Inspired or Angered?

Inspiration:

*In 2007, Gary Oppenheimer ended up with leftovers from his garden that his family could not use. In trying to find a way to put his fresh produce to use, he came upon an idea that has since really caught on and is not only helping him use his excess surplus but is also helping others in need to eat and stay healthy and has given gardeners across the nation a way to get involved and help save lives. His idea grew into AmpleHarvest.org. The free online resource enables food pantries to register and be listed in a central nationwide directory, and makes it possible for American gardeners to easily find the local pantries where they can donate extra produce.

*HelpOthers.org is just an amazing source of ways to reach out to anyone. If you have someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time and aren’t sure how to make that connection again, visit this site. If you want to do something nice for someone and aren’t sure what to do, go by this site. They have a lot of good “random acts of kindness ideas.” They also have something called, “Smile Cards”. They are cards you can either print up yourself or they will mail them to you, FREE!! Yep, totally FREE!! How kind is that?? You can donate if you can or want to but other people donate to keep this service going. The idea is though that you will mail out these cute little smiley cards to cheer up someone’s day. And, let me tell you, cards do cheer up someone’s day. Having a daughter that has spent month after month straight in the hospital, cards are great! But, also think about the fact that now-a-days the only thing most people still get in their mail box is bills or junk mail. When is the last time you sat down and wrote a nice little note to someone and stuck a stamp on it? Yeh, stamps? Texts and emails are nice but a note or letter in the mail? Wow! But, drop by this site, there are a lot of great ideas and even stories on there.

*Out of personal experience and having lived in the “world of cancer” for so long now I can tell you that being around cancer patients and kids fighting cancer, I am surrounded by inspiration. I find it very difficult to complain about a headache or a bad day since I have been introduced to people that daily fight for their lives while being inflicted with so much pain and sickness. Do you know what I noticed right away on the oncology floor that I would have never imagined to have seen? I noticed a lot of smiles, lots of smiles. I am not sure if they were always there, if people were just always smiling and I didn’t notice it or if it was the fact that the people fighting hardest for their lives found more of reason to smile through each day they were living. I think it is the second point. I think they found more of a reason to smile. I will never forget when I noticed those smiles. Ever. They inspired me to notice that each day is different and each day is a gift. They inspired me to realize even more that none of us are promised the next day, the next hour or even our next minute. Life is a gift.

*In a previous article on my blog, “21 Days Makes a Habit”  I spoke about the Pay It Forward Foundation.  . The idea of “Pay it Forward” was brought out very clearly after a movie was released in 2000 based on the novel. In the movie, an 11 year old boy, Trevor is doing a project for his science class. Trevor calls his plan “pay it forward”, which can be described as a charitable pyramid scheme, based on good deeds rather than profit. “Paying it forward” means the recipient of a favor does a favor for a third party rather than paying the favor back. His plan not only caught on but it caught on BIG! This 11 year old inspired a movement and people really felt so eager to do something for others. They not only did something but they did so with a happy heart and in many cases, their heart had been closed or had been just going from day to day not really feeling much of anything.

*Do you think the above people are still doing what they started doing in the links mentioned above? I mean once someone gets inspired to get involved like Gary Oppenheimer with his garden helping others or people that go by helpothers.org once, do you think they will go by a second time. Well, the people that started that site were inspired enough to start it and the people that donate to keep the cards free obviously have been inspired enough to get involved to help with that part of the service as well. I know we have been so inspired by our daughter’s fight for life and others’ fight for life as well as how different organizations such as BeTheMatch.org, Florida Blood Services, and so many others that we wanted to do our part to further help educating others on the need for marrow donors and blood product donation as well as helping families going through transplant so we started our own foundation, the Katia Solomon Foundation back in 2003. Inspiration tends to continue on a daily basis because it not only touches your life, it touches your heart. It has somehow changed your life and maybe given you purpose.

So, what else moves people to get up and do something? There are a lot of times people get angry over something that happens in a community and a community gets together to make a statement. It can be a tragic accident with a drunk driver, a missing person that a community gets together to help find and sometimes the news turns out with a very happy ending or the reverse of that story the person is found murdered after a long search. When communities come together to help each other, it is great and even better when the news covers the story. When a community stands up against a tragedy together, it often brings the community together.

However, so many things have become arguable. Things that most would think are beyond argument. I mean one can always find a path to an argument if you choose to go looking but these days it seems nearly anyone is ready for an argument, ready to take sides on things that there should be at least a clear understanding on certain parts of the story.

