​Morality and capitalism
 
Yesterday a friend for whom I have much respect commended on my blog about the merits of the philosophy and practice of those business certified by B Corp commented:
 
“Equality, honest and truthfully, doesn’t exist the game of business.  Remember, our DNA, is far from equal, from person to person. Capitalism is the best solution for bring equality to the world. Not a social Corporate commune.
 
I was surprised and not surprised by his comments although few people I know are this honest about their views of much of business while, at the same time, claiming that “Capitalism is the best solution for bring(ing) equality to the world.  Not a social Corporate commune.”
 
I always appreciate any open, honest feedback to or comments on the contents of the blogs I post.  It is my belief that we cannot create a more just, loving/less violent world without respectful, honest dialogue.
 
My understanding of capitalism is that it is, in and of itself, not moral or immoral.  It is merely a particular system for the exchange of goods.   The basic definition which I found in various dictionaries and on Wikipedia is:  “Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Characteristics central to capitalism include private property, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, a price system, and competitive markets.” It is also my understanding that there are various forms of capitalism including  a free market system. 
 
I know of no community which practices a pure form of capitalism.  Every community or country has some regulations over products, degree of honestly regarding advertisement and other business practices. 
 
As far as I can determine there is nothing in B Corp that is anti-capitalism.  What my reader is maintaining, however is that honestly, equality and truth are not consistent with capitalism. I believe that B Corp is proving the opposite.  
 
Every company or corporation has a mission statement or some equivalent statement which contains a direct or indirect reference to the purpose and ethics of the company.  That mission statement may or may not honestly reflects how the company is run.  Certainly, I have seen mission statements which are clearly not consistent with how the business is managed.  If one reads some of the statements in advertisements in the program for the symphony one would think that the purpose of the company sponsoring the ad is simply the enrichment of the soul of the community. 
 
I run a for profit company.  Yet, what I mean by profit and how that has been determined over the years may be much different than the owner of some other business.  I want to be able to provide counseling services to individuals and families in a safe, reasonably accessible and comfortable space, maintain my professional credentials through continuing education, pay for office supplies and such items as malpractice insurance and live in a modest, safe home.  I also like to be able to afford to occasionally travel, attend symphony performances, have a safe car to drive and eat decently.  I expect to be very disciplined about how I budget.    I am able to do this and have a policy that states I will see people for either a standard price (the same for 20 or more years) or what they decide their budget allows which might, at times, be nothing.  This policy has worked for many years.   I believe that how I now run the business and how it was run when the business was in full operation with other colleagues and an office person would be consistent with the certification requirement of the B Corp. Obviously, the over 2500 business which have, as of 2017, been certified by B Corp are making a profit.  
 
It could be that the profit is less under the policies of the B Corp.  That could be easily studied. Personally, I believe that we can all make a decent living and still live in harmony with each other and mother earth.  My small business is not scientific proof, but there are many other businesses which seem to surviving without dishonesty or treating anyone as less than another.    Yes, we have different skills and talents – different DNA – but we all have gifts which contribute to the overall health of all people and the environment.
 
Written June 29, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

Profit and Social responsibility
 
I have known for some time that there are many businesses which are committed to owning their role as community members whose behavior impacts the local, national, international and planetary community.  I have known that businesses who treat all of their employees, customers and the larger community with respect can make a profit for themselves and, if applicable, their shareholders.  I did not know, however, that there is a movement/organization which such business can join thereby giving support and encouragement to each other as well as showing the larger community that together these businesses make a huge difference.   The name of the organization is B Copr.  In May of 2017, according to the B Corp website – bcorporation.net – there were 2564 certified B Corp businesses in 50 countries representing 130 industries.
 
In one goggles B Crop one finds the following description:
 
“Individually, B Corps meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, and aspire to the use of the power of markets to solve social and environmental problems.  Collectively, B Corps leads a growing global movement of people using business as a force for good.  Through the power of their collective voice, one day all companies will compete to be best for the world and society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity for all.”
 
