Category: Synchronicities

Dear 24th District Council Member Veronica Arreola, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, State Senator Mike Simmons, Police Superintendent Larry Snelling, Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Garien Gatewood, Deputy Mayor for Education Jen Johnson, Officer Bob Vanna of the 24th District, CPS Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova, and Senn High School Principal Holly Dacres,

“We are each other’s harvest.  We are each other’s business.  We are each other’s magnitude and bond.” -Previous IL Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks

Now it seems that the city needs officers to give tickets in order to raise money for the municipality and keep the system going: it’s too expensive to jail people, admitting errors is embarrassing, the whole s   ituation is problematic!  Moving to a safer neighborhood and taking the responsibility of avoiding crime is not the same as walking down your street fear-free in this great city of ours, or anywhere else in our great nation or world.  That’s a symptom of the immaturity of the planet; but it doesn’t mean that we can’t do something about it in our city.

Education about our global neighbors—and talk therapy for myself— helped me recover from parenting mistakes and national trauma, and has suggested to me ways of combatting our international juvenility.  

The magazine Blueprint for a Greener World is meant to inspire and fuel, as well as convey my understanding of hope for the future.  To improve the world’s current psychological plight, in a nutshell—while we learn to be friendlier to each other, employing Native American words and integrating other cultural treasures initiating oversees, we are learning to enjoy life, using our virtues.  We will be looking up and out and around to see other ways to be creative rather than only raising families.  Using drums and our hand/footprints, let’s reprogram our bodies to ascend, expressing ourselves and welcoming the youth with healthful rhythms.

The cartoon featured on the eighth page of my magazine is by Herb Block, who went to Senn High School!  My grandmother inspired the image when she stood up for the value of the United Nations at a Daughters of the American Revolution conference in 1953.  Edgewater’s and Andersonville’s diverse and enlightened populations will find the cartoon funny, but tragic, because it accurately depicts many people’s foolish attitude about our country and world.

I have written prose and poetry and expressed my struggle with a troubled human environment.  I see that Are we strong enough to get creative? is the question for all of us, now.

We humans want to make the point that, right now, living hurts!  It hurts in many ways.  Documenting these conditions and incidents is the first step towards healing.  But sharing news of peace should be the second.

Noise in IL?

Pollution?  Not sound.

We want a state of music, not sounds of pollution—nor sound pollution—in our homeland. 

We can capitalize spiritually on our history here:

See our folks frolicking together, not just drinking beer.

Artisanal outlook: ebony and ivory

Playing, taking turns, no rich-folks-wanna-be,

But wealthy and healthy in heart, strong again in soul:

We excel in being ourselves—from jazz to rock and roll!

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Especially for CPS:

I like the idea of teaching cursive writing in schools, using the help and examples of older people and their scripts. 

Another idea for students is a video documentation project, the Library of HumanKind—or, HueminKind—which could be like StoryCorps, the Library of Congress-stored conversation effort. 

Especially for the CPD:

Training in zen thinking and acting.  I would also use the fight/dancing Brazilian martial art capoeira (it involves a lot of evasive moves like cartwheels; the two players fight in a ring of people, and I think sing a song: “Comrade…”) 

The situation that generated Black Lives Matter! inspired my idea of Good Neighbor Training/Community Ties : a program that would be available to see on TV.  It would be required for all Chicago employees, who would be televised while participating in it, and it would be an education in living in urbanity, for us city residents, dwelling side by side.  Yes, we could start global healing right here!  .  

The plethora of negative police incidents in this country in the last few years make me think that the script police officers use to interact with apprehendees could be improved.  In one of Malcolm Gladwell’s books, he discusses a Korean airplane that went down.  The co-pilot couldn’t tell the head pilot that he’d noticed something that was wrong, because politeness rules of their culture didn’t allow that!  Instead of saving their own lives and those of their passengers, the Korean pilots crashed the plane!  Subsequently, the language of pilots was changed to English.  I suspect something similar is going on here, with police procedure.  I am not a psychologist, but maybe the CPD should hire one, or an anthropologist, to rewrite the process of interacting with citizens. 

My partner tells me that some other countries (Germany; Iran) do not publish the names of criminals.

It saddens me that we often think of “justice” as right punishment.  It’s so easy, when considering crime incidents, to want revenge.  But real justice means 

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safety, and no assault occurring in the first place!  We need to train for a peaceful world.

