Mountain Connection - Mountain Community News on the Positive Side...

PEACE—WHAT I HAVE LEARNED (Carol Carper)
PEACE BEGINS WITH ME... BUT WHEN? (Tanya Keith)
'LET IT GO,' SAYS MY SON (Stephen Fisher)
THE WISDOM OF THE HORSE (Brad Myers)
LOOKING BACK WITH OPEN EYES (Theresa Morgan)
IS A DEFRIBILLATOR HANDY? (Einar Jensen)

— PEACEFUL LIVING —
Peace—what I have learned

by Carol Carper

Carol Carper returns to Kenya in the fall for eight weeks.
She is pictured with Dr. Onguti and a school principal
“making agreements and establishing trust.”

I was in Kenya when the unrest began on Dec. 27, 2007.

This time of burning and killing was preceded by an electioneering period. Large groups of people gathered all over the country. Everywhere in rural and urban settings the atmosphere was one of hope, expectation and play.

I do humanitarian work for Rotary International, working with the people of the Western Highlands of Kenya to create clean water, support medical and educational needs, teach natural agricultural practices, and support microfinance loans to subsistence farmers.

Out of idealism and commitment to his people, Dr. Onguti, a maxiofacial surgeon, ran for parliament. In December 2007 I joined him in his campaign. On the roads, people were eager to talk to us. A song was created about his candidacy. Large crowds gathered and there was much laughing, play and singing. Overnight, in response to a rigged election, the killing and fear began that burned homes and businesses, killed 1,000 people and displaced 250,000 people.

Dr. Onguti and his family cared for me and 44 others in the family compound without food, clean water, electricity or petrol. We were safe inside, and the understood goal was to live in love and caring the best we could. I saw no anger among these people aged 9 months to octogenarians. I heard no raised voices. Children rarely if ever cried. No one complained. The days moved slowly with little to do beyond gathering food, cooking, carrying water, washing clothes, sweeping and mopping floors.

This is what I learned during those nine days. Peace is a fragile state and that very quickly those who are loving and warm to you can turn against you. Fear is great and trust is hard to come by. Since returning home I have done much thinking about what makes for peace and democracy. What could I be doing not only to heal the wounds but also to foster the skills necessary for peaceful coexistence?

I read an essay by Michael Mendelbaum, Ph.D, in the Foreign Affairs Magazine (Oct/Sept 2007) that made sense to me. His theory is that in order for democracy to develop there must be free enterprise for a generation and a civil society of organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Scouting, etc. to develop governance skills.

Before the unrest, I was aware that the farmers I talked to while doing barter and petty business were not used to trusting others and making agreements. This is the stuff of free enterprise. The education system is rote teaching. Colonialism and the church have left their impacts. What government there has been is patriarchal, unpredictable and authoritarian. The result of these experiences is the development of the belief that one cannot solve one’s own problems but that the experts will tell one what to do. So, many eke out an impoverished existence with little belief in themselves and their abilities. I found no civil society.

Given these observations, it becomes obvious that we should foster small business in a setting where trust and agreements are built; foster the growth of non-governmental civil groups such as agricultural cooperatives to learn self-governance skills while improving self-sufficiency, and finally enrich the schools with appropriate simple materials and improved teacher training to build critical thinking skills. The work is ongoing. It is a mixture of success and disappointment. The connections between people are great.

If you are interested either in supporting or volunteering for short or long periods of time in the agriculture, business, medical or education areas contact Carol Carper at ccarper@wispertel.net.

— PEACEFUL LIVING —
Peace begins with me... but when?

by Tanya Keith

“Honey, you have dark circles under your eyes. Are you OK? Have you been taking your vitamins?” I ask.

“Yes, honey, I have been taking care of myself,” he answers.

“Then why do you look and sound so irritable?” I inquire.

“I am not irritable,” he says.

“Just listen to your tone! You are so wound up!” I proclaim.

“I am not wound up or irritable!” he retorts.

“Now you are shouting at me? And you say you are not irritable?! When was the last time you meditated?” I demand to know.

We have a meditation area and meditation pillows. We are a Montessori family with a peace table and peace rose for conflict resolution. We have all the books on anger, Zen, A Course in Miracles, the Bible and Non-Violent Communication. These things should add up to a peaceful household; shouldn’t they? Why isn’t it all working?

Why hasn’t the blanket of serenity floated down on my family yet? The answer is me. I am a Peace Hypocrite. There should be a club for people like me; folks who can teach peace and love peace and facilitate peaceful resolutions, but are not peaceful themselves. I think too big and can’t seem to bring peace down to a bite-size I can handle; so, often, I just feel I can’t be peaceful at all.

