Passing On (Advice)

You know you're getting old when you start dispensing advice to those younger than you, and I accept the adjective. I'm old. I wobble some, but I still think. And while I can, I regret that I must inform you that you get to be subject to my “wisdom,” if you choose to be. So I'll tell you how I've lived my life – and it's worked out pretty well. Perhaps some of my personal rules (“my” is an overstatement since they're hardly original, but they worked for me) will resonate with you.

1. Hope for the best. I'm optimistic by nature. Pessimism doesn't improve anything. It just makes you worry about it.
2. Prepare for the worst. For many of us the worst isn't so bad. I'm far better off than most of the world's people but I know there are going to be problems. There are always problems, and only you can guess what they might be. So, as the Boy Scouts say, “Be Prepared.” (For the Coast Guard it's “Semper Paratus.”)
3. Play the hand you're dealt. It is what it is. Fix it if necessary and if you're able, but you can't hide from a situation just because you don't like it. Deal with it. It's not only about you, so it's important to react to what's happening around you. Do something. Remember that things are only inevitable if you don't change them.
4. Plan for the future, but act in the present. The past is informative so you should use it. But don't let it paralyze you. Act when you must act. Never confuse what you want with reality.
5. Trust small, but verify large. The promises of others aren't always kept.
6. Do everything you can for others (and that includes cheering them up)– as soon as you can – but,
7. For better or worse, family comes first.
8. Honor your obligations, whether a promise or a note on the calendar. (Remember that appointments are promises, and schedules should be respected and followed.) Your word should be your bond.
9. Remember that others may not be as reliable as you. Cut them some slack.
10. Never give up.

“Pablum.”

Admit it. That's what you're thinking. (Cover your mouth when you yawn.)

And that's what I would have thought when I was young. A lot of sentimental advice of an old man. And it is. But that doesn't invalidate it. You may not agree with it all and you may not follow it, but it's worth considering. As time has gone by I've realized that life is not simply a series of isolated experiences that you can finesse but a sequence of challenges that all bear on each other, and which, with a reasonable amount of thought and preparation, you'll find a consistent and effective way you can meet.

There's more that I wanted to say, but I can't remember what it is. Which brings me to a final bit of advice. It's hardly new, but it's very effective. I learned it from my father. He didn't consciously teach it to me, but it was easy to see what he was doing. In his shirt pocket he had a stack of index cards which contained lists of what needed to be done. Nowadays all those things would be listed on some sort of battery-operated pocket device. I'm sure there's an app for it. But I'm a troglodyte and I scorn such devices. I still use paper and a pen. The older I get the more I forget. I still remember, however, how to write, while I have doubts whether I'd be able to learn enough about the “smartphones” and their equivalents to make them worth both the expense and my time.

In any case, however, I've presented a few rules by which I live. Perhaps they're of interest to you. Perhaps not. I suggest that it might be of value to you to give some thought to how you might conduct your own affairs in a manner that will reflect reasonably well on you at a time when you're too old to make significant changes. We don't live forever. There are no do-overs, so we might as well get it right the first time.

Enjoy.

May 22, 2017

Eligite Diem

It's usually carpe diem, but scholarly as that may sound, I prefer eligite diem. I hope I have that right. It's been over sixty years since I took Latin and my memory's fading, however I think I'm right, and even if I'm not you probably won't know the difference. Ego caterva, “I hope.” (And I hope I have that right as well.)

Let's start with definitions. We'll get them out of the way before proceeding. Carpe diem, the common expression, means “seize the day,” while eligite diem, if my Latin is correct, means “choose the day.” They represent two different philosophies but are by no means mutually exclusive.

The first, carpe diem, seize and enjoy the day, tells us not only to “play the hand we're dealt,” but to improve on it – to take advantage of every opportunity. To make the most of opportunities, by whatever means is necessary. And it's good advice. Not being cowed by the world we face but making the best of every situation is not only realistic but good practice. As the saying goes, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” But it may not always be possible – unless you thought in advance to get sugar. So it's not the best philosophy to live by.

Eligite is about choosing, and that's good policy: preparation for what's in store. It may be tedious and tiresome, but understanding the challenges ahead, anticipating the opportunities and when they'll come along, gives you the opportunity to choose the time to do whatever you have in mind. The decision is yours. You act when you're ready rather than react to a sudden occurrence when you may not be prepared.

