Current Needs

On this last day of September (!) let us catalog the needs in our communities. Not all communities have these very same issues, but many do and our help is needed to combat them:

1.       Food poverty for the poor, a lot of kids

2.       Food poverty for seniors, not quite as bad but still a huge problem

3.       Poor access to medical care for the poor

4.       Poor transportation to medical care for many senior citizens

5.       Inadequate access to appropriate education services for poor people

6.       Continuing education for all ages still not a recognized problem; how else will we adapt to a changing society built on technology?

7.       Violence in all too many places; many causes, but mostly based on greed, sex and guns

8.       Forgotten Native Americans; shoved aside and isolated. We created this problem and it is our sacred duty to address it

9.       Global warming, rising seas, flooded coastal areas

10.   Loyalty to nation not political party or ideology; be people centered

Many of these issues are addressed with specific programs funded by the federal government. The funds are funneled to the states and then to counties for application to the problem. This cumbersome method delays delivery of the services and goods to the intended parties.

Many issues are addressed by private nonprofits because they have a passion to serve. They have difficulty raising the funds to do the work and deliver the goods and services. Help them whenever you can; better yet, volunteer your time and energy.

Churches attend these issues as well, although many are struggling to do so with falling attendance and bleak budgets. Partner with other agencies and nonprofits?

With failing newspapers starved for advertising revenues to pay their bills, reporters are disappearing. The internet is a poor replacement because of the false reporting and self-serving messaging. Who to believe?

On many levels these problems can be aided but it will take coordination, funding and commitment for all who care about those in need.

Help! For all of our sakes.

September 30, 2021

 

Community Reality

The neighbor is struggling. Needs a ride to the doctor because she cannot drive herself in her present condition. You volunteer when you learn of her need. A neighbor has an electronic subscription to the local paper but she gets a Sunday issue delivered to the building’s door each week anyway. She gives it to another neighbor who she knows is interested in the weekly Sunday edition.

Another person cannot reach the smoke detector or CO detector battery to replace it. The electronic beeping is driving him crazy. A neighbor comes to the rescue with ladder! She climbs stalwartly to the top and extracts the dead battery and inserts a new one. Blessed peace.

In another city block a young single mother cannot find or afford day care for her 3 year old daughter. An elder resident three doors down the street offers to help her so she can find a job. They agree on simple terms and costs that are affordable to the young mother, but also trade help for the elder around the house (reaching those high light bulbs, detector batteries, etc.!). Both households are better off. From cooperation. From mutual respect. From knowing about their own community and its needs.

Switch now, please, to the pandemic. The entire nation has hunkered down to slow the speed of infectious spread. A huge effort went into researching, testing, and manufacturing effective vaccines. Hospital treatments were applied, experimented with, and perfected. Hospital stays from COVID are more successful, yield lower death rates, and shorter stays.

Vaccines have proven effective. The vaccinated mostly remain free of the virus. Those who do get infected suffer less, are rarely hospitalized and recover quickly with few aftereffects. Meanwhile, they are not a threat to the unvaccinated.

Young children still do not have an available vaccine. They are easily infected and spread the virus to others. The kids rarely experience severe symptoms; some do; some die; but the numbers are low. The older people infected by the kids, however, suffer what may.

Those who can be vaccinated should be.

This is the modern day call of community minded citizens. This we must do to protect each other. To lessen the suffering. To lessen the death from a preventable contagion. To lessen the demands on medical personnel and hospitals that are needed for other medical emergencies.

This is also commonsense. We speak of that often in this space. Commonsense, it appears, is not so common! The sense, however, remains true.

Time for all to get with it.

If you truly feel this is not so, then another community responsibility is laid on you: isolate yourself and kids from the rest of the community until solutions are found to help all.

The time to respect you is when you respect others. That is the core value for a community. Without it, it is not a community.

September 29, 2021

Bits and Pieces

What My Parents Didn’t Tell Me: Aging process is slow and surprisingly painful. I witnessed my dad age slowly. First it was winces of pain from tired joints. Later it was erosion of spinal vertebrae. In the end it was broken vertebrae in both the back and neck that defined his final hours. Before that, however, he gallantly continued to live with courage and purpose. His hair was thinned a lot, but gray and natural hair color remained until his end.

What both my mom and dad failed to tell me, however, was the journey of amassing pain, discomfort and lessened mobility caused by the aging process. Today my story seems severe compared with what I knew of their story. Very little of their tale was known. I have learned that our elders generally do keep these stories a secret. I guess they did not want to burden us or discourage. Even my in-laws practiced deceit in this arena. We learned months afterwards of surgeries and medical treatments. All health news was kept in the dark.

My blog tells my story so my kids know the whole truth as it unfolds. I wonder; is this a burden?

Bad Boy Trump Tale Continues: Although out of office, the bad boy continues to attempt making waves. He has done much of that before during and after his term in office. However, truth and justice have not yet been fully told. Investigations continue and pursuit of legal claims will eventually tell the full story. History, as always, will catch up in time, but its speed will take 100 years or more to reach a conclusion.

Meanwhile we are learning that Trump himself knew much more and admitted it within his own circles. Legal documents give proof to this reality. Trump’s ultimate guilt in role playing one of history’s most elite conmen is increasingly probable. Stay tuned. First, arm yourself with a lot of patience. The tale is complicated by twists and turns and a startling cast of characters. In the end, truth will out.

China’s False Claim for Peace: Even before Biden’s maiden speech before the UN General Assembly on September 21, 2021, China’s President Xi videotaped his ‘response.’ He claims peace and self determination of all nations. China is a good guy on the planet. Sure; and that is why she is building fortified manmade islands in the South China Sea? Get real, sir. Actions speak louder than words. And what about your designs in Taiwan? What about your violations of world patents and intellectual property? Self determination? Peaceful? Good guy?

You have a lot of explaining to do, buddy. 

Bad Knees: I finally limped into my orthopedic doctor’s office. X-rays confirmed my complaints. Osteoarthritis of both knees is both real and painful. I continue to insist no surgery; too painful and the recuperation is worse than the condition. So, cortisone shots first; if that works keep at it. If not, insert gel into the joints. At 78 all I want is less pain so I can return to a walking exercise routine and regain some of my lost mobility. In turn a weight loss should be possible allowing the knees relief from that cause of deterioration!

So far so good. A day later and my knees feel pain free; still clunky and balky but smoothing out. Other pain symptoms in the body seem to have abated at the same time. I didn’t expect that and wonder if it is a placebo effect? Ever the realist I doubt a magic elixir is at hand!

September 28, 2021

 

Unrelenting Criticism

The press is filled with criticism about everything. Mostly negative vibes, no analysis, perspective or possible solutions.

