tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25522455279797575812024-02-08T11:53:52.529-08:00Retired Grumpy Old Man"Once a gentleman, always a gentleman." Charles DickensLesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-71110643449173642542015-03-28T14:46:00.001-07:002015-03-28T14:46:52.323-07:00…”She acknowledged feeling uncomfortable about seeing a psychiatrist because ‘you might think I'm crazy.’ “ Gretchen N. Foley, MD and Julie P. Gentile, MD in Nonverbal Communication in Psychotherapy<span style="font-size: large;">There has been a great deal of commentary by the talking heads of the media </span><span style="font-size: large;">for the need of more extensive psychological testing of pilots</span><span style="font-size: large;"> in the light of the disaster of the Germanwings crash . Psychology is a very inexact science and I opine offers very little to increase safety, mainly because it relies so much on the veracity of the patient. Therapy helps people who want help - but some mental illnesses preclude that avenue.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">To illustrate, I was once asked (long story) if I was suicidal. My immediate thought was, "If I were, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you." because you'd do what was necessary to prevent me from killing myself. So both the suicidal and the completely healthy person would say "no". Now, if I was not suicidal but wanted help I'd answer "yes". (Has anyone never had the random incidental thought of suicide? If you did nothing else except read this sentence, I'd say you have.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My point is that if you're mentally ill, your answers to the questions will be designed to conceal the mental illness except in some extreme cases. Why be truthful? Are there psychological therapeutic tests that are not verbal? The co-pilot's reaction to his diagnosis illustrates my point. He concealed it and carried out the scenario that his mental illness dictated.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Life can't be perfect.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">© 2015 Lester C. Welch</span>Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-16768851706265153932015-03-06T13:11:00.001-08:002015-03-06T13:11:32.067-08:00“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” ― George Bernard Shaw, <h1>
<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">My wife is taking part in a church sponsored workshop about "Non-Violent </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-size: large;">Communication." This sparked a
discussion</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-size: large;">between us.
It strikes me that one must consider not only what you say, but where
you say it. </span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: large;">To prove my point, suppose you say, “That’s a
lovely shade of lipstick you’re wearing.”
If you’re speaking to your niece at her wedding you’ll get a very
different response than if you’re talking to the roughest looking dude at a
biker bar. What is considered as “non-violent” in one milieu can be very
provocative in another, so the greater skill is recognizing the milieu. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: large;">My wife and I have developed a mode of
communication that I think is a bit abnormal – but it works for us. We will raise our voices and appear to be
angry when we’re really venting our frustrations. We each recognize this pattern and know – as has happened many
times in the past – that there is no great significance in our
interaction. Paradoxically, it’s not
personal. All will be smooth in a
couple of hours. However, other fringe
family members and friends who hear the interaction fully expect to be called
to the stand in a divorce hearing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: large;">This mode is something I had to learn (to
survive). It was not the way my parents
communicated (if, indeed, they did). I
attribute this mode to the fact that my wife was raised with only sisters (no
brothers) and women - especially sisters - communicate differently than the
rest of the universe. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: large;">As an aside, I’ve seen the lot of them (5 now)
when planning an evening out together, play ploys that would put Machiavelli to
shame. “I’m allergic to anything other
than Italian!” I’ve had Italian every
night for the last 8 months!” They eventually do Chinese and have a great time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: large;">So my wife has had to learn verbal scrapping at
an extreme level and she used the skilled techniques on me.
I had to learn to swim or sink.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818;">But, we do it very well. We know we’re just blowing off steam. I’m really anxious to see if “non-violent
communication” makes the slightest dent in her approach to me. I hope not.
I can handle the current mode.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: large;">© 2015 Lester C. Welch</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-92113993758585089562015-01-28T16:14:00.003-08:002015-01-28T16:16:42.653-08:00"In the world of money and investing, you must learn to control your emotions." Robert Kiyosaki<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1b.1:3:1:$comment879551052107450_880083418720880:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1b.1:3:1:$comment879551052107450_880083418720880:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-reactid=".1b.1:3:1:$comment879551052107450_880083418720880:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1b.1:3:1:$comment879551052107450_880083418720880:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24pt;">I have a real prejudice against
"financial advisors." 1) If they're so smart, why are they still
working and not lounging on the beach in the Carribbean ? 2) Their
recommendations generally will not be proven/disproven for decades - by which
time they are no longer available and not accountable. Take 40 hours and learn
the basics and make your own mistakes - and thereby learn. Don't expect
others to make you rich if they can't do it for themselves.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 32px;">© 2015 Lester C. Welch</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24pt;"><br /></span>Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-1302235517273175462015-01-28T08:02:00.000-08:002015-01-28T08:02:00.110-08:00"I understand the Second Amendment. I respect the Second Amendment. I think we need to use common sense tools to keep the American people safe, to keep our streets safe." Eric Holder<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica;">The First Amendment to
the US Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech - and we exercise it.
