The power of words
 
I have always been fascinated with the power of words and the power of choosing a word to connote or denote what one is feeling, thinking or doing.   One of the words which I frequently hear is “motivate” or “motivated”. Motivated is both the past tense and the past participle of the word motive. Oxford language suggests that to motivate is to “stimulate someone’s interest in or enthusiasm for doing something.”
 
One may hear someone say , “I will do X if I am motivated to do so.”  A person might say to me  “I am hoping or waiting to get motivated to do task X.   Task “X might be washing the dishes, registering for a class, or finishing a work task.  Usually, a person who says this means that they are waiting until they feel like performing a task.
 
There are also those who seemingly seldom use the term motivate.  They simply perform the next task which is on their list or which commands their attention.  Recently I was talking to a woman who was sick with the flue this past weekend.   Her husband and the daughter were also sick with the flue. The young child is still at a very dependent stage.  This husband is a fully abled adult. There was no way to determine if husband or wife were the sickest.  All reports indicate they were experiencing the same level of illness.  Yet, the wife tended to the child, her husband and did basic home chores.  Seemingly, the husband was waiting to feel like doing tasks(to get motivated) and the wife simply did what needed to be done.  The husband marveled at how much she was able to accomplish.   Yet, if the wife had not been there my guess is that he would have done what she managed to accomplish.   He would not have had the luxury of deciding if he was motivated or felt like taking care of their daughter.
 
I talked to a friend who frequently waits to feel motivated before cleaning his house and doing the dishes. Yet, if a woman in whom he has a romantic or sexual interest is about to arrive at his home he is able to clean the house and do the dishes as well as other chores.  A woman I know when she is scheduled to work manages to get a shower, put on clean clothes and perform her professional job.  Yet, if she is not scheduled to work she may be “unable”  to even get out of bed.  She says she hates staying in bed but cannot get herself up. 
 
We use many words which determine whether or not we lead an intentional life.  We might hear ourself or someone else slaying, “I found myself saying or doing X.”  “I ended up doing what I said I would not do.” “I really want to quit smoking but I purchased another carton of cigarettes.”  The list of examples in which we talk as if life just happens is endless.
 
Obviously, life does not just happen. It is true that Mother Nature may decide a hurricane , a tornado or a tsunami will visit.   A car may suddenly pull in front of us while we are driving.  A pandemic arrives forcing closure of many enterprises.  A spouse suddenly dies or falls in love with another person.  A company suddenly finds itself without parts necessary to complete orders. An electrical malfunction causes a fire which results in the house being destroyed by fire.  One has an accident, is prescribed pain pills and suddenly has a full -blown addiction.  There are a great many life events over which we do not have control. What we do have control over is how we respond to life events. We may not always have control over how we respond physically.  Perhaps one is badly burnt by the house fire and unable to function physically, but does have control over one’s relationship to the ensuing pain and different ableness .  Perhaps one does not have control over losing a business, but one does have control over one’s willingness to start at the bottom again selling products out of a street cart.
 
The language we use to direct our behavior may be influenced by messages or truths one has internalized about oneself and the world.  Perhaps one has been told on many time that they are helpless, they have what Lenore Walked named “learned helplessness”.  Perhaps one has so beaten down by the prison system or genocide that one has become hopeless about the future. 
 
We learn many lies and if we have the luxury of thinking about whether we can accomplish a task - whether we are motivated  - we may decide we are powerless. We unconsciously decide that if we can cannot accomplished task A there is no reason to attempt task B.’
 
Other factors may acutely affect our ability to function.  Clinical depression and other illnesses can make it very difficult to even access the messages in our brain which direct the simplest of activities.  Yet, many of us will notice that the language we have learned to use has a profound effect on what we are able to accomplish.
 
The late Wayne Dyer wrote a lot about the power of our thinking.  Book such as Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life - The Power of the Tao and The Power of Intentions clearly  remind us our thoughts are like the motor in one’s car.    They turn off or on off the parts of the body which allow one to do a task.
 
