How can something that is universally desired be so hard to obtain?  The other night I was listening to a Presidential candidate explain his record of standing up for religious freedom.  He went on to explain that if he were elected President how he would be a staunch defender of religious rights and liberty.  I could not help but wonder if he was referring to religious freedom as defined though the narrow prism of his reported evangelical christian faith.

Hitler sent six million Jews to the gas chamber during World War II because of their Jewish faith and ethnicity.

Many of the prominent christian denominations in the United States were “just fine” with segregation and until this day are minimally integrated with African Americans and Caucasians.

The Islamic faith is one of the largest and oldest in the world and dates back to the same middle eastern beginnings as the christian faith.  If peace were not the primary tenant of this faith…certainly the truth would have been revealed a long time ago.

The atheist and the agnostic are often some of the nicest and most caring people you encounter.

To have a genuine authentic concern for the welfare of our fellow human beings…there must of necessity be a primary concern for human freedom…which translates into religious freedom…or peace.

Over the past five years I have adjusted to the reality and beauty of simplicity.  Having retired from a job that I was on call 24/7 and that was at least moderately stressful each day, it has been a process to slow down and smell the roses.

When I was involved with my career I immersed myself in all aspects of it.  From personally visually inspecting the over one hundred academic buildings that I was responsible for to becoming involved with any committees and groups that I believed could aid my department as well as my great love…the University.

More often than not my thoughts were filled with work even when I was away from it.  This can become a compelling and beguiling siren song…and a good excuse to not be involved with the many other facets of life that are so enriching and rewarding.

Since my retirement I have endeavored to focus on the simplicity and beauty of living.  Often when former colleagues ask me what I am doing now that I am retired…when I respond that I am enjoying life…they look somewhat perplexed.

But, isn’t there more than devoting all of your time to career and it’s fools gold?  It goes without saying that I worked thirty-two years, two months and three weeks at a job that I loved from a compelling necessity to make a living.  However in this short life we are given isn’t there more to be sought and experience than another work challenge?

Robin Williams portraying english teacher John Keating in the movie Dead Poet’s Society said, “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute.  We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race.  And the human race is filled with passion.  And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.  But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.  To quote Whitman, “O me!  O life!…of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless…of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?” Answer.  That you are here-that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.  That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse.  What will your verse be?”

For the past three years I have been a member of the Board of Directors for our local State Universities Annuitants Association.  One of the ways that we earn money for scholarships that we provide is by volunteering at the University Bookstore located in Southern Illinois University’s Student Center during the first week of the spring and fall semester.

Although our Campus is extremely beautiful, as readers of my blogs will note by the numerous photos that I have posted through the years, the beauty of the diversity of our students is unparalleled.

As a colleague and I greeted the new and returning students entering the Bookstore I was reminded of my beginnings at SIU thirty-eight years ago.

Although I was born in Chicago, Illinois my family moved back to Southern Illinois when I was five years old.  My education and social experience throughout Grade School and High School was with people who came from similar experiences as my own.  Also they were monochromatic schools.

On my first day of employment at SIU my foreman, an older African American gentleman  who smoked the most aromatic cigars came to my building and introduced himself to me.  I discovered that he had been instrumental in my being hired at the University at the request of a mutual friend of ours.  This man became my mentor and remarked on one occasion that, “I was his son…I just would not call him Daddy!”

Shortly after I began my career I became a crew supervisor and on my crew were several international students.  Students from Africa, Malaysia, Turkey, Japan, China, and Iran were among the crews members.  As we talked…the richness of their experiences and the complexities of their cultures was an education that I could not get enough of.

I soon realized how wonderfully diverse and complex the family of humanity is!  I was humbled that I had been asked to be the supervisor of such intelligent and cultured people.

As I greeted the smiling students this past Thursday I reflected on what a privilege that I had been afforded to be a participating member in a community of nations so close to my home.

When we fail to understand…or forget the family we all belong to I wonder if perhaps we have lost the entire purpose for our existence.

One of my student crew from Cameroon…now so long ago

…asked me if I knew why so many international students wanted to work with me?  I told him that I did not…and he remarked that I had no prejudice and that everyone felt at ease and comfortable with me.  I have spent my time since trying to be worthy of a compliment that I knew then and am sure now…that I was not worthy of

Again, my sincere thanks to Mary Ann Blinkhorn for nominating me for the 3-Day, 3-Quote Challenge.

The link to Mary Ann’s blog is: https://mypenandme.wordpress.com

The rules for the challenge are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Post one fresh quotation for three consecutive days.
3. On each of the three days, nominate three folk who have not yet taken part to continue the challenge.

Todays Nominees are:

https://cindyknoke.wordpress.com

https://julieriso.wordpress.com

https://restlessjo.me

These are bloggers that are well worth reading!

Todays Quotation submitted by me:

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

-Confucius

I have often heard  people state that if they had been in Nazi Germany that they would not have stood by as six million Jews were forced from their homes and livelihoods and taken to concentration camps…and then to the gas chambers.  These same people go on to say that they would not have stood idly by as their neighbors who were yesterday respected members of the community, their friends and colleagues…suddenly were ridiculed and made to wear a yellow Star of David…to identify them as somehow no longer part of the accepted society…and thus spat upon and shunned.

When General Eisenhower forced the German populace of Hitler’s time to go to the concentration camps…and observe the unparalleled suffering, starvation…genocide that had been perpetrated upon this ethnic, religious, political outcast group…they averted their eyes…and said that they had no idea.

