Been a Challenging Few Weeks

These past few months have been very challenging for myself and my family.  Some of them good and some of them not so good.  Some days I have had time to write, but no inspiration or desire to.  Other days, I wanted to write but had to take care of other responsibilities.  Been very frustrating at times.

I have started my new position as Unit Case Worker.  Although I didn’t have a whole of quality ‘on the job training,’ I did get some.  As is often the case, I did a lot of ‘hit the ground running’ kind of training.  But, having been an Acting Case Worker several times before this, I was able to adapt pretty quickly.  For the most part, I have been working either in 3AB or one of the Protective Custody units.  Housing Unit 3 has been pretty smooth for the most part.  Many of the Inmates there have known me for years, so they know what to expect from me.  In fact, many of them seem to prefer me in my new Case Worker role.

The Protective Custody (PC) units that I have worked with have either been pretty good or awful.  Well, one unit in particular houses the ‘more difficult’ Inmates who are PC, and then tend to be the most difficult to deal with.  At least for me.  What’s ironic is that another group that are in a substance abuse program often have similar issues as the other ‘difficult’ PC group.  However, because of the program that they are in and how it can impact their parole, promotion to a lower custody and transfer to another institution, or release, they have a very strong incentive to follow directions.  It is very interesting noting the different dynamics in the different units.

About a week ago I put in my bid for what shift and Housing Unit that I want to work on.  I should find out this week with whether I got my first or second choice.  Considering the fact that both are for the same shift (Afternoon/evening) and same Housing Unit, just different sides, either one is fine with me.

Probably one of my biggest challenges the past few months have been the chronic pain that I deal with on a daily basis.  After 15 years with the Army, three of them with the 82^nd Airborne Division, and during my 4^th deployment, I developed problems with my lower back and both knees.  It turns out that I have arthritis in both knees, though my right usually is worse, and permanent damage to several of the discs in my lower back.  This past winter had been really rough, especially with my knees. 

It hasn’t been all bad.  Our daughter just celebrated a birthday earlier this month and participated in her first dance competition.  Her group did so well that they took all of the top awards for their age group, which was very impressive.  Needless to say, we were all very proud of her for that!

Both kids are doing pretty well in school.  Their third quarter finished recently, and both received a lot of good marks.  And both improved in several catagories since last quarter, which is also awesome.

On the few occasions that weather and my schedule has allowed me, I have been leading an adult Bible Study.  At the beginning of this year, our pastor had our congregation read through the book “All In” by Mark Batterson.  Due to my work load, I was not able to read the book until recently.  And, I have not read too much yet.  However, my wife did read the whole book with the rest of the church.  She thought that it was pretty good, but didn’t really go into the “so what, now what?”  That is, how does one actively apply what has been learned.

So, what I decided to do was ask those that attend the Bible Study to come up with at least one example in the Old Testament and the New Testament that they though really embraced the “all in” that the book talks about.  So, we have talked about Malachi and will be talking about John the Baptist next week.  In the future we will discuss people like Jeremiah, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and several others.  If you are interested, I can put my notes into a blog entry or two in the future.  Just let me know.

Oh, one other significant thing going on in our lives.  I have started the Army Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) for getting medically retired from the Army.  I had hoped that I could get my 20 and earn at least my E7/Sergeant First Class.  But, unfortunately, that is not going to happen.  In fact, I will be attending a retirement brief next month.  I will be retiring with 18+ years in the Army, both Active Duty and with the Nebraska National Guard.  I have had many enjoyable times, and many painful times.  But, I have also learned a lot.  Of all the deployments that I’ve had, probably my third one in 2010 was the most enjoyable and awe-inspiring.  But, that’s a story for another time.

Not a whole lot else is new for us.  Just really busy with all that is going on.  My wife hopes to be teaching within the next few years, so that will be another positive change in our lives.  I will also be going through training with the Nebraska Department of Corrections next week.  With this training, I will not only be assisting with teaching First Aid/CPR (through ASHI), but also facilitating a program geared with helping Inmates change destructive thinking.  At least, that is how I understand it.  More on that another time, too.

