Odds & Ends

It’s one of those days I want to clean out some quotes I ran across but have yet to do anything with.  So topics today will be highly varied.

First, from an unknown author:

            “You don’t need religion to have morals.

             If you can’t determine right from wrong, then you lack empathy, not religion.”

I’m not certain empathy is the defining characteristic here but morals do not automatically follow from religion. Nor is religion always moral. Morality emanates from a fine tuned sense of right and wrong and keeping one’s eyes on just that. Converging this with real world living conditions is most difficult. Discernment of truth in the midst of chaos is a challenge. Perhaps empathy – seeing the world thru the eyes of others – is a major element in discernment. It helps with a grasp of the moral. Either way hard work is required of us in these matters.

Second, from www.someecards.com:

           

            “The Constitution is a lot like the Bible in that you have a lot of idiots

             Who've obviously never read it, but still try to tell you what it says.”

Both the Constitution and the Bible are complicated wordy documents of history. To understand them is to understand the history from which they emanated. It takes hard work and concentration. It is work not for the lazy or undisciplined. Accordingly, ask for credentials before believing what is said by someone about either document.

Third, from Senator Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt):

“The obscene and increasing level of wealth and income inequality in this country is immoral, un-American and unsustainable.”

I think this is true. The key word is unsustainable. From a policy point of view sustainability is of critical importance. To imagine the current condition as automatically successful on a sustainable basis is to not understand economics. The ideologues will state the opposite. But then they do not have the training of a degreed economist.

Over the ages history has proven to us that the common good and shared standard of living among all people is the consistent ingredient of long term healthy economics. Our current circumstance is anything but. The poor get poorer; the rich get richer; the middle class disappears. Soon there will be no consumers for the middle product lines from which most wealth originates. Think about it.

Fourth, anonymous shares with us this thought:

“Any lawmaker, while making a six-figure salary, receiving a Cadillac benefits package and becoming a millionaire from being in office, who tells the poor, the disabled and the disadvantaged that they must make sacrifices has no business as a legislator or being called a decent human being.”

Really now!  A congressman earns close to $200,000 per year, has paid holidays, vacation, sick time and health insurance benefits. The health insurance is top notch at little or no cost to them, without deductible and with no life-time limits on payout. Their coverage is the dream of most citizens. On top of all that they get retirement benefits equal to their annual salary for life; did I say life? Yes I did! 

Do you have this kind of salary and benefit package?  And don’t forget a biggie: congress people have expense allowances that pay for their staff, office space at home, in district and in Washington. They have travel benefits that most of us would love to have and business trips that take them all over the globe without much relevance to their job responsibilities.

Yet these people have the gall to judge the rest of us and what we should be granted in benefits from benefit programs we pay for in the first place, not them.

My solution to this egregious imbalance is to provide congressmen and senators with the very same benefits we get as citizens: social security benefits, Medicare and Medicaid program benefits, the whole nine yards. If we pay for them, so should they. If our benefits are less than theirs, then theirs should be shrunk to our benefit scale.

The sacrifice they should make is a given! We already make those sacrifices.

I could go on with these odds and ends but I think you've had enough for one session.  Meanwhile I’ll save up some more for a future session.  Until then….

April 8, 2014

            

Cleaning House

I’m a neat freak. Not a clean one. Just neat. I don’t mind dust. I do mind dirt and wear and tear. I like things serviceable, pleasant in appearance, and well-thought out.

I prefer to keep things neat and tidy bit by bit as I encounter them. I detest cleaning projects although when done with them I do feel a lot better! Knowing your bedroom is clean of dust from under the bed, accumulated head hair behind the bed, and dust and settled dirt is wiped clean from the window sills, makes me feel clean and sparkly. A simple vacuuming and dusting doesn't quite do it for me, although I know it helps.

So I nitpick my way around the house tidying it. If someone were to drop in it would look good.

Well now, I have a confession to make. You see, we got this dog 5 years ago. She was a life saver for us back then and continues to be to this day. But the price we paid for being saved was high.

Willow is beautiful, cute and cuddly. She is also an 8-year old rescue dog. She was nearly feral when rescued from an abusive home. At that point in her life she pooped and peed where she felt the need to. It took time and patience to break her of this practice and we were successful. However, the new carpeting took a hit and never was rescued. The stains were permanent and hideous in the living room, dining room, bedroom and office. So bad were these stains that we covered them with area rugs, and considered replacing the carpet with hard wood floors.

We didn't get around to that. Finances wouldn't allow this so we got used to living in a stained environment. We were not comfortable allowing guests to see this horror so we became recluses in our own home. We got used to the mess and allowed cleaning chores to slide. We procrastinated.

