The Future can be as Great as the Past

Walter Mead is one unbelievable intellect. While I may not agree with all that is things, I surely respect his intelligence which is so vast in the spread of his knowledge and insightful of the implications of what is transpiring in our world.

The long http://www.the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=1183essay on Liberalism was originally published in four segments.

Letter to President Biden

 25 June 2022

President Joseph Biden

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Biden,

You have been confronted with an endless amount of huge international problems, ranging from the departure from Afghanistan to current issues impacting Ukraine. None of them have been easy decisions but there was a need to act. President Trump left you with little choice but depart from Afghanistan to complete the process. Reinitiating the war seemed pointless. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was recognized internationally as untenable. Your leadership in supporting Ukraine is most noteworthy.

National issues are different for sure. We have two political parties with virtually no middle ground. You have been left with a nightmare. To get 60 votes to approve your initiatives seems impossible. There is little hope for improvement. You even have problems obtaining 50 votes in the Senate.

Going into the next two years, my advice is that you work with your current conservative Democratic Senators, Joe Manchin and Kristen Sinema. Were you to get your desired initiatives initiated somewhat less than you proposed would be politically a step forward while giving the nation something positive rather than nothing.

I am hoping that the 2022 election will less depressing than anticipated, but I am really concerned that there will be a Constitutional Crisis in 2024, resulting essentially in a virtual dictatorship.

I will remain with you in spirit. If there is anything I could do more that write letters, please let me know. 

Sincerely,

Edward J Toomey

45 Glades Rd

Scituate. MA 02066

FATHER’S DAY INITIATED BY MY DAUGHTER

Father’s Day never was on my agenda. Given my history with my own father, I surely was never given an example of fatherhood. Added to my early history, my life as a seminarian and priest foreclosed any consideration of fatherhood. But lo and behold, everything changed in 1969 when I left the priesthood and, with Joan Louise, went to Berkeley, CA.  

In two years, I experienced for me the most sensational moment with I held my new daughter, Sara Louise. I could not get enough of her. I can recall being at the dinner table with friends holding her with relentless smiles. 

I was always amazed with her intelligence. I can recall taking her to a local store when she was in early primary grades. After parking the car, I gave Sara some money and told her what we needed. No problem. In fact, I told her at this stage of life that she could be a Rhodes Scholar.

I remember her singing a song (about the fourth grade) and noticed my tears thinking what a gift Sara was.

And life continued onward through a highly productive education at the College of the Holy Cross which resulted in my much earlier expectation being named a Rhodes Scholar. She took advantage of many opportunities to do some research in other nations that broadened her knowledge. 

It was no surprise that she was admitted to Harvard Medical School nor her extraordinary capabilities resulting in many advancements and now one of three principle leaders of Boston Children’s Hospital.

Her gifts of a talented husband, two beautiful and intelligent daughters were received with joy. 

On Father’s Day, there has been no more precious gift than my daughter, Sara Louise.

FATHER’S DAY 2022

 Given my history of being a priest, I never thought that I would be a father. I am grateful for becoming a father of three children, all of whom have achieved success in their personal and professional lives. To think that they have gifted me with their loves in marriage and, in turn, have given me six beautiful grandchildren.

Today, I focus on my gratitude that my two sons have exemplified all the values of being a person, a husband, a father, and a productive person. Recalling my history and the need to learn how to be a parent, I know that my sons in their own way assisted me. Granted that some of the experiences were exacerbating at times, but in hindsight, they broadened my vision of life itself. Now I often need to call my sons to ask them questions about what I am reading dealing with economics and law. They respond so well in such a helpful way.

I am also mindful that none of us could have done so well without our treasured wives who add vision and, at times, correction, that have made our decisions as successful as they have been.

On this Father’s Day, I humbly share my immense appreciation and gratitude.

TEARS AND MORE TEARS

Tears are common. At times, tears run when something happens that seems to strike the crazy bone. When the  preposterous happens, one cannot stop the tears.

Then there are happy occasions, the times when your children graduate from high school or college or the times when you see them holding the hand of a person in marriage. 

These times are when we treasure our tears.

There are other times, however, when the tears flow because of senseless tragedy. To watch family members bursting in tears because their child or children were killed with a gun, in spite of the fact that the victims were not personally known. The killer killed because of pure anger.

Those times are becoming so common. Usually what becomes common becomes rather just a blip. However, as of 8 June 2022, there have been 242 mass shootings occurring in our nation.

I admit being unable to listen too much to the details. It is too painful to know, for instance, that one child killed in Uvalde was only identified by the green sneakers. Wow!

What is also disturbing that so many of elected officials are reluctant to change the gun laws to control how licenses are obtained. In one sense, I get tears of anger when i think of this.

In such a world, I almost feel guilty that I live in peace with expectations that I will not be harmed thoughtlessly by others. However it does not stop my tears.

ENLIGHTENMENT NOW by STEVEN PINKER

 Steven Pinker has written several books, but my reading Enlightenment Now has been my first. In the current world, I admit that I am mostly aware of our national and, even international, dichotomy. Our political environment appears so distraught that we cannot seem to agree on virtually anything. At the moment, gun rights is dominating the news, given the recent murders of school children in Texas. And as the news focuses on the present, they quickly bring to mind all the similar murders especially since Sandy Hook. It would be easy to identify other similar problems that we cannot agree with. As the nation awaits the Supreme Court’s decision regarding Roe v. Wade, it is unlikely there will be anything resembling an unanimous verdict. While unanimous verdicts may appear rare, they are not. According to Politifact, since 2008, unanimous decisions accounted for the plurality of rulings

Enlightenment Now has refocused my perspective so that I can discuss issues that beg for improvement without sinking into depression. 

Pinker zeroes in on essential elements of our world: Life, Health, Sustenance, Wealth, Inequality, the Environment, Peace, Safety,Terrorism, Democracy, Equal Rights, Knowledge, Quality of Life, Happiness, Existential Threats, and the Future of Progress. In each issue, he details the history and the current situation. While acknowledging the differences, his data clearly captures that there is constant progress. 

The long and short of his work is that we may still have work to do, but we should treasure the work already done that has made life so much better for so many. 

Surely, I am totally aware of my good fortune. To think that I was born into a family with little education. In the case of my mother, there was none. A woman born in Ireland in poverty was a road to despair. To think that I not only had a good public school education, but a total of 15 years of higher education. I live with a wife who became a nurse with a three year hospital program, but then went on to get a BS degree and then a Master’s Degree to become a significant nurse practitioner. And then, we had three children who achieved doctorates (one in medicine and two in law).

We have therefore reason to experienced a world that enabled such progress. It is good to focus on this, especially at times when the news captures so many negative events.