Forget Politics - Remember History

I have wanted to steer clear of politics and negative blogging but I feel I must speak out about the recent turn of events in the United States.  I am talking about Trump’s banning of certain media from his White House briefings; The New York Times and other respectable media outlets are being banned because Trump perceives them to be against him.  He calls their reporting “fake news” among other things.

No matter what your political leaning may be or whether you are American, Canadian,  Western European or any other nationality,  I think you MUST see that not having Free Press is a terrible blow to Democracy.  This move of Trump's may only be the tip of the iceberg which this government is rolling out so it is vital for everyone to stand up and protest.  This is no time for anyone to poo poo about what is going on here.  This is no time to be lazy, oblivious, ignorant or “above it all”. 

Just reflect back on any of the books or films you may have seen with respect to what went on in Germany in the 1930’s.  Perhaps you may have heard stories from your parents or grandparents who lived in these times, even as I have.  This wasn’t pretend, these things really happened and the really alarming part about how the Nazis and Hitler came to power was that middle class Germans never dreamed that their society would take such a horrendous turn.  They thought they could get rid of Hitler and the Nazis, that it was just a momentary blip in the political stream.  Suddenly though Germans were afraid of THEMSELVES.  If you read no other book this year, read “Every Man Dies Alone” by Hans Fallalda.  If you can, then read “Countrymen” by Bo Lidegaard.

I know social media currently is an avenue to have your say but this too may be shut down.  Perhaps not a literal shutting down but if a person writes something and one or two days later uniformed men come to take you away . . . you see what I mean?  These things can happen, may even be happening now.  A better way to voice your concerns is to write or call your elected representatives.  All of them.  And when you vote be really sure that you know who you are voting for.  Don’t be fooled by those who tickle your ears.  Don’t go down the slippery slope of hate and fear. 

Make a stand for what is right.  We may not all believe in the same things but surely we all believe that vilifying people who are different from us is wrong.  And most of all surely we believe that killing is wrong.  Whether we are in Canada, the United States, Europe or elsewhere, right minded people must be strong and must speak up for democratic rights.  Free speech and freedom of the press are unalienable rights in the Western world.

Make a stand for what is right, please.

“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”  George Santayana

Fun with Thinking

I have been thinking . . . one often will start a conversation with that little gambit and we may get sarcastic rebuttals about the pain of that exercise.  However, I have actually been thinking about this and that but mostly about how to get the most out of a life in retirement.  Everyone has their own character, their own style, their own philosophy and no one is right or wrong.  Or are they?

I think there is one style that is definitely wrong and that style is not having any plan and suddenly finding yourself retired with nothing to do.  These people have a shock coming to them when I tell them that their chances of living more than a year in retirement are slim.  I was personally very shocked to learn this fact and was relieved that I, at least, had a plan.  I am grateful for having the ability to think ahead. True it is a blessing and a curse but I’ll take it anyway.

My friends are concerned about me taking on more farm responsibilities.  Building my apiary, adding to my flock of hens and building up a fruit farm seems to them too much working and not enough retirement.  However I love being out in the fresh air, I love the physical exercise of digging in dirt, I find my hens comical and endearing and the anticipation of bee keeping is very exciting since I will be learning something that is both science based and creative.  I cannot imagine just sitting back drinking pina coladas or watching soap operas.

I am writing new goals in my Jumpstart book and will be excited to review them in 2018.

2018 . . . I can’t believe how fast this century is moving along.  Is that something old people say?

 

Rights and Rights

The other day I heard some mind boggling decisions made by Mississippi (following on something North Carolina did a while back) namely passing a law that allowed people to deny rights to gay people basing this on these individuals’ own rights to live up to their religious beliefs.  Really?  So now you can declare yourself a Christian and then deny a homosexual a marriage license because your feelings as a Christian cannot handle the task of issuing a license.  If it’s your job to issue licenses I’d like to know what your personal beliefs have to do with that job. 