One of the major teachings of the Taoism is:   “Simplicity, patience, compassion.  These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.”  (goodnet.org)
 
Written May 15, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 ​

Parents of children born to teenage mothers - ages 15-19


Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air interviewed author and activist Nicole Lynn Lewis.  Ms. Lewis is, by all accounts a success story who not only graduated from college after becoming a teenage mom, but has become an advocate for teen moms.  Let me be clear. She is not recommending that children have children,  but is honoring the fact that young people are sexual and for a variety of reasons a certain number become parents.  The good news is that the number of teenage pregnancies - ages 15 -19 - haven been decreasing - In 1918-1919 the CDC recorded 171, 674 teenage births in the United States. There are no comparable statistics for those who had an abortion, miscarried or perhaps successfully used the morning after pill. 


I could not locate the statistics for the average age of the male partner of the young women girls who became pregnant.  Antidotal evidence indicates that some of them are peers in the same age range; some are older; some are younger. 


As Ms. Lewis states, many young people do not, for a variety of reasons use birth control.  It may be unavailable, too expensive, or not even considered an option.  I talk to a lot of men well into their adult years who do not use a condom because they do not like how it feels, do not plan ahead, or believe it is the responsibility of the woman to use birth control.  I also talk to men who make decisions to have sex when their thinking is impaired because of the use of alcohol or other drugs. There are also those young men and women who believe they can successfully use the rhythm method or the pull out method.
‘
The statistics I found indicate that the number of teenagers who admit having sexual intercourse has decreased slightly (2015 statistics). The overall birth rate in the United States is down for all age groups.  Sadly, the CDC reports a nearly 30% increase is STDs between 2015 and 2019 (cdc.gov).


My concerns are:


·       The need to Honor and even embrace the fact the physical and emotional need to connect physically and sexually begins at a very early age.  Puberty may begin as early as age 9.  The average age for girls is 11 and for boys 12.


·       In order for a pregnancy to occur there has to be a meeting of an egg and a sperm.   Egg and sperm banks make artificial insemination possible, but unless this is forced for monetary or other reasons, only consenting adults will become pregnant in this manner. Otherwise, we are talking about a sexual connection between a male and a female, but not necessarily a consenting male and female
           
·       Sexually transmitted diseases affect both males and females of any age.  For many people and especially for teenagers of both genders seeking help for sexually transmitted diseases is embarrassing.


·       Being able to access abortion services is seldom legally available for teenagers in most states in the United States.  Increasingly, it is difficult for any poor person to get an abortion in the United States even if the pregnancy is the result of rape and done within days or weeks of the meeting of the sperm and the egg.     


·       Because it is the woman who physically carries and nurtures the fetus, it is frequently her decision of whether or not to carry the fetus to full term, whether to raise the child or whether to allow another person(s) to raise the child.
           
·       If a DNA tests identifies the biological sperm donor he can be held responsible for the shared financial support of the child until the child reaches the age of maturity which could be post high school or post college in some states.  While it is true the boy made an informed or uninformed decision to share his sperm he is not necessarily an equal partner in making the decision of whether to continue the pregnancy or who is going to raise the child even though he will be required, if identified,. to pay child support.  Child support may or may not include equal parenting access and rights. There has been some increased legal rights for fathers in recent years.


·       Even though we know it takes a village, there has been minimal communal financial, emotional or physical support in raising a child.  The success of President Biden’s proposals regarding child care assistance is not assured.   In the United States we continue to act as if the nuclear family is intact; that one parent can make enough to allow the other to stay home and be the primary care taker or as if a middle class white families still can have slave labor.  Grandparents and some other family members have increasingly taken over responsibility for child care. Not everyone has the luxury of this sort of assistance.


