Thank Goodness It's Monday #387

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIOUS MAYA

ANDTHE LESSON THEY DIDN’T LEARN

My plan for the end of the Mayan long-count calendar 13^th b'ak'tun? (December 21, 2012 if you somehow missed the news.)



Mayan Astronomy
as depicted in The Dresden Codex*



Par-tay! While others may be counting down the k’in (= the Mayan unit for days) with dread … heading for the survivalist hills … expecting a cosmic crash with some as yet detected planet …or digging in to weather some other apocalyptic catastrophe, my view is this: 

TGIM Takeaway:

What matters most is today.

 

How do you live today? How you live each day has more effect on what occurs after December 21, 2012 than any misunderstood interpretation of the history of a little understood people.

In order to better establish the link between this quasi-philosophical TGIM Takeaway and a panicky end-of-the-world mindset, let’s first establish some facts about –

The mysterious Maya. Maya history as we know it firsthand begins with Christopher Columbus. The Admiral of the Ocean Sea met a trading party of “locals” off the coast of Honduras on his fourth (and last) voyage in 1502. The story goes, when asked where they came from the reply was, “from a province called Maiam.”

In fact the ancient Mayan world encompassed much of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. But following quickly on the heels of Columbus came other conquistadors and their attendant clerics who fairly well erased large chunks of Mayan history that otherwise might have informed our modern understanding. 

Then they moved on. And the jungle-shrouded existence of the Maya was all but forgotten until 1839 when explorers John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood began surveying the area.

Stephens wrote: “… architecture, sculpture, and painting, all arts which embellish life, had flourished in this overgrown forest; orators, warriors, and statesmen, beauty, ambition, and glory had lived and passed away, and none knew that such things had been or could tell of their past existence.”

Impressive, right? And that led to a growing modern interest in the Mayan world that can now be traced back to 2000 BCE origins. The intervening years of archaeological study fill in much, but hardly all, detail.

The monumental architecture is now well known – the ceremonial centers dominated by pyramids, plazas, platforms, ball courts and palaces. These areas were ruled by leaders who, in constant rivalry with their neighbors, created a resource drain that contributed to the downfall of the Mayan civilization.

What does this have to do with December 21, 2012?

 

Some of the intellectual achievements of the Maya are as impressive as the architecture, most notably in the related areas of astronomy, mathematics and calendar making. 

Although they were rather fond of bloodletting and human sacrifice, and didn’t figure out the keystone arch or come up with a useful wheel, the Maya grasped the concept of zero and created a symbol for it long before the European world which overran them. 

Do the math. Using that symbol (and only two others) they developed a system based on the number 20. Reminder: We traditionally use a base of 10.

 

That mathematical ability, coupled with detailed observations of the heavens, enabled them to predict eclipses and create calendars as accurate in their way as the one in current use.

So the Maya mystery is: How and why did this civilization, so highly developed in some respects, disappear so quickly and completely?

The current pieced-together scholarly answer brings us back to December 21, 2012.

Unfortunately the calendar was not only a guide to keeping time, but was viewed as a predictor of the future, with each day having omens and associations – what Mayanist Michael Coe called “… a kind of perpetual fortune-telling machine guiding the destinies of the Maya ….”

Many contemporary theorists now feel that the strong belief of Mayan leaders in the predictive power of their calendar precipitated the downfall of the Mayan civilization. 

More specifically: Much like today, it seems that the end of a calendar cycle in 790 CE was believed to predestine political upheaval.

In their book Ancient Mysteries writers Peter James and Nick Thorpe conclude: “Warfare, social unrest, and invasions were therefore inevitable and should not be stopped because they were ingrained in the very fabric of the universe. Indeed wars became more bloody as rulers of neighboring cities fought during this ordained time of war, sacrificing their captives to feed the demands of the gods. Tired of watching their world fall apart as aristocrats did nothing but fight among themselves, the peasants took matters into their own hands.”

