Brookfield Basics

An American icon died today. William F. Buckley passed in his Stamford, CT. home at the age of eighty-two.

Love him or hate him, and millions did both, he was an unadulterated American classic and the founding father of the modern American conservative movement.  High-minded and haughty, he lived a life of staggering pace and achievment, cramming several lives into one lifetime.      

Buckley was an American Churchill in two ways.  A soaring intellect joined by a matchless wit, his barbs were the delight of his friends and the scourge of his opponents.  More importantly, he was greatly accomplished in so many different areas:  pundit, scholar, member of the intelligence community, essayist, world-class sailor, downhill skiier, and founder and producer of the longest running TV News/Interview Show in history - Firing Line.  He was also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of National Review, the journalistic bastion of American political and cultural conservatism.  His editorial board sessions at NR were the stuff of legend, where a bottle of good scotch was in as much demand as the wits and abilities of his writers.

Of all his accomplishments, many don't know what an incredibly successful novelist he was.  With multiple best-sellers to his credit, his books covered a variety of topics and themes.  His best known were the "Blackford Oakes Series", which  chronicled the times of the Cold War through the eyes of an American CIA Agent of that same name. 

He burst on to the American scene in the 1960's with his seminal and defining work, God and Man at Yale, a book which harshly criticized and exposed the leftist politics and agenda of his Alma Mater.  His intimate and revealing Nearer, My God gave us a look at his personal journey of faith and abiding in the Catholic Church.  He did with a pen what Raphael did with a brush, and I have read few authors whose command of the language and purity of intellect flowed out onto the page with such unaffected beauty and style.  Regardless of your view of him as a public figure, I cannot recommend his writing highly enough.

Sailor, raconteur, author, lover of good food, devoted husband and father, and a man who would go to the stake for a friend; he was more than any one thing an American original.  He lived with an unfettered joy and clarity of purpose achieved by few.  

We are the poorer for his passing.

Last October and November (about seven feet of snow ago), I wrote a two-part series on the coming war over Lake Michigan and the water of the Great Lakes.  Part One dealt with my life-long love affair with Lake Michigan, and tried to put into context the qualitative value it has in our lives.  Part Two dealt with the issue of policy. 

This matter has been and will continue to be more and more in the news.  What has been missing in the debate so far is a rational discussion of conservation.  In my view, this dialogue cannot reasonably take place without a sober evaluation of and hopefully, a change to our wanton ways.

In the summer of 1988 we had a severe and extended drought in SE Wisconsin, and our family learned that year to have a new respect for water.  Since then, we have tried to do our best to treat this most foundational of resources with the respect it deserves.  I am putting together a list of water conservation ideas and techniques, and would appreciate your input to this if you are willing.  I would then look to make the list available to anyone who is interested.  

If there are any matters of public policy where we can say "we are in this together", then surely this is one of them.  

I have been thinking about some of the news stories from Southeastern Wisconsin since the New Year, and while doing so I suddenly thought back to words I will never forget:

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself".

I can still hear the rebuke, more painful than any physical punishment he might have dispensed.  

It was during my High School years, and my Dad said this to me after learning of a particularly regrettable episode of my behavior.  More than any individual I have known, he was able to hold in harmony the seemingly incompatible dynamics of justice and mercy.  He never let the sun go down on his anger, and before that day ended, he connected with me in a way that left me whole and reassured. 

His words hurt so much not because they were a condemnation, but because they were accurate.  He didn't have a harsh or demeaning bone in his body; he was simply sharing with me what he felt was the appropriate response to my behavior, and letting me know that he expected better of me.  The result of his comment was not a disfigurement or scarring of my psyche.  Rather, it was a resolve to conduct myself in such a manner that he would never have cause to repeat it.

A few weeks ago I posted a column entitled The Abolition of Consequence (see link below).  Today I write about the abolition of shame.

We have banished shame from our lexicon.  WHY?

Is it because we live in such progressive times that we have outgrown such antiquated notions?  And if our number one goal is to build people up and to make them feel good about themelves, how can we tolerate such a "negative" emotion?  But as I recall that episode, the remorse I felt, while painful in the immediate, ultimately led to some honest introspection and improved conduct, or at least I like to think it did. 

