thoughts on the news of the day: abuse

hmmm…..

            It’s hard to ignore.  It’s about Herman Cain and Joe Paterno.  It’s made the news for days now: I am talking about sexual abuse.  Cain and Paterno have been accused, not convicted, so we have to be careful about condemning them. 

            Right about now, I could easily go into a righteous tirade about the harm sexual abuse does and the life long damage it incurs.  I could lament the lost innocence of youth and the devastation of careers.   I could talk about the harm done when accomplices let the crime go unnoticed.  I could write about all of that and I would be right, don’t you agree?

            But I usually don’t go there and I won’t today.  What I would like to write about is the respect we do or don’t have for those around us.  Respect involves all sorts of behavior and misbehavior.  It is a trait that our country is founded on; I believe we can all agree on that.

            Respect involves treating one another with dignity, kindness and acceptance.  It requires a somewhat open mind and the willingness to not always have it our way.  Some people call it “Christian”; as if we have a franchise on the virtue.  But that’s not really true, for Jews and Muslims and all sort of other faiths practice respect, too. 

            Abuse of any kind is not OK.  Respect is appropriate in any situation.  Let’s be respectful of one another.  Surely that will prevail.

            hmmm….,.

thoughts on the news of the day: promises, promises

hmmm…..

            The New Year’s Resolution to lose weight began simply enough.  Jay Wornick, a resident of New York State made a bet with his wife to lost weight.  The loser of the bet promised to have a tattoo of the other’s name inked on their stomach.  Jay thought he would maybe lose 20 or 30 pounds and then gain it all back.  But with diligent efforts, he was able to lose 200 pounds over this past year.  Needless to say, he won the bet.  His wife is trying to figure out where the tattoo will go.

            Promises can come back to haunt you.  In passing, we promise someone that we will do something.  We don’t think much more about it, but the receiver of the promise does.  The one “promised to” is counting on the “promiser” to fulfill the commitment, but the one who promises may not even remember it.  When my daughter was little I absentmindedly promised her that I would build her a tree house. Twenty years later, I still haven’t accomplished that goal and she has never forgotten it.

            Politicians make promises all the time, but we don’t believe them.  Why should we?  We know that they are not going to be able to keep them.  Even those promises that are likely and easy probably can’t be kept.  But we remember and we feel betrayed. 

            It’s easy to say, “I promise” but very hard to remember and keep that commitment we made.  Relationships get broken that way. 

            Promise to keep your promises today.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: local

hmmm…..

            Interestingly, there was no mention in the national news of the earthquake that hit central Oklahoma this past weekend.  It was a 5.6 magnitude, which is non-trivial in the world of earthquakes, but still there was no story about it.

            As far as I know, there was no major damage to large metropolitan areas, and no one severely injured or killed.  And admittedly, there have been many large and destructive earthquakes in the past years that have gained far more attention, nationally and globally. But to the people who experienced it, it was remarkable and very scary.

            I am always fascinated about what makes the news and what doesn’t.  We seem to always be kept well informed on where Lindsay Lohan is and what her latest antics are.  Sports scores are always on the forefront of national news as are the data regarding the stock market.

            But I believe that people are just as interested in local news.  Good reporting of high school football and weddings and other social events are important to those living in communities.  They may not be world events but to a family in need, the human interest story about their health challenges with a loved one is important news that needs to be conveyed.

            Perhaps that is what facebook has become – a local newspaper for circles of friends, for communities who are curious about special interest events.  Gosh, you can even provide photos with your story about the birth of your first child.

            I think local newspapers have missed the mark, but maybe facebook hasn’t.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: devils

hmmm…..

            Looks like the devil is back -- in a famous fresco painted by Giotto in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy.  The fresco was painted in the 13th century and  is one of several by the artist that depict the life and works of St. Francis. This one shows him in heaven with the angels.  Only thing is … if you look very closely, in the clouds is a veiled devilish figure with horns and a sly smile.  Perhaps Giotto was trying to make a statement or maybe he was playing a trick on someone he knew by depicting them as a devil hidden in clouds.

            Sometimes evil is not hard to spot.  We see it in heinous violence, corporate greed, junior high school students bullying a classmate.  I have once or twice seen Evil face to face; it is not pleasant.  I was not a red devil with horns and pitchfork, but in the behavior and actions of others.

            We don’t like to talk about it, but the devil hides in many places.  It hides in the calmest of folks when they get riled up because of misinformation.  Rumors and gossip do devilish work when they distort the truth.  I think in the Bible it says that the devil is a thief and a liar.  And we all become little devils when we steal someone’s honor or respect; or when we pass on gossip as truth.  Often times we don’t even know we are doing it; the deception is so seemingly benign.

            Let’s look in ancient paintings for hidden depictions of devils; but let’s look in our own behavior for hidden ways in which we too are not always angels.

            hmmm…..