A Quick Update

Hello, Everyone!

I know that it has been quite a while since I have made a post of any kind here.  Part of it has been the challenges with balancing work and family life, and part of it has been the fact that I have felt little inspiration with what to write.  

Although work at the prison has often been frustrating, there have been some good days.  I have been an acting Case Worker on several different galleries at least twelve times since October 31th.  Although it has been challenging at times, it has also been very rewarding for me.  Working as an acting Case Worker has come a lot more naturally for me, and has felt a lot less emotionally and spiritually draining to me.  Instead of almost always coming home tired, exhausted, and even angry because of work, I have come home tired by at least content.

Part of the reason why I have volunteered to be an acting Case Worker is for a change of pace, but also to help me with applying for Case Manager.  For those who might not be familiar with what a Case Manager does within a prison, so I will try to quickly explain it.  A Case Manager deals with an Inmate's programming, classification, with where they can live, with conducting Unit Disciplinary hearings (for minor rule breakage), etc.  

Several months ago, I applied for Case Manager for the prison that I work at, and at another one.  The feedback that I received from four different people, two at each institution amounted to:  "Your answers were exactly what we were looking for," "You did a very good interview," and "Please, do apply again when the job re-opens in the future."  In one case, I missed the point cutoff by only two points.  The significant part for me was the fact that I had no Unit experience at that point, only Custody Staff experience.  While there is some overlap in what we do, especially in security and safety, the actual role is a bit different.

Well, I did re-apply for this position at the same two institutions as I had a few months ago.  This time, though, I had a lot more confidence in my answers that I gave them.  Although many of the questions were the same, there were some different ones.  But, I was able to successfully answer their questions.  And, based on the feedback that I observed, I seemed to have impressed the two interview boards as much as, or even more than last time.

I should know by the end of this week for one institution and maybe at the beginning of next week for the other.  Although I have been looking at transferring to another institution, I have come to the conclusion that it would probably be better to continue working at my current place of employment.

Not only have I build a positive relationship with staff, but also a very positive rapport with the Inmates.  What’s also very interesting is that most of the Inmates that I have worked with as an acting Case Worker seem to have made a successful transition from me being in a Custody Staff role to being in a Unit Staff role.  This has really helped me with getting things done.  Because of this rapport, it would probably help to stay at my current institution.  Although some Inmates might have a different time adjusting to my new role, I think that many of them will not.

For those know me well in real life, or have followed me for quite a while, you know how much I have not liked my job as Custody Staff.  Although I can do that job very well, it is a role that brings little satisfaction to me.  And, as an INFJ, job satisfaction is extremely, extremely important.  Without significant job satisfaction, I feel miserable.  However, the impression that I have that, as a Case Manager, I would be utilizing my natural gifts and ministry training, which would lead to significant job satisfaction.  If being a Case Manager is anything like being an acting Religious Coordinator (which I did several years ago), even a bad, extremely hectic day will give me significant satisfaction.

Other news…  My daughter was officially diagnosed with having Influenza A.  My wife had a brief flare-up.  And, since I have been taking care of her for several days since she first came down with it Monday, my temperature has peaked at about 100.6 F.  So, no work for me tomorrow.  I have noticed that God has graced me with a very strong immune system.  Over the years, I have noticed that what ever bug my family gets, I will often get.  However, the time that I am actually sick is about half of long they were sick.  So, it doesn’t surprise me that my temperature spiked this afternoon.  But, I should be back to normal temperature tomorrow and back to work on Friday.  As long as our son doesn’t get sick, the bug should be out of our systems well before Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas…  We will be celebrating Christmas here in Nebraska next week.  Since my wife works as a teacher’s aide, she will have the next few weeks off.  I, on the other hand will have to work.  However, due to the days off that I have, I will be home for this Christmas.  That is something that we are really looking forward to.

With wherever you are, I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.  I will try to write at least once more before Christmas and the New Years, but I can’t guarantee it.

In Christ,

RC

Divisiveness

To be honest, I do not watch the news too much anymore.  Years ago, I used to watch it regularly, or at least read the news on the Internet, so that I could keep up with current events.  However, even though keeping up with current events is still important to me, I have a very hard time doing so.  Why, because almost all news outlets have a very specific political agenda that they want to expound upon, so they twist their news that way.  I know that it was always been this way, but it seems that it’s become very much more blatant in the last few years.

You are probably wondering why I feel that most major news outlets are becoming more ‘blatantly political.’  This is my perspective:  Most of the time when I watch to Fox News, CNN, local news, etc., they cover a current event, but then greatly expound on how ‘their side’ (be it conservative or liberal) is right and everyone else is ‘un-American,’ evil,, etc.  A very good example is the recent ‘unrest’ concerning illegal immigrants being separated from their parents.  If you watch CNN, CNBC, or other liberal media outlet, they only focus on ‘how evil it is’ for President Trump to allow the children of illegal immigrants to be separated from their parents. They call all people who want stronger protection measures against people entering American illegally Nazis, totally uncaring, etc.

