Some thoughts on political power...

I was thinking about how the rich minority manages to stay in power of a (largely) democratic society.
The conclusion that I've come to is that from the poorest to the not quite richest, power isn't at the top of our priority list; but for someone that doesn't have to worry about survival -- it is.

The poorest of our community worry every day about just surviving -- where their next meal will come from, where they will sleep tonight, even where they can go to the bathroom. Above that level, the concerns are still pretty basic -- paying the rent, gas for the car, basic groceries and stuff, clothing for growing kids, daycare costs, etc. A little more money means a more reliable car and a nicer home, but also bigger bills and the same struggle to survive but at a little higher level.

If those that are struggling to survive in the day-to-day world don't have someone in power to look out for them in the political world, they will remain forever trapped in the cycle of day-to-day survival.
How willing are you and I to help lift up someone that is below us in economic status?
At what point do we sacrifice what little political voice we have to help someone that is below us rather than looking out for ourselves?

I don't have any answers this morning. I don't even know where this post is going. It's just something I've been contemplating as I watch the political power struggles in our country and look at who is being represented and wondering how the economic minority has so much control over the majority of the people. Perhaps there are just too many of us that are willing to sell our souls a little bit at a time because it's been marketed to us as simply buying another day of survival.

We have to do better.

John 

Is this heaven?

There is a line from the movie Field of Dreams where a ball player from the past comes out of the cornfields and asks, "Is this heaven?" 
We spent a few years in Iowa so we've modified the reply to -- "Hell no! It's Iowa."

But what if I missed out on the beauty of our four and a half years in Iowa?
What if the people that live there and consider it to be heaven on earth are right? ...at least for them?
What if heaven and hell aren't places where you go in the future, but are places where we dwell in the now?
What if heaven and hell aren't places at all, but are states of mind of our own choosing? 
What if living like you want to go to heaven puts you in heaven right now?
What if an obsession of not going to hell, is in itself -- hell?

Just thoughts in my head.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

It seems that technology has often served to divide us rather than to unite us -- at least as far as social media is concerned. I truly believe that much of that is purposeful as political parties, religious fanatics, large corporations, and others compete to be #1 in their respective fields. But there are other cases when you just discover things about people that you didn't know and it is disturbing.

I wonder if that person changed over the years or if they were always that way and I just didn't know. I know that I have changed in many ways and perhaps they are wondering the same things about me. Sometimes the histories that bind together friendships of the past are the only things that maintain the relationships we have today. Without them, we would never want to associate with the people that those long ago friends have become.

So what do you do?
Do you try to salvage a relationship with someone you have nothing in common with except memories of a past history?
Or...
Do you cherish the good times and let go of the currently toxic relationship?

Some goodbyes are sad.
Some goodbyes are good things.
And I think some can be both.

John

Today

Sometimes it is difficult to live in the moment. The past is always there to remind you of how you got to the present place, and tomorrow is already clamoring for attention. There is still snow on the ground in places that are shaded from the sun -- a reminder of the brutal winter weather of last week, and I have a list of things to do to get ready for the spring. 

Why can't I just sit and enjoy the sun and the day with temperatures that will reach the warm side of 60f (15c)?

I do plan on enjoying the day. Today will include: 
     a trip to the recycling center to recycle paper, plastics, glass, and aluminum cans.
     a trip to the lumber yard buy material for my raised garden beds.
     I still have a couple of downspout flower beds to build (already have the material) that I may get started on.
     Some time in the hammock, enjoying the sun.

Geez, that's a lot!
I'd better get busy.

What ever you have planned for the day -- I do hope that you will enjoy it and revel in the moment of work/play/rest as it happens. It is possible to remember the past, plan for the future, and enjoy the moment -- all at the same time!

John

Monday Motivation

 

Getting back to normal -- Ugh!

The church we "go" to has announced a return to in-person services beginning the last Sunday in March. To be honest -- I'm not entirely thrilled about it. 

It won't be like going back to the way things were. There will be social distancing protocols in effect -- masks worn, distance maintained between family groups, no group gatherings, in one door and out another, etc., etc. It will be good to see people that we haven't seen in quite some time (more than a year for some), but it's not like there will be tons of hugs, handshakes, and high-fives -- more like mask covered nods and waves from across the aisles.

