Walking in another's skin
In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch tells his daughter: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
In the past several weeks, I had a chance to do a little walking around in another’s skin. A co-worker and I have been working on a series of stories about poverty in Hardin County.
I talked to homeless people, others living in low-income housing and just trying to keep their heads above water.
Miss one or two paychecks and most of us would find ourselves in the same situation. While many have good relationships with family who could help, everyone is not that fortunate. And it’s often hard to ask for help. It can be humiliating.
The most impactful reality: It’s not their need for money but their need for acceptance.
They feel looked down upon. It’s like a dart through the heart. The feeling of worthlessness overcomes them.
Everyone has worth. Everyone wants to contribute. Some people are never given the chance. Others need a second chance or perhaps a third.
How many times have we heard ourselves say, “it’s their own fault.”
Why do we automatically assume that? People cannot always help it if they lose their job. There isn’t always another one waiting for them. If a new job is available, it often pays significantly less these days.
And what about children, the innocent victims of family circumstances? They have done nothing to find themselves living without.
Another group struggling with poverty are simply the victims of longevity. Many seniors do not have family to take care for them. They live in anxious anticipation of the next Social Security payment. Rather than food, they often must spend most of it on a lengthy list of needed medications.
Some fight as hard as they can to get out of poverty and need a helping hand to pull them up.
It’s important to see things from another’s point of view.
For the past several weeks, I’ve caught myself thinking about it a lot. I open a refrigerator full of food and say “there’s nothing to eat” or stand in front of a closet full of clothes and say “I have nothing to wear.” As soon as those phrases leave my mouth, I am struck with the memory of people I have met who truly live without.
I can’t ignore it anymore. I’ve been in the middle of the pain and heartbreak for a few hours. For some of them, it seems like a lifetime.
To truly understand poverty in Hardin County today, spend time with those involved in it. Stop and talk to someone who is homeless. Volunteer or support programs that are knee-deep in helping. I will, too.
Atticus Finch was right. It’s time to walk around a bit in another’s skin. That might be the only way we truly understand one another. That might be the best way to know how to help
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/walking-anothers-skin
Sunday, August 28, 2011
This week's column
Walking in another's skin
In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch tells his daughter: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
In the past several weeks, I had a chance to do a little walking around in another’s skin. A co-worker and I have been working on a series of stories about poverty in Hardin County.
I talked to homeless people, others living in low-income housing and just trying to keep their heads above water.
Miss one or two paychecks and most of us would find ourselves in the same situation. While many have good relationships with family who could help, everyone is not that fortunate. And it’s often hard to ask for help. It can be humiliating.
The most impactful reality: It’s not their need for money but their need for acceptance.
They feel looked down upon. It’s like a dart through the heart. The feeling of worthlessness overcomes them.
Everyone has worth. Everyone wants to contribute. Some people are never given the chance. Others need a second chance or perhaps a third.
How many times have we heard ourselves say, “it’s their own fault.”
Why do we automatically assume that? People cannot always help it if they lose their job. There isn’t always another one waiting for them. If a new job is available, it often pays significantly less these days.
And what about children, the innocent victims of family circumstances? They have done nothing to find themselves living without.
Another group struggling with poverty are simply the victims of longevity. Many seniors do not have family to take care for them. They live in anxious anticipation of the next Social Security payment. Rather than food, they often must spend most of it on a lengthy list of needed medications.
Some fight as hard as they can to get out of poverty and need a helping hand to pull them up.
It’s important to see things from another’s point of view.
For the past several weeks, I’ve caught myself thinking about it a lot. I open a refrigerator full of food and say “there’s nothing to eat” or stand in front of a closet full of clothes and say “I have nothing to wear.” As soon as those phrases leave my mouth, I am struck with the memory of people I have met who truly live without.
I can’t ignore it anymore. I’ve been in the middle of the pain and heartbreak for a few hours. For some of them, it seems like a lifetime.
To truly understand poverty in Hardin County today, spend time with those involved in it. Stop and talk to someone who is homeless. Volunteer or support programs that are knee-deep in helping. I will, too.
Atticus Finch was right. It’s time to walk around a bit in another’s skin. That might be the only way we truly understand one another. That might be the best way to know how to help.
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/walking-anothers-skin
Thursday, August 18, 2011
It was nearly 10 years ago. I can remember standing in the middle of a yard with several Chocolate Labrador puppies scurrying around, except for one. One puppy shivered at my feet on that day in October. That was the one.
He was born on Sept. 2, a small fuzzy thing that looked like a little bear. He was a purebred dog so he had to have three names to register him. As I rode home with this brown fuzzy puppy curled up in my lap, the name just came to me, Baloo Bear (technically Boo Boo Bear Baloo for his registration papers).
