Madness From the Bench

   I never cease to be amazed by human behavior. I don’t mind amazement, but when it comes at the expense of common sense, it tends to sting a bit. This stinging sensation seems to happen quite a bit in our legal system, particularly when it comes from the bench the judge sits on.

   We look at judges to be the fair arbitrator of our disagreements in accordance to the letter of the law. How quickly we forget or abruptly we are reminded...that a judge is not some computer program or supernatural being, but very much human. They are exactly like those they pass judgement over, complete with all the flaws and problems that plague all of humanity. I don’t have an issue with that...I mean, really...what is the alternative? A computer without human compassion or capacity for emotion? I would rather not travel that road if at all possible.

   So, I can’t knock judges for being human, what else are they going to be? My issue is when  they abandon common sense for madness and smash the gavel on it. There should be some sort of process for dealing with judges that habitually do this...and by “process” I mean something quick, immediate and effective for correcting decisions clearly without enough common sense to make change. All jokes aside, people’s lives are being ruined by the ineptness of those we trust to fairly apply the law.

   I’ve personally never had to go before a judge that thought common sense was a crime...but I personally know people that have. Recently a close friend went before a judge for an ongoing situation with visitation rights. Quite simply, he wants to be a bigger part of his child’s life, and wants his child to be a part of his. A man with absolutely no criminal history, no history of abuse on anyone...he even has great credit, was lambasted by the judge for failure to fill his visitation obligation for two years.

  I don’t know what your thinking...but if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know the twist is about to drop. He hasn’t had a visitation with his son for two years...because he had been deployed to Iraq to fight for his country...for two years. The judge, in all her wisdom, retorted that his reason was absolutely no excuse at all for missing his visits. Huh..? Excuse me..? No excuse...? He’s fighting for the right for this judge to be a complete simpleton and that doesn’t explain adequately why he never made his required visitation?

   Never mind the fact that he went before the court to amend the visitation schedule now that he is back, so that he could spend MORE time with his son...but shame on him for not telling the insurgents to stop shooting at him so he could go AWOL and see his son.

   Forgive my sarcasm, it’s a coping mechanism...but this is the sort of thinking that defies logic. That a judge would dismiss his active service as if he were simply sitting home on the couch in front of a television is reprehensible...and you can consider me thoroughly disgusted.

   As I said, I can’t knock judges for being human...but I’m all over them for being nonsensical, and dispensing madness from a bench that we go before to receive reasonable judgments under the law. Take a moment, please, to visit the links below...and help put a stop to the madness.

UPDATE:

The madness continues as a judge has ordered a child renamed because of her personal beliefs !! When will there be some oversight for a judge that breaches their duty?

See it here: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/08/11/mother-of-messiah-ordered-to-change-babys-name-after-christian-judge-rules-it-a-conflict-with-her-beliefs/

http://www.thelizlibrary.org/outrage/

http://www.linkspiders.com/free_lists/blogs/bad_judge/crazy_judge_james_sadigh.htm

http://divorcehelp.com/blog/when-judges-get-it-wrong-it-can-ruin-lives…/

http://www.judgesabovethelaw.com/

http://www.cscja-acjcs.ca/role_of_judge-en.asp?l=5

http://work2bdone.com/live/?p=2418

http://www.caught.net/prose/badjudge.htm

Jeb Corliss: Joy of Life

   I have recently become aware of a man by the name of Jeb Corliss. A friend posted a video of him in a facebook group...and I was astounded, and inspired. Jeb Corliss is a professional BASE jumper, skydiver, and wingsuit flyer. The video below, to me, is amazing. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this video is worth a million words...literally. It has over four million hits and although I can’t speak for anyone else, I will share why I have viewed it numerous times.

   The short answer is that it’s a great video. It’s well filmed and the music compliments the visuals. The music is by a group called Awolnation performing a song entitled “Sail.” I had never heard of them before this...but I’m glad I know now. There is a scene shown from multiple camera angles to capture the effect and shear awe of what Corliss has done...and it does just that. Everyone I show this video to has the same response during this segment. Don’t worry, your response will be the response I’m talking about.

