Self Reliance vs. Victimhood

I've been hearing a little bit about how the city of Gary, Indiana and the surrounding area has been without electricity for about two weeks, after some major storms knocked out the power.  This brings me back to when we had a major derecho in my neck of the woods.  I'm not going to try to compare the severity of the events, because I experienced the derecho, whereas I'm only reading about the storms in Gary, so I have a biased belief that my storm was worse.  As a result, any attempt at comparison would be something like saying my dad's lung cancer is worse than your mom's pancreatic cancer.  What I am going to do is talk about our responses to the event.

As I read the story about Gary,  I consumed a story about victimhood...  Oh, woe is me.  We've been without power for two weeks.  Who will save us?  This wasn't my first exposure to the story, but it was my first deep dive.  After reading this story, I continued on and read a couple of additional articles, and the trend was similar... the residents of Gary, Indiana are victims of a natural disaster, and they're frustrated or underserved by the public infrastructure that's supposed to help in this type of circumstance.

As I absorbed these stories, I thought back to the derecho that hit me, and the 500 year flood that had hit just over a decade earlier.  I also thought back to Hurricane Katrina when it hit New Orleans in 2005.  Here's my overall observation:  When we got hit by the derecho, we were also without power.  My house was without power for eight days, and I personally knew people who went without electricity for two weeks.  Portions of my city were completely isolated for days due to trees completely blocking roads.  When we saw the devastation, we pooled our resources and started digging our way out ourselves.  Neighbors shared chainsaws, manpower, and vehicles, and we started clearing the roads as citizens.

I knew I'd be without power for a while, so I called up a friend in a nearby town and asked if I could store meat from my small freezer in his deep freezer, and he happily agreed.  I kept a small amount of frozen meat and all of my frozen veggies, and moved my perishables from the refrigerator to the freezer, converting it into an icebox.  I ate food as it thawed, cooking on the grill on my deck.  I climbed on the roof and patched the hole that had been punched through it by a tree with expandable spray foam I happened to have on hand, and covered the hole where my fireplace chimney had been with a tarp.  Once I had finished taking care of the minor breaches in my home's integrity, I volunteered to assist others.

My mindset was quite typical.  People and businesses who had power restored early on put power strips on their porches, so that neighbors could charge their cell phones.  People with generators offered to let neighbors store insulin in their refrigerator.  My point is that we banded together and started rebuilding ourselves.  We didn't wait for others to come bail us out.

The story in Gary is a story of victimhood.  The story of Katrina was a story of helplessness. The overarching, repeating theme in both cases are that the residents are waiting for rescue, whereas my story was a story of self-reliance and resilience.

I can't help but wonder how much of these stories are the real, full story, vs. a media fabrication.  I keep asking myself if my case was unique or if it was spun by the storytellers.  I question if I'm misremembering things, but can't help but believe my memories are accurate.  Let's assume I'm right, just for a moment...

What does that mean for American society?  If my little pocket is the exception and not the rule, what does that mean for American resilience and exceptionalism?  Is it effectively dead?  Have we turned into a country of victims, unable to persevere during times of adversity, destined to rely on the help of others?

But if I'm wrong, what does that mean for the state of journalism?  Has the fourth pillar devolved to the point where it no longer serves the public, and is instead only interested in producing a story that will engage the reader, even to the extend of skewing reality beyond the realm of fact?

I suspect that both are true, which is even worse. 

Good. He Should Be Charged!

 

I read an article this morning saying that the an Air Force major is going to be charged essentially for protesting in uniform. I support the administration for pressing charges. While everyone is entitled to exercise their first amendment rights, military personnel are prohibited from doing so in uniform. This is because the military is supposed to be non-partisan. As soon as the uniform is donned, you cease speaking or acting as an individual and you assume the role of Airman, Sailor, Soldier or Marine.

 

I fully expect this officer knew what he was doing. I am confident he sees himself as a martyr. While I acknowledge that his actions required a strength of conviction, I strongly disagree with how he chose to express his position.

Allergies Suck

Let me start by saying this is a minor inconvenience.  I have seasonal allergies.  My specific symptoms include itchy, watery eyes, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, a little bit of congestion in my lungs, and occasional bouts of eczema.  It's not wildly different from a cold.  Unfortunately, I have spring and fall allergies.  Maybe that's part of why I love summer so much.  The spring pollen is gone, the fall pollen hasn't yet arrived, and I get the sun and heat that's sorely lacking in the winter.

I should clarify that I take daily allergy medicine to combat the symptoms.  That's tremendously helpful.  Back in the day, I spent months suffering from allergies, and the only relief I could find was from Benadryl, which just knocked me on my @$$.  I also did the allergy shots for several years.  That helped too.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to complete the treatment plan because of my divorce from wife 1.0.  Regardless though, the shots helped a lot.  I'm a lot less susceptible to allergens than I was before the shots.

It still doesn't help days like today.  I'm having a miserable allergy day.  It's the ragweed.  Unfortunately, I can't take the Benadryl, because I have too much to do, and I can't afford to be a zombie.  Allergies suck! 

Why I Give

I was asked to give a quick speech in church yesterday, discussing why I give/serve.  It was a little weird for me, because I'm not bit into tooting my own horn, specifically when it comes to my charity work.  I've long believed that the best charity work is done anonymously.  While I have occasionally discussed certain facets of my volunteer work, I don't believe I've ever shared everything I do, all at once, with a large group of people.  In this case though, I understood what my pastor was trying to accomplish, so I took one for the team, and discussed why, where and how I give.

I serve on the church's worship team, primarily as a bass player, though I've occasionally been known to sing harmonies or play six string.  This one is primarily for selfish reasons.  I serve on the worship team because it forces me to practice and play music.  If it wasn't for the worship team, my guitars and bass would just sit around and collect dust.  Furthermore, music is one of the two times I feel closest to God.  (The other time is when I'm communing with nature.)  When it comes to music though, I have to be playing it.  Singing along with the congregation from the pews isn't the same.  When I'm playing, I feel like a conduit.

I volunteer with the Humane Society.  Each month, I take a dog to a nearby nursing home to interact with the residents.  I do this because I love dogs, and because it provides an opportunity for me to serve an overlooked segment of society.  I genuinely believe that humans don't deserve the unconditional love that dogs give us, and I can't describe the satisfaction I receive when I see a resident light up when I bring a dog for them to pet.

I'm active in the veteran community.  This is partially because I'm a vet.  It's more because I see that veterans, as a group, have given more to our society than virtually another demographic, and they pay a far higher price for that service.  They have earned our respect and deserve our service.

I donate money to an area faith-based nonprofit that focuses on housing and food insecurity.  This charity holds an annual event where they fix up houses for homeowners who could otherwise not afford it.  This work ranges from painting the exterior to replacing appliances, to structural repairs, and everything in between.  The work is done by volunteers and area trades experts, and paid for by community fundraising.  Additionally, they have a few houses and apartments that they've renovated and rent out at below-market prices.  They have a nonprofit grocery store in an area that used to be a food desert.  They have a pay-it-forward nonprofit cafe, and they supplement these food locations with an urban farm.  I donate money to this group because I remember what it's like to struggle to pay rent.  I remember going weeks without eating meat so I could put nutritious food into my kids' bellies.  I remember what it was like as a kid, not having the nice clothes.

I don't do this because I'm obedient to God, per se. In fact, most people who know me would probably not use the word obedient to describe me.  I don't do it to follow a rule.  I do it out of love for my fellow human being.  I do it because I can.

As I finished my talk, I shared that it doesn't matter why, where, or how often you give.  It only matters that you give.  I hope that by sharing where, why and how I give that my reason for each of my charitable involvements had a unique reason, and that service can take many different forms.  I hope I touched a couple of hearts that might now consider a couple of new ideas for their own community involvement.

Bye Bye, Boy

Grandson is on his way back home today.  The house feels unusually quiet, despite his being here for only three weeks.  I guess I got used to his presence.

I won't miss the mess he left in his wake.

I won't miss telling him to do things that is common sense for an adult to do, such as flushing the toilet.

I won't miss watching him fall into the abyss of his cell phone.

I won't miss him arguing with his little cousin.

I will miss the trash talk.

I will miss the mundane conversation about nothing in particular.

I will miss him at the gym and Marine PT.

I will miss cooking with and for him.

I will miss playing video games with him.

I will miss him arguing with his little cousin, despite what I said earlier. 

I will miss him. 

Speaking of the Middle East...

Today's post is a coincidental follow-up to yesterday's topic of the mess in the middle east.  I read an article reporting that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan just signed a defense treaty.  From my perspective, this is an interesting development, which resulted from a worldwide understanding that the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner.  To clarify, all of these countries are considered American allies.  For example, Saudi Arabia was our staging area for Desert Storm, and Pakistan allowed us to cross their borders into Afghanistan.  In other words, it's not automatically a problem, but it is a potential complication.

India is understandably wary of this news, because of their tense relations with Pakistan.  Iran is probably concerned, because they have a tense relationship with Saudi Arabia, though Iran is downplaying the news.  Turkey has been trying to get into the EU for a long time, so this may be their way of thumbing their noses at EU officials who won't let Turkey join.  All in all, I believe that each country stands to benefit economically and militarily.

I find it a amusing that some in the U.S. are concerned about this, and it feels like those most concerned are the biggest supporters of America First.  Like I said above, we have shown the world that we're no longer a reliable partner.  If the biggest kid in the schoolyard stops protecting you and starts bullying you, it's only reasonable to link up with other kids and promise to help each other out.  What did you think would happen?

