Category: Choice

The Fight for Public Education

If we want to enjoy an equitable and functioning democracy, it would seem that the education of future generations would be a top priority.

So thought Thomas Jefferson who argued for a formal education system supported by tax dollars and charged with educating all citizens. But it wasn’t until a century later that Horace Mann established public education in this country.

Within the last few decades, as economic and racial divides continue to haunt us, another turn had begun. It was the privatization of education.

The rise of charter schools and other private school systems began to take critical funds from public schools. Now it seems the tide may be turning again. In Los Angeles the first teacher’s strike in over 30 years has ended with strong victories for the public schools.

This community driven agenda to revamp public education had been in the making for the past four years. Recognizing the need for social justice as well as educational justice this strike was more a celebration of what people wanted, not what they were against.

Better resources, smaller class size, less testing, a nurse on staff every day of the week; the community was fighting for their children. And with the demand that every student should have a quality education, they won.

Los Angeles is the second largest school district in the United States. 82% of the children receive the free lunch program.

The public school system provides an important bridge into community life for the students – and it ensures an educated and informed populace as our forbearers hoped. The systems of education will certainly continue to evolve as they should, but we would do well to ensure an equitable means for all of our children to learn and to grow and to find happiness.

Let us help one another toward that end.

 

The photo is of the recent Los Angeles teachers strike  We Are Public Schools.

 

Choosing Our Fate

Another human caravan is leaving Honduras walking to a new life. This community of people is attempting to beat the odds. They have learned that the journey north is best made with other like-minded people, not alone and not with the aid of outlaws.

Asked if they are aware of current United States policies and of what may await them at the Mexican – US border, they answer, “Yes”. But they will tell you that whatever awaits them cannot be as horrible as the tragedies they leave behind.

And this is what we have not yet comprehended. We are not recognizing the power of the very human need to live a good and simple life in peace. And we are not acknowledging, in any real way, the role our government and our ways of life have corroded the lives of our brothers and sisters to the south.

Nor do they understand the sickness that has taken hold of our people. They cannot comprehend that through politics and religion we are willing to ignore the very principles that allow each of us to be here: With the exception of first nations people we are all born of immigrants who searched for a better life.

Currently  white evangelical views are driving our government. And it is the white evangelical population that is using the sound bite of “law and order” to overshadow our mutual humanity.

Make no mistake. The leader of the free world has the power to convene with leaders of the southern hemisphere. We could use our capital and our good will to alter caravans at their inception. What is lacking is our will. Unless and until a majority of evangelical Christians return to their roots, no wall or law will save us from the disease of indifference we have cultivated.

Our fates now rest in our hearts, not in our laws.

 

The map above is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For more visit the Missing Migrants website.

Thanks to WDRT for airing “Consider This” every Thursday at 5:28 pm CST.

The Power of Inclusion

It seems these days you have to grab hold of hope wherever you find it. While cleaning my house I accidentally tuned into the inaugural ceremony of Tony Evers to become the 46thgovernor of Wisconsin. Ever the political cynic, I half-heartedly gave my ear to the broadcast. As the opening songs commenced my first reaction was “nice touch” as I listened to the young and diverse people performing. And I began to feel the inclusion and welcoming of this new day.

The next moment that caught my attention was the introduction of the MC and his telling of being a Big Brother. He made me smile as he told us how much he gained in giving his time to another, and I moved closer to the radio and gave myself permission to listen with a bit more intent.

It was time for the national anthem and the pledge of allegiance. And when the MC informed us that the pledge would be led by the youth of GSafe, I knew I would be listening to the inauguration in its entirety.

GSafe for those of you, who may not know, is an organization in support of gay youth. Having grown up without that kind of support or that kind of inclusion, I was really touched and began to cry. I realized again the power of inclusion and the wisdom of it.

And then the words of Bella Wabindato of the Bad River Tribe really hit home. She spoke of the importance of water and the love she has of her people. And she told us, “ racial equity would mean that other people see my people as I do, as people.”

The greatest leaders are those who allow others to lead. We are so ready for this.

Best wishes Governor, continue to surround yourself with loving and kind people.

We will all benefit.

