Thursday, September 11, 2014

9-11 - A Legacy of Compassion

Like most Americans, today I am surrounded by memories of the tragic events of 2001.  Television, Facebook, radio and newspapers all remind us of the tragic events that took place this day thirteen years ago.  We are once again inundated with the slogan "NEVER FORGET".   Certainly we want to remember those who were lost. We should remember that there are those in the world who would harm us and always remember to be vigilant.  Many remember their emotions that day and their feelings of loss, helplessness and anger.  But is that all?

In September 2001 we were shaken to the very core by events so tragic, so bloody, so horrible, that they changed us irrevocably.  But this was not the first such September in our history.  On September 17, 1862 America suffered its bloodiest single day.  On the quiet fields of Sharpsburg Maryland 23,000 Americans became the casualties of the battle of Antietam.  Over 6,000 would die that day.  Like the events 139 years later, this loss of life shook the country with mourning, anger and feelings of helplessness.  There is no way to justify or mitigate that terrible loss and there is still no way to salve the wounds it caused.  Yet there is another legacy of that battle that is often overlooked. That legacy brings hope and healing and, that legacy is equally present in the events surrounding 9-11.

On every battlefield of the Civil War there were caregivers who risked life and limb to ease the suffering and save the lives of others.  Clara Barton was nearly killed by a bullet that pierced her clothing while tending to a man in the area of the East Woods at Antietam.  Later she would found the American Red Cross, influence the International Committee of the Red Cross to respond to non-military disasters and founded a first aid society.  Major Jonathan Letterman would take his experience from that battle and write the protocols for emergency medical treatment and evacuation; orders that directly influenced the medical response in New York and Washington DC over a century later.  Every doctor, nurse, medical orderly and civilian volunteer that touched a soldier that day in 1862 left a legacy of care, compassion and selfless service that should also be remembered.  In fact, thanks to the work of people like Letterman and Barton, countless lives have been saved over the years on battlefields and disaster scenes around the world.

The same is true of the events in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington on 9-11.  Firefighters, police, emergency medical personnel, military personnel and civilian volunteers rushed to the aid of their fellow men.  Men and women rushed to the aid of those they knew, and complete strangers, mindless of the dangers that faced them.  People like Cyril Richard "Rick" Rescoria who safely evacuated 2,687 employees of Morgan Stanley before going back into the tower to help others evacuate.  He was last seen on the 10th floor heading up the stairs when at 9:59 am the tower collapsed. He gave his life that others might live.

How many stories of selfless sacrifice took place in those buildings and planes that day?  We will never truly know.We have glimpses like the recordings from Flight 93 telephone transmissions.  We have the sacrifice of Fr. Mychal Judge, who died praying for the victims when the first tower fell.  We have countless stories from phone conversations, eyewitnesses and emergency radio traffic.  But is this what we tend to remember?  In all too many cases, these acts are all but forgotten.

It would be easy to spend this day angry.  It is proper to spend this day mournful.  But, let us not forget to spend this day thankful and inspired by the legacy of compassionate selfless service of the heroes of this day.  We can make the choice to use this day to promote good, or be held back by the evil it represents.  If we choose well, their example can make us all stronger.


Thursday, September 4, 2014

The Power of Respectful Opposition

Like so many people around our nation, and around our world, I have been watching the news with greater and greater concern.  It is getting to the point where real communication seems impossible.  It can easily lead us to despair.  But my world was rocked Tuesday night by a local event that gave me hope.

The family of Andrew Valois has been planning to open a shooting range in Frederick County Maryland near the historic and beautiful Sugarloaf Mountain. This range raised the ire of residents, land preservationists, anti-development proponents, historic preservationists and many others.  It was supported by an equally broad coalition of sportsmen and gun owners.   At several planned zoning commission meetings, citizens gathered in large numbers to praise or vilify the plan and for reasons as varied as the audience.

