In the aftermath of the January 8th 2011 shooting in Tucson Arizona, the political talking heads came out pointing fingers at the opposite side of the Congressional isle. They insinuated blame to each other for the atrocity. What they did not do is to take responsibility. What did I say, take responsibility for a crazy shooter guy actions? Yes, I said take responsibility, but not for the shooter's actions but for the circumstances of that day. Ike famously said "the buck stops here" referring to himself as President of the United States. He took responsibility. In this case the buck really stops with the boss of the President, the People. We are the People. We need to take responsibility. We the People should take responsibility for the circumstances that brought about the shootings in Tucson Arizona. I will explore what responsibility means and what it means to us, I will layout the circumstances as far as is known, and I will explore possible solutions to help prevent such an atrocity to occur.
So we know what in the world we are talking about, let's define responsibility. In the Dictionary.com (or should we say at Dictionary.com, I figure its a dictionary) the word responsibility has one meaning of "a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible." The word responsible has a definition of the same source as "answerable or accountable, as for something within one's power, control, or management." You may ask how in the world are we the people managers of the circumstances that day? Its hard to see the responsibility. One form of responsibility that has been thrown around is the gun and violent references made in today's political rhetoric. If that has any part in this incident, its a small one, but it is a circumstance. Beside the obvious legal issues this incident brings up, there exists the concept of social responsibility which is one of the main responsibilities of every citizen. Social responsibility includes how we interact with one another, how we argue, and how we do on curtailing violence. How are regular citizens supposed to curtail violence, isn't that the job for the police? Every act of violence starts with an idea. These ideas are anti-social and violent in nature. How are we doing teaching each other to argue ideas civilly rather than resorting to violence? Not very good as far as I can see. How many heated arguments are there going on on the internet today? How many people cause strife on purpose? There is a social imbalance there. Causing anger in people is never without its consequences. Bullying is a social crime. Bullying can also be a legal crime when its accompanied with verbal abuse or results in a death. How many people know how to argue civilly or to walk away from verbal abuse? Apparently, it's not enough.
What were the pertinent circumstances for the Tucson shooting? There were good and bad circumstances. Gabrielle Giffords decided to meet her constituents out side a common supermarket. This was the main circumstance. This type of circumstance was set up by the nature of our democratic republic. The Representative of the People must meet the People in person. They must interact. Thus a level of insecurity was accepted. The political rhetoric had been passionate in the last few months. The rhetoric included violent imagery and wording. This can explain a passionate crowd and could have helped the shooter take a gun that day to the scene. Children were present, namely Christina Taylor Green who was nine years old looking to learn about politics and democracy and to help others by meeting her representative in person. There was a crowd of people in a limited area which prevented movement. Finally there came the shooter apparently out of his mind. I heard that he was suffering form a form of schizophrenia or that he lost his grasp on reality. The shooter had a gun he purchased legally. These circumstances I gleaned from hearing news reports. For many of these circumstances, if they were not present some lives could have been saved. The circumstance of the crowd and no movement was a sign that there was potential risk present. Any time you have a crowd there is risk involved. If the crowd cannot move then the risk is very high. What if some car ran into that crowd? They could not move away fast enough. A car did not run into the crowd but a shooter shot into the crowd and the crowd could not move. There was risk involved there. These circumstances came together and aided the result we all saw on January 8th.
