4/1/20

Keeping the journal. 

A wise recommendation during these coronavirus times by brother Rob.

We gathered via Zoom, the video conference app, as 33 membersubset of a larger  family, but this moment was the most populated gathering at one time in quite awhile.

The audio and video session was a hoot and comedic event. Engaging with the group provided an opportunity to acknowledge our mutual love and our status of social distancing during the 2020 pandemic.

A life threatening and disturbing time our world has not before experienced. Those who did are no longer with us. We are alone in this while appreciating even more the value of human connectedness. In whatever setting that preceded this new pandemic  world, social distancing is a dramatically different behavior for most members of our national and international society.

The seriousness of this global virus taking the shape of a tidal wave sweeping through country after country, state after state is clear. The Health Institute for Metrics and Evaluation based at the University of Washington indicates that as of 3/30/20, the United States will peak its need for hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators when we are experiencing a weeklong loss of American life of roughly 2,000 lives a day. A day .For seven consecutive days.

HIME projects 84,141 total US deaths by August, 4 2020. Serious projected outcomes of death that will grow exponentially if we as a society fail to live according to recommendations now made by our federal government at the behest of many of the best scientific minds specializing in understanding viruses and their breadth of implications. An element of those governmental advisories is social distancing.

Avoid others.

No gatherings of groups. 

Without seeking to demean the families experiencing far worse than social distancing as they venture through this pandemic with affected family members and friends, the social distancing is simply another lens by which people will adjust. The babies who can’t hug or kiss or cuddle with their possibly affected Moms and Dads. The loved ones who die alone. The mothers who deliver new life alone. The emergency workers who never go home. We have changed forever as a global society. Where were you for the pandemic? It will be a known answer for everyone within striking age to recall.

My six year old grandson will recall. This will be the time he read Harry Potter books, built forts,participated in Zoom facilitated group conversations with the rest of his valued classmates, and wished his grandfather Happy Birthday- singing over Facetime with his siblings, his cousins, his Yaya, his Aunt Cara and Uncle Sean. He was the one to ask “When this pandemic moves to another state, will you all come over to my house?” How young will the recall be? Younger than 9/11; younger than JFK’s assasination. Younger than Columbine and Sandy Hook Elementary School. Human trauma.

This pandemic is different. The virus is not just human trauma but human death. Large numbers. Bigger than Vietnam military caualties of 58,000. Bigger than anything we as a world have ever experienced. Pandemics that have preceded 2020, were distinctly different eras of our world and society. Today we are linked through technology and a more globally integrated society. Neither was the case in prior centuries.

A buzz word of today is pivot. Often used to describe a politician re-directing a difficult question to a different focus during the reply. The Coronavirus caused pandemic will do its damage and there will be a new world order as the virus tapers while never leaving – always becoming something else. We will pivot. We will adjust to a new way of living.

Our national society becomes more virtually connected. We will have to re- create the physical connection. Casual hugging and kissing, no longer? Greetings formal and informal will change. We will still hug. We will still kiss. We will be more mindful in our actions. Will buzzer-beating winning teams not jump into each other’s arms with exploding perspiration? Will greetings and congratulations, condolences and love expressions be modified to the detriment of our being? Will simple hellos no longer involve a handshake?

A changed world. Yet, one in which life prevails and moves forward. Some of us will make that journey. Not all. More of us will make that journey if we all follow the guidelines of health experts. To live through this we need to defeat the virus’ progress. We do that by disengaging from as many people as we possibly can for as long as we are so instructed by these health professionals. 

More of us survive if more of us “stay home”. We will then recover from this pandemic and reconstruct our world and our personal worlds.

Our passing cloud is upon us now. The silver lining will be better known in the future. Recognize the cloud is genuine and we have responsibilities with our fellow man/woman to practice recommended behaviors. Understand the hurt is deeper for those most impacted by the virus. Believe there is a a new light to be seen when the cloud eventually passes. It will.

Keep your journal. Stay healthy in mind, heart, soul and body. Adjust and adhere to the guidelines..

