Being on time

Imagine you are in a polychronic part of the world, which according to Wikipedia is basically everywhere except the US. Picture yourself sitting in your apartment texting with a colleague who lives in your same village. You are under the impression that you'll leave (you and the colleague) at about 14:00 for an evening meeting. So you message at 13:42 asking if the colleague is ready for y'all's carpool. Your colleague responds "another half hour." What does that mean, in terms of actual minutes? Think about it.

On my end, my first thought was "he says a half hour, but really means an hour." So I settled myself down in the apartment for a little more puttering, time spent dressing and organizing myself, and reading.

About 45 minutes go by and I think, "ya know what, I'll just make myself available at the street level in case he's around and ready." So I pack my laptop and notepad into a backpack and head up to the local, family-run mini-market situated conveniently between my apartment and the colleague's home. Turns out the colleague was running around the market and his car taking care of a few last things, basically puttering and packing for our drive. We set out a few minutes later, at which time I learned that we were picking up one more person on the way out of town. And here's the kicker:

Upon picking up the third person for the carpool, my colleague mentioned to this new guy that "Ben is the reason we're five minutes late." Can you believe it!?! I'm smiling writing this because my colleague had said it mostly-jokingly, and whatever time we left town - and arrived at our meeting - was when it was supposed to me. My additional puttering time, the colleague's vagueness about when to get together, and the few minutes our third passenger spent waiting in front of his apartment - it all led basically to (a) not being late and (b) all being right on time (if that is actually what we were) :-)

unrelated practice photo (though three people running uncoordinatedly might in fact relate to this blog's topic)

Ultimate Peace is back around!

In a few days, I'm headed to the Middle East to coach at Ultimate Peace Training Camp. This is somewhat of a reboot on my 2011 trip, when I went to coach at Ultimate Peace Summer Camp. Here's a link to the label I used on my series of camp-related posts. Its a pretty decent reverse chronology of the experience.

I'm using this blog the next couple of weeks to keep in touch with friends. Going on this trip is only possible because lots of people donated their treasure, time, and talents to helping me. Also, a bunch of people drank wine. And that helps. Its kind of like drinking wine --> Ben goes to the Middle East. That's the causality.

Here are a couple pictures of the wine party 2013 held to raise money for Camp:

Katherine entering her mystery wine description

Sam superbly serving a voluptuous vintage

Reed presenting the red wines in front of awesome UP gear (and awkward John Booth)

Sam thanking supporters for coming and pulling raffle numbers

Thanks everyone for the support. More posts coming in the next few days. I leave on Sunday!

Some news today

Don't know how to start this post except to take a deep breath and commence typing.

Andrew Breitbart, a commentator for the Washington Times, is on my sh*t list for two reasons. More broadly, I'm feelin angry and upset about shit going down in Washington (and all over). First, Breitbart blames my U.S. representative for being called the n-word last weekend. Speaking of John Lewis and Jim Clyburn, after they were harassed between their office and the capitol, Breitbart says "they should be the objects of ridicule [for walking through the crowd]."

Secondly, Breitbart has now issued a reward offer of $10,000 for video of the harassment Congressman Lewis and colleagues experienced. If anyone has video that the N-word was thrown at the Congressmen, Breitbart will cut a check to the UNCF. By the way, countless news sources have reported the N-word was yelled. Raising his profile seems to be Breitbart's intent here.

By now, there are critics of members of congress even responding to requests for comment. Its all of a sudden a partisan act when one states the facts of an incident... I'm upset this is all so fucking hateful - or is it anymore hateful than usual, only now just coming to the surface?

Good for the creative loafing for having a sense of humor - at least humor is somewhat constructive, as opposed to the Tea Party who have done little except tear people down. So what can Congressman Lewis do - or anyone else concerned about the issue of health insurance reform but also decency and positivity? Respond to the demand for video? Ignore it and leave the hateful activists to roast in the light of day?

Sayin Somethin Significant

I would like to use as a subject from which to preach this morning: "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution." The text for the morning is found in the book of Revelation. There are two passages that I would like to quote, in the sixteenth chapter of that book: "Behold, I make all things new; former things are passed away."

On March 31, 1968, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr visited Washington, DC to spoke these words at the famous National Cathedral.

The first thing that strikes me about the above introduction is the similarity between the words revolution and revelation. Using this history of the latin revolvere and this etymology of the latin revelare, we understand that revolution means more re-birth or renewal and revelation denotes more disclosure and revealing. For Dr King, just like today's pronunciation, the two were intertwined.