And I kind of like the stress free, sit in my pjs, drink my own coffee, watch service from my couch, kind of Sunday mornings that I've become accustomed to. I know that it's not all about me and the pandemic has played well toward my social avoidance tendencies, but I'm already feeling the pressure of having to be around a bunch of other people and be...well, social. Ugh.

Going back to in-person services in this manner is probably the best for a person like me. I get to see people but have a good excuse for not interacting with them. To be fair, there are a good number of them that I really look forward to seeing, sharing a hug or handshake, and catching up life with, but I'm not sure that gathering for church really provides for that. Getting back to normal may not be the most comfortable thing for many people. I imagine there are more people like me than one might expect.

Ah, but that's still a month away.
For this morning I'll enjoy the quite of my house, the warmth of the fireplace, a good cup of coffee, and a well produced online service with a thought provoking message from our pastor.

I love you all.
I just don't want to have to be near you that much.
sigh

John

Live Long and Prosper

I remember an episode from the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun when Dick took up cigarette smoking. He is told that smoking will take ten years off your life and responds by saying that those are off the end of your life and those are crappy years anyway!

So the questions I ponder today are:

Do you really want to live long?
and 
What do you consider to be prosperous?

I'm 60 and I think I still have some good years left. God knows there is still plenty that I could learn and I may be able to pass along a few tidbits of information that I've learned along the way. There is no doubt that physical limitations have become more of an issue with age. Much of that is from my own neglect of my health, but there is certainly a natural decline that affects each of us.
But even with less physical activity there is an appreciation for much of life that is a result of age, experience, and learned wisdom. There are many people my age that are quite active -- running marathons, body building, hiking the mountains, etc. That's definitely not me. I didn't do those things when I was younger, so I don't really see why I should suddenly aspire to do them now or why I would suddenly enjoy them now. I'm much more likely to contemplate my life while smoking a good cigar and sipping a good whisky or craft beer. 

I remember the words of one old pastor -- If I would've know I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself!

So -- How long do you want to live?
Are you physically, mentally, and even financially fit to live well into those last years?

Admittedly, there is much about getting old that I'm not looking forward to, but neither am I ready to hang it up. 
How do you feel about aging into a long life?

We'll tackle the prosperous question another day -- maybe.

John

Where would you go if you had nowhere to go?

It's 2:30am and I'm chillin' at the overnight cold weather shelter while a number of guys are sleeping on cots, with a thin pillow, and covered by thin hospital blankets. One man just arrived having been dropped off after finishing his work shift at an all night diner. It's 10f (-12c) and will still drop a few degrees before morning.

The population of Springfield MO is around 168,000 (2019). Local agencies that keep track of the people that utilize services for the unsheltered community currently have 933 people listed by name. It is estimated that an additional 1000 people are couch surfing with friends or relatives during this recent extreme weather. Although they have a warm place to sleep tonight, they are literally a fight over dirty dishes or leaving the toilet seat up from finding themselves without shelter for tonight.  

The city itself has done little in the way of helping or offering shelter. If fact, even during the very heart of winter, the city has been removing tent encampments and forcing people to find other ways to stay warm. There has been some recent movement with some funds (far too few for a city this size) that have been released to help the situation. Unfortunately, government oversight of the monies pretty much ensures that it won't be used in the most beneficial ways.  

Where would you go if you didn't have shelter for tonight?
If you could only have what you can carry with you, how would you stay warm tonight?
Where would you go for something to eat or drink? How long would your money last?
Then what?

I've got to tell you, before we started volunteering last winter, I wouldn't have had a clue. In fact, the homeless of our community were pretty invisible to me. Having worked with them, talked with them, listened to their stories -- it's been a real eye opening experience. 
I remember working at an evening warming center last winter when the overnight forecast was around 20f (-7c). One of the guys was asking if we had an extra sleeping bag available. When asked why he wasn't going to the shelter, he said that he had just started a new job and was afraid that if he went to the shelter (it was on the far edge of the city) he would be late for work and lose his job. The dude would rather sleep outside in below freezing temps than risk being late for work! A few phone calls and a couple of bus passes and we were able to get him out of the shelter early and on a bus that would get him to work.
A number of our guests have jobs. Some have cars that they often sleep in. Some are trying to save enough money for the deposit and first month's rent so they can have a place to live. There are a number of them that deal with varying types of mental illnesses that keep them from holding jobs and the system for treating them is sorely lacking in anything that is truly helpful. 

