I had a really tough time in High School, as I think most people did. To help me remember what really mattered, I used to keep a composition notebook with me in which I would write all the times I remembered things that were important about how to live.
At least for me, that is how I find purpose in things. In little bits and pieces, in the smiles of strangers, the warmth of a cup of coffee on a cool night, a hug from a friend, or a kiss from a lover. It is odd really. One might expect a more unified, cogent view of purpose, but it has never appeared to me that way. Rather it appears and then vanishes, but only pieces of it are visible each time. Some times I can keep it in view for days, but other times it seems lost, out of view or at least out of focus.
Thinking back to what I used to write in that notebook, makes me smile. Both with warmth from the hope it offered, and from that wry irony that hits you when you look back at your old self and your old thoughts. I think about things so differently now. I was so much more Christian back then, or at least more religious. I was also so much more self assured. I thought that being smart mattered. Since I have found it matters little in areas of real import. But most of the bits of meaning I found back then had nothing to do with these things. They were about love, and loss, and meaning.
I haven't been recording things as well lately, but I think it is time to start. I have found that, especially as you get older and busier, it is easier to lose sight of those little bits of meaning. I have also found that they become all the more important. Teenagers are foolish, but adults are dangerous.
As such, I think I want to start writing them down again, so I suppose I will record them here. Perhaps they may be of use to someone else too.
04/17 - I want to be a radiant person, someone who projects that inner light. Not because I feel like I have to, or I should. Maybe partly because I feel like I can be. But mostly because I want to. Perhaps it is a latent desire to pay back those who have done something nice for me. I feel like I'm not good at it, but that is no reason not to try.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/opinion/sunday/david-brooks-the-moral-bucket-list.html?referrer=&_r=0
04/17 - I dedicate this one to my friends, Keyan and Mercedes, who kept me company on a lonely Saturday night when my wife was at work. They invited me over to watch a movie and stayed up with me even though they were tired. I hope I do the same, the next time I have the chance.
Friends > sleep
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Saturday, April 4, 2015
For Goodness Sake, Secure the Border so we can Talk Seriously about the Undocumented Persons Problem
Dear Government (President and Congress and Courts),
Please secure the border. This undocumented persons problem is out of control.
This problem has recently come into my fullest attention. I previously recognized that we had an issue, especially in Houston. But it was not until the problem cost me personally thousand of dollars, that I really had a dog in the fight.
Two weeks ago, my wife and I were driving home after having dinner with my parents. We were almost at our house pulling through a green light when a car veered across the intersection into our car. It had been travelling the opposite direction and had a green light (but not an arrow) on a left turn yield. Needless to say they did not yield. And at the worst of my fears, a young, poor looking hispanic women stepped out of the vehicle. She spoke no English, and wouldn't give me her insurance. She no doubt had no knowledge of the norms of our country. She also probably doesn't understand left turn yields.
We find out from the police later that she had no drivers license at all. She was almost certainly undocumented. Somehow, she had insurance, but it was from some company who basically charged her money, but refused to cover any claims (since she has no license). And this is legal, why?? WTF?
My wife's car was totaled. It was the first big purchase we ever made together, and now it was gone. All the airbags deployed, the front exploded. It was destroyed. Along with the destruction of the car itself, we lost the $6000 we put down, and all the taxes we had paid already. And a whole lot of peace of mind. We also lost days of work dealing with the ensuing calamity of dealing with this scamming insurance company. Eventually we had to file with out own insurance company under our uninsured, underinsured policy. This allows us to get a new car, but will not repay us for our losses. We have to pay more for the same car because we have no money to put down. Unfortunately, only the other driver is liable for this loss, and it is unlikely we will ever be able to get her to pay. We have not found a lawyer to take up our case yet. The amount we seek is small, and it will be a fight to obtain it since this person could flee the country at any time and come back under a new name...
I waited to write this for 2 weeks because I wanted to be calm. I am as calm as I think I will be, but this accident has really changed (or focused) our view of the problem. My wife and I used to be quite permissive of their presence. We eat their food, live in the houses they build much of, and see them on a daily basis. My wife treats them on a daily basis in the hospital. We live near many of them.
On the other hand, we also pay to educate their children. We also pay for their healthcare (through the county). We also pay for their transport (through metro) and they clog our roads. They commit crime and wreck cars, and those injured have little recourse. In the weeks since the accident, we realized that 3 of our friends had been in similar wrecks in just the last few months. This is practically an epidemic and is causing countless Americans thousands of dollars in losses
Isn't it time we do something?
