Serious Thoughts

Moe serious thoughts and ideas

I Lost a Friend Today

/ Joe Broadmeadow / 2 Comments

I lost a friend of 50 years today.

He has passed on.

I met my friend when I was 7 years old and he has always been a part of my life since.

But, in life, there comes a time when you have to let go.

So, I let go.  I will miss him greatly.

In life there are also opportunities.  So my friend is now in the hands of another young child.

My friend, my guitar, something I have had since those first guitar lessons, is now part of another life.

Some arthritis, injuries, and surgery has stolen the dexterity from my fingers.  They remember what they need to do, but can’t quite manage it.

Once you’ve played a “Paul Simon” guitar rift, the melody of Classical Gas, or any other of the hundreds of songs I’ve played on my guitar, it is hard to lose that joy.

Reality is stark sometimes.  I am comforted that my friend is in good hands,   Hands that will learn the simple joy of playing music.  Not to crowds of people, but alone, by yourself, eyes closed, the music flowing from the instrument.

Playing music is as close as one can come to real magic.

It has brought great joy to me over the years.

I lost a friend today.  But I keep the memories.

Christmas Change

/ Joe Broadmeadow / 4 Comments

(A little Christmas gift that all my friends, even the religious ones, might enjoy)

My memories of Christmas are a jumble of years, intermixed, and overlapping.

These memories of Christmas, the ones I’m am still able to recall, revolve around several distinct experiences.

Setting up our artificial tree.  It was the 1960’s, it was the latest technology and almost everybody had one.

The branches were color coded.  Each color designating a different length and position on the trunk.  It took hours.

MY favorite part was setting up the revolving colored lights, with the bulb the generated enough heat to warm the room.  If you left it on too long, the revolving colored wheel would warp.  The colored light changing the shiny aluminum ‘needles’ to different shades as the tree revolved and the lights turned.

I would lie underneath the tree and marvel at the colors and changing hues.  It was magic

I also recall a Christmas Eve, at least I think that was the day, when I could only have been 8 or 9 years old.  I was taking a bath. Suddenly, Santa Claus walked in, yup, right into the bathroom.  Well, it was a Rhode Island State Trooper, that worked with my father, artfully costumed, undoubtedly fueled by Budweiser, visiting as many of the trooper’s kids as time allowed.

It never occurred to me to ask why he came so early and wasn’t bearing presents.

I also fondly recall reading the serialized story in the Pawtucket Times.  It took place over the Twelve Days of Christmas.  You actually had to read the story and wait a whole day for the next chapter.  It was the 1960’s version of instant messaging.

I miss that. Everything now is instantaneous.

I only recall a few of the many presents I received on those childhood Christmases.

One was a train set, I don’t recall the Christmas but it was when we still lived in Pawtucket so I was 4 or 5.   It was probably one of those things a father gets for himself using the child as a convenient cover.  No matter, I played with that set for many years.

I also recall getting a very realistic looking toy rifle.  Modeled after the M-14.  Squeeze the trigger and it made a really loud sound like automatic weapons fire.  Didn’t need batteries.  I spent hours and hours killing many enemy soldiers, in the guise of all the other neighborhood kids also well-armed.

Not one of us grew up to massacre anyone.

The best present I ever received was an electric guitar.  I think I was 14 or so.  It was the chintziest guitar ever made.  The amplifier was built into the case.  My cousin, also a member of that newest rock band, received an identical one.

It was like I had received a custom built Les Paul.  I loved it.  Made a great deal of bad music, took our first steps towards rock stardom.

But this isn’t about presents, it is about memories.

What sent me down this road was decorating.

We were selecting certain old decorations, victims of wear and tear through the many Christmas periods of our lives, for disposal.

We’ve done this only a short time ago when we downsized from a house to a condo.  Thirty years of accumulated decorations require more storage than was available.

But those were practical decisions, these were like losing old friends to time.

It made me think of the whole spirit behind the season.  Not the religious aspect, many of you know my beliefs on that, but the spirit that can bring a smile, or tear, as you recall all those Christmas past.

The years of real trees.  The bigger the better.

Pictures with Santa.

School holiday pageants.

The years of looking up on Christmas Eve convinced those lights were moving, getting bigger, coming towards you.

The years of grandparents, and parents, and aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and friends.