I search the self-help sections, I attend seminars, do workbooks of every kind…the peace I find there is short-lived. I have tried supplements, herbs for relaxation, Omegas for mood stabilizers, tea for being mellow. I read global publications about the environment and politics, getting overwhelmed by every prospect of hope. Peace is elusive to me.
When I do sit and meditate, it feels so natural and so great. I wish I could sit there on my buckwheat hull Zafu with my Tibetan singing bowl for longer. If I didn’t have to face any people, money or job, if I could just sit there forever, I could be peaceful; I just know I could. What about yoga? Man, if I could go to an hour-and-half yoga class every day, that might last me the rest of the 22.5 hours. If I could lie in corpse pose, tingly from downward dog and peaceful from the chanting…that might just do it. The world’s problems can’t penetrate that kind of isolated peace.

But life needs to be lived, there is conflict. This is where the popular saying, “Peace begins with me,” comes into play. How can there be peace in my family if I am not peaceful? How can there be peace on my street? In my neighborhood? In my town, in my county, in my state, in my country…in my world?

Peace beginning with me is the first step to my contributions. I cannot focus on war in Africa when I cannot find peace when my husband doesn’t change the toilet-paper roll. I offer to you, my neighbors and community, that I will let peace begin with me. My commitment as a recovering peace imposter is that I will choose peace instead of blame. Every time I judge my husband for not meditating, I will choose to meditate myself. I will make a graceful effort to not allow small things-–like dirty clothes on the floor–to steal my peace. My children need a peaceful mother before they need a peaceful world.

Tanya loves the photo of her, above. Contact this potter, mother, art teacher at tanya_g@hotmail.com.

— PEACEFUL LIVING —
'Let it go,' says my son

by Stephen Fisher

Our children have much to teach us. Being responsive to our children when they are speaking truth models healthy behavior for our children. This point was clearly driven home to me when my son, Craig, was 3 years old.

At that time, I used to let our dogs roam freely in the neighborhood. But that all changed when we got a note on our door one Saturday from the neighbor two doors down. In the note, our neighbor politely reminded us of the leash law and informed us that her attorney would be contacting us first thing Monday about the scratches on her Mazda Miata.

After $125 to fix a Miata and after much fuming, the glory days for the dogs were over. Chained to a stake in the back yard, our two four-legged felons gazed at me accusingly whenever I was in sight. And, if that weren’t bad enough, a few days later, the escapes began.

Every day we would take the dogs for a walk. But a few unguarded seconds were enough, and the dogs would be gone. They quickly became masters of this disappearing act. I would become absolutely infuriated with these insubordinate canines and would threaten to beat them to let them know I meant business.

The dogs were properly submissive and apologetic during the moments of my rage, but they continued to take every opportunity to make their break for it. They would always return a few hours later, soaking wet and very excited, until they saw me. Immediately their tails would go between their legs and they would crawl up to me begging for forgiveness. I would do my best to try to put the fear of God into them; and, after venting at my two humble and totally apologetic runaways, I would lock them up again, convinced that they had learned their lesson. Of course I was wrong; and, as this problem continued and all my efforts proved to be completely useless, I became more obsessed. I could often be seen hurdling hedges and ditches chasing these two determined jailbirds.

One afternoon I was loading my three boys into the van to go hunt down my two incorrigible pets after they had escaped. I was fuming at my wife, Liz, about the situation; and the boys, who were very interested in all the excitement, were asking questions as usual. Suddenly, my son Craig spoke up from his car seat behind me and asked, “Daddy, are you ready to let your anger go?”

I didn’t know exactly what to say. Liz and I had often used these exact words on the boys when they were upset with each other, but I never dreamed they would be using this same technique on me. I quickly flipped through my list of excuses but couldn’t find a valid rebuttal to my 3-year-old’s simple, direct and irritating question. I tried being quiet and ignoring the question, but Craig just repeated himself, determined to press the issue.

Realizing the importance of the example I set for my son, and trapped in my own web, I silently fumed for a few seconds before admitting my error to my 3-year-old counselor. I agreed to “let my anger go.”

I have to admit, I don’t have that rage anymore. My peace of mind is certainly worth something; and, looking back, I’m grateful for Craig’s assistance in improving my mental health. If I’m going to ask my children to live by certain principles, then I’d better be ready to do the same.

Liz and Stephen Fisher lead Love and Logic classes and offer private parenting coaching in Evergreen. For more information, call Liz at 303-507-8995.

— PEACEFUL LIVING —
The wisdom of the horse

by Brad Myers

Are you leading your life, or is your life leading you?

