I quoted the entirety of the preamble because it's short, but it won't be practical to do that for the articles. I am looking at the document at http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html and https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CDOC-110hdoc50/pdf/CDOC-110hdoc50.pdf.
Article One goes over Congress. Although we will be treating each article separately, it is helpful to know that the first three articles each cover one branch of government, and this branch is legislative. There are two concepts that come into focus here.
One is the separation of powers doctrine, which invests different powers within different bodies. Even though the British Empire had its parliament and not everything was determined by the crown, it must have still felt important to keep too much of any function in one person.
This leads to the other concept of checks and balances. We do see that somewhat here, as there is instruction for impeachment, and other powers of Congress where they could go against the will of the president. However, the phrase "checks and balances" isn't used, it's just something that can be seen in the framing.
The other nod to balance comes in having a bicameral legislature. It could be valid for a state with a larger population to have more say in some matters, but that could impose on the smaller states. Every state has the same number of senators, but representatives are allocated by population and no state will have less than one. Things may not always work out perfectly, but there is an attempt to make things fair.
Ages of eligibility and length of citizenship required for serving in both houses is set forth, as well as the length of terms and the election cycles. It would be chaotic to have every member up for election at the same time, so those terms are set forward.
We have already seen some changes. Originally senators were to be appointed by state legislatures instead of popularly elected. State populations were becoming very dissatisfied with this, so the 17th Amendment changed it, ratified in 1913. You have probably known people who remembered that happening, even if they are no longer with us.
Another significant portion of this article is the Commerce Clause, Section 8, Clause 3. Setting forth the various powers of Congress, it specifies:
"To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes."
This comes up because often people will feel that various activities should not be regulated, and while that might be true of the activity itself, once money is changing hands, that may not be true. Therefore, you might drink milk from your cow without pasteurizing it, and there will probably never be a law about that, but there might be a law about selling unpasteurized milk to your neighbors. Those laws are often made by state or local bodies, but the potential for federal legislation is there.
I have said that the Constitution as a whole is long and boring, but that is more when you are trying to read through the whole thing at once. Dividing it into sections, the text may still be dry, but it is manageable and can be interesting. I had forgotten about the 17th Amendment, but being reminded of it now, it is impressive that the process went along smoothly for so many years, and then was fixed relatively smoothly as well. They system can work.
There is also a quick reminder of the flaws, right in Section 2, where in expounding how to determine populations you only count 3/5ths of non-free persons. There will be people who will tell you that this was progressive, as it diminished the numbers for slave states, but not as much as not counting any non-free persons.
Also, in not counting non-taxed Indians, there is another reminder. If they had truly been given their sovereignty that would have been reasonable, but said sovereignty was encroached on so often, there was an issue there, even if the problem is not the actual texts.
These are reminders that for all that was good and noble in the intent of the framers, there were things that were ignoble as well, and many of the problems we have in today's society stem from our failure to eradicate our nation's baser thoughts and acts.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Sunday, March 6, 2016
The Constitution - Getting Started
"We The People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
This phrase should be familiar; many of us have memorized it in high school. Despite that, I have noticed that many people who talk a lot about the Constitution, and how great it is, or how they are upholding it and other people are violating it, seem to have no idea what is in it.
I am familiar with the partisan divide that will cause some to oppose anyone and anything because of who supports it, or because of a single issue, but still, your arguments should make sense, and if you want to make an argument or action based on the the Constitution, then do that accurately.
It is understandable that people don't read it a lot, because it is highly boring. The document is a legalistic setting forth of the nuts and bolts of a representative government - some people find that fascinating, but if you don't, that's completely understandable. However, these kinds of documents are necessary, and an appreciation of them is also reasonable.
I am going to spend the next few posts going over various sections, because this is going to keep coming up; it's an election year. If it can be an election year less dominated by the nonsense of the ignorant, that would be great.