Please do not hesitate to let me know what you think of my blog entries.  Or, if you would like me to post my thoughts on a particular topic, let me know.  I have noticed that I do not have a followers.  If you really enjoy what I write, that will be the easiest way to know when I will be posting more.

In Christ,

RC

Playing God

References:

·         Jurassic Park movie info:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/

·         Jurassic Park franchise Web Page:  http://www.jurassicworld.com/

·         A book list of the original books:  https://www.goodreads.com/series/71966-jurassic-park

·         Quotes for Jurassic Park:  https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jurassic_park/quotes/

Thoughts and Reflections:

Because it’s been hot lately and since my back has not been up to doing much, my family and I had a movie-thon the last few days.  Instead of the movie-thon being on Star Wars, Harry Potter, or similar movies, the kids wanted to watch the Jurassic Park movies.  In case you are not familiar with the series, there are several books and five movies made, based on the books.  Its an interesting series, really neat special effects, and wrestles with quite a few different topics.

Although things like greed and pride are major parts of the movie, the one that I will focus most on will be the idea of ‘playing god.’  I believe that it is one of the most important themes throughout the entire series.  Other themes, like greed and pride, simply play into it.

Most of you know that we have been working with cloning for many, many years.  We have successfully cloned many different animals, including cows and sheep.  However, we have not resurrected any extinct animals, yet, via cloning.  There are many scientists today who are seeking to bring some animals back from extinction, like the dodo bird, Tasmanian wolf, and several others.  To my knowledge, though, such experiments with bringing extinct animals back to life have not been successful, yet.

In the first movie, Jurassic Park, one of the main characters named John Hammond, has created a huge park and safari with living dinosaurs.  Genetic engineers that Mr. Hammond has employed have harvested dinosaur DNA from the preserved blood from within prehistoric mosquitos, and through various techniques, have successfully cloned them.  Without giving up too much of the plot, let’s just say that because of pride and greed, things go from bad, to worse, to ‘the worst day ever!’ 

One of the main characters, Dr. Ian Malcolm, (who is a mathematician who specializes in the ‘chaos theory,’ makes two very interesting and intriguing comments.  The first one is:  “God makes dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs.  God makes man, man makes dinosaurs, dinosaurs eat man…” and “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”

Even though it would be incredibly awesome to having living dinosaurs, is it really a wise idea to have it?  Would we be able to coexist with them without one causing great harm to the other?  Would it be ethical to bring them back after they became extinct millions of years ago?  Would bringing the dinosaurs back now create irreparable harm to our environment?  Would the competition between the dinosaurs and other, established animals and fauna, becomes disastrous?  Would you be able to actually keep the dinosaurs on a ‘preserve,’ and keep them healthy?  Would our environment, including temperature, current fauna, oxygen levels, etc., be able to sustain them?

As one watches all of the movie series or reads the books, this major theme continues to be discussed.  And it becomes the most important thing in the movie, Jurassic World.  In this movie, those in charge of the cooperation InGen, which created the dinosaurs throughout the movie series, builds a ‘custom dinosaur.’  The ‘Indominus Rex’ has so many unexpected abilities, not just the ability to test and learn, that it spells certain doom for so many people.  This custom-made dinosaur was created solely because the scientist were told to make something ‘bigger and grander’ than before.  Why? So that more people will come to the theme park of Jurassic World, that the theme park will ‘become relevant again.’  The custom-made dinosaur is named ‘Indominus Rex,’ and because they used DNA from so many different kids of reptiles, it has abilities that no one expected.  This spells disaster for Jurassic World, and causes the deaths of many, many people.

As someone who loves reading, doing art, watching movies, I love creating and seeing what others create.  It is something that I believe that God has blessed us with.  However, when not used wisely and responsibly, our creative powers can be used for great evil.  For example, a person has an awesome idea for creating new product that can impact the lives of many people for the good.  But to do so, this person has to use a lot of resources, find a place to build the product, employ people to figure out how to make it in the best way, refine the process of making it, employ people to make it, etc. 

