It a New Day

Haven't had the desire to post lately. Not the first time given the fourteen years that I have been maintaining this blog, won't be the last I imagine. Not sure why, but based on past experiences, just beginning a post is one way of generating interest and ideas.

Forgot to mention in last two posts that I have now passed the 600 mark, in terms of posts published to this blog. I know in the past that I have blamed a lack of topics as an excuse for not posting, given that there is most likely no topic I haven't broached in the last fourteen years. However, I have a number of stories in process right now, so the lack of subjects can not be blamed for my current low desire to post.

In fact, one might say, as a life long Democrat, I should be, and certainly am, very excited and invigorated that President Biden showed immense humility and love of country by removing himself from the presidential ticket. As was apparent at the DNC convention, the Harris/Walz pairing has unleashed a flood of energy in what was a lackluster campaign to that point.

If there is one sure thing history has taught us about the American electorate, we are not shy about choosing seemingly unknown candidates to lead us, especially in the last forty plus years. 

From a peanut farmer to an ex-actor to a high school saxophone player to the first African American president to a reality TV star, America has not only not been shy about taking a chance on someone new, we have embraced it. From that perspective, choosing the first woman president in November 2024 would not be out of character. 

Whether it is because we have been a forward looking country since inception, or just because we tire of the status quo easily, it is hard to say.

While I am far from certain that Harris will triumph in November, it should not surprise us if she does as America will have made its feelings known that we prefer looking ahead rather than going back. 

I understand the Republican party's strategy of appealing to how great the "old days" were, especially considering that our country is aging, as are most western countries. One might even say that this approach has been successful in a number of aging European countries as well.

But as I have said in many previous posts, this philosophy will only work in the short run. Living in the past, expecting the future will mirror one's rose colored memories of those days, will not work as the voters born in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's are replaced by those voters and future leaders born in the last twenty years of the 20th century and the first 10 years of this century. 

Of course, I have no doubt that should Harris win, the ex-president will not accept the results. Sometimes I wonder what will be worse, another four years of Trump saying he is the greatest president ever, that everything does is better than anyone who came before him, and that all our problems have now been solved by his genius, or another four years of him travelling around the country claiming the election was stolen, again.

Talk about choosing the lesser of two evils!!

I recently told someone that the excitement surrounding the Harris nomination and the shift in the polls since Biden announced his decision to withdraw, may be the first indicator that Trump's time in the political spotlight is beginning to fade. 

He now represents the old, is not the "change" candidate. 

He has begun to flip flop on abortion, knowing that he is out of touch with women voters.  

His dark talk about America, calling it a third world country, a banana republic, claiming our leaders are stupid while praising the dictators of the world, not to mention always, always, always saying the 2020 election was stolen and that the people who beat up police officers while attacking the Capitol of the United States of America to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power, should be pardoned, not to mention his constant bullying of anyone who dares to disagree with him, democrat, republican or independent, is starting to wear thin. It is not gaining him any new converts.

I have expressed my disappointment with the electorate's lack of attention to Trump's obvious authoritarian impulses, and his purposeful attacks on the institutions of our country. He was, is and always will be about Trump first, nothing else matters.  

At the same time though, I have also said that it will be the women voters of America who will ultimately decide the next election, and perhaps those under 35 years of age, but especially women considering the current state of attack on their reproductive rights. 

And, should Harris win, it will prove once again that women care more about America, that women are more able to understand what our future should be like, and that a woman should be our default choice in any election when running against a man. 

A Wedding and A Funeral

A few weeks ago, I saw a news article about a wedding that took place in India. The groom was Anant Ambani, son of one of the richest men in India, the bride was Radhika Merchant, daughter of the CEO of Encore Healthcare. It has been estimated that at least $300 million, and perhaps as much as $600 million was spent on this almost week long celebration. 

Upon reading the articles about the wedding, I immediately wrote myself a note to create a post about it, in hopes of doing some research on how many people such spending might help, average salary for an Indian household, poverty rates, etc.

It seemed such a natural topic for me to expound upon, given my focus on income inequality. It seemed especially galling to read the list of celebrities, sports stars, politicians, etc, who were invited to attend and/or perform during the festivities. Yet the note languished on my stack of papers.

Until I was sitting in a Catholic Church two days ago at the funeral of my cousin Mary who passed last week. Mary was my mom's cousin. As a result of the tragic loss of her mother at birth, Mary spent much of her youth in the home of my mother, and in her company. Like my mom, Mary was a devoted Catholic, someone who trusted in her faith and its  promise of eternal life.

