Power of Nasty

I’ve struggled to understand what has happened to our country. Maybe nothing happened to turn us away from pleasant to ugly. I remember pleasanter times. Remembering takes us on a journey of the past; maybe that’s why it comes off as pleasant?

Encountering the present, however, is an onerous and ugly reality. Whatever caused the present to unfold in its current state, it is wrong. Both the cause and the outcome are wrong. This is not what America is about. It is not what we learned in school. It was not what we learned in church school or around the family table, either.

Ugly. Ugly talk. Ugly behavior. Ugly facial expressions. Ugly newscasts, ugly books, and ugly reading on the internet.

Have I written such ugly material? I admit thinking it; I admit writing it and then deleting it before publishing; I admit wanting to reach out with an ugly message. So, I’m not certain if I authored an ugly piece or not.

Surely there are those who disagree with me and would place an ‘ugly’ label on my opinion. But that doesn’t make it ugly from an objective view. Still, it is unpleasantly received by someone.

Well, let’s be honest. Our present state of affairs is ugly. Whether you or I had anything to do with it won’t help anything. But, we can change the next instant of our present, and make for a better future.

Into the trash bin goes the negative. Right now. No more reading of negative opinion. That’s opinion. News can be negative; we don’t have much to do about that except hear/read/view it and process its meaning accordingly. The news may help us change the progression of facts and make a kinder, gentler future.

Ellen DeGeneres ends her daily show with these words: ‘Be kind to one another.’ So simple and yet so difficult.

I recall holding the door for the person behind me regardless of who they are – age, gender, ethnicity, etc. It feels right to do this. It also makes me feel good most of the time. It is an automatic action for me after all these years. Not everyone does this. Watch how others manage this simple transaction when exiting a store or public building. We are assuming no automatic doors here!

You may surprise yourself to see how uncaring and rude some people are. Maybe not rude, just unaware of others as they plod on their self-focused day. Yet, I bet you will be pleased to see how nice many people are to one another.

Our household is aging and unable to negotiate big box stores without the electric carts. It is surprising how pleasant people are around us in those contraptions. Many people offer to reach higher shelves for us. They even probe the frozen food cases for us. Most of the time we can do this for ourselves; it is the walking and standing that debilitates us. It is heartening to note how generous others are when they experience the needs of others.

Ok. We get it that niceness is available and often exercised. We need more of it. A lot more of it.

We also need a lessening of the ugly. It starts with us, of course. Each of us can respond or not to the ugly. Calling it out, is one form of action, but it is difficult to do this without seeming ugly ourselves. So, maybe we just stop reading the ugly? Replace our nature to respond with a positive behavior. Smile and say, “I’m sorry you feel that way.” Then move on to something positive.

Politics is ugly. It doesn’t have to be but many of my family members remind me it has seemed ugly all the time they can remember. The profession of politics is argumentative and power focused. That may explain it, but it does not excuse it.

We the people define our politics. We allow it to be ugly. We can also not allow it to be ugly.

One way to call out ugly politicians is not vote for them. Period. Across the board. Don’t vote for people who are nasty, attacking and decidedly unpleasant. Regardless of their point of view or political party; boycott ugly! That goes for Dog Catcher to President.

We must learn to be fact-based and logical discussants of civic affairs. Whether global, national or local, all civic issue discussions should be pleasant. After all, they are fact finding missions for those of us who are in the discussions. I’m attempting to learn your point of view to determine why I do or don’t agree with you. I don’t have to be disagreeable while disagreeing!

Civil discussion is a must. This is one method of cancelling out the ugly.

The topic most important for us to discuss is this: what role government? Discuss that topic. Be nice while doing it. Test your resolve to be nice to one another. You might be stunned what you learn. We agree on much more than the things we disagree about.

Be the Un-ugly for the remainder of 2017. Maybe 2018 will turn out peachy keen?

November 30, 2017

Holiday Blues

Not everyone is excited by the holidays. Whether it is the first snowfall or the glitter of holiday decorations appearing steadily, some people do not enjoy this time of year. Perhaps it is missing loved ones, or changes in our own health, or maybe financial pressures get you down.

The reality is that the ‘happiest time of the year’ is not that for everyone.

We would do well by realizing this and being extra gentle with our friends or strangers.

Some folks are very aware of religious customs and celebrations. They understand them as well. They know they are rooted in folklore and religious teachings. Some are mythical, others historical. The mix of the two makes for lively and awe-inspiring tales widely shared. This is all a part of our culture. As other cultures join our national family, the myths expand as well.

For Christians, Christmas is a season of hope, the coming of the Christ Child. A new beginning is the theme, and joyous the spirits. This is the time we mirror the gift giving of the Three Wise men and give to others we hold dear. Sharing presents is a form of social sacrifice that speaks of our own adoration for others.

Gift giving is done in many forms. Sometimes it is a carol sung to brighten someone’s day. Other times it is a service performed for a loved one who can no longer do those tasks for themselves. Still other times call for volunteer work for agencies that serve special populations. Of course, a check shared with a distant charity accomplishes similar outcomes. Often, we do all these things.

Not every person can do these things of course. Poverty, unemployment, ill health, and a host of other cultural maladies make life challenging for millions of people, even in our own land of riches. The social pressure caused by this divide of good fortune is the cause of seasonal stress and depression. Not contributing to the whole as others do sets people apart; they feel the apartness.

And, too, the clash of values is a stressful reality. We say one thing and do another. We say we value family yet schisms grow this time of year. We claim to love one another ceaselessly but this is too often unrealized. We claim moral high ground in discussions yet settle for meaningless tinsel where actions count the most.

We are imperfect. We live imperfect lives. We hope to do our best. We believe we are doing our best. Deep down, however, we know that much suffering plagues our planet and we do little to assuage the outcomes.

Each year I hope for a more determined present to make for a better future. A little here or there from each of us would make a huge difference in the lives of so many. I wonder if this is the year it will happen. I wonder and have hope. As long as hope is present I stave off depression. I hope. And I hope you do as well. Hope!  How seasonal!!

November 29, 2017

Phone Call

A Saturday afternoon and the cell phone vibrates. A call coming from Arizona. The number seemed familiar so I answered. It was my sister. Excitedly she exclaimed she was happy finding me home. In a rush, she told me mom’s phone had not been connected and no one knew it. So, she plugged it in and told me to hang up and wait a few minutes. She would connect me with mom on her own phone.

Two minutes later I was speaking with my mother who is 103 years, 9 months, old. Her voice came through loud and clear. And very familiar! It had been a long time since we last spoke. She is quite arthritic and has trouble dialing/pushing phone buttons without many errors. She does not understand speed dial. And she cannot remember details as well as she once did. So, phone calls have not come from her for at least 5 years.

Her personal schedule is also complex and out of sync with the rest of the country. She goes to bed at 5:30 pm and reads until she falls asleep. She won’t answer the phone once in bed so if you call her it must be within a window of 5:15 to 5:30 pm. The rest of the time she is unavailable. So, I haven’t called her for 5 years. The timing must be just right and that’s a bit hard to do with our busy schedules. So, voice communications have been nonexistent for 5 years.

Living on a low fixed income, our travels have ceased. No longer do I make the annual trip to Arizona to visit mom. It is simply out of the question. We have filled in the communication gap by my writing an occasional letter, full, rich with many details to keep her attentive to family doings here in Illinois. She doesn’t respond because her arthritis is too severe to manipulate a pen.