The first time you saw Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Yukon Cornelius, the Island of Misfit Toys, the Abominable Snow Man, Herbie the Elf Dentist.

Charley Brown’s Christmas tree and that magnificent theme song.

The first Christmas with a significant other.

The first Christmas as a couple.

The first Christmas as a parent.

Christmas has magic.

For those of us raised in those simpler times, I believe it will always be a part of our lives no matter how the world changes.

My beliefs and philosophies have changed.

The more I question things the more I learn many hidden truths.

But there is something about Christmas that just has stayed with me.

Something that cannot be defined.  Can’t be attributed.  Can’t be explained.

Sometimes, holding onto memories can be dangerous.  Time can cast shadows on reality.

But in this case, I think holding onto a little Christmas spirit is a good thing.

I’ll leave it there.

Merry Christmas.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T

/ Joe Broadmeadow / 2 Comments

I always open doors for women and, now that I think of it, sometimes men as well, when warranted but less often.

I always give up my seat, actually it’s beyond that, I am uncomfortable sitting, when a woman is standing.

I am not a car guy, I change oil by driving to the dealership. I love my six-speed (Yes, standard, I do have some testosterone left) Nissan Versa (Ok maybe not much) EXCEPT for the fact that it is only unlocked by a key, on the driver’s side.

This forces me to be on the OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CAR from my wife, or daughter. My brain is screaming at me “I AM SUPPOSED TO OPEN HER DOOR, I am on the WRONG SIDE, I hope my mother isn’t watching (she’s been dead a few years and I don’t buy into her riding on a cloud looking down nonsense, but nevertheless) THIS ISN’T RIGHT”.

Always has been, always will be.

No matter the lack of logic, it just is.

I am uncomfortable if, while sitting, I offer my seat and a woman declines.

I cannot relax.

So we both stand.

I model my initial impressions of those that have been my daughter’s dates by whether they open the car door for her.

I want to punch a male that throws open the door and walks in, ignoring, almost daring, the person (in particular a woman) behind them, to complain.

I cringe when I see anyone, but in particular a woman, loading groceries into the car as I watch a male, open his own door, and get in.

If he gets in the passenger side it is all I can do to stop myself from gunning him down.

I know, I know stereotypes and prejudices.

I cannot help myself.

I always thought of my deferring to women a sign of respect, and an indication of the quality of my upbringing.

I wonder now, if by opening all those doors, relinquishing all those seats, deferring to others for those crowded elevators, carrying those bags, retrieving that overhead luggage, giving up the last serving…….and myriad of other things my brain compels me to do,

I wonder if all those well-intentioned, ingrained, what I considered respectful, actions contributed, promulgated, and furthered the continuation of subjugating women.

I fear I have been an unwitting accomplice diminishing the female gender’s place in this world by the unnecessary, detrimental, albeit well-intentioned, continuation of archaic practices.

In spite of my believing it to be a sign of “respect” for women.

There is only a semantic difference between opening doors or surrendering a seat and requiring burkas, denying driving licenses, or prohibiting being in public without a related male escort.

Despite the protestations that these are efforts intended to protect women, to respect them.

Protect them from who, or what?

It is really a well-crafted spin on the true intent, controlling them.

From now on I will still hold doors open, give up my seat, defer to others, not because they are female, but because it’s a symbol of our shared respect for each other.

I will do it for anyone, regardless of gender, and accept those gestures offered to me.

I will learn to accept the fact that they may prefer to stand.

That, while they appreciate the offer, they are okay with me sitting.

I will try to embrace this brave new world.

I have one final question

How is putting women in what is essentially a head to toe “bagger” showing respect?

Isn’t it actually a cruel sexist joke?

A body bag for the living?

They can’t all be that aesthetically challenged.

If they are, that might explain flying a plane into a building.

I have a more optimistic outlook.

I believe it likely those faces, underneath the “Body bags”, watching the images of planes into buildings, are smiling.

And crying.

Joy, horror, and relief.

We are protecting them from ourselves.

For (which?) God and (whose?) Country

/ Joe Broadmeadow / 6 Comments

I just read the New Yorker report on the raid that killed bin Laden.

(http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/08/110808fa_fact_schmidle)

I took a few things away from it.

1st. There is no military organization in the world that can even come close to matching the courage, determination, ability, and competence of the armed forces of the United States.

This is compounded by the willingness of the American people to pursue Justice.