Certainly there are countless experiences where shame is an utterly innapropriate response, and much inexcusable and horrific damage can be caused through its irresponsible application.  But I think we would all agree that we don't need to look very far today for examples of shameful behavior, and we wonder how we arrived at such a point of cultural meltdown.  In light of that, I pose this question:

If the act of feeling shame is the appropriate response to behavior that is in fact shameful, can it be legitimate and ultimately efficacious to experience it?  And if we acknolwedge that we are ALL capable of behavior that is shameful, is it not a pedal-brake for our own actions as well?

I hope that my son never repeats what I did that time in High School.

But if he does, I hope I have the courage to do say to him what my Dad said to me.

http://blogs.brookfieldnow.com/brookfieldbasics/archive/2007/12/28/the-abolition-of-consequence.aspx

There are any number of red flags that tell us we are getting old.  One of the most tried and true is when you find yourself thinking or saying, "Man - the music kids listen to today is nothing but noise".

Well I'll admit it. I frequently find myself thinking this about much of the contemporary music I hear.  Sometime I will blog on what I believe constitutes good music, why I believe much of today's music is junk, and what I think our youth are missing out on because of it.

The great beauty of an I-Pod is that it only plays what you put on it.  It allows you to listen to a parade of your all-time favorites from any era or genre, and thus simultaneously serves as a filter against all the music you DON'T want to hear.  Great music elevates us in so many ways.  It can create images or remind us of specific times, places, and individuals in our lives.  Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conjures scenes ranging from hellfire and brimstone to a gentrified canter in the English countryside.  Though it was nearly forty years ago, I can still remember where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard Paint it Black by The Stones.  I can still feel the sweat rolling down my face as I back-packed the ascent to Gunsight Pass in Glacier National Park, listening to Song for America by Kansas.

I try to listen to much of the music our daughter likes, both to create connections and to ensure she is not getting into something innappropriate.  And sometimes - EUREKA - we actually hit on something we BOTH like.  She has grudgingly admitted to liking Neil Young and Van Morrison, and a couple of weeks ago, we hit pay dirt again with the song Wish List by Pearl Jam.

I was driving her to school, and I played it a few times as we learned the lyrics and sang together.  At the heart of great modern songs is the rhythm guitar.  Wish List opens with a gentle but insistent chord that builds and changes hue throughout the song.  The lead guitar gently chimes in, sounding almost like church bells.  The lyrics are tremendous; some whimsical and evocative, others more serious and relational.  All of them speak to things the singer has on his "wish list".  Edie Veder's voice is the piston that drives all Pearl Jam songs - a rich baritone with a smoky edge, honed in the bars and clubs of Seattle.  

So now this song is another that will trip the gears of my memory back to a specific event.  I will always recall that drive to school when I hear the song, and always treasure what Lauren said to me when both the song and the ride came to an end.

Instant recall of some of our finest and fondest moments.

Building bridges across generations.

That's just some of what great music can do.

In October I ran an announcement on men's health regarding free prostate cancer screenings and PSA testing that the Medical College was sponsoring.  This time it's an announcement related to women's health.

My mother is eighty-three.  She has osteoporosis and is currently recovering from three compression fractures sustained in  her lower vertebrae.  She was not in an accident and she did not fall.  Because they are so weak and fragile, her bones just broke from normal daily events, like getting out of her shower.  

The bad news is that women are far more prone to this than are men, and that it is painful and debilitating.  The good news is that, as in so many matters related to our health, there is a lot we can DO to avoid it.

Although men can contract this condition, it is most common in post-menopausal women.  But regardless of your age, please consult your physician NOW about this important area of your health, and get his or her advice on what you can be doing in terms of diet, supplements, and exercise to avoid this awful affliction. 

Men - please encourage, and if necessary insist, that the women you love do this.

The time to act is NOW - not when you are eighty-three.  For some basic information on osteoporosis please click no the link below.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoporosis