Rodney's Rambling's

One of my mother’s favorite scriptures was, “I am thankful that I woke up this morning, clothed in my right mind.”  I have frequently pondered this as I have gone through many different seasons in my life.  Consistently, I have gone through bouts of depression, hopelessness, anger, and frustration.  I have looked around and perceived few if any, friends.  I have gone through more relationships than I care to acknowledge.      Through it all, I have blamed others, blamed myself, blamed my circumstances, and even blamed God.  Now, as I witness tragedies hit all around me and fill the news as it seems we are in a season of insanity, I must name my own issues.  Just today, reading the news, I saw that a disgruntled Walmart employee came to work and killed six people before he was shot.  A few days ago, a gunman entered an LGBTQ Bar in Colorado and killed 5, wounding dozens more.  A former football player shows up and kills 3 of his former teammates and wounds two others.  For college stude

  Many, called to war, in conflictual situations, or confronted with hostility, feel cornered and frustrated and often latch out.  Feeling trapped, anxieties surface as the cornered individuals/groups project their own doubts, insecurities, and perceived shortcomings on the object of their ire.  And the subject of the attack, not knowing what else to do, retaliates.  The cycles unabated lead to strike and counter-strike, attack and counterattack, until allies from each side are drawn into the conflagration.  And just short of deploying the nuclear option, if the gods, fate, or luck are kind, sanity steps into the room.  Sanity, often a seasoned warrior, knows that if peace does not come and come soon, all hell will break out.  Thus, peacemakers are rarely non-combatants, but they are warriors who know that "the valley of shadow and death" is not paved with goodwill but self-serving conflict avoidance.  

Grace and Favor -when choices are not enough One of the sayings that continually frames my reality is, "I am thankful that I do not look like what I've been through."  So, while we have free will, that does not mean it is absolute.  Institutional structures such as racism, sexism, homophobia, ablism, agism, classism, and a slew of other real-life circumstances limit or preclude any choices on my part.  This means that even though I might do all that within my power and capabilities, institutional barriers may block both my access and success.  Therefore, we promote the myth that you can do or be anything you choose to do or be is rarely the case.  The irony of this myth is that it accounts for much of the anger and frustration that fills our youth.  Telling them that they can accomplish their dreams yet knowing that those dreams will never be possible unless and until we remove the institutional barriers that block their success. On a similar note, we must also understa

  The Arch of History: Free will or predestination, stimulus-response, randomness, and inertia Philosophers, psychologists, theologians, and prognosticators are at odds with whether we have free will.  If I do something or not, is it a consequence of my own decisions, or is that just wishful thinking on my part?  Do I have real choices, or are they predetermined by a Deity, the outcome of past events, socialization, or random occurrences?    Is it just my own hubris and egotism which clings to the myth that I have a choice? Or is it my rejection of nihilism which presupposes and predisposes me to nothingness? A negativity that would limit and regulate my actions, thoughts, and realities?  Is it wrong to reject my sense of agency, or is it a nihilistic reality that I am just a puppet in the game of life?  Is someone, something, or a set of circumstances, coincidences, and historical trends that determine my realities, structure my choices, and define who, what and why I do what, w

  It is said “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”  But for far too many people it is not the fear of failure that holds them back, but the fear of success.  Consequently, many choose the mediocre, the safe, the comfortable and complacently and placidly meander through life.  A few, daring souls venture into the deep, climb the highest mountains, and choose to fly with eagles rather than hang out with turkeys.  I would rather fail striving to achieve the impossible dream than languish in the miasma of the mundane.  I will soar, I will be, I will achieve what few even dare to hope for.  So, here I am - seeking the riches of the ages, asking of myself my utmost and knocking on the door of wonder.  Failing to plan for success is the number one reason why both individuals and organizations do not achieve their goals.  Success plans start with a clear agenda, specified targets, accountability measures, and a well defined set of objectives.  A clear agenda requires understanding what is and is

American Democracy rejects Hard Right Turn -thanks in large part to women and GenZ American democracy prevailed as voters rejected the hard right turn espoused by Dodd, Deniers, and Trump.  The failure of Trump's hand-picked sycophants in dozens of Gubernatorial, Senate, and House Seats is a testament that despite violent rhetoric and threats, that reason prevailed.  Perhaps one of the most stunning rejections of the far right came from women and young voters. Across the country, 52 percent of suburban women voted democratic, compared to 47% Republican.  This is directly associated with the Democratic move to protect abortion rights in the closing months of the midterm campaigning.   College-educated women increased significantly (by 9 percentage points from 20 years earlier.  ( Oliphant 2022 )    Categorized as the GenZ "youthquake" boosted Democratic victories as they pushed back the "Red Wave" many Republicans had predicted would take control.  An estimated s

  The Tale of Two Nations -the social creation of a racial state Often when discussing Haiti, it is easy to forget that it shares an island with another nation-Santo, Domingo.  In 1802 when Leclerc was sent to reestablish French rule, they were partially successful as Toussaint was forced to flee Santo Domingo.  As the Republic of Haiti celebrated its first year of independence, JJ Dessalines led a Haitian force to expel the remaining French occupiers in Santo Domingo.  The attempts to remove the Europeans resulted in a bloody trail of destruction as hundreds of residents were slaughtered and dozens of towns destroyed.  When Haiti finally gained independence in 1804, it took control and ruled over Santo Dominico for 22 years.  It was not until 1844 that the Dominican Republic was formed, but not until 1865, before it finally gained its independence from Spain.  Coincidently, it was Haiti that helped the Dominican Republic defeat Spain.  (Bishop and Fernandez 2017) From the beginning,

  Our journey starts in a racially fragmented settlement in what was known as Hispaniola.  Here, in 1789 on the eve of the French Revolution, some 500,000 enslaved Africans and 24,000 affranchis (free mulattoes) banded together and began challenging the continual brutality of slave owners.  The first real challenge occurred in late 1790 as an uprising was precipitated by a mulatto named Vincent Ogé. Although the rebellion was unsuccessful, Ogé was captured, tortured, and ultimately executed;\.  The French government attempted to split the opposition by granting citizenship to the wealthier affranchise.  However, the acts of appeasement were disregarded as most of the Europeans within Haiti's population violated the law.  Continual acts of violence targeting the slaves and mulattos provoked a more serious confrontation led by Toussaint Louverture in the late 1790s.  Louverture was successful in January 1801 as he conquered Santa Domingo and declared himself "governor-general fo

 The Social Creation of a Disaster -the case of Haiti.    Credit: AP U.S. Customs and Border Protection mounted officers attempt to contain migrants crossing the Rio Grande from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas, Sunday, September 19, 2021. Thousands of Haitian migrants have been arriving in Del Rio, Texas, as authorities attempt to close the border to stop the flow of migrants. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez) Source: Teen living in human stash house says parents hid immigrants out of 'need' | cbs19.tv   In a scene reminiscent of the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment, Haitian migrants were run down by U.S. border guards for just trying to seek asylum. But this tragedy did not start here, nor is it confined to the Haitians. This particularly militarized zone along our southern border and these Black people have long been part of our tortured racial story. A story that begins in European imperialism runs through slavocracy, matures during deliberate and strategic