You can hate President Barrack Obama’s policies and politics, but you cannot doubt his courage, his willingness to make difficult decisions, his admiration of, concern for, and confidence in the military.

He risked his Presidency on doing the right thing.

2nd (and this is more troubling)

The article reports the following transmission was sent to confirm contact with bin Laden (known as “Crankshaft” by JSOC group and referred to as “Geronimo” in the broadcast”).

Inside the compound the Seal team radioed;

“For God and Country, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo”

This was immediately followed by the words “Geronimo, E.K.I.A.” (Enemy Killed in Action) to confirm he was dead.

The article goes on to describe the tension in the White House situation room.

At one point the article points out “as they awaited word, VP Biden nervously fingered his Rosary”

I was struck by the incongruity of these statements.

It was blind, nonsensical, religious belief that triggered the situation in the first place.

What was the difference? Our praying to a different invisible “God”?

One God sent planes into buildings.

One God guided forces to a house in Pakistan.

Taken in the best light, I guess the “Christian” God is more “surgical” in his vengence.

To borrow a line from a t-shirt I once saw;

“Science flies you to the moon, Religion flies you into buildings”

I do not begrudge people their religious beliefs. I do not doubt their sincerity. As long as it is personal and private.

I am troubled by any of our governmental actions, our elected officials, our powerful military being guided by any religious tenets.

Morality, honesty, and integrity do not exist because of religion, they exist in spite of it.

Studies show humans are evolutionarily “designed” (now that’s Intelligent!) to be moral, empathetic, and ethical.

Religion compels a certain behavior out of fear of eternal damnation or reward of a blissful, eternal life (especially with Seventy-two Virgins).

Humans have an innate sense of right and wrong and most follow that path. Religiosity, a by-product of our evolutionary development, is unnecessary.

If those Seals want to pray to thank God, if the Vice President wants to recite the ‘Holy Rosary’ and go to Mass, if the President wants to acknowledge God’s help in making the decision, I fully support their right to do it, privately.

But not as Officials of the US Government and not using any resources of that government.

I believe the decision to send bin Laden’s remains into the ocean, with appropriate Islamic burial protocols, was a brilliant tactical decision. Equally so, the offer of the remains to the Saudi Government (who wisely declined). But I don’t think they are an endorsement of the efficacy or effectiveness of the religious procedures. Nor should they be.

In the interest of full disclosure and if, in the unlikely event I am wrong and God does exist, Osama bin Laden’s passage into the eternal was dependent our exact adherence to Islamic protocols, I pray we fucked it up!

This will be a better world when the world adopts the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” approach to Religion.

Same Sex Marriage and the Uncivil Arguments by Opponents

/ Joe Broadmeadow / Leave a comment

From a story in Providence Journal 5/2/2013

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Marriage has denounced the General Assembly’s passage of legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry in Rhode Island.

“Redefining marriage into a genderless institution to satisfy the demands of a small but politically powerful group is short-sighted policy that fails to take into account the rights and needs of the generations to come,” said Christopher Plante, regional director of NOM Rhode Island.

“Children deserve to know and be cared for by a mom and dad,” Plante said. “This law will intentionally deny children one or the other. “The full impact may not be seen next week or next year, but our children will be the ones who pay the price for this decision.”

“Without robust legal protections to allow these faithful people and groups to maintain fidelity in the public square to their religious beliefs, we’re likely to see a raft of lawsuits and governmental action such as license revocations, fines and denial of governmental contracts to these faith-based groups and individuals.”

When I read this statement, I was struck by the fact that Mr. Plante has chosen to ignore much of the scientific and social research into what makes a successful family and, therefore, promotes a healthy childhood.

There are millions of individuals, raised in “non-traditional” environments, that have gone on to successful, healthy, and productive lives.  As well as there are millions of individuals, raised in “traditional” environments that have gone on to wreak havoc in the world.

The key is a loving, supportive, involved approach to raising a child, not the presence of both genders.

I have no doubt Mr. Plante would be the first to scream indignantly if the Federal Government interfered with his right to practice his religion.

Yet, he demands the same government intrude on the right of same sex couples to the civil, legal, and moral right to marry.

Marriage, in spite of religious organizations claim to the contrary, has been institutionalized as a civil, non-sectarian, non-denominational, institution with legal and ethical benefits.