This question rattled inside my mind as I sat at my computer in cubeville thinking about the horses I would be training that evening.

My reward for my “day job” was that evenings I would train three horses.

Six months later, I left that corporate job and embarked on a mission to give back to the world everything that my mentors and the horses had given me—that horses are great teachers and healers.

So you don’t own a horse or have a remote interest in them? What in the world could a horse possibly teach you about life? A mind is like a parachute; it only works when it is open. If we open our minds to these magnificent creatures, they are able to give us a wealth of wisdom.

How do horses provide wisdom? It begins with their very nature. Horses are prey animals. Their primary concern is basic survival. The rest of their existence, particularly with human interaction, is mostly drama.

I truly believe they simply tolerate all the stories humans can make up for them because they “signed up” to assist humans in their life experience. However, if we focus on their nature and how they learn from humans, their wisdom emerges. Only through years of experience and open-minded listening and learning am I able to conduit or “translate” their actions into applicable information.

For example: a horse requires leadership. They have specific leaders in their natural environment, and they are looking for leadership from their human “partner” in a domesticated environment.

Leadership requires respect and trust. Respect has to be earned, it cannot be commanded. Respect is earned by action, not words. Horses require consistency. Am I aware of my consistency or lack thereof in my relationships and life experience? How am I talking to myself most of the time? Am I focused on “I am not” or am I focused on “I am”?

If I am not aware of my “self talk,” I cannot change my perception of myself. My perception of myself directly impacts my perception of others and life. For example, if I am working with a young horse, my perception of him making an incorrect response could be that he is a stupid young horse. Or it could be that he simply does not understand my request and needs more guidance and leadership.

If my perception of the horse is that he simply needs leadership, I will create a different belief about him than if I perceive him to be stupid or belligerent or obnoxious or worthless. Perceptions create beliefs.

When I was very young, I completely believed that I wanted to be a cowboy and horseman. My grandfather was a great horseman and my uncle was a good cowboy. As time went on and I observed all of the work involved and I didn’t see a lot of abundance and prosperity in the cowboy life. I started to buy into programming that being a cowboy was not a good way to make a living. What happened? I changed my belief. It took years to reverse the programming, to create a new belief.

Now I am traveling around the country demonstrating through horses how we create these beliefs. My grandfather always said, “About the time you believe you are a great horseman, a horse will teach you different.” About the time we believe we know it all, life will teach us something different. What do you believe to be true about yourself or your world?

What we truly believe directly impacts our reality. I believe that horses teach me; therefore, they do. My belief creates what I experience—my reality. We can turn this around the other way. If I believe that life is basically nothing more than a survival course in hypertechnology and the pace is designed to keep me confused and struggling, then what will be my reality?

Are you leading your life? Or is your life leading you? Spend some time with me and the horses. We can find out together.

Brad Myers is a horseman, Marine Corps veteran, public speaker and the founder and chief facilitator of The Wisdom of the Horse™ offering experiential seminars/workshops, programs for youth organizations, and a special program for veterans. Contact Brad at loneeagleranch.com.

— PEACEFUL LIVING —
Looking back with open eyes

by Theresa Morgan

photo courtesy of Denver Public Library
KKK in Jefferson County

Publisher’s note: A willingness to know the past allows us to create an appropriate future. The following capsulizes the Ku Klux Klan’s story in Colorado with special emphasis on Jefferson County.

In the summer of 1921, the Ku Klux Klan’s national Imperial Wizard William J. Simmons met with Denver’s first Ku Klux Klan members and Denver’s Grand Dragon John Galen Locke in Denver’s Brown Palace and assigned them to recruit and strengthen the Klan in Colorado.

They gained support by promising to decrease crime levels, embrace Prohibition and align with other community groups. On April 14, 1922, the Klan was large enough to hold its first public meeting at Heritage Square in Golden.

At the peak of its influence in 1924, the Ku Klux Klan boasted 50,000 members in Colorado, the highest membership in the United States second only to Indiana. The mayor, governor and a state senator all claimed membership and filled city hall with Klansmen.

The organization was so large and fearless that it held meetings at Cotton Mills Stadium and parties at Lakeside Amusement Park. A headquarters was established in Golden in the Stewart Building located at 10th Street and Washington Avenue. The Klan organized parades that ran from Denver all the way into Golden. Atop South Table Mountain, the Klan regularly used the dance hall for meetings and cross burnings.

