Category Archives: impediments

The Road to Diamond, Day 222: Standing Alone

0
Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

July 8, 2025- The clever cat waited for her food, then moved away from it-thinking that she might help herself to the food I was about to set out for her male fellow feline. After psspssing her away a couple of times, I brought her over to her dish, from which she ate a bit, then moved away. It was time for me to go to another appointment, so it was up to male cat to get up and eat. Cats tend to be loners and I will see how the feeding process has gone, when I return for more pet watching, tomorrow morning.

Earlier in the afternoon, I found myself the sole person left out of small groups, during a Shelter Manager class, instead having brief conversations with each of the moderators. We were thus able to touch on a few esoteric matters, as well as a couple of the questions posed to some of the small groups. The relationships that Shelter Managers have with those above and below them came up. Managers tend to be well-regarded by shelter staff, clients and regional brass alike, provided we devote ourselves to the well-being of those being sheltered and those tending to them. There are a few, typically special event staff and some facility security, who tend to regard a Red Cross shelter as an intrusion. These are the ones who are best handled with kid gloves, though never to the extent that those being sheltered are accosted or bothered in any way by those with agendas that are at odds with the Red Cross mission.

The course of this week, laden with service activities that overlap in places, still finds me standing (or driving) alone, frequently. It’s fine-as I can take the time necessary to do paperwork, whilst in an online meeting; get up early and tend to friend’s cats ( a fifteen-minute drive), returning for round two in the evening-of course, in between both long-distance and local engagements. I need to take time alone to do things about which I lack confidence. There were too many people, in my earlier days, who reveled in seeing me, and others, make a mess of things. I won’t give them the satisfaction, anymore, of seeing me blow it. Mom taught me to be comfortable in my own skin, and here I stand.

The Road to Diamond, Day 221: Prince Among Dragons

2
Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

July 7, 2025- Thirty seven years ago, when that was also my age, a little boy was brought into the world, in the midst of a Year of the Dragon (Chinese zodiacal figuring). Since we were living in South Korea at the time, there was much ribbing from my colleagues about this being the outcome of a “dragon dream”, all the more auspicious because of the year we were in.

People born in that year are said “to be ambitious, confident and charismatic. They possess an abundance of energy and enthusiasm while also displaying exceptional intelligence and power. They are naturally lucky and gifted, often accomplishing their endeavours with exceptional standards of excellence.” Son certainly has grown into embracing all of these traits, and has kept a high bar for himself, especially over the past twelve years.

Soon, he will assume the role of fatherhood. I hope he leaves me in the dust, in that department, and in just about every other facet of life. A mutual friend commented, yesterday, that wanting a child to excel over the accomplishments of parents is the hallmark of parental love. That certainly is an admirable goal. Here’s this grandfather’s take: Let the child absolutely soar. Son wants the same for his daughter-and for any other child who may come along.

For now, he is focused on doing the best possible job, in each facet of his life. That is all I can ever ask. He is indeed a prince among “dragons”.

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

5
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 209: Not One Dimensional

4
Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 25, 2025- The day saw me in three states of being. Morning started, foggy-headed and with an appeal for help, from a family that was in a situation similar to the one in which we found ourselves in the late 2000s. I am eternally grateful to family members who helped out, back then. The best way I can still re-pay them is to help this present destitute family, while maintaining the expectation that they make their own case, as we had to after a fashion. So, food was put on the table and a road map was given towards it not becoming a constant appeal.

When I was younger, say, in my twenties, it was easy to look upon people in a one or two dimensional manner. No matter how often Mom said to not judge a book by its cover, the boy saw girls as potential mates and little else. (Thankfully, the decent part of me never pushed the physical aspect of that mindset. “No” was woe, but never was confused with “go”.) The student had a tinge of condescension towards the worker, until a working man turned the tables one day. I took a hard line towards those who did not toe society’s line-even as I had several motes in my own eyes. On the other hand, there was self-loathing.

By mid-day, I had regained equilibrium. The family’s needs were met and I caught up with a few lingering Red Cross tasks from yesterday. I was not feeling fog-headed and was thus able to plan for the rest of the day, and for tomorrow’s work day. I remembered that the fog was mainly from having had an overactive mind, in the middle of the night, mainly dreaming about lightning and rain, neither of which will get here until the middle of next week.