We'll get into articles and amendments in later weeks, but first, with just this preamble, we can see the goals. The Union had not been strong enough under the Articles of Confederation. Honestly, that probably isn't studied enough. They still knew enough to know that key issues include Justice, without which it would be hard to keep the peace (domestic Tranquility). Those cannot be accomplished without the general Welfare of the citizens being promoted, and even if it could be done without Liberty, they don't want to. That will require mechanisms of defense. And even though they are considered upstarts, undertaking an enterprise that could easily fail, they want it to last, so that it will be there for their posterity. Those should be the guiding forces.
Here's the other thing that's important to know; there were some serious flaws. Under this Constitution women could not vote and slavery was allowed. Some of the founders may have been against that, but there were enough who didn't believe in liberty and equality quite that much, and the others went along with it. This meant injustice there, and it also meant that while the Federal Law had protection and sovereignty for the Indians included, that was violated over and over again.
It doesn't mean that there was no inspiration in the document. It doesn't mean that there aren't parts of the document that work really well, or at least have worked really well to a point. It's just not as good as it can be, because the people weren't as good as they could have been - an all too common problem.
So that's worth keeping in mind too. We can't be scared of finding flaws. The inclusion of an Amendment process indicates that the writers knew there were flaws. The repeal of Prohibition shows that even a supposed correction can be a flaw.
We can handle this.
This phrase should be familiar; many of us have memorized it in high school. Despite that, I have noticed that many people who talk a lot about the Constitution, and how great it is, or how they are upholding it and other people are violating it, seem to have no idea what is in it.
I am familiar with the partisan divide that will cause some to oppose anyone and anything because of who supports it, or because of a single issue, but still, your arguments should make sense, and if you want to make an argument or action based on the the Constitution, then do that accurately.
It is understandable that people don't read it a lot, because it is highly boring. The document is a legalistic setting forth of the nuts and bolts of a representative government - some people find that fascinating, but if you don't, that's completely understandable. However, these kinds of documents are necessary, and an appreciation of them is also reasonable.
I am going to spend the next few posts going over various sections, because this is going to keep coming up; it's an election year. If it can be an election year less dominated by the nonsense of the ignorant, that would be great.
We'll get into articles and amendments in later weeks, but first, with just this preamble, we can see the goals. The Union had not been strong enough under the Articles of Confederation. Honestly, that probably isn't studied enough. They still knew enough to know that key issues include Justice, without which it would be hard to keep the peace (domestic Tranquility). Those cannot be accomplished without the general Welfare of the citizens being promoted, and even if it could be done without Liberty, they don't want to. That will require mechanisms of defense. And even though they are considered upstarts, undertaking an enterprise that could easily fail, they want it to last, so that it will be there for their posterity. Those should be the guiding forces.
Here's the other thing that's important to know; there were some serious flaws. Under this Constitution women could not vote and slavery was allowed. Some of the founders may have been against that, but there were enough who didn't believe in liberty and equality quite that much, and the others went along with it. This meant injustice there, and it also meant that while the Federal Law had protection and sovereignty for the Indians included, that was violated over and over again.
It doesn't mean that there was no inspiration in the document. It doesn't mean that there aren't parts of the document that work really well, or at least have worked really well to a point. It's just not as good as it can be, because the people weren't as good as they could have been - an all too common problem.
So that's worth keeping in mind too. We can't be scared of finding flaws. The inclusion of an Amendment process indicates that the writers knew there were flaws. The repeal of Prohibition shows that even a supposed correction can be a flaw.
We can handle this.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Feeling cold
This will just be a short one, but I was reminded of it last night as a friend and I were talking about workplace temperature.
In general, I tend to feel warm easily, so I enjoy air conditioning. However, one winter they were having a really hard time getting the building temperature up, to where not only was I keeping my coat on at my desk, but I wanted to keep my gloves on too, though they were not great for typing.
It was around that time that I first read of a study indicating that a cold temperature can exacerbate feelings of isolation and loneliness. That article spoke specifically to workplace temperature, in that if you want your workers to feel connected to each other raising the temperature a few degrees can be helpful.