Especially for the CTA:

I feel that the “Red Line” is problematic, and I have a few suggestions to change it up: firstly, call it another color—Tan Line or Silver Line.  Red reminds one of danger and blood.  Even Maroon would be better, I think.  Or Grey.

Secondly, I volunteer to be the overdue-for-a-change announcer for the CTA. 

Let riders decorate stations/railcars/buses with their hand/footprints!  This would create customer commitment to the routes and something to look at while riding; putting them on the ceilings would encourage riders to relax in the stressful confinement that public transport cannot help but be.

That is why roaming officers are so important—we really do value each other’s lives and wellbeing…Maybe we do need an officer on every platform.  

My biggest suggestion for CTA is to remodel the railcars and buses with better seating, including that for drivers.  Why not look around at transport seating in other countries?  The reason I don’t like it now is that it makes the sitter slump, which is uncomfortable and not healthy.  I would choose seating that is flat or slightly tilted downward (to the front, not back), so bodies could be supported in getting up when they need to.  Tilted seats would help the sitter shift their weight into their legs in preparation for ascending, instead of being a lump; the seats you have now thrust people’s weight back, as if you are fearful that they might fall out of the chair!  (This is a common design mistake, and I am sorry that drivers, and most of us people, suffer from poorly-designed chairs, too—including toilets!)

I remember the Guardian Angels—do you?  They were volunteers who dressed in red and went through train cars, guiding riders with their presence to remain lucid and stay friendly.  Think of cultural presences on vehicles as a good thing; entertainment might prevent violence.

Now they’d be arrested for going through cars, so you’d have to change that stupid rule; preventing riders from walking from one car into another means we can’t MOVE 

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much: you want us to instead sit in the seats that makes us slump?  No thanks!  That’s a breeding ground for expressing our frustration with being caged.  

Finally, your riders—Chicagoans, tourists, and others—should be treated with more respect.  They deserve to use the bathroom and change their children.  You know how you were forced to put in elevators for handicapped folks?  Well, how about bathrooms for each station—with attendants, giving out Kleenex, menstruation supplies, diapers—for males and females and they/them?  When we start treating ourselves like humans, shooting each other like animals will probably lessen, too.  

“…We hail what heals and sponsors and restores.”  -Gwendolyn Brooks, “Art.” 

~C. Jenny Walbridge

February 13, 2024

Chicago, IL

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“Exploration: Pass it on!” I’m afraid must be “Exploration: Pass on it!” because we are not mature enough to take care of people first.

We are (slowly) learning that valuing things that cause air quality impairments are problematic. This becuase of the cumulative effects of fires caused by nature–global warming, included–and humans, such as explosions in war and accidents. They are saying that in the future, the air will only be able to handle each person flying in an airplane only a few times in their life.

Plus, it is becoming clear that money should not be a motivator in tomorrow’s world. Focus on American internal security has emphasized military preparedness as opposed to strength and fitness of bodies, minds and hearts of our citizens. New ways are lurking around, waiting to be embraced in love as opposed to trying to get something from people so one can feel better. Money is not the way, trust me. Choose the gates of heaven instead of those of hell, when your time comes to change, okay?

On the other hand, maybe woman-faced bills would make their owners behave healthfully. I like the quarters with different scenes on them; is more change called for (Freudian slip)?

Concern for Earth’s atmosphere makes me want war to stop immediately–and all tools to that effect be utilized, including maybe a little insulting of each world leader–why not? You can count me in if you want, I’m up for a little gameplaying. Hillary was Secretary of State. Biden, you can appoint me and I will gather a Cabinet of other Fire Horses, just watch me, and will fill my Office with yout like myself from Generation X!

As an animal, I am sick of our world’s net. As Info Tech, I prefer calling us PlanniT Earth. Why? Wise–Weyes: let’s look out and around!

A baby is not unborn. A fetus will become a baby once it leaves it’s mommy’s body. That is the truth.

The photographic image of a fetus is so lovely! These photos should be shared. The lives of new humans should be honored. “Children. I know. You deserve more than the world could ever give,” as EMF sings. Well, we could at least try! It takes a village… No, it takes a planniT–one planniT, under sky, indivisible.

