I too was a pilgrim in the early 70's when we first came to Maine. Little did we know that the Maine Hunting Boot was a myth. Good old Leon ripped off the Sears Roebuck boot and claimed he had some divine inspiration after hunting in wet feet. This company now dances with Citibank the major funder of climate chaos and wants us to believe that they care about the "outside". Yet, the good people of Freeport still clings to the other myth that L.L.Bean really puts the planet over profits. Wake up and shop across the street at Patagonia.
When your county/company are founded on false myths that come to light years later, what do you do if you can't bear the truth? Elect Trumpelon, tear down the building.
As always, thank you, Kathleen, for sharing your thoughts with us. My favorite book is probably one you know, "On Caring", by Milton Mayeroff. It's a brief book, and although written by a philosopher, it is easily accessible. He looks at the phenomenon of caring and the relationships it both requires and creates. His favorite example to illustrate is the caring of a father for a child, but the phenomenon extends to caring for an idea, an ideal, such as democracy. He sees caring as helping another to grow, enabling that other to care for yet others. I like to think of our caring for democracy as doing exactly that, helping democracy to grow, enabling yet others to be cared for and to care for more others. I like how he identifies the components of caring, such as patience, honesty, courage, knowledge, cooperation, commitment. There is also a structure that seems to be needed. Our carings must be compatible with one another, there cannot be too many, and it allows us to be "in-place" in the world. I see this in social activism, the relationships required and created, the presence of the "components" Mayeroff identifies (honesty, courage, etc.), the obvious compatibility of the objects of our care (environment, democracy, justice, humanity). As you show in your writing, part of the knowledge we need and gain in our caring, is seeing the obvious "un-caring", or even anti-caring of Trump and his minions. Impatience, dishonesty, cowardice, ignorance, selfishness, inconsistency. In this context, perhaps one could say that caring is civics.
OH Cletis! This is so helpful and so interesting. I will rush to the library tomorrow to see if I can find this book. I love the circular relational idea of caring as generating caring. Not having any background in philosophy, this so helps. Wedding philosophy to psychology and politics! A set of triplets we really need. I will be interested in finding a way to write real stories that embody some of these principles.
I am the one who wrote about an idea for getting the T-shirts out. What can I do now to be able to talk to you. I am hesitant to put my phone # or email out on this comment line.
Kathleen, this is a wonderful piece. Thank you for what you do to help us to confront the monster tyranny we are now facing. I have a very specific question. I want to know what the rules are for copying and distributing the wonderful T-shirt that you and your son have designed with Bishop Budde's picture. My sister-in-law has a terrific plan for getting many T-shirts out to the public and I think you will like it. Who can I talk to about this? Please respond.
HI Christine! I would be very happy to talk to you about your sister's plan! We need HELP getting the shirts out there. They aren't yet printed because of the silkscreening process requiring a little more work but will be very soon. Would love to talk on the phone.
You can go back to the original email this substack came to you on this morning and reply to that and I can give you my phone number and we can talk. Let me know on here when you have sent it so I can be sure it works and let you know if I don't get it!!
Thank you for this beautifully written piece! You captured the feelings that so many of us are feeling. I, too, walked up those wooden stairs and over the 42 years here in Freeport, have seen so many changes. I came from central Maine where things change more slowly, but was also surrounded by Republicans. They would be appalled to see what their party is doing. I think of my father who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was in a coma for a month after that battle. To think of the thousands of brave men and women who fought, died or came home as proud veterans only to see our constitution and democracy ripped apart. Now we the people are the soldiers that need to fight the tyranny from within. That is what so many of us are trying to figure out!
Oh you remember those wooden stairs too. Yes, we daughters of the men who fought and risked their lives for the fight against Fascism now have to do it here at home. Never never could we have imagined this. To the fight together!!!
Thank you for so clearly calling out care, our human, empathic parts, and for your coda, on feeling, witnessing and acknowledging each other's disorientation and despair. May we go forward together whole-heartedly.
Hello Helena, here's to going forward together! Yesterday I joined my first demonstration at Monument Square in Portland. Everybody had great signs, the sun came out, there was great energy in being together. And it seemed to me that everyone was thrilled to be together and cheering for democracy and calling out the fascist oligarchy!! I hope you have some good stand-outs to attend in your area.
Thank you for this. Incredibly well written. It reflects my sentiments at 74, watching our country and all that it stands for, flushed down the T2 golden toilet.
Thank you for expressing what so many of us feel right now...so unsettled with no safe landing spot...well certainly none in the external world. So the continued need to find safety, to abide in that inner foundation not tied to all this...BUT still to remain in the world caring. It is a huge tension certainly for me right now.