All of which I am sure Mr. Plante claims as his rights, but would deny others based on his particular religious bent.

There was a very good reason for the founders of these United States to specifically separate Church and State.

Mr. Plante said,

“Without robust legal protections to allow these faithful people and groups to maintain fidelity in the public square to their religious beliefs, we’re likely to see a raft of lawsuits and governmental action such as license revocations, fines and denial of governmental contracts to these faith-based groups and individuals.”

These words alone should be example enough that this is a battle over keeping Religion in Government, as long as it’s the “right” religion.  I wonder if the opponents would be so vocal if the government began requiring women to be covered in public, escorted by male relatives, and denied the right to drive.  All of which are enforced now by governments in this world.

Therein lies the danger of Governmental enforcement of religious doctrines.

Believe it can’t happen here?  There are those in this country that would welcome it.

No clearer example exists than this battle over defining marriage as Judeo-Christian believers would have it.

Opponents of same sex marriage want confirmation of the validity of their beliefs, and denial of those that hold different views.

This country prohibits polygamy, in spite of its well established holding in many flavors of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mormonism, et.al.  I do not see the major religious groups arguing for eliminating that restriction on religious doctrine.

The basis of marriage under law is contractual.  It has requirements, benefits, obligations, and creates these between two people.

We enforce the law regarding polygamy to protect, primarily, women from subjugation.  No one can deny the moral, ethical, and legal rationale for this.

I do not deny Mr. Plante’s right to hold his beliefs.  The religious sect that he belongs to is perfectly free to deny recognition to Same Sex marriages within the framework of their doctrine.

However, they cannot demand the use of Federal, State, or any other governmental authority to enforce it upon others.

There was a time in this country when we restricted businesses from being open on Sundays. When those laws were rightfully challenged and changed, the same prediction of moral decay was made, and it failed to come true.

One of the concessions opponents to Same Sex marriage offer is to call the union of same sex couples a “Civil Union”.  I would propose an alternative.  Since Mr. Plante and others like him would be relieved by just a change in a name, why don’t they change Marriage under a religious ceremony to Uncivil Union?

It would be closer to the truth of what they seek to prevent.

Rules to FlyBy

/ Joe Broadmeadow / 4 Comments

Here are some helpful hints for making air travel during those delays, misconnections, boarding problems, conflicting messages, etc. that plague modern air travel, less stressful.

First and foremost, demanding, insulting, condescending language questioning the legitimacy of my, or my fellow workers, parentage, as well as promises to the unlikely continuation of my employment status, are not helpful.

As a matter of fact, it is inversely proportional to the success of your efforts to solve the problem. If you want to get somewhere, I can help. Let me.

AIRLINE EMPLOYEE HAIKU (SORT OF)

LEAVE ON TIME OR EARLY

ARRIVE ON TIME OR EARLY

WITH ALL YOUR BAGS

ANSWER MY DESIRE
*********************
THE RULES

1. Air Traffic Control (ATC) delays/gate holds/flow control are like commandments from a GOD. They must be obeyed, and they can change in an instant. If your flight is delayed for any length of time due to ATC do not assume that the newly posted departure time is “written in stone”. More often than not, the flight leaves much earlier than predicted, often at it’s original time. With or without you

2. Weather delays. We do not make these up as convenient excuses. In spite of the fact that your wife/husband/best friend (the retired Air Force test pilot)/or the Weather app on iPad  telling you that the weather is beautiful at your destination, and it is perfect at your point of departure, they are leaving out the 250 mile wide thunderheads with turbulence that top out at 65000 feet located on the flight path there. Commercial aircraft can’t go through or over that and going around it isn’t practical, it is a crowded sky.

3. The agent at the gate counter would like nothing more than for you to be able to board your plane and go. Delays result in misconnections, which result in the agent having to shuffle around 50 people that all “absolutely” have to be there tonight.

Here’s a rule to live by. If you absolutely, positively have to be somewhere, go the day before. If it’s truly a matter of life and death, this is only logical.

It’s amazing how many people think by telling us they are Oncology Doctors with patients that they must see this afternoon or first thing in the morning, this mere statement will miraculously obviate the ATC/Weather delay and get the flight back on time.

It won’t, and we know most of you are making this up as you go along. Actual Oncology Doctors understand delays, wouldn’t put patients at risk, and went the day before (see above).