With love for all of us…

When my daughter-in-law proudly announced that our 2^nd grade grandson, Liam, was participating in a school program portrayed as Jackie Robinson, I penciled the date in the calendar. Aware of my avid interest in the game and the social and human interest stories that accompany baseball, she knew I’d have an interest beyond my support for seeing my grandson in his school “learner” mode.

I immediately shared that I had my Louisville Slugger Jackie Robinson bat I used nearly 50 years ago as a player in the Portland (Maine) Twilight League. The bat became more valued to me as time passed because of its unique design (a thick handled bat versus the more commonly thinly tapered ones) and because of the autograph burned into the wood – Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play major league baseball. My wonder was whether my grandson would like the bat as a prop. In the end, I decided I would offer him the bat as a keepsake now that he was an eight year old expert on Jackie Robinson. On the morning of the school program, I polished the bat once again with wood oil and off to Harrisonburg my wife and I went.

What I did not know was the full context of the program. Upon arrival at the elementary school, I observed the cafeteria converted to the Famous American Museum. As student presenters entered with their respective classes, they took to their stations behinds podiums or tables, dressed in the garb of the day and taking on the persona of their chosen famous American.

With the backdrop of our country’s discussion of immigration policy and practices, I could only appreciate the diversity of the students and their selected famous Americans. As each presented their prepared autobiographical statements, I was taken by the theme of their choices – people who advocated during different times in our history for social justice and equality. What I appreciated even more so was being in an elementary school that is part of a 6,000 student school district in which over 50 languages are spoken. Our world is changing.

The famous Americans included Ben Franklin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Che Guevara, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, George Washington, Ruby Bridges, Thurgood Marshall, #42 Jackie RobinsonFamous American Museum and others – choices reflecting diversity similar to the student body. As these eight year olds proudly shared their biographical backgrounds and accomplishments, I could not help but appreciate the timing of this event with this week’s 50^th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination. His work and his life were not forgotten on this day at The Famous American Museum. Our world is changing.

These performance events in schools are not unusual. Modern day education is a smarter delivery system than years ago and is responsive in many ways to the wide range of students’ needs as they experience our nation’s public school system. Often schools are only restricted by the resources available to teachers and principals, The program was a compelling display of social issues, American history, oral and written language, public speaking, collaboration and team work, engagement of parents and community members in the education process and a statement to the students of others interest in their education – including total strangers who chose to hear the students’ personalized presentations.

To experience these young learners speak of famous Americans who represented different issues, different times, and different backgrounds was thought-provoking and heartwarming. To experience children of this age representing people of their own color or heritage was noteworthy. Our world is changing.

As the program ended, we shared our good-byes and appreciations with Liam. The students returned to classes. The adults returned to their respective world of responsibilities. I gave the Jackie Robinson model baseball bat to my daughter-in-law to give to Liam upon his return home. I found his response to be one of awe due to the Jackie Robinson signature and one that recognized that the bat just might be special enough to warrant safe keeping. I suggested he keep the bat with the signed baseball I gave him upon birth that I knew he would someday appreciate the story and the significance (along with his Dad’s and Papa’s love for the game!). The baseball was autographed by Buck O’Neill shortly before his death at 95 years old. O’Neill played in the Negro Leagues for over a decade. He led the way establishing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO. The Negro Leagues – another story, for another time, of our country’s history relating to social justice and equality. Our world is changing. For the better.

Thanks to the staff at Stone Spring Elementary School in Harrisonburg, VA. And thanks to Liam for the invite!

The story of the eastern Africa Masai  has long addressed the value a society assigns to its children. The story begins with acknowledgement of the Masai-historically considered by many as one of the most accomplished and fabled people of Africa. No tribe had warriors more fearsome or intelligent than the mighty Masai, the story goes. The traditional greeting between Masai warriors?

“Kisserian Ingera”? translated to “How Are the Children”?

The greeting remains today – acknowledging the high value placed on their children’s well-being.

The desired response “Sepati Ingera” – “All the children are well.”

ALL the children are well. The response meant that peace and prosperity prevailed – the priorities of protecting young, powerless and innocent were in place. The Masai had not forgotten its reason for being; its adult functions and responsibilities. The response “all the children are well” meant the daily struggles for existence did not preclude the proper caring for its young.

