Use Your Gray Matter

 The argument of the day appears to be whether people who have not gotten COVID 19 vaccinated should be forced to take the shot and secondarily if children should be required to wear masks at school. The volume and the verbiage are mostly a smoke screen, designed to keep your mind off the important matters of the day.

But behind all the smoke it really is important that each of us research, read, analyze the data and use the brains that God gave us to decide what is appropriate. I did my research and considered all options and have been vaccinated since February, and the sheer number of shots given versus the miniscule number of individual bad reactions support my decision to be vaccinated. I don't have any children of school age, but I'm amazed at the actions of parents who loudly refuse to assure that their kids are maximally protected while in a confined space with other kids. Their position just doesn't make sense to me, but I respect their right to act foolishly. And I also respect the right of society to think the issue through and logically agree to protect those who need to be isolated from the actions of others. 

Our creator gave us brains to think, and the ability to disagree while also giving us the ability to reason and cooperate. Now is the time to exercise that ability. 

Time and Space

 So far this week all the work I've done has been court based. Two days of Small Claims cases are always going to make me happy that "I'm not one of those people". It continues to amaze me, the situations people can get into and the muddle they make of their lives trying to get out of the situation.

But that's what mediators do and I'm glad that I can help get (some) of the people I deal with on track to resolving whatever it was that brought them to me.

Yesterday I drove several hours to a family court hearing. The hearing itself was nothing special and the judge's decision was not unexpected. what I did find interesting was the difference between the court I usually work with and the rural court where the hearing was held. My court serves a population of more than 700,000 people and has 24 sitting judges. Security is tight, you have to pass through a metal detector, lots of deputies are available and camera everywhere. The rural court, while it has the latest in judicial support systems is staffed with 1 judge for less than 8,000 people. There were no metal detectors, no deputies and nothing to indicate that security was important. I really didn't need to leave stuff in my car that I have to remove at my home court.

So it's all a matter of need and perception. At my court we know there is a percentage of people who do not wish the system well and are prepared to demonstrate their feelings. In the rural area everyone knows each other and trust is apparent.

It kind of makes me wish I lived out there.

I'm still having fun

 Mumble, Mumble years ago I entered the world and it has been a fun ride ever since. It was a Monday morning and I don't think my mother ever forgave me for "interrupting" her weekly wash day. But at least she didn't send me back.  I deny the rumor that my arrival precipitated World War II but I can remember that it was the start of a frenetic growth period, both technical and social and I'm glad I was able to experience it. 

A lot has changed, for better or worse, since that day and I try to keep current. As I've grown I guess my mantra has been that if I want to stay young I should be with the young. But not try to keep up. 

So far its worked and even if its harder to get started in the morning I'm still engaged, mentally active and always looking forward to the next event.

Life is never dull

 As we age we tend to see life in less nuanced terms. I'm not saying that life is a series events seen in a black or white color spectrum. What I'm saying is that as we grow over time and add to our book of experience we learn to filter out the BS and Misdirection that others want us to accept without thought.

CC and I have a mutual friend who has been living in the same apartment for over fifteen years and has seen their rent go up while the quality of apartment life has diminished, both in maintenance and in the people management rents to. It's gotten to the point where an increasing number of apartments in the development are now leased under Section 8 rules. The new tenants are not known for their social skills and inter-personal relations so our friend has decided to move on and rent a house,

Their lease on the apartment runs out in October and they can move into their new (and safer) home in September. You would hope that after many years of complaint free living that management would honor their presence and defer the last month of their lease. Not to be ... and they will most likely have to pay for the Octobers rent while also paying for their new place. 

I do a lot of landlord/tenant mediation and my experience has been that as the quality of the apartment and the tenants goes down the probity of the parties diminishes to an even greater degree. Owners don't maintain the property and occupants resist paying rent and maintaining their home. What follows is that the parties don't trust each other and social relationships disappear. These situations gives me lots of work, but it's not work I enjoy since it really brings out the worst in people.

Our friend is doing the right thing. Leave for a better environment and don't look back!