photojournalism

Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 370: A Man Of Pure Intent

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_L2R3053 Pat opens up, “Learn as much as you can on everything. Don’t just limit yourself to one aspect. Your brain is always learning. It’s a processor. You might fail a couple of times, but it doesn’t hurt you to keep trying until you master it.”

Homeless for three years, Pat is one of the many who have been hit hard by life circumstance. A man of honor and intellect, he works past his trust issues as he soberly speaks with us regarding the hand that has been dealt him.

“After three years on the streets I just established a place to live. It’s a 10’x10’ shed in a friend’s backyard. I worked out a trade in doing the gardening and house caretaking. I’ve got some of my stuff back and I’m getting back on my feet. But it’s hard. You have to come out here all the time to find cans to make money for food. It does not leave you much time on the computer to look for a job. And if you do, you send a resume. And how many resumes have already gone there… 1,000, 5,000?”

Right now Pat does have a seasonal job, sharpening ice skates at an outdoor skating rink. Yet, it is only for a few months of the year. The money does carry him a bit, but he is looking for a re-hire in the trucking industry. Now, the skeptical might say that Pat is living off the system. Perhaps some might even judge his character by assuming that he does not even desire employment… I assure you, that is not the case. Pat explains:

“I was brought up with ethics. I was brought up with principles. I was brought up with standards. I was brought up with honor. I did not have a choice. I mean, when I was born I was already in the military. My father was a sergeant and taught me the meaning of work.

“Some people look at people and say, ‘What a looser. He’s picking trash to get food, and he is probably this or that,’ but I have never collected welfare. Never in my life. I’ve never gone that far to get that much help from the government, or the State, for that matter. I mean… I could at any time. But I choose to make my own way.

_L2R3068“…Anybody could be in my shoes.” Pat compassionately proposes. “I had two houses at one time. I had two trucks, a motorcycle and a boat… I had a lot of shit. But then my life started collapsing.”

Pat calls himself a survivor. A well-earned title that can be summed up with one undeniable fact–Pat is on his own. “My father died in 69. I was 10. It happens”

“Mom became a full-time drunk in 70s. I took care of the kids. I had a younger brother (6 years) and a younger sister (1 ½ years).”

 “Are your brother and sister OK?” I ask.

“I already buried them… they’re all dead,” he matter-of-factly replies. “I’m the sole survivor of my family. Mom, dad, grandfather, grandmother, uncles, aunts, brother, sister, my lover, my kids… it just goes on and on.”

We shift gears to the future.

“You don’t talk to people anymore. They are too busy texting,” Pat begins.

“Electronics are supposed to help us, but I think they are doing more trouble than we accept. People go to Google too fast. When I was a kid we went to the library and looked things up. What happens if they shut down the Internet?

“Every generation is getting lazier. I remember sitting with my grandfather. Sitting around the campfire telling stories. Now they walk down the street, too busy texting. Or they have their iPads or have their plugged ears with their screaming music. What happened to, ‘Hey, how you doing?’

“I don’t get the new generation. I sit back and say, ‘Are you kidding me! Is this what we have to look forward to? Is this our future?’

“And what if something catastrophic happen–people today can’t build a shelter, can’t farm and can’t even start a fire without matches? People who have gone through survival training, served as a Marine, like myself, and my father, might be OK… but what about everyone else?”

_L2R3070Pat talks of a compelling resolve. Although the premise is dark, he suggests that the outcome may fall toward the positive. “We need a war.” He directs, “We need population adjustment. We have an immigration problem. I’m an American, but I’m an immigrant myself. My parents came over on a boat. But we went through the system. We took the tests. We got our citizenship. We didn’t get all this free shit. Now it takes about 13 years to get citizenship. Hell, they’ll be grandfathers by then. The government has to figure a better way.”

War? A very extreme proposition–one that is presented by a man who has served his country (a full-term as a Marine); an idea that no-one of just mind wants to entertain. But Pat has lived a tough life and has experienced the hurting effects of loss of family, livelihood and, I’m sure, some of his dignity. Yet in speaking with him, I can only speak of a man of honor and conviction. A man willing to do what is just in his mind and a man brave enough to stand behind his word. He tells you what he feels and you know where you stand. And that itself is to be admired.

“Do you drink?” I inquire, (an assumption that far too many make when meeting the homeless).

“Only three times a year,” Pat replies. “I’ll drink a fifth when I celebrate my birthday, on the Fourth of July and for New Year’s.

“August is my birthday and I’ll get shit faced. I’ll say, ‘Happy Birthday to me. There ain’t going to be no party… no bells and whistles… no cake. No one gives a shit. No one matters.

“You know who you matter to.” I point to the sky.

“When I go to heaven,” Pat states, “I’m going to Hell, because I want to know why he took everything away from me… and he better have a damn good reason or I’m going to break his nose. And I know down there, He doesn’t want me… I don’t know. I could go either way.”

I assure Pat that he is not evil. I know this for certain. The last two years of approaching strangers has put me in the path of 1,000s of people. I’ve met some of the most amazing individuals, and frighteningly, a few that I felt may have been truly evil, and there is nothing in Pat’s continence that exudes anything close to the coldness I’ve encountered from several very scary people I’ve come across. All I see is a man doing his best to deal with the stress of his situation.

We talk of the fact that anybody is able to commit bad acts. Even the best of people, if pushed to their limits, are capable of terrible things. But that is different from having pure evil in their hearts. We talk about the balance of true justice and restitution. How punishment has to fit the crime.

Pat is no fan of the current system. “True justice is not like the court system as it is now and the government loopholes. Before they pass anything now they have to figure out how they are going to make money.

“My motto… Burn the government down and start again,” he jests as we jump to a discussion of the foreclosure crash. “That was a fire sale,” Pat summarizes.

In the end we conclude that everyone on earth has a purpose, and for those who have since left this planet, perhaps they have left us for a higher call as well.

I call Pat a new friend. He prefers to be called an associate. In this we agree on middle ground. We are all human beings living side by side.