However it has limits. You can't libel someone, you can't yell "fire"
in a theatre. We respect those limits because they protect the innocent. Exactly
where the limits are is an interpretation of the courts. Reasonable people
accept that legal process. The Second Amendment guarantees the public the right
to bear arms. It also has limits. One can't own a bazooka, or a side-wi</span><span class="textexposedshow">nder missile. Where those limits are, should also be a
rendering of the court. However whenever a reasonable person suggests an
examination of those limits ( who can own an AK-15 or the size of a ammunition
magazine clip) they are characterized as trying to get rid of the Second
Amendment entirely. Such hyperbole by the opposition of such an examination
undermines their credibility and shows the weakness of their position. No one
is wanting to eliminate the Second Amendment - only to reach a limit where
fewer innocent people get killed.</span></span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="textexposedshow"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="textexposedshow">© 2015 Lester C. Welch</span></span></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-58644127747286885792015-01-04T11:43:00.000-08:002015-01-06T11:04:43.442-08:00"Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against unpleasant impulses by denying their existence in themselves, while attributing them to others. For example, a person who is rude may constantly accuse other people of being rude." ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you're prone to be generous, compassionate and caring are you more likely to assume that others have the same characteristics? If you're lazy, looking for an easy way out, and a way to make a quick buck, are you likely to ascribe those attributes to others?</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Why do some people see government officials as corrupt, inefficient, and lazy? Is it because they, themselves, would behave in that manner if they were in that position?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Why do others see those in power as acting only in the public good by wanting to eliminate poverty, hunger, and providing medical care for those in need? </span><span style="font-size: large;"> Is it because they, themselves, would behave in that manner if they were in that position?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Is this the source of the progressive/conservative split in ideologies? Perhaps both ways of thinking served a purpose in our evolution and each deserve credit for contributing to our continued existence and now we must bear the consequences of the dichotomy.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">How much do you attribute to others your own personal attributes?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">© 2015 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-50881279572878442632014-12-30T14:24:00.001-08:002015-01-04T11:48:32.340-08:00"I have suggested that scientific progress requires a favorable environment." Ernest Lawrence<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All progress of our
species, civilization, and culture is the result of science. The rest of
mankind's endeavors is to provide an infrastructure so that scientists can do
their work. A better political structure (democracy?) means that scientists
can be more efficient. A better economic structure (capitalism?) means
more resources for scientists in their endeavors. Great art and music
means that scientists can be inspired to further the cause of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>homo sapiens</i>. An
efficient garbage collection system means scientists don't have to worry about
such trivialities. Better roads means
we can get to our labs quicker. A fair election system means that civil
unrest won't disrupt the course of scientific research. Science and
scientists are the real reason for life. All the rest is an appreciated
supportive role. Thanks. (Disclaimer: I'm a physicist.)
</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-61192160117860054942014-12-15T12:14:00.001-08:002014-12-15T12:14:29.582-08:00"Without consciousness, space and time are nothing." Robert Lanza<span style="font-size: large;">The cruelest joke of consciousness is life. If consciousness could extent through eternity without the vicissitudes of having to feed our bodies, worrying about the collapse of the economy and the insaneness of politics (all metaphors for the mundaneness of day-to-day living) would it be enjoyable? Does "enjoyment" have a meaning outside of life? A tenet of many religions is that "consciousness" exists beyond life - label it as "soul" if you wish. But, I submit, that the components of life that we cherish may not be an integral of consciousness. Even if we have a soul, we may lose the essence of life upon death. If something exists - which I doubt - beyond our last breath, it is unfathomable. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The biggest and unanswerable question is "Why is there something rather than nothing?" My answer to that question - without specifying any further details, because of ignorance, (and rejecting all popular characterizations) - is "God."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span>Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-14152090660007535962014-12-12T11:05:00.002-08:002014-12-12T11:18:54.066-08:00"Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life." Leo Buscaglia <span style="font-size: large;">A semantic problem we have is the definition of "love." Assuming you're old enough to have grandchildren, can you say that the love you have for your spouse is the same as the love you have for your grandchildren?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I propose that one definition of "love" (purely for the sake of discussion) is that you love someone (xxx) if you're willing to step in front of a speeding bus to push xxx out of the way, knowing that it will certainly result in your death. In other words, would you be willing to give up your life so that xxx may live? If so, you love them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I think there are other definitions of "love" that are cogent and worthy of discussion, but for the sake of the current blog, let's focus on this one.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Speakly for myself - using the agreed upon definition - I clearly love my grandchildren. And, of course, my children. Why? Evolutionary biologists may profer that my children and grandchildren carry my genes and more physically fit (younger) than myself, and thus my impact on the universe is enhanced if they survive. I agree. I would readily give up my life for any of my descendents. (Need a kidney?)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">What about your spouse? That argument falls apart. Using the agreed upon definition, is one willing to give up one's own life for your spouse's? In this case I think the bargain is different, The consideration is not the persistence of your genes but the process it takes to replicate those genes. One can't reproduce by oneself. You need a partner. So,...(enter biologically engineered lust)...you help me propagate my genes and I'll "love" you. I'll offer you my life, if necessary, so that my genes can be in the next generation. Oh, and by the way, so will yours.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I think this meme is so ingrained in us by evolution that the consideration of whether or not our spouse is actually capable of reproduction is irrelevant.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So we're willing to step in front of the bus for our child, spouse, and grandchild. What about our sibling? Our parent? We may have deep affection for them but - using this definition of "love" - do we love them? There must be another definition of "love."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><br />