By the second or third night, I realized I had been conned. This sweet, shy puppy that shivered at my feet turned out to be the Tasmanian devil. It was about five years before this crazy dog started to calm down. But the strange thing was his nutty antics grew on me. They began to be a part of his personality that became something I liked about him.
He ate most of my pillows and blankets, not to mention the vinyl flooring.
I once bought him a harness to use as a lead instead of his collar. It took him a grand total of ten minutes to destroy the thing. I’ve chased him across the countryside when he’s gotten loose and fished more valuables out of his mouth than I can count.
But as the years wore on he started to calm down a bit, at least for me. He still is way too anxious and hyper when people come over to stay in the guest room without having them leave covered in slobber.His pace has slowed but his mischievous nature remains. In his younger years he would steal the remote for a great chase to begin and I would run around the house to get it away from him. Now he takes it into the bedroom and sits at the end of the bed with it. If I don’t notice he walks through the room a few times so I see he has it. If I still don’t notice he usually lies down next to the remote and falls asleep.
He gets most of his exercise these days chasing Duke the Corgi around the house for a couple laps.
His routine now is to sit at my feet, no matter where I am. In the kitchen he sits on the floor and waits for me to drop something. When I’m at the computer he sits at my feet and huffs until I’m done. He even sits next to the bathtub when I take a shower, the great protector.
Most nights, he can be found curled up on the end of the couch, often one paw stretched across my foot. If he’s not there he’s on the floor next to the couch.
As he’s matured his demure has become sweet and careful. Giving that big dog a hug around the neck is the best therapy anyone can have. They truly do become your best friends. He doesn’t understand a word I’m saying but looks closely at me when I talk, as if he takes in every word.
He’s even a bit famous. When I attended this summer’s Cecilia Days festival at least 30 people asked me what he had been up to.I marvel sometimes about how well Boo fits into my life. About how I put up with his personality probably longer than other owner would have to find the sweet and caring pet inside. Isn’t it amazing how God creates pets to fit so well with their owners, like they were made to be together?
On Sept. 2, Boo turns 10, a great accomplishment for a Labrador. The average life expectancy of a Lab is 10-12 years so each year now is treasured. I’ll get him some presents, and yes he knows what they are and actually rips the paper off himself. He'll have some treats and maybe I'll even take him over to a friend’s house so he can run around in their fenced-in yard.
We’ll do the big 1-0 up right and give this crazy ham all the attention he deserves. He’s earned it. The gray has grown a bit more around his mouth and eyes but the giant puppy spirit remains inside him.I love that silly old dog.
To become a fan of Boo go to www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Boo-and-Duke/109510752432562.
He was born on Sept. 2, a small fuzzy thing that looked like a little bear. He was a purebred dog so he had to have three names to register him. As I rode home with this brown fuzzy puppy curled up in my lap, the name just came to me, Baloo Bear (technically Boo Boo Bear Baloo for his registration papers).
By the second or third night, I realized I had been conned. This sweet, shy puppy that shivered at my feet turned out to be the Tasmanian devil. It was about five years before this crazy dog started to calm down. But the strange thing was his nutty antics grew on me. They began to be a part of his personality that became something I liked about him.
He ate most of my pillows and blankets, not to mention the vinyl flooring.
I once bought him a harness to use as a lead instead of his collar. It took him a grand total of ten minutes to destroy the thing. I’ve chased him across the countryside when he’s gotten loose and fished more valuables out of his mouth than I can count.
But as the years wore on he started to calm down a bit, at least for me. He still is way too anxious and hyper when people come over to stay in the guest room without having them leave covered in slobber.His pace has slowed but his mischievous nature remains. In his younger years he would steal the remote for a great chase to begin and I would run around the house to get it away from him. Now he takes it into the bedroom and sits at the end of the bed with it. If I don’t notice he walks through the room a few times so I see he has it. If I still don’t notice he usually lies down next to the remote and falls asleep.
He gets most of his exercise these days chasing Duke the Corgi around the house for a couple laps.
His routine now is to sit at my feet, no matter where I am. In the kitchen he sits on the floor and waits for me to drop something. When I’m at the computer he sits at my feet and huffs until I’m done. He even sits next to the bathtub when I take a shower, the great protector.
Most nights, he can be found curled up on the end of the couch, often one paw stretched across my foot. If he’s not there he’s on the floor next to the couch.
As he’s matured his demure has become sweet and careful. Giving that big dog a hug around the neck is the best therapy anyone can have. They truly do become your best friends. He doesn’t understand a word I’m saying but looks closely at me when I talk, as if he takes in every word.
He’s even a bit famous. When I attended this summer’s Cecilia Days festival at least 30 people asked me what he had been up to.I marvel sometimes about how well Boo fits into my life. About how I put up with his personality probably longer than other owner would have to find the sweet and caring pet inside. Isn’t it amazing how God creates pets to fit so well with their owners, like they were made to be together?