These are not good communication behaviors for either side of our relationship. The slow and steady decline is, of course, due to aging. She will be 104 in February 2018. Amazing long life. But it comes with challenges as you would expect.

Still, her memory was sharp and her voice certain. We had a conversation. And not about the weather! She is doing well. Tired and exhausted by living this long. But she is still with us and doing well just the same.

A voice from the past. A reminder of the long ago. And still we have the present. Amazing. And all from connecting by voice.

November 28, 2017

Family and Values of Same

This is an odd time to be alive. Well, I guess most of us can say that just about any time or all the time! Depends on what you are referring to. What time am I referring to? Well now, the current time of November and December 2017.

I’ll go into more detail to help you understand.

We say we are a nation of families valuing each other’s family. We say we believe in the institution of marriage and all it implies and requires of us. But we commit adultery, have divorce, and marry again; we also live together out of wedlock, in fact, most young couples live together as a trial marriage before taking their vows! What does this say about family values? And is it wrong or OK?

We say we are about love and bringing new life into this world. We do and we don’t; and when we do, we don’t always do a very good job of it. There are marriages where children are not desired and so they are not produced. Then there are those who produce and produce kids for years. Of course, there are those couples who cannot reproduce. For those couples who do have children, how well do they raise them? And who can adequately judge such things?

We say love your neighbor as yourself; yet we don’t all love ourselves because we don’t know how; somehow, we missed that lesson of life! And even if we do love ourselves, we decidedly do not love our neighbors, leastways, not all of them. We pick and choose. We are humans and have ‘inalienable rights’, right? Or do we?

When you see a stranger struggling, do you help? Or do you look away and change directions so you will not encounter him, or her? The Bible – and Koran, Torah and every other ‘holy book’ throughout the ages, told us to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick, welcome the stranger and love one another. Every holy book. Throughout all of history. It is true. You know this is true.

And yet, what do we do? The opposite? Or as little as we can get away with?

You know the answer to that question! Yes, you do!

We do as little as we can get away with, or nothing at all. We make excuses. We turn our backs on those with troubles, unless we really like them! But there are so many others who need help to survive. We are not talking about thriving here; just surviving. What do we do to truly fulfill our age-old teachings? Do we get involved or do we write a check or simply ignore the issues?

The other day we went to a neighbor’s funeral. It was a lovely visitation, filled with laughter and joy as we remembered his kindnesses and full, rich life with family and friends. The service was touching and meaningful as well. We remembered not only the deceased, but the context of his life and the world that surrounded him. His family was present. Large, loving and engaged in the proceedings. Unity was evident. Four generations present and all getting along. The friends, neighbors, churchgoers and colleagues from past careers were also present. We all got along just fine. Clem had a beautiful life, family and embraceable universe. The evidence was unmistaken. He will be missed, of course; but he will be remembered more. That’s the kind of guy he was – memorable in his kindness and inclusion.

Those are major values we all give voice to. But he lived them with obvious results.

Do the rest of us do so? I know I do, or at least intend to. Sure, I miss the mark often, but I do hit the target a lot as well. It takes concentration and discipline to live a life of purpose and value. I wonder how successful we are? Probably not much. Still, there is the effort and the intent. We can only hope we get ‘credit’ for that alone.

I guess I’m writing this because there is a stark divide between Clem’s life and what we are witnessing in public every day. We have sexual predators running for public office; some of them win office; others won it years ago without the public knowing of their misdeeds.

We have murders and violence aplenty throughout the land. And little is done to stem those horrors. We say we are our brother’s keeper yet erase many programs which attempt to deliver on the needs of my brother’s situation. We worship things and wealth without valuing the people.

This past week we gave thanks for our blessings. Thanksgiving Day is that sort of holiday. Do we really mean it and serve it? Or do we pretend?

The holidays lie before us. Most religions celebrate this time of year for central values and teachings they espouse. Are we listening to them? Are we yielding to principle or greed during the holidays?

Maybe we should think more seriously on these matters. And choose the value approach over the greedy one.

This is a time of renewal. If we are successful, perhaps this ‘odd time to be alive’ will turn out better than we thought!

November 27, 2017

Bubbles and Busts

Are we heading for another boom and bust cycle? Will home prices soar to unsustainable heights and then collapse like they did 10 years ago? Will the stock market rise continue or moderate for a while? Or will it continue to rise without supporting data? The latter seems most likely. And if true, a bust is certain to follow. It is only a matter of when. These cycles vary only in frequency and severity.

Jobs and hiring the same. Wages and salaries have been stagnant for 8 years. Very little rise. In fact, people leaving one career – being phased out, downsized, or plant closed – find they cannot regain the same wage or salary level in a new job or career. It is like they are starting all over as they did when they were in their 20’s. From a $75,000 annual income to one totaling $24,000 a year. Not fun. Not livable. Not fair. Think of the folks making $150,000 per year now working for $55,000.

Taxes going down in the most recent congressional effort? Not sure yet. Too many loose ends to tie up. Even then, the details are lost in the 800-page document; there is no time to study or calculate the effects on many tax payers and interest groups. The fear is higher taxes on the lowest incomes; lower taxes on the highest income earners; and massive tax reductions for corporations. The latter already have so many loopholes they pay minimal taxes. In fact, most don’t pay their fair share of education, cultural or infrastructure costs they benefit from. One day this will be studied and accurate calculations made as to the imbalance between corporate taxes paid versus benefits received. I suspect individual taxpayers will be shocked to learn how much they pay to subsidize large employers.

The point of my comments today is not to point fingers. Rather, it is to suggest economic policy is a tough subject to master and wield in the circles of government. Politicians have the authority to set and approve policy; most often they do not understand the very thing they are deciding. Professional staff do understand these matters; it is the stuff of their careers that they studied and prepared for. There are economists who do understand their field. Although asked for advice, often those words of expertise are ignored in favor of political outcomes. The wrong decisions for the wrong outcomes.

This goes on for decades. One party repairs the damage and the other party returns the damaging policies at their earliest opportunity.

The early 2000’s witnessed a setup for economic damage. The Recession of 2007-08 was avoidable and many made their opinions known at the time. Later, when the global financial system was in dire threat of collapse, people began to understand better the problems we had inflicted on ourselves and our global partner. Make no mistake, the global recession was caused by American greed and economic mismanagement. And yet incalculable wealth was shifted from one sector of our people to another. The greedy got theirs. The rest of us paid dearly.

Those mistakes were made with intention by those seeking desired political outcomes. The enormous price tag for this debacle is still being paid. Had those decisions not been made, our economy and social structures would have had a much stronger base to work from on solving the massive career dislocations of technology induced change. These changes affected not only our jobs, but changed industries and corporate life even more. Many companies went out of business. Some were long overdue for such; they didn’t plan far enough into the future to realize their inevitable fate. Worse, loyal careerists went along for the ride and didn’t know they were heading for a dead end.

The dead end happened just the same. And millions of hard working, loyal professionals lost their jobs, careers and self-respect. Career shifts are now needed to salvage the talent and inventiveness of these good people. To do that, programs must be engineered to deal with the complicated changes needed to educate and train a new cadre of mature workers. A further problem? Many of the new careers are not yet fully understood.

