Category Archives: Historical

The Road to Diamond, Day 218: What Price, Independence?

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, Historical, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

July 4, 2025- “I’m surrounded!”, the little girl said to her older sister, when called back to the family spot, at this evening’s fireworks watching gathering. She was referring to the tall weeds that were on three sides of her. I was sitting on the fourth side. Going around my folding chair was her easy way out, and back to their gathering place she went.

It is a tough Independence Day for many people. A complicated, and widely-reviled, Federal budget has been put in motion. Fear, on all sides, has people figuratively circling around one another. Like the child mentioned above, the fearful panic, without seeing the whole picture, which does present equitable solutions. The short term solution has ever been centering oneself, then learning to listen- to really hear-what those in our communities have to say. The longer-term answers will then present themselves.

What is the price of independence? I have mentioned, in the past, the economist Thomas Sowell’s truism that “Everything is a trade-off.” Permanent solutions would only work if there were permanent circumstances. The Universe, and everything in it, is not static. So it is with independence. It is an opportunity for an individual to establish oneself and make one’s own decisions. Teenagers and young adults seek, and can thrive, on independence. Once established, however, strict independence needs enhancement.

The next level of social evolution, therefore, is interdependence. People seek partners, and then to be part of communities, as they get older. A strong marriage is 100/100. A strong community draws on the strengths of all its members. A wiser community welcomes new members, with skill sets that enhance the established order, and help it adapt to changing circumstances. Gradually, there is more diversity in a community that is not stagnating.

You’ve also read here that “freedom is not free”. Those who relegate decision-making to louder, more insistent voices should not be surprised to find themselves under the thumbs of grifters, dogmatists and tyrants-and a lot sooner than they might expect. It’s happened in small towns, states and nations. Invariably, this happens when a critical mass of citizens choose to not exercise their duty to take part in the affairs of the community. Then, there comes governance by plurality. This has happened to conservative populaces and to communities where the majority are of a progressive bent. Dogmatism and self-interest are not exclusive to one or another ideology.

Each of us is given free will and the wherewithal to make informed, quality decisions. Putting these to use is the only guarantee that we have, as a nation, to retain the Republic that Benjamin Franklin told us we have the responsibility to keep.

The Road to Diamond, Day 217: Fulfillment

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

July 3, 2025- It was not as hard as I thought it could have been. Getting beds of pine needles off several roofs at Bellemont Baha’i School was a two-person operation, with a third helping to rake up and bag the piles. I did not have to climb ladders, this time. The man who will take my place as camp manager, the week after next, was glad to take ladder duty. I was able to do a fair amount of needle removal from the ground level, thanks to our fashioning a tool consisting of a leaf rake inserted into a hollow aluminum pole. The tool also worked from the ladder, and he was able to carefully manipulate it, so as to remove small beds of needles from higher points on two of the roofs.

Yesterday, a team delivered supplies from the Red Cross to Navajo Nation officials who are managing two shelters for people and one for animals, in response to a wildfire that is about 13% contained. The importance of inter-agency teams in this sort of situation cannot be understated.

With the Federal government stepping back from several aspects of meeting the needs of destitute or under-privileged people, the importance of such co-operation across social institutions is sure to skyrocket. Problems do not disappear, by dint of official proclamations. They still need to be addressed, by people interacting in a co-operative manner. Thus, will promises continue to be fulfilled.

It was because people of means from France, the Netherlands and Germany kept their vows that the desire of British colonists to forge an independent country was fulfilled. It was not a perfect nation, by any means, and still isn’t-but 249 years ago tomorrow, the idea of a nation making a stab at a government based on the will of its people was born in earnest.

We have yet to fulfill the rest of the promise, but the work goes on.

The Road to Diamond, Day 206: Wars and Rumors

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Posted by on in Assistance, Community, distraction issues, Historical, impediments, Inner Struggles, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 22, 2025- In Episodes 3 & 4 of The Chosen, Season 5, there is much posturing and self-interest playing out among the Jewish priests, the Roman officials, and the apostates from the Plains of Sharon(who are actually fictional characters), none of whom like one another much and are united only in their disdain for Jesus the Christ.

In a gathering of His disciples, Christ speaks of wars, and rumors of wars, as a result of His fate, which He does not divulge to them, beyond saying “I go away and come again unto you.” He goes into detail about the course of events that would follow even the spread of His Faith.

We see posturing and self-interest once again, and again it is primarily in western Asia, again involving the major power in world affairs. Once again, it involves high-ranking clergy, who are also well-heeled, and there is a snippet of “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s”. It is serendipitous that these episodes depicting the Life of Christ should find themselves imitated by current world events, but here we are-and here is where the comparison ends.