B Corps are more likely to:

• 68%  - to donate at least 10% of their profits to charity.
• 47% -  to use on site renewal energy
• 18% -  to use suppliers from low income communities.
• 45% -  to give paid professional development opportunities.
• 55% -  to cover at least some health insurance for employees.
• 45% -  to give bonuses to non-executive members.
• 28% -  to have women and minorities in management.
• 2.5x -  to give at least 20 hours per year paid time off to volunteer.

I strongly suspect B Corps business are more likely to:
 

• Think long term.
• Have low turnover.
• Have more productive employees
• Have fewer personnel problem
• Use values/ethics which many cultures may traditionally think of as more feminine than masculine
• Make team decisions and if a decision does not work focus on problem solving rather than blame.

 
I did not immediately locate any research results supporting my suspicions but given what I do know as a business person and as a social scientist these assumptions could be easily researched.  Certainly, other forward thinking business leaders such as Margaret Heffernan would support these business principles.
 
The bottom line is that as Grandma Fannie (and many others) would assert:  You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.  The better we treat each other, the environment and the larger community in any setting the better each will function.  Of course, there are folks who are acutely mentally ill and/or so wounded that they are unable to function in a healthy environment.  These individuals deserve our compassion and support  
 
It would be great if all governments would adopt the values and goals of B Corp. We do not, however, have to wait for them to fill the leadership void.  Local companies and communities can and often are filling this leadership void.
 
It is our planet. The responsibility for caring for all aspects of the planet – people, environment - is the responsibility of each of us. We all can band together to make this happen.   The B Corp certification process can help business owners set clear socially responsible goals and provide the guidance to make them reality.
 
Written June 28, 2018
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

​Self Center Ness
 
We are hurt because
         you did not
 
We are angry because
         you did
 
We are righteous because
         you
 
We are poor because
         you
 
We have no voice because
         you
 
We are weak because
         you


You hold the power over
our joy
         our sorrow
         our success
         our spirituality
         our ability to be.
 
Our self centernesss gives you this power.
 
Bigger Thomas when threatened 
by the man reached deep within to
pull out
 
         “You can’t do nothing except kill me
         and that ain’t nothing.”
 
What if?
 
What if?
 
What if we reached deep within to claim that
Bigger that resides in all of us?
 
What if we took back the power to be
         us?
 
What if we did this with love?
 
Written June 27, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

​Shempa revisited
 
I am often reminded that we store memories - positive and negative – with a variety of associations.  For example, when I think of the term bath I think of a galvanized tin tub set in front of the kitchen wood stove which was used for heating and cooking.   I also think of a stressed-out mother, dirty and cool water - unless one was lucky enough to be the first to bathe - the smells of cooking, the cramped space of a three-room house eventually containing 5 children and two adults.  I think of body smells and, depending on the time of the year, particular chores.  I think of the smell of the chicken house and occasionally the smell of fried chicken or a fresh berry pie.   I think of the colors of berries or the particular blues, blacks and oranges of printing on flower or feed sacks. I think of the taste of fear - the fear of not knowing when some grave “sin” of mine would cause our mother to erupt in frustrated anger.
 
The one word – bath or bathe – can evoke a multitude of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings.  On the other hand, if one uses the word shower many other, mostly positive, memories will be evoked. 
 
We all have a multitude of memories stored with the sensations of our senses which accompanied or took place in the company of past experiences.    At times.  I can be walking along not consciously thinking of anything or an anyone.  I may even be in an exceptionally good mood.  All of a sudden, my mood changes without any identifiable reason.   I might very well have experienced shempa.  Something in my current environment has triggered a memory.  Emotionally it may feel as if the situation in my memory is just happening or happening again.
 
A good cue that I have been shempaed is that my emotions are more intense than the current situation warrants.    As I mentioned this can be either positive or negative emotions depending on which memory was triggered or hooked.
 