Pat– Thank you for your wisdom. Your words do matter my friend.

SideWalk Ghosts / / Interview 369: “Love, Dream, Conquer”

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_L2R3041

Miriam begins “at my tender age of 24, what words of wisdom do I have?” I’ve put her on the spot with my question. But after just a second of thought, her response is clear. “Be true to yourself. Don’t live your life based on what you think you should be.” And with a smiling laugh, her personality glows in summing up her council… “Love, dream, conquer.”

I run into Miriam and Kim this afternoon on the eve of the 4th of July, a day that America celebrates the beginning of its independence from past days of unfair taxation (among other things); a day that millions pay homage to lives lost in the fight for a better future, and a prompt for them to pause in evaluating the reasoning behind whatever patriotic perspectives they may have.

For over 200 years this day has come and gone. It has been celebrated to the fullest degree by many, as well as mocked or scorned by others. But one thing is certain about this day. It is a tribute to the bravery of “we the people.”

We the people– three powerful words that literally ground the beginning of Constitution Of The United States of America, as written, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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.”

I make no claim in being an expert in regards to the full content of the Constitution. And in my quick research of it, do see that it has undergone a series of amendments. But never the less, this grounding opening has never been modified. Although, I’m sure that there a many power parties who would welcome superseding it with a modified version; perhaps “we the loudest,” or maybe “we the hidden agenda” or something of that sort. But that is a whole other story; one that is barbed with sharp spears of wavering opposition– An argument that takes on the form of a morphing fire-breathing dragon. One that would devour all the uniting work we are striving for in the building of our 365 community. I’ll pass on saying any more and leave it in the hands of your good conscience.

Back to We the people! Diverse, opinionated, individual and passionately believing in the paths that we as human beings have right to follow. In meeting Miriam and her partner Kim, I am charged to make a claim. One that directs us to not open our minds and hearts in accepting the fundamental truths that are part of our personal spiritual and psychological make up. But, more profoundly to give the same respect towards those who choose to live their lives according to a set of outlooks contrary to ours.

Now I’m not supporting the evils and atrocities that are epidemic in the world. I assure you that I am not burying my head in the sand in not address the multitude of horrors that so terribly occur on a daily basis all over the globe. The senseless murdering of the innocent, the raping of body and soul, the greed of the unquenchable and the suppression of human dignity that spawns from the lesser majority.

But in this darkness, can be found a greater light. Something that in speaking with the thousands we have met over the last several years, has allowed us glimpse to the good that abides in the hearts of the many. Through this, one fact is rising to the surface like the finest of cream. We are the greater majority. You and I, everyday people, living every day lives. The quite ones, us, working in the background of societies loudest, are actually the ones holding the keys capable of enacting real change. It is in our personal circles of influence, and through our example, where long holding effects can take root. Not like the bolstering thunder of temporary reform or of won high-profile battles; but victories that will carry forth long-lasting and plentiful fruits to future generations. That is… if we have the courage to preserver the screaming tongues of the divided.

We will all never agree on any one issue. That is what makes us magnificent and progressive as a society. As I see it, the most catastrophic thing that could happen to us would be to become homogenized society. There will always be conflict, and we have to go through it to master our own selves. Without it we become numbed and sheepish. Open to giving in to the hand of the strongest oppressor or those smiling over their own hidden agendas of conquest.

_L2R3029f“So how is it that Miriam can use the word conquer in her opening remarks? Richard! Are you calling her an oppressor!!!

I promise that is the farthest from my mind. You see… Miriam uses the word along side of two even more powerful words. Those being “love” and “dream.”

Miriam is the real deal. Her very value system is under attack. You can see the hurt in her eyes as she and Kim continue to open up in our conversation; a conversation in which neither of them take side in condemning either their opposition or their comrades.

Without guile Miriam shares her heart, “Why do people try to make others feel badly for who they are? There is no reason for that. You don’t have to agree how I live my life. I’m a good person. You don’t have to hate me for being gay.”

Now I’m a heterosexual… always have been… always will be. And in being so, I have also received similar hate words for my lifestyle. But key to our discussion is this. We both agree that love is the greatest resolver, and as we do, we share a dream for the world ahead; a dream that is not caught up in the thunderous wars of the stirred up majority; a dream that more people will do their best on an individual level to simple love one another, regardless of any single victory, or loss, of worldly battles. And my guess, if more of us would do that… We’d see a lot less hate and a ton more lasting resolves.

I love these ladies for their courage and willingness to not pick up arms in joining, nor in falling, to any of the hate tribes.

_L2R3038

Kim chimes in, “Follow your heart. I believe there is a positive already laid out for all of us, and whatever path you land on is the path you are supposed to be on. Stop trying to force certain things to happen in your life that aren’t meant to happen right now, or ever. To just accept things that are coming into your life. Every person comes into your life for a reason. To make you better or the make you learn a lesson. Know that there is a path for you to land on. And take that path… Be happy.”

I ask about the future and what we can do now for a better tomorrow?

“That’s a tough question…” Miriam pauses, “… loving one another and accepting people… that’s it. That’s what it comes down to. There is so much hatred and anger in the world. People just forget to stop and to understand that other people are facing struggles and daily battles too. We are not stopping to try to understand others. We are automatically assuming that they are the bad guys, or that they are not going to understand what I am going through or what not. We are just not loving each another for our differences. Instead, we are hating people for our differences.”

Kim gives us a path to follow. “We need to teach our little ones that we are not on the world for ever. And, they can make an impact on others. We need to start teaching them now. To look at people and love one another for what we have to offer. That’s where it has to start. The world is becoming smaller. We can interact over the Internet. We can communicate with people across nations, in schools, just exposing people to others differences.”

Miriam smiles, and with a nod, confirms Kim’s assertion, “I agree,” she simple states.

The world is becoming a much smaller planet and there is much work we can do vicariously over the electronic wavelengths. Yet there is one thing that lays uneasy with me in welcoming the use of new media; a tool that I am personally grateful for, and am obviously using to share the ideas we discuss. However, there is a Pandora’s box we must be aware of. No matter how spontaneous our digital society becomes, it will never fully replace the resolving power of true face-to-face interaction.

