Happy 2021

 At 12:01 am January 1^st, all Hindsight is truly 2020 😀

(lost who to credit for this)

 

First let us acknowledge parts of 2020 were horrible – pandemic, economic, layoffs, illnesses, politics, weather, earthquakes, volcanos and deaths. There is an emotional toll for isolation and canceling events and vacations.

 

However there were good parts to 2020 to recognize – adapting, resilience and recovery. Give yourself and people around you credit for what went right.

 

We set goals for each year for many reasons. The people who recognize and write down why this is a goal are much more likely to persist through hardships and learning events to succeed. Worthwhile goals like learning new skills take several years to accomplish.

 

Losing 10 pounds was a goal one year, but the reason is wanted good health for rest of life. Hitting 192 lbs. left me feeling lousy for no easy to see reason, and could see myself on path to adult onset diabetes which affected my dad. That motivated me to make permanent changes which led to weight loss. Lost 15 lbs. over 18 months and have kept it off about 15 years now. How? Cut portions, carbs, sweets and started tracking weight and steps daily. Have simple 10 year old spreadsheet. Could see the results of my weekly efforts and adjust actions. 

 

Determine why you want that goal. What are the benefits? Emergency savings has made unexpected expenses a minor inconvenience instead of a major financial challenge to be overcome. 

 

One goal that has remained constant for 30 years is to earn more. Forces me to learn new skills and take more responsibilities every year. Being more valuable has improved my work and given me more options for employment or self employment. 

 

The world changes every year, so do you. Give yourself credit for your successes. Celebrate them. Then create more. Understand why to make your goals happen.

Wishing everyone a happy, blessed and healthy new year 

Happy Pandemic Thanksgiving

 2020 has been an odd year to have gratitude. Bittersweet is a good description. There has been a lot of bad news, Covid-19, industries cratered, layoffs, no vacations, laptop died, and more. If you are worn out by restrictions, you are not alone.

If you lost family, friends or coworkers you miss them. Grieving and thankfulness tough combination. It’s always okay to grieve.

However you have decided to celebrate, enjoy yourself. Take precautions. Call family and friends, talk about old times, make small talk, tell dad jokes, and have good food. Today is not the day to solve world problems. Be present and this is what you will be grateful for in the future.

Also thankful 2021 is coming :) 

What Are You Telling Yourself?

Self talk is important to your success, or your lack of success.

Rarely do people succeed on first try, or the second. Success is built over time and effort. You have to overcome adversity. No matter what happens to us, it is how we react that matters more.

 

Positive thinking is no miracle cure. It doesn’t replace collaborating, experimenting, trials, planning, learning, nor failures. The habit of positive self talk is motivation to try again. Break down what you need to do to the smallest effort and start.

 

Victim talk where the world is against you, you think you have no control, you are powerless to do anything. “Look you don’t understand, …”. “They won’t let me…”. It discourages you from changing or even trying. It is not true, you have choices. Terina Allen deep dives this subject in her article below. 

 

Healthy self talk often starts, “Next time this happens, I will …”. This means you have learned something from the experience.

 

No one is perfect! We all need time to feel sorry for ourselves. The gift is to not stay stuck there. 

 

Don’t feel one failure or setback will stop you from coming back. It takes time and effort to improve or try something new. Don’t be afraid to try again in different or better circumstances. And yes we may fail again.

 

Prayer is important for us. It is not only for the surprise test in school. It focuses us on how we are to contribute, not solve it on our own. Ask whatever you wish.

 

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future full of hope.” (Jer 29:11 ESV)

 

Forbes - This Is The Saddest Thing In The World That People Tell Themselves

https://www.forbes.com/sites/terinaallen/2019/11/15/this-is-the-saddest-thing-in-the-world-that-people-tell-themselves/#4a38951c22ad

 

Keep Calm and Carry On

 Our world has been disrupted. Covid-19 keeps spreading. Working or studying from home almost feels normal. If we are still working, many coworkers, friends and family are not. Multiple industries have cratered. Among ~400 engineers with notice will need a new job in November, and ~12,600 laid off this year in WA. Far from alone.

 

The expression above is British. During the nightly bombings they slept in bomb shelters not knowing if they would survive. In the morning they went to work and prepared for war. This extended months and years with no clue as to when it would end. Admire the people who went through World War 2 daily despite the hardships. They planned and executed projects to win a four and half year war. Frankly they saved the world.