If I know that I have been shampaed I may be able to slowly bring myself back to the present. On the other hand, there may be so many intense emotions associated with the trigger that it takes some time for me to calm down.   Any attempts of others to remind me to think logically may seem like a discounting of my feeling.  If I am already having an angry response then I may get even more angry. 
 
The sooner I can recognize that I am having a shempa experience the  sooner I can gently, lovingly “just notice” what is happening.  Any further comment might serve to feed the old emotions.
 
Shempa and PTSD have a lot in common although generally the term post-traumatic stress disorder is used solely when acute traumatic experiences such as a combat experience or past sexual abuse have been triggered.
 
On paragonroad.com one reads about shempa: “its’s something that gets under your skin, threatens to work its way into your mind and you can’t stop thinking about it. Once you’re on a role, letting it go is difficult…It can, if nourished, threatens to weaken your sense of mindfulness and destroy your peace of mind. ..Buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron suggests: Focus on your breath, take a walk, listen to some music, try to pry our mind away.”
 
Written June 26, 2018
 
 
 

​Forgiveness and justice
 
I have often pondered and written about the concepts of forgiveness and justice.  Humans have considered these two concepts for as long as they have had the luxury of positing and sharing ideas.  Yet, it seems as if our opposing views about the factors which create a just situation or just outcome are so strongly held that we often cannot allow ourselves to forgive.  We know, of course, that forgiveness is largely a gift to oneself.   Holding to anger and resentment is very damaging to one’s health and the health of all whose life the angry or resentful person touches.
 
Our confusion about justice seems to center in the following:
 

• The belief that we can objectively rank order hurt on a continuum.
• The fear or belief that a person will keep repeating hurtful behavior.
• The belief that punishment – physical, emotional, monetary or some combination – will create a safer and/or more just world.
• The belief that most people have brains which allow for free will or intent.
• The belief that an “eye for an eye” will balance the scales and thus create justice.
• The belief that some roles demand one be more perfect than one is, i.e. parent, spiritual leader, teacher, or other person in leadership/authoritative position.
• The belief that there is a shared reality; that two or more brains recorded an event the same.

 
From the vantage point of my life journey I would suggest the reader consider the following possibilities:
 

• Hurt is hurt is hurt.  True, some hurt is more permanent especially that which results in a death, but emotional hurt can acutely affect one’s ability to function.
• It is true that some people will keep repeating behavior.   There are those whose brains are not able to consider how their behavior affect others. Some of those can be successfully treated.
• Punishment does not make one want to be a better person.   Most want to be loving and will change behavior if one has the resources to do so.  Helping one connect the dots – X behavior leads to Y outcome - can be helpful.
• There may, indeed, be times for some when one is able think and act in a manner which carefully considers how said action will affect others.   Often, however, that is not the case. Disease as well as other physical and “emotional” factors have significant effects on how the brain functions. 
• An “eye for an eye” creates two people without eyes. It does not restore sight in one and blind the other.
• Sadly, before one becomes a parent or assumes some other leadership role one is not granted access to the store which issues brains which never ever err and automatically adjust to meet the expectations of others!
• There is very seldom a shared reality.  While 20 people witnessing an accident might agree that indeed two or more cars collided there may well be 20 “accurate” stories of how that accident occurred. We do indeed see with our brain and not our eyes!  Eyes – corrected or not – retrieve the patterns of light, shadow and darkness – but brains which already have many stories stored create a new story.

 
If one could agree on the above one could then move on to forgiveness and then move to make shared educated decisions about how to lovingly, empathically, scientifically reduce or prevent future hurts.   Would we then be able to use the term “just”?  Perhaps not. Perhaps justice is an illusionary or delusional concept which, as is true for the drug addicted or power addicted person, provides only temporary relief - a short term feels good moment.
 
