Contemplating the Legacy of Pope Francis

 

I was a child of the 1960’s, Vatican 2, the Vietnam war, the women’s movement, a shift in the fabric of American society. 

Priests and nuns left the Catholic Church. I attended a Catholic elementary school across the street from our house. The church and the convent were the street from our house.

I was a theological rebel. I attended Catholic elementary school and asked inconvenient questions- even at the age of 6. That was an indication of things to come. My childhood transitioned from the Latin mass to post Vatican 2 services. 

By the time I escaped my childhood, I rebelled and eschewed the  church of my youth. I still struggle with the history of the Catholic Church and the hypocrisy of the leaders. I’ve not completely abandoned the faith of my youth; however,  I’ve questioned the belief system and cannot understand why the Church leaders turn a blind eye towards modernity. 

There is something about the spiritual experience of sitting in a beautiful church built by the faithful over centuries. Attending a Mass at Notre Dame de Paris, St Peter’s, or a tiny Church in Tien Mu Taiwan  alters one’s perception. 

Despite my questions, I cannot completely abandon the Catholic church of my youth. There is something there. I’m not sure what it is; but I believe there is a higher power we must embrace. 

America Thrived for 150 Years Without A Safety Net

 

This photograph depicts my ancestors more than 100 years ago. They were farmers, living on their land in Southern  Indiana without electricity, indoor plumbing, refrigerators, tractors, automobiles, or any of the comforts of 21st century life. Family supported family. Many who were educated in a one room school house learning from the McGuffey Readers were far more educated than college today.

My blind Great Aunt Mary, blind from her teenage years, raised my father and his siblings, ran the farm, and was one of the most well read people I’ve known. Adversity created strength, resilience and character.

Too many people living in the USA today have never experienced true deprivation. The soft, easy life has created generations of lazy, over privileged, over protective, ingrates who don’t have the ability to work hard, endure adversity, understand that nobody is guaranteed anything, that the government and taxpayers owe nothing more than secure borders, and that they should be grateful they don’t live in pre-industrial revolution society. 

I would venture to guess that. 85% of the US population could not have survived the upbringing experienced by my parents and their siblings. They could not appreciate that achieving a nice but modest life in an older house without air conditioning, having modest jobs, contributing to community, sending their kids to college and enjoying a few international trips would cause them to appreciate that they ‘made it’. 

The plumber’s daughter and the dirty little farm boy stood on the Great Wall  of China, amazed at how far they ‘d come without handouts, free meals, welfare, food stamps, or Medicaid. They believed they’d achieved the American dram.

It truly is a shame that more Americans don’t feel gratitude for their good fortune instead of criticizing the success of this great experiment. 

Does Anyone Really Understand Their Political potsArguments?

 

I must admit that I troll the mind numbing comments that people write who believe they are brilliant, insightful, common sense posters to articles in the Washington post. When asked to provide empirical evidence to support their idiocy, they often respond that readers found their comments insightful, clarifying or thought provoking. This clearly establishes these posters are uneducated troglodytes. 

I must admit it is fun to engage with the nonsensical people who spout hate for no reason other than  the inability to consider their preconceived ideas could be wrong. 

But ultimately,  I have realized that people will believe whatever supports their pre conceived notions notwithstanding the truth. 

Extremists will ignore the moderates and disregard the will of the people to support their marginalized views. One can only hope sanity prevails. 

Troglodytes Torch Pennsylvania Governor’s Home

 What had become of American society when some troglodyte thinks it is just fine & dandy to set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion because they dislike his political affiliation, religion, choice of socks, or the sound of his voice? There is no acceptable explanation.

Of course, when people conclude it is acceptable to firebomb Tesla dealerships, vandalize cars, glue themselves to priceless works of art, celebrate a cold blooded assassin, suggest killing politicians is a reasonable response to disagreements, hold demonstrations to denigrate or call for the annihilation of Jews or Israel, choose to support terrorists, argue for free speech as long as it does not differ from one’s ideology, treat those with differing political views as enemies, support the rights of illegal aliens over the rights of legal residents, and advocate for violence instead of peaceful protests, any atrocity is feasible.

Perhaps, people have forgotten the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. I have not. I can only hope and pray that someone steps into the fray and stops the insanity.

Twenty Working Days Until Retirement

 

I can’t believe I only have 20 more working days until retirement from my position as an AVP Executive Claim Director at one of the largest multinational insurers. 

My first day as a rookie claims adjuster was June 9, 1980. I’d graduated from college early and was still too young to legally consume adult beverages. Seriously, I had zero knowledge about the job. I’d never even heard of a claims adjuster. I only took the job because it was offered to me and I needed to be self sufficient. 

After several months of training, it dawned on me that I was a quota hire. That truly pissed me off. When I stormed into my manager’s office outraged, he looked at me and asked how did I know that I wasn’t the best candidate? My sails lost wind immediately.

There have been many times over the years where I loathed my job, generally in the early days when my assignments were routine and boring. However, the last 23 years have afforded me the opportunity to thrive handling the most complex coverage and catastrophic injury matters that gave me a type of euphoria when negotiating a resolution. 

While I truly continue to dislike the mundane aspects of the job, I loved the thrill of victory and survived the agony of defeat. Ultimately, however, it is the frustration of the minutiae, the micromanagement, the Thursday morning quarterbacking, duplicative reports, and the fight to get legal bills paid that caused me to retire. As always, it was the bull shit.