Whether this view of the disappearance of the mysterious Maya is entirely accurate, or whether it’s a contributing factor – along with overpopulation, disease, drought, or other natural disasters and capped by the invasion of the conquistadors – there’s still a TGIM lesson or two for us in the 21^st Century.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: What you do and how you think today has more impact on what occurs in your life in the days ahead than anything anyone suggests is planned outside of you.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: How you live each moment dictates tomorrow. No hocus-pocus, alignment of stars or calendar dates has greater power.

As we’ll probably remind you once again when 2012 rolls over to New Year 2013, a calendar is a very arbitrary thing; a human-made contrivance with starts and stops and steps in between that suit the planning and time management of the solar/lunar/seasonal cycles they measure. 

• They are structures we can use to our benefit if we endeavor to do so.
• Or they can lead to our downfall if we foolishly let a misplaced adherence to them dictate our future actions.

The future lies within. Being driven by the calendar – any calendar – or by the “wisdom” of the crowd shared via contemporary technology, may not serve as well as being guided by “good old gut reaction” – that established-by-experience instinct that tells you what action is right for you and when the time for action is right.

What goes around comes around.  Or vice versa. There seems to be no evidence that the Mayans themselves believed that the current version of creation would come to an end at its 13^th b'ak'tun. A five-numeral count will reset after the 13^th b'ak'tun, but this is celebrated as the completion of a cycle, and was not necessarily seen as a doomsday event by Mayan culture.

So let’s get ready to par-tay! If you're concerned about the fate of mankind, there are more pressing issues than the end of the Mayan calendar. If you’re considering making some sort of Maya “New B'ak'tun” Resolutions, keep the opportunities to create a brighter future in mind.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. "We are not myths of the past, ruins in the jungle or zoos. We are people and we want to be respected, not to be victims of intolerance and racism." Rigoberta Menchú said that. 

Why are we quoting her here, today? 

Here’s the Maya connection: She is an indigenous Guatemalan, of the K'iche' ethnic group who has dedicated her life to publicizing the plight of Guatemala's indigenous peoples during and after the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996), and to promoting indigenous rights in the country.

 

Menchú is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. And, in case you missed it, she received the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize.

 

* In addition to a sophisticated number system the Maya had also developed a written language. However, because the Spanish conquerors were appalled at the religious practices of the meso-Americans they viewed anything not connected with their European-style religious beliefs, especially the writings about astronomy, as evil and to be destroyed. So only a few examples of the Maya codices survive. These codices are now named after the European cities where they eventually re-appeared.

Probably the best preserved is the Dresden Codex pictured here. It is a detailed account of the astronomical observations of the Maya.

The huge effort and accurate measurements of the Maya do not seem to be applied toward an effort to understand how or why the sky appears as it does. Instead, the heavens are treated as an immense, accurate piece of clockwork that is used in the same sense as the signs of astrology, to predict the future.

We can admire the technical skills of the Maya astronomers, be awed by the resources their society put into their temple/observatories, and even speculate that, given time, they might have produced a Maya genius who would have bent their effort into a more scientific direction.

However, so far as it went, their astronomy was a scientific dead end.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #386

PERSONALIZE YOUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES 

The young-ish Zig
with his chrome pump prop
presumably delivering his signature
"Priming The Pump" lesson
which you can read
HERE.
 

Is there a TGIM reader who doesn’t know that the motivational, sales-training legend Zig Ziglar recently departed this mortal coil?

I doubt it. For days after his death fully half of my social media business friends posted their favorite Ziglar-isms. 

And I filled in the “Comments” box with mine:

“Expect the best.

Prepare for the worst.

Capitalize on what comes.” 

Hilary Hinton "Zig" Ziglar

(November 6, 1926 – November 28, 2012)

But before we go too far down that path: As good as many of them are, specific Zig-conceived sales, management, or self-improvement principles are NOT going to be our main focus today.