As a secretary I frequently had to lie for my boss by saying he was not in the office or otherwise denying access to him.  The 10 commandments tell us not to lie but if I had gone to my boss (or the Legislature) to have my rights as a Christian honoured do you think I would have gotten them?  I would laugh if I wasn’t so horrified by a governing body going back into the dark ages on something so archaic as this.

There are Rights and there are rights.   What I am seeing is a regression into prejudice and the next thing the legislature will peel back on are other hard fought rights such as that of women working, getting equal pay and their rights to say no just to name a few.  I don’t care what religion a person owns but if that religion tramples on the rights of individuals the religion is no good.  Too many bad things happen in the name of so called religion for a governing body to give rights to hypocrites at the expense of others who simply want the rights they have been given by a higher authority (and I don’t mean God I mean the Supreme Court). 

Live and let live, for crying out loud.  (and by the way, I don’t think you are a “good” Christian when you have been divorced 3 times so suck it up and give the gay couple their god damn marriage license).

Gender Gap Continues to Grow

I enjoy watching “To The Contrary” on Sunday mornings because the topics are often a little bit outside of the general political discussion.  Frequently they discuss gender issues and this weekend was no exception.  Aside from the fact that there is no surprise between the narrow mindedness spouted by the Republican representatives and the “normal” point of view of the Democrats it was interesting to realize that the gender gap seems to be widening rather than narrowing after 40 decades of “Women’s Liberation”.

As chance would have it last week I was visiting with some former colleagues and we happened to have a discussion on female bosses.  It is really interesting to hear how many women dislike female bosses and those bosses who appear particularly firm are seen as aggressive, cocky and/or arrogant.  Characteristics of authoritativeness in men are seen as aggression in women, no surprise there and yet I would have thought that women in general would have gotten past that very biased viewpoint. 

I can tell you that I have worked for female bosses and I have enjoyed working with them.  I think it behooves women to take a step back from their judgments and understand that female bosses have to take a very strong position in order to maintain their authority and continue their climb to the upper echelons of corporate power.  They are not doing anything differently from men, but they are (perhaps) behaving differently than less achieving women.  But they are not doing anything wrong.  It’s those who are judging them that are in the wrong.

As I see it.

Indictments

The other day I got very angry at the way corporations around the world avoid their share of taxes.  Not only their “fair share of taxes” but taxes of any kind.  Despite the stories (although few) written about these tax avoidances people seem very passive in allowing themselves to be screwed over, so to speak.  I just don’t understand it.  Most people don’t seem to feel in the slightest bit incensed that major companies like Starbucks, Tim Horton’s, Apple, Amazon and MacDonalds avoid taxes.  The really big corporations like the oil companies and banks they are even better at avoiding taxes.

But why don’t people get mad?  I understand that people feel powerless, that they have to make ends meet and so they may not have any energy to fight but really, can’t you at least get mad? 

Back in 1971 when I graduated from high school a university education was affordable for a regular family.  Tuition cost around $300 for a full year (i.e. classes went from September to April/May – that was one full term).  Books would cost between $150 and $300 depending on the courses.  Students could easily earn their second years tuition and book fees during their summer breaks.  Generally students got through university with little or no debt (the debt arising more from living expenses if they didn’t live at home).  A family ought to be able to create an environment in the home that encourages its children to strive for better opportunities which would most likely include secondary education.  But in today’s world this has become increasingly out of reach since education has become For Profit enterprises rather than a way of advancing the betterment of citizenship.

Why is this happening?  The bottom line reason is the same old snake in the grass, greed.

I entitled this article “Indictments” because I think it’s time that citizens start investigating those corporations that are complicit in keeping individuals in a constant state of submission.  Or do you think it is alright for citizens to be pushed down and back to the level of serfs?  Think it won’t happen, well, I ask you to think again.

Going Back to Square One

Yesterday I think I got hung up on too many labels.  Today I am going to think about my beliefs from a new perspective.

