$798. I believe that was the price of a human life on Friday. That was the price of a 50-inch plasma TV at a New York Wal-Mart that contributed to the stampede that resulted in the death of an employee.
195. The last count of the deaths in the terrorist attack at Mumbai. It could be higher now but I haven't checked the news.
60. The number of hours the siege lasted at Mumbai.
I probably shouldn't mix the two. One was an act of terrorism, the other an act of ordinary citizens. Although a mob of citizens pushing on glass doors so hard that they were cracking and then shattered could probably be classified as terrorists. I feel certain the employees on the other side trying to delay the inevitable probably were terrified.
But the common thread is that innocent lives were taken. People minding their own business. Doing their jobs. And lost for what? Greed. Cowardice. I don't believe that the terrorists had just lofty ideals that we could say it was for a greater good. And saving a few bucks on a Christmas gift? Please! If your economic conditions are good enough that you can pay $800 for a gigantic television that you probably don't need anyway then you could spring for a few extra bucks.
Is this what society has been reduced to? I heard one witness refer to the shoppers as "savages". Pretty apropos. And to add insult to the whole matter, some were heard to complain when asked to evacuate the store so the incident could be investigated. They couldn't believe they had to leave after all the hours they waited on line. Sad, really.
As to the Wal-Mart incident, one family's Christmas, and all future holidays, has been ruined by the thoughtless, inconsiderate actions of a few. I know they didn't mean to cause a death or any injuries to anyone. But it doesn't really change the end result, does it? They let greed be their guide.
As for the terrorists acts, what can I say? So many lives shattered by the acts of a radical few.
I guess this is what can happen when we start to let things - like thoughts, greed, radical ideals - take over our lives and quit thinking with our hearts and good reason.
1. The number of people it takes to start making a difference. Let that one be you.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Being Thankful
I'm not sure we always know how to be thankful. Sure, we say "Thank God" about a hundred times a day, but do we mean it. And mean it like we're supposed to be meaning it?
I see a generation growing up with the feeling of entitlement. And they are getting that from their parents. Generations before us truly were thankful for what they had. Food, shelter, employment. And when they said "Thank God" it was with a truly grateful heart. No one had ever just handed them anything, therefore there was no expectation of it. Not so today.
Maybe the current economic situation will serve as a reminder to folks. Be thankful you have a roof over your head, many are losing their homes. Be thankful even if that roof is at a shelter. Be glad you have food to eat, whether it comes from your kitchen or a soup kitchen. Many will go to bed hungry tonight. Be glad when you roll over in the morning and don't have to work that Monday morning there will be a job to go to.
I could probably launch into some of the reasons that some people have found themselves in the economic situation they are in - wanting bigger houses, nicer cars, unwilling to work at jobs they deem beneath them. Maybe a reminder of what to be really thankful for is in order. I know it doesn't apply to everyone. Sometimes people are victims of circumstances beyond their control. But that is a thought for another day. Today is a day to be uplifted.
So, hug your family tonight and say a prayer for all those families who have a gap. Maybe a loved one has died, can't travel, or maybe is one of our brave men and women fighting somewhere in the world for our freedom. Freedom we should be thankful for. It is what this country was founded on. But we forget. How quickly we forget.
I see a generation growing up with the feeling of entitlement. And they are getting that from their parents. Generations before us truly were thankful for what they had. Food, shelter, employment. And when they said "Thank God" it was with a truly grateful heart. No one had ever just handed them anything, therefore there was no expectation of it. Not so today.
Maybe the current economic situation will serve as a reminder to folks. Be thankful you have a roof over your head, many are losing their homes. Be thankful even if that roof is at a shelter. Be glad you have food to eat, whether it comes from your kitchen or a soup kitchen. Many will go to bed hungry tonight. Be glad when you roll over in the morning and don't have to work that Monday morning there will be a job to go to.
I could probably launch into some of the reasons that some people have found themselves in the economic situation they are in - wanting bigger houses, nicer cars, unwilling to work at jobs they deem beneath them. Maybe a reminder of what to be really thankful for is in order. I know it doesn't apply to everyone. Sometimes people are victims of circumstances beyond their control. But that is a thought for another day. Today is a day to be uplifted.