The thought came to mind soon after reading Consumer Reports, a magazine that evaluates and rates a wide variety of products, telling of their advantages and disadvantages. Those, however, are advantages and disadvantages in the mind of the reviewer. The magazine's articles are designed to enumerate the evaluation criteria, and to tell how each product measures up in regard to them. Clearly some consumers will be more interested in one feature than another and their choices may vary from those of the reviewer. Recognizing the different approaches of the magazine, and how it describes all the features in each of the products it tests, the reader can make the decision.

As a mental exercise, I began wondering about the different days of the year where I live. How would I rate them? What yardsticks would I use? I knew that my choice was likely to differ from others who live in the area. The criteria that came to mind immediately, the ones that varied through the year, were primarily weather and hours of light and dark. There were also the days when taxes were collected and the days that were observed as holidays – not that I work and would benefit from a holiday. Every day is a day off. Religious holidays were also factored in as I searched for the best day of the year. I knew then, and I know now, that my decision would be different from that of others, but I knew also that it didn't mean anything anyway. It was, with only one exception, a silly exercise.

But the one exception was, by extension, an important one. It became clear to me when thinking about desirable days and the criteria that were meaningful for me, that the best way to seize the right day was to prepare for it – to decide in advance about what is likely to happen, and when. For example – and most parents are aware of it – it's better to know when their childrens' homework is due and to “encourage” them to deal with it early, rather than to help them out when the deadline is nigh. “The day” may never come and we may never have the opportunity to accomplish what we want if we wait to seize it. And, assuming money is available, it's better to pay bills immediately, than to avoid them until the last moment when you may have spent the money on something else. Overdraft protection is nice, but if you've avoided the need for it you're ahead of the game.

Most financial planners will advise you save or invest on a regular schedule rather than waiting for an “opportunity” – to choose what is best rather than hope for it to arrive. If it does come and you can seize it, all the better. But if that's not the case you're still in good shape. To get into that position you'll have to have studied all the factors involved, and chosen the best schedule for yourself based on income, anticipated expenditures, and historic patterns of variation of the economy.

And it's best to put off purchases until the days when you know they'll be most fruitful – when you'll do the best. Perhaps that will be on “black Friday” or possibly on the day that your local supermarket doubles the value of coupons. (Or about two weeks before Valentine Day. Prices on flowers go up markedly the week before. Don't wait until you have to seize the day, unless you know with certainty that an opportunity is coming.)

There's nothing very esoteric about what I'm saying. It's all common sense and you know it all. But for most people it's not a major consideration. Yet all it requires is a little thought about what's coming – a little planning rather than a reaction to to what happens outside your control: study and preparation rather than luck. It doesn't always work but it makes more sense than waiting and hoping, and acting, because you have no choice, at what might be an inopportune moment. Deciding, all of a sudden, that you want to get married on a beautiful spring day may be romantic, but not if you had hoped to do so at a particular site, which is not available on the spot. And not if you want others to attend. And not if you want to feed them. Planning and preparation aren't exciting. Impulsive action is far more glamorous. But the former approach is more likely to prove successful, and anyway, it doesn't exclude the possibility of seizing chances. It only limits them to times when they are, indeed, possible without prejudicing other actions. And when you're prepared to take advantage of them.

I don't lead a very exciting life. In fact in many ways it's boring. But it's predictable, and that's a big help. Something may happen of course, even though most things will be arranged, but I can deal with most changes, and I much prefer boredom to excitement if excitement brings risk. I prefer to choose when it suits me, rather than be surprised and faced with the need to make rapid and unconsidered decisions.

So education, planning and preparation allow me to choose the best time to act, rather than to react hurriedly to an unexpected situation, even a favorable one. And I may choose to do so in a way different from my neighbor, who may himself be acting differently from others. But I'll be ready to make a considered choice – even in the case of a surprise. If I've prepared well enough to choose I'll be ready to seize the day if it should come. If we seize anything, though, it should be the chance to choose.






February 6, 2017

The King Is Dead – Long Live The King

As you, know I'm retired. I don't mean “tired again,” but that I no longer work in my previous profession. I used to be a radiologist, involved in teaching and in administration as well as actually practicing in the medical field (I couldn't choose between “art” and “science” so I used “field;” you decide between them or reject them both for another term). Many of my colleagues, and others, ask me what I now do with my time. They'll keep on doing what they've always done because they can't imagine doing anything else.

When I was born, during the (Franklin) Roosevelt administration, the average lifespan for a man was about 65 years and Social Security was keyed to that age. If you lived beyond that point you could collect a government pension – one to which you'd been contributing during your working years. It wasn't all that much but you were old and wouldn't need the money for very long. And you wouldn't have to occupy yourself for very long.