That seemed counter-intuitive. I knew that conventional wisdom referred to tempers boiling over in hot weather, so I would expect raising the thermostat to lead to fights. At the same time, I know that in some of my loneliest moments I have felt cold, and it wasn't just figurative.
Of course, temperature has a full continuum, so cold, cool, warm, and hot can all be different, and have different reactions, that may also vary based on the individual person.
However, the tip for this week is that sometimes you can help your mind out via your body.
In my household, most of the members run warm, but there is one who runs cold. We try not to make the house too cold, but one thing that is more helpful than raising the thermostat is throwing a couple of blankets in the dryer for a few minutes and then wrapping her up in them, generally accompanied by a cup of cocoa.
This makes her happier than you might expect. There is the individual attention - it means more to have me get the blankets and cocoa for her than it would for her to get them herself - but the temperature boost is also there.
That is probably something you can do for yourself. If you are having a lonely moment, and it is a regular thing, obviously it is work looking into whether you need more support or to repair some relationship. There can also be value in simply wrapping yourself in a comforter, taking a warm bath, or doing some other activity that takes into account your mind and body connection.
In general, I tend to feel warm easily, so I enjoy air conditioning. However, one winter they were having a really hard time getting the building temperature up, to where not only was I keeping my coat on at my desk, but I wanted to keep my gloves on too, though they were not great for typing.
It was around that time that I first read of a study indicating that a cold temperature can exacerbate feelings of isolation and loneliness. That article spoke specifically to workplace temperature, in that if you want your workers to feel connected to each other raising the temperature a few degrees can be helpful.
That seemed counter-intuitive. I knew that conventional wisdom referred to tempers boiling over in hot weather, so I would expect raising the thermostat to lead to fights. At the same time, I know that in some of my loneliest moments I have felt cold, and it wasn't just figurative.
Of course, temperature has a full continuum, so cold, cool, warm, and hot can all be different, and have different reactions, that may also vary based on the individual person.
However, the tip for this week is that sometimes you can help your mind out via your body.
In my household, most of the members run warm, but there is one who runs cold. We try not to make the house too cold, but one thing that is more helpful than raising the thermostat is throwing a couple of blankets in the dryer for a few minutes and then wrapping her up in them, generally accompanied by a cup of cocoa.
This makes her happier than you might expect. There is the individual attention - it means more to have me get the blankets and cocoa for her than it would for her to get them herself - but the temperature boost is also there.
That is probably something you can do for yourself. If you are having a lonely moment, and it is a regular thing, obviously it is work looking into whether you need more support or to repair some relationship. There can also be value in simply wrapping yourself in a comforter, taking a warm bath, or doing some other activity that takes into account your mind and body connection.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Talking about pornography
I have been noticing lately that all conversations regarding pornography tend to focus on addiction.
Addiction is certainly something that can happen, but it doesn't always happen. There are people who watch it sometimes, and sometimes don't, with no withdrawal symptoms.
This is important because if we focus on addiction as an absolute, and the only way in which viewing happens, since it is false it makes us unreliable, when we may be saying other things that are not only true but vital. For people to be able to trust what we say, we need to speak honestly, and that means not just that we don't intentionally lie but that we speak with some understanding, or at least with some awareness of what we don't understand.
It can also be valuable for us to understand how addiction works, and that it tends to fill in gaps and areas of misery. If we remember that, we can work at creating rich fulfilling lives where any addiction has less likelihood of taking hold. That is one way in which talking about pornography is similar to talking about drugs.
They are also similar in that there are valid reasons for not viewing pornography beyond addiction, and those points may be even more important.
If we believe sex is something that should be an enjoyable part of a healthy marriage, and and special within that marriage, then it is easy to see that porn would not be the best way of honoring that. It is not surprising then that pornography would often be degrading in its representations of sex. Because of that, viewing it can easily be demoralizing, and not helpful for keeping a good spirit. That has nothing to do with addiction.