 

 

 

You can listen to this piece on Soundcloud.

Bear Witness to Good

Children remain in detention camps still separated from their families.

A seven-year old Black child is shot and killed by a white male terrorist in a red truck. Say her name: Jazmine Barnes.

A president, with a grudge, halts funds and plays politics with peoples lives…and on and on it goes.

I know many of us can no longer bear witness to the travesties. We have had enough of hatred and violence. Some of us now doubt that better times are possible. Some of us even question if better times are deserved.

But of this I am 100% certain: Today is a new day. And we owe it to ourselves, to one another and to those not yet born to stand up. There are people throughout the world – and yes, right next door – who are doing the impossible every day. They are waking up and carrying on with love and hope. They are finding the determination and the fortitude to make a better way. Some have moved towards politics, some are working to bridge religious or racial divides, some prepare the soil to bring good food to our tables, some are sitting in treetops stopping pipelines and environmental destruction, some are offering shelter to asylum seekers.

We are the heroes we have been waiting for, if we have the eyes to see.

Look to this new day. Grab the inspiration that comes – however it comes – and hold on.

Inhumanity can bring us to our knees. But it is in rising that we see we are not broken. There is power in that. Human beings have shown us the worst that we can be, let this new day and each new day bring the best that we can be. Bear witness to that. Bear witness to the good in your heart and let it shine.

 

OPT IN

opt  äpt/  verb   make a choice from a range of possibilities

And so it goes, we have choice from a range of possibilities. Perhaps not on the outside, perhaps our choices are limited there. But we have a choice where it counts to us the most – on the inside.

There is only one who knows the range of emotion like waves of sound that courses through us. There is only one who can choose which note to listen to, which note to add to, which note to delete.

To welcome that understanding is the first option.

The second option is to enable the ability to choose. Choose.

Choose well.Choose as if your life depends on it…because it does.

Opt in to life. Opt in to hope. Opt in to clarity. Opt into beauty. Practice.

Because we can.

Disabling Gun Violence

It appears we may be at a tipping point with gun violence in this country. The seventeen lives lost last week in Parkland, Florida may well represent the final blow to a country enamored with violence and guns.

We are not willing to take it anymore.

From organizations like Everytown for Gun Safety to individuals like Emma Gonzales, a Parkland teen, who passionately called out the simplistic excuses of the administration and the NRA as BS – the voices for common sense gun control seem to have finally reached a fevered pitch.

For far too long the voice of the NRA has reigned supreme with millions of dollars being poured into the pockets of politicians. Bought and paid for our leaders have been rendered impotent when it has come to saving the lives of innocents and children. There is blood on the streets and in the hands of everyone who has enabled the violence that we have witnessed.

While the numbers are hot in debate we know that since the beginning of 2018 there have been 7 school shootings during school hours, 5 of which have resulted in deaths. Total numbers of shootings around schools with no injuries or fatalities in the past 7 weeks is 17.

Now people can debate and dissect these numbers in many ways, but I agree with Emma Gonzales as she called out the excuses used to justify lives lost: BS.

The time has come for all of us who understand there can be no more tolerance for lax gun laws. There can be no tolerance for the greed, which has eroded the innocence of our children and has increased the paranoia of communities that should be thriving in trust.

On Friday, April 20th, there will be a student organized #National Walkout. Students will attend school and the walk out will begin at 10am. It will be a peaceful protest. Another Walkout is scheduled for March 14.

nationalwalkout

I think we owe it to our youth to stand by them, to ensure they are treated with respect and dignity as they exercise their civic and moral obligation to one another and to those whose lives have been lost.

Most importantly we must follow their lead and walk with their courage as they announce: “We are students, we are victims, we are change.”

 

You can listen to this piece which aired on WDRT, Thursday, Feb 22.

Grappling With Suicide

I recently learned of another young friend who took her life. Another bright shining star extinguished. It seems we have entered into a new normal. I am old enough to remember when it was not a frequent occurrence. And now suicide has become a common guest. Rates of suicide have increased by 60% since the ‘60s.

Now it’s whittled down to numbers. 22 veterans take their own lives every day – one every 65 minutes. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among our young taking 4,400 lives per year. For each of these deaths, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. With LGBT and indigenous youth among the highest numbers.

