Category: Right Conduct

Posted on

Before you vote, write a letter to your grandkids…

I was listening to a Living on Earth podcast as I was doing yard work this afternoon.  On one segment they were interviewing the author of The Optimist’s Telescope, Bina Venkataraman.

She made a point that struck home with me.  We are a society much too focused on the short term.  We are builders of quonset huts and not of cathedrals. When people go to vote they are thinking of their own immediate issues, probably whatever issue or problem is most current.  Her suggestion was before you go to vote, write a letter to your grandchildren or even great grandchildren. Explain to them why you voted they way you did.  The whole point being to make yourself think more of the long term.

This harks back to a theme I have mentioned several times in this blog, usufruct. It is actually a legal term referring to (layman here) the right to enjoy and profit from real property as long as you do not alter or damage it.  For me, this invokes the concept of stewardship.  We were handed this earth by the stewards that came before us, our ancestors.  We have an obligation to be stewards for the generations that are coming after us.

Write that damn letter to your grandkids.

Here is a link to that Interview with Venkataraman.

Posted on

Heather Booth: The most influential women you never heard of…

Heather has been married to my wife’s cousin for over 40 years. I met Paul and Heather at a Booth family reunion a few years back. I will have to admit I was a little overwhelmed with all the new people I was meeting for the first time. I do remember how proud my wife was of her two cousins.

The film is only an hour long, but details the incredible life of activism of this driven woman. Perhaps someday we will have a society that respects and supports all of us. Until then we need people like Heather Booth to fight the Dark Side.

The film is available on two sites that I know of:

HEATHER BOOTH: CHANGING THE WORLD from Women Make Movies on Vimeo.

And if you are impatient like us and cannot wait more than 2 days for a package and have Amazon Prime it is available there too.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

Posted on

Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #4,530

yeah I know you did not ask!

I wish I could say this was original with me, but it is not.  But is still a good practice.

Most folks think the 3 most important words in a long term relationship (especially when you live together) are, “I love you.”  It was this person’s contention which I wholeheartedly agree with that the 3 most important words are, “Let it go.” I suppose you could substitute, “No big deal” or “this will pass” or “let it be” or any number of other phrases.  The thought being is don’t sweat the small stuff and give each other some latitude to be their self.

My wife the other day said to me, “We’re so different.”  At the time I was making some tea for us.  The package instructions say to steep for 4 to 5 minutes.  To me the tea is bitter if the bag is left in there too long.  I had set the kitchen time to 4 minutes and was waiting for it to ding before I removed the tea bags.  Setting the timer is something she would never have done. The analogy is that she is an artist and I am a draftsman.  I like my lines precise. I could have been upset at her seemingly mocking my precision, but hey… let it go.

Since I had heard/read this I have used it multiple times.

Posted on

Robin sings at the Turkish Community Center.

Robin and I spent part of our Christmas Day at an interfaith event at the Turkish Community Center.  There was a young man who sang some some songs in Turkish.  Anne and Robin then sang some Jewish songs.  Some were all in Hebrew and some were a mixture of Hebrew and English.

Before the singing we enjoyed a potluck meal of Turkish food and Jewish food.  Although most Jewish food is not of an ethnic, distinct nature.  Someone did bring some honey cake.

It was a really nice time.

We should celebrate diversity more.

Shalom.

 

Posted on

You do not have to do that, no one is watching

I frequently golf in Columbia, IL across the Mississippi River from my home in Chesterfield, MO. The courses are a little cheaper over there, and a little easier to get on.  Also, over there is a driving range that is the bargain of the century.  They charge $5 and you can hit all the balls you want.  Just to give you a little perspective, most places charge between $10 to $12 for a bucket of 90 balls.  If you are at a golf course and want to warm up before your round, they will charge you $4 to $6 for a bucket of 30 or so balls.

As you can imagine this is not the nicest place in the world, but it is sufficient for banging golf balls.  It is just on the other side of the Mississippi River levee and as such is very flat and sometimes very muddy.  It  is what we call Continue reading “You do not have to do that, no one is watching”

Posted on

Paul H. Carr inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame

My uncle, Paul H. Carr, is a man of legend in my mother’s family.  He was one of 9 surviving children, 8 of whom were girls, with my mother as the youngest.  I don’t know the exact date, but my grandparents divorced, something very unusual for that period of time.  This left my grandmother to raise the last part of the brood by herself.  She did whatever was necessary to keep all fed, housed and clothed. While doing that, she was famous for helping those in need who were not part of her family. It was just who she was.   In many ways my grandmother, aka Mama Carr, is also a family legend.  Proof of this was the summers at Mama Carr’s house where “The Sisters” would faithfully return with their own broods to stay for various lengths of time. I remember that there always seemed to be a gang of cousins there.  I believe “The Sisters” truly revered my grandmother.

Paul H. Carr came of age, and by this I mean he graduated high school, right in the middle of War World II.  He was an only son, he was a farm boy, it would have been easy for him to have gotten a deferment and stay out of the war.  Like so many of his generation he chose not to.  He chose country and patriotism   above all other considerations.  I’m not quite sure why Continue reading “Paul H. Carr inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame”

Posted on

Food for Thought from Robert Reich

From Robert Reich:

We’re now in the America’s second Gilded Age.

Last week it was reported that in 2017 the average CEO of the 350 largest firms in the U.S. received $18.9 million in compensation. That’s a 17.6 percent increase over 2016.

At the same time, the typical worker’s compensation remained flat, rising merely 0.3 percent.

The first Gilded Age fueled a progressive era that tamed and regulated its excesses, beginning in 1901.