Fall’s Farewell

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 20, 2019 in Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

December 20, 2019-

The days of harvest, of thankfulness,

give way to the time when half the Earth gains rest,

when many feel a time of festivity,

and others abide their glee,

whilst wishing for joyfulness

of their own.

The season of my birth comes to an end.

The season of my growth will start,

in a few short hours.

We will likely enjoy winter’s coating.

whilst those in the antipodes,

bake, sweat and fear the flames.

Those who will begin the New Year,

the new decade,

without work,

have received the ill tidings,

at the time favoured

by the Scrooges in our midst.

Christmas, it’s said,

falls too close

to the end of the

last quarter of the Business Year.

The Big Boys quip:

“There’s no way around it,

men.

Goodbye and good luck,

and thank you for your hard work.”

I think:

“May each one of those

cast-aside workers

find a livelihood,

in the year ahead,

that makes their bygone toil,

the stuff of well-discarded memories.

They are among the true heroes

of this nation.”

May we begin to find our path, an

and walk out of the darkness,

as the Earth alternately

rests and fumes.

Connections and Commitments

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 18, 2019 in children, Community, distraction issues, Family, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

December 18, 2019-

A long absent friend re-connected with me, recently. He told me of his present life, as his wife’s full-time caretaker. This, of course, brought back memories of my own situation, 9-10 years ago. Had I to do it over again, I would, in a heartbeat.

More cogent, though, is the question of what connections in one’s life bring about commitments. Spouses, children and parents are obvious urgent commitments. Siblings and close friends are up there, also. There is, though, the caveat that people to whom your ties include respect for their individuality and privacy may not WANT anyone’s involvement in their lives. I face this, presently, with one whom I love dearly-knowing that love is something that requires me to leave her alone, at least as long as there is not threat to her life and limb. Even then, any involvement on my part would be in concert with her closest family members.

There is also, in a world that is, simultaneously, digitally connected and riven with anonymity and division, a tendency for the disconnected to demand attention, at least in social media and chat, for their most quotidian concerns. I can hear people saying, “Well, aren’t 90 % or more of our day-to-day lives made up of quotidian events?” Yes, they are, at least that much. I belong to a social media group that is called “I Did A Thing.” It is intended for people who have suffered from social anxiety and low self-concept, to gives themselves a boost, by sharing their everyday achievements with like-minded people. I don’t go on there as much, as I did in the beginning of the group, nor do I see that many people using the site, anymore. I do support those who post, some of whom I’ve met face-to-face.

The other group who post, largely in online chat forums, such as Facebook Messenger, are mentally ill adults, many of whom seem to have no other avenue to express their concerns. Most of these posts are about issues that those of us lucky enough to have had patient, loving parents and friends are able to resolve on our own. I have learned to schedule time, in early morning and late evening, to hear out such people and offer simple solutions, as best I can. The issues are often repeated, day to day, but that is what any one of us may called upon to address.

Our connections do not always require commitment, especially if, as sometimes happens to me, there are more pressing matters, closer to home. We do our best , though, as we just may be all one another have.

Kaleidoscopes, Courtyards and Red Rocks

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 17, 2019 in Community, Entertainment, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Slow Food, Social, Travel

December 17, 2019, Jerome-

Today being a day free of commitments in the Prescott area, I took my daughter-in-law, Yunhee, on an excursion to the fascinating Red Rock area, via Jerome. We made this little town that clings to the east face of Mingus Mountain our first and last stop of the day. Yunhee is not put off by winding roads and steep drop-offs, so we made good time, getting to the Kaleidoscope Store, in Nelly Bly’s old office, around 10:30. This amazing little shop is actually the largest kaleidoscope shop in the world and sports at least two dozen kinds of the visual treats. Yunhee was shown how to take a cell phone photograph, with a kaleidoscopic image as the backdrop. I had a kaleidoscope as a child, so I picked up a small one for myself. Then, I got one for a friend who celebrates a birthday, this month. I can see myself making another excursion up the mountain, just to spend a morning or afternoon trying out the many other kinds of image-shifting toys.

We took a straight shot to Sedona, afterward, and I first brought her to a courtyard, with the intent of taking lunch at Momo’s Kitchen, a Korean Food Truck. Momo’s turns out to be closed on Tuesdays, so we headed over to the stylish and avant-garde HP Cafe, which offers exquisite, reimagined Mexican fare. After that great lunch, I brought Yunhee to a viewpoint, where she was able to photograph Midgeley Bridge, a breathtaking sight over Oak Creek Canyon.

