Choosing What Matters

Should I focus on voting ballots – their printing, distribution, casting, counting and administration? Or should I focus on something else, like Post COVID Economic Recovery? Which is more helpful to the reader? Which helps me understand the issues better?

Which is more positive than the other?

So many options to consider when making a choice. Among anything. In writing a daily blog, however, I am torn between these pressure points:

·        Am I venting my brain for its own good? Or will this help someone else think through the issue?

·        Will this piece help motivate another person to think positively in the face of major negativity in our social setting? Or will this piece serve to deepen the negativity?

·        Will this piece expand the reader’s understanding of the issue, perhaps uncovering an important, little-considered element? Is that understanding important to our citizenship?

·        Is this more of a memoir item that enhances our human-ness and celebration of it; or is it just a puff piece?

·        Am I hitting on the issues that matter and offering something in addition to what is being said elsewhere? Or am I just adding noise to our public landscape?

You see the problems?  Of course you do! It helps me to know that you do.

So today, I choose…oh heck, I’ll choose positive. The ability of humans to spring back from the negative.

I experience an ocean of creative positivity nearly every day from my SCORE clients. They bring me ideas that matter and their willingness to deliver a product or service to others. Usually these are new things that are not available presently. Of course, there are services that people need but can’t pay for themselves, so nonprofit organizations are launched to do the work. The amount of caring and passion is inspiring to me. I’m the lucky one; I witness this positivity most days.

In counseling kids with drug addictions I learned what inspires them, too. Leading them to focus on the positive is an effort, but when they do the light bulbs come on. You see it on their faces. Tiny bits of seeing the better side of life restores possibility to these kids. They have the potential to do well, like most of us. What they lack is the confidence of the possible. Helping them see and feel that element propels them on to possible. Then the potential.

That process is positivity in action. It is a wonder to be seen. 

That’s what I mean by the ability to spring back from adversity and make something good happen. This is not smoke and mirrors. It is real. It is worth working for. You and I need to know this work is going on throughout our nation constantly.

The undercurrent of positive action is ever-present and accomplishing good things. Celebrate this reality and know that whatever bad we see each day it is offset by many good things we can’t see. One day you may join such efforts and see it for yourself.

Maybe you are already doing so?

September 30, 2020

 

Clear And Present Danger

 It’s in the US Constitution. Action is required when a clear and present danger exists that threatens the people. It matters not who is the instigator of the danger. It falls upon the machinery of government to protect those in danger.

Danger? What form would that take to be noticed?

How about:

-Questioning the electoral process? Its machinery, process, accuracy, etc.?

-What about causing that mechanisms of the electoral process to be messed with to make unreliable or to seem so?

-What about claiming wrongs done by opponents without any substantiation? Just throwing shade at the ‘enemy’ for whatever gain it earns?

-What of the now countless claims of fact that simply do not stand up to the tests for same?

-What about casting doubt on working agencies of the government so public support wavers? EPA? FDA? CDC? FBI? Governors of the several states (unless they agree with your political cant)?

-What about upsetting the norms of international relations to the extent that we don’t know who are friends are any more?

-Inserting religion into our governance, court systems, police processes and political decision making? Doesn’t this interfere with the rights and freedoms of others in the body politic?

-Is justice being served across the board throughout our society? Are you certain of that?

Is this enough evidence of danger?

If so, the Constitution provides redress and protection. It is now up to the Congress and Courts to control the actions of government. Those individuals in the middle of the problem are superseded, pushed aside. Others now take control to restore order and quell the danger.

The Constitution is not yet dead. Danger is present. Normal working of government is suspended until order is restored. Read the Constitution and uphold its provisions.

September 29, 2020

 

 

Justice?

Focus on the outcome. Was justice served? Is justice present? Did ‘right’ seem to win the day?

Take the Breonna Taylor case. She is dead. She was a public servant in her role as an EMT. She was innocent of charges relevant to the police warrant. She was unaware of any of this.

Yet she is dead.

In the dead of night her home was broken into by police. Perhaps they thought they were acting within the law, but the result of their actions produced a dead, innocent person. The home was damaged. The peace was broken. The police claim they announced their presence. What does that matter when the parties inside the targeted home could not hear, were unable to make out the message in the chaos that ensued. And the noise? The dread of wondering what is happening. In a dead sleep to wakening? Coming up through the fog of sleepiness?

What was the original objective of the police? To catch drug dealers, find a cache of drugs? Catch a thief? Were Breonna and her boyfriend any of those? No.

But Breonna is dead. For what reason?

The process used by the police did not produce the desired result. The court system did not find wrong in the result or the process which produced the result.

Justice was therefore not served.

Would care by the police have been greater if the subjects of the police action were white?

Therein lies a question relevant to racism, privilege and justice.

Still the word – justice.

Something is very wrong with the Breonna Taylor case. And yes, it is emblematic of what Black citizens are telling America: Black Lives Matter. No proof is needed of that claim. It is all too apparent.

September 28, 2020

 

 

Peaceful Transfer of Power

America has a reputation for its peaceful transfer of power every 4 or 8 years depending on the outcome of presidential elections. The winner takes office on inauguration day. The previous winner moves out of the White House, and the winner moves in. Plain and simple.

Of this there has not been doubt. Until now. The current occupant of the White House claims the election is rigged and the outcome questionable. He says this even before the election and its outcome tallied. Seems the incumbent is setting us up for yet another change in the nation’s history. He has proven to be the Great Upsetter.

Well, we the people have a message for him. If we vote another person into your office, you will be removed. That’s it.

The people who now protect you will automatically protect the winner. Not the loser. So, beware your empty claims.

The election results will be tallied, confirmed, and examined closely. The courts will rule. The power will be assigned where it belongs. The system determines this in the name of the people. Not the incumbent. Not the challenger.

So be it.

September 27, 2020

 

Police Accountability

I like policemen. I like their dedication to law and order. I respect their training and their judgment. I rely on them to maintain order and peace in my community, and yours, and the county, region, state and nation.

I also know police are human beings. Their job is often difficult. Working conditions are often in crummy places and outdoors in all kinds of weather. They are spit upon, shot at, sniped and cussed. Their judgment in the field is made more difficult. Timeliness is a factor, split seconds, really. And emotion. And fear, too.

I basically trust police. I support them. Until I see a fault.

For many years police have failed to police their own colleagues. Bad apples do exist. If they are allowed and protected by colleagues, the entire police force becomes suspect. Policing the force from within is the only effective means to keep all police honest and worthy of community respect.

Bad apples shake community trust to the core. Good cops are lumped with the bad. As unfair as that may be, the public has no choice. They are not part of the force. Only the police are. They have to protect their profession by keeping their house clean. Period.

The Breonna Taylor case in Louisville is a case in point. The police were not in uniform. The police made a middle of the night raid. The facts surrounding the warrant were in question. Turned out to be a bad warrant and raid. The residents of the apartment were asleep and innocent. The boyfriend thought their home was under attack by unknown persons. He protected his castle. And Breonna was shot when police responded to the boyfriend’s gunshots. Chaos followed with the assumption that the police had the right to do what they did. Accordingly the grand jury found in favor of the police.