   It’s not until the very end of the flight that the bigger picture dawned on me that led to the inspiration to write this post. It’s very subtle but very revealing as well...and it’s the look on Corliss’s face after he takes his helmet off...a look of pure joy. In that instant, the joy of life is evident even though it was already conveyed when he flew threw the crack...and you were struck with awe.

   Jeb is doing what he loves to do. He is embracing the joy of life in his unique way, and sharing that with the rest of us...and it’s addictive. It’s also a perfect example to follow. I’m not talking about jumping off cliffs in a wingsuit, although many reading this will want to do just that. I’m talking about finding whatever it is that brings you the joy of life and embracing it with every moment you’re able to.

   Corliss is getting in touch with that child that wanted to fly, and taking him on a journey of pure bliss. The inner child for many has grown, but the journey of pure bliss is never an outdated travel plan...and everyone should take it as often as possible. I don’t think it’s about how you lived or why you died, but instead about what you took from embracing each moment and the gift that others received from that embrace.

   Thank you Mr. Corliss...your embrace of the joy of life has reminded me that the daily struggle is not the totality of the moments offered, and inspired me to remind others that the true potential within each moment can translate into a life of joy...where we can experience the joy of life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingsuit_flying

http://awolnationmusic.com/fallharvest/

Movie Review: "Unknown"

   I am an ardent fan of the cinematic arts. Although I have certain genre preferences, I don’t let that stifle my curiosity and close myself to different flavors of entertainment. That said...I am a huge fan of science fiction, super hero and action movies! Please visit my other blog The Boxed Office for reviews, exclusively, on these types of movies.

The Cast: 

Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, and January Jones.

   Liam Neeson is excellent, once again, and delivers a superb performance of a man waking up from a crash into a world that doesn’t know him, even as he struggles to know himself. Diane Kruger doesn’t give a “break-out” performance, but she’s adequate as a woman that gets caught up in the middle of a dangerous mystery. January Jones doesn’t have much to do...and she’s pretty good at doing that.

The Plot: 

   Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) is a biochemist newly arrived in Berlin with his wife for a conference, that must figure out who he really is...who everyone really is, after recovering from a car accident while trying to retrieve his lost briefcase. His wife doesn’t know who he is while her husband claims to be him. Nobody can be trusted and people are trying to kill him...and he doesn’t have any idea why.

   Gina (Diane Kruger) is the part-time cab driver that was driving the car just before the accident. Pulled into this web of mystery and murder, she is ultimately a loose end in a bigger plot and must commit herself to helping Harris find out who he really is to secure her own safety.

   As the pieces fall into place, it becomes clear that Harris is much more than he appears to be...and his situation is much more precarious than the slight case of amnesia everyone around him seems to be having.

   

The Verdict: 

   Unknown is a mystery with plenty of thrills and an adequate amount of action. The movie entices you to ask questions, and then raises even more when it attempts to answer.

   Liam Neeson carries this movie...as I expected, and being a huge fan, didn’t bother me at all. Almost every scene is dominated by him as we follow his wild chase to track down the truth of who he is and why nobody seems to know him...especially those closest to him. Once I was pulled into his world, it was easy for me to ignore much about the film that would normally detract from it.

   There isn’t much drama in this film, at least not anything that would win anyone any kind of award. Humor is nonexistent as I don’t recall a single joke or funny moment in the entire film. It was just off an running from the very beginning. Although somewhat slow for me at times, Liam Neeson delivers well for this film earning it two and a half cinnamon sticks...out of five, in my cup of tea.

Freedom of Health

   In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s very easy to become complacent and take certain aspects of life for granted. Everyone is guilty of it at some time or another. I have recently found myself in this category as I paused one day to ponder my circumstances. In reflecting, I remembered that I live in a country where freedom is a right that is precious and most revered. “The land of the free”...but there are some notable exceptions that I find disturbing.

   When it comes to the medical industry...and everyone should have an issue with those two words being coupled together, the idea that we live in a Topsy-Turvy world is only reinforced. Too often treatment that works is overlooked for treatment that can be prescribed. I’m not just standing on a soapbox and spitting in the wind...I’ve lived it. Believe me when I say it makes no sense at all. I offer anyone to comment here if they can make sense of what I’m going to recount next...