If you use those images for arousal, as a counterfeit it is not surprising that the milder images will lose their effectiveness, and harder, more degrading comment will be needed for the same feeling. That is when addiction becomes a threat, but a commitment to the Spirit and a commitment to chastity were reason enough to turn back before.
That earlier premise, that sex should be an enjoyable part of a healthy marriage, seems so obvious but can become a stumbling block. If we get weird about sex, where members feel guilty enjoying it or thinking about it, or working to make the sex in a marriage more enjoyable, some people will find pornography easier, but it will be less rewarding.
If we get caught up in gender roles, where a husband cannot view his wife as a full person, or pay attention to her needs, or where either person in a relationship tries to shame the other, then pornography can seem easier, and is still less rewarding.
The worst part is that so many of the things we get wrong seem to be due to fear, where we are so afraid of straying off the path that we put up extra rules, that are far harsher - and stupider - than the existing commandments. Then things that are bad ideas turn into horrifying things.
That means that people outside of the church who might understand our points about why something is a bad idea think we are ridiculous, which is not great for missionary work. It also means that people inside of the church can have a harder time seeking help. And it can mean that the teenager you were trying to teach finds examples that prove you wrong, and doesn't believe you anymore, losing the good points that you had made.
Addiction is certainly something that can happen, but it doesn't always happen. There are people who watch it sometimes, and sometimes don't, with no withdrawal symptoms.
This is important because if we focus on addiction as an absolute, and the only way in which viewing happens, since it is false it makes us unreliable, when we may be saying other things that are not only true but vital. For people to be able to trust what we say, we need to speak honestly, and that means not just that we don't intentionally lie but that we speak with some understanding, or at least with some awareness of what we don't understand.
It can also be valuable for us to understand how addiction works, and that it tends to fill in gaps and areas of misery. If we remember that, we can work at creating rich fulfilling lives where any addiction has less likelihood of taking hold. That is one way in which talking about pornography is similar to talking about drugs.
They are also similar in that there are valid reasons for not viewing pornography beyond addiction, and those points may be even more important.
If we believe sex is something that should be an enjoyable part of a healthy marriage, and and special within that marriage, then it is easy to see that porn would not be the best way of honoring that. It is not surprising then that pornography would often be degrading in its representations of sex. Because of that, viewing it can easily be demoralizing, and not helpful for keeping a good spirit. That has nothing to do with addiction.
If you use those images for arousal, as a counterfeit it is not surprising that the milder images will lose their effectiveness, and harder, more degrading comment will be needed for the same feeling. That is when addiction becomes a threat, but a commitment to the Spirit and a commitment to chastity were reason enough to turn back before.
That earlier premise, that sex should be an enjoyable part of a healthy marriage, seems so obvious but can become a stumbling block. If we get weird about sex, where members feel guilty enjoying it or thinking about it, or working to make the sex in a marriage more enjoyable, some people will find pornography easier, but it will be less rewarding.
If we get caught up in gender roles, where a husband cannot view his wife as a full person, or pay attention to her needs, or where either person in a relationship tries to shame the other, then pornography can seem easier, and is still less rewarding.
The worst part is that so many of the things we get wrong seem to be due to fear, where we are so afraid of straying off the path that we put up extra rules, that are far harsher - and stupider - than the existing commandments. Then things that are bad ideas turn into horrifying things.
That means that people outside of the church who might understand our points about why something is a bad idea think we are ridiculous, which is not great for missionary work. It also means that people inside of the church can have a harder time seeking help. And it can mean that the teenager you were trying to teach finds examples that prove you wrong, and doesn't believe you anymore, losing the good points that you had made.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
When to send e-mail
I am going to be sending out various messages soon calling for action, and was thinking about when to send them.
