Author: Sharron Burnett

A Cosmic Perspective

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Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective precious…In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.  — Carl Sagan

When we are young we often disdain the idea of being different from others. As we grow older we revel in the idea of being unique. It is a lovely thought indeed that each of us is as individual as a snowflake. There is one and only one of us in all the universe, which makes each person a treasure not to be taken for granted. What a wonderful thought it is to be so special, so why is it that we sometimes engage in self hate and negativity?

There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to improve ourselves. We study so that we might increase our knowledge or learn a new skill. We eat well and exercise to make the most of the bodies that we have. We have fun trying new things with our hair or using makeup to highlight our best features. We involve our minds in spiritual pursuits as a way of finding our inner essences. With the right attitude we grow in wisdom and grace and become better versions of ourselves.

Of course we are never quite perfect. Each of us has flaws, but those things need not define who we are. I once read an interview with Kiera Knightly in which she laughed at the idea of being beautiful. She pointed out all of the physical imperfections that she has, none of which I had ever before noticed. The sum total of her parts are in fact lovely, and those little problems that she notes as she gazes in the mirror matter little to those of us who think of her as being a very pretty woman.

We are all influenced by popular culture. We strive to be in style even when doing so is not particularly comfortable. We wear ridiculous clothing and shoes that almost deform our aching feet. We diet to the point of starving ourselves lest someone see us as a bit too full figured. We engage in group think, fearful of developing our own ideas. We wonder what others are thinking about us when in all probability they are not thinking of us at all.

I used to be so self conscious, believing that somehow I might become the subject of ridicule. I was once going to perform in a talent show and I almost became sick with nervousness even though I was part of a large chorus. My mother quite wisely told me that in all likelihood the only people who would even see me would be my family and a few of my closest friends. Of course, she was right. As I think of events over the years I realize that the only people that I actually remember are the ones that I already loved and cherished. There was no need for me to worry at all, just as she said.

Most of the time what makes someone appear to be outstanding has very little to do with appearance or even level of intelligence and more to do with how they interact with the people around them. Someone who is generous, kind, and interested in others becomes beautiful and exciting in our minds. Just seeing them smile at us or listen to our cares and concerns makes them wonderful in our eyes. True beauty is actually much more than skin deep.

Approaching the world with optimism and genuine concern for others brings out the best in each of us. We need not follow the crowd. In fact, we always seem to admire those who march to their own drumbeats, unwilling to conform to the demands of society. Each of us should be proud of our uniqueness. It is what makes us special in billions of galaxies. It is in our differences that we are at our very best. Celebrate who you are every single day.

The Old Is New

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In The TrenchesIt was a dark time in history. The world was engaged in a heinous war whose purpose seemed unclear to most who tried to understand why millions of young men were dying. The brutality of the battles was unimaginable. Modernity had changed the nature of fighting in truly horrific ways. Mankind had not yet outlawed the use of chemicals as weapons. Nothing, it seems, was taboo, and so young men were permanently mutilated by agents like bombs and sarin gas. Never before had there been such murderous activity in mankind’s seemingly relentless quest for power. World War I is a war that we often ignore when in reality its effects continue to plague us to this very day.

The United States initially watched events unfold from afar. It’s hard for us to believe but our nation was very much a kind of backwater region at the onset of the twentieth century. Most of the world powers still thought of our government as a fluke in the annals of history, hardly worth noticing when compared to the vast influence of Austria-Hungary, Germany or Great Britain. Militarily the United States was ranked number seventeen, just behind Serbia. Few paid much attention to our still very young country as they engaged in an epic struggle in Europe.

At the beginning of World War I the United States was in debt and still far more rural than urban, but it had incredible natural resources and manpower which became a lifeline for nations like Britain and France during the fighting. With so many of their young workers unable to farm or work in factories it fell to the United States to supply the food and material needed to survive. The USA became a beehive of activity all while insisting on a neutral stance regarding the war. Initially most Americans were disinclined to become involved in a dispute that seemed to be more of a disagreement between royal relatives than a meaningful cause. Instead they enjoyed the fruits of commerce that were occasioned by the war.

