View From Here

John Madden died at age 85. A legend in American football, both college and professional levels. He taught and coached kids to be the best they could be. Many did just that. They played professional sports and he moved up to coach those players. He did and they won games, divisional championships and super bowl games. Madden was a leader and developer of people. He became a superb sports commentator and play by play announcer for TV audiences. He will be missed but his legend and legacy continue. Same with Harry Reid, past US Senator from Nevada, and Senate Minority Leader for many years. He died at 82 from pancreatic cancer. He was a stalwart leader of the Democrats when the White House was in the hands of Republicans. Harry worked tirelessly to advance important legislation even when political opposition was against him. His philosophy was – “If it’s good for the American people, we fight for it and win!” And he did just that. In spite of the odds, Harry Reid was a detail guy who w...

In a self-centered social order, we expect to see the selfish acts of others. Those that rush into a building’s entrance without concern for the person immediately behind them. Keeping a door open for the other is a common courtesy forgotten by so many. Perhaps it is just an act that some do not consider because they are so focused on themselves. Acknowledging a stranger’s presence with a nod of the head or a quick smile, is easy to do but failed by many. Common courtesy while driving a car is another opportunity to be welcoming and courteous to others, strangers all. Barging into a line at a store or service counter is just another example of selfishness. Is this a show of hubris – the lack of humility? I think it is. The same is true for those who speed ten or twenty miles per hour faster than prevailing traffic flow. They appear suddenly passing your car and vanishing far ahead. They demonstrate little concern for the safety of others. They also seem unaware of how their actio...

I am laughing. The storm warnings started Monday afternoon. They persisted into evening. The real story is this. Chicagoland has not had a snowfall since last March 15th. That is 287 days without snow. Oh sure, we have had some flurries, but nothing to stick to the ground. Nothing that would require beet juice on the streets or salt on driveways and parking lots. I avidly read the warnings in detail. With a gasp I realized they were calling for an inch of snow, maybe less. Some areas might get 2 inches, but the temperatures will remain above freezing, the ground and pavements are still warmer than that, so no accumulation is believed possible. Maybe slush? So, this morning we woke to gray skies and dry air. We ventured out to pick up a McDonald’s breakfast and bring it home. We found our parking lot and driveway salted, the streets treated with beet juice, but nary a flake. Once home we chewed down our breakfast. Looking up I noticed the air was hazy outdoors. On closer inspection ...

Hurry Scurry : visited our local Super Target. The goal was to fill up our pantry with the normal goods. But the store was jammed packed with shoppers of every sort. The casual walker. The hummingbird item diver. The speedster shopper in for two things and only those two things. The elder in an electric cart moving ever so slowly up and down every aisle. Every one of them. Barely able to reach a higher shelf for the one perfect package of crackers, or cereal, or cookies. The regular weekly shopper, the once a month stocker-upper, and the dart and grab sort just in to find the missing ingredient for a recipe. Yes, the store was alive and far from quiet. Like this time of year, the simple, the basic, is joined by frenetic tempos. Must be Christmastime.  Peace and Traffic : Awoke on Christmas Eve morning to a street silent of traffic. We live on Main Street in a medium-sized suburb. Next door is a museum. Across the street is the commuter Metra station. Next door in the other d...

We bounce back and forth between good guys and bad ones. What basis for making the labels in the first place, is unknown. Perhaps it is a favored religion, ideology of governance, interpretation of history, simple personal bias, and so on. This labeling assumes you and I favor one side of the label’s identity, and the people on the other side are the ‘bad guys.’ Of course, we assume the good guy identity! Having said this, what are we to do about the good and bad guys? Do we sit on the sideline and let disgruntlement exist without response? What might our silence produce? Might it cause the bad guys to overreach and take action that is a threat to us? For example, religious hegemony in a region becomes the root of power in a region or country. Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, are all ruled by people favoring one religion, Islam. They go so far as to legislate citizen behavior to comply with religious principles and edicts. This action imposes a religious stricture on those who do not be...