Things I believe in are fairness, honesty, and loyalty.  These are probably my three strongest beliefs, the ones that have grounded me throughout my life and ones that I don’t ever remember having been taught, they just were.  Along with these beliefs I believed in a good work ethic but I did learn very early in my working career that being a good worker, being fair, honest and loyal did not give me the highest raises or the best promotions.  From the beginning I held my beliefs were more important than the money, the promotion or the recognition so I suppose another belief I had was belief in my personal integrity.

In considering my beliefs I went back to my childhood and realized that one of my fundamental beliefs was in the invincibility of my parents.  I believed my parents knew everything about everything and the day my mother wasn’t home during lunch hour rocked my world.  My faith in my parents was complete and nothing anyone could say would ever have caused me to doubt my parents.  For that I am truly thankful as it gave me a foundation to build all other beliefs. 

My fundamental beliefs are the ones that built my character and contributed to what can be perceived as prudishness and/or priggishness.  It also made me into a Pollyanna-like person which was confirmed recently when I took a profile quiz that marked me as a “Believer”.  But my beliefs have also made it so that I can put my head on my pillow at night and I sleep like a baby.

I’m pretty sure this studying belief into character is not supposed to make a person pat themselves on the back but oh well, I believe I have the self-confidence to that.  J

 

Do My Beliefs Make Me Who I Am?

Now there is an interesting question about being.  How many labels can we attach to ourselves?  Things such as I am a woman, I am 60+, I am Canadian, I am a daughter, a sister, a friend.  Or things like character such as I am organized, I am happy, I am smart, I am stupid, I am wise, I am a clown, I am impatient, I am tolerant.  You can see that some labels conflict with each other.

Do these labels we or others put on us make us who we are?  Deep down?  I think it shapes us but it doesn’t make you who you are.  We are more than the labels and our beliefs are deeper than being a woman (for example).  The beliefs that truly define us, are the beliefs that we carry out in actions.  A person may say she is kind but if she sits on the bus and growls at anyone who tries to sit beside her she is not behaving kindly and her belief in kindness is not a true belief but a myth she tells herself.

Examining what we really believe means we have to look at how we behave in order to know that we are measuring up to our beliefs.  I know I am looking at the question sideways instead of examining myself but it seems to me that I have to understand the question more thoroughly in order to put a lot of labels on myself and then work through those beliefs in myself.

Objections aside I will think about my beliefs and try to figure out what they mean!

Irony in Big Things and Small

The biggest bonus in the characteristics department has got to be the ability to laugh at one’s self.  If we didn’t have a sense of humour we would be in serious trouble most of the day.  Now why would I say this on such a holy day as Sunday.

Because it started out virtuous.

In the big scheme that I call my retirement planning I have decided that this winter I am going to study theology.  What better way than to tackle C.S. Lewis’ “Fern-seed and Elephants”, a nice little book on various theological themes.  I ripped right through the book and felt particularly pleased with his chapter on Forgiveness.  I was all right with the world when I stepped into my car.  The sun was shining, the wind was minimal and I was smiling.  Then I hit the highway; still smiling but soon my lips were gripped firmly between my clenched teeth.  Within ten minutes choice words exploded and immediately I felt remorseful but three seconds later another car cut me off and the tranquil morning disintegrated to me wondering where half the drivers got their licenses.

Naturally I started laughing at myself as I realized how unholy I really was.  Before you get too judgmental on me, let me tell you that I was fully aware from the minute I hit the highway that I was going to be tested and that I was going to fail.  Furthermore, I was not really experiencing road rage, I was simply wondering why people would feel an urgency to get anywhere at 10 on a Saturday morning.  It’s not like I wasn’t going the speed limit and I was in the “slower lane keep right” lane.  However, people have their own sense of what is important to them and inside my car I am allowed to observe whatever I like.  I didn’t honk the horn, I didn’t give anyone the finger, I merely wondered in a rather explosive sort of way, but that’s my way.

