Reflections

It has been nearly a year since I began writing this column and, what with the impending New Year and the near mandatory reflections that accompany it, I thought it appropriate to do the same.

This will be my 49th post. No, not quite a full year as I began in mid-January. Nevertheless, when I began this enterprise I was afraid of running out of topics every week. Keep in mind that I had no desire to be a reporter and re-hash stories already covered unless I could provide a different angle and pose interesting, humorous, and/or insightful commentary. Boy, was I underestimating the world around me. There is scant evidence that our daily dose of corruption, scandal, incompetence,unintended consequence, and just plain screwy events within the human experience will be declining anytime soon. (I’m already working on two pieces for the new year.)

I’m also encouraged by the number of folks who have dropped by for a look-see. I didn’t install the hit counter at the outset (probably due to some secret fear that it would rest on zero for a lengthy time) so real numbers aren’t available and that’s fine with me. It does, however, provide encouragement in my endeavor to challenge and simultaneously entertain. Without a marketing department or publicist, though, I rely on you to spread the word. I urge you to pass along those pieces that you find interesting and include a link to my page. Like it or not, we are the grass roots that inspire change of any positive kind and the more of us involved, the better for us all.

I look forward to my continued effort within these pages. I have little doubt that weekly fodder will be eternally available and continue to believe in the power of convictions and expectations. Trust me: it is definitely NOT just you!

They're the Seasons*

No, it doesn’t roll off the tongue as well as 'tis the season, but, to be fair, we do have more than one holiday this month. So let’s take a moment to review our options, shall we? I use the word “options” loosely, of course because all three of them rely upon specific religious or cultural affiliations.

First of all, we have Christmas: the most widely acclaimed holiday to celebrate in December. The celebration is limited to Christians, though, as it centers around the immaculate conception and birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior. I suspect many others sneak into the tent for the express purpose of the presents that go hand in hand with the more serious tenets. I was raised within Christian confines, but have chosen faith over religion as my years have advanced. Regardless, I do have one question regarding Christmas: we know Jesus lived a specific number of years, months, and days, don’t we? Sure we do. Well, if Easter changes yearly, why does Christmas always fall upon the 25th? After all, one is the birth and the other the resurrection (3 days after the death) so why are they not separated by a fixed number of days? And why does Easter always fall on Sunday and Christmas is open for any day of the week? Let me know if you figure this one out, will you?

OK, on to Hanukkah. This December holiday is reserved for the Jewish community and lasts eight days and since the Jews don’t consider Jesus any more than a mortal man, they celebrate the festival of lights. Each night for eight nights, another light of the Menorah is lit. Presents? Apparently so, but, from what I understand, far from the opulent types Christians enjoy. The timing is different and the holiday can occur anywhere from late November through December.

Not to be outdone, the African-American community has decided to celebrate Kwanza in December. This holiday is more of a celebration of culture rather than religion and was created in 1966. A couple of things here: I’d say the Christians and Jews have seniority over Kwanza by over a couple of thousand years, give or take. And if the African-Americans wanted to celebrate their heritage and draw attention to their ancestry, why wouldn’t they pick a month with nothing going on? January, maybe. St Valentine has February, the Irish have March, and Easter rolls around in April or May so yes, January would be a great time, what with Martin Luther King Day and all. Nope. They picked December.

So we have three “holidays” falling almost simultaneously and the overlapping has created the shit storm over whether to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or maybe even Happy Kwanza. Here’s what I think: in conversations with folks you know, it would be appropriate to use the appropriate holiday greeting, should you know which one it might be. Otherwise, “Have a happy holiday” casts a wide net over whichever one might apply and everyone is happy. Right? No, there are many who want to wish a happy “their” holiday. “Screw you, buddy, it’s my celebration and I want it to be yours, too.” So much for the goodwill towards men, huh?

Some think Ramadan fits in here somewhere. While It rotates through the year based on other concerns, it won’t be in December within the next six years. So let that one go, OK? Three’s bad enough, I’d say, and I offer you the latest in politically correct sentiments without sacrificing brevity: Merry ChristmaKwanUkkah!

* The asterisk in the title refers to the fact that this column has missed my self-imposed deadline of Sunday night. It so happened that I was in a Marriott Hotel in San Diego this past weekend and they saw fit to charge $12.95 for a day of internet access. (Sounds like a good topic for a future column.) My apologies for the tardiness.

Where's Mine?

Unemployment remains above 10% with little relief in sight. As a result, much is being debated regarding the wisdom of additional stimulus to “create” jobs. While I believe that some jobs in certain sectors are gone for good and while I believe that others are genuinely unemployed and unable to find gainful employment, I am left to wonder about the others who find it more convenient to be unemployed and collect their unemployment checks.

