Category Archives: Personal Values

The Road to Diamond, Day 269: Nomenclature

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, distraction issues, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 24, 2025- Someone has alternately pronounced me “mentor” and a short time later, announced that they were MY “mentor’. The situation is that we have bounced ideas back and forth, period. I do not consider anyone currently alive as a mentor. My father, father-in-law and a long ago athletic coach filled that role for me, in earlier times. My mother taught me a lot, also. I still hold all the lessons those fine people sometimes pulled their hair out, trying to impart to me. The rest of us just support one another the best we can, back and forth.

Other words tend to get overgeneralized, and over used. “Vacation” is one such. There are people here in Home Base I, who insist that any time spent not working and/or away from Prescott is vacation. They want to know why I am going to be out of the country, for an extended period of time, when I could be working here. I can say this: There will not be a whole lot of resting, relaxing and idling. I can do all those things right here. The tasks ahead of me are labours of love, in which I also engage here-but there are friends in the countries to which I will be heading. I have the opportunities to connect with them in real time.

“Girlfriend” (and its male counterpart) is tossed around well beyond adolescence. The woman I care for deeply is my dearest friend, and that is where it stands. She stopped being a girl, many years ago-probably maturing well before I did, though she is a decade younger than I. Maybe the oblique reference to childhood is a wish by those who use such terms, for their own continuous adolescence. As for me, I rather like being an older adult, albeit one who is in good health.

Finally, “omnipotent” is being tossed around these days, by those on various ends of the spectrum who see their personal heroes emerging and gathering power. Be careful: “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”-Proverbs 16:18 I am willing to bet that each of the adulated ones is well aware of the above verse, and has many moments when wishing that admirers would calm down.

The Road to Diamond, Day 268: Empathy

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

August 23, 2025- I spent several minutes today, reading messages from someone who has an alternate view of the world. There are some points that were made with which I can agree, but the conclusions offered are rather far from what I have drawn. I will defend the right to come to those conclusions, but I also reserve my right to see the world through my own lens.
Some conservatives have recently called for a review of how empathy is processed. They say, correctly in my view, that empathy should not be a blanket endorsement of wrongful or injurious behaviour. I see this caveat as necessary, if our mission in the world is to elevate human behaviour and the level of choices made by those around us. Indeed, ‘Abdu’l-Baha cautions to “not show kindness to a liar, a thief or a selfish person”, lest those ill qualities be encouraged and strengthened. I have had to cut off contact with three people as well as advising a friend to do the same, for that reason.

There are plenty of opportunities to show empathy to those who are truly victimized, or are vulnerable and in need of support. I have been, and will continue to be, engaged in the betterment of life for all around me. Like our nation’s Vice President, I see my empathy as going first to my family (who are not, at present, in high need, but will be at the end of this year and into next), then to my community, and to the wider world. My sense of that progression is not, though, compartmentalized, as the needs of Home Base I right now are not so high as to take my attention away from, say, Dineh people who need help transporting water, or a friend in another state who is facing a serious medical procedure-or the World Central Kitchen’s efforts to feed people in traumatized regions across the globe-including right here in the United States.

There is room enough, in our consciousness and in our time frames, to care for both those closest to us and those a world away.

The Road to Diamond, Day 267: Needful Things

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 22, 2025- The girls were forthright in asking for help on their writing assignment, asking me to help, instead of one of the regular staff. They were crestfallen, when I told them I had to take care of other business on Monday-but that they would not be left alone. I trust that a caring soul will be on hand, and tend to their needs. I was able to meet those needs today, so it was a good day.

A friend shared memories of childhood; of witnessing lynchings-the sort described by Billie Holliday, in her song, “Strange Fruit”. This is something that no child should ever have to witness. Another friend shared the news that a young man had taken his own life, shattering her immediate community. This is something that no youth should ever need to contemplate. In my own work, keeping children safe from both external and internal trauma was a major focus of time and energy. It had to be done with regularity, and without judgment as to what the urgency level may have been.

I was not able to prevent all suicide. No one can know for certain what the turmoil is. inside another soul. The first friend has never spoken of what was seen, until now. The young man did not share his pain, even with his closest friends.

I am fortunate, in life here in Prescott and in the various places I have been honoured to visit, over the past fifteen years. Rarely has there been a closed door, and then only because of my own shortcomings or faux pas. With that good fortune has come a fair amount of responsibility. So, I don’t think of time spent anywhere as “vacation”, even though to those whose life commitment is to stay put and focus on one community or one neighbourhood, any time spent not working-or not spent “blooming where planted” is a lark.

So be it. I will wake each day, no matter where I find myself and make the same commitment to the well-being of those around me, as I did in schools and communities, across Arizona and in South Korea, for 46 years. Some of that will be in schools; other will be on the road or in communities where I might be expected to relax. It will be what appears to be needed.

The Road to Diamond, Day 266: Reassurance

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 21, 2025- E carefully went over the appropriate areas of my skin, from scalp to abdomen, then my limbs and extremities. My sunscreen has worked, as has, for the most part, my bush hat-with its neck flap. A couple of freeze-ups, and I was deemed free of any danger marks. I only need to insert a pad of sorts in the bush hat, for extra scalp protection.

