How do we rectify our ongoing inadequacies in ourselves and society at large? How much time do we dwell or ponder before we simply overwhelm ourselves and drain the exact energy we are trying to protect and conserve? How far does a runner push themselves before it begins to have an adverse affect on their performance and race times? Sounds a bit like "Who am I and why are we here" doesn't it?
Conflict resolution is a subject dear to me. I often wonder what is the right course of action to take in a given situation. How far to push the envelope or raise the bar and what approach will produce the desired results. When I run I am always thinking about the proper amount of miles or strides or pace to accomplice the desired result from that days workout. When I am confronted with a social issue or a situation with a family member or offspring I am doubly convicted to obtain the right course of action. My upbringing is always in constant battle with what is suitable now. It is a tug of war inside me and it pulls me into darkness and it is hard at times to make a rational decision when I am compelled to take the path of my "Familia".
It is often said there are many paths to the top of the mountain and the path of least resistance is the wiser choice, but I also know there are times when I simply can not and will not take that course. I can run the flats and more easily traversed roads and trails, but I opt for the brutal North Shore runs and volcanic trails that sometimes elevate 700 ft. in the first mile. There is a part of me that will not take the easy road simply because of sheer brute stubbornness. I also have been reared as a child in a very old school system of conflict resolution that simply relays on force and violence to obtain a goal. It is a cycle I am trying to break in the rearing of my son. I have never hit him and do not, under any circumstances use corporal punishment as a means of discipline and expect the same in anybody I entrust to be his care givers or educators. Breaking destructive cycles in my estimation is the only way we can evolve as a species and garner a better world for our children and beyond. I have broke the cycle of sloth in my running and visits to the gym and am trying to deal with certain situations in life differently than I was taught as a child from my family, either directly or by example.
Many of you will disagree with me on my next series of thoughts here. I have embraced a very counter cultural approach to life, starting in the late 60's, 1968 to be exact, and have basically lived my life with these principles, straying immensely at times, but inherently understanding that this path is mine and the status quo is theirs. "War" in my estimation is the result of total and utter ignorance, complicated by our obsession of having to be better than everyone else. Yes, the hypocritical runner speaks as he guts it out to place as high as he can in the standings whenever I race and settle for nothing less that my best least I beat myself up afterwords for slacking. I am very far from a perfect citizen, and border on what the status quo would define as treasonous. How can we ever teach our children to use peaceful conflict resolutions when we are obsessed as a country and society on being number one? Patriotism and Nationalism are the death of any free thinking society. The glorification of War and our superiority complex as a society clearly sends the wrong message to our youth and it is backed by our government and the corporations that control it. Telling a child not to be violent when we bomb countries for not playing by "OUR" rules is the spiritual equivalent of genocide. It is not possible to advance a peaceful agenda when we use violence to obtain it. Guns permeate our culture and have slowly crept into our school systems and as students are taught to strike another to resolve a conflict, be it by cultural war mentality or the ever present use of Corporal Punishment in our school systems, we lose the ability to foster good will in our children and the cycle of war and violence continues. The 2nd. Amendment will never be addressed or stricken as this country is run by corporations and not the people, and until the day that guns are banned once and for all we will never know peace nor will our children learn to respect the rights of ALL other beliefs and ways of life. Being the worlds' police department comes with a very heavy toll and price to pay. That price being the decay of our most precious resource, that of our children. I live in what is deemed a "Paradise". As beautiful as it may be here, the fact remains that we have a 47% failure rate in males going into the 10th grade. 47% will not go beyond the 9th grade here at out local public school. That is in itself a direct result of a war mentality government and a local public school system that uses Corporal Punishment as conflict resolution on our children. When that same kid comes back to school or the playground or a party or a sporting event or wherever with a gun, you can be rest assured he learned that violence solves his problems from his educators and the government itself. "Paradise" has a very dark side and as these kids filter into society and have kids of their own the cycle starts all over again.
Resolution can only be obtained when we begin to realize that the current system of global dominance and staunch patriotism is not working and is morally reprehensible. We have robbed our youth of too much for far to long and time is running out. As a runner time is of the utmost importance to me so in closing I will say to you, find a destructive cycle in yourself and in this lifetime promise wholeheartedly to break it. When I race and run it is literally one stride at a time in the completion of my journey. Thanx and Be Well.