Written June 25, 2018
 
 
 

​Sunday Musings – June 24, 2018
 
I have a host of thoughts and emotions competing with each other in my head on this Sunday morning following a week here in the United States during which the world witnessed the apex of a policy which has long existed in the United States.  This is the attitude and policy of turning away those who are fleeing violence and/or poverty; a policy of criminalizing the choices one has as the result of an accident of birth.  Whether it is families arriving at the border after traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to flee violence or those already in the United States who are welcomed by employers to do work for which they may not be enough United States citizens, these are our neighbors.  
 
It might be accurate to suggest that the policies of the current administration have been more systematically unneighborly and even cruel.  It might be accurate to suggest that the zero-tolerance policy is more blatant cruel then that of past policies.  It is incredibly sad that our president stated that if he had to choose between being known as tough or without a heart he would choose to be known as tough.
 
I am hopeful that the policies are so nakedly cruel that we, as a nation, are ready to take an uncomfortable look at ourselves.
 
Still, on this Sunday morning, what most saddens me is the wiliness of many of us to mirror the behavior of those of whom we are most critical.  I am thinking of the restaurant owners who refused to serve Sarah Huckabee Sanders.  I am thinking of those times when we are arrogantly critical of our neighbor and refrain from offering them a place at our family dining table.
 
In yesterday’s blog, I referenced the rebroadcast of the On Being conversation between Lyndsey Stonebridge and Krista Tippett, “The Moral World in Dark Times:  Hannah Arendt for Now”.  In that conversation.   Ms. Stonebridge reminds the listener that Dr. Arendt “wrote her dissertation on Augustin’s notion of love.  And he would talk about word love, appetite, desire, which is love of the future, transcendent love, which is the love of God, which is the past.  And the love that she was really interested in was neighborly love, which is neither wanting transcendence not wanting something or someone.   It’s just the love that says, “I want you to be… ‘ the kind of love that’s available in the dark background of difference.”
 
This is also the kind of love to which spiritual teachers such as Jesus referred when he suggested that we learn to love our enemies.  This is, I believe the kind of love which in the Christian Bible chapter of Matthew (5:3-12) Jesus is purported to have delivered what is referred to as The Sermon on the Mount:


            Blessed are the poor in spirit….
            Blessed are those who mourn…
            Blessed are the meek…
            Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…
            Blessed are the pure in heart…
            Blessed are the peacemakers…
            Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake…
            Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil
            against you on my account…
 
One could and many have written books on the possible interpretation of these words.  For me, the message overall is very simple. 

• Invite Sarah Huckabee Brown to break bread and learn what we have in common.
• Invite Donald Trump to break bread and learn what we have in common.
• Invite the individual and the family of refugees to break bread and find what we have in common,
• Invite the spirit of the Charles Krauthammer and his peers to break bread and find what we have in common.
• Invite the worker without legal papers to break bread and find out what we have in common.
• Invite all of those we label “the other” to the table and find out what we have in common.

 
It is easy for me in this place of comfort and safely to write about my disagreements with those I label “the others”.   It is easy for me to puff out my chest and arrogantly point to the cruelty of criminalizing those who are fleeing violence – physical, economic and other forms of violence.  It is easy for me to campaign against some candidate.  Practicing neighborly love is, for me, often uncomfortable, awkward, and always humbling.
 
Written June 24, 2018

​Identity
 
As a child, I got new information or reminders by:
 

• Listening to elders.
• Reading books from my grandmother’s library.
• Reading the bible.
• Occasionally reading books my parents may had read – mostly novels.
• Reading school assigned books.
• Reading school library books (limited in our regional country school library).
• Occasionally listening to the radio although lack of electricity made this rare.

 
This morning I got new information or reminders by:
 

• Reading daily spiritual reminders which arrived in my email box.
• Listening to a song a friend sent me a link to via text.
• Listening to NPR news via my iPhone.
• Listening to the latest Ear Hustle Podcast from San Quintin prison.
• Listening to a Ted talk by Bryan Stevenson entitled “We need to talk about an injustice”.
• Reading the local newspaper.
• Reading some in book entitled Mentor the Kid and the CEO by Tom Pace with Walter Jenkins
• Listening and watching video of two females talking about female friendships.  A friend shared this video via Facebook messenger.
• Reading community news as well as personal news from faraway places via email letters from friends.
• Listening to a news report of a father who voluntarily joined his son on the streets of Denver to experience what his addicted, homeless son was experiencing.