 

Few people thrive in uncertainty. Who does? It is stressful, hard to make plans, confusing what to do next or figure out your options. Usually are too many choices in life. Second everyone wants to know when is it going to end? But no one knows.

 

Remember this too shall pass. Take a deep breath and pick something to do now. Does not have to be the perfect thing to do. Something else will be next. Just break things down and start small. Give yourself grace to make mistakes.

 

Decisions don’t have to be made immediately. Talk with other people who have been in or are in your situation. There are support groups for near any situation. Helping support other people will help you cope. Create more options by researching industries and careers using your skills. You need plan A, plan B and maybe more during a recession. Unemployment normally covers 26 weeks with a 13 week extension. Not much time to find work.

 

My plan A - Laid off from Boeing Commercial Airplanes, find work within Defense Space & Security or Global Systems. Plan B - nationwide job search for production/manufacturing engineering positions in aerospace, defense and space. Expand target industries if not finding opportunities. Plan C - supplement earnings with gig work. So far networking and implementing plan A.

 

Able to relocate, an option most people don’t have. They have to look for alternate careers in their neighborhood. Look at what is important to your life. Having relocated several times, do not recommend relocating for most people. Difficult to give up family, friends and support systems to start over.

 

If you are in this situation, feel free to reach out to me. Been here before and still saying my prayers. Start by reading Change Comes in a Minute. Adaptability, resilience and resourcefulness are learned by experience. You will be surprised how much you already have.

http://problem1solver.blogspot.com/2020/07/change-comes-in-minute.html  

Jury Duty and Ruth Bader Ginsburg

 Spent interesting 7 days on a criminal jury.  Multiple charges at different locations, and defendant had already plead guilty to one charge. 

Everyone took their responsibilities seriously. The issues were complex and everyone spoke up clearly their views and why they held them. Several people were undecided on certain positions and listened to the debate and reviewed evidence. Respect led to good decisions by the jury.

Judge O Snohomish County Superior Court was impressive how he kept order and respect. He kept testimony moving and made decisions outside the jury’s view. Also apologized for some of the inconveniences of the courtroom and Covid19 safety measures. 

Observed the prosecutor and defendant’s attorney work together with respect. Spent more time with police, bailiffs and security attending court. They treated everyone professionally and respectfully. Use to spend more time with police when use to shoot competitively, and found enjoyed their company. With all the protests, still is important to remember everyone is human.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg passing was a surprise after we were done. RBG made our law and country better by pointing out how lesser status hurt both men and women. There is room in our country for rights for everyone, and RBG’s eloquent descents often made it clear. They will be studied for years to come.

Her marriage was a supportive partnership and family. Guests and friends always welcome. Marvin Ginsburg retired as Tax Attorney with her appointment to the Supreme Court. "She doesn't talk to me about cooking, and I don't talk to her about law." 

Her friendships with people who didn’t agree with her views like Antonio ‘Nino’ Scalia are an example how to live in these times. Her life is a testament of trying to improve peoples lives and being human herself. 

Do not have the spelling nor able to pronounce last name of the judge, but think heard a Caribbean accent. He and many other judges who do not fit the old image of judges are part of RGB’s legacy.

Pandemic Labor Day

What an unusual Labor Day. 8.8% unemployment. U-6 unemployment including discouraged, marginally attached and part time is 14. 2%. Middle class who normally earn enough working visiting food banks. 4 in 10 are new clients. Those who use to help others, now need help. Newly unemployed or underemployed depending on their industry. Others may be working remotely the office.  Feels weird during the pandemic.

Parents are trying to figure out how to best educate their children, remotely or in class? How do you pay the utilities, rent or mortgage? Will they lose their home? Where can we live? Small family landlords providing affordable housing are worried they will lose properties, years of work and their hard earned money invested for their future. May see apartments converting to condos based on housing demand.

Stress on people is much higher this year. My suburban/rural county overdose deaths are up ~20%. If you feel lost or desperate, call for help. [800-273-8255 or text CONNECT to 741741] Those of us in faith know God still loves us. But we admit stress this year.