The war that was supposed to be resolved in a matter of weeks dragged on with horrible consequences for European nations. The citizens watched helplessly as their youth were killed or maimed in heretofore unseen numbers. After almost four years of fighting France was on the verge of capture and collapse. Britain was little better. Russia was boiling over with a revolution that would dramatically alter the course of that country for the next hundred years. It appeared that Germany would soon dominate Europe. The United States enjoyed its relative safety and newfound prosperity while Europe burned.

Germany believed that it might break the will of Britain and France, thereby winning the war, if only the United States were prevented from sending supplies, and so they boasted that ships traveling across the Atlantic toward Europe would no longer be safe. Their gamble backfired and resulted in a declaration of war from the United States. Within months hurriedly trained American soldiers and weapons, began arriving to bolster the Allies, breaking the stranglehold that Germany seemed to have on the continent. By turning the tide of the war and helping the Allies to win the United States earned the respect of all the world. Suddenly our country had become a superpower and a king maker. For better or worse we have played that role ever since.

A hundred years ago President Woodrow Wilson justified our country’s involvement in war as a way of spreading liberty and democracy. It is an idea that is bandied about to this very day, but then as now a sizable number of people question the arrogance of interfering in the affairs of other nations. Such thinking was again used successfully as a rationale for World War II but lost its luster during the engagement in Vietnam. Presently the world finds itself in a confusing quagmire in the Middle East, a part of the world many of whose problems began with the peace negotiations at the end of World War I. One hundred years later we are seeing the results of arbitrarily dividing the spoils by redrawing colonial maps in a manner meant to punish the losers rather than consider the needs of the people living in the areas once ruled by European monarchs. The roots of today’s problems were unwittingly planted by power brokers whose intent had little to do with spreading freedom.

The world changed dramatically a hundred years ago particularly for the United States. We took on a mantle of responsibility back then that has always had an aura of discomfort. By nature we want to be the good guys, the heroes, but tiny voices of caution echo inside our heads. Part of our nature wants to be left alone, just as our forefathers who fought for their independence from an ever invasive government. Another side of our personalities feels compelled to constantly fix whatever we see as being broken including other governments. The tension between these two points of view are as prevalent today as they were back then. Our divisions are in reality nothing new.

One hundred years ago even as we appeared to be saving the world conditions were ironically far from ideal in our own backyard. Women were still fighting to win the right to vote. Race riots broke out in cities across the country in the summer of our victory. Many of those who had spoken against going to war languished in prisons. We still had much to do at home before serving as advisors to the world. Hypocrisy quietly reigned much as it often does.

Everything old becomes new again. After a hundred years much of the idealistic thinking of those who supported World War I has been tarnished by reality. We find ourselves feeling anxious as the world smolders as though coals of discontent from our past have once again caught fire. We ask many of the same questions and silently worry that a truly peaceful world is a pipe dream, the stuff of fools. We wonder if our warlike natures will always and for all time inevitably take hold. We would sometimes like to wish ourselves back to a time when we were number seventeen in the world and nobody expected much from us, but we know that our ship has sailed and now we much pray for the wisdom to find answers that will do the least harm. As we do so we would do well to remember the lessons from history.

The Strong

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AlejandroAt one of my grandsons’ recent track meets there was a fun race that featured beefy football players running against one another. Of course there was also a big twist to the competition. Each of the guys, who looked like defensive linemen, had to carry a tire as they circled the track. They had everyone laughing and having a good time, and I was reminded of a story that my grandfather loved to tell.

Grandpa grew up in small town Virginia. In fact he was so far out in the country that he wasn’t even sure if the place where he lived even had a name. The townspeople had to create their own entertainment. There were no theaters or musical venues or such, just whatever talent they were able to throw together from the locals.

On one occasion the citizens decided to have a race between the biggest guys in the county. The idea was that they would have to run through a course carrying heavy barrels of flour. They had to ford rivers, climb over fences and go through fields strewn with rocks while lugging the heavy containers. The path extended for several miles and was so treacherous that only a truly strong man would be able to survive the grueling adventure.

Grandpa said that everybody’s money was on one particular man who was built like  Paul Bunyan. His arms and legs rippled with muscle and he was well over six feet tall. My grandfather was in total awe of this contender, and so he wagered a small amount of his earnings on the outcome.