The times, however, are a changin.' People now live far longer, and the average American lives into his late seventies (or her eighties) with more and more living past the century mark. And that seems to change everything. More people are collecting Social Security and fewer are paying for it. Sooner of later something is going to collapse, but that's the next generation's problem if no solution is found. I'll let them worry about it.

Anyway, that's not the reason I'm writing. My main interest is in the questions I've been asked. Those who have not taken the big step, because they're too young, economically unable, or frightened wonder what I do with all of my time. My productive life is over, and I have gone out to pasture. “What do you do with your time?” The assumption is that my profession defined me. It was my life. And now it's over. That's true for many of them but not for me. They'll work until they drop. Or, as I said in the first paragraph, “They'll keep on doing what they've always done because they can't imagine doing anything else.” But I can, and I did.

In one respect I agree with them; my productive life is over – at least if you define it as the time spent earning a salary by providing a service for humanity (or whoever else is around). Social Security, my pension, and my savings provide for me in my “golden years.” Perhaps they're not as golden as they're cracked up to be (I think I addressed that issue a few years ago and perhaps I'll do so again, but not now) but, as a character in a Monty Python (movie – Monty Python and the Holy Grail) said, “I'm not dead. … I don't want to go on the [corpse] cart.”

And I don't agree that my productive years are over in the sense that there are other things I can produce besides x-ray interpretations – like these essays. Perhaps I was a better radiologist than I am a writer, but I get a good deal of satisfaction over setting the world right. No one may pay any attention, but (I've convinced myself that) I'm right and I have all the answers. And, since no one pays any attention, no one disputes my claim.

To a degree, these essays are my new life. They inspire reading and research as well as the writing, and they occupy more time than I have available. They're what I do with my time.

For many years I'd start projects which I never finished because I lacked the time to complete them. But that life is over. As a radiologist I'm dead. That death, however, was the beginning of a new life. (I don't know if my wife is happy that I'm home more now, but she's still working so we don't get in each other's way too often.) I have drawers full of started projects and accumulated notes to myself concerning ideas I'd like to develop. And I keep thinking of more all the time, writing them down and stuffing them in a pocket. I spent my entire working life preparing for my retirement, but I didn't know it at the time.

I enjoyed life as a radiologist. It was a lot of fun and I think I did a good job at it. As corny as it sounds, I think I actually helped people – both my patients and my students. But that time is past. That life is over. And the answer to the loss of an old life is the beginning of a new one. Prepare yourself. If you have something to do, your new life will be a blast.

January 16, 2017

It's Almost Over

This is part four of a five-part account.  For the full reading please wait until July 13th.

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He had never clarified “OWWW” and I had no idea what it was. So I interrupted and asked. This time he heard me.

“It's the 'Other-World Wide Web.' The main use is as part of the program to bring everyone up to speed on the true religion and all the virtuous acts that our residents perform. They can help each other to see the light, though I suspect that I did so without their help when I was in the tunnel. Souls can communicate with each other as well. They can learn from each other, because learning is never finished. And, to a point, they can connect with the WWW, although their address is changed so there is no trail to the OWWW.

And they can't log onto any site that requires money.ⁱ That makes it impossible to get some of the most recent religious insights. Of course they're not short of divine wisdom in Heaven, but for more than a millennium it's been a human prerogative to determine the meaning of the holy works and they only learn of the advances after the various authors die.ⁱⁱ Since their books cost money, no one on the OWWW can get them and they only learn the new ideas after the authors die. And, unfortunately, medical progress on earth is resulting in longer life spans, so we have to wait longer. Since time progresses slowly in comparison to what we experience on earth, it can be a while before the new information reaches Heaven. Not that they have any place to go or that they're likely to run out of time, but they're junkies for that stuff. After all, spiritual knowledge is one of the criteria for status in that venue.”

I still wasn't sure where he was going. Fred had a lot to say and he seemed to be unstoppable. And what he said was a little complicated. But I was beginning to take him seriously. Even if I didn't really understand what he was telling me. Even though my own education was in law and, though I knew some science, my knowledge of it wasn't much beyond that of an intelligent layman, I was most struck by concepts of time – that of “Heaven” and ours here on earth. I still believed that the apparent expansion of time in dreams was the best explanation, but I couldn't rid myself of thoughts of Einstein. Suppose Heaven is in motion, and moving close to the speed of light. Time would certainly slow down in comparison to what we experience. Maybe that's what was happening. Or was I just getting sucked in? And why do I have to use rational concepts to explain anything as mystical as he was relating?

So I just listened.

“And then it all started falling in place.”

Finally Fred was getting to the point.