Some possible things that he or she will have to ask themselves is:  Do I want to buy an unused factory or buy unused fields or pasture land to make it?  How much will I pay people for researching and creating the product?  Will I spend money on safeguards to protect the environment or will I keep the money and hope that I don’t get caught?  Will I consider the cost of living in the area and base my salaries on that, or will I go with what ever is cheapest?  I will use the best materials available to make good, quality products; or will I use cheap products so that I can receive a bigger return?  How much will I charge for the product, and what will I base the price on?

Each of these decisions will have consequences.  Some will be more positive than others.  Some may be very negative.  There will also be short-term and long-term consequences.  Though not every variable can be evaluated, nor every outcome be seen, one still has to seriously think about them.

The decisions that we make with our time, abilities, resources, relationships, etc., say a lot about us as individuals.  We all make decisions based on our individual morals and values, even our religious beliefs.  These decisions will all have consequences, be it positive or negative.  Though people in centuries past have wanted to make decisions without accepting responsibility for negative consequences, I feel that is becoming more and more accepted today.  To want to accept only the positive and none of the negative.  To only get out that which makes me bigger, richer, more influential, etc.  But, if something has negative consequences, we want to blame someone else.  I see this with some of my co-workers, I see this in the lives of many of the Inmates, and I see then with my own children.  It is something I prayerfully try to correct within myself and in my family.  And, where possible, in the lives of those around me.  But, if we all take a little bit of time to evaluate our decisions and how it will impact others, I think we can all make a difference.

RC

Finished With It

Well, yesterday was a major milestone for me, so to speak.  I received my E6 (Staff Sergeant) in December of 2012.  In order to ‘keep’ my rank, I had to complete an on-line course and go to a school.  I was able to successfully complete the school in 2013, but it has taken me a long time to complete the on-line course.

For those who have not done an Army on-line course, consider yourself lucky.  I do not feel that many of the on-line courses are put together very well.  Even though I love to learn new things, the way some of the classes were put together, or studying things that ‘Big Army’ thinks is important, was a real struggle.

The only good thing was that the course that I just finished was an actual ‘learn at your own pace’ class.  That made it much, much better than the course I tried to take in 2013.  Now, that course was extremely difficult!

Off hand, I think that the course was called ‘Common Core,’ but I can’t remember for sure.  When I was promoted in 2012, I did so before it became a requirement for me to complete the school and online class prior to being promoted.  So, I was grandfathered in.  The school, which I attend in California, was very educational.  However, the online portion was more than a little difficult for me.  There were two reasons why it was so difficult for me.  One was because it was done like an actual college course with very specific due dates for certain things.  The second reason was because there were at least 5 different NCO (Non-Commissioned Officers) grading the course.  This became a problem with certain projects because different instructors would grade things at different times.  This made for an issue with consistency for me.

I had a very rough start to the online course because the audio would not work.  Even though I called the school that was facilitating the course, they did not have a ‘fix’ for me.  I just had to use the Close Caption (CC) feature.  Even though I was told that it was at the bottom of the screen, I could not find it.  After about a week of this frustration, while working on it at home, I finally realized that part of the screen was behind my taskbar.  So, I tried resizing and moving the screen.  To no success.  I eventually figured out how to move the task bar to the side, which solved that problem.  But, I would soon have more significant issues to deal with.

At this time, I had returned to work at the state prison after about 18 months of being away, trying to pursue a ministry career.  At first my work was pretty regular and I could make time for working on my online class.  However, within a week of actually getting started on the course, we started getting hit with a lot of mandatoried overtime.  And, since I worked 2^nd Shift (1400-2200 or 2 PM to 10 PM) and was mandatoried onto 3^rd (2200-0600 or 10 PM to 6 AM) I almost never got relieved early.  And, we were getting mandatoried 2 to 3 times a week.  Needless to say, I became chronically sleep deprived very soon, and stayed that way for almost a whole month! 

On top of this course and work, my wife and I had an almost 3 year old boy and an infant girl (about a year old).  My wife went out of her way to give me as much time as she could to focus on this online course.  But, she was burning the candle at both ends, and sometimes had to take time for herself or just sleep.  Myself?  I feel that I was burning the candle at both ends, and in the middle!  It was an extremely difficult time for all of us!