When I was sending out the newsletters, I always tried to send them out between Tuesday and Thursday. My reasoning was that Monday has people catching up on things, and Friday has them trying to get everything caught up, and so the newsletter had a better chance of being read between then.
The obvious flaw with that reasoning is that if we did a good job of getting caught up on Friday, Monday shouldn't be so bad. People shouldn't be sending a lot of business mail over the weekend (though it's weird how often they do). I would also plan on sending the newsletter out around 2 in the afternoon - after lunch, but before people would be getting ready to leave for the day.
I am delighted to find that the internet backs me up:
http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/09/04/best-time-to-send-email-campaign
Of course, if everyone uses the same reasoning, the glut of newsletters may cause a panicked delete, so it can backfire.
There were some things I was not expecting:
https://customer.io/blog/timing-week-day-email-sending-schedule.html
I had no idea people hated Tuesdays. You may think that it's Mondays that you hate, but really, you still have a weekend boost going into Monday, and it lifts you up. By Tuesday that is gone, but it's still the right time to send e-mail.
Tomorrow is President's Day, so many people should have a sizable boost this this Tuesday, but this week it might be better to send on Wednesday, or maybe even wait until next week.
(I am probably just going to go with Wednesday.)
When I was sending out the newsletters, I always tried to send them out between Tuesday and Thursday. My reasoning was that Monday has people catching up on things, and Friday has them trying to get everything caught up, and so the newsletter had a better chance of being read between then.
The obvious flaw with that reasoning is that if we did a good job of getting caught up on Friday, Monday shouldn't be so bad. People shouldn't be sending a lot of business mail over the weekend (though it's weird how often they do). I would also plan on sending the newsletter out around 2 in the afternoon - after lunch, but before people would be getting ready to leave for the day.
I am delighted to find that the internet backs me up:
http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/09/04/best-time-to-send-email-campaign
Of course, if everyone uses the same reasoning, the glut of newsletters may cause a panicked delete, so it can backfire.
There were some things I was not expecting:
https://customer.io/blog/timing-week-day-email-sending-schedule.html
I had no idea people hated Tuesdays. You may think that it's Mondays that you hate, but really, you still have a weekend boost going into Monday, and it lifts you up. By Tuesday that is gone, but it's still the right time to send e-mail.
Tomorrow is President's Day, so many people should have a sizable boost this this Tuesday, but this week it might be better to send on Wednesday, or maybe even wait until next week.
(I am probably just going to go with Wednesday.)
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Cleaning your bathroom fan
I am linking to a brief instructional video this week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48xP1xcR0yA
It's not just that this is good information, but I came across it in reading about a recent house fire in Canby.
Our family does not have a lost of the risk factors for fire. We don't smoke, we don't burn candles, and we don't overload electrical outlets. Our chimney is clean, though we don't really use the fireplace anyway, but if we did, we would have a clean chimney. On the Fourth of July I try and keep an eye out for flying fireworks, and we still don't have a cedar shake roof, so what we do have is not as flammable as it could be.
That eliminates a lot of risk, but there are still always things that can happen.The bathroom fan is one I had not even thought of.
I thought of it a lot more because a source of great anxiety to the family was the dog. The fire department was able to arrive in time and get the dog out, but even thinking about the possibility made me anxious.
Fan fires usually are noticed in time. People usually don't have the fans running unless they are in the bathroom, and that greatly improves the odds of resolving it quickly. That is great, but there will still be some damage and repairs to work with. If periodic cleaning can take away one more worry, that's worth something.
There are other videos and web pages with instructions, including more complex procedures like oiling the motor shaft:
http://buildipedia.com/at-home/bathroom/maintenance-tips-bathroom-exhaust-fans
For now, just think about doing it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48xP1xcR0yA
It's not just that this is good information, but I came across it in reading about a recent house fire in Canby.
Our family does not have a lost of the risk factors for fire. We don't smoke, we don't burn candles, and we don't overload electrical outlets. Our chimney is clean, though we don't really use the fireplace anyway, but if we did, we would have a clean chimney. On the Fourth of July I try and keep an eye out for flying fireworks, and we still don't have a cedar shake roof, so what we do have is not as flammable as it could be.