 
It is just after 10:00 a.m. in the morning.   Already my mind has been stimulated and influenced by a host of people who were able to visit me because of old and new technologies as well as the fact that I have a very privileged life.   I am not homeless.  I did not have to be at work at an early hour and then work all day for minimum or below minimum wage. I am not a refugee seeking asylum after an exhausting journey only to be treated like a criminal.  I am not so far today incapacitated by illness.  I have food in the refrigerator and the luxury of a car and money which will allow me to stop by the green grocer later this morning.
 
In short, I have no reason or excuses to limit my thinking or my behavior by ideas or “facts” I learned as a child or even yesterday.  I have no reason or excuses to limit my thinking or my behavior because I only have access to the views of one news source, one culture, one gender, one life experience.
 
The most recent Ear Hustle podcast from San Quintin Prison focused on exit interviews; interviews with those leaving San Quintin.  The program staff stresses that because of the identify of San Francisco Bay area where San Quentin is located there are many volunteers and a host of programs to stimulate the thinking of the inmates of San Quentin.   This seems to significantly reduce the recidivism rate for those who leave this prison.  Sadly, I could find so statistical evidence to prove or disprove this seeming correlation because of how prison statistics are maintained in California. I do know that the overall recidivism rate is California had decreased in the past few years. This decrease seems to correlate with an increased commitment to rehabilitation in the state – as opposed to punishment and warehousing.
 
Expanding our thinking by allowing new thoughts and information which is then shared and debated can shape one’s identity.  One is not limited to the identity one formed as a child or even yesterday.
 
Today I have a choice of what thoughts I will feed and what new thoughts I will entertain. Today I have the power to redefine my identity as a member of this human race.  I sincerely believe that we must teach our children how to access, sort/sift and play with new thoughts and ideas.  I sincerely believe I must attempt to experience the life experience of others. If this makes me a bit uncomfortable I am blessed with the first step of growing.
 
 
Written June 23, 2018
 
 
 
 

​Creating the other
 
Along with much of the rest of the world, my thoughts and emotions have been consumed with those in many parts of the world fleeing violence.   Because I am a United States citizen I am particularly concerned with those attempting to enter this country, primarily  those arriving at the border separating this country from that of Mexico. The refugees arriving there from various South American countries either find their way to the official entry gates or some other part of the border.  If they find their way to the official entry gates their chances of being granted political asylum are very slim whether they are feeling “just” a violent home situation a violent country.  In either case they have not found a safe way to remain in their country of birth and have now traveled  up to thousands of miles for the slim chance of finding safe sanctuary, a job and a chance to raise their family.   If fleeing “just” a violent home representatives of our government have determined that one is not eligible to be apply for asylum even if there was no protection for them in their home country.
 
All those not finding their way to “official gates” are now labeled as criminals and will be prosecuted under the policy of zero tolerance.  Even most of those arriving at official gates will be labeled as illegals, undesirables, or those who are not be eligible for political asylum.  In other words they all are labeled “the other”.  
 
We humans have a long history of creating the others. From the time we are very young we are taught – directly and indirectly – labels for distinguishing ourselves from “the others” or for accepting the label as “the other”.   Race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, culture, physical ability, illness, size and many other social constructs are used to create the others.  There are also descriptive words such as evil, criminal, bad, ugly, unmotivated  and a host of others to assign one to “the other”.
 
At one time, I had been accepted to study with the noted philosopher, teacher, refugee, and holocaust survivor Hannah Arendt at New School in New York City.  Life circumstances resulted in not being able to do so.

