Strong Supportive Voice to the Quiet Things

How do you give strong supportive voice to the quiet things that give you peace & spread peace? Maybe it's not about finding the words; maybe it's just about the actions. It's just that when I try to describe it it in words I can sound like a blithering idiot. ~~For me, this is about unformatted spirituality & how I can make it manifest in my life & the people around me. It's not about  reaching for that quiet and finding desperation, or veering toward oblivion. But I will admit that it is a daily struggle not to plummet down that path.

"I have faith in the future" - a letter in support for our local school improvement millage vote

We all want the best for our kids. I think that is a given.  But some people will not help kids because they are afraid of the future.

There are people  in this world whose only apparent job is to make people afraid. There are people that will tell you that all teachers, all policemen, all judges, all people of authority and many established institutions  are crooked and not worthy of our help and support. They seem intent on making  you want to trust no one, not even yourself.

It’s hard to keep faith living in such a world. I struggle with my faith sometimes. I struggle in this world to keep my head above water. But I do know that when I feel fear and confusion, I cannot do my best to see the better angels in people. And I want to travel my life’s path feeling that I've done all I can to help others along the way, to try & do good while I’m here.

I want to do well by our kids. I think most people do. But people can get sidetracked by fear and confusion, and forget that lessons learned in childhood can last a lifetime. I want kids to learn lessons in schools that will help them become confident, open-minded, heartfelt adults that can think and reason and fend for themselves in a world that seems intent on blinding them to the beauty that is out there.  I believe that our community needs to band together and help our school system - to help our kids learn the good lessons that school can provide - by giving them a safe environment for learning. That’s why I’ve decided to vote in favor of the 2015 Hastings Area Schools Bond Proposal on May 5^th.

I have written before about the volunteer work I do at the schools. I walk down the hallways and see rooms that are 40+ years worn. I have seen cracked plumbing, falling plaster, broken ceiling tiles, broken floor tiles, electrical systems loose and overloaded; choir risers collapse. I have been in classrooms smelling of septic and dead animals.  The heating systems are overworked and in dire need of repair.  School entrance security is practically non-existent, and  needs to be secured to 2015, not 1955, standards.

For decades, the school system has had award-winning musical programs -the envy of schools across the region - and we play our concerts in the gym and our plays and musicals in an 80-year-old auditorium.  A Fine Arts Center would finally give these programs the venue they so richly deserve. With this, and the upgrades to the schools, we would be able to hold band and vocal district competitions, and serve as a prime venue for events such as the Jazz Festival and Summer fest concerts.  I have played in some of the theaters in other area schools that have beautiful theaters. Those communities reap incredible benefits hosting concerts and community events. One credible benefit is that good schools will attract good families, and good families can help make good communities.

 If you haven’t really looked at our schools in awhile, you might not understand the depth of our need.  Maybe you think that in this age of entitlement, kids just don’t deserve good schools – they should be happy with what they have. Maybe you feel you pay enough already.

One of the hardest things to do is to have faith in the future, when there are so many voices out there enticing us to be cynical and sour.

That’s why we need to lift up the kids. They carry our hopes and aspirations, our faith in the future. We  now have an opportunity to help them.  They don’t need the world on a silver platter, but they do need safe, modern schools, so in that fleeting childhood-to-young-adulthood time, they will have a chance to do good. Let’s give them the best chance to succeed – the same kind of chance we were given.

I’m voting for the May 5th millage to improve our schools and help our kids. I have faith in the future.

Stop Being So Angry

I'm not convinced there is a true use for anger, except for perhaps the use of righteous anger against an injustice. But I have come across people whose righteous anger is always turned on. There doesn't seem to be an end to their anger, and I have to wonder...

...do they like being angry all the time?
...do they gain any true, lasting benefit from being angry all the time?

I'm of a belief that this persistent anger cannot do a person well, either physically, mentally, or spiritually. It erodes the spirit so much, and gives back so little.

With the time you have devoted to hearing about and mulling over things that make you angry, you could be hearing about and mulling over things that make you happy. Just think of all the wasted energy and time!

I've seen people get casual with anger, making it a part of their daily routines - keeping it as a badge of honor, thinking that it means they stand for something.Yes - they stand for anger! Casual anger is a lot like casual racism, casual sexism - the practitioners deem the feeling and sentiments as "in jokes" or "in beliefs" - so long as you're within the fold. But all this does is serve the tribal feudalism that seems to be growing in this world. 

So much of the world is filled with truths, half-truths, and falsehoods. You might be getting angry over lies being told to you, but they agree so much with your worldview you might not stop to question them.

Seneca the Younger writes:

"The cause of anger is the belief that we are injured; this belief, therefore, should not be lightly entertained. We ought not to fly into a rage even when the injury appears to be open and distinct: for some false things bear the semblance of truth. We should always allow some time to elapse, for time discloses the truth."

Before your face reddens, your fists tighten, and apoplexy takes over, stop to consider Seneca's words.

I don't question your right to believe what you want to believe. No one wants to come into your house and take away your right to bear thoughts. But if you are truly angry about something:

1) Make sure what you are mad about is actually true. Get three or four independent sources to confirm or deny. Don't be duped just because the maddening idea is an easy thing to believe.

2) Be intellectually honest with yourself. Question if someone else can gain from your anger.

3) Do something constructive with the anger, just don't grumble about it to like-minded people. Also, you will stand for something, not just talk about standing for something.

Peace.