In What We Trust?

Our money claims we ‘trust in God.’ Our history proclaims America is on God’s side, whatever that is. Our churches have preached that message for so long we tend to believe it is true. Only that is not likely. We do not trust in God.

Instead, we trust in ideas, facts, history, research, invention and so much more. Of course, that requires us to believe in us, our abilities to grow, learn and prosper. That is the American Way. Its fruits are the American Dream.

Believing in that, however, should remind us that we believe in each other if the Way and Dream are to succeed. No Man Is An Island. We learned that long ago. It took American military forces to defeat Hitler and Japan in the Second World War. We did not do that alone. We had allies who had long before been doing battle with the Axis powers. We joined late but decisively. And that turned the balance of war toward the Allies and peace.

No Man Is An Island. We stood with our global partners to wage war and make peace. We need to do that again.

Only this time no military should be needed. Today, we can do much through service to others and toward other nations. We can do business with them, help them find the resources to improve their own economies and resources. We can help build a world economy that relies on each other, not competes ideologically or militarily. That is a lesson much of the world understands and agrees on.

Two powers do not agree: Russia and China. Russia is dealing from a position of weak economy, weak will but strong military. China deals from a position of huge numbers of people, a large military, and strong resources. But it suffers internal weaknesses that would be formidable for any other nation. This makes China vulnerable in so many ways. A military victory over an expanded region plus Taiwan would be a disaster for China and the global village. It is too large a consequence to allow China the victory. Better if they focused on peaceful needs within their own country than seek hegemony over others.

Russia would benefit from the global village and its shared economy. However, Putin continues to think that force is needed to win respect. He misses the point and has for most of his career. Force is a sign of weakness. If you have to act the role of bully, you have already lost the battle for minds. Invest, instead, in your people and their standard of living. Do that and watch your society soar. Now that is something to be proud of, not the past. Not the military. Not the propaganda.

Mr. Putin: stick your nose into your nation’s business and stay there. Fix what is broken there. Watch the good things happen. Realize that military is and always has been a last option to prop up a failing regime. This is as true for you as it is for America. And China.

We all have enemies in some fashion or other. The problem is with the other. Don’t fall for the bully routine. Become the nation of hope and potential that makes your nation impregnable. Then watch the global village function as it ought.

June 9, 2021

Two Economies

One economy we have. Another is the one we want. Knowing the difference between the two will save us a lot of grief.

The current economy has much potential in it. That potential remains built up demand with some built up supply. As the economy comes back from the pandemic, there will be imbalances in the equation of supply and demand. Buyers will cause prices to rise until supply returns to proper levels to satisfy demand. Money is not in question for many people; the pandemic allowed them to cut costs and save money. They learned to dampen their needs and their wants. They settled into a routine that kept old buying habits quiet. With the ebbing pandemic, society is opening up to old activities. Buying sprees are evident.

How to handle this? Continue to dampen your demand and purchasing. Prices will resume a fair balance in time. wait it out.

Now, the economy we have suffers from many plagues. The opposite of these plagues is where we will find the new economy we want. Here are some thoughts:

·        Our labor pool lost jobs more from obsolescence than the pandemic. The two happened at the same time but are not related.

·        The labor pool is willing to work but needs retraining to do the new work that has been emerging for the last several years.

·        The infrastructure is not in good condition, and much of it is not located where it needs to be. Plus, technology is now a major portion of infrastructure without our realizing it. It must be enabled and supported. Publicly supported and funded.

·        Product and service demand worldwide is huge. Those markets remain to be supplied. American products and services remain of high quality and innovative. They are in demand. We must supply that demand or lose the market. Other nations will respond if we don’t. Russia cannot; China has size issues that plague it. The US is nimble and can adjust. But the labor pool must be supported by employers if they want skills and talents to do the work.

·        Low cost products make temporary markets, not long lasting ones. Invest in the future products and services. That is where the reward and profits are.