If memory serves me well, all religions of the world claim a central God and that he loves you. Everything else revolving around that centrality, are myth stories that teach what God’s love means in your life, my life, and the life of all people. It is a universal message. Each calendar year, religions highlight a turning point in humankind’s history on the planet and make of this event, the beginning of new hope for all lifelong pursuits. Unhappy? Here’s what theology has to say about that and what you can do to lighten your worries and achieve happier results. These myth stories also preach low points and regular day to day challenges that need solutions. Handily, theology has answers. All of this claims that the point of God’s Love is to give us sustaining hope for our lives. Here are the ‘Hopes’ I have listed for 2022 and beyond. 1.        Quality of life a.        Equal access to excellent healthcare b.  ...

This is a Holiday message. It is meant for anyone who matters in our life and keeps up with us. We do not have the funds, time or energy to do the traditional greeting card routine. Haven’t for several years now. Heck, we don’t even put up a Christmas Tree anymore. I thought this was a terrible thing when my parents did it early in their retirement, but now I understand totally. Here we are. In the season of hope and possibility. Christmas is here as well as major holy days of other world religions. This season does not belong only to Christians. And perhaps, we should also mention the would-be Christians. So many of us have been raised in the Christian tradition that includes Easter, Christmas and other significant days on the calendar. We do not all attend church or do so regularly. We do not dwell on the meaning of religion or of specific denominations, either. No, we accept ourselves as Christians without the glamor or duty of being one in the main. That way we can enjoy those ...

What is inevitable? What is it that will happen no matter what? What can we do to manage the inevitable? Will those preparations work? A little, or a lot? What are we doing here? I try to put my mind in the place of a public authority dealing with COVID-19. What is the inevitability they deal with? How well have they done? What are effective steps to take when all the information is yet to be known about the pandemic? Think about those entrusted in emergency management positions. Their jobs are to respond to emergencies as they happen. They can only do that with preparations. Identifying emergency routes of movement and transportation in case of a flood, or earthquake, tornado, ice storm, blizzard or ravaging fire of large scale. They work out the scenarios one by one. They know what they might expect in that one scenario, but what about a different one? Or one that combines two at the same time? Or, God forbid, 3 or 4 at the same time. Thinking up scenarios so they can plan appr...

COVID Pandemic : so many news articles on COVID. What’s happening now, who is it happening to, hospital capacity tightening, deferred medical treatments for non-COVID cases, vaccination rates, efficacy of vaccines, and so many other themes. Exploding on the news to baffle the mind. Keep the deluge of information coming. This is full disclosure, right? Wrong! As a citizen, I want to know, and need to know, these things: 1.        New cases on daily basis 2.        Daily death cases 3.        Trend lines of both, and their analytic significance 4.        Regional trendlines on national basis 5.        Advancements in finding effective cures, medicines and vaccines 6.        Long term significance of pandemic and potential effects to be absorbed by society I am certain there are more issues that c...

My universe has many dimensions. Personal – home, bed, desk, recliner, kitchen, bathroom. Oh, of course the car and wherever it goes. Another dimension, work – colleagues, data systems used to communicate within related arenas, both information in and out, and of course collaborative activities. An external universe exists as well – community, region, state, nation and international community. The external universe is complicated because it is a context that informs the personal and work universes. We are not islands; none of us. Thus, our universes continually collide. Germans have a word for this – gestalt . I ran across this word in a high school German class. It seemed to fit my mood perfectly. A teenager most likely aged 16. Physical changes well underway (read sexual awakening and all the hormonal angst that entails), as well as intellectual development that weighed a million data points smashing into my conscious mind. [By the way, angst is another German vocabulary word. I...

