I've always felt like an outsider. Not in an alienated or bitter way, I love being a part of the world and for the most part I like the people that I encounter, and while I am often critical and sometimes cynical about humanity, I ultimately have faith in humankind, and hope that given enough time we'll come around.
I enjoy considering myself an outsider. Not in an arrogant or superior way, although I will admit to having to fight that urge to put myself above others occasionally. I fight the urge because it's not how I want to be. I have my own take on things, my own view of the world and the way it should operate in the best of all possible worlds, and that view often goes against the grain of mainstream thought. But I don't view myself as inherently better than my fellow man (or woman), just often different. Although I suspect, at least I hope that deeper down we are all on the same plane, that we all see the same universal truths and desire the same goals out of life, but that many have a more difficult time breaking free from the constraints of mainstream conventional thought processes that for the most part hold humanity back from its' true purpose, which to my way of thinking is to create an ideal, compassionate, peaceful, just, and ultimately more humane society.
The place where paradoxically I feel most in touch with both the human and natural world is when I am by myself hiking in the back country of the Eastern Sierras in Northern California. By getting away from all of the trappings of modern life I feel that I become connected with ancient and universal truths that are accessible to us all if only we actively seek them and then allow ourselves to be penetrated by their beauty and wisdom. Being in the mountains is for me a truly religious experience, one that gets to the heart of my pantheistic philosophy. I believe that the true nature of God and of life can be found in what is most genuine, and that quite simply put is in nature.
While there are other natural settings that inspire similar feelings, the ocean and the desert offer an experience of holiness and bliss as well, for me there is simply no place like the mountains. The majesty of snow covered peaks, the plethora of colors, smells, and sounds of the grass and pines, the wildflowers and aspens, the lakes and streams, the animal life, and the glow of the sun away from the filters of pollution are quite possibly the perfect blend of stimuli. The mountains provide an experience that emanates from the core of our existence and contains the entirety of it. I look forward the entire year to my brief time every summer up in the mountains and inevitably suffer from a temporary depression upon my return to humanity while I gradually readjust. If I had my way I would spend more time in the high country and less in the lowlands, but of course we don't always get our way in life do we?
Don't get me wrong, my life in the city is wonderful, and while I'm not the biggest fan of desert life in the ridiculously hot summer months, Phoenix suits me fine. My kids are growing up in a good environment, which is the most important thing to me, and my wife and I have mostly adjusted to life in a city that is not native to either of us. Perhaps Phoenix will always be my home, there are always practical matters to consider, such as being able to bring home a paycheck and being close to family to name a few. But in my ideal scenario, after my kids are grown and off making their own way in the world, and if my writing ever provides me with the ability to make a living outside of the constraints of working for an employer, I would live in a mountain town. Mammoth Lakes, CA is my favorite such town, but staying closer to family and living in Flagstaff, AZ would be an option as well. Of course certain things would have to fall into place, but a boy can dream can't he?
For now I'll simply enjoy the cooler late fall and pending winter weather, wear my flannel coat and grow my mountain man beard, both symbols of how I see my true self. I have the pictures taken on my summer treks which serve as the background screen on my laptop and as a constant reminder of where I'd really prefer to be. I have the ability to load up my new backpack and head up north for a day hike now and then. I'll enjoy this desert life and the urban existence that most of us live out of practical concerns and necessity, but I'll keep dreaming of the day when my wife and I can put the city in the rear view mirror and head for the hills, to a place that brings one closer to all that is most real and beautiful, to a place that has been in existence long before the artifices of man, and most likely will continue to be long after we are done altering the planet in a vain attempt to bend it to our will.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Out of Afghanistan
President Obama has a crucial decision to make, and it is one that very well could prove to be a tipping point for his presidency. Of the many roles that a president fills, none is more important than his role as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, which becomes even more vital during time of war. The president is the decider, and choices about military strategy are literally life and death decisions, which takes precedence over any other type of policy that is the president's responsibility. President Obama should make the wise and courageous decision to begin an immediate withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and to continue the withdrawal already begun in Iraq.
The conventional wisdom on Afghanistan is that it is the good war. Benjamin Franklin, one known for wisdom and for being anything but conventional, once stated that there never was a good war or a bad peace. I'm solidly with Franklin on this count. The story we are sold to justify this war is that we are fighting against Al-Qaeda and therefore both avenging 9/11 and ensuring that our nation is not attacked again. Neither point is true. We are fighting the Taliban, the group that originally had been harboring Al-Qaeda, but from different sources I have read, has long since kicked out their guests because they tired of the trouble caused by housing them. Al-Qaeda has since taken up shelter in the no-man's land that encompasses eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, an area that is both remote and not controlled by any national government. If we are serious about going after Osama bin Laden and his army, that is where we should be, not fighting against the Taliban, a group with no global designs or desire to attack America.
