What Can U.S. Leaders Do…

I was reading an article in the WSJ:

Jim Mattis: Duty, Democracy and the Threat of Tribalism

Lessons in leadership from a lifetime of service, from fighting in the Marines Corps to working for President Donald Trump

 

At the end they ask the following question:

What can U.S. leaders do to overcome today’s internal divisions?

Here is the answer I submitted:

Decisions come from discussion and consideration of options
Discussion of options comes from honest analysis of viewpoints
Viewpoints are only understood if we are open to listen to others
Others means those that see the world problems different than  us
Opening to others means we have the strength of character to consider their perspective
The strength of character comes from a deep understanding that the common goals of our peoples, and great nation matter more than ourselves and our tribe
Deep understanding of common goals requires putting humankind and nation ahead of self-interest
Putting the greater good first requires seeking always what is right and good over power and glory
Seeking what is right and good requires knowing right from wrong
Knowing right from wrong means being empathetic and compassionate humans
Which requires understanding there’s a higher purpose in this world.

It is possible.

Remembering Grandma… and how I felt

 

Remembering Grandma

 

And how I felt when she nibbled my ear so light
As the buzz of day flowed to the calm of night
She knew how to collect wild fruit, to hold, not eat
Gather to her bosom and make something, better… something sweet
For she had a life, a world I would never really know
But she made me later wonder, if it was natural to show
Love and compassion for something wild and untamed
For a potential that was uncertain and unnamed
And the feeling I had of calming and love
Makes me wonder if she’s smiling from above
To know she still makes me feel this way
When I remember her and that special day

The Climb

Mount McKinley or Denali (“The Great One”) in Alaska is the highest mountain peak in North America, at a height of approximately 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level. It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park. From Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collections

The Climb

A friend just starting training
To climb Denali next summer
That’s twenty thousand feet plus
So much work to get there
He says, he can sleep when he’s dead
I’m thinking,
This is when you stop drinking
And eating chocolate…
But thriving to find one’s mountain top is who we are
Adventure, experience, challenging ourselves
And still making time for a couple of good scotches
I say we should have all that we can
Do all that we can
Be all that we can
Find for ourselves the mountains we want to climb
No matter how low mine might be
But stop to enjoy the meadows of summer flowers along the way
Enjoy the mysteries of the imagination
Of art, of prose, science and history along the way
As we apply our energies toward enjoying God’s gift of life
And along the way, give some help to others on their own climb
In life!

Relentlessness

 

Relentlessness

Cold, water drips from glass, pooling on the table
Questioning humidity asks if we are really able
To breath shallow, and watch others in pain
Holding our judgment and critical disdain
To give time for grieving and sorrow
But do something about tomorrow
Watching the water pool, as a summer of tears
Covering the table, as we wait a helpless two more years
Drip, drip, relentless, insane
Pooling fear, foreboding, ripping pain
Seeping into the wood, destroying who we are
Tearing at the fibers, leaving a permanent scar
Asking what is our answer to all this hate
Or did we discover that it’s already too late?

A View for Two

A View for Two

Not facing the bus stop
Or playground purpose
Needed rest for grand-pop
But near majestic mountain view
Or meadow green and sweet
And beside the ocean blue
The chosen location and place
Given to ensure contemplation
Given to ensure lovers embrace
The idea of future, of hope
Of royal enthrone of two
Of every problem, we can cope
With assist of this wonderful view
And for the foresight of one
Who saw the potential and knew
That this was just the place
For a bench made for two

Feelings… Reading Others…

Feelings

I read a poem today
It was not thoughts
It was feelings
Expressed in so many ways
All mashed together
I expected it to be more purposeful
Expecting these feelings were building blocks
To thoughts or a message
Of some object, of someone,
Even as motivation toward an objective
But no,
The feelings were unto themselves
A thing for the author to own
And maybe even to cherish
Maybe hoping the reader would too
But I had to ask, were they purposeful
If expressed, but do not motivate?
Maybe they are just there
Sitting there, wanting to say something
Trying to get a reaction
However, if no one else is around
What does any feeling mean?
As the proverbial tree falling in the forest
Does the feeling make a sound if no one hears it?
Maybe the poem just made me think
And that was enough

 

The Poem I Read,  Is called Desire [even in the time of the tyrant] by Leah Umansky .. reading “about” the poem was interesting too.

https://poets.org/poem/desire-even-time-tyrant

 

Underwater Gorilla

 

Underwater Gorilla

A talking gorilla in an underwater school
With boy and girl guppies!
I forgot how incongruent cartoons could be
As I say “underwater gorillas don’t work for me”
The reply from little man is
“Like me sleeping in a nest”
Means its ok to imagine, and pretend
The deck is a ship and the grass is the water
There are positive messages in the toons
Talking buses, sleuthing cats
But not many Wiley E. Coyotes
To teach us teamwork is dreamwork
And transformer dogs with tools save the day
Without a boulder landing on poor Wiley
So, steer the boat safely if you can
Directing from captain’s chair
As the crew fights off invading pirates and watch for underwater gorillas!

 

Victims of Grandstanding

On the Border

Waiting, waiting, waiting an eternity
For a chance at peace, for back or forward
While they are talking, talking, talking insanity
Left out, they need us to show the depravity
Of the others that claim the right
And you watch indignant, grounded in gravity
While toothpaste, diapers and tacos are sold
On the evening news, where you are
Watching, watching, watching us shiver in cold
And the leaders boldly claim their positions
Fighting, fighting, fighting for attention
Claiming to care for children’s dispositions
In cages we are dying, dying, dying inside
As politicians do nothing, nothing, nothing
But get your attention, about freedom denied
And some cheering, cheering, cheering the right
And others are shaking, shaking, shaking their righteous heads
Before they buy the toothpaste, diapers, and tacos tonight

Independence Day – July 4, 2019

Why I Love America?

For in this land I was born equal in opportunity to all others
And we allow too, all who enter legally an equal opportunity
I love that we play on a field that is level and fair to all
Protected by laws and ensured by our institutions the opportunity
For education, for healthcare and most importantly security
And when there is injustice, there is a system to seek justice
That my intellect, talents, personal energy, and luck
Yes, luck matters too – for even being American is a lucky break,
Allowing me opportunity for happiness, prosperity, and peace
At least most of the time…
It is the opportunity that matters to me, not a guarantee
As a result of our sense of fairness we root for underdogs and we take care, and do our best to level the field for those who are striving to overcome disadvantages
For we want a fair fight
We feel stronger together when the weakest overcome disabilities
and succeed in their personal quests
We feel more united when we come together to help each other
Because we do care and help each other
And there is more than enough empathy left to care for others beyond our borders
Who face natural, or man-made disasters and tragedy
We give, we take care, often defend, and know we’ll eventually get out of the way
For it’s about the opportunity and freedom of choices that make us great
It is about using all our natural and human resources within the context of those democratic and independence principles that our forefathers established for us  exactly 243 years ago today, when they said:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

And yes, our country is beautiful, with grand spaces, fertile farmland,
Beautiful mountains, protected by great oceans and endowed richly with resources
But it is our industrious people, and the foresight of our founders
Which gave us the persistence, the integrity, the rules of law, and even the vitality
To make America the greatest country in the world
But rest assured that this position is not permanently carved in granite
We must continue and renew our passion for our country,
and “government of the people and for the people” must ever be protected, while
Our rule of law must be held sacrosanct and our sense of fairness, and inclination to help others less fortunate must never wane…
For this is what makes us American, and this is why I love America.

My Stories, Poetry, Thoughts of the day