I know the press is supposed to report the events, the happenings. But relentless coverage of negative conditions without any perspective or discussion of solutions, is a pointless waste of time in my opinion. For example, the immigration backlog on the Texas border, especially the Haitians. The happening is news. Day after day reporting on this is not news. If news organizations wish to continue to cover this situation, then provide the history of the problem; report causes experts feel led to this problem; pull experts on the problem to discuss possible solutions.

Immigration and its many problems is not a problem belonging to a President or Governor. If governors do not cooperate with federal authorities to ease the problem, when possible, then the issue is theirs to manage. Otherwise, the problem belongs to federal policymaking and legal strictures. Mostly that is the province of Congress. Policy is executive branch, but that can only respond to the legal environment of the problem.

For 70+ years Congress has kicked the can of immigration down the dusty path. No solutions offered. Only dicta that impoverished the victims, or caused the victims’ situation in the first place.

Most immigrants assembling at our southern border are coming from Mexico and Central America where opportunities and living conditions are very poor. Mexico cannot support immigrants from both south and central America. They simply do not have the infrastructure and economic strength to do so. The south and central American nations with low quality of life and serious violence and poverty conditions are pushing their own people out of their own country. Why is this? What can America do to prevent these conditions in the first place; anything?

We have tried to aid those nations in the past. Much of the aid dollars and materiel have landed in the hands of the bad guys, not the intended recipients. Trump removed those efforts entirely. The problems worsened in those nations. Immigration flows increased to Mexico on the journey to the USA. Again, the US border is not the place to welcome new citizens in an unlimited flow.

But then, solutions are begged to better manage the situation all around. Where are those ideas coming from? Certainly not from Congress. They have avoided this issue for generations. And certainly not from the press. All they seem able to do is report miserable living conditions brought about by too many people assembling in an unprepared location as they escape from dire situations. This is a global issue, not an American one.

America retains its international reputation for ‘land of opportunity.’ Mostly that is true. However, there are always Americans who feel threatened by an influx of immigrants. That is evidence of their own sense of inferiority.

America was built on cheap labor – slaves, poor immigrants, intentional poverty pockets, and more. People willing to work for low wages, learn new skills and jobs, use low paying employment as a stepping stone to independence and middle class status. This has worked for centuries now. It will still work. On top of that, immigrants keep the rest of America working meeting their housing, transportation, and food needs.

This is only one issue targeted by the press. There are many more. We need to see these issues clearly and the press can be a part of that process. They can also be a part of channeling collaboration in finding solutions to those same problems.

I don’t want sound bites and photo ops. I want news with depth and purpose. Is the American press corps able to perform at this level? Will they?

September 27, 2021

 

Leadership

I grew up thinking about will-o-the wisps. Remember those from childhood literature? I recall a tale with a murky swamp, steam rising from surface water, fog falling through mysterious tree limbs on high. A strange glow appeared in the misty gloom. It took a shape, not stable, but amorphous and constantly changing. The light was somewhat white but more like a pale yellow.

Was the will-o-the-wisp of good or evil nature? I simply don’t remember that part of it all. I do recall wondering about its portent.

Today’s national mood echoes the murky swamp setting. We know we don’t like it; we would rather be somewhere else. We seek answers to the confusion. We want a clear path toward light and normal. We see the light but do not trust it. Is it ‘the way out’ or a will-o-the-wisp?

Leadership is like that in my experience. We do not readily trust the apparent ‘leader’ to actually be the leader. We are tentative in following advice and direction. We perceive our situation from our unique perspective. From that we imagine solutions to our situation. My thinking seems just fine, thank you. Why should I listen or follow directions from the person appearing as our leader?

One thing I learned early in my career is this – leaders need followers. If the leader convinces others to follow him or her, then he or she is the leader in that instance. Followers are persuaded to be such. It depends on what answers seem reasonable at the time for the circumstance.

A national leader has the same function to provide when earned. That is a loaded statement worthy of rereading. A national leader has the same function to provide when earned. The leader has to earn the trust of others that the answers/solutions offered are reasonable, workable and worth supporting. Thus the others become followers or supporters. Not forever but per instance. Successive successes in a string of instances earns that leader a larger role to play now and in the near future.

Just because we have elected senators, congresspeople and a President, does not mean they are the leader of circumstance. It means they have authority to perform important tasks. How well they do earn them followers for future instances.

America is a nation of doubters these days. Many people are pummeled by many problems and open questions to ponder. To be vaccinated or not, to vote or not, to support immigration or not, to protect my family from external influences or not, which diet to follow or not, which restaurant to eat at or not, to dine in or out, to drive or take public transportation, to support abortion rights or not. All of these are choices we make in our life journey. Hundreds of other choices are made each day of mundane nature, but still necessary. Not choosing is a decision as well. Put all of this together and you and I have to follow our own instincts or follow group beliefs, a policy offering, or a leader’s opinion.

Most of us have a sense of the issues involved. But most of us have no clue as to the best solution to choose. Therefore we are left with the task of choosing a trusted leader to follow. That is the first step in followership. First we recognized our need to follow someone who has more answers and knowledge than we have. Second, we must choose who. Third, we make the commitment to be a follower until dissuaded otherwise.

Today, few people trust government. Too few trust elected officials. Too many trust only their own sense of reality. Problem is, they do not know enough to trust their own knowledge base. Only if we keep minds open to new data and rethinking old thoughts in a fresh approach, do we have the ability and faith that working together we can solve old problems. It is not my mind that will save the world; it is our minds that will do that. Trust in cooperation and sharing ideas. Trust and receive. Trusts and give.

This is us living together.

September 24, 2021   

Define Desired Outcome for War on Terror

We have spent trillions of dollars to defend ourselves from terrorism on American soil. We have aided other nations in protecting them as well. Yet we do not know when the War on Terror will be successful, mainly because we have not defined what it is that we are fighting for.

In the beginning, George W said it was to ‘get Bin Laden.’ Well, we did a lot more than that in the ten years it took us to find and kill him. Meanwhile, the war was waged throughout the globe at the behest of Al Qaeda and other jihadists. So many groups are waging a war of terror on so many ‘enemies’ we have lost sight of who is their enemy. It is not only America or the USA. Nor are our enemies just Al Qaeda but many.

Muslim is a religion, not an ethnicity or nationality. Muslim is also not an occupational title synonymous with terrorist. Many Americans believe otherwise, but a Muslim, like Jews and Christians, are peace loving religious practiced by more people than the other two religions combined. Billions, in fact.

OK. With all of that said, what is our objective for the War on Terror? Is the goal straightforward and conclusive? Or is it an on-going struggle that will take an eternity to wage?

