The impossible demand

The scope of human history is vast.

Well, at least in human terms. In geological terms, it is tiny, just 0.04% of the age of our Earth.

But we are humans, not rocks, so the 2 million year history of genus Homo is vast to us.

We originated in Africa, by the chance gift of evolution. (Or God’s will, or God-directed evolution, or just plain old evolution – makes no difference to this saga).

We were all black, because the intense tropical sun demanded it.

Then some of us broke off, looking for greener pastures. Some migrated east, some to the north. The differences in diet and available sunlight resulted in yellow and brown and white skin tones. Our differentiation had begun, thanks mostly to the accidental tilt of the earth’s axis.

But differentiation, mostly now political, has run amok, and we are attacking ourselves like ravenous cancer cells. It is an ugly scenario, as if we had forgotten our common humanity and obsess on which political party holds the true path to happiness. Attack follows counterattack, then pivots to a fresh assault. There is no sense of common goals, and we can’t even discuss different ideas.

“Censorship is the height of vanity,” said Martha Graham, a pioneering American dancer. Indeed, censorship is the suppression of ideas that you don’t like, even if you are wrong.

“I have seen gross intolerance shown in support of tolerance,” stated Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an English poet. Intolerance is the handmaiden of censorship, suppressing unpopular ideas.

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary,” an observation by our fourth president, James Madison. Boy howdy, was he right. Because we are not angels, we need government to demand the equal and just treatment of the individual by the crowd.

Here is just one more.

“If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.” This powerful expression of free speech was uttered by John Stuart Mill, the nineteenth century English philosopher.

All of this wisdom flies in the face of what is occurring in our nation, on our college campuses, and in social media and broadcast media. The hard battle lines of intolerance have been drawn, prisoners taken, and survivors virtually drawn and quartered. It is not a pretty sight.

Here is an allegory.

Imagine a beautiful ballerina who has been striving for many years to master her art. Since a young child she has performed in recitals and, though none were perfect, showed continuing improvement. Now as an adult she is performing in public venues, showing great art but still striving for flawlessness. Not perfect, but darn well approaching it.

Now consider the span of our own country. Settled originally by Asian immigrants 20,000 years ago, then more recently by Europeans in the early 1600s. The land witnessed wars between settlers, wars between tribes, wars between settlers and tribes, and finally a fair amount of peace. We had developed a constitution, a bill of rights, that envisioned a perfect country, a great white light on the hill. Something to strive for.

We are still striving. We are not perfect. But we have come a long, long, long way on that road.

Those who destroy statues and want to rename buildings are demanding instant perfection. Those who demonize early figures are requiring that our country not only be perfect now, but had also been perfect in every stage of its evolution. Nothing else will satisfy their demands, impossible since the past can’t be altered.

But that is like attacking our aspiring ballerina because her current performances are not perfect. And further, demonizing her because every recital stretching back to second grade was not perfect as well. Every single one.

There seems to be no recognition of and appreciation for progress, of improvement. Of movement toward that shining light over 250 years. 

And that is deeply discouraging.

Enough. It’s time for reasonable people to come together and reason. And the heck with the rest. They are fools.

In Praise of Powerful Women

The Harvey Weinstein episode is quite ironic. Famous for producing movies which feature sex, sexual assault, and rape, he was dethroned by allegatons of sex, sexual assault, and rape. He used his powerful position in Hollywood to demand favors from aspiring actresses on the legendary casting couch. This is despicable and unforgivable behavior. We shall return to Mr. Weinstein.

Your columnist was raised in a household full of strong women. A mother who could do, fix, bake, grow, or cook anything that you could imagine. Who directed choirs and played beautiful music. Who broached no disrespect. Who expertly wielded a willow switch to command the attention of her nine children, five boys and four girls. Our sisters were equally strong, intelligent, and capable. In our family, the takeaway to us guys was: don’t mess with the women!

Then, with a high school buddy, into the Marine Corps. You would think that a male bastion, but there were many strong female figures even in those early days. Gunny  Beardon, who shared her expertise on programming computers and her guidance on how to deal with idiots. Her philosophy was wise and her insights into human nature profound. She was a strong role model, and the Corps was full of such women.

And today the Marine Corps continues to value the many contributions of women. In this year alone, two major “firsts” have been achieved:

·         In April the first female Marine, Second Lt. Lillian Polatcheck,  graduated from the Army-led Basic Armor Officer Leaders Course and she is also the first to lead a Marine Tank Platoon.

·         In September, a female Marine Lieutenant (whose name was not made public) completed the grueling Marine Infantry Officer Course in Quantico, Virginia. She is now serving with the First Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, Calif.

It is essential to realize that these women fully met the criteria and demands of their training. There were no special dispensations nor softening of requirements because of their gender. This is extremely important for one reason only: combat Marines operate in lethal environments and they deserve to be led by fully qualified officers. This is serious business, and any type of “affirmative action” which promotes an unqualified officer will result in dead Marines.

But that is not what happened. The key point here is that these particular women, and many more to come, are fully the equal of their male colleagues.