On Sept. 2, Boo turns 10, a great accomplishment for a Labrador. The average life expectancy of a Lab is 10-12 years so each year now is treasured. I’ll get him some presents, and yes he knows what they are and actually rips the paper off himself. He'll have some treats and maybe I'll even take him over to a friend’s house so he can run around in their fenced-in yard.
We’ll do the big 1-0 up right and give this crazy ham all the attention he deserves. He’s earned it. The gray has grown a bit more around his mouth and eyes but the giant puppy spirit remains inside him.I love that silly old dog.
To become a fan of Boo go to www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Boo-and-Duke/109510752432562.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Just a Few of My Thoughts
Since 1981, America has been sending shuttles into space. Sadly, that era ended July 21 when space shuttle Atlantis touched down for the very last time.
Growing up, I wanted to be several things: an archeologist, jet fighter pilot, movie director and astronaut. For me, space is fascinating. Granted, much of what I enjoy about space is probably derived from fiction, namely “Star Wars.” But the actual true and legitimate outer space always has engaged my brain.
One thing that captivates my thoughts is the sure vastness of space. Solar system after solar system, it goes on forever. What an amazing and imaginative creator we have to have come up with the concept of space and all its complexities.
I’ve also always enjoyed reading and studying about the initial “space race” and the astronauts who had the “right stuff” to take those first missions. I think about what it must have been like to be glued to the television set, witnessing the first steps taken on the moon.
When the shuttles first started launching into space I wanted to go with them. After seeing the film “Space Camp” (and yes, many of my childhood dreams were a result of a movie I saw) I wanted to attend a camp. I even went as far as getting information about going to space camp but never went.
But there also was tragedy. I remember the day in 1986 when I was huddled with many in the library at Lynnvalle Elementary School to watch the launch and tragic explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. It’s one of those moments you always will remember where you were and what you saw.
With the grounding of the space shuttle program there will be a large gap of American space exploration. NASA has another project in the works called the Orion MPCV that is supposed to take us further into space than previous methods. It still is in testing phases so it could be years before it is operational.
For me, this gap is sad. With most of the planet earth explored our pioneer spirit only has one other place to search — space. The exploration is limitless. I know the program is expensive and might not have a lot of impact on the human condition. But for me, going into space is exciting, adventurous and down right cool.
And personally, this little hiccup in the program is going to make me have to completely rethink a fiction story I have in my head about a scientific colony on the moon. But that really has no impact in the world in general. It will just make me have to be a bit more creative in thinking about the character’s transportation to the moon.
Overall, I am sad the space shuttle program is over. It was something that began when I was a child and is a part of my own timeline in history.
I hope NASA still is able to send people into space and that we do get to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations. Maybe, just maybe, if the new program is developed we truly will be able to boldly go where no man has gone before.
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/30-years-space-exploration-ends
Growing up, I wanted to be several things: an archeologist, jet fighter pilot, movie director and astronaut. For me, space is fascinating. Granted, much of what I enjoy about space is probably derived from fiction, namely “Star Wars.” But the actual true and legitimate outer space always has engaged my brain.
One thing that captivates my thoughts is the sure vastness of space. Solar system after solar system, it goes on forever. What an amazing and imaginative creator we have to have come up with the concept of space and all its complexities.
I’ve also always enjoyed reading and studying about the initial “space race” and the astronauts who had the “right stuff” to take those first missions. I think about what it must have been like to be glued to the television set, witnessing the first steps taken on the moon.
When the shuttles first started launching into space I wanted to go with them. After seeing the film “Space Camp” (and yes, many of my childhood dreams were a result of a movie I saw) I wanted to attend a camp. I even went as far as getting information about going to space camp but never went.
But there also was tragedy. I remember the day in 1986 when I was huddled with many in the library at Lynnvalle Elementary School to watch the launch and tragic explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. It’s one of those moments you always will remember where you were and what you saw.
With the grounding of the space shuttle program there will be a large gap of American space exploration. NASA has another project in the works called the Orion MPCV that is supposed to take us further into space than previous methods. It still is in testing phases so it could be years before it is operational.
For me, this gap is sad. With most of the planet earth explored our pioneer spirit only has one other place to search — space. The exploration is limitless. I know the program is expensive and might not have a lot of impact on the human condition. But for me, going into space is exciting, adventurous and down right cool.
And personally, this little hiccup in the program is going to make me have to completely rethink a fiction story I have in my head about a scientific colony on the moon. But that really has no impact in the world in general. It will just make me have to be a bit more creative in thinking about the character’s transportation to the moon.
Overall, I am sad the space shuttle program is over. It was something that began when I was a child and is a part of my own timeline in history.
I hope NASA still is able to send people into space and that we do get to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations. Maybe, just maybe, if the new program is developed we truly will be able to boldly go where no man has gone before.
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/30-years-space-exploration-ends
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