Absolutes do not make effective goals. Sounds good but not practical in taking actions, organizing resources for that action, and even more difficult to pull millions of people together to wage the actions. One does not build an intricate piece of machinery from a shop floor mired in glue and adhesives. And dirt. The going gets tough and finally grinds to a halt.

With it understood that we don’t have a well worded objective, let’s attempt to begin that task.

1.       What enormous end-result outcome would we be overjoyed with?

2.       Who are the warriors? Us, them or a large bunch of nations? Maybe all nations?

3.       Who pays for this defensive infrastructure?

4.       How do we know we have succeeded?

5.       Before success is declared, what benchmarks tell us that we are on the right track or are falling off those tracks?

I do not profess the knowledge to answer these questions. However, is now the time we should finally work on finding answers?  I’m not saying we are free from terror today; far from it, we live in a violent world.

Interestingly, America’s social landscape is filled with home-grown terrorism. It is mostly fueled by white people thinking they are better than everyone else and fighting the inevitable minority status that whites face in the USA. It is only a matter of 10 years or so when we will be outnumbered by ‘all other’ ethnicities and nationalities within our own borders. It is not foreigners attacking us as it was on 9/11/01; no, American citizens are the terrorists today.

Seems to me that is a great starting point: rid our own land of domestic terrorism. Then let us consider what to do about the global pandemic. First off, I think we should place this firmly in the United Nations for global management of international terrorism. At least it affects us all; we should all be in the game to eliminate it or reduce it to an annoyance level.

September 23, 2021

Balm in Gilead

A long ago memory is sitting in elementary school, probably 2^nd grade or so, in California, being taught to sing in a group. The song was “There Is a Balm in Gilead.” The year was around 1949 or 1950. The melody was entrancing. The word ‘balm’ curious. Like a salve that cools a burn or calms an itch, a balm is that sort of ointment. Gilead was a biblical community, and the song was about soothing the town. At least, that’s the sense I got at the time.

Years later I found this to be a hymn. Whether a protestant one or Catholic, I don’t know. I still like this hymn, but now I am wondering how our public school way back then was allowed to sing that song. Today it would be banned from public instruction, don’t you think?

And yet, a balm is what we need these days. Whether ascribed to a religious principle or figure, a balm is something that calms troubled minds and spirits. Rather than face the modern world with its stresses, let us find relief where we can. That comfort will give us cool minds to use in dealing with problems and civil unrest.

A democratic society is a governance tool evolved to allow productive discussion, realistic application of facts, and then a prod toward compromise where everyone feels they have won a bit while settling an important point. Compromise is a must in these transactions. Rarely will everyone agree on any one thing. Giving a little to gain common agreement for common action is the outcome sought.

Clearly that is not a descriptor of America today. Clearly.

I think we need a soothing lotion to calm us down. Enough calming, please, to allow cooler minds and personalities to interact and come to a workable agreement so we can move beyond the stalemate.

In the United States of America, we have the Congress assigned this duty. Evidently, they have forgotten their role because all they do is create endless strife and angry debate. Yet they say they are doing our work. How can that be when there is no or little outcome? The product of their work is yet more stalemate, inaction.

Either they are all foul balls in public dress, or they are misusing the tools of government. Perhaps the tools needs redesigning?  Or maybe the actors upon the stage should be recast? Which is easier and faster? Might there be another option to pursue while the other two are being contemplated? 

Surely, we can go on no longer. The yearning for term limits may be just the prod these folks need to find a better way to do the people’s business. If that is so, then let us get on with it.

September 22, 2021

 

 

What’s Wrong With Us?

Public reactions to common everyday issues are a puzzle. The perception of shortage or unavailability apparently stuns some people. They go into overdrive to ‘fix’ the problem by searching high and low for the scarce item. Meanwhile, the scarcity demands a higher price for the item. This is the God given belief of American capitalists. Supply and demand rule price.

Well, this is true in the main wherever you are on the globe, whether you are a capitalist or a communist. If an item is generously available the price will be lower as a rule of thumb.

But they need not be. For example, used cars. I don’t need a used car at the moment. So I will not go out and buy one. I will likely need one in the future, but just not now. I’ll wait. Waiting pays dividends. Time passing may find a lessening of the shortage and a softening of the price of the goods. Even if the need is now, I can wait or make other arrangements to avoid buying the item while its price is high.

Same is true if I am trying to sell something in a down market. Wait until the supply and demand is in better balance and prices rise for what I wish to sell. Timing. Timing. Timing.

COVID vaccines not readily available for you in your area at the moment? Wait for them. Ask for help from your doctor. In the meantime, distance yourself from other people you know not to be vaccinated, or from strangers you no nothing about. Wash your hands frequently. Stay home as much as possible. And wear a MASK. They work.

I know the mask works. I have allergies and I haven’t had an allergy symptom for the length of the COVID pandemic. I haven’t had a cold, sniffles or the flu either. Of course I haven’t had COVID.

Yes. Masks work. So do commonsense efforts to avoid getting infected.

Don’t agree with a politician in your governor’s office? Why is that? Just exactly what do you not agree with? Is it everything? Or a few items? In the main, is the governor doing his/her job? Are the results generally as expected and favorable? Then why would you vote against the person for one or a few issues you disagree with?

In Illinois, our governor (Pritzker) has done an enviable job in protecting the mass public from COVID. That doesn’t mean it has been a walk in the park. We have had major infections of COVID in the past 20 months. We have had thousands of deaths. Suffering and agony have accompanied our experience with COVID. However, we have avoided tens of thousands of deaths from this cause during the same period. We have minor outbreaks of the disease in well-vaccinated areas. Heavy outbreaks with fatalities are present in regions of the state where vaccinations have been avoided by the people. Vaccinations have been available. They have been actively avoided by the public. The results are predictable. Death and suffering.

Commonsense protections against the virus have been mandated from time to time to protect the bulk of the public. People do not like being told what to do. They see this as an overreach of authority. It is not. The responsibility of the government and our elected officials is to keep us safe from many perils. Disease is one of those perils. Rather than being angry with the officials, mandates or government in general, be angry at the disease and help eradicate it.

What a person chooses to be upset about tells us much about the person holding such views.

I thought Americans were reasonable and educated. Evidently I gave us more credit than we have earned.

September 21, 2021

 

China’s Future

What does China want for the future? How do they see themselves behaving in the world in 20 years?  Are they the benign behemoth nation offering help to small nations in need? Are they buyers of those small nations’ goods, controlling every part of their small brittle economy? Or maybe they merely walk in and take over the struggling nation claiming it as their own?

Perhaps China only wants to be left alone? The silent mysterious country that keeps to itself and needs no interference from anybody? They have said that before, but do they mean it?

