Archive - 2015
October 3rd
Being a Hynes
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 10/03/2015 - 13:38When I was a kid, my father was a member of Mensa, as well as some other similar groups. I was brought up believing I was exceptionally smart, as well as kind, creative, and other positive attributes. The beliefs and expectations about who I was shaped who I am.
Recently, I stumbled across, “Picture yourself as a stereotypical male”. I mentioned this article when I first found it saying that I hoped to explore it in more detail later.
This morning is a good morning to explore this a little. I have three daughters who grew up as Hyneses, believing they are exceptionally smart, kind, creative, and so on. In their early school days, they sang with their classmates, “I believe I can fly.” The past few days were a reminder that they can fly. The oldest two are flying.
On Thursday evening, my youngest daughter and I went to the opening for “Big Art: Tiny House” in Concord, MA. Miranda is building a tiny house as a public art project to help reconnect art to daily. Miranda did fantastic explaining her ideas and afterwards many artists made comments to me about how proud I must be to be Miranda’s father. I am. Her talk deserves a blog post (or more) of its own and I hope to get to that later.
On Friday morning, I received a Facebook message from my eldest daughter in Japan. She has been accepted into a graduate program in modern Japanese women's history in the Global Studies Department at Doshisha University in Kyoto. She is receiving a full scholarship. Years ago she spoke about going to graduate school in Japan. She’s a Hynes. She can do it. Her studies also deserves a blog post (or more) on its own as well.
Next week, we will celebrate Fiona’s birthday. She is still young, so we don’t know what her great successes will be but we are already seeing signs.
Yet this also gets issues of privilege and internalized racism. My daughters have a great privilege of growing up believing they are going to do great things. They have a great privilege of being surrounded by people believing the same thing. All children should grow up this way. Unfortunately, too many kids grow up believing they are trouble, that they are not loved. Too many kids grow up having those around them believing that they are trouble.
As I think of this, two quotes come to mind. One is from Virginia Woolf, to the effect that the only thing wrong with privilege is that not everyone has it. The other is about Lake Wobegon, where every kid is above average.
So, I will celebrate successes of my daughters and seek to help others also be successful.
October 2nd
Calling
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Fri, 10/02/2015 - 09:55Frederick Buechner writes,
“In the year that King Uzziah died, or in the year that John F. Kennedy died, or in the year that somebody you loved died” in his post about vocation based on Isaiah 6:1-9
I’ve been thinking about this, mostly in terms of “Here I am; Send me”. I struggle with the response of “Go”, seeking discernment about where I should go, how I should go, and I overlook the first part.
I write this as a friend sits by her mother’s bedside during the final moments of her mother’s life. I write this on the birthday of a friend that died a couple years ago. I write this as Hurricane Joaquin approaches, remembering the death of my mother a few years ago during Hurricane Sandy. I write this thinking about a friend whose son died in the first moments of life.
I write this as I read the news about the latest shooting, this time in Oregon. I think of Sandy Hook, Charleston, and … The list is too long. I think of Trayvon, Michael, Sandy, the list is too long.
Last night, I attended an opening for one of my daughters’ art project. It was great and I want to write more about it soon. This morning I received great news from another one of my daughters. I also want to write more about this soon.
How is it that all of this comes up in my Facebook timeline, including the link to Buechner as a sponsored post? How does this all fit together?
Buechner ends his post with “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”
I must respond like Isaiah. “Here I am; Send Me”.
October 1st
Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit. The Journey of the Rabbit
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 12:50As a children, we were told to say, “Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit” first thing each month to bring good luck for the coming month. These days, I try to start each morning with a Collect from the Lectionary. The Collect for this coming Sunday is
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Perhaps, in some way, the two are related, in some sort of “Journey of the Rabbit”.
I think of the Velvateen Rabbit talking about what it means to be ‘real’. That too is a journey, part of the “Journey of the Rabbit”.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my life journey over the past few months and I’m very aware of being at this particular point in the journey, how different it was from when I was younger, and presumably, how different it is from what I am in the process of becoming.
This comes to mind after a discussion yesterday at a meeting about providing safe shelters for LGBT people. Many people are on different journeys as they try to understand their own gender identity or sexual orientation. Many people are on different journeys as they try to make sense of how they will react to people whose journeys are different from their own.
Yet one of the most important, underlying ideas, is to recognize that we are all on our journeys. What we thought yesterday, what we are thinking today, and what we will be thinking about tomorrow are all just different places on our ever changing journeys.
September 30th
The Pope and Kim Davis
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 20:38Seems like everyone is talking about Pope Francis meeting with Kim Davis and it is a Rorschach test, confirming most people’s pre-established views of the Pope, Kim Davis, or both of them. So, I’ll take the Rorschach test and come out with a different view than many of my online political friends.