<br />Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-32999357055020171012014-11-16T08:48:00.000-08:002014-11-16T08:48:12.961-08:00"I believe all men, all women, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic background, you deserve the same rights." Sophia Bush <span style="font-size: large;">Among the many characteristics that we are born with that we have no control over, are three prominent ones: race, sexual orientation, and gender. All three have been the basis of venomous discrimination.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It is common to have clubs or gatherings where discrimination is still practiced - and, in my experience, most commonly in churches. Groups form which call themselves the "Sisterhood" or some such thing denoting that it's for women only and if a man dare ask if he may join he is abruptly told "No." Would we sanction a "Whites (or Blacks) Only" group? What about "For Straights (or Gays) Only?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">When questioned, women proclaim that there are subjects that women don't feel comfortable discussing in the presense of men. I'm sure that there are subjects that "blacks" don't feel comfortable discussing when "whites" are around (and vice versa). "Gays" must feel muffled if "straights" are present (and vice versa). So if a group feels that some topics of interest are out of bounds if their group is enlargened is that license enough to discriminate?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As a practical matter, I doubt that many men would attend a meeting of the "Sisterhood" but if they did it would probably be mutually beneficial. I think that the motivators for the creation of such discriminatory groups reveal an unhealthiness and/or a lack of healing of an injury caused by some past psychological trauma. A therapy group run by a professional is probably a better venue to vent their problems and seek a cure than a church group. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Is it not ironic that a major and legitimate complaint of the feminist movement was the existence of "Old Boy's Clubs" where decisions and friendships excluding women were made that women had no chance to participate in? Yet many of these same feminists flock to the "Sisterhood."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I cannot say it any better than Dorothy Allison, "<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/dorothyall398752.html?src=t_gender">Class, race, sexuality, gender and all other categories by which we categorize and dismiss each other need to be excavated from the inside.</a>"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I must check to see if the local quilting group allows men to join.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><br />
<div class="bq-aut" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br /></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-83060504482302248862014-11-14T10:45:00.000-08:002014-11-14T10:45:02.023-08:00"I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." Barack Obama <span style="font-size: large;">I kept very close track, this past week, of the landing of Philae on the comet 67P by the European Space Agency (ESA). It was a huge engineering and scientific achievement - done by Europeans. Even though at some level I know that America shouldn't and can't do it all, my thoughts wandered to recent examples of scientific prowess. The major particle accelerator in the world is CERN in Geneva where the Higgs boson - a major piece of the puzzle in our understanding of the physics of the universe - was discovered.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">These tasks - landing on a comet, discovering the Higgs, the Space Station - are done in the name of humanity and offer no direct immediate financial gain but furthers man's understanding and appreciation of the cosmos we live in. The nation - or consortium - that accomplishes them is exceptional.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">America at one time - when we landed men on the moon, when we built the world's largest (at that time) particle accelerator, FermiLab, - was exceptional. Not only did we have a democracy that enabled all of us - to the extent of our abilities - to participate but we recognized the importance of adding to knowledge whose only benefit was an increase in understanding.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Then the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC), a particle accelerator to be built in the vicinity of Waxahachie, Texas was canceled in 1993. When future historians study America they will signify that event as the end of American exceptionism. Our priorities shifted from the exceptional to the mundane.<br /><br />It was fitting that NASA officials were on hand to congratulate ESA.<br /></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 30.7999992370605px;"><span style="color: #252525; font-size: large;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span></span>Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-86336512896910147702014-11-08T11:41:00.002-08:002014-11-08T11:42:26.314-08:00"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson<span style="font-size: large;">I disagree. The purpose of life is to be happy. It may be that helping others - à la Mother Teresa - gives you happiness and, if so more power to you. But are we to completely denigrate the poor soul who lives a productive life but gets his happiness from sitting in front of a fireplace and sips cognac? Suppose that we all helped each other but all of us were unhappy. Is that a satisfactory state of affairs?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i> </i>I think we can learn to associate happiness with a variety of activities. The diversity of cultures and their activities offers proof. We can learn to achieve happiness from working in a soup kitchen for the poor - or from wrestling alligators. If you're happy you will do better at whatever activity you indulge in.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In religious terms, salvation doesn't come just because we're unhappy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">© 2014 Lester Welch</span>Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-35059757765933968362014-11-07T11:38:00.000-08:002014-11-07T12:00:05.970-08:00"One of the secrets of life is to keep our intellectual curiosity acute." G. M. Trevelyan<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those who know me realize two things about my personality:</span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1) I have a great intellectual curiosity. This manifests itself in several ways (sometimes distructively) but most obviously in my "six-month" hobby excursions (e.g., mechanical clock mechanisms, plant identifications, artificial language constructions, genealogy, different cuisines) Once my curiosity is satisfied, I move on. I have the same intellectual curiosity about social movements/issues.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">2) I love to argue/debate/discuss issues. I can (and have) argue/d both sides of an issue. Both I NEVER make it personal. I really want to get to the "truth" - or the best representation thereof. I do have my personal beliefs but often I want to put my personal beliefs to the test - are they consistent/logical? - and I seek out external competent counter-arguments.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">These two traits have gotten me into trouble.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I frequently underestimate the extent that others take my "probing" questions to be personal. I'm wanting to get to the "bottom" of the matter and others interpret my efforts as questioning their integrity or their values. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I firmly believe that objectivity is required to get closer to the "truth."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I love objectivity when mine.</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">”</span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </i></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8418120.Brian_Spellman" style="color: #666600; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><i>Brian Spellman</i></a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">© 2014 Lester Welch</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-14766303152779701812014-10-21T14:18:00.003-07:002014-10-21T14:23:42.802-07:00"So the creation of empathy necessarily influences how you'll behave to other people." Barbara Kingsolver<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When I write these posts I search for an </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">appropriate quote to title what follows. Often it </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">is
difficult to find the “one.” This post deals </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">with </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">empathy and – contrary to the
norm – I </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">found many suitable candidates.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I think “empathy” to be the most significant </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">factor in our
personality as manifested in our </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">relationship with others. It governs how we</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">behave and interact with
others in many subtle </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ways. Let me give
you some examples.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I think public speakers – or mere social </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">conversationists - must
have empathy to be </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">effective. They must
be able to put themselves </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">in the position of the listener to be able to</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> convey </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">the speaker’s message.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">A trap many </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">speakers fall into is – without realizing it – </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">assuming the listeners have the
same context as</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">themselves.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">Let me give
a trivial and obvious </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">example:</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">the
speaker says, “Tom and Bill were</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">discussing the trip and he said…”</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">The speaker,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">of course, knows to whom “he”
refers to, but the </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">listener doesn’t and is confused.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">ALL indefinite </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">pronouns have the potential of causing such </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">confusion.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">Avoid them if possible.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">Their use</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">shows a lack of empathy. The
biggest challenge </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">in talking is to create in the listener’s mind the </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">same
context as the speaker has, so that what</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">follows makes sense.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Empathy can be a disadvantage.
I know people </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">who deal with the poor and needy in non-profit </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">organizations that dispense food and </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">clothing.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">There is an interview process to</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">determine eligibility.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">Needless to say, there are </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">those who try to
scam the system and if the </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">interviewer is too empathic, every scam works.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">Yet, it is often that very sensitive empathy
which</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">puts the interviewer into that position.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It is believed by psychologists that a major </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">benefit of reading
fiction is the creation of </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">empathy. The
reader feels what the characters</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">in </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;">the book feel (if the author is doing their
job).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The correlation between “lack-of-reading”
and</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“lack-of-empathy” among the prison population is high.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The proper balance between “selfishness” and </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“empathy” is
critical. When do you consider </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">yourself
and not the other? Must one always</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">defer
to a loved one?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Empathy” is what enables the reading of “body-</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">language.” How much do we trust our ability to </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">do
so? What if we’re wrong? Maybe the client</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">really does need the food
and clothing and we’re </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">just being overly cautious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I suspect “empathy” is an essense of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]-->Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-42501760629791337882014-10-06T09:07:00.003-07:002014-10-06T09:46:24.962-07:00"People like to trace their ancestry." Richard Dawkins<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">This post is mostly
fiction – but informed fiction. One of
my hobbies is genealogy, a hobby I started long before the Internet when I
moved to the vicinity of Washington DC and the resources of the National
Archives and the Library of Congress.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">In discovering your
ancestors you find some that intrigue you.
You discover enough of their history so that you form an opinion about
their personality, their character, the nature of their life and times. It was so with me about my
gr-gr-grandfather, Daniel B, Eldridge – my paternal grandfather’s maternal
grandfather. He lived through the Civil
War and it must have been devastating for him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">He was born in 1835
in Halifax, Virginia, the youngest of a family of 11. His father was very well off and owned a plantation of over 900
acres and fifty slaves. So Daniel was
born into a life of luxury and – no doubt – was waited on hand and foot and
spoiled. The1850 census shows him
enrolled in the private Randolph-Macon College, which also operated a high
school at that time, in Mecklinburg Co., Virginia. In 1856 he marries Amanda Evans – who is also an interesting
person but is a story for another time and the 1860 census shows Daniel and
Amanda living in Forsyth Co., NC with their two daughters – the eldest of whom,
Alice, is my ancestor. The value of
their personal property is very large compared with neighbors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then the Civil War
came in 1861 and Daniel and Amanda lost everything. They had to declare bankruptcy in 1868. Some of Daniel’s older brothers had moved to Texas much earlier
and Daniel, Amanda, and Daniel’s mother, Mildred, followed them. Amanda dies of TB the following year and the
1870 census shows Daniel living with three daughters ages, 13, 12, 6 and a son
5. In my fiction I see Daniel making
life a living hell for his two older daughters demanding that they do all of
the housework and wait on him - as he was accustomed to. Alice, my
ancestor leaves home and marries my Welch gr-grandfather the following year, 1871,
at the age of 14. My fiction says that
her younger sister left as soon as possible as well. Daniel dies in 1885 deeply
in debt. How did he interact with the
rest of his family after Amanda’s death?
