Posted on June 8, 2024
A VISION of the American “character” we are working to evolve…
WE HAVE A CLEAR, EASILY UNDERSTOOD VISION, CORE VALUES and BELIEFS, PURPOSE, MISSION and DESTINY.
WE ARE ETHICAL and MORAL and UNDERSTAND, BELIEVE IN and MODEL THE WAY OF STATED CORE VALUES and GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
WE HAVE PROACTIVE SYSTEMS THAT CONTROL THE FLOW OF INFORMATION, METHODS OF COMMUNICATION and CONDUCT WITHIN THE NATION.
WE HAVE FLEXIBLE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES THAT ARE DYNAMIC and STRATEGICALLY ALIGNED TO MEET STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES and RESPOND TO CHANGING INTERNAL and EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS.
WE HAVE TEAM ORIENTED RELATIONSHIPS and WORK TOGETHER AS EQUAL PARTNERS and ACHIEVE COMMON GOALS THROUGH OPEN, HONEST, TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS WHICH RESULT IN ENTHUSIASM and PROMOTE EXCELLENCE.
WE HAVE EMPOWERED PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SKILLS, TALENTS, KNOWLEDGE and ABILITIES TO EVOLVE AMERICA FOR GENERATIONS TO FOLLOW.
WE HAVE INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP and LEADERS WHO MODEL THE WAY and ARE COMMITTED TO A BRAND OF LEADERSHIP THAT IS EARNED and TRUST BASED, TRANSCENDS and INCLUDES and UNIFIES.
WE HAVE COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS and ARE ENERGY INDEPENDENT.
WE ARE LEADERS IN DOMESTIC and FOREIGN RELATIONS
Let’s select leaders who will create teams and partnerships to close the gaps between our current disheveled, polarized reality and an America with the “character” of a long-treasured vision!
Posted on May 25, 2024
The purpose of this essay is to shine light on Ken Wilber’s “widespread global disaster” of “aperspectival madness”—no vision, completely lost, without compass and without worldview. Drawing on Ken Wilber’s work, this offering will briefly unpack current reality, share a vision, make concluding comments, and offer some reading resources.
CURRENT REALITY
Home grown terrorists, divisiveness, fascists, fake news, alternative facts, lies, racism, white supremacists, partial truths, chaos, war, the threat of nuclear war, bullying, violence, hate crimes, dominant hierarchies, blaming, post truth world, cheating, stealing and tolerance for those who lie, cheat and steal—these are words drawn from media that give identity to fundamentalists, scientists, fascists, white supremacists, and modernists. An analytical glance establishes the least common denominator to be culture wars characterized by negative judgments and aperspectival madness. Ken Wilber comments, “We are in an orgy seeking egoic rights with no responsibilities.”
VISION
Global cultures are on the leading edge of evolution and are unfolding world-wide, heartfelt consciousness, heart-mind-emotional coherence, ethics, and wholeness. Societies are waking-up, cleaning-up, growing-up, showing-up, transcending and including. Collective awareness, understanding and commitment include the following:
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
It has been an emotional roller-coaster studying, perking, and sitting with Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory. Sadness emerges while rolling with the chaos, the violence, the blaming, the bullying, the divisiveness, embarrassment of the country and possible self-dissolution. Excitement and inspiration bubble while rolling with optimism and hope for progressive evolution, education, leadership, development and sparkling global cultures. Cultures can genuinely evolve world centric views and wholeness and become quality in all they are and all they do. This evolution emerges as each of us takes one step at a time to be present, tidy-up, blossom and simply notice: just Human Being 101. Doc Childre offers,
To improve our society and our world, we have to go back to the family, where core heart values that make up a world worth living in are meant to be developed and nurtured. If our families are unable to fulfill this role, then our schools, churches, hospitals, businesses, and community service organizations must; it’s not a question of should. Unless people step in to fulfill the heart-centered nurturing role, we abandon hope of providing a secure foundation for our social future. (The HeartMath Solution, 238)
SOME RESOURCES
Posted on May 19, 2024
“Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate, and to humble.” (Y. Berg) Persons who control the message of words have tremendous power over others.