Justice was not done for Breonna. Justice was not done for the boyfriend. Justice was not done for the police, either. The case is a mess and a clarion example of systemic malfeasance in the justice system, community policing and racism. If you don’t see this as fact, then you must be white, uninvolved, and/or privileged.

This is why Black Lives Matter matters.

Police professionals – behind desks or on the streets – have the power and motivation to get this right. They are the only ones who can. Meanwhile, the public will continue to lower their respect and trust in the very people entrusted with the mission to serve and protect.

Police unions are part of the problem and need to be defanged. Police administration must lead and support the rank and file when right. Rank and file must police their own to maintain trust and honor of the profession.

No more excuses.

September 26, 2020

 

Helping Others

Worried about yourself? The future? Your family? Finances?

Do this instead: think about people less fortunate than you and resolve to help them. Pick someone or a group sharing similar problems and help them with just one aspect to survive their problems. Take action.

Helping others gets ourselves out of ourselves. If we are focusing on them, we are not dwelling on our own worries. In league with others, we celebrate the good we have together. We are surviving together and winning. Magically, we are not worrying.

Do this often. The reward is ever present. The people you meet are worthy of time and effort. Indeed, they are the reward.

Life is not about me, or you. It is about us.

September 25, 2020

 

Finding Calm

 Anxious times. Lots of things to upset our balance, equilibrium. Peace, too. Jangled nerves, jarring news, fear of the unknown.

2020 has been a year. Unpleasant surprises. It started innocently. Like most New Year’s we welcomed the new year and hoped for wonderful things. However, soon the weather turned nasty, and then a friend became ill. How ill we didn’t know, but it was in and out of emergency rooms and hospitals. Finally, it was a fall, broken hip, hospitalization, surgery, and failing. Death came in March. Alone and isolated because that was the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Well, COVID quarantining was a surprise. Life changing really. None of us had ever experienced anything like it, and so all-encompassing. Everyone heeded the warnings. The streets were empty. So too the stores and restaurants. We clamored to order groceries and household supplies on-line and arrange their delivery. Suddenly we were not going to church or to the many meetings and gatherings common to everyday life.

Zoom became a household word. Organizing the house became a duty followed every day – until it wasn’t. Now I really don’t care about the dust or smeared window!

Binge TV watching became a thing. Healthcare news conferences carried our interest for several weeks; then not. Cooking tips loomed once again as they had 40 years ago! Books and journals were rebirthed as life-interests.

Elections. Campaigns. Nasty social media taunts. Ugly American life right here in our midst. Racial unrests, police shootings, then rioting. Travel absent. Family gatherings unattended. Face masks everywhere. Even plastic bags to protect hands at the gas pump from viral contagion.

Everywhere were reminders of what was wrong, not right. Anxiety faded in and out. Until it was a constant companion.

What to do? Here are some tips:

1.     Think of past travels to quiet places; canyons; campgrounds, mountain vistas

2.    Think of calm lakes and sylvan spaces; birdsong present, breezes pushing wild grasses gently

3.    In bed before falling to sleep, think on your toes and travel slowly up your body. Feel each part and be grateful for it; even its aches and pain tics.

4.    Ponder a sleeping pet on your lap, or snuggled next to you in bed; feel their slow rhythmic breathing in utter secure relaxation.

5.    Count your blessings. Remind yourself of what is good in your life. Push the negative away from time to time

6.    Turn off the news, or at least limit its presence in your routines. Keep informed but make it brief

Feel better now? Practice doing this. Keep the peace coming. And, if it works for you, pray for that peace.

September 24, 2020

Being a Citizen

Not being a good citizen, just on being a citizen.

We need to listen to what is being said, written and spouted around us. We need to watch what is going on around us. We need to think about these things, wonder at their effect on our society and lives. Also, should talk with others we trust; what do they think about these very same things? What are their conclusions, if any? Together can we come up with a better understanding of the what, why and who of current events?

Once done with this stage of curiosity, a citizen next considers what she/he should do about it? Do we adapt? Adopt? Or ignore? And what are the likely results of each of these behaviors?

We could also think about long-term and short-term. What’s private and public? What is for my eyes (or mind) only, and what is worthy public discourse? If something is important to me, why? And why then is it not important to someone else? If this is the case, should the ‘other’ help me win my point of view because it is important to me?

Do political parties help or hinder governance in our nation? Given current behaviors a reasonable person ought to conclude parties hinder everything. Justice. Equality. Reason. Education. Commerce. Governance. Music and arts. Everything we experience as sensate human beings is controlled or warped by people with political views. They limit your access to things they don’t want you to know about. They feed you made up facts that skew your thinking, make you think what is plainly not factual.

What is right and what is wrong. Who says so? Who has the authority – legal or moral – to have the power to decide these matters? Really? Do we have to answer that question? In this day and age?

Each of us is the product of our experiences. Our journey in life may seem similar to those of others, but they are not. My journey is different from yours, or the woman down the street. We were born in different places, in different eras, exposed to different cultures, education, and experiences. We gathered meaning from all of this. Logically the meaning is different. It must be.

Education systems are not supposed to inform you; they are supposed to teach you how to process information. Is it true? Is it false? What does it mean? Who says so? Where are the source documents to study on my own? How can I find out what these facts mean or connect with other areas of import?

Was I truly taught how to gather information and think about it? Was I taught how to do my own research and make my own conclusions?

Hopefully so. Most likely not. The educational system needs much help to become more and better. It is not master or slave. To anyone. In the American society of 2020, who is in control? You? Me? Or them? Do we know? Shouldn’t we know?

Just asking. I’m just curious, you know.

September 23, 2020

 

Meanderings, more of…

Health of Economy: stock markets soaring. Beyond our wildest dreams. Buying frenzies galore. Until it isn’t. Then, stock prices will drop along with the bottom of our stomach, our guts. Up one day, down the next, then a series of up days. Where will it end? When will the change occur? No one knows. The roulette wheel moves always. Where the bouncing ball lands is up to fate.

That is not the economy. That is gambling.

Our economy is grossly underemployed. COVID did that. But COVID has provided a window into the potential of the future. Will we work standing or sitting in front of a large pounding machine? Will we be replaced by robots? Will cellular networks take over mechanical manufacturing processes? Will new materials revolutionize current products? Will physics define transportation of people and things in fresh ways dashing cars, trucks and trains? Will we work from home? Will we meet in the flesh with others to transact our business?

No one knows these things. They are all in the works. Our brains are thinking beyond boundaries. We envision a new world of family, home, and work. Social order will change as it always has. We will change along with it; heck, we drive that change.

Education helps us think of these things, to understand change as real, change as process, change as continual. COVID allowed us the time to realize this freshly.

Now to use it and create economic health because of it. No, the stock market is not a measure of the economy. We are the economy. We can make it be whatever we want it to be.

Adapting to Huge Changes: the American economy is built on small business. Always has been. Growth of jobs, hell, creation of jobs has always been accomplished by the small businessman, the entrepreneur. These days women are the most plentiful of entrepreneurs. They begin 68% of new businesses. They are the face of the risk takers.

The entrepreneur sees a problem as an opportunity, a potential to change things, and yes, make money. They invent new products, processes and services. They innovate more effective outcomes. They create productivity. From all of that, they produce wealth.