“'Bernie,' I said, 'I think that working together we can solve some of the problems you've described. As I understand it, Heaven isn't so different from earth. The biggest problem is money. And what makes it a problem is distribution. But it doesn't have to be. As long as your OWWW can communicate with the WWW it's possible that some way can be found to transfer money.ⁱⁱⁱ I could try to convince them to have their money buried with them like the Pharaoh, but that would be up to their heirs, and I suspect it wouldn't happen very often. It's not a feature of modern religions and people are greedy. They'd rather pocket the money than throw it into a hole.' But what I needed personally was some assurance that I hadn't died and I'd get back to the world I knew. I saw a real opportunity, not only to make scientific progress, but money.”

That was the Fred I knew. I also knew that he was very level-headed and I wasn't ready to disregard his views. In fact, I was becoming convinced.

“I explained to him what I was thinking and asked for the assurance. But, of course, he couldn't give it. Life and death were not decisions he made. 'We'll see what happens and work from there.' I have to admit that if I stayed dead it wouldn't have been a calamity. Everyone seemed happy where they were and I was sure I would be, too. The challenge, though, was tempting. It was an entrepreneur's heaven. Here was the chance to link this world with the afterlife and make money doing it. Everything was already in place, all it needed was someone imaginative enough to connect the dots. I can do that, but I'll need your help to make it work.”

Next episode: “It's Over” – No fat lady, but this will bring us up to date.

 

 

 

 

I        Actually, they can't log into most sites other than the religious ones. Certainly not pornography and other social media.

ii       Remember how slowly time passes up there compared to what we experience. A human lifetime would seem endless in their terms.

iii      Fred and Bernie eventually worked out the protocols necessary to do this. Mostly Fred. His education was worth all that his father paid for it.

The Children of Sandy

                                                                            

There seems to be an assumption that some time around the end of August and the beginning of September there's likely to be a marked increase in births on the East Coast, nine months following Sandy. It wouldn't be a surprise, but that's not my primary interest today though it is worthy of mention. Rather I'd like to consider some of Sandy's other spawn.ⁱ   They have been devastating, although behind every cloud ...

Too often we must deal with an “act of nature”ⁱⁱ and from its consequences. We view these situations as unavoidable and, while some of the results are predictable and can at least be modified by proper preparations, they rarely are. We can often offer warnings of the impending danger and sometimes, but not always, persuade the threatened individuals to seek protection. Not everyone is persuaded however, and many people elect to “ride out” the danger.

A few weeks ago “super storm” Sandy attacked the east coast of the United States and left chaos in its wake. New Jersey and New York were the hardest hit, but other areas were involved as well. The term “super storm” is not hyperbole. Many lesser events, however, have resulted in similar, if less severe, damage, and I shall list some of it here, because if we are to prepare in the future, it will be important to know some of the threats we face, and how we might have lessened the risks.

The greatest tragedy, of course, is the human one. It is a difficult one to avoid. Deaths and injuries occur,ⁱⁱⁱ but the risk of rebuilding in dangerous areas^iv should be recognized and the act discouraged, however we, as a society, support it.^v We do so with insurance, FEMA, subsidies, loans, tax breaks, and the like. However admirable that kind of assistance is, it would be better for the government to declare such a location a “dangerous area,” off limits – certainly an area where a similar avoidable tragedy awaits those who choose to put themselves in harm's way. As for those who are determined^vi to remain where they are, of course, we are obligated to rescue those people – whether the threat results from a natural disaster or from a risk taken voluntarily by the particular individual. That category would include mountain climbers, boaters, or others who need to be rescued from their own machismo; they battled nature and lost. But it is reasonable to charge them for the service, not have it covered by other taxpayers, people who are too intelligent to try to prove their daring with death-defying feats – and that includes living in a demonstrably dangerous area.

The human toll may not all be direct or immediate. Loss of power and heat in hospitals^vii and nursing homes may be responsible for physical harm, or may require the risks of evacuation and relocation as well.^viii As will the emotional injuries involved in these situations and in separations.

But while deaths and injuries (including those of pets) may be the most newsworthy results of the event, the greatest impact on most people in our country is financial, consisting of property damage, including, among other things, environmental damage^ix and the destruction of homes, as well as damage to utilities with its repercussions and damage to businesses, leading not only to the physical damage but to loss of business income and the loss of jobs.

With the devastation just cited, there is going to be a huge fiscal burden that both those directly involved, and the rest of us as well, will have to bear. Some will be for property – replaceable and irreplaceable – that was damaged or lost. And some will result from service losses. Those related to power and heat^x have been mentioned, but others will come up – like thefts from homes that have been battered and are in need of repair – during which time the inhabitants may be living elsewhere.