I am getting sad as the USA spends more and more money in Ukraine, and can’t help but wonder who will be paying for the reconstruction of Ukraine once the war is over. Correct me if I’m wrong–our country doesn’t have unlimited funds. Plus, we have many a problem that could use some cash thrown at it. How old is this Zelensky guy? Biden has been around longer and should be getting extremely impatient with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine as he sees America hemorrhaging funds for defense against the destruction of an important nation like Ukraine. ?

Meanwhile, in China, the Belt Road Initiative goes on: projects to open up Africa and other places near China are happening, as we sit idly by, and China continues to make goods for sale here in the USA. It seems obvious that we should be friendly to China; speaking of oldies but goodies, Chinese culture is wise, older than ours (much), and interesting enough to explore, so why don’t we? We fail because we get the metaphor wrong: it should not be “work together,” but “play together.” The martial arts of China, for example, are to be emulated; a culture built on pictures–the characters of their language–is full of opportunities to reach out creatively. I hope Biden doesn’t waste time approaching China with a ball in hand–or, does, with a soccer ball, and some good American coaches to welcome China into the world of soccer that is empowering the other nations of the planet.

Despite feeling anti-war, like the Quakers, I currently want Ukraine to win the war against Russia, Putin’s Russia. I’ve changed my heart on this, because of several discussions and also what I saw this Sunday past on 60 Minutes. I saw the President of Finland being anti-Russia, and was so impressed with her ability to lead her country–which shares a long border with Russia–by wanting to join Europe, not Russia, in the future. Marin asserted that she was a human being; others in her nation were critical of video showing her acting in a sexy way, but I think we’d better stop right now and define human being and leader: being able to act in a sexy way is a gift! Marin showed that she is a full person, even a young one who feels human feelings and enjoys expressing them–there is nothing wrong with that! To the contrary–I have struggled with my own sexuality enough to tell you that Marin is a healthy woman. She should be a leader. And her expression of worry about Russia has made me change my mind–I see that her country and the Ukrainians are beautiful folks who don’t deserve aggression directed at them–by conservatives or Putin’s Russia. Plus, Zelensky is maintaining his leadership, and seems–believably–after all this time–a good man, too. Meanwhile, Nature has spoken in Turkey and Syria, with tens of thousands murdered by earthquakes: surely this is enough destruction for Western Asia and Eastern Europe!

The war has focused my mind more on Russia (unfortunately, bad news tends to have this effect). I, frankly, know extremely little about the different cultures who make Russia home. I had a doctor who was Russian, and we would speak a tiny bit of the language together (nyet; da; etc.); she was very nice. I remember her scolding me for being so concerned that my finger was crooked or had a small lump–“You are a human,” she wisely said. I’ve seen pictures of Russian horses called Akhal tekes that have a coat that shines like metal. And those funky towers in Moscow! How many films or pictures could they feature in! I recently found a picture of a woman with a sign in blue and yellow that says, in Russian, “Give them peace, and us, freedom of speech,” so I know that not all Russians are misled; plus, my first name is Catherine, spelled the same as Russia’s empress Catherine the Great. Please, media, get in there and show some of my cousins’ Latvian culture, and that of the other folks who live in those northerly lands. People are dying of ignorance here!

Now, when I say “People are dying of ignorance here,” I could also be referring to Americans who don’t know who the American enemy is, and get the wrong and stupid ideas from folks like Trump–but also from Republican rich guys. A lot of folks fail to figure out that their real enemy is not the Democrats, who actually look out for people like them, but the GOP, which wants to do away with food stamps and Medicare! Glomming onto the flag will not solve their problems. We have a sick world here–it be illin.’ We ALL need help, and taking away assistance for human needs is not the correct first step towards recovery. And I do not digress!

If you’ve seen this website–especially the Patriotic section–you know how big a fan of the American flag I am (see flag poems), and how my ancestor likewise was (“Poem to Old Glory,” 1941). I am such a big fan that it feels like sacrilege to modify the Stars and Stripes by using banners with different colored elements, even to convey “respect for the Rule of Law.” So get your dirty paws off Old Glory, I say! I like you, poor whites, and I am poor and white myself. I am the descendant of a baby born on the Mayflower ship. But hitting yourself in the head–trust me, take my word for it–is not a successful tactic for thriving on this planet!

Directives for Year 2023!

It seems to me that if people were not so frustrated by living, we would want to live longer—and would!  But when the whole species is not partying together, we break down in various ways.  

