What comes to mind when you hear the number 12?
At this time of year, maybe the first thought that crosses your mind is the "12 Days of Christmas". If you are a math minded person, your mind might gravitate toward the 12 inches in one foot or 12 city blocks in one mile. A criminal justice mind might find itself focused on the 12 jurors charged with determining guilt or innocence. If you happen to be an aspiring Christian, the number 12 might bring to mind any number of things. Jesus first left home at age 12 and was found in the church, after a search that lasted a few days. For those who believe in baptism, 12 is the "age of accountability", which signifies the first opportunity for any person to choose Christ for themselves. Some might also recall that there were 12 disciples, 12 tribes in Israel, or that there are 12 precious stones in the foundation of New Jerusalem. For the statistical record, the number 12 is mentioned 187 times throughout the Bible (I didn't have that one on the top of my head, it comes from patheos.com). Biblical scholars say 12 was indeed intended to be a pivotal number, an important number.
This year in Cleveland, Ohio, a 12 year old boy named Tamir Rice was shot and killed by police. Even more ironically, he was shot on November 22, which is a pivotal date in American history. On that date, 51 years earlier, we lost a beloved president, John F. Kennedy. While no one would think that a twelve year old boy's death would merit national headlines, Tamir Rice's death has done just that. Today, the debate rages as to whether Tamir listened to or heard the officer's commands in the two seconds between the police arriving on the scene and his shooting. Some people have begun asking "how real did his Airsoft gun appear to the police?" Others have pointed out that the police were responding to a call of a "young black man with a gun" and had to make an instant decision as to the level of threat he posed. Still others have pointed out that this is only one, in a string of police killings, across our country. And so, the debate rages as to whether the police acted appropriately and rationally, in this situation.
For me, none of those questions begin to touch on the point. Why? Because I can still remember being 12 years old. Twelve was a great time. That was 7th grade. That was my first fishing trip to American Horse Lake in my home state, Oklahoma. Prior to that, I had been restricted to pond fishing, which was well-suited for my Zebco 202. Twelve was a time of spelling tests and geography. That was a time when cowboys and Indians was a game to be played, and was not yet taboo. So I sometimes found myself fully decked-out in my cowboy boots and cowboy hat, complete with feathered headband. That was a time when my younger brother and I bought our first bows. No arrows, because my dad would not allow it. Some of my cousins had BB-guns, but again my dad thought they were too dangerous. He would say "someone will lose an eye". Obviously, this was long before air-soft came on the scene. Twelve was a time of street football with the neighborhood boys, and sometimes girls. Twelve was curb-bounce (a made up game which consisted of bouncing the ball off the curbs, on both sides of the street, for points). My older brothers, who were both in high school, had found their respective sports, so I got to spend my fair share of time watching AAU basketball games and wrestling tournaments. Twelve years old was once a great thing to be. Cops and robbers was still a game. On Saturdays, my brothers and I had Mid-South wrestling, and I still dreamed of being a rodeo cowboy. For me, twelve was a safe age to be.
I chose to be baptized at 12, mainly because I knew Jesus had started on his path at the same age. During that time, I often wondered what Jesus would have done, if he had lived during my lifetime. I was intrigued by the idea of Jesus as my friend. Today, I try to imagine a justifiable reason for Jesus to have been killed at age 12. I imagine all the miracles that would never have occurred. I imagine the Bible as a much shorter book. There would have been no disciples, no crucifixion, no walking on water, no sermon on the mount, no last supper, no raising of Lazarus, no spit/dirt mix covering blind eyes, no feeding of the multitudes, no throwing out of the money changers, no woman at the well, and no one to teach two brothers to become "fishers of men". As is the case not only with Jesus, but with most great men, if we cut off their lives at age 12, their life story changes to one of few accomplishments.
As America continues to test the upper end of our tolerance for violence, I think we may have simultaneously found the lower end of the acceptable age range for gratuitous killing. Twelve definitely seems more attached to the "age of innocence" than the "age of accountability", in a society that questions the acceptability of shooting it's young. In many ways, the fact that a video exists, to shine a bright light on this incident (which is probably more appropriately described as an accident) is a real inconvenience for our American psyche. In some ways, it forces us to look at a situation that we would feel much better pretending could never happen. It forces us to consider and take sides on something that we are better trained and equipped to ignore. Age12 should be a time of mall trips, birthday parties, testing independence, and awkward socializing. Twelve should fit neatly into a small window just before life becomes real, when dreams and reality are still very closely connected. Twelve is definitely more childhood than adulthood.
What has changed is that today, all across my America, parents of "children of color" are grappling with the idea of how to explain to their preteens how to take caution and avoid being shot, if they fail to properly identify their Airsoft guns. That is not a subject we expect to find in the preteen section of the "parenting 101" handbook. Moreover, no matter how many times it is explained, a 12 year old mind will sometimes fail to fully grasp the gravity of that situation. While 12 years old is a great time to decide to follow Christ, and many churches will fully recognize an individuals right to make that choice, it hardly seems like the right time for martyrdom. Even for an advanced student, death is not yet a "real" concept at age 12. However, I guess that has changed in certain areas of our country. Yes, I had known death by the age of 12. My great grand-father had died in a car accident and a little girl from church had died from leukemia. But I did not really understand either of those deaths.
I cannot imagine the final moments of Tamir Rice's life without a very high level of sadness. Not because he was shot by police. Not because his life was taken so young and so needlessly. No, my sadness is aroused so clearly because today I am forced to accept the fact that in my America, in my generation, we no longer universally mourn the death of a 12 year old child. Instead, our ability to even feel sympathy has now been subjugated to our powerful and growing national filters, which allow some of us to ignore the pain that Tamir's family has been needlessly forced to endure. I still wonder what Jesus would do to force us to understand the importance of the number 12?
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Sometimes Sides are for Sharing, Not for Taking.
A few days ago, I was skipping around Facebook, as I often do, and I stumbled across a story/video of a police stop along what appeared to be a rural highway. The post said "this is difficult to watch", but I have seen so many of these in recent days and weeks that I clicked on it anyway. This particular one was labeled Victor Bradic's video and it left me shaken to the point of tears. The video presented a great argument for the use of deadly force, but only served to confuse me regarding the question of when and how law enforcement are trained to use it.
This particular video started with what looked like a routine traffic stop. The driver who was being stopped, stepped out of his vehicle and almost immediately began acting eratically. He seemd to be taunting the policeman from the very outset. He refused to obey any of the officer's commands and started dancing around like some drunk person or practical joker. With a blatant disregard for the seriousness of the situation, he moved toward the officer and then backed away, only to rush in again, and then back away. The entire time I was expecting some other person from within the stopped vehicle to open fire on the officer. That never happened. Instead, there was a long, drawn-out exchange of words and taunts, as the officer gave the driver chance after chance to comply and bring some semblance of order back to a chaotic situation. That never happened either.
What did ultimately happen was like a slow-motion, train-wreck and horror movie combined. At one point, the officer can be heard calling in for help and saying that he had a man pointing a gun at him. That struck me as odd, given the fact that the officer also had a weapon AND the authority to use it. In my mind, I could not fathom the level of restraint required to stand there not pulling the trigger. The situation clearly warranted a leg shot or some warning shot, if only to regain control. That shot never came. A note attached to the video said that the officer had been disciplined recently for "acting too aggressively", so I tried to imagine that justification for the officer's inaction.
At some point, the suspect clearly elevated things to another level, as he pointed his weapon for an extended period of time before firing at the officer. There was an exchange of gunfire and, as is the case too often these days, the suspect seemed to have the superior fire power. A fact which he demonstrated as he advanced toward the officer, who was off camera, but somtimes screamed in obvious pain. The suspect approached the officer's vehicle from the front and completely unloaded his weapon. He then stepped back and calmly reloaded his weapon, only to re-approach the vehicle and continue shooting the officer who had moved behind the vehicle seeking cover. By now, the officer's screams were louder and more frequent. His difficulty breathing adding to my visualization that he was likely critically injured.
I cannot begin to describe the level of anger this video created in me. That night, as I lay in bed, this video came to my mind again and again. The next morning, this video was the first thing I thought about. Even though I have no idea when this all occurred, I said a little prayer for the family; followed by a small prayer for my family, because this is the world we live in. This is the risk that many noble and gallant policemen assume daily to protect the rest of us.
I recalled a conversation, from years earlier, with one of my good friends, who had just joined the highway patrol. The conversation was about how difficult it was for me to fathom him working the night shift, in areas of western Oklahoma, where the next patrolman could be literally hours away. The faces of many friends, relatives, and clients in law enforcement came to my mind. The thought of any of them losing their lives to someone as cold and callous, as this monster, is not acceptable to me, on any level. This video forced me to fully appreciate the danger and risk associated with working in law enforcement, especially in our high caliber, sometimes fully automatic world. Many of the lawmen I know personally are husbands and fathers. But even when they were not yet those things, they were eligible bachelors, working hard in school, and in life to fulfill their dreams. No one has the right to take a policeman's life or to deprive that officer's children and grand-children of the positive influence he/she would have represented for future generations.