·        Focusing on national issues only insulates us from where the future resides; outside of our own nation. The global village is a real place. Do not hide from it.

·        America First will make America Last over time. The consequences are too great to play with. Step up and do the necessary work to make good things happen wherever the demand is.

·        A global village protects all its interests. Peace comes from that reality.

·        Military regimes waste resources and harm themselves more than winning victories. Sad but true. Historical fact.

If we know what we want for an economy, we must build it. The resources are there. The need is there. The smarts are there. All we need is the doing of it. Why is this a political issue?

Only fools make politics instead of progress.

June 8, 2021 

Fauci’s Truth

In the early days of HIV/AIDS complete ignorance reigned. Thousands of young men were dying throughout the world. In those days no one knew what they were dealing with. No one knew where the disease came from or started. Without that they had few clues about what they were working with.

Researchers dug in. Started where they could. Relied on scientific method and slowly accumulated data that pointed towards an understanding. False leads were plentiful. Pharmaceutical corporations dug in as cases mounted. Hundreds of thousands of new cases were reported. Young men continued to die in mounting numbers. New York City was a hot spot. LA was a hot spot. Miami, Paris, London, Berlin and so many more. Then millions were dead. The crisis defined itself.

Parents and grandparents were shocked. The passing of their younger generation was too much to bear. Young talent was robbed from society. Musicians, actors, writers, artists, mathematicians, scientists, explores, all of these and more were suddenly absent from our future. The loss was staggering. The business community especially was hurt.

Today 36 million are dead from HIV/AIDS. It is a pandemic but now ebbing. Immunologists, scientists and major donors funded the research that discovered treatments and drugs to tame the disease. Make no mistake; the disease remains. We have only learned how to live with it and lessen its toll both in death and in disability.

Dr. Anthony Fauci was in that heroic effort to defeat HIV/AIDS. For decades he has been front and center in that fight. He understands pandemics. He understands the science. He understands how the human body fights diseases naturally, and which diseases overpower the body. Which diseases need other solutions to save the body, to save lives. He has been there in HIV/AIDS. He has been there in other diseases through the years. And now the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only difference in his role in COVID was his leadership role in educating the public. Problem was he had a new boss assigned to him in the presidency. That boss was not a scientist. That boss had no respect for truth or facts. That boss was only about his own visibility and assumed superpowers. He told his people what to say, and what to support.

Walking the fine line throughout this ordeal, Dr. Fauci still spoke the truth. He still worked the truth and the methods of science. He kept at it. Seven days a week. Twelve to sixteen hours per day. Fauci is not young; he approaches 80. But his mission remains pure and true.

To question this man’s credibility is not only foolish, but also political propaganda. If we are to survive as a credible social order, we must dump the propaganda. We must dump the trump. And get on with life and business.

That means listening for the truth and facts. That means being involved in understanding what is news and what is not.

I have followed Dr. Fauci for many years. I have his back. I hope the rest of us do as well.

June 7, 2021

Arcane but Witty?

Reading a collection of short stories, I came across several that were supposed to be funny. They created pictures of three or four persons interacting socially with quick banter, barbs, and sarcastic puns. Characters were dutifully responsive with guffaws and chuckles, yet the reader was left dry. Wondering what the point was, I pondered if the idiom was dated and out of step with ours of today. But I recall reading these stories some years back and they struct me as dry then.

In another setting, we attend a retirement party and witness speeches lauding the guest of honor. Some of these deliveries are heartfelt thank yous, some are biographical complete with education and a retelling of the retiree’s career resume. Not all orators are equal to the task they are called to do, but the happy go lucky raconteur with puns aplenty and jokes is sure to please. Only he doesn’t always. And we cringe our way to the end of the event, have another drink and make our way home.

In another social gathering we are informed of critical issues needing our attention and are gifted with an academic delivery of facts, figures, and cause-effect-result. Dry rhetoric. Dire warnings. Forecasts of doom. The event is yet another to survive. We limp home glad to remove our shoes, tie, restrictive clothing and relax before going to bed.