So, as the occasional tear spilled from my eyes, both in sadness for Mary's family and all those who mourned her loss, and the thought that I would find myself in other Catholic churches in the next decade, as those of the generation before me continued to pass, the thought of that extravagant wedding, and the simple funeral service I was attending, provided such a stark contrast.

Strangely though, it didn't make me more angry at the news of such a stupendous amount of money being spent on one event. Sure, such sums could be used to improve the lives of thousands, if not millions of citizens in India. But one could also say that the point of such a gala was to celebrate the joy of life. And who knows, perhaps those who funded that revelry spent a similar amount, in comparison to their income, as my cousins did for the pleasant luncheon we had after the funeral mass and burial ceremony. 

While the reason for such family and communal gatherings were almost at the opposite end of the spectrum, a wedding and a funeral, the purpose of both is to acknowledge the past and look to the future.

A wedding recognizes the new love which is being celebrated while also being conscious of the past love between the parents that created the newlyweds, and of course, looks forward in hopes that their love will last and that a happy and satisfied life together will occur.

A funeral recognizes the importance of the dearly departed, how, without that person, many of the attendees would not be alive, nor would there be a reason for other relatives and friends to gather, yet it also marks a new chapter, and an opportunity for those who remain behind to strengthen their relationships, or, sometimes repair those that may be experiencing difficulties and pain.

Death...and living is a label that I have used in a number of past posts. Two that I reread today, before creating this post, can be accessed with the links that follow.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2013/11/death.html

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2014/01/just-finished-death.html

In one of these linked posts, the second one I think, I mention how the topic of death has been addressed throughout humanity, for as long as we have been conscious of our mortal life.

At this particular moment in time, the life expectancy of the average American ranges between 75 and 80, depending on your gender. My cousin Mary was 94, my mom is 90, so both have outlived most of their peers. 

When I was reflecting on Mary and my mom, and their shared faith, it occurred to me that perhaps it was their faith that enabled them to live so long. Perhaps that ultimate knowledge, that a well lived life will result in an eternity with God, reduced the stress in their lives. Certainly, both had experienced hardship, which I shall not detail but assure you was present. 

But then I also remembered the Billy Joel lyrics, Only the Good Die Young, and smiled a bit, knowing that both these ladies defied that assertion.

I still waver on the eternal life thing, and the existence of a soul. I am not a fan of "be good or suffer eternal damnation", believing that while man is flawed, we are more inherently good than evil, and should not need the promise of heaven or threat of hell to be kind to each other, not to mention that while thoughts on the afterlife permeate our holy books, they do vary. 

If it were proven tomorrow that their is no life after death, nothing, nada, no reward for goodness, no punishment for evil, would the world sink into chaos? When I googled "do atheists commit more crime?", I found a number of articles on each side of the debate but no consensus other than the fact that there seemed to be more of a  connection between IQ (intelligence) than religious or non-religious. 

And, of course, as I have said before, people who claim religious affiliation often behave contrary to the spirit of their religion, CHINOS, as I like to call them (that is Christian in name only) although I am sure there are HINOS (Hindus in name only and JINOS (Jews in name only), hypocrisy knowing no bounds where religion is concerned.

I certainly don't believe one religion is any better than the others at creating adherents who are nicer, less prone to violence, while I do believe that the tenets of religion (the man made rules, biases, etc) can be a strong catalyst for inhumane acts against other people. 

So, while I will continue to respect people like my mother and cousin Mary for their faith, I will also continue to question those who claim to be acting as God's warriors, will continue to call out the very rich for turning their backs, or worse, building their empires on the backs of their fellow men. 

And occasionally post stories that reflect upon death, and commentary that contemplates our one shared experience (death), and our one shared question (life after death?). 

A Whirlwind

While it has been a fortnight plus a few days since my last post, it seems much longer given the events of the last few weeks. 

An assassination attempt, the GOP convention during which a bandaged Donald Trump accepted the nomination, the continued controversy concerning President Biden's health and fitness, then his decision to withdraw from the presidential race, and now the unbridled excitement over Kamala Harris' candidacy, with her endorsement by Biden, her ability to energize what was a lackluster campaign, and now the overwhelming approval by the parties' delegates.

Unprecedented, historic events within a matter of weeks. Whew!

So now what?