Driving is one of the most common tasks we perform almost every day so it’s a time when we should be fully aware of what we are doing and how we are affecting other people.  I cannot fix other people’s bad habits even though I can honk at them when they cut in front of me without signalling.  They just think I am a jerk because of course they have a right to do whatever they want and it’s fun to keep other people on the road guessing as to what your intentions are, right?  (Even when I am trying to be kind I cannot curb my sarcasm, sorry.)  Seriously, we cannot be our brother’s keeper when we are out and about in society.  We can only be mindful of how we conduct ourselves if we care about such things.

So, do we care about how we conduct ourselves?  This is what I am wondering as I read Lewis’ book.  I took down my old confirmation text and browsed through it which took me back to my 13 year old self and how I questioned so many pieces of the catechism.  I thought that it would be good to get a 62 year old perspective of what I learned when I was a child.  And let me tell you that I found myself startled at the questions I had about myself, my religion and my “relationship with God”.  How quickly I found myself back in my young mind, asking the same questions about the trinity and about my day to day life in relation to “what Jesus wants us to be”. 

As part of the 6 pieces of pie used to outline aspects of retirement (finance, physical, mental, spiritual, social, active) I am taking year two to explore spirituality and Phase One, religion, is very inspiring.  My little grey cells are working overtime.

But I’m still smiling.

Critical Thinking

Yesterday I wrote a little bit about the situation in Europe and today I’d like to relate to you a discussion I had with one of my cousins, a discussion that became quite heated.

I was sitting eating my breakfast in the hotel when my cousin entered, greeted me, went to get his own breakfast at the buffet and returning to the table, without even sitting down he began to relate having seen 2 separate headlines in different newspapers.  From the gist of what he said I was supposed to instantly understand, number one, what he had said, and number two, agree with something he barely was able to article.  From that a free for all (on his side) began.  It may astonish my readers to know that I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.  It was assumed that words I had spoken some 5 days previous to this episode were apropos of these mysterious headlines.  Needless to say this discussion could not go on long without a protest from moi.  Let’s say the topic was terminated for another occasion.

Essentially, the one headline said that the Danish State Minister was going to veto the citizenship applications of 2,000 persons who had written and passed their citizenship examinations.  The other headline announced that Germany would be taking in 800,000 refugees in 2015.  Somehow I was supposed to equate the one with the other.  I managed to glean that those who had written the Danish exam had been in Denmark for 7 years.  Those people were the ones who had chosen to write the exam, who knows how many more refugees had entered the country 7 years ago and how does that relate to the crisis raging in the Middle East in 2015? 

Now, the statement I had made some days previous to this discussion was that the refugees coming into Scandinavia and other north European countries were coming with their hand out, demanding money.  It was a different discussion and I was merely relating what information I was getting from other news stories and people I had been talking to from various northern countries.

Somehow these words were thrown into my face and I was accused of being a racist. 

Now here is where the critical thinking comes in.

To be accused of being a racist, even though it was in the heat of the moment, is a very disturbing thing.  I am not the type of person who can slough off any kind of characteristic thrown at me without examining the comment thoroughly.  Many years ago a dear friend noted that the first thing out of my mouth after hearing a nasty story was a vengeful retort.  I took that very much to heart and learned that indeed, my first instinct when I hear something wrong is to have an avenging thought.  It doesn’t mean that I act on it, it’s just the first impulse.  Knowing this about myself I have learned to examine my reactions carefully.

Therefore I have been examine my feelings about this Migration Crisis carefully and in particular the refugees who are fleeing from their situation.  I still feel that the Middle East crisis is too complex to have a solution, especially coming from a Western perspective.  I also feel that simply opening the doors to European countries without very specific rules of conduct is not a good solution.  The whole world is in some form of economic recession so the type of aid that has been given to refugees in the past is simply not sustainable with literally millions of new refugees flocking into Europe.  Does having these thoughts make a person a racist?  Would I feel differently if they were white, if they were not Muslim? 