I view the Pope’s meeting with Kim Davis in the same way I view his meeting with Imam Khalid Latif and Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove. I view his meeting with Kim Davis in the same way I view his meeting with Speaker Boehner or President Obama.
We live in a world where people vilify those who disagree with them.
I believe this is contrary to teaching of Christ. I believe that Pope Francis understands this and lives it. Jesus spent his time meeting with the vilified in his society, the tax collectors and sinners, lepers and prostitutes. Jesus calls us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute you.
It seems as if Kim Davis has become a symbol of persecution, both for her persecution of those she doesn’t approve of, and for the persecution she has received for holding onto a belief that is out of step with American society. Is persecution too strong a word? Is suggesting that she considers people seeking same sex marriage licenses her enemy, or that those who fight for marriage equality consider her their enemy too strong? I’m not sure persecution or enemy are too strong in this hyper partisan atmosphere of vilification.
To me, it seems as if the Pope has communicated the core message of Christianity incredibly well by meeting with Imam Khalid Latif, Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, Speaker Boehner, President Obama, those who care for the homeless, and even Kim Davis. He has met with people that are hated and are symbols of hate for some, across the political and religious spectrum.
I also imagine the Pope having some of the same frustrations with people that just don’t seem to get it as Jesus had with people he met that just didn’t get it, and yet the both showed love to those that just didn’t get it.
Now, I’m not saying that loving your enemy is easy, or that I do a good job of it, but it does seem like something we should all aspire to.
September 29th
Upcoming Events Oct/Nov 2015
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Tue, 09/29/2015 - 21:26Years ago, I used to put up blog posts from time to time about various events I would be attending. Much of this was to promote conferences that I would be covering in my blog. In recent years I haven’t been doing that as much. However, there are a bunch of things coming up that I would like to highlight, so here are some of the events I’m interested in.
Oct 1:
American Red Cross Blood Drive at CHC in Middletown.
First Thursday Opening Reception: BIG Art; Tiny House. This is at the community arts center where my daughter Miranda works, and where she is building a tiny house. Friends in the Boston area should try to get out to this.
Pope Francis' Encyclical: Climate Change Evokes Moral Change Unfortunately, I can’t give blood, but both of the other events are really interesting to me. We’ll see if I can make it to either of them.
Oct. 2:
Folk Friday concert: Kim and Reggie Harris! as part of CT Folk in New Haven. Kim and Reggie Harris are two of my favorite performers at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and this should be a great concert.
A Public Conversation at Yale Divinity School: Black Lives Matter. The odds are that I’ll just head home and go to bed early on Friday, but if I have the energy, I’ll probably go to the event at Yale Divinity School.
Oct 3:
Pledge-Per-Round: Knockout Domestic Violence. This is a fundraiser for New Horizons Domestic Violence Shelter, part of CHC. This is the second year we are doing this. I hope a lot of people participate.
I expect to be at home dealing with a family event. I am concerned about whether we will get heavy rain on that day, messing up both the New Horizons event and the family event.
Oct 4: The Feast of St. Francis
I don’t expect to do anything special for the Feast of St. Francis. Though I am excited about what is going on at my church that day. We will be having the second part of our community discussion about racism. The first part was really good and I’m so happy that my church is tackling this.
Oct 6: Fiona’s Birthday
I have jury duty on my youngest daughter’s birthday. I’ll do my civic duty and then come home to celebrate.
Oct 7:
#hcsmct Meetup. This is the monthly meeting of health care activists in Connecticut using Social Media. If this might apply to you, please consider attending.
Community Health Forum. This will take place at the end of the day up in Hartford, and I plan on going, presuming I’m not serving on a jury on that day.
Oct 10:
I plan on driving up to Boston to help with Miranda’s Tiny House and drop Fiona off for the weekend. It turns out that there is also an Ingress event in Boston that day, so I’ll try to work on the Tiny House for a while in the morning and then go to #Abaddon Flash Shards: Boston.
There is also a Saturday Morning poetry group that I would like to attend on that day, but I just don’t think I can make it.
Oct 16:
FOCUS – Fighting Our Cause – Undoing Stigma Against HIV/AIDS
Oct 19:
CT Health Second Listening Event is 10/19 in New London
Oct 29:
Reform to Transform Summit: Sparking Bold Action conference.
Nov 3:
Municipal Election Day in most of Connecticut. Woodbridge had its elections in May, so I’m not currently working on a campaign, but if I can make time, I’ll try to help with some of the local elections.
Nov 5:
(Save the date) The 5th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Health Disparities.
Nov 14:
Ingress XM Anomaly – taking place in New Orleans LA, Charlotte NC, and Pittsburgh PA. I may participate remotely.