We are people… remarkable, unique– able to love unceasingly, and sadly, also to hate with utter lack of compassion or remorse.

My wish for this celebrated day of independence…? That we all, at least for a day, take a moment to look our fears directly in the eye; to examine the depths of the motivation behind what angers us, and in doing so, step for a moment into the shoes of those who differ us– Perhaps, it not about the issues at hand. We all know there are battles that each of us will win and there are battles that we will lose. But at the end of the day, when we put our heads on our pillows… readying to close our eyes in rest… or even death… can we look at ourselves in the mirror and make this claim? “Although at times my heart ached, my mind was troubled, my lifestyle, or even my faith was questioned… I did not hate… nor did I persecute my fellow human.”

Miriam, Kim, thank you for allowing me into your lives. May all your dreams come true my new friends.

Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 368: "The Bridge Builder"

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_L2R3024

“I know you,” his eyes open, “do you remember where we met?”

Instantly we both laugh in unison, “Come to Canoga Park… Things are looking up!!”

I’m blown away. After almost 9 months of recess from my interviewing strangers… I have been directed to a friend met during last year’s daily interviews.

It get’s a little weirder. Sorry if I sound too metaphysical, but I have zero explanation for an earlier beat to this evening. Had no idea of where I would start in this re-launch of Project-365, so I decided to pick it up where I left off. Just get in the car and drive. The rest will unfold as you follow your intuition. That’s what I do. And as I pull out of my driveway, something tells me, “You have to pop your head in at that psychic on Ventura Blvd. The one that you approached last year and have since not gotten out of your mind.”

I get there, she remembers me and is happy to hear that we finished our first year; but she graciously declines to be interviewed, “Thank you, but I can’t be photographed. And perhaps I am not the one you are meant to photograph tonight. Maybe I’m just your starting point.”

Not that this deflates me, but I leave with a strange peace that is mixed with a little overcompensating spirituality. “Follow the path that is in front of you,” I mind chant to myself as I walk a mile or so, not passing a single soul. Yeh, I’m in the groove now, the spirit is guiding me. SLAP!!! Crud, I only put enough change in the parking meter for 30 minutes. It’s taken me 20 minutes to walk to the point where I am. 20 + 20 = 40 minutes. The last thing I want to go home with is a $100 plus meter violation. I turn and double-time it.

Sweat on my brow, I drop my much missed 30 pound camera backpack into the passenger seat. I lower my head, and in happy defeat and rev up the motor for a continued drive.

“Well that went well!” I smile to myself. “Maybe I’m just your starting point?” still bouncing in my mind.

I drive aimlessly through suburban neighborhoods; re-living last years experience of feeling like a stalker as I look into the unknown faces of many a front yard dweller. “Richard, if you pull into any one of these houses, you are going to get shot. No one is comfortable with a strange vehicle appearing out of nowhere on their property.” Plus, I can’t stand being trapped behind a windshield when I am trying to make friends. Way too impersonal and isolating.

I decide to go to the local train station to see what shaking there. Quick U-turn and I’m on my way. Never get there.

Only four miles from Chatsworth station, I get this feeling when I see a man watering his law. “Turn around! Now!” it whispers to me. “Alright, why not,” I schizophrenically bargain with my subconscious self. One minute later I find myself again street parked, and with the endeared weight of camera again on my shoulder, I lock my car for a brief walk to the place where I had seen the watering man. Again, I never get there.

Not four steps from my vehicle, there is another man sitting on his porch. “Hello,” I share. He responds, “I hope you don’t mind, but can you move your car back a few feet, I need to rinse the sidewalk (he had just finished mowing his lawn).”

We chat generally for a moment, when his eyes open, “I know you!”

No way! Was my psychic friend inspired? Did she sense something when we met; was it a lucky guess or a brush off? I don’t know? But one thing is certain. I am where I am supposed to be this evening.

10 miles from our first place of introduction (Day 59, just outside of Henri’s restaurant, during the Day Of The Dead celebration) where he and several of his friends had gathered for this yearly day of festivity.

Even then he chose to remain anonymous and to respect his wishes I will not publish his identity. But there is no need to. What is relevant is the unity we feel.

He invites me to his porch for a neighborly chat. “Would you like a beer?” he warmly offers. “I’m sorry I don’t drink, but if you have a soda or a water I would love that.” No problem, have a seat… I’ll be right back.

I kick back to settle in at the house of a friend, a friend who was once a stranger. For the next hour am engulfed in a powerfully unifying conversation. Millions of people in Los Angeles, and I find myself connected in picking up and unfinished conversation. One that would have never happened if I had stayed home this evening in procrastinating the re-start of Project-365.

Yes, my friend, asks me to not reveal his identity, but today is very different from our first very brief meeting. A meeting where he chose to slip into the background while allowing his friends center stage. Today is the day I really do get to know him, and I have to say, he is a great man.

“’I never finished high school, did not have the grades. One day my dad told me that he was going to do me a favor. ‘Do you want to work?’ he asked me. He set me up where he worked. That was the best thing for me at the time. My dad taught me the full meaning of hard work and great ethics. He worked all his life, building roads for the city. He provided for my family and me. If it was not for him I don’t know where I would be today. He came to the United States with nothing and built a life for us with his hard work. He was a good man.

‘Save you money and buy a house,’ he always told me,’” pointing to his home, “and look what I have.”

But in telling me this, he bridges to his reasoning for the home he has built. “One day I’ll be able to pass on what I have to my daughters,” he lights up, taking a sip of his beer.

“I’m so proud of them, they are so smart, and I would do anything for them.” He face shines, as he looks me right in the eyes. “My eldest is just finishing her nursing degree and then plans on saving to study medicine.” He tells me her age… 22. I’m wholly impressed. “She finished high school with a 4.0 GPA, not like me.” He concludes.

