You are going to have to put a book together of these sorts of Substacks. Or, I will have to begin to print them and save them myself to read later. They are thoughtful, yet inspiring in a non insipid way. You include quotes from leaders that are carefully thought out and yet still muscular in their conclusions. And while you advocate a type of kindness you serve to remind that kindness does not mean waiting in the road for the bus to run you over. As we prepare to survive the next four years I will be revisiting these posts. And I hope I will be smart enough to take the right kind of action in order to be a helper and not roadkill.
"The kindest person in the room is often the smartest." Beautiful. Thank you, Steven, for your wonderful essay, and for sharing Gov. Pritzker's thought-provoking commencement address. Along those lines, here's a fun clip of the brilliant and compassionate Jimmy Carter discussing the results of the 2016 election: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyyvWciKfvA
My New Years Resolutions for last year were accomplished early.
As a 72 year old retired scientist, I set out to solve the world's 3 biggest problems in a humane way
:
1. Global Warming ,
2. Infectious viral diseases, and
3 Immigration.
I approached each in the same way by identifying and discarding the Lies. Eliminating the profit motives and telling the basic truths. With God's help, here are the solutions that have come to me!
GLOBAL WARMING?
Answer !(Control Bad Natural Gas Leaks First)
Lie 1: Reduction in CO2 alone as the top priority will solve the rising temperature problem.
Truth1 : Temprrature reduction would not occur for hundreds to a thousand years (even if you could turn off all the sources right now)! By that time, with constant temp rise, there may be no one left on earth to save)!
Lie 2 : Solving the Global Warming Problem will cost hundreds of billions to trillions of dollars over hundreds of years! Using dangerous, untested and inefficient devices that could upset the world's climate cycles.
Truth 2: You could shut off a third of methane emissions in 10 years by shutting down the worst excess leaks first; using modern sensors. The oil and gas companies would profit from reselling this escaping natural gas as soon as they had no other alternatives simply
using existing technologies.
COVID and CORONAVIRUSES?
Answer![ Quarantine the virus before you quarantine the patient]
Lie 1; We must wait for the next pandemic spread to develop vaccines that will treat the patients before they die.
Truth 1; We can deprive the Viruses outside the body of their host Cells and they will break apart like Lego pieces
Lie 2 We must sterilize surfaces, clothing, masks and instruments under high heat and chemicals to clean them.
Truth 2 You can seal off facilities and put all items in a sealed closet for 3 weeks (the lifetime of the virus) then run them through normal wash cycles In this way you can reuse them many times. You can prohibit access to buildings and rotate quarantined facilities like hospitals, packing houses etc while monitoring unprotected access.
IMMIGRATION:
Answer
(Solve the global problem by promoting understanding and through better communication we can foster empathy)
Lie ! Immigrants are subhuman who need to be harassed and treated like an invasion of rats.
Truth 1 We all have immigrants in our families. Anyone can become an immigrant if you take away their support structures and demonize them.
Lie 2, Immigrants weaken our economy
Truth 2 Immigrants are the backbone of every economy and every country has its cheaper work force. They pay billions of dollars in taxes through sales tax, payroll taxes, fees etc. Almost all send money back to their relatives.
Lie 3 Immigrants pollute our social values and increase crime.
In fact, most Immigrants are deeply religious (more than their host countries), hold onto strong family values are hardworking and community oriented while supporting small businesses.
On a percapita basis, they are responsible for less crime, and fewer crimes of violence with guns.
Lie 4 Due to language barriers and different cultures they have difficulty being assimilated.
Most come over speaking more than one language already. They have previously been exposed to hundreds of years of cultures, they are self-sacrificing and hardworking.
Truth 4 When we take the time to get to know them and their stories we can learn to admire them and identify with them. Language used to be a barrier, but with help of cell phones and new AI technology translations can be near instantaneous. Immigrants need TV and Internet Platforms where they can tell their families stories of hardship and heroism in their own words and in the language of their host country in near-real time. It will be as though we walked in their shoes for a short while. Only in this way can people begin to experience richer, fuller lives and to appreciate what Immigrants have to offer to this soul-sick country.
So how does one make America great again(sic)? Not by building walls of skin color and bricks. Not by hiding behind ignorance. Not by Trump. America is quite all right when led by thinking, honest people.