Here’s why: Such principles are easy to understand, especially when carefully conceived and presented in Zig’s most charming, homespun, appealing way.

What’s hard is living up to them. 

There’s little doubt that Zig was true to the principles he espoused. 

But how often can you point to folks who parrot such truisms but don’t practice what they parrot? (Not my social media friends/ posters, of course. But all those others … you know who they are.)

Too damn often, I’d say. So …

Maybe we can identify part of the cause and find some useful corrective action.

The problem as I see it is -- 

The principles aren’t specific enough. 

Or they aren’t personal enough. Proverbial advice and general admonitions suffer from a lack of depth. People pay lip service to them, but they don’t necessarily know how to apply them.

And that’s also true of proven-in-action, quantifiably established strategies like management principles as well as “softer” proverbial wisdom.

Case in point: One rising corporate type I worked with devoted himself to the ongoing study of management science, hoping to develop a more effective “executive” style. 

He sought out and read the latest available material in the discipline. He took self-improvement courses on-line as well as in a classroom setting. He could easily recall and report the self-improvement lessons he had been exposed to. Yet in practice, nothing he learned seemed to work the way it should.

He was frustrated because he knew the principles cold, but somehow was unable to apply them to his satisfaction.

“I even leave notes to myself on my desk,” he said. “But they haven’t helped.” He still acted in the same old way.

After chatting with him at length in a catalyst/coaching capacity it became clear that, while he truly wanted to apply these management principles, he resisted them for some deeper, personal, emotional reasons. 

This was pointed out to him, with examples such as: Simply repeating “I shouldn’t blow up at subordinates” would not accomplish anything unless he understood why he got angry. 

This line of inquiry interested him, so we explored it further and made some eye-opening discoveries.

One in particular:  He often blew up at others because he was mad at himself for giving poor instructions or not explaining something sufficiently. So flying off the handle at the subordinate was much easier than accepting the blame himself.

Ah ha! Breakthrough: With his newly gained insight his “Don’t blow up” principle was revised just for him and morphed into: Don’t project your own shortcomings onto others.

Harsh-but-effective insight. He “got” it and was able to apply it. Gradually he formed a new habit. When someone did something wrong, he often still got mad. But he didn’t blame it entirely on the person. Instead he assigned some of the blame to himself, making statements such as, “I may not have explained it clearly enough.” 

TGIM Takeaway: Proverbial wisdom and time-tested principles are a good thing, and we owe a debt to those who conceive of and develop them. But they are, by their very nature, general and so have the potential to be ignored in practice.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Tailor such received wisdom to best suit you, your situation and – if you’re sharing it – your people. “Classic” principles and textbook guidance may be sound in theory, but to be effective in practice it must be personalized to suit individual personalities – your coworkers and your own. If you want to follow them – or want someone else to – dig deep into the personal aspects of your understanding to come up with a specific, workable approach.

“See you at the top.” Just in case you didn’t know, Zig said that encouragingly. And he used it as the title for his first book which, his publisher, Pelican Books, said was its most successful book, despite having been rejected by 30-odd publishers previously. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “You cannot tailor-make the situations in life but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations.” Oh, yeah. Zig said that, too.

Listening To Brubeck

Glad To Have Had Dave Brubeck In My Life

 

I last saw Dave Brubeck live at Bethel Woods (the site of "Woodstock") in 2007, obviously having at least as much fun playing as the audience was listening.

"Koto Song" Brubeck

When I first went to Nutley Jr. High and then High School there was a “Sweet Shoppe” on my path home from school with jukebox that featured the continually updating hits of the day – Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs, The Shirelles, Sam Cooke, the Everly and Isley Brothers, and eventually The Beatles.

As I recall the deal was: A dime a play, 3 for a quarter.

For two years of Jr. High and four years at NHS I “invested” my quarter playing Take Five and its flip side, Blue Rondo a la Turk.

