The Road to 65, Mile 12: The Age of Unreason

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December 10, 2014, Prescott- It seems so much these days is decided by emotion, accompanied by sloppy fact-checking, and the need more and more people seem to have, for external verification.  These processes don’t bring communities and nations together, and never will.

I have lived a fairly solitary life, for the past 3 1/2 years.  My family members all have full cups and don’t need anyone else’s concerns to address, no matter how great or small those are.  It’s for that reason that I have learned to rely on my own resources, and it’s why I am leaning more and more towards taking the bull by the horns, with regard to a full-time disaster prevention and relief position, in mid-February next year.

I have friends at all points on the political spectrum,  while maintaining my own sense of right and wrong.  My Dad was a social and fiscal conservative.  My mother is a social liberal, who nonetheless ran a tight ship, based on us taking responsibility.  So, I was compelled to listen to both points of view, growing up, and have the bounty of seeing many shades of opinion today.

I will not, though, go along with anyone who advocates oppression or harm to an innocent person, or group.  There are those who derive their power and satisfaction, from dividing people and groups.  We see this in everything from the camera hogs and pundits who are first on the scene of an episode of unrest, to the Deep Pockets who fund entities which seek to keep information from the people-at-large.

My parents liked and respected Martin Luther King, Jr, the Kennedy brothers, Cesar Chavez and even Malcolm X, after his return from Hajj.  My latter-day heroes are mostly international figures:   The late Nelson Mandela, Aung-san Suu Kyi,  Malala Yousafzai and the new President of Indonesia:  Joko Widodo.  Those who can see beyond the current atmosphere of “dodge and cast blame” are the figures who will lead us through the darksome night.

The Road to 65, Mile 11: Getting Organized

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December 9, 2014, Prescott- This date used to be one of the last serious work days, before things got TOTALLY CHRISTMAS.  That was when I was young and naive.  As a Baha’i, I still get into the spirit of the season, though.  My family and Christian friends, and their joys, still matter greatly.  So, I still send greeting cards, some with gift cards inserted.  I enjoy the holiday sounds and feel the magic of the day itself, knowing that it has Wiccan roots, which themselves celebrate bounty and blessings.  It is as good a time as any to honour Christ, and all He has brought to the world.

All the Messengers of God have brought the rudiments of organized worship to Their followers, and have left it to those followers to carry on the Mission of the Faith, through organizations which meet their needs.  That many have gone overboard, or astray, in the fullness of time, does not make the need for humans to be organized any less urgent.

In my own life, the difficulties I’ve had in accomplishment and in delivery of my promises, have all arisen from lack of organization.  My recent entry into the world of wellness advocacy has made getting more organized, on a daily basis, and according to the type of day ahead of me (Working, Non-working but in-town, On the road), much more imperative.  So, that was today’s main focus, along with updating my generic resume.

I also spent some time with a colleague, discussing a possible re-entry into the work force, in mid-February, after I return from visiting family and friends in the South.  This would radically alter my daily life, so it is not being considered capriciously.  Details will be shared at the proper time. Whatever transpires, I will remain in disciplined organization mode, from one day to the next.

The Road to 65, Mile 10: Teamwork

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December 8, 2014, Prescott- This morning, I  covered a choral classroom.  This frog didn’t croak, but a group of sixth graders practiced their songs and watched a segment of “Mary Poppins”.  Then, a single guitar student, in a class of six, showed up for class and I learned his classmates were testing in another part of the school.  So, he practiced his chords and watched part of “August Rush”.  The Advanced Choir came in next, and led by two classmates, the group practiced a choreographic piece, based on “Here Comes Santa Claus”.

The mostly female ensemble struggled with their own need to catch up with their friends, after the weekend, and the uncertainty that so often accompanies adolescents trying to learn a new skill, while being thoroughly convinced that “all eyes are on MEEE”.  They worked hard, very hard, to make it perfect- apologizing to me, and to each other, when they felt it wasn’t.  In the end, their teamwork made the difference.

I thought they did a fabulous job, with the various new steps, and that they listened.  Confidence is so sorely lacking in teens, despite their reputation for swagger and bravado.  Maybe that’s why I can’t think of any other line of work that I’d rather do full-time.  Teaching, safeguarding and advocating for children and teens is, and will remain, my most urgent concern- whether it is skill-building, working to free captives and slaves, or just plain listening and encouraging.