“You’ve got to just love the world,” he tells me as we talk of world perspectives, and sadly of, experiences where he has been treated with guile and judgment.

“It never gets to me, I’ve learned, and my father taught me, that what you give out is what you get back. So I work to give out good.” I sip my water and listen.

“’A few days ago I was in this store. The lady in front of me dropped some money on the floor,” he shares a story. “’I could have just grabbed it and kept it. All the others in line, and behind the counter, where looking at it… like they wanted to grab it. But I got it first. ‘Excuse me’ I said to the lady. She rudely turned, looking at me with a mean expression. I could tell she was judging me as a Mexican. I just smiled. ‘You dropped this,’ I said. Her tone changed as she thanked and apologized to me for her attitude. It was no big deal, I just did what was right.

People need to not step on each other. They just need to love and respect each other. It does not matter if they are Mexican, White, Black, Yellow or Green; we all have the same blood. There is no better feeling than being able to put you head on the pillow at night and being able to know that you passed good things forward.’”

And that is just what we are doing in publishing your words my friend. And to honor you I am giving you a title. I dub thee, “The Bridge Builder.”

Your example has set the stage for our new chapter of 365. May we all take note of the bridges that we build.

Talk soon my good friends.

Richard

SideWalk Ghosts / Interview 367: "To Run or To Hide?"

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day 367 6Hi friends. I’ve promised you a re-start of our Project 365’s interviews of strangers, so here we go.

I’ll admit, this entry is way past due, and to be completely open about it, I met our new friend last September… only days after completing the one year of daily entries.

Time has just run away, but in all fairness, I’ve been so deep in development of Operation-365 that my bandwidth was too limited to find writing windows. That is different now, as Operation-365 has launched, and my typing fingers are just warming up. Much more to come… I promise.

day 367 1To pick the story up, we’ll start in the jungles of Hawaii, where I am training a very special group of military photographers (JPAC, I’ve written about them in the past, so you can do a search to read more about who they are and what they do).

day 367 3For five days, we got ourselves into as many situations as we could, the whole goal… to learn to think on the fly. From jungle to beach, harbor to city to rural Hawaii, we explored, and with every location change we encountered people of the greatest diversity. Hawaii really is a diverse state, and once you look part the tourist traps, it offers a vibrantly captivating culture.

It was the last day of training, and we found ourselves deep inland at the coolest train museum, being offered the privilege to own the place for the day. It was a visual feast of texture and history. Yet all the while we were there, I could not ignore the pull of wanting to visit the home of its proprietor– a humble little construct that resembled a modified military bungalow.

day 367 2His name, Jim, and all day he graciously opened any door for us. And every time I interacted with him, I could not look past a transcending light of wisdom that shone in his eyes. I knew Jim had something of worth to share.

We found time to chat.

I ask Jim to give us his general council. “Be careful what you ask God for. He begins, “Because God does not give you anything… he will teach it to you. He doesn’t give you patience… he will teach you patience. He doesn’t give you honesty… he will teach you honesty.”

day 367 4I’m taken a little by his so rapidly exposing his spiritual self, something that so many of us are hesitant to do. But Jim is not evangelical, not judging me or seeking to convert me to any viewpoint, just lovingly sincere in his beliefs. He continues, “Just be careful what you ask for… that’s all you can do. And be careful for who you criticize. You criticize a drunk… two years later you might end up a drunk.”

We’re sitting on his patio. A very humble living space, but in it there is a warmth beyond that of many an ornate palace or house of worship. Jim opens up about his life– Perhaps the key to the feeling that so encapsulates his living quarters. “I’ve benefitted from my lifestyle,” he expresses. “When I was ten years old, my mom deserted me. I came home… nobody there. She sold everything in the house. I ended up in foster homes for ten years. I lived with every single race you can think of. I lived with Japanese, Filipino, Black People, everything you can think of… I’ve lived with them all… and going through the military” (28th Infantry)… “I think that gave me insight.”

day 367 5I sense that for Jim, life is not about status… or wealth… or paralyzed by any desire for recognition. For him, it’s about accepting and loving his neighbor. Jim is an example to be honored, and in him can be found the true spirit of Aloha. Something that is impossible to ignore when worn by those who embrace its subtle meanings.

Jim sums it up as he talks of his love for Hawaii, “’I’ve lived almost everywhere. This is the most receptive state to ideals and common courtesy. You can tell… when you go into a parking lot and someone says ‘hello.’ I love this state. We call this state a mixing bowl. There is no time to be racist. Your friends are your friends. Doesn’t matter what color they are… what creed. They are your friends.’”

We turn toward the future. With a deep breath Jim begins, “If we stay on the same path as we are, like any big corporation, we are going to undermine ourselves. We’re going to do ourselves in.” he inhales… “if we stay on the same path. That’s the way I see the country right now.”

A second breath, Jim shifts to resolve, “The way we are going to steer ourselves different?” one more breath, “that’s going to take a lot of work. We’re going to have to do a lot of mind changing… people have to change their minds about what they perceive… what they see… how they act. Number one, you can’t take race into consideration… that’s over! We are all people, we all are workers… we all do everything. Religion? I’m not going to knock you for being Jewish, I’m not going to knock someone else for being something else… You know…” pause… “I don’t know what the solution is… I really don’t. I’d like to know what the solution is, but if we stay on the same path we are on right now… we’re done.

Humans are pre-programmed to destruct themselves. That’s the difference between you,” he warmly gestures to me, “and a bear. You go up against a bear, he doesn’t have reasoning. He doesn’t care. He is going to kill you. You have the reasoning to run, or to hide.”

The reasoning to run, or to hide? Jim’s words intrigue me, a great inspiration to one concluding question. What are we running towards; and, are there any things we are hiding from? I can’t say. The question is daunting, and much too diverse to completely examine in the under 1500 words I’m trying to accomplish in today’s entry.

But what the question does pose is a benchmark of sorts. One that each of us can contemplate as we chart our individual courses to whatever lies in front of us.