And for all those years they never pulled the record to replace it with something newer.

'Take Five' Brubeck

I have no memory of what my ever-changing third choice was, but I do know Dave Brubeck shaped my music listening ear forever.

Sad to think his genius has ended.

Glad to have had him in my life.

Try him in the 21st Century, here: Listening to Dave Brubeck

Thank Goodness It's Monday #385

HOW TO NEGOTIATE

SO EVERYONE COMES OUT AHEAD

Yup, I’m back on that track. I'm inspired -- once again -- by all the hoo-hah coming out of the nation’s capital these days. And I’m pondering why these beltway folks –

Just don’t get it.

In the business world that I occupy a pretty good definition of “Effective Negotiation” would be: 

A process by which two or more parties

use a problem-solving approach

to build something better for all.

Obviously we’re not talking political parties here.

So let’s just review with our personal/professional circumstances in mind.

The concept of effective negotiation doesn’t mean you’re not going drive a hard bargain to get what you want. And it doesn’t mean you won’t be willing to take any concessions you’re offered. 

It does mean you go into the negotiation process intending to use effective – maybe even “tough” – techniques that should enable you to control the process and lead it toward the outcome you want. 

But you’ll do this in a principled way.

To guide us, here’s a rundown of --

8 Principles Of Effective Negotiation

#1: There’s a solution that can benefit everyone. That’s true in most cases. So it makes sense to go into a negotiation with a problem-solving mindset; looking for ways both sides can be better off. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Don’t operate in terms of you vs. an opponent. Think instead, “you and the other problem solver.” You might even disarm future conflict by announcing this point of view at the outset.

#2: Anything can be negotiated. (Alright, almost anything.) Just don’t accept the established order. Rules are made by people and people can change them.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Anything and everything can be up for grabs. A printed policy … price tag … instructions from higher ups … budgets … salaries … a sign on the wall – none of these are inviolable. They can all be changed by someone willing to invest the time and energy necessary to do it.

#3: Attention must be paid. To get anyone to sit still for a serious discussion, you must first get his or her attention. You do that by letting that person know you can help or hurt them in some way.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Since our emphasis here is on something better for everyone, emphasize how you can help. Then you will not only get attention, but – ideally – receptive, positive attention.

#4: Needs are seldom what they seem. What the other problem solver says he or she wants may not be what he or she really wants.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Is there any history with this kind of issue? People are fairly predictable. Think back on what your counterpart has said or done in the past. Most folks are likely to do the same tomorrow as they did yesterday. And don’t forget psychological needs such as ego and self-esteem.

#5: It’s best to remove the decision maker from the actual negotiation. That way you can always say, “Top Gun would never go for that” or, at least, “Let me get back to you after I’ve shared it with Top Gun.” And, because Top Gun is not there, no one can work on changing his or her mind. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: On the other hand: You don’t want to negotiate with a second party. You want to engage with the person who can make the decision. Find out who that is beforehand and strive to deal directly. Conversely, if you’re the decision maker, resist this maneuver. Have someone represent you.

#6: Have plenty up your sleeves. If you have only one option, then you are apt to want it too badly … care too much … and be willing to give away too much to get it.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Set high goals. Assume you’ll be successful. But don’t count on it. Go into any negotiation with more than one option. If you must “know one thing” know the minimum you believe is acceptable.

#7: Wave your big stick. The amount of clout your counterpart thinks you have can greatly influence the outcome of a negotiation. Clout comes not only from your position in the organization you represent but also from other sources. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Make clear you have the background and experience to be considered expert. If you doubt your clout, you can establish it (real or imagined) by showing that: Others like your ideas and are on your side… established policy, traditions and culture support you… fairness dictates that you are right.

#8: Put time on your side. Keep it there. Think and prepare for “the long haul” from the start.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Agreements tend to be reached when someone is running out of time. The more time you can get the other party to invest in the discussion, the more he or she will want to get to an agreement.

