Author: Rick Bellingham
Requirements for Redemption and Renewal: The 5Rs
“I teach that when it rains the pavement gets wet.” —George Gurdjieff Oh the blessings of ignorance and fantasy. Life is so much easier when we don’t make the effort to dig for truth, or when we delight in the delusions of who we are. Ignorance enables us to avoid work. Fantasy enables us to avoid reality. Some people are able to live their lives without suffering the consequences of ignorance or shattering the illusions Read More
Crass or Criminal?
I’m still struggling with the question of why white evangelical Christians continue to support Trump. I can understand a debate over whether his behavior is crass or criminal, but there is no way it could be described as consistent with Christian values such as decency, humility, and compassion. Regarding the crass or criminal question: Is his blatant disregard for prohibitions against using the White House as a political prop crass or criminal? Check out the Read More
Civility
“So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.” —John F. Kennedy “The whole country wants civility. Why don’t we have it? It doesn’t cost anything. No federal funding, no legislation Read More
Attribution of Variance
One of my favorite courses in graduate school was research evaluation which involved the analysis of study designs.
It was fascinating to me to figure out how to determine the impact of independent variables on dependent variables and how to factor out how each potential cause created a specific effect.
Xenophobia
“Whether it is tribalism, racism, xenophobia, or anti-Muslim backlash we’re talking about, we spend so much time and energy fighting ways to divide ourselves from others.” —Loretta Lynch I recently learned that my great grandfather, William, was a large landowner in Michigan and took part in the Gold Rush in the 19th century. William originally came from England in 1835 with 50 cents in his pocket. He somehow managed to make his way to California Read More
Zeitgeist
“Everything we say signifies; everything counts that we put out into the world. It impacts our kids, it impacts on the zeitgeist of the time.” —Meryl Streep “Even a genius cannot completely resist his Zeitgeist, the spirit of his time.” —Victor Frankl On an individual level, it’s hard to keep my spirits up these days. People are dying. The economy is in shambles. Restaurants and bars are closed. Lives and livelihoods are being destroyed. This Read More
One Value Decisions
“Values are our anchors for decision-making and our beacons for behavior.” I once bought a Ford Pinto because it got better mileage than the Pontiac Bonneville convertible I was driving at the time. It was the worst car decision I have ever made. The Pinto turned out to be unreliable and didn’t even get even get very good mileage. When I traded it in after one year, it was already on its last legs. This Read More
Unconditional Love
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright day break of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality – I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” Martin Luther King, Jr. “I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” Gilda Read More
Yearning
“People across the world are yearning to be connected to stories of hope.” —Jacqueline Novogratz In 1968, what helped me get through my year in Vietnam was a pen-pal who had agreed, on the suggestion of her boyfriend, to write to me. After all, he said, you will be in Paris while Rick is in Saigon – you two should write. She met me in LA when I returned from Vietnam. We were engaged four Read More
Leadership Values A to Z
“The ecological freak is not questioning his share of the pie so much as he is questioning how we’re getting our flour. The problem isn’t technological; the problem is a matter of values.” —Denis Hayes, Earth Day’s first organizer One of the biggest outcomes (desired or undesired) of the COVID-19 pandemic has been to expose the fragility of our institutions and the failure of leadership. One of the biggest questions it has raised for me Read More
Just A Little Justice
John died this week sitting on a bench in front of our condo building. He was an ubiquitous presence in the neighborhood for many years. John was a 72 year old homeless man with Tourette Syndrome. He walked around the neighborhood all day pushing a cart with all his belongings which he kept meticulously organized. John managed his homelessness with as much dignity as he possibly could. He had a variety of sleeping spots he Read More
Knowledge and Feelings
One of my best friends and I have been texting during the course of this pandemic to try to stay connected in spite of physical distancing. I shared with him how strange it felt to be living a very privileged life while millions of people were experiencing pain and suffering. “Yes,” he said. “It’s guilt on top of sadness and anxiety.” I thought he captured succinctly what many of us are feeling who aren’t unemployed, Read More