Prince William and Kate Middleton!! Wedding at Westminster Abbey!! I just shake my head when I view all the hoopla and the American interest in the royal wedding. Why? I guess I just don't "get it." Evidently, we are to believe that millions of Americans are planning to get up at four in the morning to watch this happen live. And, everyone with DVRs and TiVos and recording devices of every kind is getting ready to preserve this wonderful event.Why the frenzy? Are people in the U.S. really that interested or is this just a false media-driven mania?

Oh, I know we're all supposed to be drawn to stories like this: the royal wedding has the substance of the classic fairy tale: beauty, romance, nobility and prestige, not to mention the hope and expectation of a happy marriage and life.

Gordon Coonfield, a media expert at Villanova University, says, “People are really craving the shared experience of a communal ritual event,” he says. “There aren’t that many universal or relatively universal cultural rituals anymore … and here is one where everyone will stop whatever they are doing, and make sure they are watching as it happens. They’ll get out of bed, pull out their cell phone, turn on the TV, find it on their computer … anything.” (Daniel B. Wood, "Royal Wedding Mystery..." The Christian Science Monitor, April 27 2011)

Granted, the wedding is "a really big show" as Ed Sullivan would state. The Brits do pomp and circumstance so well.  Somehow, the British royal family is still quite revered everywhere, even in the Hollywood scandal-loving United States. Is this a throwback to earlier days and respect for an important motherland? Maybe William and Kate are also just actors on the world's stage.

Maya Jasanoff, John L. Loeb associate professor of social sciences at Harvard University, says, "I suppose the monarchy is safe for us to admire: We don't have to live with the inequality that it manifestly represents; but we can still feel connected to the tradition and enjoy the pomp."

Jasanoff continues, "I can only imagine that as Americans and so many others around the world right now live in uncertain times, there is something appealing about remembering a moment when it seemed so clear what was right and what was wrong, and when people could come together around common causes." (Joseph Neese, "The Royal Wedding: Why It Matters," WorldNow WSFA, April 27 2011)

Debra Caruso, founder and head of DJC Communications, reports, “More of us are waiting to see how Jon Stewart, David Letterman and Stephen Colbert will frame the event,” Caruso tells the Christian Science Monitor, “We’re attracted to the negative. Will there be a slip-up? Will someone mouth words on camera that will make headlines? Guaranteed, the fashion ‘don’ts’ will make more news than the fashion ‘dos.’” (Laura Donovan, "Royal Wedding Is Unimportant Noise To Many..." The Daily Caller, April 26 2011)

British historian and Harvard University professor Niall Ferguson told The Daily Caller that he did not wish to comment on the royal wedding at all because it was of no interest to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=smr5Euok03Y

David J. Phillips of the United Kingdom tells CBS News of the wedding, “It’s just noise — more noise — and a lot of noise. That’s it.”

"The NoNonsense Man” Marc H. Rudov, a radio and television personality, says that the “royal wedding obsession is mystifying” since so many Americans are staying single rather than tying the knot. “So, many folks are clueless about the historical significance of the British monarchy — let alone any monarchy,” Rudov said, citing a Marist poll that found 26 percent of Americans do not know that America won independence from England. “In my opinion, the key reason people will watch the Royal Wedding is that, like ‘American Idol,’ it’s a big show on TV, driven by buzz, glitz, peer pressure and vicarious envy.” (Laura Donovan, "Royal Wedding Is Unimportant Noise To Many..." The Daily Caller, April 26 2011)

According to a recent CBS poll, only three in 10 Americans say they’re very or somewhat engaged with the pre-wedding news. Thirty percent report they’re following it, but not intensely, and 42 percent say they’re not paying any attention to the spectacle. So, you judge. Is the royal wedding such a big deal in America?

Let's gauge reality here. OK, the royal wedding is the Super Bowl of nuptials. If you're into the Big Show, you will likely take the bait and enjoy the swim. But, really, isn't the wedding a prelim to what potentially happens after the "I do's"?

Just wait, U.K., a million American reporters crave to cover the couple's first missteps and struggles. Good luck, royal couple. Your union is is set to "mega-size" and your everyday movements will be under the largest microscopes operated by yellow journalists. I don't think I will watch live - there will be tons of reruns for weeks to come.

Are You Just Wearing a White Hat Or Are You Acting Like a Good Guy?

In a perfect world, right would always prevail: the good guys in the white hats would save the community from evil and the future would be filled with joy. And, why shouldn't we strive for a perfect world? I know of no better goal because, in reality, we understand that raising our goals a little higher than our best expectations is healthy as long as we accept living as an ongoing, ever-challenging process of working for healthy, noble outcomes. Working toward perfection raises our own standards and allows us to view the true power of spirit and will.

When others insist on accepting gross imperfection and even find ways to profit from the ugly, cancerous flaws, we must lift our own standards and attempt to lift the standards of others to combat the evil perpetuated by these greedy profiteers. True, these gluttonous individuals may care for their close friends and relatives while they practice their trade, but, make no mistake, they lack the critical conscience necessary to consider the common good. They live for the "me" and never consider the lethal outcomes of their cold dealings.

People in my area are tired of watching hoggish hombres steal money, destroy families and take human lives. These good people have had a taste of how influential and effectual they can be if (1) they have a righteous cause, and (2) they combine their resources. Using these principles, they continue a climb ever closer to perfection.Over and over I hear dedicated people say, "I now realize a light is shining on Scioto County, and new miracles take place every day." Many of these people have paid the ultimate price and understand the need to stand united and strong. They have yet to stand in full sunlight, but they have realized this light sustains and empowers.

A curious thing happens as people strive toward perfection. Luck and circumstance become minor players as industry and perseverance take the lead roles. The first step is always the hardest, full of self-doubt and fear. But action dispels trepidation. Soon, people gain confidence, find their individual voices, and attract attention to their struggles. Others want to know "What is going on?"  They ask, "How did you do that?"  They wonder, "What else good is going to happen?"

Don't get me wrong here. Perfection does not magically materialize from all the good activity. Far from it, the action of many good people stirs the pot of the masses and prods the malignancy of the wicked. Doubters and naysayers of all types are quick to ridicule while the criminals devise and employ new roadblocks in the cover of the doubers' shadows. Any battle worth fighting is bound to be bloody. No area in Ohio knows this better than Scioto County. So many angels from above assist in the fray.