   Several years ago one of my children came home with Ringworm...and very kindly spread it to the other siblings. It was a severe case located in the scalp and called for a very specific treatment plan. When seen by the doctor, the course of action was to use anti-fungal cream and prescribe a pill that would eradicate the infection. I was all for eradication...what I wasn’t for was the possible side effect of liver damage. I don’t care what percentile of children actually get damaged livers, I wasn’t rolling the dice with mine. So here’s the million dollar question (for which I will not be rewarding a million dollars should you get it right):

*Does it make sense to prescribe medication that could potentially be fatal...for a condition that is nonfatal?*

   

   I didn’t think so either...and proceeded to do my own research into the subject. If you’re reading this and take only one thing from this post, let it be this...take control and responsibility for your own health. My research uncovered many treatments for ringworm that were natural and very much nonfatal. Established medical practice may scoff at the homeopathic approach, but I’m an advocate of anything that works effectively and efficiently.

   I used three alternatives in addition to the prescribed anti-fungal cream. One was a root from North Carolina (forgot the name). Another was tree resin...and the third was garlic. With four heads to experiment on...I wanted some solid answers...and I got them. All three alternatives worked better than the anti-fungal cream, which didn’t work at all. The most aggressive of the three was the garlic...by far. Never seen anything like it...ate away the fungus like a school of piranha’s on a dead carcass. Now if I can find out this information without billions of dollars in funding, what is the excuse of the medical establishment?

   When we went back to the doctor, she wasn’t pleased at all, in fact, she was quite angry. So was I. I was angry because those I trusted with the health of my children wanted to risk their livers without any justifiable cause. Wait...I’ll correct myself because I was given a reason why the pill was prescribed and nothing else could be...or even spoken about. That was the directive from the medical board that all doctors must follow. Hold on...I’ll correct myself again, because although it was the reason, it still wasn’t a justifiable one!

   Some doctors know this information and are aware of other alternatives that work better and safer than what has to be prescribed...but there is no freedom to practice the caring of health, only directives to follow protocol. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if that protocol was motivated by the Hippocratic Oath...and not the hypocritical profits.

http://dkidiscussion.blogspot.com/2011/10/topsy-turvy-world.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002411/

http://natrhealth.com/products/tree-resin-products/super-pav

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath

Topsy-Turvy World

 I live in a world turned upside down. They call it the planet Earth...and I simply don’t understand the gift of intelligence with much of what I see of the use it’s being put to. Life isn’t too complicated...most of the time, and many issues can be resolved by the application of common sense. Whoops...here I go again assuming that sense is shared by most, if not all, thus making it “common” when in reality it seems the only person using it is the one I see in the mirror. I’ll wager it’s the same for you...and since we all have mirrors...well, I can begin to see where the idea of it being common came from.

   In a world that made sense (not this one), certain things wouldn’t happen. I take that back...a lot of things wouldn’t happen, but if I start there I’ll never stop writing. Instead, let me focus on a couple of examples that prove my hypothesis that the world is indeed upside down and one-third of the population jumping at the same time just isn’t gonna be the fix I hoped it would.

   Let’s go to the bank and make a transaction. We’ll go on a Tuesday in the late afternoon because there will be no line...and every window will have a teller. Life is great at the bank on Tuesday afternoon. Now let’s go back on Friday between eleven a.m. and two p.m....because we are on lunch and we need to cash our check. The long line we encounter is expected...everyone is on lunch and needs to get some money. However, the ONE teller working during this time has turned the world upside down. Only the brightest branch managers can master the art of sending away all the help during the busiest time of the week. I’m just glad they fired all those other dolts that were scheduling the teller’s lunches around the rush...I mean really...I’d be pissed to walk in the bank on Friday...and think it was Tuesday instead. Who needs that kinda stress?

