Technologists Notes

“There never was another man who could
                       inspire more love or hate
  if you were in the park and it was 1968.”

“Daley’s Gone” – Steve Goodman (1977)

tl;dr “A movement animated by rage and fear isn’t ready to embrace life and love.”

I try to keep abreast of readings and videos across the political spectrum, only consciously avoiding those that go beyond protected speech, skimming maybe a thousand headlines/thumbnails daily and reading/watching quite a few. I try to pay particular attention to those who are likely to help me understand perspectives different from my own, particularly those that deviate from the stereotypes associated with their groupings.
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For decades while they were alive, my parents recounted story after story of their friend, mentor and “mission broker” Rev. Mel West, his wife Barbara, and their collaborative efforts to help “the least of these”. See Walking in John Wesley’s Footprints.

Mel is well known, and honored, for so much of his work engaging people to work together to help others. See Mel West’s honorary doctorate recognizes a lifetime of humanitarian service.
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Thanks to my parents, Rev. Mel West, my supervising professor and others, the second great commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”, has been instilled in me as long as I can remember.

I was only vaguely aware of our neighbors in Nicaragua when my father, thanks to Mel’s suggestion, began donating to Rainbow Network in 1998. I began to become more aware in 2003 when Mel sent me a photo of homes under construction at Colonia La Paz, homes and land my father had funded.

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“The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin’ on like a bird that flew”
(1975) “Tangled Up In Blue” – Bob Dylan

At a March 12 AIX alumni pizza lunch I told a friend something like “We’re probably over-reacting to this, but better to over-react than under-react. This will probably better prepare us for some future pandemic.”

tl;dr In 2020 hindsight, like almost everybody, I was under-reacting. (more…)

“Genghis Khan and his brother Don
Could not keep on keepin’ on”
(1971) “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” – Bob Dylan

In spite of the pandemic, I feel blessed today. Blessed that my mother was a public health nursing professor, who taught me hygiene and many other useful practices especially useful now. Blessed that my father was a public health statistician, that my sister is a family practice physician, that my graduate studies and early professional life engaged me in probability, modeling, and simulation. I feel better prepared than many to understand and adjust to this new reality.

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