Comedians get their audience to laugh by telling jokes. To be successful, a Facilitator must help participants think positively and ensure they are all on the same page. My first challenge back in the 1970s was always to get participants thinking by drawing on metaphors I learned from my upbringing, mostly from religious teachings. This would set a stake in forsaking the instinct to argue and to identifying the core value in the class’s goal.
Next, I would say something like? ” The well is not empty when the bucket has got holes in it. Metaphorically, the bucket symbolizes us, the people, in disunity.
We must all have the mindset of the Good Samaritan at the well, within the realm of the Constitution’s preamble, even though our belief systems may differ.
The well will remain DRY until we, as a nation, can see the forest and the trees.
and realize
A journey of 1000 miles will never begin without the first step.
I came into this world in July of 1944, 4 years before President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 in July of 1948, abolishing discrimination in the armed forces based on race, color, Religion, or national origin. It was a crucial step in the post-World War II civil rights movement.
Executive Order 9981 was issued by President Truman and, in part, in response to an attack on Isaac Woodard, who was an American soldier and African American World War II veteran. On February 12, 1946, hours after being honorably discharged from the United States Army. He was attacked while still in uniform by South Carolina police as he was taking a bus home. The attack left Woodard completely and permanently blind. President Harry S. Truman ordered a federal investigation. Truman also established a Committee on Civil Rights, whose report condemned the state of civil rights in the nation and recommended actions to correct these failures. He then made a historic speech to the NAACP and the nation in June 1947 in which he described civil rights as a moral imperative and submitted a comprehensive civil rights bill to Congress in February 1948, then issued Executive Orders 9980 and 9981 on July 26, 1948, desegregating the armed forces and promoting anti-discrimination throughout the federal government.
Black Americans in the military had worked under different rules that delayed their entry into combat. They had to wait four years before they could begin combat training, while a white American would begin training within months of being qualified. The Air Corps would deliberately delay the training of African Americans even though it needed more manpower. The Women’s Army Corps (WAC) reenlistment program was open to black women, but overseas assignments were not.
Black soldiers who were stationed in Britain during World War II learned that the US military attempted to impose Jim Crow segregation on them even though Britain did not practice racism—just a few examples.
What’s happening now in this nation as a whole and with our military leaders is blatant. It is tearing down the fabric of the chain of command, while teaching our youths defiance.
Unity: “All for one and one for all.” United we stand; divided, this nation will surely fall.
When we think of a teacher, the classroom is often the first image that comes to mind — a structured space where instruction, interaction, and learning take place.
Once upon a time, the dining room was the moral classroom, separating wisdom from knowledge, which could sometimes conflict with a maturing child’s mindset. When the ” Don’t do what I do, do as I say,” i.e., smoking, drinking, cursing, etc., etc., is present.
Now we have the virtual Social media classroom, with instructions coming from the highest office in the land. The most powerful nation in the world, claiming faith, but ignoring Mark 10:19.
People who can share thoughts and feelings without demeaning others have the love of God in their hearts. Holding a conversation with statements that use the pronoun “I” in the salutation, rather than being accusatory with the word “you” as a preposition, helps avoid ambiguity and blame, which demonstrates a willingness to listen while maintaining a respectful tone. Rooted in Mark 12:31
My last tour of duty in the Navy, 1981-1983, was as a District Zone Supervisor for Navy Recruiting in Southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky. Responsible for (12) Recruiting Stations that covered an area of over 1000 miles radius with a Black population of less than 10%. Going days without seeing another person of color was a renewed manifestation of the loneliness I felt in my first year at sea.
Systematically accosted many, many times in a racially combative world, because of the complexion of one’s skin, first of all, requires faith.
Wearing a white uniform in a position of authority contradicted the ideologues of the territorial mindset. The embedded empirical belief was pragmatically well grounded, which I accept from the powers of my endowed teachings from my childhood, in judgment and hypocrisy (Matthew 7:1-3), learning that sometimes it is best to give the devil his due by offering a seat and just walking away and praying Psalm 56:3 for knowing I had the Lord’s protection, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you.
As a Vietnam Veteran, I’m remembering the 50s and the 60s, to showcase a three-dimensional view, a keepsake in the minds of the reader, if you will, hopefully to put an immediate memorial to this present conflict, while aiding a diminishing tone to an ever-growing decline in our democracy. The Vietnam conflict, being the example, began while I was still in elementary school and lasted until 1975.
Baltimore integrated its schools in 1954 following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. Clifton Park Junior High School was my first experience sitting in a hostel environment. Although I didn’t understand it at the time, it was my mother’s tutelage in love thy neighbor as thyself, compounded by my dad’s demeanor, that kept my ship afloat..
I was in an all-boys honors class in the 9th grade. The Gym teachers took us to a baseball game at Memorial Stadium, the year I finished junior high, which was right across the highway from a prestigious high school. Baltimore City College High School, nicknamed “The Castle on the Hill.” The castle, which for me inevitably turned into a dungeon where the horror began, and I became a high school dropout.
The Vietnam conflict lasted over 20 years. Over eight million Americans served, with over 58,000 killed. People can demean and judge others, but no one can predict the duration of conflict. Cause and effect in philosophy refers to behaviors or events that lead to further causes, initiating a ripple effect that could further create a Tidal wave.
City College Baltimore, MD
Understanding this concept is fundamental for analyzing human behavior. Being called the N word on the daily, with no repercussions was a “cause” that disabled my ability to learn. The tidal wave hit me.