Today, a large, unified, dedicated team is striving toward perfection. The hill, no, the mountain, they climb is very steep and extremely high, but they no longer care how difficult the trek may be. You see, they have learned to revel in each positive step they achieve on their way to the peak. They are set on perfection, not on simple improvement. Why shouldn't they be? Only by striving for perfection will the group achieve lofty goals. And, as objective after objective continues to be obtained, these people grow more robust and more durable. Also, others pick up their standards and join the journey. To be sure, a long climb remains, but the campers are happy. In brief, they are seasoned veterans.

Of course, most importantly, no group of white hats can achieve a thing without the leadership of the one who wears the whitest topper. All shades of perfection are painted by the Master. The earthbound good guys must follow His directions. They must listen to Him and do His will. The control is His. And, all positive steps achieved are for His glory. His truth will go marching on.

My county is home to the best grass roots buckaroos. No one can convince me that this spirit does not stem from the land and from the ancestry. We folks want simple, good things in life. Many of these things have been denied to us for so long that some have lost faith. And, I do mean Faith. But many others are finding the real value of their upbringing and their beliefs.

Their devotion and trust is bolstered in fidelity and tempered by the challenging situations they have lived through. We are not short on these qualities in Scioto County. But, now we are not satisfied to merely "hang" onto the boot of Ohio or to be beneath the heel of a swift boot by the nation. We have a perfect day set in mind and a sharp focus on that prize. The prize becomes clearer every passing day.

Gotta Have the Status, Baby

According to CBS News, the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton could cost the U.K. economy about $50 million. Isn't that a bargain? Everyone would love to go to the affair. I haven't received my invitation yet, and I fear my status will decline if I don't hear something very, very soon. Precious status!

Speaking of status symbols, have you heard of the "Million Dollar" cocktail with an edible gold leaf? At $29 a bottle, Goldschlager liqueur is not the highest priced status symbol, but why people want to drink 24k gold leaf flakes is beyond me. The manufacturer says, "Goldschlager is more than just an ordinary cinnamon schnapps. Goldschlager has real edible gold flakes floating in a crystal clear liqueur.You won't get rich off of the amount of gold inside that bottle. It's less than one-tenth of a gram. But shake the bottle and watch that real gold leaf sparkle and shine and you'll see why Goldschlager is the perfect choice for your holiday cocktails." Wow, imagine shaking that gold and then ingesting it. Now, there is a drink worthy of status.

Drinking gold is nothing new. There are indications that the practice dates back to ancient Egypt. Of course, a colorful history of gold and liquor comes out of the California gold fever of the 1850s when successful gold miners would sometimes sprinkle a few flakes of gold into their drinks, living, they imagined, like Incan kings.

If you must have precious metal in your drink, why now just buy the cheap booze and toss some spare change into the bottle? It is status that drives us to crave silly possessions that supposedly represent the gauge by which one's social or economic prestige is measured.

So if you carry a Gucci handbag or drive a Lexus, you may be seeking status. You may hope that these possessions excite envy in someone who is status-conscious, but the products themselves will not gain status for the one buying them. In fact, the whole idea of a status symbol is fairly juvenile.

When you were a child, did you cry because your parents couldn’t afford to buy you the “cool” shoes? You now understand that behavior was a clear indication of your low self-esteem. Really, the shoes, themselves, could not give you the needed self worth.

But now, as an adult, you are continually bombarded by advertisements that tell you that self-esteem does depend on buying expensive products. Advertising creates a false status – this famous person uses this product, therefore his or her status is transferred to it; a consumer of the product can then derive some status from the product, presumably by some osmosis. Advertising says "Yes, yes, please indulge to reap the benefits because you are important and nobody can tell you 'no.'" The important distinction to make here is that advertising is meant to create false needs to encourage sales. You know that, don't you?

Any and everything to enhance status is touted. Status phones, status cars, status clothes, status friends -- all of these things make people better, correct? Having too much of the best is never enough these days. So living in luxuriant settings is the goal, right? "He who ends up with the most toys wins the game of life" goes the cliche.

Consider the glut of luxury and the debt created by status seekers. It seems these excesses are becoming more endemic. The excesses are fueled by media that fixates on the hedonistic lifestyles of the rich and famous, as well as the pitiful state of the wannabes. No one wants to be a wannabe, so you feel committed to take the dive and shell out the bucks. After all, it's only plastic anyway.

Shouldn't the value of possessions be relative to what each family can afford? Instantaneous pleasure and status are not necessarily good goals to instill in the lives of loved ones. In the case of material possessions, maybe parents should explain to their children that the enjoyment of material goods comes only after hard work or prudent investment, or both. That way, materialism as a lifestyle would become more of a fulfilling goal to achieve and sustain, instead of being taken for granted as an inherent part of life.

And what about even caring for material possessions? Am I wrong, or do children get most of the things they want these days with very little effort? The Jordans (I assume they're still in favor.), the X-Boxes -- parents have bought into the idea that attaining these items is so important for the child's development whether the luxuries are affordable to the family or not. Buying goods on credit that you can't afford bypasses some important qualities of life. While they pursue selfish pleasures, image, and ego, families teach children a lack of integrity.

What does happen when a person is given everything without appropriate effort? And, what happens when someone sees a person getting everything with very little effort? Children with everything are not necessarily happy, growing individuals. Society still claims to resent laziness and unearned entitlement. Parents may be damaging the real status of their prized possessions, their own children, by buying their way to the top. Can you really buy your way into other people's hearts?

Madeline Levine, Ph.D., in her book The Price of Privilege (2006)  claims that the current state of affluent materialism has left many well-to-do children feeling empty, depressed and angry, as they act out either through wild behavior and substance abuse, or equally damaging self loathing and self abuse. And, meanwhile, in far less affluent homes, in spite of material possessions provided through great sacrifice, desperation grows as children see their parents working endlessly, or falling hopelessly into debt, while attempting to give their children those things the media and advertisers seem to suggest that every child deserves. These children also turn to wild behavior due to resentment, feelings of emptiness and depression, which show up behaviorally in substance abuse and other forms of self abuse, but also criminal behavior, which can seem to be a legitimate option for getting ahead in a world where so many others can get things so much easier than the underprivileged can.