Up until about the 3^rd week of the course, the different instructors did not create a major issue.  However, when we had to create a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) using a very specific Army memo format, this became a very big issue.  By this time, I had about two weeks to finish this SOP and participate in a discussion board (which they also graded).  Because different Instructors would grade my SOP, different things would have to be changed.  I soon had to have a fellow NCO who had already completed the course tutor me with getting the SOP ‘totally correct’ so that I could complete the first section of the course.  Unfortunately, this didn’t help me in the end.

About 10 days before the first mandatory deadline, my wife and I realized that something had to go.  Either my job (because of all the mandatory overtime), our family, or this course.  It was taking too big of a toll on all of us.  So, I wrote a memo citing my extreme situation, providing my Shift Supervisor from work’s contact information to confirm my situation, and requested to be removed from the course prior to the deadline so that it wouldn’t be counted against me.  (It was a ‘fail three times and you are permanently done’ situation.)  My Chain of Command received and forwarded the memo to the schoolhouse within about two days.  Then the school just sat on it.  I was then removed from the course, ‘failure.’  Needless to say, my wife and I were extremely irate about this!  I had not failed a military school, nor had I failed a course since my second year in seminary.  And that class was a Biblical Greek language course.

For several years, I wasn’t interested in taking an online course because of this very painful experience.  Eventually, in 2015 while deployed to Qatar, I requested to be enrolled in the Structured Self-Directed (SSD) 2 course.  I started the process in the late summer or early fall, where I would have a lot more time to focus on this course.  However, it wasn’t until within a month of me returning to the States that I was finally enrolled in the course. 

I returned from deployment to doing four 12 hour shifts, that made it harder for me to do the course, especially since I strive to put God and family first.  This made finding time to focus on the course very challenging.  On top of that, the course presentation was less than appealing. After years of taking many different Army online courses, I find the way they often present course to be irritating. (Think:  Extreme death by PowerPoint!)  I find it easier to learn by muting it and read what they say while listening to classical music.  Unfortunately for me with this course, it would ‘unmute’ almost every time it advanced to the next screen/slide.  I finally just muted my computer every time I did my online course and listened to classical music on my iPod. 

Well, after almost three years, I finally completed it.  Did I learn a lot?  Yes.  Were there things that I think were unnecessary?  Definitely!  If I were to set up a course, there are several ‘lessons’ that I could combine to help make things shorter.  There are other things that, though nice to know, I don’t think it was absolutely necessary to be included.  I honestly think it was way too long.  Now, if I was Active Duty or in a full-time status, it might have been easier to deal with.  But, as a part-time Guardsman with a full-time job (with occasional to frequent mandatory overtime) and a family to take care of, it was overly long.  But, I am finished and it is, finally, behind me.  I can now focus on other things like preparing for next years learning vacation, preparing for the upcoming Bible Study on the Purpose Driven Church, finish going through many boxes of things that we have, etc.  And, I am now able to just sit down and read without worrying about that course.  That, in itself, is a major blessing!

RC

Vacation Time

I know that I have not been very regular with my writings these last few months. In fact, it is now April and I have only made two prior blog entries. Unfortunately, I have had many other obligations to take care of. Since I blog on the side as a creative outlet, things like my job, my Nebraska National Guard obligations, family, etc., all have to come first.

As you can see from this title of this blog entry, I am currently on vacation. Last week, my family and I spent time at Walt Disney World. We left on April 6th and returned this past Sunday, April 15th. It was a great vacation, though there were quite a few ‘challenges’ along the way.

