort of education only buys time in an always-changing economic environment. No, education is about helping people understand themselves intrinsically so they can live fully. Living fully helps them adapt to changing forces around them. It calls forth creativity to accomplish change for themselves and others. They become the adaptor that makes new normal possible.

Investing in education first and foremost produces the highest return on investment. Good education. Not rote learning.

Education systems in America are always changing, but political surrounds slow that change too much. Education is dynamic. Learning is dynamic. Why not the system from which we learn? Why is this not recreating itself in fresh ways? It is not all about the dollars. No, it is about control and that’s politics.

Let’s invest in new learning processes and technology. Let’s replace the existing status quo with something much more effective.

The pandemic has given us pause enough to realize we need new ways of teaching people, our kids, how to live life, how to discover life, and how to live responsibly. Remote learning is still mostly misunderstood by teachers, schools systems, students and parents. That pretty much involves 40% of our population. Reinvestment here will pay huge dividends.

Just do it.

Another investment is in healthcare. We spend way too much GDP on healthcare. We can get better results while spending much less of GDP. New systems and institutions will do this. First we have to rid ourselves of the insurance company layer. Let healthcare workers do their job. Encourage medical schools and hospitals and clinics to do their jobs. Get the middlemen out of the equation. They just soak up valuable resources best spent on research, tools, training and facilities and the people who do the work.

Now, those two investments will stimulate the economy in wondrous ways. Economists say this is so. Who could be against this? Bankers. Insurance companies. Politicians who are paid for votes from banking, insurance and investment institutions. You begin to see the problem here? What needs to get done is stymied by special interests.

Big oil stands in the way of solving energy issues because it is in their interest to maintain the status quo. Same is true for politicians in the pockets of special interests. And for insurance companies who play gatekeeper with our health for the sake of their own wealth.

Building the new on this base of wreckage won’t be easy. But it must be done.

I’m thinking Congress is not up to the job. What would help them change that status?

July 26, 2020

Interdependence

I need you. You need me. We need each other. To be, to thrive.

Together we are neighborhood, community. Team, work group,  congregation or interest group. Together, several surrounding one thing that we like, support, love. That one thing has voice and reach because of the many who support it.

Communities support themselves through interdependencies that boost group understanding, joy of life, joint yearning for something better, shared among them. Communities band together, too, and regional communities form. Throughout a state like Illinois we find common cause to share and support.

States, also, join hands to do the work of a nation. America is such a nation.

Nations have joined their efforts to create shared resources for positive developments. Like peace. Health cures. Education. Expanding commerce to raise standards of living among poor regions. The United Nations works to share all of these things, and to press governments into common efforts for good.

Like you and I, nations are interdependent.

China needed the world’s community for help in raising the standard of living for all of its 1.4+ billion citizens. Commerce did that. international commerce. Manufacturing goods of all sorts that are then sold to America and many nations around the globe. Jobs were created. Transportation and housing developments were supported. Utilities, arts, communication and education systems were all expanded to serve a burgeoning population yearning to meet their own needs.

Russia, too, has such needs. Infrastructure is crumbling after the collapse of the Soviet union. The history, art, education and science of Russia is intact, but the commerce and economic strength is missing. It could be replaced through cooperation with other nations. Interdependencies work that way. Russia and China working together so they represent a bulwark to be counted other than the USA. Yes, they think that way. Yes they feel that way. But then, reliance on all of us together is something to be remembered and used.

The state of international relations is poor these days. Done on purpose by many ‘leaders’ so they are noticed? Done on purpose to upset the routine so a new balance and advantage is gained? If so, what is that advantage? Is it good for all or just a few or one? If the latter, it is not for the common good. It is selfish and destructive of trust and interdependencies.

Without interdependencies we are back to square one. One nation. One people. One person. Solo.

It is not of strength, this condition.

Time to work things out and become family. The whole world is watching how all of us handle this. Best we play nice and carefully.

I yearn for November 3^rd and a changing of the guard. So, we can get back to the work needing to be done. And the futures deserved by so many.

July 25, 2020

Yearnings

Quarantine has been a gift. Time is one dimension of that gift. Space is another. Focus yet another.

Yearnings emerge from this gift. Aches for something – perhaps something from the past that was deeply enjoyed, or maybe a new thing that wants exploring, or the ache to develop a skill and talent others have and I don’t.

Singing is one. The act of creating a pleasant sound is a reward unto itself. But internally the sound wells up through bone, sinew and thought. It rumbles, vibrates and tugs at the heart. It soars to speak through sound of feelings. Emotions niggled to expression full and real.

Seeing the Grand Canyon again is another yearning. And Glacier National Park. The soaring peaks of the Tetons in Wyoming. The vast openness of New Mexico, northern Arizona, too. The smell of the dessert in dry and wet moments. The array of aromas that memory conjures is amazing!

Witnessing a concert, a symphony, a trained chorus, an opera, oratorio, whatever. Music in full glory expressing  humankind’s story of existence on our planet. Yes, that is a frequent yearning.

Reading a novel that pulls me into full response to the human condition. I’ve read many such, but finding new ones becomes more difficult. Is this a sign the world is changing? Or am I changing, or stuck in neutral?

Watching the evening news – or throughout the day on cable channels! – I see what passes as news without normative threads that lead us toward new equilibria. Where is our story taking us? Who is in control of this? Do we want this impelling rhythm into the future to continue on its current route? 

Really? If not, what then do we do? I yearn for clarity here. Don’t you?

Short post today. The yearnings made me write this. They needed air.

July 24, 2020

  

We are One?

E Pluribus Unum. One from many. Our national motto. Reflective of who we are as a nation. As a people.

I love this thought. It lifts me up. There is a sense of soaring with this idea. So many of us – 330 million – all living and working as Americans. Each in his/her own way, time and action.

Living, loving, working, hoping. Each of us. All of us. But as one? Really?

I don’t think evidence demonstrates this. If we are one why are federal unmarked troops policing Portland, Oregon’s streets without authority or local request? Why are demonstrations – not protests – for Black Lives Matter attacked and counter protested? Why are domestic terror groups active in our nation? Why do police continue to mistreat people of color when policing the streets? Why do we have countervailing newscasts on several channels?