   That’s just the tip of the iceberg though. Mentally gifted bank managers is the least of my worries. Try this on for size...you can throw a football with incredible speed and accuracy, and do it while avoiding a group of very large men intent on doing you harm. For being able to do this, we will pay you millions. However, if you are entrusted with the education of our future, or charged with keeping us safe by upholding the law, or selflessly put your life on the line to rescue total strangers...well, we’re gonna have to sit down and “discuss” this money thing.

   I like sports...I really do. Loved playing it in my youth, and like watching it now. However, I think the amount of money we pay athletes to do whatever it is they are doing is absurd. Erase professional sports from life’s equation and we’ll find another means of entertainment. Erase teachers, cops and firefighters from existence and we have a much bigger problem than deciding what to watch on Monday night instead of football. I have no idea when our value system tipped on it’s ear, but let’s tip it back for a moment and see the world right side up. 

   Imagine a world where the million dollar jobs were those of teacher, police officer and firefighter. Everyone would want to have one of those jobs...and aspire from childhood to get them. However, like sports in Topsy-Turvy World, only the absolute best could would qualify. A masters degree would only get you in front of a kindergarden class...you have to do better than that if you want to get in front of six graders...and start making the big bucks. NFL training camp is where we weed out those that qualify to carry hose into a burning building or run down a robber. Can’t bench press three hundred pounds and run the forty yard dash in four-seconds...then you won’t be carrying a gun or an axe, and the only badge you’ll be wearing is mall security...if you’re lucky.

   I know...there aren't nearly as many professional athletes as there are public service personnel...so maybe we won’t set the bar that high, but my point is we have to set it very high indeed if we’re going to pay out the big bucks. Every cop and firefighter will be the finest physical specimen society has to offer, and every teacher will be a mental juggernaut specifically set to unlocking the youthful mind. If you choose to be a professional athlete, a yearly salary of eighty-thousand dollars is a decent living for throwing balls and playing games.

   Yeah...imagine all that AND a teller at every window during the Friday rush. We can still call this the planet Earth if you like...except things will make sense.

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may272008/ocpp_5-27-08.php

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-jennings/teacher-pay-us-ranks-22nd_b_940814.html

http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-31/bostonglobe/29949885_1_new-teachers-top-performing-teachers-pension-system

No Smoking: A Journey From Addiction

   “Do you have a cigarette?”

   “No, I don’t smoke.”

   I don’t smoke...not anymore. I haven’t been asked for a cigarette in years, and so haven’t reflected on the subject in a very long time. I began to reflect now, as I walked passed a man gripped in the throws of a craving for a cigarette. Was I the first person he asked? With not much foot traffic in this particular area, it seemed likely he would be at the mercy of his craving for some time. Then...I was very glad to be able to proclaim that I wasn’t a smoker. No, “glad” doesn't quite cover it....more like elated, because it had not always been so.

   I started out like many, very young, and through experimentation. In my youth, there was very little anyone could tell me...because I knew it all. Well, I knew everything except that those few puffs on the stolen cigarette of my best friend’s mother would make me a smoker at thirteen years old...and have me smoking for the next twelve years. I’d tried to quit many times, but it was never for very long...and I don’t think I was really serious about the effort. I didn’t get serious until after my aunt past away from cancer. She was a long time smoker. The road to becoming a ex-smoker wasn’t an easy one...and it wasn’t like anything I had ever read or heard about from others that shared how they did it.

   Quitting smoking isn’t an easy thing to do for most. Sure, there are some people that quit cold-turkey and never look back...but the majority of people struggle with kicking the habit. Smoking is physically and mentally addictive. I applaud everyone reading this that is an ex-smoker...and implore any smoker reading this to do all you can to stop.

   The next part of this story will be viewed very differently depending on your particular personal beliefs...but this is my story, and I’m sticking to it. One day I became so distraught at my inability to stop...and still struggling with grief from the passing of my aunt, I knelt in prayer with complete sincerity in my heart. My only request was to be able to stop smoking. I stopped trying to quit after that figuring that if it was meant to be, then it would be...and I would finally get a palatable taste of divine intervention. I expected to wake up one day soon with no desire or craving to smoke and to be cured of my addiction in a snap. It didn’t happen...and I kept lighting up. I don’t know why I had the impression that miracles happen quickly...or exactly like you think they should, but the reality of my miracle will always be something to remember. Two weeks after my prayer, at the age of twenty-five...I caught chicken pox.