Memories : the dog snuggled close. She reassured herself of my presence. My lap was a favorite of hers. So too, the bed, wedged against my side. Walking along the sidewalk, leading the way, she would often glance over her left shoulder to check I was keeping up with her pace. The grit of the sidewalk seemed more real then. Her little paws tread the grains of grit with more feeling than our shod feet. She – Willow – was a constant companion. No wonder she gave us odd looks when we left her for an errand. Why didn’t we take her with? Or why was she left in the car. Such forlorn looks as we walked away to a store. Inflation : self-feeding behavior. Consumers do this to themselves. Change pattern of use for those consumables with inflated prices. Reduce consumption enough and prices will fall. We make inflation with our purchasing decisions. If we catch the fear of shortage or inflation, we spike demand and cause inflation. Discipline is needed. Self-awareness helps, too. Remember that...

After years of consulting, I finally asked the key question. Why? Most clients came seeking help with their organizations. Mostly they asked what they should be doing to keep the organization whole and successful. Once that question was answered, they quickly asked the next one: "How do we do that?" How can we incorporate the best solution into our routine operations? I did what they asked. I helped with those questions. But experience finally gave me the real question that spells success for the person or their organization. That question is – Why do you want what you asked for? Why? Most of my life has been spent with nonprofits, the intentionally nonprofit, you know, the organizations that provide services and products to people and groups who cannot afford such support on their own. You can call them charities, but that is not truly what they are. No, nonprofits are organizations that do those things that for profit organizations find unrewarding, not worthy of ...

What makes you happy? What helps you glide over the rough spots of life? How do you turn defeats into successes, or maybe just neutral happenings instead? If danger approaches, what do you do to avoid it? Anything? Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty person? All good questions. Especially at this time of year. Quick answers, even flip ones, are common. But what about serious answers? Why are they so hard to come by? I admit to negative thoughts at this time of year. I have analyzed this behavior as peculiar during the Holidays, but I have found they are more common than most people realize. This is a happy time of year yet so many are in deep depression. Why? Perhaps others have studied and researched this phenomenon? I have not researched such studies, but I bet they are out there. My own thoughts on this topic may be instructive. America is the land of possible. The land of opportunity. The place where hope springs eternal and smiles abide. Yet year after year t...

It means a lot to say you are sorry about something. For one thing, the person you are speaking to (or writing to) listens more carefully. An act of atonement for something you did wrong to the other person is an act of courage, humility and, yes, grace. The absence of 'I'm sorry' only keeps the wrong in the memory. It continues to fester and bruise the ego, the soul, the conscience. That is damage done to self.  Going on as if the wrong never happened does not fool the self. It knows the wrong was done.  Some would say the person who was harmed by the wrong should forgive the doer of the deed. That may be good for the victim, but not the doer. He still needs to learn his humility. Atoning and forgiving are two sides of the same coin. For two people. Interestingly, atoning must be done first if the doer is to forgive himself. That does not happen ever if the atonement is not performed. How silly that the doers of the world don't understand this simple fact. They delude ...

What is soul? Of a person, group, organization, town, company? Or a nation? The dictionary tells us: Soul   -    NOUN 1.         the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal. synonyms: psyche  · inner self · inner being · essential being ·  pneuma  ·  anima  ·  ego  ·  id  ·  ka  ·  atman o     a person's moral or emotional nature or sense of identity. "in the depths of her soul, she knew he would betray her" synonyms: spirit  ·  psyche  · (inner) self · innermost self · (inner) ego · inner being ·  2.         emotional or intellectual energy or intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic performance. "their interpretation lacked soul" synonyms: inspiration ...

When you were sick as a child, mom rubbed VapoRub on your chest. A humidifier was added to your bedside table. And if things got worse, the doctor was called and he came to the house. Kid brother and sister stayed quiet and checked on me from time to time. So did dad when he came home from work. Even the neighbor ladies visited. And some of my friends. Illness was shared with others to help the sick get well, and to share the belonging. Today, we do the same when illness or tragedy strikes close to home. A family burned out of their home is housed temporarily at a friend’s home on the same block, the churches and community rally to raise funds to help tide them over to a temporary home, replace clothes lost in the blaze, and begin the process of replacing all the things lost in the fire. The community helps the afflicted family via strength in numbers. Collection of food, household supplies are quickly assembled. To make the family whole, the community comes together. In the proces...