Showing posts with label corporal punishment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corporal punishment. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sunday, February 22, 2009
R n' R
We all long for it, we all need it, yet we forget that it is not a given. It must be earned. Rest and Relaxation are a reward, not an entitlement. I rest only after I have put my miles in. Resting before I put my miles in can often lead to slacking, and that is just not an option. I know, I know, you do not have to be so serious about the running, but sorry, where the passion nestles the fury thus flies. Without the compulsion the journey somehow has less meaning and impact. The Chef who produces a meal without his inner zeal looks for work elsewhere. I will fully rest a day or two after the 8 Tuff Miles race that is coming up this Saturday, the one I will run in 68 minutes or less if I have the kind of day I have trained for and have focused on, well deserved rest as I will push my body and soul like I have never pushed them before. I am on a mission to challenge myself to becoming a better and stronger runner. The sooner I can get to the finish line the better as I also enjoy seeing other runners enter the racing chute and complete their convictions.
R n' R , Right and Wrong, Reading and Arithmetic, the cornerstones and foundations of our children's trek into the world of adulthood. As responsible adults who have chosen to have kids, it is our mandated undertaking to steer them in the direction of a better world. It is beyond my wildest comprehension that so many people think we can accomplish this by LITERALLY beating them. A child does not have the physical or mental capacity to challenge their abusers and thus the ignorance of the perpetrators of Corporal Punishment think that their ways are working. My son loves to chew sugarless gum, he is ardent about it. I am going to start to save all those pieces of chewed gum as a reminder of the unenlightened masses that believe in this band aid approach, this gum in the dike solution of correcting the behavior that us adults have deemed unacceptable. Please note that I understand children need guidance and discipline and that they are no better than what we nurture them towards and teach them. I am raising a son who has never been stricken by me or his mother. Perhaps our attempts at discipline will not produce the swift results that the paddles and beatings produce, but I can assure you that the patience in our approach will yield hundred fold results over the barbaric and archaic practices of Corporal Punishment that is rampant in our society at large. It is very similar to compounding interest in the world of finance. Put a little in now and reap the benefits for decades to come. Teach them that conflict resolution does not have to entail violence and you will be rewarded with a young adult that can navigate their way through society with the tools that are necessary for their survival in a convoluted world. . Many of you reading this know me quite well and are probably thinking I am being hypocritical here. I actually have to agree on some level. I have had a very violent upbringing that has resulted in me resorting, at times, to violence to resolve certain situations or at least propagating it as a means of outcome. I have often gone the way of Machiavelli or LaVey. I make no excuses for my actions nor do I ask for your understanding or forgiveness. I am Guilty as charged. Our lives are works in progress. We can all choose our paths. We can right our wrongs most of the time. We most certainly can break the destructive cycles that cripple our families and society for generations upon generations. So that is my answer to my own hypocrisy. Break the f@#%ing cycle once and for all. I am living proof that striking a child has tremendous negative ramifications on one's life during childhood and beyond. Our children deserve better and it is time we joined the rest of the world in banning Corporal Punishment once and for all.
R n' R, reasoning and resolution, the path to a better outcome for our disagreements. The future is right now. The reasons we have accepted Corporal Punishment into our society no longer hold merit. I often tell my son Luca, "today is the tomorrow you where thinking about yesterday" We must teach our children the proper reasoning that will produce the desired result, one that entails zero violence. We are at this point still teaching them that if something is not going your way or someone is not behaving in the manner you deem acceptable then striking them is a valid resource. The choice is ours. As Spike Lee said and put forth so candidly in his film "Do the right thing".
In leaving you tonight I can only hope that when my son reaches adulthood that this practice of Corporal Punishment will be banned globally. Over 100 countries have done so all ready. As leaders of the so called free world we are setting a very bad example. Be well
R n' R , Right and Wrong, Reading and Arithmetic, the cornerstones and foundations of our children's trek into the world of adulthood. As responsible adults who have chosen to have kids, it is our mandated undertaking to steer them in the direction of a better world. It is beyond my wildest comprehension that so many people think we can accomplish this by LITERALLY beating them. A child does not have the physical or mental capacity to challenge their abusers and thus the ignorance of the perpetrators of Corporal Punishment think that their ways are working. My son loves to chew sugarless gum, he is ardent about it. I am going to start to save all those pieces of chewed gum as a reminder of the unenlightened masses that believe in this band aid approach, this gum in the dike solution of correcting the behavior that us adults have deemed unacceptable. Please note that I understand children need guidance and discipline and that they are no better than what we nurture them towards and teach them. I am raising a son who has never been stricken by me or his mother. Perhaps our attempts at discipline will not produce the swift results that the paddles and beatings produce, but I can assure you that the patience in our approach will yield hundred fold results over the barbaric and archaic practices of Corporal Punishment that is rampant in our society at large. It is very similar to compounding interest in the world of finance. Put a little in now and reap the benefits for decades to come. Teach them that conflict resolution does not have to entail violence and you will be rewarded with a young adult that can navigate their way through society with the tools that are necessary for their survival in a convoluted world. . Many of you reading this know me quite well and are probably thinking I am being hypocritical here. I actually have to agree on some level. I have had a very violent upbringing that has resulted in me resorting, at times, to violence to resolve certain situations or at least propagating it as a means of outcome. I have often gone the way of Machiavelli or LaVey. I make no excuses for my actions nor do I ask for your understanding or forgiveness. I am Guilty as charged. Our lives are works in progress. We can all choose our paths. We can right our wrongs most of the time. We most certainly can break the destructive cycles that cripple our families and society for generations upon generations. So that is my answer to my own hypocrisy. Break the f@#%ing cycle once and for all. I am living proof that striking a child has tremendous negative ramifications on one's life during childhood and beyond. Our children deserve better and it is time we joined the rest of the world in banning Corporal Punishment once and for all.
