Jim Mahoney's Blog - Sacred to Etc.

Making Decisions - Moral Courage - July 29, 2021

It is impossible to capture in just a few words and especially in one or two pictures the emotions and the moral qualities being displayed in the Summer Olympics. The experience of Simone Biles at the Olympics left no one without an opinion. I can't imagine the strength it took for Simone to withdraw from the games - and, in essence, telling the world that taking care of herself was more important than remaining in the competition. It is hard to find anyone who does not have an opinion about her action. Most people who were really into the Olympics seemed to just gasp - and that gasp contained a lot of words. Here are mine as an onlooker:

I was astounded at her incredible courage in making this decision. Not being someone who understood the intricacies of gymnastics, and only enjoyed watching gymnastics - only thinking about the final product and seldom thinking about everything that goes into producing that final moment of performance. I never thought about how dangerous gymnastics actually might be - especially when done at an international level. I thought about the single-minded focus she gave to her preparations for the Olympic games. She spent decades in becoming the best in the world. Then, she decided to make a choice in behalf of her health - and her very survival.

Hearing of her decision, I went right to one of my favorite passages from a speech that Senator Robert Kennedy had given which always stayed with me:

Simone understood there was something more worthy of pursuing than even the Olympic gold. She had the moral courage, when the whole world was watching, of setting aside her dreams and simply doing what was right for her- to save her life. The world gasped - and, as time went on, more and more people understood the wisdom of her decision. (Of course, there were some who disagreed with her decision. That happens with everything today. Some even ridiculed her - and made fun of her. That happens with everything today.) I don't know her. I have never met her. But I was sure proud to have someone like that representing our country at the Olympics. Sure, the Olympics are just a game - but so many important things are integrated into the Olympics experience.

This post comes down to a very important moral point - a point to discuss with children, family, and friends - a point that is worth considering - namely, doing the right thing. This is what Jesus asks of us. This is what we need to ask ourselves: what is the right thing to do?  Sometimes, it is really hard to figure out. Sometimes, it is a torturous process. I've faced some terribly difficult decisions, thankfully not under the unforgiving glare of the Olympics, but important in my own little world. I was wiped out in going through the process of trying to figure out the right thing to do. DId I do the right thing? I think so. I hope so. Would I make the same decision again?  I think so. I hope so.

This seems a wise way to approach tough decisions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Olympics 2021 - Do Dreams Still Come True? - July 22, 2021

Will the Summer Olympics really be held? What will happen to the dreams of the athletes? Sigh.

Every single day, there are more obstacles that come up for the Summer Olympic Games. To actually make any Olympics happen takes an incredible amount of brains, luck, and just single-minded almost fanatical devotion to results. How would I feel if I were an athlete at those games?  Well, truly, I'm not worrying to compete. I have enough challenges in my life to need to add the pressure of Olympic competition. Hmm, come to think of it - athletic competition has seldom taken up much of my life.  All right, it has taken up almost nothing of my life. But I am a sucker for the underdog. I am a sucker for those who face heartbreak well out of their control. I do have a fascination for those who are the best at what they do. I cannot imagine devoting years to competition for the Olympics and have to face the serendipitous nature of an attack by the Covid virus. 

I remember some decades ago going to a place in Morristown to watch the Olympic torch being carried through the town.  It was exciting. Everyone lined the streets. We all cheered. The torch helped to bring us together as fans cheering for our United States athletes - so many people who wanted their dreams to come true.

Going back even more decades to the 1980 Winter Olympic games at Lake Placid. . Who could forget the cries of our country's cheering our ice hockey team. I might never be on that team, but I would cheer USA USA USA.  Years after that I was walking around the place at Mount Placid where the ice rink had been used for the games. It was so easy to quickly imagine and hear the shouts of the crowds "USA USA USA."  It was almost, but not quite, like actually being present for the games.

The news is filled of heartbreaking stories of athletes testing positive for COVID and not allowed to compete. No spectators will be allowed to be present for the games. Surely, the cries of the crowd help to energize the athletes - well, not this year. So sad.

In case you are not up to speed on important historical figures, here is Jiminy Cricket speaking with Pinocchio:

While I was musing about the problems being encountered this week at the Olympic games, I started thinking about the Disney song, "When you Wish upon a Star" first sung in the 1940 production of Pinocchio. As you no doubt remember, this song was sung in the film by Jiminy Cricket. (editor's note: please note that this is a highly researched post in my blog!) Here is the final verse as sung by Mr. Cricket:

"Like a bolt out of the blue,
Fate steps in and sees you through...
When you wish upon a star,
Your dreams... come... true!"