I can't begin to express just how thankful I am for the few churches that have really stepped up this winter. I want to emphasize that there really are only a few. Apparently helping people that can in no way add to your offering plate is against the religion of most churches in the so called bible belt. 
But for those that do serve and the volunteers that fill the food pantries and meet the needs of our city's most vulnerable people -- these are the people that give me hope that there is something redeemable about the human race. 

And those redeeming qualities are also found throughout the homeless population.
One night, an hour or so after we started serving dinner, two men came in. One of them was pretty young and had apparently just been kicked out of wherever he had been staying. He was brand new to the street. The other one asked me if there was anything left for his friend to eat because he hadn't had anything to eat all day and didn't have any idea where to go.  I told him I thought we had enough for both of them and started to take them back to the serving table. He was pretty insistent that I take care of his friend first. As it turned out, he hadn't had anything to eat all day, either. This was the meal he was counting on, but was willing to give it up to make sure the new guy got fed.

There are some great humanitarian stories out there. While Texas republicans are playing the blame game, their arch enemy (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) has raised over $1 million in direct relief funds for Texas -- in less than one day! Just people helping people, right?

What have you got? 
It's Friday. Tell me a good story. Make me proud of our humanity. 

John 

Lent - Day 2

So Day 1 wasn't a complete success. I only managed 10-15 minutes of meditation with The Venues' morning meditation group and I didn't make any cards, texts, or messages contacts. I did get my 40 minutes of exercise -- actually an hour -- by shoveling the drive, and my purposeful reading time.
The intermittent fasting was good, but today might be a challenge. I'm filling in at the shelter tonight and wakeful fasting is always more of a challenge than sleep fasting. Hopefully, it won't pose too much of a problem. 

I hit the indoor cycle for my 40 minutes of exercise this morning and have already got my reading in. I'm thinking about getting a mala to help with the more lengthy, purposeful meditation. I'm also thinking that maybe 40 minutes isn't necessary as a daily time, but that any good daily meditation/prayer practice will suffice. Eventually (beyond Lent), I expect to use more mobile types of meditation -- prayer walking, Tai Chi, yoga, etc.
I'm going to take advantage of the overnight time tonight to make a few of those encouraging contacts. 

It is not going to be my practice to post daily about my Lenten practices. Hopefully, there will be more posts like yesterday's or just some random rambling about something that improves life in some way. One additional Lenten practice is going to be try to be more understanding of other people's perspectives on any given subject. I hope to be less negative towards people with differing opinions and outlooks on life, understanding that I know little to nothing about their experiences that shape those outlooks.

I hope your Thursday has been a good one!

John 

If you want to go far...

There's an African proverb that says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

I'm not sure if that is always true.
I've come to embrace that I am a loner -- not just an introvert, but a person that truly enjoys being alone. While I don't feel uncomfortable in social situations, there is no doubt that Chris is more the social one of the two of us. She is the one that wants to go out. She is the one that has friends.
In our nearly 40 years of marriage, most of "our" friends have been her friends. I don't think of it as a good thing or a bad thing; it's just the way it is.

I've been thinking about this African proverb and wondering if that applies to our spiritual journey through life. I'm thinking that maybe we each have our own journey and have to go it alone. That's not to say that we don't have teachers or that we don't teach others along the way, I'm just not sure that we actually make the journey with others.

I'm not in a hurry to bust through life and get to its end, so that isn't the purpose of going alone. Nor am I saying that I don't visit with others along the way. I have had (and still do) many great teachers along the way. Some have purposely taught lessons while others have been more subtle or even unaware of the lessons they've taught me in our brief encounters as our journeys intersected for a time.
Perhaps I've been able to teach others a few things, as well.

I have benefitted greatly from being in a community of worshipers. I have enjoyed the fellowship and grown through the partnerships in service and in learning. I have also learned that the nature of most people (and organizations run by people) is for self preservation and personal (or corporate) growth and not to meet the needs of others that might upset their (its) balance and purpose. 
That's cool -- as long as we all recognize that we are responsible for our own spiritual growth. 

The Jesuit priest/philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

I wonder if that African proverb applies to spirit journeys, as well.
What are your thoughts on this spiritual journey? 
Do you travel it alone or with others? Or perhaps one and then the other at different places along the way? 

John