We’ve always had ne’er-do-wells that will continually seek sustenance from the public teat, but I’m afraid that another group is gaining numbers: those that delay employment so as to collect the maximum amount of unemployment benefits. I know a man whose wife was laid off and collecting her benefits. She had found another position and her husband told me that he had cautioned her against taking the job “too soon”. His “too soon” was defined as any point prior to exhausting all unemployment benefits she had coming to her. “After all, it’s her money”, he explained to me. “No, it’s our money”, I replied. After all, every employer and employee pays into the system in one way or another and the resulting pool of money provides a bridge for those that find themselves between jobs.

This feeling of entitlement to “our money” ends up working against our best interests, though, because, as the costs of unemployment go up, the payments made by companies goes up, and the price goes up for the end-user (you and me). How maximizing one’s unemployment payouts results in an overall increase in income is beyond me. “Well, if I didn’t do it, someone else would.” There’s an original rationale: yeah, I’m gaming the system, but so does everybody else. We’ve already debunked the “my money” excuse, too, so it comes down to the age-old getting something for nothing mindset.

But we’ve already figured out that we’re paying more in the long run, haven’t we? Ah, the long run: there’s the problem. We live in an era of myopia where long-term lies somewhere within the next day, or so. Screw the future, I’m getting mine now and I’ll let tomorrow take care of itself. There’s a 21st century mantra if I’ve ever heard one. I was “unemployed” for several months in late 1984/early 1985 (the airline that employed me filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy). However, I was still in the Air Force Reserve and turned to them so I might fulfill my financial obligations. Some of my ex-colleagues were also reservists, yet they were collecting unemployment benefits. “But your not unemployed”, I told one. “Well, they’ll never know and, after all, I’m due”, was the reply. A college educated professional, still serving in the military, and yet clinging to an over-used and under-justified mentality.

I’d like to think that are fewer of these folks than the career lollygaggers mentioned at the outset, but I’m not sure if the numbers would provide any solace. Not that there are any numbers to compare. I am sure that, if polled, less-than-forthright answers would be offered to simple questions like, “Are you delaying employment until your unemployment benefits are exhausted?”

Sorry, no solution to be found within this passage. The problem is not economic, societal, philosophical, ethnic, nor religious in nature. You see, ultimately, it comes down to the character of the individual. We cannot cajole or coerce someone into doing the right thing if they have no inner desire for the same thing. There was a time when nothing was worse than being on the dole. That time has passed and we are now faced with gimmickry and twisted logic to explain behavior that is something less than noble. Let’s all hope that this, too, shall pass.

Societal Immaturity

Each of us matures as we move through life. Some more than others and at varying chronological stages. It stands to reason, then, that our society matures, too. One look no further than our continued puritanical reaction to nudity. Europeans have matured well beyond the point where an exposed breast could turn heads, let alone stop traffic. Not so in the good old US of A. No siree, Bob.

It seems that we’ve become stalled in the early pubescent stage of maturity where everything titillates our imagination and creates a greater thirst for that which titillates. The latest example is that of Tiger Woods and his implied infidelity. Tiger has achieved great success in the golfing arena and, as a result, gained financial independence through his various affiliations with corporate concerns. That’s called making the best living possible. Something you and I and everyone else, from the top floor to the basement, hopes to accomplish.

The fact that Tiger has succeeded beyond most “normal” expectations in no way reduces his human foibles and, as a matter of fact, may exploit them as a feeling of invincibility pervades his everyday life. God knows we’ve seen other wealthy, influential men seemingly squander their public image through various trysts.

The perception of Tiger’s indiscretions is one thing, but the mob-like straining to see or read or hear the latest on his exploits is akin to teen-agers standing on tiptoes to get a better look through the neighbor’s bedroom window in the hopes of securing a glance at a wisp of lingerie. Aren’t there better things upon which to concentrate? (That’s a rhetorical question, you know.)

The economy. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Foreclosures. And on and on and on. Granted, dwelling on these burdens can wear one down (or out) and maybe Tiger’s personal life provides a respite from those more sobering issues. Except for the fact that reality television continues to burgeon with just about every other facet of voyeuristic media. No, we’re not taking a deep breath in preparation to return to the problem of the day. We’re looking for things that replace the need for serious thought; just like any other hormone driven adolescent.

Diversion is an important part of creativity and problem solving. Within reason, though. Now, one can consume an entire day with Google, YouTube, Dancing With the Stars, Survivor, Twitter, Facebook, and their ilk without spending one single moment thinking about the substantive issues lurking over the shoulder. This “disconnect” with true reality while wasting time in other realities leads to a society where a few folks decide for the majority with nary a second thought about public opinion. After all, the public no longer has an opinion, what with spending all day seeing if Tiger is going to make a statement.

I’m not suggesting that news tidbits concerning the latest celebrity indiscretion represent welcome relief from the daily grind. I am suggesting, though, that we need to lower its position on our list of priorities. Otherwise, we are left with the alternative of waking up one day and texting “WTF?”.