A Good and Decent Man

Posted by

1

I recently spent the better part of three weeks in New Jersey sorting through the memories of a long, productive life.  My dad passed away in the middle of May, 2021, and I was helping my brother and sister clean out the house for sale. A house he had built in 1956 where he moved us when I was three. The home he passed away in, two months short of his 97th birthday, where he lived independently, including the eleven years after my mom – the love of his life – passed. It was full of 65 years of everything he cherished. I’ve only now been able to write this post, as dad and I were very close.

The world lost an amazingly good, decent, irreplaceable man that day in May, confirmed for me as I went through all the things he cherished and saved. The outpouring of love and condolences from his many, many friends underscored that sentiment all the more, and I rarely heard anyone speak poorly of him.  He lived a life of principle, from childhood, to his military service at the Battle of the Bulge, to his family, his career as an accountant, his community and church involvement, his battle with cancer, and his ship-modeling during his retirement years. He was always an inspiration to me – my first and last hero. I miss him terribly.

Rest in peace, dad. We love you.

-Russ

An Uncomfortable Perspective

Posted by

3

It seems the majority of humans are finally beginning to wake up to the reality of how our own existence is effecting the biosphere within which we live, resulting in extreme and devastating changes to its weather patterns. That it has taken this long confirms the feeling some of us have that our technology has exploded way faster than we can effectively learn to use it wisely and responsibly. The consequences are the increase in heat, fire, storms, floods, drought, and lack of food and water we are now just starting to experience. From our human perspective there is not much good to this story, especially for those with children and grandchildren. The world we are leaving them will surely not be as habitable as it has been.

And though too many of us like to think we are all that matters – our arrogance is second to none – there are countless other perspectives from which Climate Change can be viewed. Many insect species, for example, are benefiting from the warming trend, and their numbers are increasing as their range expands northward into areas where it used to be too cold. Or the renewal of forests that always occurs following wildfire, maybe this time with heartier plant life more suited to a warmer, and more variable, climate.

And if you step back and look at the Earth as a whole, what you see is a small life-supporting planet that is once again starting to rebalance following a large, disrupting event. One like the asteroid strike that doomed the dinosaurs. But this time the disrupting event is us, with an exploding population and lifestyle that are unsustainable. From that view it is neither good nor bad, but just a rebalancing that nature requires.

From that perspective, our planet is simply beginning an extermination to rid itself of a nasty, detrimental infestation, ironically using the offending species against itself.

-Russ

As It Was Meant to Be

Posted by

0

 I took a long hike in the forest the other day.

It was a bit warm, but still a gorgeous day, and though our forests are normally very peaceful, it was unusually so that afternoon, with only the bugs and critters doing what they do. I love when there are no human sounds, even when I listen hard.

Working my way up a peak, it struck me how I was surrounded by the complete cycle of life. All at the same time, plants were sprouting while trees were dying, birds were hatching while other creatures were losing the battle as food for someone else, and flowers were blooming – being fed by the decay of previous life. As it was meant to be.

And so it has also been within my own circle of family and friends this past month, with babies being born and wonderful souls passing on. A month that has created a strong clash of emotions within me. Thus, I think of the forest.

As it has always been.

Peace.

-Russ

Things Lost

Posted by

0

January is typically a month when I’m motivated to post something positive to start the new year. But this year is different. It is now almost March and I’ve yet to string together enough positive words that don’t feel like a lie. Sure, the Country has new leadership that I believe will head us in a better direction, and yes, vaccines are getting into arms to protect us from this virus. But we are still at the bottom of a pretty deep, dark hole and have just begun the long climb upwards. It will be hard. … Hard because overcoming big challenges typically requires teamwork, an ability we have lost at the uppermost levels of government and which has pitted Americans against one another. Lost because too many of our leaders have sold their self-respect, decency, and integrity while jumping into the bottomless pit of partisan money and power. We are all suffering for it.

