We Don't Need No Education... #Debatable

I started a class this week. It's something I like to do when gig season gets a little slow. An assignment  this week is to find news articles relevant to the course material and I am quite astounded by the lack of substance in available magazines and newspapers. Apparently, more people are interested in fashion, celebrity gossip and and slow cooker recipes than things like psychology, human development and educational topics.

On the way back home from the store that had a large magazine selection, a low tire pressure light came on so we stopped for air. As we waited a long while, with a trunk full of groceries getting warm and takeout food getting cold, the guy using the air machine before us continued fussing around with his tires. Finally, he asked Russ if HE knew how to check air pressure. The young man had overfilled one of his tires by an extra 12 lbs. and underfilled others by 11 lbs. Russ helped him fix it and began filling our tires when another car pulled up with three young males who began asking Russ questions also. "What is that thing you have there?" (It was a tire gauge.) "How do you know how much to put in?" I marveled at how little these drivers knew. I tried to imagine them doing taxes.

I've long wondered why taxes are not taught as part of high school curriculum. How do we all manage it? I remember going to a small business help center that was a pilot program sponsored by the I.R.S. and STILL ended up at a tax preparation service for help. I've attended countless music industry events aimed at teaching music business, read many books and had consultations from  music business attorneys and professionals. I am thoroughly impressed by the knowledge that some industry professionals possess, while being completely astonished by other, successful individuals who lack the most basic knowledge of publishing and who don't read contracts at all.

AAAAND... Here we are getting ready for the first presidential debate this evening. Sigh. I've refrained from getting political here on the subject of candidates and I try to be respectful of other people's freedom to choose for themselves. Here's the problem though...

People are very busy nowadays. I don't mean this as a valid excuse (I mean, if so many of us can find time for social media surely we can find time to do a little research on candidates before we vote - or don't vote - for them). We (because WE ALL DO THIS SOMETIMES) get our information from unreliable sources. We believe things that we hear. We oftentimes do not adequately investigate enough to form our own opinions, but rely on what others are saying. What about when THEY TOO are misinformed? Social media posts that are completely incorrect often fly around like crazy. Fact checking has become our own responsibility much of the time and we don't do it.

Remember this commercial? Remember when we made fun of people who believed what they were told on the internet?

What about political candidates? If they say something it must be true too right? Uh, no.

So tonight, as an estimated 100 million people tune in to watch the debate, my hope and prayer is for people (myself included) to learn more. Why couldn't we all just do a little more research, find a little more information from varying sources about a topic that concerns us? I have this as an assignment for school. Why not apply the same work to a very important decision, right and responsibility we all have to collectively determine the course of our country, the world, and history? It's easy to complain about government and the system. How many of us that complain are actively involved in solutions?

Here's to our education. Let's just find out a little something more - DO a little something more.

Namaste,
T

Click here for more on "Another Brick In The Wall" on Wikipedia

WHAT IS HAPPENING???

(These are the words I wrote on Sunday evening...)

WHAT IS HAPPENING???

On Saturday I had a gig in the Jersey Shore area. I had seen on the news that morning that a bomb had detonated at a charity race about twenty miles south of where my show was to be. The show was still on and traffic was not expected to be heavily delayed. So that afternoon I drove straight in that direction, stopping just twenty miles short of that site, and I sang with one of my favorite bands for a beautiful wedding reception.

On the way home (I left there about 9:30pm) I stopped at a rest stop and caught a bit of a news report saying something about an explosion in NYC. Turning on the radio, I learned of the Chelsea bomb as I drove back home, heading straight for NYC and the George Washington Bridge. My final destination was about 45 miles beyond the city. 

Once home, I turned on the news and it stayed on all day Sunday too. I quickly learned of the terrible events in a Minnesota mall and just now....

As I sit here writing this on Sunday evening, a "breaking news" report just came on about a suspicious device found in Elizabeth, NJ, where train service has been shut down in an ongoing investigation. 

All these events are enough to swallow up my spirit. I think of war torn parts of the world where this kind of activity is the norm - terrible. How do we keep a positive mindset when it seems like all hell is breaking loose? What is there to think when it seems like the "bad guys" are getting a leg up - or even winning?