R n' R, reasoning and resolution, the path to a better outcome for our disagreements. The future is right now. The reasons we have accepted Corporal Punishment into our society no longer hold merit. I often tell my son Luca, "today is the tomorrow you where thinking about yesterday" We must teach our children the proper reasoning that will produce the desired result, one that entails zero violence. We are at this point still teaching them that if something is not going your way or someone is not behaving in the manner you deem acceptable then striking them is a valid resource. The choice is ours. As Spike Lee said and put forth so candidly in his film "Do the right thing".
In leaving you tonight I can only hope that when my son reaches adulthood that this practice of Corporal Punishment will be banned globally. Over 100 countries have done so all ready. As leaders of the so called free world we are setting a very bad example. Be well
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
FOLLOW THROUGH
It is important to know why we are running each day and what we are expecting to accomplish with each run. A purpose defines our goal and brings the run into perspective. Our training is only as suitable as the goal we are striving for. The big race here is drawing nearer and nearer and as I define my remaining training runs I am aware of what I am expecting from myself. Nothing short of the desired result will be acceptable and I will use these last 10 days to define such an outcome. Giving it my all is the only option I have. I am a runner because I have passion beyond the norm for many things in my life. The running simply acts as a catalyst for what yet lies ahead for me.
I returned home tonight after attending a forum on "Expectation for Education" and raised my concerns to the Department of Education and the public at large on the Corporal Punishment being administered in the public school system here in the U.S. Virgin Islands which is legal and alive and well. I was compelled to do so and as nervous and anxious as I was I simply had to follow through on this issue. It did not go as planned on many levels, it never really does, but the issue was brought forth to the public by me and for what it's worth it sparked an emotional response from the attendees to say the least. My follow through on this issue is as spirited as my running. It simply has to be done. I am driven to do so at all cost. Passion is the fire that ignites one's drive and thus my resolve to bring this issue to the light of the public at large.
The fervor that is my running now co-exist with my tenacity to see that one day no child should have to live in fear of being paddled or hit in ANY school system anywhere. As I partake on this journey of running I am becoming more and more aware of what it means to be an advocate of change both within myself and for the world at large. Change to me was way more that a buzz word in Barack's Campaign and in his current administration. So I run to change, change myself and the world at large. I will not simply wait for the world to transform, I will be a spark for it in both my running and in my life.
So as I follow through on some of my convictions and when the path gets cloudy, I will simply go on a run and wait for an answer. Be it mile 1 or mile 20 it always comes, I just need to be still within my movement and listen.
Be Well
I returned home tonight after attending a forum on "Expectation for Education" and raised my concerns to the Department of Education and the public at large on the Corporal Punishment being administered in the public school system here in the U.S. Virgin Islands which is legal and alive and well. I was compelled to do so and as nervous and anxious as I was I simply had to follow through on this issue. It did not go as planned on many levels, it never really does, but the issue was brought forth to the public by me and for what it's worth it sparked an emotional response from the attendees to say the least. My follow through on this issue is as spirited as my running. It simply has to be done. I am driven to do so at all cost. Passion is the fire that ignites one's drive and thus my resolve to bring this issue to the light of the public at large.
The fervor that is my running now co-exist with my tenacity to see that one day no child should have to live in fear of being paddled or hit in ANY school system anywhere. As I partake on this journey of running I am becoming more and more aware of what it means to be an advocate of change both within myself and for the world at large. Change to me was way more that a buzz word in Barack's Campaign and in his current administration. So I run to change, change myself and the world at large. I will not simply wait for the world to transform, I will be a spark for it in both my running and in my life.
So as I follow through on some of my convictions and when the path gets cloudy, I will simply go on a run and wait for an answer. Be it mile 1 or mile 20 it always comes, I just need to be still within my movement and listen.