Now, what how could have socially responsible citizens preventing all these circumstances from intersecting at the place and time of the shooting? I cannot argue against Giffords' action of setting up or attending the function in front of the grocery store. Social responsibility calls for interaction and peaceful communication among people. Passionate rhetoric can get out of hand. Social responsibility calls to curb the passion, or encourage to argue civilly and not in extremes. This could have changed the shooter's mind from even going to the scene that day. It also might have curbed his thoughts about violence. Having children present is a touchy subject. Social responsibility requires the chaperon to continually evaluate the situation for danger. Was there cause to make the chaperon of Christina Taylor Green suspicious of a dangerous situation. We could speculate here, but I'd rather leave it with her chaperon that day to judge. Clearly a protective mindset was called for in similar situations. About the crowd not being able to move, I feel that the citizens participating in Giffords' event could have asked to move the event over to a more open area. This type of social responsibility we rarely see. We want to leave it up to some security personnel. That day there were no security personnel. In such a case I believe that responsible citizens can look over the situation and influence a better setup. The shooter didn't have a grasp on reality. Where was his support group? Perhaps he had none. He seemed to have some friends on the internet, and you have to wonder how they handled him and each other. Too often people on the internet provoke other people and bully them or manipulate them for some reaction. This is not social responsibility, but it's social irresponsibility. We need to watch out how we treat other people even in impersonal formats like the internet. Above all empathy could have influenced the shooter to not commit such an event. To empathize with someone is not to condone them or even to like them, but it can be used to influence them and nudge them in a little different way. You see if any of these circumstances were nudge in different way the results would have been far less tragic.
Social responsibility includes empathy, caring, being aware of circumstances, acting to reduce risk, being a friend, and a myriad of other things. These things culminate in interacting with other people and not keeping to yourself nor just look out for number one. As tragic the shooting in Tucson was, there have been other tragic situations in the past and there will be in the future. If we are socially responsible we can minimize the effects of these situations. Those who are socially responsible we end up calling heroes. Heroes of that day were pointed out by President Obama in his speech to Tucson and the nation.
Here is his speech in its entirety from PBS:
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Ain't One Of Us
Have you ever looked at a person and found they are not like you? Discrimination is a big problem in today's world. People are being discriminated based on sex, race, age, disability, learning ability or a number of other categories. Why does this occur? We all do it or think it. I theorize that the problem is based on our outlook as humans. The source of discrimination is the attitude people get that says "they ain't one of us". When people take no group ownership of other people this causes discrimination. We need to change our outlook of what our community actually includes in this day and age of global economy and global communication.
Its a matter of preserving the group or village. Humans are community based entities. We structure our society based on our concept of who we know and how we interact with them, whether it be practical interaction or cognitive empathy. We naturally consider anyone or anything outside of the community as a potential threat. We also show a blind eye towards the shortcomings of those in our community. Therefore we have bias. One of the first things we do with potential threats is that we demonize them. We talk among our community and bad talk the potential threats. Thus, this is where discrimination starts, and it evolves into hate and violence.
Modern man needs to expand his outlook and understand that everybody on the planet is part of his community . He needs to change his mind, from a mindset of living in just a local community to one that matches the structure of a global community working for the same thing. Humans across the planet are generally working for freedom, economic success, and peaceful life. We have disputes and wars, but these only stifle our efforts for our posterity. It takes intelligence to recognize this, but it takes courage to do something about it. What are we really going to leave our sons and daughters with?
We all belong to one big village, Earth. Look at the stars and count them. Thus is the old old challenge to people and kids. If you look at the sky through pictures of many space craft and telescopes eyes, you can see wonders beyond belief. Super Novas, Gamma Ray Bursts, Nebulas, Super Black Holes are just a few wonders that are vastly greater than our planet. If you haven't done so you might want to check it out at hubblesite.org. You get the sense that Earth is an oasis in a desert of blackness and wild energetic stuff. We are small, yet we are alive. Earth is our planet and the people on it are our people. If we are to continue as a society we must embrace this concept. We need see how useless our petty infighting really is. We must own all humans, animals, plants on Earth as our community, and as our village.
The realization that our community has expanded over the last 40 years can change our attitude towards others. Our community is big and beautiful and its name is Earth. We have global travel with the advent of the Jumbo Jet, and we have global communication with the internet. We need to get rid of discrimination. The first step to do that is to include everyone on the planet as part of your community. This way you can interact with others with empathy. This does not preclude steps you need to take to protect yourself. You can empathize and protect yourself at the same time. Empathy is the way to go. In the area of relating to others, if you empathize you can engage people in a constructive way. The time to change is now.
Disclaimer: This post is based on my opinions only.
