TODAY, MY MIND WILL RESIDE WHERE MY FEET ARE PLANTED

Not in repeated reflections of yesterday’s news or my own mistakes, nor in anxious anticipation of tomorrow’s events.

Just for Today, I will commit to being present in the moment, savoring whatever greets me – from the exhilarating to the mundane.

Life can be so beautiful if allowed to unfold without my direction and yet with my full participation.

TODAY, MY MIND WILL RESIDE WHERE MY FEET ARE PLANTED

NOTE: I wrote this for an op-ed submission to the Cincinnati Enquirer.  They  published a nicely edited version today but wanted to have the original intact here.

I have the distinct privilege of being a member of Leadership Cincinnati Class 39. The program is facilitated masterfully by Dan Hurley and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, along with a steering committee of Cincinnati leaders unique to each session.  Each month we address a challenging issue affecting our community.

This month we did a deep dive into poverty, convening at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.  At the end of each session a community leader presents a “Call to Action.” My friend Tracy Cook, Executive Director of ProKids, who battles abuse and neglect of children on a daily basis, issued a deeply moving call last week. I hope in some small way this editorial answers that call, though I know these words must be followed up with action.

Please let me begin by saying I do not know poverty. I do not know what it is like to be poor – to be on public assistance; to struggle to feed my family; to be required to navigate our city on public transportation; to be one stroke of bad luck away from a death spiral; to live in the neighborhood that can at times resemble a war zone. More than a few of my very successful classmates actually do know, and my eyes and heart have been opened as I hear or read their journeys and those of the wonderful people we meet.

We were honored at our session to have Mayor Cranley outline his bold plan to reduce poverty in our region through the Cincinnati Childhood Poverty Collaborative.  Although some of my classmates understandably want to see more action faster, we all applaud and support the Mayor and his Steering Committee undertaking this effort to reduce the number of our children in poverty by 10,000 and adults by 5,000 within five years.  The numbers are staggering and have actually worsened over the last decade. With nearly half (44%) of our children living in poverty, the time has come for a coordinated, unified approach to confronting this ugly truth. Success with this initiative would represent a significant and attainable reduction in childhood poverty.  And perhaps as importantly, through the collaborative process of community engagement, it would raise our region’s consciousness about poverty and its long-lasting societal impact.

The statistics are alarming and I am not the expert to recite them to you. Suffice it to say that a child who grows up in poverty has the deck stacked against them in ways we simply cannot imagine. And failure leads directly to the perpetuation of so many other societal problems we currently battle – joblessness, violent crime, overcrowded prisons, poor physical and debilitating mental health diagnoses.  It is a statistically proven domino effect of bad outcomes when children grow up in poverty.  I was personally sold on the human dignity aspects, but if you need the economic justification, it is easy to see how all of these outcomes are bad juju for Cincinnati – a less capable workforce, lost productivity, higher costs of social welfare, increased pressure on the criminal justice system.  All of this will eventually destroy what we’ve been working to build in our current urban renaissance.

One related challenge is to try to find a way to eliminate the phrase “working poor” from our vocabulary. Having gone through our workshop and personally interacted with several individuals who have experienced this status, it is clearly an unfortunate, and I would argue untenable byproduct of unchecked capitalism. My perhaps utopian vision is to see that label used only in history books and civics lessons to describe an embarrassing economic reality of a past generation.  If someone is working 35+ hours per week (regardless of how many jobs it takes to get there), they should be able to crest an absurdly low poverty line in our land of plenty.

The fix is not easy.  Problems of access to transportation, fair wages, healthcare and education will not be solved quickly. This is at least a generational commitment.  And although the wage issue is politically divisive and requires state and federal action, we have a local opportunity to effect meaningful change in front of us through the Cincinnati Childhood Poverty Collaborative.  Based on the passion and intellect of my classmates and community leaders supporting this effort, we should have the political will.  But they will need broad community support to keep the momentum going and achieve lasting improvements. Please join me in supporting this initiative.  We can no longer turn our backs on the children of our community and the parents, guardians and community agencies trying so hard to protect them.