I wrote this today because I wish that officer could have found it in himself to shoot first and live. I recognize that in the moment, he might have heard the voices of his supervisors telling him to show restraint. I recognize that he might have seen something in this particular suspect that reminded him of an uncle, or a "crazy" relative, or a friend, causing him not to shoot. I can imagine him thinking about telling this story later to his fellow officers and recalling with some level of pride, how he had been able to hold it together and avoid shooting this fellow citizen. Yet, as hard as I try, I cannot imaging a scenario where this could have happened if the suspect had been a person of color. Not because I assume that this officer was racist. After all, my group of law enforcement friends are both black and white. Some are part Hispanic and others part Native American. I know that sounds far too politically correct, but I live in Oklahoma and most people here have some, not too distant, ethnicity. Race is not the determining factor here, our culture is.
Honesty is the first step to resolving any problem. Without it, we, as Americans, are doomed to keep reliving very similar nightmares, while talking past each other on issues of race. In truth, we all make daily assumptions about the people we encounter. Sometimes we afford people an unearned and undeserved level of respect and trust. In other situations, we all struggle to get beyond unwarranted levels of distrust that can manifest themselves as disrespect. Most of us accept, and have grown to expect, that a policeman in Beverly Hills, CA might have a different level of tolerance than one in Compton, CA. No one is saying that officers should stand idly by while suspects are loading, aiming, and discharging their weapons. On the other hand, most Americans are not comfortable with a "shoot first and ask questions later" approach, even in a war zone. The real problem, however, is that both are occurring, at the same time, in different areas of our American cities and our country as a whole. The cost is lives lost.
There are too many videos out there now and too often they depict varying levels of latitude and discretion. In some cases, suspects are shot within seconds of officers arriving. While in other cases, there are 45 minute standoffs. Some Americans, myself included, cannot wrap our heads around some citizens being shot, with toy guns and BB-guns, within seconds of first contact; while others are given the latitude to stand in public areas, refusing to put down their assault rifles. In the end, those disparities have an actual cost in lives lost. At the same time, they undermine the moral authority of every person who ignores the intellectual disconnect represented there. So when people take to the streets of New York City or Portland, OR, because they perceive a problem in their city, it is not my place to assume that I know more than they do. Assuming them all to be idiots is an arrogance our nation really cannot afford right now. It is far more reasonable to assume that the news in their cities, has given them some information which inspired them to action. It is better for me to assume that they, living in their towns, are better able to understand their lives, rather than taking the pejorative position that I know their lives better than they do.
Most importantly, although I would trust any of the law enforcement people I know personally with my life, I do not project that trust across the entire country. I also do not think, for one second, that good people with good intentions are incapable of making mistakes. I have a lifetime of experience that tells me otherwise. I believe that every life has some God-given, intrinsic value and every God fearing person has an obligation to do what they can to save each and every one of them. I believe that the protection of both officers and American citizens are not mutually exclusive goals. We don't have to choose one or the other. Both can and should co-exist. Our law enforcement professionals have the capacity and will to learn and improve their policing techniques. Our future demands that when we are asked the question: "do you want policeman to go home safely to their families at night or 12 year old's with toy guns to survive an encounter with those same police?" We are able to calmly and assuredly answer "both"!
P.S. Do yourself a favor and don't search out and watch the video. Just take my word that the video exist. The video is truly painful and disturbing.
This particular video started with what looked like a routine traffic stop. The driver who was being stopped, stepped out of his vehicle and almost immediately began acting eratically. He seemd to be taunting the policeman from the very outset. He refused to obey any of the officer's commands and started dancing around like some drunk person or practical joker. With a blatant disregard for the seriousness of the situation, he moved toward the officer and then backed away, only to rush in again, and then back away. The entire time I was expecting some other person from within the stopped vehicle to open fire on the officer. That never happened. Instead, there was a long, drawn-out exchange of words and taunts, as the officer gave the driver chance after chance to comply and bring some semblance of order back to a chaotic situation. That never happened either.
What did ultimately happen was like a slow-motion, train-wreck and horror movie combined. At one point, the officer can be heard calling in for help and saying that he had a man pointing a gun at him. That struck me as odd, given the fact that the officer also had a weapon AND the authority to use it. In my mind, I could not fathom the level of restraint required to stand there not pulling the trigger. The situation clearly warranted a leg shot or some warning shot, if only to regain control. That shot never came. A note attached to the video said that the officer had been disciplined recently for "acting too aggressively", so I tried to imagine that justification for the officer's inaction.
At some point, the suspect clearly elevated things to another level, as he pointed his weapon for an extended period of time before firing at the officer. There was an exchange of gunfire and, as is the case too often these days, the suspect seemed to have the superior fire power. A fact which he demonstrated as he advanced toward the officer, who was off camera, but somtimes screamed in obvious pain. The suspect approached the officer's vehicle from the front and completely unloaded his weapon. He then stepped back and calmly reloaded his weapon, only to re-approach the vehicle and continue shooting the officer who had moved behind the vehicle seeking cover. By now, the officer's screams were louder and more frequent. His difficulty breathing adding to my visualization that he was likely critically injured.
I cannot begin to describe the level of anger this video created in me. That night, as I lay in bed, this video came to my mind again and again. The next morning, this video was the first thing I thought about. Even though I have no idea when this all occurred, I said a little prayer for the family; followed by a small prayer for my family, because this is the world we live in. This is the risk that many noble and gallant policemen assume daily to protect the rest of us.
I recalled a conversation, from years earlier, with one of my good friends, who had just joined the highway patrol. The conversation was about how difficult it was for me to fathom him working the night shift, in areas of western Oklahoma, where the next patrolman could be literally hours away. The faces of many friends, relatives, and clients in law enforcement came to my mind. The thought of any of them losing their lives to someone as cold and callous, as this monster, is not acceptable to me, on any level. This video forced me to fully appreciate the danger and risk associated with working in law enforcement, especially in our high caliber, sometimes fully automatic world. Many of the lawmen I know personally are husbands and fathers. But even when they were not yet those things, they were eligible bachelors, working hard in school, and in life to fulfill their dreams. No one has the right to take a policeman's life or to deprive that officer's children and grand-children of the positive influence he/she would have represented for future generations.
I wrote this today because I wish that officer could have found it in himself to shoot first and live. I recognize that in the moment, he might have heard the voices of his supervisors telling him to show restraint. I recognize that he might have seen something in this particular suspect that reminded him of an uncle, or a "crazy" relative, or a friend, causing him not to shoot. I can imagine him thinking about telling this story later to his fellow officers and recalling with some level of pride, how he had been able to hold it together and avoid shooting this fellow citizen. Yet, as hard as I try, I cannot imaging a scenario where this could have happened if the suspect had been a person of color. Not because I assume that this officer was racist. After all, my group of law enforcement friends are both black and white. Some are part Hispanic and others part Native American. I know that sounds far too politically correct, but I live in Oklahoma and most people here have some, not too distant, ethnicity. Race is not the determining factor here, our culture is.
Honesty is the first step to resolving any problem. Without it, we, as Americans, are doomed to keep reliving very similar nightmares, while talking past each other on issues of race. In truth, we all make daily assumptions about the people we encounter. Sometimes we afford people an unearned and undeserved level of respect and trust. In other situations, we all struggle to get beyond unwarranted levels of distrust that can manifest themselves as disrespect. Most of us accept, and have grown to expect, that a policeman in Beverly Hills, CA might have a different level of tolerance than one in Compton, CA. No one is saying that officers should stand idly by while suspects are loading, aiming, and discharging their weapons. On the other hand, most Americans are not comfortable with a "shoot first and ask questions later" approach, even in a war zone. The real problem, however, is that both are occurring, at the same time, in different areas of our American cities and our country as a whole. The cost is lives lost.
There are too many videos out there now and too often they depict varying levels of latitude and discretion. In some cases, suspects are shot within seconds of officers arriving. While in other cases, there are 45 minute standoffs. Some Americans, myself included, cannot wrap our heads around some citizens being shot, with toy guns and BB-guns, within seconds of first contact; while others are given the latitude to stand in public areas, refusing to put down their assault rifles. In the end, those disparities have an actual cost in lives lost. At the same time, they undermine the moral authority of every person who ignores the intellectual disconnect represented there. So when people take to the streets of New York City or Portland, OR, because they perceive a problem in their city, it is not my place to assume that I know more than they do. Assuming them all to be idiots is an arrogance our nation really cannot afford right now. It is far more reasonable to assume that the news in their cities, has given them some information which inspired them to action. It is better for me to assume that they, living in their towns, are better able to understand their lives, rather than taking the pejorative position that I know their lives better than they do.