The notion of making our country safe from attack is also a false notion. We like to justify our Asian adventures with slogans like freedom isn't free and brandishing our support for the troops on bumper stickers and t-shirts. Defending the nation is arguably the most important job of the government, but there are more effective ways of doing it than the way we are going about it. Obama was elected by a majority of the voting populace just over a year ago, and many of us cast our votes in hope that we were getting an intelligent man who could understand the complexity and nuance of foreign policy. Our last president certainly could not, his view of the world was overly simplistic, in his philosophy you were either with us or against us, and his crusade was to rid the world of evil-doers with brute force. Our new president would understand that there are a variety of means at our disposal in order to make the world, and ultimately America, a safer place.
While Obama's rhetoric so far has given those of us who realize that the rest of the world is no longer our suzerain a measure of hope, his actions have yet to match that rhetoric. To win hearts and minds in the Arab and Muslim world it will take more than good speeches and intent to tackle difficult problems, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It will take getting off of the fence and supporting nascent political movements, such as the one developing in Iran in opposition to the theocracy that has dominated that nation for the last 30 years. It will take more forceful opposition to sham elections, such as the one that recently allowed the government led by Hamad Karzai to maintain power in Afghanistan. It will take supporting education and social welfare to counter the impact of fundamentalist Islamist groups who are the ones that currently provide most of both throughout the Middle East.
By continuing to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, we are misusing resources and wasting an opportunity to truly make our nation and the world safer by supporting conditions that will allow for the Middle East to become more modern, moderate, and less anti-Western. If Obama goes ahead with his plan to enact his surge in Afghanistan, the cost estimates are between $40-50 billion per year, according to a report in the New York Times. If more troops are added that means that more troops will be killed and maimed, that more families will be without fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. If we were fighting the Nazi's to prevent them from controlling Europe and going after the perpetrators of Pearl Harbor in the Pacific, we could justify both the financial cost and most importantly the risk of life and limb. We would be willing as a nation to sacrifice and not simply ask our military and their families to do the job themselves. But we are not fighting a war that must be fought or taking on an enemy that threatens our safety and way of life.
That enemy exists and must be dealt with, but massive military endeavors are not the most effective way to go about that. The American mindset that we can bomb our way to peace and security, if it ever were true, is certainly no longer a realistic way of looking at foreign policy. We are no longer the hegemony that can control events, we are a powerful force that must utilize our allies effectively and must lead the way with a combination of diplomacy, social aid, and targeted military force.
The question is whether or not President Obama really gets it, and if he does whether he will have the courage of his convictions to act on his beliefs. Or will he give in to political expediency and attempt to placate the war hawks without angering the doves who largely came to his camp during the campaign because of his strong stance against the Iraq War. It is a question that will more than any other decision seal Obama's fate as either a potentially great president who impacted the world in a meaningful way, or whether he goes down as one whose promise evaporated in a fog of weakness and indecisiveness. I among many will be carefully watching for this decision, hopeful but realistically not expecting those hopes to be realized. This one decision will more than anything else effect my personal support for Obama and the likelihood that my vote will be cast for him three years from now.
The conventional wisdom on Afghanistan is that it is the good war. Benjamin Franklin, one known for wisdom and for being anything but conventional, once stated that there never was a good war or a bad peace. I'm solidly with Franklin on this count. The story we are sold to justify this war is that we are fighting against Al-Qaeda and therefore both avenging 9/11 and ensuring that our nation is not attacked again. Neither point is true. We are fighting the Taliban, the group that originally had been harboring Al-Qaeda, but from different sources I have read, has long since kicked out their guests because they tired of the trouble caused by housing them. Al-Qaeda has since taken up shelter in the no-man's land that encompasses eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, an area that is both remote and not controlled by any national government. If we are serious about going after Osama bin Laden and his army, that is where we should be, not fighting against the Taliban, a group with no global designs or desire to attack America.
The notion of making our country safe from attack is also a false notion. We like to justify our Asian adventures with slogans like freedom isn't free and brandishing our support for the troops on bumper stickers and t-shirts. Defending the nation is arguably the most important job of the government, but there are more effective ways of doing it than the way we are going about it. Obama was elected by a majority of the voting populace just over a year ago, and many of us cast our votes in hope that we were getting an intelligent man who could understand the complexity and nuance of foreign policy. Our last president certainly could not, his view of the world was overly simplistic, in his philosophy you were either with us or against us, and his crusade was to rid the world of evil-doers with brute force. Our new president would understand that there are a variety of means at our disposal in order to make the world, and ultimately America, a safer place.
