You can (and should) read the entire piece via the link above. Here are a few excerpts:
“Whenever I set foot in City Hall, I feel like I’m putting myself at risk,” says Casto, a leader of Indivisible Springfield, the local chapter of the national progressive movement. “I do it because if I don’t stand up and the next person doesn’t stand up, our democracy is gone.”
She views the Haitian immigrant debate as a humanitarian issue, not a political one. “This is a failure of our shared humanity,” she says. “If even one mother is taken from her babies, if even one man is treated like a criminal just for trying to survive, then none of us are truly free. Their humanity doesn’t stop at a border.”
“Our Haitian and immigrant neighbors didn’t come here to take,” she says. “They came here to live. To contribute. To belong. Many of them fled political violence, instability, and natural disasters most of us can’t even imagine living through. They came here with faith in a promise this country was built on.”
Here’s Pastor Carl Ruby of Central Christian Church:
“The Bible is very clear that one cannot honor God and dishonor immigrants and refugees,” he says. “Some claim to be Christians but then espouse immigration policies that dishonor the Christ they claim to follow. Cruelty and dehumanization are always wrong.”
… “Our entire nation will be devastated if Homeland Security deports millions of our most ambitious workers.”
And finally, let’s hear from Magdala, a Haitian immigrant:
“The Haitian people may have a different culture and speak a different language, but we are the same people in God’s eyes.”
Now swap out “Haitian” for “Somalian” and “Springfield” for “Minneapolis” and read it again. Different chapter, same humanity… and sadly, the same insanity of ICE brutality.
Here’s are a couple of photos of some signs I saw outside a church in Cambridge, Massachusetts back in November.
“Where is God in all of this?” It’s a great question for any self-professed Christian. ‘
“What am I going to do about it?” is a great follow-up question too.
A few days ago, I saw my old “bus buddy” Charlie. It’d been a minute. When you ride the same bus route to and from work, you wind up getting to know some of your fellow passengers, and Charlie was one of those. Philly guy. Funny dude.
But Charlie lost his stockbroker job about 20 years ago. I’d still see him occasionally around the neighborhood, but only very infrequently. Losing his job was a real gut punch for a divorced dad just trying to get by. He wound up working valet parking at the downtown hotels. He’s still there now, working mostly weekends. I’m sure the career shift from white collar to blue collar was humbling. But a man’s gotta eat. And honestly, that change gave Charlie a perspective that has probably made his life better.
I saw Charlie when I got on my homeward bound bus. He wasn’t headed to work, he had just run into a man and woman (and their dog) at his bus stop, and they were asking for directions to another bus. Charlie wound up getting back on the next bus downtown and staying with the couple until he could point them to the transfer spot. Both folks had what appeared to be their entire earthly possessions in giant backpacks, and the man’s backpack had piece of cardboard strapped to the back with the words “traveling broke” written on it in marker.
Most of us would’ve sized them up as “homeless” and tried our best to look the other way. Put on our headphones, bury our nose in a magazine, and try to avoid eye contact. Not Charlie. He recognized “down on your luck” because he’s been there, done that. He didn’t just help those fellow travelers get to their next bus. As they were getting off, he slipped the guy a twenty.
Charlie’s not in any position to be tossing out Jacksons with abandon. Yet he gave, and did so gladly. It reminded me so much of the Bible story of the widow at the temple:
He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. 43Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. 44For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”
From Mark Chapter 12
Most of Charlie’s earnings are tips. Every day, he relies on the kindness of strangers. He appreciates those who give generously. So he had no problem being the benefactor to strangers that most of us would’ve tried hard to avoid altogether.
People like to complain about the “choose your tipping amount” message that pops up on the transaction screen at retail establishments, usually at quick-serve restaurants. “Why should I tip them? I did all the work!”
But keep in mind that at most places with a “choose your tip” screen, the employees are relying on the kindness of strangers to make ends meet, to put food on the table, to pay for college, or maybe just pay their bus fare.
We can debate whether the tipping system is equitable, but it’s the coin of the realm (no pun intended) at most establishments.
Is that extra $1.61 really going to break your bank? Probably not. But it’ll make a big difference for the person it goes to. And maybe they’ll appreciate your generosity so much that they’ll slip the homeless couple a twenty.
What goes around, comes around. It’s up to you to get that wheel of generosity going.
The Indiana Hoosiers are national champs… in football!