As the 2024 election unfolds, we have choices to make about leaders and leadership for America for Americans. More than likely choices will be based on words. Will choices be based on words of encouragement or words of despair?
Words that today monopolize media…lies, deception, spins, obstruction, abuse, human scum, traitors, chaos, entertainment, corruption, use other people’s money, kleptocracy, dynasty, autocracy, racism, above the law, divisiveness, partisan, war, fascism, automatic weapons, bombs and bullets, street shootings, smoke and mirrors, corruption, contempt, fear, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, cult, tribal, business failings, partisan vulgarity, broken promises, scandals, low character, bad judgement, failed policies, dereliction of duty, cover-ups, low intellect, disruption, conflict, deconstruction, selfish, narcissist, demagogue, cruel, fraud, short-sighted, failure to honor oath of office, et al.
The opposite spectrum of powerful words…prosperity, security, facts, truth, order, respect, harmony, poise, receptivity, positiveness, team effort, teamwork, caring, compassion, virtues, common good, guardians, self-mastery, integral life practice, health, non-partisan, wellness and well-being, mindfulness, awareness, helping, self-restraint, values, equality, fairness, globally respected, quality, guiding principles, ethics, peace, clean air, non-partisan, value in diversity, safe schools, no debt, sincerity, trustworthy, believable, passionate, disciplined, generosity, wise, direct, open, nice, 100% responsibility, apology, loving-kindness, patient, tolerant, compassionate, humanness, beautiful, smiling, integrity, honesty, et al.
Words are powerful and the paradox of choice is clear: an America for Americans that is inspiring and visionary for generations to come—love, hope, happiness, peace-of-mind, purpose, common good, and connections created on a foundation of compassion and good; or an America for Americans that is evil and dictatorial for generations to come—pay-back, fear, hate, vindictive, intimidation, economic insecurity and decay, and global disrespect. Christian D. Larson offers, “So long as we continue to resist or deny evil, we will think about evil, and so long as we think about evil, evil will be impressed upon the subconscious, that the subconscious will reproduce and bring forth into personal life.” When there is only one power which decides who is right and who is wrong, and who should be punished and who not, we have a form of…dictatorship. (James Heiser)
Yes! We have choices to make about leaders and leadership for America for Americans. Let’s make choices based on words of encouragement for evolution of consciousness and culture of America for Americans and evolve with the hearts and minds in coherence.
Posted on May 12, 2024
Today, the real crisis—national emergency—in these United States is the glaring absence of unifying, political leadership. Our politics has evolved to be a circus of “entertainers” who are orchestrating a dirty, 2024 election duel of parties who have obvious inadequacies, partial truths and lack the perspectives to address the complex issues facing the world today.
The recycling crisis of the absence of unifying, political leadership and limited perspectives offers the opportunity to study, reflect and itemize policies of particular interest to us; and to choose unifying political leaders who are ethical and moral, are guided by core values and guiding principles and have a track record of leadership successes through team play. We need leaders who listen to differences, who can transcend and include differences; and can unify diverse strengths. We need politicians who will facilitate hope for this great country, put us back on the track, and restore the brightness, sparkle and shine of our democracy.
Seven key brand attributes to look for in candidates who are marketing qualities for elections are as follows:
In Integral Life Practice Wilber et al offer, “People born with beauty, privilege, wealth, and fame sometimes make poor use of all of their advantages, diminishing themselves and those around them.” As Americans, we can select good political leaders who transcend and include, appreciate the strengths found in diversity and can lead efforts to restore the global shine and sparkle to our painfully evolving nation and world. Some glaring policy needs: 1) respect for the role of the media who need to be objective, not self-serving and held accountable for delivering messages that are in the best interests of Americans; 2) infrastructure maintenance and evolution for tomorrow’s needs; 3) comprehensive reform of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and reined in healthcare costs; 4) comprehensive immigration reform; 5) foreign policy that strengthens alliances around the world; 6) simple, equitable tax system; 7) sound economy, balanced budget and sane trade policies; 8) stop the scourge of the opioid crisis; 9) tough, finely tuned, well-trained military, space forces and artificial intelligence resources; and 10) comprehensive environmental programs. Let’s do our homework and cast votes for political leaders who are objective, not self-serving and make decisions that are in the best interests of an America for Americans.