Standing Tall 300 feet above the water.
I Feel the Sun’s glow rise from the horizon.

This moment must be shared.
Quickly come. See?

Watch as Dawn advances.
Look as Fog yields.
Wonder at the majesty of another Day.

It has been awhile since I posted anything (work, kids, play…) so why not get back into it with Some Sunday Blasphemy?

I’ve been struggling with a recurring concept I hear that God controls everything and nothing happens by mistake. I disagree completely, and think this suggestion is a root cause of why many other friends are challenged by faith.

Many people will use the familiar refrain: “How could there be a God with all the war and poverty in our world? How could He allow [insert terrible event] to happen?…” These people look at tragedy touching their lives or the world around them and resist the notion of God. Adding fuel to their resistance are suggestions that God somehow had it in His plan to allow this horrible situation to exist. It doesn’t make any sense, and I agree.

In my view, God is absolutely not controlling every action or outcome. I’ve said before that He does not dictate the outcome of a baseball game or traffic patterns on the highway.  And it is my belief that He similarly does not control mankind’s horrible actions towards one another, nor all the science swirling around us.  I personally believe that God likely gets very frustrated on occasion (just like us) by His inability to manage certain situations and people.

So what does God do for me?  In a world troubled by disease, war, and poverty, God instills in us the humility, the patience, and the grace to deal with difficult situations and perceived overwhelming obstacles.  He works from the inside out – giving us hope in the face of despair, optimism in the face of failure, courage in the face of fear.  Instead of challenging my belief in God with the thought of “if He exists, how could He let this happen?” I affirm His existence by the ability I find to handle or simply accept the situation presented with grace.

To me, we spend far too much time focusing on the external world when we think of God when His real work is done inside each of us.

END

Couple fun grammar tips in case anyone cares. If I help one person, it’s worth it!

I have a wonderful solution for anyone who has ever struggled with using “he and I” or “me and him” or other pronouns in sentences. I read the other day how someone was horrified to hear “me and him” – I replied that without context I couldn’t possibly have an opinion. Here’s why (and the tip follows): “me and him” can actually be perfectly appropriate if the pronouns are the object of the sentence. “If it were up to me and him, we would have grammar classes at work” works fine – a bit awkward but fine.  My friend presumably heard it as the subject of the sentence “me and him are heading to the movies” – ouch.

Now bear with me on the subject/object distinction. So many people force “and I” these days because they are terrified to use “and me” thinking it’s always wrong. People are confused about the simple rules regarding the object and subject of a sentence. To say “People look to Jane and me for grammar tips” is perfectly appropriate – object. To say “Jane and I give proper advice” works because we are now the subject. My simple rule here is to drop the other person or pronoun and you will easily find the answer. So take “They look to Paul and me for advice” and drop away “Paul and” – you then have “They look to me for advice” – well, duh, everyone knows that sounds right…. Nobody would ever say “They look to I for advice”… It seems people get tripped up when two or more people/pronouns come into play. My little rule helps tremendously. It takes a little time but you quickly get the hang of it. “The boss has asked John and me to deliver a speech in the morning” works beautifully.  The boss is the subject and I am the object (thus “me” is appropriate).  I see people force “and I” in similar sentences all the time.  Could you imagine uttering “The boss asked I to deliver this speech”… ?  Um, yeah, you’re fired.

My other quick tip is the misuse of “its” with “it’s”. Good gravy do people screw that up. “Its” is the possessive form of the neuter gender – it should NEVER have an apostrophe when used as such. The only time “it’s” should appear is when it’s used as a contraction for “it is.” How ’bout that?  I have seen it botched in advertising messages by professionals, and even newspaper headlines after editors had a shot. Amazing.

[Note: bit of a re-blog from 2013 but reworked for a class I taught last week.]