Eventually only a major cleaning and renovation project would save the interior décor. And of course that was not to be as we lost the home to foreclosure and bankruptcy. We vacated the home and moved to fresh space.

Now my neat and tidy phase has kicked in again. The new home is clean, bright and well organized. Still too much stuff for a small space so we continue to weed out and toss stuff. But clean we are and ready for visitors!  For the first time in at least two years, maybe three. Now we clean the house each day, at least a part of it.

Used to be that I scheduled a house cleaning but was deterred by some phone call or other errand. Not much was accomplished. But now, I’m back to a behavior of yesteryear: housecleaning as aerobic exercise, a little done each day. More controlled body fat AND a clean house.  What could be bad about that?

So far the dog has respected our new space and behaved herself. Accidents will happen, I know, but for now we are good. And we mean to keep it that way.

So, a new place, a new regime of activity and a fresh environment. May it always be so!

April 7, 2014

Thought for the Day

Another anonymous quotation to share with you today:

            “Your value doesn't decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.”

Think about that for 15 minutes or so. Doesn't it help you fade away from the personal, negative feelings of others? They don’t own your mind. They don’t control your future, not even your present.

Leave them alone and focus on your own worth. Work on that. Leave the others alone in their ignorance. When the time is right they will understand; or not. Either way it does not matter to you at this time.

April 5, 2014

Life Openings

So many challenges to face: financial, health, relationships, career, weather, questions of philosophy and religion…these are the things we work on day in and day out. How do we fare in these pursuits? Some good, some poor. Each, however, leaves us changed.

The reality of change pulls us consciously or not into a different life-space. It forms our thinking about countless things. It prepares us for other unknown encounters that will further change our lives.

We can’t really teach people these things, only how they can relate to the challenges and adapt to change in a healthy manner. Yes; that we can teach, but not the other.  The other is too specific and not open to learning processes that can be adapted to other moments in our life sure to occur.

Plato said this for the Ages:

“I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.”

Interesting he would settled on those ideas. In that day and age so little was known of the physical world, but like us, what we knew we felt was the bulk of all that was to be known!  Myopia aside, Plato focused on the arts as the trainer of choice of thinking, especially among children. The connection between emotion, intellect and the physical world is the stuff of music. And it is for Plato more important than the other disciplines. It is an opening to understanding the other disciplines.

I found this on the internet the other day, anonymous of course:

            “Music – the other non-addictive, mood-altering non-substance.

             Ask your Doctor if music is right for you. 

 Common side effects include but are not limited to uncontrolled head bobbing, toe tapping,  

 finger snapping, selective hearing impairment and persistent melody flashbacks.”

So music continues throughout all of life experiences – and the arts in general. We are humanized by music and art. We communicate by way of music and art. We are challenged and soothed by art and music. It shapes the way we perceive life. It helps us deal with life.

I say these things because so often we ignore music and art education. We take it for granted. We appreciate it each in our own way but we tend not to think it is a necessary part of education. It is a ‘soft’ part of life. It is not a hard producer of economic well-being of a family. It is a frill, an interest we dabble with.

Yet observe the earphones prominent in our society of today. In the classroom, on public transportation, even in private cars. Earphones. Everywhere. And music is the companion of elevator rides, hotel lobbies, store aisles and restaurants. Music is played nearly everywhere. Doubt that? Try the hospital operating room! The surgical staff commonly listen to music, often blaring. It focuses their skills and attention on repairing your tissues!

Art is the great humanizer of life on this planet. It is not soft. It is vital.

As usual, Ann Landers had something to say about parenting that I think would be useful here:

“It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings.”

So the circle is complete. Openings to understanding life from childhood on is aided by our relationship with art and music and an appreciation of our surroundings. Learning to grow our appreciation for these things helps us develop toward fully functioning human beings.

Next time you’re asked to pay school taxes or support local arts organizations, please remember the role of arts in our society.  I’m just saying…

April 4, 2014

Weak-Strong-Intelligent

Einstein was a man of many depths. We think of him as a physicist, astrophysicist and theoretical mathematician. He was, however, much more than those weighty disciplines.

I think he was a master of logic: clear, pure thought.

An example of his thinking:

            “Weak people revenge.

             Strong people forgive.

             Intelligent people ignore.”

                                    ~Albert Einstein

Let those words sink in. Do any observations spring to mind?

Years ago I worked for the University of Illinois at Chicago. At the time (1971 to 1987) the campus was working hard to transition from a two-year undergraduate campus (Navy Pier) to a full four-year degree granting university. It had several separate colleges and academic disciplines plus a graduate school granting masters and doctoral degrees.