And speaking of time ... 

Wow! Look at the time. Shall we negotiate an end to this TGIM? 

Here’s the wrap up. Many factors affect the course and outcome of negotiations, of course. Recognizing them and preparing in advance are key to influencing the situation to suit  and reach your desired outcome. 

Competitive negotiators attempt to get their way by being aggressive. They convey anger, resolution, and a feeling of tension. While this may intimidate their counterparts into agreement, more often it will alienate and antagonize the opposition and make negotiations difficult, if not impossible.

Cooperative negotiators seek common ground and fair solutions. They attempt to reach agreement through trust, openness, and reciprocation. This principled style is more apt to result in effective negotiations with effective outcomes, particularly if the other side is also cooperative.

And, amazingly, everyone comes out ahead.

Come, let us reason together. Now if only our legislators would understand that.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “Start out with an ideal and end up with a deal.” Karl Hans Albrecht said that. Who? Albrecht is the richest person in Germany; an entrepreneur who founded the discount supermarket chain Aldi with his brother Theo. He ranked 10th on the Forbes 2012 list of billionaires.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #384

THE 30-DAY COUNTDOWN

IS UNDERWAY

  

My old-school paper pocket planner has that feature that shows the number of days past/days remaining in the calendar year for each date. And, according to it, we’ve got 35 days left to accomplish all those items we detailed in our New Year’s Eve 2011 list of resolutions for 2012.

 

So let me ask –

How are you doing? Have you made major headway on making all those lofty 2012 goals a reality?

I’m going to be right out there and confess that, at this point in the fourth quarter of 2012, I am not eleven-twelfths of the way through all the things on my made-last-December/January list. 

Not even close. 

Sure, I’ve knocked off items. But not nearly all of them. 

And, I can see clearly now that there’s not a chance I’m going to wrap up but one or two of the biggest ones that remain in the 35-days-including-weekends-and-holidays ahead.

And now I’m going to tell you what I’d wager you’ll hear from no other self-improvement blog/chat/whatever:

That’s great news! Depending on the time of day you’re reading this, between now and the beginning of 2013, you have roughly 840 hours to devote to determining how you will memorialize 2012 and how you lay the groundwork that determines how 2013 will evolve.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Begin now to chart your course to the eventful days ahead with a positive mental attitude. Don’t be overly concerned with what didn’t or won’t get accomplished.  Remember what transpired thus far this year – good, bad, and stops between -- as part of a worthwhile, formative, learning process. 

No SuperStorm Sandy excuses. No “Back in February there was that family thing …” Or, “Well, last summer I couldn’t …” Or, “With all the pre-election run up clients just wouldn’t commit …” Or …

Or … OR… OR….

That’s all behind us now.

Don’t look back. Don’t mope and fret the days away in this 30-day countdown period.

 

Let the successes of the 331 days gone by guide your thinking, planning and actions. Instead of allowing your current 2012 Goal Achievement shortfall to distract and discourage you between now and calendar year end, fire up the positive self talk.

Sure the looming year-end is significant. But the year’s end is also an artificial thing. There’s no particular magic in 365 days divided into the common, civilly accepted 12 Gregorian months. 

Query: If, in the Latin that’s at the root of so much of our language, “septimus” indicates 7th and “octo” means 8, “novem” 9 and “decem” 10, why are the months of the final stretch of the year linked to those designations – September, through December – the 9^th through 12^th months of the year?

Answer: Their number rank IS right in the “old” Roman calendar of 304 days spread over 10 months (the Calendar of Romulus), which began with the Spring equinox in Martius, (now March) named for Mars, the god of war. 

And that’s exactly the point.

A countdown to some deadline can BEGIN at any time.

And END at any time. 

December 31, 2012 can be a significant deadline only if you want it or allow it to be. 

Even the IRS allows calendar-year taxpayers to make decisions and take actions that impact a taxpaying year after the days of that year have become history. 