Wow! I had no clue of where this journal was going to take us today. It’s like that every time I write one of these essays. Words somehow escape me that are far beyond my controlled thoughts. There is something about opening up to those around us that is incredibly awakening and unifying– Something that I will always encourage all of us to do more regularly. And for anything of insight that may have been carried forward through this entry… credit must be given to the true author of this story.

Jim… Thank you for steering us toward the correct path.

Take care my new friend, and please forgive me for the late publishing of this story.

Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview-365: "We are all in the same sand box"

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WendieWe’re happy to share our second response to Interview-365, Wendie from Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada. Thank to all who are beginning to take part in our survey. As soon as we hit the first fifty responses, we’ll publish the link to the demographic statistics. That way we’ll begin to see the scope of the community we are creating.
Operation-365… the power of one voice is remarkable!
WENDIE’S ANSWERS:
Question One:
If you had the stage and all the world were listening… What words of wisdom, council or advice would you share?
“:)”
 Question Two:
I’m not confident we will change a great deal in the next 100 years unless people in general wake up and realize we are all in the same sand box and it’s getting pretty messy in here. No matter a person’s faith or spiritual beliefs, the reality is we share one very small planet and we need to take care of it and each other or we will kill it and ourselves.
I heard a young man recently on a TV offer some of the wisest words I have ever heard. He said,”If we go back far enough we all have the same mother and father so let’s just decide to get along.” Makes sense to me. Religion, politics, other human institutions and prejudices divide us rather than unite us. The best piece of advice I could give is to treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Hopefully that would be with grace and gratitude. Love is so much easier than hate.

SideWalk Ghosts / Interview-365 has officially begun

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SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERAA warm welcome to Amy, our first person to take part in Interview-365. We encourage all to find a moment to participate in the survey. Our goal is to build a library of thoughts as shared from people from all around the globe. The more submissions we receive, the greater the meaning of the project. So Amy, our new friend from the United Kingdom, we thank you for getting the ball rolling.

We are just beginning; let’s see what we can do to make this a smaller planet.
Operation-365… we were once “Strangers…” now we are “Friends.”
AMY’S ANSWERS:
Question One:
If you had the stage and all the world were listening… What words of wisdom, council or advice would you share?
“:)”
 Question Two:
Looking toward the future, as far or as close as you want to imagine (one year or hundreds of years). Where do you see the people or the planet being, or what do you think we should do now in regards to the future?
“There is nothing to suggest that life is serious. You get out of it what you put in.
People are connecting with each other in ways that we never thought possible. We’re starting to understand each other better and realize that our basic instinctive drivers are the same – Everyone wants happiness (in whatever form) for themselves and the people they love, regardless of their gender, race, age, country of origin – those are nothing more than labels that we allocate so that we can make sense of the world. The biggest thing that divides us all is money – without it, we’d level the playing field.
I always liked Gene Rodenbury’s vision of a world free of hunger and money where boundaries between nations are meaningless and we all share the planet and work only for the betterment of ourselves, each other and the good of the planet. But I’m an idealist; I doubt I’ll see such a thing in my current lifetime.
The best we can do is make the most of the life that we have, and as I say above, not take it too seriously – for me happiness is about fun, and where’s the fun in taking yourself too seriously!”

Sidewalk Ghosts "Dare to Dream, and Adventure in Friendshipping"

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Click photo to read Brook’s original post: 365 Day 155 / “Somewhere Magical… Hopefully It Will Involve Fairies.”

It was February  11, 2012 – Day 155 of Project-365 that we met the enchanting Brooke. To this day she has been a constant ambassador to all that we are striving to become as the community of Operation-365. Brooke has never let distance fall between us and is endlessly active in whatever she can do to keep the child in all of us alive. When we first met her, she challenged us to dare to dream and for this, we can be ever thankful. Click here to read her interview and, please take a moment to read below regarding her invitation to a special cause.
“You are invited to join this project! Join LA or start your own!
LA calls for a Happiness Sprinkling! What is a Happiness Sprinkling? Watch this 2 min video to see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAhPcUORmXw
People gather to picket injustice, mourn tragedy, rally for all sorts of causes, and to get drunk and party…why not to sneak surprise ordinary citizens with a little cheer?
Kind words can help heal this world…Be part of a random fun way to spread hope, love and joy!
I am really excited to be part of this project! Participate by passing this on to others! And join the fun in person! 
If you live in Los Angeles, join us at the Sherman Oaks Galleria:
Wed. May 15th – 6pm-7:30pm.
MORE details to come… get your yellow shirt ready… let’s have some fun!!!
RSVP to Brooke Harker brooke_harker@hotmail.com with words of enthusiasm & cheer!”
Brooke, thanks for the update. We love what you are doing.
Take care my friends,
Richard

Sidewalk Ghosts / "So Go My Romantic Notions"

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So go my romantic notions of the perfect launch party for “Operation-365” – the next step in our continued outreach to understand our neighbors. And you know what… I’m actually happier with this more subtle approach in formally announcing the start of this life-changing endeavor with a short blog entry.
No fan fair tonight, much more subdued than that. The actuality, here I am, sitting in the hallway of the local YMCA, perched with all the other proud parents of children practicing in ballet class. No, I’m not a stalker, quite the opposite. Just a home schooling dad hanging with all the other mom’s as we, like the coaching staff of an Olympic team, carefully observe our kids through the wire reinforced windows of “Exercise Room One.”

March 27 2013 photo
I give thanks to new friend Kate (not pictured), who with the use of my trusty iPhone takes this photo to prove what a YMCA dad looks like as he writes.