In short the legislators, clerics and others with a vested interest in the illusions and delusions of the status quo decide who has a child and who is financially, emotionally and physically  responsible for a child.  Teachers have assumed increased responsibility for the emotional, intellectual and physical development of children.


If the community, as represented through elected legislators and designated spiritual leaders, want to continue to make decisions about the consequence of the expression of natural biological sexual feelings and urges than the community needs to take financial, moral, emotional, and practical responsibility for the ensuing children and for the identification and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.  Humans are sexual beings who are physically maturing sexually by age 9-12,  but often not trained to take on adult responsibilities until they are 22 to 30 (depending on extent of formal education/training.  This means a minimum of 9 years and a possibility of 21 years of intense need for sexual release, emotional and physical closeness with someone of the opposite sex, the same sex or both.  Depending on the emotional voids in the life of a child the emotional and sexual needs may be more or less welded together.  If we are going to be responsible adults we need to formulate realistic plans for helping our young people embrace and honor those needs while reducing the risk of teenage pregnancies and  , transmitted diseases.  More abortion restrictions, less access to sexual education, the absence of safe sexual rituals, and lack of plans for deceasing sexually transmitted diseases is not acceptable.   Acting as if only the female is pregnant and should shoulder the decision making is not acceptable.  Acting as if the male is just a bank account to be identified and used is also not acceptable.  


I believe we have a moral imperative to face these and related issues.


Written May 11, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org

Sunday Musings - May 9, 2021


Today in the United States is set aside to pay tribute to mothers.  I recently listened to Krista Tippett’s conversation with famed psychologist  Daniel Kahneman on the podcast On Being about perception or experience of reality.  Krista mention that giving birth is a good example of being able to focus on the magic of a new child instead of the pain of childbirth.   If the focus was on the pain of childbirth no woman would ever have more than one child.  Of course, as a male, I am convinced that were childbirth up to us males, no one would ever consciously agree to have more than one child. It is difficult for men - certainly this man - to imagine the physical pain of childbirth. Of course, by the time a child is born, the woman has had 9 months to bond with the fetus.  More often than not bonding does occur and the woman who has physically fed and born the fetus becomes a mother. 

There are also those cases when the person who nurtures and carries the fetus does not develop a bond; is expected to be a parent but is unable to emotionally, physically or financially be a parent. More often than most of us know a grandparent, frequently a grandmother, steps in to raise a child.  Sometimes, sadly, an employee of the state must step in and forcibly take over legal responsibility for the child. 


Too often, a child continues to live with a mother and/or father who is unable to be a parent but who retains legal responsibility.  In this case, absence of another healthy adult, the child raises themselves or becomes the parent to the biological mother, father or both.


Sadly, we often harshly judge a female who is unable to take on the role of mother for whatever reason.   While we might be critical of the male who is unable to assume the active role of a father, we are often more forgiving of him than we are the female who is unable to assume the active role as a mother.


Many children whose mother (or father) was unable to assume the responsibilities of being an active parent continue, throughout their adult life, to expect their birth mother or biological sperm donor to be the parent that Hallmark or most of the community says that they should be.  Instead of choosing a family of choice - an intentional parent - they stay profoundly depressed and/or angry waiting for that person to morph into a parent. 


Today, on this Mother’s Day, we can honor those who:


1.     Bonded, gave birth and were able to be the parent the child needed.


2.     Gave birth but were wise and unselfish enough to allow someone else to be the parent.


·       Gave birth and desperately wanted to be a good parent, felt unable to allow someone else to raise the child and yet were unable to be the parent the child needed.   Mental illness may often be a factor.


·       For various reasons, took on the role of being both a mother and father.  Luckily many males and females have the qualities needed to perform both roles. 


·       Stepped in when both parents of someone were deceased or otherwise unavailable.    I know many who put careers on hold to step in and do this important job with very little recognition of being full time parents.