Who helped him with the younger children after the older ones left?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">So I see Daniel a
tragic character, a product of his birth and times, who could never adjust to the reality
of the world after the Civil War. There
must’ve been many others like him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Seeing the richness
possible in telling his story I tried once to write a book about his life but
failed. I did too much research about
the times and felt as if I had to include everything I had learned, e.g., ether
was first used in 1846. I wish I was a
better author because there is a great story about Daniel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-18773129924552446422014-09-21T14:57:00.000-07:002014-09-21T15:11:38.948-07:00"We are all of us resigned to death: it's life we aren't resigned to." - Graham Greene<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="auto-style31"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 240); font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I suspect most of us have had near death experiences –
probably more than we are aware of. In
this post I don’t want to talk about the near death experiences that we
anticipate, e.g. a major operation, -
but rather some event that life throws at us unanticipated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="auto-style31"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 240); font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">My first near death experience I don’t remember but have been
told about it. I was born in the home
of my mother’s aunt, Eunice. A doctor
was in attendance and Eunice acted as a practical nurse, but my birth was
difficult. I was born with my umbilical
cord around my throat and was unresponsive at delivery. My mother had post delivery hemorrhaging and
the doctor couldn’t care for us both so laid me aside. However my great-aunt Eunice picked me up,
massaged me, and did something magical.
I coughed, spit, and started crying
(I’ve been crying ever since – perhaps silently). The doctor was quite surprised and I
survived.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="auto-style31"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 240); font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The second time I survived a near death experience – that I
know of - was in college. I had to work
my way through college and had a job as a co-op. I helped with various research projects that the college was
involved in. One of these projects was
the testing of missile warheads. In
order to provide some credibility to the purported effectiveness of a warhead,
the test often used parts of obsolete aircraft mounted close to the warhead
when it was detonated on the test stand so the resulting damage could be evaluated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="auto-style31"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 240); font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">So one day, I was helping remove a wing from an old
bomber. The fuel tanks in the wing had
supposedly been emptied and flushed. I
crawled into the wing with my supervisor who had the necessary torches, etc, to
cut the spar caps. As I crawled, I saw beneath the plane’s wing, lying on the
ground, a screwdriver. We had been
catching hell for losing tools, so I climbed back out of the wing, picked up
the screwdriver and carried it to the truck.
When I reached the truck, the whole wing exploded. My boss was blown 45 feet against a crane
holding up the wing and was unconscious.
His welding helmet had collapsed against his face and he was drowning in
his own blood. He had used the torch to
cut into a fuel tank that still had fuel.
My co-worker and I did what we could and he survived. But what if I had not seen that
screwdriver? What cosmic force caused
me to worry about the loss of a screwdriver?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="auto-style31"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 240); font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">My last event was when I was driving and approached a major 4
lane highway from a small side street during rush hour. I stepped on the brake only to have it go
all the way to the floor with no resistance at all. I should’ve grabbed the hand brake, but I didn’t. I steered the car to an embankment, which
only resulted in flipping the car onto its roof and I went across the highway
on my roof. There were a lot of 18
wheelers on that road. But I went all
of the way across unmolested, hit the ditch on the other side which flipped the
car back onto its wheels. It wasn’t
until I thought about the incident that I realized how lucky I was.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="auto-style31"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 240); font-family: Arial;">I’m convinced I’ve lived so I could write this blog.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-60163757780437403622014-09-18T14:11:00.000-07:002014-09-18T14:26:07.556-07:00"I don't want my grandchildren to go through what I went through." Art Modell<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #232323; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">I’ve asked myself the question “Why am I writing this
blog?” After some thought I know the
answer is: I’m writing it for two
reasons – Kalina and Zora, my granddaughters.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #232323; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">I
can’t remember a conversation I had with either of my grandfathers. I can’t remember a word either of them ever
said to me. They were nice guys, I’m
sure, and I have positive recollections and memories of them. I was their
oldest grandchild but the times were different and men interacted with family
members differently then, than now. I
have no idea of how they felt about me or the world or themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #232323; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">So
Kalina and Zora, when you are adults and I’m dead and if you wonder what I was
like – read this blog.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #232323; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">You,
each, were a beacon of joy and enlightenment to me assuredly – and other
ancestors presumably. You just reacted
to the world and learned about and enjoyed life, - aided competently by your beautiful
parents. I was an enthusiastic
on-looker. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #232323; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">I
try to picture you at 40 years old reading these words and wish I was
there. The saddest part of growing old
is knowing that I won’t see you grow old.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #232323; font-family: Verdana;">You
are special.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span>Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-58687510969862155452014-09-16T13:34:00.001-07:002014-09-18T15:54:06.089-07:00"The nature of music is mysterious and so much so that it generates strong emotions within us. It moves along passages that reach the most intimate areas of our psyche without being tried by prejudices or influences of any kind." Andrea Bocelli <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the favorite songs of
my formative years was “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies. I give a YouTube link (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MiQzAo6Cp8and">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MiQzAo6Cp8and</a>)
and I’ll give a couple others to illustrate my post. I confess that – perhaps – one of the reasons this was a favorite
was because – at that time in my life in California - the bars had live
entertainment involving beautiful young women walking and dancing, usually nude
or at least scantily clad, on a stage to music. This song was a popular choice of theirs. This type of entertainment may be illegal
now. After a couple of beers
accompanied by music and eye candy, all the senses seem to merge, but the music
remains a spark and key to those memories.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">So I searched on YouTube
for renditions – a purely academic exercise to connect with my past, I hope you
recognize. My first reaction to the
above rendition was how incredibly young the Archies were. Geez, were they past puberty? But their song swelled my link to the past.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another rendition I found
was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWxZWF80hs0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWxZWF80hs0</a>
This rendition – while filled with young women dancing – I found to be very
surrealist. None of the girls are
dressed similarly. A couple have slinky
nightgowns – others run the gambit of attire.