Speaking of guidance versus control, Levine writes, "The more we pour ourselves, our talents, concerns and aspirations into our children, the less room they have to develop their own talents, concerns and aspirations. Autonomy, not dependency, is always the goal of good parenting. Mother birds know the value of nudging their fledglings out of the nest so that they learn how to soar on their own wings. Overinvolved parents are clipping their children's wings." (Madeline Levine, "What Price, Privilege?" The San Francisco Gate, June 26 2006)  The article http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/25/CMG5EJ6PF71.DTL

Here is what I propose in today's post. Daniel A. Bochner, Ph.D., writes about the basic building blocks necessary for making children grow into great adults. He believes a few essential components must be cultivated in children in order to fashion them into healthy, thriving, connected beings. ("From Materialism To Integrity: The Building Blocks of the Healthy Human Structure," drbochner.com, 2010) These things are categorized under the following headings in his article:

* Being Special
* Humility
* Hard Work
* Responsibility
* Gratitude 
* Growth

Here is the article by Dr. Bochner. http://drbochner.com/articles_for_families/from_materialism_to_integrity_the_building_blocks_of_the_healthy_human_structure

Letter From Chief Horner

First, I would like to thank Diane Rehm for being given an opportunity to participate in the discussion of the prescription drug abuse epidemic facing the United States. I would also like to express my appreciation to ABC’s 20/20 and Lynn Sherr, who, in 2001, attempted to describe ground-zero of the prescription abuse epidemic. In the 20/20 piece, http://youtu.be/SaX1tQakBvI, OxyContin was described as “the single most dangerous drug, for law enforcement, on the street”. I would like to extend a very special thank you to Sabrina Travernise of the New York Times, who recognized the pain and suffering in Portsmouth and Southern Ohio, created by the “pill” epidemic. She chose to travel to Portsmouth, to meet with those impacted and who are attempting to become “the wall” against prescription drug abuse. I had the opportunity to meet with her. She sat and listened to my catharsis, a long history of witnessing and attempting to combat the problem. Given the restrictions she faced on telling our story in a finite space in the New York Times, she wrote, in my opinion, an exceptional piece of journalism.

I will begin with an explanation of my background and the authority which I speak on the “pill” epidemic. I have been a Police Officer for 28 years, approximately 10 of which was commanding a local drug task force (approximately 1990-2000), and approximately 9 years as the Chief of Police. Throughout the 28 years, my primary focus has been to help address the problem of drug abuse.

Early in my career, I observed that the abuse of prescription medication was becoming an increasing problem for law enforcement. During my tenure with the drug task force, then Scioto County Assistant Prosecutor Rick Brown and I would provide a drug orientation for new Grand Juries. Inevitably, with virtual every Grand Jury, the question would be asked, “What is the number one drug problem in our community.” Much to their dismay, our response was pharmaceutical drugs. In the early, 1990’s we observed a transition that would later define prescription drug abuse in Portsmouth, Scioto County and later the nation. We watched as a local physician realized the potential profit derived from the “legal” prescribing of prescription medications. Throughout the 1990’s other physicians followed his lead. Office employees would later realize that they, too, could make this a profitable enterprise. New “pain clinics” would spring up and would begin drawing upon contract physicians from other states.

In approximately 2000, the local drug task force was astounded, as a local orthopedic physician would make the transition to “pain management”. A convicted felon would become the office manager. Lines would form, stretching down a city block. Vehicles would appear with license plates from as far away as Texas. Van loads of people would arrive. Pizza would be ordered and groups would have lunch together.

Portsmouth is located on the Ohio River, approximately 100 miles south of Columbus and approximately 100 miles east of Cincinnati, the closest Drug Enforcement Administration Offices. Following public outcry, the local task force made the decision to dedicate all their manpower, 4 officers, fulltime, for approximately 4 months to investigating the physician. Working with the Ohio State Pharmacy Board and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, the investigation concluded with the exchange of OxyContin prescriptions for automatic weapons. Search warrants were executed and approximated $400,000 dollars was recovered in the basement of the home of physician, with another approximately $70,000 being located in an apartment next to the physician’s office. The physician was charged on a multi-count indictment, including the Ohio “RICO” statute, Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Criminal Activity. He later pleads, forfeits his assets, and is sentenced to a prison.

OxyContin, which was prescribed by the physician describe above, was approved by the FDA and began sales in approximately 1995. By 2001, Purdue Pharma’s profit from the sale of OxyContin was believed to be over one billion dollars. As the early 2000’s progressed and as overdoses proliferated, lawsuits would be filed against Purdue Pharma. It was reported that a company’s news release was “65-0”: OxyContin cases against Purdue Pharma dismissed at a record rate.” It was reported that Howard Udell, an attorney for Purdue Pharma, called the lawsuits “absurd”.

Some believe Purdue Pharma initiated “unholy alliances” with some of their most vocal critics in law enforcement. It has been reported that many elected officials, along with law enforcement, who once fought the OxyContin epidemic, were reported to have been hired by Purdue Pharma and operated as paid employees of the company, touting OxyContin’s safety and effectiveness. Some individuals expressed concern about Purdue Pharma’s association with law enforcement associations.

By 2004, it was reported that over 120 lawsuits had been dismissed. Earlier, the United States Attorney’s Office had initiated an investigation into the conduct of Purdue Pharma and OxyContin. Sales of OxyContin declined, somewhat, in the following years.

For the first time in 2006, unintentional poisonings exceeded motor vehicle accidents as the overall leading cause of injury in Ohio. Ohio death rates from unintentional poisoning, exceeds deaths from falls, motor vehicle accidents, homicide, suicide, and firearm related deaths. I do not want to lessen or downplay the significance of our losses, but more people died from 2003-2008 as a result of unintentional drug poisonings in Ohio than the number of U.S. military losses in the Iraq War and the 911 attack on the World Trade Center, respectively. Unintentional fatal drug poisonings have quadrupled over the past ten years. Scioto County is included in the “Top Ten Counties in the Nation” for illegal prescription trafficking.

In 2007, with the risk of substantial fines and criminal sentences, Purdue Pharma entered into a plea agreement and agreed to pay 6 million dollars in fines (proverbial, cost of doing business?), a significant amount until you jump forward two years, when it is believed profits from the sale of OxyContin would exceed 3 billion dollars. Executives of Purdue Pharma entered into plea agreements and agreed to pay fines of 34 million dollars. However, the executives avoided criminal sentences. (Why?)

From 2007 to present, overdose death rates have soared and crime believed to contributable to prescription drug abuse has soared. The human and financial costs are tremendous, with the estimated direct and/or indirect cost of unintentional fatal poisonings to the State of Ohio being estimated at 3.6 billion dollars.

