USA Projection In the World?

With the end of the trump (I still cannot capitalize the name!) term, hopefully an era will be dying and disappearing over time. That raises the question, however, of what the ‘new era’ ought to be?

What face should America be projecting to the global community? What message or value should be pre-eminent, a statement of who and what we are?

I’ll take a stab at this. First and foremost, we ought not to set ourselves up as the world leader. We have played that role for decades. That should remain in our past as a reminder of victories won and digested from the Second World War. We made those victories happen, but not alone. We had a community of nations helping at every turn. That is the ‘leadership’ identity we loathe to give up, I think. But we should.

WWII was in the 1940’s. This is 2020, 80 years later. The world is the same size but contains nearly 8 billion people in over 200 nations. We have instant communications with most of the nations and many of their peoples. The global community is like a village; contained by some land borders, but mostly by blockades of culture and education to understanding one another. Still, it is a small village and one we must learn to play within fairly and with justice.

It starts by acting like we are not the Lord of All.

Like the religious values we tend to identify with, we are to love one another and treat them as we would like them to treat us. We are also to lend a hand to others who need help. If we are blessed with resources, we ought to share them. When commerce is waged fairly, we ought to participate on the same basis as everyone else.

That’s it. One of the family we are; not the dad, mom and overlord.

Nor should we be the fat, rich uncle handing out cash to everyone. No, like Afghanistan, much of the Middle East and many regions scattered around the globe, we have paid dearly to many nations, been taken advantage of, and still try to save the world in their backyards. Afghanistan is ungovernable. So is Iraq and Iran if religion is to be the guidepost of statecraft. They will never learn the how until they do for themselves what is needed.

We can help, but we should not do. We can sweep in and administer aid to the victims of enormous natural disasters as we should; but we do not remain to guide, cajole and pay for their return from victimhood. That struggle is their teacher and lesson plan.

We are not the keeper of world peace. Neither are we the cause of world despair or warfare. Leave that to the Chinas and Russias among us. Too many they are, but their duplicitous power grabs will undo them with their own people in the long run. We can and should protect ourselves and other allies if those allies bear fair financial burden of the work.

We can serve global village tasks, but we ought not control them. That is for the village to decide.

I don’t like trump. I do not agree with him. His international relations gambits were foul and unproductive. But they did reset some benchmarks that needed to be adjusted.

For now, let us move forward with confidence and grace. Humility, too, please. We have much to be proud of, but history reminds us of our many missteps. Yes, we are guilty of many things we need to own up to. But let’s not let that deter us from making the world a better place for everyone.

Not a bad resolution for the new year! Perhaps we should adopt it?

November 30, 2020

 

Day After Thanksgiving

Today is Native American Heritage Day. I don’t know when this became a formal thing, but it is about time! Being a native southern Californian, I grew up with cowboy and Indian themed play, some of the history of the frontier, and much Indian lore. A lot of this history was bunk, but then honesty in history wasn’t a thing back then (1940’s, 50’s).

Over the years I’ve traveled often to the southwestern United States. Love the weather. Love the scenery, topography. Love the architecture, plant life and animal life, as well. More and more our visits delved into the Native American culture and history. As my awareness grew, I was appalled at the injustice apparent in that portion of our nation’s history. We owe native Americans much. Their land. Their spirituality. Their peace and tranquility. And yes, their stoicism.

A direct opposite cultural norm has become the benchmark. The day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday. It is a day set aside for massive shopping by consumers for Christmas. A hideous, romp into stores, through them, and back to the cars with armloads of stuff, needed or not, certain they can be easily returned if not satisfactory to the recipient. Unthinking. Crowded. No class. Certainly, no peace or tranquility.

At least the crowded rush will be less this year as online shopping is the rage in the time of COVID. Online shopping has been growing exponentially for several years now, but with COVID, even the faint of heart are willing to try it this year.

So, the rush is on. Those who are ignorant of COVID’s reality will still rush the stores. The rest will avoid the stores and sit at their computers. I will. But as I age household income is insufficient to participate in the holiday shopping madness. I used to enjoy it much, but then I had plentiful funds in the bank to spend. Today that is not the case. We enjoy a much simpler holiday season.

And that is what I am wishing you on this day. Simple, heartfelt seasonal greetings of the holiday season. May you enjoy the true meaning of whatever holiday you celebrate. And may others not rain on your heritage of celebration!

November 27, 2020

 

Thanksgiving!

Waited for it. Finally came. The big Turkey Day, Thanksgiving!

This is my favorite holiday of the year. There are others on the list, high up, but Thanksgiving is my favorite. I think it is because everything and everybody that is important in my life is present on this day. Good food, too. But none of the pressure of gift giving attached to the day.

Expectations are only of time to be spent with others, and enjoying wonderful foods reminding us of times and people from the past.

Thanksgiving is part of my heritage. Most likely it is of yours as well.

Focusing one day of the year on what matters to me – you, us – is healthy. It is good for our character to feel humility and caring. Empathy is not overrated. It is an essential part of our emotional personality. It is unique to each of us and makes us human.

A better human.

I am not the center of my universe. Oh sure, we are the center of who and what we know, but it is the getting out of that center that allows us to grow, feel and be more human. For one thing, we are exposed to differentness. Uniqueness of others, too. We learn to share the planet with others. We realize the enormity of the world and what we have in common. And feel. And need. The beginning of awareness or at least the expansion of knowing the world in its larger dimension enhances the self, not diminishes it.

For that I am thankful. I am thankful for each and every person in my family. I am thankful of friends near and far. I am thankful for the memories of those long ago visited in the past but not forgotten.

This is a day that helps us understand the accumulative nature of our life’s growth. We live and do things, meet people, experience actions and variable environs and evolve our knowledge of life itself. What does it mean to me? What does this help me do in the future? How can this enhance lives of others?

Thankful, not content. Evolving to something more, not remaining static. Being more in the world, an investment.

And the payoff for this investment? Ah! That’s where it becomes more interesting, enticing! We don’t know the payoff. We just hope it is good and to be the cause of thankfulness in the future.

Cherish these days. They are special. In company of other loved ones or not, reach out with memories of them or phone, email, Zoom or Facetime them.

May this be a blessed day for you and yours.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 26, 2020

 

Alone?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Most likely others have as well. It is Thanksgiving, after all, and at this time of gathering – people, families, crops and harvests, et. al. – many will not be physically together this year. What’s worse, the December Holidays will be similarly affected by COVID.

But then, I remember when I was a kid, back in the 40’s and 50’s. We had newspapers, Life and Post magazines (weekly?), the radio and TV. TV was fairly new in our home; I think Christmas 1955. National news, even world news was a 15-minute affair nightly. Hardly connected to the global village but we felt so. Of course, the concept of global village was not as well defined then as it is today.

Of course, we had the phone. Our family was spread across the United States. Grandparents in Minnesota and California; aunts and uncles in Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, cousins and what not relations scattered well and far through the 48 states. Yes, 48!

