Two Cents

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America was built on the backs of slaves. Then on the backs of its poor. Now, we're seeing economic times not unlike ones we've experienced before in this nation, one where unemployment goes rampant and recovery is slow.

In spite of what I know about the history of our country, and in spite of what I know about the 3000+ businesses who risk closing as a result of the loss of an auto industry bailout, I still believe that the way for this economy to get back on its feet is not by handing out money to failing corporations by creating new jobs to meet the needs of those who will lose them. The answer seems simple. If we're anticipating a period of job loss, we need to prepare our economoy to meet it. Green jobs, yes. But also education. There has to be a workforce ready to educate to masses into tranferrable jobs.

There has also been mention of healthcare. The NYT featured a thoughtful article the other day that examined the shortage of primary care physicans that our nation is facing. Medicine, pharmacology, nursing, biotech: these are all noble professions that we can transfer our people into.

Then there's media, God bless it. This industry, too, is facing its own share of woes. People are reading newspapers less and turning to online sources more. Some people, mostly young people, don't even watch the news. We need people at the forefront of technology and communication who can make use of tools like the Internet, YouTube, social media, i-Pods, etc. and reach consumers. We'll always have a need to be informed. So it behooves us to figure out how to do it, and then get to it.

Art is another overlooked area. It's hard to put a value on art. It's terribly subjective. But that doesn't make it any less worthy of our attention. And let's think about it for a moment just how intertwined the arts with fields like communication. It's not just about the aesthetic, it's also about providing information visually, making concepts easier to understand.

Even though they were Republicans, I side with the majority of the Senate today who would not support a bailout for the auto industry. The reason is just that maybe autos have run their course in America. They're not competitive, so if they don't innovate, the corporations deserve to plummet. Thus making way for other industries or autos who can fill their place. People have been complaining about the poor quality of auto since the 80s. So why now, after nearly 30 years of opportunity to get its act together, to anticipate demand, to get ahead of the curve should we bail them out. It seems to me that the auto makers in the US simply were'n't listening. They were trying to hold on and ignore financials that clearly signaled that it was time for them to head out.

I do regret that we've come to this. But the bailout doesn't represent the backbone of what America was built on: literally and figuratively. We're an innovative bunch. We have talent all around, though admittedly, not as well educated as it should be. Fifteen billion dollars would be better spent on jobs of the future and occupations that fill today's needs.

Lincoln

Lincoln -- It's Obama's declared role model for leadership. In a television interview about a month ago, Obama said he planned to read up on Lincoln and his philosophy. Now Lincoln is on my list.

How will I find the time?

All in One

To meet my challenge, I've been perusing bookstore's lately. There's something about going into a physical bookstore to browse, I think, that makes it a pasttime that will not likely fade quickly. True, I do love Amazon; I buy books there a lot, but when I don't know what I want, I usually head to the bookstore itself in search of the perfect book.



To meet my challenge, and also feed my interest in foreign cultures, I bought Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China. The goal of the book is to describe the changes Chinese women are making in modern days from a life restricted to family and village to one in the business world and big cities. I look forward to reading it when I'm done with The Devil Wears Prada. It's an easy read with an interesting plot, but I just haven't made the time I need to allow myself to read through it quickly.

While in the bookstore most recently, I came across a collection of books that directly addresses the "learn more about the world" challenge. Some of the books are a collection of random factoids or summaries that you could read each day (like a calendar, but in book form). Other books were like how-tos and gave you a book list to get through in a year. One of these such books was totally rediculous. It suggested that you read as many as 5 classic books a month. What working professional has the time to read 5 classic books in a month? We're not talking Anne Rice, John Grisham classic, but Faulkner, Tolstoi, real epics. Five of those in one month. Honestly, I think I've been reading The Devil Wears Prada for almost a month now and I'm only halfway through.

There are so many books out there I want to read. And they're not all classics. But as I roam through the bookstore, I do see I have proclivity toward the social sciences and business. I tend to stay away from history and science. So, the next time I'm perusing through the bookstore, looking for a book to help me through this challenge, I will stop in the history section. To get to science, I will need to gather up my strength.

The Most Dangerous Thing

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"What’s the most dangerous thing in the world?"

"A black person with a library card."

This was a remark made by a character on the hit cable television series “The Wire.” The speaker was a man known for his erudition. He read a lot, and instead of carrying a gun as the other gangsters did, he carried books. His daily reading included Harpers, The Nation, and other such weighty publications. Yet, he is not a noble character. He is a drug dealer like the rest of them.