Catholics attracted the brunt of Klan threats and violence; but caravans of Klan members often drove down West Colfax Avenue where there was a large Jewish neighborhood, shouting obscenities. Housing covenants contrived by the Klan forced African Americans to live in the Five Points area. While performing at the Rock Rest night club, George Morrison, a Five Points resident and leader of a jazz band, overheard Klansmen planning to bomb the nightclub. Morrison, believing that he and his band were in danger, decided to flee. Other residents of Five Points decided to fight back. They posted light skinned African Americans as lookouts on the periphery of Five Points. Light skinned African Americans also volunteered to infiltrate the Klan and attend meetings to gather information.

Eventually, the Klan began to lose its hold on the state. Locke was removed from his position; and, without his leadership and other factors, the Klan disintegrated and disappeared completely by 1933.

Exhibit: The Klan history is part of a Golden Pioneer Museum exhibit that opens May 5 called “Golden in the 1920s.” The ribbon cutting will be at 10 am. Light refreshments will be served throughout the day to celebrate the exhibit and completion of the museum’s new addition. Admission will be charged. The exhibit ends Oct 31.

Theresa Morgan is the curator at Golden Pioneer Museum in Golden. Contact her at 303-278-7151.

— PEACEFUL LIVING —
Is a defribillator handy?

by Einar Jensen

Golf tourney at Hiwan May 19 will make more
defibrillators available.

Imagine yourself at the grocery store, pushing the cart up an aisle, scanning the shelves for the best deal on shredded sharp cheddar cheese. A middle-aged man pushing a cart toward you stops, clutches his chest as sweat beads on his balding head and slumps to the floor.

One minute he was shopping and now he’s dying. It can happen that quickly.

His wife dials 911 on her cell phone while an assistant manager crouches next to the man and begins CPR. The only missing link in his chain of survival is an automated external defibrillator.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death among adults in the United States, killing roughly 250,000 Americans annually, according to the American Heart Association. Generally considered a problem among the elderly, sudden cardiac arrest also strikes middle-aged adults, teenagers and children.

Adopting healthier lifestyles—more exercise, better nutrition, cessation of smoking—can reduce the risk, but some factors such as family history and genetics can’t be mitigated.

When prevention falls short, having access to and using an automated external defibrillator is integral to saving a patient.

An AED can detect unorganized, lethal heart rhythms (ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia) in patients suffering from the early stages of SCA. Upon detecting either rhythm, its computer signals the person using the device to defibrillate the patient’s heart.

The scenario in the grocery store is fictional, but not improbable. In fact, situations occur daily.

More locally, a 12-year-old boy was waiting for his turn on a neighbor’s trampoline in July 2002 when his heart suddenly started beating erratically. The loss of proper blood pressure caused him to lose his sight and feel dizzy before falling unconscious.

His friends called 911 while their mom started giving the boy CPR. Minutes later, rescuers arrived. A pair of Jefferson County deputies, Justin Islam and J.D. Johnson, and Evergreen Fire/Rescue personnel took over CPR while Winston Merrill, then Evergreen Fire Department’s EMS coordinator, attached an AED to the boy’s chest.

The AED instructed Merrill to deliver a shock to the boy, defibrillating the fatal heart rhythm and resuscitating the young life.

Evergreen Chorale Director Mike Weiker, then 71, was directing a rehearsal on Nov. 7, 2005, at Center Stage Theatre when he passed out and fell to the floor. Members of the choir, who included a retired EMT, a deputy and a doctor, intervened. One person called 911, one started CPR and one fetched the AED installed at the theater only three weeks previously. The device again recommended delivering a shock to the patient’s heart and, again, that shock revived the patient.

Both saves relied on AEDs partially funded by Evergreen Public Access Defibrillation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization of local citizens, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics.

EPAD, which has placed over 30 AEDs in our community, provides grants to businesses, schools, civic groups and other interested parties for 50% of the AED’s cost. Because an AED is more effective in the hands of a trained responder, EPAD also pays for the initial training at the recipient site.

Most of that money is generated at an annual golf tournament generously hosted by Hiwan Country Club. This year’s tournament is May 19, and several spots remain open. Participation costs $125 per player, which covers green fees, carts, range balls and lunch.

EPAD is focusing its efforts on high risk and high volume facilities such as schools, shopping centers, recreation centers and churches. Facilities that already have AEDs include Center Stage, Clear Creek High School, the Evergreen Lake House, Evergreen Elks Lodge, Evergreen Lutheran Church and Hiwan Country Club.

To register for the tournament or to put an AED in your facility, visit www.evergreenpad.org or contact EPAD President Dave Montesi directly at dtamontesi@msn.com or 303-552-4609. Free CPR courses will be offered June 7. Contact Community Educator Einar Jensen at ejensen@evergreenfirerescue.com. or 303-679-4749.