TGIM Challenge: Why should you be more demanding on yourself for most things?

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Don’t feel pressured to make this 30-day countdown period any more significant than it needs to be. Set goals for the future, sure. But live and do your work in the present.

You have roughly 840 hours left in 2012. 

• Does that seem like too little?
• Or a lot?

Don’t be driven to distraction and wrong action by a self-imposed need to get done by a date certain some idea that seemed sensible nearly eleven months in the past but deserves a different priority now.

Only one thing is for sure: The moment you’re certain things won’t change, they will. Because things always change. 

Just thinking about change changes things. And so, having thought about it, maybe you now realize how the year-end goals that you set nearly a year ago may have revised, reformed, and evolved so that, perhaps, they are not so great a priority now. 

Your job right now is to get on with what matters most right now. 

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that you lose track of what’s behind you. You do not have permission to quit trying just because the road turned out to be longer, harder, steeper than you initially expected. 

Good goals remain good goals. And --

Goals not accomplished by a deadline matter. But deadlines can often be adjusted. As a student of self improvement you know there will be setbacks as well as successes and that you can best prepare for each by a process of continuous learning. 

The thing you absolutely don’t want to do is let delayed or postponed or dropped goals from months ago discourage you from the very vital and worthwhile process of having forward-looking goals today and plotting a path to accomplishing them.

So, in the time you have remaining to you in 2012 – 1,512,000 seconds, give or take – what are you going to do? 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: I’m looking forward to taking some part of that time to plot out my short- and longer-term business, financial, personal, health and spiritual goals for the month and fitting them to my plans for the years (yes, years – plural) ahead. And I’ll give some time each and every day to evaluate and revise how I’m moving forward on making those goals a reality.

There. Got this TGIM done in time to get it to you today. Accomplished that.

Now on to meeting other deadlines.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

 

P.S.  “Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” Hal Borland (1900 - 1978) said that. He was an American novelist and journalist who called much of his non-fiction newspaper work “outdoor editorials.”

Thank Goodness It's Monday #383

 

THE ART OF THANKSGIVING

No, not kid pictures on refrigerators.

·         No Puritan forebears in stiff white collars, shiny buckled shoes and funny hats dining with clad-in-deerskin Native Americans with feathers in their hair.

·         Not the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock.

·         Not stalks of corn and pumpkins. 



· Not even silly turkey cards.

Sure, some of those images have a powerful place in our culture. And while the “art” factor may be questionable and the evolved version of history is not particularly accurate, they are symbolic of the abiding sprit of the seasonal celebration.

But “The Art of Thanksgiving” for TGIM purposes is linked to an idea put forward by Wilfred Arlan Peterson (1900–1995).  And it too is about the – 

Spirit of the season. Peterson found his life’s calling when his inspirational essays began to appear in This Week magazine. His most well-known piece, The Art of Marriage, has been called the one of the "most frequently recited English-language wedding poems and one of the greatest odes to matrimony.”

But marriage is not our focus today. Looking forward to the upcoming Harvest Home/Thanksgiving celebration, I’d like us to consider Peterson’s suggestion that -- 

The Art of Thanksgiving

is

The Art of “ThanksLiving”

Expanding on the idea of “ThanksLiving,” Peterson suggests it is –

GRATITUDE IN ACTION: It is applying Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer’s philosophy: “In gratitude for your own good fortune you must render in return some sacrifice of your life for another life.”

The Art of ThanksLiving then is --

►Being thankful and showing your gratitude for the gift of life

… by living it triumphantly.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude for your talents and abilities

… by accepting them as obligations to be invested for the common good.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude for all that others have done for you

… by doing things for others.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude for opportunities

… by accepting them as a challenge to achievement.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude for happiness

… by striving to make others happy.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude for beauty

… by helping to make the world more beautiful.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude for inspiration

… by trying to be an inspiration to others.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude for health and strength

… by the care and reverence you show your body.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude for the creative ideas that enrich life

… by adding your own creative contributions to human progress.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude for each new day

… by living it to the fullest.