I have had the pleasure of teaching or lecturing on Business Ethics to undergraduates the past few years. Through the case study method, we learn a lot about what not to do. After reading about so many failures of managers in Corporate America, students can become rather jaded in their perspective. “Business Ethics” takes its place in scholarly wit much like military intelligence and other notable oxymorons. To combat this, professors promote the many positive attributes of business leaders and benefits of capitalism seen in our community every day. We also challenge students to think about their personal moral compass and how they would do better in the difficult situations faced by these managers.

One of my favorite recurring themes to discuss is the role of courage. So many of our tragic heroes and villains in the case studies were tripped up, it seemed to me, by a stunning lack of courage. I remind students that many of the people we study were just like them 20 years prior – students in business or undergraduate school, figuring out their career path, excited about the future. I don’t believe any of these people sat at a desk in a university at age 20 and thought “I know how I’m going to make my first million – outright fraud sounds like a good plan!” No, most of the characters in our unfortunately true case studies were good, hard-working individuals who simply lost their way.

And while some of them clearly went down a very dark path, the vast majority simply seemed to lack courage, incapable of standing up to their boss, peers, or other influences. They could not stop the train once it started rolling, often consumed by fear of what it might do to them personally or professionally if they were to speak out. Instead of blowing the whistle or taking a less antagonistic approach or even walking away, our subjects continued to toil away hoping for some (perhaps Divine) intervention.

These people may be purely “wallflowers” who silently go about their business, not wanting to cause a stir and perhaps lose their job or create hardship for their co-workers or company. Or they may be order-takers, yes-men. In either case, they consider themselves ethical because they do not cause harm by any overt act. They shy away from conflict, safe in the knowledge that comfortable retirement is theirs if they keep their head down and play the game. Many have perhaps seen the treatment of whistleblowers and know the challenges of stepping forward without a net – potentially sacrificing years of one’s life to uncertainty and litigation, and a possible trip to the poorhouse before it all (hopefully) gets straightened out. They want to be able to just do their job and figure it will all work out in the end.

So can you be ethical if you lack courage?

Many people would argue yes. The innocent bystander who witnesses a murder isn’t considered unethical if they avoid the police. They are protecting themselves and their family from years of trial and possible reprisals for their testimony. Similarly, a lower level accountant who becomes aware of potential fraud, or the engineer who knows of a bad design, may feel justified in taking a passive approach to the issue, especially if it is not in their direct area.

We can look at these people and say they are still ethical. They may lead exemplary lives and have never harmed anyone. At most, theirs is a sin of omission and our society tends to view those much less harshly. Their lack of courage is understood – we empathize with the wallflower.

I would argue against this. I believe anyone claiming to be ethical must also be courageous. You have to be able to speak up when you perceive potential wrong doing – either directly or through anonymous hotlines or other channels. One of my favorite quotes on the topic comes from Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Apply this to a geo-political world event, an abusive domestic situation down the street, or a burgeoning corporate scandal. It has broad, and yet amazingly direct, applicability.

A principal reason corporate malfeasance continues for so long and generates so many news stories is the lack of early-stage intervention by supposed ethical bystanders. We watch and wait, hoping the problem will fix itself, or that a courageous whistleblower will emerge. I believe people have a responsibility to bring problems to light; we have an ethical duty of confrontation. This does not necessarily mean shouting it from the mountain tops – there are many ways to relieve your burden of knowledge. Company Codes of Ethics, personal and corporate advisors, and other resources are available to consult for guidance. You need to know your facts and understand the process for proper disclosure. But to act ethically, to me, requires action. And action requires courage.

[Ed. Note. This was published as a letter to the editor with an unfortunately inflammatory and misleading title that made me a bit distraught. I apologized to two good friends in the cycling community and have learned a valuable lesson – editorial license is a nasty reality. Now then, back to the safety of my blog…]

I am a huge fan of cycling as a form of exercise and welcome projects that bring more bike paths to our region. What we have accomplished with the Loveland Bike Trail and other area gems is truly amazing. Hopefully we will soon count Wasson Way and the Ohio River Way as further signs of progress. As much as I support the development of these resources, I honestly hope for the reversal of the trend for adding a potentially endless web of bike lanes through our city streets. In my opinion, bike lanes are a safety hazard, a gathering place for glass, cigarette butts and other debris. And call me crazy, but putting bikes (or horses, buggies, or little red wagons) on par with cars and buses as a mode of commuter transportation on major roadways makes no sense. They seem to have been developed by a well-intentioned, but misguided, benevolent bureaucracy convinced of their wisdom by an effective lobbying effort.