Still a commuter campus (no on-campus living arrangements) the campus struggled to build a community identity among the students, faculty and staff. America’s template for universities was well established with dormitories, married student housing and a vibrant neighborhood community in which to meet, greet, eat and build lives structured around academic pursuits.

In that era the campus transitioned endlessly through development phases. My boss, Dean of Students, was a man of compassion and wisdom. He had survived World War II including an invasion and occupancy of Italy while the Germans were still present. His stories were captivating and made the war so personal, so real.

Oscar Miller was an honest and direct communicator. He had campus opinions based on policy needs. He also understood student yearnings for freedom and exploration of adulthood. Faculty was not enamored with student needs; their focus remained on research and academic disciplines. Administrators were concerned about campus identity, a peaceful harbor for learning and a budding sense of future for the campus.  This all during the tumultuous ‘70’s: the riotous debates and student unrest over the War in Viet Nam, Kent State student massacre, SDS and the Civil Rights Movement. Added to our plate at the time was the Latino movement toward their civil rights. Times were anything but calm!

Student protests were common in those days. A young 3-piece suited suburbanite train commuter from a far western suburb, I visited students in jail, followed protest mass arrests to jail to monitor their rights and conditions in custody. The days were long but very interesting. Challenging as well. This was not the model of life I had journeyed through. But it was the real world of the 1970’s.

Oscar’s forehead had a telltale triangle that would redden when we was angered, frustrated. It was a beacon that informed me that he was holding in red-hot anger but his demeanor was forthright, calm and logical. He managed student sit-ins, small-scale riots, and threats of same. Through it all he maintained his composure and was able to restore calm.

His way was of strength; he forgave bad behavior because he knew it was the result of a passion of belief. He did not seek revenge or imagine insults. He knew the environment of communications in those days was emotional, political, power-oriented and passion driven. He did not take it personally.

The maturity he demonstrated for my observation included the rare ability to ignore people and ideas that would unsettle the calm. He knew they were there; but they were not controlling or important to settling the public forum.

It took me years to learn those lessons. I was slow and stubborn along the way. I’m still not sure I have perfected it, in fact I know I haven’t. I do avoid revenge; I struggle to forgive; but I still have difficulty ignoring things I think do or should matter.

Oh well. Maturity comes with age or maybe not at all! Does trying count?

April 3, 2014

Positive/Negative

Positive charges attract. Negative charges repel. Basic physics. The same is true in human relationships: positive attitudes attract while negative attitudes repel. Not exactly physics but it is based on the similar principles.

Not long ago I read a treatise on positive attraction. It is a theory that if you think positive thoughts the related good things will come to you. Your life will slowly fill up with abundance. Whether the plenty is measured in dollars, food or space is not known; more likely it is measured in good things happening for you as you relate to other people. 

Such positive attraction can bring financial success, but that is not the focus of the theory.  Quality of thought, mind and spirit is the focus.

In our newspaper distribution market we have a small town, actually a village. It prides itself on resident participation and healthy, vibrant public discussions. Over the years their local newspapers have trumpeted this characteristic. But they suffer from interior view, a lack of perspective.

External observers tend to see the real nature of the village. I have not especially focused my attention on the town, but for 43 years it has been a neighboring community and the goings on there have become noisy enough to be noticed by people from other towns. Now as I help publish a newspaper serving that village among other communities, it has become more noticeable to me.

Here’s a quote I wish the people of Winfield, Illinois would pay attention to:

            “A negative mind will never give you a positive life.”  ~Anonymous

For many years residents of Winfield have allowed broad public discussion to take on strident negativity. At times it is ugly. Both sides claim ‘truth’ as their banner but in all honesty, they both hurl insults and emotional attacks designed to intimidate and hurt the other 'side'.

No wonder in such an environment little good gets done. And yet they blame the ‘other’ not only for the problem but the inability to repair the problem.  Sound familiar? Sound like the Illinois Legislature? Or Congress? Or countless other politicized debates roiling our nation? 

What these combatants have failed to realize is: they create the public paralysis they wish to allay. Their game of one-ups-man-ship poisons the very forum in which the solutions reside.

Base line in Winfield is this: they are mostly dyed in the wool republicans. They take hard lines on national and international issues. They carry the fight home to their own community. They fight because they know little else.

I think the truth is simple: focus on those things you already agree on, identify actual problems needing to be solved, and then work together on crafting the solutions for the good of the community. Leave personalities outside the meeting room. Maybe over time the personalities will actually learn to be tolerant of disagreement in a positive manner. Stranger things have happened.  I still believe in miracles.