From the beginning of the race this incredible hulk of a man sprinted far ahead of the competition. Nothing seemed to stop him and in one phenomenal show of prowess he even climbed over a fence without stopping to set down the heavy barrel. Grandpa laughed as he pointed out that there was actually no contest, and his bet was as safe as if he had placed his money in the bank.

We humans have always had a fascination with individuals who hone their bodies into powerful machines. Here in the Houston area we are all enamored with J.J. Watt, an affable defensive player for the Houston Texans who at times seems to most surely be related to Superman. He has performed some spectacular feats on the football field and in the locker room, including jumping from a standing position to the top of a chest that was at least three or four feet off of the ground. When I think of J.J. I understand the admiration that my grandfather had for his hometown strong man.There is something almost mystical about such people. They metaphorically represent the strength of mind and body that we all wish to have.

Of course we are not all made of the necessary stuff to enable us to accomplish such remarkable physical feats. Even in the race with the tires that made us all laugh at my grandsons’ track meet there was one young participant who was significantly smaller than the rest and in spite of tremendous grit he was not able to keep up with the bigger boys. Still, there was something quite appealing about his willingness to try even as he fell farther and farther behind. In the end he received as much cheering and applause as the winner. We all somehow knew that his positive attitude was as laudable as size and speed.

My grandfather’s stories all had a common theme, namely that we humans are continually faced with challenges and the best among us fight with all of their might to succeed. He himself overcame one difficulty after another, and somehow lived to tell about his adventures with a hint of laughter and the wisdom of someone who had traveled along life’s highway for one hundred eight years.

We love our athletes because we understand how much hard work and pain it takes for them to do the things that they do. They push themselves beyond the limits that so many of us simply accept. This is also true of those who take their minds to heights of thinking and learning that literally result in unheard of discoveries. There are people among us who are not satisfied with being ordinary and their dedication to their craft separates them from the ordinary.

A couple of weeks ago one of the former students of KIPP Houston High School performed in his senior recital at Wabash College. To say that Alejandro Reyna is talented would be an understatement as evidenced by what he has achieved since the beginning of his education there. As a freshman he regularly wrote a blog detailing the adjustments that he had to make in a place far away from home with a culture unlike his own. His openness and sincerity made his writing an instant hit, but it was only the beginning of the incredible things that he would ultimately do. By the time that he had reached his senior year he had composed original music for oboe, piano and strings in addition to being a proficient singer. The works that he wrote were stunning and plant him firmly in the ranks of incredibly talented individuals. In his own way he is as splendid as the strong men who have been the stuff of fascinating legends. We will most surely continue to hear from this exceptional man. 

Each of us is endowed with particular talents, but we don’t always push ourselves to be our very best. Athletes work hard and often ignore pain. Those who are brilliant move beyond the ordinary in their quest for knowledge and answers to questions. There is much perspiration involved in achieving greatness and that is why we humans are so in awe of those who push the envelope of life. They become our heroes and live in the stories that we tell of them. Alejandro Reyna has already earned a place among them and he has only begun.   

A Winter Tale

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BM_Comfort476x290I vividly remember having the measles. It seemed to be the final insult in a year that had brought me nothing but grief. My father had died only months earlier leaving me confused and bereft as our family struggled to find its footing. We had moved into a house that was nothing like the ones we had been considering at the time of his death, but it had brought us great comfort in the short time that we had lived there. We had gone full circle, returning to the neighborhood and the school that we had left only a year before. The people who lived near us and those who attended our church had been welcoming and we had been gradually settling in to a new way of life without Daddy.

My mother’s selection of a home for us had been a very wise choice, but we were still navigating through a year of milestones that reminded us over and over again that the man who had been such an integral part of our lives was gone. Somehow we had made it through birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, starting the new year with the realization that we were going to actually make it on our own. Still I was feeling those sudden bursts of grief that seem to come and go in the first year after a loved one’s death. I often felt sorry for myself and my family, silently hoping that our tragedy had only been a dream. As the months went by it had become more and more certain that our new reality would never again include our father, so when I felt the first symptoms of illness that winter I thought that I was just having another bout of sadness. I felt so tired that I uncharacteristically retired to bed early.