Religions that call themselves faiths of love but don’t extend that emotion to all people on Earth, even those who are not believers of that religion, are messed up and hypocritical!  Love transcends boundaries!  The ultimate show of it is not wanting someone to convert so they can be “saved;” the true meaning of love is valuing someone as they are, even if you think they could be healthier.  

Celebrating is the mission for our Planet’s people.  Let’s focus on kind, inclusive having fun together—the world needs us to be happy!  

We need to plan species-wide playing, because we need to show the Creator/Planet that we get them—we understand the natural system on not just an intellectual level but also an emotional one.  Like, how do other cultures value Earth?  How can we transcend differences between Earth dwellers enough to have a good time, together, to GET Her?

The Creator/Natural System of our home, Earth, probably is waiting for us to be a mirror of Her/His/Its greatness.  WE need to tend our Garden home, not wait around for some power to come and do it for us!  We need to figure out how to come—together!  Is sex bad?  Why or why not? Learning to do this, including leaving some wilderness wild, is the direction of the future, the ultimate empowerment, the joining of hands with our Lord or Whoever!

Why do I know this?  How can I say these things?  What gives me the power to see this?  I am an artist and writer, and the world has shown itself to me, and I’m not going back!  

If the Planet—yes, our home, capital P—had feelings, She/He would be offended at Her/His humans raping and causing starvation; She/He would like to be known as a pleasant place to stay and dine.  Raping means seizing body or possessions.  This reminds me of the Christian sentiment that charity should come from one’s substance, not one’s surplus (p. 8, Catholic Teaching on the Environment 2020, Washington DC, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).

And as Pope Pius XII said, as quoted in the book Catholic Teaching on the Environment (2020, Washington DC, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, page 11), on material goods, “‘the goods which were created by God for all men should flow to all alike, according to the principles of justice and charity,’ (Sertum Laetitiae [On the 150th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hierarchy in the United States]).  (no. 43)”  

Further, from this book (Catholic Teaching on the Environment), it is stated that “If one is in extreme necessity, he has the right to procure for himself what he needs out of the riches of others,” page 8.  Does our American Bill of Rights trump the Catholic teachings?  Surely the right to pursue happiness that it guarantees suggests that we cannot feel truly happy when our neighbor is suffering!  When we have seized the wellbeing of others for our own benefit, that is rapine.  The USA is engaging in sin!  

Let’s figure it out!  If our economics was based on presence, if we felt more whole and shared that with each other, we could give better presents.  Maybe we could dabble in prescience, figuring out the future!  But we can’t do it when the house is a mess!  We need some clutter busting on a large scale!  If there’s going to be a God coming here, we need the paths to be straight (see Mark, 1-3: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”)—we need to figure out what that means!  

The Jesus thing: If God gave us His Son to save us, and we failed to learn from Jesus and other peacemakers how to live better lives, does it make sense that we are gonna be judged well if the  world ends?  Certainly we could—and should—try harder to be virtuous and help our neighbor.  What if the whole world—Catholic, believing in Jesus, as well as pagan—were our deity’s special project, and Jesus was an example, along with other prophets, of what the successful project would look like?  This is what saving means: the peaceful are a direction—a guide–for us!  

Instead of ignoring religious advice, thinking that the worse the Planet gets—the more evil becomes the human race—the sooner we will all (who believe) be taken to paradise—I want you to know that I am committed to figuring it out right here.  I see ways to do it, to help impress our deities, and each other, by virtue and creativity, playing, not just praying, for salvation: theater games for all!

So, what we need is an active involvement with Earth’s elements, including the human population, not waiting and even damaging Creation because our reading of the Bible suggests that we should be passive and weak.  I see that the God of Christianity is more powerful than that.  I was made in His image, according to many believers; He and I are not wimps!  He may be unorganized and need clarification to Himself, which is where we come in.  He might not, as I say, possess an effective mirror—yet, we can, if we try harder to have fun instead of suffer, grow to show Him to Himself, partnering with Him/Her and each other for a great future, one where all children grow using the expression of the joy they feel all the time.  

Wow!  What a year!

From the Friends Committee on National Legislation Statement on the Peace Testimony and Ukraine, October 26, 2022

Unquoted possible interpretations by C. Jenny Walbridge; quotes from Statement 

“We continue to seek to build the institutions of peace.”  