Probably the biggest challenge that I am still facing is an inner ear infection that I picked up a week ago. When I was a kid, I would occasionally get a bad ear ache. I remember laying in bed, crying, because of the pain. Usually it was one ear or the other. But, at least on two different occasions, I had an ear infection in both ears at the same time. Needless to say, that was a very miserable week or so. Although I had a lot of pain, I did not have any major problems with vertigo along with my ear aches. However, this time, it has been a major problem for the first few days. Since Friday, vertigo has not been nearly as big of an issue. However, the first few days…

The ear ache asides, it was a very enjoyable trip all together. It was definitely wonderful getting away from my full-time job at the prison. And, it is always nice being able to spend time with the family ‘making magical memories.’ There are several things that really stand out in my mind that were memorable. Of course, my wife and two kids may not agree with my choices.

One of the perks with being in the Military are the discounts that it opens for us. Because of this, and the fact that my wife is very good at finding deals, we were able to enjoy a lot of things that were within our budget. One splurge that we did indulge in was staying at the Yachtclub Resort. Because we were both celebrating a birthday this month, and because we will be celebrating 10 years or marriage later this year. At, let me tell you what, it was definitely worth it! What a wonderful, and roomy, corner room we had! Although we didn’t have the pull-out bed that we were hoping for, the extra room was definitely appreciated. That was a real highlight for the trip!

Top on my list, and probably also for my wife, was having dinner together sans (without) kids. We did this on Wednesday at the Yachtsman’s Steakhouse. This was very fine dining, indeed! Our waiter was a gentleman from Haiti, and he really went out of his way to make our meal very memorable! We each received a complimentary glass of champagne in celebration of our 10 Year Anniversary. We also received an anniversary version of the menu that we could keep, which he rolled up and tied with a bow.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was ‘touring the nations’ at Epcot and having snacks from ‘around the world’ for supper. Some of the meals we enjoyed more, others not so much. But, it was a real learning experience tasting different kinds of foods from different countries. Unfortunately, by nightfall, my ear was starting to really hurt, so I returned to the room early while my wife and kids stayed for the fireworks.

As a high sensing introvert, I kind of struggled at times with being at Walt Disney World in October of 2016. I pretty much felt overwhelmed every day at some point. Although that did detract a bit from enjoying the vacation, my wife worked with me. At one point, she utilized one of my skills of maneuvering quickly through a crowd. As an INFJ, one of the more unique things that I can do is judge spaces and who people are moving in a crowd pretty well. Because of this, I was able to guide us from the middle of Magic Kingdom to a ride on the far end in a fairly short amount of time. If memory serves, this enable use to enjoy a ride twice. Once, because the lines was short at the moment, and once with a Fast Pass.

This time, I tried something a little different in order to make the times at the parks more enjoyable for me. Because of my love for writing, I decided to do a journal of our trip. It was of things that I experienced, so things that my wife and kids did might not have been included. Because my wife is very extroverted, and we have two young kids, she planned things out so that we were very busy throughout four of the 5 ½ days at the parks (including half a day at Disney Springs). So, I often found myself writing while in line, sometimes while actually walking. So, some of my writings are quite readable, and some of them not-so-much. There were times, though, where I was able to write fairly well even though I was walking. But, this was an exception, not the rule. But, it did serve its purpose. Not only was I able to document a lot of the things that we did, when we did it, and how well we liked it, but also was able to get some ‘introvert-time’ in. In fact, it worked so well that I did not fell very drained at all during the trip. My only regret was not being able to have more time to write my reflections.

One of the new rides at Animal Kingdom was the Pandora ‘Flight of Passage.’ We did that Monday afternoon and it was greatly loved by all! If you have not watched the movie Avatar, it might be hard to understand. In a nutshell, you are able to ride a flying creature called a banshee as it flies around the jungles of their world. It is 3D, and exceptionally well done! Both my wife and I watched several videos on this particular ride, either people talking about their experiences or someone actually doing the ride. We both agree that the videos that we watched *do not* do that experience justice!

I could write pages and pages and pages of our experiences, but I think I will hold off for now. It was a really wonderful time, in spite of the challenges. Speaking of challenges… As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog entry, I started having a really bad earache during this trip. In fact, I am still suffering from it. Although the pain has mostly subsided, unless it is getting close to my next round of ear drops, I still cannot hear well out of my left ear. And, when you ear is ‘stuffy’ and you have tinnitus, the ringing becomes more than just a little noticeable. Thankfully, I have a follow-up appointment with our family doctor tomorrow about it. The sooner I can get it healed up, the better.