Entrepreneurs are adapters. Big organizations have the brains, the resources, the people and the deep pockets to adapt swiftly and decisively. But they don’t. That’s a fact. Look at General Electric. They used to be the adapter king of our economy. No longer. They lost their way. Their size did not serve them. They simply were too big to move fast. They couldn’t make decisions, informed decisions, fast enough. They could not collaborate in the modern day world of change. They thought they could, but they could not.

Small is better. Small is fleet of foot. Without the resources, they find ways to fuel the new ideas to reality. They implement the change. They connect with other small innovators and create new systems that carry adaptation to heights unknown.

Small is good. Small businesses know this. They are our greatest secret of prosperity. American prosperity.

Thinking Kindly: times are tough. Disappointments are common. Job losses hover near. Expense shocks lurk in shadows. What’s to feel good about? Good question! Stop! Take a deep breath. Allow your body to relax even for a bit. Feel lessening of anxiety. The air is good moving in and out of the lungs. Fresh air smells uplifting. Cooking aromas, too! And then allow the mind to think on family, a pleasing view, a book you love, a painting or image that excites the brain. Let good things into your puzzled and havoc-prone mind. Think on the blessings of your life. The good things are everywhere around us. Yes, there is bad present. Yes, there is struggle and unknown outcomes. But for now we have this moment. Let it be. Enjoy it. Take the good for a moment. Let it dwell in you. Peace. It will come if we let it.

September 22, 2020

 

 

I Believe

 I believe in us. You and I. Others, too, gathered to think, consider and build a more perfect union.

The us in the United States of America is all of us. Together. United as one body we spell possibility. Potential. Horizons unlimited by fear or negative thoughts. Only the positive and possible. That comes from sharing space – both inner and outer – with one another.

I believe in the American idea of equality. Liberty, too. But liberty can only come from equality.

Free of restrictions – my own and from others – I can spread my wings, think my thoughts and discover all of life. Not just narrow bits of life, but all of it.

A deaf man composes wondrous music. A very young man composes radically good and new musical forms. A black man unlocks mysteries of biology and botany. A gay man writes poetry that stuns the world. A black gay man writes novels that search the soul of mankind to its core. A woman defines equality for women, men, children and immigrants of every color. She serves on the US Supreme Court and builds history one decision at a time.

One person can make a difference. He or she can move another, and another and yet another to form a movement that redresses the wrongs of history. Together they write history from fresh perspectives and make a better world. One day at a time. one idea at a time.

But with effort and commitment.

This is for you and I. This is for others not of our nation.

Yes, equality and potential is for all mankind throughout the globe.

I believe in this. So much so I believe America ought never be placed first, but equal among all the nations. It is how we can bring peace, equality and promise to all of the global village. The moment we favor just one nation over another, we have lost the battle. Victory for equality and promise will not breathe even once.

If we are to have peace we must be one with everyone else. That starts at home in our families, our households, or neighborhoods, our town, village and county. It spreads to our states and all of America. Then it laps at seashores to reach other continents and countries. It crosses borders on our own continent to share the good and the promise.

We must look to peace among our own people if we are to be a beacon of peace to everyone else. So, political parties, focus on all of us and what that requires. Focus on what is good for all of us rather than power and wealth for your own. Abandon partisanship and seek the universal.

To make a more perfect union we must be committed to work, patience and broad thinking. Difference and exclusion based on that needs to be erased. So simple, yet so difficult.

I get it. But I also get the larger picture that will make us whole and promising.

I believe. Oh yes, I believe. Can you?

September 21, 2020

 

Mixed Bag

Living with bad things happening affects our mood. Good things happen, too, only we don’t feel them as much as we deal with the bad. It’s a mixed bag. Instinctively we know we have good things in our lives, but the bad gets the attention.

Each day we need to acknowledge that. Even highly successful people need to do this.

If you have everything you ever wished for, what is the ever present bad thing? Why, death of course; or worse, failing health and disability.

Time is a resource with a finite definition. It has a start and an end for the individual. We are born and we die. In between is life. What we do with it is up to us individually.

Building a good life takes time, attention and effort. Lots of effort. Much of the time we do not know the results of our investment in time and effort. No, we have to play out the outcomes and see how they emerge. If good, time will take some of this away. How prepared are we for that?

Good and bad intermingle. The old song goes – ‘and the days dwindle down to a precious few…’

That’s September. As it ticks off through October, November and December, we arrive at New Year’s. Where will we find ourselves then? Will we value our time or will we lament the bad?

Balance. Find it. It values our time to live.

September 20, 2020

 

Lamenting

Feeling the loss this morning. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is/was/always will be a treasured name in human rights and equality. Her death is a loss to us all.

Equality is such a difficult concept for some people. For others it is life itself.

Differentness. Looking different from others. Thinking differently. Values not like others. Gender not of your own. Behaviors not akin to mine. Different. Not the same.

Is this cause for worry? Should I be afraid of what the different might do to me? Or mean to me? Should I be defensive?  

Or should I wonder what it is like to be different than I? What does the differentness mean? Might it be a good thing? Will the differentness make us more? Enrich our experience?

Ruth Bader Ginsburg thought so. She valued differentness.

She is/was right about that. She knew equality allowed differentness to enrich the tapestry of our lives. But for that to happen, equality must be preserved for each of us.

I want to know you. I want you to know me. We need to be equal to create the best of us. For all of us.

Thank you Justice Ginsburg.

September 19, 2020

 

Equilibrium

Finding it. Finding the balance of emotion and fact-based living. What works as opposed to what doesn’t. Recognizing the barriers within the public that slows problem solving. Keeping informed of the facts, extending them into logical action, solution and program. How do we handle problems as they arise? Correction, how do I handle problems as they arise?

Well, in a nutshell that’s what equilibrium is about. Do I have it in my life? Do you?

Increasingly evidence demonstrates that both I and we do not have equilibrium! I had a coach ask me the other day, what makes you anxious? My response – “Really? Climate change with countless hurricanes and 5 million acres on fire, COVID pandemic and an election involving a madman in our White House? And you ask me what bothers me? And the lack of coordination and collaboration with the states by the federal government with local governments on the verge of bankruptcy? Huh? Are those enough triggers to cause a total melt down?”

Balance indeed! Hah! Egad! Argh!

Time will help in some of this. The election will happen. Results will become known. I hope a change at the helm of our nation will be mandated, but that’s not a known at this time. forest fires will be put out or burn out. Communities will get on with the repair of their lives. But surely, winter will bring rain and snows that will cause floods and mudslides. So, another worry. Hurricane season will end, and we will lick our wounds and move on. But will we act to reduce our vulnerability to fires and storms?

The continuing saga of climate change and the havoc it wreaks is lesson enough informing us we do not work well with one another. Collaboration is one thing; cooperation is another. For God’s sake we can’t even agree to wear face masks to slow the spread of COVID!

And that’s where I’m at. Lack of concerted effort on all of our part to lessen the effects of scourges that kill, main and injure the public. Why can’t we at least do the minimum to help one another?

That is the disease of America. We have a pandemic of selfishness and ignorance. ‘Don’t bother me with your problems, and I won’t bother you with mine.’