Then, it was off to Tlaquepaque, a replica of the large, charming market city of the Mexican state of Jalisco. As it was not the weekend, we nearly had the place to ourselves. Here are several photos of Tlaquepaque’s courtyards and bric-a-brac.

Having had a chance to digest lunch, we went to Synergy, a small shop in West Sedona, which specializes in healthful chocolate and digestive-enzyme beverages, as well as organic chocolate treats. We both opted for Norwegian Wood, a chocolate mocha, maca, chaga and Surthrival pine pollen libation. One of my friends from Prescott Farmers’ Market happened to be there, as well, so we had a fine conversation about keeping our dietary focus keen, balanced and organic, to the extent possible. Yes, Pegasus greets the visitor to Synergy!

Red Rock State Park was on the hiking agenda. The office people seemed to know that we were there for a walk outdoors, and said “Good Afternoon”, without looking up from their desks. So hike, we did, on a loop up to the fenced-off House of Apache Fires, a defunct resort, and back to the Visitors’ Center.

The views of Sedona’s many sandstone spectacles were well worth the jaunt. Besides, when is a hike ever wasted?

Oak Creek runs through the middle of the park.

The red sandstone formations in the distance, are part of the Schnebly Hill formation.

Here is a view of the House of Apache Fires.

This sandstone giant appears to be keeping tabs on everyone.

Here is another view of the Schnebly Formation, taken from Eagle’s Nest Overlook.

So, that was my daughter-in-law’s introduction to the Red Rock country. We will be sure to return there, when Aram comes back from his final active duty, in the Puget Sound area, in early January.

For now, it’s a pleasant dinner at Haunted Hamburger, on the west side of Jerome, then back over Mingus Mountain we go.

On Unity

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 16, 2019 in collaborating, Community, impediments, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

December 16, 2019-

The subjects of who is responsible and of how much should we, as a human race, be working together, have resurfaced, in response to TIME’s selection of its 2019 Person of the Year. I have discussed that particular matter, in an earlier post, and so will not belabour the point.

Conservatives are incensed that seemingly irresponsible progressives are in the ascendancy, with regard to environmental matters. Those on the Left, likewise, regard ANY involvement by large business interests and nationalist groups, in the environmental movement, as suspect.

The facts, as always, paint a more complex picture. A politically conservative team, led by Scott Presler, has made its way around the United States, cleaning up mounds of trash and debris in places like Newark,Baltimore, Los Angeles and Chicago. One of the most reliable environmental disaster response teams on the planet is Team Rubicon, made up largely of political conservatives, who also happen to have a solid combination of heart and disaster recovery expertise. I have been part of a local group, here in Prescott, who cleaned up an abandoned homeless people’s camp, in early Fall of this year. While they didn’t appreciate my political views, they did appreciate the help.

There are no shortage of people on the Left who help clean up the detritus, as well. Indeed, Team Rubicon and Mr. Presler’s group hardly conduct political litmus tests of their volunteers. Politics, simply put, should not be a distraction. In the end, the Creator put us all here and we all have to live with what is.

There are as many ways to face our planet’s changing climate-which is a cycle, and no more a myth than the cycle which eliminated so much life during the Cambrian and Cretaceous Periods. Mankind will not be eliminated by this cycle. We do, however, have the responsibility of stewardship for our world, and there as many ways to respond to the challenge, as there are points of view. All are needed here.

Two responses that will not accomplish what is needed are: 1. Doing nothing and 2. Throwing money, willy-nilly, at the events. Indeed, the controversial Ms. Thunberg has herself cautioned against a Green New Deal, in the sense that rushing into responding may cause more harm than good. Plans must be made, and they need to consider as many possible outcomes in advance as is humanly possible. Conservatives, with their command of Outcomes-based Models, can help greatly in this regard. Progressives, with their commitment to social justice, can provide the psychological and emotional heft, as well as a fair share of intellectual awareness, to the process.

We can, moreover, do without the divisive extremism-that, “if THOSE people are involved, then count me out. ” I would have strongly advised Greta Thunberg to so sit down with President Trump (or any other critic she may encounter) and explain her views, as clearly as possible, whilst giving him an opportunity to explain his, in a coherent manner. Neither of them are responsible for the other’s reaction, so it does not strike me as a fool’s errand. For my part, I do not approach my own critics with anything less than dignified respect.

Unity requires no less.

Losing Love

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 15, 2019 in children, Community, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

December 15, 2019-

A couple of things reminded me of the line in Paul Simon’s song, “Graceland”: “My traveling companion is nine years old. She said she’s losing love.”