Posted on May 4, 2024
A quick and dirty assessment of current reality offers that “We the people” have allowed politicians to abdicate responsibility for America’s democracy, and have most likely ignored a political revolution that has led to the current, manifest consequence, “cold pricklies,” non-functional government entities. The painful results: foundational core values, morals, codes of ethics, and guiding principles are eroding; historic institutions have been and are being deconstructed; and America has devolved from a democracy to a veiled aristocracy.
As the 2024 election nears, “We the people” have work to do to facilitate the election of leaders who inspire, rally, offer hope, and energize folks to climb aboard the American train and actively participate in the evolution of a desired American global character, one step at a time. A nice place to start is to create a vision, of a desired future state. Here are some ideas.
INSPIRATION and EXCELLENCE through VISION and CORE VALUES
CHARACTER DRIVEN, INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP
INVOLVED, PARTICIPATING, EMPOWERED PEOPLE
TEAM ORIENTED RELATIONSHIPS and COALITIONS
QUALITY ENVIRONMENTS and CULTURES
PROACTIVE, LEADING-EDGE SYSTEMS and INSTITUTIONS
FLEXIBLE STRUCTURES
We are now able to develop policy strategies, followed by detailed planning of goals, objectives and action plans, that move us from current reality toward the vision. A few policy strategies might include election security, comprehensive immigration reform, affordable healthcare, free education and leading edge curricula reform, foreign relations, environmental control, taxation, economy, tariffs, financial viability, media and judicial system and processes. Let’s move from a current reality of “cold pricklies” to a desired future state of “warm fuzzies” for all Americans.
Posted on May 1, 2024
Reading and managing a golf ball’s flight through manipulation of golf swing principles is an interesting challenge and learning opportunity for every golfer. John Jacobs, Practical Golf, offers, “The only purpose of a golf swing is to move the club through the ball square to the target at maximum speed.”
There are five ball flight laws that control a golf ball’s flight: clubface angle, clubface path, the angle of the club’s approach to the ball, the centeredness of impact of the ball with the clubface and the speed of the clubface at impact. The two primary variables that control ball flight direction are clubface angle and clubface path. Clubface angle at impact controls 85% of golf ball flight and 15% of golf ball flight is controlled by clubface path at impact. This offers a clear message: if the desire is to control ball flight, work on managing clubface angle first.
Clubface path at impact, the initial ball flight direction, can be inside-out, straight or outside-in to the ball-target line. Clubface angle at impact, the secondary ball flight direction, can be closed, square or open to the ball-target line. Together, clubface angle and clubface path result in nine different ball flights for right-handed golfers that can be read and managed:
Grip[1], aim[2], position[3], swing plane[4] and release[5] are the primary principles (main causes) that can be used to manage clubface angle and clubface path. The only missing ingredient is time on the range hitting balls to learn to read ball flight and experiment with and manage the club-ball impact variables. Jack Nicklaus, Golf My Way, contends, “Whatever any golfer does with a golf club should have only one purpose: to produce correct impact of club on ball.” Have fun, hit’em high and straight!
[1] The placement of the hands on the club: positioning the palms, fingers and thumbs to allow a fluid motion during the swing.
[2] The combination of alignments of the clubface and body in relation to the target.
[3] The relationship of the back of the leading hand and the forearm: flat, cupped or arched-bowed.
[4] The tilt and direction of travel of the inclined plane that is made by the shaft of the club as it moves through the backswing and the downswing.
[5] The movement of the body that returns the clubface to a square position at impact in the forward swing, freeing potential energy in the moving clubhead.
