Sal's Reflections

I have always been pleased that many of my friends and associates wished to be directly involved in the publication of my novels..Currently my new novel which is somewhat of a sequel to Hitler’s Priest will be published in August.It is being currently edited and a web page will be developed in concert with both books.As in the previous book your help and assistance will be invited and welcomed . You are critical to conveying the messages that the works attempt to communicate.

I was listening to James Taylor with his signature song “Just call my name “and I recall a friend telling me that years ago. What a wonderful reality to know that winter, spring,summer or fall someone would care enough to drop everything and come in the hour of greatest need. I hope that those words of the song are embedded in my heart and soul because friendship is what makes the world go round. It is that thought and commitment that no matter what when a friend is in need I would respond immediately.

Pat of our culture has a vein in it that stresses the success of the individual. There are constant references to “pulling oneself up by the  bootstraps” and one could fathom that this is all done in isolation from others. There is certainly a strong element of will and personal commitment by an individual in any success, but it is never done in isolation. There are many, some seen and others in the shadows, that contribute to our personal successes, and in fact there are networks that support every task and goal we undertake. It is well to remember that individualism without a sense of our networks can lead to narcissism and isolation. We are wed at the hip with so many, and our ability to engage in the support of others in their quests is what makes a society great.

People are not products that are easily assembled and come off a conveyor belt as finished commodities. It is a cradle to grave series of learning that comes at varying moments where they gain knowledge and understanding. It can be a lecture, a book or words from a friend that create opportunities for growth and development. Age does not limit growth ,so today please be aware that we are all in the process of becoming and an” aha “moment may be closer than we think.

The Super Bowl was an incredibly humbling day for the Denver Broncos.The game which had been billed  to be a classic struggle between the two best teams in football from the first moment turned into a one sided romp. Seattle dominated every aspect of the game ,and one of the all time football greats  had probably the most painful experience of his career. That loss will haunt the Broncos for a long time, but at some future point  the failure will become a burden that prevents future opportunities or a memory that motivates the will to try again. Not so public for the rest of us, but we are often faced with similar choices. We can be handicapped by past failures and mistakes or we can learn from them. All of us have failed at something and the biggest failure is to be immobilized by our past.

It bothers me that often in our political environment opponents are referred to as Nazi’s. The period in Germany where Hitler and his henchmen wreaked havoc on millions of innocents should not be trivialized by labeling an opponent with that identification. Using the word as an attempt to discredit the behavior of another demeans the memory of so many who suffered unimaginable pain and suffering during the period that the Nazi’s ruled Europe. Words have consequences and when one  resorts to the use of this term in my opinion they have lost all credibility and their arguments are mute.

In almost every human life there are moments when we fall into a rut. It appears there is nothing present or on the immediate horizon that excites us.Where does one find the occasion to refuel psychologically so that life is not the “same old,same old?” I would offer that it is almost always in some search for meaning. It does not have to be a world famous achievement like writing the great American novel. It can be found in the deepening of a relationship, an academic goal or a host of personal,charitable or career goals. We all need energy and inspiration, and each of us is worthy of seeking and achieving goals that move us out of the times when we are stuck.

Often people are labeled with “resistant to change”. This comes in spite of the reality that everyone in our society has  been exposed to mammoth changes in the past few decades. The way we communicate, work, travel and a host of other significant parts of our lives undergo changes every day. The more important part of the ability regarding personal change is that there must be some value in changing. Persons change when either there are reasons that offer greater value, or in some cases because not changing may have negative consequences. Change is part and parcel of the human experience and the label may be preventing worthwhile opportunities and goals.

In 1945 the horror of the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing sites became public knowledge and the films of that inhumanity shocked the world..Literally millions of innocent people in these gas chambers and other concentration camps were murdered while much of the world was silent. We should never forget those who perished, and the few that survived that lived with the pain of losing their loved ones. The memories of that time must foster a commitment to protect everyone in our communities against hate and bias. Auschwitz-Birkenau were the end results of years of stereotypes and hateful speech.When we tolerate and support biased speech we in essence support the violence and harm that comes from the spoken and written words.Our silence fortunately will not produce the horrors of the concentration camps, but there is still pain that can be prevented when we have the courage to oppose all sorts of prejudice.

I believe that often in childhood persons get the message that they are not “creative”. This definition is often confused with” artistic” and so they go forth believing that everyone but them has the ability to develop their creative capabilities. This fallacious belief often limits their ability to face challenges and develop marvelous life strategies. I have never met anyone who does not have some creative skills in at least one area of their life.