​The miracle of sanity
We are the United States
 
This morning I listened to a rebroadcast of the May 17, 2016  On Being podcast conversation between host Kristra Tippett and the poet and professor Nikki Giovanni.  I strongly advise you, the reader, to listen.  I especially appreciated  her reminders that:
 

• Slaves arrived scarred but sane after their cruel sale and treatment on the ships bringing them to the United States.
• The fact that when we fully own one emotion or thought we are free to fully own seeming opposing or contradictory emotions. For example, once she admitted did not like “white people” she was free to like white people.  As her poem “We are Virginia Tech” states, once one owns the grief and the rage one is free to own one’s strength and joy as a community.

 
It is not surprising that so many young people in the United States and some other countries are refusing to buy the myth that success and, thus, happiness will arrive with the mega mansion and the high-pressure jobs which is a direct result of and a means to perpetuate the myth. It is amazing that many find the faith to work to create a more just and sustainable community.  It is not surprising that many people have been exchanging one lie for another. It is a miracles that many refused to drink the Kool aide
 
In the midst of slavery and later Jim Crow arose Richard Wright, loving nannies, Marian Anderson, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Arthur Ashe, Shirley Chisholm, George Washington Carver and a host of other African Americans who were not only sane, but making a huge difference in the life of many and the community at large.   The list of African Americans who made life easier with automatic elevator doors, the ironing board, the refrigerated truck, the three light traffic light goes on and on even though their names may not have been prominent in our history books.  The National Medical Association, the Black Nurses Association, the Gateway Medical Association and many other professional organizations were created to give support to each other and to promote access to care when licensed  professional were not allowed the same rights and privileges as their white colleagues.   There were and are men and women who refused and refuse to allow racism and all forms of hatred to determine their fate.  It is not surprising that many lose hope. It is surprising and amazing that many thrive in spite of the best efforts of those who attempt to define the worth of “others” by constructing  many forms of oppression. 
 
Covid-19 has challenged us to hold on to community; to not fall victim to the  masked cage.  In spite of covid-19 and the rise of hatred the United States had one of the largest voter turnouts of its history this past year.  As a result, a man and a woman will be sworn in as president and vice president this week.  Recent events have reminded even the most isolated Individuals that racism and other forms of oppression are not dead.   Yet, as Nikki Giovani said in her poem following the mass shooting at Virginia Tech,  “We are Virginia Tech. We will prevail.”   we can say,
 
We are the United States.
 
We have been often been guilty of  silence.
 
We have often succumbed to the myth of individualism.
 
We have shopped until we dropped
 
We have cowed in our privileged homes
 
We have installed camera to protect the stuff which did not safe us from ourselves.
 
We were lost and we will be found.
 
We are the United states.
 
We are in need of being rescued from the lies we have choked on.
 
We are the United States.
 
We are better than our worst selves.
 
We will prevail.
 
We will overcome our own sins of silence, denial,  and false gods.
 
We will prevail.
 
We are the United States.
 
Written January 16, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 

​Love my neighbor?
 
One of the core teachings for Jews, Christians and Muslims is to love our neighbor as ourselves.    In the New Testament  which for Christians is a holy book, in Matthew, Mark and Luke there is a version of the twin commandments to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.  In the Sunnah, the collection of words and deeds by the Prophet of Islam which were put together and transcribed two centuries after Muhammad’s ministry the commandment is “love for your brother what you love for yourself. “ (“(https://www.oasiscenter.eu/en/love-thy-neighbour-in-islam)
 
In Buddhist philosophy there is also a recognition that we need to treat ourselves and others with unconditional love.
 
It is, of course, not surprising that us humans are very creative in convincing ourselves we are doing the work of the God of our understanding without having to give up or let go of or biases and prejudices.  Obviously, if we are required to love our neighbor as ourselves and all people are our neighbor (brother/sister) then the choice is to either treat ourselves as badly as we treat our neighbor or treat ourselves and our neighbors well.  The third option, of course, is to redefine who is our neighbor.   This is the option we most often have chosen.  Historically nations have used words like enemy, insurgents, terrorist, Jap, evil and many others to dehumanize and thus, allow for the killing of others.  Both sides in conflicts do this. 
 