Leonard Peltier shared this thought with the internet recently:

            “I don’t know how to save the world. I don’t have the answers or The Answer. I

hold no secret knowledge as to how to fix the mistakes of generations past and present. I only know that without compassion and respect for all of Earth’s inhabitants, none of us will survive – nor will we deserve to.”

This is from a man convicted of murdering two FBI agents during the American Indian movement skirmishes of the 1970’s. His imprisonment is for two life terms.

He has learned he doesn't have the answer. Most politicians and radio/TV talking heads don’t either. But they certainly have the words and ammunition to keep the fight going even when they no longer know what that fight is about.

It’s time public discourse quiets down and tolerance of differing views grows. It is in this environment that good things get done. Winfield residents and leaders need to focus on these issues:

1. Repair all roads so they are safe and support basic daily commerce; keep them that way
2. Determine the scope of budget needs: the high, medium and low needs
3. Determine the range of options that could be implemented to grow village revenues which will begin to solve budget needs
4. Identify one or two things the town can never give up lest it lose its identity
5. Develop a written vision statement of how the majority of residents wish to see their community described in 20 years.

My hunch is that most people in Winfield agree on most things. Those are the important issues that guide the bulk of the community’s life. The disagreements are few but manage to grow into enormous barriers to progress on managing  issues.

It is time for the public to urge leaders to change the discussion to a positive one. Negative and personal attacks destroy the very comity of the community needed to build a wonderful town experience.

Maybe the leaders will jump to do this without constituent pressure?  We can only hope so!

April 2, 2014

Rise and Shine

April 1 – April Fool’s Day, Rabbit Rabbit – a day usually associated with spring. Budding trees and shrubs, a greening of lawns, a crisp morning with warmer daytime temps. That’s what I associate with April 1.

Sort of a new beginning. A fresh start.

How many times do we need a new start?  My guess is a lot. 

“Life…has knocked me down a few times, it showed me things I never wanted to see, I experienced much sadness and failure…

            But one thing for sure, I always get up.”      ~Author Unknown

How honest we are about such things will determine how accurate our self-assessment is. The more honest we are the more we recognize the blessings we have to be thankful for.

Who would have thought an honest consult would lead to losing a valued client? Was I premature in assuming they could handle an analysis that showed them the errors of their ways and how to get back to more solid ground? Well it happened. And Some clients surprised me over the years. Of course it was my miscalculation. They weren't properly prepared to receive the news. The information was correct, however; they just didn't want to accept it at that point in their organization life.

There were other clients I knew were not prepared for the truth. Truth is not always welcome but it is necessary. I don’t mind that sort of thing if I realize going in that is what I can expect, then I will sacrifice a future business relationship for the truth. That sort of thing is a base line of ethics in the business of consulting.  Bottom line: unvarnished facts are often hard to digest.

I've taught many people that they can learn much more from their mistakes than from their successes. Often success is luck, pure and simple. Then too, success blinds us to the real cause of that success. We often do not understand the whole lesson. But mistakes? Wow! Dissecting and analyzing failures clearly uncovers our own mistakes and the answers for future attempts. We learn valuable lessons from failure, from mistakes. Again honesty is needed to allow the lessons to be evident for our use.

Other knock down moments in life: divorce, auto accidents, illnesses and resulting limitations, aging, death of loved ones, bankruptcy, troubles with the IRS…the list goes on and one in most of our lives. Try as we may to avoid such pitfalls they happen nonetheless.

In the real world life is to be lived and experienced. Avoiding pitfalls often builds defensive fences around possible outcomes that teach us dear lessons. Avoiding the pitfalls carries the possibility of avoiding valuable moments of experience.

Life is not all pleasant else how would we be able to know the high points? A tough miserable winter teaches us the sweetness of spring. The heat of summer months grows our appreciation of fall months and turning leaves and crisp fresh mornings.

Financial woes teach appreciation for simpler things. Those things were always near us but we didn’t see them or appreciate them because our focus and ‘wants’ were obscuring them.

Hateful experiences in public or at work allow us to treasure the safe harbor of home.  A simple cup of tea or coffee, a few minutes of cuddling a baby or the puppy. Those moments refresh us and bring new zest to our spirit. But first the sadness and failure must be accepted in our life. They teach us much.

Indeed, they allow us to rise in the morning and face a new day with hope and expectation.

On this first day of April, this first day of a hopeful spring, may your lives turn toward the positive and beautiful.

Rabbit Rabbit!

April 1, 2014