No uniformity. Plus notice the near lack of facial expression.
It’s almost like an excerpt from a Zombie movie. I found it eerie enough I watched it several
times.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The last rendition I offer
is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS3U2MoQU54">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS3U2MoQU54</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I like this for purely
esthetic (as opposed to erotic) reasons. Seeing the older
women move in unison accentuates the beat of the music. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The ties of music to our
psyche is very strong.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: widow-orphan;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-87949836905887494522014-09-10T15:19:00.000-07:002014-09-10T16:32:40.129-07:00"Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science." Ralph Waldo Emerson<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">
(Reader Warning: Thoughts about science by a scientist contained.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
relationship between mathematics and science is remarkable. Deep thinkers (Wigner) have wondered why
mathematics is such an effective tool in science – and consequently technology. When the mathematics in a successful theory
(meaning it explains and can predict experimental results) makes a bizarre
prediction – something that has not been subject to a laboratory test – that
prediction is given great credence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">For me the best of many examples of this potency of mathematics was the result of a theory
created by Paul Dirac in explaining the behavior of the electron (which had a
characteristic not seen before). He was
successful in explaining a property –
for which no word existed but had some similarity to classical “spin” and thus
that word was co-opted. But Dirac’s
theory made a bizarre prediction – something that had never been seen
before. It predicted an electron with
the opposite electrical charge.
Needless to say that particle, the positron, was searched for and found
and resulted in a Nobel prize for Carl Anderson.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thus when
mathematics speaks only a fool is deaf.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mathematics
predicts multiverses. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Multiverses come
in many flavors and those who are interested should “google” the subject.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">But the relevant point about an alternative
universe is that by definition they are separate from our own.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">They are distinct.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Some universe flavors have different physical laws and some
flavors are mere copies of our own.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">But they are
SEPARATE. There is no way that we can
interact with them by definition. Hence
there is no way we can experimentally test them to prove their
existence or absence. Yet mathematics
states they are there. Many scientists
have faith and believe that they exist.
Many claim that since you can’t experimentally verify it, it’s not
science but closer to religion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Religion</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">
is based on faith and belief – not mathematical proof.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Science</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">
is based on mathematics and experimental verification.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I claim we need
a third noun. A field of scientific study
based on and consistent with mathematics and makes predictions which can never be proven or disproven.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I modestly
propose the word <b><i>Stience</i></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-9830842234322781072014-09-05T11:08:00.001-07:002014-09-05T11:58:26.342-07:00"Put down humor is fine and fun in an atmosphere of strong camaraderie and familiarity. Fraternity brothers engage in it, good friends can get away with it and coworkers who toil side by side every day can find some levity with it. The problems take place in a situation where someone is sensitive or unfamiliar with the dynamic of how others, either in a group or singly, relate. At that point everyone is alerted to how this form of humor can hurt feelings and chip away at self-esteem." Jean Sidden <div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">My Dad’s family –
with which I interacted a great deal as I matured – were masters at put
down humor and my Dad was the guru.
When my Dad and his brothers congregated it was a battle of zingers and
one-liners. I watched from the side
lines, admired my Dad’s skill, and was enthralled. He clearly loved his brothers.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">My wife’s family did
not use this form of interaction. Early
in our relationship, this difference in interaction led to some
misunderstandings to say the least. I
learned as a child that put down humor was only used with your loved ones and
closest friends. It was not to be taken
literally, but was used to show quick wit, love and caring. You never used it with strangers. So at the appropriate point (in my opinion)
in our relationship I started using my astronomical wit to make a zinger to
show my wife-to-be that we were no longer strangers and there was an emotional
attachment (on my side, at least). She
didn’t have the same interpretation as I did at times – and, in fact, was often offended by my overtures. Plus she never
zinged me back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">When she and her
family got together the interaction was almost sickenly polite and deferential. Didn’t they like each other? <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you can’t insult
your sibling who can you insult?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-88067041179178534642014-08-31T09:46:00.000-07:002014-08-31T09:46:19.774-07:00“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities” Stephen R. Covey<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">In one’s older years one
can look back at some incidents of your younger days and wonder about your role
– your reaction. After college I was a
naïve young man. I’ve written about
this characteristic before in my post of July 7<sup>th</sup>. This post reinforces that evaluation. I went to college in New Mexico and had
grown up in New Mexico (except for a year or so in the 2<sup>nd</sup> grade
spent in California). I thought that the
world was like New Mexico.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to go to graduate
school – to learn more and see more of the world.
