Yes, I believe that love is the answer. But to which question? Who is asking the question? And does “love” always work as an answer or does it just feel like adding, “in bed” to the end of your fortune in your cookie?

Not to sound condescending or arrogant. Maybe a better sign would also have the question so that it’s clear what is meant. Or that if you have a question before you ask it you first have to think, is love the answer? If you truly believed that love is an answer you might rethink the question or the intent of your question. Is your question even still important?

How do we end hunger?
How do we fix the economy?
How should we live our lives?
How do we end war and terrorism?
How do we build a strong safe future?
How do we run a company?
How do we run a country?

How do we, how do we, think about someone other than ourself?

All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.
Dalai Lama

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

“Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third.” Marge Piercy

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” Elie Wiesel

“Love is not a thing to understand. Love is not a thing to feel. Love is not a thing to give and receive. Love is a thing only to become and eternally be.” Sri Chinmoy

This is on the corner of the street I have turned left on since moving to this side of town. If I don’t turn on this street I go about 4 blocks further North to turn left to come to where this street ends. I think they are just going to have to put up with me. Didn’t realize you could choose who drives down your street by putting up a sign.

Think I’ll start posting a few signs.

• Use Your Blinker. Signaling is a legal requirement and a courtesy. Please.
• You may turn right if there is no sign to prohibit the turn. Like NO traffic, not there’s room for your car if you hurry. Please.
• If you are going to drive slow on the highway, right lane. Please.
• Put the phone down! Please.
• No Lane Changes next 500ft. DON’T CHANGE LANES! Please.
• Left Lane Closed in 1 mile. Don’t rush into left lane and crowd traffic where the lane is closed. Please.
• Drive like you are NOT the only person on the road. Please.

One more thing.

• PICK A LANE! Please.

Considering the week I’ve had. Scratch that, the month I’ve had. I think I handled this pretty ridiculous, unbelievable situation very well. Calm, cool and even with, granted probably sardonic, sense of humor.

I needed/wanted $29 cash to buy the book that goes along with the current feature being made where I work ParaNorman, that will be released in August.

I had $8, but couldn’t come up with the extra dollar in change while out and about. So I stopped by Chase in the Pearl to get some cash and change for that extra dollar I needed.

Parked, hit the ATM at the front of the bank and went inside for my change. Ten, five and five ones. Easy right? Wrong.

I’m not a fan of “banks” and have had a credit union account since I worked at one in a former life back in the early 80’s. But with the mortgage comes the “bank”. First at WAMU, then Wells Fargo.

WAMU is now Chase and I had never closed that account. So when they came up with that app that allowed you to take a picture of a check and deposit it, I thought that was worth keeping the account open. I also thought, this could help me budget. Use my credit union account for house, car, insurance type payments, the boring stuff and Chase for the rest.

Today I wanted cash to pay for the book. Guess I should have just taken a check. But who writes checks anymore? So I stopped by the Chase branch in the Pearl, hit the ATM for $40 cash and went inside to the teller to get change for one of the twenties. Again, easy right…wrong!

First I waited a few second, no teller’s. No biggie. Someone comes up behind me chuckling and says, “Guess it’s self service day! Someone will be right with you.” “That’s fine. I say. I’ll take it all in tens!” I wait a few more seconds and a girl comes out to one of the five teller bays.

“I’d like change for a twenty, ten, a five and ones. I need some ones. I say.” She takes my twenty, pulls out a ten, a five and two ones. She says, “I’m sorry I don’t have enough ones.” Pushes the twenty back at me.

I kind of giggle and say, “Really? This is bank, you don’t have money?” “No I’m sorry I don’t”, she says. “Really? I just need five ones, I can’t get five ones?” She calls to a “Chase” behind the wall. No answer. I laugh and say, “ A Chase working here really”, with a smile keeping it light. She says, “Yeah, sorry I don’t have enough ones.” I ask one more time, “You really can’t get me ones?” She calls another name and he peaks around the corner at her and me, no response but continues to stare at me like I had on a mask and a gun in my hand! I was asking for five ones from a bank for God’s sake!

She says, “I can’t access the (she rattles off an acronym pointing to a machine that apparently has all the ones) to get more ones. “I got hit up by a business earlier and they drained me.”

Still in an okay mood at this point, but starting to think, this is ridiculous. I say, this is my bank I just got money from the ATM, really you can’t get me ones?” She says, you can go across the street to US Bank and ask for change there. Like somehow it’s Miracle on 34th St, she’s Macy’s and Gimbels is across the street.

So I step back and say with a question, “maybe I should close my account, but do you have the money if I did that?” “I’m sorry, I just don’t have access to the (≈ƒ´ß†º).” Whatever! I’m not getting my change that’s obvious. But I’m still thinking, really???

I’m certain my perplexing look said more than I was saying. But really, it’s A BANK!