Most importantly, although I would trust any of the law enforcement people I know personally with my life, I do not project that trust across the entire country. I also do not think, for one second, that good people with good intentions are incapable of making mistakes. I have a lifetime of experience that tells me otherwise. I believe that every life has some God-given, intrinsic value and every God fearing person has an obligation to do what they can to save each and every one of them. I believe that the protection of both officers and American citizens are not mutually exclusive goals. We don't have to choose one or the other. Both can and should co-exist. Our law enforcement professionals have the capacity and will to learn and improve their policing techniques. Our future demands that when we are asked the question: "do you want policeman to go home safely to their families at night or 12 year old's with toy guns to survive an encounter with those same police?" We are able to calmly and assuredly answer "both"!
P.S. Do yourself a favor and don't search out and watch the video. Just take my word that the video exist. The video is truly painful and disturbing.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
No Technology Improvements for What Matters Most?
My TaylorMade driver is fully adjustable. That is, it can be set up to hit balls high or low, hooking or slicing. Any person could take this driver and adjust it to match their swing. Like many of the items in my golf bag, this driver demonstrates the true beauty of capitalism. If there is profit to be made, by meeting or creating, a want or need, an ever-improving product will be forthcoming. Thirty years ago, the persimmon woods that sufficed as long ball hitters were not nearly as formidable as today's high tech, stroke shaving, works of art. Today, everything in golf has improved. Most drivers and woods are adjustable. Now balls can be customized for swing speed, spin rate, and ball flight. Putters are more forgiving than ever. Even the golf tees are now designed to improve play. The only hurdle seems to be cost. Technology chases profit. Period.
Over that same time span, education in America has not improved noticeably. Yes, there are pockets of extremely high functioning schools, both public and private, but we have not found a means by which to mass produce that success. It seems remarkably odd that over the course of the same thirty year period, my golf equipment would improve dramatically and unmistakably. Meanwhile, my access to something as universally necessary as an education, seems to have stalled in the slow lane. With all the advances in computers, cell phones, and technology; we (Americans) seem delayed in our ability to adapt to the latest learning curve. In the best private schools, many home school networks, and public schools sporadically scattered throughout our country, a top notch education is ready made for consumption. However, it does not seem to be as widespread as the advances in the "for profit" arena. The constant movement within our society, to bigger and better places, seems to make planning and funding for education difficult to sustain. Said another way, Americans have mastered the art of building and then defunding the best schools in the world.
Today I carry around a music library on my phone. As a music lover, I can take hundreds, or even thousands of songs with me wherever I go. I can catalog my favorite artist and more than just a few songs from each of them. From my Iphone to my Ipad, I can choose whatever background music I want for my life's soundtrack. My golf game is more fun than ever, because I can bring along John Mayor, The Sundays, or Rihanna, depending on my mood. The music for my workouts is as varied as I want it to be. With the Icloud, Itunes Match, and Family Share, I can share songs or playlist with my wife and sons. It seems hard to believe that, in my lifetime, we have gone from vinyl to 8-tracks to cassette to CD's to digital downloads. At the same time, there are more stations offering free music and growing subscription options, from cable television to XM-Sirius. Our free market, free enterprise economy has created a very large space for music lovers to enjoy. I am there!
During that same time period, our free market has done very little to strengthen American families in this fast changing world. Apparently, there is not as much profit in teaching boys what it means to be both confident and caring. Equally profitless is teaching girls how to develop and maintain a sense of pride and self-worth, when surrounded by stereotypes of perfection. As parents, we are on our own to determine our individual children's needs and how to support those needs. The blueprint for teaching children and teens how to love; not some over-hyped, teenage, hormone driven level of inappropriateness; but what it means to have a true concern for the well-being of others, has yet to be discovered. If anything, we (Americans) have regressed in that area. The result is readily apparent today via Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook, in the fast-growing catalogue of violence depicted in popular videos. What once evoked shame and pity is now a source for "likes", "repost", and "retweets" by the thousands. How distant and otherworldly does an idea like an electronic wristband to help me, as a parent, know the level of my children's happiness, healthiness, and wholeness seem? How nice would it be to own that product?
Given massive improvements in communication, I can now enjoy all the news from across the globe. The options are plentiful: every high speed chase and violent arrest, every damaging storm or catastrophic event, every shooter on the lamb, every prison break or bank robbery, every explosion or violent outbreak, every earthquake or volcanic eruption, and even the almost tragedies from around the world can now be quickly and clearly dispensed to my cell phone. Each conflict between America's president and the congressional leaders is now meticulously detailed by television, radio, and in print. The only allowable conclusion is that my world is in constant conflict and the pace of violent outbreaks is ever-increasing. I wonder if there is profit, even control and power, to be gleaned from the negative loop that suffices for a depiction of reality. How can my life be so different than what my television shows?
Our inability, as humans, to discern the basic tenants of peaceful living: truth, integrity, honesty, compassion, and empathy; leaves us lost in the world we have both created and accepted, where the most we aspire to share with one another is distance. Our skill at creating peace, in our homes and communities, not to mention our world, has not improved greatly. As the American disdain for government grows and we turn to the free market and capitalism for answers, it seems to have escaped us that there is very little profit in many of the things we desire most in our world. Showing love for our fellow man, in a morning hello or a door held open, can now be met as often with suspicion as with any desire to find sincerity in the act. A pause in traffic, to allow a stranger room to change lanes, is met as often with no response at all as with a signal of thanks. I wonder if there might be a link between the building fear from our news cycle and the lack of faith in our fellow citizens. How often do I become my fear, instead of my faith?
Apple Inc., has been great at creating the next big thing, but will not teach us the value and importance of unconditional love in the family structure. Without that knowledge, the very technologies that create immense profit are destined to undermine and destroy us, one family at a time.
McDonald's Inc., while unrivaled in matters of burger production, can never help us move beyond the world we know, where "race" is still a more fundamental factor than the demonstrable characteristics of the "Christianity" we claim to value. The result is a confused political system which cannot improve our country in 2014 because it cannot stop paying homage to 1964.
Honda of America, while having done a commendable job of bringing profitable auto manufacturing back to America, will not help a single family to better understand how their children learn and what school atmosphere is best suited to that learning style.
Corrections Corporation of America became pioneers in the prison industry in 1983. I was a fan of finding ways to take the financial burden of incarceration away from the American taxpayer. Ironically, or maybe as a consequence, the combination of private prisons, tougher sentencing, and our war on drugs has proven detrimental to our nation as a whole. After all, there might be an inherent conflict of interest created by the profit associated with repeat customers versus the societal interest in rehabilitation of those imprisoned. Recidivism anyone? CCA shareholders might demand it.
These are random examples of how capitalism excels. Where there is profit to be made, through advancements in technology, there will always be a false and misguided sense that capitalism can solve all problems. Capitalism, albeit sometimes in very complicated ways, has proven itself as the most reliable method to connect assets with ingenuity in an efficient manner, but there are limits. So maybe it is not in our best interest to dismantle all government and allow the private sector to do everything? That is the temptation with which we struggle as a nation. As America moves forward along that path, accepting as a premise that all government is bad and that everything is better handled by the private sector, maybe it will become clear that not all our technologies are advancing at the same pace. For some much needed advancements: methods of education our youth, building stronger marriages and families, and getting beyond race; we have to create both the will and the capital. While demanding better results, we must recognize that sometimes we sacrifice short-term profit for on-going, long term savings. These are the types of things that smart government was historically tasked with doing. America may just now be finding out, once again, these things cannot go undone.
Over that same time span, education in America has not improved noticeably. Yes, there are pockets of extremely high functioning schools, both public and private, but we have not found a means by which to mass produce that success. It seems remarkably odd that over the course of the same thirty year period, my golf equipment would improve dramatically and unmistakably. Meanwhile, my access to something as universally necessary as an education, seems to have stalled in the slow lane. With all the advances in computers, cell phones, and technology; we (Americans) seem delayed in our ability to adapt to the latest learning curve. In the best private schools, many home school networks, and public schools sporadically scattered throughout our country, a top notch education is ready made for consumption. However, it does not seem to be as widespread as the advances in the "for profit" arena. The constant movement within our society, to bigger and better places, seems to make planning and funding for education difficult to sustain. Said another way, Americans have mastered the art of building and then defunding the best schools in the world.
Today I carry around a music library on my phone. As a music lover, I can take hundreds, or even thousands of songs with me wherever I go. I can catalog my favorite artist and more than just a few songs from each of them. From my Iphone to my Ipad, I can choose whatever background music I want for my life's soundtrack. My golf game is more fun than ever, because I can bring along John Mayor, The Sundays, or Rihanna, depending on my mood. The music for my workouts is as varied as I want it to be. With the Icloud, Itunes Match, and Family Share, I can share songs or playlist with my wife and sons. It seems hard to believe that, in my lifetime, we have gone from vinyl to 8-tracks to cassette to CD's to digital downloads. At the same time, there are more stations offering free music and growing subscription options, from cable television to XM-Sirius. Our free market, free enterprise economy has created a very large space for music lovers to enjoy. I am there!