It’s hard to say who in the current state of affairs really sees himself as the protagonist, actually saving humanity from a great evil. There is a lot of fulmination about this or that “Great Satan”- primarily the advocate for a system of values that is at variance with those values that confer power and wealth upon said “protagonist”. The West sees those who propose top-down stringency, an almost medieval code of conduct and a stated willingness to abolish the Jewish State as inimical to its interests. On the opposite side are a gaggle of authoritarians, not all of whom are necessarily proposing the oppression of women and only some of whom are anti-Semitic, but all of whom are opposed to the concept of individual freedom. The latter are confused by the present American leadership, which essentially seems more concerned with imposing what it sees as business-like efficiency on the government system than it is with coddling dictators.

My take? There will not be any peace until the various forces place a spiritual foundation under all their actions. That means giving up a focus on their own material and political power, and being concerned instead with what will truly help the common people to level up themselves. Human nature, not the air, water and soil of the planet, is what needs a great shaking-just as it did in the time of Jesus.

The Road to Diamond, Day 203: The Whip

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 19, 2025- There is no good outcome for oppression. This is the larger message of Juneteenth, which commemorates the day in 1865, when the enslaved of Texas learned of their Emancipation, two years after it was granted.

In the second episode of Season 5, of the series “The Chosen”, the scene of Jesus the Christ upending the Passover Market, from outrage at the presence of commerce on the grounds of the Temple shows Him using a whip, along with knocking over tables and tearing apart animals’ cages.

This is well-known New Testament account, seemingly at variance with Christ’s message of love. He would go on, in what was left of His ministry, to explain to the people about His actions, in the context of His greater message. Some would understand; most would not-initially.

Historically, those who use violence, when punishing children or in enforcing the law, point to the actions of various Old Testament figures, or to Christ vs. the money changers, or to Mohammad’s defensive actions against those who were attacking Him, as justification for their own behaviour. None of us, however, are Messengers of God. We don’t have any business falling back on Scripture to justify our own actions-usually directed towards those who are more vulnerable-or malleable.

Children need to be directed, guided, and corrected, but never made to lose heart. More and more parents are living as nonviolent exemplars. As for enforcing the law, this can be and is done every day, in a firm but nonviolent manner, by the vast majority of peace officers in this country, and in many others. There is never an excuse for the beating of civilians, just as there is never an excuse for throwing chunks of concrete, fireworks or fistfuls of rocks down on police officers, or anyone else. There is, likewise, no excuse for acts of hate against those who differ from oneself.

There is no good outcome for oppression.

The Road to Diamond, Day 198: The Weight of Duty

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 14, 2025- Flag Day has come and gone-and over a million people flew our nation’s colours. The 250th Birthday of the United States Army has been observed-peacefully, with no strange command to turn on the American people. It was very unlikely to have happened, but there were those who expressed a worry about it. “No Kings Day” came and went-with a minor incident in Virginia, and one act of domestic terror,in Minnesota, which will be handled by law enforcement, including the U.S.Department of Justice. People across the political spectrum were able to express their opinions, with minimal confrontation. That is the spirit of our country, and it is alive and well.

Th president, in a moment of candor, told an interviewer that he doesn’t feel like a king, and that he is “going through hell to get anything done.” He should never feel like a king, nor should any future president. A president should feel respected, but not regal.

When I was a building principal, there were those students and parents who revered me and what I was doing. There were also those who despised me and opposed just about anything I was proposing. Both were heard, and some of what my opponents said made sense and was incorporated into our programs. That is the weight of duty-knowing that one will never please the masses, but that there are hard decisions that must be made, within the bounds of one’s authority. A good leader never tries to exceed those bounds, but knows how to accomplish things towards the public weal, as one understands it.

The enormity of the United States government, indeed the size of most governments in large and complex countries, implies that mistakes will be made, but also that the nation will survive, so long as there is not over-centralization. “No Kings” is more than likely going to remain a state of affairs. Even the most rigid of politicians could not hope to contain our rowdy, outspoken populace for much more than an off-year election cycle, if even that long. Thank God for small favours.

The Road to Diamond, Day 193: Power

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, distraction issues, Education, Historical, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 9, 2025- In the series,Marco Polo, Kublai Khan gives the air of an omnipotent ruler-acknowledging the legacy of his grandfather, Chingiz, while retaining for himself the aura of consummate masculinity. He notes that Marco’s father is rather derelict towards his son, while Kublai himself is actively involved in preparing his eldest son for an eventual seat on the throne. He therefore elects to take on Marco as a scion project, of sorts, assigning his corps of experts each a skill in which to train the young “Latin”. Even the concubines are given the task of challenging Marco’s sense of chastity, which Kublai expects him to retain.