Via circumstances best told in a different post I got a research
fellowship in nuclear engineering at The University of Virginia. Off I went in my 1956 Ford driving across
the country in the fall of 1962.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">When I got to
Charlottesville, it was if I had landed on Mars. Everything was alien. The
first – and biggest negative factor – was due to my own ignorance. In the southwest we don’t have gender segregated
public schools. New Mexico Tech was
integrated – but just very few women found the curriculum attractive so,
consequently the men out numbered the women – say – 20 to 1. I wanted a school with lots of women! Virginia, at that time, had colleges for
women and colleges for men. The
University at Charlottesville was for men (except for the graduate
school). I hadn’t bothered to check out
this significant cultural facet. Strike
one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">This period was also a
transition time in the history of racial integration. Blacks still faced enormous obstacles. I had encountered racial - Hispanic/Anglo - prejudice before but
it paled (no pun intended) in the face of what I found in Virginia at that
time. UVa did admit Blacks into the
graduate school at that time and I formed a friendship with a Black math major
with whom I was housed. When we went to
a theatre we had to sit in the balcony.
There were restaurants we couldn’t eat at. Strike two.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I found that – as a physics
major – I didn’t like engineering. In
physics courses we never worried about arithmetic on tests or in homework. Derive the formula, circle it, and get full credit. In engineering they expected me to put in
the values and calculate the answer – say, 4.135 ergs/sec. What kind of nonsense was this? Strike three.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">There were other cultural
annoyances. I couldn’t get decent
Mexican food. (See my posting of July
29<sup>th</sup>) I couldn’t go rabbit hunting on the prairie. The sunsets weren’t as pretty. The mountains weren’t as high. Strike four.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I left after one semester.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Since my youth, I’ve been
back to Charlottesville and Virginia many times and fail to understand why I
thought it was so alien.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-27108777723671669692014-08-30T07:09:00.000-07:002014-08-30T07:09:05.050-07:00"Retire from work, but not from life." M.K. Soni<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Retirement is that period in life where you kill time waiting for time to kill you.</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-10974657984874531632014-08-26T10:51:00.002-07:002014-08-26T10:51:43.247-07:00"God gives the nuts but he does not crack them." German proverb. <span style="font-size: large;"><br />The piñon tree is a native to New Mexico and I have many fond memories of my extended family going into the woods to gather the nuts. The piñon tree is a pine tree (<i>Pinus edulis</i>) that only grows in the southwestern region of the US. It never gets very big and is the state tree of New Mexico.<br /><br />To gather the nuts – which don’t appear in abundance every year – my family would take a couple of bed sheets and spread them underneath the target tree. My youngest uncle was usually chosen to climb the tree and shake the branches. The cones or the nuts from therein would fall onto the sheets. When a sufficient harvest was accumulated, the crop would be taken home to be roasted (after extracting the nuts from the cones, of course). There is a learned technique of putting the roasted nut in your mouth, splitting the shell with your teeth and extracting the edible morsel with your tongue that is impossible to describe. It can be efficient enough that you actually gain more energy than you expend.<br /><br />Several different species of pine trees produce eatable nuts, but – among the cognoscenti - the piñon is the best. If you look at the label on “pine nuts” that you can buy in the grocery store, you’ll find that they come from China – which is OK. They’re tasty and will suffice – but they are not piñons. In fact, there are federal laws which only allow a label of “piñon nuts” to be used only if the fruit is from <i>Pinus edulis</i>. Not surprising, this law was promoted by legislators from the southwest.<br /><br />Each year I order a few pounds from New Mexico to be nibbled on through the winter months while sitting in from of a wood fire. I find a “Chenin Blanc” goes very well with them.<br /><br />© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-88592428127138255592014-08-23T07:57:00.001-07:002014-08-23T08:56:29.551-07:00“A certain man once lost a diamond cuff-link in the wide blue sea, and twenty years later, on the exact day, a Friday apparently, he was eating a large fish - but there was no diamond inside. That’s what I like about coincidence.” Vladimir Nabokov<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Coincidences
can be mistaken as miracles. The
universe of highly improbable events occurring together is so huge that it is
no wonder that it happens sometime.
When it doesn’t happen we don’t notice, so we miss the millions of
non-coincidences for each coincidence that we do see. Pick two important people in your life – spouse, parent,
etc. Had you noted that they (probably)
don’t have the same birthday? But if
they did have the same birthday, you would have noticed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I once was
driving in Chicago with my two teenage sons.
We were discussing whether we wanted hamburgers or pizza for lunch. None of the three of us had strong feelings
on the matter. I stopped at a red light
and the license plate of the car in the adjacent lane was “PIZZA-3.” That settled the issue. However if the license had been "JYT-648” I
would not have noticed nor remembered and it wouldn't have affected my life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">When I was 12
(or so) I was riddled by questions and doubts concerning religion. “Was there a God?” “Why did evil exist?” “Why
weren’t my prayers answered?” One day I
was a passenger in a car as my Dad drove along a dirt road well known to us. An electrical line paralleled the road. As we neared the top of a hill, I decided to
put the existence of God to the test.
