Sometimes the smallest word or action can turn things upside down or inside out no matter where you are. As we leave the month of July we are confronted by all the things we meant to do before the summer ends. We begin August thinking of all the things we still need to do before another season begins. One of those things we need to do right now.
Today get ready to vote in the 2018 primary elections!
Primary Elections may seem pointless but they are a way to sort out candidates and important issues that could help us get things "right side up." Shrill political rhetoric will not provide us with respect for each other or for international and national and local agreements any more than covering over injustices with pithy sayings and slogans will work to provide the sense of security we want.
Our effectiveness in a primary election will be successful if we acquaint ourselves not with a single issue alone but if we increase our willingness to read, listen to opposite points of view and then begin the hard work toward fulfilling our role as citizens of this great country by voting.
Become a part of the process of governing by laws not by edict. VOTE!
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Thursday, June 28, 2018
SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
Maybe the questionable recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United States was a needed awakening for the people of this country.
We as citizens have all too often fallen into using political and legal jargon without wondering about the collective affect on our thinking and our lives. We have been too eager to mimic political strategy and language. When we did and when we do we loose the strength which is ours and ours alone, the citizen's role in a Democracy.
We are about to undergo enormous change in our lives. If we are unable to acknowledge these changes
and meet them it will be the undoing of our strength as a country and our inherent common sense as individuals.
To ensure a sense of fairness that was and is ours we need to protect and safe guard our
elections at the polls and we need to urge others to do likewise. It may be that issues of grave importance to one sector may need to give way to another as all of us build or rebuild communities in which all people flourish.
We will go on and renew or recreate and protect this wild, beautiful land we call a nation. As we do we dare not stop our feeling for all human kind and their quest to be a part of this Democracy or forget those who came before us.
So for now we will go forward with our mutual love and appreciation for science, education, music and the joy of greeting each day constructively without violence or malice.
We as citizens have all too often fallen into using political and legal jargon without wondering about the collective affect on our thinking and our lives. We have been too eager to mimic political strategy and language. When we did and when we do we loose the strength which is ours and ours alone, the citizen's role in a Democracy.
We are about to undergo enormous change in our lives. If we are unable to acknowledge these changes
and meet them it will be the undoing of our strength as a country and our inherent common sense as individuals.
To ensure a sense of fairness that was and is ours we need to protect and safe guard our
elections at the polls and we need to urge others to do likewise. It may be that issues of grave importance to one sector may need to give way to another as all of us build or rebuild communities in which all people flourish.
We will go on and renew or recreate and protect this wild, beautiful land we call a nation. As we do we dare not stop our feeling for all human kind and their quest to be a part of this Democracy or forget those who came before us.
So for now we will go forward with our mutual love and appreciation for science, education, music and the joy of greeting each day constructively without violence or malice.
Monday, June 18, 2018
WHO IS THE JUGGLER IN THE CENTER RING?
We seem to be fascinated with all sorts of things and theories. Like children at a circus we are mesmerized by things we know are not so, but we still watch with fascination.
When we discredit scientific information research and education with rhetoric that belongs in the annuals of mystic writings, we are buying our ticket back to the dark ages.
When the response to air and water pollution is that it is necessary to have for economic development we are allowing our representatives to do little to enforce existing regulations and laws.
When we are told that voters like you and me cannot discern fairness from cheating or lying or bullying, we are handed a kaleidoscope covered over with duck tape to conceal those very traits.
When we are told that it is not guns that murder people, adults and children tell us they do. Many legislators look the other way and claim an inability to enforce existing Federal Gun and Equipment Registration Laws yet that Law is on the legislator's desk and never discussed.
When we speak of our elected officials' disregard of America's Democratic process we are told we are unpatriotic by the Juggler in the Center Ring.
When we are told all this we better stop buying a ticket to this Circus and run it out of town.
When we discredit scientific information research and education with rhetoric that belongs in the annuals of mystic writings, we are buying our ticket back to the dark ages.
When the response to air and water pollution is that it is necessary to have for economic development we are allowing our representatives to do little to enforce existing regulations and laws.
When we are told that voters like you and me cannot discern fairness from cheating or lying or bullying, we are handed a kaleidoscope covered over with duck tape to conceal those very traits.
When we are told that it is not guns that murder people, adults and children tell us they do. Many legislators look the other way and claim an inability to enforce existing Federal Gun and Equipment Registration Laws yet that Law is on the legislator's desk and never discussed.
When we speak of our elected officials' disregard of America's Democratic process we are told we are unpatriotic by the Juggler in the Center Ring.
When we are told all this we better stop buying a ticket to this Circus and run it out of town.
Friday, June 8, 2018
THE OBELISK AND A BOY'S CURIOSITY!
There is an unusual, black 12-foot Obelisk in the Mall where I walk with my friend each morning. The sculpture stands in contrast to shops, kiosks , food islands and theaters. Its uniqueness is that it appears to have water running from the top to the bottom never leaving a drop of water at its base or on the floor. Much of the time we walkers pass it without a glance though children are often intrigued by it.