Kublai has trained himself in the ways of power, and shows just how exhilarating, and exhausting, it can be. His power is both internal and external. Omnipotence, however, he has not. Gradually, Marco Polo comes to recognize the Great Khan’s limits and measures his own actions accordingly.

In historical reality, Kublai Khan had several rivals, and like virtually every other ruler of China, always had to be on his guard. There were occasions for brutal punishment of his nemeses, and times when it was best to placate them.

Each of us has moments when we feel in control of all we survey, and times when we feel impotent-in several areas of life. I have long accepted the challenges of maturity, including the realization that someday will find me in another realm. In the meantime, however, the tasks in front of me call for openness to new practices-dietary, social, technological and intellectual. Tasks which I am being asked to consider, this summer, will involve a measure of flexibility-particularly when two rather different tasks must be accomplished, on the same day.

Power is imbued from the Divine, yet almost always seems to emanate from within. Therein is what leads to a false sense of omnipotence, for so many people. I’m grateful, eternally, for the wisdom to know the difference.

The Road to Diamond, Day 179: The Last Full Measure

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Education, Historical, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

May 26, 2025- As close to 150 people listened, Dale Enlow, a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, recited President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, in the latter half of yesterday’s Memorial Day commemoration at Prescott National Cemetery. With his recognition of the ultimate sacrifice paid by those who fought on behalf of the unity of our nation, Mr. Lincoln also called upon those present, and those of us yet to be born, to give our all towards both preserving, and extending, the concept of freedom: “It is rather
for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored
dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of
devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this
nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

There will always be differing views of what freedom means, who gets to enjoy it-even as to who deserves it. These can stem from one’s view of what is sacred, of just how much a person ought to share with others, even from one’s view of what constitutes humanity.

Yet, the arc of history, overall, bends towards a more inclusive society. However much it may move forward in fits and starts; however often a temporary backtracking or retrenchment may result in a loss of human rights, often out of fear that one’s position in the world will become lost, if others are given an equal share; however widespread that fear becomes the basis for a communal or national decision-making, the human race is destined to evolve towards an inclusivity borne of the maturity of the species.

That principle explains the eventual victory of each and every movement towards national freedom, since 1781; of each civil rights movement, across the globe, since 1921; of each cautionary tale that has come from revanchism, since the European royalists of the mid-19th Century were removed from power. We have yet to achieve a balance between individual initiative and group-focused identity, and thus will continue to witness a battle of wills between progressives and conservatives. The preservation of the work ethic, however, does not depend on playing a zero sum game of exclusion. Likewise, the expansion of opportunity to the marginalized does not require a reinvention of the wheel. As a wise speaker noted, at last week’s seminar on psychological well-being, everyone-whether right or left, is looking towards safety and security.

Our last full measure of devotion surely takes in the well-being of everyone in our midst.

Click to access Transcript-of-the-Gettysburg-Address.pdf

The Road to Diamond, Day 168: Resilience

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, Historical, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

May 15, 2025, Parsons, TN- In the open garage of a country home, I set the box containing a plant, that was gifted by my hosts in Oley, PA to mutual friends who live about two hours east of here. As I was getting ready to pull out of the circular driveway, one of those friends pulled in on the other side. A joyful hug and fifteen-minute catch-up ensued. I learned that friend’s husband, suffering from a serious disease, is showing signs of resilience. Time will tell if he pulls through, though given his wife’s persistence and determination to treat the disease with natural medicine, it is entirely possible that he will.

My hosts in Oley said that my visits are those of encouragement. That does my heart good, as my energy is geared that way. It always has been my mission in life to help others realize their goals; my own goals, not so much, though being on my own, these past fourteen years, has tempered that self-abnegation, a fair amount. I suppose that is only fair.

I made a brief return visit to Broad Porch Coffee House, the most recent successor to Artful Dodger, the former Harrisonburg cafe where a couple of long-gone friends helped me get my bearings and reclaim my own worthiness as a human being, some twelve years ago. Broad Porch is a busier place than Dodger was, but I get much the same vibe. After a brief breakfast, I was on the way back south. The plant had to be delivered, today, and in one piece.

I checked out downtown Roanoke, a city I have pretty much bypassed on previous drives down the Spine. It, and Staunton, the next town south of Harrisonburg, would be worth a day or two of exploration each, on future backs and forths. From Roanoke, down through Bristol and the out skirts of Knoxville, plant and I continued. In Crossville, we found her new home, and the above conversation took place.

Now, I rest, in the crossroads of Land Between the Lakes and Natchez Trace. Not far from here is Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. As I now have a different mission, getting to my little family’s place in Grapevine, tourism is off the agenda. There’s a lot to do around Parsons, according to a fellow guest who frequents this motel, but I will save that for later, as well.

The bright orange flower and the resilient couple will keep on showing the world that life is ever about bouncing back-God willing and the creek don’t rise.