► Being thankful and showing your gratitude

… by giving voice to your thankful spirit.

► Adding to your annual celebration of Thanksgiving

… an all-year-round commitment to these Acts of ThanksLiving.

Pollyanna nonsense and greeting card sentimentality? I see your point.

But –

This year, particularly in our storm-wearied part of the Northeast, the exuberant parts of a Thanksgiving celebration may be dampened for many who remain hard-pressed. And while even a large number of these folks will manage to take heart and give thanks that greater troubles and cares did not bear upon us, the burden still weighs heavily.

But Acts of ThanksLiving still surround us. Despite a reputation as a state bursting with “What exit?” Jersey Attitude, abutting a city where “Up yours!” has been deemed a friendly greeting, everyone -- virtually EVERYONE – can recall a recent tale of outreach, compassion, or support in the wake of SuperStorm Sandy’s devastation.

Those are splendid examples of

Acts of – as well as –

The Art of ThanksLiving

TGIM Takeaway: I’m thankful for these – and much, much more in my life. And I trust, no matter how difficult current circumstances seem, you too will find and share some of the Thanksgiving/ThanksLiving spirit in the days and weeks and years ahead. 

Finally, as always at this time of year: I certainly don't imagine most of you will busy yourself with too much head-down, nose-in-digital gear behavior on Thursday. (Please be present with those who are near and dear; don't neglect "the human touch.") So I want to take this TGIM opportunity to –

Thank YOU, one and all: For your generous acceptance of these TGIM blog post messages. Thanks for sharing the ones you like with folks you think will enjoy them or benefit from them. I’m pleased to make their acquaintance.

And thanks for your feedback, both critical and favorable. 

I appreciate your views and the effort you make to convey them. I learn from what you have to say and hope that TGIM can continue to be a conduit for sharing that wisdom and understanding.

I hope this message finds you far from want ... that life is always plentiful for you ... and that once again on Thanksgiving Day you will use the occasion to resolve to be thankful every day of the year. 

Geoff Steck   
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P. S. "Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." A contemporary of William A. Peterson, inspirational speaker and writer W.T. Purkiser (1910-1992), said that.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #382

VENERABLE MEN (AND WOMEN)

A VETERAN REFLECTS

ON VETERANS DAY

I did not give uniformed service to our country in the youthful days when I might have been most valued for it. 

So I believe Veterans Day doesn’t evoke the response in me that it does for those who gave over a portion of their life – or in the families of those who died – in the Armed Forces. 

Actually, I struggle with very ambivalent feelings on Veterans Day. 

·        My father did his duty as part of “the greatest generation.” And I recall, even as a child, I was proud to see his name on the hometown monument honoring veterans of World War II and moved by the idea that his name was among the lucky service men without a star next to it denoting their having made the ultimate sacrifice in service.

·        On what may be the other side of the emotional equation, I am a draft card carrier from the Vietnam era who, by some quirks of fate, was never called upon to choose a course of action other than military service. Had I been, I can’t honestly say what I might have done. I know I lost a number of friends in that conflict, both to death and trauma. The Memorial Wall in Washington DC never ceases to move me in indescribable and complex ways.

These are things I normally hold close. But today I share them with you in TGIM because a recent little editorial “opinion” in our local weekly giveaway newspaper, penned by Ed Flynn, a regular contributor whose writing and insight I often enjoy, encapsulated much of the ambivalence I suspect many feel.

I’d like to believe his view fairly says what I (and perhaps others) am challenged to articulate. 

And Ed has earned the right to say it.

Here it is, in its entirety.

****

Ed Flynn

 I always feel a bit guilty on Veterans Day.

Like many other veterans, particularly those who have seen combat, when I remember the dead and wounded – as we’re supposed to do on Veterans Day – I can’t help but wonder; why them and not me?