I was raised believing diversity matters. Different ideas and voices strengthen the whole of our nation, society and people. Diversity is a strength of America, but many voices are currently broadcasting the opposite. Even the White House labors to discount diversity.

How did this come about? Freedom of speech is supposed to strengthen us, not destroy. Freedom of assembly is supposed to strengthen us, not invite attack and violence. Pursuit of happiness is supposed to make each of us full and free human beings, not competing, angry detractors.

What is happening to us?

Are we one? If not, how do we return to that essential core of who we are that strengthens us all?

July 23, 2020

Meanderings

Return to Schools: I’m not sure sending kids back to school without proper preparation is a good idea. The teachers are wary of their own safety. Parents are wary of their kids’ safety. Safety via health, not shooting or injury safety.

If they don’t go back to school, how will the schools educate the kids? Do they know how by using remote/virtual technology? Do they really? And do the kids respond effectively to this methodology? Are they learning? Are they retaining what they have learned? 

And parents, are they able to support and advance their kids’ education by engaging in the process? Have they been trained? Is the process intuitive and easy to follow? Do they have time to do this, learn how, support the day to day routine with the kids, and so forth? Really? Is anyone teaching parents how to do this?

Speaking of which, is anyone truly teaching the teachers how to pivot to these new teaching methods? Are they confident the lessons are achieving desired ends?

Even if kids are scheduled to attend schools 1 or 2 days a week, and then the rest of the time spent at home with remote methods, how does the family adjust to this schedule? Are the parents at home to do this? Are they working, one or both? If one, does the stay-at-home parent know how to do what is needed from him/her to make the kids’ education feasible? And if both are at work, how does the family manage the kids being home and needing personal attention to properly engage learning? 

What about single parent homes?

If the economy is not back to work, how can schools be back to work while the kids are at home alone?

Perhaps the unemployed could help here? But then, what about COVID and its spread? And grandparents? What about the COVID threat to them?

How ever will we get through all of this?

Using Time Wisely: I have had at least four months of time to think about the future. Time to see what may lie ahead. I can study my navel only so long when I run into the reality of idleness. We, idle!? Preposterous. We have been busy nearly every hour of every day for decades, and now we are idle? Well, not really.

In my case I read a lot, scan internet information sources, and write a daily blog. This blog. I’ve been at it for 9 years. The arc of the blog reflects the arc of life in these United States. Writing about events or conditions is one thing. Exploring ideas in many arenas is another. Finding fault or blame is just another way of understanding an issue and its relatedness to other issues.

The real work begins later. That work attempts to identify what we should do about current issues. How do we handle what we don’t like? What should be happening? What outcomes do we think ought to be emerging? Then, how to we make those outcomes happen? How do we spread the information and understanding to more people so others can support our direction forward? What resources will be needed by which organizations – businesses, governments, agencies, charities – to do the work?

If I don’t like my career, what career should I be moving toward? Does it even exist? If not, how do I invent the new one? Who can help me? What disciplines do I need to master to make the new normal happen?

Am I using my time wisely? Have I made progress with my life? If not, why not? And now what must I do about that? I have the time available. Now to use it.

Unemployment: rampant. Consistent. Lowest paid jobs went first, then came back first, but at high risk to the workers. The jobs are service oriented. Without those jobs many businesses and service agencies simply could not function. On the other hand, the workers are not masters of their own destiny. They are at the beck and call of every supervisor, employer and manager. They do the bidding of others because that is the nature of their tasks. Needed tasks. Must be done tasks. Or the organization they work for has no use or value.

When will meaningful employment for these folks return? What can they do in the meantime to shape a new future for themselves where they have more control over their destiny? Who can help them in this process, this re-invention of self? I’m asking here for 25 million people? Or more?

July 22, 2020

John Lewis’ Legacy

In a word, decency. Built on life’s raw power, John Lewis stepped up to do, to be seen, urge others on, lead and take the consequences. At times those consequences were swift, demeaning and medically threatening. Survival gave hope to better times and he lived that to the end.

Called on to do more, John did just that. Called to Congress, he acceded and served over 30 years. Living from his well of experience, he spoke, preached and taught others the principles and values that built America. He carried those into many futures.

That is his legacy. An activist earns his stripes each day and carries those wounded principles with him to the next engagement. John Lewis was always engaged. In the same fight to fix the broken, shine the ideal, and press forward to achieve it.

He didn’t need to be the star of the show. No; he helped others be the star. That way the good was more possible and it was. Behind all the details John often was the organizer, the arranger, the doer and the accountable one. All organizations need such people. For 60 years John was that person.

Bruised and often broken by the tumbled America in which he lived – the black one – John never gave up on the vision he knew his brothers and sisters deserved in his America.

That America is ours, too, all of ours – black, white, brown, whatever hue – we are all one, equal and deserving of the promise of America. That is what makes us American. That is what makes us strong.

Tinkering with it gets us what we have today – rampant Trumpism, ignorance, hubris, and a strong intervention from government from those who profess the opposite. How the tables have turned in America’s story. From freedom to fascism. From principle to racism. From conservative to facism. From freedom to federal police state in Portland.

That is not the vision of John Lewis. Never was.

As we honor his life of struggle and vision, let us not forget the America we have believed in all these years. It is not what we see on the news. That ‘vision’ is a caricature. It is our job to get back to the original. The John Lewis original.

May he rest in peace as we pick up his banner.

July 21, 2020

Knowing Who We Are

I think I know who I am. I’ve thought about this a lot. Not just recently, but most of my life. The quest to understand life started when I was young; it continues to this day. I am serious about this. 

Many ups and downs through the decades but the thinking traveled far and wide, high and low. Most of my conclusions made these days come from that bedrock activity of struggling to know myself.

I have made many mistakes along the way. We all do, I think. That is how we learn – try something, analyze the results; did we succeed or fail? If fail, why? I don’t think we think much about the success except to celebrate the success and move on. It is one of those hubris things.

Ok, having said all of this, what’s my point today?  Just this; who and what I am is my business. Who and what you are is your business. Your conclusions are yours and not my business. And the reverse is also true, my business is mine, not yours.