There are times we wish for less exposure to these rituals. They do not edify. They do not inform or enlarge our thinking. They only try our patience and good humor. For some reason, these events are expected and call for our attendance. Not all gatherings are equal, nor are they all fun and enjoyable. But we go and survive yet another unmoving event.

When will we learn new methods to mark special occasions without damaging patience?

I would have thought the internet and social media would have arrived at a solution to this puzzle, but no.

Might we try? Or will these events merely waste away from lack of attendance. That might be a welcome blessing. At least a start in the right direction.

The pandemic taught us the value of time and thought. It taught us the value of gathering. Now we need to learn how to build content to make the gathering worth the while. Arcane? Witty? No, just make sense.

June 4, 2021

 

 

Pride

The fear and trembling were not good. Worse, the dread. Breathing shortened. Cool sweat formed on the forehead, down the back, too. Something was not ‘right,’ but no words labeled it.

As time passed words did come, words that articulated more of the unknown. Bit by bit it uncovered a truth hard to fathom.

I have thought back through all of this many times, for decades, generations even. Coming of age means so many different things. It depends on who is involved. What is their personal universe? Who was their family core? How accepting of differentness were they. Would they accept the full truth? Or only bits and pieces of it? Under what circumstances would they face all of it?

And who would tell them? Who would find a way to say it all? Was it worth it? How easy to avoid this, to bury it again and again, go onto something else that was more interesting, fun, diverting?

Friends of my age did not know. When would they understand? And the consequence?

Of course, I refer to naming the cause as being gay. It comes slowly with inching awareness. Usually, a public happening causes a stir and comments; later it is a newspaper article. Then the whispers gather more interest, and a name is placed on it, the differentness. Looking up words in the dictionary helped. Of course, the dictionary was shut or changed to different pages when I left it so no one would know what I was investigating.

Once the self is clued in, then wanting to talk about it aches, but with whom is a mystery. For a long time, it is a mystery. To talk about it means sharing and baring the self. More avoidance. Years tick by.

Every gay person in America through history has had these experiences. In modern times it is easier, but that does not lessen the weight of the process. The speed? Yes. The pain? No.

June is Pride month in the USA. It is a time to admit that being different is not a fatal condition. It is a time to share the simple fact that gay is a natural gender orientation. It was not chosen. It just is. Once the long process of realizing the reality, clearly choice was never a part of the equation.

Being who you are is the point of it. I am many things – white, Anglo-Saxon, protestant Christian of so-so credentials, an aging person, male, political centrist but involved, and oh, by the way, gay. Once married, father of two, grandfather of four, divorced and now gay married with more kids and grandkids. It is OK, all of it is OK.

As I near the 80^th birthday (still 2 years away), I realize only now what I should have known from the beginning. But then it wouldn’t mean as much to me, would it? The status is earned, not conferred.

I am gay and it is OK.

If anyone wants to understand it fully, they have to walk in my shoes through the whole story. It is a long walk. And, it isn’t over yet!

June 4, 2021

Together

A tentative step. Into the room. A few others were already there. What were they doing? What would the new entrant do? Some look at others. A few avert their eyes, avoiding all contact. How will the social ice be broken?

A man in his 60s – OK, maybe his 70s – shuffles in and sits. Pulls out his phone. Scrolls through a few screens then stops. Looks puzzled. Shakes the phone. Taps it a few times. Then huffs loudly. A young kid – maybe 7 or 8 – walks up to the guy and asks to see the phone. Asks the man what he wants to do. The kid fingers the phone a bit and hands it back to the older man. He smiles. He works the phone a bit more then pats the kid on the head with thanks.

People begin leaning closer to another person and comment on what just happened. Within two minutes the room is a hubbub of chatter and a few giggles.