Scioto County, Ohio has the highest hepatitis rate, contributable in large part to pharmaceutical intravenous injections. Scioto County has the third highest rate of unintentional poisoning deaths in the State of Ohio, surpassed only by two adjacent counties. Rehabilitation and treatment requests are at an all time record high. Scioto County has been ranked lowest of 88 Ohio counties in “health outcomes” by the Ohio Department of Health (2009). One in ten babies is born with addiction, described as “crack babies of the 2000’s.” Crack cocaine traffickers from major metropolitan areas, including Detroit, Michigan, are finding increased profit and decreased risk in the transportation and sale of OxyContin and are targeting communities like Portsmouth, Ohio.

Throughout my career, I have stated that “the drug problem” is not a police problem alone, it is a community problem. In 2009, after the infiltration of Portsmouth and Scioto County with as many as 9 “pain clinics” or “pill mills”, the citizens of Portsmouth and Scioto County decided it is a “community problem”. Following a pharmaceutical drug abuse town hall style meeting in 2009, citizens stepped forward to partner with law enforcement to attack the pill epidemic and become the “WALL” against prescription drug abuse. The Scioto County Rx Drug Action Team was created. For the first time in the history of Scioto County, Dr. Aaron Adams declared a health emergency, partnering with Portsmouth Health Department Register Nurse Lisa Roberts, Porter Township Trustee Bob Walton, Jr., Coroner (now Ohio Representative) Terry Johnson, Frank Thompson (Website Author: All Things Wildly Considered) and Counseling Center Director Ed Hughes, among others, including law enforcement, education and faith-based organizations to become the “David against Goliath”, believing the coming war to be of biblical proportion. As a result of, or directly related to the formation of the Scioto County Rx Action Team, the families of those who have lost loved ones to the prescription medication epidemic form SOLACE, “Surviving Our Loss and Continuing Everyday”.

In 2010, hearing the “cry in the dark” of southern Ohio, then Governor Ted Strickland formed the Ohio Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force bringing to the table, probably for the first time in Ohio history, a Task Force comprised all disciplines involved or impacted by the prescription pill problem, including pharmacists, doctors, health care, treatment and rehabilitation, legislative, law enforcement, and many others. Throughout 2010, the Task Force met, debated and cooperative arrived at recommendations that were presented to the Governor. With the election of Ohio Governor Kasich, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, and Ohio Representative Terry Johnson, the torch was picked up, resulting in a unified effort, not only at the local level, but also at the State level. Legislation (Ohio House Bill 93) has been enacted to addresses prescription abuse issues in Ohio. Today, United State Senator Sherrod Brown, United States Senator Rob Portman, United States Attorney Carter Stewart, and the Drug Enforcement are partnering with the people of Portsmouth, Scioto County, Southern Ohio and the United States to combat the prescription drug abuse epidemic.

I would like to present the following for consideration:

We must hold each other and our leaders accountable.

We must say things that need to be said, regardless of the political correctness, so we can learn, understand, grow and unite.

We cannot afford “NOT” to pay the cost of this fighting the war on the illegal abuse of prescription medication.

We must take a multi-discipline, multi-faceted approach to addressing the epidemic.

We must insure patient rights to “legitimate” pain management.

Education and rehabilitation are critically important, but will results take 50 years, as did tobacco use.

More citizens have died from opioid overdoses than have died from heroin and crack combined.

Seatbelt use success resulted from forced compliance.

We must hold those responsible, severely accountable, up to and including treatment of these groups as organized criminal enterprises, prosecuting under state and federal RICO statutes. In all likelihood, opioid prescriptions have cause more deaths than any mafia or cartel combined.

We must provide the assets to law enforcement to combat prescription drug abuse, especially “kingpins” and organized enterprises.

We must address media desensitization of prescription pill use. An example being Showtime series Nurse Jackie, portraying prescription medication a candy, glamorizing its use, and trading sex for pills, effectively prostitution.

If your community thinks it does not have a prescription pill epidemic, you are wrong. If you are right, it is coming to a town near you and soon.

As a community and a country, we must return to values, family, religion and unity. As a result of the incredible profits being generated by the “legal over-prescribing” and “illegal prescribing and sale of” prescription medication, should the dollar bill be imprinted with “In Pills We Die” instead of “In God We Trust”?

We have described past generations as “Generation X” and Generation Y”. What legacy will we leave our children, “Generation RX”?

In closing, there has been much said about Portsmouth, Scioto County, Southern Ohio, and Appalachia. I was a military dependent and had the opportunity to see a large part of the United States and the world. I attended Ohio State University. I chose to come back to Portsmouth and enter public service. I love Portsmouth and Appalachia. We are a strong, hard working and a faith-based people. We are a diverse community, with a proud history and heritage. There is no question we are hitting bottom. However, we must remember that sometimes we must hit bottom to begin the “recovery”.

We believe in justice (not “just us”) and today we are becoming a “united community”, becoming a “united State” and becoming, “united States” fighting a common terrorist, “Prescription Pill Abuse”. I would like to thank my associates, especially Registered Nurse Lisa Roberts and Frank Thompson, and those not listed, for providing me some of the information above.

I am proud of the Scioto County Rx Drug Action Team, the City of Portsmouth, Scioto County, and Southern Ohio for standing tall, being the “Tip of the Spear” and making a difference!  

Charles H. Horner

Chief of Police

Portsmouth, Ohio

The Invisible Man (And Woman)

Visibility decreases with age. In fact, I believe people gain warp speed to invisibility around age 60. At that age, most things that are important are no longer accessible anyway. A sexagenarian is still a part of everyday life but not really. Politics, media, pastimes -- most everything is now shooting past the sixty year old who is occasionally attempting to flag down some life in the present tense but who is out of the mainstream so much that others just pretty much act as if the geezer is not there. Eventually, age makes a person almost completely invisible.

I remember the movie The Invisible Man. In the movie, Claude Rains plays Dr. Jack Griffin, who takes the drug "monocane" and goes on a spree of terror, running down the streets killing, robbing, and reciting nursery rhymes in a very malicious voice. In the end, Griffin is taken to a hospital where, on his deathbed, he admits that he has tampered with a type of science that was meant to be left alone. The effects of the monocane wear off the moment he dies, and he becomes visible once again.

Aging does not turn a person into acting like Dr. Jack Griffin. At least most geezers I know don't turn into homicidal maniacs. Instead, the invisible people merely begin to fade from utility and accept their fate as being "over the hill." People can still see invisible geezers, they just don't really acknowledge them much. Younger folk seem to walk around them, talk around them, and generally put up with them. The invisible become the expensive but harmless baggage of the younger generations.

