What is Integrity?

For many years, I worked for corporations that had high-level security requirements. Every employee was constantly warned that cameras were watching our every move twenty-four hours a day. We were also given annual ethics training to remind us to be on our best behavior during work hours, as well as off hours. Many times we were told a small infraction of the rules was still an infraction, and therefore, grounds for termination.

I never had a problem following rules or laws, and I didn’t really care that my work environment was controlled by computer monitoring, listening devices, or cameras. I was a good person, I thought, and I had nothing to worry about.
I went about my life and work as usual not caring that almost every aspect of my life was open for review. Year after year, time passed and I was not affected by all the surveillance. That was until September 11, 2001. Everything changed after that day. Everyone was scared and my work environment became a place of paranoia. Everyone was watching everyone; even janitors couldn’t be trusted.

During one of our annual ethics training sessions, I looked around my work environment and wondered how we could work in this state of paranoia. There were so many new rules, with new dos and don’ts being created everyday. This training room was tense with a since of everyone’s fear and overwhelming responsibility of not making any mistakes. As the instructor rattled off more new rules, he ended his dissertation with the words that will never leave my mind. “Integrity,” he said, “is doing what’s right when nobody’s looking.”

“Eureka!” I thought. “That’s it! Doing what’s right when no one’s looking!” I felt relieved immediately. All the surveillance that was around me, all the monitoring, and all the cameras didn’t matter if I always did what was right, ESPECIALLY, when no one was looking.

This idea flowed into my personal life too. When a store clerk gave me too much change, and no one was looking, I gave it back. When I dropped a row of clothing onto the floor as I shopped, and no one was looking, I picked them up anyway. When my son wondered why he had to mind his manners “cause nobody’s watching”, I told him to mind them anyway.

This concept of integrity is useful in all aspects of our lives. If everyone would do the right thing, even when no one is watching, just imagine the view of this kind of world. Kindness would be infectious, justice would be automatic, and love would be for real.

What is integrity? I believe it’s a wishful idea from those of us who always see good in people. It’s the idea that people are generally good if they follow their heart. It’s the belief; if we “do unto others, as we have them do unto us”, then the only possible outcome is good.

Where is Helen Thomas?

Has the American news media failed us?

There is a journalist named Helen Thomas who has been a member of the White House Press Corps since 1960. Helen was dubbed “sitting Buddha” because she usually sat front and center at every U.S. Presidential news conference since John F. Kennedy. Every time Helen raised her hand she made those guys at the White House squirm and rightly so. Her questions were usually tough, sometimes sprinkled with humor, but unforgivingly straight forward. She would ask questions most Americans wanted to ask, and held these temporary leaders accountable for their answers.

Helen has written four books; her latest being Watchdogs of Democracy: The Waning of the Washington Press Corps. For me, the title says it all. Reporters were our (the people’s) watchdogs. They usually shed light on the highest and darkest levels of power. Investigative reporters gave Americans confidence that they would get to the bottom of an issue, and that political propaganda would be exposed. I ponder whether America’s news media has failed us?

Currently, reporters are fed news bites from “sources”, and news agencies sift through these bites to report stories that have the most impact. Anybody watching the big three news conglomerates: Fox, CNN or MSNBC can see reporter bashing, self-worship and biased political agendas going on, all while the American public are fed a sifted version of current events and partial world news.

If we take a look at news being transmitted during our dinner hour, we can see talking heads spew their opinions, their observations, and their personal conclusions about current events. We see one pot after another calling the kettle black. Turn the channel; we see red and blue political agendas being accused for some political crime or another, all this in the name of news.

One news program entitled “No Bias, No Bull” was given the title, I assume, to give viewers the assurance that they’re getting the truth, and nothing but the truth. Another is proposing “No Spin”; as if they would not fabricate or concoct a story with half-truths. News, I thought, is the transmission of events from truth to truth, unbiased and un-spun by its every nature.

Remember Watergate? It was uncovered by reporters working as the people’s watchdog uncovering truth. Not red state truth, or blue state truth, but American truth. I’ve got a ton of questions and I just want someone to ask them. I want someone to ask what’s really happening in Rwanda, not tell me how many kids Madonna has. I want someone to ask what’s really going on in Darfur, not tell me box office movie sales. And, I want someone to ask where those crates of American money are that were found in Iraq at the beginning of the war, not tell me how Janet Jackson got a flat stomach.

I wish news was being reported by Helen Thomas. I believe she would search for the truth and get to the bottom of what’s going on. She would not rely on Government “sources,” with their pre-printed approved statements. But rather, she would take to the streets, take off the TV make-up and be about the business of watching our democracy.