You know where I’m going with this logic. Today in 2020 we have instant global communication complete with sound and live television (and in full color!). Internet connections are exacting to the second and centimeter. We can dial up and talk to anyone we wish to at any time using modern technology. And the news? It is 24/7/365. Furthermore, news can be drilled down into micro phrases of facts and timing. We have the world at our fingertips.

We are not alone. We are present in one another’s lives. Not just memories, but Zoom, Facetime, and all the rest connect us. Our interests are connected as well. We are not alone in our thinking or feeling. We can reach out and satisfy our curiosity, our need for information, and our discussion with trusted allies.

There is still an ache, isn’t there? A sense of separation where once there was companionship.

A favored friend from church called a few weeks back. She said it was time to share dinner again, and she was bringing it with her to us. Dinner for four! And we said yes. The first thing she did after putting down the bags of hot steamy food, was grab each of us in a hug to remember.

We were together. We could feel one another in whole space and time. It was a delicious moment!

That is the alone meant by the title of this post. We are alone in the sense of physical presence and touch. Family is distant whether across the street or across the nation. No matter the miles of separation, we long to touch. Somehow it makes the real, real.

The pandemic takes its toll in many ways. But truly alone is not one of them. We have many methods to use in battling separation and distance from our loved ones. Employ those methods. Spark memories of when you were last together. Savor the sense of connection.

It is as real as you make it.

Then know this separation will one day end. My only wonder is how our immune systems will take sudden socializing? Will we come down with a major winter cold? All of us?

Ah well! That is a small price to pay for being together once again. Hold onto that thought. One day it will be true.

November 25, 2020

 

If You Don’t Care….

Heard on the internet, over the phone or in passing conversations on the street:

·        “They can’t do that to our church, or any church. They can’t just shut us down!”

·        “They are killing my bar – or restaurant – hotel – gym – beauty salon – small business."

·        “This is just all so much bullshit…”

Obviously, people are reacting to enhanced restrictions and advisories established to slow down the spread of COVID-19. Public policy and warnings are made to protect people from the pandemic. Of course, changing our lifestyle because of COVID is hard to do. Wearing a mask is uncomfortable. It makes breathing more difficult, too, especially for someone with COPD, asthma, emphysema, or pneumonia. And it doesn’t smell nice, either!

All I ask is we all follow the suggestions and requirements. Be mad at the disease and its consequences. Don’t be mad at the rules. They are designed to protect us all. It is not a political point of view. It is life.

Besides, the customers of small businesses – and bars, restaurants, gyms salons, hotels, etc. – who are protected will remain healthy to return to those businesses later. If they get sick or die or permanently disabled from the disease, they will not remain customers.

The COVID pandemic is a curse. It has changed our lives in many ways. The old normal is not likely to fully return. So, survive the ordeal inch by inch, hour by hour, and day by day. Together we will get through this.

Hopefully, we will learn to laugh through tears one day.

Courage, people. Courage!

November 24, 2020

 

Bifurcated Society

If you have to check the dictionary for its definition, you may be half of the problem.

Today, we have two societies in America. One that keeps up with things social, culturally, technologically, artistically, and spiritually. That covers all subject matters or is intended to. The other society, dwells in the mind and emotions mostly. They do not check the facts. They seem to dwell on the past and how that affects the present. Mostly absent is future. What will come tomorrow, the day after and the decade after that? 

One portion of our society deals with the whole of our existence, not just part of it. Oh, we have specialties represented within the whole, but even that is folded into the whole to determine how the whole is better or worse because of it. What does it tell us? What will happen if various key points are altered? What will the future be like, and do we need to take corrective action?

The other portion of society doesn’t worry about that. They remain fixated on what is life for them and their family and friends. They little curiosity on how the vast majority of others in this world live and if it is suitable.

Care of others. Empathy. Working not for self but for others. One segment of society does this automatically. The other doesn’t get it at all.

And that’s what America has become in a nutshell.

My opinion, of course, but still, is this how we want to be remembered? Is this the nation we love or loved and still want it to be better.  You know, the Preamble of the US Constitution declares “to form a more perfect union” is the purpose of the US Constitution. It is not perfect – not at the beginning, or now, or any time in between. It is a nation striving for a better, more perfect union. It is a job never complete. It is what we must do all the time.

I think we are better people than two warring camps struggling to be heard. I think we are all in this together to build a more perfect union. We cannot do that while tearing each other down. We cannot do that while ignoring facts.

We are much. We can do much. We have already done much. We are strivers and doers. Each of us has a contribution to make to the whole. That makes each of us more. Your striving makes you more whole. Your working outside of yourself for the betterment of others builds your character. It adds value to you. And to all of us.

This is the United states, not the Divided states. We each have a heritage of which we are proud. But we also know that it is only a small part of the whole of our nation. We should be proud of all the parts; not just one.

Differentness is enrichment. It makes our food taste better. It enhances our art, design and social context. It makes us better and more adaptable. From that we invent and innovate. From that we do more with what is at hand.

Each of us is at hand. Each of us have a role to play. For the good of all. Not for the good of me, or just you, or your ‘kind.’ For the good of all of us together.

As one, we are more.

Let’s get to work.

November 23, 2020

 

Tough Road Ahead

And it’s being made tougher. By politicians focused on personal power, money and ideology.

Enough already!

The American people have spoken. They want the current president out of the White House and a new one installed post haste. And they expect and deserve the president elect to be treated professionally and respectfully to make a smooth transition. A lot is resting on this transition.

The American people did not vote just for Joe Biden. They voted for a return to decency, civility, and order. They wish a return to protocols and processes that are reliable and trustworthy. The Biden administration is a bridge from chaos to order.

That’s it. Nothing else need be read into the election results.

Ideology is not simply left or right, right or wrong, west or east or north and south. Ideology is about the definition of government and her role in our lives. Last time I checked, the US Constitution had this down pat. We’ve based hundreds of years of life and government in the USA on that document. Much has been argued over it and settled in Supreme Court Cases. More will be heard and decided in the future no doubt.

For now, let’s get on with governing the country. The agenda is critical to life and limb presently:

1.      COVID-19 pandemic response; quell the spread; prepare for the vaccine; and get the vaccine to the people quickly. This will take money, coordination and planning. And discipline. And cooperation and collaboration. Present administration must bow to the incoming administration so the pandemic work can proceed unhindered.

2.      Stimulus bill to help states cope with devastated budgets (drop in revenues, increased expenses); most likely this amounts to a need of $1 trillion; maybe more. This aid package will ensure police, fire and health systems are properly staffed.

3.      Stimulus bill to help unemployed with rent, mortgages, food and health expenses. This will likely total another $1 trillion to help families survive the pandemic. Pure and simple.