This is all so wrong on so many levels. We have been educated, trained and raised to be better than this. Can’t we at least agree to define what we hope will be our living conditions 10 years or so in the future? Can we envision a common, pleasant life in which we all thrive? What will that entail then? What will need to change between now and then to improve our chances that a good life lies ahead?

Such a simple question. Too simple; the answer keeps getting lost in selfishness, greed, short horizons.

September 18, 2020

 

Meanderings

COVID Relief Bill: OK, two relief bills have been signed into law totaling $3 trillion dollars. However, another bill is needed to restore COVID relief dollars to unemployment benefits. Major relief is needed to fund state, county and municipal budgets pummeled by COVID (loss of tax revenues from a depressed economy, homelessness and evictions, unemployment, and healthcare emergencies). Economists are begging for a financial package that will prepare the economy for a return to health after COVID. Yet congress is unable to act because of gridlock among republicans and democrats. The former are acting stingy; the latter are overly generous. A compromise in between the two positions is needed. The amount? Probably something around $2 trillion.

Climate Change: Deniers of climate change be damned. Horrendous hurricanes and tropical storms attacking the eastern and Gulf coasts is one indicator of a climate run amok. The strength and number of those storms is yet another. On the west coast we have wildfires. Forests are ablaze from Canada to Mexico all along the coastlines of Washington, Oregon and California. Droughts and arid winds turn vast areas into tinder. Lightening ignites the tinder. The rest is an inferno. Smoke covers the entire continent. When cooler weather arrives, so will rains. Then flooding and mud slides. This is the cycle. It is larger and more frequent now than ever before. Markedly so. This is the face of climate change. In the middle of the nation we have weather swings quite abnormal than long-term patterns. That is climate change too, although much more survivable and pleasant than the other coastlines of America.

MidEast Peace Agreement: What agreement? What peace? An agreement between Israel and one or two other middle eastern nations? How does this affect Palestinians? How many other middle eastern nations are there? What does it take to have peace in the region? A rogue state or two does not spell peace. Besides, Netanyahu does what he wants, when he wants, and with American dollars just to stay in office. He is not doing the bidding of America or is he building peace in the region. Israel is one of the largest perpetrators of violence and anti-peace efforts. Jared Kushner needs to actually work out a deal that brings peace to the entire region and humanitarian resolve to the Palestinians. Anything less is just playing a game. Trump has not accomplished one twit in the region as much as he wants us to believe.

These issues are huge and important. Inaction is intolerable at times such as these. Elected officials do your jobs and quickly. Your people are relying on you. So far you are all a disappointment.

It would help if we kept our eyes and minds on defining desired outcomes. Do we want peace in the Middle East? If so, what would that look like? Who needs to be involved in the process towards agreement? How can we make that happen? For climate change, what are the primary problems to be eased, improved upon? How can we as a nation collaborate and cooperate to make this happen? What should be happening to ensure we arrive at the best, desired outcome? And COVID relief bill, for God’s sake, bail out the government units from cities to states so they can continue to do the work on the ground required of them. The feds fund but don’t do. The actual work is performed by others locally. With regards to COVID, collaboration and cooperation has been absent between the feds and states. That bodes ill for all of our other challenges.

Get it together, people!

September 17, 2020

 

Doing with Deep

If we allow ourselves to reach far outside of ourselves (see yesterday’s blog post) what do we do with it?

I think it depends on each person. What are they interested in? What are they game for? Are they open to recreating themselves in other directions? How much confidence do they have? Do they have a pattern of creative thinking? What about startling breakthroughs?

This aspect of a person’s makeup is important. Some people fiddle around with fresh ideas all the time yet do nothing with them. They may discuss them with others from time to time, but never follow that up with concrete action to build something new.

I’ve been in countless meetings in my life. No doubt you have as well! But the act of sharing ideas in a meeting can be exciting. There are those present who take up space; they say little and maybe nod their head in agreement; but they do not hazard their own viewpoint or experience with the idea.

I recall an important campus committee many years ago. I was an advisor to the committee, and my office did the work authorized by that committee. We had two faculty on the committee but students were heavily present, 9 or so as I recount. We programmed events, experiences for the campus. These events were to help socialize the campus community, expand musical tastes, help students experience new things that may fuel their own creativity. At any rate, the views expressed were far flung. Policy issues were front and center as well; there were limits on how to spend the funds, but also how to maintain order and safety during events. We didn’t want to unknowingly create a chaotic scene.

Often the meetings were raucous. Opinions were fought over. After an hour or so of this, one student with blazing red hair, who often sat quietly throughout the meetings, often spoke up and summarized the issues succinctly for the other attendees. Suddenly focus and clarity were at hand. The student was persuasive in his logic and clarity. His opinions often moved the committee to wise action.

[Footnote: that student went on for a master’s degree in engineering at MIT; I have little doubt he earned a PhD and probably is in research and teaching at MIT or some other prestigious institution.]

That student listened, catalogued ideas and thought them through in concert with one another. He came to logical conclusions about most of them. Quickly, too. The rest of the discussion was out loud thinking by others, and often distracting from the real issues. How many meetings does this sound like in your own experience?

Speaking up. Thinking clearly. Allowing ideas from others to percolate with yours. These are basic behaviors that help create totally new ideas, ones that will work if they are based in realism and logic.

Reaching deep is the first step. Allowing the self to do this is another step. Doing something with the deep is yet another step to take. With confidence and logic, allow ourselves to do this. New ideas result. New products and services result. New processes evolve. Problems are solved. Futures are built.

Let the deep speak to you. Then watch the fun happen.

September 16, 2020

Reaching Deep

Not digging deep. Reaching. Stretching, even.

Digging is an effort spent with shovel and soil, dirt, hard packed dirt and rock. Going down, or laterally and into a hard to penetrate surface. Making a hole. For a purpose. Any purpose I suppose.

No, not digging. Reaching is the verb. Stretching tendons, sinews and muscles to feel outward toward something else. Maybe to grasp it, or touch it. Sense its dimensions and consequence. Is it important? What is it? What does it do? Is it something to weave into my life, my conscious life? Are we finding new meaning here?

Sensing the unfamiliar and struggling to know it, understand it. Reflect back on our own experience to discern what it all means. Knowing it changes my previous knowings. It is a newer dimension of my reality. I can see the world differently with this new thing in my consciousness.

All well and good I suppose. But what does this mean in broader terms? Can I reorder my reality to accommodate this new thing? Should I work this hard to understand it, embrace it? And yes, do I allow myself to do this work?

Allow. Let it happen. Let it enter my field of vision and thought. Yes, allow.

Why? What is the benefit of allowing this to happen?

I think it means I will become more by letting new things enter my thinking and understanding. Letting it in doesn’t mean I understand it. At least, not right away. It takes time and effort to know something. To know another person. To weave all experience into one another. Is this acceptance? Tolerance? Or simply knowing myself more fully?

Don’t know. All I know is reaching matters. Allowing myself to think about all sorts of things. New. Different. Unusual.

I am the same as others yet quite different. So too others. I’m good. They are likely good as well. Why assume the opposite? Indeed, we are all human. Do we know what that truly means?

