Things are little hectic here these days. Lots of
appointments on the calendar, mentor sessions, organization committee meetings
as well as personal errands and duties. With the wedding last Sunday, we have
been busy leading up to the ceremony as well as the back side of the event as
well. Writing this blog consumes time and attention on top of all that so I’m a
little behind schedule this morning.
However, true to the spirit of the blog, I will write this
posting in real time and hit ‘publish’ when done. Here goes with what’s on the top of my mind.
Being true to
yourself: I just watched a TED Talk video of a young man, a high school
football coach, tell his story about coming out gay to his family, friends,
students, and profession. In short, his world. He explained why this act was
necessary for him and his world. He was living in a constricted, dishonest
closet that cramped his emotions, his intellect and his very humanity. He was
suffocating and turned to drugs and alcohol to manage the anxiety and pain of
it all. He nearly took his own life. Then he heard a motivational speech on what
makes a good coach and teacher to young people. In short: teenagers can tell
instantly if you are bullshitting them. He realized that his students must have
known he was living a lie, and so he began the process of coming out to his
parents, family and friends. Then he tackled (no pun intended) the issue of his
fellow coaches and then students. To
teach the truth you have to live the truth. It becomes transparent that this is
the truth.
Gay Marriage:
Living my life with truth and honesty required me to be out. It took many years
to do this. And the process is never ending because I am the one who is not
living the norm. Eleven years ago we had a public commitment ceremony with
family and friends. It was our moment of public truth and it was good. But somehow
our 16 years together was not whole unless we could be legally married. That
also brings benefits and legal protections that everyone takes for granted but
we didn’t. So we got married. The result is a fresh knowledge that we are
living honestly and truthfully. It may seem a small thing to others, but to us
it is big. For me it was a surprise realization. A very pleasant one. So now we
go forward from here, not only as one, but also as truth. See photo below: Rocky is on the right and George is on the left -
Being a Christian:
Donald Trump’s bluster aside, there is more to being an honest anything than merely saying it. The Pope
is correct in saying that a person who does not build bridges to others
(individuals or communities or cultures) but rather builds walls and
separation, is not living a Christian life. That’s what the Pope was stating.
Trump chose to twist it all around, of course. He is free to live his truth which is all
kinds of twisted and contorted. The more he does this the more we view it. And that
is comforting to me that the Donald exposes his lack of understanding,
intellect and humility for all to see. He is not a diplomat. He is not a
builder of bridges of understanding among cultures. He is a crude bully who
intends to get his way in spite of all the facts to the opposite. He is a
manipulator and greedy deal maker for his own good. How he proposes his vision
to be good for the rest of his countrymen is beyond me.
Political Campaigns:
What a demeaning process American campaigning has become. The nastiest of
course resides with Republicans. I remember 50 years back when such was a trait
of Democrats. But back in the 80’s and 90’s the Republicans made a name for
themselves as nasty, take no prisoners campaigners. It was demeaning then and
remains so today. But it has won elections and that’s why Republicans continue
their behavior. Right now there isn’t one candidate on the Republican stage
that attracts my respect let alone support. Perhaps Bloomberg should make a run
for the job!
February 19, 2016
I was struck by the fact that the Pope spoke about bridge-building. His title of pontifex maximus is derived from the old Roman priesthood, and means "the great bridge-builder." This is not to say, of course, that all pontiffs have done a wonderful job of building bridges, but the idea is quite nice.
ReplyDeleteWe have long believed that election reform was needed, but typically focused on feeble financial reforms that promptly fail. The entire process is now so dysfunctional that it makes us a laughing stock and object of scorn to our enemies and an object of pity to our friends. Since it rewards the worst offenders, I do not expect it to change. At this rate, we will destroy ourselves before anyone else has a chance. If we have not already done so and just don't realize it...
And congratulations again on your marriage. We too found that being married added a level to our relationship that we had not expected.