Category: Asperger’s Syndrome

What’s in a name?

Currently, I work at a tutoring center with a lot of children who do not have the same cultural or religious background as me. They come in and generally work hard.

But you can see in their eyes that they don’t really trust you. Some are sure you are better than them – not true! Many are sure they are better than you – that actually may be true! OK, not really, as we are all equal in God’s eyes.

The best way I have found to get through to the toughest ones, or at least gain the smallest amount of credibility to then build on, is to learn how to say their names as close as possible to the way they say them.

The joyful surprise that comes over their face when you put in a good effort is priceless!

I suppose that is why God makes such a big deal about names in the Bible.

Your life has consequence

One of my neighbors passed away several years ago.

During her time next door to me, she was an amazing gardener, up until her last few years when, first dementia, then an old body started stealing her gift.

Now I think of her often, but, unfortunately, it isn’t her carefully curated perennials that are brought to mind. It is the thistles that started turning her slice of heaven into a bit of the underworld and are now trying to do the same to my, much less Eden-like space.

I’m not angry with her as I try for what seems like the millionth time to beat the thorny plants back. She was no longer capable of pulling them herself or she most definitely would’ve.

It does make me think of how what we, as individuals do and don’t do in life has an impact on those around us, often continuing after we have taken leave of this beautiful and difficult planet.

So don’t get tricked into thinking that what you do is your business and no one else will be affected.

It is your business, but know that you are very important. Your life has consequence.

My Favorite Economic System

I’m sure some of you thought I was crazy when I posted last week that I think capitalism, socialism and communism are all fine economic systems, depending upon the moral fabric of the people engaged in them.

Some of you think capitalism is the only way. Others think it is the ruin of the world. Most of us consider communism to be untenable, while a few believe that it is the only way to fairness for everyone. Socialism, somewhere in the middle of the two, also has proponents and adversaries.

My favorite economic system is what I would call, compassionate capitalism. Here’s where I get it from. The Bible says that people need to work to eat and that workers should be paid fair wages. The Bible says that each family must work to provide for itself, but that farmers should not harvest all of their fields, but leave some food behind for those less fortunate.

The Bible asks people to give a tenth of what they make to the church, who then is to distribute some of that to those who are truly in need. The Bible says to set up a roll for those who are in need, but only those who are truly unable to work are allowed on the list.

The New Testament Christians lived somewhat communistically, having everything in common. But it was done as one wished, not required.

The Bible repeatedly decries laziness, but also continually admonishes those who have to share with those who are poor.

A recent example in my life is this. I work about 24 hours a week, and decided to use some of that money to go to a conference several weeks ago. Unfortunately, that conference ended up being canceled due to severe weather. I did cancel my airline tickets in hopes of using them another day. However, I told the hotel, the person I was renting my car from, and the conference host organization that they could keep the money that I had already paid them, as I knew that they were suffering greatly because of the destruction the weather wrought.

That is compassionate capitalism. I work hard and get paid fair wages (sometimes a little on the low side, but that is because my husband makes plenty of money to keep our family afloat, so I can afford to get paid a little less as a way to bless those I am working for). I then spend my money to support others who are working hard. And when tragedy strikes, I am able to bless them with money that I had already planned to spend, even though I will no longer reap the benefit, sort of like the farmer who leaves behind some of the harvest for those less fortunate. I also do donate to organizations who help people during natural and human-made catastrophes.

Let us truly love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We love ourselves plenty most of the time.

If we work and spend as a way of loving others, the perfect economic system will naturally form.

When does a woman’s full bodily autonomy start?

The number one reason many women that I know are pro-choice is that they want women to have full bodily autonomy, like men.

What is bodily autonomy? Bodily autonomy is defined as the right to make decisions about your own body, life, and future, without coercion or violence. It includes deciding whether or not to have sex, use contraception, or go to the doctor. Bodily autonomy has long been recognized as a fundamental human right.

MSI Reproductive Choices

So when does that full bodily autonomy start?

If her mother is pro-life, then a woman’s full bodily autonomy starts at the moment of conception. From that moment on, she will have the right to life without coercion or violence. Of course, she will not be able to make all of her own decisions at first as she can’t talk, walk, or even move beyond the confines of the womb. However, no one is allowed to take her life, and, as she is able, she will be allowed to make more and more of her own decisions about her life.

If her mother is pro-choice, then a woman doesn’t get full bodily autonomy until she is fully out of her mother’s body and is breathing on her own. Up until that moment, she may be subjected to the violent taking of her life.

As a side note, this also means that men don’t have full bodily autonomy until they are fully born and breathing on their own. So the argument that women need to have access to abortions so that they can have full bodily autonomy like men becomes an illogical statement. Abortion takes full bodily autonomy away from men.

Because of the way that humans come into being, requiring both a male and a female body, then leaving the female body to shoulder the brunt of the process, this is a tricky situation.

This is the reason that the Bible tells men that they are to be the protectors of women, treating all as their mother or sister and loving their wives, not being violent or coercive with them.

Women should not be forced to choose between bodily autonomy and killing preborn women and men.

Men, start teaching other men how women should be treated. This would make abortion a non-issue.

I realize that there will always be men who use women and women who don’t control themselves. So what do we do in this reality?

Women must not violently take the life of preborn people. That is not good for the preborn people, obviously, and it is not good for the psyche of the woman, either. Women must be supported through pregnancy and given support to adopt out or keep their children.

Laws and agencies need to be put into place to make life harder for men who use women as playthings. Children want to know who their fathers are, to be loved and supported by them. We, as a society, need to do a better job of making sure that happens as much as possible.

Pastors, priests, teachers, anyone regularly speaking into the lives of young people need to teach chastity, self-control, respect of others and responsibility for actions taken, including the raising of a child.

God is the giver of life. We must not play god by taking it away.

The American Dream works because American Dreamers work

I was musing this morning about how so many of us dream of getting rich quick and then taking it easy. We complain about being so tired in our 30s and 40s and wished that we could just be done working. I was one of those, dreaming about retirement.

Now, as retirement looms closer, I am realizing how much I actually enjoy working and how much I will miss it when I truly am too tired to do it.

Both Plymouth Colony and Virginia Colony started out as communes. Plymouth Colony was supposed to be a Utopian Commune with everyone holding everything in common. The Virginia Colony was supposed to encourage capitalism, but everyone was first indentured so lived communistically until their indenture had been paid.

Both colonies had a hard time flourishing, because those that could work hard had no incentive to when they received the same recompense as those that could not work hard. So three years in, Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony decided to shift to capitalism. Within the year the colony was on excellent footing. About that same year, Puritans took over Virginia Colony and also gave colonists their own land to take care of, even though their indentures were not yet through. This also saved Virginia Colony.

There are some people who inherit money. There are some people who work extremely hard their whole life and barely scrape by. There are people who do run into horrible obstacles such as racism, ageism, disabilities not of their own making, and many other things. But in general, if you are willing to work, there is a dream to be had here. You may not have the grandest house, the fastest car, the fanciest clothes, the most lavish food or the most impressive vacations, but you can live a good life that includes sharing that goodness with others.

The Bible gives us many instructions on how to live a successful life. One of the first is in the very first few chapters. Exodus 20:9-10 tells us that we should labor for six days and rest on the seventh.

One of my ancestors, John Quincy Adams, worked toward his dream of having a country free of slavery, dying before he saw the dream, but dying trying. He had been a Senator, then the 6th President and finally, died working as a member of the House of Representatives. He did not let status get in the way of working for what he dreamed of. And because of his efforts, and the effort of many others, slavery was abolished just 15 years later.

Here’s to dreamers and the work it takes to realize those dreams!