I hope that this entry finds all of you doing well. I have quite a few things saved for blogging on. Although I have many other things that I have to do, I hope to do at least one more blog this week. If not this week, hopefully next week.

An Update

I know that I have not posted anything on my blog for quite a while. In fact, it has been a month since my last entry. For those who do really enjoy reading my posts, I do apologize for not sharing anything until now. I have been extremely busy these last few months.

For over a year now, I have been working on an on-line course for the Army. It is a self-directed course that I have to do to keep my E6. I have been working on it, during my free time, for over a year, and still working on it. There is a lot to it, unfortunately….

Along with that course, I am also doing an ADSO (Additional Duty Safety Officer) course. It is the ‘course that never ends!’ (Think: “This is the Song that Never Ends!”). Although I have spent several weeks of time (spread out over several months), I am only in ‘the 5th section’ of at least 6. Unfortunately, because it is several ‘lessons’ within the same ‘section,’ the course does not show exactly how much I have done, or how much more I have to do. And, each ‘lesson’ has at least 6 sub-lessons. Each of these sub-lessons take several hours to do. Very, very time consuming!

On top of those two courses, I have my weekly Bible Study, take care of and do things with my family, and all of that upon my regular work at the prison. It has been extremely draining for me trying to stay on top of all of this, as I am sure that you can guess. In fact, it has been so difficult for me to juggle all of this, I took a month-long break from doing my Bible Study so that I might be able to focus better on the on-line courses. It has worked somewhat, but I still haven’t finished them.

Unfortunately, I have also been fighting more and more with my lower back pain and the arthritis in my knees. This has made working very difficult at times. And, all of this adds to my stress.

Although I am very good at my job with State Corrections, it is not a job that I get a lot out of most days. For those who don’t know, working in corrections can be very stressful and very draining. This is especially so in a maximin security institution, like what I work in. Not only do I have to be very cognizant of all that is happening around me, but also around my co-workers. On top of that, I have to deal with very manipulative people (not all Inmates are manipulative, but many are). And, doing that for 12 hours a day….

I know that many of you out there face more difficulties on a daily basis than I do. Just as many of you would have a very difficult time fathoming all that I deal with. Each of us have our own unique set of experiences and perspectives. Each of us have our own cultural backgrounds that can either help or hinder how one deals with things. It’s things like that which make each of us unique. Although, these backgrounds can either make it easier or more difficult to relate with others.

Going forward, I really do not know how much time I will have for doing posts. It has been extremely challenging for me to get things done. Then again… Writing and doing art are two of my favorite ways to relax, introvert, and recharge. Reading would be a close second to these two. So, maybe I will try harder to write one or two posts per week. Maybe…

Now, if there are things that you are interested in discussing, please let me know. Did you have problems understanding something that I did a post on? If so, please ask me. Or, if one of my posts has touched your life in a meaningful way, I would love to know that, too. Even though this blog is primarily a creative outlet for me, I would also really like to better get to know my audience, too.

Toxic Bread and Circus

References:
• Native American Protest
• Jeremiah 23:9-20 NAS
• Micah 6:1-8 NAS
• Fox News Search
• CNN News Search
• Google search on “Native American Protest”

Oh, the joys of having a puppy… I was woken up by our ‘big pup,’ a black and tan coon dog, at about 0130 hours (1:30 AM) this morning. After taking her out so that she could use the bathroom, I tried to get back to bed. But, like so often is the case, my mind would not let me fall back to sleep. Instead, my mind kept running in circles about how frustrating my life often is right now and the fact that I am very unsatisfied with quite a few things. Though my mind was focusing more on my current career, a broader sense of frustration with the ‘status quo’ came to mind. To those of us who are extremely sensitive to injustices and ‘doing the right thing,’ a focus on a ‘status quo’ that focuses on blaming others, talking around issues, and penalizing (even criminalizing) those are trying to create positive change, really irks us. It is a real ‘toxic bread and circus’ for all of us, but some of us see it more easily.

