Human Beings vs. Human Doings

I wrote about doing the other day.   Sometimes, I find myself doing a lot.  Today was a day when I had several activities to which I wanted to attend.  But they were all manageable, and in between, I had some down time.

I am sure you have heard this before:  We are human beings, not human doings.  That can be applied in more than one way.  We do not always need to be doing anything.  We should allow down time so we can appreciate the world around, including other people, the flora and fauna of the world, the beauty and scenery around us, whether created by the supreme being, his universe, or by humankind.

Many of us place no value in our basic existence. We identify ourselves by various means:  how we are related to someone, where we live, what we do for employment, what we accomplish.  Those traits are all important factors in expressing who we are, and help to distinguish one person from another.  But those factors imply or relate directly to doing.  They do no relate the message that I am who I am, and have value as a human being, just because I am alive.

For those of us who can accept this message, it makes the rest of our life have a different meaning.  If I can no longer do what I do, be in a relationship that I want, have the material things I want, I am no less a person, and have no less value.

If we remember to think this way, it reminds us what we have been taught as Christians, by our Lord, that whatever we do to the least of our brothers, we do to the Lord.  It reminds us that no matter how dire the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we have value as a human being because we are alive.  And, because of that value, we have a responsibility to live our life to the best of our ability to do so, no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

Although the United States Delcaration of Independence says "all men are created equal" it does not say we are all created the same.  Equal implies with the equal opportunity to strive for the unalienable rights with which the Declaration says we are endowed.  The Declaration does not say we all have equal talents and abilities to undertake that effort, nor will we achieve equal results.  We just have equal rights to be alive and live a human beings.

We ignore the lesser amongst us too often.  Their being means that they deserve our respect and dignified attention as do those with great wealth, power, prestige and fame or notoriety. We just forget that too often.  This is not a lesson to remember just at Christmas time, when we traditionally reach out to the lesser amongst us.  And, it is a lesson we should call to mind at Easter, when we celebrate the miracle of Christ's resurrection. 

But, it is primarily a lesson we should call to mind every day, when we see someone in lesser circumstances as ourselves.  Not to appreciate how much better off we are than someone else, but to look within, and see what we can do to offer that person some recognition of that person's worth as a human being. It may be a kind word, a blessing, a smile, an acknowledgement of their personhood, or it may be some sort of material help or assistance. It does not have to be much, just something to say "you are, so you have value."

Losing in the Land of the Enemy

I am a New York Yankee fan, and had to endure watching them lose the 2010 American League Championship Series to the Texas Rangers.  I must say, my friends and colleagues who follow baseball, and were cheering for the Rangers, have been gracious about the rivalry.  We are able to agree to disagree most amicably.

I really enjoy baseball.  I have been thinking about it this year in a different way:  I have never found myself enrapt in the Texas Rangers.  Quite possibly, because they have not been a very good team until this year, but in the 30 plus years I have lived in Texas, they have had some interesting years:  Certainly when Pudge Rodriguez, Alex Rodriguez, and Nolan Ryan were playing. So, why did I not catch the "spark" of interest for the team?

I can tell you:  I live in West Texas.  In the 30 plus years of living in West Texas, there has never been a year when we reliably and consistently had good TV or radio coverage of the Ranger baseball games.  It is difficult to establish a loyal and interested fan base if there is no access to the team.

Granted, in the last few years, with Satellite and Internet, access has increased. But if the Rangers wanted Texan support, they really needed to be reaching out to Texans, not just to people in Dallas and Fort Worth.  Maybe, with their new deal with Fox, that will happen.  Hmmmm.

The Day the World Came to Town

I have written about Gander, Newfoundland before, when I watched the documentary about the international airline flights diverted there immediately after 9/11/2001.  Read about Tom Brokaw working on the story: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/09/17/brokaw-newfoundland.html



Read about it at the Gander Airport website http://www.ganderairport.com/911.htm


Well, I finally read the book: which Jim DeFede wrote: "The Day The World Came to Town."
http://www.harpercollins.com/book/index.aspx?isbn=9780060559717.  I will say that the book was everything I had hoped it would be:  It recounted the history of the attacks, gave a brief history of the Gander Airport, and then told the story of the town and the "plane people."  Not all was goodness and light.  It was a real story, with some less than positive moments, but what would we expect under such dire circumstances.  Overall, however, it was a most feel good, inspiring story of people reaching out and taking care of people...Just amazing!