Thank you, Kathleen, for your timely and moving piece. As for many others, I too remember walking up those steep stairs to L.L. Bean with my parents during the summers that I spent in Maine. It is so sad to see them destroyed, along with my fond memories. Come to think of it, the sturdiness of L.L. Bean was one of my absolutisms, now defunct in the quest for a shinier and more profitable business model. I feel unhinged by all that is being taken away. That said, I’m not prepared to give up, and I pray that the goodness in all of us somehow will prevail.
So well articulated Kathleen, as always. Every day, we are of course assaulted by the meanness and audacity of our government in Washington. The politics of Trump leave us stunned, numb, and not sure where to go with our despair. Thanks for your wise comments Kathleen. We all need to find our way out of the destruction in our country (or even in little Freeport Maine). Your words help us all in this trying time.
Kathleen. I am sorry to subject you to my technological challenges. I have been trying but have not succeeded in figuring out my forum address. The idea has to do with a church budget shop that might be able to distribute. If you can without a lot of your time point me to my forumaddress I would then be able to call you. Christine
Fabulous! The Tennyson quote is perfect! I am so glad Eric did not live to see this day. He too made pilgrimages from Philadelphia to Bean’s in the 50s, 60s and 70s and even worked for them during the holidays in the cement-floored warehouse where his feet and back were strained and errors were closely tracked. Let us hold on to Caring — our hearts.
Beautiful post! As the Dali Lama says, the impulse of caring is where enlightenment and healing begin. Meanwhile, denounce Trump, Musk and all their cowardly minions in the U.S. Congress. Boycott L.L. Bean, a once good company that lost its way. Fortunately, Maine has a good senator named Angus King hanging out down there in the Swamp to remind the monsters about the Constitution they all swore an oath to protect and defend against all enemies foreign and domestic!
I too was a pilgrim in the early 70's when we first came to Maine. Little did we know that the Maine Hunting Boot was a myth. Good old Leon ripped off the Sears Roebuck boot and claimed he had some divine inspiration after hunting in wet feet. This company now dances with Citibank the major funder of climate chaos and wants us to believe that they care about the "outside". Yet, the good people of Freeport still clings to the other myth that L.L.Bean really puts the planet over profits. Wake up and shop across the street at Patagonia.
When your county/company are founded on false myths that come to light years later, what do you do if you can't bear the truth? Elect Trumpelon, tear down the building.
As always, thank you, Kathleen, for sharing your thoughts with us. My favorite book is probably one you know, "On Caring", by Milton Mayeroff. It's a brief book, and although written by a philosopher, it is easily accessible. He looks at the phenomenon of caring and the relationships it both requires and creates. His favorite example to illustrate is the caring of a father for a child, but the phenomenon extends to caring for an idea, an ideal, such as democracy. He sees caring as helping another to grow, enabling that other to care for yet others. I like to think of our caring for democracy as doing exactly that, helping democracy to grow, enabling yet others to be cared for and to care for more others. I like how he identifies the components of caring, such as patience, honesty, courage, knowledge, cooperation, commitment. There is also a structure that seems to be needed. Our carings must be compatible with one another, there cannot be too many, and it allows us to be "in-place" in the world. I see this in social activism, the relationships required and created, the presence of the "components" Mayeroff identifies (honesty, courage, etc.), the obvious compatibility of the objects of our care (environment, democracy, justice, humanity). As you show in your writing, part of the knowledge we need and gain in our caring, is seeing the obvious "un-caring", or even anti-caring of Trump and his minions. Impatience, dishonesty, cowardice, ignorance, selfishness, inconsistency. In this context, perhaps one could say that caring is civics.
OH Cletis! This is so helpful and so interesting. I will rush to the library tomorrow to see if I can find this book. I love the circular relational idea of caring as generating caring. Not having any background in philosophy, this so helps. Wedding philosophy to psychology and politics! A set of triplets we really need. I will be interested in finding a way to write real stories that embody some of these principles.
Kathleen,
I am the one who wrote about an idea for getting the T-shirts out. What can I do now to be able to talk to you. I am hesitant to put my phone # or email out on this comment line.
Christine
I have sent you my phone number to your substack forum address. We can discuss it all there.
Thank you. I will call this afternoon. Is there a good time.
I have sent several emails that have gone through to your forum address. Check your spam folder.
Well now is great. Likely from now to 1. Only going out for a walk sometime this afternoon as yet unscheduled. But try before if you can!