Some of you might not be familiar with the phrase ‘bread and circus.’ It comes from the Latin phrase ‘panis et cirenses’ and was coined by the Roman satirist, Juvenal. In a nutshell, he was criticizing the Roman government and populace. He criticized the government because they were giving out free food (panis or bread) and lots of public entertainment (circenses or ‘circus’) so that peoples’ attention was diverted from important issues of the time. And he was criticizing the people because they were so willing to chase after the free food and entertainment instead of being concerned about the many issues at stake with the country of Rome. (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bread-and-circuses)
For me, there are many things that come to my mind when I think of a ‘toxic bread and circus.’ Some issues that affect me personally is the number of issues with the Nebraska Department of Corrections, safety for all involved (Inmates, staff, and the public at large), pay, and discipline. Because of how things are being handled at the prison where I work and the State of Nebraska, effective change is not happening. Another example that I often see happens in churches and denomination. Many say that they want effective growth and change. However, many within the local church and the denomination as a whole would rather talk about change as a big group, but push a small group (often the local pastor) to ‘effectively deal with the problem.’ For example, I have often lead small group studies to help other followers to learn and grow as fellow disciples so that they, in turn, could go out and be facilitators of change. Such Bible Studies were very poorly attended, if at all.

Although those examples are meaningful to me, they deserve blog entries of their own. For me right now, the most telling example has to do with the Native Americans actively protesting the gross disregard for their customs and beliefs. Although this is nothing new, there is a current issue that is really emphasizing this. It has to do with plowing through a Native American sacred land, including burial grounds, in the Lake Oahe area. During a recent protest by many Native Americans from the US and Canada, many of them to harassed and assaulted with ‘attack dogs’ and pepper.
Is this news to you? I spent a little time looking up the issue on the two main news agencies, Fox News and CNN. The main page and the US sub-area did not have any news about this issues. When I did a search for “Native American Protest” on both sites, I got the results that I referenced above. When I Googled the same broad topic, the first page of results included either specialty news sources (earthables.com), ABC.com, foreign news sources (BBC.com), or some newspaper articles (like www.huffingtonpost.com and www.washingtonpost.com). That’s pretty telling… My wife pointed the www.returntonow.net article only because someone has posted it on her Facebook page. Since she is a dedicated Libertarian, she often sees news articles that the main news sources do not touch.

What is the ‘big news’ right now? Some NFL player ‘protesting’ racial issues by sitting down during the National Anthem, Hilary and Trump (pretty much nothing on the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson), the 15 year 9/11 ‘anniversary’ (little if any real change has happened with that), etc. Though some of those things are important (Presidential election and fighting terrorism is important), a lot of important national issues are being ‘swept under the rug.’ Do you not find this disturbing? I do!

Just like Rome during Juvenal’s time (?60-?140 AD) (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/juvenal), our current culture is obsessed with ‘bread and circus.’ We would rather be entertained by tv shows, movies, sports, etc., and get as much as our ‘food’ (here I am referring to news and politics) to be handed to us from the primary ‘trusted’ sources. If something isn’t just ‘handed to us’ or tickles our fancy, many today have no interest or stomach for it. And, unless more of us ‘wake up and smell the coffee’ to what is happening around us, this toxic status quo will continue to push us to destruction. Though the destruction might feel like it is ‘just happening to someone else, far away,’ eventually it will be felt by you and me. What is your choice?

In all honesty, it is very easy to get focused on ‘trivial things.’ I have been on vacation (more of a ‘stay-cation) since September 3rd. But, between trying to take care of issues with my back, spend some time with my family, and relax, I have not been very production a lot of the time. Instead, I have been ‘surfing’ Facebook, watching TV shows, or reading ‘trivial articles’ on the Internet about movies, comic book characters, etc. All of us need quiet time to relax, recharge, and get refocused, but we can’t focus on that all of the time. But, that has to be balanced with being aware with things around us, taking care of errands/home duties, etc. It requires effort, and sometimes a lot of it. But, I believe that it is worth it.