In the United States historically we have crafted and enforced laws which treated women, people of different genders, people of different races or colors, people of different sexual orientations, or people with particular addictions as less then -non-human - and thus, not our neighbor, excluding them from the commandment.    Many of us want to be considered good people who obey the laws and rules of the God of our understanding.  We must appear to do so or even convince ourselves that we are doing what the God of our understanding requires.  I have previously referenced the work of Jay Lifton in The Nazi Doctors where he reports that the death certificate of those killed in the gas chambers was signed by a licensed physician to “prove” they were doing what was right.
 
Some would suggest the prophets and other sacred teachers  clearly understood what  the work of science is clearly validating; the universe (s) is a system.  One cannot  take an action or a non-action (which is an action) without affecting the entire system. Not taking care of ourselves affects our neighbor and the rest of the universe.  Not taking care of our neighbor and the rest of the universe affects the entire system.  Every part of the universe is interconnected.   I cannot, as some would suggest, claim an action is just affecting me and, thus is no one’s business.
 
If we are to love our neighbor as ourselves and if all are our neighbor then we must wear a mask and we must get a vaccination.   Obviously there are those few people who cannot medically safely wear a mask.   There are those who have severe allergies to egg-based vaccination and possibly other ingredients.  They may not be able to safely take the vaccine.  It is my experience and understanding that before administering any covid-19 vaccines those administering it are asking if one has a history of a reaction to the flu shot or any other vaccine or shot.
 
For those who maintain that it is their right to not wear a mask or get a vaccine I suggest you try to function without any connection to the rest of the community.   Even when I worked in Alaska individuals and families who were attempting to live off the grid called for help from the coast guard when someone in the family, especially children, were sick.   
 
One woman with whom I recently talked claimed that she was not a threat to anyone because she never went out, but she had just gone out to her hair done.  The fact that she  was the only one with the beautician did not prevent her from passing along some illness or vice versa.  Another person to whom I talked claimed that the vaccine was designed for population control.  Obviously this is true. The vaccine is designed to keep more people alive.
 
I have yet to hear a cogent argument for not loving ourselves as we love our neighbor and not loving our neighbor as ourselves .  It is perhaps time we either accept all of us as equally deserving of love or decide none of us are deserving of love.  The later will ensure the quicker demise of the planet which will make this teaching null and void. 
 
If we are all deserving of love and respect I suggest all who are medically able wear a mask and get a vaccine as soon as they are are able.
 
Written January 12, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 

​Anxiety to fear to paranoia to peace
 
Many of us and particularly those living in countries or regions where covid-19 has been out of control have found ourselves increasingly anxious and even fearful.   There is a general feeling of “dis ease” and a feeling of being disconnected from/with each other.  Most of know that there will be an end to this stage of living so isolated from each other. We also know that while it is healthy to have a profound respect for the virus, we need to be creative in taking care of each other.
 
There are others who experience covid-19 against the backdrop of a more generalized  fear which has, for many, escalated to paranoia.  Oxford dictionary defines paranoia as “a mental illness in which a person wrongly believes that other people are trying to harm them….
 
There are a significant number of people in the United States who sincerely believe that we, as a nation, can only be great again, under the leadership of Donald Trump, who believe his accusations that Joe Biden is becoming president only because of extreme dishonestly and outright voter fraud/dishonestly.  Many of these same people believe that only Caucasian, Christian individuals who were born in this country or who were lucky enough to be eligible, rich enough and safe enough to use the limited legal immigration channels available deserve to be in this country.  These same people have often come to believe that there was a time in which the United States (America) was great; a time in which racism, sexism, homophobia and a clear enemy was “acceptable”. This was also a time commonly referred to as the cold war; a time during which the connection between nicotine use of cancer was less clear; a time in which fossil fuel jobs were plentiful, labor unions strong and climate change was not recognized.  It was also a time when Jim Crow was still very acceptable, our heroes included confederate soldiers and Native Americans were thought to be content with entertaining the white folks with their colorful costumes and dances.  It was also a time when the audience for Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and Eleanor Roosevelt was limited to a few radicals or as one Vice President expressed effete snobs.
 