Perhaps this is the quite moment I’ve been waiting for to receive the jolt of inspiration as to the right time to launch Operation-365 (the natural progression of our charter outreach, “Project-365”).
I’ll confess, back in October, when I announced that we would be launching phase two of 365, I think I might have been a tad too ambitious when I said I would have an update by the end of October. In hindsight, I had no idea of how long it would actually take to develop the design, content and back-end of where we now are. And quite frankly, even with this launch, there is still much more work to do. Looks like we really are in this thing together.
But as for perfection, we can wait no longer, I miss all of you, my new friends, far too much the delay any longer. We are close enough to launch, so here we go.
Even worse, my typing fingers are beginning to atrophy, weak from the lack of keyboard time. They are hungry and aching for the feel of laptop nirvana. The YMCA hallway has whispered into my ear, “now is the time!”
Thus, without further delay, “welcome, to Operation-365 my friends.”
So to you, all my loyal readers… I’m back. To all who are joining us for the first time… we embrace you and look forward to what you have to say. And, to all of us… here we go, at ground level, to witness the birth of a new city. One who’s boarders are limitless, open to all who desire to examine fellow man with open hearts, minds and eyes.
Now, I will be continuing to contribute to the blog portion of Operation-365, and I promise you that my writing will not silence. However, I’m fairly certain that I will not be entering on a daily basis as I did during the lifespan of Project-365. I promise the interviews of strangers will not cease, and I will continue to do my part in keeping my chin up and eyes open to the world around me as I steer the development of Operation-365.
For two focused years, in addition to a lifetime, have I invested in looking upon my fellow man with an examining heart. In doing so, I’ve been ceaseless in spouting our “chin up and eyes open to the world” mantra; a challenge that has blossomed to become both very personal to my own development as a human as well as a resounding motivation behind the reasoning of Operation-365, and its initiatives. With this, you’ll probably notice a tab titled “Interview-365.” Through it, I encourage you to share your words and photos with us. Think of it as a place where you can go to do your part in touching the lives of the many who have chosen to become citizens of our global community.
You and I… the silent majority… everyday people… living our lives the best we can; a magnificently diverse group of strangers… who in a vicarious way have become friends in a shared cause that is uniquely personal; yet, very empowering in calling each of us to expand our ever-growing community of understanding.
Like I mentioned in opening this entry, “so goes my romantic notions of the perfect launch party for the beginnings of Operation-365.” And having this moment of happy hallway time has provided me the much-needed brain waves to write this announcement entry.
I accept… there are no fireworks. I agree… no anthem is needed. And, without a doubt… no grand marketing campaign has begun. Just as did Project-365 commence, so to is Operation-365.
Funny though, something just feels right about beginning the next phase of our grand outreach this way, humbly, honestly and from the heart.
Welcome to Operation-365… May we continue to awake in building our bridges the a greater understanding.
Talk soon my friends,
Richard

SideWalk Ghosts / Interview 363: “Transformations Are Inspiring”

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“If I had to boil it down into one sentence… that would be to treat your neighbor as you want to be treated,” say today’s stranger now friend, Steve.

Words that roll off the lips of so many of us, and words that are fundamental to the hope that many of us share. And at the very core of the sentiment is the reason that 365 has made it this far, only three days from the completion of its first year.

And Steve is one of those guys who has earned the chops to make the statement. You see, he has walked the walk of the rich and of the troubled, a life history that to the day of our meeting is challenging him to find who he is in settling into being a contributor to our world.

How did I meet Steve. Some of you may remember Pappy, another story of man facing demons of past decision and of growth to a higher place; and a man who is now a very important part of my life in continued friendship. A friendship that transcends all implications of class distinction and has grown beyond that of any assumed stereotypes. You see, Pappy is an ex-con and past gang banger; and now in his late fifties, with a history that would have destroyed the very soul of many, he has arisen to be a light to those who know him. And it is through Pappy that I am privileged to meet Steve.

No, Steve is not homeless, comes not from a gangster background, or showcases any body markings. He is a regular guy in many ways. A guy who most would pass by as a person living a charmed life – clean clothes, groomed dogs and a nice car.

“Then how does Steve link to Pappy?” you ask.

To answer, I’ll let Steve’s advice explain, “I think there is more goodness than bad out there. The bad gets the press… you know… like especially now, being political season, going into a presidential election. We keep hearing all this negative stuff about our candidates, or you learn about just how full of crap they all are.

“I’m prejudice… I want to believe all the good for one candidate and I want to believe all the bad for the other candidate.” Steve calls this observation, “Kind of interesting.”

“Kind of interesting,” a very curious summation in evaluating the hottest of issues, “Who will be the President of America.”

We’ll not get into that… my blog is not a political forum, and although we often reveal the outlooks of many on the subject, I wish not to allow it to become a place for debate of judgment toward the many strangers that we can now so openly call “friend.”

But what makes Steve special is not his political views, it’s his faith in self and in humanity. You see, Steve has seen the bottom, once a millionaire in the dot-com days, he has seen his wealth dissolve – stood by his wife in her battle with brain cancer, only to find chemical dependency and a failed marriage as the result. Steve has borne pains that are real, and through his courage to openly expose his past does he inspire those of us who are “regular” to realize there is more going on than one may realize.

So, how do Steve and Pappy connect? Pappy is very ill, looks like cancer, and for months Steve has been taking care of all of Pappy’s medical issues: helping him to find medical treatment, resolving his financial aid and securing his Federal/State insurance benefits. Even without enough money to meet his own needs, Steve regularly gives Pappy a few bucks here and there.

Now, I don’t want to make Steve out to be a saint in any way, or to make any innuendo that he is more charitable or a better person than any one of us. What I am saying is this, we are all connected. For Steve and I, it is through our concern for Pappy.

“I just watched Robert Downey Jr. in the Sherlock Holmes movies…” Steve visualizes as he speaks of the films antagonist, “…the whole reason for the world war that Sherlock Holmes stops is, as the villain says, ‘I don’t care who goes to war, I just want to supply the bullets and the bandages.’ He doesn’t care if he is hurting them or fixing them. He just wants to make the money.”

“Then there are other people who have a passion, that when there is a war, they’ll be the ones with the bandages, not out to make money, but to do good.

“I’m trying to not name names, but…” he shifts gears.

“…that’s what the answer seems to be… if you want to boil it down into just one sentence, ‘Just treat your neighbor as you want to be treated.’

