Tired of Yearning

In 1882 wealthy poet Emma Lazarus, along with a number of other artists and writers, was asked to donate an original poem to support the proposed construction of a monument in New York City. Originally she demurred, claiming that she couldn’t really emote for a statue. Moreover, she was already fully charitably engaged working for against the deplorable conditions of those fleeing anti-Semitism across Europe. Eventually, she agreed and penned “The New Colossus” hoping it might bring attention to the difficulties faced by the newly arriving refugees into America. Not only was her work well regarded by those attending the benefit, officials ultimately declared it worthy of posting in bronze at the base of the new work, The Statue of Liberty.

Taxing Consideration

For as long as there have been politicians when an election looms, candidates name-call, prevaricate and foment envy, jealously and outright hatred. In an America where only half of us pay taxes, the conflict over money is like Clark Griswold’s Thanksgiving Day argument with his perpetually unemployed brother-in-law – “give me money, you have too much.”Westill determine one’s worth by paycheck – but now when one’s earnings exceed average they are judged as BAD. Isn’t this the same as criticizing Michael Jordan for scoring more points than the rest of the league?

Like most things, it is a matter of perspective. If one benefits from government handouts, those programs make sense. If one pays for them, value becomes the top priority. We rarely mind when someone else is being taxed; so it would seem that the trick is to only tax those who don’t vote for our side? Rich or poor, no one likes to pay. Long ago, Adam Smith pointed to the truth that we care more about smashing our own fingers than the deaths of a million in China.

Reading List

Thanks to new technologies and electronic medium, we are all more connected now than perhaps at any point in the course of human history. Yet, many of us report and isolated, even lonely, in the middle of this jumble of humanity and clanging smart phones. Even with my own business and civic involvements, LinkedIn, while helpful, simply isn’t enough. We seek ways to experience real commonality – the kind that at once binds us to each other and elevates our mutual understanding. While we spend hours together every day, week or month, our busy lives and constant distractions often prevent authenticity or even facilitate superficiality

Smelling Roses

“You should stop and smell the roses,” they admonish. Stop working, building and accumulating and enjoy fruits from that labor and the gifts of God. While I get the point, finding the balance continues to flummox me. Doesn’t it often seem like we trying to drink from a fire hydrant – the water is either absent or raging. Taking a tiny sip requires distance and perspective. Drink too close to the source and it’s going to hurt. We constantly struggle with the choices we’re forced to make between family, work, charity, spirituality and even ourselves. Perhaps this affliction of the modern age is of minor consequence. When one is starving or fearful of wild animals, priorities become very clear-cut. But in a world that fully meets basic needs, we have choice. And that freedominvites moral hazard.

Awakening Hope

Eric Howard is a rare breed of man. He is the kind of a guy, singular of mission and focus, who manages to produce results in areas were many would fail to find faith. Through the local not-for-profit he leads, Outreach (www.outreachindiana.org) which carries the tagline hope for homeless youth , he and his crew have managed, in a landscape more challenged by difficult economic realities and pervasive collapse of the family unit, to deliver more than hope.

As one might expect, there are horrific consequences for teenagers who find themselves by circumstance or design to be on the street and without home or family. The things that many of these kids do to survive – literally to stay alive – are not fit to print in a family newspaper. Yet Outreach takes a pragmatic approach to the lot. In a self-published book, Awakening: Stories of Hope, the organization tells the tales of young people who, in spite of all odds strive to pull themselves from despair. Unlike the split second sound bites and apocryphal accounts of MTV, this all-too-real world is filled with failure as much as it is triumph.

Dog Day Afternoon

Humans have domesticated and kept animalssince earliest times. Then, even as now, we shared our food and domestic arrangements with these furry friends. And they, like us, flourished because of the construct. Today, cats, dogs and just about every other sort of manageable beast from boa to potbelly can be found domiciled with Homo sapien. To be sure, we benefit from the relationship. In fact, many people-serving institutions from retirement homes, centers for the disabled and even prisons include pet “therapy” in their work.

We Are the Champions

So the nationally distributed periodical, Money magazine, chose to name one of our one central Indiana communities as the Best Place to Live in America. At first blush, it seems like an amazing honor – it seems pretty impressive with the second look too. Sure, we can discount the nature of how these places are selected for the award. And, we can claim that any town could win it. But given the many thousands of municipalities that might qualify for the distinction, only one took home the goods.