[Stuff] Michiana Says in Winter

Watch this, then tell us what we missed in the comments!

You feel me?

AF

Feeling Christmas

Maybe it's just me, but lately I find Christendom lacking in its ability to dramatically convey the gravity of the Nativity story. That's not to say the well-meaning church plays and musicals aren't good in their own right; but often they fail to bring a unique perspective to the story, a freshness that ideally would be there each year.

'Tis the season? Via

I freely allow that I may not be looking in the right places. And when more and more stories like this one and this one appear this time of year, frankly, you question whether many people even understand what the season is about, much less are able to share it with others. At the least, it makes one urgently seek a fresh perspective, no matter the source.

All of which may help to explain why the two pieces that have most impacted me this Christmas season don't come from the church at all. That fact alone may make some people uncomfortable. But if the season is about "good news for all the people," then perhaps anyone is capable of understanding and re-telling the substance of that news.

Because ultimately, what moves man about the Christmas story is not the historicity of the events - the census, the manger, etc. That is not to say it's unimportant for those events to be factually accurate. It is, and I believe they are. But few are stirred to their core by a history book. It is the implication of the events that boggles the mind and draws our hearts to a different place.

I've never been a theologian. But to me, the Nativity is best encapsulated by two states of man that hopefully are never foreign: the joy of gift-giving, and reconciliation. The following two pieces are two of the best I've seen at conveying those feelings.

The first is an advertisement for a retailer in the UK, the second a music video from a group called The Killers. I don't say anything in posting them other than that they show feelings. I'm not attempting to ascribe to God all the characterstics of a child, for example, nor am I holding up The Killers as a paragon of right-living. For me, each of them offer a unique viewpoint of the Christmas story.

Without further ado:

You feel me?

AF

What he said

This blog started as an attempt at catharsis for the thoughts and perspectives that bounce around in my head. If you've been around here since 2009, you know that there isn't a particular topic or mission to which I confine myself. There are times when I blog because I think a topic needs exposure. Other times a topic is being discussed, but perhaps not in the way I feel it needs to be addressed. Other posts act as commentary on this life and the peculiar behavior some people exhibit in it.

But every so often, every commentator sees the need to step aside and let the pros do what they do best.

Enter Bob Costas, the man who does this sort of thing better than anyone else in the business. His monologue on NFL touchdown dances last week is worth further review.

I've opined about cultural rot in this space a number of times, but I would be flattered to think it was with the same kind of eloquence Costas exhibits here and in each broadcast. And while his focus is on the sports world, I think the correlation to society as a whole is very clear.

Without further ado:

What he said.

You feel me?

AF

You spin me right round(about), baby

As far back as 1607 Jamestown, most people on this continent have viewed Europe as the standard for civility, fashion and overall societal evolution. And I get that. I mean, even I shudder to think about watching all those reality singing/dancing contest shows if all the hosts sounded like they were from Des Moines.

But we Americans have also shown ourselves to be a headstrong bunch. And I can't think of a better place to draw a distinction from the Old World than in the proliferation of the transportation phenomena known as roundabouts.

To be clear, I am completely on board with the concept of roundabouts. They should allow for freer flow of traffic at intersections, assuming everyone knows how to navigate them. But as any South Bend driver can tell you, very few people have the slightest clue what to do when they approach these things. For most, it's the driving equivalent of solving a Rubik's Cube. 

The largest number of offenders simply have no idea what a "Yield" sign means. They'll come to a complete stop with a complete look of befuddlement on their face, as if the whole thing is some sort of Candid Camera gag. It's like they can't come to grips with the fact that their turn doesn't really need to be preceded with a stop. Somehow, these people feel a stop is their rite of passage to change directions.

But even if the car in front of you does make it into the actual roundabout, that's no guarantee you're out of the woods, I've found. Far too many times I've encountered the beleaguered soul who has stopped - STOPPED - in the middle of the roundabout because they figured the car waiting at the yield sign had been there long enough, and it was time to let them in.

Others simply give up trying to figure it out. Without exaggeration, yesterday I saw a USPS driver doing little more than taking laps in a roundabout. By the time I cleared the intersection, they were on the home stretch of lap three. Folks, if government employees don't know what to do with these things, what chance do the rest of us have?

With the anarchy that exists there, you have to wonder if roundabouts cause more accidents. Oh wait. You don't have to wonder anymore.

City planners, I implore you. This isn't 1607, and today we're dependent on Europe for little more than someone to bail out every so often.  As tempting as it may be to draw up plans for a beautiful new roundabout to alleviate traffic congestion, please remember your constituency, and let's keep the right angles intact.

You feel me?

AF

Occupy perspective

Meet Srustina. She's a child from India we're sponsoring through Compassion International.