I feel quite certain that the answer is no.  I don’t think a person with my capacity for justice and compassion could possibly be a racist.  A person who has recently gone through the concentration camp at Auschwitz, who has read countless stories of the horrors of Nazi Germany, could possibly turn her back on anyone who seeks refuge from any kind of a horrible situation.  But having compassion and a sense of justice doesn’t mean that I have checked common sense at the door.  At this moment the desperate refugee is not knocking at the door so I have the luxury of still being able to think “outside the situation” if you will.  For the Europeans who are facing the crisis head on – many thousands are opening their hearts, homes and borders because what else can they do?

It behooves all those in power to take a critical look at the situation and come up with global solutions and at all times, and I quote George Santayana “those who cannot remember the past are destined to repeat it”.

Noblesse Oblige

The direct translation from the French means “obligation of the nobility”.  In general terms it implies that with wealth and power comes responsibility.  In ethical terms it implies that with privilege there is a duty towards those who lack that privilege.  Recently it has been used to suggest that the rich and powerful should set a good example of decent behaviour or exceed the minimum standard.

Unfortunately the media feeds us notoriety more than exemplary behaviour.  Perhaps that is partly because those who do good in the world prefer to keep a low profile so good deeds go unnoticed by the general population.  Sadly, the public also seems to enjoy hearing the worst of people rather than the best.  Yellow journalism has become the norm even in “legitimate” newspapers and one shudders to think what is obtainable via the Internet by way of sensationalism.

It behooves educated, sensible and compassionate people to strive towards their own “decent behaviour” and to seek to make the world a better place individually by their own conduct to their family, friends and colleagues; indeed within their circle of influence.  What better way in these critical times than to understand the differences among race, gender and religion and find the common ground among them.  Peace is a common thread among all people.  In our everyday lives we can seek peace by speaking slowly, thoughtfully and gently striving towards understanding and by being slow to react.  Hasty words bring regrets.

Forget the John Wayne syndrome, shake off the foolishness of patriotism and instead embrace the truth of simple humanity.  In the end we are all the same, flesh and blood, with a certain time on earth and then we are no more. 

One day at a time, one person arm’s length to another person, we can seek understanding and peace.  That is the obligation of humanity.

Beige or Grey

A comment from yesterday’s blog on navigating good and evil made me think about different shades of right and wrong.  So if I sneak a cookie from the cookie jar is it a light grey crime but if I take a nickel from the emergency fund does it become dark grey?  What is a white lie and when is it getting murky and beige?  

Last night I was pondering religion and I had a thought “I’m not afraid to meet my Maker” and then took the thought deeper.  If we have been raised to believe in God but as we get older we decide that religion isn’t for us, how far astray can we go before we are “lost”?  Every religion has its own take on that answer but I wanted to look at it from my own personal perspective.  For those who are deeply religious there really is no middle ground between white and black; there is no beige, grey or any other colour; either you believe or you don’t, period.  I thought about what the Universe would feel upon my death, if at the last moment I said “I believe” and I looked deeply at the answer – nothing.  

I don’t like to tell people what to believe and certainly I do not feel that I have any answers, much less the right answer when it comes to God, religion, or beliefs.  I think our world is complex but at the same time it is very simple.  It is made up of human beings and the greatest Right in the world is to live by the Golden Rule given out by Jesus Christ “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.  In other words, don’t do harm to anyone.

This morning I was watching “To the Contrary” and one of the topics was campus rape and for once all the women around the table were of one accord; they felt that there should be no statute of limitations on rape.  As one of the women most aptly explained it is a life altering crime that can take years to overcome (if indeed it can every really be overcome).  Gloria Steinem spoke about “humanizing masculinity” just as feminism was humanized which I thought was a very good way of saying how men can change.  Statistics are not available on whether the crime has escalated in recent years because for decades rape has seldom been reported but no one knows what that percentage could be.

Which brings me to the final comment – just because Bill Cosby has been a well loved personality and is now an old man, do we give him a pass if indeed he is guilty of the acts all these women are now reporting?