I mean has it really come to the point that everything is an argument and that is what motivates people to speak up? Get involved?

Anger:

Here are a few examples.

*Oil in the gulf… is bad. The problem has to get fixed. We need accountable, competent people fixing the problem until there is no more oil coming out of the oil well. A lot of people have lost their jobs and a lot of damage is being done to wildlife and beaches. This damage is going to last for a very long time. Everything needs to be done to assure these issues do not happen again.






*Immigration Reform is something that will always be a work in progress as our country is in a constant change and each year more people will migrate here from different countries all over the world. As our country is constantly changing and more people are coming and going, laws need to be updated and relooked at on a normal basis. Our country’s safety is always a top priority.






*Education is the foundation to a good future. Every child in every town across America deserves a good education. This should be a top priority across our Nation.






*If you think your child is sick, you take them to the doctor. That is what any good parent does, right? Not if you don’t have health insurance. Well, of course you should be able to take you child to the doctor or go to the doctor if you are ill. Of course you should be able to go to the doctor for regular screenings that can catch cancer early, diagnose the beginning of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or many other diseases that when left untreated can end up causing significant health problems and run up enormous health cost or cause death. Health reform was set out to correct this issue.














Personally I don’t see where there is even an issue with any of the above things mentioned. I don’t see how someone can jump on any of those statements and say how there is a disagreement as those stand. I can see how there is something a person can jump on IF they already have a set view and don’t want to look at the plain, easy-to-see picture as it stands. There is always a way someone can drag it from the “left” to the “right” and not see it in the way of humanity and simply as what is just the basic right thing to do. That is very often overlooked until things get just too far out of hand or something so tragic happens that the cloudiness over our eyes that has been put there by our own views and the views of what we watch, read or listen to is finally washed away by tears of tragedy and sadness. It doesn’t need to come to that to see how we can be a part of doing what is right even though we may feel differently about some things. Just because we may see things in a different view doesn’t mean we should overlook basic human rights, common sense and being part of the growth of our nation and not a hindrance on our growth.




My response to the above issue:

*When a company is responsible for the death of any of its employees, damage to natural habitat, loss of jobs and the ways of lives that have gone on for generation after generation, they should claim that responsibility. It should be done in a legal way according to a way that is laid out and agreed upon. Too often these types of incidents become something more like a “witch hunt”. At this point it doesn’t matter what side you’re on or even if you aren’t keeping up with BP and the leaking oil in the gulf, you are on the wrong side. Someone is totally against you and you don’t know what you are talking about. The fact is this was the first time this has happened and yes, it should NEVER have happened. It has taken a long time for someone to even come close to finding an answer and there is still oil leaking in the gulf at this moment…leaking, leaking, leaking. Not like a dripping faucet either. More like barrels just being dumped! But, the point is, nobody has the answers. I think a lot of people want to do a lot of firing and even more people want to find a problem. Even more wish this had never happened. This is the optimal time for political parties and campaigns to point fingers of blame at each other. It will go on for years. But pointing fingers and placing blame on each other doesn’t make it right and it certainly doesn’t reverse time, fix the leak or clean up the gulf now does it?  While I am typing this, there is hope of a new solution fixing the problem…let’s pray this works.






*Immigration Reform is another one of those issues that either people really have an opinion on or some people just don’t touch the topic due to its heated debates. This country was built with immigrants. There is hardly anyone in the United States that didn’t have family who at some point in time migrated from another part of the world. At different times, there were different standards of how immigration was done, how land was claimed, or what rights a person had as an immigrant. If you have read my past articles, “Will History Repeat Itself?”  and “What Divides Our Nation“, you will see how far our country has come and also have to ask yourself what is going on now? For a country that has been built on diversity, freedom and so many have fought for human rights even fighting for the human rights of others in countries around the world, why is it that the immigration issue is now becoming something that would even come close to taking away anyone’s human rights. Not sure what I mean? Read “Arizona is just the beginning… watch out!”  Yes, Immigration Reform is a necessity and it is something that needs to be done now and continuously monitored. It is a federal issue and it is something that both democrat and republicans need to work together on. You see, everyone came to this country seeking freedom and a better life, right? This country. The UNITED States of America.