   To say I caught chicken pox is an understatement. My body morphed itself into something out of a horror film and I became something that barely passed for a humanoid. The reactions of everyone that saw me was not unlike the reactions of anyone seeing the Elephant Man unexpectedly for the first time. As bad as I looked, that wasn’t the worst of it...because I had more pox on the inside of me than I did on the outside. I developed pneumonia...severely, and had to be hospitalized for a while. Smoking was no longer an issue for me, replaced by breathing. Every breath, no matter how small, was absolutely agonizing. I have no comparison reference because I have never felt pain quite like that before. The pain was never ending as long as I breathed...and found myself trying to hold my breath to avoid the agony. The matrimony of life and pain was my simple reality.

   By the time this unique experience was behind me and I was back to normal operations, it had been almost two months since I had a smoke. The physical addiction was gone, even though the mental addiction lingered...but without the support of my body, it had no chance to reclaim me. I was done...free from the servitude of a habit that held absolutely no benefit for me.

   As I look around, I see the changing times as smoking is less welcomed in the workplace and eateries and the rising cost of the habit borders on obscene. Health is becoming an issue of increasing awareness that more are taking seriously. We live in a country where most choices are free and we are free to make bad ones. I’m not one to wish failure on a business or anyone earning a living...but unless they can find a better use for tobacco, I hope the industry collapses like a wrong move in a Jenga game.

Movie Review: "Source Code"

   I am an ardent fan of the cinematic arts. Although I have certain genre preferences, I don’t let that stifle my curiosity and close myself to different flavors of entertainment. That said...I am a huge fan of science fiction, super hero and action movies! Please visit my other blog The Boxed Office for reviews, exclusively, on these types of movies.

The Cast: 

Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright.

   Jake Gyllenhaal is superb and delivers a great performance as a man caught in a situation he doesn't understand and cannot control while ingrained with a sense of duty to follow instructions. There isn’t much for Michelle Monaghan to do besides play the role of neglected girlfriend looking for more...but she does it well and compliments the changes Gyllenhaal’s character takes through the movie. Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright play their supporting roles very well as a soldier following orders against her conscience and a scientist pushing to make his project viable without conscience, respectively.

The Plot: 

   United States Army helicopter pilot Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is an unwilling participant in the Source Code, a project designed by Dr. Rutledge Jeffrey Wright) to gain valuable information by projecting the consciousness of Stevens into the last eight minutes of the life of another man that has already died in the past from a terrorist bombing.

   Stevens must discover who the bomber is to prevent him from continued acts of terror in the present. Through his trips in the Source Code, Stevens becomes convinced that he can, instead, alter past events and save thousands of lives including that of Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan), traveling companion and friend of the man Stevens inhabits.

   With each trip in the Source Code, more and more information is revealed as this story unfolds into a race-against-time thriller that will keep you guessing up until the very end.

   

The Verdict: 

   Source Code is gripping with more twists and turns than a pretzel. The fact that is keeps you guessing on so many levels makes you engross yourself in it in a desperate attempt to figure it all out with the main character. 

   Jake Gyllenhaal does a superb job of taking us with him on his mission to discover where the bomb is, who the bomber is, what happened to his real self and what can he really accomplish within the Source Code. Within all that, there is still a love story to be told and it is weaved within the movie very well to be a compliment instead of a distraction from all that is happening.

   I very much enjoy science-fiction thrillers and enjoy them even more when they take such an original approach. Although this film will certainly be compared to Deja Vu, it is worlds apart on every level that matters putting four cinnamon sticks, out of five, in my cup of tea.

Sleeping Parents

 I need to invest in a bus pass. Sometimes I feel like I don’t need to be behind the wheel of a car because I’m reaching my limit on all the wild stuff I see. I can’t be the only one going through this, but it seems I’m always in the wrong place at the right time. It seems like there’s always something popping up that reinforces my lack of faith in the human capacity to think reasonably. This time it really strikes a cord with me...more than any of my previous behind-the-wheel observations because I’m a parent watching other parents sleeping while they're awake...with small children in their charge.