Proper caring for its young people…

Our children in our country are not being properly cared for. The value of our children is far less than that represented by a community whose daily greeting asks of the children’s welfare – the primary focus for a continuing society. We need to change that value status. We need to invest in our youth. Their voices have risen since the Parkland shootings. As adults it is our time to listen. To support the righteousness of their thinking as they address mass shooting episodes now part of our new world order. We can more wisely protect our children than is being done in today’s United States of America. As a country, we must come together. We need to follow the lead of our childen – a body far smarter and more impacted than any of most adults.

As adults we have failed our children by an unwillingness to respond to these murderous acts in a manner that prevented additional lives to be lost or permanently affected. It is time to let our childen take the political lead on this issue

Please support your local student efforts as they continue to advocate on behalf of students killed, or physically and emotionally traumatized and those 50 million students who continue to attend our 100,000 American public schools. These largely preventable events will require debate about social values – one solution does not apply nor does one reason make for a mass-killer.

Our actions as adults can allow for the answer that “all the children are well’ when we meaningfully come to grips and take the action required to eliminate mass shootings as a part of our social pattern. Our actions can eliminate the discomfort we should feel as a people when we currently and honestly know that poverty, hunger, abuse, neglect, education, health care, trauma, technology access, housing, employment,  drug use, inner city crime and so on adversely impact many of our children. All our children are not well. We need to address that status as a country. Consider our need to get our country back on track caring for each other.

Some sites of note on this topic:

Twitter sites: @AMarch4OurLives; @davidhogg111; #neveragain; #IWillMarch;@cameron_kasky;@Emma4Change;@Elijah-Hawkes; @schoolwalkoutUS; @Tolerance_org;

So I begin…

A bold decision on my part. Choosing to act upon a belief I have wisdom to offer. To simply state, and I’ll continue to explain as we form a relationship, I am extremely blessed by experiencing the people part of my life for the past 67 years. Shaped largely by their individual touch, with some touching more, longer or more complellingly, I have chosen to use the gift of their wisdom, their touches to speak on topics I believe are in the interest of the common good. As I reflect, I read and I write. I write to share. I write to share common sense and promote common good.

Behaving in a retired state today, finishing a cauliflower and sweet potato soup with an immersion blender in hand, I reflected on the news of the day… Secretary of State Tillerson was no longer serving in that role. His former assistant was later let go. POTUS has acknowledged his future meeting with North Korean acounterpart Kim Jon Un – arranged without the foreknowledge of POTUS’ Secreatry of State Tillerson and now to occur with a new Secretary. Are we ready for this?

The insanity of these daily newsworthy events is as a country I believe we are coming closer to a larger body of people recognizing the dysfunction of our presidency, our Congress and our government. Priorities are changing daily, with limited discourse, Issues of our democracy, civil rights, the environment, education, economy, social programs, health care, poverty are impacted with the stroke of a pen, sometimes accompanied by one less senior, and disagreeing, staff member. These changes are not always done with the common good in mind.

Any leadership theory sustained by visible success is absent of all that we see in the current POTUS White House. Aristotle spoke of compassion, competence and good character as the three essential elements to effective leadership. None of these principles are evident in today’s Oval Office. None. The morality of the office has never been present nor will it be.

Time to rise up and chose to exercise our voice in the mehanisms we have in place.

To the many of us who tend to shy away and let others with more exerience, time or other assume the political advocacy, we all own our direction. Let each of us assume a role that best fits us yet best serves the common good.

Key is- you get to define the common good. My sense, when defined collectively,  the overlap of who is the common good is more encompassing than not.

And so I write…

A reminder to all of us but also an explanation to our younger people about Memorial Day. This item comes via a statewide mailing to Vermont school leaderss from VT Sec. of Education, Rebecca Holcombe:

Every Memorial Day, the U.S. flag is quickly raised to the top of flagpoles, slowly lowered to half-mast, and then raised again to full height at noon.

• The time at half-mast is meant to honor the million-plus fallen U.S. soldiers who have died for their country over the years.
• Re-raising the flag is meant to symbolize the resolve of the living to carry on the fight for freedom so that the nation’s heroes will not have died in vain.

With great thanks to those who gave their lives on our behalf and to the many others who served in the military during our country’s lifetime.