During that same time period, our free market has done very little to strengthen American families in this fast changing world. Apparently, there is not as much profit in teaching boys what it means to be both confident and caring. Equally profitless is teaching girls how to develop and maintain a sense of pride and self-worth, when surrounded by stereotypes of perfection. As parents, we are on our own to determine our individual children's needs and how to support those needs. The blueprint for teaching children and teens how to love; not some over-hyped, teenage, hormone driven level of inappropriateness; but what it means to have a true concern for the well-being of others, has yet to be discovered. If anything, we (Americans) have regressed in that area. The result is readily apparent today via Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook, in the fast-growing catalogue of violence depicted in popular videos. What once evoked shame and pity is now a source for "likes", "repost", and "retweets" by the thousands. How distant and otherworldly does an idea like an electronic wristband to help me, as a parent, know the level of my children's happiness, healthiness, and wholeness seem? How nice would it be to own that product?
Given massive improvements in communication, I can now enjoy all the news from across the globe. The options are plentiful: every high speed chase and violent arrest, every damaging storm or catastrophic event, every shooter on the lamb, every prison break or bank robbery, every explosion or violent outbreak, every earthquake or volcanic eruption, and even the almost tragedies from around the world can now be quickly and clearly dispensed to my cell phone. Each conflict between America's president and the congressional leaders is now meticulously detailed by television, radio, and in print. The only allowable conclusion is that my world is in constant conflict and the pace of violent outbreaks is ever-increasing. I wonder if there is profit, even control and power, to be gleaned from the negative loop that suffices for a depiction of reality. How can my life be so different than what my television shows?
Our inability, as humans, to discern the basic tenants of peaceful living: truth, integrity, honesty, compassion, and empathy; leaves us lost in the world we have both created and accepted, where the most we aspire to share with one another is distance. Our skill at creating peace, in our homes and communities, not to mention our world, has not improved greatly. As the American disdain for government grows and we turn to the free market and capitalism for answers, it seems to have escaped us that there is very little profit in many of the things we desire most in our world. Showing love for our fellow man, in a morning hello or a door held open, can now be met as often with suspicion as with any desire to find sincerity in the act. A pause in traffic, to allow a stranger room to change lanes, is met as often with no response at all as with a signal of thanks. I wonder if there might be a link between the building fear from our news cycle and the lack of faith in our fellow citizens. How often do I become my fear, instead of my faith?
Apple Inc., has been great at creating the next big thing, but will not teach us the value and importance of unconditional love in the family structure. Without that knowledge, the very technologies that create immense profit are destined to undermine and destroy us, one family at a time.
McDonald's Inc., while unrivaled in matters of burger production, can never help us move beyond the world we know, where "race" is still a more fundamental factor than the demonstrable characteristics of the "Christianity" we claim to value. The result is a confused political system which cannot improve our country in 2014 because it cannot stop paying homage to 1964.
Honda of America, while having done a commendable job of bringing profitable auto manufacturing back to America, will not help a single family to better understand how their children learn and what school atmosphere is best suited to that learning style.
Corrections Corporation of America became pioneers in the prison industry in 1983. I was a fan of finding ways to take the financial burden of incarceration away from the American taxpayer. Ironically, or maybe as a consequence, the combination of private prisons, tougher sentencing, and our war on drugs has proven detrimental to our nation as a whole. After all, there might be an inherent conflict of interest created by the profit associated with repeat customers versus the societal interest in rehabilitation of those imprisoned. Recidivism anyone? CCA shareholders might demand it.
These are random examples of how capitalism excels. Where there is profit to be made, through advancements in technology, there will always be a false and misguided sense that capitalism can solve all problems. Capitalism, albeit sometimes in very complicated ways, has proven itself as the most reliable method to connect assets with ingenuity in an efficient manner, but there are limits. So maybe it is not in our best interest to dismantle all government and allow the private sector to do everything? That is the temptation with which we struggle as a nation. As America moves forward along that path, accepting as a premise that all government is bad and that everything is better handled by the private sector, maybe it will become clear that not all our technologies are advancing at the same pace. For some much needed advancements: methods of education our youth, building stronger marriages and families, and getting beyond race; we have to create both the will and the capital. While demanding better results, we must recognize that sometimes we sacrifice short-term profit for on-going, long term savings. These are the types of things that smart government was historically tasked with doing. America may just now be finding out, once again, these things cannot go undone.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
A Hard and Expensive Lesson to Learn (The new road the NFL chose).
Last week the NFL decided to make public that their players will be held to a higher standard than the rest of America. Not only are NFL players accountable to uphold the laws that everyone else is charged with upholding, but now they are subject to new, higher standards. Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged that he was not tough enough in his most recent punishment of a player charged with abusing his then fiance, and now wife. The public outcry was so loud and universal that the commissioner felt forced to take a more aggressive stance on "domestic violence". While this is the latest episode in the NFL reality show, this was a path chosen by Mr. Goodell when he became the league's latest director.
I think it speaks clearly to some of the underlying issues facing the NFL, that it would knee-jerk it's way into such a poorly veiled surrender to the public perception of it's players (read also: product). The tobacco industry put up a more valiant fight for a product that was proven to cause cancer and kill people. Now, a federal judge in Alabama has accepted a plea deal in a case that looks similar to the Ray Rice debacle. Does anyone think he will be suspended indefinitely as a first time offender? Yet, given a public outcry for increased punishment of a player, who clearly made a BIG mistake, there was no attempt to make a case for the player. In much the same way that the NFL will now try to defend Roger Goodell, it might have been a smarter decision to stand behind the original decision and how it was made. Instead, the logic became it is easier to discard a single player and move on than to make the case for the original decision. That crack in the relationship between the company (NFL) and it's product (the players who make plays on the field) will now be exploited to no end. To the extent that the company fails to recognize that breach, the brand will continue to sustain damage.
"Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone". Over the coming months and probably years, the NFL is going to learn a very harsh and expensive lesson. Once you cede leadership to others, meaning people outside your organization, it is very difficult to get it back. Once you get to the point that the president of NOW (National Organization for Women) is impacting public opinion, with regard to your National Football League, moreso than the commissioner, the battle has already been lost. True leadership is rarely about getting the best out of the top 10% of people, that group will most often do their best regardless of who is at the helm. However, that does not mean that you can discard people within that group, without impacting the whole. There are countless examples of people in leadership positions, specifically in sports, failing to understand this dynamic and the damage that it does to their brand is incalculable. We (fans) often get to witness the rebuilding of brands that could have been salvaged, with a little well-timed, public relations work. Sometimes those in the ivory tower simply miss this reality. I would like to sight a few examples that remind us history is a great teacher:
In the 1970's, Muhammad Ali was arguably the top ranked boxer in the world. During the Vietnam War, he was drafted and refused to fight on clearly conscientious and moral grounds. There was a public outcry and his boxing license was revoked. In the end, as more and more people began to doubt the reasoning and purpose of the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali's popularity soared here in the U.S. However, at the pinnacle of his career, he had been castigated by the very profession to which he dedicated his life. The resulting fights in places like Manila and Zaire are legendary and cannot be recalled without the looming questions of how they ended up there. Unwittingly and by necessity, Ali took boxing international, but was forced to do it without the support of the sanctioning organization in the U.S. The results can be argued either way, but the clear loser was boxing itself. It had voluntarily undermined it's own champion, probably because of the discomfort he caused with his bold and brash persona. Lesson: Don't tear down your house to spite your most popular visitor, he will only find another place to rest his head.
In the 1990's, major league baseball began a very public campaign against steroids and other "performance enhancing drugs". While it was very clear that something needed to be done to slow the pace of the record breaking statistical seasons that seemed to be unstoppable, we still cannot be certain about the effectiveness of the path chosen or the lingering effects of the doubts raised. What we do know, for certain, is this: baseball paid a high price to PUBLICLY correct a problem that it had to correct. To this day, baseball has a difficult time recognizing Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and even Roger Clemens; as well as a whole host of other prominent players from the era. That means, for the foreseeable future, the sport of baseball is forced to live with an elephant in the room at all times, That elephant taints the legacy of players who would never have dreamed of using PED's as much as those who clearly succumbed to that temptation. Time cannot move forward quickly enough to fully erase what some would call a self-inflicted wound. Lesson: Be as strict as necessary to clean up your house, but do all you can to keep it inside the house.
In 2009, the PGA tour stood silently by as it's cash cow was dismantled. Through his own actions, and a healthy dose of hype and hyperbole, Tiger Woods was taken from the pinnacle of golf and shown the dog house. For those of us, who followed golf closely prior to the Tiger fiasco, it was well known that the PGA had some party stops that were as well known for the blowout parties, as for the tour events that happened to coincide. Those articles and books were written, long before Tiger came on the scene. However, when the Tiger tailspin began, there seemed to be no one willing or able to come to Tiger's rescue. A true shortage of people willing to stick their necks out, even on behalf of the person who had taken the sport from the fringe to center stage, increasing purses, television contracts, and viewership to unseen levels. In the end, even a major championship venue could not resist the temptation to be publicly critical of Tiger, as Master's chairman, Billy Payne took a few shots at Tiger just prior to The Master's. Five years later, with Tiger's career no where near where it once was, the same Chairmen finds himself undertaking efforts to grow the game. Lesson: Publicly speaking about the worst parts of your home, decreases it's value. You may never get that value back.