Think of the retail industry in 2017. It is changing fundamentally to an electronic process. Stores and shops – and shopping malls – are fading away. Will they disappear entirely? Probably not, just different in scale and design, and function. On-line shopping and individual delivery of purchases will take the place of malls and permanent commercial real estate. A new normal will form, and it too, will morph into different shapes, scales and functions in the future.

Change will occur. Change is constant in its being; its rate varies to make it more challenging! But change is always with us. We need to live with this and prepare for it.

The price of change is boom and bust cycles. Economic policy softens the effects of the cycles. Our public servants need to be trusted to do this job well, free of political interference. Maybe the next cycle is political reform? Well, we've heard that before and it never seems to come.

November 24, 2017

Thanksgiving Day!

Many happy wishes for you and yours this day. It is a time we Americans set aside to give thanks for all our blessings. Whether you are religious or not, your life contains many good things, things you did not directly make or provide. Others did that. Other circumstances were fortuitous in your favor. This is your life of blessings received and enjoyed.

So many do not have these things. They have much less, or problems of the opposite nature and severity. They are sick and dying, or depressed and miserable, or poor and hungry. They may live their lives in fear and dread from a significant other, a loved one, family member or neighbor. Or government and its agencies. Or just a nasty criminal or band of same.

We have food, shelter, health, clothing and each other. We have family true or fashioned from available parts! We have community – neighborhood, town, city, county and state. We have workmates and fellow church members. We have education, interest groups and hobbies.

We have a lot. We often don’t give this fact much credit. Rather we focus on what’s wrong, what’s missing, or the stunning reality that we don’t control our lives as much as we had hoped to.

Accepting the reality of our situation is one blessing we need to learn to develop.

Doing that is not easy. One way, however, is to leave the comfort of home and gather with others who are in need. Reach out to them, learn their needs, and work to address at least one of them. Is it hunger? Find a way to get food to them: buy it and deliver it; collect food donations or cash to buy more, then deliver it to the people in need; join a group packaging meals for kids, families or homebound elderly and schedule time for yourself and family members to share the experience. Another way is to join a soup kitchen organization and help prepare and serve the food to those visiting the facility daily.

If it is clothing people need, there are charities that focus on this function. Find out their location and hours of operation and ask how you can help them.

The same is true for shelter. All kinds of housing – permanent, temporary, emergency, and what not. So many causes; so many responses possible; so many in need.

In fact, it is coming face to face with the needs of others that we become educated on broader issues. In time we learn, too, that our own problems melt away in comparison. And that’s the point of being the cause of thanks to someone else. Be involved in helping others and you help yourself. And your kids and family members will learn a valuable lesson, too.

The next lesson in this process is simple: give thanks each day. Make someone else’s life better every day, too. Thanks should be year-round. We live with our own bounty without knowing it fully. So we should be thankful each and every day.

Funny. We were taught this as kids. But now as adults…

November 23, 2017

Matters Overshadowed

Sit down at a table with a pad of paper and a pen. Get ready now! Put on your thinking cap. If needed, close your eyes and think on this subject: What are the topics that truly matter to me? Don’t be concerned about how many there are, or if some are more important than others. Just list them all. Try to be complete. I know it is hard to do this, but it’s also fun!

Now, that you have your list, how many items do you have? 15 or 20? Or more? Good for you. You have been thinking broadly and deeply.

OK. Now, sit back and scan your list. Without doing too much damage to any one of them, see which are duplicating others or nearly do. If you have some of those, combine them logically.

Now go back to the edited list, and place each item in rank order. Number 1 is the most important item. It cannot be placed lower on the list. Do not be concerned that this top item is probably very difficult to support or repair. Just put it where it belongs in relation to the other items. OK. Now go back to the list and complete your ranking. This may take some time.

Finished? Good. Take a look at the first item and the last item on the list. Are they screamingly different? Are they related in any way? You might be surprised to find a lot of relationships between all your items. That’s an indication of how complicated life is and our society, too!

More processing for you to do. I want you to draw another page from your pad, a blank one, and place it next to your list. Title the page ‘Public Awareness of Important Issues’. Now go back to your list and consider each item and rank them with respect to how you think the public is aware of this issue? Not supportive of it, but aware of it. Do this with each item.

Using another blank page from your pad, place it next to your first list of priority issues. At the top, title the page ‘Easiness to Repair/Address Issue’. Rank order each issue from the first page to this one.

Another blank page should be entitled ‘Issues Connected/Dependent on other Issues’. Examine the original priority list of issues and go through; identify which issues are connected to one another; you may find several are not only connected to another issue, but also connected to several. You may have a long string of issue #’s next to each issue on the list.

Now, what do we do with these pages? Several possibilities exist. Let’s examine some of them.

First, does the ‘connected/dependent issues’ list cause you to shift the priority of the items? If so, do so. It is important to realize that issues dependent on one another can be addressed and fix more than the priority targeted issue. You kill more birds with one stone. This is important because many issues are really platforms for other issues, and fixing one helps another. It is the nature of our complex society.

Second, after working all of these lists, have any issues begun to look considerably less important than when you placed it on the list? If so, cross it off. You may understand that fixing other issues will actually cause the now unimportant item to get the needed attention anyway.

Third, consider the lists again with the determination of addressing some of the simpler ones. Think about how you would fix them. Can you or another organization handle this issue? Is there a credible organization already working on the problem? If so, perhaps you can turn your attention to another item on your list.

Fourth, the issues you feel need immediate attention and can be helped by you, set them aside for an organizational approach to working on them. The remainder of your list should be placed on hold until you get around to working on them.

Knowing what you will or can do about an issue will take some time and serious thinking. You may be able to join an organization that is making big strides with the problem. Or maybe you can donate funds, time or talent to the organization directly to help them. Perhaps you could ask your friends and family members if any of them would be interested in joining you on this project; or at least discuss it with them. Together you can plan what the group can do to make a difference. None of this work is easy. That’s why these problems exist in the first place.

But they won’t go away on their own. They need you to be involved in the solution. It is the only way things get done in our nation. It is the way we are built and the way our government is structured.

We are in control of our lives, culture and nation. It has always been this way. It will remain so long after we are gone. Meanwhile, we have work to do!

And finally, think back on this whole exercise and ask if the news you confront daily has much of anything to do with the matters that matter to you. How overshadowed are the important things by the nonsense drivel we endure in each newscast?

Hmmm?

November 22, 2017

The Look was Stark

“I need to learn how to love myself.” This was said by an 18-year-old high school senior, a bright honor student, and a drug addict. Suburban. Stable home and solid middle class. Not wanting economically. Just the normal dreams and hopes for the future.

Hopes to be married one day and have kids. Doesn’t know how to keep those kids safe from drugs and other threats.

His comment was a response to my question, ‘What have you learned new this week, since we last met?”  That was his answer. He looked at me with eyes wide open; almost pleadingly. “I need to love myself. I don’t know how.”

That was the beginning of a good discussion. We went through the loves, category by category: self-love, love of another, being loved by another, platonic versus sexual love, love of things, and so on. It all came down to this conclusion – to love another person you have to first love yourself. With that love established, you can be loved by another, too. Without self-love the tools are not in place to receive love or give it.

We are taught from a young age to be selfless, not selfish, not ego-centered. Not always a successful lesson. Sometimes too successful.