However, together we share something. Our nation. Our state. Our community. Our neighborhood. And yes, our global village. Together we give those communities definition. It if is our community, what are the elements that make it so for me? Those elements may be different for you, but at least we both love the same community, state, or nation.

The purpose of my addressing this today is simple: I find myself living in a world, state, nation that does not reflect all the truths I think it once did. I fear justice and fairness have been reduced. I fear governments are taking actions in my name when I don’t agree with those actions. This being a democracy, I fret at the loss of control over my own nation. How can non-leaders grab so much control as to thwart and warp who we are as a nation?

My nation is one in which military troops do not sweep into a city or region and take it over. My nation is one that treats everyone fairly and equally. My nation makes educational excellence accessible to all people who want it and have the capability of it. My nation nurtures its citizens to pursue individual dreams for self-advancement and happiness without hurting others.

That entire paragraph does not describe the nation in which I live at the moment. And the trajectory of this status is decidedly downward. America is devolving from its ideals.

That’s my opinion. If a strong majority of you agree with this opinion, then we must admit that something very wrong exists in our land. If that is the case, what do we do to change it? What methods? What outcomes do we hope for? Is our effort legal or extra-legal? If the latter, then what do we do?

I think I know who we are. I know I know who I am. I think I am very much like most of the people living in the United States. If I am wrong about that, someone please tell me.

Help!

July 20, 2020

A Walker and Portable Oxygen

When border skirmishes occurred along our southern border, families were infamously separated and detained. Children were separated from parents. Kids got sick; some died. Internment camps grew in size and number. Reconnecting families proved difficult due to poor record keeping. Some children were sent to foster homes over 1000 miles away. Parents were often sent back to Mexico or their native land without their kids. Finding each other through our federal bureaucracy took up to 2 years.

This is the face of calumny. In our own beloved country. Our country, founded on liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Friends of mine asked what we could do about this. At the time my response: take grandparent-aged people and an army of Catholic nuns, clergy from all faiths, and mass them along the border to seek entry to the child detainment facilities. Offer visits, cuddling and comfort to the kids. An army of these folks, remember. At least 1000 people per facility. Then sit back and see what the authorities would do.

Now much time has passed since that suggestion was made. It appears it is still needed! At the southern border and elsewhere.

Add to that the reality of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and the reaction sparked across the nation. Yes, some violence was done at the time, but mostly not by protesters. The trouble was fomented by others that wanted to embarrass the protest movement, devalue it. But the effort to address the core cause of Floyd’s death remains.

Re-imagining community policing is one such core cause in need of serious consideration. COVID-19 management has sparked opposition from ‘freedom fighters’, rebelling against orders to wear masks, social distancing and staying home as much as possible. Protests have appeared. Social unrest and civil disobedience have occurred.

And authorities have not always reacted well.

So, now aged more and sporting a rolling walker (red and zippy!), and portable oxygen concentrator by day, nonportable one by night, I wonder what would happen if I and hundreds more of the same gathered to protest the growing conditions of chaos?

We watched a local protest march during the George Floyd incident aftermath, and they peacefully marched several blocks in our downtown area, then onto a state highway, sat down in the middle of a busy intersection, then peacefully arose, and walked home. I thought at the time I couldn’t walk that far. Nor could I sit without considerable help in getting back up.

But the thought remains, what would authorities and public do if a bunch of old people an religious cohorts gathered to protest unfair behavior by authorities?

I’d participate in this if others think it would work. Any takers?

July 19, 2020

Team Work

America won World War II because it planned, implemented and focused. Teams were built. Communications were channeled successfully to those who needed to know. Teamwork was emphasized. Accomplishments happened.

Same with the space program: getting to the moon was not a singular effort. It was team all the way. And a large, complicated one at that.

Anything worth fighting for is worthy of great teamwork. Many hands make light the work. Many minds bring untold ideas to the table. Management talents that keep all this straight are worth their weight in gold.

And now comes COVID-19 and the fight to survive it.

Where is the team? Where is the leadership? Where is the national spirit that unites Americans?

Nowhere. Well, not totally. Medical personnel have come together in their teams to fight COVID hospital to hospital, community to community. Hospital managements have banded together to do the same. Some states built great teams to understand the threat, build defenses, and implement methods to stem the tide of infection, hospitalizations, and deaths from the disease. Along the way much was unknown, still is. Research and shared experiences have advanced how medical teams and hospitals could and did improve their handling of this awful challenge.

Governors of individual states also banded together. Those who listened, learned. Those who took action learned what worked and what didn’t. Together they shared this information among themselves and strengthened responses to the pandemic. Those states who were blessed with effective leadership have survived COVID well. They know not to rest on their laurels; no, they remain vigilant to respond to resurgence of the disease, and how best to dampen outbreaks. They are prepared to reinstitute shutdowns and public closures if needed. They are still on their war footing!

States without strong leaders avoided the hard work early on. Their states are now experiencing the results of that failed leadership. The southern tier of states are primarily the sufferers currently. With little discipline built early in the pandemic, they are now vulnerable to massive infection rates and increased probabilities of death among their fellow citizens.

Even states that took early precautions (California) are getting caught now with a surge of infections, probably because they prepared for the wrong strain of the disease. At least they have the discipline to reinstate tough measures to battle the disease.

Warm weather did not kill the virus. Extremely hot and arid climates didn’t do it either. That theory crumbled to dust quickly.

Good thoughts are nice. But action is better. Even when you don’t know what you are doing. It is the only way to learn the better how.

Illinois and New York are prime examples of leadership that answered the call. But where was the federal government in all of this?

July 18, 2020

Making Sense from Nothing

60% of the public (most recent polls) do not support trump. 30% do support him. Where the other 10% went I have no idea. 26% of polled Americans believe trump’s COVID reports while 67% believe Dr. Fauci.

Healthcare professionals throughout the nation ask everyone to wear masks, social distance, stay home if possible, and wash hands frequently and thoroughly. Most of us do. Many don’t. They are the ones getting sick and making others sick, too.