I love this. Kindness equals intelligence. Cruelty breeds idiocy. What a different world we would have if only this could become the ethos of humanity.
Wise words, Steven, and thanks for bringing Gov. Pritzker’s words to us again. Problem is no matter how hard we try to offset this meanness, cruelty and bullying (for that’s basically what we’re talking about here) not much will happen unless our adversaries are listening and are willing to find shared values and move away from the cruelty. I’m not optimistic for the short term. This is already starting to be a s..t show. I Restacked this. Most all of my followers feel the same way.
I never knew what my father did in his job. I just knew he was a supervisor. When he died, the entire janitorial staff from the place showed up at his funeral, and each person told me how kind my daddy had been to them, how he respected them. My dad was a very very quiet person who didn't chit chat or make small talk. Certainly not a "hail fellow, well met." Since then I have tried to see people and accept them for who they are, as they are. It takes work but I think it can be done. The hardest thing, for me, is to pray for enemies, for those infected with evil. But I do try.
Your father sounds like a beautiful man. What a wonderful story. Having said that, I know that President Carter would say to all of us: "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)
-Luke 6:28 "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." and
-Matthew 5:44 ESV "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
-Jimmy also held H.H. the Dalai Lama in high esteem. Here is what H.H. said when asked if he hates the Chinese government. He hesitated in his answer, and then said, "Almost not. What I do is, I take in their hatred, their anger into me and turn it into love. Then I give love back to them."
Beautiful, Steven. The smartest person in the room is likely to also be the kindest. Pritzker needs more attention on him.
Dude,
You are going to have to put a book together of these sorts of Substacks. Or, I will have to begin to print them and save them myself to read later. They are thoughtful, yet inspiring in a non insipid way. You include quotes from leaders that are carefully thought out and yet still muscular in their conclusions. And while you advocate a type of kindness you serve to remind that kindness does not mean waiting in the road for the bus to run you over. As we prepare to survive the next four years I will be revisiting these posts. And I hope I will be smart enough to take the right kind of action in order to be a helper and not roadkill.
Very kind of you to say!
Thanks. It was easy. Sorry I called you dude.
The mere fact that you recognize the possibility of becoming less kind will prevent you from cruelty, but will also push you toward kindness.
Love your last sentence! Well said!
Cruelty = idiocy—yes! But it also equals laziness, both intellectual and physical. The easy way out, no thinking allowed.
"The kindest person in the room is often the smartest." Beautiful. Thank you, Steven, for your wonderful essay, and for sharing Gov. Pritzker's thought-provoking commencement address. Along those lines, here's a fun clip of the brilliant and compassionate Jimmy Carter discussing the results of the 2016 election: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyyvWciKfvA
Great JC clip - thx!
My New Years Resolutions for last year were accomplished early.
As a 72 year old retired scientist, I set out to solve the world's 3 biggest problems in a humane way
:
1. Global Warming ,
2. Infectious viral diseases, and
3 Immigration.
I approached each in the same way by identifying and discarding the Lies. Eliminating the profit motives and telling the basic truths. With God's help, here are the solutions that have come to me!
GLOBAL WARMING?
Answer !(Control Bad Natural Gas Leaks First)
Lie 1: Reduction in CO2 alone as the top priority will solve the rising temperature problem.
Truth1 : Temprrature reduction would not occur for hundreds to a thousand years (even if you could turn off all the sources right now)! By that time, with constant temp rise, there may be no one left on earth to save)!
Lie 2 : Solving the Global Warming Problem will cost hundreds of billions to trillions of dollars over hundreds of years! Using dangerous, untested and inefficient devices that could upset the world's climate cycles.
Truth 2: You could shut off a third of methane emissions in 10 years by shutting down the worst excess leaks first; using modern sensors. The oil and gas companies would profit from reselling this escaping natural gas as soon as they had no other alternatives simply
using existing technologies.
COVID and CORONAVIRUSES?
Answer![ Quarantine the virus before you quarantine the patient]
Lie 1; We must wait for the next pandemic spread to develop vaccines that will treat the patients before they die.