To learn later that all love begins with self-love is uncomfortable. Perhaps that is why all religions teach us that God loves you, us, me. If God loves us how can we not love ourselves?

The tragic reality is most people do not know how to love themselves. It may be the single largest hindrance in human relationships. Intimacy comes from trust that starts with love, love in the other, feeling loved by the other. Without that coexisting love, intimacy is likely impossible.

To love oneself is to start the journey of knowing oneself. Trusting in one’s basic goodness is a principle needing to be known. And realized as truth; at least an honest assessment of one’s goodness.

Our group of teenagers wrestled with the idea that love is a constant companion on the journey of life. It changes – both the journey and love – at many turns along the path. Life is not simple. It is filled with mysteries that baffle even the most experienced. I know we think our parents know most everything, but they don’t; neither do I, or you.

We have to work at giving and receiving love. We often take it for granted this is simple. It isn’t. it is probably the most complex aspect of life. It works for us or against us depending on our understanding of 'it'.

No wonder so many have recurring bouts of depression and anxiety over life’s ups and downs; nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is truly safe and secure. It takes trust and faith to live in a world that is capable of topsy-turvy changes and adjustments. It takes hard work to prepare for such things. In the end, however, it yields self-knowledge that allows us to love our self.

With that we can love others and receive love from them as well.

This discussion gave me new perspective into the minds of teen drug addicts. My tentative conclusion: without self-love the person is adrift in an unending sea of doubt; no wonder drugs and alcohol provide an easy escape.

When a new girl joining our group for the first time was asked how and/or why she started taking drugs, her answer was: “I was looking for another identity.”

Her search for a new identity – or a better one than she already had – led her to experimentation that took her far afield from her quest’s objective. Indeed, that began another discussion I had not expected. Two in the same evening. Two suggesting elusive answers to the mystery of teenage drug addiction.

Hints at a larger truth? Perhaps we can use them to solve the problem. Or at least make a start?

November 21, 2017

Innovation

If you have a mind to start your own company, or at least manufacture a new product, please keep in mind that many new products fail because they can be produced cheaper elsewhere by cheaper labor or higher tech manufacturing techniques.

A year or so ago I wrote in this space that American ingenuity and engineering could create the next generation of energy production and export it to the world community. This would help underdeveloped nations gain access to electrical power, heating and air conditioning comfort that much of the globe already enjoys.

The know-how to create new energy methods – solar, wind, thermal and yet to be discovered miracles of physics – could be harnessed here at home and then traded to other nations. This would create jobs in the US but also deliver the same to other cultures. In fact, if successful, I think we won’t even have to manufacture much here. We will save on the raw resources and the logistics of same, while focusing our energy and strength on physics, engineering and invention.

If manufacturing is needed in this process, other countries have labor pools much cheaper than America. But we can also design and build their factories to use artificial intelligence, robots and all the rest of modern technology to minimize costs and increase accuracy and efficiency.

One huge caution: do not wait.

Other nations have the same interests and are working on solutions. We are not alone in the world. Nor are we the best at what we do any longer. We have competition. That means we have work to do if we are to beat the competition.

America was challenged before. Just like now. Many times. The one I remember best is the 1957 emergence of Sputnik. The Russians had launched a space satellite before America did. Boy howdy were we embarrassed!

Among the reactions that were positive was a refunding of public education. A heavy emphasis on math and science in primary and secondary schools led to a huge expansion in engineering curricula at universities and colleges. The result was the American space industry. Its record of achievements is legendary. But that is all in the past. We can build on it, but we must be active in doing so. And in other industries as well. And that is precisely where the competition resides. Take your pick of these industries and choose the future:

·         Transportation: equipment, navigation, AI piloting, moving people between home and jobs, home and culture, home and shopping

·         Materials engineering: creating materials from common raw materials that hold up to the rigors of heat, cold, 3-D and 4-D printing techniques, and medical applications

·         Healthcare: new methods of replacing worn-out body parts, high tech applications to prevent and/or recover from disease

·         Breakthrough methods to expand education and career development to the masses

·         Discover methods to unlock the genius inside each of us through education, art and expression

·         Low cost housing alternatives that emphasize social integration and community

·         Advances in wireless technology; cut the cord!

·         Pollution-free energy production; clean the air

·         And so many more…

To do most of the above we will need to stop protecting old industries that have anchored us to obsolete methods, pollution of water, soil and air, and killer international power struggles (think oil interests in the Middle East and elsewhere!).

The future will demand from us intelligent responses to human needs, including protecting the environment. Those responses will be efficient and healthy. Education will include more people in making workable solutions possible. A higher quality of living should be more broadly attainable.

All this from innovation. Discoveries await our finding them.

What are we waiting for? What are you waiting for?

November 20, 2017

Nasty Business

Yesterday I wrote about the tax reform bill being considered by Congress. As you know a few more things are hidden in the bill they don’t want the rest of us to know. The first one is repeal of the mandate for Obamacare. This won’t kill the program but it will harm it once again, at the hands of a republican controlled congress.

The other day Sen. Hatch of Utah lamented on how badly the Obamacare program has worked. He wondered why. That only shows you how complicit he is in the entire republican debacle to undermine the program. He has been front and center on nearly every move to hurt the program from the start. They wanted to demonstrate to the American people how such a program would not work.

Well surprise! It worked better than imagined and President Obama was a hero. They were embarrassed and frustrated that their nasty business hidden in the details of legislation did not work to torpedo the Affordable Care Act. Frustrated. Embarrassed.

So they set to undermine the program in other ways they had control over. And they did, over and over again. They planted so many poison pills against the ACA it is a wonder it still works to this day. This makes them even more frustrated. And dishonest. Blaming dysfunction on the program that works because it is needed by huge number of folks in our nation.

Obama did the right thing. Congress has not kept its contract with the people. Shame on them.

So now they come to another cornerstone of their power and control: first was repeal and replace the ACA; they failed at that so far. Second is to reform taxes. That’s what they are working on now.

Instead of focusing on actual reform, this is what they are doing:

1.      Trying to kill ACA one more time; it has nothing to do with tax reform, but…

2.      Cut corporate taxes with the hope new jobs will be created; they already have the new jobs created but the labor pool either doesn’t want very many of them (after all we are deporting and discouraging immigrants from those very same jobs!), or they are not trained and experienced in performing those jobs. Remember these same corporations have been creating millions of job in the last 10 years overseas; India, Germany, France, Indonesia, et. al. What makes Congress intent on following this poor line of reasoning? To satisfy their corporate donors who helped elect them. Political payback. That’s it.

3.      Tax reform is also masking a huge cut to Medicare - $30 billion is the reported figure. Now why? Medicare is funded totally by you and I through employment taxes in the form of premiums. They don’t like this program because they think it smacks of socialism.

Meanwhile, only the rich will notice tax cuts. The rest of us will notice very little benefit; many of us will notice, however, a tax increase. The poorest and most vulnerable.

If anyone thinks this is the way to save money, then they haven’t considered the enormous price tag of the results of poor education, high unemployment, and lack of diversity in our labor pool and market place.

In short, republicans do not understand how the economy works. You would think so, but once you have your bounty, you don’t care for the other people. So you protect your own and ignore the suffering and decay of your own culture and wonder why.

I know this sounds like a rant. It is. But I share this with you because the complaints on both sides of the aisle are the same old, stale tales. Isn’t it about time they sit down in the same room and begin actually doing something positive for the American people?