Beating a dead horse yet again, 2020 will be discussed and written about for years to come. Unfortunately, even those discussions will tend to deepen our divide, we are all so ‘dug-in’ on our respective sides. It will take historians decades to make sense of it all. Maybe future generations will learn from our mistakes, but given the parallels to recent history I have serious doubts.

While uselessly trying to solve all the world’s ills on a hike with a close friend last week it became obvious I’ve lost much of my optimism, patience, and tolerance this past year. They have slowly and painfully drained from my soul as it became increasingly apparent how easy it is to con so many of us, how woefully inadequate the checks and balances of our democracy are, and how quickly social media can strip away our humanity. These are not small things. I thought we were better than this.

So starts 2021. Onward and upward, I hope.

-Russ

Finding Some Peace

Posted by

3

We all need to take a deep breath. And then another. And another.

Too frequently these days I want to lock myself in a room and simply scream. And scream some more. But, instead, I just hold it in. … It’s not all that unusual for me to come to this brink every now and again, but recently it is nearly a daily occurrence. My insides feel like that rubber-band-driven toy airplane that has been wound much too tight and is about to unleash its twisted fury with just one more turn of the propeller.

I’ll bet many reading this can relate. It’s 2020, which is about to take it’s rightful place up there on the shelf with the worst years any of us can remember. Right after it finishes turning all of us into certifiable, anxiety-ridden, stress-malady-riddled basket cases.

From my own circle of family, friends, and acquaintances to people I only read about, most seem to be suffering in some way from the stress: Ulcers, anger, hives, or just plain uncontrollable anxiety. It’s hurting us more than we know. We all seem to be living one last straw away from losing our shit – not surprising in this culture that pushes us ever harder, even in a normal year.

So take that deep breath. And another. Don’t watch the news today. Take a slow walk with your children or a friend. Go to the beach. Don’t engage in social media politics for a while. Instead, do something that brings you peace.

My wish for us all is that we can find the balance between this chaos and some serenity that will help keep us calm and sane. Even this year.

-Russ

No, We Are Not OK

Posted by

0

We stare blankly out our windows at the orange-red pall that has blanketed us the last several days, watching the ash fall like snow, wondering when the winds will shift. And yet there is a feeling of guilt since a change in wind will simply mean others will get the smoke.

I’ve already had two calls this morning from family back east wondering if we are OK as they watch reports of the fires on TV. Western Oregon is now making headlines as California did (and still is) last week. It has been drier. It has been hotter. There are more fires.

I answer that yes, we are still OK, unlike thousands of others who are closer to or have already been overtaken by the flames. The closest fire is still thirty miles away. The winds might shift. We might get some rain.

But inside I really think that no, we are not OK. We are not OK any more than the people on the gulf coast dealing with more intense hurricanes, or the people on the east coast dealing with hotter summers and intense humidity. Or the increasing number of people contracting Lyme disease as tick populations expand with warming temperatures. Or the families suffering terribly from the current pandemic. Or the wildlife populations declining at a frightening rate as we destroy their habitat along with ours.

No, we are not OK. None of us are.

-Russ

(Photo courtesy of Steve Schuetz)

I Stand with the Protesters

Posted by

0

The rules of any society are basically a contract.  One in which we all must agree to in order to function well as a social species.  That contract is maintained and enforced by the people who are in charge – those we elect and appoint to do that job for us as we go through our days making a living.  In this Country that contract has been broken in many respects by those elected officials, especially with regards to people of color and those struggling to get ahead.  Whether you are a black person who suffers daily from the racism still unbelievably rampant, or a middle-class family trying to succeed while your government makes themselves wealthier at your expense, you have felt screwed, disillusioned, and helpless for far too long.

And don’t tell me the protesters shouldn’t be looting or causing damage.  Maybe they shouldn’t, but not doing those things was part of the contract, one they feel no longer exists. How can we expect people to obey the law when those in charge no longer follow it? 

I am not surprised by the recent violence nor its ferocity. Frankly I expected it sooner. It is what people resort to when they have lost hope.

-Russ


(Much of this was prompted by a recent piece by Trevor Noah, said much more eloquently. Thank you, Trevor.)