What the montage now appears to do is shadowbox imagery, fear, and economic messaging into supporters’ minds, visualizing monetary gain while throwing good money after bad. A sandbox framing of a vivid picture. A sad reality for our children’s future and those yet to be born. No one can predict the outcome or time frame of a Conflict where people are dying. The four-letter word for hope is ‘wish’.
GQ aboard ship means General Quarters, all hands man your battle stations. It takes 5 to 10 minutes for a ship to be battle-ready through continuous training. No one cares whether the captain is a Democrat or a Republican—complete unity under an oath and the UCMJ. I took my first oath 65 years ago and three more times thereafter. Now, I am unable to physically fight, but not too old to write. In military conflict, experience is the best teacher. Military conflict is not a game of checkers or chess. Therefore, I am still honoring my oath in my way. Planting seeds of wisdom, being born during World War II.
In a divided nation, Psychological Mechanisms are at work rather than psychological reciprocity. Unless there’s a change in the rhetoric, because poop runs downhill, things are going to get worse before they get better.
I was trained to become a Facilitator in 1973 by America’s Navy, another story in itself. To become a facilitator, part of the training involved delving into human instincts, coupled with the Principle of Psychological Reciprocity, while learning how to get people to look at themselves. In Principle, people can be trained to act as a team; sports and the military exemplify that fact. The very two entities that keep us entertained and protected. Nonetheless, the poison has thrived in infiltrating the ranks, trivializing lawful orders, and because of a knee.
At the same time, church attendance is decreasing, and as individuals, we still live in our own worlds, defaming and dividing with fear as a weapon.
The divisiveness portion of the training was introduced with a poem, “The Man in the Glass” by Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr. The poem was first published in 1934. Its significance emphasizes Self-reflection, integrity, Independence from external judgment, and timeless inspiration. A message that could resonate across generations.
It all comes down to the instincts we develop from the environment we are raised in. Under the caption of instincts, which are categorized under Survival, Reproductive Drive, Social Bonding, Aggression /Defense Posture, Exploration, and Curiosity. Then came “The Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson, 1988. But no one was listening to the words.
As a child, when I heard the phrase “Once a man twice a child,” I visualized my parents shrinking. The causation was not clear, but the fear was real, heightened by the movie “The Incredible Shrinking Man.” It was 1957. Even at 13 years old, the movie would materialize in a dream, reinforcing the fear. As adults, we can sometimes take things for granted. Observing life from an adult perspective, but a developing mind lacks the experience to decipher innuendos.
Leaving home, developmentally, I was still a child, mentality-wise, putting myself in a man’s place, blessed with two essentials—the labor habits of my father and my mother’s love of reading. Besides Sunday School, it was my library card, which gave me access to “The Æsop for Children.” Now, Library of Congress Aesop Fables https://www.read.gov/aesop/001.html Short stories and quotes with a moral for teaching the hills and valleys of life.
But when I became a man, I had to put away childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:11: The transformation was Ecclesiastes Chapter 3.
I cannot stay quiet. It is the persistent perseverance in me. Demonstrating TENACITY is indeed a gift, as it embodies the unwavering determination to overcome challenges and achieve goals. Tenacity is crucial in various fields, such as sports, where athletes push through injuries and setbacks, and in education, where student persists despite difficulties. It is often described as a blend of determination, persistence, and resilience, which separates successful individuals from those who fail.
As a nation, cultivating TENACITY is similar to farming. It involves planning, setting clear goals, maintaining focus, and adapting strategies to the needs of the crop. In the end, the harvest of a nation will either be fruitful or futile; the fertilization is called unity in the spirit: “We the People,” The Preamble. One Nation. Under God.
Characterbuilding begins in infancy and continues throughout life. Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, for they are who you are. When someone tells you who they are, believe them the first time.
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” Eleanor Roosevelt
To Lady Eleanor’s words, I will add, “Even a smaller mind denigrates people rather than build bridges.”
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, serving during her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s, four terms as President from 1933 to 1945. Through her travels, public engagement, and advocacy, she essentially redefined the role. Widowed in 1945, she served as a United States delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952, and took a leading role in designing the text and gaining international support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1948, she received a standing ovation from the assembly upon the adoption of the declaration. President Harry S. Truman later referred to her as the “First Lady of the World” in tribute to her human rights achievements.
I share in the quest for Unity and Understanding, the us, which is the U and the S, the United States, fact-checking what I share through my accumulated library for the love of life and the love of people.
Born 81 years ago today, raised through a garden of wisdom, reproducing and instilling proclivity in me, ever-evolving and non-transformative; even on my BD, endemic, like a craving for Baltimore crabs, and a day of fishing to share my thoughts, the conceptualization of the “WHY.” “Through the Bible”
Forever, endeavoring to create a metal roadmap is like treading water for a breath of life in an ocean of sharks, constantly engaging in conversations that foster more divisiveness than love.
Our children are watching, and we are at the “Y” on an unpaved road to salvation. Joshua 24:15
The wisdom of the “WHY” from my mom and dad encouraged me to read. Years ago, I read about the decline and legacy of the Amorites. The Amorites are described as descendants of Canaan and are often associated with the land that the Israelites sought to conquer. The decline of the Amorites was due to internal strife.
There is a phrase, “When there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do you no harm. ” African proverb, enunciating a cause, that wisdom should not only be proclaimed individually, but a quest of society or history will repeat itself.
.The fundamental force of attraction between objects is the natural force of gravity, but when not conceptualized, demagoguery conjures a road to nowhere. Put that in tariffs and smoke it.
Our children are watching, but not on bended knees.
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