Schools are supposed to open in fall, but many communities are resisting reopening schools as they were; instead they are pondering masks, hand washing and social distancing. They are also hoping against all hope that kids do not get the disease as much as other age groups, and don’t spread the disease as much as older groups do, either. That doesn’t mean families, neighbors, teachers and school staff will be unaffected. So, the jury is still out on whether this is a good idea.

Most universities will provide virtual, online instruction and educational supports. What all that means is unknown to those of us not working with universities currently. Hopefully, the genius that resides on most campuses will invent an effective method to learn remotely – whether in a dorm or apartment, or parental home far away. We need to do this. We’ve been teaching people for years via computer and socially distant methods. Have they worked? Has any research been done to conclude that University of Phoenix and all similar schools have successfully educated their students?  I’d like to know this. Wouldn’t you?

If our nation is to survive well into the future, then we must find new ways of doing business, education and social wellness given the COVID experience. We must. Some say we have in the past. So let’s see the evidence.

And art. I miss making music (singing). I miss going to concerts, church and other cultural venues where real people create art in association with others. That magic is absent from our lives today. 

Other forms of art we experience by radio, TV, video, computer and such. But an oil painting needs to be inches or feet in front of the eyes to see the textures, colors, lighting and more. Plays are best experienced live. Symphonies vibrate the cushions of our seats when witnessed live. The air of the concert hall hums with mysteries. Choral performances are absent. Solo recitals are gone for singers.

What is missed is two-way. The performer misses the doing. The audience misses the reception. All lose in every way.

Still, I can write. Still we can read. Literature is available remotely. Libraries may be closed but books are still available. Electronic readers have been wonderful. So the printed word is available anyway you like it to be. A blessing!

What is missing is the group experience of all art. We see creations individually and alone. We see them in group context, too, and learn much from that experience. Seeing the contents of a gallery on my computer is not a worthy substitute. Perhaps if it were broadcast or streamed on our large TV screen it would be OK. But I don’t know how to do that, so the point is moot.

Making sense of things not experienced is difficult. We will appreciate it when we have it back in our lives. Meanwhile, we bide our time and hope. And remember.

July 17, 2020

Runaway Stock Values

I believe in American ingenuity. I have faith that we will solve the COVID problem in time. I trust in our ability to define a ‘new normal’ and to move on. I think the economy will flourish in time. It will restructure, reformat, and invent new industries and companies to make the good life return. Knowhow is key. Available wealth is also key.

Meanwhile, current corporations and businesses, including the all important small business community, will need to redefine themselves and change product and service offerings. Some businesses will close forever. Others will be merged with healthy partners. Many products and services will disappear entirely.

Economic and commercial landscapes will be much different than they were prior to COVID. That is a given. Now it is up to all of us to figure out how we will adapt, survive, and then flourish.

This is the meanwhile. Uncertainty is king. We do not know how this will all turn out. Company stock values have had much to back their value on the stock market. But now? No, we do not know what is backing their stock value.

Stock markets are volatile. Big swings upward in values, and downward, too. Lately, however, it has been mostly upward. One wonders what the reasons are? There are few discernible facts to be known.

Here are the negatives that appear to be ignored in the current market:

-High unemployment

-Low demand for products and services upon re-opening businesses; customers are in debt, without income, and redefining their needs

-Unemployment will not fade away overnight; as markets feel an uplift, hiring will resume

-International markets have been disrupted by supply chain chaos; foreign economies have experienced much the same as ours; they have to regroup to become reliable customers of our businesses; and reliable suppliers, too

-Job skills have changed toward new cultures to be learned, and new technology

-Domestic markets have changed; new norms will need to be worked out before relying on them

-Massive budget deficits exist for most government units – local, regional, state and federal; unemployment will soar for those governments until debt and tax rates have been re-balanced for managing

-International relationships have changed greatly. America is not regarded highly as a partner in foreign affairs or commerce. That bodes ill for our economic prospects for the foreseeable future

OK, that’s enough bad news for now. However, in the face of all this, why then are stock markets thriving? It seems odd to me. How about you?

Is this a huge bubble building? Or do some people know something we don't?

July 16, 2020

Ho Hum

It started on March 21, 2020. The shelter in place order was iterated by the Governor of Illinois and we took it to heart. We stayed home. We got masks from someone, I think I remember a doctor’s office before shutting down. Ordered more online.

Church friends phoned asking if we needed anything from the grocery store. We did, just a few incidentals. They bought them and delivered them the next day to our door. A blessing. And, it gave us time to consider how we were going to get groceries at all.

We settled on Target’s online shopping number. They did a quick pivot to make local deliveries, especially to elders. We did this for 6 or 7 weeks. Then the shelter in place order was modified and we ventured out again.

We had been picking up fast food orders at drive-thru lanes, had ordered from delivery outlets, and picked up curbside restaurant orders. We also frequented the drive-thru lane at Walgreens. Local stores set aside special shopping hours for elders. All much appreciated, and all made the new routines possible.

Now we are venturing into the stores fully masked and sanitizing hands once home. Watchful eyes on supplies kept us writing lists for the next adventure to Target, Family Foods, or Walgreens!

When we started it was cold, dreary, late winter rains and even more snow. Then the cold yielded to warming spring days. Green sprouted from trees and bushes. Lawns turned green from winter’s brown. Blue skies returned with very hot temps.

When once we worried about weather and what accommodations we needed to make to it (heavier or lighter coats, umbrellas or snow boots), we now didn’t have to worry at all. We had nowhere to go that was demanded. Ergo we watched the weather from the security of our apartment windows. I recalled long ago commutes of 40 minute train rides in each direction, and the daily 5 mile roundtrip walk to and from rail stations. Kept me thin but man did I spend money on shoes and slacks! Salt destroys everything!

We note more and more the absence of masks among the public. Diners outdoors arrive and leave maskless. Outdoor bars provide seating close together and again, no masks in view. The virus ramps up its spread. People are concerned with trends, but do little to adapt to them.

Newscasts tout the pandemic’s journey across the nation and back again. Health experts warn of surges and rising death count. All to little avail. We elders have no choice but to remain in place. Our lives have adjusted to include frequent phone calls, steady line of emails, and an increasing Zoom presence. We are becoming adept at camera shoots.