I know ignorance is bliss, but I can’t be blissful right now. I believe the American news media has in fact failed us. They have made us choose sides; red or blue, and they have taken sides too. They have focused on poll data and statistics, and carved our country into boxes on their 65” video screens. I hate to say it, but I can’t bear to watch.

12 Million Orphans

May 7, 2009

In one African country there are twelve million orphans. Twelve million little souls, from parentless homes, are putting a strain on their overwhelmed society. These orphans will be tomorrow’s teachers, farmers, bakers, and butchers. Unfortunately, they’ll do so without their health or childhood in tack.

These twelve million orphans just so happen to also be infected with HIV/AIDS. This one minor detail will unfortunately change the ending of this story. These orphans may never see adulthood, consequently, not replacing the generation before them. Just imagine a society with children teaching children.

Ok, I know, you’re ready to stop reading this article and turn the TV on to see Dr. Phil. You might be thinking, “That’s way over in Africa, and that’s their problem.” Or, you might just pass it off as another curse given to those darn descendants of Cain. I hope that’s not the case. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC) statistics, we have a problem in America too. HIV/AIDS is the number one killer of young black males and homicide is number two. I ponder, can we turn away?

The universal language in the world is music and love. No matter where you are in the world, when music is played we all understand. We know the flute, the guitar, and the drum. We can all tap our feet to a Norigian tune, as well as, a song from Mozambique.

It’s the same with love. We all understand a soft caring touch and comprehend a gentle hug. We all know a smile when we see it and feel its warmth in our hearts. If we allow ourselves to love, care, touch and hug hurting people, then those twelve million orphans cannot be ignored. If we have breath in us, I believe we should care. Not just care with our tears when we see a Feed The Children ad on television, but care with our deeds. Can we turn away? I hope we don’t.

I pray that we look into what the Red Cross is doing and get involved. Check out the Peace Corps and see what’s up with them today (yes they did survive the 1960s). And, if you’re retired sign up for a mission job teaching heath care in some far away place. Or, check out medical missions and go comfort sick children somewhere. Or, look into religious missions that build schools, homes, and souls.

I can’t turn away. That why you’re reading this blog right now.

Find out more at UNICEF:

http://www.uniteforchildren.org/index.html

http://www.worldaidsorphans.org/

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Do we appreciate California’s rich history?

The land of milk and honey, and just enough sunshine, is this beautiful place called California. California’s history is rich with stories of Spanish missions, cowboys and Indians, wild west prospectors panning for gold, and settlers staking claim to its rich soil. One such tale is about a man; along with other people that believed through hard work, independence, and self-determination anyone could succeed. This group of people created a town in Central California where they could promote this vision of a self-determined community.

Thirty-seven families traveled to this area where 800 acres of inexpensive farm land, and several water wells, sat along the Santa Fe Railroad line. These families consisted of: professionals and intellectuals, craftsmen and farmers, ranchers and retired soldiers, and the new town grew rapidly. It was not long until the prospering town had a school, church, library, and post office built. Businesses included a hotel, machine shop, bakery, drug store, and barber shop.

This town eventually became a railroad stop, providing customers for the town's many new businesses. Local grain and cattle ranchers also used the railroad to move their products to and from market. The town's shops and stores supplied day-to-day needs for living, and the church and school provided for the spiritual and educational needs of the town's people as well.
This group of hopeful dreamers flourished for almost 10 years, and at its peak numbered 300 families. These citizens joined together to build a self-governing independent community and experienced the reality of the American dream.

As each year passed, growing farming demands from surrounding areas lowered the natural water supply. The result was decreased clean water available for the towns use. In time, water-right disputes among surrounding counties ensued and available river water was diverted away from the town and its residents. In addition, income from railroad shipping business began to decline, and trucks gradually replaced trains for transporting farm products to market. This small town suffered greatly. Slowly, many of the town’s residents were forced to seek work elsewhere and young men enlisted in the military and their families followed.

This small town was called Allensworth and is now a California State Historic Park. The reason this town is significant is because it was the first town in California to be created and settled by African-Americans.

We can learn a lot about California and its rich history as we look back at towns like Allensworth. It says a lot about the American spirit and of people who dream, work hard, and organize to make a better life. It looked like the settlements of Jamestown and Williamsburg, only they survived. Do we appreciate California’s rich history? I sure hope so. This summer let’s go visit our historic California State Parks and enjoy our rich history.

******** ALLENSWORTH STATE PARK***********

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=583 *

What Is Faith?