Being invisible is not all bad. It allows people the luxury viewing the world without worrying about participating in it. The invisibility can allow older folk to be privy to a boatloads of information. Consider the great advantage of being assumed to be hard of hearing. The invisible often use this to their advantage by pretending to be deaf to interesting conversations. Then, they can listen to many things that otherwise they would not have been privileged to hearing. All they have to do to reinforce their status is mouth an occasional "Huh?" or "What did you say?"

Also, being invisible allows people to limit their activities and thus reduce the expectations others have of their abilities. This is a real plus. It serves to free up time for important personal interests. Imagine your life becoming simpler because others just assume you are not supposed to be a part of their existence. That allows the invisible to ignore so-called "important matters." It's like being chauffeured through the golden years. "Yes, Chives, take the wheel. I'll be sitting back here reading my book or taking my nap. Let me know when we arrive."

The greatest thing about being invisible is that every now and then the invisible can choose to reveal themselves. Now, this is a win-win situation for the inconspicuous. A carefully chosen revelation is either going to draw some nugget of appreciation or be dismissed as misguided raving. It's geezer opinion, so it doesn't really count anyway. What a wonderful feeling it is to inject an occasional opinion that is so old that it seems fresh, or silly, as the case may be. The invisible must be careful to avoid cliche if they want to seriously make a point. In other words, they shouldn't begin their noticeable moments with "Let me tell you how it used to be" or "Back in the good old days." Those words kill the deal immediately.

I remember the days before my mostly covert life. I would lend little credence to the words of the invisible myself. After all, then I thought being out of style was being out of place. I thought the older people had already had their time in the sun. The world was mine then. At least that's what I thought.

How could I have been so shallow? I really don't know. I guess visible people have to deal with that problem. Now, as an unobservable one, I can chalk that fault up to living in the real world once upon a time ago. Hey, now I'm invisible and I have better things to occupy my time than traipsing through the bone yards of my past. "What did you say?"

"you used to be so amused
at napoleon in rags
and the language that he used
go to him now he calls you can't refuse

"when you got nothing
you got nothing to lose
you’re invisible now you
got no secrets to conceal

"How does it feel?
How does it feel?
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone"

"Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan

"I am an invisible man. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, 

fiber and liquids - and I might even be said to possess a mind.

I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." - Ralph Ellison

You're a Rock, An Island?

So you think you want to do this living thing all on your own? Good luck, my friend. Operating solo is very difficult and extremely prone to failure. The best laid plans... you know the rest. Unforeseen problems inevitably invade the most wonderful, well-planned lives. At some time you will find yourself prone, unable to rise on your own, and looking up for some assistance. Mom, dad, siblings, spouse, children, friends - at times, all of these earthly companions will be absent. You will be alone... alone with your faith. Or, alone with your lack of faith.

Faith? Just look at the chair in your room. The components that comprise the chair are well known -- wood, upholstery, screws, etc. Also commonly understood are the physics of support, the engineering and the construction. Yet, depending upon your size, a chair is only functional with a leap of faith. You would be foolish to sit on a rickety chair or a chair made for a small child. But, after you apply your knowledge, logic and experience, you still must take a small leap of faith when you sit. True living requires that you put your beliefs into action. Intellectual belief without actionable faith is hollow and meaningless. Sitting in a chair and accepting its support represent a prime example of vital faith in action.

Faith is not irrational. You rely on faith and exercise faith every day. You have faith that your next breath will supply the rich air your lungs so dearly need. All kinds of situations require that you use your faith to accept the situation at hand. Ride an elevator, cross a bridge, trust your spouse, entrust teachers and friends. You are a human operating on faith. That is natural and good. Faith extends its understandings. How foolish you are if you believe faith is strictly dependent on science and reason.

Still, you may not be sure there is a God. And, after all, it's impossible for people to have living faith in a God they do not know. But you can develop a relationship with God through faith. In fact, that is the only way to get close to Him. You can rest assured He wants good things for you. His Word tells you that "godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8).

To believe in God is the start of faith. God will do for you whatever He has promised to do. He expects you to act on that belief. He requires that you have living faith in His existence, power and promises.

Faith is also more than just a belief in God. To a Christian, faith requires accepting Jesus Christ. His life is the perfect model of faith. Throughout His human years Jesus displayed perfect, living faith and motivated others not only to believe in God, but to go a step beyond by believing what He says.

Christian faith is based on evidence. It is not some magical ingredient. Christian believers accept God's will and follow Jesus. They read God's word and accept His assurances. They know that God does not busy Himself with frivolous or unproductive behavior. They know they are required to live by faith and walk by faith, not by sight.

Having faith, you accept humility.. His undeserved favor of grace is a gift. Isn't it wrong to assume that, since grace is a gift, no actions -- good works demonstrating a repentant heart and faith in action --are needed? Living faith is not empty, inactive faith. ("You Can Have Living Faith," United Church of God, 1995-2011)

I pity those without faith in God. When they hit bottom, curl into the fetal position and refuse to cry out for someone... anyone... for God, they unnecessarily lose a piece of their soul, a piece of their human makeup. They fail to understand that God is there for them. Their lack of faith deepens their misery. Some even allow the pain to become terminal. Many stubbornly cling to the belief that other humans offer the remedies to suffice for all their ills. My experience tells me that only God has the ability to mend a ravaged soul.

So, if you must, live it on your own, friend. Good luck. Just remember, you, alone, are creating your faithless situation. The days of looking up will surely come. I would hope you develop a wonderful faith in God.

"If God gives you a watch, are you honoring Him more by asking Him what time it is or by simply consulting the watch?"  -A.W. Tozer

Your Brain On Music

Many thanks to my brother, Phil, for sending me an article. Phil and I have discussed this topic before, usually exhausting ourselves with diatribes and finding few words to accurately address the crux of the topic. Maybe the beer and wine had a little to do that. Anyway, this article certainly helps our understanding.   

Pam Belluck's article "To Tug the Hearts, Music First Must Tickle the Neurons" (The New York Times, April 18 2011) is a very insightful excursion into the musical brain. As I read this article, I found myself nodding in agreement with point after point. Just how does music pull our hearts? Researcher are looking for this answer.

These scientists are trying hard to understand and quantify what makes music expressive. That, in itself, is pretty heady stuff, and some of the findings shed light on the integral workings of music. Daniel J. Levitin, director of the laboratory for music perception, cognition and expertise at McGill University in Montreal, began puzzling over musical expression in 2002. He is also the author of the best seller This Is Your Brain on Music (Dutton, 2006).