Watching the kids engaged in teamwork set my week on a beautiful path.

The Road to 65, Mile 9: A Season for Soup

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December 7, 2014, Prescott-

All my life, soup has been the sustenance that dispelled any aches, pains and sad feelings I may have felt- whether it was Mom’s concoction, or convenience warm-up, out of a can.  These days, I make my own, thank you!

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In the crock pot above, you see vague images of kale, red spinach, long-grain white rice, and a rich broth of chili, mushroom & ginger.  There is a wealth of meat in this soup, as well:  Both chicken and spicy pork sausages, and ground beef.  The mixture is something I threw together.  My main goal is  a fresh, hot meal, consistently throughout the winter months- courtesy of my crock pot.

Soup is limited only by one’s tastes and imagination.  In fact, even in summer, consommes and cold soups can fill the bill.  It is in winter, though, that my taste for a hearty broth runs the strongest.  The blends of tastes and textures go further than anything else, in countering the ill effects of the cold and gray.  So, after a hot bowl of the above, my taking on the world resumed, with a new earnestness.

Hope you, too, enjoy the many benefits of freshly-made soup, by the cup, or by the bowlful.

The Road to 65, Mile 8: Leaves In The Wind

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December 6, 2014, Scottsdale-  This day was the 34th anniversary of Penny and I having met, in Zuni, NM.  Since her passing, 3 1/2 years ago, I have found myself spending this day doing something or another that celebrates our Faith.  This year, December 6 was the day chosen by the Baha’is of Scottsdale, and the United Nations Association of Arizona, to observe Human Rights Day, which actually falls on December 10.  Several speakers addressed key issues pertaining to human rights:  Immigration, Native American affairs, the persecution of Baha’is in Iran, and the ongoing state of affairs between Blacks and Whites in our country.  A longtime educator, who is Baha’i, made the case for Universal Compulsory Education as the overall impetus for solutions to these, and other issues, being generated.  A member of the audience made a passionate plea for communities to address human trafficking.

As this last is a huge concern of mine, especially as it pertains to children and teens,  I spent several minutes during the social portion of the gathering, hearing this lady out on the matter.  Like her, I see both official sanctioning of human trafficking (albeit in a surreptitious manner) and the tendency we have towards viewing strangers, or those from outside the immediate circle of friends, as those better left in anonymity, as contributing factors to how easy it is for trafficking and slavery to persist in today’s world.

I will be glad to have a kindred spirit in my corner, in taking on these evils.  For too long, our society, and the human race as a whole, have regarded those outside one’s social circle as leaves in the wind.  I saw some of that in evidence among those in attendance at last night’s gathering, which underscored my earnest and hard-working colleague’s point:  Without us, who will bring in the light?

The Road to 65, Mile 7: Peace Flows Outward

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December 5, 2014, Prescott-  I’m a bit late with this one, but yesterday was full, and exhausting.  I actually slept until 8, this morning.

Anyway, after getting my car’s tires rotated and balanced, Friday morning, I headed to work, on a half-day assignment.  It was an afternoon with two sections of kindergarten:  30 five-year-olds.  There was little core academics, it being Friday afternoon, and all, but teaching social skills is still a large part of Kinder.   The big item of the day was cleaning up, after thirty minutes of play with manipulatives.  I basically had two rules for that playtime:  Share items and space; No running around in the classroom.  At clean-up time,  I called “High Five” and held up my hand.  There was complete silence, so I simply said, “See this mess; clean it up”.  Within five minutes, all items had been put away and the room was spotless.  Yes, there were thirty five-year-olds, and 16 of them were boys.  We will be in good hands, when I reach my nineties.

There are two ways of handling groups, as I noted yesterday.  Inner peace, reflected from the person facilitating a group, is essential. It touches all, even the most troubled and self-loathing person in the group.  Of course, such a person needs extra assistance and attention, and may need to be removed from the group, in extreme cases.  That was not necessary yesterday.

In the evening, there were two gatherings:  A Christmas dinner, in business attire, and a drum circle, to which I went, in my vest, shirt and tie.  The Christmas dinner found me listening, with rapt attention, to a person slightly older than I, who has led an amazing life- from studying Psychology,under the late Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, when he was an Army captain and teaching at USC, to leading Search and Rescue teams in the high desert and Rocky Mountains, alike.  The peace that comes from a wealth of experiences is indeed exemplary. The Drum Circle, held monthly, is always a soothing and centering occasion.

