The Right Questions

In a reply to a Facebook comment, one of my friends said he would vote based on one question. “Am I better off than I was four years ago”?

To get a good perspective on the race for President, we should be asking many questions. The right questions. Because Presidents set more than just policy. They set a tone for moving into the future. So the main question is not “are we better often four years ago”, but “where are we going into the future”?

 

When I hear “Make America Great Again”, I wonder, what do we want to get back to? Do we want to get back to a time of major racial injustice? Do we want to get back to a time where women were subservient and had limited choice? 

 

To me, MAGA means finding our moral compass again, not halting progress. 

 

A big question is, “Who will provide the most sensible governance”? What I saw in the Trump White House was chaos. I’ve worked in government my entire career. I can tell you from experience that chaos never provides good governance! How much actual good policy was provided from the Trump White House. Very little! You can’t develop good policy in chaos. Period.

 

Biden, on the other hand, worked with both Republicans and Democrats and helped enact some good policy, including infrastructure. He ran an organized White House. Things got done. No chaos. 

 

My final important question is this; “Who will be the better public servant”? 

Birthday Reflections

1968 was an eventful year in America. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were both assassinated, Vietnam war protests were happening, and Andy Warhol was shot in June of that year. I was 13 then, so these significant events were only in the background of my life.

My favorite birthday was in 1968. To that point, I never had a brand-new bike. Money was tight, so my dad and I would acquire old bicycles which we would then refurbish. We had a party a Conte’s Bar on Birch Street for my sister’s graduation from Scranton Tech, and were celebrating my birthday at the same time. I expected small gifts but certainly not a new bike.

My mom and dad led me to the front room and there sat my new 20” bike with a banana seat and a chrome fork integrated into the steering neck (similar to the picture). It was the bicycle of my dreams! I rode it in the alley next to Conte’s during the party. For the next few years, I rode it constantly and kept the chrome and paint polished. At age 16, cars came into the picture and the bike was worn out.

I have some great memories of birthday’s past, but 1968 stands out. 55 years later, I appreciate the people around me more than anything material.

Funny how time changes perspectives!

Made in America

References to "Made in America" are abundant. Unfortunately, “Made in America” should really be stated as “Assembled in America”. This is especially true for complex pieces made in American factories.

Most US automotive companies like Ford and General Motors assemble their cars in America. Still some 75% to 90% of the subassemblies are made in Mexico, Guatemala, Taiwan, and many other low wage countries across the globe. It’s interesting that Toyota Motor Company, a Japanese-based firm, builds the vehicles for the American market in America. Toyota is a little different than Ford and General Motors in that they are diligent about using American companies to produce their subassemblies. They don’t do that to be patriotic, they do it for logistical reasons. Like most companies, they work on a “just in time” inventory system, so the logistics of getting the parts to their plant is a large consideration. And Toyota quality standards are very high.

My wheelchair is a perfect example. It is assembled in their headquarters in Exeter Pennsylvania. However, since these wheelchairs are very complex, there is no way that Quantum Rehab Corporation can manufacture all the subassemblies. Most of them are made in Mexico. And since shipping is very complex and costly due to a global pandemic, delivery to the customer becomes more of a long-term process. With Quantum Rehab, it’s great that all the engineering for the units is done in America. The quality of what they do is evident and reflective of the power of American engineering.

We live in a global marketplace. An America-first policy, a mantra of the prior presidential administration, is ridiculous in a global marketplace. It’s unsustainable because America can’t shut out the rest of the world. We really need to encourage companies to follow Toyota‘s lead.

Made in America is a wonderful thing to strive for. And thriving is reflected in how well we compete in a global marketplace.

Work Skills and Passion

One thing I really admire is a tradesman who possesses the gift of teaching. I grew up with one.

My dad was an electrician. He was Superintendent on many jobs for several contractors. But unlike others of his era who didn't like sharing information, he really enjoyed teaching others what he knew. In my case, I learned much more from my dad than I did from school. He taught me practical things like common sense and the ability to work with my hands (when I could). These along with less practical and more academic skills like calculus, algebra, and geometry.

My father was an interesting, brilliant, and multifaceted man who was just as comfortable in a boardroom or speaking in front of people as he was on a construction job. My mom had many of the same traits. She taught me to never throw in the towel when things get difficult. My mother had extreme resilience and grit and was very well-read.

In my work life, I was very fortunate to have worked in a career-technical school. For all my career, I worked around trade professionals who could teach. It was truly amazing, and I acquired and honed a deep, varied skill set. I was as comfortable in the shop areas as I was at my desk. The organizational skills that I learned from my dad served me very well as CFO of a trade school. I looked forward to the challenges of my job every single day! I also became passionate about career and technical education, and how it can be exactly what many students need to do well in life.