Finally, when the new commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell came to town, one of his stated goals was to clean up the game. He started his quest by instituting stiffer fines and penalties on players for conduct detrimental to the league. The goal was to associate the brand with a higher standard of behavior, both personal and professional. In the end, it may be clearly shown that protecting the NFL brand requires a careful marriage of both internal and external work. It may have been a serious miscalculation to "protect" the brand by focusing solely on the negative aspects and perceptions of the brand. After all, if you find yourself more heavily aligned with the forces (like NOW) working against your product than with the product itself (which is the football players), trouble cannot be far away. At some point, Mr. Goodell will realize what anyone in real estate could have told him on day one: Focus on the positive attributes of your product as much as possible, they increase value. You will not increase value by pointing out each and every flaw. In fact, before long, you will have more help than you can manage in that endeavor.
Maybe Mr. Goodell should spend a little time watching Million Dollar Listings!
I think it speaks clearly to some of the underlying issues facing the NFL, that it would knee-jerk it's way into such a poorly veiled surrender to the public perception of it's players (read also: product). The tobacco industry put up a more valiant fight for a product that was proven to cause cancer and kill people. Now, a federal judge in Alabama has accepted a plea deal in a case that looks similar to the Ray Rice debacle. Does anyone think he will be suspended indefinitely as a first time offender? Yet, given a public outcry for increased punishment of a player, who clearly made a BIG mistake, there was no attempt to make a case for the player. In much the same way that the NFL will now try to defend Roger Goodell, it might have been a smarter decision to stand behind the original decision and how it was made. Instead, the logic became it is easier to discard a single player and move on than to make the case for the original decision. That crack in the relationship between the company (NFL) and it's product (the players who make plays on the field) will now be exploited to no end. To the extent that the company fails to recognize that breach, the brand will continue to sustain damage.
"Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone". Over the coming months and probably years, the NFL is going to learn a very harsh and expensive lesson. Once you cede leadership to others, meaning people outside your organization, it is very difficult to get it back. Once you get to the point that the president of NOW (National Organization for Women) is impacting public opinion, with regard to your National Football League, moreso than the commissioner, the battle has already been lost. True leadership is rarely about getting the best out of the top 10% of people, that group will most often do their best regardless of who is at the helm. However, that does not mean that you can discard people within that group, without impacting the whole. There are countless examples of people in leadership positions, specifically in sports, failing to understand this dynamic and the damage that it does to their brand is incalculable. We (fans) often get to witness the rebuilding of brands that could have been salvaged, with a little well-timed, public relations work. Sometimes those in the ivory tower simply miss this reality. I would like to sight a few examples that remind us history is a great teacher:
In the 1970's, Muhammad Ali was arguably the top ranked boxer in the world. During the Vietnam War, he was drafted and refused to fight on clearly conscientious and moral grounds. There was a public outcry and his boxing license was revoked. In the end, as more and more people began to doubt the reasoning and purpose of the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali's popularity soared here in the U.S. However, at the pinnacle of his career, he had been castigated by the very profession to which he dedicated his life. The resulting fights in places like Manila and Zaire are legendary and cannot be recalled without the looming questions of how they ended up there. Unwittingly and by necessity, Ali took boxing international, but was forced to do it without the support of the sanctioning organization in the U.S. The results can be argued either way, but the clear loser was boxing itself. It had voluntarily undermined it's own champion, probably because of the discomfort he caused with his bold and brash persona. Lesson: Don't tear down your house to spite your most popular visitor, he will only find another place to rest his head.
In the 1990's, major league baseball began a very public campaign against steroids and other "performance enhancing drugs". While it was very clear that something needed to be done to slow the pace of the record breaking statistical seasons that seemed to be unstoppable, we still cannot be certain about the effectiveness of the path chosen or the lingering effects of the doubts raised. What we do know, for certain, is this: baseball paid a high price to PUBLICLY correct a problem that it had to correct. To this day, baseball has a difficult time recognizing Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and even Roger Clemens; as well as a whole host of other prominent players from the era. That means, for the foreseeable future, the sport of baseball is forced to live with an elephant in the room at all times, That elephant taints the legacy of players who would never have dreamed of using PED's as much as those who clearly succumbed to that temptation. Time cannot move forward quickly enough to fully erase what some would call a self-inflicted wound. Lesson: Be as strict as necessary to clean up your house, but do all you can to keep it inside the house.
In 2009, the PGA tour stood silently by as it's cash cow was dismantled. Through his own actions, and a healthy dose of hype and hyperbole, Tiger Woods was taken from the pinnacle of golf and shown the dog house. For those of us, who followed golf closely prior to the Tiger fiasco, it was well known that the PGA had some party stops that were as well known for the blowout parties, as for the tour events that happened to coincide. Those articles and books were written, long before Tiger came on the scene. However, when the Tiger tailspin began, there seemed to be no one willing or able to come to Tiger's rescue. A true shortage of people willing to stick their necks out, even on behalf of the person who had taken the sport from the fringe to center stage, increasing purses, television contracts, and viewership to unseen levels. In the end, even a major championship venue could not resist the temptation to be publicly critical of Tiger, as Master's chairman, Billy Payne took a few shots at Tiger just prior to The Master's. Five years later, with Tiger's career no where near where it once was, the same Chairmen finds himself undertaking efforts to grow the game. Lesson: Publicly speaking about the worst parts of your home, decreases it's value. You may never get that value back.
Finally, when the new commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell came to town, one of his stated goals was to clean up the game. He started his quest by instituting stiffer fines and penalties on players for conduct detrimental to the league. The goal was to associate the brand with a higher standard of behavior, both personal and professional. In the end, it may be clearly shown that protecting the NFL brand requires a careful marriage of both internal and external work. It may have been a serious miscalculation to "protect" the brand by focusing solely on the negative aspects and perceptions of the brand. After all, if you find yourself more heavily aligned with the forces (like NOW) working against your product than with the product itself (which is the football players), trouble cannot be far away. At some point, Mr. Goodell will realize what anyone in real estate could have told him on day one: Focus on the positive attributes of your product as much as possible, they increase value. You will not increase value by pointing out each and every flaw. In fact, before long, you will have more help than you can manage in that endeavor.
Maybe Mr. Goodell should spend a little time watching Million Dollar Listings!
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Counting The Days...of Robin Williams with Love
Life demanded of him a toughness
That he never really knew
With laughter he responded and made us all laugh too
Turning faces red with his eyes of blue
While at the plate, he swung his hardest,
Never a thought of bunting
Those swings gave us Mork & Mindy and later Good Will Hunting
While he began counting the days
We relished the quickness of his wit
Another fertile mind so adept at hiding
The pain he felt once the laughter quit
Was there peace to be found somewhere abiding
Did we pay a fair price to extract his treasure
As Doubtfire and Patch were bringing us pleasure
Was his mind adrift fighting demons unmeasured
Needing help to keep counting his days
We might catch in his eyes the slightest reveal
In that familiar transfer from frown to smile
His talents our hearts would easily steal
Standing before us with his own unique style
A beautiful man for us all to admire
But where was the hope that this life requires
Could he find it on covers of GQ or Esquire
Or had the dark begun sharing his days
From anonymity to unimaginable fame
We watched him rise like a fish out of water
Another new piece to be played in this game
Another new portrait perfecting our frame
But who would dare pause or shed a tear
For the road he was on was not one to fear
This great man in The Birdcage, our Man of the Year
Why should he be counting his days
Those closest to him surely have seen
And have known by his words how fragile his heart
But fragile hearts can sometimes be mean
When facing a world set to tear them apart
Depression it rises like a flame in the dark
With a vice-like grip it can cling to a heart
Equipped with surprises to forestall a new start
Like whips and chains it can leave a big mark
And the darkness takes over the days
But in a hidden moment so unexpected
With no hint of pomp or circumstance
All hope disappeared and he was left dejected
Like so many before him this was his last dance
To escape this pain he took this chance
And in a silent, yet violent, and misguided surrender
He showed us his heart was never more tender
And concluded the counting of his days
So often this surrender can be slow, not sudden
With drinks, smokes, and pills used to push broken buttons
But the knowledge it leaves behind is the same
And we've come to know this disease by it's name
And to know that the counting does not end with this act
But goes on in the tears over years filled with blame
In the hearts of our friends and a strange sense of shame
For when our brothers and sisters stumble and fall
Famous or unknown, it affects us all
The worst kind of reminder to love life, shine or rain
Seek strength in our God and unmask our own pain
And to go on counting our days
That he never really knew
With laughter he responded and made us all laugh too
Turning faces red with his eyes of blue
While at the plate, he swung his hardest,
Never a thought of bunting
Those swings gave us Mork & Mindy and later Good Will Hunting
While he began counting the days
We relished the quickness of his wit
Another fertile mind so adept at hiding
The pain he felt once the laughter quit
Was there peace to be found somewhere abiding
Did we pay a fair price to extract his treasure
As Doubtfire and Patch were bringing us pleasure
Was his mind adrift fighting demons unmeasured
Needing help to keep counting his days
We might catch in his eyes the slightest reveal
In that familiar transfer from frown to smile
His talents our hearts would easily steal
Standing before us with his own unique style
A beautiful man for us all to admire
But where was the hope that this life requires
Could he find it on covers of GQ or Esquire
Or had the dark begun sharing his days
From anonymity to unimaginable fame
We watched him rise like a fish out of water
Another new piece to be played in this game
Another new portrait perfecting our frame
But who would dare pause or shed a tear
For the road he was on was not one to fear
This great man in The Birdcage, our Man of the Year
Why should he be counting his days
Those closest to him surely have seen
And have known by his words how fragile his heart
But fragile hearts can sometimes be mean
When facing a world set to tear them apart
Depression it rises like a flame in the dark
With a vice-like grip it can cling to a heart
Equipped with surprises to forestall a new start
Like whips and chains it can leave a big mark
And the darkness takes over the days
But in a hidden moment so unexpected
With no hint of pomp or circumstance
All hope disappeared and he was left dejected
Like so many before him this was his last dance
To escape this pain he took this chance
And in a silent, yet violent, and misguided surrender
He showed us his heart was never more tender
And concluded the counting of his days
So often this surrender can be slow, not sudden
With drinks, smokes, and pills used to push broken buttons
But the knowledge it leaves behind is the same
And we've come to know this disease by it's name
And to know that the counting does not end with this act
But goes on in the tears over years filled with blame
In the hearts of our friends and a strange sense of shame
For when our brothers and sisters stumble and fall
Famous or unknown, it affects us all
The worst kind of reminder to love life, shine or rain
Seek strength in our God and unmask our own pain
And to go on counting our days
Thursday, May 8, 2014
So The Clock Officially Started (All the Best, KD).