Reach deep. Go beyond the horizons. Imagine more and be more. Reach for the stars. Accomplish more.

We have the time. we have the need. Do we invest the effort?

If not, why?

September 15, 2020

Aching for Sun

Finally. The sun appeared early Sunday morning. After seemingly weeks of dreary, rainy weather, light fills the sky. In recent days our lamps were lit through the day. It was dark for over a week. This cool damp spell followed dry weather. Lawns were brown, soil cracked. But now? Green has returned. I have not inspected the soil cracks but assume they are closing.

There is a hint of yellow in treetops. The dark green of summer leaves are lightening ever so little. Fall is on its way. Cooler weather with gentle rains creating color pathways toward winter.

COVID robbed us of a living spring. Summer was taken from us, too. Fall will be different this year, one observed from the safety of indoors. Still, fall is a season when we don heavier clothing and prepare for winter's cold. A winter with COVID in Illinois is be like most winters, only without the joy of restaurants.

I’m in this lifestyle until spring 2021. I’m assuming COVID vaccines will be available then and with broad distribution. Slowly we will emerge from the cocoon of quarantine and resume a modest sense of normal.

Normal, however, is a term of relativity. Normal what? Work? Commuting? Socializing? Attending church? What about meetings and client face to face sessions? And family gatherings?

I think we have learned the productivity of less driving around, fewer in-person meet-ups and the joy of Zoom. I think sales calls and consulting will be permanently virtual. I think working from home will expand exponentially. Paperless routines will be a reality finally. Just think, no or fewer filing cabinets!

Commuting patterns will be fewer and less. Office buildings will be converted to apartments and other functions. Commercial real estate will drastically redesign itself. So will mass transit.

The entire reality of socialization will be rethought. We want to be with others. We ache for togetherness. But will we actually do this? I think not. I think we will continue to be more private but more thoughtful and communicative digitally. Thinking and creating will become a feature of our days. 

That’s a good thing. Take the time to think things out. Focus on desired outcomes. Think how those can come about. Create answers to the many questions. Share at will and become a more considered participant in the human community.

Like the sun that reappeared Sunday, possibility comes from pauses. And reflecting. Thinking.

From the horrors of COVID may come blessings. Like aching for sun. We can hope.

September 14, 2020 

One Day at a Time

Approaching national election. Nasty but important that one candidate be removed from office and a more stable one elected. Natural disasters plentiful: wildfires in the west; hurricanes and tropical depression storms in the south and Gulf states; COVID-19 pandemic spreading its trauma nationwide; COVID induced economic disaster nationally. Incivility everywhere among the people. 

Dealing with all of this is a challenge.

Depression. Suicide. Failing health. Limited horizons. Diminished hope. Failed businesses. Failed careers or careers on hold. Bankruptcy of families. Loss of homes and housing. Bankrupt businesses. Government units in financial distress. The signs of brokenness everywhere.

These thoughts are downers. Reality does not allow turning a blind eye to the troubles. They must be lived. We must push through them to survive.

To do that we gather our strengths and little pleasures. A sip of coffee. A deep breath inhaled then slowly released. Loving gazes on dear ones near and far. Memories of better times. Enjoying the now of who and what we have in our lives. It is not all bad.

We pull together our hopes and dreams. We lean on values and beliefs. Our faith in whatever foundation we have or have had. From all of this we build hope. Hope for what will come after. Hope for what will be. On the other side of now.

Coping skills come with effort. They are a must. They need support. And time. Time to think. Time to implement. Time to heal.

It is what we do to survive. And we will.

Thrive is tomorrow. It is what hope builds.

September 13, 2020

Remembering 9/11

I know, I’m a day off. But I really didn’t want to hit the memory trail yesterday, on the 19^th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. I needed another day to think about it. Peace out a bit.

The day was crisp, clear and the bluest sky I remember. Leaves were hinting at changing color. I was on the computer in my office. Client work focused my mind acutely. The phone rang and Rocky called from work to say a plane hit the World Trade Center in New York. "Turn on the TV," he said. I walked into the bedroom across the hall from the office, turned on the TV and watched the horror unfold. In slow motion.

I tried to get back to business, but couldn’t. I shut off the TV, closed down the computer and went downstairs to the living room. Turned on the big TV. Got another cup of coffee and sat in my recliner mesmerized by the TV coverage.

I remember wondering what this meant. What was happening. Why now? I also compared the similarity of New York’s weather with Chicago. Same day 1000 miles apart, but carbon copy weather. Simply too beautiful to be a bad day.

But it was. A very bad day.

Soon reports indicated other planes were involved and then the second plane hit the other tower. Tempo of events accelerated in a blur from that point on. Air traffic was shut down. A flight was tracked to a crash site in Pennsylvania, heightened defenses were raised surrounding the White House, the President was whisked away and finally, another plane was reported crashing into the Pentagon building.

Chaos. News reports flew high and wide as in a blizzard. Lots of questions. No answers. Three buildings hit. People presumed dead. Then the towers began to disintegrate and collapse.

Minds, hearts and people ran in panic. Devastation was evident. Billions of dollars in damage were obvious. But human life? What would be the toll?

The weight of events was heavy, suffocating. What did this mean? What would happen now? And who were the actors responsible for all of this?

Humans react to big disasters slowly. Reactions occur but without focus. Days and weeks later meaning forms but even then, no one is certain of the meaning of anything.

Deep down I felt our nation challenged to the core. Who are we? What will we become as a result of this awful day? Will we be stronger? More purposeful? Or will public outcomes be more nuanced?

Part of me thinks we have become stronger. We have survived. We have taken a strong place on the world stage. But part of me still feels lost. We went to Afghanistan seeking revenge against Osama bin Lama. Retribution was not swift. It took years but we finally tracked him down and murdered him in his lair in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, we poked around the Middle East and waged war in Iraq to unseat Saddam Hussein. We were successful in that but an utter failure at settling anything. On the contrary, we created a horrible mess in the Middle East that may never heal, never return to any kind of manageable normal.

As an extension of that outcome, domestic politics devolved into a back alley slugfest between conservatives and everyone else. Civility went out the window. Suspicion of government grew. Foreign affairs deteriorated and remain so nearly 20 years later.

Stronger? Smarter? More knowledgeable? No; I don’t think so. I think we are very confused about our identify as a nation and our values as a people.

We want to feel good about ourselves. We don’t. Instead we feel vulnerable and weak. Oh, we know we are a formidable military power in the world. And we know we do good deeds throughout the globe. But we wonder why we don’t feel better?

Deep down we sense the brokenness. The question is, how do we fix it?

How much does this have to do with 9/11/01?

A telling question. I wonder who has the answer?

September 12, 2020

Here We Are Again

Another election cycle, this one for president, all House of Representatives at the federal level, and one third of all Senators. The campaigns are in full swing. Those running for office are doing little governing. They are campaigning.

Not that they ever stopped campaigning; no, they are in a continual campaign for their seat at the table.

And that’s what’s wrong with our system. To get our votes candidates promise the moon. They ask for your donations throughout the year as well. Hands out, promises galore. What can we expect from this but the same old garbage we already have.

It is time for a change.