Many women and some men are single parents struggling to balance work, parenting, maintenance of a home, being emotionally and physically present as well as a community member, being an extended family member and performing a myriad of other tasks. As we gather today to honor mothers and those who step up to perform all the duties of being a mother let’s remember that support needs to arrive in the form of action.  Some of the proposals to Congress by the current administration address such basic needs as child care assistance.  If we are serious about honoring the roles and duties of those who are the de facto mothers we need to provide those resources and tools which honors the fact that parenting is a full time job. When we treat it as a part time, minimum wage (or less) job which one does with extra change and bottom of the barrel energy left over at the end of the “work” day, vocal support or praise is meaningless.    Flowers or a meal one day of the year does not pay the bills, infuse one with the needed health benefits of sleep, buy gas to chauffeur children to their after school activities, or help one take on the duties of teacher while children are remotely attending school.  One cannot pay the dependable, safe, effective  child care person with a rose petals and a left over chicken bone. 


Grandma Fannie would suggest that if, as a community, we are serious about mother’s day we need to:  “Put your money where your mouth is.”




Written May 9, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org

Spiritual awakening


I was talking to a person whose life has been transformed by a serious commitment to using the 12-step program of narcotics anonymous. As is true for many others, prior to joining others in using the principles and steps of this program, his addictive thoughts and behavior wreaked havoc in his life and left him feeling alone and without hope. 


Not everyone finds the framework of the NA program - the principles and the steps -  works for them.  The are many other frameworks which have proven effective.   Some of them do not include having to face the pain of a concept of god which many have experienced as rejecting and punishing.  All of them, however, challenge one to accept one’s interconnectedness with all other beings and with all of nature (creation/the universes).  All of them require that one make an honest attempt to face and accept oneself as one is.  From earliest writers such as Plato, prophets of various religions and later teachers/seekers of truth and meaning, the primary moral imperative is to know thyself.  Knowing oneself requires honesty, humility and a sense of humor.  I might suggest that a sense of humor may be the most important.  It seems axiomatic that no other animal or being takes itself as seriously as do us humans.  Some animals do, in fact, take their survival and, thus, their territory very seriously.  Even trees and other plant life “naturally” communicate with and affect the life process around them.  There is no evidence, however, that trues, plants or any other life forms, except humans,  produce volumes of essays or treatises on the meaning of life or the moral imperatives which will allow one to attempt to fulfill that purpose. Us humans often go to great lengths to avoid knowing ourselves.


If one is very lucky, at some point one has what I refer to as a spiritual awakening. This is not a single happening, but a lifelong process of acceptance; acceptance that us humans are a tiny spec for the briefest of moments in the ongoing drama of the universes.   Yet, we are each a necessary cast member even when our role seems to require no more than walk on moments. Even those seemingly insignificant roles demand that we be present and awake; that our focus be only on being in that role.  In those moments we cannot be concerned with what we did yesterday or might do tomorrow; what another thinks of us; whether we are the most important or best dressed or reside in the largest castle. 


A program for spiritual awakening such as the 12 step programs ends with step 12 which is paradoxically the beginning of step 1.  Step 12, whether in the words of NA, one of the other 12 step program or the summary of one of Immanuel Kant volumes, states:


            “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this
            message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”




Both parts are essential.   One can substitute all others for the term addicts.  It indeed takes a village and the village is the universe(s).  Each person, worm, insect, tree, plant, tribe, rock is a necessary part of the whole.  We must accept all to the table.  This requires that we do something which for many of us humans is an anathema  - to suspend judgment of others - throw away that excel spread sheet on which we carefully track the comparative score of the shortcomings of all of us.  Secondly, we must, being the humans that we are, continue to remind ourselves that we are powerless/not the center of the universe, connected to the whole,  humbly take a moral inventory, admit when we are wrong, share with others and make amends when appropriate.  In short, we have to continue to know ourselves, be honest, laugh often at our own insecurities and futile attempts to mask who we are, dance wildly in our outrageous consumes, and accept the humanness of ourselves and others in the role de jour we are assigned. 