By the following morning I was raging with fever and my head felt as though it was going to explode. I felt so dizzy that I hesitated getting out of my bed so I called my mother for help. My throat felt dry and scratchy and it seemed as though every bone in my body ached. I had at times dramatically wished I were dead like my father, but that was just a way to garner attention from my overworked mom. Now I wondered if my bizarre request had somehow been granted because I truly felt as though I had one foot in the grave.

My mother took a quick look at me and asked me to lift the top of my pajamas. Underneath the soft flannel was a scarlet colored rash that caused her to shake her head and declare that I had the measles. She immediately went into action, calling our family doctor who agreed with her assessment and advised her over the phone rather than having me come to his office. He did not want me to expose the rest of his patients to my highly contagious disease, so he and my mother discussed how to best treat my illness.

It was a bitterly cold winter that year in keeping with the somber tone of our household. The heater seemed to whir away continuously and I was so happy that our neighbor, Mr. Sessums, had put it in fine working order for us. I felt quite snug under quilts that my grandmother had made and somewhat relieved that I did not have to go to school on that day. My teacher was a woman who terrified me and any time spent away from her was welcome in my mind. I willingly stayed in my bed and fell into a deep sleep.

When I awoke my room was quite dark and I wondered if I had slumbered all day. Mama informed me that I was not to look out my window, watch television or turn on the lamps in my room lest the lights damage my eyes. She explained that having measles was very serious and that I needed to follow her instructions to the letter so that I might recover quickly and without any long term side effects. Since my fever was still quite high I had little inclination to disobey her. For the most part movements of any kind sent my head into a tailspin and so I languished in my room listening to the sounds of my family going about its routine.

As my seemingly endless bad luck would have it, Houston had one of the biggest snows in its history only a day or so after I was afflicted with the measles. I could hear my friends and family celebrating the uncommon occasion up and down the street. My brothers had snowball fights and built a snowman with my mother. They breathlessly recounted how glorious their fun had been from the safety of the hallway. Their cheeks were tinged with a bright red glow of excitement and I wanted more than anything to experience the adventure that they described to me.

Mama reminded me again and again that I was not to even peek through the blinds to view the white stuff on the ground. She was a good nurse but I truly doubted that her extreme caution was necessary. When she and my brothers returned to the winter wonderland to make snow angels I saw my opportunity to find out for myself what a true snowy day looked life. I gingerly squinted through a tiny gap in the wooden slats of the blinds and saw a glorious sight unlike any I had ever experienced in my hometown. The yards were covered with a lovely white dusting of frozen precipitation. Snowmen smiled in front of every home and children were bundled up in winter wear that they hardly ever had occasion to use. The sound of laughter filled the air as the winter party delighted young and old alike, everyone it seemed but me.

My mother never knew that I had so blatantly disobeyed her. For a time I worried that as punishment for my transgression I would become permanently blind, but when that never happened I felt justified in seizing that daring moment. Soon enough I was back in school and forever immune from catching the measles, something that seemed to make my mother quite happy. I would not understand the full extent of what I had endured until later in life when I was pregnant with my own children. It was then that I was told of the dangers of catching the measles while carrying a baby in the womb. None of those fears would apply to me, and later when they were born my girls would receive an immunization that would insure that they would never have to worry about catching the measles as I had.

The World Health Organization has officially declared that measles have been eradicated in the United States. My childhood experience is a thing of the past, an historic event that no longer happens in our country. Much like my grandfather’s stories of smallpox, my recollection of having the measles is a curiosity that my children and grandchildren will never truly understand. Thank God for that.   

No Words

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170410222008-united-flight-passenger-video-after-incident-john-klaassen-intv-ctn-00003430-super-169I actually love to fly but admit that there are certain aspects of the adventure that make me nervous. I’m always afraid of being late and more than once I have been in lines that were so long that I was certain that I would miss my flight. I’m not a fan of the TSA screening process either. I got a rather personal pat down in France several years ago that was so demeaning that I could feel the tears of anger gathering in my eyes. I had to breathe rather purposefully to keep from overreacting. On another occasion a great brouhaha occurred when agents discovered a New York skyline snow globe in my granddaughter’s carry on luggage. She didn’t want it to break in flight so she had carefully wrapped it in a jacket and lovingly lugged through the airport. It seems that it was just a bit too large to be allowed on the plane. After a great deal of discussion a very nice agent found a way to protect it from being broken while stowed in the baggage area of the plane. My granddaughter wondered why there was any worry over it and was told that it might contain explosive materials. She later whispered to me that if it was some kind of bomb the plane would blow up whether it was with the passengers or down below. I had to shush her and tell her to just be happy that they didn’t make her leave it behind.