Unemployment is designed to help workers for ~6 months replacing only ~30% of prior income until you find work. Today’s uncertain world may mean many months to 2 years unemployment, taking jobs paying much less, or forced early retirement.  Unhappy both political parties cannot come up with a way to replace 70-80% of people’s income.

People who are unemployed are still as valuable as before. Successful leaders and entrepreneurs will figure out how to take advantage of the available talent to grow their business. If you are looking for a job, you have to get creative. Find your most valuable talents and skills to transfer to another industry. Gig work may have to carry you through. Downsize your home or live with roommates to lower costs.

One college friend has been searching nationwide for opportunities in his industry. In 3 month he had 2 hiring manager interviews. He is getting more interest as safety manager than chemical process engineer manager. What experiences or skills do you have that are in demand by other industries? Research where hiring is happening and see how you can help.

Be thankful for the work you have or had. Tell stories how relatives or you survived past crisis’s. Grew up with stories how my grandparents thrived during the great depression, and how hard it was for neighbors they fed. Remember former coworkers, friends and family. Reach out and remind then “This too will pass”. 

In a year or two the economy will be growing briskly. Very optimistic about where we will be in 5 years. But getting there may involve pain. Enjoy the holiday weekend.

New York Times - Minivans at the Food Pantry

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/us/food-pantries-hunger-us.html

Japanese Crisis Leadership

Japan is home of 40% of the world’s businesses older than 300 years. So how do successful companies react to crisis like 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident? Leaders respond with concern for community, employees and long term thinking. 

Hirotaka Takeuchi studied the reactions of several company leaders in the HBS article. 

Takeshi Niinami, CEO of Lawson gave the following order before the tsunami reached the shores of Tohoku: “Deliver food to disaster victims within seven days. And disregard cost.” During the two vulnerable weeks before government relief kicked in, Lawson delivered 200,000 prepared meals to victims, including onigiri rice balls, bread, and cups of noodles.

Makoto Kigawa, CEO of Yamato sent out the following message to all 10,000 or so employees in the Tohoku region: “If help is needed, then help. Don’t worry about profits.” Furthermore Yamato donated about 40% of profits over the next year to help with rebuilding.

The lesson is leaders were not thinking about next quarter’s profits, but building the future. They had spent time training the workforce and establishing values. When the crisis came, the people stepped up and lead from where they were. Lawson agreed to provide school lunches when the city needed help. However employees on their own included desserts for the children.

Every community has been affected by the Pandemic, which may take years to recover. How can you lead your company to support your community? Can you encourage and free your employees to act?

For more ideas suggest reading the Forbes and HBS articles below.

“If you do not think about the future, you cannot have one.” - John Galsworthy

Forbes - Why Japanese Businesses Are So Good At Surviving Crises

https://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2020/08/27/why-japanese-businesses-are-so-good-at-surviving-crises/#3c375275e494 

HBS - Wise Leadership and Wise Capitalism 

https://www.kindai.ac.jp/rd/research-center/management-innovation/download-data/vol1_2.pdf 

Adapting to Uncertainty

 2020 Pandemic Recession put life’s uncertainty in front of us daily. Most of our careers, plans and routines are on hold or canceled. Add in a contentious 2020 Presidential Election (aren’t they all?). 

Parents trying to remote work and school children from home. Plexiglas checkouts in stores. Family, friend and/or ourselves not having work. Missing seeing family, friends, classmates and coworkers. Putting in extra hours to make working from home as productive as in office. It’s not and can be stressful.

2020 has been disruptive. But that is how life is lived. From one uncertainty to another.

 

Be kind to yourself and family. Create routines and include down time, fun and exercise. Workdays get up usual time and wear Friday casual clothes to go in my home office. Missing volleyball, so added lifting dumbbells and Sunday morning run before Facebook church services. Along the way take pictures of views, flowers and wildlife to share online for fun. My sister and aunt on east coast are fans of flowers. Have Sunday calls or video calls to family and friends.

 

Breaks are important too, find every 45 minutes to 1.5 hours need to get away from screen, stretch, read, drink or eat something. Same as in office. Had to work long hours including Saturday and Sunday to meet a Tuesday deadline. This weekend staying away from office computer to refresh. You work more productively refreshed.

 

People are more resilient than you know. Look more at what you accomplished than the to do list. Put away endless news programs scaring you for ratings. This election will take longer to count because of more mail in ballots. However the results will come, and regardless of who wins the US has checks and balances to correct overreaches. If you are struggling talk with friends or a professional. No one is not struggling now.