Our culture has not yet begun to grapple with the roots of this inhuman unrest. We keep secrets and speak in hushed tones as our beloveds depart. And rarely do we openly admit that the gross behaviors of our culture are more than symptoms. We have become numb to violence. Bullying is now an art form. And #metoo has just begun to pull the scab off a disease that has haunted us since our inception. We hide behind electronics and many now live in fantasy worlds where death is a non-reality that allows you to rise again.

When it comes to “brotherly love” our faiths have failed us and the rise of atheism has thrown the sacred out with the profane. Very little is precious to us. We traffic human lives while presidents boast of our military might and the desire to annihilate entire nations. Militarized police protect corporations destroying the earth in total disregard of the people who live here. Hopelessness is mirrored back to us everyday with anger and fear mounting as dreams slip away.

Apparently we’re not yet ready to reverse this trend. We are certain we are not part of the problem. But we are all part of the problem. Every time we choose hatred and anger and doubt we are part of the problem. Every time we allow inhumanity to win we are part of the problem. This lost humanity can be found. It is a choice and we can make it. But we must summon up the will to live the promise that was placed within us at birth. As long as we breathe there is hope.

 

Consider This airs on WDRT Driftless Community Radio every Thursday at 5:28 pm CST.

You can listen here.

Flower photo: Forget Me Nots

Environmental Heroes

Perhaps it is time we take a look at our concept of hero. Most of our heroes are long gone or have something we want – like great athletic ability or the skill of amassing wealth. However, we often emulate people at a cost of ignoring the heroes in our everyday lives.

And most significantly, we forget that we are each our own hero.

Not only do we admire the powerful, it seems we have now become adept at ignoring common sense as we cheer on the heroes we have come to adore.

This phenomenon is not new. It has been a curse of human kind for all of recorded history. But I am not one to follow a trend simply because it is commonplace and I am especially weary of one that has become so destructive to the human spirit and to the Earth.

So what I want to tell you today is about a gathering of environmental heroes right here among us. A group of people who come from diverse backgrounds, beliefs and lifestyles but share one common understanding: The land we are living on is precious and must be protected from those who have forgotten these simple truths: we are of the earth, we are totally reliant upon her and to allow her destruction is folly.

And here is the good news. These environmental heroes are standing up, and saying, “No more” – and they are inviting you to be a hero, too. Your own hero, as it should be.

On Saturday, January 20th from 1pm to 5:30 pm in Boscobel, Wisconsin, there will be a gathering to discuss our precious environment, what is occurring that could cause great harm to the Driftless and what solutions we can take to avert that harm. There are numerous organizations and individuals who are co-sponsoring this free event. It may be live-streamed and recorded.

Let this be the year we all step up to protect the earth, to learn more about her care and our unique role in protecting her. Everyone is needed. It is time to become our own hero.

 

photo: Driftless Area Slope Map by Joshua Wachuta

listen to it here

Our Moral Currency

The moral currency of this country is bankrupt. Do not look to leaders to do what each of us must do. And what is it that we each must do? We must live. We must live with a passion towards life that is undeniable. Life is for the living, not the dead. We are letting the dead lead. Why? We are accepting intolerable inhumanity as if we have no choice. Why? We are spinning with isms and making one another sick. Why? We fear diminished capital, but not diminished humanity. Why? We are content to shake our head and wring our hands, but unwilling to change the course of our lives. Why?

The solutions are simple and are right in front of us. They require the heart and the will to manifest. Respect one another and the earth and yes, live in kindness.

You want to change the course of a river? Go to where it sources itself and put your finger there. Stop making this so difficult. Change your thoughts, your actions, your patterns, your lifestyles…learn or re-learn to walk in Beauty. Celebrate the living, not the dead. We have to help one another out of this mess. And the clock is ticking…

I am no longer surprised by the ignorance of a few. I am stunned by the silence of the many. And I long for the company of the living.

And here are some living words; words that will forever outlast ignorance. These are the kind of words we need right now and we need to share:

“Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And you do that by love.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

photo / meme from Business Insider