Campaigning candidates desperate for another way to get our vote seem intent on using the 'grandkids' as a motivator. "We don't want to pass on these problems to our grandkids do we? Gee, I guess not, so I'll vote for you! Another thing I don't have to worry about. Of course it's a ploy to somehow get us to be even more uncritical than we already are regarding our politics, but it has got me thinking about what I would like my 4 grandkids to know about life. Grandad would like to tell you a story!
But I find I need your help. My first shot at answering that question was not good enough to share with anyone. My list was too abstract, too preachy, and not the stuff that any of my grandkids would likely read. I'm not after 'cute', let Hallmark do that or someone with more imagination. It doesn't have to be in kid's format, although maybe someday. It just has to be truthful and helpful and not nasty or a rant to make me feel better.
I know I want my grandkids to be critical thinkers and ethical actors. I want them to think for themselves as a result of being wide-open to the great insights of people past and present as well as those who think about the future. I don't want my grandkids to be warped by the dominance of the economic myth. Warped views of money, sex and power destroy, dominate and are always, always, always present and incredibly tempting.
I would like them to have stories, mythologies, and even hero figures that can sustain and inform and continue to teach them about the need to distinguish reality from illusion. I want them to choose from the myriad of life giving possibilities, forms of culture like dance, drama, literature, music, and even sport that keep one mentally and physically strong.
I want them to have a deep appreciation for difference, to not fear it and to feel themselves growing as they become involved with people and engaged by ideas from a variety of cultures and perspectives. I want them to 'love people', but not in some naive way that overlooks the weaknesses we all have. Can everyone have the opportunity to travel? Perhaps not, but for many people it is a key ingredient in changing perspective. And so is reading. Think Harry Potter.
I want them to have an education that is informed by the most creative edge existing. I do not want them to buy into views of life that are clearly not only at odds with scientific insight, but are simply wrong, not in intent by those hold those views, but wrong in fact. I want them always to be the one who is responsible in some way in every situation, without guilt, and to know responsibility exercised as freedom in community.
I want them to cherish living, embrace all of creation, and sense a kinship with neighbors near and far. This may help them choose the deep values of relationships over the superficial value of things.
You see how hard this is! Help me out here!. What are the three (you can go as high as ten or twelve if you have them) 'things', 'insights', 'values' you want for your grandchildren. If you don't have grandchildren, just ask yourself what is so important to you as a human being that you really want others to look there for guidance. To shift the context a bit, "what did you know and when did you know it?" This is a work forever in progress. Please contribute.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Our Time is 'Ragtime'
My yearly pilgrimage with my wife Dixie to see plays at the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario continues to be an important engaging creative time in my life. I was only vaguely familiar with the E.L. Doctorow novel, 'Ragtime' that inspired one play that I saw this year.
"Ragtime, the Musical is an example of American myth-making a it most alluring, ambitious and artful, particularly when we consider that nothing less than America's collective dream is at stake."--Paula Uruburu, 'Myth America', 2012.
'Ragtime' is our time. 2012 America is not just uneven, it is ruptured. We are not just divided we are separated. E Pluribus Unum, out of many one does not reflect the reality of our times. The dream we claim as our uniqueness, our 'myth', our story of who we are is being re-written, but not is a way that reflects our basic values. It is being re-written not as one, but as many as individualism trumps being in this together.
The early 1900's was a time of ups and downs in America. It was a ragged time. For the well-healed having achieved the 'American Dream' it was a threatening time. Newer immigrants came to the shores in the millions. Many arrived with nothing yet looked to America as a promise of a better day for them and their families. Others, primarily Americans of African and slave descent had worked here for generations, yet were still regarded as less than second class citizens. To them it was a time of continuing disappointment and anger nevertheless they hang on to a thread of hope that good 'men' would do the right thing by them, advocate for justice. Anarchy, communism and the few rich gave rise to discontent, protest and movements seeking not overthrow but equality of opportunity.
It was over 125 years since the dream of 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' based on a law that treated everyone equally had been the hope of every citizen. Yet, to many it seemed further away than it had ever been.
A musical form emerged that countered the despair and pessimism of the times. 'Ragtime' as a musical type provided melodies that sought to include the gifts of all music, classical(Dvorak), the marching music of Jon Phillip Sousa, and the new arrangements by Scott Joplin and others. Important ingredients of various American cultures were represented. The dream received articulation in song. The possibility of a new 'myth of America' could be played and heard in an art form.