4.      Stimulus bill to help businesses, mostly the smalls, and the hospitality industry survive the pandemic. This is likely another $ trillion. That makes a total of $3 trillion. We can do this and should. This is a dire emergency and the Congress and White House must collaborate now to get this right.

5.      Military Order: the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Security Council, the outgoing and incoming White House administrations need to coordinate NOW to secure and safeguard the military order. The current president is damaged goods and shows it. He is not to be trusted with the national and international machinery protecting the USA. Congress and the Courts must protect the US Constitution at this delicate time in our history.

That’s it. With 60+ days to inaugurating the next president, much needs to be done. Crisis requires extraordinary effort to obtain extraordinary results.

Get on with it!

November 20, 2020

 

 

Building on Positive

These are hard days. Stark realities. Painful outcomes.

We live them as we must, one hour at a time, one day at a time. Time passes and we move on with life. We cast our sight on possibilities. We think of potentials and plan the steps needed to uncover them.

The sun rises. The birds sing. Our lungs are filled with fresh air. These are positives that visit often. They are present to be valued and used. Steppingstones to possible.

Resources exist to advance our condition. In time of pandemic research and science promise treatments and cures, vaccines and medications to calm the afflicted. Disciplined talent tirelessly seeks the positive using the positive. They succeed. Our answers are forming with delivery in the offing.

This advance will quell the pandemic in time. Months will be needed for greater effects. The ‘normal’ of yesterdays will not return, but a new normal shall form. We will know it. And use it. And live it.

The positive will out. The possible will be birthed. Our potential unfurls for bright tomorrows.

This is as it always has been. The march of time contains challenge and pain. It also embraces the seed of the new. Be ready for it. Engage it. Be it.

Positive is present. It is ours to be.

November 19, 2020

 

Living in History

COVID Pandemic: We are living in history. The last pandemic raged in 1918. The HIV/AIDS pandemic made its mark and continues its rage although much tamed in the US. Life changes during pandemics. We have seen that firsthand. It seemed odd to see traffic-less roads and streets. Empty parking lots, too, especially commuter stations normally abustle. Hospitality businesses closed or barely in use. Sadness for pre-pandemic days. Wringing of hands over family plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas thwarted or down-sized.

And then there are the reactions to fighting the pandemic. People who feel they are restricted unfairly. Business owners who are shutdown to avoid viral spread. Government restrictions, they say, will destroy their business, their industry. No; that is not truthful. Government edict didn’t destroy anything. the virus did that. Lament the virus, not the people charged with keeping us safe during these times.

Yes; we are living in history. We always have. The elements of history normally are not noted as clearly as they are today. See them. Recognize them for what they are. We are changed. That’s what history does. And is.

Mental Illness in White House: a clear and present danger persists in our federal government. It is seated in the White House. We had intimations of this early on. The incumbent president has emotional problems. Character problems. Personality problems. He has never been presidential, only himself assuming a role of his own design. And inner voice.

There is a cost to this aberration. It is what the US Constitution declares a ‘clear and present danger.’ There are remedies for such. They do not engage automatically. They must be discerned and then decided. It takes leaders within the government to do these things. Without their action the clear and present danger persists.

An unstable miscreant resides in the White House pulling strings and levers of authority. Damage to the body politic takes place. The wheels of government are misdirected and abused. We have witnessed this throughout incumbent’s tenure. Now that he has lost re-election, he denies the fact. He remains in a position of authority. Of damage.

The pandemic rages. He does nothing about it. The president-elect is planning pandemic actions. The incumbent stands in the way. More danger. Much more clear.

Who will stand to do their duty by the Constitution?

Weird Loyalties: And so, the incumbent president fires his appointees and replaces them with people of loyalty. To whom and what? Loyalty to the con man or to the nation and its Constitution? Weird time. weird loyalties. Weird outcomes?

November 18, 2020

 

 

Racism

I’ll repeat what I’ve written in this space many times before. America is far more racist than it admits or even understands. It is pervasive and privileged in ways not known by the very person who holds racist views. That's what makes it insidious, and systemic.

All throughout President Obama’s presidency I said racism was the primary cause of political opposition to him and his administration. History is telling that story today in ways we could not see during his administration. Many people didn’t want to think racism was that large an element in America’s life.

But it was and is. We can admit it. In fact, we must admit it if we are to eliminate it from our very lives.

In his coming memoir, Barack Obama says that Trumpism is the result of the discomfort felt by many Americans having a black man in the White House. He goes on with more evidence of this, but it is a well thought out conclusion. I agree with him. I agreed with this position even while he was president. Sad but true I was correct. I did not want to be correct.

The very fact that our police departments arrest more blacks than whites should be proof of America’s racism. The fact that the prisons have 50% black populations is more proof. The fact that drug addiction is punishable by imprisonment is another proof.

Now add to that proof the police killings of black suspects. Most of those killed would never have been convicted of the crime of which they were suspected. The killings are a manifestation of systemic racism on the part of police. They expand that racism to fear of black people. The results are clear.

Many black citizens are wealthy, entrepreneurs, scientists, actors, innovators and inventors. Many are also extraordinary artists. They are part of our life and culture. They are as American as apple pie.

Yet we don’t admit it.

The sad truth is, that a large part of Black America is held back by poor education, healthcare and poverty. Just imagine what bounties would be realized if they were provided the same opportunities as white children growing up. It is staggering to consider. It is also a reality check that our society would achieve more, be more adaptive to change and benefit from a higher quality of life.

We hold back America and her promise when we hold back the Black Community. Or any other discriminated group. Society is an all for one and one for all concept. If any part of us suffers, we all suffer. The opposite is true as well – the better off any one part is, we all benefit.

Trumpism is proof positive that bigotry is alive and well in America. It is time to recognize it and eliminate it from our national character.

While we are at it, do the same with discrimination against women, gays, disabled, and every other sort of ‘difference’ we manage to deprecate.

November 17, 2020

 

 

Meanderings

Return to a New Kind of Economy: Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank Powell has warned America that our economy may be improving and rebuilding. But it may never return to what it had been. In fact, an entirely new economy is building in place of the old. Working from home is one reality. Lower demand for office space and furniture, equipment and fixtures are yet other realities. Commuting and transportation elements will not return to the old ways, either. Work will be more cerebral, digital and techno communicative. We will learn how to relate to one another in new and exciting ways. Use of time and materials will be more efficient, too. Simplifying work routines will likely increase individual initiative to rethink business problems and solve them in creative, less costly ways. Invention and minimization of resources may cause our social context to be revolutionary and innovative.

Amazon has changed retail commerce forever. Dining out will continue to morph into new practices that define a new industry. Education will become more accessible, cheaper and innovative through digital means.

Not all of these changes are bad; on the contrary, they portend a gulp of fresh air!