I could not have accurately predicted, when this was first written back in May of 2014, all that would have transpired since. However, as I did predict, it was unquestionable that there would come a time and reason to knock some of the shine off the KD star. I would have been more prone to predict an Iverson-like news conference regarding "practice" than the eventual LeBron-like "decision" as the culprit of a much publicized downfall. Regardless of the circumstances, one thing was certain, in today's sports culture it was only a matter of time before KD had a misstep. The days of a major snafu, as a requirement, are far behind us now. Today, no major character flaw is required. Something as simple as changing teams will do. Suddenly, fans become foes and friendships are forgotten. Meanwhile, the now twenty-somethings are left looking back at their childhood selves and wondering why they had not seen this coming? Why had the careful crafting of a career not allowed them to avoid this downturn?
Today, I read the funniest thing. A fan was questioning KD's seemingly up and down, back and forth responses to all that has happened. In a backhanded compliment he said, "at least Russ is consistently angry". I almost wasted the time of writing to explain that the wall that so many of our celebrities use to keep us at arms length is not always a sign of strength; anymore than those who choose to allow us to peek into their hearts and minds, from time to time, are showing weakness. The ability to take, and sometimes make, a game-winning shot is a learned behavior, much like hiding emotion. Some people open up more easily than others. However, neither sharing or not sharing is a character flaw. I chose instead to repost this, a reminder of happier times with OKC and KD.
I WITNESSED IT!
Like so many others, I saw the acceptance speech by Kevin Durant. Like so many others, I was moved emotionally. And like so many others, my heart swelled with pride at the sincerity in his words and the inspiration in the moment. I was impressed by a very humble young man, who has already accomplished a great deal in his short time on earth. But unlike so many others, I did not stop there. I tried, as difficult as it may be, to project forward to his next step forward into the increasingly rarefied air. Will it be some series of last second shots this playoff season? Or time given selflessly after another unforeseen local tragedy? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. That eerie sense of deja vu. The feeling that I have seen this all before.
Suddenly I wished I could stop all the praise and admonish all the local fans to begin a Kevin Durant prayer chain. It occurred to me that this tradition of rising to a crescendo, followed by some sort of falling back to earth is not new. The timing, length, and heights of the rise; as well as the depths of the corresponding fall, have become a part of our American sports culture. In fact, the pattern now is so predictable that the element of surprise seems foolish. And yet, for each new generation of stars it is a surprise. Each new star has dreamed this dream to become the greatest in their art and to be embraced by millions for simply being themselves and reaching the pinnacle of their talents. Yet, none of them seems to have looked beyond that point and applied the appropriate law of physics that "what goes up, must come down".
So the clock officially started as a whole new world of fans was introduced to Kevin Durant. Sometimes people refer to it as "15 minutes of fame". Obviously, with incredibly high levels of talent, that 15 minutes can become 15 hours, 15 weeks, or even 15 months, relatively speaking. However, it cannot become forever. Yes, some stars can function at a very high level, for a very long time, with very few missteps. But the emotions of very public successes and failures, combined with very young and often intemperate men, creates the ever present potential for the demonstration of human imperfection. That is a very long way to say that Kevin, like most of the other players today and in years past, can and will make mistakes.
Yesterday stories began running in a non-stop loop from Good Morning America to ESPN to various Internet sources and beyond. While the print media generally moves a little slower, I am certain that the cover stories and interviews are already scheduled. Once again, the media machine showed us how easily it can switch gears and propel the latest star into the stratosphere. This particular latest is a local and beloved person here in our small OKC market, Kevin Durant. In our market, his name has been swirling for some time and it seems impossible to overstate the goodness in his character. He has partnered with more than one local church to use his celebrity to help tornado victims and local charities. He seems very comfortable as the quiet unassuming leader of his team, Olympic Teams, or All-Star teams; while equally comfortable not leading at times. He has found it within himself to rise on larger and larger stages, in his short career, from the University of Texas to Seattle to Oklahoma City. He seems to adjust to whatever is thrown his way, and make the most of the opportunities presented to him. But, and this is a HUGE but, he is human. He is still a very young man and his life is one now lived on a tightrope at the highest of levels. That was demonstrated in this year's first round playoffs versus the Memphis Grizzlies.
I could spend weeks recapping all the superstars that have come before KD, who have stumbled in their own ways, while trying to adjust to their ever-increasing elevations. From Richard Sherman to Tiger Woods to Mike Tyson to Allen Iverson to Chris (Birdman) Anderson to Kobe Bryant to Lebron James to Barry Bonds to Mark McGwire to Sammy Sosa; the variety of mistakes made is only exceeded slightly by the number of people making them. In fact, the road from normal life to extreme fame and fortune is littered with good people who got lost (and that is not just a sports story). I am not certain what the preparatory courses for this life should look like, but I am certain that the class size is extremely small and the teachers are often unqualified because the terrain continues to change so fast. To paint an accurate picture, I do not think it is too far fetched to say the course would need to teach techniques in tightrope walking, with hurdles and landmines thrown in for good measure.
Although it might seem counter-intuitive to pray for someone who has reached a new zenith, rife with endorsement potential and the requisite wealth, I would encourage anyone who cares about KD to do just that. I would also encourage my OKC Thunder fans to remember this day and the KD speech well. For there will come a day, hopefully a decade or more away, when the tide has turned and someone new writes a "MR. UNRELIABLE" story or far worse. At that time, KD will cease to be a superstar and once again become a man, and a son, maybe a husband and father, but definitely an imperfect human being. On that day, it may be the entire country and even some locals, rallying against our hero. In that moment, the number of people who take time to express support will be far more important than all those showing support today. After all, in our sports and media culture today, you could literally have a multiple murder suspect (Aaron Hernandez) vilified less than someone involved in dog fighting (Michael Vick), or stepping to the microphone too quickly after a game without taking time to fully consider the impact of the words (Richard Sherman), or simply over-publicizing their "DECISION to take their talents to South Beach" (Lebron James). In that type of national sports media atmosphere, it becomes critical that we have KD's back like he has had ours, consistently time and again.
Today, I read the funniest thing. A fan was questioning KD's seemingly up and down, back and forth responses to all that has happened. In a backhanded compliment he said, "at least Russ is consistently angry". I almost wasted the time of writing to explain that the wall that so many of our celebrities use to keep us at arms length is not always a sign of strength; anymore than those who choose to allow us to peek into their hearts and minds, from time to time, are showing weakness. The ability to take, and sometimes make, a game-winning shot is a learned behavior, much like hiding emotion. Some people open up more easily than others. However, neither sharing or not sharing is a character flaw. I chose instead to repost this, a reminder of happier times with OKC and KD.
I WITNESSED IT!
Like so many others, I saw the acceptance speech by Kevin Durant. Like so many others, I was moved emotionally. And like so many others, my heart swelled with pride at the sincerity in his words and the inspiration in the moment. I was impressed by a very humble young man, who has already accomplished a great deal in his short time on earth. But unlike so many others, I did not stop there. I tried, as difficult as it may be, to project forward to his next step forward into the increasingly rarefied air. Will it be some series of last second shots this playoff season? Or time given selflessly after another unforeseen local tragedy? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. That eerie sense of deja vu. The feeling that I have seen this all before.