The first step is campaign finance reform. No private money from any source ought to be used to campaign for office. Only funds from the public’s purse based on the office level and population of the district to be represented. So, for Senator, you get $1 per registered voter in your state. That’s it. For House seats, the budgeted amount would be something like $300,000. President would be $330 million. I haven’t worked out primary campaigns, but something much less than the final candidates.

With the focus on issues (not personalities) rather than money, I think campaigns would be more intelligent and less chaotic than those of today. And it removes large contributors, political action committees (PAC’s), and corporate donations. Corporate sponsors ought never have been allowed. Not in the past, certainly not now, and not in the future. The principle is obvious; evidently the Supreme Court doesn’t understand that principle.

The Electoral College should be abolished. It is an anachronism of the 1780’s and not applicable to 2020. The Electoral College was a political compromise in favor of landowners and the wealthy. And it protected small states with lower populations from larger states. The workings of the EC are also constantly toyed with making outcomes of elections questionable. Time to do away with it. Keep the election machinery simpler.

There is talk about eliminating political parties but I have not thought that through so leave it unaddressed at this time. It is clear, however, that party politics continually warp voting district boundaries and the mechanics of voting. It is time to address the issue of one person, one vote, and ensure its safety. Parties may not be needed. Technology has reduced the need for parties, think social media.

When campaigns are filled with more denigration of personalities than discussion of the issues, and more lies than facts, it is time to re-engineer how Americans select their representatives in government.

Transparency should be ever-present. Today it is nothing but smoke and mirrors.

September 11, 2020

Liberal vs Liberal

One word with two meanings depending on context. No wonder there’s confusion.

Americans normally think of liberal as a political point of view or ideology that favors programs funded by the public through taxes. Those programs are sponsored by government units – municipality, county, state or federal. The programs target problems and services needed by many that are very difficult to address by private means. In other words, people pool their resources and trust government agencies to serve the greater need in the name of the people. Such programs and government action are authorized by the people by way of voting for candidates and referenda that support such programs.

In this context the opposite term is conservative. Conservatives generally believe that government ought to be as small as possible. They believe this produces lower taxes and less government interference in personal lives.

Arguments can be found that confuse both terms – liberal and conservative – that belie the simple definitions provided above. Politics tend to confuse a lot of issues and conflate them with ideologies that don’t fit comfortably. Be that as it may, the basic divide is accurately presented above.

Internationally, the context creates a different definition for the term liberal. In this context liberal means democratically elected governments representing the will of the people, and control by the people. Its opposite is illiberal or authoritarian. Nationalism is a part of this illiberal mindset.

Globally political ideologies have grown more illiberal. Nationalism has been a companion movement focusing on ‘America First,’ or ‘England over the European Union.’ It is too simple to conflate white supremacy with nationalism, but it is part of the scene. Authoritarianism, however, is very much a part of illiberalism.

Hungary is all about Hungary these days, and purity of their homeland genetics. Native Hungarians are urged to have babies and are paid for it. Do not apply for this benefit, however, if you are not a full blooded Hungarian. Does this remind you of Germany’s focus on the Aryan Race? It should. It is made from the same cloth.

Massive immigration from global hotspots like the Middle East have caused an influx of asylum seekers in Hungary, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece and Scandinavia. These people are tired, sick, injured and broke. They are homeless and unemployed. They represent a large cost of public money to administer programs designed to manage public issues caused by their immigration. Residents of those countries are alarmed by the costs and chaos of rapid immigration flows. The move to limit immigration arises naturally. Political movements are born to preserve homeland lifestyles. Soon the ugly face of nationalism and companions of discrimination and racism are on full view.

World War II was the cause of a massive shift toward liberal governments in the global community. Democracy was the watchword. Tired of world war and its bloody chaos, the world community was hungry for order and governments in full view of the people. Democratic societies expanded quickly.

Today, chaos from masses of people escaping their homelands to live free and safer lives upsets receiving nations. Reaction to that circumstance builds stronger central government authority. With that development democracy fades from view. It is a natural course of action.

Yet this course divides the global village into isolated nations focused on themselves. Global issues receive much less attention. Collaboration among nations fades, too.

The world is in a dangerous place today. Nations selfishly thinking only of themselves and not working toward common goals. Into this stew of infighting and suspicion comes the opportunity for evil to exert its control.

Is this a picture we want of our future? Think carefully before answering. Russia, Turkey, and China are listening to your voices and actions.

September 10, 2020

  

Green Party Shenanigans

I have friends who are part of the Green Party. I always thought they stood for the environment and protection of planet Earth. Lately, however, they are badgering people into voting against Democrats. They find fault with the Democratic Party for defeating Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid.

In 2016 the Green Party pressed their grievances onto Hillary Clinton’s presidential candidacy for the same reason. They did the damage that, at least in part, led to donald t trump residing in the White House. Others not associated with the Green Party did the same and the deed was done.

The last four years have been a nightmare for most Americans. The trump administration has done much damage to the American form of government, democracy itself, and left the US Constitution in shambles. The court system is in disarray. Schools are under supported. The economy is in the dumpster. Civility itself has been severely damaged.

This leads to the goal of removing trump from office. Period. End of story.

So why would anyone who agrees with this goal, do anything that would imperil its achievement?

Why indeed! That is the question I have for the Green Party. They are pushing their message to Democrats to forsake Biden and Harris. They find fault with the Democrats in general, angry that their favored candidates did not win primaries and inclusion within the hierarchy of the party. And now, when the votes count to remove a madman from office, they play their Bernie card.

Sorry. I do not support the Green Party in this endeavor. I do support green initiatives to save the planet’s ecology. But one wonders at this point if the Green Party has totally lost its way and are now trump supporters?

Am I the only one thinking about this? Please say not!

September 9, 2020

Day After Labor Day 2020

Paying homage to the labor movement yesterday was a worthy act. We can and should honor the movement every day. We all have benefitted from unions.

Having said that we must recognize that 2020 is not a year to celebrate. This is a year of job loss and fundamental reinvention of work. Jobs held in the past will look different going forward.

Some people have managed to continue working through this pandemic. They are very fortunate to have employment. Their jobs may be focused on standing objectives, but what they do and how they do it is much different than what they did before the pandemic. Nothing has been left unchanged.

Working from home is the most obvious change from the old norm. Employers have learned their employees are productive and creative working from home. In many instances employees have actually performed better than before. Invention and creativity have been proven.

Teamwork answered the call for collaboration, too. Building on strengths of others makes team achievements astonishing. Melding personalities is not easy, but it is a must. Pulling together for common goals is fundamental to the process. Subjugating the personal takes getting outside of the self and into the group’s aspirations. It requires transformation.

But what about manufacturing, assembly and so many other job functions? If workstations can be separated and safely navigated by workers, then healthy functioning can move forward. This requires altered floor plans and layouts. Re-engineering the workplace has been done at many sites but more is needed. Robots are unaffected by the pandemic as long as the supply chain keeps the parts arriving on site. It is the assembly of those smaller parts that is the problem. Again, changing assembly operations to healthy workstations is part of the answer.

Refashioning manufacturing on the largest scale imaginable is an enormous job. In the early days of the pandemic most of us thought this was a temporary condition soon over. We were wrong. The pandemic has stretched to many months and threatens to strangle our economy for a year or more. Meanwhile damage has been done and we recover from that as best we can in the short term.