Its a matter of preserving the group or village. Humans are community based entities. We structure our society based on our concept of who we know and how we interact with them, whether it be practical interaction or cognitive empathy. We naturally consider anyone or anything outside of the community as a potential threat. We also show a blind eye towards the shortcomings of those in our community. Therefore we have bias. One of the first things we do with potential threats is that we demonize them. We talk among our community and bad talk the potential threats. Thus, this is where discrimination starts, and it evolves into hate and violence.
Modern man needs to expand his outlook and understand that everybody on the planet is part of his community . He needs to change his mind, from a mindset of living in just a local community to one that matches the structure of a global community working for the same thing. Humans across the planet are generally working for freedom, economic success, and peaceful life. We have disputes and wars, but these only stifle our efforts for our posterity. It takes intelligence to recognize this, but it takes courage to do something about it. What are we really going to leave our sons and daughters with?
We all belong to one big village, Earth. Look at the stars and count them. Thus is the old old challenge to people and kids. If you look at the sky through pictures of many space craft and telescopes eyes, you can see wonders beyond belief. Super Novas, Gamma Ray Bursts, Nebulas, Super Black Holes are just a few wonders that are vastly greater than our planet. If you haven't done so you might want to check it out at hubblesite.org. You get the sense that Earth is an oasis in a desert of blackness and wild energetic stuff. We are small, yet we are alive. Earth is our planet and the people on it are our people. If we are to continue as a society we must embrace this concept. We need see how useless our petty infighting really is. We must own all humans, animals, plants on Earth as our community, and as our village.
The realization that our community has expanded over the last 40 years can change our attitude towards others. Our community is big and beautiful and its name is Earth. We have global travel with the advent of the Jumbo Jet, and we have global communication with the internet. We need to get rid of discrimination. The first step to do that is to include everyone on the planet as part of your community. This way you can interact with others with empathy. This does not preclude steps you need to take to protect yourself. You can empathize and protect yourself at the same time. Empathy is the way to go. In the area of relating to others, if you empathize you can engage people in a constructive way. The time to change is now.
Disclaimer: This post is based on my opinions only.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Illusion Of Control
We humans like to manage and hoard and control things. We learn the word "mine" at a very young age. We lock down our stuff. We lug our belongings through the years. We even drag our friends and family through time. We do all of this because we want a sense of control on our lives, a sense of security. If we take a step or two back and look at the bigger picture, we may see how small and futile our ability to control actually is.
Starting with the obvious, the economy, its easy to see that money does indeed make itself wings as the old adage goes. The recession of 2009 made people loose a lot of money and assets. The housing market collapsed after a period of record high gas prices. Housing foreclosures began and continued throughout 2010. People lost home ownership, jobs, credit. Banks lots billions in bad investments. Many people filed for bankruptcy. Nobody could control it. The only power they might have had is to try to get out of its way by selling off assets early. The only recourse for people was to blame the government, because how else can you blame society?
Natural disasters is another power that cannot be controlled. Who can stop an earthquake? Who can quench a tornado? How can you redirect a hurricane? How can you calm a tsunami? Mega natural disasters like hurricane Katrina or the tsunami of 2004 killed thousands. Five days before Katrina hit, I watched the Weather Channel and knew those people needed to evacuate. Anybody who watched that program realized that people needed to evacuate. Nobody listened, not the governments and not the people. Why didn't they listened? Even in face of natural disasters, people will try to stay where they are. It takes courage to get up and go and leave all of your life your friends, your belongings, and your community behind. Natural disasters change lives. People are more often than not resistant to change. They do not want to loose control. In the end they have no choice, they will loose control. They loose control over all their belongings and way of life. It gets ripped from them by a force they barely can understand. For them, control was an illusion.
There is an invisible force in everyday life that affects us. Its in every business, organization, plan and endeavor we work in. Its made up of the conditions in which we work and can come back to bite us. I call it the Nature Of The Beast. The best illustration I can think of happened back in the 1990's. Companies were downsizing to cut costs. Lots of companies. And the companies decided to give someone the job of analyzing and rationalizing whom they were to cut. Toward the end of the job these workers of job loss had to face the Nature Of The Beast. The honest ones decided they had no choice but to recommend that they be cut as well, since their job was done and no more monetary benefit was going to come out of them remaining employed for the company. Beware of the Nature Of The Beast. Know its circumstances and how it works else you may be its next victim. If you think you have control over your career, think again. The Nature Of The Beast quells all illusion of control over your career.