Posted on April 20, 2024
Let us take out our binoculars and peer down the road, and simply be objective, not self-serving and visualize what would be good for America today and for future generations. America is at a crossroads, a fulcrum, a tipping point, between a democratic republic—freedom—and autocracy—control. As Americans, we each need to decide what type of country we desire; and what each of us can do to facilitate the strategic, competitive, common-sense battle with our principle global competitor, China. Some folks will pitch-in and make things happen; some folks will watch what happened; and some folks will wonder what happened.
In the hyperpolarized environment there are a bunch of tasks that need to get done: non-political voting rights management, technology building, inflation management, infrastructure maintenance and improvement, jobs creation, healthcare, childcare, immigration reform, countering systemic racism, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, minimum wage, climate control, confronting home grown, white supremacy, terrorism, fair share tax reform, sanely evolving through pandemics and preparing for future pandemics, education re-tuning and funding, sane gun control, policing in communities, foreign policy, et al. As the two Japanese characters for crisis offer, with danger comes opportunity. The danger is continued and expanded division and autocracy…control; and the opportunity is to work on our unhealthy personal and collective issues, participate in interactive dialogue and coalitions, and get done what is good for all Americans…freedom.
An opinion is that cultic-tribal addiction—political party sorting—is simply unresolved discomfort within the emotional body, the unhealthy self, or as offered in Integral Life Practice: A 21st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening (Wilber, Patten, Leonard, and Morelli, 2008, Boston, MA: Integral, page 41, 92-93),
…the shadow or dark side of the psyche, those aspects of ourselves that we’ve split off, rejected, denied, hidden from ourselves, projected onto others, or otherwise disowned…repressed unconscious…because we’ve pushed or pressed it out of our awareness, and unconscious because we are not aware of it…But the fact that we are not conscious or aware of the shadow does not mean that it has no effect: it just expresses itself through distorted and unhealthy means-or what is typically called neuroses…safety and security are sought by bonding together and identifying (fusing) with a tribe in order to persevere and protect against outsiders. Allegiance and admiration are given to the chief…emergence of a sense of self (ego) distinct from the tribe, although it often acts impulsively on behalf of its favored group.
Undoing and reintegrating this repressed and denied unconscious to improve our psychological health is process and is not easy; however, the work can free energy that has been spent shadowboxing with the self, making excuses, spinning, blaming, and telling stories. An initial step is simply a sense of openness and a commitment to face everything and fear nothing, just sit in the flames of the unresolved discomfort and give birth to penetrating insight and skillful means. We are simply witnessing the evolution of the human condition, and with patience, persistence, education, compassion, learning, and spirituality, we can move forward together, not further divided, and closer to autocracy, more lying, zero leadership, an orchestrated overthrow of elections, bypass of constitutional order, accelerated division and violence, racism and white supremacy, direction of a violent insurrection, and committed students of Vladmir Putin and his Ukraine disaster. Individually and collectively, we can grow common good, compassion, virtue, mindfulness, awareness, virtue, and self-restraint, and quiet the insatiable, unhealthy ego; and the dampening of anger, egotistical pride, jealousy, envy, doubt, ignorance, attachment, and fear can begin to free energy to nurture peace-of-mind and a sense of happiness and joy. Let us get this job done for all Americans, not just a select, partisan few. Casts, conflicting political messages, and deliberate, negative words that separate, attack, and divide are simply wrong. If open to the challenge, ready for the opportunity, and in need of a boost to get started: 1) In her Mindfulness Journal, Catherine Price recommends, Buy a pack of small stickers—any kind will do—and place a dozen or so around your home and office in noticeable places, such as your bathroom mirror, your computer, the back of your phone, the wall behind your kitchen sink, your alarm clock, or the cover of (your) journal. Every time you see one of these stickers, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING, BREATHE, AND BE. 2) Locate a credible meditation instructor, learn to meditate, uncover the silent watcher, and resolve to create self-restraint. 3) Three questions for reflection: What unlocks compassion? What manifests happiness, joy, and peace-of-mind? Can vulnerability, openness, and honesty be healing?