Commercial reach and success have taught China in recent decades that there is much to be gained by trading with large portions of the world. They have encountered needed rare minerals for their manufacturing processes. They have learned how to manufacture delicate, scientific goods cheaper than everyone else. They have excelled in developing their universities and research facilities and output.

In the most recent final analysis, China has come to realize it cannot do everything it wants by flying solo. It needs the world community. It needs vital markets to buy its goods. It needs rare earth minerals. It needs expertise in engineering and applied sciences. It realizes this enough to buy the foreign companies with the expertise and patents to avoid making its own breakthrough discoveries.

So where does China come from to conclude it needs to build islands in the South China Sea and then militarize them? Why does it find it necessary to covet Taiwan and threaten it militarily? Why?

China has asked other nations to stay out of their internal affairs. I’m OK with that but are they willing to do the same with other nations?

The South China Sea does not belong to China. Building islands does not expand their territory to make that ocean part of their private preserve. It is international waters. The global community has freedom to use it for commerce. And they do. For the good of all the nations in the region, open commerce on the South China Sea is a good thing for everyone.

China, however, feels threatened by the mere presence of craft from other nations plying the waters. That is unreasonable.

So where do their goals lie? Will those be peaceful or militaristic?

Inquiring minds need to know.

September 20, 2021

 

My Favorite Possessions?

Several years back I would have identified my favorite possessions differently. Then it would have been my sound system and collection of music CDs. Over the years music has been a constant in my life. Mostly classical composers and instrumentation. Today that music is readily available over my computer, higher technology sound systems, and usually for free. YouTube is an amazing grace to my life!

Although music continues to be an important part of my life, I must now add to my favorite possessions art objects.

Through the years we have picked up items artists created. They did so to express themselves. Their expressions connected with my inner self. A dialogue began that continues to this day.

I have a large painting - acrylic on rolled steel. The colors are bold and expressive. They are arranged loosely in blocks fitting together irregularly and messily. A metaphor of life certainly! The shape of the rolled steel remains, a curvature that stands gently outward from the wall. The art is large (4 feet by 4 feet) and hangs above our dining room table. It greets us each day as we walk toward the kitchen, office and dining/living room. 

Its presence boldly challenges us to greet the day individually for fresh potential and action.

Near the painting sits a metal (aluminum) 'bowl' that is more of a shaped, sturdy net of curlicued tracings. The bowl is 14 inches across. We have back lit it so the open tracery of the 'net' appears starkly against a white wall. The bowl itself is burnt orange. It is highly noticeable. The delicate travery reminds me of purposeful meanderings of the mind.

We bought this piece from the Savannah Modern Art Museum's gift shop. The piece was available in white, black and orange. We chose orange for the boldness and contrast with surrounding surfaces. We thought the white would be lost. Black would have been too trite.

Upon viewing this art piece each day several times, it reminds me of the trip to Savannah and our great exploration of a part of the southeastern United States. It was a fun trip and rewarding. The art piece also is a bold reminder of our complicated but connected efforts encountered while living a purposeful life. We are not alone. We are not without connections with other people and their ideas and needs. We live with this diversity and challenge. We create a way through the complexities and achieve even more creations.

Art is a real thing. It represents thought by the artist. Like all communications, the thought must be received and processed by the viewer. The central idea perceived may not be the original of the artist. But all of life is derivative. We make it what it will be. An act of creation makes for other creative acts.

That may be the core value of all art. Music, sculpture, flat art hung on a wall, dance, ceramics or woodworked masterpieces, art moves people and thinking. 

What fun to accompany visual art with musical art! I'm in heaven!

September 17, 2021

Bits and Pieces

Gavin Newsome: Recall mania. Gavin has been retained as governor of California. $276 million was spent by California taxpayers for this inconvenience show of democracy. But it was far from democratic. The majority was asked to retain or reject the sitting governor. No majority was required to name the successor. Therefore, this is not a tool of democracy. Theocracy maybe? And what better good could have been had from that $276 million?

Gavin has energetically protected the people of California from COVID and its mutations. Along with the governors of New York and Illinois, the people were well protected. But conservative Republicans in California, wishing to politicize every little thing, battled people and ideology rather than illness and pandemic. Doing so they endangered their own lives as well as 38 million fellow residents of the state. Shame on them. Then they added to the woe by blaming climate change, forest fires and everything else under the sun on Gavin. Nothing of this was true or factual. Just more political nonsense.

California is in trouble because of this dichotomy of political struggle. The rest of our nation is in trouble as well because we are all feeling the same strains of political gamesmanship that hurt us rather than serve us. Empty blame. Empty warnings. False facts. Anything to gain control over others so they can earn more money and wield power.

Sick. Sick. Sick.

Filibuster: Frustration and obfuscation. Governance is all about compromise and consensus. It is not about absolute 100% agreement on anything. At all. Consensus, general agreement on many details so progress can continue forward. The filibuster is a tool to gain 100% agreement which is arguably impossible.

Therefore, dump the filibuster once and for all. Go back to 50% plus one vote defining the successful vote on any bill or measure within the Senate. That’s it. Get back to compromise. Or go home, Congress. Your record for the last 50 years is deplorable. Embarrassing. You do not deserve your salaries, staff, expense accounts or benefits. You have not earned them; endured for them, yes, earned, no.

Nuclear Koreas: Proximity to one another and both with nuclear missiles. What could possibly go wrong? At least we know and trust the South Koreans. They are not only our friends and allies, but we are also close competitors and investors in each other’s society and governance philosophy. We have worked hard since the cessation of hostilities of the Korean War and South Korea is a model commercial economy that invents new technologies, science, and products and services. They market to global buyers. They educate their own younger generations and set standards of excellence in nearly every endeavor they initiate.

Compare that with North Korea – a starving, poor population that is governed by a tyrant interested in ego, money, and power. Brutal ego. Brutal power. Extermination of opposition members, and those who hold different views than his; even family members.

They fight a silent war known only to themselves. They see enemies where there are none. They are offered peace, but they don’t know how to respond. They demand all manner of things but then don’t deliver the very things that would bring peace. So, they continue to rattle swords and test missiles. Whether they have the capability they claim or not, they are a bothersome citizen of the global community. Their positioning creates the tension they say they wish to avoid.

I think they act this way so they can continue to fool their own population and continue living high on the hog behind closed doors. Do they invent their war tools?  I think not; I suspect they buy them or are given them by both Russia and China. Says a lot about those two countries and their claims of peace, eh?

September 16, 2021

 

Granularity

Life is not a smooth glide. From anywhere or toward somewhere. Life is steps. Bits and pieces. Some tiny. Some enormous.

I recall days long ago when an early teen in New England, riding my bike through glens, woods and meadowlands on paths and lanes beaten down by generations of strangers. The tires gripped the surfaces. The sound of crunches among the pebbles and sand of the path. Loose and hard alternating surfaces, I was taken by the granules of the path.