The strange has become ho hum. We are used to this now. Part of me is OK with it. Another part still aches for outdoor air and social mixing. I can do this for many more months if called upon. We are busy indoors and happy with it. Last night we slept nearly a full 8 hours. I can’t remember when that last happened.

I wonder if this has anything to do with aging or retirement. Or both? Certainly it no longer pertains to COVID-19.

July 15, 2020

Reputations

Back in the 70’s gay men were dying of a mysterious ‘gay cancer.’ It was eventually identified as Kaposi’s Sarcoma, purplish skin blots that grew.  They are a vile aggressive cancer that soon took the lives of many gay men in New York City and the San Francisco and Los Angeles urban areas. As the disease spread the gay community envisioned a plague personally directed at them.

Several years later, bit by bit, research found ways to treat the disease, prolong life, and eventually tame it. Years. Long years of wonder and worry. A pandemic that spread worldwide.

Deep in this struggle was the person of Dr. Anthony Fauci. I won’t recount his long and storied career in medical research and epidemiology, but it is broad and deep. He is an expert, one who learned from scratch how a disease, many diseases, get their start and spread to targeted victims. He was there in the trenches doing the research, directing treatment protocols, setting public health policy based on scientific research.

Dr. Fauci knows of what he speaks. His entire career is long and hard earned, learning as he traipsed through the life line of many diseases. HIV/AIDS is but one.

When a new disease appears on the scene, trained scientists research it as best they can. They accumulate findings and learn more. Lasting long-term effects of a disease is a later finding; first they must learn to recognize it accurately in the population; then they learn how it is spread; then who are the likely victims if any are specific; then the treatments suggested to make patients comfortable, and hopefully, defeat the disease.

Once all of that is done, they go back to learn more. More details. More definition of more terms. Cause, effect and result are endlessly studied until a cure is found. The process is replicated endlessly for every disease. Scientists know this. It is their process and training. It is their discipline.

Meanwhile people interview the scientists to better understand the disease and what is known about it. That is an unfolding story that builds eventually into full understanding. We are not there yet with COVID. We will get there eventually. No one knows when or how.

Meanwhile, scientists warn and caution the public on how to avoid transmitting the disease or acquiring it in the first place. They warn us how to protect household members and other loved ones. We pay attention to these people because they have the expertise we lack.

The reputation of these scientists is excellent. Dr. Fauci is one of the preeminent ones.

Bad politicians don’t much care about credentials. Many of them have no expertise in details. Good politicians surround themselves with experts to do the heavy lifting. Poor politicians select teams that make them look good, and provide handy targets to blame.

In Dr. Anthony Fauci, trump has blamed the wrong person. The White House occupant doesn’t have any credentials. Dr. Fauci does. For all to see.

This causes us to wonder about the blamer in chief. Just what is his credibility? Having said this, isn’t it curious that both China and the World Health Organization have attracted trump’s blame for COVID? Both those entities have done much to quell the disease and share their knowledge with the rest of the world community.

Methinks the King of Blame has much to hide. It begins with his own self-fear.  

July 14, 2020

Masks Must

I don’t like wearing a facemask but I do. I do this to protect myself first of all, and to protect others second. Simple act: wear mask, benefit self and others. I do not do this because I was ordered to. No, I do it because it makes sense.

Science proves this to work in the COVID pandemic. Anecdotal evidence at times shows the opposite, but the vast majority confirms the science.

Why chance it?

Some will say the disease has a low mortality rate. Most patients don’t even need the attention of a doctor, let alone hospitalization. That is true. However, those who are hospitalized have worse cases than those who aren’t, and they have better recovery rates now. Healthcare workers are gaining understanding of the disease. They are able to better care for patients with Covid today than they did in March.

Having said all of that, total COVID deaths in America divided by total known cases yields a mortality rate of approximately 5%.

Of course, not all cases are known or documented. It will take a while to improve data collection. It will take more time to fully understand the disease. So, we do the best we can in the meantime.

Wearing a mask is the least we can do. it helps if we keep our distance, reduce going out among crowds, and wash our hands well and often.

Just the simple things count. As always. 

July 13, 2020

Roger Stone

No. He should not be pardoned or have his prison sentence commuted. But it has been commuted. That is not right. Why?

Because you and I follow the rules. We follow laws. We are kind and polite with others. We reach out and help others. We try not to be nasty. We do not manipulate or cheat to ‘get’ what we want. We earn what we want. And need.

Roger did not do this. Neither has donald j trump. And most of his friends. They seem to relish sitting in a private room to scheme for an outcome they want but don’t deserve. They work the system to their favor. Because they can. Because they want. Because they have money and influence. Because.

Our nation was not founded on because.

No, America was founded on the belief all men (and women) are created equal and have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A system of governance was invented and installed to live up to those ideals. It is a human system, so it has inevitable flaws. One is the Electoral College. There are other errors, but that’s not the point of this post.

No, the point today is to cry ‘foul’ to the president for cheapening the US Constitution, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial System. He has also injured the Legislative branch, but it is the Constitution and the federal system of checks and balances that he has raped. All for his own good, or at least, the perception of his own good.

His actions are perfect examples of the systemic bias our system has for those with influence. No wonder Black Lives Matter consistently point out ‘systemic racism.’ Systemic bias flows in many directions; for some it is good; for others it is bad.

Truth is, it is always bad for trust and faith of the people in their government. That must be present if the government is to have support from the people.

For me that trust is faltering. It has been in decline since November 2016. Back then I feared the person of trump would do damage to our form of government. Today I know the damage is real. The tragedy is that damage continues to be done to our society, form of government, and faith in the future of our nation. That is not a political statement. That is a statement reflective of what ‘we the people’ have lost.

How will it be restored? When will we be made whole again?

Do 'we the people' realize just how much our faith and trust in our government is a value to be preserved? The bedrock of America is us. It is in fact faith and trust in our government.

Is Roger Stone worth it?

July 12, 2020

Group Hysteria

Are you getting what you want out of life? Huh? Are you?