Our Olympic athletes probably had dreams expressed in those lyrics. Who could not? 

These various events make me think about my dreams, my hopes for my life - and perhaps you have these types of dreams as well. 

I look at the dreams I had. On the not totally realistic side, I always wanted to be tall. I finally have given up (just last week!) on that as a goal - particularly in light of the anatomical research indicating that we actually shrink as we get older! But, as I remember various dreams that I had and try to locate them in time, I see that my dreams became simpler, far less complicated, and, lately, much simpler.

I believe that God wants each of us to be happy - not more complicated. That is my dream = from the vagaries and complexities of today, I just want to emerge happy. Perhaps it is a function of age, or more time spent on spiritual things, but I hope to be quite happy just being happy. I am not there yet. This is my dream. I arguably will not compete in the Olympics, but will compete, ever so gently, in just dreaming and trying to be focused about being happy. I am fine with this. I also pray for the Olympic athletes - may they find happiness in their highly complicated goals of being Olympic champions. May all at the games remain safe.

To end this unplanned Disney montage: I also do not want to grow up.

  

 

 

 

 

Are we in the New Normal? - July 15, 2012

 

The word "normal" gets used a lot, probably more so than quite some time. In the last 15 months, people often mention, usually with fondness, a return to normal. We yearn and pine for the good old days. (note: This is the first time I believe that I have used the phrase "yearn and pine" - don't know why, but it seemed appropriate.) The "good old days" can be a wistful hope about change - too much change, it seems. Why can't things stay the same? (They can't - because if things stayed the same, the Chicago Cubs would remain in 4th place - an unacceptable location.)

I am willing to opt for a "new normal" if it means an increase of peace and predictability. That sounds nice. When I personally feel peaceful, it is a great feeling - realizing that, for far too many decades, I have lived with stress and tension. I don't like it. 

(Spoiler alert: this paragraph is the important part of this post!) While I want things to remain the same, I'm really saying that I want the things I like to remain the same. There is a whole host of things I would want to change. In the midst of speaking about normal, I would like certain things to become normal for everyone (this is if I ruled the world!) I would want good science to be respected and followed. I would want public leaders who make things up to be publicly called out. I would want the virtue of Kindness to be among the most sought-after virtues that people seek. I would want church leaders to see that one of their most important tasks is to bring people closer to God. I would want church leaders to be known for their mercy - and showing Jesus clearly in what they say and do. I would ask arrogant leaders and preachers to go away because they make me tense. I would want all church leaders to be unabashedly pro-life - every stage, every age, every social condition, and include every type of person there is. To exclude any group just seems wrong. To do less is simply not pro-life (in my modest humble opinion). Even though the issues can become real complicated real quickly, I would hope that those who are against COVID vaccinations for children would take a look at the possibility that they could be placing their children in danger of serious disease and possibly death. Look at the data. Follow good science - not the science of politicians or ideologues.  As I look over this collection of thoughts, I realize I could just go on and on with this list. So my "new normal" will be a long list - and probably so is your list. One thing I would hope that each person would do is have an intrinsic respect for the people who take other positions. 

We may never have had this type of "normal", but it is worth seeking.

Some of the steps we must take must be taken tentatively - with gentle respect for others.  Take the example of this scientist. He's not condemning anyone, but gently inviting and inquiring. Not a bad approach.

 

Normal is really complicated. So is life. So are relationships. This is why I will always have more than enough to do every day. One thing I know about retirement is this: I'll never be bored - and that is not  a bad thing. But it would be nice just once in a while.

Being DIsappointed - July 8, 2021

 

 

Disappointments are a crazy thing to handle. We can be disappointed by friends, by non-friends, circumstances, our own faults, and even by what we expect from God. We can be disappointed by a judgment we made about the abilities of someone - and discovered that we were wrong. I'm not wild about being wrong. I'm not wild about being disappointed. I was thinking about this over the past year when events showed that I had made a wrong judgment about someone - qualities I believed they had - a conviction that we had shared values - and a whole plethora of other things.