“If there is a God, a hawk will be perched on an electrical pole beyond
the hill." One could see for miles from
the top of the hill. We got to the top
of the hill and about a half mile away, a hawk was sitting atop a pole.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">However, my own
test didn’t satisfy me. I knew there
were lots of hawks and poles. Future
trips along the same path showed that 4 times out of 5 there was a visible
perched hawk. I convinced myself that
you can’t test for God. That would be
too easy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">But if I have
to give an accounting at the “pearly gates,” I’ll be in deep trouble.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-84048020307094367422014-08-17T13:23:00.001-07:002014-08-17T13:34:51.202-07:00"The decision is not whether or not we will ration care. The decision will be whether we ration care with our eyes open." Donald Berwick<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">
A looming global social crisis is that of health care. Medical science will advance enough to be
able to provide a “cure” for most ailments – but at a cost. An essential question will be, “Is it worth
$x to extent the life of an (say) 85 year old person?” Granted that 85 is arbitrary. Maybe the question could be framed about a
65 year old alcoholic or drug user. If
we don’t talk about life extension – how about speaking about a knee
replacement? – or a hip? - or a
heart? Is the replacement of a knee of
a 70 year old worth the expense to society?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Evolution has
endowed us all with a reverence for life.
If we didn’t think life was important, our species, with limited
physical abilities, would not have lasted long in the face of (say) saber tooth
tigers. If the tiger had grabbed
grandma/pa and we didn’t think her/his life was important, the rest of us would’ve
ran. But we rallied, used our superior
intellect, and saved grandma/pa by a concerted effort. (Grandma/pa was a big help in caring for our
offspring while we gathered berries and venison.) And we are still caring for grandma/pa even though we don’t really need them anymore. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">At some point
the quality and enjoyment of life for an ill elder diminishes to the point
where continuing their life offers no benefit either to themselves or to
society as a whole. But evolution
offers us no alternative than to sustain them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hepatitis C now
has a cure costing at least $80,000 and a similar cost may be attached to the
to-be-found cure for other maladies.
Should everyone who has hepatitis C be eligible – via
medicare/medicaid/ObamaCare- for this treatment? If not, how do we decide who gets it and who does not?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">We as a society
do not have a mechanism for dealing with this type of question. Let me offer one (immodestly, of
course). We are used to making legally significant, i.e., life/death decisions.
Juries do it routinely. Would
not a panel of ordinary citizens chosen randomly from the population, when
presented with the medical (other ailments, past history, mental acuity) and
societal evidence (age, family, financial stability) not be the best resource to
determine, - “Yes, spend the $80,000 or not”?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I suspect the
Doctors do a lot of this decision making now and we don’t know about it. That may be OK, but I see a conflict of
interest. They want to keep working and don't have the fullest breadth of view.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">For me, I’m
quite willing to cede my oxygen allotment to my granddaughters and really hope
not to have a lingering death. If
tomorrow was my last day…I’ve had a good life.
I just wish I had a pill to make sure I didn’t lie for weeks on end
being miserable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552245527979757581.post-15545471631066191622014-08-14T14:53:00.002-07:002014-08-14T15:26:50.099-07:00“Think of how many religions attempt to validate themselves with prophecy. Think of how many people rely on these prophecies, however vague, however unfulfilled, to support or prop up their beliefs. Yet has there ever been a religion with the prophetic accuracy and reliability of science? ... No other human institution comes close.” Carl Sagan<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I think no other venue
reveals one’s deepest beliefs than a medical crisis.
About two years ago I had a heart valve replaced with a valve from a cow
(thanks, Bessie, but I still eat steak).
I spend a week in the ICU wing of the hospital. While residing there I overheard reactions
from several families of patients in neighboring rooms to developing crises. When things went well, the family often
praised God and thanked Jesus. When
things ended tragically, the family often cursed the Doctor and blamed the
hospital. This dichotomy didn’t seem rational to
me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">There has been a
dramatic decrease in mortality due to appendicitis in the last hundred
years. To my knowledge there has not
been a surge of God’s power in that time but there has been a tremendous
increase in medical science.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">If faced with a life or
death situation with a loved one, would you rely on prayer and your faith alone or on medical
science? If you opt for medical science
what does that say about your religion?
Can God alone affect a cure? If
not, is he/she not omnipotent? If God
works<i> through</i> the Doctor’s efforts, why was appendicitis a hundred years ago –
even though good Doctors were trying their best – so much more lethal than now?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">How will a cure for the Ebola
virus be found? Will it be medical scientists in the laboratory or 10,000
people praying at the National Cathedral that find a cure? If it were your child with Ebola which team - one or the other - would you root for?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial;">I recovered fine from my
valve replacement and never uttered a prayer, never asked anyone to pray for
me, and give the Doctors – not God – the credit.</span><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">© 2014 Lester C. Welch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Lesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09946014341628798971noreply@blogger.com3