Lyndsey Stonebridge , professor of modern literature and history at the University of East Anglia in Norfolk England  has studied the works of Hannah Arendt and has written The Judicial Imagination: Writing after Nuremberg.   A year ago the podcast On Being  featured a conversation between the host Krista Tippett and Ms. Stonebridge.   This podcast was repeated this week.  The discussion is entitled “The Moral World in Dark Times:  Hannah Arendt For Now.   I encourage the reader of this blog to listen to or read the transcript of this conversation.
 
Ms. Tippett and Ms. Stonebridge  talk about how we isolate ourselves from ourselves and from each other. That isolation is a significant factor in creating the conditions for organizing what the the psychoanalyst Melanie Klein called evil. She asked “Where does evil come from?” and Hannah Arendt asked, “How is evil organized?”  (I am choosing to accept the word evil in this context although it is not a term I find helpful.)
 
The conversation then proceeds to the topic of isolation and then to  Hannah Arendt’s discussion of what we  normally call empathy.  Ms. Arendt says that beyond pity and empathy is the willingness “to imagine ourselves in the place of another.”   It is one thing for me to say that I can put myself in the position of the refugee who has traveled for thousands of miles and is now separated from one’s children and labeled a criminal.  It is quite another to take a step to reach deep within myself to find that painful place which allows me to cast myself in the role of the refugee.  Actors that I know who are very effective in communicating the essence of a particular character reach deep within themselves to what is often a painful place until they live the experience of the character they are portraying.  Mrs. Stonebridge suggests that Hannah Arendt who was herself a refugee for 18 years – the other for 18 years – states that the one “who is doing the pitying or empathizing keeps the power.”  (Ms. Arendt discusses this in her book On Revolution).
 
If I am unwilling to experience the discomfort of imaging myself in in the place of those I might label “the other”  I will continue to play an active role in creating the other.   In so doing I will isolate not only “the other” but myself as well.  I then become “the other” to “the other”.  As long as we have “the other” there is no possibility of preventing or stopping the creation of conditions for the Holocaust or other horrific acts of destruction which, in the long run, is self destruction.  We cannot create “the other” without denying and destroying a part of ourselves.   
 
Written June 22, 2018
 
 

​Relationships trump tasks
 
I just came from the dentist and the dental hygienist where I have been going for at least the past 25 years.  Prior to seeing these dental professionals, I was seeing a dentist in Pittsburgh who was very similar in her approach to creating a space in which people came to get expert dental work. Actually, people came to visit and incidentally got dental care.
 
The hygienist was talking about getting close to what some consider retirement age.  She has already reduced her work schedule to allow more time for family.  Fortunately, financially she and her husband are able to afford this luxury.  She is telling people that she has no intention of fully retiring unless she is physically or mentally unable to do the work.    As is true for many of the people I know and respect, her approach to her work is same as her approach to her life dance outside of work.  As was true of the dentist in Pittsburgh she and the dentist with whom she works comes to that space to visit with people and to incidentally take care of dental needs of “patients”.
 
 
There are many advantages for both the staff and the patients in making relationships primary and dental tasks secondary.  These include:
 

• The staff are less stressed and, thus, healthier.
• The staff are happier.
• There are no internal ethical/moral conflicts.  They are not expected to have one set of ethics/moral principles for work and another for life outside of work.
• Because the staff are happier and positive the patient are happier and healthier.
• Because they approach each patient as a person about whom they care as a person they are able to access health care factors which affect dental care and offer options that emotionally, financially and physically are best for that patient.
• They leave the “work space” with positive energy even if they are tired. This positive energy has a positive effect on their family and friends who are more positive and able to nurture them.
• The business does okay financially because one has repeat customers and referrals from satisfied customers.  One may actually make a little less money than some but spend less on health care and toys to relieve stress.

 
No matter how loving the environment and the treatment, some people have emotional and mental health issues which prevent them from fitting into this way of functioning.  They may believe that the dental staff are there to just perform a mechanical task and are not able to allow themselves to be emotionally nurtured or be emotionally nurturing.  Some people are self-consumed with their own pain or have such a weak ego base that they are unable to connect emotionally or spiritually with others.  Some have a serious illness which precludes the luxury of being “present”.
 