We need an American myth that captures for our time the dream of this nation. A new American myth will not automatically come from electing whomever we thing is the 'right' candidate. I, for one, see President Obama as the better choice this time around. However, as a friend of mine says, whoever wins, we have a lot of work to do. It's time for a new dream.
We seem to be drawn to dreams of a divided America. The 'Occupy Movement', perhaps having had its say already, spoke of the "1% and the 99%" being re-balanced. Candidate Romney speaks of the '47%' of us who have changed the dream into an unmotivated existence of dependency and victimism. 'God bless America.' Any future that begins with 'us' and 'them' is not one with legs.
The dream that attracts me is one that emphasizes the 'us' the 'we' as one, as united, as community. To move that direction I think of the possible. It is possible to engage our citizens through millions of conversations taking place around tables and in circles from our families, neighborhoods, clubs, groups, churches to our elected leaders. These conversations will focus on the role and responsibility of citizenship. The dream will become new because citizenship will be re-invented and community will come from the connections of all involved in the process.
Leadership that can assist in the dream will articulate such a vision and provide encouragement for all Americans to invest in that future. That investment will include the opportunity for employment in building a new America through the needed infrastructure, health care, education, housing and environment. The jobs created in this dream can be identified in these areas and we can begin to choose what role each of us will play vocationally, in our civic life and in our families. Part of the American dream is the real opportunity to teach, to heal, to think, to design, to build and to create.
While I do not think that history is cyclical, 'what goes around, comes around', these times feel like 'Ragtime' to me. Fear drives the creation of new myths of who we are and who we want to be. This is a time when I wish I were a musician or playwright so I could more creatively participate in this process. But I can be in conversation with family, friends and neighbors. And when I am, I can inquire about how we can share our gifts in our 'ragtime' and live the melody that suggests.
"Ragtime, the Musical is an example of American myth-making a it most alluring, ambitious and artful, particularly when we consider that nothing less than America's collective dream is at stake."--Paula Uruburu, 'Myth America', 2012.
'Ragtime' is our time. 2012 America is not just uneven, it is ruptured. We are not just divided we are separated. E Pluribus Unum, out of many one does not reflect the reality of our times. The dream we claim as our uniqueness, our 'myth', our story of who we are is being re-written, but not is a way that reflects our basic values. It is being re-written not as one, but as many as individualism trumps being in this together.
The early 1900's was a time of ups and downs in America. It was a ragged time. For the well-healed having achieved the 'American Dream' it was a threatening time. Newer immigrants came to the shores in the millions. Many arrived with nothing yet looked to America as a promise of a better day for them and their families. Others, primarily Americans of African and slave descent had worked here for generations, yet were still regarded as less than second class citizens. To them it was a time of continuing disappointment and anger nevertheless they hang on to a thread of hope that good 'men' would do the right thing by them, advocate for justice. Anarchy, communism and the few rich gave rise to discontent, protest and movements seeking not overthrow but equality of opportunity.
It was over 125 years since the dream of 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' based on a law that treated everyone equally had been the hope of every citizen. Yet, to many it seemed further away than it had ever been.
A musical form emerged that countered the despair and pessimism of the times. 'Ragtime' as a musical type provided melodies that sought to include the gifts of all music, classical(Dvorak), the marching music of Jon Phillip Sousa, and the new arrangements by Scott Joplin and others. Important ingredients of various American cultures were represented. The dream received articulation in song. The possibility of a new 'myth of America' could be played and heard in an art form.
We need an American myth that captures for our time the dream of this nation. A new American myth will not automatically come from electing whomever we thing is the 'right' candidate. I, for one, see President Obama as the better choice this time around. However, as a friend of mine says, whoever wins, we have a lot of work to do. It's time for a new dream.
We seem to be drawn to dreams of a divided America. The 'Occupy Movement', perhaps having had its say already, spoke of the "1% and the 99%" being re-balanced. Candidate Romney speaks of the '47%' of us who have changed the dream into an unmotivated existence of dependency and victimism. 'God bless America.' Any future that begins with 'us' and 'them' is not one with legs.
The dream that attracts me is one that emphasizes the 'us' the 'we' as one, as united, as community. To move that direction I think of the possible. It is possible to engage our citizens through millions of conversations taking place around tables and in circles from our families, neighborhoods, clubs, groups, churches to our elected leaders. These conversations will focus on the role and responsibility of citizenship. The dream will become new because citizenship will be re-invented and community will come from the connections of all involved in the process.
