Blowin' in the Wind

Image: Rooster, an acrobatic Boston Terrier who has perfected the 360 Handstand for marking his territory. If he doesn't pay attention to the wind...

Today, Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind came up on my playlist. Written in 1963, it still has meaning for today. It is shocking that the argument posed in the first line "How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?" is still being argued today. That is exactly what the Trump administrations attacks on DEI are attempting to overthrow - the idea that all persons have value in our society and that we allow no hierarchy based on race or gender or sexual identity or disability or religion or.... I could go on and on.

Let's consider the term DEI. Diversity is a simple fact. This is a diverse, multi-ethnic nation. That's a simple fact. You cannot put that djinn back in the bottle.

Equity is not about treating all people exactly the same but rather creating environments where all people have an opportunity to achieve their best outcomes. It is no different than a golfer or bowler who plays with a handicap. As explained at golfeaser.com "A golf handicap is a numerical measure of a golfer's potential ability, allowing players of different skill levels to compete fairly against each other." No one freaks out about that. Why is it so difficult to acknowledge that, through no fault of their own, some people need barriers removed to allow them to reach their full potential. Isn't our country better for all if more people reach their full potential? The only reason to want to keep others from reaching their full potential is if you fear that they will somehow then keep you from reaching your full potential. In Higher Ed we talk about Imposter Syndrome which is when individuals from historically underrepresented groups may secretly worry about not belonging because their experiences are so different from the other students. Maybe rich white guys suffer from Imposter Syndrome, too.

Inclusion is more than letting people show up. it is about creating environments where everyone can belong and participate fully. It is about realizing the best outcomes of creating diverse environments (which studies show is better decision making.) Believe it or not, diverse groups perform better than non-diverse groups. The multitude of experiences creates better problem solving. And we have enough problems to solve in this nation that it makes no sense to exclude any voices from the process of discovering solutions.

I need a favor from all of you. In February, I reached a new milestone in blood donations: 18 gallons. Thats 144 separate donations. It's taken me about nearly thirty years to reach that number, so clearly, one person donating makes a difference, but not much of one. If I could get 144 people to commit to give once, I'd double my output. If I could get 144 people to give 144 units of whole blood, well damn! That would be something to celebrate. Consider it tithing to the universe. Please give blood.

Win a free Kindle edition of Love: a novel of grief and desire: I work with Reader's Favorite on the Kindle book giveaway. If you go to readersfavorite.com/book-giveaway you can sign up for the monthly giveaway. You can scroll through the list of giveaways (over 500 each month) or sort the list by title or author to find Love: a novel of grief and desire and put your name in for this month's drawing. Good luck!