The Road to Diamond, Day 163: America’s Stonehenge

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

May 10, 2025, Salem, NH- About a month ago, Hiking Buddy and I were talking about the petroglyphs of Williamson Valley. She mentioned about the existence of a site in southern New Hampshire where documented pre-Columbian standing stones, with some verified inscriptions of Celtic and possibly Phoenician origin had been found. I know there have been similar sites in Minnesota that have been investigated and debunked, but this one had more of a ring of truth to it. I made a promise to myself to check out the site that was once called Mystery Hill.

Today brought that chance, and after enjoying lunch with my sister and brother-in-law, I headed up I-495, to New England’s other Salem. The town was a staple of my childhood, with visits to my mother’s sister and her family, and an annual summer gathering at Canobie Lake Park. I stopped briefly at the north end of the lake, which is a water supply for the area. Fishing is plentiful, but as one might guess, swimming is not allowed. We mainly picnicked and enjoyed the small amusement park.

Salem, NH
North side of reservoir, Canobie Lake, Salem, NH

America’s Stonehenge, as Mystery Hill is now called, was a gathering site for Pawtucket First Nations people, themselves a branch of the Penacook Confederacy, which held sway across a wide swath of New Hampshire, Vermont, northern Massachusetts and western Maine, for hundreds of years before European settlement. The Pawtuckets themselves lived in an area from what is now Fitchburg (north central Massachusetts) to Saugus and Lynn, on the Atlantic Coast. Their central community was at what is now Lowell.

Pawtuckets
Pawtucket First Nation history

The area itself was farmed by the Pattee family, from the late Eighteenth Century until around 1900. Seth Pattee attempted to turn the property into a quarry for building stone, around the time of the Civil War. His son ended that practice and worked to preserve the area, having gleaned its cultural and historical heritage. This preservation began in earnest, with the research of William Goodwin, in the 1930s. When Robert Stone took over the property in 1958, he and his son, Dennis, saw the value in enlisting public support. The Stone family has been working hard, since 1958, to increase public awareness of the connections between peoples on both sides of the Atlantic, and that these connections are likely much older than is customarily believed.

The site seems to have been used as a ceremonial area, for marking major yearly astronomical events, such as the Solstices and Equinoxes. These seem to have been marked in a manner more customary for the Celtic peoples of western Europe than for early First Nations peoples of the Americas, and their predecessors. This suggests that there was, at minimum, regular contact between people on both sides of the Atlantic, as far back as 4,000 years ago.

I took several video clips of the trail. Unfortunately, these are too large for the Word Press format, so here are some still photos that accompanied the videos.

EW Chamber
East-West Chamber, also called Gallery Grave. This is similar to Celtic structures in Ireland and Brittany.
Small chamber
Outdoor stone table, with a small chamber perhaps used as a storage area.
Eye Rock
This rock, with a faded “eye” , was intended most likely as a watch talisman.

I will continue to look into sharing the video clips via this blog site. In the meantime, here are some resources by which you may learn about this unique site, and its archeo-astronomical importance.

America’s Stonehenge: Souvenir Book Paperback – October 1, 2018

by Dennis Stone (Author), Katherine Stone (Editor), & 1 more

America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World, Revised Edition Paperback – June 1, 1989

by Barry Fell (Author)

The Road to Diamond, Day 151: Parties Large and Small

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Posted by on in Community, Historical, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

April 28, 2025- The wind was still a bit brisk, as is the norm for April here. There were eleven of us gathered, in a large park at Prescott Valley. The occasion was the celebration of the Ninth Day of the Ridvan Festival. The twelve-day festival marks Baha’ullah’s Announcement of His Mission to the world and His departure, along with His family and closest associates, from Baghdad to Istanbul (Constantinople). Day 9 was the most likely day of His revelation to His family, of the true nature of His being in the world. It was after that, when preparations for their departure began in earnest, to be concluded with the actual beginning of the journey northward on the Twelfth Day.

Many Baha’i gatherings during the work week are small, but no less festive. We had a bit of music and an intrepid dancer engaged the birds, who were not all that interested and flew off. As always, the food was plentiful and devotions, heartfelt.

Later, I helped serve dinner at the Monday evening Soup Kitchen. This gathering is no small party,with probably 80 people getting a full, well-prepared and varied meal. The camaraderie, among people who are not living in the best of circumstances, is still heartwarming. Here, they know they are wanted and cared for. Despite the still-cold nights, they are able to mostly find shelter and the left over food can go with them, for further meal security, as well as to other shelters in need of food security.

I was asked this afternoon where my next journey will take me. After a fairly large two-day conference in Phoenix, this coming weekend, the road goes north and east-to other gatherings large, small and in-between. It is the warmth that counts.