Just wondering if you are treated well. Do you have all the food you need, even more than that?  Is it tasty and alluring still? What about your ride? Are you pleased with its look, performance, feel and sense of luxury or well-being? And your home? Are you proud to say you live there? Do you have many improvements you’d like to see  done to it in the short run?

What about your finances? Are they fairly sound and healthy? Are your bills under control and paid on time? Do you have a nest egg you will rely on for an emergency? How about your retirement plans? Are you building toward them? Adequately?

In your free time do you have meaningful things to do, think about, and act upon? Would you say your life has purpose and meaning? And your family, do they feel the same?

Taking your pulse in the previous few paragraphs should help you assess if things are going well for you. The current social environment makes the assessment difficult, primarily because we aren’t certain about much of anything. I’m thinking uncertainty is a negative itself. With it we turn negative about a lot of things.

In the main, though, if you answered in the positive for most of the items catalogued above, life is good and you are OK.

Headlines, Twitter, Facebook, newsprint and telecasts say otherwise. Of course they do; it is their job to caution the public that problems abound and we must be careful. But when did it become OK to become hysterical about prevailing conditions?

I think it happened when politics invaded the space and made every little thing a plus or minus for one political party or the other. Or one candidate or the other.

Politics has poisoned more wells than drillers can drill. Remember that as you peruse your newsfeeds. If it smacks of politics, then ignore the post. Let it go. It doesn’t help you at all, and consuming it poisons your outlook for the rest of the day.

Hysterics. Public hysterics. It occurs when people without hope with respect to anything they deem important goes against their wishes. In today’s world, that about sums up everything under the sun.

It is time to put away the hysterics. It is time for calm. Do something productive with this day. Feel good about yourself and the world because you did carve out a positive for the day.

Also remind yourself: people in politics earn their stripes by intentionally pissing off people. That’s what they get paid for. The more noise and reaction, the more dollars flow into their pockets.

Let’s let these people starve for the rest of the year! How about that? Just remove them from your Facebook page, website, snail mail, email, etc.

With them out of the picture, we have time and calm with which to focus on real problems and their solutions. I bet we do well with those solutions. They are fun to work on and create. They make all of us more whole.

Have a great weekend!

July 11, 2020

Decency

Going along to get along. Being nice to others so they are nice to me. Allowing logic to guide my thinking and my words. Spoken or written, logic wants to steer the proceedings. Emotions, however, do arise. Interesting how quickly they leap to action!

Facebook comments most often elicit the response. The best practice is to skip over the message. Sometimes, though, a graphic or picture draws me in. Then the purpose dawns and ire, love, pity or support speaks its reaction.

Yes, I unfollow people who seem all too ready to pounce on those who disagree with their position. This seems their purpose – to attract, stir up, then attack your reaction. Seems unnecessary to me. Conclusions are arrived at over time once the mind considers all the options and facts.

Discussion helps this logical process. Debate only stirs up strong positions. Note, I stated strong positions, not logical positions.

Decency is an asset in times such as these. Ellen DeGeneres asks us to ‘be kind to one another.’ That’s decency in action. It listens to what a person has to say. It listens to what the person is feeling. It allows emotion to erupt from feelings and, at the same time, keep logic from getting mired in emotions. Help the person with the emotions first. Then gently open the discussion to the facts. Soothe the ruffled feathers so meaningful discussion can be had.

Scoring a point is debate, not discussion. Finding fault is a debate strategy, not a logical conclusion. Faults are always part of the process; they are the tell-tales that perhaps a fact has not been represented accurately. Faults also broadcast the person’s motivation for the discussion. They have a point of view they are pressing forward. They are not interested in inputs. Their minds are already made up. They are out to score big in the debate.

The rest of us, however, are considering all the facts and attempting to learn from each other. Decency helps the process work. Kindness helps. Openness to competing ideas is helpful; it constructs layers of understanding the issues; and the co-dependencies of many issues.

Sorting things out is best done in calm. Strife and contentiousness clouds logic with emotions. It is inevitable. Best to avoid such competitions.
Unfollowing testy troublemakers is a good tactic to implement. Let them stew in their own concocted brew. Don’t get sucked in.

Instead, keep on your quest for facts and truth. These work together for better understanding. It is the critical element of logic.

Decency helps this process work.

July 10, 2020

Meanderings…

Keystone Pipeline Court Decision: About time a federal court stepped in and halted the Keystone pipeline project. First, it isn’t needed. Second, it crosses sacred Native American lands the tribes do not wish violated by the pipeline. Third, it is an ecological disaster in waiting. Fourth, the hubris of the oil industry has proven it’s outsized proportions. The court decision should rein in this project and kill it once and for all.


COVID-19 in Southern States: I guess warmer temperatures didn’t do as the president thought. Wipe out the virus once and for all? Didn’t happen. How about Arizona’s 111 to 117 degree heat? Should have been enough, right? Wrong! The southern states and southwestern regions are spiking COVID-19 infections. They didn’t do what was needed at the beginning so now they are reaping the results. For California, they were prepared early for what they thought was a virus coming straight from China. That was incorrect; the real epidemic came from the eastern United States as Europe’s bug spread to New York and New England. That was a different strain of the disease. So California needs to battle the pandemic anew.


Electoral College Court Decision: The Electoral College was a compromise in the 1787 Constitution. It was needed to balance the power of populated and underpopulated territories at the time. It was also a political fop to wealthy landowners at the expense of everyone else. It became outdated long ago but has remained an oddity of American election apparatus ever since. It should have been ditched long ago. Let’s do it now by court decree. That is cheaper and faster than a constitutional amendment.


Israeli Annexation: Israel is at it again. Will annex land ‘won’ in war and make it permanent. It will also build permanent settlements in disputed territory. This has long been a point of argument among Middle Eastern powers. Israel knows this and continues to pull that power level from time to time to keep the pressure on. Netanyahu is a devil with this ploy. It’s time to end this childish game and work towards lasting peace in the Middle East. Israel can make this happen. They just have to be willing to make it work.


Enough for now. Black Lives Matter and COVID-19 should be enough for us at the moment. These other issues are only loading it on!


July 9, 2020





 

Facebook Racism

Complaining about Chicago shootings and related deaths, racism seeps out from white America.