*Education is something that everyone should see is a top priority. I think that part everyone would say, “Of course, absolutely.” The education system in our country has moved down the list when compared to other countries and there is absolutely no reason for that. When George W. Bush became president, he signed the No Child Left Behind Act.  It was signed to increase funding, accountability of schools and teachers and close the gaps between minorities and children in impoverished areas. It measured students annually through standardized tests. The numbers that came back were shared and showing improvements for the first few years. The gaps were closing and the funding appeared to be working for the teachers’ incentives. Schools that were doing a poor job needed to earn a better grade to get more money. There were problems with the NCLB act. The tests were on math and English. So, to score a higher grade, teachers were “teaching to the test”, basically preparing their students for the test and not teaching on other subjects or preparing them for even their next school grade. There is also the idea that ALL students can take the same test and the school can be judged by the outcome or the teacher can be judged by the outcome. Although a teacher does teach in the classroom, more often, that has less to do with what students take away from a class. Although our students go to school each day, they are taking less education away from school and more outside influence. I feel there could be 10 standardized tests on education a year and it really wouldn’t give much information at all about what students are learning in schools. There is certainly not anything standardized about the public school system in America.

I don’t believe in stating a problem without a solution so here is at least the beginning of a solution because to give anymore would be another blog. What is missing from our public schools and even most private schools today is the communication between the student and their parents, the communication between the parents and the teachers and the communication between the parent, teacher and the student together. If a teacher knows that the parent and the student are communicating (and that is saying you do communicate with your child) and then the teacher knows they can communicate with you if there is an issue at school, it opens up a whole new avenue of tools for the teacher to use to help your child with their education. Teachers have less available to them now than ever before when it comes to dealing with their students. They are teaching less due to funding, testing and class size. They are held back and paid very little but are expected to turn out something amazing after approximately 35-45 a day, 5 days a week with your student. How often do we as parents get involved with our students after school, ask what they are doing, read something they have written, talk to them about their friends, their goals, etc. Teachers can’t do all the teaching. Our children are our responsibility. Teachers are there to help us teach our children. We should know what they are doing and communicate with their teachers. A teacher should have a phone number they can feel free to contact you and know you are there to work with and take part in your student’s education ALL the way through their school years.



*To me, the last one is just a simple fact of humanity. If someone is sick, they go to the doctor or the hospital to get better. That shouldn’t have anything to do with whether they are rich or poor, have a certain type of health insurance or another or have no health insurance. It shouldn’t have anything to do whether they have recently lost their job or do not have a job. It is their health. They are not going to the doctor to get a 6 pack of beer, a tattoo or play poker. It is not a day at Disney or a free vacation. It is the doctor’s office and it is either that they are sick or someone they take care of is sick. It’s pretty simple to me. I am not even going to go into the politics of all the things our country’s citizens will pay money on but taking care of people when they are sick is something that I don’t consider should be one of these things that should cause a roaring debate for over a year in this country. When we are each born, we aren’t promised to be born into a family that has it all!! We aren’t promised to be born into a country that has it all!! During our life we aren’t promised there won’t be any obstacles or tragedies to come our way. Anything can happen to any of us at any time. That I can promise you. A family member can come down with a terminal or debilitating illness and either with insurance or without insurance bills add up. A car accident can suddenly put one of your family members into a coma for a long time and they can come out with irreversible brain damage. Again, even though you may have the best of insurance you can lose everything due to medical bills. What if the person that is diagnosed with the medical condition or involved in the accident is the one the medical insurance is under? What if you have insurance and then lose that insurance? You are then with the millions of others without medical insurance. So many people are willing to stand against EVERYONE without insurance saying they don’t want their money going to pay for people without insurance but yet these people fighting against those without medical insurance don’t know the stories of these individuals without insurance. They think they do. They think they are all people that have never worked a day in their lives, don’t plan to and just live off the system, thanks to the tax payers!


Meanwhile, plenty of the people at those rallies didn’t have health insurance. Many people right next to those people at their jobs making plenty of money to be able to buy their own insurance didn’t have health insurance. Why? A lot of people don’t think they need it. While people at low paying jobs who are thought not to have insurance do have insurance because their company offers it and the employees understand the importance. You see, you can’t judge a person unless you not only know the person but you know the circumstances. So it is best just not to judge. My belief is that insurance is a right. Insurance should be available to everyone. Every company should be able to afford to offer health insurance to their employees and the employees should be able to afford to buy it. If health insurance was seen as a human right and a basic necessity, it wouldn’t be something our representatives could argue over for a year holding up a bill getting signed into law. It wouldn’t be something people fought over while people were getting sicker and dying. That tends to get overlooked or it is looked at and not cared about as though, these sick and dying ones are different than the ones that hold their insurance cards in their hands. They have a card that says they can live, for now.