I would highly recommend it, if you have not read it...

Taking Advantage

Tonight I went to the Westwinds Brass Band http://westwindsbrassband.org/  Sunday concert, the last in this summer's series..  Unfortunately, I missed several, due to weather or conflicts of schedule, but I fully enjoyed those I attended.

Last night, I went to a night hike at the Lubbock Lake Landmark http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museum/lll/.  It was poorly organized, the leader walked too fast, did not speak so all could hear, did not talk about obvious features, and was not very knowledgeable about plants, animals, or birds.  And, at the end of the walk, when she asked me how it was, I told her... I hate to be critical, but it was not just an educational issue, it was a safety issue: there were young children on the trail, and she did not even look out for them.  The two other "leaders" did, at least.

I mentioned going on the hike to an acquaintance, tonight at the concert.  She commented about how good I was to take advantage of these activities, while people from Lubbock do not...(Which is not true, there were many born Lubbockites at the hike.)  Of course, that is typical: most people do not appreciate what they have in their own back yard, and have to go elsewhere to see/do things...

I think my childhood was an exception:  My father loved to take us to see things and do things. Our favorites were repeated, but we went to museums, geologic sites, historic sites, sports venues... We had fun, I had fun learning and seeing knew things. And I still do.

When I moved to Lubbock, I continued the same, and when I was married to Lisenby, he, too, enjoyed these activities. 

For a time, I fell out of the practice of such activity, and still have not been entirely through the American Wind Power Center and Museum http://www.windmill.com/ or the American Museum of Agriculture http://www.agriculturehistory.org. But they are on my list for this year...  I have made it to the Silent Wings Museum  www.silentwingsmuseum.com/ multiple times since my first visit.

Tonight, after the concert, my acquaintance and I were talking, and I mentioned the Carillion concerts at Texas Tech http://today.ttu.edu/2010/05/2010-judson-maynard-summer-carillon-series/, that are scheduled for the same time as the Westwinds Brass Band Concert, but continue further into the summer.  She commented that she had never heard of these concerts before, and I told her that the first summer I was in Lubbock (1977) I went to one.  Of course, I did not mention I was invited to the concert by Tom and Helen Musiak, who I knew as Tom is my second cousin, and his sisters told him I was going to be in Lubbock... It was a fun concert...And they are very nice people.

My acquaintance and I bemoaned the fact that the scheduling was uncoordinated, and did not allow folks to attend both.  But there will be a couple of carillon concerts left to hear....

I missed the Moonlight Musicals production of "Hello Dolly"  http://www.lubbockmoonlight.org/Lubbock_Moonlight_Musicals/Home.html mostly due to inertia on my part.  I am hoping to get to "The Buddy Holly Story" and "Willy Wonka" although I did not care for the Willy Wonka movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067992/

I had planned to see "The Buddy Holly Story" Saturday, July 17, 2010 specifically because the Westwinds Brass Band was playing before the play... But I wanted to do the night hike...

The Value of a Human Being

I really think I have written about this before, but it is SUCH an important concept and topic, that I feel like it is worth repeating.  I have this conversation with my patients at the psychiatric hospital prison repeatedly.  The value of a human being stems from the fact that the person IS.  Not what they do or do not do. Not what they look like. Not what good or bad things they may do or not do... The human being is worth living because he/she is human and alive.

As a society we put so much stock into irrelevant things, i.e.  talent, looks, money, power, fame, career, family even, to define us as who we are.  We do not need to define ourselves in anyway other than to say "I am, and I am human."  That statement basically says that I do not have to be perfect.  I can be forgiven by myself and others for my mistakes.  I hopefully will strive to do better, but I can repeat mistakes, and probably will, although hopefully, I will also learn from my mistakes.

I have been told that this is a Christian concept.  I do not think of it purely as a Christian concept, and I truly believe non-Christians can and do embrace this concept. It is a concept that reflects the Golden Rule  "Treat others as you would like to be treated." 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Rule

Who would not want to be treated with forgiveness, respect, acceptance, understanding, and non-judgemental thoughts? What would our world look like if we did more of that?  I am as guilty as anyone at being judgement, even if I try to be forgiving, respectful, accepting and understanding...So, my task is to learn to be less judgemental.....