Levitin has also produced, engineered, or consulted artists like Steely Dan, Blue Oyster Cult, the Grateful Dead, Santana, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, and David Byrne. He, among others, is publishing amazing information concerning the effects of music on the brain.

According to Belluck's article, "the results are contributing to a greater understanding of how the brain works and of the importance of music in human development, communication and cognition, and even as a potential therapeutic tool."

For example, research contends  that our brains understand music not only as emotional diversion, but also as a form of motion and activity. The same areas of the brain that activate when we swing a golf club or when we sign our name also engage when we hear expressive moments in music. The brain regions associated with empathy are activated, too, even for listeners who are not musicians. And, importantly, what really communicates emotion may not be melody or rhythm, but moments when musicians make subtle changes to the those musical patterns.

And, it's not just changes in volume or changes in timing that make a difference. People desire an entirely human element in music. 

Paul Simon says this: “I find it fascinating that people recognize what the point of the original version is, that that’s their peak. People like to feel the human element, but if it becomes excessive then I guess they edit it back. It’s gilding the lily, it’s too Rococo.”

The element of surprise in music serves expression. Famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma cites this importance. He asks us to imagine he is playing a 12-minute sonata featuring a four-note melody that recurs several times. On the final repetition, the melody expands, to six notes.

“If I set it up right,” Mr. Ma said in an interview, “that is when the sun comes out. It’s like you’ve been under a cloud, and then you are looking once again at the vista and then the light is shining on the whole valley.” But that happens, he said, only if he is restrained enough to save some exuberance and emphasis for that moment, so that by the time listeners see that musical sun they have not already “been to a disco and its light show” and been “blinded by cars driving at night with the headlights in your eyes.”

So, Dr. Levitin’s results suggest that the more surprising moments in a piece, the more emotion listeners perceive — if those moments seem logical in context. “It’s deviation from a pattern,” Mr. Ma said. “A surprise is only a surprise when you know it departs from something.” This surprise could be very slight but inherently important or it could be huge and actually a fakeout.

Rosanne Cash believes that emotion in music depends on human shading and imperfections, “bending notes in a certain way,” Ms. Cash said, “holding a note a little longer.” She said she learned from her father, Johnny Cash, “that your style is a function of your limitations, more so than a function of your skills.” Nuances can be very important.

Edward W. Large, a music scientist at Florida Atlantic University scans the brain to find activity linked to musical emotion. He believes that music affects certain brain regions that include language areas. He says, maybe musical listeners are “tapping into empathy as though they're feeling an emotion that is being conveyed by a performer on stage while the brain is mirroring those emotions."

Anders Friberg, a music scientist at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, finds that the speed patterns of people’s natural movements match tempo changes in music that listeners rate as most pleasing. “We got the best-sounding music from the velocity curve of natural human gestures, compared to other curves of tempos not found in nature,” Dr. Friberg said. “These were quite subtle differences, and listeners were clearly distinguishing between them. And these were not expert listeners.”

The ability to keep time to music appears to be almost unique to humans. Both the Levitin and the Large studies found that the timing of notes was more important than loudness or softness in people’s perceptions of emotion in music.Changes in the expected timing of a note might generate the emotional equivalent of “depth perception." Even subtle timing differences may be critical. 

Michael Leonhart, who played trumpet and produced for Steely Dan, says he thinks “the ears of most people have started to become less sensitive to dynamics” as music recordings crank up the volume and “the world has become a louder place.”

And, Geoff Emerick, a recording engineer for the Beatles, says: “Often when we were recording some of those Beatles rhythm tracks, there might be an error incorporated, and you would say, ‘That error sounds rather good,’ and we would actually elaborate on that. “When everything is perfectly in time, the ear or mind tends to ignore it, much like a clock ticking in your bedroom — after a while you don’t hear it.”

As we know, science has not figured out how to measure other elements of musical expression, including tone, timbre, harmonics and how audience interaction changes what musicians do. How all musical elements work together is still considered pretty magical. Some things about music are understood in depth and in consensus; however, much still mystifies. The brain is yielding information. Still, the human heart knows the full story.

Here is the wonderful article. Please read it. Thank you.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/science/19brain.html?pagewanted=1&partner=rss&emc=rss 

My Life Ended

My normal life ended in 2011. Approaching the end of my 27th year of teaching in a public high school, I found myself burnt out. The State of Ohio labeled me "mentally incapacitated from regular duty" after I had taught sixteen years while handling the effects of clinical depression. During that period, I had extensive psychological treatment that included counseling and taking a variety of prescription medications.

For over two years after my termination, I knew nothing but shame because I felt I had caused my own teaching career to be cut short . I felt like a quitter and a user. As my contemporaries continued their careers, I was trying to put my life back together and salvage some semblance of my old self from whom I had become. I never regretted my teaching days; however, they seemed greatly diminished because I had become too weak of mind to stand the stress and to manage my professional life. I hated the circumstances and I felt extremely embarrassed.

After a couple of years on disability, I decided to go off medication and attempt to live a life free of chemical manipulation. After suffering the expected withdrawal, I soon found myself happily working a job managing a car wash. For almost three years, all was well. Then, disaster stuck. OCD entered my life and gripped my brain. Different problems suddenly arose that strangled the new me. I plummeted out of control.

So, back to the doctors and the prescriptions I crawled. As anyone who suffers from mental disability knows, adjustments and bouts of bad episodes occupied much of my time. Fiddling with this and adjusting that, doctors began more treatment in an attempt to get the correct chemical balance. I felt as much a guinea pig as a patient.

But, in a couple of years my keel felt even again, and I once more stopped taking any medication. This is where I am today - happy to be free of the meds and the doctor visits but leery of anything close to feeling completely "cured." I live my life day to day and try to find happiness in the recesses.

I am and always will be "damaged goods." I am separated from the thing I do best by law: I am not allowed to do anything related to the field of education and continue to receive my disability benefits. Everyone around me knows about my life and my struggles, and to them, a "mental" person like me is a scarred individual. That is not to say that labeling or judging is wrong. I probably take similar attitudes about others who show permanent problems. I only say that I am "damaged goods" because I feel life within the "factory reconditioned" circle is very different.

People take precautions around those they perceive to be reconditioned. Many "talk around" these individuals. They think mental disability renders the subject feeble and incapable of making any rational decisions. Some of these people judge every miscue of a damaged person as directly related to his/her diminished mental condition. Relationships change from friendships to merely "putting up with" contacts.