There are no regrets in life, just lessons! Today, it feels like the country is regressing. The country needs to evolve.
Posted on April 13, 2024
Anais Nin expresses the experience beautifully, “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” (Dr. Susan M. Johnson, Hold Me Tight, 153.) Maybe! And an obvious question: What do these words have to do with anything?
The simple answer: Take off the presented Self mask, the culturally created, fear bound, in the bud, “should be,” and simply blossom by being authentic, open, honest, and vulnerable. Let’s peek at recent headlines.
Ukraine-Russia War, Israeli-Hamas War, fraud, daily polarized, hatred circus of unfolding 2024 Presidential Election, voter suppression, corruption, violence, and deconstruction of federal court system. A helicopter view offers that the least common denominator is emotional sickness from an overwhelming dose of “Demon Dialogues” (“separation distress,” relationship storms, love starvation) (Dr. Susan M. Johnson, Hold Me Tight, 45, 48) Quite simply, we have lost sight of the fact that the need for love is in the human genes and is not about bargains, reasoning, and deals about profit and loss. It is sane, conscious, emotional responses and mutually satisfying experiences in a partnership. The perception is that one becomes so addicted to the Demon Dialogue loop, pattern, habit, that it becomes impossible to see the forest for the trees, be vulnerable, open, honest, and simply share our human love needs, just blossom as life was meant to be.
Several years ago, it was a great deal of fun to create a blossoming lotus tattoo for the back of the right hand. The inspiration was a shared legend about 10,000-year-old lotus flower seeds. They shelter and lie dormant at the bottom of the swamp, eventually begin to geminate, grow through the thick and thin muck of the swamp, and eventually emerge and blossom for the world to see and admire, sparking beauty. Yes, simply modeling the gift of human life unless for some reason one becomes derailed, distracted, confused, culturally groomed, brainwashed, and unable to blossom. I call it stuck in the swamp’s misery loop.
On the heels of six months of energy psychology, deep inner digging work with an energy psychology coach, it has been humbling and awakening to evolve to the work of Dr. Susan M. Johnson (Attachment Theory in Practice). Her work offers that our journey is inside out as opposed to the culture dictates of outside in. The inside out journey is to have conscious experience of the dance of emotion (anger, fear, attachment, egotistical pride, jealousy, envy, shame, shock, etc.) and attachment style to “music,” 1) targeting for a shift of emotional music to decrease the “Demon Dialogues” and simply be open, honest, and vulnerable and love the Self and one’s chosen partners in life; and 2) confronting perceived attachment style threats to unfold love for the Self and chosen partners. The goal is to have the music, the dance, and the dancers become one, just cannot tell the dance from the dancers. As Anais Nin offers, “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” (Dr. Susan M. Johnson, Hold Me Tight, 153.) We just need to move through the swamp, wake up, look around, take a helicopter ride, and look around. Peace-of -mind and a foundation of compassion for purpose and connections are a few deep breaths away. Eventually, the compassion scab comes off and we become one with the suffering of others. Quality, common good, authenticity, and virtue can certainly become a blossoming way of life. Staying in the bud is not a fun, joyful way to live this wonderful gift of life. Stressful, too…and the body keeps the score. And boy is it ever difficult to be open, honest, vulnerable, and bare the soul. And tears may come as love needs are uncovered and shared!
Posted on April 6, 2024
The Ukraine-Russia War, the Israel-Hamas War, the daily polarized, hatred circus of the unfolding 2024 Presidential Election, voter suppression in an historically respected democratic republic, corruption, violence, and deconstruction of a federal court system, these have been just a few of the recent headlines. A helicopter glance offers that the least common denominator is that we are suffering from an overwhelming dose of “Demon Dialogues” (“separation distress,” relationship storms) (Dr. Susan M. Johnson, Hold Me Tight, 45, 48) Quite simply, in this combat veteran’s words, we have lost sight of the fact that the need for love is in the human genes and is not about bargains, reasoning, and deals about profit and loss. It is sane, conscious, emotional responses and mutually satisfying experiences in a partnership. The perception is that one becomes so addicted to the Demon Dialogue loop, pattern, that it becomes impossible to see the forest for the trees, be vulnerable, and reach for our human love needs satisfaction.