 

Life will go on and more discoveries and technologies will improve our future. Look at uncertainties we have overcome - wars, pandemics and recession: 

 

Cold War 1947-91

Asian Flu 1957

Recession 1958

Vietnam War 1959-1975

Recession 1960-61

Seventh cholera pandemic 1961

Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

Korean DMZ Conflict 1966-69

London Flu 1968

Recession 1969-70

Recession 1973-75

Smallpox 1974

Soviet Flu 1977

Anthrax 1979

Recession 1980

HIV/AIDS 1981

Recession 1981-82

Intervention in Lebanon 1982-84

Invasion of Grenada 1983

Bombing Libya 1986

Yellow Fever 1986-87, 2012, 2016

Tanker War 1987-88

Invasion of Panama 1989-90

Bosnian War 1992-95

Recession 1990-91

Gulf War 1990-91

Cholera 1991-93, 2001, 2004, 2006-08, 2010-20

Bubonic Plague 1994, 2008, 2014-17

Intervention in Haiti 1994-95

Kosovo War 1998-99

Dengue Fever 2000, 2004-05, 2007-09, 2013, 2017

Recession 2001

SARS 2002-2004

Afghanistan 2001-20

Iraq War 2003-12

Ebola 2004, 2007, 2013-16, 2018-20

Malaria 2006

Recession 2007-09

Mumps 2009

Swine Flu 2009, 2015

Measles 2010-14, 2019-20

MERS 2012-2020

Chikungunya 2013

Intervention in Syria 2014-20

Zika 2015

Seasonal Flu 2017

SARS Covid 19 2020

Recession 2020 

 

Total 14 conflicts, 22 diseases and 9 recessions during my life. There will be more and we will overcome. 

Thrive Through the Pandemic

 2020 is not a year we expected. Remote work. Travel canceled. Physical distancing. Zoom meetings. Church, sports and events cancelled. Family, friends or coworkers with coronavirus. Millions furloughed and laid off.

Take a long view. In one or two years vaccines and better treatments will be available. The fatality rate is already falling as medical treatments and knowledge improves. By 2022 economies will be growing, companies hiring and new businesses blooming. Which opportunity is yours?

 

What do you need to do now to be ready then? Every project takes time to plan and execute. What skill do you need to develop? Why do you want to help people? What books do you need to read? Do you need to improve interpersonal skills? Do you need therapy for stress? 

 

The future is coming. Answer these questions now to thrive then.

 

Picking Blackberries and Opportunities

 Similarities in picking wild blackberries and finding opportunities in life. When you see blackberries every year the joy of eating tasty sour berries for the next few weeks is here. Yet they must be harvested.

 

Look first. Are there bears? If not choose your footing carefully. Blackberries are thorny. First place your feet carefully. Step on the shoots and position yourself close as reasonable. Stumbling or falling into blackberries is painful!

 

That big juicy blackberry you saw that made you go in there? Look up and pick it. Ripe blackberries come off with a soft tug. Won’t come, it isn’t ready. Leave it for next week or the next person. Don’t be greedy. More berries grow every day.

 

Then look left and right, when there is one there are more around. Look up, but don’t be wistful about the blackberries out of reach. Unless you plan to come back with equipment, harvest the one available now. Look down, so few people do. The sweetest blackberries are hidden in the shade. Use the leaves to help push thorns out of the way to find more.

 

What has this to do with opportunities? They are plentiful like blackberries. You don’t get the assignment or job you want? Find more opportunities. They exist in your company or business now. If not there are more around. In one county there are over 100,000 businesses.

 

Don’t race after the first opportunity without checking it out. Scams where people try to get you to buy something or steal your identity abound. One company interviewed with was trying to recruit me for sales. However they couldn’t answer the business question how do you make money? My wife was contacted for sales job that sounded like fun for any social 20 year old, but didn’t seem to offer any services. They charged for their software to work for them, that is how they scammed people.

 

Opportunities outside your core business skills look enticing, but investigate first. Are they a shiny distraction? Does it interest you because it is novel? Exciting? Look easy? What is the strategic advantage of this opportunity? Who are the competitors? We are never the only person to see them. 

