Bits and Pieces

Kaepernick and Black Lives Matter: Of course Black lives matter. So do ALL lives matter. Kaepernick’s one-man protest seems hollow. He is a person of immense wealth and power. Yet he is protesting in a manner that does not help solve the problem he identifies with. That’s why I’m upset with him. So much is being done already to address the injustices he spouts. A lot of people – black, white and brown – are doing this work for everyone’s sake. But he makes the public grandstand that somehow elevates him? I think not. Put your money, time and energy where your mouth is. No sitting on the sidelines please!

Brain Disease and Robin Williams: We have learned that Robin Williams had a brain disease that affected his mood, emotions and cognitive skills. The disease could have been treated to ameliorate the condition but not cure it. However, the presence of the disease was unknown while he was alive. Only an autopsy showed its presence. How very sad he suffered so without help. Much more research on brain disease is needed. Such research will benefit Alzheimer patients, too.

Coffee House Ministries? (Discussions) Back in the 1960’s when the civil rights movement was alive and well and when Viet Nam War protests were rising to hysterics, American society was in disarray and upset. Public affairs and issues of moment were many and deeply embedded in our daily routines. At the time people were still attending church services regularly but even then the decline in attendance was showing. Their concerns then were on the civic unrest over the injustices of America towards black brothers and sisters. And also the heated dialogue of Viet Nam war protesters. It was an ugly time.

Martin Luther King’s assassination occurred in that time frame of unrest. So did Bobby Kennedy’s assassination.

At our church in Oak Park, Illinois some of us talked about the incivility of public discussion, the growing discontent on politics as usual and the need to address injustice of our society. To do that we started a Coffee House Ministry. Simply put this was a weekly Friday evening discussion group at the church held in a comfortable living room setting. Topics were chosen each week in advance with a credentialed speaker key noting the evening’s discussion. Then open discussion was invited and moderated only for civility and  compassion. Heated rhetoric was tamed so participants could deal with the facts and substance of an issue to better understand where everyone was coming from.

The coffee house ministry was named Nexus and it ran for 4 years straight without one week off. We planned speakers at least one month in advance so we could release publicity in a timely manner. Actually we worked up the topics and speakers list two months in advance to properly manage the related tasks and continuity of the program. Nexus was a success. Calm and reasoned discourse was restored to the lives of people who cared about the issues under discussion. At the same time our minds were broadened and made more caring for differing views of our same reality.

The same sort of program is needed today in 2016. My current church is considering doing so.

Read a Book; Support your Library: We all know a lot about many different things. How all of that knowledge comes together into a meaningful whole is another issue. Often we grow in our views and understanding of the world imperfectly because we are not exposed to other views. Perhaps our news reading and research exposes us to that wealth of thought, but most likely not for most people.

That’s where reading one book a week comes into play. Strolling your local library will help you identify what is on America’s reading list these days, and expose you to issues you hadn’t thought much about. So that would provide the opportunity to read a book on the subject and broaden your understanding, your world view, at least a mite!

At the same time you will be helping the library maintain relevancy and value to its community. Talk about a win-win!

Opportunities exist everywhere for us to see the world with fresh eyes. Exposing ourselves to things we hadn’t looked into before is a good start. Read a book. Join a discussion group. Get involved in a service project.

It all boils down to becoming engaged.  After the election, reach out for that engagement. And take some time away from the hustle and bustle once a week to visit the library and select a book to read. You owe it to yourself to set aside this time for yourself.

October 31, 2016