“The other one would be, seeing that I am a dog person, ‘I always hope to be the person that I think my dogs thinks that I am.’

Samson, Steve, Sasha

“I guess by nature that I am a positive hopeful dude…” Steve reflects as he looks ahead, “…so speaking about the U.S. – I hope in five years we are not in war any longer. We can’t be a nation of prosperity when we are spending more money than we bring in, paying for war. So, that’s killing us.

“Killing the 98 percent… killing the 99 percent…”

This grabs my attention,“Your saying the 1 or 2 percent are the wealthy?”

“Yeah… I don’t know… I’m forty-eight, you don’t become forty-eight without having good times, bad times, ups and downs. And Looking back to the best of times it seems that I was part of a collective great thing that was going on. There was a lot of prosperity… and there was a lot of enjoyment out there… enthusiasm for the country… maybe even for the world.

“If we want to get global… I just said, I hope in five years the United States is not in war. But it’s not looking good that our planet isn’t going to be worse off than it is today… in five years. If you just take a look at what is being shown about what we are doing to our planet, and it doesn’t seem like the people that say, ‘It’s not happening…’ Like they don’t say, ‘That’s not happening.’ They just say, ‘That’s not going to cause what people say it will cause.’

“Everybody agrees that the icecaps are melting… but they are in denial that it is raising the temperature of our planet… our oceans especially. And without our oceans, we don’t survive.

“It just seems that those 1 to 2 percent, the biggest of the biggest companies in the world make money from producing energy. And there is just too much money in the stuff to stop destroying our planet. So I don’t know… how do you turn that around?

“But just for me, in my own little world, I have high hopes. I hope to be married with a family for the first time… developing a legacy… making enough money to pay my basic bills, that’s a stressful place to be. So if I could just turn that around a little. I don’t need a lot, but it sure would be nice.

“I think maybe for most people who have got themselves into my situation… to be debt free with a little safety net is a good start.”

Steve has ridden the top of the financial wave, making boatloads of new technology money, has weathered illness of a spouse, only to see the end of a marriage, and has sunk to the deepest despair in chemical and alcohol abuse.

But sitting, shaded from the heat of another hot summer day, I find wisdom of well-earned knowledge in Steve’s council.

I have to ask, because I know there are many in similar situations, “Steve do you mind if I publish the fact that you are recovering from dependency issues, and if so, what advice do you have for anyone battling addiction?”

He gladly accepts… “Get to a meeting… go every day when you don’t want to go, until you want to go… get there early and stay there late… and find somebody that tells your story and then go introduce yourself to that person…

‘They say get in the middle of the heard. It’s like… which animals get eaten in the jungle? It’s the ones on the fringe of the heard. The Antelope in the middle of the heard never gets eaten by the Lion, or Lioness. Just get in the middle of it.

“The Lion is the temptation, right?” I clarify.

“Yes…” Steve bridges to the realities of living with dependency issues, “It’s rough out there… there are a lot of reasons for people like me to drink and do drugs. It’s really painful out there right now… for me financially. For others it could be some other issue. And many times you just get to the point where you say, ‘I can’t do it anymore.’

“I’ve been to a lot of funerals this years, so if that’s your thing… I get it… I understand.

“Candidly, the only answer is to develop a relationship with a power greater than yourself. So that might not work for you… maybe God does not work for you. But in AA, we have a small book and a big book covering what we call the twelve and twelve. Step one is only four pages. The chapter in the big book called, ‘We the agnostics…’ there is a whole chapter, its like forty-seven pages. So if you have a problem with the God thing… you are in a much bigger group than people who believe.

“But you’ve got to find… because it is very clear that left to our own devices we will drink… absolutely drink… it’s too painful not to.

“That’s what I’ve been focusing on in the last twelve months is that relationship. I’ve been going back to Temple, that’s structured… it works for me… but mostly it’s my own perception.

“It’s my own perception” Steve concludes. And perception is a perfect word to finalize this post. For I see it remarkable how three people with uniquely different backgrounds such as Pappy, Steve and myself have found ground together, land that is stable, fertile with compassion and growing fruits of understanding.

Pappy, Steve, I can definitely say, our paths will cross again my friends. Your histories are rich and your transformations are inspiring.

SideWalk Ghosts / Interview 362: “We Are On The Right Road”

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After listening to my explained history of 365, Rabbi Mentz looks into my eyes… “You’re on a journey to find yourself.”

I cannot disagree, and in doing so, a peace fill my heart. A peace that I’m sure we all looking for. It’s that feeling of purpose, that joy of knowing that the path has meaning, and a freedom to accept the very things that frighten us. Those hidden dreams, un-faced secrets and desires for a better self.

And although Rabbi Mentz’s observation is directed specifically at me in beginning our conversation, the premise is universal. We are all on personal journeys. Some of us are aware of the course, while others of us are invisibly flailing our arms in grabbing whatever exterior source that says, “You are OK my child.”

Whatever the case, Rabbi Mentz accepts people for who they are and truly believes that all can become the full measure of their creation.

Rabbi Mentz is to the point and holds no contempt for anyone, or to any faith. And although he calls good, good and evil, evil, he is a true advocate for the sanctity of human life. Proclaiming of the consequences of both good and evil acts, thoughts and deeds.

In him is a deep conviction to his faith, a faith that with a blend of sincere compassion… married to a bold charisma, he challenges us to seek a greater light in all that we do, in inspiring us to take hold of our roots, of our healthy ambitions and of a trust in a loving G_D. For in his eyes can be seen a wondrous dream. A vision not for self-gain or of tribute from the many. But rather, of a hope for a united humanity, a wish for every human being to live free and able to feel of the happiness that all have right to enjoy.

Rabbi Mentz… thank you for allowing me the privilege to present you to the congregation of 365, the podium is yours my friend.

“’First thing I would say to everybody is… always look for good… in everybody. But do not allow evil to exist. If there is evil… like a cancer, the greatest love you can have for humanity is to get rid of that evil. If they are rapists, if they are robbers, if they are terrorists, and the greatest love you can have for humanity is… is to get rid of it.

