This week we're in the process of burying, memorializing, grieving and celebrating the people who were shot and killed at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, So. Carolina. We've been debating a symbol, the Confederate flag, and ignoring for the most part, the issue of guns and access to them.
It seems Dylann Roof was filled with hate. Hate that he said came from the Trayvon Martin case and research he conducted about black on white crime on the internet. There are literally millions of people who have reviewed and seen the same information and they've been able to handle it without shooting up a sanctuary in a church.
It is easy, simple, to hate Dylann Roof. He has made it easy for everyone to hate him and everything he stands for and represents. The families of the people killed and wounded in his attack have done something much more difficult. They have forced us to think about peace, nonviolence and reconciliation. Yes, of course they are hurting, but they've shown us that hurting is not a natural leap to hatred. Dylann Roof has strong beliefs but so do these families and friends of the people shot.
I'm trying to figure out where this 21 year old really did come up with all of this hate. Only by understanding where it came from can we attempt to do something about it relative to others. Was it something he grew up with? Were there experiences that impacted him? Was he recruited or radicalized intentionally? These are just a few of the questions I'm asking and so far very few answers are coming up.
There's one thing I've concluded however, and it has to do with our response to hateful acts like this. To me it's clear, we need to hate the hate. We need to hate it and do something about it by finding solutions and methods to change it. We need to stand with those families in Charleston.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Some Tests Are A Pain But Necessary
Yup, they are, and the one most of us dread and unfortunately sometimes put off is the colonoscopy. I had missed a couple of years until last year when my cancer was found. So I've been having quarterly blood tests and had another (1 year later) colonoscopy a few days ago. All is well. As a matter of fact the results were great and my Dr. & Surgeon said 5 years is fine for the next one. He was happy and so was I.
It's interesting the conversations that take place in the pre-op area as people wait for their turn. People sharing fears, discomfort from the prep or eagerness of sorts to get things done. Sometimes stories of early detection like mine, surgeries and family histories. Bad jokes and references to body parts and bodily functions creep in along with nervous laughs. People of all ages, talking to each other, family members, nurses and Drs. Some people are there for the first time and others, like me, are seasoned participants. As always, great nurses make a world of difference and they always seem to be there.
When its over and people are still a bit woozy, pie-eyed, etc. first timers become more confident and everyone anticipates the results and report from the Dr. In most cases reports are fine. A polyp here, a polyp there, removed and sent off for testing. But there are different results. The ones where the Dr. tells the patient that there's something that really doesn't look good. That was my result last year although it was even more blunt. It was stated pretty confidently that there was a cancerous tumor on my colon. But yesterday was different, for me anyway. My Dr.'s euphoria, thumbs up and big smile was a welcome site. Me? I was still enjoying the drug induced state and so looking forward to a nice lunch.
The real point though is, these little inconveniences are important and necessary. When you consider the potential consequences of doing nothing or putting it off for a little longer, the prep, the conversations, the procedure itself are really not that big a deal. So get it done when its due. It really can save your life.
It's interesting the conversations that take place in the pre-op area as people wait for their turn. People sharing fears, discomfort from the prep or eagerness of sorts to get things done. Sometimes stories of early detection like mine, surgeries and family histories. Bad jokes and references to body parts and bodily functions creep in along with nervous laughs. People of all ages, talking to each other, family members, nurses and Drs. Some people are there for the first time and others, like me, are seasoned participants. As always, great nurses make a world of difference and they always seem to be there.
When its over and people are still a bit woozy, pie-eyed, etc. first timers become more confident and everyone anticipates the results and report from the Dr. In most cases reports are fine. A polyp here, a polyp there, removed and sent off for testing. But there are different results. The ones where the Dr. tells the patient that there's something that really doesn't look good. That was my result last year although it was even more blunt. It was stated pretty confidently that there was a cancerous tumor on my colon. But yesterday was different, for me anyway. My Dr.'s euphoria, thumbs up and big smile was a welcome site. Me? I was still enjoying the drug induced state and so looking forward to a nice lunch.
The real point though is, these little inconveniences are important and necessary. When you consider the potential consequences of doing nothing or putting it off for a little longer, the prep, the conversations, the procedure itself are really not that big a deal. So get it done when its due. It really can save your life.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
An Important Anniversary
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my colon cancer surgery and next week I'm scheduled for a complete review (colonoscopy) of how things are doing. I've been having regular blood tests and Dr. visits throughout the past year and everything has been fine so far.
