The Traditional Virtue of Liberality

"Liberality is not so much a political identification as a personal disposition toward empathy and selflessness. This is the mark of our most inspiring and honored teachers, leaders, heroes ... and saints."
~ David Satterlee

Short Story: The Spice of Life… In a Small Town

[Published in Life Will Surprise You in the End (2014).]

The Spice of Life… In a Small Town

It started as an inconsequential, even trivial, comment. Ray and Jolynn Anderson were spending a little time on their porch swing. They liked to swing and talk like this several times a week – just swinging and talking about this and that – several times a day when the weather was fine and nothing needed tending. They would wave to any neighbors who walked or drove by and then they would talk about their neighbors too. Today, they were killing a little time until Jolynn’s usual appointment for a check up with Dr. Madison.

Life in small town Kansas could be demanding in the way that milking cows or taking out the trash or going to church was demanding. There were just things that you had to do regularly and do just-so. And if you didn’t, then somebody would roll their eyes and then, if you still didn’t get on the ball, you started hearing about it. Ray hated it when Miss Bessie, the cow, Mrs. Anderson, his wife, or Pieter Wojicke, the Pastor, rolled their eyes.

Life could also be demanding in the way that a tornado or a wedding or

Essay: Confucius, Emerson, and Ginsberg

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Confucius, Emerson, and Ginsberg

From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee

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Read or download this essay as a PDF file at: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4eNv8KtePyKX0N1cTNqMTY1N2c/edit?usp=sharing

Chum For Thought:
Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters

Confucius, Emerson, and Ginsberg

The classic tenants of Confucianism and Taoism take disparate, but not mutually-exclusive, views of existence. While only Confucians would seek to give advice for improving society, elements of both views are important to a balanced and healthful existence within a society.

Confucianism is all about improving society. Individuals are expected to yield to established laws and the greater good of the community. The fundamental concept for maintaining society is the competence and fairness of public servants, which earns respectful honor and loyalty (for others, family, ancestors, public servants, and tradition). Law and tradition are looked to for guidance. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy explains:

Confucius' social philosophy largely revolves around the concept of ren, “compassion” or “loving others.” Cultivating or practicing such concern for others involved deprecating oneself. … Learning self-restraint involves studying and mastering li, the ritual forms and rules of propriety through which one expresses respect for superiors and enacts his role in society in such a way that he himself is worthy of respect and admiration. A concern for propriety should inform

Essay: Hindu class systems vs. cultures and communities in general

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Hindu class systems vs. cultures and communities in general

From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee

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Read or download this essay as a PDF file at: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4eNv8KtePyKdjE4dk5wX2s0QVk/edit?usp=sharing

Chum For Thought:
Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters

Hindu class systems vs. cultures and communities in general

Some, feeling that they lack any interest in Eastern religions, may have the impulse to skip this one. They would miss a thought-provoking exercise in comparing and contrasting that could be very relevant to their own communities and values.

The traditional Hindu class system is anchored in sacred scripture, and many generations of tradition. Hinduism, in part, defines itself by compliance to class distinctions, and so Hinduism fits very coherently with the class system of India. Class systems are common in most religious and cultural systems, including contemporary America.

 In Hinduism, the separation of groups helps to maintain ritual purity. An unclean interaction in society can prevent a higher class member from performing their ritual responsibilities in behalf of others. Each class (varna) has its defined and accepted role (dharma). For instance, sacred learning, community rites, and sacrifice are reserved for the Brahman (priestly) class.

Other Hindu religious classes are defined according to societal place. The warrior class (Kshatriya) serves for defense and administration. Producers (Vaishya) are responsible as businessmen, merchants, and for higher crafts. Menials (Shudra) provide

Essay: Proactive vs. Reactive – Part 2: Business and political tactics vs. strategy

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Proactive vs. Reactive – Part 2: Business and political tactics vs. strategy

From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee

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Read or download this essay as a PDF file at: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4eNv8KtePyKUVBnVnd3NW9wR28/edit?usp=sharing

#Proactive vs. #Reactive – Part 2: #Business and #political #tactics vs. #strategy

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Chum For Thought:
Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters

Proactive vs. Reactive – Part 2
Business and political tactics vs. strategy

Last week, I talked about how good it was when individuals approached their lives proactively rather than reactively. You often can’t enter an open door of opportunity if you’re not already prepared. However, in groups, too much general proactivity can be disruptive. In stable groups, harmony and respect for traditions can be comfortable and help to bind members together.

In business, an employee is often tempted (or required) to be reactive. They may be content to do what they are told – simply doing their job and then coming back tomorrow and doing the same job in the same way. That is not bad in itself. When the job doesn’t change and the rules are well-known, the same responses in the same recurring circumstances keep things going smoothly. 

People who like predictability, and like for things to remain as they were before, can be happy doing this kind of work, especially if they are part of a team and able to share social connections.

I’m not just talking about low-wage or low-skill jobs. A professional is, by definition, expected to be a highly-trained practitioner of a narrow specialty. In fact, you can expect that the more training they get, the narrower their specialty. They go to school and learn a great deal about a field such as architecture or law. And, having mastered the accepted standards of their specialty, they

Information and comments on the story:
The Two Heroes of Thompsonville

from the book: Life Will Get You in the End:
Short stories by David Satterlee

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Read or download this story as a PDF file at: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4eNv8KtePyKeDJWaW9TTUVYN2s/edit?usp=sharing

Another fable of conservative values. What happens if a culture takes the idea of naming kids after both of their parents and makes it a hard-and-fast tradition?

Life Will Get You in the End:
Short Stories by David Satterlee

The Two Heroes of Thompsonville

Thompsonville was nowhere. It was a town of modest size and not completely isolated, but mostly self-sufficient with its own traditions and community standards. The railroads had passed it by during the great expansion. The express highways had passed it by as well. It was too hilly for a canal – it was too flat for a reservoir. 

No native son ever grew up to be a governor or general. No one ever started a museum of tiny carved furniture or old farm implements. It was just a nice out-of-the-way place to live. As a matter of fact, it was a nice place to grow old and die if you didn’t wander off in search of something-or-other first.

Labith didn’t just wander off. He hit the road with a vengeance. He had loved his childhood sweetheart, Roatrine for as long as he could remember. They had played together as babies, studied together in school and, in the course of time, come to know each other very, very well. 

How could Roatrine refuse to marry him now? Why would she