A famous writer was interviewed prior to his death and was asked if he ever thought about dying. The author answered, “I think about dying all the time.” The interviewer looked baffled. “How could you write about such great characters,” the interviewer asked, “if you always have death on your mind?” The author smiled. “I’ve thought about death ever since I was a child,” he said. “That’s why I have faith.” The interviewer nodded. “So, you think there is a higher-power over all this?” The interviewer waved his hand around the room. The author smiled again. “Yes,” he said. “This gives me peace.”

The author has since died and has no doubt met his higher-power face to face. The discussion between these two men led me to ponder faith.

Each morning we have faith the sun will rise and each evening we expect the sun to set. We go to bed at night and have faith we will wake up the next morning to wash our faces, get dressed and go to work or school. We have confidence that the sun will rise even though were not sure of it.

When I ponder what faith is, I have to include all elements of its definition. Faith is confidence, trust, reliance, assurance, conviction, and belief. We have faith that things will work as they’re supposed to. Things that we don’t understand which work beneath the surface; like physics (what goes up, must come down), or mathematics (the distance of the sun from earth is 94.5 million miles and this allows us to not be burnt to a crisp.) These perfect things are at work, and we have faith that they will do their jobs each and everyday. We go about our lives having faith whether we know it or not.

The author also mentioned faith in a higher-power that he trusted his cares about death (and dying) to. He, therefore, had reliance on this higher-power to keep the perfect universe in perfect order. He also concluded that death, like life, is inevitable, and that faith gave him peace and confidence that this higher-power would take care of all his concerns. Like oxygen; it is there and we need it, but we can’t see it working.

Faith in a higher-power is something that takes effort or no effort at all. We either believe or we don’t, simple as that.

After all this pondering I have to agree with the author. I believe there is a perfect universe designed by a perfect designer I call God. Believing this also gives me peace from concerns, worries, and fear. Although I don’t think about death very often, I know it’s waiting in the wings for its grand entrance. So until the day of its appearance, I will exercise my faith and give thanks to my higher-power for the beautiful sunrise that’s sure to come.

Thankfulness

Ponder with me what it means to be thankful.

Twenty years ago, while waiting with my kids at their school’s bus stop, I noticed a woman sleeping across the street on a church’s stairwell. This stairwell faced my kid’s bus stop and each morning we watched this woman sit, sleep, and eat while the world passed by. My children and I watched in horror as parents, and their children, mocked this woman for being homeless. We silently watched as no one lifted a hand to help this women, besides us. This experience never left my mind, and my heart has always found a place of compassion for homeless men, women and children.

During these hard economic times, I’m reminded how much I’m thankful for. Not just for the warm bed I sleep in, the warm clothes that I hang in my closets, or the heater that warms my home, but for the knowledge that it could be very different.

Most of us are one paycheck, one lay-off notice, and one medical bill away from joining the millions of people who are losing their homes and facing a homeless shelter. We can’t even imagine how it would be to face this reality. Some of us say, “This will never happen to me!” But, don’t speak too soon.

My brother had an unexpected stroke (not like he was planning for it), and he became disabled. Being self-employed, he could not work, and therefore, could not earn a living. Hospital bills started to come in, medicines were required, and losing everything was a possibility. Thankfully, he had wise investments that were liquidated and his home was saved. My brother’s story had a happy ending, but how many of these types of stories don’t end so well.

Millions of disabled Americans are homeless. Be it mental or physical illness, sick people are living in shelters and on the streets all over America. Homelessness and poverty have no respect of race or religion. Men, women and children of all races and religions call a shelter home.

I am grateful for my blessings, and my warm home. I’m thankful for the little things that I enjoy everyday. What I don’t use, can’t use and won’t store in my garage to rot, I give away. I think being thankful for what we have and giving away the excess is true thank-full-ness. Find a homeless shelter and be thank-full too.

Homeless shelters always need:

bibles, blankets, sleeping bags, shampoo/conditioner, razors, shaving cream, bar soaps, underwear for men, women and children, undershirts, socks, toothbrushes/toothpaste, brushes/combs, deodorant, and someone to show they care.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxox

Christ vs. The Easter Bunny

During this time of year when we remember the resurrection of Christ, the easter bunny is getting on my last nerve. To top this off, Newsweek Magazine does a lead article, “The Decline of Christian America.” http://www.newsweek.com/id/192583

What is really going on here?

Hardtime Hope

Is it hopeless in these hard times?

I was watching CSPAN and there was a meeting in Washington D.C of foreign student interns from all over the world. These students stood in line to speak into a microphone and answer various questions regarding their thoughts on the new American president, and American politics. One by one, these foreign students spoke about their thoughts on what they were witnessing during this time in American history.

A faculty commentator asked one student, “What do you think about all this optimism?” The student thought for a moment, looked around the room, and said with a foreign accent, “What’s wrong with optimism?” Everyone in the room; students from around the world, professors from local universities, and political commentaries all began to clap.