White

For a month I have been staring at a white page on the screen attempting to summon a topic of interest and this morning looking out at the glittering white world I thought “make it a fresh start and stop being stressed”.  So here I sit thinking about new beginnings which is appropriate for various sundry reasons.  Christmas approaches, retirement stretches ahead, stacks of books, piles of resolutions and a multitude of projects all await.

All of which are material things but what about new beginnings for civilization, for mankind, for the earth?  Will there ever be an opportunity where there will be a “new heaven and a new earth”?   Every Sunday morning I listen, not to a minister preaching the gospel, but Bill Moyer discussing topics with individuals who are ostensibly seeking the greater good for America if not the whole world.  Afterward my thoughts go inevitably to the same old groove, why do we never learn beyond a certain point?  Why does it seem that just as there appears to be a turning point towards a good life for all some greedy movement pushes us back into the dark ages?

I don’t mean to be dismal about where mankind is and where it’s going but it does sometimes seem incredible that humanity does not seems to be able to kick Greed in the teeth and say “no more”.  It seems incredible that we can identify the good guys in any story but when it comes to real life we seem to be lost.  Abel is good, Cain is bad; Tarzan is good, white hunters are bad; Luke Skywalker is good, Darth Vadar is bad; the Starks are good, the Lannisters are bad; in all the stories that battle good against who of us votes for the wicked one?  The fact that books like The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and other books of their kind are so popular is because people identify with the fight between right and wrong, good and evil, rich and poor so why do we fail in our daily lives?

Someday all of those who identify with Good will put up their hand and say “no more” and it will be an unstoppable wave.  We know the White Hat always wins in the end.

Mid-Season Evaluation (on TV)

My mother has discovered Lawrence Welk.  You know you are old when you have discovered Lawrence Welk.  Even back in the day when Lawrence Welk was on Saturday nights his music was “old”.  But curiously enough my mother made some comments that rather resonated with me when she was evaluating the difference between watching The Lawrence Welk Show and Dancing with the Stars (which she thoroughly enjoys).  She said that the people on the Welk show were very dignified and dressed lovely.  Then she said “and people in the audience listen, dance or clap in a respectful way.  There is no screaming or cheering.  It’s refreshing.”

When did society become so raucous?  When did entertainment have to be so interactive and riotous?  It becomes a slippery slope from noise, to cursing, to downright immorality.  And that is what I am noticing more and more as seasons bring on new shows.  Here goes some of things observed this season.

How to Get Away with Murder – I started to watch this series because I like Viola Davis but from the very first episode I thought “nope, not for me”.  How can I take seriously an attorney who is fornicating in her house/office with a police officer and who doesn’t lock her doors and thus her students can walk in on her doing the deed?  Really?  I should have known this was going to be an unrealistic look at “powerhouse women” when it’s from the same producer as Scandal. 

Stalker – so here’s a police officer from NYC who transfers to Los Angeles to come on the special force looking into stalkers.  Guess what, he’s a stalker himself.  Does every cop have to have a weak backbone?  [I quit Blood Blues in the first season when “Danny” started bobbing a “perp’s” head in the toilet – and he was supposed to be a good cop.]

The Mysteries of Laura – this one is supposed to be comedic but again, we have the couple divorced with the ex-husband is messing around with stray women who wander into his ex-wife’s home --- in front of  6 year old twins.

Forever – so far this one has my approval as nothing rotten has come out about the lead character (yet).

These are the only new shows I’ve watched this season.  I like bad guys to be defined from the get go.  I don’t like to see flawed heroes unless they are redeemable (think back to “Tess of the Dubervilles in high school English, remember Angel?).  For example, in Person of Interest the heroic characters are all flawed in the beginning but they are now fighting on the side of Good.  Some series I simply refuse to watch based on the commercials.  Shows like Blacklist where the lead character is a dyed in the wool bad guy.  Are we supposed to go “oh yea” when he does his nefarious worst? 

I guess what I am trying to say is that pointing out that people are flawed is not really news and glorifying these types is not adding any value to television.  I’ll continue the conversation tomorrow with a discussion on where we have come in the last 50 years of our “civilization”.