Work From Home Tax? For years I had to commute to work. It was expensive, at least $130 per month for the train ticket alone. To save on bus fares downtown Chicago, I walked 1.5 miles each way to my office and train station. I also walked another mile in my suburb between the station and my home. The wear and tear on my shoes and clothing in all types of weather added to commuting costs. Later, when I drove the commute, I sustained auto expense (depreciation, maintenance, repair, gas and oil) as well as parking. I also suffered from the 4-hour daily commute time.

Working from home saves all of that. In addition, it saves the environment from massive pollution from commuting transportation. Lesser auto traffic lessens road maintenance to say nothing of the lower demand for transportation and roadway networks. Most of those networks are paid for by taxpayers or heavily subsidized as such.

No need to tax people who work from home. They are already showering many benefits on society, including gigantic improvements in productivity and better family life among spouses and children. We all benefit from that!

Minimalist Lifestyle: COVID has caused us to simplify lifestyles to eke out immediate responses to the pandemic. These adjustments have demonstrated that simple need not be cheap, tawdry or spell deprivation. Lesser wardrobe attention may help us all dress less fussily and freely. Appearances may lose their appeal in favor of content of conversation and written communication. Relationships will grow in importance, especially within individual households. Family will take center stage once again.

These changes will also favor more life spent in the outdoors and backyards. They will de-emphasize automobiles and the fad of luxury as a class distinction. In fact, class-ism may suffer a mortal setback!

House size is another alteration to lifestyle. We do not need large homes but rather efficient homes that help us make the most of what we have. That requires creativity and innovation, both of which expand human abilities that enhance personality. 

Learning Life Values from COVID: Pretty much everything mentioned in this blog posting demonstrates fresh values learned from our COVID experiences. Turning attention on home and family is a good thing and a once prized American value. We have strayed from the value for a long time. The old value system was weakened by both spouses working, flooding the household with new income streams, more expensive living costs, luxury additions, and class distinctions. The latter was cosmetic only. Consumption shouldn't define class hierarchy in any meaningful way.

Education is not a badge to place on one’s life-uniform. Education should be an expansion of mind and potential to enhance living quality for self and others. That means value elements unrelated to consumption. We need to move away from consumption models of success. Please. Value is content, not thing.

Religious Freedom – Alito: Supreme Court Justice Alito recently gave a speech before conservative lawyers. His claim is Christianity is subject to discrimination. He points to court rulings protecting abortion and gay rights from Christian attacks. Strange take on his part. Christians are free to discriminate any way they desire and have for centuries. If Abortion and Gay Rights issues are religious issues, then they are protected from attack by the Constitution. If a citizen chooses to have an abortion, no religious entity should deny that citizen from that choice. It is her body and no religion, by constitutional provision, has the right to interfere. So, please Justice Alito, be consistent and protect Abortion from Christian legal attack. Same for Gay Rights. A gay is a gay; not by choice but by happenstance of birth. He/she has equal rights under the constitution. No religion should have the right to deny such rights under the law.

November 16, 2020

 

 

Trimming Back

I noted the 9^th anniversary of this blog on October 4^th. Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic I have posted daily. The need to do so was the concurrence of COVID, nasty national elections, natural disasters mostly caused by global warming, and growing ignorance of the American people on many fronts of social issues. Anxiety among our peers was rampant. Still is in many quarters. So I decided to keep the blog going daily.

The concurrent stressors continue but progress is noted. The election is over but counting still goes on. The winners are mostly known; only the stubborn and disappointed are disputing the results. COVID is spreading faster and the death toll is climbing rapidly. However, treatments are better, vaccines are getting close to approval, and the natural disaster season is coming to a close.

So, adults don’t require as much handholding. I will continue the blog but only Monday through Friday. I reserve the right to post special entries as the need arises.

Until then, I will see you each weekday.

November 14, 2020

 

Who’s Right on COVID?

Good question. With the political campaigns behind us, all that’s left is counting odd ball ballots in odd ball circumstances. Not enough of those will make a difference in the outcome of the election. Everybody that truly matters in election systems and management agree – there was no wide-spread fraud in the recent election. Mistakes? Sure. Always a few are present, just like typos on your essays and final exam papers.

So, with that behind us, what’s new with COVID? Well, for certain the exposure and infection rates are up dramatically. All medical researchers and care teams agree that social interaction and not wearing masks, particularly in bars and restaurants, is the primary mode of viral spread. Does this argument and fact checking seem familiar? It is!

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic the public has been asked to wear masks, socially distance, and wash hands frequently and thoroughly. These three steps appear to be the magic answer to controlling the spread of the virus. We have known this since February.

So, why is this so difficult to do? Ask those who refuse to cooperate or frequently forget to comply. Both are large populations among us. I guess they simply do not want someone telling them what to do?

Treatment of COVID has progressed. Doctors and hospital staff know what and when to do the right thing, even in highly variable cases. Still many patients die. Research has proceeded on several fronts throughout the globe and several vaccines hold promise. Most recently Pfizer has a vaccine that is promising 90% effectiveness and may be available by the end of December. Production of the vaccine, if approved, will be distributed first to healthcare workers and first responders. As production ramps up, distribution channels will be created. Remember this vaccine requires storage at minus 70-degrees centigrade, a very difficult temperature to obtain and then hold.

Estimates suggest that this vaccine – one among many possible – will be available to the public by April. Other vaccines may come online by then, but their capabilities will need to be paired with patients in need of specific capabilities.

Until then, what do we do? Experts agree: wear a mask, keep your distance, wash hands frequently. Stay home as much as possible and maintain a small ‘social bubble.’ This is my responsibility to do. It is also yours. Ours.

Getting angry at people looking out for others’ well-being and following advice from scientists and healthcare experts is not logical. Get angry if you must at the disease. It is in charge, not people. We do what we must to survive and help others do the same.

Smile. Wear your mask. Keep your distance. Wash hands. Repeat.

November 13, 2020

 

As COVID Goes…

Nearly 8 months ago I helped a friend with his health problems only to see him fall in the hospital on his way to a blood test. His fall resulted in a broken hip. He was admitted to hospital for surgery to repair the hip. Too late, his condition continued to plummet. We didn’t know why. At 81 he was already in frail health and in trouble. We didn’t know what or why at the time, but shortly after hip surgery he died.

Prior to his hospitalization, he asked for my help because he was unable to fully manage his wife's care. She suffers from dementia. The hospital placed her in respite care at a nearby nursing home. After his unexpected death, she remains there in limbo. She doesn’t accept having dementia, in full denial. I’m not sure she knows that her life partner has died. As I said, she is in limbo.

All of this happened just as the world was dealing with COVID-19. It had not reached Illinois at the time, but we went into lockdown on March 21. He could not receive visitors at that point and died on March 25^th.

We do not know if he had COVID. I doubt we will ever know that. The family, however, is treating it as an early COVID death.

My daughter, son-in-law and one granddaughter have had COVID and recently are leaving the virus behind. One granddaughter was unaffected and still living in the home and going to high school. Seems the family has weathered the storm well and moving on.