Hubris blinds the commenters to their own racism. It is not a ‘card’ to play in a debate. It is the real world of admitting that you feel black people have created their own situation in which shootings and lawlessness prosper.

Racists don't understand that the situation Blacks live in is the proof of the lack of opportunity and equality preponderant in our society. That is what causes the neighborhoods of despair. It is not black, brown or white. It is racism that separates people from people.


Guns. They exist in plenty in America. One for every one of us. Ridiculous. That is not sport. That isn’t protection. That’s war footing. In such an environment can peace be expected? I think not. Ponder that awhile and come up with another answer. I cannot. I’ve tried.


Our nation must own our history, the good and the bad. We are not innocent babes. We know the history. And we must fix it. If we don’t, we will continually re-live the horrors we have created.


I understand we did not intentionally create this story. But it emerged anyway, didn’t it? Saying so is not waving the ‘race card.’ It is a sobering thought that we are part of the problem. If we honestly want to solve the problem, then let’s get on with it.


We have made opportunity available to underprivileged people. But that doesn’t mean the opportunity will be embraced or taken up. Skills are required to do that. If missing, the opportunity is wasted.


If we stop reacting to the term ‘racist or racism,’ we may be able to do something productive about the problem. I don’t think of myself as a racist but I catch myself with very subtle forms of it when I least expect it. Do you? That doesn’t make us a bad person; it makes us conscious of our faults so we can move on to better.


All I’m asking is we give this a chance to change history for the better. Please?


I’m begging our nation to stand up and take responsibility. It is the right thing to do.

And the time is now.


July 8, 2020

Employment/Unemployment

On or off? Working or not? Creating or reacting?


Life is not binary. It is gradient of many positions. The in-between-ness.


We are not fully straight or gay. Shades of different exist in most things. Conservative or liberal? Neither, thank you; I’m a centrist, borrowing from both of the other ideologies. Somewhere in the middle trying to make things work.


Making things work. Getting back to employment. We are either employed or…what? Idle? Retired? Something else?


I think most of us are something else. We think of things that need doing and then do them. We create our own jobs. We find ways to earn money from doing such. Either the activity pays off or it doesn’t. If it does, we’ve started a business! We are now an entrepreneur.


A risk taker, an entrepreneur sees a need, fills it with service or product and then continues that into the future. A business is made, and others are hired to keep it going. Hired talent extends the entrepreneurs reach. Employment numbers increase from this activity. Job creation comes mainly from small businesses. In America this has been true from our beginning. Still is.


The pandemic has shattered business operations. Shattered, not shuttered. The latter too, but the shatter part is what the pandemic has done in terms of re-defining employment. Old careers have been disappearing for a while now; new ones are taking their place. Startups may be inventing new careers, but workers ought to be creating their own simultaneously. Otherwise the new doesn’t take root.


I think of the millennials and worry they won’t get this. They are the masters of their own future, not the existing social structure of corporations, jobs and careers. They will have to think fully on what they want to do with their lives, what kind of activities will please them and still earn them a living. What effect will their work have on society, the world? Will this become a passion that motivates them through good and bad times? Will they survive on their own wits? And be happy?


I have faith in them. I think they will rise to the challenge and soar like eagles. Don’t you?


In my youth, kids (late teens and twenties) were drugging out and partying. Not me. I was not a risk taker then. I wanted the security of a job and career that would give me freedom to explore life. Work didn’t do that at first, but it eventually did. It took time to realize that what I did with my life was my own to choose. Miraculously it unfolded that way. At the time it didn’t seem like it, but it did.


I was moved by social changes and dangers. I quit my job and went back to school, in my case, seminary. I thought the church was the place social change could be supported. It was and is, but the doing of social justice and making change in society takes a more direct route. I left seminary and worked in human resources, then a university in student development. That led to greater volunteerism and hands-on work to improve social institutions. That led to organizational development and on to consulting. And finally writing and publishing.


It was a fruitful path in the end. Oh, not for money, but for satisfaction and peace of mind. Along the way I can only hope the work made a difference in the lives of others. I will never know that. Faith and hope feel it is so. That’s all I can feel about it.


Meanwhile, tasks remain to be done. We think together. We write together. We plan and act together. Social history is the joinery of all our stories. We are nation. We are community. Rejoice!


Our creations are the in-between-ness of our lives lived purposefully.


July 7, 2020

Sedona

Arizona for me is a beautiful place. The landscape is varied, colorful, vast and stunning in beauty. Awesome, too, in ways difficult to articulate.


Sedona, Arizona, though, is in a league of its own. Red rock. Meandering streams and roaring river. Forests of dessert firs and hardwoods, too. Topography of hills, mountains and buttes. Air clear. Temps warm to hot. Sky so blue you wonder. Sun steady and basking.


An aura surrounds the town. Magical and embracing. Power centers? Who knows for sure, but something is very different about Sedona. If you have visited, you know. If you haven’t been there, you have a treat in store.


Newly divorced and a self employed consultant, I toyed with the idea of buying a home in Sedona. Part of me thought it would be a retirement home; another part suggested year-round living and working from home. There is a small municipal airport there with daily small plane flights to Phoenix so I could easily visit my clients to deliver my work outputs. In medical emergencies, helicopter ambulances flew to Phoenix quickly. I could do this, I thought.


Home prices back then, the mid-90’s, were already high. A vacant lot was available, buildable but not desirable for residential. I thought of buying and holding it to hedge the upward spiral of real estate values. I could always buy another lot after selling the bad one, and then build a house to suit my needs then. But I didn’t. Complications of business, health and logistics, thwarted a move to Sedona.


Covid-19 has changed all that for many people. Working from home will likely be a common career fixture in the future. Now I could live and work in Sedona very well. Only now, I’m retired and dependent on expert medical care. Impractical in Sedona for me at this point of my life.


I still have my memories. Sitting at a window, gazing at the landscape. Pink sands, dessert plants, red rocks, blue skies and plenty of sun, the views enlarged the sense of the world and my being in it. Soaring thoughts were natural. Uplifted spirits abounded. Wonder at space and place. The history of the land and the story of past millennia. Awe and wonder.