So, December, a rather expensive month, financially, is also a time of rich and peace-imparting events.  I will discuss another of these in the very next post.

The Road to 65, Mile 6: Obedience

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December 4, 2014, Prescott- As a career educator, I insist on an order,ly classroom environment for no other reason that that  learning, both group and individual, is essential if the human race is to progress as is its birthright.  I don’t have a whole lot of rules to impose, save:  ” When I speak, you listen, with both ears”; “Focus on what is in front of you” and “You are to respect everyone in this class, and in this school, starting with yourself and radiating outward.”  That said, I abhor the maxim, “Children should be seen and not heard.”, common in Victorian days and still followed by certain people over the age of 55.  Children need to develop their voice, and need to be heard, but in a proper and systematic manner.  I believe “Do it because I said so” has its time and place, mostly when addressing a child who is under the age of six.  Nothing good comes out of extended chaos, and children should never be allowed to place themselves or others in mortal danger.  My son was taught the Hot Stove, Don’t Play with Matches and Lighters, and Look Both Ways rules, well before that age.  I further believe that respect is as respect does.  Aram was asked for his input on things that impacted his life, and his ideas were frequently taken into consideration.  Developing this faculty proved essential, in his young adulthood, when he had to initiate a very difficult process, relative to his mother’s care, while I was at work.

This brings me to obedience.  Each of us has to obey the Laws of  Nature, or else suffer the consequences.  Ditto for the Golden Rule, good health and hygiene practices, mutual respect in any given relationship, and the Twelve Laws relative to attraction.  The sensible among us do our utmost to follow such laws.  The reckless challenge them, and sometimes the Universe suffers such people gladly; other times, not so much.  I have been both, in my life.  Now, I find a modicum of obedience to the Laws of the Universe to be better for me and mine.  Obedience, though, is best when not blind.  The Victorians, largely operating out of fear, were dead wrong in that respect.

The Road to 65, Mile 5: Giving and Taking

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December 3, 2014, Prescott- I had a satisfying day.  Seeing so many children in three groups of third graders find they were able to understand the idea behind multiplication, with the simple explanations I was able to offer, is the best outcome of a work day I could ever want.

I got some further materials for another passion- sharing and promoting Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils.  I have to use the complete title, as there are plenty of adulterated, watered-down oils, which have actually made people sicker.  The oils I use, and offer, do not.

I got into a brief discussion on FB about eating animals.  Now, I enjoy eating some meat, from herbivores, or fish There is, though, a very sad level of ignorance among Americans as to eating carnivores. Many see nothing wrong with it. The fact is, the animals at the top of the food chain are lacking in the nutrients that the human body needs to stay healthy.  Even more difficult to understand is the pre-occupation some have with killing and butchering endangered species, “because we people are endangered, too.”  Seriously?  If you decimate a resource, it’s gone, period.  We have a food distribution problem, in this country, and around the world.  Buffets are copious and delectable, and the food could be put to better use, in a number of instances- even if we just consider those who are underfed and undernourished, in our own communities.  Thankfully, a growing number of communities are starting to address the food distribution issue.  Massachusetts has made it illegal for restaurants to throw food away, when it has not yet been on someone’s plate.  The leftovers have to be made available to food banks and public kitchens.

Finally, most states have land given them, in trust, when they were still either founding parties to the new United States of America, or while they were territories thereof.  The December 1, 2014 issue of the Wall Street Journal discusses this matter in some detail, and when I find that article, I will summarize it on this site.  The gist is, we have until June of next year to arrange for the revenues generated by limited use of these lands to go into funding our schools.  So, for those seeking to reverse a trend towards closing schools and forcibly increasing class sizes to an untenable level, this issue is one of those on which we need to increase our level of erudition.

The Road to 65, Mile 4: Standing Up versus Caving In

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December 2, 2014, Prescott-  One of the things that happens, as one gets on in years, is that what the rich and powerful say and think becomes less and less important, unless of course one happens to be rich and powerful.

Being of common stock, I find it easier to speak up, on behalf of those who have been, and are still being, shoved to the sidelines.  This evening, our local school board decided that it was more to THEIR advantage to close two schools, and start preparing the grounds on which they sit for sale, than to hold on to $500,000 in non-transferable grant money.