Evening came, with a Baha’i planning session and light supper. A brief afternoon nap had dispelled the fog and my attention was where it need to be-noting important points on the document being studied.

Any given day can bring energy phases, especially in the heat. Any given day can also bring reminder that no person is one or even two dimensional. Each of us is therefore entitled to some grace, when stumbling or when pretending that hubris will solve problems. Each of us is allowed to learn from mistakes and to grow. The only thing that doesn’t get a pass for very long is standing still.

The Road to Diamond, Day 208: Simulation

2
Posted by on in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, Education, Family, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 24,2025- I was the “client” in today’s simulation of a Red Cross response to a house fire. My role was as the head of a large family, which I made up. The purpose was to train four volunteers in the procedures of a Disaster Action Team, taking information for the organization’s assistance to house fire victims. I was there primarily to support the instructor, so taking the role of “victim” seemed the right way to do this. House fires constitute the most frequent theater for a Red Cross response-more than Blood Drives or disaster shelters. Red Cross volunteers are there for people at what is a profoundly personal time of need. Their most important material anchor, their home has been damaged or destroyed, and in most such instances, they and their loved ones are the sole victims. Red Cross can offer assistance for temporary shelter, transport and food, connections with recovery services, personal counseling and basic health care. That aid is no simulation.

Earlier in the day, I attended another meeting that was more concerned with local affairs, in the time of straitened circumstances. While I was waiting for the others to show up, I noted the presence of a man whose personal philosophy is rather medieval. He started, several years ago, questioning big government. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. Yet, several simulations and rabbit hole explorations later, he is unable to keep from questioning even the most basic physics. Gravity itself is not spared, and those who see planets as spheres are viewed by him as dupes. He himself has become a means of gratuitous entertainment to a fair number of people, and little else. More’s the pity.

After the meeting, which briefly also touched upon national and international events, I pondered the notion that perhaps one or more people in government are also engaged in simulation-and thus we have various experiments being done, with the view of seeing which one works. So far, I am not seeing any of them showing a whole lot of promise. Simulations, it would seem, have to be a bit more rooted in higher aspirations than is presently the case.

The Road to Diamond, Day 206: Wars and Rumors

4
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 204: Dragon Dance

0
Posted by on in collaborating, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 20, 2025- The group of eight filled the study period a lot better than I had anticipated. Guiding mature adults through what seemed, at first glance, like it might be an overly simple process actually ensued quite joyfully and meaningfully. We were studying the first sections of a book that explores the human spirit and its development in this life and the next. Despite its rather catechistic format, there is an underlying depth to the questions posed. Our discussion was slow, deliberate-and rather delightful.

Spiritual teacher and sometime politician Marianne Williamson pointed out, in an essay published this morning, that most everything resembles an iceberg: 1/3 or less is in the visible realm; the rest is below the surface. This is, essentially, the Law of Unintended Consequences. Relatively few of us think things all the way through, in the manner of the group mentioned above. We simply convince ourselves, or are convinced by others, that there is not enough time in a day for such deliberation. As mechanical tasks have become more automated, this has in many ways only gotten worse. Sooner or later, however, the tendency to engage in a mad rush leads to mishaps of one form or another.

I was in two restaurants today-one for an early lunch; the other for a small dinner. At both places, the mood was a bit tense, what I would call a Dragon Dance. The people involved were making a show of working together, but were barely tolerant of one another, and seemed a bit wary of their customers. At lunch, whilst sitting and enjoying a well-made club sandwich and side of salad greens, I heard a clatter from the work area around the corner. Something told me to stay seated, and let the process roll out as it would. A few minutes later, two workers came back out, neither looking at the other, and as I packed up half a sandwich and rose to leave, one tersely wished me a good day.