Dr King is quite up front in "Remaining Awake" about the triple evils of his day:

• poverty
• racism
• militarism

And he talks about the challenges for people of good conscience in facing those threats. Mainly, time is on the side of the oppressor. And a narrow worldview will always limit the possibilities of an international brotherhood of the human race.

Failing to develop new attitudes and mental responses is a symptom of sleeping through a revolution. With poor people from across America, Dr King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference planned to "call attention to the gulf between promise and fulfillment; to make the invisible [i.e. poverty, the poor] visible."

In addition to making demands of the government, Dr King's campaign was carrying out strategic boycotts of products and companies across the south: for failure to hire Black workers, invest in Black communities, and offer the dignity that humans deserve.

Before ending this eloquent and direct sermon, Dr King reminded us that standing against war was not popular. The media, along with people within the civil rights movement, lobbied Dr King to silence his opposition to the War in Vietnam. But Dr King did not seek the consensus. From his days in the Montgomery bus boycott, Dr King and the people there aimed to move the consensus.

Though his positions were not always expedient, they came from his conscience. Dr King was fatally shot only five days after this 'Remaining Awake' speech, giving his words, spoken in the nation's capitol, even more weight.

In his truly anti-war speech, Dr King noted that "true compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar....it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring." This, indeed, is a revolution worth remaining awake for.

Second Annual Retreat

The last week or so has been really hectic over here.

After coaching at Irvine (Ghetto had a 4-2 record on the weekend with a huge comeback against Oxy), I tried to buckle down Sunday night for some last minute work assignments.

I didn't finish it all before Erin and Andy got me headed to LAX for a 1am flight eastward. I wouldn't recommend that red-eye into DFW.

By 9am we were in Little Rock and cranky. Naturally, we pile into a car headed into town but return to the airport an hour later. This story sucks so far... in short, I make it to Petit Jean State Park with a time to spare before the rest of the crew arrives and our meetings start. [Last year, I posted this about the 2006 retreat and my post-Thanksgiving thoughts]

Things go as planned the whole time; introductions, debreifs on the last year's accomplishments and lessons learned, and some social time sum up the first day. The second day has more 'looking forward' oriented stuff, with 2008 voter registration and other plans, plus a higher-energy party with too much alcohol and picture-taking. Day three wraps stuff up with a Development meeting (brainstorming ways of getting individual donors to give more) and a wild ride back to Little Rock. See this weather report for more information.

Next blog post should be about some of the thoughts I had on the flights back and maybe (a biography series entry) about Dave Eggers.

Organizing

Next week I am visiting Washington, DC, for my first business-related trip ever to the nation's capital. The New Organizing Institute is hosting training, workshops, and talks for online organizers from across the non-profit and progressive worlds.

Along these lines, I want to know your thoughts (yes, you, the reader of this) on online communication. If you have spent any time emailing, blogging, e-networking, or using other online communication, please share your thoughts on the experience here. A couple questions to jumpstart it:

1. Can you trust the people you email with, chat with, meet on myspace, and other sites?
2. What do you like to do online - political talk, meeting friends, sharing news, researching?
3. How do you think we can use the internet better as we promote a social justice agenda?
   

(I want to see your thoughts -- this means you, Lisa; you too, Liz; all that g-chatting applies, Kate; your facebook time counts, Kyle -- everyone, share your thoughts).

I'll post more about this, with resources for bloggers and other users of web-communication tools, soon. I need your thoughts.


Ben

p.s. Thanks to Liz for feedback on the self-interest topic and 'love as social philosophy' posts.

Neglect

Happy Holidays! This is a time of year when neglect (of the poor, the lonely, and the estranged) is never more apparent. Hunger exists but people line up for malls to get things on sale for loved ones who wish for new goods to enjoy and show off (see previous post).

Traditionally for me this is a time of more travel and visits with family and friends. Fortunately, I have found new friends early this holiday season, including some from work. After three weeks, I will reunite with my immediate family and friends in Atlanta.

After spending two great days with Kate here in Hollywood, I flew to Little Rock, Ar, for a couple days on 'retreat' with the political operations staff of our national organization.

At Petit Jean State Park, we debriefed, made plans for the next year, and partied. A couple pictures were taken during the evening fun and closing ceremonies. Thanks to Sara of Colorado's Election Administration program for emailing the few shots above.

Today's title partly has to do with the neglect I have paid this blog. It could be historical and thoughtful, but not when I'm not putting anything in to it.

Best wishes from LA. Another week ahead and another opportunity for success.