I wrote last night about the lure of the dollar.  There is another lure at play, in many communities:  Dominance over the masses.  Here in Prescott, it is wealthy, often politically liberal, elitists who are more than glad to disregard the well-being of the “lower classes”, when there is money to be made.  A recent article about a community in the Bay Area shows a similar process at work.  Then, there is Chicago, where an arrogant elite attempted to close several schools,  a few years back, again with an eye towards cashing in on development.

I stay away from strictly partisan politics, both for religious reasons and because it happens that members of one party are as bad, if not worse, when money changing hands is at stake, than members of the other.  I also don’t regard it as strictly a Race Card issue, though that can enter into the picture, when the elite are of one group and the disadvantaged are mostly of another.  I have seen plenty of White on White repressive actions, though.  Members of the Tea Party are often bona fide recipients of economic and class snobbery.  One particularly repugnant “social service” provider in the Phoenix area, about five years ago, referred to its clients as “recipients”.  The heavy-handed treatment they received was a prime example of the arrogance of power.

This is how it is, whenever the people most-affected by a decision are shunted to the side, to make way for the bulldozers and the bankers.  It’s by no means a “white” problem, either.  Asian and Middle Eastern magnates excel at pushing the multitudes out of the way, when it’s convenient.

So, while I will continue to stand by the children of all neighbourhoods in Prescott, and wherever I find myself in the days and months ahead, I will also keep encouraging them, as well as their parents, to keep informed, to stay vigilant and to stay active.  It’s very important for those of all targeted groups:  Lower and Middle Class Whites, Hispanics, Blacks, Native Americans and Asians, to take matters into their own hands and resist, peacefully but persistently, the web of control that is being woven daily, for the benefit of a small group of opportunists. The first thing to be resisted is the “Divide and rule” mentality.  We who stand together cannot be moved against our will.  We who cave, who knuckle under, cannot move at all, of our own will.

The Road to 65, Mile 3: Seeing Beyond The Green ($)

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December 1, 2014, Prescott-  I am involved in a local project, which will hopefully keep a key local elementary school form being closed by those who see the property on which it sits as the site of another hotel or shopping plaza.  It is far more valuable to the community as an educational institution than it ever will be as a commercial zone.  Less than a mile to the west, there is a large vacant building, at a major  intersection, that is begging for a tenant.  To the south, another property, which would make a fabulous guest lodge, also sits empty, at yet another key intersection.

We have just witnessed one of the most intense attempts ever, at dismantling a major national holiday, falter and stumble, with Wall Street weighing in, today, by selling off a pile of junk.  Sure, the easily-bored and disconnected among us showed up at the malls, and bargain hunters, who would have waited until Saturday, went in and scored their usual screaming deals.  The difference from last year seems to be that most of us have had it. For that matter, I haven’t been to a store on Thanksgiving weekend since 1996, and then only to use a birthday gift card from my in-laws.

I sense that, with all the drama in discount outlets like WalMart, and the bad weather in much of our continent, “Joe and Jane Sixpack”, who are also family people, are wanting to get back to the real sense of who they are, who we are, as sentient beings.  When my son and I took a brief walk along the beach front, at La Jolla Cove, San Diego, last Friday, it was comforting to see a huge number of families enjoying the day and the sea air.  A similar number were in evidence a bit further north, at Torrey Pines.

There will be more gains on Wall Street in the foreseeable future, and more people are likely to return to the workforce. There are also possible climactic and social disruptions, some severe, that will reverse the trend towards economic recovery.  Japan is still reeling, ecologically and economically from the Fukushima nightmare, and the northwest Pacific Coast, from Bristol Bay to the Bay Area, is witnessing troubling die-offs of marine and shore life.  Other parts of the world also report unsettling ecological changes.  For example, we had better hope, as a human race, that the Balkan Peninsula does not have a repeat of last year’s severe winter, given the relatively meager harvests reported from that area.  Thus does the pendulum wildly swing.

The answer is not to shrink back, but to reach out ever more fervently.  I will do my best to carry on my journeys of discovery, even if on foot and in relative paucity, as the true purpose of these is always to connect.  The same is true of my efforts here in Arizona.  It is the bonding, the networking, which will see us through all challenges.  The solution lies not in the Paper Green, but in the True Blue.

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