So, hug your family tonight and say a prayer for all those families who have a gap. Maybe a loved one has died, can't travel, or maybe is one of our brave men and women fighting somewhere in the world for our freedom. Freedom we should be thankful for. It is what this country was founded on. But we forget. How quickly we forget.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Letting the Bully Win
Into all lives there enters a bully. Some sneak in, some come crashing through the door. But everyone faces one at some point. The question is, how do you handle it?
We've all watched the news in horror as stories unfold about young adults shooting up schools or taking their own lives as a result of being bullied. That seems to be the answer that keeps popping to the unanswerable question of Why? Seemingly normal, ordinary kids (my dad hated to have young people called kids - said that term was reserved for baby goats) go off the deep end and do the unthinkable. Makes you wonder about a lot of things. First and foremost, where are the coping skills and who was supposed to be teaching and reinforcing them?
An unfortunate event has arisen in a group I'm associated with. Tempers have flaired, bad behavior has been exhibited. Several people have expressed a desire, (or need, complusion) to just leave the group. The tension has become so intolerable and the atmosphere so uncomfortable that they just want out. I've been one of them. But then I thought about it. If one person is causing the issue that makes everyone else uncomfortable, what message are we sending? That its okay to bully the group to get what you want and if you do it long enough you'll wear everyone else down and your opposition will just go away?
I don't think that's the right message. The bully can't win. When young people ruin or end their lives because they couldn't stand up to bully, the bully has won. And unless he (or she) was taken out as well, they will most likely continue to do it. When adults turn their backs on good organizations rather than try to force the necessary changes on it, the bully has won.
The bully can't win.
We've all watched the news in horror as stories unfold about young adults shooting up schools or taking their own lives as a result of being bullied. That seems to be the answer that keeps popping to the unanswerable question of Why? Seemingly normal, ordinary kids (my dad hated to have young people called kids - said that term was reserved for baby goats) go off the deep end and do the unthinkable. Makes you wonder about a lot of things. First and foremost, where are the coping skills and who was supposed to be teaching and reinforcing them?
An unfortunate event has arisen in a group I'm associated with. Tempers have flaired, bad behavior has been exhibited. Several people have expressed a desire, (or need, complusion) to just leave the group. The tension has become so intolerable and the atmosphere so uncomfortable that they just want out. I've been one of them. But then I thought about it. If one person is causing the issue that makes everyone else uncomfortable, what message are we sending? That its okay to bully the group to get what you want and if you do it long enough you'll wear everyone else down and your opposition will just go away?
I don't think that's the right message. The bully can't win. When young people ruin or end their lives because they couldn't stand up to bully, the bully has won. And unless he (or she) was taken out as well, they will most likely continue to do it. When adults turn their backs on good organizations rather than try to force the necessary changes on it, the bully has won.
The bully can't win.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Attire
A bit more on the decline of social mores. Clothing. I remember seeing a long-ago picture of my grandmother, with her mother and sister, and they were dressed to the nines! Including a hat to top it all off. I love hats! I wore them to church on Easter up into high school and college. I just think they really finish an outfit. I can remember my grandfather wearing his "Bear Bryant" hat when I was a child. So dapper.
Men still wear hats - ball caps, trucker hats, do rags. Difference is, my grandfather always took his off inside a building. Never would he have dreamed of eating a meal wearing one! You can't get kids to take them off now. Instead of finishing an outfit, a hat is a means to cover up the bed head they have since they didn't get up in time to get ready. Even though it doesn't take too long since they only have to pull their pants up to about mid-thigh. There is never any need to wonder if a young man is a "boxer or brief" guy. The answer is hanging out over the waistband of his pants.
Females are no better. So many of them don't wear enough clothes to even qualify as an outfit. You see more of them than you ever wanted to.