Once a person or more importantly a group of people sincerely believe a set of beliefs, no amount of evidence will soften or lessen their beliefs. Any attempt to correct thinking will only be received as more proof that one’s values and way of life is being targeted .  It is easy to then generalize the fear to a variety of issues.   Universal health care becomes socialism.  Socialism becomes anti-Christian even if His teachings were very socialistic.  Inclusivity becomes contamination or dilution.  Powerful women become anti-family.  Finally, covid-19 becomes “man-made” weapon of the Chinese and vaccines another way to control the population.   At this stage, fear has grown to a stage of paranoia – the danger is life threatening and must be stopped at all costs.  It is now easy to convince oneself that storming the capital is one’s patriotic duty, that covid-19 vaccines are an attempt to control people, and “those not with us are against us”.   At this stage any attempt to have a civil and constructive discussion is futile.
 
The danger is that one will attempt to use the normal rules of logic to set  the stage for a discission.   It is not happening.  What one can do is to treat the fearful person with enormous respect; to honor the fear without agreeing to the basis for it; to identify and focus on those areas of agreement we all share with each other.   We all want to be good parents, to have a safe home for our family, to have a peaceful meal, and to  be treated with love and respect.   One does not want to be called names, to be patronized,  or to told they are mentally ill.  One does not want to be told what to do but might respond to invitations.   
 
Regaining trust – the central issue – is often a slow, painstaking process.  Anyone who has lost and regained the trust of a best friend – perhaps one’s spouse -knows it takes patience, love, respect, and consistent trusting behavior to regain that trust.  There are many in this country who have lost trust in the democratic process.  We must do all we can to regain that trust. Negative punishing talk will not accomplish that purpose.
​
Written January 11, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 
 
 

​Sunday Musings – January 10, 2021
 
The events of the past week in the United States underscore the extent of the frustration, hopelessness and the pain of many.
 
Whether storming the United States Capital building (just listened to the major of a nearby town who was there and experienced it as a friendly visit during which law enforcement people assassinated one of its members),  claiming second amendment rights to not wear face masks or to not get the vaccine, watching the stock market prices rise in the midst of such chaos, or experiencing the inability to have respectful conversation versus blaming, judgmental ones, denying racism or positing a god who is threatened by same sex relationships or strong, assertive, take charge women one might think that many of us live in alternate universes. 
 
It seems that is easy and/or convenient for us humans to pretend as if symptoms are the disease or responsible for the “dis ease”.   Whether in medicine, economics or politics we seem all too willing to treat the symptoms as if the source of the symptoms is the symptoms.  While we may need to stop the bleeding wound, the erupting faucet,  the angry group of men and women storming the capitol building of the United states, wear a mask or a prosthetic boot, it makes common  and scientific sense to identify the underlying disease or dis ease and devise a plan to treat that condition.
 
Hitler was not the problem in Nazi Germany.  Some historians in examining the success of Hitler stand back to at least the first world war and even earlier.  If one wants to understand why there was such a large group of individuals who were willing to support and serve the  symptoms which defined the historic Hitler one has to  attempt to understand the number of people who felt less than/undervalued or disenfranchised .   If one wants to understand the large group of people who support Black Lives Matter, the women’s moment, or the Proud Boys movement one has to understand, not President Trump, but the history and culture which creates such a large, angry group of individuals.
 
If one wants to understand sexism one has to understand and accept responsibility for what we teach males about the essence of their worth.  If we want to understand homophobia which exists despite scientific evidence that same sex men and women are not wasting seeds and eggs which are needed for procreation, one has to understand the life force of religious institutions.
 