The Economic Recession, Natural Disasters and Nature Of The Beast are only a small sample of the forces out there we cannot control. So I say, loosen your grip on career, family, friends, belongings. Give a little, and be more flexible. You just might find a way to keep them for the long haul. Sting sang a song, "If you love someone, set them free." We should heed such advice, or the illusion of control might just vanish away like fog or smoke.
Starting with the obvious, the economy, its easy to see that money does indeed make itself wings as the old adage goes. The recession of 2009 made people loose a lot of money and assets. The housing market collapsed after a period of record high gas prices. Housing foreclosures began and continued throughout 2010. People lost home ownership, jobs, credit. Banks lots billions in bad investments. Many people filed for bankruptcy. Nobody could control it. The only power they might have had is to try to get out of its way by selling off assets early. The only recourse for people was to blame the government, because how else can you blame society?
Natural disasters is another power that cannot be controlled. Who can stop an earthquake? Who can quench a tornado? How can you redirect a hurricane? How can you calm a tsunami? Mega natural disasters like hurricane Katrina or the tsunami of 2004 killed thousands. Five days before Katrina hit, I watched the Weather Channel and knew those people needed to evacuate. Anybody who watched that program realized that people needed to evacuate. Nobody listened, not the governments and not the people. Why didn't they listened? Even in face of natural disasters, people will try to stay where they are. It takes courage to get up and go and leave all of your life your friends, your belongings, and your community behind. Natural disasters change lives. People are more often than not resistant to change. They do not want to loose control. In the end they have no choice, they will loose control. They loose control over all their belongings and way of life. It gets ripped from them by a force they barely can understand. For them, control was an illusion.
There is an invisible force in everyday life that affects us. Its in every business, organization, plan and endeavor we work in. Its made up of the conditions in which we work and can come back to bite us. I call it the Nature Of The Beast. The best illustration I can think of happened back in the 1990's. Companies were downsizing to cut costs. Lots of companies. And the companies decided to give someone the job of analyzing and rationalizing whom they were to cut. Toward the end of the job these workers of job loss had to face the Nature Of The Beast. The honest ones decided they had no choice but to recommend that they be cut as well, since their job was done and no more monetary benefit was going to come out of them remaining employed for the company. Beware of the Nature Of The Beast. Know its circumstances and how it works else you may be its next victim. If you think you have control over your career, think again. The Nature Of The Beast quells all illusion of control over your career.
The Economic Recession, Natural Disasters and Nature Of The Beast are only a small sample of the forces out there we cannot control. So I say, loosen your grip on career, family, friends, belongings. Give a little, and be more flexible. You just might find a way to keep them for the long haul. Sting sang a song, "If you love someone, set them free." We should heed such advice, or the illusion of control might just vanish away like fog or smoke.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
New Year, New Possibilities
This new year comes without much expectation. Forecasts seem lower than expected, and lots of changes have been implemented financially and politically. What really seems to me the real lesson here is that people's mindset need to be adjusted to a more common-sense approach to living. What I am about to say is my own opinion based on my own observance as a citizen. Here are my recommendations for the coming year of 2011.
Live within your means. Living within your own means is a principle that has been deteriorated by the marketing of cheap credit. I've seen people get many credit cards and live within the means of their credit rather than their income. Eventually, this scheme falls apart, and creditor come knocking. This is an obvious oversight, but people get trapped in it wanting to desperately become more than what they are financially.
Reevaluate your value system. How do you value yourself? Do you buy into the creed of the more toys the better you are? Is your value in the hands of the opinions as your friends or relatives? What are their values? This can be hard and confusing. If your able to identify one of two areas that need change, however small that change is, you can reap some benefits.
