Sheer Madness

Sheer madness is the best way for me to summarize what I see happening here in the United States and around the world. It’s a combination of events that should not be happening, that need not be happening, but are happening, that work to threaten and imperil our nation’s future and that of the world. I’m just selecting headlines from the New York Times edition of June 4: “America is losing its pool for best scientists and science.” “China and Europe are on hiring sprees.” Applications from China and Europe for graduate students or post-doctorate positions in the United States have dropped sharply or dried up since President Trump took office. Universities in Europe are receiving an overwhelming response. ***** “Battle over supply chains is the new trade war.” We’re waking up to the obvious. Our supply chains are intimately linked. China is shutting off the shipment of rare minerals which are fundamental to many of our technology products. One Ford plant has already had to shut down. Blocked imports into China of airplane parts are imperiling its airplane industry which, while receiving massive investments by the Chinese government, still rely on imports from the U.S. for important parts. ***** “Israel again opens fire on Gazans near aid hub.” Israeli soldiers opened fire Tuesday morning near crowds of Palestinians walking toward a new food distribution site in southern Gaza. The Red Cross and Gaza Health Ministry said at least 27 people had been killed. It was the second such shooting in three days. ***** “Denouncing anti-Semitism, Trump also fans its flames” ***** “The tit for tat in Russia and Ukraine continues, at the cost of countless lives.” Ukraine uses drones to attack Russia’s bomber fleet. They aimed to “change Putin’s calculus.” Fat chance. Putin continues to advance on the ground. He clearly believes he has the upper hand. ***** “Trump targets a lifeline for Africa: remittances.” About a quarter of the gross national income in Gambia and Liberia come from remittances. Senegal, which the World Bank ranked the country most dependent on remittances, would also suffer. Remittances that Africans already pay income tax on the income. They also pay a 6.5% remittance tax. Now that tax will be raided by 50% to 10%. Analysts say the measure risks pushing millions deeper into hunger and driving up illegal migration and stalling growth for African economies struggling to manage decades of debt. ***** “Officials stonewall judges and deportation cases.” In case after case, the Trump administration has taken a similar approach to the numerous legal challenges that have emerged in recent weeks to President Trump’s address of deportation plans. Over and over, officials have either violated orders or used an array of obfuscations and delays to prevent federal judges from deciding whether violations took place. So far, no one in the White House or any federal agency has had to pay a price for this obstructionist behavior.

Seeing and Learning From One Another With Respect

I wrote this reflection in August, 2024 while recovering from a blocked small intestine in Christ Hospital. "I had an absolutely fascinating conversation with Ms. Vicky Hill, the woman who cleans the rooms at Christ Hospital. It was about 4 AM. It would have been so easy for me to just say “hi” and see her leave with her mop. That is what I did many times before. I didn’t this time. Our conversation lasted 45 minutes. I asked her if I was holding up her work. She told me not to worry. She worked fast, she said. Our conversation was filled with down-home wisdom and affirmation of so much I believe in. She has worked with Christ Hospital for 39 years, matching my tenure at Procter & Gamble. I asked her how she liked it. “I love it,” she said. Her reason for doing so was no surprise. She finds it home. She lives to make a positive difference in people’s lives every day, in every room, she told me. We talked about the importance of simply seeing each other. Recognizing one another’s presence. One has to be invited to do that. I invited her; she quickly invited me. We asked each other questions. I wanted to know about the impact of racism. Her attitude to life is wonderfully simple. “People can have their attitudes, their opinions; I’ve got mine and I’m going to do what I want to do.” She says all this with the happiest of faces and warmest of hearts. learned a great deal from Vicki. Just as I’ve learned so much from the nurses and PCAs while I’ve been in the hospital this time and in the many times before. I’m reinforced by them: their good will and warm mental state. I’m struck by how hard they work to get through school. I’ve met so many wonderful individuals: Ebony and Heather, and Tiffany and Julia. It’s an inspiring environment. They talked about the “smell of the place” in the same way I talk about the smell of the place in other organizations. It’s remarkable how similarly we see life and what makes life good and worthwhile. No one wants to be in the hospital; certainly not I. I’m dealing with some critical issues that aren’t going to go away when I leave here. How to maintain a balance between my intestine that works and a diet that is nutritious. How long am I going to have to irrigate my catheter? Will the pain in my groin subside and how do I control it? I think it was Wolfgang Berndt who said, “Getting old is not for sissies.” I have marveled how lucky I am to be doing it with my family surrounding me and the knowledge that Francie is as well as we could possibly hope, and friends and people praying for me. I am so fortunate. Yesterday, I heard a beautiful sermon from Rev. Wolfe. He titled it, “The Unexpected: The Support Jesus Could give us if we were Open to it and Prayed for it.” I can’t imagine anything more timelythan that right now for me.