But anniversaries like this are significant, sometimes scary and yet also a time to celebrate. It was in May of last year that my cancer was discovered and the surgery was scheduled quickly with various tests, pictures and preparations made. I had a good expierience at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, NY. Great doctors and nurses and lots of support from family and friends.
What have I learned and experienced since? Well, the obvious things have been to try to take better care of myself through diet, exercise and moderation in lots of things. I've also spent a lot of time thinking about friends, colleagues and family. Memories have become more significant, relationships more important. I've also tried to inhale life a bit more intensely over the past year and yet I'm feeling the limits of age. I've learned to really respect and honor others who have struggled and fought the battle with cancer.
I lost a good part of the summer last year in various stages of recuperation. I wasn't able to do outside work, get out on the lake, etc. So far I've been making up for it this year and plan on continuing.
Anyway, that's an update and my own reminder of an important anniversary that I remember mostly from a hospital bed in a haze of medicine in early June of 2014.
But anniversaries like this are significant, sometimes scary and yet also a time to celebrate. It was in May of last year that my cancer was discovered and the surgery was scheduled quickly with various tests, pictures and preparations made. I had a good expierience at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, NY. Great doctors and nurses and lots of support from family and friends.
What have I learned and experienced since? Well, the obvious things have been to try to take better care of myself through diet, exercise and moderation in lots of things. I've also spent a lot of time thinking about friends, colleagues and family. Memories have become more significant, relationships more important. I've also tried to inhale life a bit more intensely over the past year and yet I'm feeling the limits of age. I've learned to really respect and honor others who have struggled and fought the battle with cancer.
I lost a good part of the summer last year in various stages of recuperation. I wasn't able to do outside work, get out on the lake, etc. So far I've been making up for it this year and plan on continuing.
Anyway, that's an update and my own reminder of an important anniversary that I remember mostly from a hospital bed in a haze of medicine in early June of 2014.
The Stupidity of War
Memorial Day just passed and we are in the very beginnings of the 2016 Presidential campaign. Both of these events present many opportunities for some people to wrap themselves in the American flag and promote war as a solution to complicated world issues. It's sad really and worse, dangerous.
Glib, emotionally based statements about nuking people and countries out of existence cross just about every moral and political line there is to cross. Sadly, there will always be those who are attracted to these kinds of statements. They imply a quick solution to some of the problems the world faces. Most of the hawks and war sellers have never fought in a war or paid any kind of price relative to the violence of war. Yet they spout about what they would do as Commander In Chief as if they have all of the expierience in the world. Boots on the ground - a few thousand here, a few thousand there - more bombs, more drones. We report and seem to celebrate the death of 10,000 ISIS fighters without questioning how many people end up being radicalized or recruited by these deaths. All of this is an acceptance of old concepts of war that over the centuries have been proven to be incorrect - and in the end we just keep repeating the mantra.
But war is stupid, really stupid and many times, as we've seen, a mistake. What do we do about those mistakes after the fact, after thousands are killed. They are no more. Their future and our future is affected by the loss. People we knew, didn't know or who now we have no chance of knowing. That is the real tragedy and stupidity of war.
As people talk about 'boots on the ground', perhaps as few as 3000 (a few unless you're one of them), we really need to remember and contemplate the mistakes and lessons that should have been learned from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Wars are terribly stupid and tragic ways to find peace and many of us know it.
Glib, emotionally based statements about nuking people and countries out of existence cross just about every moral and political line there is to cross. Sadly, there will always be those who are attracted to these kinds of statements. They imply a quick solution to some of the problems the world faces. Most of the hawks and war sellers have never fought in a war or paid any kind of price relative to the violence of war. Yet they spout about what they would do as Commander In Chief as if they have all of the expierience in the world. Boots on the ground - a few thousand here, a few thousand there - more bombs, more drones. We report and seem to celebrate the death of 10,000 ISIS fighters without questioning how many people end up being radicalized or recruited by these deaths. All of this is an acceptance of old concepts of war that over the centuries have been proven to be incorrect - and in the end we just keep repeating the mantra.
But war is stupid, really stupid and many times, as we've seen, a mistake. What do we do about those mistakes after the fact, after thousands are killed. They are no more. Their future and our future is affected by the loss. People we knew, didn't know or who now we have no chance of knowing. That is the real tragedy and stupidity of war.
As people talk about 'boots on the ground', perhaps as few as 3000 (a few unless you're one of them), we really need to remember and contemplate the mistakes and lessons that should have been learned from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Wars are terribly stupid and tragic ways to find peace and many of us know it.
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