Leadership that can assist in the dream will articulate such a vision and provide encouragement for all Americans to invest in that future. That investment will include the opportunity for employment in building a new America through the needed infrastructure, health care, education, housing and environment. The jobs created in this dream can be identified in these areas and we can begin to choose what role each of us will play vocationally, in our civic life and in our families. Part of the American dream is the real opportunity to teach, to heal, to think, to design, to build and to create.
While I do not think that history is cyclical, 'what goes around, comes around', these times feel like 'Ragtime' to me. Fear drives the creation of new myths of who we are and who we want to be. This is a time when I wish I were a musician or playwright so I could more creatively participate in this process. But I can be in conversation with family, friends and neighbors. And when I am, I can inquire about how we can share our gifts in our 'ragtime' and live the melody that suggests.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The New B and B: Beer and Bicycle
By brewing beer and rewarding employees with bicycles, New Belgium Brewing Company in Ft. Collins, Colorado is one model of a company that supports the sustainability of both its employees and the environment.
I've had family in Ft. Collins since the early 1900's, so my ears perked up at this interview. As she spells out her philosophy it becomes clear that responsible citizenship is the face of her company. It's a refreshing way to view business, one that can be embraced by so called 'pro' and 'anti' business forces.
Kim Jordan is the CEO. You may have enjoyed Fat Tire, their signature brew. You can listen to the 4 minute interview with Ms. Jordan at:
<http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=160697491>
In her interview with Audie Cornish, Ms. Jordan stayed focussed on the value of business rather than playing a partisan political card. As she presents it, business, NB in particular, does not operate separate from the community just because it needs to make money to be viable.. Rather it is a partner in building community with an emphasis on sustaining people, their families and communities and the environment.
Politics and policy enter the conversaton when she looks at which political candidates share her vision and practice. The beer industry is highly regulated, but she does not oppose useful regulation. On future tax policies that some claim would hurt small business, her opposition to being taxed is not automatic. Risk, including projecting the impact of taxes is part of the process. And, she added, “to whom much is given much is required.”
Given the current discussion of 'I built that' versus 'we built it' , her most telling comments include her recognition that to create and distribute New Belgium’s product, many, many hard-working, dedicated people have to work together in a collective way. Profits, she believes, should go the people that do the work and re-invest in the company as well as to the ‘outside’ investors who often provide capital necessary to launch and advance the business. But her contention and commitment is that outsiders do not receive an unfair proportion of the profits. Kim Jordan knows that ‘we’re in this together’ and that community well being trumps the profit motive.
That may be the heart of the matter. If New Belgium didn’t make money and create jobs, the discussion might be different. They made $140 million last year. The implication that somehow successful business and quality of life for the whole community are not deeply inter-related is based on a different model for community.
A business can BE the healthy community that sustains families and gives back to its community.
It’s been several years since I toured New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins. It was the new kid on the block then and Fat Tire was its brand. You could only buy it in Colorado and not nationally for a number of years. But in those early days what made New Belgium special is what makes it strong today, a commitment to sustainability, employee participation in investment and profits, and to an esprit de corps that engages everyone in running the business.
After the tour I asked an employee about a very cool retro bicycle, the one pictured on the Fat Tire label. He said come and work here a year and we’ll give you one. I’m never quite sure why I didn’t. I loved that bike! My favorite NB beer is called 1557, a dark Belgian special. B and B. Especially on warm days, it doesn't get much better.
** I was born in Fort Collins, Colorado. Even though we moved 40 miles north to Cheyenne, Wyoming when I was 4, my parents had 12 brothers and sisters each! Ft. Collins was ‘Brunz-Deines’ country for many years. I've been to 'Collins' a hundred times and have fond memories of the streetcars, the American theater with its cartoons, newsreels and cowboy double features. My mom, with her 18 month old (me) in tow had just seen “Gone With the Wind” there when the news about Pearl Harbor was announced. Poudre Valley Creamery had the best milkshakes in the world and Colorado A & M (a college of 1500 students, now Colorado State University with 50, 000) was a place for getting a glimpse of a more diverse world. Our family picnics at City Park were the stuff of today’s community festivals. (figure it out with 51 first cousins.) A highly competitive softball game would end the day's festivities.
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