Today I noticed a young boy watching the obelisk intensely. I stopped and asked him how does he think the water goes up to the top and than comes down again? He thought for a moment. Then he said, "There must be a pipe inside the Obelisk that sucks the water up and then when it hits the bottom the pipe brings the water back up again. "
My friend who is an engineer made a quick sketch to demonstrate how the Obelisk works and how gravity plays a role in the process. As we spoke with the young man and his mother we learned he was in the sixth grade and interested in science.
I do not know what impression all this had on the young man. What I do know is the boy's awareness of his surroundings and questions will serve him, his school, his community and all of us well as we continue to plan for the future.
Today I noticed a young boy watching the obelisk intensely. I stopped and asked him how does he think the water goes up to the top and than comes down again? He thought for a moment. Then he said, "There must be a pipe inside the Obelisk that sucks the water up and then when it hits the bottom the pipe brings the water back up again. "
My friend who is an engineer made a quick sketch to demonstrate how the Obelisk works and how gravity plays a role in the process. As we spoke with the young man and his mother we learned he was in the sixth grade and interested in science.
I do not know what impression all this had on the young man. What I do know is the boy's awareness of his surroundings and questions will serve him, his school, his community and all of us well as we continue to plan for the future.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
AMERICA, THE MELTING POT?
"Melting Pot", the description was once used to describe America. Today, to assess the real strength of America we weigh-in factors not necessarily thought of years ago. As a people we recognize that we and immigrants share common human aspirations. Citizen and immigrant alike want the opportunity to work and have the life style we want. We and they wish to contribute to this country. We and they seek a just society and the protection and security of our laws.
I thought of all this at my granddaughter's graduation Commencement Ceremony where I was squired around by her parents, my other son and my grandson and his companion. The Ceremony was held at Bard college amidst the spectacular environment of New York State. The graduates included men and women from different states and countries around the world. Graduates were of different colors, cultures, dress and spoke different languages. Each graduate's thesis was listed by Title and indicated study in subjects that ranged from the environment to scientific technology to the arts and human and animal relationships and economic requirements for opening a business/
It will take much more than the "Melting Pot" known to my grandparents to help get us through the swift moving channels of change America and the world finds itself in today. But the graduates I met,
and the education they received are capable of navigating the rough waters ahead and I am optimistic about our future.
I thought of all this at my granddaughter's graduation Commencement Ceremony where I was squired around by her parents, my other son and my grandson and his companion. The Ceremony was held at Bard college amidst the spectacular environment of New York State. The graduates included men and women from different states and countries around the world. Graduates were of different colors, cultures, dress and spoke different languages. Each graduate's thesis was listed by Title and indicated study in subjects that ranged from the environment to scientific technology to the arts and human and animal relationships and economic requirements for opening a business/
It will take much more than the "Melting Pot" known to my grandparents to help get us through the swift moving channels of change America and the world finds itself in today. But the graduates I met,
and the education they received are capable of navigating the rough waters ahead and I am optimistic about our future.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
A TIME OF UNKNOWN DESTINATIONS?
Our destination one sunny and still crisp April Day was unknown. We just got in the car and went. We came upon a park that held many attractions so we took a winding road through it.
Tucked in a corner of the road we found a small cluster of people setting up for what appeared to be a community-wide garage sale in front of very old buildings. As we walked around we learned we had come upon the Historic Village of Thornhill*, named after the second governor of Missouri. The village and park were formerly owned by Leicester and Mary Plant Faust who donated 200 acres for public, educational and historic use in 1968.
When we were there, we spoke with a number of people responsible for maintaining the Park and planing long list of activities that are available to non-profit organizations, families and people seeking nature's beauty the year around.
As we walked through the Park, a place we had not expected to visit, I was reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote that "Life is a journey not a destination," which has served people so all well even in changing times.
*www.stlouisco.com/parks/faust
For a list of year around activities.
Tucked in a corner of the road we found a small cluster of people setting up for what appeared to be a community-wide garage sale in front of very old buildings. As we walked around we learned we had come upon the Historic Village of Thornhill*, named after the second governor of Missouri. The village and park were formerly owned by Leicester and Mary Plant Faust who donated 200 acres for public, educational and historic use in 1968.
When we were there, we spoke with a number of people responsible for maintaining the Park and planing long list of activities that are available to non-profit organizations, families and people seeking nature's beauty the year around.
As we walked through the Park, a place we had not expected to visit, I was reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote that "Life is a journey not a destination," which has served people so all well even in changing times.
*www.stlouisco.com/parks/faust
For a list of year around activities.
Monday, April 23, 2018
CHASING DREARY MORNINGS
The day begins with drizzles and than it rains steadily. We drive out to a small french restaurant for coffee. We sit at a table with five people people next to us. There are two adults and three children.
One of the adults tells us the youngest, a boy, is two. He is playing with a computer device that appears to be a cell phone and laughs when he sees something on its screen. I am intrigued with the child's dexterity and humor.
This very small encounter with the ability of a child to use technology gives me hope for the future as does the musical "Bon Jour!" we were greeted with when we entered the restaurant.
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