Another category of thefts involves the scams perpetrated on the victims. There come in the form of prepaid costs of rebuilding that doesn't occur and loans that are never given. Those are only samples. Ingenious crooks will certainly find other ways to profit from the losses of others.

Others certainly do. Many existing business, like construction firms, get additional jobs which arise from the destruction. And most advertisers alter their text to make reference to the incident and tell how they have suffered too. And they declaim their desire to be part of the solution. So, for a limited time, they're lowering their prices, especially to victims.^xi After all, they're victims too and know how important it will be to act now. And there are lawyers, moneylenders, and insurance companies that want to help as well.

But every disaster – indeed, every challenge – presents some opportunities as well. First of all, there is the opportunity to consider our responses to disasters generally, including plans to deal with them and to give greater thought to the propriety and ethics of permitting rebuilding at government expense in unsafe areas. And with every rebuilding effort there is the need to employ people who are out of work and the opportunity to utilize newer standards and materials that will lessen the possibility and severity of future losses.

What is also very important, though, is how we have responded to Sandy and to prior disasters. People have contributed time, effort, and property to the recovery efforts. Indeed, people are usually faster at getting to the scene of a disaster than governmental agencies, they're more willing to offer their services, and they're less hindered by red tape. The cost of a bureaucracy need not be deducted from that of their effort. It's true charity, and includes, in addition to the wishes and moral support we offer, direct contributions of cash, housing, food, concerts and other fund raising efforts. It brings out the good in our fellow men. Their efforts contribute to the present and the future, both physically and spiritually. They are a critical accompaniment to the preparation for whatever may be anticipated.

And that is where we should be focusing our thoughts. However heartbreaking the losses and however the consequences traumatize the survivors – and all of us as well – the chance to adopt policies to minimize future disasters and their results should be the favored response. More than mourning the past, however important that is, we need to deal with the present and plan for the future. Such preparations will be the best of Sandy's children.

And next autumn we can rejoice in those opportunities with our future.

Next episode:  "It's Their Job" -- Picking and choosing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i      I admit that I don't know if “Sandy” is a male or female name, and that “spawn” is really a female term, referring to strewn eggs, but the results of the storm are what is of interest, and they're the same irrespective of Sandy's sex.

ii     Acts of Man (generic) may cause some of the results described herein. Tragedies like that in Newtown, Connecticut, certainly led to deaths and there will be great psychological repercussions, as well as costs to the government and taxpayers, but they will be dealt with at another time.

iii     As does psychological damage, which may be devastating.

iv     That's a hard term to define, but after an area has suffered from a particular kind of disaster – fire, flood, tornado, mudslide, storm – a certain number of times, it might be prudent not to underwrite further rebuilding and habitation of an area where a repeat episode is predictable.

v      And when we aid in rebuilding in a place susceptible to a repeat of the disaster, we are encouraging that rebuilding, and the inevitable results in terms of the human, as well as the property loss, that are certain to occur.

vi     Some cannot afford to move and for them there should be assistance in relocation. FEMA and the Small Business Administration may help with immediate needs, but Government purchase of threatened land will often be a better start. Indeed, consideration should be given to condemnation and expropriation of property whose owner will not leave. Although the victims may not be enthusiastic about such a solution, compensation and relocation may be the least wrenching way of dealing with potential recurrences of both the calamity and of the pain they are currently enduring.

vii    And, of course, the loss of power and heat may result in illness as well as discomfort to homeowners, as well as food spoilage, which may cause further illness.

viii   Apart from the need to relocate those in threatened healthcare facilities both before and after the event, there are many healthy people who may need such services either before the event – to avoid death and injury-- and afterward who, because of damage to their homes or its destruction, are left homeless.

ix     For example, Sandy resulted in extensive beach and boardwalk damage.

x     Or anything else that eventuates in someone having to pay the costs of unanticipated transportation to the home of someone who was not directly involved in the problem, or the costs of other habitation, like a hotel. It also involves unexpected delays for those away from home and and unable to return because of the need to limit flights. That, by itself, may lead to loss of work days and the wages that would otherwise it. One more fiscal repercussion of the disaster would be the government's (the taxpayers' – your) contribution to rebuilding – especially public buildings like schools, whose students and staffs will lose classroom days.

xi     Previously advertised “sales” are forgotten and the disaster is now the reason for their magnanimity. It's often just a change in the text of their ads, not in the prices of their products.