The reconditioned person is held in mistrust. People realize at any time that such a person can snap and become that very thing they detest - a freeloading, dependent mess. Nothing can ever change this because it represents the true nature of the reconditioned beast. One or two short circuits and it's back to the permanently damaged status.

I feel this has nothing to do with receiving pity or empathy. Instead, I think it has more to do with being a person in good standing. Personally, I do not want any pity from anyone. Just the opposite. I merely want a fighting chance to prove myself worthy of being viewed as whole again. As I age, accepting all of the small belittling conditions of getting older seem tough enough. Add to that the label of "reconditioned" and the future seems to be an increasingly difficult struggle of convincing people I can function.

Any illness robs one of character. That is inevitable. Even the bold person who valiantly fights a terminal physical disease is sure to suffer some character assassination. But mental illness is particularly detrimental to character. Since a mental problem can hold its victim in its grips for a long lifetime, it weakens the person first in the head, then devours all social standing. After all, how many folks would even chance trusting a reconditioned product, much less completely accept it as brand new?

Please avoid the customary "you're feeling sorry for yourself" replies. I know it and I accept your charge. This post is an attempt to display an exposed nerve. I don't want to change the world or even change opinions about disability recipients. All I want to do today is put this understanding out, purge myself of my pitiful thoughts, and continue to swing for some distant fence.

The Highest High -- Love

It's not about the fix, the high, the thrill, the greed, the mountains of money. It's not about the good intentions, the grievous angel, the desire to kick the habit.

It's not about the pain, the withdrawal, the substitute addiction. It's not about sympathy, empathy, or blind trust.

Dependency works itself down to one thing - love.

It is really so simple. As human beings, we sooner or later recognize we are never bigger than love. Nothing hurts more than to be alienated from love and nothing provides us the need to live more than love. On the brink of disaster, we turn to love for the answer. We must possess it and give it to be saved.

That power of love overwhelms us all. Once applied and accepted, love turns the most savage individual into a malleable vessel overflowing with human kindness. The only cure for a soul lost in the heart of darkness is love properly applied.

We constantly deal with the emotion of love. Yet, most of us are not very skilled in the application nor in the reception of love.

Of course, we like to think we are masters of eros (erotic) love. This love usually occurs in the first stages of a man-woman "romantic" relationship. The weakness with this type of love is obvious. It is based more on "self-benefit," of what can benefit us rather than the other person.

And, many of us believe we understand philos love - a love based on friendship between two people. Undeniably, long-term friendships are wonderful relationships. Marriages are founded on this love as are important bonds with co-workers, employers, and trusted others.

But, the third and highest type of love is "agape," or unconditional love. So many have never considered its necessity. Agape love is above philos love and eros love. It is a love that is totally selfless, a love in which a person gives to another even if this act does not benefit her/him in any way. Whether the love given is returned or not, the person continues to love (even without any self-benefit). It is imperative to understand that the highest type of agape love is not human at all, but divine - God's unconditional love for us, His children.

  
Love and Dependency

I believe the dependent person is lacking love. That lack of love may be within the person struggling with the addiction or it may be outside, some rip in the life net so essential for his/her human development. My best understanding is that, once repaired, love makes new lifelines. Consider the nagging dependent cries that follow:

* Why the hell am I doing this to myself? Lack of love.


* Why the hell am I doing this to the ones I care for most? Lack of love.


* Whey the hell can't I face my demons and free myself from bondage? Lack of love.

The biggest question for me is -- Who is ready to pursue the problem and help seed new love? Agape is a very difficult concept to put into action. Most dependent people, by definition, thrive on feeding upon others. To experience agape love, a person in the strong hold of addiction must change his/her trusted lifestyle. Those who would give agape to suffering dependents must stifle all feelings of hatred and abhorrence they have harbored for junkies and so-called lowlifes.

Love can and will conquer all. Unfortunately, the power of love is often denied. Some never catch the train and perish on the tracks. Please, understand, I am not talking about friends and lovers here. The higher power of love is unconditional. No drug, no human relationship, no manipulation of mankind will take its place. Agape is inherent in us all. If you suffer from hurt, seek it. If you care about others, offer it.

"Intense love does not measure, it just gives." 

--Mother Teresa

 

Laughs in Church

I understand the importance of maintaining a sense of humor right up to that last gasp of oxygen. Although my view of what is humorous is outdated, I still enjoy a laugh or two every day that breaks its way into my geezerworld.. But, lately, I find myself just shaking my head over "funny." As I stand midstream in the humorous stream, I often don't know when to laugh or when to wince in pain. This is the state of existence when you are 60 years old. I just feel fortunate to laugh when I do understand the joke.

So, today, I want to prove that even in the most formal situations, humor can reign supreme. After all, nothing should be slapstick or bawdy in church, right? Well, try this short video offering and tell me it doesn't happen. Actually, I think the more formal the setting, the more potential for "funny" exists.

And print provides a lot of fun, too. Set to Mozart, too.



And, to cap this post, view and wonder. I have no idea what is going on here, but it sure is funny (at least, to this guy). This is a must see. Maybe it's communion Sunday with 100 proof.

 

Living On a Prayer

The Meaning of Prayer
Poet: Frances McKinnon Morton

A breath of prayer in the morning
Means a day of blessing sure;
A breath of prayer in the evening
Means a night of rest secure;

A breath of prayer in our weakness
Means the clasp of a mighty hand;
A breath of prayer when we're lonely
Means someone to understand;

A breath of prayer in our sorrows
Means comfort and peace and rest;
A breath of prayer in our doubtings
Assures us the Lord knows best;

A breath of prayer in rejoicing
Gives joy and added delight,
For they that remember god's goodness
Go singing far into the night.

There's never a year nor a season
That prayer may not bless every hour,
And never a soul need be helpless
When linked with God's infinite power.

What is prayer? The English word prayer derives from the Old French preier (meaning: "to request"). From classical times, it was used in both religious and secular senses: precor include "to wish well or ill to any one," "to hail, salute," or "address one with a wish." The Latin orare "to speak" later took over the role of precari to mean "pray." No matter the exact etymology, prayer is understood as the foundation of Christian communication with God.

Prayer is an act of the virtue of religion which consists in asking proper gifts or graces from God. In a more general sense, it is the application of the mind to Divine things, not merely to acquire a knowledge of them but to make use of such knowledge as a means of union with God. This may be done by acts of praise and thanksgiving, but petition is the principal act of prayer.