We don't know much about her, but we know enough. Our financial support helps Srustina go to school, among other things. And I know that through her picture, she provides a good deal of support to me, though not of a material kind. Whenever I begin to add up the multiple projects that need completed around the house, the oil changes that are needed on the cars, and countless other items, I see Srustina's postcard on our refrigerator and realize that mine are first world, "1 in 3,200" problems.

Perspective is an elusive state of mind. It's difficult to maintain amid the bombardment of messages and pieces of information we receive on a daily basis, many of them creating demand for a new product or service or lifestyle. (And yes, I recognize the irony of that last sentence being written by someone in the advertising industry.) And it's even more difficult to keep when legitimate concerns such as health care bills and college education begin to creep in.

But when I look at Srustina or hear about something like this, I'm given a moment of clarity about my state in the world relative to others.

Which brings us to the news of the day, the movement known as "Occupy [Fill in Location]." The protests that started in New York several weeks ago have spread across the nation (organizers claim even global support), including our little hamlet of South Bend.

These kinds of political protests always draw my attention, as much because of their people-watching value as my professional background. Drawing definitive conclusions about the kinds of people who show up at these things is always a tricky prospect. (Though the poll mentioned here is interesting.) On the one hand, there's the fellow on the right (probably the only time he's been referred to in that way) - clearly an ideologue who engages in this kind of thing pretty regularly. Then there's also people like those described in the South Bend-based story linked above - folks who are just plain frustrated with the way life has turned and looking for answers or a place to vent.

We can draw a distinction between the two, but I wonder if someone in Srustina's shoes could do the same. I have to think that if we transported her or anyone among the multitudes of people on the planet living on  a dollar a day or less and dropped them in the middle of an OWS protest, they wouldn't be pointing out political or sociological nuance.

Instead, they might look at the clothes the protesters are wearing, the cameras and mobile phones used to document and share the experience, the food the demonstrators likely brought with them, and the clear evidence that the crowd had been through school. They would notice the fact that by and large, the protesters are allowed to assemble peacefully without fear of reprisal. Our visitors may take note of the manner in which the protesters leave their posts - in a car they own driven to a residence that includes a TV, air conditioning, heat, and a pantry that by the world's standards is full of food.

They would see all this and turn to ask one of the group, "You want more?"

My point is not to belittle the OWS cause. And it's even less to suggest there are not real problems faced by real people in this country for which a solution must be found. I fully understand the pain and helplessness of the unemployment line and my heart truly goes out to those in that situation today. Rather, mine is a call to occupy a proper perspective as the solutions to these problems are explored. A reasoned, rational perspective.

I recognize the difficulty in such a thing when we're dealing with something as emotional as a person's ability to provide for his or her family. Desperation is a poor negotiating tool, yet it's all many seem to be wielding these days. And that's unfortunate, because given our circumstances, it's as unnecessary as it is unproductive.

Just ask the Srustinas of the world.

You feel me?

AF

What, me worry?

Note the satellite in the photo. This is the kind of satellite that NASA reports fell to Earth recently in an "uncontrolled re-entry." And, despite the fact the spacecraft weighed more than 12,500 pounds, no one seemed to be all that concerned about it. 

Which means one of two things. Either one, I'm apparently in the minority in my belief that a 6.5-ton object hurtling "uncontrolled" toward the Earth is highly unsettling. Or two, if the guys who know the most about this sort of thing aren't all that worked up about it, maybe I shouldn't be either.

At the end of the day, as massive as this satellite was, it's nothing compared to the overall mass of the Earth. So  the odds of it landing in a place it could cause damage and injury were pretty slim. And for the record, it appears to have broken up significantly on re-entry and fallen harmlessly into the ocean. The odds you were going to be hit by a piece of this thing? Apparently 1 in 3,200.

That gets me thinking about our everyday problems. It seems most of have - with a few exceptions - what I'd call "1 in 3,200 problems" compared to the scope of what's going on in the planet around us. Our trouble may seem to be a 6.5-ton juggernaut bounding uncontrollably in our direction, but when viewed in the context of the enormity of the world around us - others' lives, others' problems, concerns many have in the world that are literally life-or-death propositions - we often end up with a 1 in 3,200 situation.

I only wish it was easy to gain that sort of understanding. It's incredibly difficult, but we're much better off when we maintain a proper perspective of the entirety of our world when it appears the sky is falling - in whatever size chunks.

You feel me?

AF

A Virtue

A while back, I happened upon a vending machine that contained not just the usual sugary, salty fare, but also a life lesson. Pictured you'll see a regular size Reese's Peanut Butter Cup upstaging a king size of the same item.  The larger candy is in the same row, it costs the same, and yet is still one purchase away from being obtained.  It just so happens that prerequisite purchase is a lesser snack.

This is the sort of thing that can occupy my mind for long stretches. (For those interested, I went with the Garden Salsa Sun Chips.)

I guess the takeaway is a simple one: You can't get to the larger stuff until you take care of the smaller stuff.

You feel me?

AF