4. The PA systems in most airports are not state of the art digitally enhanced audio systems. It is hard enough to understand them sitting right under the speaker, they are impossible to hear inside almost every restaurant/bar in almost every airport. Keep checking at the gate for the flight status, take turns, buddy up with your fellow travelers, your drink will still be there.

5. Pre-board frustrations. Person(s) who present themselves to airlines and indicate they require assistance to board must be accommodated. It is mandated by law.

If you are frustrated by the delay of watching 15-20 wheelchairs board before you, I am willing to bet any one of them would gladly trade places with you, if they could. If there are those that are “faking” it, they have to live with that, you should be better than that.

And on a side note, at worst it’s a 3-4 hour flight. Sit down next to someone, introduce yourself, and perhaps you may learn something, or teach something

SIDE NOTE: Before I worked for an airline I was traveling once. The carrier will remain anonymous but they don’t assign seats.

Everyone that flys us (er them) has their own theory on how to prevent people from sitting in the middle seat on a flight that isn’t full.

Mine is the “Rear of the Airplane Theory”.

On a flight from somewhere to somewhere else, I implemented my theory and took a seat in the next to the last row, (Never the last row. People like that it’s near a bathroom, which in actuality is, at most, 50 feet from any seat on the aircraft, but I digress).

Me

Window seat, nobody else in my row. YES!

Minutes before departure, got it made.

Guy walks on, wild hair, wool plaid sports coat, shorts, tie (with the skinny part longer than the wide part) starts looking for seats. Let’s call him “Oh my goodness what a Crazy Looking Guy”

“Please don’t sit here, please don’t sit here, there are other open seats for the love of…….”. (The Mantra of All that hold sacred sitting Next to the Holy Open Seat)

Crazy looking guy: “Hi, is this seat taken.

Arrrrrrgh

No, it’s not.

Best conversation I ever had on a plane. Professor of Philosophy, funny, articulate, most unusual dresser. I laughed, and learned, the whole flight.

Try it, good people, smart people, the world’s best people fly us ( er fly).

6. Mechanical delays. We take these seriously. If you know of an airline that doesn’t I wouldn’t suggest flying them.

The pilots for the airline I work for take this very seriously. They do not like delaying flights but they accept the responsibility for it, not to be dramatic, to protect the passengers and crew.

It always amazes me when we announce a delay, and frequently our Captains personally make the announcement further illustrating their commitment and concern for passengers, and a collective groan goes out from the passengers.

Really? You think the better choice is to keep the problem a secret and just fly?

That Captain, First Officer, and in-flight crew members have families they want to get home to as well.

My point in writing this is to help those few passengers that seem to have difficulty dealing with the unexpected.

Next time you fly, and there is a delay announced, think about the things you have to deal with at your job that cause the most stress.

Think about what a bad day at work is for you.

Think about the worst you have to deal with in your job.

Then remember that the Gate agent, Ops agent, Flight attendant, Ramp Agent, Captain, and First Officer are having one of those days.

If you really are an Oncology Doctor, our bad day doesn’t even approach a cold, no, less than perfect, cup of coffee for you, but I think you all get the point.

Be patient, most of us want to find a way to fix the problem.

(And buying me a medium French Vanilla coffee with creme and sugar will go a long way in fixing the problem :).

For those passengers we just cannot please, and thankfully there are very few, you have my sympathy.

There are other choices, but they are definitely not better.

On the Senseless Death of the Unborn

/ Joe Broadmeadow / 1 Comment

It is with profound sorrow that I write about another senseless termination of an unborn life.

The wanton and needless destruction of this life potential makes me question the very nature of life in this universe.

Why does this happen?

The poor lifestyle choice of one, or perhaps both, parents causes a living potential to be destroyed.

What could they have accomplished had they been given the opportunity to live?

What joy might have they brought to others given the opportunity to behold them, to watch them grow, to see them reach their full potential?

What might they have done if poor choices hadn’t dictated a premature termination of it’s life?

They will never open their eyes.

Never inhale the first breath.

Never take in the wonder of this world

Never feel the warmth of the sun.

Never feel a cooling breeze.

Never meet others like them.

Never grow to make their own choices.

Never know if their choices would lead to a continuity of life, or a senseless termination.

All choices have consequences.

We have come to be a world where consequences are explained away, minimized, perhaps even ignored.