Others in our family continue to protect themselves from infection. So far, a Thanksgiving gathering has been proposed but now we are pulling back from that. All the elders in the family have compromised health conditions and opting to stay home.

The next question will be Christmas gatherings. This is an open question precisely because COVID is vigorously ramping up in Illinois. The state is pondering shutting down once again. It most likely will. The evidence is overwhelming that another crisis point is happening.

Whether Christmas will come off or not for the family, we do not know but will remain hopeful.

Meanwhile restaurants, bars and small retail shops are struggling for existence. I feel for them. I understand their terror. I just hope Congress gets its act together and creates a stimulus package to help them.

Any anger focused on public officials who make these life saving decisions is misplaced. The virus is the culprit, not the officials. Businesses can be reformed; lives cannot. And those lives are their customers.

COVID is in charge at this point. To survive it, wear a mask, stay socially distanced, wash your hands and stay home as much as possible. The life you save may be your own or a loved one.

November 12, 2020

 

Perspectives

We each have one. A perspective on the world, or state, community, job, religion, whatever.

That perspective is built slowly over time. It is an accumulation of facts and ideas gained over time in a myriad of situations and experiences. Some are felt. Some are known by the hard edge of truth. Some are shared by trusted companions and family members. But the most valuable are the perspectives crafted by the self carefully after years of examination and study.

Study of anything comes with discipline. It is followed because we must know. Where do the facts lead me? Why are they important? Why do they make a difference in my mind? And what other questions do they answer that I don’t know how to ask yet?

Knowing answers is nothing. Knowing questions is primary. We musts know what questions to ask and why before we go searching for answers. Finding something of interest is not a healthy formation of an answer in search of a question.

Often, we get this process backward. I understand why. We need to have the strength to avoid the pitfall of finding questions that fit what we think are the answers. Many companies get this wrong. They come up with products or services without knowing what need they fill. Pet rocks is an example. Fads and fancies, too, provide many an example.

Politics, ideologies, value structures and religion are rife with answers coming before questions.

Truth comes from studying reality. Facts. Relationships among facts. Cause. Effect. Result.

It takes commitment and discipline to pursue truth. A perspective built on trash crumbles in time as the rot compresses the layers below.

Being right or correct is not the point. Knowing the facts and how they knit together as truth is the point. Elusive, too, truth is challenged on all fronts, and challenges those fronts right back.

When I started college, I thought I knew how the economy worked. I studied economic theory as a freshman and continued through my senior year. I used that knowledge throughout my life in professions that served me and my employers well.

What I learned in freshman year is how the economy actually works and why so many people get it wrong. Being wrong isn’t the immediate problem. The problem comes when so many people build theory and policy on wrong facts. It leads to disasters that people pay for in human terms.

Economic theory properly used drives solid policy and practice. Currently, the Federal Reserve is using it properly. Wall Street has it wrong a lot of the time. That’s what happens when the focus is on supply and demand markets. Underlying reality is far more important. These are the fundamentals most often ignored on Wall Street.

And congress? Whew! Do they ever get it wrong, and often at the wrong time as well. Fumbled attempts at setting policy often does more damage than good. But then, politics is based on money and power, not facts. That’s the rub!

Perspectives have little value unless they are anchored in fact. And then used properly. All else is noise.

We’ve just exited a long season of noise. Time to turn on the quiet and study deeply. The answers will be found there.

November 11, 2020

 

 

 

What Now Illinois?

With the graduated income tax proposal defeated by voters, financial problems threaten disaster for Illinois.

The current income tax is a flat tax, so created by constitutional amendment many years ago. It was a prime strategy to win approval then. Everyone at the time was afraid of a graduated tax. So it was passed as a flat tax; if memory serves it was 2.5%, maybe 2.25%. Many years later the tax stands at 4.95% in attempts to balance the budget. The problem: the poorest among us could not afford the tax at all, then and now. 

The old tax also benefited from the soaring growth of two-income earner households. Then the run-up of wages and salaries proved a revenue boon for the state.

At long last a troubling problem finally caught the attention of legislators – the public employee pension plans that were seriously underfunded. The game of underfunding pensions was played by both political parties. Legislators were only too glad to shirk the responsibility until it was too large to ignore.

The bill has come due and the public must pay into the pension funds what they have not contributed for many decades. The bill is at least $50 billion dollars. There are those who claim the figure to be in excess of $100 billion, but that is a skewing of actuarial tables. Let’s stick with the $50 B number for now.

Funding that shortfall will take many years to accomplish. Two or three billion dollars a year for the foreseeable future ought to take care of it. Meanwhile, the state budget is in deficit and made far worse by the COVID pandemic. Not only have state expenses risen during the crisis, but state revenues have fallen precipitously as the economy has suffered its aches and pains of COVID.

Republicans, of course, are now claiming the state budget needs to be slashed to be fiscally responsible. Hah! A little late for that argument because of their collaborative role in creating this mess in the first place. Voices in Springfield are suggesting slashing government payrolls, education and a host of social services. And then they wonder why the state is slow in responding to problems like childcare, education reform, and more!

No; more creative solutions are needed. The first target of reduced budgets should be police as their functions are re-engineered to serve communities rather than bludgeon them with systemic racism. We all know the cost of that form of community policing, and it is not all in Chicago!

Another solution is reforming the state income tax and this time actually teach voters what the issues are rather than running a pro and con promotional ad campaign. Illinois voters are adults and can take the truth. They will also take responsibility to properly fund an effective state government.

We have serious business to accomplish in Illinois. Public education is bloated and mandated to accomplish too much. It needs reimagining and re-engineering which will undoubtedly reduce costs and improve productivity. Criminal Justice System is also bloated and hamstrung by outdated policies and programs. Decriminalizing drug addiction would help simplify operations and cut costs.

Economic development begins with investment in education and skill development among residents of the state. Strong higher education programs to support life-long learning and return strong financial benefits to the state.

Long-term replacement of public infrastructure is another investment that would pay large dividends to the state. Developing collaborative programs between state, specific industries and agriculture, plus institutions of higher education, would improve innovation and adaptation to rapid technological changes affecting jobs, markets, products, and the evolution of new industries.

The future beckons to those who are prepared for it. Will Illinois rise to the challenge or continue to mire itself in bickering politics and disastrous financial management? Our elected officials haven’t done well with this challenge so far. Will they now?

But to do so they will need a supportive electorate. Are you and I ready to be that?

November 10, 2020

 

Some Thoughts on China

Bemused at American Election: reports from China appear her leaders are amused that America’s election was so difficult, divided, and unclear. Their reaction is appropriate for a culture where elections are not democratic. Citizen participation and engagement is not welcome. Only party politics rule China. Chinese culture is difficult to understand. It is long. Very old. And so very different from most other cultures. That makes it difficult for foreigners to understand. Evidently, that goes for China, too!

