The crime rate is at an intolerable level in so many areas. Why? Can it have something to do with our isolating ourselves from others, physically and emotionally? In today’s Thursday Thought quote, Steven Sosny suggests the importance of staying connected to others, be it family or those around us.
“Crime goes up when the sense of community goes down. People feel disconnected.”
I have an idea: If it’s true that we can’t agree on anything because we’re as different as night and day, shouldn’t we just turn on the light?
“They” tell us not to use the same password for everything. In fact, it’s best to have a different one for each and every gizmo, website, app, etc. Is that even humanly possible? Forget about memorizing all of them. Here’s what happens when you try.
Unless you haven’t been inside a store recently, you’re painfully aware of the rapidly rising prices. Who’s to blame? It’s a combination of things. In addition to one that’s being ignored (see below), there’s COVID and the interrupted supply chain, both of which raise the cost of parts, raw materials, and goods to manufacturers and shop owners. Plus the government putting policies in place to try to reign in inflation while not destroying our record-good economy. And other factors.
Here’s the price-increaser that we’re not fighting hard enough to stop–looting. People loot and vandalize stores to celebrate the Super Bowl win. They loot and vandalize shops to “protest” being asked to vaccinate themselves against COVID. They organize gangs of people to rush into a mall, crash display cases or rip clothing off of racks, then dash out with what they’ve stolen. The cost of all this looting and vandalizing falls on us, because the business owners’ expenses rise as a result, at the same time the owners are facing goods shortages and delays.
The police are doing what they can, but they can’t patrol each and every business. We must do somethging. First, we must speak out against it, not for it. That is, social media has postings where people show videos of the looting and make comments that indicate admiration or humor in the situation. Don’t repost; do post a comment against it. Next, we must reinforce within our family and sphere of influence that this is wrong on three levels: moral (the business people didn’t create the problem but are suffering for it), logical (it doesn’t solve or change anything), and practical (it hits our wallets very hard). If enough of us fight this absurdity, we can stem the rising tide of looting and vandalism.
Are you remodeling or building and need or have (even used) items left over? Consider getting/giving them to Habitat for Humanity. They’ve helped 39 million+ people get into housing that the people themselves have helped build. See what you can donate at https://www.habitat.org/stories/should-i-donate-habitat-restore?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=monthly-news&utm_content=jan22. Go to https://www.habitat.org/where-we-build/united-states-america to learn more about the work the organization does and find a local ReStore to drop off (or buy!) items.
Yes, Social Security and Medicare are “entitlement” programs. But let’s be clear. The word “entitlement” is often used in negative ways – as handouts or free money given to someone who feels entitled, or justified, to get it without working. In fact, it simply refers to something a person truly has a right to have (think of the entitlement in the business world of a vacation). If a person pays into a fund their whole working life, then retires, aren’t they entitled to get their money back, with interest? That’s Social Security. If a person pays out-of-pocket a portion of that Social Security each month, plus an additional amount to a health plan, and they pay it to the government to form a huge fund that pays for most (not all—think deductibles, co-pays, and non-covered but necessary items) medical bills, aren’t they entitled to receive the limited benefits that Medicare provides? Obviously, the answer is YES to both questions. I wish these programs were not considered “entitlements,” or at least that people would stop thinking that people using them are taking advantage. Over many years, those people earned their benefits!
Today’s Thursday Thought quote-picture at first seems like a task that would take a lot of energy and thought. Yet, it can be done in small ways, sometimes something as simple as a smile, an encouraging word, or just being present to someone.
Last night I watched the most gripping, poignant, impactful movie I’ve seen in some time. It stars Jamie Foxx and Michael B, Jordon, among others. It is based on the true story of Walter Morgan, on death row for a murder he did not commit. I was riveted and needed some tissues to get me through it. And I was inspired. For once I even agreed with the critics. Hunt up “Just Mercy” on your streaming service and watch for it on regular TV channels. The 2 1/2 hours of film goes by so quickly and leaves the viewer with a lot to consider.
Our lives would be less secure and comfortable without some inventions we’ve grown to depend on. Let’s give credit where credit is due for a few of them: home security system (Mary Van Brittan Brown), 3-light traffic signal (Garrett Morgan), refrigerated trucks (Frederick McKinley Jones), automatic elevator doors (Alexander Miles), microphone (James E. West), color IBM PC monitor and gigahertz chip (Mark Dean).
What do all of these inventors have in common? They represent major contributions by Blacks. Something to think about during February, which is Black History Month.
GO, USA! WE YELL. But when the young woman from another country stands in tears, defeated not by her opponent but by a glitch that added one more second onto the clock after the end of the fencing match (actually happened one year), we cry with her. When we see the smiles on non-USA parents’ faces as their non-American children accept gold, silver, or bronze, we share their joy. Looking at the crowds marching under a multitude of colors and flags, I can’t help believing that world peace is possible. I’d like to think that differences can be settled not by bullets and bombs but by coming together in a shared experience. Not by issuing harsh rhetoric and threats but by celebrating our mutual goals. The Olympic rings should remind us that all humans are part of the same huge family, with interlinked, interdependent lives, depending on each other worldwide to survive and thrive on this speck we call Earth. GO, USA! GO HUMANITY!