I don't see how it isn't. And before you write me off as a zealot. I am an independent, often liberal voter.
I think we need to do something about it, and I don't think the answer is to kick them out. This would likely be too difficult to achieve anyway. We need to deal with the ones hear are here. There ought to be an emergency ICE taskforce assigned to this. They need to be issued work permits, and be integrated into society as quickly as possible. The government owes this to its citizens, it is their job. It is not fair that we in border states have to suffer.
Of course, before we do this, reason also dictates we secure the border. You cannot give free acceptance to those here before making sure that more do not come. The presence of those here already is burden enough to our economy and tax-payers. We already pay for so much for them.
For college for their kids even. And I think this is probably a good thing, it is helping them integrate which is what we need.
More importantly, we can let more in once we deal with the enormous backlog we have built up through years of unrestricted flow through our border. If you agree, let you government officials know and vote accordingly. I don't want anything extreme or partisan. I just want the problem solved, once and for all!!
If you have a better idea, let me know. I would love to hear it!
Please secure the border. This undocumented persons problem is out of control.
This problem has recently come into my fullest attention. I previously recognized that we had an issue, especially in Houston. But it was not until the problem cost me personally thousand of dollars, that I really had a dog in the fight.
Two weeks ago, my wife and I were driving home after having dinner with my parents. We were almost at our house pulling through a green light when a car veered across the intersection into our car. It had been travelling the opposite direction and had a green light (but not an arrow) on a left turn yield. Needless to say they did not yield. And at the worst of my fears, a young, poor looking hispanic women stepped out of the vehicle. She spoke no English, and wouldn't give me her insurance. She no doubt had no knowledge of the norms of our country. She also probably doesn't understand left turn yields.
We find out from the police later that she had no drivers license at all. She was almost certainly undocumented. Somehow, she had insurance, but it was from some company who basically charged her money, but refused to cover any claims (since she has no license). And this is legal, why?? WTF?
My wife's car was totaled. It was the first big purchase we ever made together, and now it was gone. All the airbags deployed, the front exploded. It was destroyed. Along with the destruction of the car itself, we lost the $6000 we put down, and all the taxes we had paid already. And a whole lot of peace of mind. We also lost days of work dealing with the ensuing calamity of dealing with this scamming insurance company. Eventually we had to file with out own insurance company under our uninsured, underinsured policy. This allows us to get a new car, but will not repay us for our losses. We have to pay more for the same car because we have no money to put down. Unfortunately, only the other driver is liable for this loss, and it is unlikely we will ever be able to get her to pay. We have not found a lawyer to take up our case yet. The amount we seek is small, and it will be a fight to obtain it since this person could flee the country at any time and come back under a new name...
I waited to write this for 2 weeks because I wanted to be calm. I am as calm as I think I will be, but this accident has really changed (or focused) our view of the problem. My wife and I used to be quite permissive of their presence. We eat their food, live in the houses they build much of, and see them on a daily basis. My wife treats them on a daily basis in the hospital. We live near many of them.
On the other hand, we also pay to educate their children. We also pay for their healthcare (through the county). We also pay for their transport (through metro) and they clog our roads. They commit crime and wreck cars, and those injured have little recourse. In the weeks since the accident, we realized that 3 of our friends had been in similar wrecks in just the last few months. This is practically an epidemic and is causing countless Americans thousands of dollars in losses
Isn't it time we do something?
I don't see how it isn't. And before you write me off as a zealot. I am an independent, often liberal voter.
I think we need to do something about it, and I don't think the answer is to kick them out. This would likely be too difficult to achieve anyway. We need to deal with the ones hear are here. There ought to be an emergency ICE taskforce assigned to this. They need to be issued work permits, and be integrated into society as quickly as possible. The government owes this to its citizens, it is their job. It is not fair that we in border states have to suffer.
Of course, before we do this, reason also dictates we secure the border. You cannot give free acceptance to those here before making sure that more do not come. The presence of those here already is burden enough to our economy and tax-payers. We already pay for so much for them.
For college for their kids even. And I think this is probably a good thing, it is helping them integrate which is what we need.
More importantly, we can let more in once we deal with the enormous backlog we have built up through years of unrestricted flow through our border. If you agree, let you government officials know and vote accordingly. I don't want anything extreme or partisan. I just want the problem solved, once and for all!!
If you have a better idea, let me know. I would love to hear it!
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