A few hours later, it was time for chiropractic, after a lengthy absence. What I’ve been doing, stretching, working out and having better shoes has kept the skeletal system in good shape also. The adjustments were minor. “Medical week”, overall, was a reassurance. Only small changes in my supplements are advised, and we’ll try those.

Most reassuring was what I was able to offer a friend, affirmation that each person’s mind is unique and there is no cause for alarm. I’ve had that sort of reassurance from different people, over the decades, so giving it back is an honour.

This week has been everything I could want, in terms of results and affirmations. So much is the result of positive energy being directed towards problems and concerns. That is an affirmation, in itself.

The Road to Diamond, Day 264: A Primavera Day in Mid-Summer

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Hiking and Nature, Personal Values, service, Slow Food Prescott, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 19, 2025- There is no shortage of schools in Prescott that are in salubrious settings. One of these is Primavera School, located on the southwest side of town. It is, being in a forest community, geared towards a holistic education in an ecologically-oriented setting. The basics are well-taught, in small groups, and with room made for serendipitous moments. If a “book” lesson is underway, and one of the kindergartners, or third graders, happens to focus on a hummingbird feeding nearby, the class takes time to observe the animal and later discuss the scene-What was in the liquid that the hummingbird was drinking? Are there times of day that the birds prefer to feed? What other foods do hummingbirds take? There is realization that a book lesson is not sacrificed by a 30-minute observational activity.

“Primavera”, of course, is Spanish for “Spring”. Here were a group of us, at this school, in mid-Summer, helping to focus a new year for school gardens. The school’s name hints at an orientation towards every day being a new beginning, in some sense. With the daily awakening and enkindling of knowledge, children-any of us, actually- feel this new beginning. This afternoon, we did a poetic exercise, called “I Am From”, which looks at some of the many factors, past and present, which shape who each of us is.
Like anyone else, I could fill in the blanks in a number of ways, and shared one set of answers in the session. I will share a similar, and equally genuine, rendition of this poem below:

I am from

I am from corn on the cob

From 6 a.m. and cool, crisp air

I am from the cabin, cozy, warm, sweet-scented

I am from oak and bear,

tall and stout, strong and gentle

I am from family reunions and walks in the woods

from the beach and caves

From Kauai and wind-swept, craggy coastal bluffs

I am from Granite Mountain and holding my grandchild

and from “The Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens”.

This poem is taken and slightly adapted from the website: http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html

It is used at Primavera, in teaching middle school students. Its efficacy with adults is equally apparent.

The Road to Diamond, Day 263: Pressing On

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

August 18,2025- The traffic at the junction of I-17 and Hwy 101 was backed up 1.5 miles, in the lane for entry to 101 East. It is not unheard, for commuters to be kept at a standstill in that and similar lanes, between 8-10 a.m. One problem is that lane jumpers go on ahead, in the I-17 lane just to the left and safety concerns mandate they be let in to the exit ramp, at the last minute. Everyone thus has to stop and make room. Fortunately, there are enough adults in the “room” to not force anyone to wait on the active highway itself. There were no accidents, as I edged my way towards “the 101” and a dental check-up-another fifteen minutes along 101 East, then Hwy 51 and into Paradise Valley.

I arrived nine minutes late, at the dental office’s temporary location. They, too, are pressing on, with their former office building now being converted into a center for autistic children. That also being a worthy cause, the dental staff has picked up stakes. There will be a larger dental office, soon, in the complex to which they have relocated. My clean bill of health affirmed, it was a good start to “Medical Week”.

Going back up to Prescott, after another errand and a stop at Penny’s gravesite, I found none of the traffic that we faced going in town. The only pressing on was getting a blood draw at the VA, with next Monday’s check-up being the last appointment for “Medical Week”. Helping Hiking Buddy with a couple of errands and pitching in at the Soup Kitchen rounded out the day.

The message of the day, overall, is that not being waylaid by difficulties will bring at least a modicum of the results one desires. It was a fine, if tiring, twelve hours.

The Road to Diamond, Day 262: The Face of God

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

August 17,2025- Yesterday, I came across several people who sang my praises. Today, the other side showed up. Their anger was muted and subtle, but still obvious. Life is a process of twists and turns, and one must, as my mother said, take the bitter with the sweet.

The strange energy that was everywhere yesterday was also muted today. I used the day to make sure Sportage is good for tomorrow’s drive to Phoenix and back, and to join four other Baha’is and a friend of the Faith for a devotional and light lunch. I also made further arrangements for the Swedish leg of next month’s journey.

‘Abdu’l-Baha teaches us to “see the Face of God in every person”. Further, if a person “has nine good qualities and one bad, focus on the nine. If there are nine bad qualities and one good, focus on the one.” Of course, we can hardly be expected to let those bad qualities work their ill, but He operates on the awareness that the person will come to see her/his good qualities as what will bring benefit, while the bad will be detrimental.