On paved surfaces the granularity remained but bonded by tar and macadam. The way forward was strong, smooth, and regular. The granules of the surface were still apparent. Of course, in New England, blacktop roads battle brutal winters and freeze thaw cycles. Granules become loosened, often in giant potholes. A bicyclist navigates these perils with care but the realization that composition of granularity may vary but the only substantive difference is loose or bonded.

Like life. We live with the bits and bobs loose or cemented together firmly.

Loose is more difficult to travel, but it has transparency that is honest and real. Cemented may be firm, but uptight is another adjective apt for use. Uptight and rigid. Resolute against change. Smooth going but to what end?

I was reminded of this the other day when working with a client. Commercial real estate was the environment. A new property on the market begged for description. But my mind kept going to who the possible buyers and users would be. What might they be doing? What industry would they be plying? What thinking and creating would be happening in these spaces?

In an old city with vastly changed cultures, people, commerce and activity, the landscape is used differently today than 200 years ago. In between the years witnessed changes and the village, town, city adapted. New industries appeared. New buildings built to house them. Newer industries followed and the existing buildings were altered to accommodate their changes, their needs.

Today, nearly 200 years later industry and commerce wear even more faces. What industries are appearing anew? What collaborative commerce will co-invent the new industries? Will networks and synergies pop up to support them? Will space available for use be used for these startups and growing companies?

If so, what are municipal and county governments doing to support this evolution? Is the infrastructure there? The logistics of supply, shipping, parking, technology, spacing and communications; are they all there or developing to abet the new to birth and mature to exciting potential horizons?

These are the granules of modern society. Change. Adaptability. Potential. New ideas. Failed attempts. Successful new products and services. New commerce, new jobs. Fresh careers from the granules of the past.

Loose and available ready for a new assembly. Granularity. Like building blocks. For each and all of us.

September 15, 2021

 

Travel in Weirdo States?

Texas, Arizona, and Florida come to mind instantly. All three have governors and state legislatures that are controlled by republicans. All are repressing voting rights for large swaths of their populations. All have outlawed COVID face masks. All are resisting COVID inoculation mandates.

These policy stances should make travelers to these areas rethink their plans. Why would you, or I, expose us to places that do not do faithful battle against a deadly virus, a pandemic? Why should we place ourselves in danger because of a narrowminded and ideological creed?

Similarly, why would we reward these politicos with our travel dollars when they are beating down the downtrodden with outrageous voting requirements? And for that matter, outrageous abortion laws?

I love Arizona’s topography, history, Indian culture, vistas and even its weather. However, I hate how the state allows bad treatment of its Indians, gay people, elderly, poor and immigrants. One must wonder how a state can get so many things wrong without its people rising up and saying ‘Enough!’

Why don’t they? Good question. Let’s ask them! Preferably, let’s get some straight answers before making reservations for air travel or hotels and resorts.

September 14, 2021

 

 

Instant results in Afghanistan?

Afghanistan is an ancient land. Prehistory, in fact. Ruled by tribes and nomadic cultures. Stone age cultures, at that. Death, disease and poverty have been a constant feature of the region’s history. Marauding bands of gangs, killers and new tribes have roamed the nation forever. They war against themselves. They pose for kudos from outsiders. They show fierce faces to intimidate and control the meek.

This has been going on for eons. Because of poor living conditions, drug crops, and strategic positioning for military purposes, Afghanistan has been an international point of interest for centuries. Later history showed British, Russian, and American interest in the region. All lost their treasure and military personnel. No gains to anyone of those nations. Only a soft stop to history while they dithered on foreign soil.

Oh sure, minds were changed within the country, but those Afghans didn’t have the power or will to lead their nation out of the morass. So, each time a foreign power left the region, the native cultures returned to wreak havoc and death on fellow citizens.

The Taliban came about more recently. They were partly a creation of American foreign policy as a tool to offset other political powers within the country. Boy howdy did we get consequences unintended.

Today the Taliban runs rampant over the land. Have they learned lessons that will change how they will govern Afghanistan this time around? Probably so. But those lessons need practicing before the results are known or perfected.

Today’s media claims the Taliban is governing with a strict and fatal hand over its people. I say that is an easy statement to say but not one with historical value going forward. Give the Taliban a chance to work into its role. They are not my choice for the nation’s leadership, but it is what the Afghanis have allowed to happen. Only they can reverse the storyline.

Meanwhile, we have not yet seen what the Taliban can and will do. It is too early to determine the trajectory. Time will tell us if they have adopted a kinder, better way of governing than they did in the past. Their religious rule is one to watch. Their humanitarian values another. Which will be ascendant?

September 13, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Governance and the Taliban

Americans believe that they govern their own nation. That is true because of the way our Constitution created the governing structure for a representative polity elected by voters. I will ignore that not all citizens vote, so representation is not an accurate reflection of all the people of the land. Add to those efforts by state legislatures to bar many of their voting rights. Also, please add the effect of doing too little to solve major social problems that naturally cause under voting among the so afflicted.

To the extent a representative government is placed in our hallowed halls of government and justice, let us ponder for a moment the weight and demand of governing. It centers on the ability to make policy that fairly embraces the best for all the people of the nation. Discerning what is involved is a miracle of logic, experience, empathy, social sciences, and science. Throw in a healthy dose of ethics drawn from long years of theological thought and philosophy, and we have a governing apparatus that might just do well.

We shall ignore for the moment that our Congress has been mainly incapable of deciding major issues in a timely manner for at least 50 years. America’s form of government is not without its problems.

But now let us imagine the task ahead for the Taliban in Afghanistan. Here are specific challenges they have on their to do list at this very moment:

1.       Gain control over warring factions spread out throughout the land

2.       Take control of a wobbly economic system and bring about stability and growth

3.       Gather a needed labor force within the population to do the jobs required to run an economy that will bring a higher standard of living to all

4.       Develop and deliver educational programs that support strengthening the nation

5.       Provide a stable supply of needed consumer goods: water, electricity, technology, food and medical care

6.       Build and maintain a reliable infrastructure: roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, education standards, food and health safety standards, and so much more

7.       Create and operate a justice system that stabilizes expectations of fairness and equality among all its people

8.       Do all of the above so it unites a diverse people and brings strength and resolve to the region.

Defending its territory is not the largest challenge facing the Taliban. Governing its nation is The challenge.

This will take resources: money, experience, planning, knowledge, help from others and collaborative teamwork. One wonders if such is readily available to the Taliban or even if they know how to make good use of them. Time shall witness how well they do.

Creating a self-sustaining social order is more complex than words and exhortations. Or military equipment and ammo.