I thought this is what they were elected to do. Their jobs. High time they did them. Nasty business indeed!

November 17, 2017

Tax Reform?

Congress is wrestling to reform the federal income tax system. Both corporate/business and personal taxes are under examination. The timeframe is tight for a number of reasons, so how much actual reform will be accomplished is under debate.

Most likely changes will focus on tax rates, a general lowering of them, especially for businesses and for higher income earners. The belief is that higher rates penalize these people and organizations and thus dampen their willingness to invest in new businesses, products and services. In other words, high taxes discourage economic activity and job growth.

There are other aspects of the tax code that will be changed as well such as tax deductions, categories of expenses that will or will not be subject to taxation and more. 

Why are these reforms being considered? Especially at this time?

On the republican side of the argument are these beliefs:

1.      The government is already too large and taxing people too heavily; reduce the onus

2.      The economy is not producing very well in several sectors; it needs a boost by lowering  taxes; more money in the pockets of businesses and individuals means more money is available for spending in the open market or investing in creating a more vibrant economy

3.      They promised key supporters of their election campaigns that their winning office will produce tax benefits they will like; they are fulfilling campaign promises.

On the Democrat side of the argument are these beliefs:

1.      Interest rates are already low and stubbornly remain so; this is so because there are trillions of surplus funds not being used for consumption or investment; thus the economy does not need a stimulus via lower taxes

2.      Unemployment is declining, but there remains a large number of people pushed out of the labor market who would return to work if appropriate jobs were available; such is not the case because labor markets have shifted from the old economy to the newer, high tech economy; this labor pool lacks training and development for the new jobs; so those people remain out of the market; a different kind of investment is needed to bring them back into active labor markets – training and development

3.      With declining funding for public education – including primary, secondary and higher education levels – society is not preparing students for the new world of work. Corporations do not remediate new personnel to take on the newer jobs. If there is a labor shortage of experienced personnel, it is because both the private and public sectors have avoided responsibility to fund such education. A tax cut will not solve this issue.

4.      The economy does not need a stimulus to perform better at this point. A more vigorous economy will only drive up prices (including labor) because such an economy is out of balance with supply and demand of many types; inflation is sure to result

5.      Inflation will push the poor further down the poverty scale and produce more severe social problems to be addressed, and paid for later by all of us

6.      Tax cuts work best if there is a healthy middle class that will spend tax savings on services and goods. The middle class is declining and decidedly not in good shape. Tax benefits will not produce the desired effects; only the wealthy and business community will benefit and whether they share their bounty in the markets or not is open to serious debate.

7.      Trickle down economic theory does not work. We have proven that many times over the past 30 years. It only works at the beginning of an imbalanced situation; that does not describe what we have at this moment in time

Congress should be creating a task force to fully study our economic system so policies and decisions are carefully integrated with the reality of economic laws and proven theory. They need to do this before they tinker with working parts without proven results. Too much bungling has happened already. The economy and its people need protection from foolish handling.

Tax reforms are not needed at this point. Maybe later. Maybe never. Other issues are of higher priority for our attention at this time. And the attention needs to be mature, careful and rooted in fact. Today’s debate is nowhere near such requirements. 

The only consideration these days appears to be political. Only political. Sad.

November 16, 2017

Bumps on the Road

Sitting in the waiting room of the local surgicenter. Rocky is in for a brief procedure to remove a kidney stone discovered in 2014 but not reported to him or us at the time. He has visited the ER several times in recent years. Each visit has had an indistinct cause. Surface symptoms only. Common are tightness in middle chest and pain in the mid abdomen and radiating from the right kidney region of his right back and side.

Either aches and pains of advancing age, or strenuous activities without first body training; pains are frequent. They go away in a week or so, and over the counter pain meds usually suffice. Rocky, too, has had these experiences, but the ER staff are concerned that the frequency and similarity indicates something is wrong. The last ER visit again involved a CT Scan and the kidney stone was noticed and mentioned. It does not belong where it is, so they advised removing it. In the process, we will learn more if anything is wrong with the kidney, duct, or bladder. We expect no bad news. But one never knows!

We remain optimistic and happy the wayward stone will no longer be an issue. That will be a relief.

Could there be other complications? Sure, but the doctors have not indicated to us any issues we should be concerned about. So, relief again.

This incident reminds us of our vulnerability. Aging is part of it. Free time adds thinking about these things and blowing them out of proportion. Dwelling on minutia has its effects. And so, we worry.

I’m more philosophical about these things so shrug them off unless more pressing symptoms are raised. Although I am prepared for such, rarely are they present. So, I’m free and relaxed. Not so for Rocky. He is the worrying sort. For those of you who know him, you know I’m right!

Well, enough of this. I’ll add an update when we know more details. Meanwhile I expect the outcome to be just fine. Chances of something more serious are minimal.

Signing off at 3:05 pm, Tuesday, November 14^th.

OK, signing in again. It is 3:22 pm on the same day. Surgeon just told me everything went as smooth as silk. All is OK and no complications are expected during recuperation. The stone was present for 3 years, so discomfort will likely be more pronounced than most cases. Still, nothing out of the ordinary. They will page me in 20 minutes to go through the aftercare routines and meds. Then we will go home as soon as grogginess wears off. We should be home by 4:30 pm.

We are home. It is 5:15. Rocky is resting comfortably. Hungry because he has been fasting since bedtime Monday evening at 9 pm. Only water and a little tea in the morning. So, we have finished eating a modest meal he was looking forward to. Then early to bed for the two of us. That will be 8 pm!

This incident – kidney stone removal – was just another road bump on life’s journey. Some of us have more bumps than others do. But only a bump just the same.

I think we humans are tougher than we think. It helps not to worry over it. Tell that to Rocky! I have many times and still he worries and the bumps just keep on coming! There’s a moral in there somewhere!

Be kind to one another in the meantime.

November 15, 2017

Community

I mentioned this term yesterday, community. In fact, I closed the post with the topic.

Successful people – and citizens – look for problems to solve. Each challenge is an opportunity for success. Change itself is an opportunity for success. These test our mettle. They call for creativity. And community.

And community. More on this another time. But community requires our involvement for it to prosper. I think the seeds of solutions to common problems are found in community. Now there’s a puzzle with a solution!

A puzzle with a solution. Living in community. Participating in the community. Getting to know the community, its people and its culture. Being a part of it.

I link these statements with the phrase, ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ Remember the little old lady living next door? She often baby sat our kids. She asked them for help with her yard work from time to time. And she would pay the kids to do chores for her like cleaning out a closet, polishing the silver, mowing the lawn, or straightening up her basement. These were the chores she no longer could do. And so she paid the kids a small amount to help them and herself.

In doing that she built a relationship. She knew the kids. She talked with them. Every now and then they would individually go next door to talk with her. In her small ways, she helped root our kids in understanding older people.

The community also invests in its people and our kids in many ways; churches do this in obvious ways. But so do the library and park districts all over the nation. They develop programs to meet the needs and interests of our children. They program to meet the unique needs of all age groups represented in the community. Local schools do this, too.

The community is very much a part of our lives growing up and living each of our days. And we are a part of that same community simultaneously. Local businesses make up a portion of our community. Large employers provide many jobs and public services to the community. Institutions and organizations add even more zest to the mix. And, too, small businesses and shops.