 

Is it profitable opportunity? Looked at several restaurant options over years, and had friends start restaurants. Anyone can open a restaurant, little qualifications other than signing a lease. Long days, health regulations, advertising, challenges finding help, and tiny profit margins await you. Several couples divorced over strain of running restaurants, often followed by bankruptcy.

 

Be strategic. Know who you are, your talents and skills so you can explain how you can help. In sales you want to know how you benefit the customer. To harvest your opportunities plan where and how to spend your time. Learn their pains and how you can contribute to customer’s well being. Then your reward is a bountiful harvest to enjoy.

 

Change Comes in a Minute

No one as been unaffected by 2020 and all the stresses of living through a pandemic. Life always has trials, miseries and afflictions for everyone. You may have experienced job reassignment, layoff, business closing, being fired, an accident, sudden illness, chronic conditions, less mobility, quarantine, divorce, or the inevitable deaths of loved ones.

So what do we do when change is thrust upon us?

First mourn your loss. Your old life is missing. You miss the people you were with. Routine is gone. Loss of income increases stress. What you enjoyed before for before needs to be acknowledged.

Second don’t rush decisions. If you doubt that wisdom, ask people about their “bounce back” relationships and hear their horror stories. Take some time to heal and to talk to people. The natural instinct is to withdraw from society, but you can overcome that. You will be surprised who listens and provides good advice what to do. You are not the only one have this happen to you. Find others who have been there.

Think what you really desire and need in your future. Applying for random jobs can lead to scams and disasters. Focused searches are much more productive. If you need to take a taxi job like security or delivery it is okay as long as you work towards your future. It won’t come right away, but it is worth it.

Our tendency is to project the future based on today. That rarely resembles life a few years from now. Allow growth and God to work on you for your better future.

What can you do with all this pain? Simple you become the person helping the next people who experience what you have.

“However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at.” - Stephen Hawking, Physicist

Note ~5 foot diameter tree trunk in the picture was the same ~70 foot tall tree wrote about / pictured in April “Pandemic Does Not Mean Panic” blog post. The property it was on is being developed for housing, so the tree was cut down and removed in one shift by lumberjacks. The profit of selling the lumber contributes to building needed new housing. Expected to see that tree out my window for years, but change happened.

Leadership and Success Recognize Persistence

Everybody looks for the moment victory was assured. Who made the great discovery? Who won the great battle that turned everything around? Who’s idea was it?

Wars are not won by one battle, but a long series of grinds. The US Navy did not win WW2 against the Japanese Navy because their ships were better. Admiral Nimitz sent 150 portable shipyards towards the fronts to repair ships quickly to return to combat. The US navy trained every sailor how to fight fires. Pipes that carried flammable or explosive liquids were drained. Everyone knew what to do and did non-glorious work. The Japanese Navy trained dedicated damage teams, turned out not as effective.

Life does not change on one moment by itself. Hard work done by lots of uncredited ordinary people makes change work. You change by every success or failure you experience.

Coronavirus will not be conquered by a miracle drug or vaccine. It will be a combination of research, testing, trials, learning and improving treatment protocols. Will be doctors and nurses vigilant and performing procedures faithfully. Cleaning crews being dedicated and going the extra mile. It will be civilians maintaining disciplined distancing and wearing masks for months or years.

Leaders have to recognize and reward ordinary work to be exceptional. Execution, culture and teamwork eat strategy daily.

Happy 4^th of July everyone!

“Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations.” – John Seaman Garns

Responses to Depression

Sometimes we don't know what to say. We aren't you and don't know all the details. Much less know why. We just want to encourage and instead fumble with our words trying to help. Sometimes we minimize because we don’t realize your pain. Often we are in our own thoughts and don’t know to ask do you want to talk?

 

Expectations can be a challenge as well. Families and we expect near perfection from ourselves. No one is perfect. Failures and how we overcome them is how we learn. Forgive yourself for being human. Tomorrow is always another day. (note I can screw tomorrow up a different way LOL.)

 

Sometimes a break from constant news helps. TV news like to replay the same videos to shock and get ratings. Bad news becomes overwhelming if you don’t limit it. Frankly did not miss it except for breaking stories. But I only listen for facts and turn it off shortly.

 

If is only the blues, well that is good. We all need to feel what we are feeling. Know my days do not stay positive despite my efforts either.