Democracy is messy precisely because it engages everyone. Not everyone participates. That’s not a good thing, but that’s not the system, that’s the individual person choosing to be self-centered and unconcerned with the larger community. It is their loss. In the end full-on democracy requires involvement of the people. China doesn't allow that; it doesn't understand America because of that.

Not an Enemy of America: China needs to strengthen its diplomatic tactics and strategies. If it sees America as an enemy, she is wrong. America is a competitor for ideas, products, services, commerce and leadership. It is not a military enemy. However, not knowing her intention, America is correct in preparing defenses against unfriendly nation’s and rogue powers. Such are ISIS, Syria, Russia and possibly China. So, China, if you see an enemy in America, look first to your own mirror and note what you see there. Then, sit down at a roundtable discussion and learn about the entire global village. America is not the leader of the world. Neither is China or Russia. Or anyone else. This is a world community and we work as best we can together. As one.

Global Community a Problem for Them: We live on one planet. It is both our home and our backyard. No one controls the whole of the planet. We must live mindful lives that we are not alone nor are we fully in charge. Some do not understand this. They think power and money are synonymous. They are wrong.

Cooperation and collaboration spell power and well-being. For everyone. And peace.

International Trade – 2-Way Street: We need something not available at home, we go to a market where we can buy it. Down the street or across oceans. Same for those next door or across the street. They sell what they can so they can buy what they need. That’s how commerce works.

Internationally, it works the same way. There are barriers naturally, like language, culture, distance, government protections, tariffs and competition. But those barriers are offered on our side as well.

Both parties to commerce must learn to deal with each other. That makes it a two-way street. And natural. Open up trade. Let commerce reign freely. Money will follow where it will earn the best return. That includes invention, research and development, and innovation. So far, America has leadership in all of those arenas. But only if we invest in the future, education and well-being of all of our people.

A two-way street requires cooperation abroad. And collaboration at home.

November 9, 2020

 

 

 

Picking Up the Pieces

The election is over. The results are known. It is time we shake out our wrinkles, straighten up, and plan for future days, weeks and months.

Whatever side you are on – winner or loser – in however many candidate or referenda campaigns, now is the time to sort through the options that best describe what to work on. Your public face must be unreadable and adult. Elections are the voice of the people in a democracy. The results are the results. Live with them and commit to the nation’s dream.

That dream is yours, mine and everyone else’s. It is a composite of all our dreams combined. It will not be perfect. It may be out of focus because of competing dreams. No matter; we will move forward making slight changes and tweaks to make it possible to operate. Over time the larger problems will be worked out.

In the longer term issues and problems will build advocate teams to create future campaigns where the electorate will be motivated to decide on them. This is the evolution of our nation as it is in specific time and place. It is always changing as it always has. That change is as constant as the change we have all lived with throughout all our lives.

Change is not static. It is in motion. That is its very definition. It is why we have elected officials and representatives, to deal with the change as it happens and its eventual cause and result outcomes.

If it helps, go to the library or internet. Seek out history books that tell of past ages, what happened then, what society did about it, and how and when history changed and unfolded its wisdom and handling. Continue reading the next chapter; it will tell you the cause/effect/result didn’t stop there. No, the history unfolds constantly. We make of it what we can at the time of its happening, but then go on to better understand it. What follows are our attempts to change those outcomes to something better. Thus, the story of history is constantly unfurling. 

Don’t like the outcomes just the same? Well then, look for checks and balances in our system and make certain they are still working. If not, gather a group, create an organization, and hire lawyers to fight your fight in court. Checks and balances. They are the mortar to our principles. Together they form the firm foundation of our nation.

Learn to live with today and fight for tomorrow!

November 8, 2020

 

Buying Votes

I am not naïve. I am principled. I don’t think voters should be bought but they have been.

First, the tax cut that favored corporations and wealthy people. They owe trump that boost to their checkbooks and wealth.

Second, entrepreneurs who have survived with their businesses intact despite hellacious economic swings gave trump their blessing.

Third, Hispanics who are in love with the American form of capitalism, recognized what trump’s tax cut did for them. But then, those are the ones who 'made it,' let the others scramble for their own.

Black voters who supported trump were obviously distrustful of democrats. The horrors of slavery and racism continue, and they wanted to blame someone. They knew trump was the enemy, but they couldn’t bring themselves to vote for Biden because they wanted to show the democrats they had power. Besides, they didn’t realize the wealth gain from trump’s tax cuts.

White union workers in rust belt states are angry at everyone but themselves for their plight. They heard the words of trump and believed him. Not that the words were based in fact, but they were too angry at the ‘opposition’ that they supported trump. They actually don’t know who has been fighting for them all this time, but revenge was in their mind and so they made it happen against the democrats. This is the Ohio story, and West Virginia. And to some degree Pennsylvania. 

Women is another complexity of the electorate. I truly do not understand how any woman can support trump who has belittled, abused and demeaned women across the board. He is championing the fight against abortion because that’s where votes are in a major bloc. Never mind that anti-abortion policy means control over women’s bodies and behavior. How could women support that? While we are at it, how can any woman accept the evangelical teachings of ‘men are the head of household and shall be obeyed?’ In this day and age it is hard to believe that women would agree to such nonsense.

Religious freedom exists in America. But it ought not dictate legislation or election outcomes. Follow your own religious beliefs, but do not require me to believe your religious views trump my own.

For the second time in a row, the American voter failed to support what could be rather than support anger and distrust. Shame on them. Their very past, present and future has been based on fearless belief of others in forming ideas, businesses and careers. Faith in the future requires investment.

All our investment. That’s something that can’t be bought.

The election results are forming late for Joe Biden. The closeness of this election may be a win for democrats, but it is not the repudiation of trump we all needed. It is a clear warning that our nation has a soul sickness of greed and selfishness. That must be challenged and defeated or we will not have a future.

November 6, 2020

 

Responders to Public Disasters

When a public disaster unfolds first responders jump to help. Police arrive to cordon off traffic and pave the way for arrival of fire fighters, ambulances, and maybe even a SWAT team. They do this to protect the public and reduce harm to those not directly affected. Yet.

Earthquakes are such a disaster. Forest fires are another example. Brush fires, too. Residents in a threatened area are evacuated to save lives. Again, protecting the public against further harm.

Snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and a host of other disasters create misery, loss of life, injury and a lot of property damage. Public disorder may even erupt if sensitive issues are uncovered and social justice is questioned. Troublemakers often enter such scenes to make matters worse, craft a public message that is misleading, or simply to take advantage of looting.

Emergency responders are trained to address each of the above. Their job is to serve and protect the public, those who are directly affected and those who are threatened with expanding harm.

A health epidemic is another public emergency. Health sciences personnel study the situation and if illness, disability, or death are possible, they alert other responders and advise protective actions that will protect the public.