I pondered this, after reading a friend’s similar post, and in light of the various interactions I’ve had, over the weekend. Seeing the Face of God in one’s detractor is actually easier than it appears, at first blush. I have, over the past six years, taken the view of trying to glean self-improvement from negative encounters. ” What is the critic trying to teach me?” seems to work better than “What have I done to deserve this?” It has helped, in more ways than one.

The Road to Diamond, Day 261: Affirmed

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, distraction issues, impediments, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 16, 2025- The energy of the day showed its hand early. Sportage’s battery gave out, after four years of service. I had a new one purchased and installed, well in time to go to Farmers’ Market and assist in the breakdown. My co-worker also observed that the energy was a bit on the thick side and she wasn’t getting as much done, to her chagrin. I recalled that Penny was a lot about stopping and smelling the roses, where I had long been Mr. Full Speed Ahead. There is more of a mix between the two, these days, and I have my beloved departed wife to thank for that.

An old friend interrupted her braiding of her second daughter’s hair, and gave me a bear hug, letting me know that various acts of kindness over the years have been fully appreciated. I am constantly, she said, on her and her children’s minds. That the kids are furtive and shy does not mean they are any less appreciative. I will be sure to visit them over Labor Day weekend, a week before wheels up to Iceland, Sweden and other points on the European continent.

Another old friend needed my affirmation of her worth. She is a person who has suffered much and yet gets a good measure of happiness out of hard work. Facing the sometime harsh realities of capitalism has also not been very easy on her. She is facing an aggressive and not altogether ethical competitor, who seems to have the blessing of their collective landlord. I let her know that I have her back and will look for ways that she can innovate, and meet her competitor’s challenge in an honourable manner. My father taught that other people are most often well within their rights, even if they cross my path. I take that very much to heart.

In all the ups and downs of living alongside other people, it has long been my view that there is no daylight, when it comes to paying attention to those around us and helping them play to their strengths. We also, however, must take care of ourselves, not depending entirely on those around us. So my day started with car care and ended with an evening of listening to long-time friends playing a mix of 60s-00s rock and country classics. The hummus plate was fabulous, as ever.

The Road to Diamond, Day 260: Selective

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 15,2025- Each of six groups, of five or six students were asked to prioritize a list of items that might wash up on the shore of an island where the group was hypothetically stranded. There were common choices made by all six groups: Potable water,rope, a burlap bag and a digging tool (sometimes a shovel; other times, a trowel). There were other items that meant more to some groups and not to others. In each case, though, the variable choices reflected the personality of the group.

It is interesting that people double down on their choices, behaviourally and etymologically, not always in the interests of logic. One group of students chose a fishing net; others chose a bag of gardening tools; still others chose a cage trap. Each selection mirrored the attitude that the more vocal members of the group had towards providing food. There were other members who went along with the first recommendation-a commonality in many social groups.

This evening, I attended a steak dinner, in which each of us got to grill our own meat. There were three grills, each of which could fit four steaks at a time. Without hesitation, the first people at the grill made room for those after them, and watched each other’s meat when it was necessary for someone to go inside for a bit. The collective in our organization is hard-wired to not be selective, as to whose needs are met. Each of us is just recognized as equally worthy as the other-whether at a communal meal or when someone needs help outside of social gatherings.

I am eternally grateful to my parents for having instilled this value. Mom and Dad were always helping family and neighbours- and expected us to follow suit. There are people in my life now who have a hard time with that concept. They seem to need an “other”, to hold at arm’s length, and the prefix “non” punctuates their thoughts and language, when comparing their group to the rest of society. It has taken me a lot of patience, in explaining my world view to them. The answer is always the same: “We need to be able to distinguish people from one another.” Maybe I might be more accepting of this othering, but I don’t see where it is going to result in much good.

I have not been able to remain selective towards others, in terms of dignity and worth. This isn’t false humility; it just is how I’m wired.

The Road to Diamond, Day 259: Overcoming Impulse

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Posted by on in children, Community, Education, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 14, 2025- The girl was shocked that someone would try to frame her for a prohibited action, in the few minutes she was away from her desk. It didn’t take rocket science to figure out the guilty party, and I took him aside to point out the ways in which this sort of activity could create havoc in his life-even at such a young age, and for much longer than seemed possible when he followed impulse and implicated his friend.

The matter will now have to be handled by higher officials, and my hope is that this is a life lesson that will serve to keep the child from blindly following impulse. I had to repeat the admonition to another child, about a different matter, not ten minutes later. The second child seemed to take heed, as it involved a potential health issue.

My interests in the rising generations continue to be two-fold: That they are safe from those who may mean them harm and that they are safe from self-harm, much of it unintentional. This message was conveyed to a young girl-that she is essentially responsible for taking care of her body, while we concerned adults have the duty to serve as protection against more powerful forces, including other adults. She took the message to heart and began showing more responsibility for self-care, just during the course of the afternoon.

It was all in all, a productive day, with more to come, tomorrow.