(photo credit: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
They were so bad for so long. Historically bad.
Before November, Indiana had the most losses in college football history. Across 125 seasons before Curt Cignetti was hired in December 2023, none of its 23 coaches left the program with a winning conference record. Only twice had the Hoosiers claimed at least a share of the Big Ten title, most recently a three-way tie in 1967. Generations of administrative dysfunction, low football revenue, poor recruiting and a department premium on basketball turned Indiana football into a wasteland.
They changed the coach. And the coach changed the culture. He came across as overly cocky in his introductory press conference:
But, as the saying goes, “it ain’t bragging if you can back it up.” And “Coach Cig” did just that.
(BTW, he admitted later that some of his braggadocio was just trying to wake up the fanbase, and the team. See this clip for more.)
Our youngest goes to IU, so he’s thrilled, and our whole family is fully on board the bandwagon.
“Let me tell ya: We won the national championship at Indiana University. It can be done.”
But to me, the best part of the Cinderella story is that it’s not really a Cinderella story. It’s about how a leader can change the culture of an organization. That takes a lot of hard work.
“You’re rebuilding the house, so to speak, and you start with the foundation and build it up,” Cignetti said. “It’s more process oriented. It’s standards, expectations, consistency, performance and accountability.”
And yes, it also requires a leader who is so strong in his beliefs that others are willing to follow, despite evidence to the contrary.
“It starts with belief. Sometimes the belief has to be a little irrational, right?” said guard Pat Coogan, the Rose Bowl MVP who transferred from Notre Dame to Indiana this season.
“I love to tell you, two years ago, I thought this was going to happen. I’d be lying,” linebacker Aiden Fisher said. “Coach Cig 100 percent believed it, and this is just unbelievable.”
Standards. Expectations. Consistency. Performance. Accountability. And belief. You may not win a national championship with those attributes. But you’ll win at life.
“I think we sent a message, first of all, to society that if you keep your nose to the grindstone and work hard and you’ve got the right people, anything’s possible,” Cignetti said.
Anyone who has flown more than a few times probably has an airline horror story. Comedians have built bits, or even entire sets, around them.
Dan Piraro has an airline horror story too. He’s the guy who created the Bizarro comic strip, and still does the Sunday version. (His friend Wayno now handles the Monday through Saturday panels.)
In his blog post from mid-December, Dan recounts his air travel travails as he and his wife were trying to get back to their home in Mexico. But he also provides a very healthy dose of perspective.
Please read the entire post if you can. If not, chew on this nugget like it’s airline food:
My wife and I have befriended numerous Mexicans who have never flown on a commercial airline or visited anywhere farther than a half-tank of gas from home. This is common among low-income Mexicans, but they don’t complain. They place their happiness in their families and friends, not in material possessions or travel trophies. That may sound corny, but it’s true, and we find it inspiring.
It is all too easy for us developed-nation-types to forget that around 80% of the over 8 billion people on this planet have never been on an airplane, much less visited a vacation resort. And compared to the legions of displaced refugees worldwide, what my wife and I experienced over the weekend was but an annoying inconvenience compared to their treatment for months, years, or a lifetime.
Even when it’s bad, we’ve got it good.
And that perfect vacation photo on Facebook or Instagram pales in comparison to a life that seems “poor” but is actually quite rich.
They place their happiness in their families and friends, not in material possessions or travel trophies.
Kudos to Mr. Bizarro for his reality check. It’s plane (and plain) wisdom.
Warren Buffett is one of the richest people in the world.
But I’m not talking about his bank account.
Over his lifetime, the “Oracle of Omaha” has amassed a wealth of wisdom about how to live. Check out this excerpt from his Thanksgiving letter to shareholders last year. (It was his final one, as he turns over the company reins to others.)
“Greatness does not come about through accumulating great amounts of money, great amounts of publicity or great power in government. When you help someone in any of thousands of ways, you help the world. Kindness is costless but also priceless. Whether you are religious or not, it’s hard to beat The Golden Rule as a guide to behavior.”
Help someone… anyone… and help the world.
And your kindness account can never be depleted. Quite the opposite: the more you give, the richer you become.
Here’s to a year filled with heaping helpings of helping!
Warren’s full letter to shareholders is here. The excerpt above comes from his “final thoughts” at the end of it.
1 response to “Warren piece”
Kevin Sullivan
Praise Warren. He also said, “You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong”. He really may be an oracle.