 

If you have been depressed for more than a couple weeks, it is time to get counseling and medication. Friends tell me how much better they under treatment. Stats show both together work completely over 85%. If not complete, still better to try.

 

Suicidal thoughts are another category. They can persist and overwhelm. Text CONNECT to 741741 to reach a Crisis Counselor. Call 800-273-8255 Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, for free and confidential support. AFSP.ORG is a good resource among others. No matter how strong or weak, we all need support at times. Act now! My sister attempted suicide when young. A few years later and many times since she says, “I am so glad I failed!”

 

The world is a difficult place, it is not fair, and justice takes its sweet time. But we know God loves us unconditionally and relentlessly. Hard to remember when we are sick or injured some days, but His love is true.

 

Life isn't always a grind. Celebrating milestones and laughing with family, friends and coworker is wonderful. Life is measured by events over decades, not today’s pains.

 

PS Know you are loved.

Rebuilding Our Economy

When businesses go back to work, they will not need all former employees depending on the industry. Possibly 1 in 5 people will be out of work.

Before the pandemic the middle class was already suffering. 44% of workers are low wage with median incomes of $10.22/hour ($18,000/year) and 3 of 5 are the only earner in their families. They are scrapping by or working multiple jobs to support their families.

The way to grow the US economy is focusing on helping the middle and lower classes. Big businesses cannot employ everyone out of work. State and Local governments are low on funds. Most new jobs will be created by small and one person entrepreneurial businesses. Incentives, aid and opportunities must be aimed here to grow wealth and consumer spending.

Remove Red Tape

Simplify creating, registering and licensing businesses. Takes significant time just to get started. That time is needed to find customers and do work.

Collect Income Taxes and Social Security Weekly

Self employed income varies wildly when and how much you earn. Currently payments are made quarterly. When self employed had to guess withholding high every quarter to avoid penalties. Difficult for people with little savings. Collect weekly and calculate how much. 90%+ of people file standard deduction taxes. Modern computer networks can calculate this easily.

Give Incentives to Work

If you work part time on unemployment, you lose 100% of your benefits for every dollar earned. Social Security only cuts 50% above $1,470 per month. The more often someone work, the more motivation and skills to earn more.

Incentives for Hiring Full Time

Businesses prefer part time because they don’t have to pay benefits. Find a way to fix that.

Health Care for Self Employed

Very expensive middle and older workers. Typical is $500-$1,000 per month. Find a public-private partnership to insure blocks of workers. Medical illness causes ~2 of 3 bankruptcies. Everyone needs to be covered.

How to Pay

Income taxes will have to increase. Capital gains should increase and the definition should go back to investments over 3 years.  Neither of those is enough. A consumption (VAT) tax will be necessary like most other countries do. BTW ‘Tax the Rich’ is a fantasy, however they should get less deductions under current tax rates.

Rebuilding the economy is complex task. Too much spending or debt may break the system or value of the dollar. Compromise and stepping up to challenges is what is needed. Write your congressmen and senators.

“If You Want Peace, Work For Justice”

- Pope Paul VI, 1972

People of color are treated differently. Women are treated differently than men. Young people are treated differently. Old people are treated differently. Immigrants are treated differently. Native Americans are treated differently. Tall people are treated differently. Short people are treated differently. Blue collar workers are treated differently. Service workers are treated differently. Poor people are treated differently. Homeless people are treated differently. Religious people are treated differently. Don’t start me on LGBTQ community treatment.

If you ever fell into one of these categories, you have experienced people judging you without knowing you. I have.

In mid-30’s dropping my van off after hours for service in morning. Sat in my truck filling out the form, and putting in spare key. Dropped it in slot and checked inside my truck because thought was forgetting something. Then I looked at the price sticker on a new Jeep Cherokee across street. Starting walking mile home. All the sudden stopped and surrounded by 4 policemen.

There had been break-ins on cars and they were staking the dealer area out. Being tall, thin and with a baby face looked early 20s. Explained dropping van for service and first question was “did I touch any car besides my own?” No. Still a young policeman said I looked like a description of a suspect. The older officer said no shutting that down quick. My response was “There can’t be too many 6’3” redheads on your list.” However I realized to police everyone looks like a potential criminal. That is why not having committed anything resembling a crime, got stopped for being young.