Make the choice, cause a foreseeable result, and just move on. Free to make the same poor choices again, perhaps with different consequences, or worse, and no expectation to learn from the actions we set in motion.

But I write because I was fortunate enough know one being, or more correctly one potential being, that will forever be denied the opportunity to make a choice.

I had the opportunity to try and minimize the damage of the parent’s poor decision.

I made an effort to undo nature’s course, and I did not succeed.

So it is with profound regret that I write about the premature passing of the unknown species of bird that I tried to hatch.

I came upon the egg as the nest fell from one of our jetways at the Southwest Florida International Airport, Fort Myers.

The local birds sometimes make the poor choice of building nests in areas that at first appear a perfect choice.

Covered.

High off the ground.

Devoid of common predators

Near abundant food and water.

And, unfortunately, moveable.

More often then not we find the eggs broken.

But this was different, I was right there as the nest, mostly intact, slid through as the jetway moved and the egg came to rest.

It was still warm.

With the nest destroyed, there was nowhere to return the egg. Not to mention that birds are not exactly welcome at airports. Just ask Captain Sullenberger and the passengers of the USAir plane that became a boat on the Hudson.

So I thought I’d take a chance with an artificial nest (a box of Kleenex) and a warm light.

With the amount of information instantly available online you’d think instructions on raising an unidentified, but hardly unusual, egg would be included.

It is not.

So I decided to wing it. (Pun intended)

Based on the information on indigenous birds of Southwest Florida I narrowed the species down and set up the makeshift incubator.

The dogs were fascinated.

They had never seen me take so long to make them eggs for their meal.

I did my best to maintain a consistent temperature.

We monitored the egg looking for any signs of development.

We tried, we really did.

Well, the dogs more for selfish culinary purposes than any noble preservation of life. They had never heard of 10 day scrambled egg but they were willing to try it.

I should have known not to try and change evolution.

Evolution is successful precisely because it weeds out, albeit over an extended period of time, bad parenting lineage.

Build your nest in a moveable jetway, the eggs get crushed, and the gene lineage for poor nesting location selection is slowly, inexorably, weeded out.

I gave my egg-encased bird a name, Charles. It was a demonstration of my overall optimistic outlook on life.

I believed he might make it.

Unfortunately, it is my duty to announce the passing of
Charles “Chuck” the (Species Unknown) Bird, 2-?-2013 to 2-28-2013.

A life denied, a potential unrealized.

The dogs were heartbroken.

They love scrambled eggs.

More Often than not, there is no Why

/ Joe Broadmeadow / Leave a comment

Our brains are wired to seek the why in everything. We are engineered by evolution to look for a cause and a reason.

Absent one or the other, or both, we create them.

It is one of the precursors of religious doctrines that there must be a why for everything in the universe.

And if there is a why, it follows that there must be a cause.

A Who.

The logic is flawed.

There exists a succinct, sublimely apropos, colloquial expression for this. This perfectly defines and explains the reality.

Shit Happens.

Try as we might to find a cause and a reason, they don’t often exist.

This compunction to look for a why and who in every experience or matter indicates something we expect to be, not something that must be.

An illustration.

The other day, I went to work.

Here is a partial moment by moment breakdown of the first hour or so.

11:00 Start work, sign in, check email

11:10 Get coffee

11:15 Discuss issue with other supervisor regarding work situation

12:00 Informed by slightly excited subordinates that a potential situation requires my assistance

12:01 Identify problem. Begin CPR on an elderly woman not breathing

12:10 Apply AED device to woman, get “Shock not Recommended” response

12:11 Continue CPR

12:20 Relinquish responsibility for CPR to Paramedics

12:25 Watch as Paramedics, continuing CPR, transport patient

12:30 Get second coffee and listen to all the non-participants recount the details to each other

12:40 Back to work

One could spend the rest of your life trying to find a Why and a Who.

There is none.

The only thing that happened was a When.

I was there, When.

Everybody that was a witness to it was there, When.

There was no Why.

There was no Who.

Shit Happens, Whenever,

Nothing Else Need be Said

/ Joe Broadmeadow / 2 Comments

I watched a family walking into a restaurant the other day.

No psychic ability required to see them as they were, Father, Mother, two boys maybe 8 and 10.

Mom leading the way.

She opens the door.

The two boys follow, engrossed on their gameboys, iPad minis, some such device.