COVID-19 is such a case. It has spread worldwide. It has caused all affected nations to partially shut down business as usual to contain public interaction and spread of disease. Meanwhile, other scientists and healthcare workers strive to learn more about the disease, its trajectory of growth and regional spread. Speed of infection is researched. Treatments to cure patients of the disease are tried and experimented with. Records are kept and studied to determine which treatments work best for many varying conditions and patient types.

Over time, best treatments are identified and applied. Care is taken to determine if the disease is morphing into different strains and producing more threats and instability. Will the old treatments work with the newer form of the disease?  Only time and experimentation will tell.

Meanwhile, other scientists research potential vaccines to knock out the virus and help nations get back to some semblance of normal. It is a long process and takes time.

During all of this healthcare workers continue to slog through new and old cases to lessen human suffering and avoid death and disability from the more severely infected patients.

Elected officials have the tough job of reading all the evidence even as it changes to craft a response that will keep citizens healthy and alive. Institutions are closed – schools, libraries, parks, even some activities of hospitals, workspaces, public concerts and gatherings, and yes, even bars and restaurants are curtailed or mandated closed temporarily.

These are tough issues and tough times. Commercial interests are curtailed, damaged, maybe even destroyed. Some businesses can survive emergency closure for a while, but not for long. Others can change how they operate and survive on drastically reduced revenues and business volumes. Unemployment rises. Businesses fail. Bankruptcies soar. Public unrest begins its slow seethe and finally boils over.

It is understandable. The fear, the hurt, the injury both physical and psychic. The loss of income and ability to earn an income to support family and home. Anxiety accelerates. Mental health issues arise. What do people do? What can they do?

We humans can only watch and wait and do the best we can to survive all the threats. The last thing we should do is blame someone for doing the right thing for the common good. Making COVID a political issue is a travesty. No one person is to blame for this.

We have been worried about pandemics happening for some time. We have prepared ourselves for these days and found such preparations not good enough. All we have is actions to contain the disease and protect the still healthy from those infected. Contain and defeat the disease even when we don’t have enough information or tools for the job.

We do what we have to. Staying home. Wearing masks. Washing hands. Working from home. Helping others worse off than ourselves.  This is what we can and must do. We are protecting ourselves and families. It protects others, too. That’s the beauty of wearing masks. It works both ways.

Thanks to officials at all levels of public service. You are doing a wonderful job – thankless but necessary. Have heart that one day the people will know you saved the day doing unpopular but effective tasks.

November 6, 2020

What Would Unite Us?

The ‘us’ is not the American people. No, the ‘us’ is all people throughout the global family of nations.

It is safe to say that many people dislike other people even within their own nation. Broaden the scope to other nations and even more people dislike other people. Why this is so I do not know.

I do know that tensions between people anywhere creates competition. Whether for ideas, wealth, products or services, it is natural for humans to compete with one another, to determine who’s better, or wealthier, or better looking, or whatever. It is a childish game that endangers world peace every day just because we are flawed human beings. 

Selfishness and greed are two of the basest personality disorders known to man. They sicken the afflicted person. He or she only wants what is best for themselves and cares little or nothing about others. It’s all about winning. It makes them feel better about themselves. Superior.

Forcing differences among people to determine who is better is such a waste of time, energy and happiness. Why not strive to do better by all people? What would make them happier, or healthier, or less bothered or fearful? What would benefit everyone on the planet?

Have you ever thought about that? If so, what did you decide was the one thing that would benefit all people everywhere? Did you ever wonder what that would cost to achieve? Or even if it were possible?

In so many ways a lot of people have pondered the question. For me it comes down to just one thing: world peace.

That’s it. Nothing else. Why? Because to live peacefully is to cooperate and collaborate with others. It is a style of living that actively explores what is needed by everyone, helping them fill that need, and move on to other achievable aims. Once the basic needs are fulfilled – food, housing, clothing, safety and community – larger issues are contemplated. Power and wealth may be two of the issues, but they soon upset the balance of comity within the community.

Here are several large issues that are in need of global solutions: effective, life-long public education; access to universal health care; global warming and a healthy planet; social justice; honest, transparent governance throughout society working in the best interest of all citizens.

Focusing on those issues will solve many other problems which often distract us from the larger issues. Power struggles among nations is one such problem. If the other issues were functioning well, power struggles within the international community should be much fewer or serious. Military matters would be much less ponderous than they currently are.

World peace is a worthy and achievable goal. It is a positive rather than a negative. It is expansive and aggrandizing of its participants. It builds rather than destroys. It is built on life and health rather than misery and death.

The choice to work for world peace ought to be obvious. Why isn’t it?

November 5, 2020

Collective and Community

What’s the difference between the two terms – collective and community?

Community is the easier of the two to define. It means people sharing life with one another – some greater and others of lesser degree – such as family members sharing household, neighbors sharing the same street, and blocks of neighborhoods forming a neighborhood, then a village, town, city, and county. Several counties together become a state. Several states become a region and nation. Several nations become global community.

Sharing common things among each other. Schools, institutions, government agencies, business community, work colleagues, careers, industries, and so forth. So many parts. So many pieces. Each of us individually has a role to play, and we rely on one another.

We build an individual career, marry, have families and build dynamic households that educate, emotionally support and challenge each other. Together we prosper. Through thick and thin we are of one blood.

Same with other families who commit to live in neighborhoods and towns. We share the experiences of the community. We sense when the community is in need and respond to that need. We donate time, effort, talents and even money to make the community whole. Why? So it is healthy for all those who are living within it.

In that manner, we support schools, libraries, park districts, fire protection districts, city governments with streets and sanitation services, police and social services. Our schools are special. This is where our kids learn the basics of life and form ideas that will eventually become their life story. They will build their futures like we did. They will learn about science, humanities, music, art, physical fitness, nutrition, math, logic and philosophy. History, too. History as ever evolving and building. Knowing and understanding what happened and why leads to futures of intent and self-sustaining quality.

We make these things happen. We pay for them. We support them. We participate in them. We know that what we know must be passed on to future generations, so they carry civilization forward.

So much of what we have together is from collective action and investment. That’s where the term collective enters the picture. It seems to me that community and collective are opposite sides of the same coin.

Yet, in college I learned economics and competing ideologies that supported or competed against capitalism, socialism and communism. The terms then were clear. Today I think they are not. Clarity is needed.

Communism is an economic system governed and owned by the people through its central government. All means of production and commerce are controlled, owned and planned by government authority. The people share and share alike in the results of that system. It doesn’t essentially reward people based on their contributions or effectiveness in the system.

Socialism is a system in which both government and society own and control the economy. Like capitalism, some people own businesses or stock in major corporations, banks, and land. The government owns and controls another large portion of the same. Depending on what an individual contributes to the whole, they will be rewarded with the net income or outcomes of the operations. Non-asset owning citizens are encouraged to own their piece of the society but if they do not, they will still benefit from the operations of the whole.