The afternoon was punctuated by the enjoyable gathering. The heat, though, would wear on others. At dinner, in an outside patio, I was served by two different workers, who were at first cheerful and pleasant. A musician who was performing 60s and 70s tunes, began making mildly misogynistic comments and chose songs that had the effect of irritating the women present, including the two servers. All service to unaccompanied men, including yours truly, then came to a screeching halt. The singer was oblivious, but the faces of the ladies had an “if looks could kill” tenor. I was due to leave for an evening meeting, and so bussed my own plate and glass. The server who took the items from me was appreciative, then remarked to her co-worker that she was feeling overwhelmed. They both continued about their work, but the stomping around and slamming things down painted a picture of people at the limits of their patience. I can only hope the manager was able to get things back under control.

Spring has now come to an end, and we must face even more heat, dance with more dragons, while maintaining equilibrium. The topic of the evening meeting, that followed the tense dinner salad and cool beverage, was “How do we see others?” I have a tendency to look at people very deeply and try to understand them from a number of angles. My only hope is that I don’t end up seeing things that aren’t there.

The Road to Diamond, Day 203: The Whip

0
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 201: Disappearances

4
Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, distraction issues, Hiking and Nature, impediments, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 17,2025- Hiking Buddy and I sought a small First Nations ruin, about halfway along a trail between White Spar Road and Copper Basin, on Prescott’s west side. We kept on the trail, until a service road appeared. I recalled reading that the road would pass by a spur trail to the ruins, so we walked a bit up the road. Feeling that we may have gone too far, and missed the spur, we turned back and were going to get back on the main trail. Funny thing, the trail markers, which were there ten minutes before, were now nowhere to be seen.

I had this happen to me once before, several years ago, on a trail near Tucson. As I was alone at that time, I took the time to carefully go back and forth, finding the trail had seemed to have moved a bit to the east, from where I had been walking it, a few minutes before. Today was a bit hotter and more humid, and I will not put another person at risk of heat-related illness, so we walked the service road back to the main road, and on to Sportage. The trails can, and do, seem to disappear-as “woo-woo” as that sounds.

I have had things disappear, only to resurface as long as a week later, and in a place where I had not been. I have had recent conversations with others who have mentioned the same turn of events. Maybe this is a feature of absent-mindedness on our part, or maybe there are forces that we don’t comprehend, putting us to the test-in terms of patience, awareness of surroundings or even essential faith. I’ve had beings appear out of nowhere, resembling humans or animals, fulfilling a purpose-either good or ill, then disappearing almost in front of my eyes.

There was a time, in the present iteration of Creation, when there was nothing tangible, when there were no visible entities. Energy can still manifest in unseen ways. Today may have been one of those manifestations.

The Road to Diamond, Day199: Fatherhood at 37

0
Posted by on in Assistance, children, Education, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 15, 2025- In less than a month, Aram will be the same age that I was when he was born. There is a significance to this, which I cannot as yet divulge, but it is quite prescient. That age seems to be a call to maturity, in a very practical way. Aram has entered the field for which he has prepared, and is off to a good start. I rose to a solid position,in South Korea, around the time of his birth, and would have remained, but for family complications here in the U.S. I landed on my feet, once back here, but that is another story.

I was decidedly a late bloomer. My son does not have to be. He has long been recognized for leadership skills and has a solid work ethic. He is more grounded than I was, at that age. A number of mentors, both familial and professional, have helped in that regard. He is wise enough to seek our collective counsel, and to listen to the best of the advice given. I am confident in his future.

In our society that is at once aloof and indulgent, the skills that a person needs to succeed require a lot of self-discipline, of proactivity. There is a need for flexibility and for being able to find resources that make up for what government and industry may not offer, in the way of doing one’s job. Being able to see beyond make-work tasks, some of which are designed to salve the egos of higher-ups, is crucial. The superfluous still needs to get done, but even the most self-absorbed of corporate or public officials will appreciate a self-starter on their staff. One can always grouse, afterward, but the tasks will not go away on their own.

Fatherhood has some of the same aspects. One cannot argue, successfully with a toddler, or to a lesser extent, with a teenager. The hard work still needs to get done, though, and chances are the finished product will be a solid member of society, if the father (along with the mother) does not back away from core principles. As with teaching, the reward may not be seen until later, but the wait is worth it.

These are my thoughts, as my son actively considers becoming a father, in his own right.