A young woman stood silently at the campaign rally of the leading Republican Candidate and his disciples, as they had been instructed by their leader, ridiculed her and screamed at her, and under their leader’s shouted commands…removed her forcibly from the meeting hall.

Surely basic logic does not lead us to believe that because a person is of a ancient religion that they are evil or that they want to do their fellow humans bodily harm?  If that is the case then shall we extrapolate this hypothesis to christians who have harmed others in the name of their religious…or political agenda?  If we read just a cursory study of history…we note numerous “Holy Wars” including the Inquisition.

If it is acceptable, in the Parallel Universe of the New United States, to now block entire religions from entry to our country that was sought out for the express purpose of freedom of religion?  Then, shall it be acceptable in the future for certain entire denominations or segments of the christian faith, when a fraction of their group perpetrates evil in the name of that faith, to be screamed at and removed for standing silently in protest…when we want the world to emulate our “freedom of speech?”

What if we wake up tomorrow…and our leader who has promised us economic revival and absolute security from the undesirables… suddenly adds us to the list?  It cannot happen again…we have learned our lesson…it is happening now!

Mary Ann Blinkhorn has graciously invited me to participate in the 3-Days, 3-

Quotes Challenge.  The link to Mary Ann’s blog is:

https://mypenandme.wordpress.com

Mary Ann’s blog is extremely interesting and I highly recommend it!

The rules for the 3-Days, 3-Quotes Challenge are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Post one fresh quotation for three consecutive days.
3. On each of the three days, nominate three folk who have not yet taken part to continue the challenge.

Todays Nominees are:

https://jonathonbrooks.wordpress.com

https://curiousrambler.com

https://dearlilyjune.wordpress.com

These are wonderful bloggers who write fascinating blogs!

Todays Quotation submitted by me:

“We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”

-G.K. Chesterton

As 2015 draws to a close I cannot help but reflect on the past five years of my retirement.  At the conclusion of 2010 I stepped away from my career at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois after thirty-two years, two months and three weeks of service.  This was a job that by and large I loved for the entirety of my affiliation with the University.

I began as a Building Service Worker I, which is a janitor, and it was a great step up for me financially. My pay doubled from my former position outside the school and there were excellent benefits.  I determined, early on, that if I was going to work in the custodial arena…I wanted to be a custodial professional.  Through God’s grace and hard work promotions came quickly…and for the last twenty-five years of my career I worked as either the assistant manager of the organization or the manager.

The wonderful people that I was privileged to work with so enhanced my time there…and were much of the reason for what success I attained!

Yet when it came time to retire I had no regrets…as I was keenly aware that life does not go on forever.

Over the past five years Mary Jane, who retired just two months after me, and I have enjoyed some special times and some special people!  We have been able to accompany my wonderful brother-in-law Ron, who is more like my brother,  and his lovely wife Ira Kaye on several trips…including an annual visit to their condo in Destin, Florida.  The camaraderie we have enjoyed has been extraordinary and has added to the richness of retirement.

We have been able to visit Europe three times, two with our sons, and are planning a trip there in 2016 with Aaron and Jonathon.

Our reconnection with our dear friends of over forty years, Jeff and Margo, has been especially sweet and fulfilling.  They have lived in Europe for several years and our visits with them have been time travel in action…as it seems that we are all retuned to our young selves at the inception of our friendship.  Also, Margo’s dedication to writing inspired me to write more…which is something I have wanted to do for most of my life.

We were thrilled to join or friends Tammy and Sam and their son Zach at their condo on St. John, Virgin Island this past July.

I was honored to serve three years on the governing board of our church, called the Session, and Mary Jane is in the midst of her three year term on the board of Deacons.

In June Jonathon and I joined Kiwanis and are enjoying it very much.

I was asked by the Southern Illinois University Civil Service Council to be their representative on the local chapter of the State University Annuitants Association and have been honored to do so for the past three years.

So, what does the future hold?  I hope to write a book in 2016…I welcome your suggestions?  Also, I am excited about the potential trip to Europe…as we all love it profoundly!

I continue to hope to add my small voice in some way to understanding and tolerance among those I encounter;  for those who are different from me…but more often than not… so beautiful and to be emulated.

John Lennon was born October 9, 1940.  He would have been 75 years old this year.  He wrote the famous Christmas song, “So this is Christmas”.  The song is poignant in its’ simple message pleading for world peace.

” And so this is Christmas

For weak and for strong

For rich and the poor ones

The world is so wrong

And so happy Christmas

For black and for white

For yellow and red ones

Let’s stop all the fight”

The last verse of the song is, “War is over if you want it, War is over Now”

The other night I watched a presidential debate where it appeared that the contenders were trying to “out tough” their colleagues and prove who was the baddest among them and how eager they were to commit thousands of men and women to battle.  One presidential hopeful stated that, “He would carpet bomb the enemy and see if the surrounding ground would glow.”

I recently re-read what is considered the author Arthur C. Clarke’s masterpiece, “Childhoods End” where he tells of Aliens intervening in the affairs of men and, at least in part, bringing peace and a ceasing of all of the tribal and petty squabbles of humanity.

Christians believe that the advent of the Christ child was to bring peace to the suffering family of man.

Is the answer further bloodshed  in what many religions believe is their god ordained righteous cause?

Two thousand years ago a homeless middle eastern couple were seeking shelter for the night…as she was “great with child.”

Is it to late to realize that if you believe that a higher power created humanity…was that higher power so small that it deems only a small segment of its’  creation worthy of life?  Could there really be no more war?