This is a daily and perhaps for many of us a minute-by-minute practice of getting to know and accepting ourselves - of having that spiritual awakening which delights in being a part of something which includes us but which is more than our sacred, insignificant, paradoxical selves.


Written May 7, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org

​Addiction to a person (s)?


I have previously written about whether one can become addicted to a person.  Although there is some professional disagreement about whether addiction is the correct term for those with this condition or state of mind there is no question as its validity. The symptoms or characteristics of this disorder include:


·       The inability to let go of a relationship with another person or group of people despite                        repeated evidence that they cannot or will not consistently treat one with love and respect.


·       Holding on to an irrational belief that this person can or will fill the void within
            one.


·       The belief that one can only be at peace if another person(s) behaves the way one
            “knows they are capable of behaving” (capable of being the perfect friend
            partner, boss, or colleague). 


·       The irrational belief that one needs a particular person and cannot be okay on one’s
            own.


·       Being willing to give up any semblance of self- respect to stay connected to this
            person.


If one has experienced or talks to anyone who has been addicted to alcohol, other drugs, food, sex, things or any other substance one will recognize the same symptomatic, irrational relationship. 


Just recently I read Hunter Biden’s biography Beautiful Things, This bright, highly educated, normally rational, loving, good man who was and is unconditionally loved by healthy people was kidnapped by his addiction to alcohol and other drugs.   The addiction caused him to behave in ways which consistently violated his core values.    Addiction to a person has the same tragic results, One may find the addiction is to a series of similar people, none of whom have the ability to fill the void one has inside of one or has the ability to be in a healthy relationship.   


Some will use the term attachment instead of addiction to describe the dynamics of an irrational, abusive relationship.  Despite all evidence to the contrary, one becomes attached to the belief that if one does or says the “right” thing the person will magically morph into the person who can love them unconditionally or fill the void within one.  One “knows” the person has the ability to be the person they say they want to be.  The person may abuse one overtly and covertly time after time. If one indicates that one cannot take any more abuse the person profusely begs forgiveness and promises to change. A honeymoon period follows, but eventually the abuse resumes.  The pattern repeats over and over again.  An entire family or small group may exhibit this pattern of behavior.  This family may, in fact, be one’s biological family of origin or the family who adopted and raised one.   One connects “family” with “love” which in this case is abusive.  One knows that the Hallmark ads promises love comes from a family and “believes” that if one behaves in the “right” manner one will receive what one needs from this family. One returns again and again to this family and is tragically hurt again and again.   They simply do not have what one wants or needs.  I often suggest that the person who keeps “looking for love in all the wrongs places” go to the neighborhood convenient store and tell the clerk they want to purchase a new car.  The clerk says that they do not carry new cars.  One returns the next day and the next day but they still do not sell cars. Perhaps there is a desperate person hanging out near the convenience store who will promise to sell one a car. One buys the car only to have the police come to collect the stolen car.  


If all evidence proves that a particular person, family or other group does not have what one needs or wants and, yet, one returns time and time again expecting a magical transformation one may be addicted to or have an attachment to a person, family or other groups.  The problem is not with the person or group of people any more than the problem is with alcohol, another drug, food, sex, power or things.  The problem is one holds on to one’s irrational expectation, demand, hope, or delusional beliefs despite all evidence to the contrary.


It is time to identify and work on the actual issue.  It is time for one to surrender to the reality that one will never find what one needs “out there”.   One does not need another person, substance, thing, food, sex or power to complete one or to avoid being with oneself. One can surrender to the truth that one is enough; that one has what one needs to face and live life on life’s terms.  Hunter Biden had unconditional love, possessions, a fine intellect and some core beliefs.  He was not missing anything to be a whole person before or after his brother mother, sister, and later brother Beau died.  Of course, he grieved and mourned the loss of these people, but even if they had lived he would have had to come to an acceptance that he was enough; that he had what he needed to live a full and meaningful life.   Obviously, there will always be a deep sense of loss but he is complete in and of himself. What Hunter has with his wife, children, dad and other relatives as well as friends is not the same as what he had with or might have had with his mom, sister or Beau but what he has is real and can be trusted.