On the heels of six months of energy psychology, deep inner digging work with an energy psychology coach, it has been humbling and awakening to evolve to the work of Dr. Susan M. Johnson (Attachment Theory in Practice). In the words of an Infantry soldier her work offers that our journey is inside out as opposed to the culture dictates of outside in. The inside out journey is to have conscious experience of the dance of emotion (anger, fear, attachment, egotistical pride, jealousy, envy, shame, shock, etc.) and attachment style to “music,” 1) targeting for a shift of emotional music to decrease the “Demon Dialogues” and simply be open, honest, and vulnerable and love the Self and one’s chosen partners in life; and 2) confronting perceived attachment style threats to unfold love for the Self and chosen partners. The goal is to have the music, the dance, and the dancers become one, just cannot tell the dance from the dancers. Concerning attachment theory, Dr. Johnson offers,
Not being alone is simply in our human genes! With proper, sane, human attention, it feels like we can turn these cultural Demon Dialogues around and motor to have the love we each need. And we have a lot of work to do…Ukraine-Russia War, Israel-Hamas War, daily polarized, hatred circus of the unfolding 2024 Presidential Election, voter suppression, corruption, violence, and deconstruction of a federal court system scream of a least common denominator of suffering from an overwhelming dose of “separation distress.” Quite simply, we have lost sight of the fact that the need for love is in the human genes and is not about bargains, reasoning, profit and loss, and hate slinging at fellow human beings. It is sane, conscious, emotional responses and mutually satisfying experiences in partnerships when the dance, the music, and dancers become one.
Posted on March 30, 2024
The book is Integral Life Practice (Wilber et al, 2008, Integral Books), Chapter 4: The Shadow Module, page 51-52, Gold Star Practice, The 3-2-1 Shadow Process. The assignment is to pick a “difficult person” by whom you are repelled or disturbed: makes you easily triggered, reactive, irritated, angry, or upset; or may keep coming up as an emotional tone or mood that pervades your life. Then follow three steps: 3-Face It; 2-Talk to It; and 1-Be It. The person chosen is Donald J. Trump and he occupied the Office of the President of the United States January 20, 2017-January 20, 2021.
3-Face It: Describe the person, situation, image in vivid detail using 3rd person pronouns. What is it that disturbs you?
A few of the words that describe this person, who is unqualified to serve as President, are angry, mean, liar, racist, insults, exaggerates, provokes, ignorant, attached to Self, psychotic, spins, deceptions, puts out what he receives back, jealous, envious, disparaging, name calling, sexist, misogynist, sarcastic, game player, tantrums, childish, circus ring-leader, deflector, flypaper for attention, egotistic, id no superego, narcissist, attention wanting, divisive, polarizing, tribal, identity seeker, loud, rude, outrageous, phony, blames, refuses to accept responsibility, confrontational, weak, cantankerous, badgering, threatening, law breaking, like gum on the bottom of a shoe, dictator, deconstructs constitutional, legal, government and political norms, selfish, demagogue, cruel, short-sighted, repulsive, loathed, moral failure, criminal, corrupt, celebrity and right, wrong, should, and ought for you, not me. Thoughts then wander to the Access Hollywood Tape, 12 women with sexual harassment claims, pay-offs to Stormy Daniels and Karen MacDougal; southern border immigration disasters; Mueller Report (Russian interference in 2016 election; obstruction of justice; Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Carter Page and Michael Flynn in prison); impeachment fiasco, quid pro quo with Ukraine; COVID-19 pandemic leadership and management was an absolute chaotic disaster costing American lives; leadership and management of racism demonstrations in the country, to include use of Federal forces to push peaceful protestors away to permit him to have a personal photo opportunity holding a Bible upside down; indiscriminate, self-serving sales of weapons to Saudis; and refusal to change the Confederate commander names of 10 military bases and remove Confederate artifacts that remind of slavery. Moreover, we were witness to a Commander-in-Chief who choose not to champion those in uniform and respect the core values of the military: 1) does not set a good example; 2) lies to self-serve; 3) dismissed as headaches the blast exposure soldiers received from a 2020 Iranian missile attack; 4) in four years he made only three visits to soldiers in war zones; 5) has referred to military leaders as “dopes and babies” when being briefed about the value of allies and overseas commitments; 6) reversed punishments or convictions for troops accused or convicted of war crimes; 7) has excoriated soldiers who irritated him: Senator John McCain, a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for more than five years; Defense Secretary James Mattis: “…the world’s most over-rated general…”; and combat-wounded Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman was “very insubordinate” and fired from the White House for testifying at Donald Trump’s impeachment. Donald Trump is an embarrassment to America.