There is much to be said about being great at one skill, but it's also very important to expand that skill set. I am fortunate to have gathered a good balance of depth and breadth in terms of practical and thinking skills.  

My advice to students who are transitioning into the working world is simple. First, show up! Secondly, show up with a good working attitude. Keep your ears open and learn from the professionals around you. And never think for a minute that you are done building your skills. If you are good at something, pursue it with passion.

It's very hard to stop a person with passion. Passion develops over time, and it takes real effort. There's nothing magical about it! It's like a feeling of flow when you are doing something that you really enjoy.

Mentorship

 We all encounter mentors during our lives. Many times, the lessons go far beyond work skills and everyday interactions. Mentors teach us how to negotiate through the difficult times in life. We connect with them and internalize the lessons at a deep level. Dan Santarelli was one of those very special mentors in my life.

 I met Danny early in my career at the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County. He taught Auto Mechanics and had the “teacher’s gift”. Danny had high expectations of his students and always pushed them to be their personal best. Danny also was an instructor in the Dale Carnegie program where he inspired the lives of many people. He would begin his Dale Carnegie classes asking how everyone was doing. Receiving tepid feedback, he would lead them to a frenzied response of “I’m fine and dandy and glad to be here”! His zest for life was contagious.

Each morning before work, several of us would sit around the table and have discussions, with Dan often leading those discussions. He had natural interpersonal skills and served as a mentor to other teachers at CTC. Danny was a true life-long learner and once said “to teach is to learn twice”. He often spoke about how he learned important lessons from his students.

 Danny and I had a real and formidable connection. He made me a better person. He stirred something good in people and people responded. Dan Santarelli promoted positive change in people’s lives. 

 And that, my friends, is what mentorship is all about!  

Principles vs. Politics

 

Principles are the unchanging pillars that inform our moral compass. Principles are something most of us agree on, and I’ve learned through experience that abandoning them rarely produces positive results for myself and for those around me. Attempting to lead a life base on principle is something engrained in me throughout childhood and retaining that in my life has always been foundational.

Those of us born in the 50’s and 60’s grew up in a country where our moral compass was the agreed upon bedrock of politics and government. We measured our success as a nation in terms of shared principles spelled out by our founders. This applied without regard to our political party; we generally agreed on the importance of truthfulness, propriety, kindness, critical thinking, and the basic humanity we all share. There was little confusion around what we were about and the principles we shared.

Fundamental principles have not changed even in this information age. Yet, we as a nation are more divided than ever. It seems we no longer agree on these essentials, and I believe we are reaping the negative results of abandoning them. It is so easy to lose sight of important fundamentals we all share when information is endless. Many Americans have lost the ability to apply common sense against this barrage of multiple medias. And fundamental truths get lost in the shuffle.

It is my sincere hope that we as a nation can see through the detritus and embrace the principles essential to American life, and the values of America as the leader of the free world. The moral fabric of the United States of America hangs in the balance. That said, there is no “perfect” candidate. Candidates are as flawed as the rest of us. We need to see through the rhetoric and choose based on how closely they compare with values we all share.

 This election isn’t about politics, it’s about bringing back principles.

Conquering Polarized Thinking Through Mindfulness

I’ve been on this earth almost 63 years.  Looking back, one constant is there; Learning!  I’ve learned from both success and failure.  I’ve also learned about balance.  What I mean is balance between the extremes of issues.  Extremes on issues rarely add value toward solutions.  As human beings, we all tend to polarize to extremes.  It is because of the way our brains work. 

Labels have a great deal to do with this polarization and the way we face issues that confront us.  Liberal/conservative, right/left, right/wrong; all examples of this tendency.   We tend to immediately think toward quick fixes.  And we don’t always add value toward solutions when our thinking is polarized. 

What’s important to consider is that most people’s thinking lies somewhere between the polar extremes.  They may be liberal on some issues and conservative on others, and classifying them either way doesn’t add value to the issues. 

So how do we conquer our tendency toward polarized thinking?  Through mindfulness.  By pausing, noticing our breathing, and centering our thoughts, our brains can rest momentarily and re-set.  It is also helpful to remember that our emotions are temporary.  There is a part of our being that can see those emotions like a passenger in a train station watching the trains come and go.  Doing so brings clarity, and tapping into that place of being is where mindfulness helps us balance.

Through mindfulness, we can find a place of equanimity with issues that confront us.  Mindfulness is something we can never master but can always improve on.  It taps into the roots of our humanity.  It brings clarity and calm to our thoughts.  It takes practice!

I found a great app for my smart phone that helps.  It is called Insight Timer and has messages and guided meditations from various teachers to help with mindfulness.  Check it out!