As I walk out I see the guy who tells me it’s “self- service” day. So I say on my way out, “not self-service day, out of ones day. Should I close my account? I just need a one!” A quick re-cap and he pulls money out of his pocket and hands me a one-dollar bill. I tell him, I can’t take your dollar, but I’m having a hard time understanding why I can’t get change at a bank I have an account at, should I close my account?”

This is when he gets a bit huffy and irritated at me and says, “I have five ones, here I’ll give you change, don’t close your account.” And he huffs off. But now giving him the 5, I don’t have the five and I have eight ones, right back where I started. Needing one (1) flipping dollar because I only had about 40 some odd cents in the car and bag combined.

I wasn’t going to close my account. And if I did, it would be NO great loss to Chase. But the attitude and delivery of, “here’s your change, don’t close your account” was the nail in the coffin.

I’m closing my Chase bank account like I should have done years ago. Being able to deposit checks via an app on the iPhone, worthless. As is Chase.

Let’s just say, I’m still working on it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If we are going to demand that every child be born. Then we should demand that each and every one of those children have a good life. If we pass legislation to ban abortion, we must also pass true pro-life, beyond birth legislation. If we are going to take Planned Parenthood down, are we prepared to take care of EVERY SINGLE CHILD BORN? We don’t even do that today!

The studies have been done about how many children are aborted. What is the % of that % that is because of a threat to the life of that child or the mother?

Where is the study of children born into this world today who are not taken care of? Children who go hungry? Children who are abused? Children who are neglected? Children born addicted to drugs? Children who die because of neglect, abuse and malnutrition?

I’m once again reminded of that line in the movie “sex, lies and videotape”, when Ann is at the therapist and she can’t stop worrying about the barge of garbage in the bay.

Ann: Garbage. All I’ve been thinking about all week is garbage. I mean, I just can’t stop thinking about it.

Her therapist asks, what is it that she is really worried about? Does anyone ever have a substantial, meaningful, in-depth conversation about the cause and effect of a decision?

I am pro-choice. But I’m also pro-life. So there! I am however not pro-birth. Which I think is what pro-lifer’s actually stand for. And I didn’t know really how to articulate that until I heard a Benedictine Nun talk about it on Bill Moyers PBS show NOW in 2004. She said;

‎“I’m opposed to abortion.

Sister Joan Chittister (2004)

Exactly! THANK YOU!

Are there enough homes in America to put children who are born to women not in the position to care for a child? Are there enough families ready to care for a child born to a mother who dies in child-birth because of complications that could have been avoided? Who protects the Mother? Is that not a life? Does she not somehow become defenseless if she is somehow incapacitated due to complications?

Pro-lifer’s. What choice in life that you can freely make are you willing to give up? If you do not have the choice to manage your own body, what next. Well, it’s kind of already started. You’ve had this before so we don’t have to pay for it now. You have in the past asked for help due to depression, we will not insure you. So be depressed, possibly do something to your self that puts you in a coma or persistent vegetative state and someone else can pay for you long term care.

What if we let individuals make choices about their own body, provided everyone health care. Even better, preventative health care and then the raging cost of taking care of the sick might decrease because people aren’t as sick as they used to be. We have created a society dependent on being sick and needing health care. How do we reverse that?

How do we get those we have elected to have the conversations that go beyond the surface or beyond one line of scripture and make the decisions that will take care of all of us an not just who a few think should be taken care of?

How so you prove your faith or religious beliefs? Who if any of us have the right to question another’s belief system?

And I agree with him. But someone, somewhere does so it will continue to be pushed in our face and be a talking point for the 24 hour news cycle and those who have too much time on their hands. Who it seems can’t really comprehend what is a big world with too many differences to even attempt to bring to one table and have somehow been granted the right to judge.

Why do I ask this? I’m not really asking. Because I know I won’t get an answer. Because I don’t think it has anything to do with anything. But I turned on CNN the other morning to see the question in the title of this post because President Obama made reference to prayer and his religion in a morning speech.

It amazes me what people get wrapped up in. It amazes me the energy they spend on things they will never truly know the truth to and for the most part there is no tangible proof for. Like their belief. I believe. I believe. Yes you believe, but does that prove a thing?

“Religion is a cultural system that creates powerful and long-lasting meaning, by establishing symbols that relate humanity to truths and values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature.” Wikipedia

In my opinion, if you feel you have the authority or the nerve to ask this question, you will never accept the answer. Your agenda is to shine the light on your self.

Your agenda is not to enhance the dialogue or conversation. It is self serving, pointless and reckless.

My old boss goes on to say, “I still fail to understand how being a “person of faith” is even part of the Presidential litmus test. What possible bearing does that have on one’s ability to govern or create good policy? This country is still living in the late 1950’s.”

If you are going to throw around religion or Christianity pay attention to the “word”. If you are going to use this as your guide, it says that we will be judged by our “work”. At the risk of being judgmental, your work may get you in trouble.

Pardon me if I, like the zealots of the world, take these out of context. That is how you do it right?

REV 20:12:
“another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

REV 20:13:
“and they were judged every man according to their works.”