Sedona still has this effect on me. Cheaper thinking on it than executing an actual move. Such is life and missed opportunity. For me the memories are enough now; for you? The beauty awaits you!


July 6, 2020

Hubris

This word is misunderstood by most. It means the opposite of humility. Hubris is the act of projecting confidence in the face of odds unrealistic to the situation. Racism is hubris. It is a personal sense of feeling better than a person of another race or nationality. Equal in all other respects, the racist remains confident in his/her superiority.


Hubris. Feeling right and superior.


The opposite is humble. Humility accepts the self - ourself - as flawed and lesser than. Humble doesn’t mean meek or weak. Rather, it is courageous in accepting our imperfectness in a complex world.


Hubris is avowing positions on Tweeter, Instagram, Facebook or any other social media site. Asserting political and ideological thoughts totally without regard to logic, fact, truth or history.


We have a president who tweets several times a day. His inner thoughts and feelings about everything under the sun. he gives up national secrets. He broadcasts racism, anger and discrimination frequently. He stirs up trouble. He intentionally does this.


I suppose we will need a law written to specifically bar all future presidents from communicating with the nation other than by strictly controlled media channels. That would force the current president to communicate carefully through layers of experts who know much more than he on so many issues.


Any leader must be credible. This president is not. He has misspoken so often, and so intentionally that we cannot believe what he says. He is an actor on a large stage ad libbing his way through his term. Clearly this is unacceptable. For him. For us. For the global village.


Hubris is not just a trump manifestation, though. No, hubris is a character trait shared by vast numbers of people. If you think you are the only one who thinks correctly, you suffer hubris. If you do not open yourself to other venues of information and logical thinking, you have hubris.


Humility is one of those not so secret powers that allows us to be much more than we are. It is gained from maturity. It is gained from thinking things through. It takes time to do things right. Same with thinking. And concluding. It allows us to admit we might be wrong while we try to get it right.


Do we dare tell the white house this secret? Would anyone there listen?


July 5, 2020

Black Lives Matter; George Floyd

For over three weeks protests and demonstrations were held throughout the nation acknowledging that black lives do matter. The immediate impetus for this activity was the bold, open, daylight killing of George Floyd at the hands of one policeman, abetted by three others. The whole world watched the incident unfold via cellphone cameras. The tragedy was cruelly evident. The resolution was begged by many but the cops remained unmoved. Supervision was ineffective as well.


Floyd’s death was and is real. In front of our very eyes this took place. For all to see.


But to feel? Yes; as a white male I felt enraged by this. The feeling, however, was most deeply felt by the loss and powerlessness of our black community. They know George Floyd’s death was not one of a kind. It is the living symbol of what has gone on for 400 years in America. It is emblematic of injustices endured for generations even after the Civil War. The oppression is real. It is menacing and suffocating to our black brothers and sisters.


These are not empty words.


The emotions flared immediately after Floyd’s death. Protests, marches and vigils popped up spontaneously. All over our nation, and in many other countries as well. These were peaceful protests in the main. Some went over the top. Others transgressed from outside the community and played troublesome roles in rioting, looting and senseless violence. Such is easily sparked. Enraged human beings can quickly get caught up in mayhem.


Most don’t. the protests were peaceful. Communities came together the next day and cleaned up the messes caused by others. The nation was on the road to healing from this latest outrage of racism in a country that claims otherwise.


Now weeks later our hope for change is somewhat dampened. This time in our history we came to feel that change was imminent. Time, however, has quelled some of the passion. If true, that passion will be raised the next time a police murder of a black, brown or immigrant happens.


Why wait for the next time? Don’t we realize something needs to be done NOW?


Police reform is one agenda item that has come due. Policing must be reformed. It has spiraled out of control and no longer represents what America believes in.


Racism is a sickness of our society. Has been since our beginning. At times hidden from view, but real nonetheless. Discrimination is always present and working its sinister evil. We cannot allow this to continue. It will consume us if we ignore it. Consume you. And me. We must face this awful thing.

We do not need another senseless killing to know this. In our hearts we know this.


Then let’s do something about it right now. Police Reform and Face Racism. Two items on our agenda that need to be handled successfully. For our own good.


Right now. Please God, don’t wait any longer.


What better prayer should we be giving on this day commemorating the founding of our national hope?


July 4, 2020

4th of July

What a difference a year makes! Pandemic changes everything. This is one 4^th of July that will go into our memories and history books.


No parade? No large picnics? Community festivals and celebrations?


Sure, the fireworks will remain part of our annual celebration, but even those will be spread out so more of us can see them. No large gatherings to keep the firework displays focused.


So, if we celebrate the holiday differently this year, is there something we can do that marks that difference? Can we get something out of this that matters?


I think yes. I think we need to think about why we have this holiday in the first place.

Independence of our nation from Britain. That’s what we are celebrating. That is the historical fact. We took this brave stand against a world power over the cause of liberty and freedom for ourselves rather than the power of a distant king and parliament that did not serve our best interests. We were a money machine for England. Our lives in the New World were already a struggle; adding financial misery to the mix was intolerable. So we arose and chose our own path.


Years later the US Constitution was finally drafted for approval. But it couldn’t have existed if the declaration of independence was not loudly stated and followed by action. It was and the rest of America’s founding is written in the history books.


Independence comes with more than expectations, however. It comes with commitment to ideals, for all of us, not some of us, and authority and accountability. None of these stands alone. Together we become a union of people, a union of states, and a nation.


Let us remember that as we enter a long weekend recognizing our nation’s origins and values. We are a nation of many so we can be one. It doesn’t work if we are separated into classes, ethnicities, ideologies and any other distinction. We must remain true to our roots.


Our origins flow from nations around the globe. It is one of our strengths. Diversity has enriched our society in so many ways we have lost count. Still we value those differences. Rich or poor; talented or not, bright or dim, straight or gay, man or woman, or boy or girl, we are all the same in the human race.


That’s what we celebrate this day. Not parades. Not picnics. Not the flag or fireworks. We celebrate diversity acting as a unified nation both at home and in global affairs.


Feel the oneness. Rejoice in our American ideal. Then work to keep it whole.


July 3, 2020