Even more encouraging, while the Marine Corps is being singled out as a particularly successful example, the other services are all on similar tangents. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard are all gratefully accepting the service of strong, capable women in roles previously reserved for men.

An excellent example of this is former Air Force Colonel Kim Campbell, who won fame as an A10 Warthog fighter pilot in 2003 for nursing her heavily damaged aircraft back to base after delivering close air support. Her Distinguished Flying Cross citation reads, in part: “Captain (at the time) Campbell's professional skill and airmanship directly contributed to the successful close air support of ground forces from the 3d Infantry Division and recovery of an A-10 with heavy battle damage.” This is one capable, serious officer who, by the way, happens to be a woman..

Let’s return briefly, however distasteful it may be, to Harvey Weinstein. He was a power broker in the fantasy world of Hollywood. As a result, he wielded power over women who aspired to success and fame. He abused that power to fulfill his own sick desires over a period of many years. It is good that that is all blown up.

Speaking of fantasies, here’s one. Let’s put Harvey Weinstein into a Mixed Martial Arts fighting ring with any one of the aforementioned female warriors. Odds are, he would learn a grim lesson about real power.

Do you want to be happy when you are older?

If you chat with a member of our oldest generation and ask what makes them happy in their dotage, you will get a few very common responses. Someone to love and share experiences with. Freedom from debt and a little money to spend on travel and trivia. But by far, the most frequent answer is “health.” Without your health, it is very difficult to remain happy.

As we age, there are a number of afflictions which may trouble us. Heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, dementia, and more are common confidantes to the elderly.

To some extent, we are victims of pure chance, playing the genetic lottery. Unfortunately, the odds of “winning” this lottery are spectacularly greater than winning the Powerball.

But there are some lifestyle things we can do to promote a healthy body and significantly reduce the risk of debilitating disease. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have a plethora of information on diet, exercise, accident and fall prevention, and other excellent advice calculated to improve your health and happiness. Your tax dollars at work: https://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/index.htm. And here is an important thought. If you are young or middle-age, and the infirmities of the elderly seem remote to you, now is the time to head them off. Good habits while young will pay great dividends later, much like saving for retirement in a 401(k).

But for this brief moment, let us focus on diet. Healthy eating can greatly reduce the incidence of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even reduce cancer rates. Along with quitting smoking and regular exercise, diet is the most important thing you can do to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Here is the awful truth. The American diet is terrible, and it’s driven by the marketing of restaurants and agricultural trade groups and huge food companies. Their goal is to get you to buy their wares, your health be damned.

Fifty years ago we went out to eat far less often. We ate much less added sugars and salt. We bought simple ingredients from local stores and prepared fresh meals. We may have even gardened and canned and consumed our own fresh produce. But in the interest of convenience, we have turned over the reins of our health to those driven only by the bottom line of profit.

Imagine if the restaurant, agricultural trade groups, and giant food conglomerates were forced to underwrite our health insurance premiums. That, friends, would be revolutionary. The sugar industry would stop pushing added sugars. Restaurants would reduce the salt in prepared meals. Food packagers would increase fiber and reduce saturated fats in convenience foods. And we would all be the healthier for it.

But that is a pipedream. We must be responsible for our own diet.

Here is an idea. Consumer Reports is the monthly magazine of Consumers Union. They accept no advertising and are completely supported by their subscribers. As a result, their findings and recommendations are wholly unbiased. The latest issue of Consumer Reports (November 2017) contains special coverage on healthier eating. It is highly recommended reading. Find it in a magazine rack, a library, or subscribe for online access. This is literally a lifesaver. Here are a few highlights:

1.       A healthy hamburger is possible. It is more colorful, including red onion, tomato, avocado, low-sodium mozzarella, romaine lettuce, and lean ground beef. And, by the way, a high-fiber multigrain bun.

2.       Added sugar is unhealthy and can be safely consumed in very limited quantities – 9 or fewer teaspoons per day (6 for women) compared to our average intake of 17 teaspoons (20 for teens). And it comes from surprising sources – cereal, ketchup, salad dressing. You must learn to read labels.

3.       Too much sodium is bad. Prepared and restaurant foods are loaded with it. Pizza is high on the list. Eat at home more often. Demand low-sodium recipes and prepared foods.

4.       Fats. Conflicting advice has left us conflicted. Truth is, healthy, unsaturated fats (such as olive oil) are vital to health. But saturated, or worse, trans fats, raise the risk of heart disease.

5.       Gluten free diets are a fad based on nonsense. Only a few of us suffering from celiac disease should avoid gluten. High-fiber carbohydrates are beneficial to our microbiome (gut bacteria), and gluten-free diets tend to starve our little buddies. Increase the fiber in your diet.

6.       There is nothing wrong with lean red meat. But treat it as a treat, not a main course in every meal. Protein can be had from fish, chicken, beans, lentils, and other legumes. Eat like a peasant.

Please, educate yourself. This single issue of Consumer Report is a great place to start, but don’t stop there. The CDC, NIMH, Harvard Health, and local councils on aging have an enormous repository of researched, proven advice. Don’t trust your future health to a Facebook fad.

Your happiness in retirement, should you get there, depends on it.