So, you see I get motivated by both inspiration and anger but anger doesn’t make me go and do something that isn’t going to solve anything. Anger doesn’t make me do something that is going to hold back another person from moving forward in their life. Anger isn’t going to get me to do anything that will hold someone back from getting what they need to live a full and happy life. No.

I have been inspired to do everything in my power to see that I leave this world better than I found it.

I have been inspired to help someone who is down.

I have been inspired to think of a solution instead of dwelling on the problem.

I have been inspired to look past the differences and see the likenesses.

I have been inspired to not only dream but to soar with the possibilities.

I have been inspired to not only see what can be done now but to inspire others that will go on long after my time is over.

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose”. Robert Byrne

Advertisement

Are You the "Right" Color?

In an article posted on CNN’s AC360 Blog, “What’s Behind Rand Paul’s Confusion“, there are a lot of points on the government’s role in the Civil Rights of racial equality. Should the government even be involved? Should there be any say, on the government’s part, about racial equality in a private business or individuals?

This can go way beyond what many people may be seeing so I have decided to take a few steps forward and a few steps back.

First of all, what is a Hate Crime? We have started seeing a lot of Hate Crimes and people being punished and prosecuted for them. So what defines a Hate Crime?

Hate Crime: “a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin”

Where do Hate Crimes typically happen? The amount of hate crimes have continued to rise but from reports filed in 2008, the FBI put these numbers together.

31.9% near homes or residences, 17.4% on highways, roads, alleys, or streets, 11.7% happened at schools or colleges, 6.1% took place in parking lots or garages, 4.2% occurred in churches, synagogues, or temples, 2.2% took place in restaurants, 1.8% transpired in bars or nightclubs, 11.9% occurred in other or unknown locations, 18.3% took place in the remaining specified location categories or in multiple locations.

Numbers above taken from FBI.gov

In 2008, in an analysis of the 7,780 reported Hate Crimes to the FBI, 51.3% were racially motivated.

This does not even mention Hate Crimes for other reasons such as religion, sexual orientation, disabilities or other reasons. Not all Hate Crimes have been categorized.

Are these crimes okay? Maybe I should word this differently. Are these crimes okay on private property? Maybe inside a private business?

During the past 7 years, hate crimes have risen against blacks and Hispanics. Often these crimes are against each other in the forms of gangs but more and more there is a growing trend of hate crimes against Hispanics as the debates over the Comprehensive Immigration Reform escalates. Although many differences arise when our government is discussing changes or reforms, this has caused heated debates which have caused violence to erupt in the Extremist Anti-Immigration Groups.

Okay, so it seems people want to step backwards with progress that has been made. That is what we would be doing here. No matter how pretty you draw the picture, how you word your point, that is what would be going on. We would be stepping backwards. This is talking about INEQUALITY.

Maybe this seems simple to you, bugs you, pisses you off that people would want to do this. Maybe it doesn’t. It bugs the hell out me!!

First of all, who says how white or dark your skin has to be for you to be the “right” color to come and go from one place or another? REALLY? How can someone seriously think that the color of one’s skin makes that person better than another person? Where would that logic come from? How about if we started giving IQ tests to everyone to see if they could come and go from grocery stores, malls, churches, public libraries, or amusement parks. But that would be something we could ultimately study for and improve on. So that isn’t fair. What about if we went by a person’s height? If you are over a certain height or under a certain height, this allows you certain privileges. So everyone over 5’6” can vote. That rules me out. How about you? What is the “right” person to have all the rights? Who actually gets to decide that?? Who makes the rules? Who has the list? What list are you on? The right one or the wrong one? You may not know because the “LIST” may be changing.

Talking about voting, did you read my last blog, “Who is Running Our Country“? Until 1920, women didn’t have the right to vote. Are we going to take that away too? When is that going to be something up for discussion? How about if private businesses, restaurants or bookstores suddenly said, we don’t women in here? Would that cause an issue? How about if they said we don’t want men? How about if whites were discriminated against?? Whoa… is that too much? Unheard of in this country? Remember that before we fought for equal rights, if you read my last blog, white men over the age of 21 were the only ones allowed to vote. White men received the fairest pay, had the best jobs. Isn’t that still a problem today? Isn’t that still something that women are trying to fight for equality on?