Everyone has equal rights. Everyone deserves to be heard and acknowledged. We need to improve our nation’s culture.

Things we can do:

1. Greet and Welcome people who are different than you. Everyone has to become part of our community. Especially if their political views, age or appearance are different than yours.

2. De-escalation Training works. Great results have been seen in Elementary, Middle and High Schools. Works well for consumer businesses like Starbucks.  Works for police handling clients with mental illness.

3. Retire the War on Drugs. Using drugs should become legal. Many states have legalized marijuana with no increases in crime. Instead they gained tax revenue. Our focus should be treatment and recovery. People of all ages are dying of addiction.

4. Misdemeanors need to expire automatically after a period of time. People suffer for life if they have ever been convicted of a crime. Can’t find work nor housing. Youthful mistakes should not haunt people during their 40 year careers. Limit misdemeanor records to about 4-8 years unless they commit more. 3 strike rules should be for felony convictions only. Long jail sentences for small crimes are not appropriate nor constitutional.

5. Eliminate ‘No Knock’ Warrants for non-violent crimes like drug possession. There have been so many disasters where police have entered the wrong house, or raided innocent people on an informant’s say so with no other proof. Constitutionally this should be reserved for violent or terrorist organizations. Even then regular warrants put police at less risk apprehending people outside rather than invading homes.

6. Police should be trained to be Guardians of community. Their job is not to arrest people, but to maintain peace by de-escalating conflicts and protecting people. SWAT teams and tactics have to be limited and only rolled out for active shooters.

Our job is to write local, state and national government officials to change laws and training. Culture change is hard and takes years.  

Then love people. Only love will conquer hate.

Our Bright Future

In the middle of a Pandemic remind yourself ‘This Too Shall Pass’.  Normal life is a constant state of change we don’t observe day to day. We often don’t realize how much has changed until we look back at the last decade. We humans tend to look at only recent events when predicting our future.

Observing how quickly the changes medical and research professionals have made. Priorities switched and testing of existing and new medicines are moving ahead at all speed. Antibodies from survivors are being used to develop treatments. Even more amazing is regulators creating new regulation to approve new treatments and potential vaccines faster and safely.

Look at how quickly businesses and education switched to remote learning. Zoom, Skype and competitors usage have boomed. The internet has handled increased traffic well due to past investments. Managers who never thought of remote work are now impressed how well people have been able to team.

Growth in technologies, space, and defense are advancing faster than ever. SpaceX launching astronauts to the International Space Station today, and the eventually the Moon. Long term people will take less risks working by partnering with robotics.

The future will be here faster, improve life and creating more wealth than expected.

“What we need are more people who specialize in the impossible.” - Theodore Roethke

There is no way to understate how difficult life is for the unemployed and those who earnings have been cut. Roughly one of four people have been laid off or furloughed as business stopped for SARS Covid-19. Parents are trying to work and school kids at home. Mental illness often struggles in isolation. Change brings pain with growth.

Change is not stress free. Developing technologies and learning to use them productively will be difficult at times. Man as always grown and flourished through time.

What ways will your life be better?

“We cannot absolutely prove that those are in error who tell us that society has reached a turning point—that we have seen our best days. But so said all who came before us, and with just as much apparent reason… On what principle is it that, when we see nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us?’’ - T. B. Macaulay, writing in 1830 in reply to the pessimists of his day

Giving Thanks on Memorial Day

Family members serving in the military influenced us. May not be your parents, may be other generations like grand parents or great uncles. Their attitudes influence family members and get passed down to children for generations to come.

Service men and women are taught to deal with adversity. No plan survives first encounters with the enemy. We learn from what did not go well and failures. New plans, processes or strategies evolve, and then are tried quickly. Successes and reasoning are taught next generations. Resilience along with laughter to survive troubles.

Don’t underestimate the sacrifices and learning at home. Mothers and grandparents often worked and raised successful children during trying years. Their lessons permeate our culture. My great uncles and uncles who served taught my dad who shared their life lessons with us.

Their lessons are why we will survive the pandemic, social distancing, job losses, grief and suffering. Generations before us sacrificed to thrive. We will sacrifice.

This year first responders and medical professionals share the stage with our military. We have lost many good people and colleagues in our pandemic despite best efforts. Keep all people who serve in your prayers.