Suddenly I wished I could stop all the praise and admonish all the local fans to begin a Kevin Durant prayer chain. It occurred to me that this tradition of rising to a crescendo, followed by some sort of falling back to earth is not new. The timing, length, and heights of the rise; as well as the depths of the corresponding fall, have become a part of our American sports culture. In fact, the pattern now is so predictable that the element of surprise seems foolish. And yet, for each new generation of stars it is a surprise. Each new star has dreamed this dream to become the greatest in their art and to be embraced by millions for simply being themselves and reaching the pinnacle of their talents. Yet, none of them seems to have looked beyond that point and applied the appropriate law of physics that "what goes up, must come down".
So the clock officially started as a whole new world of fans was introduced to Kevin Durant. Sometimes people refer to it as "15 minutes of fame". Obviously, with incredibly high levels of talent, that 15 minutes can become 15 hours, 15 weeks, or even 15 months, relatively speaking. However, it cannot become forever. Yes, some stars can function at a very high level, for a very long time, with very few missteps. But the emotions of very public successes and failures, combined with very young and often intemperate men, creates the ever present potential for the demonstration of human imperfection. That is a very long way to say that Kevin, like most of the other players today and in years past, can and will make mistakes.
Yesterday stories began running in a non-stop loop from Good Morning America to ESPN to various Internet sources and beyond. While the print media generally moves a little slower, I am certain that the cover stories and interviews are already scheduled. Once again, the media machine showed us how easily it can switch gears and propel the latest star into the stratosphere. This particular latest is a local and beloved person here in our small OKC market, Kevin Durant. In our market, his name has been swirling for some time and it seems impossible to overstate the goodness in his character. He has partnered with more than one local church to use his celebrity to help tornado victims and local charities. He seems very comfortable as the quiet unassuming leader of his team, Olympic Teams, or All-Star teams; while equally comfortable not leading at times. He has found it within himself to rise on larger and larger stages, in his short career, from the University of Texas to Seattle to Oklahoma City. He seems to adjust to whatever is thrown his way, and make the most of the opportunities presented to him. But, and this is a HUGE but, he is human. He is still a very young man and his life is one now lived on a tightrope at the highest of levels. That was demonstrated in this year's first round playoffs versus the Memphis Grizzlies.
I could spend weeks recapping all the superstars that have come before KD, who have stumbled in their own ways, while trying to adjust to their ever-increasing elevations. From Richard Sherman to Tiger Woods to Mike Tyson to Allen Iverson to Chris (Birdman) Anderson to Kobe Bryant to Lebron James to Barry Bonds to Mark McGwire to Sammy Sosa; the variety of mistakes made is only exceeded slightly by the number of people making them. In fact, the road from normal life to extreme fame and fortune is littered with good people who got lost (and that is not just a sports story). I am not certain what the preparatory courses for this life should look like, but I am certain that the class size is extremely small and the teachers are often unqualified because the terrain continues to change so fast. To paint an accurate picture, I do not think it is too far fetched to say the course would need to teach techniques in tightrope walking, with hurdles and landmines thrown in for good measure.
Although it might seem counter-intuitive to pray for someone who has reached a new zenith, rife with endorsement potential and the requisite wealth, I would encourage anyone who cares about KD to do just that. I would also encourage my OKC Thunder fans to remember this day and the KD speech well. For there will come a day, hopefully a decade or more away, when the tide has turned and someone new writes a "MR. UNRELIABLE" story or far worse. At that time, KD will cease to be a superstar and once again become a man, and a son, maybe a husband and father, but definitely an imperfect human being. On that day, it may be the entire country and even some locals, rallying against our hero. In that moment, the number of people who take time to express support will be far more important than all those showing support today. After all, in our sports and media culture today, you could literally have a multiple murder suspect (Aaron Hernandez) vilified less than someone involved in dog fighting (Michael Vick), or stepping to the microphone too quickly after a game without taking time to fully consider the impact of the words (Richard Sherman), or simply over-publicizing their "DECISION to take their talents to South Beach" (Lebron James). In that type of national sports media atmosphere, it becomes critical that we have KD's back like he has had ours, consistently time and again.
Friday, March 21, 2014
A Bigger Motivator
Most of the 5am crowd at my gym are not the lookers. You know, the groups of people who come to the gym to see and be seen. So, it would be really awkward if anyone were to even notice my attire on any given day. But for me, my attire on some days is both energizing and nostalgic. Mentally and physically, I am in a different place with certain items from my wardrobe. On this day, it is a blue athletic shirt with a substantial logo on the front that reads GoMitchGo. For me, every time I stumble across this shirt, in my hurried routine to get out the door by 4:30am, it changes my morning and often my whole day. For me, this shirt signifies the valiant and courageous fight of a 10 year old boy who, although he eventually lost his battle with leukemia, won so many hearts. For me, that is the canvas, but the rest of the painting is an even more powerful story.
I met Mitchell's dad, John, through my younger brother, Ed, while both were working in Enid, OK. Since my brother and I, rarely got to see each other during the time immediately after college, I had driven out to Enid America to play golf with him and I met a group of his friends/co-workers. John happened to be in that group and though my brother spoke highly of him, he seemed a rather pedestrian character who did not stand out significantly from the others in the group I met that weekend. There was no way for me to know, on that day, that this young man had the fortitude to boldly declare his beliefs in situations both lighthearted and testy. While I admire that in a person, corporate America usually exacts a small toll for such boldness. There was no way for me to know that this young man would be one of very few people who took his faith seriously enough that it would pop up and interject itself into conversations over a cubicle, a ballgame, or over a beer. Not in the "holier than thou" way that strong faith sometimes manifest itself. But in the "I may be a little late to the game because I am picking up some other kids who might not get to see a game like this otherwise" kind of way. Finally, there was no way for me to know that this young man would possess the internal fortitude to eulogize his 10 year old son, after a protracted battle with cancer that included: treatment, remission, recurrence, and finally submission.
Cancer is something my family knows all to well. My father has lost 3 sisters to this insidious monster which affects far too many lives. Both of my grandparents, on my father's side, had their lives shortened by the ravages of this disease. My own father's heart was softened in a way that my siblings and I cherish, while taking his father back and forth to treatment over the course of his final year of life. I have had some experience with the funerals that signify another battle lost. I also had the unpleasant experience of seeing another young life cut short by leukemia. When I was in 4th grade, long before I could fully understand why a little girl named Linda had stopped coming to church on Sundays, I first heard the word leukemia. It was the kind of word that sent me scrambling for a dictionary, as a precocious young man, and the definition within did not foretell the dastardly way leukemia would show disregard for the promise of youth.
Linda was a beautiful girl. The kind that my young eyes would notice even in a crowd, regardless of the crowds size. I remember hearing over and over from my teary-eyed mother, Linda was sick and was not getting better. In my naivete at the time, life was simple. Solutions were simple. She was sick. We were all praying (and "we" included some powerful people: pastors, ushers, stewardesses, board members, and even other churches). So, I reasoned, God should heal her shortly and life would go back to normal. But it didn't go back to normal. Miracles were not as commonplace as my reading of the bible had led me to believe. This would be my first experience with the fact that not all stories have an ending that I can understand. Truth be told, it was one of my first big personal disappointments and true misunderstandings of my God. It was not the first, which had occurred a couple of years prior. It would not be the last either, but it was a disappointment that added to a scar on my heart that had already formed. So Linda was the first and more than two decades later, Mitchell would be the second. At the time, I thought the disappointment with Linda was too much. I remember thinking, "I will never forget this". Mitchell's loss was so much more devastating. I was much older, for one, and I had two sons of my own. My oldest son, Ford, was only 3 months younger than Mitchell.
Many days and nights, I prayed for Mitchell's parents, John and Tracy. Not only because their path was a path that I could not fathom the strength and courage required to endure, but because I understood that tragic events can change our lives in ways that we do not fully appreciate until years later. My prayer was only that God would sustain them in the unceasing march forward that time demands. That they would somehow keep pace with the world and not get lost forever in that moment and that pain. In the years since, John and Tracy have used their loss to captivate and motivate others to help raise money and awareness about Leukemia and other blood diseases. In fact, I have had the honor and privilege to play in the GoMitchGo golf tournament sponsored on Mitchell's behalf, that continues to raise money for the cause and the foundation. The beauty and grace they have exemplified is clearly a God thing.