Community is with us wherever we invest energy and life. Remember your work community; also, your school communities. And the dorm and campus life of college days? You remember those. Community surrounds us. We participate in community in many ways.

Talk with a Roman Catholic religious – a nun or priest. They were educated in community and continue to be in community throughout their lives. In fact, it was a Catholic nun who introduced this term to me. She went on and on about the value of community within the church, within her order of sisters.

There are people who deny community helps raise a child. Yes, I know; they are denying an obvious truth. The opposite they believe quickly: poor environment leads to societal breakdown, crime and violence. Their example are slums and the youth that come out as gang leaders, drug addicts and mini mobsters. They will assume the negative value of community but not the positive!

I am a believer, though. I am certain that community is most likely the second most important glue in our lives, second to family. In weak and dysfunctional families, it is the community which offers repair to the members of such families.

If we are experiencing social problems and challenges, I think we need look no farther than our own communities to find the assets with which to solve the problems. And if our community assets are a bit thin at times, a little work and cooperation will fix that quickly.

After all, community is where our family lives, and our friends and trusted advisers, too. It deserves our commitment and investment of time, interest and effort.

If not, what can we do to help you and your community?

November 14, 2017

Puzzles and Solutions

The topic today is mysterious to me. For some reason I will stumble across a problem and wonder about it. That leads to defining it as best I can. Then my mind turns to what ought to be happening, or what outcomes would we prefer to see rather than the fallout from a problem? From there my mind turns to possible solutions to the original problem.

Sometimes finding the solution is not the way to go. Sometimes it is more fruitful to imagine how a desired outcome should be. If that outcome is realized, wouldn’t it trump the problem? Wouldn’t the problem become neutralized? If so, then that’s one way to solve the problem. Do an end run around it!

Are you still with me? Hope so.

I read an article the other day that said the largest problem – or barrier – to success for most people is their ego. I can see that. But the article went on to state that egos need excuses why success is not always theirs. They are looking for a protective reason why they do not always succeed. And the article suggests that the presence of problems is how those egos protect themselves.

At this suggestion, my mind is bucking a bit. But, let’s go a little farther with this article’s logic. He suggests that problems are always with us and provide a handy excuse for why things do not go the way we want them to. Farther along, the article provides a solution to this state of affairs. It is – trumpets riffling in the background! – search for problems and then solve them.

OK. Got it. Sort of.

Well, actually not! Seems to me anyone interested in exceeding their own expectations will already have discovered the allure of problems and the opportunity to solve them. Making quick work of any puzzle is fun. It satisfies the sense of ability and wholeness. That’s why we consume crossword puzzles daily, or acrostics, or math teasers. We don’t always like them but we still rise to the challenge.

Today we are consumed with political intrigue, celebrity news of infidelities and sexual abuse, and so much more. A lot of our time is spent reading articles about problems and things that went wrong. Disappointments in life are often the soul of plot lines in movies, novels and short stories.

At some point in our lives shouldn’t we become restless and bored with this state of affairs. Isn’t it more fun and interesting to think up solutions to them? Gosh, I think so.

Working with past employers our jobs were centered on operating the organization toward better results. Maybe it was a new program we were designing. Perhaps it was a policy written to protect the institution from a Human Relations problem, or maybe it was earning greater profits from long existing practices.

Whatever the assignment, it was not only our job to make things better, to perfect our functioning, but it was also fun to dive deeper into the problems to discover possible solutions.

For example, just because drug addiction is a current problem in our culture doesn’t mean it is unsolvable. We can imagine our culture free of drug addictions, can’t we? If that is so, then working backward, can we stumble across the actions, policies, behaviors that would avoid drug addiction in the first place?

What about students graduating from high school or college unable to demonstrate they can handle a job or new career opportunity? What have we missed in their education that would repair this common complaint?

What about older people becoming bored with their lives? Are they so used to being entertained by turning on the TV that they have forgotten to read a book, to discuss the book with other people, or maybe, just maybe, seek the camaraderie of a book discussion group at the local library, church or senior citizens community center? From that activity can they see the possibility of mentoring a youth or small group of young people seeking answers to the mysteries of life?

What about hobbies that lead to artistic expressions of the inner self? What about visiting local galleries that show such expression of many artists? What about walking into the town’s city hall and asking about programs and problems that they need help with? Could they volunteer to serve on those committees?

What do we do about the drug culture in our country? What possible solutions can we find or create? Prison is not a solution. Fines, either. Local school programs during or after class times are probably not the fix, either, although we may be getting nearer to the goal.

Putting our heads together to focus on a condition or problem that is unwanted is a great way to spend some time. The results will be valuable to the participants even if they don’t find the right solution. They will have tried to do so. By doing so they will have learned much about the self, each other, and the problem all at the same time. A solution may pop to mind eventually because of their involvement. It certainly won’t come out of thin air if they don’t at least try.

I fail to see where ego is involved in this. Or how the existence of a problem is a good thing as an excuse for imperfection.

Successful people – and citizens – look for problems to solve. Each challenge is an opportunity for success. Change itself is an opportunity for success. These test our mettle. They call for creativity. And community.

And community. More on this another time. But community requires our involvement for it to prosper. I think the seeds of solutions to common problems are found in community. Now there’s a puzzle with a solution!

November 13, 2017

Ideas Matter

Awake at 2 am. Thoughts spinning in my head. Realize blog post for today not written. Started but not finished. So many ideas swirling around, I knew there was something to say. Something to write. Something to share. In the blog.

Ideas. Lots of ideas. In my head. In yours. So many ideas shared. Some not shared. How many of those, I wonder. The coffee houses are filled with  people sharing ideas. Some are alone but on their computer or smart phone. Typing away, reading, too. Ideas. Everywhere. Moving through space and bouncing around inside our heads.

They matter. The ideas. Yes, ideas matter.

They exist and we do, too. In fact, they are proof we exist. Descartes said it: “I think, therefore I am.”

The center of creating, art, feelings, expression, logic – all ideas. Your ideas. Mine. Others. All of ours. Together or separate. Ideas abound. Like molecules of air bouncing around us continually, but does each one connect with one another? What happens if they do? What happens if they don’t?

Chaos. Chaos theory. Connecting dots throughout the universe. Or not connecting. The chance of it all. To be or not to be, yet they are; no question there. The possibilities exist whether connection is made or not.

And that’s what happens every second of every day. All around us. Whether we see it or feel it; it is there. And proof we are alive.

People ask why I’m involved in what I do each day. Not an easy answer to that question other than: “Because I experience the good people do each day watching and hearing their ideas.”

I can’t think up what everyone else is thinking, creating. Being a part of that is heady and thrilling. It informs me. It tells me the dimensions of life. It becomes both a message and a reason for being; also a channel of information that presents fresh material. All of it needs to be considered, pondered over.

Watching TV, I am pummeled by advertising. Loud, intrusive, rude advertising. Noisy. It screams for attention. But I’d rather place my attention on more important matters. Things I think will matter more in the larger scheme of things. Creating an idea that leads to more ideas. That lead to solutions to existing problems. That lead to new products, services, jobs and industries. Ideas creating ideas. Thinking that pulls us from nothing to something.

It is a process. It is unstoppable. It is on its own track going somewhere.