Capitalism is a system by which the assets that produce wealth – land, buildings, corporations, commercial enterprises, etc. – are owned by individuals and groups of individuals through stocks. Owners of capital goods invest in that which will provide a return on their investments. They pay taxes to government to provide the shared services needed to the common good. Under capitalism the net outcomes of society fall back to those who own the capital assets.

The United States is a comingling of capitalism and socialism. Has been for some time. Government controlled programs and agencies that watch over the common good of most citizens are in clear evidence. Schools. Social Security. Medicare. Medicaid. The former are tax supported entities we all pay for. The latter is only provided to help those who cannot afford medical care at all. Social Security and Medicare are programs that are paid for by the beneficiaries by way of enforced taxes as premiums. They share benefits of the programs at certain planned phases of their lives whether they need them or not, much like any investment or insurance plan.

Why do I raise these issues in this post? Because people are throwing around terms as though they truly understand them when in truth the concepts are far more complicated than what I’ve put forth here.

It should be recognized, however, that capitalism is not the hero of the hour. It is neither all one thing or the other. In modern day America capitalism is aided and abetted by government authority and money. The return on those investments are not shared equally by all, even when government was a key investor or bearer of key expenses. The losses from capitalism, however, are usually sustained by all citizens in the form of tax subsidies, tax write-offs and bailouts when crises occur.

Capitalism also gains from public schools, streets, curbs, water and sewer systems, transportation systems, research and development produced by public institutions (universities, colleges and government agencies). Yet nowhere in their balance sheet or income/expense reports are those benefits reported.

We have a hybrid social structure – a lot of capitalism and some socialism. It is a blend. And it is not bad. It is workable and necessary.

Those who benefit from giveaway tax cuts and huge bailouts, subsidies and kind regulations, should not complain. They are earning benefits the rest of us do not experience.

Perhaps this system needs some tweaks?

November 4, 2020

 

Biggest Thing?

I read an article that said the biggest thing in 2020 is the economy.

Well, I disagree. The biggest thing now and evermore is and should be our humanity and how to preserve it. The economy is an accoutrement. Like a house or car or vacation trip, nice to have, fun to enjoy, but not the be-all and end-all of life.

You are important to me, to yourself and to others. Same for me. For all of us. To lessen that value is a horrible distortion of life itself.

Yes, the economy is important. It is an engine of possible. It gathers people together and individually to make, trade, buy and sell things and services. The revenues or trading medium expands access to more consumer goods and services that enhance life. Survival is singular at first, but communal quickly. Together several people survive better, easier and longer.

Small at first, the community enlarges from family to neighborhood to village, town and more. Much more. As people interact networks gather value and complexity. Sharing expertise, information and togetherness expands. Eventually city, state, region and nation take their shapes.

It all starts with you or me. Just one person, then two, then…

Everything else is extra. The extra is not the ends or the means to the end. This debate is very old and settled.

All world cultures teach love of self and others. It is the basis of all theology. The core truth is quite simple and bare. Because of that we are to work together, not apart.

Now. Do. You. All. See. Why. Wearing. A. mask. Is. So. Important?

Vote for people. Vote for ideas. Not things.

November 3, 2020

 

 

Meanderings

Police Discipline: COVID has brought fresh attention to methods of education. Although we have been adjusting to the challenges, more needs to be done. We know this. We have sensed it many times but now we know something more: the entirety of America’s education system needs to be reimagined. There are those who are already working on solutions, but the solutions will only work if they are adopted throughout the system.

Policing needs reimagining as well. Today police officers are all too often prone to killing suspects. Much is learned after the violent incident. Mostly we learn that the dead would have been innocent of charges. And if they deserved arrest and jail time, the likely outcome would not result in a death sentence. No; black people are being killed by police because of other issues. We need to insist this problem be fixed. That is all that is meant by the phrase ‘defund police.’ It is a catch phrase designed to stop business as usual and rethink what ought to be happening.

Don’t let this time of awareness get lost in the noise of COVID, elections, economic recession, and rampant natural disasters caused by global warming. All these things need our attention. But the police issue is a core principle of our value for justice.

Calm: anxious times. Very anxious times. We need to find sources of calm. Deep breathing helps. Sitting in silence with eyes closed helps. A walk in nature soothes. Faith in ourselves and each other also helps. Knowing we have been through bad times before and survived, even thrived, should bring us calm.

Tending to our own business and helping family members and neighbors restores calm. Draw near to your loved ones. Cherish the good in life. Be grateful. Give thanks.

And then move on with life as best you can. Calm should return spontaneously. It is something we can do for ourselves. We should.

Black Lives Matter: the beat continues. Black Lives Matter is not a rally cry anymore. No; it is a statement of fact. Black lives do matter in America. As a society we have not shown this very well. It is a problem that needs fixing. In America, we fix what is broken.

My larger concern is how do we repair the damage done to Black lives all these generations? How do we embrace them and heal the hurts, the marginalized careers and dreams, the violence, poverty and stunted potential? That is a tall order. We need to address it, however. And then do something meaningful about it. This is a separate issue from fixing the brokenness of our systemic racism. That is a separate issue and it is enormous. It is proper we know that BLM encompasses two big problems. Both deserve attention.

November 2, 2020

 

November Already!

Doesn’t seem right that the calendar is showing the start of November. This is the month of Thanksgiving, the start of Christmas shopping, the true beginning of Winter in the northlands, and the sobering thought that we are to be homebound for many months waiting for spring.

Ah yes! Although I dread the start of fall, the colorful leaves do entertain. And the colder weather makes be go into nest mode. I want this closeness. I want to feel the limits and walls of my nest, my home. Then, I realize we’ve been in this mode since March 15^th!

Well, it really has been OK. I’ve learned to write more often. I have broadened my library of topics to write about. I am more disciplined. My calendar is neat and trim even if the office is not. I say yes to more projects because they fill my time. I no longer drive to countless meetings but stay home instead to focus on the why the meetings are needed in the first place.

My colleagues and I are now focusing on the important things. We accomplish so much more without all the running around. And, the official meetings are fewer, and much more agenda-oriented. Shorter, too! That’s a blessing because I’m the taker of minutes for a lot of those sessions.

Nesting or not, we are here for the duration. November is but a reminder of the indoor life we’ve been living and surviving well. It is dangerous outside the domicile. Care must be foremost in mind if we are to survive the pandemic.

Rather than bemoaning the circumstance, stay home, order in, and wear a mask in the presence of others.

This pandemic is not a hoax. 225,000 dead family, friends and colleagues testify to that fact. Battling the pandemic is not the job of politicians and government officials. It is our job. Yours and mine.

Rather than blaming others for the pandemic, learn to live with it and survive. It will strengthen you. It already has for me. And I’ve not been sick a day during this whole ordeal.

Thank you for taking personal responsibility for the pandemic and how to survive it. We can do this one person at a time.

PS: At this writing my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter at college all have the virus. The high school granddaughter at home is the only one in the family so far testing negative.

November 1, 2020