Truth 1; We can deprive the Viruses outside the body of their host Cells and they will break apart like Lego pieces
Lie 2 We must sterilize surfaces, clothing, masks and instruments under high heat and chemicals to clean them.
Truth 2 You can seal off facilities and put all items in a sealed closet for 3 weeks (the lifetime of the virus) then run them through normal wash cycles In this way you can reuse them many times. You can prohibit access to buildings and rotate quarantined facilities like hospitals, packing houses etc while monitoring unprotected access.
IMMIGRATION:
Answer
(Solve the global problem by promoting understanding and through better communication we can foster empathy)
Lie ! Immigrants are subhuman who need to be harassed and treated like an invasion of rats.
Truth 1 We all have immigrants in our families. Anyone can become an immigrant if you take away their support structures and demonize them.
Lie 2, Immigrants weaken our economy
Truth 2 Immigrants are the backbone of every economy and every country has its cheaper work force. They pay billions of dollars in taxes through sales tax, payroll taxes, fees etc. Almost all send money back to their relatives.
Lie 3 Immigrants pollute our social values and increase crime.
In fact, most Immigrants are deeply religious (more than their host countries), hold onto strong family values are hardworking and community oriented while supporting small businesses.
On a percapita basis, they are responsible for less crime, and fewer crimes of violence with guns.
Lie 4 Due to language barriers and different cultures they have difficulty being assimilated.
Most come over speaking more than one language already. They have previously been exposed to hundreds of years of cultures, they are self-sacrificing and hardworking.
Truth 4 When we take the time to get to know them and their stories we can learn to admire them and identify with them. Language used to be a barrier, but with help of cell phones and new AI technology translations can be near instantaneous. Immigrants need TV and Internet Platforms where they can tell their families stories of hardship and heroism in their own words and in the language of their host country in near-real time. It will be as though we walked in their shoes for a short while. Only in this way can people begin to experience richer, fuller lives and to appreciate what Immigrants have to offer to this soul-sick country.
So how does one make America great again(sic)? Not by building walls of skin color and bricks. Not by hiding behind ignorance. Not by Trump. America is quite all right when led by thinking, honest people.
Kindness trumps Cruelty every time.
I love this. Kindness equals intelligence. Cruelty breeds idiocy. What a different world we would have if only this could become the ethos of humanity.
Wise words, Steven, and thanks for bringing Gov. Pritzker’s words to us again. Problem is no matter how hard we try to offset this meanness, cruelty and bullying (for that’s basically what we’re talking about here) not much will happen unless our adversaries are listening and are willing to find shared values and move away from the cruelty. I’m not optimistic for the short term. This is already starting to be a s..t show. I Restacked this. Most all of my followers feel the same way.
One of my favorite missives so far, Thank You!!
Forwarding this on to as many as I can. It’s a simple act of kindness in and of itself. ☮️
Eloquent yet powerful. Thank you for sharing, Steven.
I never knew what my father did in his job. I just knew he was a supervisor. When he died, the entire janitorial staff from the place showed up at his funeral, and each person told me how kind my daddy had been to them, how he respected them. My dad was a very very quiet person who didn't chit chat or make small talk. Certainly not a "hail fellow, well met." Since then I have tried to see people and accept them for who they are, as they are. It takes work but I think it can be done. The hardest thing, for me, is to pray for enemies, for those infected with evil. But I do try.
Your father sounds like a beautiful man. What a wonderful story. Having said that, I know that President Carter would say to all of us: "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)
Kind works bring happiness , friendship, self pride. But to ever feel kindnes towards trump, never. !!!
I completely understand how you feel about trump.
Having said that, here's what Jimmy would say:
-Luke 6:28 "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." and
-Matthew 5:44 ESV "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
-Jimmy also held H.H. the Dalai Lama in high esteem. Here is what H.H. said when asked if he hates the Chinese government. He hesitated in his answer, and then said, "Almost not. What I do is, I take in their hatred, their anger into me and turn it into love. Then I give love back to them."
I will let you do that.
I never said that I could do that! I'm just saying what Jimmy would say to us.
Bless you! You have given each of us hope & for that I am grateful. We must all be on our toes for the next 4 years.
I read this twice - such a wonderful and timely observation - I will forward this to as many people as I can. Thanks again.
Thank you.