Once I’m past all of the boarding craziness at the airport I generally feel lighthearted and safe. I like to read and play games while in flight and I have rarely encountered any problems in my many trips, save one. I was returning to Houston from Syracuse with a stop in Cleveland where I was to catch a flight that would take me home. Unfortunately the weather took a nose dive and we had to fly away from the storm rather than landing in Cleveland. The trip was bumpy to say the least. I must admit to saying an Act of Contrition and a number of other prayers as we seemed to be at the mercy of nature’s fury. We eventually returned to Cleveland but our connecting flight was long gone and there were no more flights that night. We ended up spending the night inside an almost empty airport with nary a sign of food. Given that I had not eaten since breakfast I would have paid a small fortune for even a bag of peanuts, but there was nothing to be had that I was able to find. About two or three in the morning I decided to walk the breadth and length of the airport and came upon a Dunkin’ Donuts that was actually open. It had coffee and two lone donuts which I hurriedly purchased lest someone else might find this rare treasure. I wondered why the airline had been so uncaring when they dumped us out of the plane and just left us to fend for ourselves. I had little idea then that I should have counted my blessings that things went as well as they did. Recent events have convinced me that I was actually lucky.

Of course I am referring to the disastrous events on a United flight from Chicago on Palm Sunday. According to reports the flight had been overbooked and the airline needed four seats to send employees to St. Louis. There were multiple requests for volunteers to accept another flight and an eight hundred dollar bonus, but even after much  cajoling the airline needed one more place. Using some unknown methodology they decided to make a sixty nine year old Asian doctor an offer that he couldn’t refuse. When he insisted that he would not leave because he had to get home to patients the following day security guards forcefully removed him from his seat. Video from the phones of other passengers show him hitting his head on the arm rest as he screams while being carried down the aisle. He then somehow managed to return to the plane looking disoriented and had blood dripping down his face. He was muttering that he had to get home while the other passengers watched in horror. I can only imagine how horrific the whole scene must have been for everyone on board.

The man has been identified as Dr. David Dao. He has a bit of a checkered past which should have absolutely nothing to do with what happened to him on that flight. The people involved in his removal handled the situation so badly that the public is angry the world over and the incident has become a PR nightmare for United. More importantly is the fact that this never had to happen but for the fine print on all tickets that indicates that the airline has the authority to force a person to deplane if they need a seat. Few us of really understood this before the incident with Dr. Dao. I certainly would have been horrified if it had happened to me and there would have been no amount of money that might have assuaged me, and yet I now understand that it is perfectly within the purview of the airlines.

By now Dr. Dao may have begun legal proceedings against United Airlines. I certainly think that he is well within his rights to demand compensation for the wrongs done to him. I suspect that there will be other passengers who litigate as well. What should have been a routine Sunday afternoon flight turned into a nightmare for everyone who had to witness the travesty. There are really no words to adequately describe the horror of what happened and I for one am in the hopes that anyone who asks will receive more than a small monetary reward from United. I’d like to think that Dr. Dao will be set for the rest of his life. At the very least those of us who are customers should boycott the airline when at all possible. Such actions are one way of insuring that consumers will be treated fairly in a business where we often feel as though we are being treated like cattle.

Of late service on airlines seems to be almost a thing of the past. We are all subject to the whims of the bottom line. We can’t be late but the airlines so often are. We pay higher and higher prices for our flights while receiving fewer and fewer perks. The seats and the aisles are so small that we barely fit. We are often treated more like criminal suspects than paying customers. Perhaps this incident will serve to convince all airlines that the old saw that the customer is always right has its merits. It’s time to consider the needs of the people who keep the planes flying in the air with their money. We should all demand better. We should not accept such a lack of concern for our needs. We can change the way things are with our wallets and should join forces to do so.