Now there are two ways of getting rid of it. There is killing them, or there is educating them…

…Abraham opened up a tent for education, and that’s how he taught the whole world about G_D. He never lifted his sword… he never shot a bullet… but he did allow people to come into his tent and hear.

And through his brilliant arguments he transformed thousands, and became the greatest PR agent against paganism and for the word of G_D.

So, if I had something to say to the world… it would be to always look for the good in everybody… and believe that they can be transformed. But do not be hoodwinked… that just because they are evil… we have to be good to them, because if they are going to be a cancer to you… they are going to kill you.

The second thing I would say to the world… Is do not underestimate the power of any single human being; every single person is created by G_D, and there is a potential good in them.

Another thing that I would say to people… Never look for the light at the end of the tunnel. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You’re dead when you’re at the end of the tunnel. A lot of people go and say of other religions, ‘Suffer, go through the tunnel, because when you die you will go to heaven.’ Is that why G_D put me into this world… to look for the end of it… into the tunnel.

What G_D really did was, he put light in the tunnel, but it’s just concealed… and every action that I do reveals that light. Because it is there that G_D put you… to transform the darkness into good.

The last thing that I would say to everybody is… The Messianic promise that G_D has is not just for the ones who agree with me… The proof… The All Mighty created Jews and Non-Jews. Not everybody has to be Jewish… Not everybody has to live and practice as I do.

Allow people to be the best that they can be… and work in unity. Follow G_D’s law for the Non-Jews. And Jews should follow G_D’s law as created and commanded for the Jews. Together we can make this world a better place.

Finally… If I had the podium to speak to the world… You’re only put into this world for a few moments. Instead of looking at the world for what you can get out of it; become a partner of G_D, and make miracles with him. Because every single moment in your life… there is a person… there is an opportunity to leave a footprint… to show how this world is so much better than it was three minutes ago. That’s what I think I would say.

The world obviously is going to be moving any which way it wants to, because it is not us who makes this world run. No matter how much man plans – G_D laughs… and throws in a LOT of new plans for us to work with.

So where is the world going to be in a hundred years from now? It makes no difference what I say. Because like I say, man plans – G_D laughs.

The question is… where we will man be in a hundred years from now… in the world that G_D is now laughing at.

And I think it is to recognize that in everything that goes on in this world, there is an opportunity to make this world a better place. And, that’s what I would like to see humanity become.

Instead of looking into ourselves and saying, ‘This is for me.’ Is for people to say, ‘Wow, this world is an awesome place, and I can go and play in G_D’s garden, and I can transform this world into a bigger and better place.’

How do I get the weeds out? How do I make it, that in everything that we do, is only going to be in a better way? And, if a new challenge comes about, we have been programmed by our choices to just go and say quickly, ‘Let’s make it better!’

The world is getting there. For example, two hundred years ago, if there was a hurricane somewhere… no one cared. If there was a disease somewhere… no one cared… I just hope that my country doesn’t get it.

 Today there are countries that band together, countries that will go into these places… feed people… tent people. There are people that get Aids in Africa. There are countries that give billions of dollars to fight Aids… Malaria…

…You ask me, ‘Where is this world going to be two hundred years from now…?

Before I reveal Rabbi Mentz’s answer, I must tell you a little more about myself. And in doing so, I still hold true to my stance in keeping my blog unbiased and open to no agenda or platform, other than that of unity in accepting all who choose to join us in our pledge to acceptance of each other.

This said, I’’ tell you that I am Jewish, and baptized a Mormon. A choice that has only given me the greatest peace in life and propelled my desire to better understand not only myself, but to seek a deeper understanding of my fellow-man.

Rabbi Mentz has challenged me to explore the depths of my faith, and in a very short time with him, I have found a greater understanding of where I have come from, and from my studies of other faiths, in examining my choices, and through the meetings of hundreds of unique and spectacular people, I come to the same conclusion in agreeing with Rabbi Mentz’s answer for what is to come.

…You ask me, “Where is this world going to be two hundred years from now…?” Rabbi Mentz’s self questions.

Simple he states, “We are on the right road.”

In closing, and as any loving Rabbi would do, Rabbi Mentz offers me Tefillin.

I accept.

For those of you who do not know what it represents, here is a summary:

The tefillin are to serve as a reminder of God’s intervention at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. Maimonides details of the sanctity of tefillin and writes that “as long as the tefillin are on the head and on the arm of a man, he is modest and God-fearing and will not be attracted by hilarity or idle talk; he will have no evil thoughts, but will devote all his thoughts to truth and righteousness.”The Sefer ha-Chinuch (14th century) adds that the purpose of tefillin is to help subjugate a person’s worldly desires and encourage spiritual development. Joseph Caro (16th century) explains that tefillin are placed on the arm adjacent to the heart and on the head above the brain to demonstrate that these two major organs are willing to perform the service of God.

What’s inside it:

And it shall be for a sign for you upon your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand did the LORD bring you out of Egypt.—Exodus 13:9

And it shall be for a sign upon your hand, and as totafot between your eyes; for with a mighty hand did the LORD bring us forth out of Egypt.—Exodus 13:16

And you shall bind them as a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as totafot between your eyes.—Deuteronomy 6:8

You shall put these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall tie them for a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as totafot between your eyes. —Deuteronomy 11:18

Rabbi Mentz is a man of great faith, he has shared with me a symbolic blessing, one that is at the root of my very birth, and a prayer for my happiness and safety in life.

A blessing that is bestowed upon me, is one that is more global than we may realize. For looking into his council, there is a rabbinical prayer that a greater light is in store for all who look. A prayer for a better world, for whether Gentile or Jew, Rabbi Mentz is resolute, “Allow people to be the best that they can be…” and work in unity. Follow G_D’s law for the Non-Jews. And Jews should follow G_D’s law as created and commanded for the Jews. Together we can make this world a better place.”

Rabbi, you are right, “We are on the right road.”

Talk tomorrow my friends, and may we all journey safely.