Obviously, the actual nomination is still to come, but more importantly, the choice of a VP running mate. As a Pennsylvanian, I favor Josh Shapiro, despite my desire to see how he would fare in the coming years as governor, but I can see why Senator Kelly or Governor Walz might be chosen. All three would provide a nice lift to the ticket, but I think Shapiro's ties to Pennsylvania, a must win state for Harris, makes him the most logical choice. 

Regardless of who is chosen, I expect an animated VP debate with JD Vance, especially if Trump decides not to debate Harris.

From there, the long slog towards November. I say long slog because I am already weary of the negative ads I have seen on TV, from both sides. As I have said many times, I would like to see a campaign featuring ads which detail the candidate's vision for the future, rather than reasons why the other candidate is crap. It's no wonder that the American electorate feels, and has felt, that the last few presidential elections have been a choice between the lesser of two evils. 

When we are bombarded with how horrible each candidate is, how horrendous life will be when they become president, it is easy to decide that voting doesn't matter since they both stink. Additionally, should your candidate lose, there is plenty of reasons to expect the worst, and then focus on the bad news, all the while ignoring or just plain not believing any information presented that contradicts what you learned during the endless campaign.

I wrote a story, which I have referenced a few times in the past, called The Next Greatest Generation.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-next-greatest-generation.html

I provide a link to it again, not just to remind my readers that if I can envision an America that truly addresses its issues, suggest some solutions, explain why certain ideas and policies might help, but to also remind them that our elected leaders, intelligent scientists and business people, and even religious leaders, could, and should, be required to detail their vision, and not just bash the other candidate which tells us nothing, since so many of the negative ads are misleading, exaggerations or downright lies. If we choose not to force political candidates to give us their ideas, we should at least have a fact check blurb following each ad so we know which are hogwash.

I know that I have said in recent past posts that I believe that our democracy is already lost. While I am not prepared to walk that back, I will say that I maintain a flicker of hope that women, and those under 30 years old, might save us in the upcoming election. 

Women, by voting first and foremost for their reproductive rights, and young people, by applying their desire for a future world, a world where they will be required to address our shared problems or face the consequences of the failed policies of those currently in charge, in addition to accessing the idealism that generally flows through the young, only to be squashed as life's realities wear us down.

I recently had someone tell me that they wished they agreed with me that people are inherently good, that politicians generally want to improve our country, that nations seek cooperation rather than confrontation, but that wasn't reality. His circle-the-wagons philosophy was earned, he said, because of his time overseas where he saw first hand how other people lived, and how they hated America. The fact that he spent some of that time embedded with the military as a private contractor, didn't seem to send alarm bells to him that he was witnessing the worse kind of interactions with foreigners.

The additional fact that some of those he met during that experience patrolled our southern border and again only reported to him the worst of those they encountered, made him ripe for the demonization of immigrants that his candidate of choice spews out everyday. 

His lack of confidence in the path America is taking was rooted in the belief that the fault lies in allowing foreigners to invade our country and that the government does not help everyday people due to corruption of our elected officials.

For him, America might fail because of outside forces that we failed to recognize, or allowed to flourish out of some kind of misguided belief that we can inspire others to be better by showing them empathy, and improving their lives whereas I believe it is precisely that selfishness and lack of care for our fellow earthlings which will doom us the failure on a global scale.

Not to mention the fact that compromise has become a bad word in politics, understanding history is woke, and focusing on the difference among us makes for better soundbites than focusing on how we are all so similar.

But it certainly is hard to argue against the belief that our government has failed us in many ways. When I point out that we get the government we deserve by voting, the blame shifts to the political parties as if they would not give us better candidates if they lost all the time. Voting is our feedback loop for those we elect, parties as well as individuals, and if we let them slide, we get mush.

So yes, it has been a whirlwind, and it most likely will not let up for the foreseeable future. In fact, may not let up for the far future as well, considering that a Trump victory may only be a bit better worse than a Trump loss, if we assume such a loss will result in actions even more horrific than what occurred on January 6th. 

Another reason I have not posted recently is that we had our annual family vacation last week, which was wonderful, despite the one evening of rancorous political debate. It was then that I was told about my naivete. In the end, I commented that continuing to debate, which we did anyway, seemed futile as we saw the world differently, despite our shared DNA and parental influences.

Which, in a way, brought me full circle to my pessimism, as, if people related by blood do not see eye to eye on even the most basic of facts, how can we expect Americans from all walks of life, let alone people from such a variety of cultures, who speak different languages and have differing values and traditions, get together to find a common good?