What if the other one wins

. . . .And now, I'll get a little political. ..

What if the other one wins?

 

It has come down to this. Just a few days left, and then after all the vitriol and the entire rancor, someone will become president. Many will not be happy with the choice. It does not matter who will win; a large group will be distressed.

What to do?

Perhaps there are two things that can help. First we need prayer—for the nation, and for ourselves. The world is a dangerous place, and the new president, whoever that be, will find themselves thrust into an unpredictable and chaotic place. Divine Providence is needed. 

Yes people change. Sometimes the reality that they have now become one of the most important people in the world sets in. This is our hope.  Case in point, in 1881 Chester Arthur became president when President Garfield was assassinated. Arthur was not admired. He had become vice president only to placate a certain wing of the Republican Party. He was an opponent of Garfield, and came from the Spoils System, where his main job was as a political hack working at the customs house. Most people felt that because he came from a corrupt system of you-scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours, that he would continue in that way. But, Arthur did not. He rejected the party bosses, and passed civil service reform. He went against type. So, it is possible that whoever wins will be different than the person who was nominated; that they may actually work to improve America.

However even if this does not happen, we should still pray. We have to accept; we have to adjust our thinking. This takes effort, thus we need prayer that will help us see the good in everyone, even those who we viewed as our political opponents. We also need to commune with God, so that we can remember to stay humble kind and happy. By centering on our faith, we can continue on, no matter what happens in Washington.

Second, as the Rolling Stones sang, “you can’t always get what you want”. That is life. “But”, they continue, “If you try real hard, you may get what you need”.  They are not talking about capitulation, but rather about acceptance.  In reality there is little that we can change, so adapt is what we must do.

There is something comforting in that, for regardless of what happens, we can get out of it what we need. We seek the good as we adjust and move on. There are more important things in life than politics, such as family, jobs and faith.

We will survive, whoever wins.

 

 

 

Scars upon the land

More scars upon the land: a tradeoff

In the 1980s the heavy metal band, Cinderella performed a ballad entitled “(you) don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone”.  They were talking about a jilted love affair.

That phrase has stayed with me—as have lots of phrases from music—it is amazing how many good sayings have come from songs, but that is another topic. So, today as I was traveling to the store, I noticed that an old farm was in the process of becoming a suburban neighborhood. Trees had been cleared, and the undulating ground straightened, leaving only a flat open field. New traffic lights had been installed, and a new sign, with a cute little girl beckoning prospective residents to consider moving into a new subdivision—with all the modern conveniences.

I used to enjoy driving along that patch of road. There was wildness to it, for though we live on the edge of a burgeoning city, this area has a small town, even bucolic feel about it. Cattle still graze nearby. Along the drive, one could see wildflowers, hear and sometimes see birds, and feel at peace.  It was a happy route.

I get it. We live in one of the fastest growing areas of our state. My wife and I have noticed that traffic has become much more of a problem since we moved here over a decade ago. People need somewhere to live. Property values are high, so relief, by way of more construction would be a benefit.

John Denver in his song “Rocky Mountain High”, penned the line, “more people, more scars upon the land”. His was an anthem for environmentalism.  For him the building of roads, stores, houses and everything else were “scars”.

I see his point. I wish that they would stop. Preserve the land! It is not enough that more people are moving into this formerly bucolic area, but that they are not arriving as simple pioneers. Rather they want all the conveniences of modern life. So instead of a modest home, for people who are looking to start a family, the new construction is aimed at jet-setters and the “nouveau riche”. Upper middle class mansions with well maintained lawns are what most seem to want.

Preserving the land appears to have taken a back seat to commercialization. But does it have to be?

People move here in part because of the beauty and climate. Many long term residents want to restrict newcomers, for they are concerned about losing some of the beauty and simplicity.

In America this problem seems to be more acute. In other world cites, the city proper is quite dense. But soon one can be in the more sparsely populated regions. Sure urban sprawl exists everywhere, but in this country, the idea seems to be unfortunately, to build more and bigger.

I hope that all of the trees are not cut. That some of the land remains uncommercialized.  We need to preserve and maintain what we have, for as the lyric reads “you don’t know what you’ve got, ‘til it’s gone.”

 

 

 

On standing...

On standing. . .

My job requires a lot of standing. Dressed in a suit and tie, I stand in the back, by the doors, or in the foyer, where I can give assistance if needed. Sometimes, I stand off to the side while the services are going on. At these times, I feel as I am on sentry duty, as if in the military. I pretend that my dark suit, is a military dress uniform. I have a solemn duty: to stand guard and to honor.

Generally, I do not mind. However, I am not as disciplined as the military. I cannot stand still like a statue for long periods of time. My mind and body wanders.

I begin to think about people who do a lot of standing for their work. There seems to be a division between those whose work requires much standing, and those whose work requires much less. Who then are the “standers”? 

At the top of this list are those in the military, especially those in sentry posts who I pretend that I am emulating. Other “standers” are teachers and coaches, nurses and doctors, farmers, security guards, factory workers and salespeople including cashiers.

What do they have in common?

They all are in positions of service. Regardless of whether the job is directly involved with caring for people such as nurses and teachers, or more indirectly such as salespeople, cashiers and farmers, their work requires movement and closeness.  Physical strain is an everyday occurrence.

Most of the “standers” are not thinkers; they are doers. They do not sit behind a desk, or in front of a computer, but rather are out and about doing their jobs. Jobs that are to be done in all types of conditions, and too often without thanks, for these are the overlooked positions. Not glamorous out of the lime-light, those who stand provide the basic services and tasks that are needed.

Standing requires being present.  As kids we were taught to stand at attention. You cannot “phone it in"; you actually have to be there, and do the task.

I am also reminded that many people cannot stand. Their health will not allow it. I think that most people who are confined to a bed or a wheelchair, who are racked by arthritis or Parkinson’s would like to be able to stand. Perhaps I should see it as a blessing: a small sign that I am healthy.

It is in little things that I find understanding. Standing is often overlooked. It is a little thing, yet it means a lot. It means that I am present, and that I am healthy. Next time our legs get sore and we become restless, we need to remember that standing is a good thing . . . but then, so is sitting, especially after a long day of standing. That is a gift in itself!