YESSS! It is so easy to get wrapped up in the hectic, emotional charge of events, especially when they are shoved in your face every waking moment. That anger and hate will rob you of your peace, yet the thought of overcoming these matters is daunting at best. The first place you can change is where you are; make your bed, pick up trash on your walk, smile and greet your neighbors and connect with those around you. If we all took some time to connect with and improve our immediate surroundings, the impact would be immeasurable.
Thank you for the thoughtful words, I was concerned about you. I have many good memories from this area, beautiful people and city. I learned anger can be like an addiction, it can make you sick, easy to catch, hard to control and harder to recover from. Caring about others is one way to combat hate. Stay safe.
The redirect from rage to local action is probaby the most practical take on anger I've seen lately. What stands out is the proportion piece, that nature resets your scale of importance so you dont spiral into abstraction. Had a similar realization when I stopped arguing online about distant things and started showing up for stuff in my actual neighboorhood. Turns out face-to-face exchanges with people who live three blocks away matters way more than winning arguments with strangers. The "stabilize your corner" framing is dead-on.
Hank, I have thought often over the last week of you, as this terrible scenario unfolds in the great state of Minnesota. As a former resident of Minnesota, I truly feel for you and the population of this beautiful state. We here in Cary, North Carolina are blessed with a huge contingent of Minnesotans that arrived here via IBM.
To overcome the madness, I will follow your advice – shop local, listen to the plight of the homeless and provide assistance where appropriate, and enjoy the majestic beauty of our area – the resident deer, beavers, bald eagles, blue heron, mallards, etc. all within an hour walk of most residents’ homes.
Also, I will bear down on Borderlands and try a few more of your delicious recipes!
Your column ignites us to a collective spirit, which is admirable. Let me add: if more time was spent reading God's word and attending church functions that uphold the truths of the Bible, we would have a focused direction in which to head. Word before world! May we pray for and do peaceful deeds to heal our world.
Hank has some great words, and I respect his point of view and suggestions on things to do. I grew up around Como Park. I'm St. Paul born and raised. I feel the pain. I cry every day from the images I see, the violence being brought down on our cities and state. Get outside, they say. Go for a walk, make art, find a hobby. That's all fine and good, but at the end of the day they're still pulling people out of cars, breaking down doors, violating my neighbor's rights. That's what I struggle with. Where does it end? What good is it for me to feed my neighbor if ice comes and hauls them away and all I can do is watch. My wife and I were supposed to go to Puerto Rico the day Venezuela was invaded. Needless to say all flights were cancelled. We figured it would be easier to stay in our own country, rather than a foreign one. We ended up rebooking and going to Cancun for a week. We were treated with nothing but smiles, graciousness, and hospitality in a time that there is no reason that they need to do so. It was nice to get away, but honestly it didn't do much to ease the burden on me of what is happening in our cities, my state. So help me out here. I don't see and feel like shoveling my neighbor's walk is going to do a damn thing, and it weighs heavy on me.
I was fortunate enough to observe the Walk for Peace as it passed by my neighborhood over the weekend. For those not in the know, a group of Buddhist monks are walking from Ft Worth, TX to Washington DC to spread a message of peace and community. It was really moving to see everyone who showed up to witness and welcome them into the communities they pass through along their way. I took it as a chance to recenter and refocus what I want to spend my energies on, and how I want to interact with others.
Seeing the crowds that come to visit the monks, it is obvious that many people are looking for (some desperately so) positive and thoughtful engagement with others. Online rhetoric fueled by social media algorithms to keep up angry at each other, and therefore on those social media platforms is toxic. We can be better. We HAVE to be better, or we will tear the very fabric of humanity apart.
Thanks, Hank. Each other is who we've got.
A beautiful piece of writing. Thank you!
YESSS! It is so easy to get wrapped up in the hectic, emotional charge of events, especially when they are shoved in your face every waking moment. That anger and hate will rob you of your peace, yet the thought of overcoming these matters is daunting at best. The first place you can change is where you are; make your bed, pick up trash on your walk, smile and greet your neighbors and connect with those around you. If we all took some time to connect with and improve our immediate surroundings, the impact would be immeasurable.