Sad really. And while I would NEVER advocate that a woman was "asking for it" when something terrible happens to her, women do send mixed messages. Look, and look a lot, but don't touch. My husband is flabbergasted on the rare occassions that we go out in a crowd about how young women dress.
And I wonder again, as I have before, when did we (the collective "WE" that is society) say that this behavior is acceptable? What causes us to continue to turn our heads or just ignore it? And how do we turn the bus around? So many of these young people have no idea of the ramifications in the real world. Its harder to get a good job when you aren't dressed appropriately, or don't even know what appropriately is. And the casualness of our appearance can often single casualness (or downright laziness) in other aspects of our world. Is it too late to stop this downhill roll? Or do we have to wait until we hit rock bottom before someone steps up and makes a change.
Men still wear hats - ball caps, trucker hats, do rags. Difference is, my grandfather always took his off inside a building. Never would he have dreamed of eating a meal wearing one! You can't get kids to take them off now. Instead of finishing an outfit, a hat is a means to cover up the bed head they have since they didn't get up in time to get ready. Even though it doesn't take too long since they only have to pull their pants up to about mid-thigh. There is never any need to wonder if a young man is a "boxer or brief" guy. The answer is hanging out over the waistband of his pants.
Females are no better. So many of them don't wear enough clothes to even qualify as an outfit. You see more of them than you ever wanted to.
Sad really. And while I would NEVER advocate that a woman was "asking for it" when something terrible happens to her, women do send mixed messages. Look, and look a lot, but don't touch. My husband is flabbergasted on the rare occassions that we go out in a crowd about how young women dress.
And I wonder again, as I have before, when did we (the collective "WE" that is society) say that this behavior is acceptable? What causes us to continue to turn our heads or just ignore it? And how do we turn the bus around? So many of these young people have no idea of the ramifications in the real world. Its harder to get a good job when you aren't dressed appropriately, or don't even know what appropriately is. And the casualness of our appearance can often single casualness (or downright laziness) in other aspects of our world. Is it too late to stop this downhill roll? Or do we have to wait until we hit rock bottom before someone steps up and makes a change.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Negative Progress
I see the obvious contradiction in the title. How can progress, a seemingly forward concept, be a step backward? But let's think about it.
I recently became aware of a several young girls in town that are pregnant. Used to be if a young woman found herself "in the family way" she, and maybe another female family member, were sent out of town until after the baby was born, and probably put up for adoption. Now, they take their ultrasounds to school and show them off. And the grandparents end up raising two generations simultaneously. And wonderful loving families that could give an adopted the child the world remain childless.
Was this the intended consequence of all the women's movements in the 60s and 70s? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad there are no longer back-alley abortions (although my thoughts on that topic will be saved for another day). No woman deserves to die or be permanently mangled for a bad decision. But society has shifted from casting shame to saying its OK. Its not OK. Unmarried pregnant celebrities should not be on the cover of every magazine. That is certainly not the right message - is it? Surely there is some middle ground between horrified and accepting?
Some will say "we've come a long baby!". True. We are a long way from where women started. But does distance necessarily make it progress? I don't think so. The solution? I don't know. I only know that this current path will probably not yield the desired destination.
I recently became aware of a several young girls in town that are pregnant. Used to be if a young woman found herself "in the family way" she, and maybe another female family member, were sent out of town until after the baby was born, and probably put up for adoption. Now, they take their ultrasounds to school and show them off. And the grandparents end up raising two generations simultaneously. And wonderful loving families that could give an adopted the child the world remain childless.
Was this the intended consequence of all the women's movements in the 60s and 70s? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad there are no longer back-alley abortions (although my thoughts on that topic will be saved for another day). No woman deserves to die or be permanently mangled for a bad decision. But society has shifted from casting shame to saying its OK. Its not OK. Unmarried pregnant celebrities should not be on the cover of every magazine. That is certainly not the right message - is it? Surely there is some middle ground between horrified and accepting?
Some will say "we've come a long baby!". True. We are a long way from where women started. But does distance necessarily make it progress? I don't think so. The solution? I don't know. I only know that this current path will probably not yield the desired destination.
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