Going. Coming. Being. Arriving yet darting toward another place. Another idea. Adding to one and building on yet another. Morphing into new meaning and existence. A process of always becoming.

Becoming. You and I. Always something fresh and possible.

News programs tell us what people are doing; what’s happening. The events. But not the ideas. Those are different. They have a life of their own. Might I say they have a better life of their own?

Ideas. They don’t always need support from the masses. They only need me. Or you and yours.

Alone or together. They matter. Always have.

They are the becoming of what is more. They are the ideas that matter.

Keep them coming.

Keep us becoming.

November 10, 2017

Culture Shift – Millennials

Two articles recently on the internet suggested millennials are not supportive of long-held beliefs and attitudes of our American past. The first is capitalism. The second is socialism or communism.

People will say these two topics are the same. I think not; at least the way millennials think of these topics. I sense they first think of the well-being of people in general. They see the excesses of capitalism and seem to support protections from capitalism. Similarly, they may not fully understand socialism or communism, but they get the concept of ‘community’ and its positive values.

Community is not communism; nor is it socialism. To claim the opposite oversimplifies the terms.

I get a strong sense that millennials want people to live in freedom to explore their own lives, thoughts, talents, sources of pleasure and possibility. I do not get the sense that millennials would allow harm to come to other people just so they can live their freedom.

To state it in the positive, Millennials, I think, believe each person should be free to explore their own boundaries and potential if it does not harm another person. This definition avows the positive value of each person and how this may inure to the benefit of society in general.

Should negatives appear while living this belief, millennials would agree to commonsense rules to protect the innocent. Of course, they see themselves as innocent and to be protected. Thus, freedom to own and drive an automobile comes with commonsense regulations. Traffic laws are supported. Good manners in traffic are supported. Cooperation among drivers in many contexts is supported. You get the drift?

I feel confident they would also support commonsense laws regarding gun ownership and the use of guns. They will see guns as useful to protect and defend the self and others. They will not see guns as a right to force someone’s will onto another person’s life. Thus, laws will restrict use of, and ownership of private guns and ammunition. To protect and preserve. That is the call of the millennial.

I am not a millennial. I have not done any research on millennials. I have granddaughters who are millennials. Next time I see them, I will talk about this blog post to see how far off the beam I am. Or not! I think and hope I have it right, however.

I work with different ages of people. Many are millennials. Many are not. The differences among the age groupings are emerging. In time, they will be much clearer. But a strong sense of meaning is present.

Community is a concept in which everyone gives up small increments of freedom temporarily in order to gain the strength of the group. “No man is an island.” “It takes a village to raise a child.” Astounding truths reside in both those quotations. I get it. I think millennials get it as well.

Community does not mean communism. Or socialism. But the idea that no one ‘owns’ things to the exclusion of others is a fuzzy concept building within the millennial mind. Thus, a corporation ought not create a monopoly or oligopoly in order to control prices of products and services provided by such organizations. It is wrong for price gouging to be allowed. The air belongs to no one person; it is needed by all. Preserving air quality is a right and thus a freedom to use it for sustaining life. It cannot be abused by some for their benefit at a serious loss of health to others. Same goes for soil, water and prevailing noise levels in our environment.

We live on the same planet. We must share what the planet offers. For the good of all. This is commonsense, not communism.

If you own a house or car, for the length of time you do own it you have exclusive rights to use it as you see fit as long as your use does no harm to someone else. When you cease ownership in the item, it is available for someone else to use exclusively just as you did. In this sense, you and I have rights of ownership. But it comes with limits to protect the rights and well-being of others.

The relativism of the terms – capitalism, communism, socialism – or any other ism, requires commonsense acceptance of restrictions.

Perhaps what we need is a serious education on ‘community’.

May it begin today.

November 9, 2017

Violence

A few years ago, we went out for a light supper. Corner Bakery in Warrenville was our destination. We traveled down Winfield Road and turned into the northern out lots of Cantera Business Park, the part that houses several restaurants and the entertainment/theater complex. Among the restaurants, Corner Bakery. To get there we had to wend our way along a couple of access roads with stop signs. We came up behind a slow-moving trail of vehicles headed by a pick up truck. One by one the cars turned off. Finally, it was our turn to follow directly behind the truck.

It was a slow go. Very slow. I tapped my horn lightly. No response. Finally, we got to a stop sign. We stopped. And didn’t start up. I laid on the horn. No response. I moved to go around him. He moved forward a foot or two, matching my progress. A tit for tat game. Finally, I floored it and zipped past him. He followed. Into the parking lot of Corner Bakery. He menaced us. Shaking his hands and arms. And yelling. Taunting us. I entered the restaurant and notified the staff to call the police if he entered behind us.

My only thought was he was drunk and clearly mad at the world, enticing a reaction from anyone and everyone. My mind went to imagining violence. Was he capable of it? Were we in danger?

No. We weren’t in danger. He was a harmless, most likely intoxicated ne’er do well. Mad at the world and trying to get a rise out of others. He did that!

I wonder about this incident years later. To me it was a visible show of control and force over my freedom. It was a physical act; in real time. Not violent but an act that could easily have evolved to violence. No shoving of bodies; just intimidation by vehicle and positioning.

And so a man walks into the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and with an assault rifle shoots 50 people – to death; another 60 wounded. Another man walks into a church on Sunday morning in Charleston and shoots 9 people dead; still more wounded. Yet another man walks into a small Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and shoots 56 people, killing 26 and seriously injuring the remaining wounded. Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut – 20 dead by a lone gunman, mostly kids but three staff murdered. More places, more bodies, more guns used to kill more people.

In America. The land of the free. Free to go to school, to church, to shopping malls, to work, to a nightclub. Free, too, to walk around with a gun, a rifle, an AR-15 assault weapon, and shoot to kill and maim innocent people. Because you can. You are free in a free society to kill other free people. It is our birthright. Right?

WRONG! It is no one’s right to freely harm or kill another person when self-defense from a clear and immediate threat is absent.

You and I do not have the freedom to do this type of thing. We are not free to use our cars and trucks as weapons, either.

Yet there are people who sincerely believe that the US Constitution guarantees our right to own guns, bear arms, and use them without protective controls.

That is the crux of the argument.

I say it is time we curbed the ‘freedom to kill and intimidate with armaments’.

Just like other items with potential for danger, safety concerns drive legislation to protect innocent members of the public. It is time to do that for guns and ownership and use of same.

Congress has the duty to do this. The NRA has no power or authority over Congress. None. It is Congress who relinquishes its authority and hands it over to the NRA for cash contributions for their re-election; and if they don’t do this, the NRA fields a candidate to depose the sitting Congressperson.

Congress created the beast. It is their job to slay it.

Now.

November 8, 2017

Minimalist Lifestyle

When I think of this title – minimalist – I don’t match it with me. I’ve had lots of stuff surrounding me most of my life. I strove to buy stuff I really didn’t need, but somehow it made me feel better, about me! I suspect this is not a unique happenstance. The American economic model is one of consumption, buying, tossing, replacing, and doing so in a madcap swirling dervish tempo. Buy! Buy! Buy! New and improved! Now on Sale! Don’t miss out on these prices!

Such is the routine ad. On TV, radio, in print and now everywhere on social media.

Americans are urged to buy just for the sake of buying. Needs are not required. Is it no wonder, then, that our homes are cluttered with unneeded and unused items?