Kathleen, this is a wonderful piece. Thank you for what you do to help us to confront the monster tyranny we are now facing. I have a very specific question. I want to know what the rules are for copying and distributing the wonderful T-shirt that you and your son have designed with Bishop Budde's picture. My sister-in-law has a terrific plan for getting many T-shirts out to the public and I think you will like it. Who can I talk to about this? Please respond.
HI Christine! I would be very happy to talk to you about your sister's plan! We need HELP getting the shirts out there. They aren't yet printed because of the silkscreening process requiring a little more work but will be very soon. Would love to talk on the phone.
You can go back to the original email this substack came to you on this morning and reply to that and I can give you my phone number and we can talk. Let me know on here when you have sent it so I can be sure it works and let you know if I don't get it!!
Thank you for this beautifully written piece! You captured the feelings that so many of us are feeling. I, too, walked up those wooden stairs and over the 42 years here in Freeport, have seen so many changes. I came from central Maine where things change more slowly, but was also surrounded by Republicans. They would be appalled to see what their party is doing. I think of my father who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was in a coma for a month after that battle. To think of the thousands of brave men and women who fought, died or came home as proud veterans only to see our constitution and democracy ripped apart. Now we the people are the soldiers that need to fight the tyranny from within. That is what so many of us are trying to figure out!
Oh you remember those wooden stairs too. Yes, we daughters of the men who fought and risked their lives for the fight against Fascism now have to do it here at home. Never never could we have imagined this. To the fight together!!!
I go with you through all the feelings.
Thank you for so clearly calling out care, our human, empathic parts, and for your coda, on feeling, witnessing and acknowledging each other's disorientation and despair. May we go forward together whole-heartedly.
Hello Helena, here's to going forward together! Yesterday I joined my first demonstration at Monument Square in Portland. Everybody had great signs, the sun came out, there was great energy in being together. And it seemed to me that everyone was thrilled to be together and cheering for democracy and calling out the fascist oligarchy!! I hope you have some good stand-outs to attend in your area.
Thank you for this. Incredibly well written. It reflects my sentiments at 74, watching our country and all that it stands for, flushed down the T2 golden toilet.
OH the image of the golden toilet. I love it!!! There's an image for a poster for a protest!!
BTW, I live down the road in Portland now but remember well the LL Bean of the late 60s when my family lived in Keene NH and made the pilgrimage.
Thank you for expressing what so many of us feel right now...so unsettled with no safe landing spot...well certainly none in the external world. So the continued need to find safety, to abide in that inner foundation not tied to all this...BUT still to remain in the world caring. It is a huge tension certainly for me right now.
Thank you, Kathleen, for your timely and moving piece. As for many others, I too remember walking up those steep stairs to L.L. Bean with my parents during the summers that I spent in Maine. It is so sad to see them destroyed, along with my fond memories. Come to think of it, the sturdiness of L.L. Bean was one of my absolutisms, now defunct in the quest for a shinier and more profitable business model. I feel unhinged by all that is being taken away. That said, I’m not prepared to give up, and I pray that the goodness in all of us somehow will prevail.
So well articulated Kathleen, as always. Every day, we are of course assaulted by the meanness and audacity of our government in Washington. The politics of Trump leave us stunned, numb, and not sure where to go with our despair. Thanks for your wise comments Kathleen. We all need to find our way out of the destruction in our country (or even in little Freeport Maine). Your words help us all in this trying time.
Kathleen. I am sorry to subject you to my technological challenges. I have been trying but have not succeeded in figuring out my forum address. The idea has to do with a church budget shop that might be able to distribute. If you can without a lot of your time point me to my forumaddress I would then be able to call you. Christine
Please help. I hope you will answer my specific question about getting the T-shirts out to people.
Fabulous! The Tennyson quote is perfect! I am so glad Eric did not live to see this day. He too made pilgrimages from Philadelphia to Bean’s in the 50s, 60s and 70s and even worked for them during the holidays in the cement-floored warehouse where his feet and back were strained and errors were closely tracked. Let us hold on to Caring — our hearts.
Beautiful post! As the Dali Lama says, the impulse of caring is where enlightenment and healing begin. Meanwhile, denounce Trump, Musk and all their cowardly minions in the U.S. Congress. Boycott L.L. Bean, a once good company that lost its way. Fortunately, Maine has a good senator named Angus King hanging out down there in the Swamp to remind the monsters about the Constitution they all swore an oath to protect and defend against all enemies foreign and domestic!
As usual, a lot to think about, and to acknowledge feeling about!