September 10, 2021

 

Bits and Pieces

What’s Important? Rocky recently got new hearing aids. Our health insurance was recently improved to include hearing aids. It is a generous benefit. Our co-pay was $200, and an unknown benefactor reimbursed us for that expense. What a generous gift! The new hearing aids are terrific. Rocky finally can hear much better than he had before. This is an important part of life. It is a need and a quality of life feature. It is not a want. Food is a need; cuisine is a want. Interesting what we see as basic and not.

Changing Needs (Less): I love cars. How they look, act and feel are all important aspects. Utility is important, of course, but oddly, that is not a feature of the love. No, it is smell, sound, feel and performance that feeds the love.

By February 1 we must decide to return our leased vehicle or buy it outright. The contract specifies the price based on initial lease specifics. The pandemic will see our mileage totaling about 20,000 miles; lease payments were calculated on using 45,000 miles in three years. Meanwhile, used car shortages have increased auto values. Our car will be worth about $22,000 on the market while the buyout price is $16,000. I could buy the car and turn around and sell it then buy a cheaper car for cash and be rid of the loan payment. Will I do that, or will the worry of reliability and pending repairs scare me off from paying cash for a cheap set of wheels?

We don’t need a new car. We don’t need creature comforts. We will not drive it on vacations, only to local stores and medical services. I wonder what we will do.

Death and Loss: I have chronicled two deaths recently. Beyond those two, three more are beckoning (old age and critical illnesses), with continued worry about COVID infections in our region and nationally. I wonder if this is coincidence or if I am in a season of heightened sensitivity. Whatever it is, loss is loss however it is counted. Missing someone has more emotional weight than missing a thing or event in one’s life. Trifles can be replaced. Events can find substitutes. But people? Much more complex. A lifetime of feelings, relationships, reliance, emotional support, and just plain love. Memories flood our brains of the lost one. Knowing we will never connect with that person again is the center of loss. The memories, however, fill a void for a time. Soon that comfort ebbs and we seek different comfort.

Piecing together things that matter to us continues haphazardly. We try different things to see if they fit. To fill the gaps. To soothe the ache.

Things do not have lasting power. An art piece is remembered and recalled. A book or specific literature is found online or in a library. Sharing ideas with a trusted other is a worthy investment of time and energy. Things are either replaced or substituted. It is an idea they represent, not a fully complex being that is now absent from our lives.

We give each other time to ponder these losses. Each is personal. Each has its own timeframe of healing. Meanwhile we learn so much about ourselves and each other. Those lessons come with pain but are eternal. This is what life is about. The yin and yang teach us. Are we willing students?

September 9, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memories

It started small. I recalled a train ride taken in my early teens. Mom was in Minnesota visiting her folks. Dad took my sister and I to the Bronx Zoo on the ‘Zoo Train’. It was the New Haven Railroad and took us from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to New York City. A day trip. I don’t know what was more fun, the train trip or the zoo, or being in the Big Apple, or spending a day with my dad.

Anyway, I wondered about the train, the depot in Pittsfield and a whole bunch more. For example, the New Haven RR had more words in its title, like Hartford, something, and New Haven RR. I doubt this railway is still operating. Like so many it was merged in with other carriers or their routes ceded to larger carriers like the New York Central.

Then I wondered about that rail route; did it go north, east, or west from Pittsfield? Or did the line dead end in Pittsfield? I realized I didn’t know how the town was connected to both Boston (120 miles) to our east and Albany, New York, to our west (50 miles). Were there towns to our north served by the railroad? And what about Vermont that hovered over us about 60 miles distant? Then I wondered about the route of the train through Pittsfield. Where did it wend its way through the small city (50,000 population)?

So, I emailed by brother in Rochester, New York. I asked him these questions. Our family had moved to Massachusetts from Southern California in 1954. My brother met his bride there and settled down to married life. Judy was born and raised in Pittsfield and knew much more than we about the city and regional history.

Sherm responded to my email with: ‘the railroad station was shut down and a trailer replaced it in another part of town in the early 60’s. The rail line was then the New York Central and connected Pittsfield with Boston.’ He knew of no other routes to our north.

When I lived in Pittsfield (1954 to 1960), the population was over 50,000. General Electric was the largest employer in town. Dad worked for GE in the heavy military division. Pittsfield was also the site of GE’s electric hardware manufacturing (transformers and related gear). A newer GE division was Plastics. Everything plastic that went into GE products like radios, toasters, hand mixers, and a host of other consumer and industrial products. The town was booming then.

Today the population is 42,000 and continues to decline. Major industry has relocated to better infrastructure areas. The last 60 years have not been kind to Pittsfield, but its history and culture remain intact.

When we lived there, culture thrived: Tanglewood was to our south 15 or 20 miles; it still is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; summer stock theater is broadly available throughout the region in charming nearby towns and villages; prestigious colleges abound like Williams, Amherst, Smith, and Holyoke among the many. Music at South Mountain (Burgundian and early renaissance music), Jacob’s Pillow Dance festival. If visual and sculptural arts were your passion, they were represented everywhere. Literature, too, had a historical anchor in the region.  And of course, the Berkshire Hills were a refuge for New York City dwellers seeking our green hills, ski resorts, fall foliage, and peace and quiet. A charming area to escape urban chaos.

Our family reacted to the move east poorly. Everything was compared with California. The weather, the roads, schools, churches and hills replacing mountains. Actually, their reaction was the emotional response to such a stark move from the wide open west and gorgeous weather, to the small town, New England heritage and four seasons of the eastern climate. It was a shock.

I adjusted just fine, but then I was 11 years old and went through adolescence in Pittsfield. Those were formative years for me. My mother was a history buff and enjoyed exploring New England immensely. I accompanied her at estate auctions, antique hunting, and rides through beautiful country so unlike what we had been accustomed to. We enjoyed the cultural arts as well. Dad did too. My siblings did not adjust well, although my brother eventually settled there for many years before moving to upstate New York.

Those were the days I earned money mowing lawns, learned photography, and rode my bike through lush, shadowed lanes. We picked wild blueberries by the bucket, discovered wild raspberry patches and brought the abundance home for mom to bake with. We explored the woods of New England so different from the forest lands of the western states. Hardwood trees were plentiful, while pines were few.

I remember Pittsfield fondly. I made good friends there, friends who helped me expand my understanding of culture, art, music, and place. Sunday drives to villages nestled in deep woods, some founded in the late 1600’s. History markers and laybys reminded us of wars long over like the French and Indian wars, the American Revolutionary War and early nation building events.

Funny how the past returns to entertain the present of elder years. So much richness.