With age we need less living space. The kids are out on their own with homes of their own, and kids, too. So, three bedrooms were not needed. We moved to a two bedroom apartment. We attempted to downsize our stuff. Did well but still hung on to too much. Each of our rooms is crammed. And paperwork, reading materials and a host of other detritus accumulates seemingly from nowhere.

The bookcases are full, and not entirely with books! Windowsills make handy stash spots, too. So do unused chair seats. Even vacant areas of the floor are used to stack piles of documents and mail.

You get the picture. We are long overdue for a purge of unneeded stuff.

So we begin. Today we will write the sales copy for Craigslist. Hoping to swap unused things for some cash. Will vet the piles of paperwork on the floor next to the computer and trash most of it hopefully. Will clean off the tops of three chairs now being used as filing cabinets. Kitchen bar-top counter will be next. Mail unsorted but at least read will be assessed for need for filing. Or the trash! The top of the book cases will follow for tossing. Then we will prepare a list of hidey-hos to be considered for clearing out.

Closets are another spot of congestion – clothes that haven’t been worn in years due to weight gain or loss, and just plain loss of interest. Heave-ho, I say. The front closet/store room is another target for clearing. Down the building’s hall is our storage unit and that is stacked to the ceiling. Another good target for minimizing.

The debris of life collects most often because we are hesitant to make a decision: to toss or not. In all my life I have never wondered where a file or document is when needed. It simply isn’t needed for saving. Almost all such documents are not needed. But save them we do. And not in a fashion to be located if we do actually need them 18 months from now.

The inability to decide is the real issue, I think. We don’t need three flashlights with dead batteries in them. We don’t need an extra power drill, nor a third putty knife. In fact I don’t need any of those items anymore. Years ago I did; not now living in an apartment and contemplating yet another downsizing. It is the right time now to make some big adjustments in the stuff we have kept at hand. Nearly four years after the move we know what we don’t need.

The goal is set: by Thanksgiving day we will have removed a visible amount of stuff from each of our spaces – rooms, closets and cabinets. I can envision it already! Free at last, free at last, God Almighty we’ll be free at last!

Keep your fingers crossed. We’ll need the vibes!

November 7, 2017

Connecting

In SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives – learn more at www.SCORE.org ) meeting with a client is pretty personal. Up close, too. One mentor or two working with a client. Helping them sort out issues, elements, problems and possibilities. We do this in Roundtable Sessions as well once a month at several locations throughout our chapter’s territory. I host four per month; others host maybe another 10 or more. That’s a lot of talking. A lot of meeting. And just in small groups.

Mostly it is a lot of connecting.

People with questions seeking answers; mentors present to guide them through the thicket of information and possible answers to all of their questions. Well not all of their questions! Our roundtables are scheduled for 90 minutes; you can only accomplish so much in that time frame.

With 5 or 6 attendees and a couple of mentors, participants pose their questions and then the group answers those. Each person shares their knowledge and experience. The mentors are there to keep order and help with some of the material as needed. Most of the time, however, the hosts get the meeting started and then get out of the way! The interaction is amazing most of the time.

And the connectedness.

Once a group gets going their discussion takes on details that profile each business enough for each to understand the focus of the answer to the questions posed. Suddenly we are into the specifics and delivering assistance. It is not a theoretical discussion. It is nuts and bolts.

Connectedness has strong value. Observe the internet. It is a universe of connections. Think of your college and university classes; theoretical until small discussion groups were formed and suddenly everyone had focus – and purpose. Discussion became real in a hurry.

That’s what I mean by connectedness.

A coffee klatch. Friends know each other and talk; over a cup of coffee. A topic is tossed onto the table and the sharing begins.

The same happens in offices and workspaces, too, if it is supported and valued. The more it is valued, the more value it has for the organization. It is amazing what ideas fellow workers can come up with. I remember the informal smoking klatches on the loading dock of our office building; we weren’t allowed to smoke in the building. The group that gathered throughout the day usually spoke of business matters and the depth and breadth were stunning! We often commented on it!! And from a cross section of departments, too.

How about your life spaces? Do you have informal gatherings as part of your daily routines?

In SCORE we often meet clients one-on-one in coffee shops – Panera Bread and Starbucks. Those locations are used by all sorts of people with different affinities. Observe their talk and discussion. Some are deep and others are social. More and more I watch deep discussions going on that clearly are inventing new ideas, products and services. A lot of business is being conducted at these places. And the key to this activity is the connectedness of the people involved. Thank God for Panera and Starbucks! They provide the space for our activities. Hopefully everyone is buying their products to make it worth their while.

The point is the connectedness taking place within their spaces. It is something to behold. People are thinking, talking, and inventing. The future should be very interesting!

All this from connecting.

November 6, 2017

Bits and Pieces

Successor to Yellen at Federal Reserve?

He doesn’t have an economics degree, undergraduate or graduate level, but he is a trained lawyer, an investor, a successful businessman and has strong experience on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Trump has nominated him for Janet Yellen’s position, Chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. His voice is of reason and supports viable policies.

Reading his background tells me Jerome Powell makes an excellent candidate for the position and should be quickly approved by the Senate. Powell knows the business of the Federal Reserve. He has been well-schooled in the job and has observed Yellen’s performance as well as her predecessor.

This is one of those rare moments in Trump’s presidency where the nomination may be one of the best of his tenure. I hope he will be speedily seated by the Senate.

NYC Terror Attack: the beat goes on

Once again terror has struck innocents in the largest American City. On Halloween, just a block or so from an annual Halloween parade of citizens marching in full costumes, complete with some floats. A lot of local celebration and fun. So close to the scene of tragedy just an hour or so before the festivities were to begin. The terrorist drove a rented pickup truck down a busy bicycle path. He struck and killed 8 people and mowed down another 15 victims. Some remain in hospital but many returned immediately to their homes with nonlife-threatening injuries. Wounded souls and spirits on a day usually set aside for fun and nonsensical costumes. A reminder once again that our times are not normal; they are lethal, unpredictable and violent.

Sad. But now is not the time to close the front, side or back doors to our nation. Hospitality still rules our land as it should. 330 million citizens mostly are nonviolent. Tens of millions of visitors annually are nonviolent. So let us not allow the very few to intimidate the multitudes. Let public safety personnel do their job and protect us as best they can. The rest of us should go about our business as always.

Sexual Abuse Exposed

In the back of our minds we knew some people abused their trust with others – friends, families and co-workers. Strangers, too, of course, but the news these days is all about the ramping up of the abuse. A lot is happening; perhaps not more than usual, but now more public. I guess we need to study this more to know just how large the problem is statistically. We know it’s a bad problem. An ugly one. One we have not spoken much about. But we know it is there and we, the people, need to do something about it. That’s you and I.

Government can and does make policies that are aimed at protecting us and aiding society to maintain norms of behavior that do not place us under threat. The threat, of course, is still there. To lessen the happenings of sexual abuse, it is up to each of us to talk with others about our experiences. If abused, tell someone. Report it to the authorities. Get the attention – both emotional and medical – you need to reduce retained damage from the incident. But do more to protect others; get involved in the solution!

The more we know about this problem, the more aware of its chance of happening. With awareness, we can help contain the problem. It begins with knowing; then acting.

It takes all of us – the ‘village’ – to raise our quality of life. Don’t let someone down. Be a part of the solution.

November 3, 2017