Thank you for the thoughtful words, I was concerned about you. I have many good memories from this area, beautiful people and city. I learned anger can be like an addiction, it can make you sick, easy to catch, hard to control and harder to recover from. Caring about others is one way to combat hate. Stay safe.
Thank you Hank! Another reason I follow and believe in your vision!
The redirect from rage to local action is probaby the most practical take on anger I've seen lately. What stands out is the proportion piece, that nature resets your scale of importance so you dont spiral into abstraction. Had a similar realization when I stopped arguing online about distant things and started showing up for stuff in my actual neighboorhood. Turns out face-to-face exchanges with people who live three blocks away matters way more than winning arguments with strangers. The "stabilize your corner" framing is dead-on.
“None of this is about taking sides. It’s about taking responsibility. Responsibility for where we actually live.” Amen, brother. ❤️
Hank, I have thought often over the last week of you, as this terrible scenario unfolds in the great state of Minnesota. As a former resident of Minnesota, I truly feel for you and the population of this beautiful state. We here in Cary, North Carolina are blessed with a huge contingent of Minnesotans that arrived here via IBM.
To overcome the madness, I will follow your advice – shop local, listen to the plight of the homeless and provide assistance where appropriate, and enjoy the majestic beauty of our area – the resident deer, beavers, bald eagles, blue heron, mallards, etc. all within an hour walk of most residents’ homes.
Also, I will bear down on Borderlands and try a few more of your delicious recipes!
Thank you.
Tad
And if you know an immigrant who is scared, maybe reach out. Tell them you're behind them.
And we have to keep walking, and thinking, and lifting our people up.
So well said, if only more people had this same mindset
Hank you have a great ❤️
Your column ignites us to a collective spirit, which is admirable. Let me add: if more time was spent reading God's word and attending church functions that uphold the truths of the Bible, we would have a focused direction in which to head. Word before world! May we pray for and do peaceful deeds to heal our world.
Hank has some great words, and I respect his point of view and suggestions on things to do. I grew up around Como Park. I'm St. Paul born and raised. I feel the pain. I cry every day from the images I see, the violence being brought down on our cities and state. Get outside, they say. Go for a walk, make art, find a hobby. That's all fine and good, but at the end of the day they're still pulling people out of cars, breaking down doors, violating my neighbor's rights. That's what I struggle with. Where does it end? What good is it for me to feed my neighbor if ice comes and hauls them away and all I can do is watch. My wife and I were supposed to go to Puerto Rico the day Venezuela was invaded. Needless to say all flights were cancelled. We figured it would be easier to stay in our own country, rather than a foreign one. We ended up rebooking and going to Cancun for a week. We were treated with nothing but smiles, graciousness, and hospitality in a time that there is no reason that they need to do so. It was nice to get away, but honestly it didn't do much to ease the burden on me of what is happening in our cities, my state. So help me out here. I don't see and feel like shoveling my neighbor's walk is going to do a damn thing, and it weighs heavy on me.
Thank you Hank for opening your thoughts, heart, & mind to us all & inspiring us yet again ❤️🩹
I take it out on the mustard.
I was fortunate enough to observe the Walk for Peace as it passed by my neighborhood over the weekend. For those not in the know, a group of Buddhist monks are walking from Ft Worth, TX to Washington DC to spread a message of peace and community. It was really moving to see everyone who showed up to witness and welcome them into the communities they pass through along their way. I took it as a chance to recenter and refocus what I want to spend my energies on, and how I want to interact with others.
Seeing the crowds that come to visit the monks, it is obvious that many people are looking for (some desperately so) positive and thoughtful engagement with others. Online rhetoric fueled by social media algorithms to keep up angry at each other, and therefore on those social media platforms is toxic. We can be better. We HAVE to be better, or we will tear the very fabric of humanity apart.