Fresh investment in new methods of working and creating within our economy is required. That is now the job needing to be done. How many of us are doing just that?

Are we inventing the new tools, the new products, the new methodology and operations to support a totally refashioned economy? Some people are; some are not.

I worry about pure human activities that have been shut down completely. Restaurants and bars come to mind. Barber shops and salons are another. But retail shops of all kinds are yet another. The personal point of service is the keystone of our economy. Scale of operations expand from there.

Online retail transactions have filled in beautifully. But think of the support jobs that make that happen. Product still has to be made to be sold and shipped. People have to perform the inventory, the stacking on shelves, the retrieval of goods to satisfy the order, the shipping and packing of orders for delivery. All take people. Automation helps greatly, but people are still need. Think Post Office. The mail still needs to be collected, sorted, re-sorted and sorted yet again. Then routes are manned and mail is delivered.

Computerization will continue to address many changes. People, however, are still needed in most phases of every business. The work will be different. The challenge of change will always be present. We are called upon to adapt. And to invent.

How do we teach? How do students learn? What makes us smile? What motivates our yearning for anything? What lifestyles do we aspire to? What of entertainment and the arts? How are these done, experienced and delivered?

All these things require different modes to produce desired outcomes. Are we up to the challenge of inventing those modes?

Welcome to 2020 and the work we have yet to do!

September 8, 2020

Labor Day 2020

It may seem like an oxymoron, but Labor Day 2020 remains a vital foundation to America. It celebrates what society achieved in workplace fairness. Reasonable working hours, conditions, safety and compensation are all documentable outcomes from the labor movement. And we all benefited. Every one of us.

Before the labor movement, child labor was common. Death and disfigurement were common. Six and seven day work weeks were common. Worker benefits were few and far between if any at all.

Making a living was working to survive. That was it.

Dark, dirty, hideous working conditions clouded the body, mind and soul of each worker. Very grim reality.

Those dark days have been throttled back to 8 hour-work days or less, 5 day work weeks, paid vacation and sick leave benefits, life and health insurance, disability benefits and retirement benefits. Commit your life and creativity to a job and a fair and just reward was yours.

We have labor unions to thank for all of these features of modern employment.

Time, talent and effort is what the worker brings to the job. If it is worthy, it earns not just financial benefits, but life quality as well. In this work environment careers take root. Further commitment adds professionalism to the career and larger rewards.

Security, health, longevity and bright vistas ought to be the end result. What these mean to a worker is one thing; what this means to his or her family is much more.

Taken together all of this has built families, neighborhoods, communities, towns and cities. Indeed, it has built nations. Social institutions – schools, churches, research universities, industry, libraries, parks and so much more – grew in scope and vitality. A nation’s reach is the result of her people working together.

Taking these things for granted threatens to lose these benefits. Owners of companies and ‘institutions’ may claim more authority over the lives of their workers. Benefits can and will disappear. They already are on the wane. Disability benefits are hard to get and stingily provided. Retirement programs are quickly disappearing. Educational benefits are held back more and more. Healthcare insurance is disappearing. Vacation and sick leave benefits are being trimmed.

And, we all know what has happened to fair and just compensation. Disparity of women’s pay is an ugly reality; improving, slipping, still an American embarrassment. Stagnant growth in compensation has been an ever present reality for 20 years or more.

Yes, the labor movement – union or not – has challenges ahead. We have challenges ahead.

Labor Day 2020 is as important today than ever before. Take your eyes from this issue and you will soon feel the pain. Perhaps you already have?

Celebrate today those who fought for what we have today. Commit today to continue to fight for fairness and justice in the American workspace. We will all get that which we work for.

September 7, 2020 

Zoom Buddies

When COVID began I was reluctant to use Zoom gatherings. My volunteer life, however, was socially distanced and required frequent gathering and meetings.  So, we all jumped in and used Zoom.

First was SCORE. Meeting with clients electronically yet with live video eased the sense of distance. Faces and names were put together. Soon we were talking freely and naturally. Phone calls and emails followed rapidly as well to document what we had agreed upon. We discussed issues and problems and resolved them quickly. Tougher problems required more Zoom meetings where documents could be shared on screen with the participants. Demonstrations could also be made. Work was progressing. We had Zoom to thank for that.

Church work involved at least three committees. We quickly adopted Zoom for that function. Each committee was radically different from each other but Zoom worked in all three. Eventually a comfort level formed naturally.

Our Writers' Connection group meets with Zoom, too. Works very well.

Another volunteer association meets weekly with 15 to 28 participants. We learned how to share our voices without creating electronic chaos. That application works quite well.

Eventually we also learned we didn’t have to dress differently, allow time to drive to a meeting site, or support the expense of that activity. All we had to do was sign in at the same time on the computer. It could not have been easier.

Now Zoom is a common element of my life. We have even done family gatherings. Our weekly church services are streamed live over Facebook once we plan the services by way of a Zoom meeting.

Zoom has allowed us to socially distance from others, safeguard our health from COVID, and still remain an active part of the many communities that comprise our daily lives. It is all good. Very good indeed.

Thanks Zoom.

September 6, 2020

Violence by Whom?

Conveniently both trump and Rand Paul blame leftists and democrats for the violence in Kenosha. Probably Portland, too. While we are at it, how about all the rest of the violence across the nation since George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis Police?

No facts exist to build a convincing case, let alone a successful court case, that democrats or liberals are causing or doing the violence.

Most likely the opposite is true. Who benefits the most from civil unrest? Well, conservatives, republicans, trump and Rand himself. Never their problem is it? It always belongs to someone else. The always anonymous ‘’they.’

No. Violence comes from several sources, all of which have been foretold by centrists and liberals in our society. Justice, fairness and lack of racism is the salve that will calm an upset populace. Fan the flames of the opposite and watch who lifts their arms high, usually armed with guns, to ‘protect’ themselves from that which they started.

The pattern is classic history. Start civil unrest, fan it, keep it going until it spills over. In this day and age, especially during a touchy election, the boiling point for spillover is quite low. It is easy to cast blame in such chaos. I’m not such a sucker to accept just any old explanation. I look for motive and credibility.

The white house occupant has none of that credibility. So, my conclusion is easy. Best if I simply ignore him. We mute his utterances on the news. Have for months.

Violent people have complex reasons for what they do. They are clearly not Black Lives Matter folks. Violence is their enemy. It is not them.

So who else? Who is trying to make this a wedge issue for this election. Why none other than DT.

And his cronies and supporters.

September 5, 2020

More Next Things

Following a dream or passion may lead to a new business or formation of a nonprofit. We talked about that yesterday. Next things embrace other possibilities as well.

Those possibilities begin in knowing your own mind and emotions. I call that an interest with a passion. These are meaningful cores in each of our lives that give us dimension as human beings.

For example, music may turn your head. It may even be a thread throughout your entire life. You responded to sounds that melded into structured tones which became meaningful to you. Chords, theme lines and rhythms followed. Then lyrics, perhaps. Songs, ballads, or instrumentals only. Perhaps a symphony or sonata? Or a choral piece?