I received several frantic messages, this morning, from someone who feared a family member was messing with him. The more direct thing, that reminded me of the song, was a paraphrase of that line, in another friend’s online post.

In the first case above, it’s unlikely that the person is living without love. It’s more a difference in communication styles. In the second case, the child is very much loved, by two generations of family.

It is terrifying to lose love, especially for a child. I know people who have themselves never known at least one of their parents. Some have gone on and made great examples of themselves, with or without the love of the remaining parent. Others have not thrived, and have grown, physically, while remaining emotionally stunted and listless.

In my case, I was never without love, from the time I was born until the day I left home to make my way in life. The times since, that I felt I’d lost love, were figments of my imagination and were more a deficit, on my part , of reflecting love. I’ve since learned how to be consistent, in that regard. God’s grace always mirrors itself in those who love us.

These thoughts just came into my mind, as I get ready for the last big event before Christmas.

Rotating the Plates

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 14, 2019 in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

December 14, 2019-

In the late 1940’s, a man named Preston Tucker conceived and produced a modest number of innovative automobiles, bearing his name. The attitude of the United States government towards entrepreneurs, in the 1950’s, was a far cry from what it is in this century. Tucker was harassed by the Eisenhower administration, on charges of stock fraud and false advertising, though he was eventually exonerated. Today, many of his innovations, from disc brakes to air-cooled engines, are standard features in many lines of cars.

For many of us, change is most easily accepted if it is piecemeal, and even more so if it mainly involves re-arranging the chairs on the deck, or rotating the plates on a table. Preston Tucker, with Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Stanley Kubrick, Jackson Pollock and Joe Sample, among many others, challenged the way people thought about everything in our society. How can machines be made in a different manner and serve mankind more efficiently? How can music and art be wildly innovative, even whimsical, and still have deep meaning? The powers that be are averse to asking these questions, even in this national unity,age of deep change.

We are finding this in public service, as well. Those who propose large scale changes in the way public affairs are conducted, primarily with a view towards bridging gaps, are dismissed by both the nation’s leadership and the mass media as Lost Causes or Just Plain Weird. The idea that people with liberal viewpoints can find common ground with those of conservative bent has led many with a conventional frame of mind to publicly retch. The “ruffle no feathers” crowd almost prefers widespread incompetence to warm and vibrant appeals to national unity. Thus, “minor” candidates are shut out of the process by clever, but putrid, political machinations.

It is thus in business and industry, in the arts and in the halls of government. It would be refreshing to see the popular will resist these incessant appeals to mediocrity.

When Light Seems Dark

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 13, 2019 in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

December 13, 2019-

Jack was right, to an extent.

The selection, by TIME Magazine, of Greta Thunberg as its “Person of the Year” comes as no surprise. The attacks heaped on her, by people of a certain age, also come as no surprise. It’s hard to face up to one’s failings, and even more so, to face up to collective failings.

There is no figure in human history who had escaped the wrath of the froward and despicable. It’s human nature to despise being reminded of what one has done wrong. It is human responsibility, however, to address shortcomings and make an effort to correct them.

Jack, of whom I know little, wrote a scathing letter, some five years ago, warning me that my attitudes on inter-gender relations were passe’, and that I would know no peace with women, until I recognized it and changed some aspects of my mindset. Time has passed and I have meditated, continuously, on this matter, gradually weaning myself of exactly the shopworn attitudes of which he was talking.

There is, however, a greater sense of obfuscation and gaslighting afoot, when critics of not only the great Divine Educators, from Noah to Christ to Baha’u’llah, but also more ordinary people, from the Founding Fathers of the United States, through Abraham Lincoln, to Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Fred Rogers, try to focus attention on the flaws, both real and perceived, of such great souls. The Divine Educators were perfect Beings, so any disparagement of Them is a pack of lies. Those who are people of vision and fortitude will always incite anger and attract disparagement from those who prefer to wallow in self-pity. Light, to such people, is to be shadowed, made to seem like darkness.

There is a difference between the Jacks of the world, who speak truth even when it may be unpalatable, and the minions of moroseness (to quote Spiro T. Agnew, of all people). Those who wish to redress the wrongs of society are only too happy to see those wrongs corrected. Those who hate the great figures of the past, or the minor heroes of the present, are banking on the lower aspects of human nature to vindicate their own self-loathing.

Greta Thunberg, at her young age, ought continue to grow physically and intellectually, but ought never shrink from speaking truth-even when it may be unpalatable.