Repeat this scene countless times on the same day throughout a nation. People want to commune with one another. They look for ways to do so. It happens.

We are social beings.

The three of us walk into a restaurant. We park in handicapped with our approved windshield card hanging from the rearview mirror. The parking spot is also a numbered curbside pickup space. Several such spaces are arranged in the parking lot. Inside food order pickup stations are arranged by vendor – Grubhub, Door Dash, etc. – and self-serve, too. Next to these tables is the greeter station. A young woman asks us how many and leads us to a table. The restaurant has a few tables occupied. Some patrons are leaving while newcomers arrive to be seated.

The restaurant is abuzz with activity. Staff flits from here to there. Mostly the activity is preparing orders for pickup. Unseen diners arranging dinners to go and a local business happily fulfilling the requests. This is the new normal for this restaurant. It will likely change to in person service in the future but for now it is a mix of service. Their food is in demand. It is good. It is tasty. It remains a treat for the consumer.

Yearning for gathering near the end of a pandemic is evident. Mixing with others is slowly returning.

A graduation, wedding, anniversary, birthday. The gatherings are called. They are prepared. Where once 20 came to celebrate, now only six or eight. But it is a beginning. Confidence is returning. Families are gathering to be with one another. Being apart has not been easy. First phone calls, then face time, then zoom meetings. Finally masked meetups of short duration. Then inoculations, mass vaccinations and the gatherings increase in frequency, numbers too.

We are assembling. We gather. We return to…

June 2, 2021

 

New Month

This is the month of Fathers’ Day, Gay Pride, and my birthday. June is also the birthday month of several of my family members. Three reasons to celebrate for me, and for others.

As generations emerge, grow and ebb, we gain a larger view of life on this planet. What I think important at one stage of life is not so vital in the next or following stages. Perspective does that; it gives  breathing room to think and weigh values.

When I was young – teenager into early 20’s – I felt the reality of expanding life and the sensing of it all. Discovery and fulfillment were just around the corner. Each day offered a new glimpse of possibility. Those days were exciting and breathtaking.

Sobering reality dawned with choosing among optional life pathways. What would happen if I chose this path and not one of the others? Was there more money with one, more prestige with another, or something else with yet another?

Not easy choices. Early in life we do not have the toys and glitter that money can bring. Do we miss that then and yearn for the means to gather those goodies? Or do we value something else entirely? What brings the largest reward? What is that reward? A sense of fulfillment? A sense of worth having nothing to do with money? Can we even know the relativity of such things?

Yes, financial rewards are needed to buy a better home – more convenient, better location, more pleasing architecture, and a touch of luxury perhaps. More financial rewards ensure ability to pay for educating the kids to whatever degree they are interested and able. Funding a secure retirement is yet another motivator. Even things may motivate but not always a lasting allure.

Luxury clothes, jewelry, travel, and cars are baubles that please but for a slice of time. perhaps a memory but little more. And then the reality that all good things come to an end, and the baubles and big ticket toys vanish. No longer useful. No longer practical. Even housing comes with downsizing because it must. I can no longer care for larger spaces, avoid the complexities of managing such responsibilities, and work toward inevitable simplicity. Even travel is more trouble than it is worth. Old memories will have to do. The body deals with what it can, and must.

What entices the mind now are ideas. They are the new experience and accumulating memory that matter now. It is not what have I accomplished so much as what is yet to be done that I may help do? Yes. That is of interest. Who needs help? If I help them, will they be empowered to accomplish more for their families and society? Will they innovate the solutions we need and ache for as a society? Or will my efforts create more wealth that skews our cultural values? Which is important? Which not?

Passage of time is aging. Aging gains perspective. Perspective builds understanding. Understanding provides articulation for others to now see what the elder has come to know. Is the knowing of value? Is it truly worth knowing? If so, labor on and help younger generations thrive.

For their sake. And that of mankind.

And I'll get a kick out of it, too!

June 1, 2021