Be Well
Monday, February 9, 2009
COMPULSION
I Ran the 8 Tuff Miles Course early today on a misty and overcast morning with a cool breeze and a heavy load of thoughts. The race is coming up in less than 3 weeks and I have set some lofty goals for myself, both on and off the course, to say the least. I am compelled to run now. For what ever the reason, it is deemed in me to run. Compulsions of a positive nature need not be analyzed and dissected. The wind to my back says it all. The wind in my face notes even more. I have shunned most overly analytical approaches to lifestyles and social anthropology. Better we flow along and be who we are, as long as we do not disturb the solace of others. As we enter this new age of social and political awareness with our new leader Barack, one may call into question just what it is that we are to do to better our existence. Your guessed it, RUN, well for me anyway. The basic primal movement of running serves as my gateway to personal and social change. Lots has been written and discussed about what occurs in the brain on a longer run. I will leave that for another entry. One thing is certain, the clarity I obtain on a host of subjects while on a run simply could not be achieved for me otherwise. On a 60-90 minute run I have sorted out the days quandaries, answered nagging questions, and made decisions that normally would occupy way more of my time. So I run. And as I run I am compelled to act.
Since my last entry I have been struggling with a very disturbing social issue that was recently brought to my attention. It involves our most precious resource and shapes the future of all things to come. As all things must pass, I proclaim they pass with dignity and honor. It is clear to me that damaging this resource has a direct effect on our own lives whether you be young or old, black or white, able or disabled. I am now compelled to protect this resource and let it flourish to find a place in the sun.
Imagine a 8 year old boy shaking uncontrollably in his Mothers arms, tears streaming down his face, having to once again relive the trauma of yet another day in our Public school system, both here in the US VI, and in the 21 states where Corporal Punishment in schools is still legal. Envision his fear and distrust of his educators, and conceptualize his horror that was bestowed upon him by the very teachers we have entrusted his well being to. Just picture him as he reveals to an astounded Mother the abuse he has been receiving at his school, the Guy Benjamin School in Coral Bay on the island of St. John, since his enrollment in the fall. Paddling, spankings, rulers on the hands and knuckles, and duct tape on his mouth! Now imagine it being your own child. What would you do? How far does one go to protect their children? Simple answer, all the way!
Thus my compulsion to do something. I was physically abused in both Catholic and Public school up to the age of 13 or 14 in the 60's. I could write volumes on that but I will not. What I will write is that I will not rest until this territory of the US VI takes a stand on this issue. I will devote my time to seeing that every child has an equal and fair playing field at school and is not stifled by the fear of being hit. My compulsion is fueled as I run and gather both physical and mental strength to summon up the resolve to see this through to the end. And no other end will suffice other than a complete ban on ALL forms of corporal punishment in our school systems.
Please know that children are our most precious resource and their well being is an inherent right. Why are they one of the last groups to be given true equality. We do not own them, we nurture them, and we DO NOT have the right under ANY circumstance to strike them, or other wise engage them in activities that are detrimental to their overall well being. I am a parent so therefor I am compelled. Be Well
Since my last entry I have been struggling with a very disturbing social issue that was recently brought to my attention. It involves our most precious resource and shapes the future of all things to come. As all things must pass, I proclaim they pass with dignity and honor. It is clear to me that damaging this resource has a direct effect on our own lives whether you be young or old, black or white, able or disabled. I am now compelled to protect this resource and let it flourish to find a place in the sun.
Imagine a 8 year old boy shaking uncontrollably in his Mothers arms, tears streaming down his face, having to once again relive the trauma of yet another day in our Public school system, both here in the US VI, and in the 21 states where Corporal Punishment in schools is still legal. Envision his fear and distrust of his educators, and conceptualize his horror that was bestowed upon him by the very teachers we have entrusted his well being to. Just picture him as he reveals to an astounded Mother the abuse he has been receiving at his school, the Guy Benjamin School in Coral Bay on the island of St. John, since his enrollment in the fall. Paddling, spankings, rulers on the hands and knuckles, and duct tape on his mouth! Now imagine it being your own child. What would you do? How far does one go to protect their children? Simple answer, all the way!
Thus my compulsion to do something. I was physically abused in both Catholic and Public school up to the age of 13 or 14 in the 60's. I could write volumes on that but I will not. What I will write is that I will not rest until this territory of the US VI takes a stand on this issue. I will devote my time to seeing that every child has an equal and fair playing field at school and is not stifled by the fear of being hit. My compulsion is fueled as I run and gather both physical and mental strength to summon up the resolve to see this through to the end. And no other end will suffice other than a complete ban on ALL forms of corporal punishment in our school systems.
Please know that children are our most precious resource and their well being is an inherent right. Why are they one of the last groups to be given true equality. We do not own them, we nurture them, and we DO NOT have the right under ANY circumstance to strike them, or other wise engage them in activities that are detrimental to their overall well being. I am a parent so therefor I am compelled. Be Well
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