Fixing the Leaks
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| Remembering those who can't help themselves. |
Well the sawing and hammering ended Friday. Our daughter did
some painting and the replaced screens on the back porch look good; along with the
some rotten boards that were replaced on the front porch along with some new
porch columns. I felt good enough to go for a walk after dinner yesterday,
which wasn't such a great idea because I when I finished I was a little
light-headed. But after four days of staring at four walls and watching bad TV
I had to do something. But other than that I had an enjoyable Saturday watching
College Football. Go Dawgs!
Reflecting on things as I usually do, I asked myself if the election results really affected me that much and to be honest they did. It saddened me more than anything to see that my fellow countrymen would rather burn the house down instead of just repairing the leaks. So after my little hospital stay and another self-imposed news blackout; I've come to the conclusion that there were no winners and everyone losses in the end. I say that because we seem to have lost our ability to feel empathy. It's a "dog eat dog", "every man for himself", “my four and no more” mentality that has captured the world.
This week I've began reading five novels dealing with the subject of empathy. First is a work by a clinical psychologist Arthur Ciaramicoli on the subject of empathy. Next is an overview of the speeches and writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Then a biography on the life of Gandhi and finally two works by essayist Henry David Thoreau. What I didn't realize when I started this was each story ties into the other. First Thoreau wrote his works on simplistic living and empathy. Then as Gandhi studied law in England he read the works of Thoreau. Then decades later King based his non-violent protest on the practices of Gandhi. Then to tie it all up in a neat little bow, we have an overview of empathy by Ciaramicoli.
Like I said I'm just getting started with my reading. As usual as this may sound I’m reading each book at the same time. Meaning that I read some of one book, then put it down and read a portion of another. It's weird but it works for me. My point now is to say, that despite all the crazy going around the one person you can change right now is yourself. Once the process of doing that begins then constructive discourse can begin to heal the country and the world.
Reflecting on things as I usually do, I asked myself if the election results really affected me that much and to be honest they did. It saddened me more than anything to see that my fellow countrymen would rather burn the house down instead of just repairing the leaks. So after my little hospital stay and another self-imposed news blackout; I've come to the conclusion that there were no winners and everyone losses in the end. I say that because we seem to have lost our ability to feel empathy. It's a "dog eat dog", "every man for himself", “my four and no more” mentality that has captured the world.
This week I've began reading five novels dealing with the subject of empathy. First is a work by a clinical psychologist Arthur Ciaramicoli on the subject of empathy. Next is an overview of the speeches and writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Then a biography on the life of Gandhi and finally two works by essayist Henry David Thoreau. What I didn't realize when I started this was each story ties into the other. First Thoreau wrote his works on simplistic living and empathy. Then as Gandhi studied law in England he read the works of Thoreau. Then decades later King based his non-violent protest on the practices of Gandhi. Then to tie it all up in a neat little bow, we have an overview of empathy by Ciaramicoli.
Like I said I'm just getting started with my reading. As usual as this may sound I’m reading each book at the same time. Meaning that I read some of one book, then put it down and read a portion of another. It's weird but it works for me. My point now is to say, that despite all the crazy going around the one person you can change right now is yourself. Once the process of doing that begins then constructive discourse can begin to heal the country and the world.
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