Bernie Slutsky

What Would it be Like to Live in a Place Where There is a Sense of Kindness?   We are living in a moment where change is happening in front of us rapidly. There is a movement to stop racism, establish equality for all, to end violence by the police, the military, and community. And we are living in a pandemic that has taken many lives and has caused suffering to the population at large. The national political atmosphere has created nothing less than danger to us all. There has been denial and negligence towards the pandemic. The reaction by the federal government to the protestors who are marching for change in how society is being policed has been nothing short of fascism. There are many who are desperately in dire straits financially because of the pandemic. And they are being ignored by the federal government. Our society is escalating by the minute. We are frightened, panicked, angry, and we grieve. We all want, need, and are calling out from our hearts and souls, for change: t...

Don’t Let Them Define This Movement   The picture of the White officer stepping on the Black Man’s neck with a look on the officer’s face that was composed and showed that he did not care at all about the Black man’s life is everlasting. This snapshot sent off a spark that started a new and rejuvenated movement for equality for Black people. Since that incident there have been protests, demonstrations, and new and deeper conversations about racism in the United States. White people are more open about this than ever before. It is a defining moment at this time. During the protests and marches there has been some rioting and looting especially right after George Floyd was murdered. For the most part all the demonstrations were peaceful around the country. Not long after the Floyd murder Rayshard Brooks was killed by Atlanta police. Immediately following that murder protests took place and there was rioting and destruction of property. Since then there has not been any rioting or loo...

The feeling hit me when we walked into a grocery store in Long Beach New York. We went shopping for my mother-in-law. The lines for every register backed into the aisles. People seemed frantic and in a hurry. The carts were over-flowing with groceries, toilet paper, paper towels, and other items. People were stocking up for a long time. It was the end of February. We still didn’t start to wear masks as of yet. I realized right then, that we are in an emergency situation. The fear settled in my abdomen. That’s when I accepted that the United States was part of the pandemic. We thankfully were able to fly back to Minnesota after being in New York for a week. Being in the epicenter of the virus at that time was a learning experience. Most notably I realized that you have to be disciplined with washing hands, keeping counters clean, and maintaining distance. By the end of our stay I also appreciated mask wearing. I am so glad to see that New York has gotten past that wave and the numbers o...

There Are Angels Among Us   We have grown more attached to our technological devices They have grown into just about every area of our lives They help us connect with our loved ones Technology is now the foundation of work It shops for us Sometimes it is the medium for our healthcare We get our news through technology Our world is brought to us through it It is what is getting us through the pandemic It brings us entertainment and relief We learn how to do things and get answers from the web When we’re lonely we turn to our devices Social media helps us escape the fear and anxiety that creeps up inside our bodies We laugh and get touched by what we encounter on the phone, tablet or laptop We can send whatever is happening inside us, what we discover, to someone we know that is across the country or even on the other side of the planet It is remarkable how I feel a strong desire, the need, to touch my loved ones, to see them, to be with them, to feel them, to be felt by them And I c...

Vote Your Values   I have been around for sixty-nine years. I am far from perfect. My flaws include being judgmental, I don’t speak up often enough, I avoid conflict, I have difficulty being organized, and my attention span can use improvement. There are others believe me. In my lifetime I have seen a lot and have learned from my experiences. I realize we need to live our lives with dignity, respect, and love. I believe that is a formula to keep us on track, in spite of ourselves and what is happening around us. Nobody can take away our dignity, the respect we have, and certainly the love inside us is always there. We just need to remember that. These values are what guides us to happiness. I say this because I feel we bring all our hopes, desires, what we want to see happen, even our dreams, to some savior or hero, some one that will rescue us. In our culture we are indoctrinated, trained, and goaded into that. There is always a hero in the stories we read, the movies we watch, an...