I bring this up because I have a library card and I read voraciously. Yet, no one considers me a threat. Why?

This goes beyond my “learning about the world” challenge. The challenge is about stretching myself outside of my comfort zone of knowledge. It’s about exploring all there is about the world from science and culture to history and religion. This other thing I’m talking about, this being a “threat” is about my position in the professional world. There is no question that I am immensely good at what I do. Yet, I am still waiting for the promotion and recognition I know I’ve earned. No, that’s not entirely true. I’m not waiting for it; I’m going after it aggressively.

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

PBS has a pledge-drive special program called Sight and Sound 2. The show talks about the science of seeing and hearing and how it relates to our understanding of the world. Even more specifically, the program talked about the importance of maintaining one’s sight and hearing abilities throughout one’s lifetime. Often as we age, our senses diminish. Yet, we can take preventative measures to ensure that doesn’t happen or at least prolong its onset. One of the remedies the program suggested was that people interested in restoring or maintaining their senses should engage in exercises that challenge those senses.

To increase mobility and flexibility, one would engage in dance or yoga. To increase vision, one might make a conscious effort to look closer or farther away to strengthen the eyes. I have taken up dance to challenge my senses. Initially, I took it up for exercise, but I realize that the task of simply learning new moves does wonders for my brain. It’s an excellent activity that works in tandem with two of my objectives: weight loss and learning about the world. The weight loss part is easy to understand, but helping me to learn more about the world may not be as clear. The way I see it, it’s a matter of mens sana en corpo sana, which I believe is Greek or such for “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” If your mind or body is weak, it takes away from your ability to learn. So doing things to train my mind, will in turn help me become more effective at learning.

Today, the Bible

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1 Corinthians 14:8, New International Version
Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?

1 Corinthians 14:8, King James Version (for the purists)
8For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

President-elect Barack Obama quoted this verse (NIV) in a speech he gave to commemorate the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. And with that, I've begun my journey today into the Bible. I have never really studied any Bible outside King James, though I have read from other versions, including the NIV, on numerous times. What is different about today is that for the first time, I have opened up my realm of understanding by comparing translations directly.

It's striking the range of interpretation we find in language. In Chinese, for example, the same word can mean different things based solely on intonation. In Hebrew, I think, the absence of vowels in the original ancient texts led to a full range of interpretation as modern scholars today insert vowels in an effort to guess what the ancient writers and prophets may meant. And so, in looking at just the two versions of the Bible I've selected above, I can see not only the range of interpretation possible by following one version versus the other, but I also see how spiritually precarious it might be to blindly follow an interpretation without questioning.

Man today uses the Bible for so many things. We hide in it. We take comfort in it. We legislate by it. We educate on the basis of it. And so when people say that such and such belief should become law because it says so and so in the Bible, we should really step back and think about who's Bible these people are referring to. A lot people don't realize that religion is not just what is written in a religious text, but it is also a social organization with stated and implied rules for conduct and belief.

There are things people believe about the Bible, about passages they think exist, but that do not exist at all. The solution is for people to assume the onus to educate themselves about the very book they proclaim to live their daily lives by. But I do not blame anyone who doesn't. Our world is such that all sorts of media are competing for our attention.

But I digress.

The core difference between the versions of the verses above are in their use of the phrase "clear call" versus "an uncertain sound." And the distinction between the two, I think, is profound. The difference between clear and uncertain is intention. If you call out to someone, but they can't hear you, it doesn't mean you never wanted them to respond. On the other hand, if you call someone and you intentionally lower your voice or intentionally say it so that they could hear you if they were they were really paying attention, then it could be true that you never really wanted them to answer. The second is like sarcasm.

Now taking this one step further, I ask, "What would Jesus do?" When Jesus calls me to action, there is no second guessing. There is no ignoring. When Jesus calls, it is clear as a bell. And whatever the Lord commands, it will be done. One could say that in times of uncertainty, look to God for a clear answer.

I'm no theologian. So, I'm afraid, I'll have to end here.

Does Watching Jeopardy Count?

It's so much easier to plop in front of the television each day than to take upon a more rigorous intellectual endeavor. Of course, I knew this going in. So I wonder, does watching Jeopardy count? The final question (the daily double, maybe?) was something like there's a three-letter suffix in French composed of three vowels, and those three vowels sound like another vowel. The answer is eau. I learned something. But nothing useful.