I know one young man who loved guitars. The sound from guitars awed him. Making those sounds lured him into a world of special significance. Making music was one thing, but knowing the instrument became even more of a passion. Soon he was collecting guitars; improving or repairing them. Then one day he made one from scratch. Then another one. Soon he was collecting, rehabbing and building guitars. The passion was allowed to exist; both he and his family allowed this to happen. 

The rest he did himself. Does he make a living doing this? No. it is a well paid avocation, however, and his collection is worth a bunch of money. That, however, is not the objective. No, the music and the instrument of that music is the passion. Along the way he has shared that passion with others and their musical education has begun and is now growing. Where those folks end up with their own passion is not part of our story here; but it is certainly a great result.

Being a survivor of spousal abuse – violence, sexual and/or power – taught the victim what to do to survive. Passing that knowledge on to others to help them survive even faster or better becomes a passion for some. A nonprofit can be formed to address just that. avocation or vocation, the nonprofit allows the passion to be addressed.

Inventing a product or service that fills a void in the marketplace is another gift to fuel a passion. Giving it air may deliver the new to market. A small business may be the implement of choice. Or a patent or copyright. All of these are saleable. They have value. But the passion is the fuel that makes it happen.

Passion is the Next Thing.

Allowing the passion to grow is critical. We have this within. For it to live and prosper, we must allow it space, air, light to develop.

America has a gift for this. It is part of our social genius and creates meaningful lives, commerce, industry and charity. These are the building blocks of community. It starts with the individual. It is fed by personal freedom.

The rest is up to the person. And passion.

September 4, 2020

Next Things

Yesterday’s post dealt with stories, each of our stories. What goes into those stories is up to us.

That’s where Next Things enters the picture.

Your interests, if allowed, can grow into passions. Those passions, if allowed, can grow into a life-calling. A avocation for sure, but maybe even a career. Interested in photography? Of what subject matter? Of which message projection? For what purpose? If talent couples with passion, you likely have a career to build in photography.

Same with woodworking, arts and crafts that can be expanded in production and distribution. Maybe even an industry can be birthed? By you? Think how Bezos wondered how retail sales could be transformed by computer networking over the internet? He did it with new books. He figured out how to apply the known technology to the transactional art of buying and selling books. At first he inventories books, but later learned he could handle the sales transaction but ask the publisher to mail or distribute the book directly to the customer.

Amazon soon after figured how to network the sale and distribution of used books; he created an entirely new market for this material that benefited everyone interested in printed material. And the buyer and seller handled the transaction once the exchange of value was handled by Amazon via computer.

Soon thereafter other products were added to Amazon’s methodology and the rest is history. The middle man was cut out – the independent or chain retail outlet (stores). The world has been revolutionized by that. Bezos is now worth more than $200 billion. He was first in line with his idea and has reaped the financial rewards.

For most of us, a big payday is not of interest. A livable income is, naturally, but that is not the prime objective. Doing something with an idea or personal passion is the focus of most of us. Being a success at that is the real achievement.

Making that happen is easier than most people think. Forming a small business to manage delivery of the passion is easy. Building scope of operation takes more work. Managing marketing and distribution adds to the effort. Often, however, starting small is the first step in building a larger operation that later grows or bought and merged by a larger company. A role in that company is often assured. Both the passion and financial security is acquired.

Some businesses are not for profit; they are distributors of services that support and empower the lives of others in need. We call these nonprofits. The beneficiaries are not paying for the services at all or in total. Other agencies, organizations, foundations and donors provide the financial support to make the nonprofit function. The passion carrier – founder of the nonprofit – thus fulfills his/her passion while maybe earning a living doing it. Creating the nonprofit at its earliest stage is easy. What comes afterward takes effort and dedication. It is possible and very rewarding to the soul.

Next Things involves allowing yourself to dream the big dream. One day you can fulfill it. There are organizations and mentors available to help you. For free. Just ask. SCORE.org is a good place to start seeking such help.

I know. I’m one of those volunteers in SCORE. But other organizations exist as well.

If you have a dream, give yourself permission to empower that dream into a much larger reality.

September 3, 2020

Stories

Reading. Learning about other things. knowing more. Piecing things together. Better understanding of what’s happening and what it portends for the future. Ideas. Feelings. Events. Unfolding story of each of us.

The story. Telling how a life began and ended and what occurred in between. The beginning and ending is not as important as the tale between. We each have a tale. Others tell it to others. Writers record it for others to read, digest.

The story. Humans need a story. Why?

Is this how we come to know ourselves? Through the experience of others? Comparison of our experience with that of a fellow human being? What attracts us to story?

A TV program has a beginning and ending with content in between. It tells us something about the action writers intend us to witness. If it is a murder mystery, or a police show, we see the disruption of normal lives, the aftermath, then the effort spent to find who or what is responsible. Find the solution to the problem or the suspect who did it. And then the closure. A case solved. We rest easy.

The cycle is complete. Tied up in a simple package. It reflects the upsetness in our lives and yet a handy, neat resolution. We need that. we yearn for it.

Plot twists play with our sense of order. We dislike the unforeseen twist of plot. Or worse, the case not solved, left open to yawn its ignorance for weeks, months or years. Unsolved cases indeed. They are the story of our lives.

Between beginning and ending is the grist of life. Context frames its progress. Wants and expectations shape its content. Behavior’s will impacts what actually happens, our response to such.

How did he or she fare? Or they? What about we, me?

And so, we listen and observe. We compare to learn  how this relates.

Best if we don't copy the tale as our own. Better if we invent our own path. Our own story.

September 2, 2020

Cool It

The temper of the times is hot. Anger at hand – ready to spit venom at will. Strike fast. Hit with shock. Tell the bastard(s) what you think. Don’t let them get away with their views. Maybe even spit at them?

Recoil? Gut wrenched? Blood pressure rising? Cool fear, disgust emerging?

Stop. Take a deep breath. Smell fresh air. Exhale. Feel the tension ebb. Do it again. And again.

In the moment of calm that follows, think of glassy waters at a favorite lake, ocean bay or even a spare tarn. Think those images. The calm. The rest. Ease. Tension melting away. Blood pressure falling. Breathe slowly. Smell again the fresh and clean air.

Move away from disturbing images of TV, computer, Twitter, Facebook and all the rest. Know that you are not alone. You are OK. Others are OK. Everyone is not making trouble, agitating. Many are doing their jobs – cooking, serving, studying, learning, reading, writing, calculating, testing theories, doing lab work, providing medical care, painting a house, repairing a broken step, building a new house.

The activities of everyday people. Doing for self and others. Living life one day at a time.

This too shall pass. And it will.

Family is family. Neighborhood is home. Town is community. Church is church. School is school. We are the us in community. We are OK. Life goes on. With purpose. And value.

November will come. Elections will happen. Results will be announced the next day or week. Winners and losers tallied. Transfer of office, authority and power will slide seamlessly from one to another. Life goes on.

Thanksgiving will arrive as it always has. So too Christmas, New Years and winter’s awful weather. Then spring. Life renews.

Some will survive, some won’t. Life’s cycle continues as day follows night.

You’ve heard these words before. Know them. Feel their rhythm. It sustains us.

September 1, 2020