Below is a post I made way back in 2015. (TBH, I didn’t even think I had a blog back then, but apparently so.) Reposting now in tribute to Bob Weir, who passed away this past weekend at the age of 78. (Also note that the “final show” referenced in my original post wasn’t really the final show… Bobby kept on truckin’ with Dead & Co. and The Wolf Bros. pretty much until the end.
“These songs are … living critters and they’re visitors from another world — another dimension or whatever you want to call it — that come through the artists to visit this world, have a look around, tell their stories. I don’t know exactly how that works, but I do know that it’s real.” – Bob Weir in a 2022 interview with NPR.
20 years ago, I couldn’t stand the Grateful Dead. I don’t like the smell of patchouli and I don’t care for $5 grilled cheese sandwiches made on the carburetor of a ’72 VW Microbus.
18 years ago, I married my wife, who is a big fan of the Dead. So I’ve listened to more than my fair share of their music since then. And it’s grown on me. Granted, I still could do without an 18-minute version of a 2-minute cover song (looking at you, “Good Lovin'”) or “Drums > Space.” But I really do enjoy many of their songs, and have a great appreciation for the fan base they’ve cultivated over the last 50 years. Whether you love them or hate them (and there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground), you have to admit that they are one of the most generous bands around, in the sense that they view music as a gift to be shared, and not commerce to be peddled. Tapers have always been welcome at their shows, and their bootlegs have helped them grow their fan base.
Two nights ago, The Grateful Dead played their final show at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Some would argue they played their final show 20 years ago when Jerry Garcia passed away.) We are on vacation and went to see a live stream of the show on a Jumbotron at an outdoor bar in Florida. It was my first time seeing them live (or semi-live on a Jumbotron). There were plenty of other fans there watching as well. How many bands could pull that off – having people spend a vacation night watching one of their concerts from a thousand miles away?
I know that there are a lot of preconceived notions about Deadheads, but as a passionate live music fan I tip my hat to them, because they obviously love live music. The Dead may not be the most technically precise band around, but they have a groove that runs a mile deep and have built a passionate community around that. More bands should be like them.
2 responses to “Eternally Grateful… still”
Chuck Wiggins
I’m ambivalent at best about the Grateful Dead’s music, but there’s no discounting the incredible community built around it. And there’s one song that transcends my ambivalence and reins among my all-time favorite songs from anyone – Unbroken Chain.
I didn’t hurt it while working on a home improvement project. I come up woefully short on Red Green’s favorite saying:
I slammed my thumb in a car door.
Anticipating your follow-up question, let the record show that I was stone-cold sober.
I slammed it in the door of a Honda CR-V. But it wasn’t one of the three that we own.
I was coming back from the graveside service for my dear friend LJ. And I was riding shotgun with Felicity, the widow of my friend Ned. When we got back to the church, I was both distracted and distraught. And I slammed the passenger door onto my left thumb. Making an awful day even worse.
If you look closely at the photo above (masochist!), you’ll see a drill hole at the top of my nail. You’re supposed to use a small drill bit and hand-drill it into the nail to relieve the pressure ASAP. I waited too long to try that home remedy. It helped a bit, but not much.
It’s been more than a month. The thumb feels much better now, but still looks uglier than sin.
Yet every time I look at my ugly thumb, I’m reminded of my friendship with LJ. Which is beautiful. I’m reminded of all the misery he went through during his cancer treatments. Yet he never complained. The thumb is daily reminder that pain is part of life. And that when you’re down, friends can lift you up.
I know the thumb will get better. I also know that even after it has fully healed, there’ll still be a hole in my heart.
I’m not a goth, but honestly, I may paint that nail with black nail polish after it gets better. To keep the reminder handy. And to keep LJ in my heart.
Kevin Sullivan on Warren piece: “Praise Warren. He also said, “You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long…” Jan 15, 08:48
Damian on Eternally Grateful… still: “Thanks for reading, and thanks for sharing that song, Chuck! You’re absolutely right that the Deadhead community is amazing.” Jan 15, 08:17
Chuck Wiggins on Eternally Grateful… still: “I’m ambivalent at best about the Grateful Dead’s music, but there’s no discounting the incredible community built around it. And…” Jan 14, 09:05
Kevin Sullivan on Spoken and Unspoken: “You lived the brotherhood Damian, and that is a full plate. Peace to you and peace to John.” Nov 18, 16:54
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