A poet once said, “The future is the presence of now, living as it endures, overcomes and yet still hopes.” As I ponder this idea I wonder, is it hopeless in these hard times? Based on history, the cycle of struggle, courage and survival are replayed over and over in every generation. Man has struggled ever since cavemen struggled to get that first fire started. Now they struggle to put them out. Men have stood up with courage to defeat ruthless armies and end tyranny, and struggled to overcome man-made genocides around the world. Men (and women) have found ways to survive during, and after hard times.

As some of us face foreclosure of our dream home, face children oversees protecting someone else’s soil, face Wall Street insanity focused on our retirement funds, and a future that looks bleak, we have cause to feel hopeless. We’ve entrusted our future to the hands of greedy CEOs, and watched as our financial future was driven into the ground. Yes, we have cause to fear.

During this time let’s not forget history; when greed, hate, or the ignorance of mankind got out of balance, good always overcame evil. Wherever there is a ray of light, darkness can not stay. This ray of light is also known as hope. Not the cum-ba-ya kind of hope, but the knowledge that perseverance, determination, and faith (yes the belief that you are not alone in this battle) all work together for good.

Hope is the God given understanding that only humans beings enjoy. Animals look for a meal, but only man hopes for a perfectly grilled steak. Man trusts in his ability to work hard, wish for a good outcome, and look forward to the best. If we let ourselves we can hope for the best and anticipate that one day the struggle will be over. We can then struggle, have courage and survive just like generations before us.

Is there hope in this time of hopelessness? Yes, why not. Why not look for that silver lining, that dawn after the night, that rainbow after the rain, and that perfectly cooked steak. Why not be blissful in this time of CNNs repeating how bad it is over, and over, and over, and over. Why not hold on to that life jacket so you won’t drown in the sea of despair. Why not expect and trust and look forward to better days ahead. Why not have hope in these hard times.

What Is Life?

Ok, I know what you’re saying. “She’s going over the edge now, pondering LIFE of all things.” And you’re probably right. This is a big one, the mother load of pondering, but I like a good challenge, so here goes.

When I ponder this question my thoughts go back to my grandmother who would remind me that I didn’t know everything. Whenever I’d try to outwit her or tell her something she already knew, she’d say, “I knew you before you were a twinkle in your father’s eyes.” I used to laugh at my grandmother’s description because I knew she was right. I couldn’t hide anything from her, and she did in fact know more than me.

What my grandmother was saying was that she was a grown woman and before I was a divided cell in their mother’s round belly, and before my father’s DNA was transported to its new home. That’s really knowing someone. The thought of me being a divided cell in my mother’s belly, mixed with my father’s DNA, is really a remarkable notion. Me standing, talking, thinking, laughing, crying, running, playing, hoping, and believing all started with a single cell. I’m blown away just thinking about the wonderful, incredible miracle of life, all starting with a single cell.

This cell, containing 50% of my mother’s best and worse traits, combined with 50% of my father’s best and worse traits, resulted in my 100% beautiful brown eyes and inquisitive disposition. (just kidding) But seriously, you gotta marvel at the opportunities for something to have gone wrong as this cell divided over and over again during gestation. Just think, if only one of those cells were affected by infection, x-ray, alcohol, drugs, or bad nutrition it could have resulted in an abnormality or birth defect. Regardless of my husband’s insistence, no birth defects exist and I’m doing just fine.

Whenever I look at a picture of a fetus at four weeks, five weeks, or even eight weeks I marvel at the development of hands, feet and eyes, those beautiful brown eyes. I marvel at nature in all its perfection. This then leads me to think about the Pro-this and Pro-that debate that people are having. I wonder if those people debating really think about the enormity of this wonderful experience. I wonder if they’ve ever seen an actual birth or seen a babies blue eyes twinkle each time they jiggle. I wonder if they’ve ever smelled a newborn’s sweet skin or if they really looked at the marvel of crawling, to walking, to running, to winning an Olympic gold metal for swimming. I wonder if they feel love, as well as, the warmth of someone loving them in return. This is real life.

When I ponder what life is, I wonder what the debate is. The concept of living, to me, is described in every adjective associated with astonishing. It’s amazing, extraordinary, mind-blowing, mind-boggling, unbelievable, fantastic, phenomenal, and remarkable. What is life? It’s the ability to enjoy a sunset, it’s a view of the ocean’s rolling waves, it’s my grandmother’s sense of humor, and it’s rocky road ice cream. It is my ability to feel, touch, taste, see and hear. And, it’s my ability to know that I am. This is real life.