That eliminates a lot of risk, but there are still always things that can happen.The bathroom fan is one I had not even thought of.
I thought of it a lot more because a source of great anxiety to the family was the dog. The fire department was able to arrive in time and get the dog out, but even thinking about the possibility made me anxious.
Fan fires usually are noticed in time. People usually don't have the fans running unless they are in the bathroom, and that greatly improves the odds of resolving it quickly. That is great, but there will still be some damage and repairs to work with. If periodic cleaning can take away one more worry, that's worth something.
There are other videos and web pages with instructions, including more complex procedures like oiling the motor shaft:
http://buildipedia.com/at-home/bathroom/maintenance-tips-bathroom-exhaust-fans
For now, just think about doing it.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Snow day
Today took an unexpected turn.
It is a new year, and so our building schedule would be changing from the late schedule (1-4 PM) to the early schedule (9 AM to noon). I don't do well on the early schedule, but you roll with it.
Today was also going to be kind of big because my calling has changed. I was going to train the new librarian during Sunday school and then spend the third hour adjusting to junior nursery, my new calling. Then it snowed.
There is a lot that goes into that. The initial forecasts were that it wouldn't start until around noon, so I was worrying more about Monday. It came on pretty suddenly. Maria took the first shower, and when she went in it was not snowing, but when she came out it was accumulating. That is kind of Oregon.
I was pretty sure church would be canceled. My sisters and I had this discussion recently on a different Sunday when it didn't snow but the possibility had been mentioned. I said that if serious snow seemed likely they would cancel, because they don't want to risk people getting stranded at church with families camping out on pews and sharing the leftover sacrament bread for rations. They have always erred on the side of caution.
Some people like to mock the way people around here get so discombobulated by snow, but it makes sense. We don't get it that often, and at the current rates it would be silly for a lot of people or local governments to make huge investments in snow equipment when it will not be used that often. The news was saying this was the first snow event in two years. (I can live with mocking people who don't learn to drive in the rain here, because that does happen pretty frequently.)
In areas with frequent snowfall you have to adapt, but those areas are often pretty flat, which not only makes driving easier, but probably contributes to the weather patterns where snow conditions happen so often. Granted, with climate change we may have to adapt to more snow - even with hills - but for now, it's logical to stay home until it passes, and for businesses and groups to support that.
They did not cancel church, while admitting that they might dismiss early, proving my earlier belief wrong. There was discussion on Facebook, which was interesting to me.
For one thing, based on our ward layout, a lot of the people who were concerned about making it actually live in the flatter area. It is also the poorer area, so some of that may be vehicle quality. Some people from the really hilly area expressed concerns too, and having seen where some of them live, I get that. One mistake a lot of people make is thinking that 4WD or AWD solves everything, and I appreciate the people who understand that it doesn't. Of course, living on top of a steep hill where the neighborhood access involves twists and turns probably gives you a lot of chances to learn, whether by experience or observation.
Obviously people still needed to make the decision for themselves. Just to end any suspense, we stayed home, but I found I was not happy with this. I was frustrated that the responsibilities that I was not going to be able to fill could still be needed, depending on who else went in, but it didn't feel right in general.
One thought I had is that leaving it that way can end up really imbalanced. If a lot of people with young children do make it to church, but a lot of the primary teachers don't, that can certainly lead to some chaos. The way our church runs is very communal. Illness and travel can have a few people absent on any given week, and we adapt, but taking a larger group out has a big effect.
The other thing that felt wrong relates to the sense of community. If some people cannot go safely, while others can, and we just say to them, well, use your judgment, it feels wrong. Maybe it feels like more of an issue because there is a pretty sharp financial divide in our ward.
Thinking about that could become impractical, like if maybe only five families lived out of reach, maybe then you shouldn't cancel, but then is there someone who can offer them rides? Are we united?