We initiate and continue to uncover participation in the songs and games of peace.  We realize that our living Planet (why not?  Treating Earth as mechanistic is certainly creating problems for all!) wants to be known as a pleasant place to stay and dine, so desires that we get rid of starvation and rapine (in its meaning of seizing property—or body—of another. In harmony with American idealism of freedom to accumulate goods, equity can perhaps be reached through charity, where charity means sharing of substance, not surplus).

“Justice with peace requires binding frameworks of international law and restorative justice,…”

Living in justice—in peace—naturally follows from restorative justice and finding and nurturing our creative selves, 

“…as well as global investment in violence prevention at the community level.”

…as well as global interest in positive expression of assertion at the community level and beyond, such as utilizing the fight-dance of Brazil—capoeira—to interact healthfully—and/or, sex.  

“…Whichever way this war ends…”

…However this war ends, we are realistic that healing and sustainable peacemaking will naturally follow from the emotional movement and inspiration of people—and that can happen overnight!  It will be defined by inclusivity (all are needed to play the song/game of to-get-Her: to finally understand, to feel our third rock from the sun in a way we’ve never been able to before). Also, it requires sustainable, expressive, documented processes from the international to the local or vice versa. Alternatively, it will occur all at once.  We cannot imagine this event or series of happenings, but feel highly committed to its occurrence.  We pledge to think about possible celebrations on a Planetary scale.  If not fun, why done?

“We are ready to play our part[!]”

Alright!  

Why I don’t support the war in Ukraine:

When Russia gave away, peacefully, many of its territories, no empire had ever done that before.  Yet upon Gorbachev’s rule, the USA did nothing to support democracy in Russia, making Gorbachev look like a child.  The ensuing environment supported oligarchs like Putin rising to power.  

It would be better for the USA to treat people like Putin as individuals, not abstract personages.  Putin, for example, is a macho guy.  Putin plays the game, dressing in a suit like all of the rest of the world leaders, with the possible exception of the Arabs.  

Zelensky, meanwhile, insists on wearing a comfortable-looking outfit—the attire of future heads of state and most citizens, possibly, when we finally realize we work/play better when more relaxed.  He has charisma, but so does Putin—at least in the eyes of folks like Trump.  

The USA and NATO teased Russia by communicating that they might put weapons near Russia, in Ukraine.  From Putin’s point of view, this was a dare.  I understand Putin’s discomfort with this arrangement; we are not a world of principles, or at least not fully; nations, today, have leaders, who are flesh and blood (and hormones). 

I am aware that if we let this invasion happen, other abuses from other countries might follow—the precedent would be set.  However, the Quaker value of refraining from killing should get consulted here—now that killing is going on, we need desperately to find common ground to halt it!  When Putin intimates that he might be willing to step up to the table, we must put aside our macho USA-is-the-best-ness and tell Zelensky that he doesn’t have our support after the war unless Zelensky makes peace!  because that is what world leaders do—does Biden know that?  I would think so, he has been in the White House for many years.  Alternatively, VP Harris should be guiding the President to treat people as human—with foibles; but human, nonetheless.  

The situation—bullying—does not require any deaths to get resolved.  Zelensky should know how to interact with Putin—Zelensky has been a comedian and actor; what has he learned from that experience? 

After a major shot in the arm of the American defense industry, which has—sadly and despicably—been good for our economy, I assume, it is time now to posit about the future, and cleaning up Ukraine’s messes.  That will cost money, I figure.  However, my patience is running low, as our nation has its own expensive problems.  

In the meantime, the USA is supporting a guy who was anti-government in Venezuela.  We destabilized that country like we have done to others because they were not excited enough about the USA.  Is the real world problem the attitude of our great country? 

We the people must be willing to play!  Tell that to all the guys, Zelensky, Putin—and Biden and the rest!  Wise up, crack up—what’s so funny?  Peace is active!  The world is not static—not a chess game but water polo or capoeira instead!  If not fun, why done?  Okay, it’s ridiculous—let’s smile!  

I heard that Putin wanted to be photographed bare-chested sitting on a horse.  (I am a horse-lover, born in the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse.  I told you he was macho.)  I say, yes, let him!  How to play together so people’s needs do not have to be met by bullying?  They have these Akhal teke horses over there which have golden-shiny coats—the most beautiful horses in the world.  How about a United Nations-declared international horse festival year to bring the nations into mutual admiration?  I would support, research and plan this—and document it in art.  How is that worse than war?  

To negotiate—to work together to solve problems—requires humor and compassion—not just fingerpointing.  It takes a bit of playing—together!