Don’t even look up at Mom.

Its expected.

Followed by Dad, texting on the iPhone, right through the door, held open by his wife, without so much as a thank you.

Mom, the only one with a shred of decency, remained holding the door for an older couple, the man using a cane, the wife guiding him.

The cane supported gentleman tried to take over the door holding responsibilty.

The Mom shook her head and sent them into the restaurant.

And we wonder what’s wrong with this country.

Just look around!

Prayer in School IS the Answer

/ Joe Broadmeadow / 15 Comments

Putting prayer back in schools may in fact BE the answer to our problems. I have thought about this and have changed my mind, perhaps it is time to do this.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I am an Atheist or more correctly an Anti-theist. On this I have not altered my feelings or convictions.

But, in light of the many tragic events that have occurred, we have nothing to lose. Of course, this flies in the face of the stubborn fact that there has never been a scientifically valid study demonstrating the efficacy of prayer, no repeatable experimental process unequivocally showing a direct effect of prayer, and no consensus on what form of prayer works best, or at all.

Then there is the annoying secret agenda driven US Supreme Court that obviously wants to turn us all into Marijuana smoking, same sex couples, with full health care.

They consistently shoot down any attempts at reintroducing prayer in the public classroom.

But I have a solution.

We introduce Prayer as part of the educational curriculum. Each day we have every student in the United States recite a different prayer, from all 22 major religions, and the thousands of sects, off-shoots, and myriad of minor religions. We have perhaps two fifteen minute Wikipedia style lessons daily explaining the tenets, doctrines, and precepts of the religion to educate our children.

There is a risk here.

Studies show the religiosity decreases with higher educational levels. We risk unveiling the faults, fallacies, and inconsistencies rampant in all religious doctrines. If you have ever read the Bible, or the Koran, or any other “God inspired” document, it can be troubling.

The other problem will be the resistance from within the religious organizations themselves. They support prayer in school now, but what if it were all prayers and all religions?

In a document written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, entitled “Dominus Iesus“, he essentially says the only true Church is the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Pope Benedict, as then Cardinal Ratzinger, encourages embracing all religions as having “some” benefit in directing men to the true God. Yet he clearly states all other doctrines are wrong, but tolerable, in as much as they provide some benefit to finding the true path, as long as everyone knows the Catholic Church is the one and only true faith.

I am afraid such teachings illustrate the true message of the general attitude in the United States toward prayer in school, it must be the “right”, meaning Judeo-Christian, one.

This invites interference from the heathen Supremes once again.

But education, that is a worthy, Constitutionally friendly, goal.

Let’s teach them about all religions. Let’s pray in all faiths, all languages, all doctrines, to all the “Nine Billion Names of God” to borrow from the title of the Arthur C. Clarke classic.

It would be the biggest test of the effect of prayer on the world. Schedule one or two sessions per day. 180 days per school year. By the time all public school students graduate high school we would have generated a significant number of prayers.

Perhaps it would change the world, or maybe it wouldn’t and we could move on to other solutions.

Blaise Pascal, a brilliant philosopher, once proposed what has come to be known as Pascal’s Wager.

“God is, or He is not”

A Game is being played… where heads or tails will turn up.

According to reason, you can defend either of the propositions.

You must wager. (It’s not optional.)

Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing.

Wager, then, without hesitation that He is. (…) There is here an infinity of an infinitely happy life to gain, a chance of gain against a finite number of chances of loss, and what you stake is finite. And so our proposition is of infinite force, when there is the finite to stake in a game where there are equal risks of gain and of loss, and the infinite to gain.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal’s_Wager)

To summarize, if you believe in God, and he exists, you win, if he doesn’t you’ve lost nothing, if you deny the existence of God, and he does exist, you lose.

So for the investment of a few hours on Saturday night or Sunday morning perhaps you buy yourself some Eternal Salvation Insurance. Besides, there is no football on then anyway.

My point here is that there is a significant number of people in this country that BELIEVE prayer would make a difference.

We can pacify the multitude, test the premise, expand understanding of different faiths, and, as Pascal is intimating, play the odds.

If it works, great, if it doesn’t we can move on to a more intellectually sound, scientifically established, rational approach to preventing tragedies.

And taking all the guns, as promising as it sounds, is equally untenable.

Pray hear me, I beseech thee.