Making time for stress release. Its easy to keep working when you've been working for a long time. I think it helps to get some stress release. Find a hobby, spend time with your loved ones, do exercise, enjoy nature, are some things that come to mind. Finding what works for you to release stress is important. It may seem that in these days of curtailed resources that taking free time is useless. The mind needs the free time and stress release to change gears. In the end happiness may result.
Living within your means, reevaluating your values, and getting stress release are just three of the many things you can do to prepare you for the coming year. This is just my opinion and I make no guarantees about anything. I do recommend to take charge of your life and make the changes you need to make.
Live within your means. Living within your own means is a principle that has been deteriorated by the marketing of cheap credit. I've seen people get many credit cards and live within the means of their credit rather than their income. Eventually, this scheme falls apart, and creditor come knocking. This is an obvious oversight, but people get trapped in it wanting to desperately become more than what they are financially.
Reevaluate your value system. How do you value yourself? Do you buy into the creed of the more toys the better you are? Is your value in the hands of the opinions as your friends or relatives? What are their values? This can be hard and confusing. If your able to identify one of two areas that need change, however small that change is, you can reap some benefits.
Making time for stress release. Its easy to keep working when you've been working for a long time. I think it helps to get some stress release. Find a hobby, spend time with your loved ones, do exercise, enjoy nature, are some things that come to mind. Finding what works for you to release stress is important. It may seem that in these days of curtailed resources that taking free time is useless. The mind needs the free time and stress release to change gears. In the end happiness may result.
Living within your means, reevaluating your values, and getting stress release are just three of the many things you can do to prepare you for the coming year. This is just my opinion and I make no guarantees about anything. I do recommend to take charge of your life and make the changes you need to make.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Season's Spirit
Reflecting on Christmas. Its a time of year where we celebrate gift giving and faith, perhaps the former rather than the latter. But I think I like to strike a different note, kindness.
Its often said that "all we need is love". Unfortunately we may find it hard to express love to strangers. We have become a society of self-defense. Avoid people, lock doors, don't look at their eyes, be suspicious of people, these have become our mantra. While those things are not bad to do, what do we become when its the main way of how we respond to people? We become inhuman.
Kindness is defined as "the state or quality of being kind" according to Dictionary.com. Quality, I like that word. What qualities do you have? How qualified are you? What quality defines you? Kindness is a quality. Kindness is a quality of love.
Did you know you can defend against somebody and yet still show kindness? It requires a cool head. You keep your defenses up, but you also find ways to show kindness to the person.
In this era of hard times, I think kindness can go a long way.
Its often said that "all we need is love". Unfortunately we may find it hard to express love to strangers. We have become a society of self-defense. Avoid people, lock doors, don't look at their eyes, be suspicious of people, these have become our mantra. While those things are not bad to do, what do we become when its the main way of how we respond to people? We become inhuman.
Kindness is defined as "the state or quality of being kind" according to Dictionary.com. Quality, I like that word. What qualities do you have? How qualified are you? What quality defines you? Kindness is a quality. Kindness is a quality of love.
Did you know you can defend against somebody and yet still show kindness? It requires a cool head. You keep your defenses up, but you also find ways to show kindness to the person.
In this era of hard times, I think kindness can go a long way.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Comedy to change the world
When you think about comedy, you may think jokes that are from your own world setting. If your from the United States, you think of stuff that perhaps Bill Cosby or Jeff Foxworthy has said. If your from Europe you may think of your own stand-up comedians.
When a people don't have comedians or enough comedians, then they tend to make fun of their perceived enemies. Its human nature. Comedy brings a smile and I believe brings happiness in the form of some endorphin like chemicals in the body. It causes people to put down their defenses and ease their attacks. I also think it gives the brain a pause. This pause is a pause from serious business. Have you ever heard a stressed out person laugh? They overly laugh. They are laugh louder and longer, sometimes for a half hour or so. Laughter is a needed thing for the brain and the body.
Wondrously and in the mist of wars and attacks and fighting and stress, comes these stories here and there of comedians coming from the Muslim world. What?! Comedy from/for Muslims? Isn't that a faux pas? Or is it?