If you look at unemployment from April 2009 through April 2010, there is a substantial difference between white and black Americans. This is with the protection of the Civil Rights Act being “enforced” within the average workplace. Let’s say that suddenly different workplaces get the idea or the “permission” to do whatever they pleased. Turn away customers due to color. Hire and not hire with regard to race. I am not saying that every business would take advantage of this and I would certainly like to think that a great deal of America has moved beyond the days of discrimination. What would happen to jobless rates? Not just against blacks. Let’s remember, the Civil Rights Act and what it said. Who did it protect?

If you click on the link, you will read the Civil Rights Act was written to protect anyone being discriminated against due to their individual race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Remember, everything that has been fought for, all rights that have been gained are just as easily taken away. The importance of this depends on which side you are on. The giver or the taker? The quiet one or the one speaking up? Sometimes, not doing anything is the same as taking part in. That doesn’t mean a person should go out and take part in a riot or send hate messages but standing up for what is right saves lives. Our soldiers stand up for is right everyday of their lives. Why would they do that if what they are fighting for may just be changed? Do they know there are people here saying that many of them possibly won’t be allowed in certain private business if things go the way some certain politicians think they should and should not be able to go? While these soldiers are fighting abroad, there is a war going on at home.

Rand Paul did not just get up and say these things out of “left field”. He said these things because they have been discussed and thought about. Some are saying that he just started running off at the mouth and should have stayed on topic? This may be his topic. That is the thing. We are getting more and more groups and individuals that are anti-government or trying to undo what has taken years and dedication to put together. I am not talking about “big government” or policies here. I am talking about the rights of individuals, people. Putting skin color aside, sex and religion we are all the same, right? Wrong.

Okay, so then we go to Arizona. I can fully understand a State wanting to take care of its people, its schools, libraries, the streets, the parks, etc. I am all for that. But, I also know that when I go out and I am not the one driving, I don’t carry around my driver’s license. I can guarantee that if you go to the mall near my house without announcing it ahead of time that more than 80% of the people (and I am shooting low there) have no proof of their citizenship. This is Tampa and there is a wide variety of ethnicity here. So, are they going to start questioning everyone here next? What about all the major cities? NY? LA? Chicago? Is that supposed to be the answer for a problem? What problem is that the answer for? What problems are they going to cause in Arizona while they think they are answering “this problem”? To me, this sounds like the streets of Mississippi and Georgia back in the 60’s. Pull someone over, say they were going a few MPH too fast, ask for some I.Ds from everyone and hope you find some immigrants, point proven!

Immigrants do not only come from countries of darker skins mind you. There are immigrants from every country with every skin color. So, I am not sure how Arizona is going to fulfill this new law? Are they really looking for illegal immigrants or Mexicans? They didn’t spell that out but it appears they are “looking for” Mexicans by their appearance.

America is THE LAND of opportunity but America is as strong as we make it and as weak as we let it become and lately, we are letting it become very weak. We are ALLOWING America to become very weak. I say that not out of disloyalty, quite the opposite! I say that because I am upset by the fact that a few rotten apples really can spoil a whole bunch. That isn’t just something my teachers used to say. That is really true! I am amazed and very saddened at how easily people can turn against another person and really not see that the other man is a father, a husband, he is the same as you but just has a different color of skin. I am in awe when I hear someone thinks that a woman can’t have the same job as a man and do just as good and possibly even better. To think this all had to be fought for at one time is unbelievable to me because that means that a lot of people had to die to get to the point for someone to think, “Hey this is getting really bad and we need to do something about it.” But we did fight to make a difference and end discrimination. And now, there is a growing number of absent minded idiots that actually think we should go back in a sense and disrespect all those lives that have been lost, disrespect those who died in those hateful episodes of nothing but rage and hate against another of God’s children. We should just forget about all of that and just say, “You know what, let’s just let people discriminate if they want.” Forget that!!! I am not going to sit by and not say anything or do anything. No I am not going to go grab my friends and start a riot or jump on some news show and tell others to turn violent or start a raging group. I am saying my part, telling people how I feel and why I feel that way. I am hoping you will pass this along, share your comments. If you disagree with me, why? What do you disagree with? I think people should be able to share their opinions with respect and why they feel what they feel but not just repeating someone else. We each have the ability to have our own thoughts. That is why we are each so individually important and should be treated rightfully so.

My point is every person is to be treated equally. It doesn’t matter what office building they walk in, what car they are in, what state they live in, what coffee shop they go in, which library, bookstore, mall, fast food restaurant, hotel, or law firm, anywhere they go. It doesn’t matter where they go to get a job. If they are qualified for the job on paper, they are qualified for the job in person.

“We can’t be who we are if we don’t respect where we have been.” Tracy Solomon