As you can imagine, in the current political climate surrounding land use, 2nd Amendment rights, gun control and  environmental activism, the debate was as loud as it was passionate.  Both sides cheered and jeered at all the expected statements and plotted and planned to make sure their voice was heard and their outcome ensured.  And so the stage was set for this past Tuesday evening when all were gathered for the completion of an already marathon zoning hearing stretching multiple days.  And then....something unexpected happened.  I was there to hear it but let me quote our local Frederick News Post newspaper:

The news from Andrew Valois came at the outset of what was expected to be a lengthy hearing before the Frederick County Board of Zoning Appeals, which was reviewing the range project. At the close of his roughly 10-minute statement, Valois said Old Line is withdrawing its application for approval from the appeals board.

Valois said his family’s decision to back off its plans to build a training facility on Thurston Road came after hearing from neighbors who respectfully lodged their objections to the range.
“It is never an easy thing to admit when one is wrong. Choosing this location was not a good idea, and I was wrong,” Valois said.   By Bethany Rodgers News-Post Staff
To me the most important words in the whole article are: " ...after hearing from neighbors who RESPECTFULLY lodged their objections..."  In his comments he went into much greater detail about those objections and just how respectfully they were lodged. Then he compared that respect to the overt disrespect and vitriol he got from others.  It was the respectful exchange of ideas that persuaded his family to withdraw the plan.  And this got me thinking.  
As I hear of the ongoing tensions in Ferguson MO, strife in the middle east, genocide in Syria and Iraq and even our hateful and wasteful debates in the political centers around the country, I am struck by the lack of human dignity we often afford our opponents.  So often we use words and phrases  to dehumanize those with whom we do not agree.  We are out to win and persuade, not learn and understand. Often we want no common ground, only total capitulation of those who we see as opposing us.  And yet, here is a fresh example (there are actually many others) where respect and dignity win out.  
This is an important lesson as all of us who are drawn into debates and conversations every day.  The human dignity of all must come before winning.  That means the dignity of those we support and those we do not; even those who mean us harm.  I am not saying we should not hold strong opinions and defend them, but that the defense must not impinge on the dignity of another.   If we question what will happen when we forget this lesson, then all we have to do is listen to the news.  The absence of human dignity is driving much (thankfully not all) of the headlines and the results are terrifying.   
But what can we do? As community leaders, parents, workers, volunteers, citizens and residents, we can act in way that respects the human dignity of all.  We can teach our children and set an example for all around us.  As Michael Jackson one wrote: "I'm starting with the man in the mirror." 

Please let me know what you think. 


Monday, September 1, 2014

And Away We Go!

So...I suppose that it might be a good idea to explain the reason behind this blog.

When I first started working in a museum as a paid staff member, I thought that the work would be slow paced, quiet and somewhat introspective in nature.  Coming to the field as a long time volunteer, I had always been on the interpretive side of things and never really saw the administrative activities of the museums I served.  I also came to the field from the corporate business insurance world where frenetic activity was the order of the day.  I assumed, and as the old saying goes, I made an.....well you know the old saying about assuming!  Well, needless to say, I was wrong.  My time at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine has been nothing short of exciting, fast paced and at least somewhat crazy.

I have now been a museum director for 11 years.  Daily I find myself drawing on the experiences of years spent in various roles as:  parent, Boy Scout leader, firefighter, police officer, insurance executive, musical instrument maker, musician, tour guide, public speaker, ordained Catholic Deacon and entrepreneur.  As you may guess by my varied background, I am easily bored and rather enjoy my Attention Deficit Disorder.  And it is all of these experiences that lead me to want to have a blog.

I want to share some of my daily thoughts, concerns and ideas with others.  I do not simply want to put my ideas out in a public forum. I want  to invite everyone to share their ideas on those topics I cover.  I want to also invite everyone to write in with ideas or questions they would like to see me take on.  I want to have a open, respectful place where many can come together and share thoughts and ideas on a broad variety of topics from business administration to history, leadership to marketing and nearly anything else that involves the universe of history, museums and culture.

So...welcome to my musings.....I can't wait to see where this all goes!