NPR did a story on a Arab-American comedian. You can check out the story here. His name is Dean Obeidallah and he is in the middle of a Comedy movement that is being embraced by the Middle Eastern world. Apparently there are some young Muslim comedians coming out of the woodwork as well.
Comedy is a great medium. You can share almost anything with it. People tend to empathize in a comedy context. You can also share social issues from stupidity to abuses. Laughing at oneself is a very powerful empathizing technique form of communication. If you can laugh at yourself you can get the ear of the most hard hearted person.
Can comedy change the world? I think it can. I think it will also take time. A generation has to grow up with it and embrace it as their own.
Incidentally one of my favorite types of books to read are books written by stand-ups,oh, and also Dave Berry.
When a people don't have comedians or enough comedians, then they tend to make fun of their perceived enemies. Its human nature. Comedy brings a smile and I believe brings happiness in the form of some endorphin like chemicals in the body. It causes people to put down their defenses and ease their attacks. I also think it gives the brain a pause. This pause is a pause from serious business. Have you ever heard a stressed out person laugh? They overly laugh. They are laugh louder and longer, sometimes for a half hour or so. Laughter is a needed thing for the brain and the body.
Wondrously and in the mist of wars and attacks and fighting and stress, comes these stories here and there of comedians coming from the Muslim world. What?! Comedy from/for Muslims? Isn't that a faux pas? Or is it?
NPR did a story on a Arab-American comedian. You can check out the story here. His name is Dean Obeidallah and he is in the middle of a Comedy movement that is being embraced by the Middle Eastern world. Apparently there are some young Muslim comedians coming out of the woodwork as well.
Comedy is a great medium. You can share almost anything with it. People tend to empathize in a comedy context. You can also share social issues from stupidity to abuses. Laughing at oneself is a very powerful empathizing technique form of communication. If you can laugh at yourself you can get the ear of the most hard hearted person.
Can comedy change the world? I think it can. I think it will also take time. A generation has to grow up with it and embrace it as their own.
Incidentally one of my favorite types of books to read are books written by stand-ups,oh, and also Dave Berry.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Artist Writer, Soul Bleeder
As an artist writer I'm very much aware of the cost to me. Artists put their soul into their work. It really doesn't matter what the medium is, pencil & paper, ink & pen, clay, artifacts, chalk, buildings...etc...etc, its all a soul expression. This leaves the artist vulnerable. They react with emotion at the smallest complement or critique. It would seem wise to figure out a way to protect oneself from this vulnerability being treaded upon.
I have a friend who has been a writer since childhood. She was a prodigy in her time. Yet over the years it has cost her. It has cost her to the point where she does not want to write. She shouldn't write if she sees it as a form of past abuse.
Brittany Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Robert Downey Jr., to name a couple, have paid the price of their soul being abused. Celebrities have long turned to alcohol, drugs, sex addiction and a myriad of other things because their souls were being trampled on. Schedules, demands, and other pressures kill off the artist a little bit at a time.
Balance is the key. A soul needs balance. Balance with rest and balance with work is a must. When under pressure, the artist often feels frustrated, depressed, etc. Recreation can help and also meditation. Getting grounded, feeling renewed is the goal. Some artists best work is done when they were alone. Their thoughts come together and they can concentrate.
Everyone learns and think differently. Find what works for you. And be aware that it may change over time.
I have a friend who has been a writer since childhood. She was a prodigy in her time. Yet over the years it has cost her. It has cost her to the point where she does not want to write. She shouldn't write if she sees it as a form of past abuse.
Brittany Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Robert Downey Jr., to name a couple, have paid the price of their soul being abused. Celebrities have long turned to alcohol, drugs, sex addiction and a myriad of other things because their souls were being trampled on. Schedules, demands, and other pressures kill off the artist a little bit at a time.
Balance is the key. A soul needs balance. Balance with rest and balance with work is a must. When under pressure, the artist often feels frustrated, depressed, etc. Recreation can help and also meditation. Getting grounded, feeling renewed is the goal. Some artists best work is done when they were alone. Their thoughts come together and they can concentrate.
Everyone learns and think differently. Find what works for you. And be aware that it may change over time.
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