All of us, including this human can, if we choose, trace the history of trauma back to the dark ages and prior.  The history of that trauma will, at the very least, correlate with many of our attitudes, characterizes and behaviors.
 
Sometimes the line connecting history and current behavior, attitude and characteristic is made by a sharpie and sometimes it is a faint dotted line which is barely perceptible to the naked eye, but it is always there.
 
If I am accurate, all of us could take a deep breath and become more detached observers of our history and more accurately diagnose and treat the “dis eases” which, when left untreated, result in the various political and social conditions which we have allowed to be fertilized by our response to symptoms.
 
Written January 10, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 
 

​Words and beyond
 
With the magic of the internet,  all of us who spend much time plugged in are daily assaulted with words which, if not careful, become synonymous with people.  
 
By the time I was headed for the gym at 6 a.m. this morning the words communist, socialist, democrat, republican, zealot, conspiracy theorist, thief, American, patriot, and a host of others had already assaulted me as each was delivered with passion and often in an angry us-them format.   There was seldom a hint of human beings who live with fear, joy, pain, disappointment, love, and yearning for meaningful connection. 
 
While at the gym I listened to an interview on Fresh Air.  Dave Davies interviewed the journalist and author, Kai Strittmatter about his new book Life in China’s Surveillance State. I heard more words and faced the danger of forgetting that the words attempted to describe the emotions and actions of mothers, fathers, siblings, children, friends, and neighbors.  Please don’t misunderstand.  The interview, and I am sure the book which I have yet to read, tells an important story which all of us need to know.  Yet, at the same time, one does not want to forget the people costumed with these words.  Whether it is the President of China, Xi Jinping or all those given important power positions in the bureaucracy, it is important to remember how in in Mr. Strittmatter’s home country Hitler succeeded by giving those whose had been assigned words indicating they were unworthy of love and respect uniforms and power which allowed them to feel powerful and important. 
 
Every reader of this blog knows, all too well, of my fondness for words. I love words. I love language.   Yet, the power of words and language is both exciting and frightening.
 
I love the internet and the fact that I can easily listen to authors and others who offer opinions.  Rather than searching my bookcase  or that of the local library (post covid reopening) I can google my favorite poems.
 
In my profession there is a lexicon of words to describe the illness or the group of people who seem to have the symptoms of those illnesses.  This lexicon is so familiar to many it is not unusual for someone to call me and say I am a bipolar or a schizophrenic or…. They are a person whose symptoms may or may not describe an underlying illness.  One needs to know their history and even the history of their ancestors to begin to know them as a person before assigning a label.
 
Many years ago, I was at a men’s retreat with other men I had not previously met.   The challenge presented was to get to know each other without any mention of  job/profession, education, marital status, sexual orientation, race or other labels.   For some sessions we were blindfolded and for others naked or given the exact same costume/clothing to wear.  The challenge was to get to know each other as people with whom we shared much. 
 
Palestinians and Israeli people have been meeting in small groups as people for years and finding that they have the same range of emotions, desires and hopes.    An Irish friend of mine shares the brotherhood he shares with people born and raised in the Middle East,
 
I will function as a therapist remotely today.  Sometimes we will be able to see each other and other times there is only the voice or the words in a text or an email.  The challenge for me will be to “see” the person who uses the words; to touch and share their pain as well as their joy; to access our common humanness; to use the words as porous shells which hold my twin. I will face the same challenge while listening to or reading the words of the news or meeting a neighbor in the elevator.
 
Written January 6, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 
 
 
 
 

​The challenge of responsible citizenship
 
This human is acutely aware of the challenge of being a responsible citizen while not becoming a zealot or self-righteous.
 
I am well aware of the fact that I put some issues on the back burner. Doing so  means I take no action, but the issue hovers on the edge of my consciousness and periodically calls out for my attention.  One of those issues is related to diet which is related to what the animals who end up on my kitchen table endure prior to their arrival.  I know, for example:
 

• Some animals are prophylactically given huge amounts of antibiotics which may be affecting the how our bodies react to antibiotics when we need them and why they are becoming less effective.
• The actual product which arrives in my kitchen may not be very nutritious or healthy
• The waste products of animals being raised for food is often problematic for the environment.
• Slaughterhouses often do not have humane practices and may, in fact, have very cruel practices.