On the other side of things, many from conservative news outlets, like Fox News, will cover the exact same issue, but call those who are liberal un-American because they want to allow criminals to enter the US and more easily allow children to be used for sex trafficking, mules for bring in drugs, etc.  Though these are valid concerns which I also share, the way they often express these issues are almost as bad as the left, or worse. 

Unfortunately, Facebook is become even more ridiculous when it comes to divisiveness.  At times, I really do feel like closing my Facebook account and being done with it.  So far I have not because Facebook is still good enough outlet for discussing things with friends.  Although tolerating the divisiveness is becoming more difficult.  For starters, I find that I have to not only hide a lot of extremely liberal posts that I do not like, but I also have to hide a lot of mean-spirited conservative posts as well.  Whether it is on the issue of gun control vs. 2^nd Amendment, abortion vs. Pro-Life, immigration issues, etc., I end up hiding at least half of the topics because of being divisive and mean-spirited.

I admit, I do not ‘toe the line’ when it comes to conservative values.  I have always held to my own moral and religious beliefs and endorse those that best parallel what I believe.  One of the main reasons why I was disliked by many of my seminary professors and fellow students was because I did not accept their viewpoints as totally valid, but did my own research and maintained my core beliefs.  That is one of the main reasons why I am not a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA).  I do not just accept doctrine, but analyze it, compare it to what Scripture clearly says (including linguistical issues, history, and cultural context), and come to my own conclusions.  While many have respected me for my beliefs and willingness to challenge other ideas, many other have not.

I do enjoy a good discussion on issues, and I do enjoy hear other view points and learning as much as I can.  Just because I don’t agree with someone else’s perspective doesn’t mean I can’t respect its importance to that person.  Sadly, many people are of the opinion that if I don’t agree with then and endorse their opinions on whatever subject, I am somehow evil, un-Christian, un-American, what have you…  Sorry, but I cannot and will not tolerate that kind of attitude. 

Just today I had to ‘un-friend’ a person that I have known for decades.  Almost every time I discussed an issue, the immigration issues being the most recent one, he repeatedly looked down at me for my beliefs.  I definitely do believe in allowing people to immigrate to America.  My biological mother’s side were ethnic Germans who had initially emigrated from Germany to southern Russia (in what is now the Ukraine), but later had to emigrate to America in the 1880’s due to the ‘re-Russification’ of Russia.  My wife is a second generation Irish-American, and very proud of it.  Thing is, both her family and mine went through the process of coming here legally, become US citizens, and contributing productively to our new home and communities.

In my opinion, it is more important to take care of our domestic problems that it is to take care of those who come here illegally.  For example, I share two different memes on Facebook about the importance of taking care of the children of US citizens who live in poverty, American homeless Veterans, as well as our own senior citizens who have worked as productive citizens and have earned the privilege of retiring and living comfortably.  To me, taking care of our own needy have a much higher priority than those who come here illegally.  While we have a moral right to take care of those in distress with their immediate needs for food, medication, and shelter, I do not believe we have a moral obligation to take care of them for a long period of time.  And, if they want to come here illegally and/or have a criminal background, then I believe they should be sent right back to where they came from.

Although others have the perfect right to disagree with what I believe, that does not give the person the right to be grossly disrespectful.  Being told that I am ‘un-Christian’ because I do not believe that illegal immigrants need to be just blindly allowed into our country is just plain wrong.  That would be the same thing if I accused him of being ‘un-Christian’ and a ‘Nazi’ for not wanting to put our citizens first.  This isn’t the first time that this particular person has attacked me for my beliefs, but it is the last time.

Years ago, it was the norm to discuss different issues without name calling, making personal attacks, being inflammatory in our own responses, etc.  While there were exceptions to this, there was a lot more civility with most of political and religious discussion while I was growing up.  Now, people easily become enraged when others disagree with them on political issues. 

I really wonder if people really think before they post something on Facebook or write something for the news.  At this times, it seems like more and more people blindly write and post things that are purposely inflammatory.  Why?  I don’t know.  Maybe it makes them feel stronger posting such things.  Maybe they are so engrossed with their personally religious and political stances that they don’t think about how others might perceive it.  I don’t know.

What I do know is that I go out of my way to be as civil and respectful as possible.  To that end, I seek to share things that are disrespectful and mean spirited in nature.  While I know that somebody will always be offended by what I say or share.  However, I seek to be as respectful as possible.  I also seek to remove/hide all uncivil posts on my Facebook wall as I can.  I am also commenting less and less on such things because too many people are able to have civil discussions.

I believe that if all of us take a little more time and think before we act or say something, we can all do a better job.  In fact, we all take a little more time to encourage each other, to pray for each other (according our own individual faith practices) and respect other’s beliefs, we can make this world a better place for others.

RC

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.