I suppose I'm in search mode. I am actively seeking good thoughts to grasp onto. I'm trying to remember that people ARE coming together and helping each other. Neighbors are checking on each other. Families are checking on their loved ones. What about those amazing first responders and brave souls who rush in when others rush away for safety? I'm clinging to those thoughts. I'm making a deliberate effort to seek out the good. There was an inspiring group of Somalian community leaders who made very positive statements at a press conference in Minnesota that echoes in my mind. 

Click here for CBS Minnesota's coverage of that press conference with video

There are so many people working to promote love and understanding, even and especially in the midst of unimaginable chaos. In my experience on Saturday, sandwiched between two bombings was a wedding, a beautiful celebration of love. At that family gathering there was a coming together of souls. We sang songs like "We Are Family," and during "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" Joe (the male lead singer) had the whole audience chanting "Let's change the world" as an improvised ad-lib.

Although world happenings can make me feel weary, I will remember the power we all hold to effect change. I'll remember all the good people and be inspired to take action accordingly. I won't get swallowed up in anger or blame. There IS good to be found. God Bless all those who haven't given up hope or faith. God Bless us all as we face those internal stirrings that can challenge our nature.

This Monday morning we learned of a manhunt, a suspect and a capture.

There were no fatalities from the multiple bombings. Stabbing victims in Minnesota have all survived. Two homeless people found the Elizabeth, NJ bomb and notified police before any explosion. The race in Seaside Park, NJ had been delayed so that no runners were passing at the time that the bomb there detonated. Other bombs that were found did not detonate as intended. A bar owner notified police when a man fitting the suspect's description was found sleeping in his doorway. The suspect was then apprehended after shooting an officer whose life was likely saved by his bullet proof vest.

Yes. There are Blessings to be found.

Namaste,
T

"I think it is important to remember what terrorists and violent extremists are trying to do. They are trying to hurt innocent people, but they also want to inspire fear in all of us, and disrupt the way we live to undermine our values... We all have a role to play as citizens in making sure that we don't succumb to that fear. And there is no better example of that than the people of New York and New Jersey." - President Barack Obama

Click here for full article/video on CNN.com

The Spinning Wheel

"That looks so cool! What is that?"

That's what I said early last week when I walked into the little book/gift shop that I frequent, and saw the lady behind the counter demonstrating a most interesting spinning object to a customer. She told me it was a Tibetan Prayer Wheel.

I was in a hurry that day and the shop was busy, so I returned on Friday to look at it in more detail. The shop owner explained to me that the wheel contained a prayer inside (Om mani padme hum), and the idea is that the user says his or her own prayer which is then sent out into the Universe as the wheel is spun around, having a kind of amplified effect. I was so intrigued! I had never heard of such a thing or seen anything like it. It looked important, sacred, something to be revered. I bought it and took it home, eager to learn more about the practice.

Prayer Wheel: A revolving cylinder with or containing prayers, 

a revolution of which symbolizes the repetition of prayer, 

used by Tibetan Buddhists.
(Concise Oxford English Dictionary)

Click here for "Prayer Wheel" on Wikipedia

Click here for "Om mani padme hum" on Wikipedia

I like the idea of learning something about another culture, another practice, and deepening our understanding of our fellow brothers and sisters. At a time in the world when our differences make headlines and cause unimaginable conflict... Why not respond by finding something new and different to appreciate in a culture we may not be familiar with? I like the idea of making that a habit. What better way is there to oppose forces that seek to divide our human family than finding a way to unite our human spirit through understanding?

Here's to our new discoveries and appreciation!

Namaste,
T

The Bright Side

The really cool thing about this week is that I had the pleasure of numerous unexpected guests. They were all family members who stopped by for visits and I loved it! I had wanted to make the rounds visiting people before the end of summer and some of them beat me to it.

It always seems a little sad to me when summer winds down. The beach and the little ice cream shop close for the end of the season. Patio furniture and bikes will soon be put away for winter. The air is getting cooler (although that's a welcome change THIS year). There's the overwhelming feeling that something is coming to an end. Extra family visits seemed to make up for that though - or at least take the edge off somewhat. It's the perfect thing to be grateful for this week.

Here's to finding the bright side!

"Dancing in the Moonlight" has been stuck in my head this week. 

It's featured in a television commercial that keeps airing.

"Summer Breeze" - Ah... summer. :)

Namaste,
T