Here we go again. The political party out of power threatens to block debt ceiling adjustment, thus cutting off cash for government operations. This is a gambit to gain power by threatening to shutdown government operations. This is a bullying tactic. It is a favorite ploy by the republican party. It almost always fails. Sometimes the shutdowns occur. They mostly damage the body politic with economic volatility. Longer lasting effects are not gained, especially the rewards the gambit promises. Over the long run, threatening government shutdowns have mostly harmed members of congress. Both republicans and democrats lose face. The parties are damaged. Leadership fails. And that is never a good thing. The debt ceiling itself is artificial. So are the economics arguing lower debt. The relationship of debt to the larger scale of the economy is the rightful focal point. The debt ceiling is just a number without relationship with anything else. To have meaning, we must measure debt in...

We moan about a lot of little things we cannot control. Yet many of those things are good for us. Remember when we had to get out of the chair or sofa to change TV channels? Constant getting up and down, or badgering one of the kids to turn the channel selector for us? Hard to remember for many of you because TV remote controls have been around for a long time. Today we can sit anywhere in the room and change channels, turn the volume up or down, switch to DVR programs, all from where we sit. I don’t know about you, but my waistline has shifted considerably. The exercise we once had just adjusting the TV was helpful in keeping our waists trim! No more. Modern times provide remote controls for many gadgets, even room lighting. Telephone technology has spread to controlling many common household systems from remote locations, even out of country, just by using a phone app. Smart home technology has come a long way baby! Zoom came along just in time to help our nation cope with th...

Drive down the street. Observe gas pump prices. Two things will come to mind: first is the sameness of the prices; second is lack of premium grade prices. I drive a car requiring premium gas. It is expensive but we don’t drive much anymore, certainly no more trips or even adventurous Sunday drives. So, the marginal cost increase per gallon is not a real issue for us. The price hurts, of course, because we are senior citizens on a fixed, slim income. Gas Buddy helps us with finding the lowest price on gas. We use it to find premium prices, too. It works quite well. With volatile gas prices, we also watch the daily crude oil barrel prices on the global market. From this we learned what relationship exists between world prices for a barrel of oil and gas pump pricing. This is an imprecise process, but it provided some conclusions. First, barrel price jumps almost always are reflected in a pump price hike. Often these hikes are out of proportion to the barrel price hike. A one doll...

This fight is really stupid. I am not a woman, therefore I am and always have been unable to have a baby. I can and did contribute to the creation of two babies for whom I will always be grateful, but the bearing of the child was all on my wife’s part. Not mine. We did the family thing together, of course, and did all the things we felt were right in raising the kids. My responsibility for children is in impregnating the mother and raising the kids. My duty does not extend to controlling whether or not a woman should or should not have a baby. That is totally in her control and rightfully so. If, for some reason, a woman becomes pregnant, it is her choice whether to carry the fetus to full term. Her choice. To say otherwise is to overlay someone’s view of things – politics, religion, philosophy, etc. – onto another person. That is so very wrong. Especially in America. Overlaying a world view on the self is one thing; doing it to another is wrong. Freedom has its rights and privil...

Today’s topic is compensating the innocent who have been incarcerated by a faulty justice system. Most states in the US do not have a means to address this injustice, yet there are miscarriages of justice that lead to decades of imprisonment. What happens to those people? What resources do they have at hand to help them adjust to living once again in a free society? The American judicial system is supposed to be rehabilitative. It is supposed to change inmates from a life of crime and violence to one of hopeful purpose and productivity. Although some rehabbing is successful, many are not. Prison is rather and institution that deepens an inmate’s criminal skills. When and if released, the ex-convict is thrown into a life of despair and continued crime. Projects are alive and well to counter miscarriages of justice. They have successfully overturned many cases in which the wrong person was convicted of a crime. The process is lengthy to overturn such cases. Even with clear proof, the...