Words used to express prayer in Scripture include the following:

* to call up (Genesis 4:26)
* to intercede (Job 22:10)
* to mediate (Isaiah 53:10)
* to consult (1 Samuel 28:6)
* to beseech (Exodus 32:11)

Prayer allows us to acknowledge God's power and goodness, and our own neediness and dependence. It is therefore an act of the virtue of religion implying the deepest reverence for God and habituating us to look to Him for everything, not merely because the thing asked be good in itself, or advantageous to us, but chiefly because we wish it as a gift of God, and not otherwise, no matter how good or desirable it may seem to us.

Prayer presupposes faith in God and hope in His goodness. By both, God, to whom we pray, moves us to prayer. Our knowledge of God by the light of natural reason also inspires us to look to Him for help, but such prayer lacks supernatural inspiration, and though it may avail to keep us from losing our natural knowledge of God and trust in Him, or, to some extent, from offending Him, it cannot positively dispose us to receive His graces. 

Like every act that makes for salvation, grace is required not only to dispose us to pray, but also to aid us in determining what to pray for.


Put simply, prayer is “communion with God”. Through prayer we actually experience a relationship with God. The quality of our prayer life determines the quality of our relationship with God.

In essence, prayer can be viewed as many things:

1. Prayer is talking with God. 

2. Prayer is listening to God. 

3. Prayer is enjoying the presence of God. 

Prayer can take many forms – for example: worship, confession, thanksgiving, praise, petition (asking for things), waiting (silent, listening and sensing of God) and warfare (command). In fact, when we are baptized in the Spirit, we can pray with the spirit in languages unknown to us but not to God. (1 Corinthians 14:2,14). Tongues may be meaningless to our understanding, but they are not to God.

God is looking for heartfelt relationship. Jesus said not to make meaningless repetitions of words when we pray. (Mathew 6:7). Prayer may be better realized by understanding what it is not:

1. Prayer is not simply saying words. 

3. Prayer is not repeating formulas. 

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Such A Marvel -- The Washing Machine

Hans Rosling simply states that the washing machine freed his mother from endless work. He says the invention has liberated people to read, learn and pursue their interests. And now, as more people move into the middle class, they will want washing machines. He acknowledges that upward mobility means a more energy-intensive lifestyle, adding to climate concern.

A washing machine -- such a standard convenience to so many. Yet, this machine symbolizes, in its attainment, the gap between the haves and the have-nots in the world. Rosling is wonderful in this video as he weaves the story of his mother's washing machine into the state of all people occupying planet earth. His presentation is nostalgic, humorous, and thought provoking.

His slides kick into action as Rosling lays out the facts: "Two billion of the world's seven billion people live on less than $2 a day, below the poverty line," Rosling says. And only one billion live about the "Air line," the term Rosling uses for those who spend more than $80 a day and whose lives are filled with gadgets, including airplanes.

But how many live above the "Wash line?" Rosling asks. How many of the world's seven billion have access to a washing machine? Only two billion. These people live on $40 a day or more. Everyone else -- about five billion people around the world -- still wash their clothes by hand.

Rosling shows that moving most of the population above the "Wash line" over the next few decades would more than double the use of fossil fuels at current rates. Some in the group, he says, don't drive cars on principle. But no one, when Rosling asks, raises a hand to indicate that they wash their clothes by hand. "Even the most hard-core of environmentalists use washing machines," Rosling states. (Nicholas Jackson, "Data Analyst Hans Rosling: People Vote For Washing Machines," The Atlantic, December 8 2010)

Rosling informs us that the real climate challenge is not about the number of people in the world, it is about more effective use of energy and more green ways to produce the energy we are going to use. Population growth may only add an extra 30% to the number of people, but most of the 7 billion people on Earth today want a better life -- and that means a life that consumes more energy.

That implies an increase in energy use by severalfold more than 30%, and that is where the focus must be if we are to solve our energy and climate problems.

Rosling's argument is that the level of wealth that everyone aspires to achieve will include the washing machine -- which 5 billion people still do not have. He says the proof is that even the hard-core members of the green movement use it to wash their clothes. 

In the end, Rosling tells of the love he and his mother had for the washing machine in their lives. Roslling remembers, "This is where I started my career as a professor, when my mother had time to read for me. And she also got books for herself. She managed to study English and learn that as a foreign language. And she read so many novels, so many different novels here. And we really, we really loved this machine.

"And what we said, my mother and me, 'Thank you industrialization. Thank you steel mill. Thank you power station. And thank you chemical processing industry that gave us time to read books.'"

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/04/03/rosling.washing.machine/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Some Things I Hold Onto

Lately, entries of length have forsaken my keyboard. Sometimes, I just don't want to think a lot. At those times I often seek a little comfort in simplicity. Hell, who do I think I am kidding? I always seek comfort in simplicity. It's the true nature of an Appalachian mind. Given an alternative between complexity and straightforward design, the Southern Ohioan usually takes the path of least resistance.

I think Henry Ford once said, "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it." So, today, Ford wouldn't be too happy with me. The thought process has a holiday. I'm tired of so-called "hard thinking." I just want some respite. I have decided to write down some very basic kernels of knowledge in the post.

During my life I have tried to accumulate and disseminate basic understandings. Not that these perceptions are flawless diamonds of wisdom, but certain notions do ring truer for me than others. So, here are a few hackneyed saws. I hope you don't receive any wooden nickles in the post. None of these reflections has the most basic guarantee. They seem to work for me, but consider the source.

* We never really "get over it."


* Anything less than the truth is a lie.


* We often wrongly judge and detest the things most opposite our nature.


* Time can hurt or heal in equal measures.


* Bonds of similar gender create powerful allegiance.


* "It's too late" is reality best forgotten.


* The sage became so after working through mountains of his/her own ignorance.


* Scars are vital and useful, the visible and invisible lingering marks of unpleasant experiences.


* Mounds of talk usually result in teaspoons of action.


* A cornered dove will fight for its life.


* "Picking up where we left off" often should have been done the day before.


* No song should be sung unless the singer possesses its basic understanding.


* Ornamentation and disguise can never take the place of a beautiful soul.


* Realizing a graceful end can be much more difficult than establishing a bright beginning.


* In the end, the most damaging stress is that stress we put on ourselves.

* Bullies with black eyes usually find it much more difficult to intimidate others.


* "Being you" requires forward motion. 


* No belief is beyond question, but all faith requires a measure of blind allegiance.


* Please and thank you are preferred, but sometimes a direct order gets more immediate results.