2-Talk to It
John: Tell me about your childhood.
Don: It was tough. Never saw or talked to Mom. Dad was always working; and when I saw him, he was always wanting to know what I was doing to pull my share of the load. Folks offer that he left me a lot of money. However, not true.
John: Where did you go to school?
Don: Went to grade school and high school in Queens. Then off to a military prep school and Penn State, Wharton. Grades were always A’s.
John: Who were your friends growing up?
Don: Did not have any. Pretty much did my own thing.
John: Tell me about your family life and kids.
Don: Three wives. Not much to report other than great sex. Have five kids: Don, Jr., Eric, Ivanka, my favorite, Tiffany; and Baron. They are highly successful and work in my business.
John: Describe a situation where you helped someone solve a difficult problem.
Don: Filed a lawsuit in Scotland to have windmills removed from the views of my golf course.
John: What do you expect from the people who work for you?
Don: Yes, sir. No, sir. No excuse, sir. Lie, cheat, steal…whatever is necessary to win. Win at all costs. Absolute loyalty. Defend me at all costs. I am a genius and know more than all the folks in the world. I am rich. I am tough and have no emotional attachment to anything. Yes, I do relish the position power.
John: What makes you angry?
Don: Anything that does not go my way or is contrary to my beliefs.
John: What do you do in your spare time?
Don: Watch television, play golf, eat, go to Mar-a-Lago and be with friends, and I just love to be with groups of followers and rally to them.
John: Tell me about your greatest accomplishment.
Don: Being President and rich.
John: What did you like most about being President?
Don: The power of the position.
John: What did you dislike most about being President?
Don: Pretending to hear what others have to offer to solve problems. I can solve all problems in less time and with less effort.
John: Tell me about your greatest disappointment.
Don: Not able to have my own kingdom.
John: What is your greatest strength?
Don: Winning!
John: What is your greatest weakness?
Don: I do not have any. Just ask my kids, wives or those who work for me.
John: Describe a situation in which you failed.
Don: I have never failed.
John: Tell me about your favorite courses in school.
Don: I do not like to study and read.
John: Discuss a person who you admire.
Don: I want all folks to be like me.
John Discuss your biggest mistake in dealing with people.
Don: I do the right thing with all folks.
1-Be It.
I am too self-serving, over my head and not qualified for the job of President, simply lost and in need of integral therapy. My base folks need help, too. Please help them. I am too self-centered and just not emotionally connected to learning, sitting in pain, being honest, horror, the absurdity of America’s history and to the humanity of those who dared stand against the system. Ain’t no friends here. Four-hundred years is too long; and the opportunity to begin to unite the country is staring at us. Political party sorted folks need to remove the ego disguises and provide a welcoming, inclusive environment. Quickly change the remaining symbolic reminders of slavery. Let us put together game plans to transcend and include others: heal others, build up others; strengthen trust within coalitions; extend forgiveness; become an active listener; and inspire greatness in others. I am proud to serve alongside each person as we pursue excellence while at the same time respecting the dignity of teammates. Together, we can confront and solve problems with efficient, effective, and compassionate dialogue that seeks solutions rather than sowing seeds of division and disunity. Leadership can and will make things happen!