September 8, 2021

 

  

New and Old

This is a commentary. Comments from me on just about any topic under the sun. What subject is chosen on any given day is totally random. Normally I choose something that grabs my attention from news feeds. Maybe it is a happening in my private life that strikes me as odd or interesting. Some happenings are absorbing – like a sudden death of a family member or friend. These happenings cause a pause in my routine of life. In those moments I think outside my norm. And ponder.

At times the color of the sky may be my fancy. Or a soaring bird feeling its freedom to experience whatever. A smell, soft caress of a passing breeze, or a barely distinguishable sound – something out of the ordinary that suddenly comes into my awareness. That now has my attention and words spill out.

The daily news parade informs and builds momentum. Some stories gain mass in odd ways. Interest grows from several directions until the media carries it far and wide. It is the momentum that interests me, and the birth of many a paradox.

An example: death and misery in war torn areas. Refugees fleeing to safety with the clothing on their backs. Small children held tightly to a mother’s chest, or a father’s shoulders. The view of a mutilated body in the street, blood still fresh upon the pavement. Switch to the next story – wham! – it is about a nasty storm that battered a small town in the Midwest and shredded homes. Family photos stab the mud. American refugees seek safety at an undamaged school building. Covered bodies give witness to the deadly force of Mother Nature. Wham! Switch to another story of death and destruction.

Then in the middle of this news are other items of interest. Poverty in an economically distressed region, the dire living conditions, especially of the elderly and the very young. The quality of life shown clearly to be of low value.

And then the next story about Right to Life and Anti-Abortion.

Get it? Quality of life. Life itself. The denial of relevance of these two polar issues while humanity already living struggles to survive, struggles for dignity. If these people struggle, why do we press for an unwanted child to be born into such conditions. Yes, in America. We have plenty of poverty, birth defects, ill health, pollution bearing disease and reduced cognitive abilities.

If we welcome the unborn to this mess without working hard to remove the mess, why? Why would we worsen the context of life while ensuring more life is added to the mix?

Many states do not allow gay couples to adopt or foster orphans. Many states do nothing for poverty yet insist that poor mothers give birth to their babes in poverty. Why? When that state does little or nothing to help families in poverty improve their circumstances and climb out of poverty?

Please note my argument here has nothing to do with the issue of women’s right to make their own decision. I am only looking at living conditions and whether the child is wanted and what the nation does with such a child.

If we are not willing to educate, provide healthcare, daycare, housing, and nutrition to this same baby when the family into which it is born is unable to care for it, why do we insist it be born? Especially when churches, schools and local governments do not address these needs either?

We Americans need to understand the consequences of our political opinions, our ‘ethical’ beliefs. When we are fully aware of the conditions and consequences of our decisions and laws, are we ready to pick up the broken pieces and care for them? If not, why do we stubbornly insist on making matters worse?

There are other ways to curb unwanted pregnancies. Encourage that rather than ensuring misery.

September 7, 2021

 

 

Unexpected Loss

Learned Wednesday that a church member died in his sleep Tuesday night. He was only 49. Two girls in college, a junior and a PhD candidate. Mom works with young kids in special care at a local school. Entire family active in our small Lutheran church. Committed. Dedicated. If you want anything done, ask them; they not only will help but will excel with the project.

Same with our friend. He was a master working with teenagers in confirmation classes and church projects. Ministry projects on the road with teens was his specialty. Unflappable was his style and what was needed to make a dent in the minds of overactive teens still struggling to figure out life.

But then we are all in that struggle. With his sudden and early death, we are stunned into silence. Shaking our heads, we are still wondering why. A few hours later we are still shaking our heads and beginning to realize we don’t know what we will do in his absence.

That’s not all: we wonder how his wife will get through this. We are pained knowing of her pain. Most of the time we counted on her to make us laugh and get through heavy tasks. She was our go-to person for ideas, work, and help. So was he. The dynamic duo has been interrupted, torn apart. How will we help her? How will she return to her role in the church family? Will she? And what do we do about the ache in our hearts that yearn for the quiet, warm presence of our deceased friend?

When I started writing this posting, I needed to get my thoughts down on ‘paper.’ As it unfolded, I turned it into a blog post. As I continue to think this through, I am not certain I will publish it in this place and in this form. I need to think about it. What began as a personal moan session, has turned into a comfort piece for the deceased’s family. More than that, this has become a broader airing of loss we humans experience throughout life.

Loss comes in many shapes and sizes. It comes unexpectedly most of the time, but sometimes we are given time to know it is coming. A recent death of a family elder, we are reminded that all of us elders are approaching a moment of goodbye. Doesn’t seem so dire put that way, but for the survivors it most likely is dire. The passing of a friend, respected colleague or a loved one, always challenges us to place life and death in a healthy perspective. Over time we get better at doing this. We become practiced. The loss is real each time, though.

And the older I get, the more the losses accumulate. Natural, I know. Still painful. No matter what I do or say, the beat goes on and the losses keep happening.

Each of those losses have their own dimension and value. We are engaged differently with each but they are all important and have worth.

In the current case we are stunned and at a loss. Too soon we say goodbye. Way too soon. And to his family, our deepest sympathies. Our shoulders are available for comfort to you. Let us lend them to you anytime you need them.

September 6, 2021

 

Computer Hack

I am a patient of the DuPage Medical Group. Have been for 48 years. The other day it was reported that their computer system containing the records and personal information of 600,000 patients had been hacked. No one knows who did this, or what they have done with the data or will do with it. Now news reports warn the patients of what could happen and what to do about it.

Let me say that at 78 years of age, there is little that hackers can do to me that will hurt me. I have very little money and exist on Social Security benefits. Medicare takes care of a lot of the rest that matters in our practical day to day existence. I admit that I would be upset if I could no longer write my blog or communicate with others as freely as I do now, but why would anyone bother to interrupt that activity?

What the hackers must want is some kind of financial reward for breaking into the data system. I can tell you there is no pot of gold connected with me. Nor can they blackmail me over my health condition. No insurance company needs to know more than they already do! No employer wants to know more about me, I am retired. No financial institution needs to know more; they already have access to data they need and want in serving my needs and protecting themselves from any weaknesses I pose to them.

So, what am I afraid of? Not much. What power to they have over me? None.

I feel badly for DuPage Medical Group. They are an independent medical provider group that has grown from small beginnings to a huge presence in the counties of DuPage and Kane. They have hundreds of physicians and medical specialties available in their operation. Thousands of nurses and technicians are in their employ. Their records system is instantly available to out of network doctors and hospitals making our healthcare portable for travelers and snowbirds. In short, DMG is a full service healthcare organization doing a terrific job.

If you are a hacker reading this, shame on you for threatening peace and security of so many. For me? I don’t care. So go and use your intelligence and inventiveness for a better purpose. Your talents are valuable elsewhere. If you need some tips on finding gainful honest employment, contact me. I’ll help find you a good career spot. My email is…oh, no matter; you already have it.