When one lets go of the demand that the abusive person, family or group becomes who one has decided they should be one is able to give oneself what one needs.   One can love them unconditionally for who they are.  One does not need to invite them on one’s journey, but one also does not need to judge them or be angry with them for being who they are.  One can then finally practice being at peace, be grateful for who one already is and accept the love of healthy people.


Written May 5 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org

 
 
No pain, no gain
 
Many of us grew up being taught that intellectual, spiritual, and emotional, and physical growth is often uncomfortable and sometime downright painful.   Adults I admired such as Grandma Fannie, my Aunt Pleasant and Uncle Harold and some of my favorite teachers frequently reminded me, “No pain, no gain.”   
 
Often when working for/with those healing from active addiction, various trauma, including loss, I am reminded of this important lesson.  
 
I find it ironic that in the Oklahoma and other state legislatures bills are being proposed and which have a good chance of being passed seem designed to ensure that students in public schools, colleges and universities will not have to be taught anything uncomfortable dealing with the history of racism, sexism, gender identity or similar issues.   In fact, the proposed bills would forbid the teaching of critical race theory or mandatory gender or sexual diversity training or counseling.  On the surface some the requirements in the proposed bill in Oklahoma make sense stating that “no teacher, administrator or other employee of a school district, chartered school or virtual charter school shall require or make part of a course the following concepts:
 
·       one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex,
 
·       an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously
 
·       an individual shall not be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex
·       Member of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex.,
 
What could possibly be wrong with these and other similar proposals?  The goal of a teacher or any other employee of a school system is never to deliberately make people feel uncomfortable and certainly not at the expense of another.   What is wrong is that in my experience a key behavior which led to systemic racism, sexism and other forms of oppression was the fact that we have all too often in the schools in these United States, left out painful, uncomfortable truths about the history of race relationships, treaties, and overall treatment based on race, gender and sexual orientation. These subjects were and are often considered uncomfortable. Indeed we have often taught that the Caucasian race is superior; that males are more deserving of certain rights and privileges; that one must live with the gender assigned at birth; romantically one must love only those of the same gender; honoring treaties is not important; and the United States is inherently superior to other nations.
 
In school I did not learn that I have a responsibility as a privileged white male to let go of some of the fruits of my privilege; to change a system which benefits me; to be in an equal partner in marriage relationships; to pay my share of respirations. I did not learn that because of systemic racism, sexism or other forms of oppression I have internalized racist attitudes.  I did not learn certain childhood rhymes systematically taught me to think in oppressive ways. I did not learn that if I wanted a more just and peaceful world for myself, future children and grandchildren I had to learn to identify and change many of my thinking and behavioral habits.
 
 
Grandma Fannie, my parents, Aunt Please and Uncle Harold, some teachers and other mentors taught me that I am strong enough to face life on life’s terms; I do not get to avoid tough issues because they are painful or uncomfortable.  Whether it was farm chores, emotional or spiritual issues if I complained that I was uncomfortable or tired I was reminded that I was strong and expected to cope with the discomfort.  Although there was no shortage of help and support no one condescendingly patted me on the head and said, “Poor Jim, this is too tough or uncomfortable for you.”  Hugs were available but no pats on the head.
 
This is the same approach in my work with/for those who employ me to walk with them on their healing journey.  In my office hugs are always available, but there are no pats on the head.
 