 
In order to support this current system which allows me to, at will, (as long as I have money and means to purchase) have that meat in my home:
 

• I pretend as if I can eat the product or feed it to friends and family without causing me or them harm.
• I pretend as if I believe that animals have no experience of pain or other negative emotions.
• I pretend as If the needs of us humans supersede any pain the animals might suffer.
• I pretend as if I believe that climate change or overall health of the planet is something which can safely be ignored.
• I pretend that as long as food products are labeled as free range or organic there is no harm to the environment or the animals.
• I pretend that there are no other options for a healthy diet.
•  I pretend as if I am blissfully unaware of the extensive research into plant and cell based “meats” – food which has the taste, texture and nutrition of animal products.
• I pretend that all the meat products I eat have lived in the wild and are killed by skilled hunters who ensure animals do not suffer when being killed.

 
This is a long list of pretends which, if I can write them down, I am not doing very effectively. 
 
I knew full well when I decided to listen to the Ezra Klein rebroadcast of the episode featuring a conversation with Bruce Friedrich head of the Good Food Institute  I would be challenged to  face the disparity/contradiction between what I know and how I behave.    Yet, my intention and commitment for 2021 is to continue to challenge myself to learn and to take another step forward in my spiritual journey.  I am not suggesting that I am ready to make the commitment to becoming a vegetarian or vegan, or to hunt all the meat I serve  in my home, but it does mean that I have made a clear decision to bring this issue to the forefront of my thinking and to be honest with what I know.
 
Written January 5, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 
 

​Sunday Musings – January 3, 2021
 
My spiritual intention for this day is to remain teachable.  This is, I suspect, a laudable goal for the year.  On the surface it seems to me to be a very simple goal.  Achieving or approximating this goal will require:
 

• I admit that all of what I think or have learned to date is subject to change.
• I be at peace with not knowing or learning that I what I have thought or believed is not accurate
• I accept new knowledge often comes from allowing another layer of honesty with myself.
• I agree to put myself in situations where I have to trust others to teach me and/or guide me.

 
Although my parents were both readers and both were constantly tacking very concrete, practical issues it was Grandma Fannie who introduced me to the joy of exploring the tough spiritual and philosophical issues.   I suspect it was her encouragement and influence which led me to pursue a degree in philosophy with an emphasis on moral philosophy.  
 
It seems that there was always a part of me which questioned everything from history to the teaching of the church.   Questions such as:
 

• How do we know what constitutes justice?
• How do we know what is moral? Is it the greatest good for the greatest number?  Is it something we should just feel is right? What if science contradicts the teachings of religion? 
• Why would a kind and just God allow suffering or condemn people to an eternity in hell because they did not know about a particular concept of him/her.it?
• Do we really have free will if many factors affect how the brain works?
• Should we help young children explore these questions, so they know the purpose of learning certain skills?

 
This morning I listened to a conversation on the Ezra Klein podcast between Ezra, the philosopher, Pamela Hieronymi and the producer and writer Michael Schur discuss the Moral Philosophy of the  sitcom “The Good Place” .   Since I do not watch television I had never  heard of his show.  I was thrilled to learn that there was a sitcom exploring these important questions which, too often, many assume are too complicated or esoterical for the average person.
 
I am not convinced that young children or the average adult is uninterested in moral philosophy – how we know what behavior is moral or ethical.   I think most children and people I know learn better if they know the purpose to which the language and rules of math are going to be applied.   Very young children until they are “spoon fed differently” will say that racism, sexism or other isims are “stupid”.  Most people might be turned off by the “big words” of philosophy such as metaphysics epistemology, phenomenology and ontology but we do not have to use these terms to discuss the nuts and bolts of morality or ethics.
 