Call me, text me or email me. Meanwhile, everyone else chill out!

September 3, 2021

Blog draft sept 3 21

Computer Hack

I am a patient of the DuPage Medical Group. Have been for 48 years. The other day it was reported that their computer system containing the records and personal information of 600,000 patients was hacked. No one knows who did this, or what they have done with the data or will do with it. Now news reports warn the patients of what could happen and what to do about it.

Let me say that at 78 years of age, there is little that hackers can do to me that will hurt me. I have very little money and exist on Social Security benefits. Medicare takes care of a lot of the rest that matters in our practical day to day existence. I admit that I would be upset if I could no longer write my blog or communicate with others as freely as I do now, but why would anyone bother to interrupt that activity?

What the hackers must want is some kind of financial reward for breaking into the data system. I can tell you there is no pot of gold connected with me. Nor can they blackmail me over my health condition. No insurance company needs to know more than they already do! No employer wants to know more about me, I am retired. No financial institution needs to know more; they already have access to data they need and want in serving my needs and protecting themselves from any weaknesses I may have.

So, what am I afraid of? Not much. What power to they have over me? None.

I feel badly for DuPage Medical Group. They are an independent medical provider group that has grown from small beginnings to a huge presence in the counties of DuPage, Kane and more. They have hundreds of physicians and medical specialties available in their operation. Thousands of nurses and technicians are in their employ. Their records system is instantly available to out of network doctors and hospitals making our healthcare portable for travelers and snowbirds. In short, DMG is a full service healthcare organization doing a terrific job.

If you are a hacker reading this, shame on you for threatening peace and security of so many. For me? I don’t care. So go and use your intelligence and inventiveness for a better purpose. Your talents are valuable elsewhere. If you need some tips on finding gainful honest employment, contact me. I’ll help find you a good career spot. My email is…oh, no matter; you already have it.

Call me, text me or email me. Meanwhile, everyone else chill out!

September 3, 2021

Power Grid

Infrastructure is a continuing topic of discussion. Consider massive electrical power failures caused by catastrophic events – floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, extreme heat, extreme cold, etc. You name it and we have experienced it in the last year. Not the last decade, I remind you, but the last 12 months.

Power grid failures are part of our nation’s story. The success of that grid is also part of our story. Maintaining the grid, envisioning a better, more adaptable grid, with more power and shorter interruptions is a task that lies ahead. The future view has been on the table for discussion continually. Do not assume it is not being taken care of; it is.

Only now, new circumstances have appeared that make the challenge more difficult and more urgent. Here are some of those circumstances:

1.       Global warming: agree or disagree if this is real, our power grid must contend with huge swings of demand during severe periods of heat and cold.

2.       Extreme weather events: hurricanes – their ferocity and frequency – challenge all of our infrastructure elements (power, water, sewer, telecommunications, transportation, police, fire, governance)

3.       Computer hackers: ransomware is one threat, but so are identity thefts, power grid shutdowns, and so much more

4.       Terrorism: unfriendlies wanting to do damage to America are real. We face this challenge every day. Our public servants (police, municipal governments, fire department, FEMA, FBI, etc.) guard against this threat continually. This is an unknown that can upset our way of life at any time.

There are more circumstances including obsolescence and unfolding technology, but those are also opportunities to envision what our power grid and other systems of infrastructure should and can be. Thinking big and building the future is attractive. It is a challenge with rewards. We can invent the future the way we want it and build into it safeguards that will protect us.

Opportunities abound in our nation. Fighting wars is a distraction. Arguing about abortion is another distraction. Protecting personal freedom to not wear a mask during a pandemic is also a distraction. Focus on what matters. Focus on larger issues that pay enormous dividends for us all.

Worrying about the power grid is a useful thing. So are the many other components of our shared infrastructures. Pay attention to them. They will improve quality of life, economic development, jobs, careers, education, and opportunities for tens of millions.

I am continually stunned at how we Americans waste time, energy and financial resources over distractions rather than opportunities to invent solutions that matter.

Today is a new day. Let’s make good use of it.

September 2, 2021

 

 

New Month & Faith

For most of us, perhaps hope is a better word than ‘faith?’ The passage of time presents an ever unfolding present and future. Often starkly different from the past, change embraces us willing or not. What will be will be. Or maybe not.

Months tick off the calendar rapidly these days. Just the other day it was April, or May. Today it is September. That means the days dwindle down toward December and a new year. Impossible! Breathtaking evaporation of time.

In a few days my first granddaughter will fly to England and Oxford for a term of foreign study. My other granddaughter starts her senior year of high school. My two grandsons start kindergarten and first grade. Winter comes closer. The car’s lease will expire in February forcing another decision. Doctors require more frequent visits and alter therapies and medications. Births, birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, celebrations of life changes and of course deaths and funerals. A constant rhythm of time passing. Work, career, study, and change; it is all part of life.

Facing change requires hope. Hope for better and for good. Not long ago we claimed faith in the future. Increasingly we do not claim religious faith in the future. Whether this is an avoidance of religion, or a broadening philosophy will be learned with the passage of more time. Perhaps this is only a shift in vocabulary while religion anchors us still?

Studies have claimed for years a waning interest in church, religion, and theology. Along with that has been a marked decline in church attendance. As new generations form religious activity lessens. This is fact and history. Upticks usually follow major upsetting events – World War I, and WW II, 9/11, enormous natural events of destruction (tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, and floods). Once a nation of faithful, our culture shifts toward individualism and personal freedom. Social context remains but changed. How well we look upon life and the world surrounding it, is now a function of intellect and feeling. The overwhelming edge lies with feeling.

How do churches cope with this? What message do they have that will serve the unchurched?

In 1968 I felt compelled – called – to enter seminary. I hoped to help change the world, to battle racism, war, incivility, and broad social change spurred by technological advancements. Fifty-three years later we still have racism, wars, a revolution of technology, and declining church attendance. I still have faith, much more than hope. The church, however, remains befuddled as to what to do. They continue to change their music, their worship, their prayers, their language, their cultures, but they do not attract attendance and practitioners. Without that they have fewer dollars and members to perform their mission. The mission itself becomes rusty and obscured. Vision attracts attention but that is not the same as mission. What will they do? Do they have the will and the faith to keep going?

My own situation contains faith, resolve and purpose. I’m going it alone these days as the church hunts for relevance and resonance with its communities. Faith messages are blurred by individualism, but they continue with age old traditions. Ministries change but people find their own way to survive and thrive. It helps if that is done with likeminded people. If those are not available, it is a personal ministry that serves.

With each new month, new faith – personal or institutional – is needed. The quest continues. What will it bring?

September 1, 2021