Ironically, many of those supporting bills limiting issues which can be addressed in school settings, are the least supportive of those dealing with addiction and are the first to promote treating addicts as criminals.  Yet addicts need to know that they are loved and they are strong enough to face their addiction and get help; that they are not too weak or fragile to face life on life’s terms.   I just finished Hunter Biden’s biography Beautiful Things.  His deceased brother, dad, step mother, current wife, and numerous other family members never withheld love and never told him he was weak or fragile.  They respected the power of addictive illness  and his pain while also honoring his strength. Addicts do not feel strong, connected to a larger community or to a power greater than oneself but, in fact, we are all stronger and more connected than we feel.  We can deal with our part in systemic racism and other forms of oppression.  We can live with the discomfort and focus, not on guilt and shame, but on accountability, amends and change. Bills such as ones forbidding what is being terms critical race theory are a thinly disguised attempt to pat sensitive, mostly white males, on the head and say, “There, there, this is too uncomfortable for your fragile self.”  This bills are not accurate, kind, helpful or well intentioned. If passed, teachers and all of us responsible for education must courageously and consistently practice civil disobedience and teach a history that will result in meaningful change.
 
Witten May 3, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 
 
 ​

Sunday Musings - May 2, 2021


As we begin the month of May, the second May of living with a pandemic, the first with a new President of the United States, just one of many during which all must face the fact that access to medications necessary for life itself and access to healthy, organic fresh food is often limited to the relatively wealthy as is access to many cultural - food for the soul - events.  


Most of us no longer live in places where we can grow or raise our own food and are nor surrounded by a large extended family/community which includes talented musicians, bakers and others who feed all parts of each other.  Some of us have access to health care although in the United States insurance companies, including the government issued Medicare and Medicaid as well as the Veterans Administration, limit access to certain medications and procedures.


Last evening I attended an opera performance which honored and celebrated black composers.  The mid-priced tickets were $25.00. The processing charge was $10.00, 2/5th of the ticket price.  This was very inexpensive for this type of event. Yet, for many, it was not affordable and certainly not affordable if 4 or more family members wanted to attend.   The same is true for museums.  It is true that some museums have a free day - usually during the week - for city residents.  Yet, for the most part, in person cultural events (non- pandemic times) are not available to the average person or family.


We are in the midst of a pandemic.   Access to vaccines is controlled by patents in many places. Even if patent access is lifted, access to processes for making the vaccines may be kept secret and protected.  CNN.com reports “The various Covid-19 vaccines currently being distributed around the globe have the potential to end the worst pandemic in a century. They also will mean hundreds of billions dollars in sales for the pharmaceutical companies that make them.”  Even if priced at $20.00 per doze billions of doses are needed around the world.  


Just this morning I had a dozen or more emails in my in box decrying the “socialist” policies or recommendations of the Biden administration.  One wonders in a nation which still likes to pretend as if it is a “Christian’ nation (never was) how the sharing of resources got to be such a negative, unpatriotic, immoral concept.  One wonders how one can claim to be Christian and basically decide that a very large percentage of the population is disposal. We have a long history of treating certain individuals as robots who can be purchased or mass produced (otherwise known as slaves).  Do we honestly believe that we as a country which treats a very large percentage of its population as disposable can thrive long term?


On this Sunday, many will gather remotely or increasingly in person in so called Christian churches and worship a man named Jesus whose profit margin on bread and wine he multiplied, on the fish caught, or on the lessons he taught was not even considered.  Yet the name of Jesus will be associated with independence and not interdependence (outside the circle of believers), anti-socialist, capitalist policies which, in essence, must actively or passively support laws and customs which results in the majority of the population being disposable.   This is not Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or moral by any standard. 


In the midst of this darkness, there is the bright light of those who through the spoken word, music, dance, painting and other art forms declare that freedom shall prevail; that there are no disposal people, there is no private property but only resources to be shared; that love is a verb; that no one has the right to own what is essential for life.   This is the message of all the radical, socialist, misfit, homeless, unemployed carpenters types otherwise known as spiritual teachers.   


Written May 2, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org