The Middle East Mess

I was prompted to discuss my thoughts on the mess in the Middle East, specifically the Israel-Palestine conflict.  In order to explain my perspective though, we need a not-so-little history lesson.

Let's start with the basics.  Ancient Israel goes back thousands of years.  The Bible shows the Israelites warring with many nations, and archaeologists seem to agree that frequent conflict was pretty much how society looked in that area at that time.  Heck, the Israelites couldn't even agree amongst themselves, resulting in the area splitting into two separate countries -- Israel and Judah.  Both kingdoms fell well before 500 BCE.  In other words, Israel ceased to exist as a nation well before Christ was born.  The temple in Jerusalem was under Roman rule during Christ's life, as is verified in many biblical passages.  When the kingdom(s) of Israel fell, the Jewish people were scattered across the world, though they did hold their faith, traditions, and bloodlines over time.  This is generally known as the diaspora.

Over the following centuries, the Jewish people suffered persecution, though the oppression was not universal.  In fact, many Jewish settlements were quite integrated into local societies.  In my opinion, this experience is not radically different from any minority ethnic group throughout history.  So let's fast forward to World War II, where we all know what happened.

As a direct result of the Holocaust, the United Nations got together and decided to create a new nation of Israel.  There's a lot of geopolitical stuff I don't fully understand, so I'm not going to try to explain it, because I may get it wrong.  The result, however, is pretty straight forward.  A lot of Arabs lost their land.  If I were in their position, I'd be a little cranky about having my land taken from me and given to someone else, so I can understand the tension.

Since then, the Arabs have tried a couple of times to take the land back by force.  In one instance, (the Six Day War,) a bunch of Arab countries tried to gang up on Israel all at once, and got their collective asses kicked.  In fact, Israel ended up taking a bunch or land from them in the process.  Israeli ownership of the West Bank and Gaza strip are contested territory to this day.  In my personal opinion on this event, the Arabs tried to bully Israel, got their asses kicked, and lost the land fair and square.

Let's deviate just for a quick second and talk about Palestine. For the record, there has never been a country called Palestine.  Not in the way we think of countries today, with universally recognized borders.  Palestinians are a group of people from that geographical area.  It's more accurate to think of Ancient Palestine how you would think of Ancient Israel.  I'm not saying that the Palestinians are unworthy of a country.  From where I sit, they are probably as worthy as the Jewish people who now live in Israel.  The big difference is that the Palestinians didn't face global extinction like the Jews did, so they haven't received the same level of global sympathy.  Anyway, back to the history lesson...

Since Israel became a state, they have had to fight tooth and nail for their existence as a country.  Many Arab countries have said quite plainly that they want to wipe Israel from the map.  I'm not sure that Arabs hate Jews like we are led to believe, but it's reasonably clear that Arab countries disagree with the idea of Zionism, which is the desire for the Jewish people to have a nation that's recognized and secured by law.  Heck, it's theoretically possible that the Arabs would be okay with Israel existing, as long it's not on "their land."  Typical NIMBYism, I guess.  I'd like to clarify this all conjecture on my part.

Now, let's talk about America's support of Israel.  As far as I can tell, there is a very high correlation between Fundamental Christianity and support for Israel as a nation.  In other words, it seems to me that the most ardent support for Israel is based on Christian faith, rather than humanistic or political reasons.  Based on many, many conversations I've had on this subject, I've come to the personal conclusion that this is based on Biblical prophesy indicating that Israel will be restored when Jesus returns.  This would seem to indicate that if Israel were to cease being a country, we would by extension no longer be in the end of days.  Assuming I'm correct, this means that faith is the root of America's unfailing support for Israel's existence.

The thing is, Israel is very heavy-handed in its efforts to maintain its existence.  This means that the human rights of ethnic Arabs are not always observed, especially in the occupied areas I mentioned before.  This, understandably, could make some Arabs in the region a little cranky.  I can absolutely recognize why some of these oppressed individuals might choose violence to voice their opposition to their situation.

This all leads to my conclusion.  The Jews and Arabs have been fighting for as long as Israel has been a country.  Heck, their ancestors have been warring for thousands of years.  This anger and hostility is nothing new.  Furthermore, many, many countries have worked for longer than I've been alive to bring about peace in this region, to no avail.  This is because both Arabs and Jews are unwilling to compromise.  Both sides have committed atrocities in the name of independence or protecting their homeland, and both sides have legitimate grievances against their foes. While it's reasonable to strive for a permanent end to hostilities in the region, it is folly to believe that it's imminent, and hubris for any one individual to believe they can single-handedly make it happen.

I'd also like to point out that problems in the Middle East are not restricted to conflict between Jews and Arabs.  There is also a high level of conflict between Shiite Muslims and Sunni Muslims, but that's a complete story in itself, so it's a topic for another day.