   It’s simply mind boggling to me why any parent would put their own child in harm’s way. Although some might scream ignorance as an excuse, that’s a horse I’m not riding at the rodeo. Perhaps I’m being harsh, it’s possible, but I can only view this from my perspective and experience as a parent that constantly troubleshooted about the safety of my children in every situation I knew they were in, could be in, and would be in. I can link every one of my few gray hairs directly to my children...but I’ll trade black for gray any day if it means my children are safe.

   The safety of a child starts with the parent and one of the most potentially unsafe places for a child to be is in the street. Even at the curb is nerve tingling place for any small child to be since I know they have it in them to bolt into the street with no warning. This brings me to my first observation of a “sleeping parent.” In my opinion, if you are putting a small child into a car and you choose the street side door over the curb side door to do this...you’re asleep. WAKE UP! Has it never occurred to you that a car speeding by could hit you and your child? Has it crossed your mind that as you hold the door wide open and instruct your toddler to get it, that the busy mind of youth might have other plans and direct them into the street instead? I just can’t fathom the thought process that reveals the wisdom of bypassing a safe option for a potentially fatal one. Maybe it’s me...
 

As if that wasn’t bad enough, I’m really beside myself when I watch parents literally push their child out into traffic. I know, it sounds incredible, but what do you call it when a stroller with a baby in it precedes the searching eyes of the parent, looking to see if conditions are safe to cross the street? By the time that parent can observe that a car is coming, the stroller would already be hit. To clarify, I’m not talking about people that jump into the crosswalk with their strollers, although it’s also a bad practice to use the stroller to stop traffic in this way. I’m talking about people with their vision of conditions totally obstructed by a parked truck, SUV or a bus that they’ve just exited or are crossing in front of...and go to the edge of which to “peek”...with the stroller out in front of them. WAKE UP! Is it too much stress on you to reverse your direction so that when you “peek” the only exposure to traffic is your peeking eyes...instead of your unsuspecting, sleeping bundle of joy? That’s how I did it, and am very glad I did on some occasions. Maybe it’s me...

   With all the safety awareness taught in school, shown on television, and heard on the radio...it’s incomprehensible to me that someone would drive around with their children roaming free through the vehicle...jumping around as it were. I mean, seat belt safety has been a hot topic for a long time, so much so that you can now get a ticket for not having one on. For those parents not concerned with a ticket, then how about showing some concern about the reality of your child being smashed  the windshield at sixty miles per hour. WAKE UP! Seat belts and car seats aren’t an iron clad guarantee of safety, but they do save lives...and while you may not want to be bothered to strap your children in properly, I think you’d be a bit more bothered to have to arrange a funeral for your child because of your stupidity. There I go again...too harsh perhaps? Maybe it’s me...

   Maybe it really is me and I’m missing something here. Maybe I’m just making a big deal out of nothing and need to take it down a notch. Perhaps I really should “Mind your own business” and not say a word when I see innocent children being fed to potential tragedy. I’m not perfect, but I’m certainly not sleeping when it comes to my children and loathe to see other parents asleep when it comes to theirs. 

   I would ask everyone reading this post to do two things for me please. First, share this post with at least five other people...parents if you can, but anyone will do, and ask them to share it with another five. Second, (and this might be asking a bit much of you, but I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t care), whenever you make any of the observations I posted about above or other situations equally dangerous for a child precipitated by a sleeping parent, please honk your horn long and loud...and WAKE THAT PARENT UP!!

The Domino Effect

I sometimes just sit and think...and my mind wanders into areas I don’t tread daily because of time constraints and the daily shuffle of life. Usually a problem will warrant some contemplation, although not always my own, trying to solve them is becoming more of a pastime than I would like. I have found that the best solution to a problem is the one that averts the problem to begin with. Easier said than done, and certainly not a perfect process, it brings me some comfort to think my preventive measures have some bearing....or do they? Enter “The Domino Effect”...