There may be times when it is appropriate to change parts of one’s life dance, but this does not mean that one is ready to retire from life.  Some tasks require physical and/or mental ability/stamina which one no longer possesses.  One may then need to reexamine one’s gifts and how one wants to use those gifts in the next phase of their lives. 
 
I suspect that as we continue to find ways to take better care of ourselves and live longer we will increasingly need to re-examine the distinction we make between work and time away from the place where we earn money.   If I take my life dance to all aspects of life then the distinction may seem more and more artificial.   The skills I bring to any task are important whether it is cooking, child care, building a structure, manufacturing bottles or some other product, farming, hair styling, social worker, physician or sanitation worker.    I want the surgeon to be highly skilled but research shows that the outcome of surgery is significantly affected by how well the team in the operating rooms takes care of themselves and each other; the more positive the relationships between and among team members the greater the chance the surgery and recovery is successful.
 
Research also shows that those who listen well provide more helpful service whether this be a plumber, roofer, physician, counselor, mechanic or some other worker.
 
The quality of relationships in all areas of our life dance always trumps the task in and of itself.
 
 
Written June 21, 2018
Jimmy F. Pickett
 
 
 
 

​Follow the money
 
I continue to be concerned, upset, confused and saddened that the United States of America, the country of which I am a citizen, seems intent to continue on the dark path which has often, since its inception, over shadowed the many positives ideals which attracts so many to its shores.
 
Whether it is has been slavery, stealing land from Native Americans, sexism, homophobia, racism, the gross unequal distribution of wealth, the justification for the use of torture, the Salem witch trials,  the current separation and treatment  of children and parents who are fleeing violence in their home country, withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council,  treating the other members of the G 7 as step children rather than equals, acting as if the United States is innocent of locating factories in Mexico being, or  acting as if Canada is an inferior neighbor the United States has often found it difficult to practice a less arrogance and cruel dance
 
While listening to the news on my Bluetooth which was connected to my phone while at the gym I was reminded of frequently repeated advice, “Follow the money.”   
 
The August 15, 2017 Austin Monitor reported in an article by Jack Craver entitled “report shows compensation for non-profits leaders” that the salary of Southwest Key program CEO in 2015 was $659,076.   Southwest Key is a “non-profit” organization providing training and shelter to at risk children and immigrant children separated from their parents. As a non-profit it is tax exempt.   Other organization, some providing detentions centers for adults seeking asylum (labeled simply as illegal immigrants) apparently gain tax exempt status by forming a real estate investment trusts (REITs) that own correction and detention facilities.  These are often publicly traded companies. (investsnips.com)
 
We have known for some time that jail and detention facilities in the United States are big business.  Supplying food, office supplies, iron bars, doors and electronic mechanisms to build and maintain such facilities represent billions of dollars in a country which houses more people keeps them longer and has higher recidivism rate than any other so called developed nation.
 
If one could follow the money to political campaigns, stock portfolios – direct and indirect – of those making or influencing decisions about the building, maintenance and running of such institutions and plot a sociogram of such connections would said connections tell a tale about which it would be easy for this nation to be honest?  I suspect not!
 
We need a systemic spiritual revolution in this country which begins with what the 12 step programs of recovery call the HOW of recovery – honestly, open mindedness, and willingness.
 
We are not a nation that Christ, Buddha, Jehovah, Mohamad or any other spiritual leader would be proud. Although there are many admirable, honest, generous people in this country our idea of success is too often fueled by arrogance, deceit, self-righteousness and material wealth. 
 
It is a nation of avoidance and escapism which is evidenced by the number of people who have noticed that the emperor is naked and have themselves lost hope. The identified addicts of this nation may merely be the symptom of the more pervasive disease.  I am not suggesting that addiction is the answer or that any of us need to lose hope. I am suggesting that we collectively take off the costumes and practice the HOW of spiritual growth – recovery.
 
Written June 20, 2018