Here is a gathering or different meanings of disappointment - all can apply:

 

I tend to be fiercely loyal. The downside is that being fiercely loyal can lead to great disappointments. I have worked in a few different jobs where I had to make decisions about many people. In hindsight, my batting average on people's ability was rather good, but not perfect. It really upsets me when I made a wrong judgment about a person. I was never comforted by the inane accurate phrase that no one is perfect. That might be true, but what about the damage that might have been done.  I have tried, when possible, to mitigate any damage that might have come from a wrong decision. Sometimes, it is not an easy thing to rectify. Over time, I did try to look realistically - and certainly some decisions made are judgment calls - no perfect solution. Because I am a worrier and brooder, I would often blame myself if it appeared that a decision was wrong. That's just me, but given my sense of justice, I would always try to change the situation going into the future - sometimes successful, sometimes not. I would often keep repeating to myself the organizational maxim - there are no perfect solutions to practical problems. That might be true, but it never brought me piece of mind.

The causes for disappointment do concern me. The wisdom in the photo below is always something worthwhile to think about.

 

 

Making decisions is a part of life that most people face. It hurts when I have been wrong. I don't take some moments lightly, but always resolve to improve my skills, work on my judgment, and do better the next time confronted with such a situation. This might be a reason why I have spent so much time in my life on self-improvement methods. As one observant wise 0friend said to me about the efforts I made in so many areas for self-improvement, "you should see if you can get a refund on some of those things."

We are each accountable to God for many of the decisions which we have made. This is why I am truly comforted (even for a little while) by this maxim about saints: "saints are sinners who keep trying." So I clearly am a sinner! Want to make something of it?

 

Can/Should I become a lawyer? - July 2, 2012

There are so many important news events crying out for attention this week: the horrendous building collapse in Miami, the Supreme Court decision on voting rights, the inept handling of the electoral debacle in New York, the inept handling of issues involving bishops and politicians, and so many other things. One of the unintended consequences for me in retiring is that I often have the change to stay totally current on the news. I am a news junkie. I read an array of publications - grimace at a few, laugh at some others, but am engrossed by many things taking place in the news.

Where is this going? Simple, one of the careers that I always considered as an option, even now, is to become a lawyer, preferably a trial lawyer. At one point decades ago, I did a serious search of ways in which I could obtain a law degree. I talked on the phone with staff at a few law schools- and never came up with a good school that would award me a law degree without attending class. (I just did not have the time for class, but found no one sympathetic to my difficulty. I would still remain active in my sacred line of work, but this could be an exciting supplement.)

Why the law? I was always fascinated by legal arguments, by the way that law could be used to decide cases, by ways one could be ingenious in the application of law - and use the law to make a difference for good. There were no lawyers in my family. I was fortunate to work closely with a lawyer during my years working for the diocese - a personal of integrity, energy, and intelligence. I came across many lawyers that I respected highly such as our parish attorney. So many other wonderful lawyers were worthy of great respect.

Lest it seem that I am suddenly proposing all lawyers for canonization, I also met some that I believe belonged in hell. This one lawyer was "candid" enough to say to me in my office that he would hurt me and the diocese. This was not a matter of differing opinions. He represented his client by doing all he could to destroy the person he was suing. Facts meant nothing to him. Being involved in that particular case really hurt my health. From that time, I lacked the ability for a few years of getting to sleep at night. This took a great toll on my health. You might conclude that I did not like him or his client. You might possibly be accurate. I also learned during those years that you could say pretty much anything in a lawsuit and do so without penalty or limitation. Bah.

This week caused me to think again of my long-discarded goal of practicing law. I mused to myself that, since I'm retired, why not do it now? I keep adding things to my bucket list for my retirement, rearrange other items, and keep considering what additional things i might like to do.

Being a lawyer kept coming up, but finally, a few hours ago, I did come to my senses - for now. I could help people in need. Perhaps assist the Supreme Court. Maybe not. So I won't keep seeking a benevolent law school - but I'm disappointed that I can't make it happen. It would have been fun. I'll work first on some other things on my bucket list. Then I might place myself on the mercy of the court!

I am gradually becoming a more "tuned in" person through the daily practice of transcendental meditation. Sometime, I'll write about the spiritual and many other benefits I have received from TM. Would recommend it to anyone (except the lawyer and client who was out to really destroy me.)

Who am I to argue with Snoopy and Charlie Brown?