Unlike the marathoners and many volunteers who work tirelessly on behalf of the GoMitchGo Foundation, my efforts on this day at my gym were subdued, at best. It seemed that donning my superman shirt on this day did not stop the back pain that I have been battling for the last week. However, that could never stop the smile that comes to my face every time I look down and see that logo emblazoned across my chest. It is a reminder that I had the pleasure of meeting and knowing, however briefly, an incredibly unique kid. The kind of person who has come to represent so much positivity, for so many different people, and still looms larger than all the events held in his honor. For me, and I'd be willing to bet many others, Mitchell Graham Whitaker has come to symbolize all those I have lost to cancer at times in my life when I wasn't sure how to properly memorialize their lives. When tears did not seem quite enough, but I had nothing more to offer. Today, I feel safe placing that weight on the shoulders of a kid who will forever be 10 years old, because he was and is large enough to handle it. This shirt, on this day, will have to suffice as my reminder that I once knew a kid, who at 9 and 10 years old, embodied a spirit that most of us aspire to attain for fleeting moments throughout our lives. His words are an inspiration to me, and I am sure many others, as I traverse the pathways of my life: "Keep Fighting". Two words that mean so much more almost 7 years after they were uttered.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Do Not Tap the Glass (My take on the Marcus Smart story)
Over the weekend, it was once again shown that college athletes are expected to be more like other professional athletes than college students. In an incident involving an Oklahoma State basketball player, Marcus Smart, and a fan; it was once again made clear that some college athletes are simply unpaid professional athletes. This is particularly evident in the most competitive sports (football and basketball).
As sports fans on all sides of this issue converge to dissect this issue and divulge the wide variety of opinions, I try to look at it from an impartial point of view. That is to say, I am neither an OSU fan or a Texas Tech fan. Rather, I am a fan both of college sports and most importantly, the kids who play them. As a fan, I try to imagine a sport, other than basketball or football, where a reasonable person would find themselves yelling at a student athlete, "you piece of crap". Truth be told, much worse things are often said at really competitive college games. But the perspective I focus on is the disparity in college sports. I try to imagine a college gymnast, male or female, having a similar statement lobbed in their direction. I try to imagine a college golfer, again male or female, being expected to "work" under those conditions. Maybe, I just never attended the right volleyball game or soccer match in my years at Oklahoma University. Maybe, if I had attended a wrestling match or a track meet, I would be more comfortable with what seems to have become a well established and acceptable norm. Surely, if I found a student working in the library, on a work-study program, it would not be uncommon for those coming in for a research project to address their underlings as "pieces of crap".
As I reflect on my time in college, admittedly not on a "full ride" athletic scholarship, but on the much less prestigious academic variety, I can hardly imagine a situation where I would have been expected to accept being addressed as a "piece of crap". Maybe, that is a fair price for a very select group of "student-athletes" to pay for their opportunity to bring fame and fortune to their chosen schools. Maybe, as we (college sport fans) continue to carve out the acceptable work environment for this very select group, we will continue to make sense of the increasingly harsh workplace we are providing for them. As the stakes rise in college sports and the fans pay ever-increasing sums of money to be up close and feel a part of the action, it is important not to lose sight of the distortion that is occurring. We, the fans, are not given a list of things not to say or do, as we enter sporting events. In fact, we do not even have the obligatory signs saying "do not tap the glass", "refrain from loud noises", or "please do not rattle the cage", that you might find posted at the zoo. Instead, many arenas around the country, take it as a point of community pride to proclaim their stadium/arena an especially difficult place to play/hostile environment.Even as I write this, anyone can find ESPN specials that speak to the research done in certain college arenas (Duke, North Carolina, etc.) to find the perfect words to insult the opposing players. There are no limits, except local norms and mores, to the extent that they exist, to stop fans from sitting close and yelling loudly whatever comes across their minds. Somehow we have come to expect and accept that the price to play certain college sports is much higher than the price to play other sports. Meanwhile, the scholarship is the same.
Don't get me wrong, I love to scream as loud as the next guy, hoping to cause a missed free throw or a botched snap that might change the outcome of a game in favor of my team. I just have a much more difficult time missing the blurred lines between "college student-athletes" and their "professional" counterparts. That is to say, some players are forced to apply their skills, valued at hundreds of thousands, if not millions, for a very small fraction of that amount. And, as an added bonus, they live in an even smaller fishbowl than their professional counterparts, without much of the support system that professional teams employ to protect their highly valued investments. So the next time that I hear of a 19 or 20 year old kid, who has seemingly cracked under the pressure of his unpaid, non-professional work environment that we call college sports, I will wonder to myself if things would have been different if he were a professional athlete.
As sports fans on all sides of this issue converge to dissect this issue and divulge the wide variety of opinions, I try to look at it from an impartial point of view. That is to say, I am neither an OSU fan or a Texas Tech fan. Rather, I am a fan both of college sports and most importantly, the kids who play them. As a fan, I try to imagine a sport, other than basketball or football, where a reasonable person would find themselves yelling at a student athlete, "you piece of crap". Truth be told, much worse things are often said at really competitive college games. But the perspective I focus on is the disparity in college sports. I try to imagine a college gymnast, male or female, having a similar statement lobbed in their direction. I try to imagine a college golfer, again male or female, being expected to "work" under those conditions. Maybe, I just never attended the right volleyball game or soccer match in my years at Oklahoma University. Maybe, if I had attended a wrestling match or a track meet, I would be more comfortable with what seems to have become a well established and acceptable norm. Surely, if I found a student working in the library, on a work-study program, it would not be uncommon for those coming in for a research project to address their underlings as "pieces of crap".
As I reflect on my time in college, admittedly not on a "full ride" athletic scholarship, but on the much less prestigious academic variety, I can hardly imagine a situation where I would have been expected to accept being addressed as a "piece of crap". Maybe, that is a fair price for a very select group of "student-athletes" to pay for their opportunity to bring fame and fortune to their chosen schools. Maybe, as we (college sport fans) continue to carve out the acceptable work environment for this very select group, we will continue to make sense of the increasingly harsh workplace we are providing for them. As the stakes rise in college sports and the fans pay ever-increasing sums of money to be up close and feel a part of the action, it is important not to lose sight of the distortion that is occurring. We, the fans, are not given a list of things not to say or do, as we enter sporting events. In fact, we do not even have the obligatory signs saying "do not tap the glass", "refrain from loud noises", or "please do not rattle the cage", that you might find posted at the zoo. Instead, many arenas around the country, take it as a point of community pride to proclaim their stadium/arena an especially difficult place to play/hostile environment.Even as I write this, anyone can find ESPN specials that speak to the research done in certain college arenas (Duke, North Carolina, etc.) to find the perfect words to insult the opposing players. There are no limits, except local norms and mores, to the extent that they exist, to stop fans from sitting close and yelling loudly whatever comes across their minds. Somehow we have come to expect and accept that the price to play certain college sports is much higher than the price to play other sports. Meanwhile, the scholarship is the same.
Don't get me wrong, I love to scream as loud as the next guy, hoping to cause a missed free throw or a botched snap that might change the outcome of a game in favor of my team. I just have a much more difficult time missing the blurred lines between "college student-athletes" and their "professional" counterparts. That is to say, some players are forced to apply their skills, valued at hundreds of thousands, if not millions, for a very small fraction of that amount. And, as an added bonus, they live in an even smaller fishbowl than their professional counterparts, without much of the support system that professional teams employ to protect their highly valued investments. So the next time that I hear of a 19 or 20 year old kid, who has seemingly cracked under the pressure of his unpaid, non-professional work environment that we call college sports, I will wonder to myself if things would have been different if he were a professional athlete.
Friday, January 10, 2014
A life without music
In his mind was a joyful shout
But his heart and soul were filled with doubt
for no one had ever seen his wings
in words and songs he dared not sing
so instead he lurked about
If only someone, anyone, knew
the prayers he prayed
not to be dismayed
then he could sing from the mountaintop
and his mind of music would never stop
Why ask, he thought, for greater things
when no one seems to care
that my heart writes and rhymes and sings
of higher more majestic things
than my daily life would ever dare
He could show this world great treasure
filled with rhythm, rhyme, and measure
if only people saw beyond his pelt
and found a way to feel the things he felt
the harmony would bring them all great pleasure
Alas, it was not meant to be
Neither melody nor symphony
would ever be heard
not a single word
Instead he learned to live a life of silence
For he was taught a bigger lesson
and learned denial of his blessing
dousing flames that burned within
and training not to sing again
he slid slowly into the permanent night
and lost the battle he dared not fight
But his heart and soul were filled with doubt
for no one had ever seen his wings
in words and songs he dared not sing
so instead he lurked about
If only someone, anyone, knew
the prayers he prayed
not to be dismayed
then he could sing from the mountaintop
and his mind of music would never stop
Why ask, he thought, for greater things
when no one seems to care
that my heart writes and rhymes and sings
of higher more majestic things
than my daily life would ever dare
He could show this world great treasure
filled with rhythm, rhyme, and measure
if only people saw beyond his pelt
and found a way to feel the things he felt
the harmony would bring them all great pleasure
Alas, it was not meant to be
Neither melody nor symphony
would ever be heard
not a single word
Instead he learned to live a life of silence
For he was taught a bigger lesson
and learned denial of his blessing
dousing flames that burned within
and training not to sing again
he slid slowly into the permanent night
and lost the battle he dared not fight
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