Small Things Count

Maybe this guy at a school board meeting went a tad too far in making his point about rules we follow & why we follow them. Put it into the context of the Board’s discussions leading to a decision about mandatory masks in schools, and I think he’s spot-on (even if his clothes are not).

For many people, their major source of facts and information is not the news media, which they deem biased, but social media, which they accept as reliable. For that reason, misinformation spreads like Covid-19.

The Cybersecurity for Democracy at NYU studied thousands of Facebook postings from August 2020 through January 2021. In those six months, the height of the Presidential campaigns, they found that misinformation (half-truths, truth-twisting, lies, etc.) were shared and liked 6x (six times) more often than news from actual news sites.

Part of the problem is people’s mistrust of the news media, or reliance only on biased news that supports their own views or promotes misinformation. Part of it is people’s unwillingness to consider the source of “facts”–what agenda the person saying it has–and simply, without thinking, passing it on.

No matter which, we’ve become a nation of lemmings, mindlessly following those who lead us over the cliff into the churning waters below. I’m normally a positive person, but this scares me.

Enjoy the last unofficial weekend of summer.  BBQ with friends and family.  Rest and relax.  Be a couch potato or get in some energetic activity. Whatever you do, remember that it took many people to arrange your day: grocer, bag-person, butcher, farmer, farm-worker, baker, brewer, grape-harvester, and many others for your food alone. Then there are those who worked the lines in the factory that produced your BBQer, swim suits, and cars to bring your guests together…and the lawn chairs and sports equipment you’re enjoying. Still working this weekend to keep you safe are the police, fire, EMTs, and their support–nurses, doctors, hospital orderlies and housekeeping.

Look at any object in front of you and think for a minute how many people it took to make this restful day possible for you.  It’s a crowd.

This group of people–laborers from all aspects of our lives–deserve to be thanked and honored.  Not just today, though, but each and every day.

This weekend, acknowledge a worker you wouldn’t have thought to thank before.

I had forgotten all about Walter Fauntroy. You may be too young to have heard of him. He ran in the Presidential primaries in 1972 and 1976. He was a former pastor, civil and human rights activist, and, as today’s Thursday Thought quote shows, a wise man who thought that we have a responsibility for shaping our world.

Those of us with elderly loved ones should be aware of the people around them.  Think about the kindly older lady who drops by Aunt Arora’s house for a weekly visit, the frail man who smiles when he passes you and Dad talking in the apartment house recreation room, Mom’s cheery roommate in the nursing home.  Often, through no fault of their own, they may not be what they seem. Older people can be bullies, too.  Some become loud and argumentative when alone with another person.  Some resort to hurtful name-calling and bossiness, while others become physically abusive.  The AARP cites mistreatment by peers in 10%-20% of U.S. seniors in care homes—hundreds of thousands of our older loved ones.  We must report any suspected abuse to the facility’s administration.  Also, we must visit often, never on a predictable schedule, and listen not just to what Uncle Max is saying about his daily life but how he is saying it.  Through awareness and action, we can protect our elders and ensure their safety.

It’s been awhile since I’ve offered you background on a phrase we hear and use often. Try working this information into the conversation next time you feel somebody is giving you “the third degree.”

We’ve all been subjected to the “third degree,” even if only as a child caught doing something we denied doing. It means being questioned—interrogated, really—for a hard, drawn-out period of time.  Where did this term come from?

Could be from an 1800s police officer’s methods of grilling people.  He called that method “Third Degree Byrnes,” after himself, Thomas Byrnes.  Or maybe it’s from the fact that the criminal code contained three levels of murder.  Both have been proposed derivations.  Probably, though, it grew out of the Freemasons’ strenuous questioning when considering someone for becoming a Master Mason, which is their third degree.

No matter where the term came from, it is definitely NOT a pleasant experience to go through.

We see so many people in need. But we can’t budget enough to give to all the things that pull at our hearts. Plus, we want to be sure our monetary gift will actually be used for people needing it, not CEO salaries. It would be nice, too, if we could be of help to people nearby.

We can. Think about doing something for people living in your own vicinity.  Try www.GiveLocally.net.  As little as $5 will help a suddenly jobless single mom in Santa Cruz pay her rent, or a young couple in San Jose pay for the wife’s much-needed 17^th surgery (actual applicants).  Search for a recipient in a category—single parent, child, family, someone needing medical or educational help, a local nonprofit.  Or help a person or foundation in a near-by state.  All recipients are prescreened, so you know they have a legitimate need.  Once you’ve made your donation, follow your recipient’s progress on the GiveLocally website, seeing exactly what impact you’ve made on that person’s life. In fact, why not do this with your child?  What a great way for him to learn how a little charity can help a person help himself.

To observe National Dog Day, I thought this would be an appropriate Thursday Thought quote.

And, when you think of it, maybe the meaning of the expression “going to the dogs” (to ruin something or make things worse) is just the opposite.

As we plan our vacations, especially if we have kids, we often work animal attractions into our plans. They’re fun for us, but they’ve often cruel for the animals. Think about these:

So, what’s wrong with these attractions? Go to 10 Tourist Attractions That Are Cruel for Animals. This article is an eye-opener.

Do you have a business, family, or other blog? Use it periodically to build a better world. Maybe once a month, write something personal about what you see and feel. For example, tell how encouraged you were when you overheard a parent talking to his son about not acting like a bully. Or when you drove by a homeless mother and child and felt helpless to improve the bad economy causing the situation. Or when you visited your parent in a nursing home and saw the lonely faces of residents who never have a visitor. Or, in Sept., declare that you’ll observe the UN International Day of Peace on the 21^st by not cursing at other drivers or yelling at your teenager, and you’ll email your senator to ask for legislation promoting peace in a hot-spot of the world. A monthly blog entry isn’t much, but letting others know you believe in working toward a more just world for all may just start people thinking—and doing.