While Obama's rhetoric so far has given those of us who realize that the rest of the world is no longer our suzerain a measure of hope, his actions have yet to match that rhetoric. To win hearts and minds in the Arab and Muslim world it will take more than good speeches and intent to tackle difficult problems, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It will take getting off of the fence and supporting nascent political movements, such as the one developing in Iran in opposition to the theocracy that has dominated that nation for the last 30 years. It will take more forceful opposition to sham elections, such as the one that recently allowed the government led by Hamad Karzai to maintain power in Afghanistan. It will take supporting education and social welfare to counter the impact of fundamentalist Islamist groups who are the ones that currently provide most of both throughout the Middle East.
By continuing to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, we are misusing resources and wasting an opportunity to truly make our nation and the world safer by supporting conditions that will allow for the Middle East to become more modern, moderate, and less anti-Western. If Obama goes ahead with his plan to enact his surge in Afghanistan, the cost estimates are between $40-50 billion per year, according to a report in the New York Times. If more troops are added that means that more troops will be killed and maimed, that more families will be without fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. If we were fighting the Nazi's to prevent them from controlling Europe and going after the perpetrators of Pearl Harbor in the Pacific, we could justify both the financial cost and most importantly the risk of life and limb. We would be willing as a nation to sacrifice and not simply ask our military and their families to do the job themselves. But we are not fighting a war that must be fought or taking on an enemy that threatens our safety and way of life.
That enemy exists and must be dealt with, but massive military endeavors are not the most effective way to go about that. The American mindset that we can bomb our way to peace and security, if it ever were true, is certainly no longer a realistic way of looking at foreign policy. We are no longer the hegemony that can control events, we are a powerful force that must utilize our allies effectively and must lead the way with a combination of diplomacy, social aid, and targeted military force.
The question is whether or not President Obama really gets it, and if he does whether he will have the courage of his convictions to act on his beliefs. Or will he give in to political expediency and attempt to placate the war hawks without angering the doves who largely came to his camp during the campaign because of his strong stance against the Iraq War. It is a question that will more than any other decision seal Obama's fate as either a potentially great president who impacted the world in a meaningful way, or whether he goes down as one whose promise evaporated in a fog of weakness and indecisiveness. I among many will be carefully watching for this decision, hopeful but realistically not expecting those hopes to be realized. This one decision will more than anything else effect my personal support for Obama and the likelihood that my vote will be cast for him three years from now.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
To my Iowa Friend
Dear Dorothy,
It's been awhile since we've seen each other, and while we occasionally get to talk on the phone, I mostly keep up with your life through Julie. She indicated that you had an enjoyable birthday the other day and that you are in very good spirits, which makes me happy. You deserve all the happiness in the world, for you are a truly unique and special person, and I have been fortunate in my life to come to know you well and to count you among the people that matter the most to me.
You are a friend in the truest sense of the word, one who accepts me as I am, faults and all, and who gives love without the expectation of gaining anything in return. I hope however that what I have been able to give in return is that same friendship and love to you, and that you know and have always known how important you are to me.
Quite simply, you are one of the best people I have ever known. You are generous with your time and affections, not just to me but to all of the people in your life. You are a kind-hearted and charitable person, your character and your actions are a true reflection of your faith. While many people profess certain beliefs but then fail to act in a way that is true to those beliefs, you have always been the genuine article. You probably have no idea how much I respect and admire you, which is a main point for me writing this.
I certainly don't have to tell you how many sacrifices you have made in your life for your family and friends, but I do need to tell how much I will always be in your debt for raising such a wonderful daughter as my wife, and instilling in her the virtues and morals of your character, which she so effectively instills in our own children. You are loved deeply by both of us, and by your grandchildren, who think the world of you and admire you as we do.
You practically raised Chloe when she was little and we had the privilege of living but a few blocks from you. I'll always have great memories of you pulling up to pick her up for the day, and her excitedly calling out to Ma-ma, knowing that she was going to spend the day with someone who thought the world of her. I'll always have the image of you and Jake baking chocolate chip cookies together in our kitchen during your winter visits with us, a skill by the way that Jake picked up to the point of being able to claim the second best chocolate chip cookies around to this day.
Our rambunctious card playing sessions still bring a smile to my face, not to mention the game playing sessions where we would tend to get a bit competitive, but always ended on a good note. I like to tell people about our scrabble contests, where I would come up with some clever word, only to be bested by you putting up a three-letter word worth three times the points of mine.
I love the memories I have of you resting in the recliner after putting in your time around the house, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, you wouldn't rest until the chores were done. But then you would sit back in the recliner, with a toothpick dangling from your mouth and quietly nod off, at least until you heard someone or something and then you'd start back awake and pretend as if you had never been napping, as if we would think less of you for resting.