And some cyclists, like a few of my running friends, seem hell-bent on challenging common sense rules of the road regardless of time of day or road conditions. This winter I actually saw a man on his bike on Montgomery Road (no bike lanes, yet) in the pitch black around 7:15 AM. Rush hour and Moeller school are a hazardous combination to begin with, so why not add a dimly lit dim-wit to the mix?

The solution seems clear. Rather than expecting daily miracles, we should put an all-out press on developing a dedicated system of bike paths, with a minimal linkage of safe bike lanes, connecting all major points of interest. Proponents of the Ohio River Way and Wasson Way clearly have our best interests at heart, and I am fully supportive. We have several rail lines that have no useful purpose around this region. Organizing relatively affordable rails to trails projects should provide plenty of opportunity for the commuter biking community to safely access downtown, and give recreational cyclists another dedicated playground for the weekend or venue for a post-work ride. Keep bike lanes where you really need them, and make the development of separate paths the priority.

Nothing like a little New Year self-analysis to temper those positive resolutions with some depressing thoughts. Analyzing 2014 successes last week led me to the blunt realization that my definition of “success” has slowly shifted from a very positive orientation to a more guarded, even negative one.

When I was younger, success meant winning; success meant achieving. Now residing comfortably in my mid-40s with kids closing in on college, I am finding success to be defined differently. On the athletic field it is less about winning and more about avoiding injury, getting a good workout, or being a good sport… It’s about defense vs. offense. And success professionally now clearly prioritizes maintaining what I have over making the push for more. Sure I want to reach a next milestone or level, but not if the risk management calculus suggests a potential for disaster. I even mused to a friend recently that not (yet) being personally sued or prosecuted, filing bankruptcy, or having some catastrophic illness befall a family member should be viewed as success – hell yes!

Is this crazy or just a slowly developing fact of middle-aged thinking? Maybe the true entrepreneurs can’t relate, but I bet many people would. As a young man they tell you the world is your oyster. You can do anything. Dream big. Go for the gusto… And now I seem to be more concerned with making sure I don’t screw anything up. The college fund is in good shape, retirement plans aren’t too shabby, and the mortgage is at a very responsible level. Doesn’t that just scream success?! I could not imagine risking a bunch (precise figure TBD) of our nest egg on some new business venture or speculating on a big real estate deal. No. I am now seemingly comfortable feeling “successful” by protecting the ball and minimizing the downside. Defense vs. offense. Or perhaps a better sports analogy: I’m playing with the lead. This style of play/living is always dangerous if it leads to complacency.

There is certainly a natural aging process, and a risk-averse genetic code at work here. I never wanted to climb mountains or explore the depths of the sea. But this defensive mindset can’t be the answer for the next 40 years. As human beings, we aren’t made to just sit back and wait. We need to get out and do something – implement a plan of action. So my 2015 resolutions include finding places where I can commit to truly successful, positive results – achieve a new plateau in an existing field, or develop a brand-new hobby. I need to find some way to get back on offense and take responsible risks, even if I remain properly protective of the IRA and the college fund.

Here’s to growth in 2015.

Windswept.
Sunkissed.
We walked along the shore.
Happy to be far away from the droll musings
of the Gossiping Geese.

Golden accents on a green background.
Red, Orange, Yellow. Earth tones abound.
An autumnal spectrum presents itself.
Inviting me to join Nature’s retreat.

Falling back toward reflection.
Accepting her more silent sound.
I draw inward and seek the message.
The calling that must soon be found.