Perhaps in 2021 we would do well to encourage our children and our adult neighbors to be open to exploring and learning .  Perhaps they are tired of being spoon fed answers without ever being given a chance to learn the questions.   Spoon fed answers are like any other drug.  They bring temporary relief but do nothing to identify and tackle the real issues.  Is it really surprising that so many young people are feeling so hopeless and disenchanted with the obvious lies about justice, sexuality, or work for works sake?    
 
Learning may require that we introduce the questions before we manufacture the answers. I have been fortunate to have a few teachers including Grandma Fannie who encouraged me to question everything.  Perhaps all of us would benefit from opening our minds and hearts to new possibilities.   Perhaps we could do this with mutual respect and a  sense of humor.
 
Written January 3, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org
 
 

​Home
 
This morning, while at the gym, I was listening to a rebroadcast of an On Being Podcast of October 1, 2015 which featured a conversation between Krista Tippett, the host and Mary Catherine Bateson, linguist and anthropologist as well as the daughter of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson both esteemed anthropologists .   As usual, it is not my intention to duplicate the podcast.  I urge the reader of this blog to listen to or read the transcript of this conversation. 
 
Dr Bateson tickled my memory and my thoughts many times throughout the conversation, but I want to focus on one  statement she made which strongly resonated with me, “Home is creating an environment where learning can take place.” The reason the statements resonated with me was that I have often said that good friends tickle my heart and my mind meaning, of course, that they love me unconditionally and they challenge me to think.   For me the definition of thinking involves examining an idea or a situation for all angles asking such questions as:  How did I come to believe an opinion about some object or situation?  What is the scientific evidence?
 
For example, I heard someone on the radio this morning allude to a bird which can fly 100 mph.  I could not wait to fact check this statement.  If various sites on the internet, including staff at Stanford University, are to be believed, the Peregrine Falcon can reach swooping speeds of up to 200 mph.  Ducks can fly 60 mph per hour or faster. 
 
If one attends to the  media one often hears the term fake news.  For some years now there have been professionals who fact check the statements of politicians and other public figures. Naturally one has to be careful to check the methods  and data fact checkers use to fact check.
 
If one is living in an unsafe dwelling it is often because someone else in the dwelling is threatened by information or even opinions which differs from theirs.  Their self-esteem may be rooted in the illusion or delusion that they know what is right or wrong for themselves and everyone else in that dwelling.  Their attachments to their version may be rooted in fear of being rejected by other people or the God of their understanding.   The ultimate rejection is being thrown into hell for eternity.   Learning is not necessary or possible on many subjects because one cannot argue with God or those in religious texts who are believed to have had the equivalent of a direct line to the God of their understanding.
 
If one is living in such a home the daily objective is survival and not learning.   Children living in unsafe homes often do poorly In school because they are taught to not question adults and they are so fearful they cannot focus.  They may learn survival techniques, but they are not learning how to think.
 
On this first day of 2021 I have been thinking a lot about the importance of having a home; of living in a space and associating with people who are healthy enough to be open to learning.  A safe home is more of an atmosphere than a specific place.  One can feel at home in the world if one knows that one is loved and one in which it is safe to fact check what one observes and what one reads or hears.  Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson, their daughter and other social scientists are committed to observing with an open mind and fact checking their fact checking;   They may have opinions, but they are not threated by new data which contradicts previous data.
 
A safe home in one in which is not only physically and emotionally safe but one which allows one to have sufficient nutrition, clean water,  heat, access to health care and the other basics for the brain to function. 
 
I wonder what would happen if our goal in 2021 was to work towards creating a sense of home in individual dwellings, communities, states and the nation for all people regardless of background, so called class, the pigment of one’s skin, gender, sexual orientation, physical and intellectual ableness, religion or political affiliation? 
 
In a novel I am reading the chief character was taught by her grandfather to envision her goal or dream until it became manifest reality. Perhaps we could open to envisioning this expanded version of home until it becomes manifest reality.
 
Written January 1, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org