Schisms and -isms

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 12, 2019 in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

December 12, 2019-

A participant in a recent Baha’i Studies Conference, in Ottawa, Ontario, made the case for a movement she called “womanism”. The gist of this movement’s philosophy is similar to to the campaign message of the American politician, Tulsi Gabbard: Bring forward a true ethic of inclusion; the practice of not shutting anyone out, on the basis of their stated beliefs. The premise here is inclusion, not opposition.

I favour such a movement, as I believe that everyone has a grain of truth to bring to the table. That does not mean that someone who regards others as inferior should remain unchallenged in her/his pronouncements and certainly, actions that take away someone else’s rights or extinguish viewpoints, contrary to what one believes, are to be seen as counterproductive. Repressed thoughts and opinions will never disappear. They may even return, with a vengeance, in the form of counter-revolution.

It also does not sanction violence against one’s philosophical opponents, if for no other reason than to preclude their being seen as martyrs. I much prefer to maintain appropriate dialogue, with its inherent boundaries, than to shut a person out in perpetuity. Again, I draw the line at those who threaten violence or demand that I “toe the line.”

Many movements end their names with the suffix, “-ism”. To wit, besides the above-mentioned womanism, we have “feminism”, “Islamism”, “supremacism” and the more conventional nationalism and sectarianism. Such -isms, especially the last four mentioned, seem to lead to schism. The founders of such movements may, or may not, have envisioned such divides, and thus incorporated them in their planning. Nonetheless, any time one sets out to make a difference, if there is a pre-conceived Other, there is a potential schism. Even a term as seemingly benign as non- (insert your identity group), is inherently creating a division in society.

It’s time to seriously work on abandoning the concept of “Other.” Our self-concepts do not need it, in order to appreciate our uniqueness.

We, the People

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on December 11, 2019 in Community, Family, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

December 11, 2019-

In the film, “King of the Gypsies”, the late Sterling Hayden plays the titular role, and remarks, upon encountering a different group of Roma: “Whose Gypsies are these?” It struck me as a curious thing for anyone to say-as I never have taken to the idea of one human being owning another-or others. Indeed, it was a few years ago that I relinquished use of the possessive pronoun “my”, when referencing any person by name, saving its use solely for clarifying a specific relationship.

I guess this is part of a larger movement in my mind- to get past thoughts of “Us and Them”. Growing up in a small town north of Boston, I was first aware of belonging to two large families, then to the Roman Catholic church, then to a town named Saugus, whose residents, for the most part, were of families whose forebears came from Europe. My education, as to how to regard people who looked different from us, was simple: We were to address them as “Sir”, “Ma’am” or by honorific (Mr._____, Mrs._____). Other kids were always called by their first names. The pejorative for African-Americans (My folks called them coloured people, in the 1950’s) was forbidden in our house. Needless to say, nobody with half a brain would ever have called Mrs. Robinson, who ran the junior high cafeteria, anything other than ” Miss Matron, Ma’am”. Mr. and Mrs. Woo, who had a laundry in Cliftondale Square, on the southeast side of town, were likewise accorded full respect, and the Chang family were pillars of the community.

So there was an early perception, in my head, that anyone who used racial or ethnic slurs was just plain ignorant. To be sure, lots of people moved into Saugus from other places, and brought their less than enlightened ideas about race and ethnicity into the social fabric. I never bought into any of it, and remember feeling sad when four little girls were blown to bits, in Birmingham, and when Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, were gunned down. It was as hard for me, as losing the Kennedy brothers.

Nonetheless, there was work for me to do on myself, as so many “harmless” stereotypes and inflections had made their way into my consciousness. My Black fellow soldiers, being as diverse a group as any similar collection of Whites, disabused me of a lot of preconceived notions that growing up in a mostly white community had imparted. To be sure, I have never been physically assaulted by anyone of African ancestry. I can’t say the same about my fellow Euro-Americans.

Gradually, I outgrew stereotypes about other groups of people, all residual from what I had observed in others, over the period of my childhood and adolescence. My inclusive views finally came full circle, when the humanity of those who spouted unfortunate views of exclusion and bigotry became apparent, without my having to adopt their way of thinking. Some people just need more patience than others.

So, it is with a fair degree of incredulity, that I hear one group or another say: “The People won’t stand for this!” To paraphrase Mr. Hayden’s character, ” To which people do you refer?” All humans are people-and while appealing to their humanity is hard, sometimes exasperating, work, I feel I can do no less.

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	Sagittarian Seeker on Pros and Cons
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	murisopsis on What I’ve Done Late…

A Sagittarian Seeker

Sharing a life of inner and outer journeys

Category Archives: Community

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