We, and I could never think less of you for anything Dorothy. You have been such an important influence in my own life in so many ways. Your dedication to your family, your work ethic, your love of and zest for life are contagious and inspiring. You introduced me to such things as I would never otherwise have known of, from card games like 500, to Arabian horses, and even to figure skating. Not to mention your teaching me not to be afraid of a bat flying through the house. You always did what needed to be done, without complaint and without worrying about whether or not it would be appreciated.
So I just want you to know how much you are appreciated, by me and by our entire family. We may not always agree on politics or other somewhat trivial matters, but we do agree on a basic life philosophy, on the importance of living a moral, religious, and virtuous life. We agree that taking care of one's family and being a good friend, and a good person are the most important things in this life. And while neither of us is rich or famous or powerful, I think we've done pretty well for ourselves when it comes to what matters most. I count you as one of my dearest friends in this world, and my appreciation of you and my loyalty towards you knows no boundaries or limits. You told Julie that you wanted to know what I really thought of you while you were still around, and while I expect you to be around for a good long time to come, I thought now was as good a time as any to express how I feel. I only wish I could express better how highly I think of you, hopefully this imperfect attempt will suffice in getting the point across, the point being that you are pretty darn special in my book.
With all the love in my heart,
Your son-in-law
Mark
It's been awhile since we've seen each other, and while we occasionally get to talk on the phone, I mostly keep up with your life through Julie. She indicated that you had an enjoyable birthday the other day and that you are in very good spirits, which makes me happy. You deserve all the happiness in the world, for you are a truly unique and special person, and I have been fortunate in my life to come to know you well and to count you among the people that matter the most to me.
You are a friend in the truest sense of the word, one who accepts me as I am, faults and all, and who gives love without the expectation of gaining anything in return. I hope however that what I have been able to give in return is that same friendship and love to you, and that you know and have always known how important you are to me.
Quite simply, you are one of the best people I have ever known. You are generous with your time and affections, not just to me but to all of the people in your life. You are a kind-hearted and charitable person, your character and your actions are a true reflection of your faith. While many people profess certain beliefs but then fail to act in a way that is true to those beliefs, you have always been the genuine article. You probably have no idea how much I respect and admire you, which is a main point for me writing this.
I certainly don't have to tell you how many sacrifices you have made in your life for your family and friends, but I do need to tell how much I will always be in your debt for raising such a wonderful daughter as my wife, and instilling in her the virtues and morals of your character, which she so effectively instills in our own children. You are loved deeply by both of us, and by your grandchildren, who think the world of you and admire you as we do.
You practically raised Chloe when she was little and we had the privilege of living but a few blocks from you. I'll always have great memories of you pulling up to pick her up for the day, and her excitedly calling out to Ma-ma, knowing that she was going to spend the day with someone who thought the world of her. I'll always have the image of you and Jake baking chocolate chip cookies together in our kitchen during your winter visits with us, a skill by the way that Jake picked up to the point of being able to claim the second best chocolate chip cookies around to this day.
Our rambunctious card playing sessions still bring a smile to my face, not to mention the game playing sessions where we would tend to get a bit competitive, but always ended on a good note. I like to tell people about our scrabble contests, where I would come up with some clever word, only to be bested by you putting up a three-letter word worth three times the points of mine.
I love the memories I have of you resting in the recliner after putting in your time around the house, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, you wouldn't rest until the chores were done. But then you would sit back in the recliner, with a toothpick dangling from your mouth and quietly nod off, at least until you heard someone or something and then you'd start back awake and pretend as if you had never been napping, as if we would think less of you for resting.
We, and I could never think less of you for anything Dorothy. You have been such an important influence in my own life in so many ways. Your dedication to your family, your work ethic, your love of and zest for life are contagious and inspiring. You introduced me to such things as I would never otherwise have known of, from card games like 500, to Arabian horses, and even to figure skating. Not to mention your teaching me not to be afraid of a bat flying through the house. You always did what needed to be done, without complaint and without worrying about whether or not it would be appreciated.
So I just want you to know how much you are appreciated, by me and by our entire family. We may not always agree on politics or other somewhat trivial matters, but we do agree on a basic life philosophy, on the importance of living a moral, religious, and virtuous life. We agree that taking care of one's family and being a good friend, and a good person are the most important things in this life. And while neither of us is rich or famous or powerful, I think we've done pretty well for ourselves when it comes to what matters most. I count you as one of my dearest friends in this world, and my appreciation of you and my loyalty towards you knows no boundaries or limits. You told Julie that you wanted to know what I really thought of you while you were still around, and while I expect you to be around for a good long time to come, I thought now was as good a time as any to express how I feel. I only wish I could express better how highly I think of you, hopefully this imperfect attempt will suffice in getting the point across, the point being that you are pretty darn special in my book.
With all the love in my heart,
Your son-in-law
Mark
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