   Every moment cascades down upon the next after it, and the one after that, and so forth. Within every moment are the decisions to be made that will determine the direction and speed of the next fall. Picture a room called life, with dominos upright in elegant, yet complex patterns. Perhaps you have set them up...or perhaps you have just happened upon them, it really doesn’t matter because should you tip one over, there is no guarantee that they will follow the complete pattern. What does matter is the decision on which one to tip. Avoidance isn’t an option unless you are going to leave the room...and most don’t want to leave the room before their time.

   Eventually you will tip one, either by accident...which would be caused by a decision to be in a certain place in the room at a certain time, or on purpose. Accidents happen and events occur that are not within our power to control...however, some events occur that are directly related to a choice we’ve made. We might be very pleased when we tip domino number five...but not so happy by the time domino number ninety-two falls. It almost sounds absurd to ask how we could have known domino ninety-two would fall since the pattern was laid out before us...but often we are so mesmerized by the pattern that we don’t look at the details of it. Sometimes we don’t see the problem until it falls right on top of us...and then, of course, it’s too late.

   Your decision to act today...or not, could be the direct catalyst for the good fortune that shines upon you down the road...or the cause of a future tragedy. It may sound extreme, but life is extremely unpredictable when we don’t take the time to study the pattern and predict it. Even when this is done, there is no absolute way to be certain of the findings until they are revealed by the hands of time.

   When you really stop to think about it, the Domino Effect can’t be avoided. All that can be done is a choice of which pattern to tip. Going with the probabilities is always a safer bet than hinging on the possibilities...even if the possibilities can never be ruled out.

   There are many examples of this in popular culture from books to movies, and although science-fiction takes it to an extreme, I think the point is illustrated well. I’ve examined my own life in this light...indeed, I continue to always examine the decision made right now in this light. Some have accused me of being a deliberate thinker, but I’m just cautiously picking which pattern I like...and which domino to tip.

A Silent Room

   I remember exactly where I was September 11, 2001. I remember the shock at hearing the man on patrol squelch over the loudspeaker to turn to the news. I remember my brain slowly processing what I was watching...a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center North Tower, and as the reporters began to speculate about the possibility of it being deliberate, another plane hit the South Tower. I watched it...live. I remember being in a room full of the bravest men I know...men that are always willing to give all they have to help another, knowing they can be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice...being hushed and humbled by the realization of 9/11.

   The kitchen table at a firehouse has almost every profession present. There are “firehouse” lawyers, doctors, coaches, accountants, mechanics...and politicians. Like all of America, the political views at the firehouse table are as varied as snowflakes from the sky...and not one of them came up on 9/11. When the South Tower fell, the silence that ripped through the room didn’t spark a single debate. At that time, we weren’t Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents, or anything else but a room full of Americans...in shock.

   We quickly, however, became men that wanted to do something...that wanted to help because we knew well that there were thousands in need of it. I remember the feeling that the same could happen here in Boston and the sinking feeling that crept through me when we found out that both planes had come from Boston. The fall of the North Tower, the attack on the Pentagon, and the crash in Pennsylvania only cemented the fact that everything had permanently changed and the world my children are growing up in would never mirror the world I did.

   Thousands of good people died that day. People who are innocent within the complexities of whatever events led to those horrible incidents. Of all the many arguments and polarizing positions that are taken when discussing 9/11...that is an indisputable and tragic fact. I remember many things from that day ten years ago, and every year I remember this fact most, for the memory of those people and their families. The victims of 9/11 should be honored and their families consoled. Losing a loved one is never easy and made all the more difficult when the circumstances of which is, arguably, the most defining moment in our nation’s history.

   Some would use this day as a soapbox for offering their particular beliefs about the how and why of ten years ago. I say it should have been offered yesterday...and can be offered tomorrow, but today, the only offering should be compassion for those fellow Americans personally touched by the spectre of grief and loss. 

   There are generally two types of people that take a position on this subject...those that believe and trust their government...and those that don't. Neither position eradicates anyone's love of their country and empathy for their fellow compatriots. Neither position matters on this day in particular, because it isn’t about theories, politics, or patriotism...it’s about remembering those we lost.