In my case, I spent two years in the Pacific during World War II.

Most of that time was with the Seventh Fleet as a radioman aboard an amphibious flagship overseeing landings in the Philippines and other Pacific islands.

While we faced constant Japanese attacks from the air -- and while several ships near us were hit and sunk, and we were strafed several times ourselves -- our peril was nothing compared to that of the Marines and soldiers we put ashore on those beaches.

More than 400,000 Americans, mostly young boys like me in their late teens or early 20s, never came home from that war, giving their life for our freedom on some Pacific island or European battlefield.

I came home.

I had married before I went overseas to the wonderful girl who would be my wife for the next 66 years until I lost her two years ago.

We bought our first home in River Edge NJ with a G.I. mortgage; and we had two beautiful daughters who grew up to give us three grandchildren who, in turn, gave us six great-grandchildren.

Like most families, we had our trials and tribulations in the course of those years.

It wasn’t always easy but, for the most part, it was a good life, without the tragedies some other families have had to face.

We had a life that those who died during our nation’s wars never had a chance to live.

Now I’m 90 years old and living alone, forced by arthritis to use a walker to get around, dependent on my children and grandchildren to perform tasks for me that once seemed so simple.

Sometimes it’s hard not to feel sorry for myself.

But, then I reflect on all the good years I’ve had, thanks to those who never came home, those whose life ended when they were young -- not just in World War II, but in World War I and Korea, and Vietnam, and now in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I thank those who are buried in some cemetery in Normandy where poppies grow, or whose bodies were returned home in a flag-draped coffin to be interned here; to those to whom politicians and other orators pay tribute on Veterans Day.

In World War II, more than 16 million Americans were in uniform.

Tiny flags were displayed in the windows of almost every home. A blue star indicated that the boy who lived there was now in service; a gold star indicated that he would never return home.

The whole country was mobilized during World War II; women worked in factories helping to produce tanks and planes; children collected scrap that could be turned into bullets; gasoline and food were rationed; everyone sacrificed.

Today, there are more than 60,000 members of our volunteer armed forces in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

But, here at home, you would never know we are at war.

Most families are untouched by the struggle against terrorism. For most, life goes on as usual.

There is no draft, no rationing; in fact, no call for sacrifice.

And, so on this Veterans Day, while you’re enjoying a barbecue, eating a hot dog or downing a cold beer, you might pause and ask yourself, "Why them?"

Why not your own son, or daughter, or grandchild?

And, the next time you hear someone loudly proclaiming how we should put "boots on the ground" in order to overthrow some foreign dictator, you might want to ask them, "Whose boots?"

While you’re at it, you might try to find the time to attend a parade or a memorial service – if there is one in your community anymore – and say thanks to a veteran.

Not that the average veteran is looking for thanks, but he or she will still appreciate the fact that someone cares.

Click this to link to the original article.

****

I care, Ed Flynn. 

I’m confident my circle of TGIM friends cares as well. 

Thank you, one and all.

Geoff Steck   
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P. S. In 1825 at the laying of the corner stone for the Bunker Hill Monument, Daniel Webster, perhaps the most famous orator of the day, was to make the day’s most significant speech. The crowd estimated at 50,000 included perhaps two hundred gray-haired men, remnants of the days of the Revolution.

Daniel Webster
with the Bunker Hill Monument
in the background

Among them stood some forty scarred and time-worn veterans who had actually shared in the bloody conflict they now gathered to commemorate. 

As Webster passed these forty in the crowd, it’s reported his voice trembled as he uttered the words –

“Venerable men.”

 

Addressing the veterans directly he also said: “Our poor work may perish, but thine shall endure:  this monument may moulder away, the solid ground it rests upon may sink down to the level of the sea; but thy memory shall not fail. Wherever among men a heart shall be found that beats to the transports of patriotism and liberty, its aspirations shall claim kindred with thy spirit!”