It is also worth remembering that some people don't have very good judgment. They could feel that if church was not canceled they should go when given their circumstances they should not. I hope there are no accidents. Remember, it's not just you; it's anyone else out there who doesn't know how to drive in snow.
So this felt wrong to me. I don't intend to sound terribly rebellious. It's all humans involved, and we do our best but we see things differently. I'll be there next week and do my callings. I just think they should have canceled today.
It is a new year, and so our building schedule would be changing from the late schedule (1-4 PM) to the early schedule (9 AM to noon). I don't do well on the early schedule, but you roll with it.
Today was also going to be kind of big because my calling has changed. I was going to train the new librarian during Sunday school and then spend the third hour adjusting to junior nursery, my new calling. Then it snowed.
There is a lot that goes into that. The initial forecasts were that it wouldn't start until around noon, so I was worrying more about Monday. It came on pretty suddenly. Maria took the first shower, and when she went in it was not snowing, but when she came out it was accumulating. That is kind of Oregon.
I was pretty sure church would be canceled. My sisters and I had this discussion recently on a different Sunday when it didn't snow but the possibility had been mentioned. I said that if serious snow seemed likely they would cancel, because they don't want to risk people getting stranded at church with families camping out on pews and sharing the leftover sacrament bread for rations. They have always erred on the side of caution.
Some people like to mock the way people around here get so discombobulated by snow, but it makes sense. We don't get it that often, and at the current rates it would be silly for a lot of people or local governments to make huge investments in snow equipment when it will not be used that often. The news was saying this was the first snow event in two years. (I can live with mocking people who don't learn to drive in the rain here, because that does happen pretty frequently.)
In areas with frequent snowfall you have to adapt, but those areas are often pretty flat, which not only makes driving easier, but probably contributes to the weather patterns where snow conditions happen so often. Granted, with climate change we may have to adapt to more snow - even with hills - but for now, it's logical to stay home until it passes, and for businesses and groups to support that.
They did not cancel church, while admitting that they might dismiss early, proving my earlier belief wrong. There was discussion on Facebook, which was interesting to me.
For one thing, based on our ward layout, a lot of the people who were concerned about making it actually live in the flatter area. It is also the poorer area, so some of that may be vehicle quality. Some people from the really hilly area expressed concerns too, and having seen where some of them live, I get that. One mistake a lot of people make is thinking that 4WD or AWD solves everything, and I appreciate the people who understand that it doesn't. Of course, living on top of a steep hill where the neighborhood access involves twists and turns probably gives you a lot of chances to learn, whether by experience or observation.
Obviously people still needed to make the decision for themselves. Just to end any suspense, we stayed home, but I found I was not happy with this. I was frustrated that the responsibilities that I was not going to be able to fill could still be needed, depending on who else went in, but it didn't feel right in general.
One thought I had is that leaving it that way can end up really imbalanced. If a lot of people with young children do make it to church, but a lot of the primary teachers don't, that can certainly lead to some chaos. The way our church runs is very communal. Illness and travel can have a few people absent on any given week, and we adapt, but taking a larger group out has a big effect.
The other thing that felt wrong relates to the sense of community. If some people cannot go safely, while others can, and we just say to them, well, use your judgment, it feels wrong. Maybe it feels like more of an issue because there is a pretty sharp financial divide in our ward.
Thinking about that could become impractical, like if maybe only five families lived out of reach, maybe then you shouldn't cancel, but then is there someone who can offer them rides? Are we united?
It is also worth remembering that some people don't have very good judgment. They could feel that if church was not canceled they should go when given their circumstances they should not. I hope there are no accidents. Remember, it's not just you; it's anyone else out there who doesn't know how to drive in snow.
So this felt wrong to me. I don't intend to sound terribly rebellious. It's all humans involved, and we do our best but we see things differently. I'll be there next week and do my callings. I just think they should have canceled today.
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