Summer Time is a Super Time for Safety-Mindedness, Agreements and Actions (in that Order Please!)
May and June are naturally intoxicating times...the warmer temperatures (generally) in the northern climates feel like answered prayers people haven't even had time to pray in the cold, windy days of fall of winter. Then it's about 'get home, get warm and don't freeze if you don't have heat.'
In NYC there was a shortfall of help so many people did do a Big Chill over the Winter. In the summer, depending on air conditioning, people stand to have Melt Downs or be in Heat Traps.
In urban areas, getting cool may mean pouring water over one's head or hoping a fire hydrant is working, staying out of the sun and basically living in air conditioned environments. Plus there are tons of other hot, sweaty people.
Make-up will melt off and not many will find ways to keep a smile on their face, but maybe for an hour early in the day and in the cool of the evening if they have any energy left.
Let's look at how country kids and adults fare in the warm weather of June, July and August. What can keep people indoors in the city calls people out to find shade and picnic or relax in the country. Maybe get to a swimming pool or lake in the area. Possibly a river to go boating or with conditions right, for a swim.
That last part is one that can claim lives however..even the swimming in general...even in a pool. Usually that risk is highest for Young Children, age 5 and under.
But don't be surprised to hear that Teens Take Risks (and kids of all ages) that can put them and even those rescuing them into grave danger (and yes, danger of the grave.) How can Summer Fun turn to being 'on the Run for Your Life?!'
That is something everyone can think about as Schedules Change from Full-Time Regular School, to partial days for tests and graduations, proms or vacation time or even weekends of fun and outings.
Without a supervised learning or work experience or at least a camp, kids can be left on their own with their own sense of what's reasonable as the only factor running the show.
IF parents don't talk to teens and children about the importance of safety, about not taking undue risks in swimming where it isn't supervised and safe to do so, adults are not doing their jobs. If parents and adults don't cover the topics of dangerous activities involving bike riding (fast down hills racing cars, or blocking traffic, or cutting it close,) adults are not doing their job.
Same goes for overlooking youth's interest and ability to do tricks on skateboards, bikes and other adventurous areas like taking hikes and exploring wherever their feet and a few friends lead them, without thinking through safety and accountabliity, then the adults are Not Doing Their Job. If the minors get hurt, it is the parent's responsibilty to pay bills or face the town or facility to understand their incurred medical or other expenses. Proper precautions (helmets, visibility, reasonable speeds and 'tricks', cell phones and a buddy system at least should all be part of a basic game plan along with ongoing supervision and ways to check in on longer hikes, runs, walks and so on.
Every trip someone takes ideally should be noted with some basics about 'where, when, who, what and how' things are being done with expected return times and other details. Pilots in training need to do that for whenever they leave a base for a year I believe and continue to be very cognizant of their location. Simplifying life and trips can be a step toward having fewer people on the road so decreasing odds of accidents and congestion on the roads. It is refreshing to take a step back, put on one's empowering safety lenses and see where one can improve some basic aspects not only of one's own life but of those in one's area and those in one's care and circles with some helpful suggestions. We can all make time for that and share ideas as they come to mind.
Civil lawsuits can be filed for endangerment and harm that befall victims, especially minors of reckless accidents. Sometimes there can be criminal law consequences as well which
make the headlines more readily. There is a youth serving six years for intentionally driving recklessly that resulted in two of his passengers having their lives ended. It's no secret usually someone has had 'one or more drinks' if there is a car or motorcycle collision (not an "accident" without reason more in the medical profession are clarifying.)
There can be many ways to Intervene in Any Situation that is Likely to Get Out of Control not only with family or personal guidelines and agreements (which need to be Held Up and not Let Go for a Day or More on a Whim which is a Major Breach of An Agreement even if verbal or informal.) More things Should be In Writing to Help a Group, School, Town, State and Country Advocate Clearly for Safety.
That's what I am exploring here and can turn into a Safety Bill of Rights. Feel free to add your insights to fit your area or share with people here or elsewhere online to Reach More People so Improvements Can Benefit Greater Numbers Faster! Some topics need Special Knowledge and Advocacy, and many cases of that are shared on this 'everyday person's blog', livfully.org.
Consider the importance of Ralph Nader and the families of the plane crash on a certain kind of Boeing plane that was going to be manufactured (5000 planes) all with the same design flaw to not allow for pilot's to over-ride controls to prevent a potential nosedive. Also the training the pilots were getting thus far was woefully inadequate.
Whose job is it to monitor Each Step and Strategy along the way. I recall seeing a television show about an airplane that was being 'repaired for something fairly simple' by someone who did not have the exact manual and had to 'wing it'..He winged in in the wong direction..and it cost everyone on the plane their lives
. Why wouldn't there be a standard of having Two People review each problem with an eye toward not guessing or to film the problem and report even to a computer program which could help diagnose, (and translate languages to make sure of accuracy in situations involving international programs such as flight?)
Same goes for how many people would be required to 'verify' an attack missile such as reported a couple years ago as incoming to Hawaii. A single person, a man, inadvertently pressed the 'confirm' button. Why not have Two People (someone to call immediately or a computer to help assess who to call and make those calls instantly before pressing Confirm?
This kind of What IF and What Could be Done Thinking is something that kept me up many a night (and really quite awake daily) with my pregnancies and caring for my children. Even caring for others and myself at times I had to Learn New Things, Think Outside of the Box, Try Something Only a Few Others were telling me would be good options. I will make a list of those too to Save People the Process of Worry and Wonder and Tune into Pros and Cons.
I blogged on a site about putting kids into school for formal learning after age 5, not before (as in kindergarten.) Being 6 for a full day of learning which is what most of Kindergarten is now isn't too late, nor 7. Beforehand letting them play, enjoy time outdoor time and not be exposed to media much.
I'm okay with a half hour a day if people need a break, even an hour or two here and there..but not all the time, and not on the cell phones etc. It's tall order, and kids do seem to manage, but I am summarizing ideas from Rudolf Steiner and Marie Montessori and many others who want to consider that the formative stages in a child's life should not be impacted by adult or technological themes.
Rudolf Steiner shares the idea that children are still 'incarnating' spiritually so keeping them in natural settings and positive caring social settings can help their natural talents unfold, especially with gentle guiding from adults who speak comfortably and not 'at them' but rather share stories and songs, and oversee them in a friendly but parental way. I also have seen plenty of nice pre-schools with kids doing projects to engage their senses and explore their world through nice talks, books, visitors, outings and crafts.
Eating well and avoiding sugar and sweet drinks would be a huge improvement for not promoting obesity and diabetes and other ailments which are impacting children at younger ages. The majority of the population missed out on basic nutrition classes, and plenty of places do not have gardens or fresh food in their city neighborhood.
Even people in the country miss out on important links and good quality fresh food. We all likely keep hoping there'll be the multi-vitamin that can cover all shortcomings. Youth do seem to have a lot going for them to tolerate poor eating choices, but the habits and side effects play out in various ways, even with how a person thinks and feels.
So it is worthwhile to learn more nutrition basics, as well as have healthy digestion, so those could be part of every school curriculum. What little kid isn't interested in the whys and hows of pooping? That pretty much goes for every age, it's a curious thing we are taught to deny or not think about.
However there are many insightful Chinese practioners of medicine and others who realize 'we are what we eat' and the evidence of good digestion is in the outcome as well as in how someone looks and feels. We can take that one step further and realize that poop is an 'output' (literally and the product of the action) of not only human bodies but every animal. The cow and pig industries have huge excrement outputs that affect the soil and water around the farms in detrimental ways.
The methane produces by the animals is also impacting the air quality in highly harmful ways. What's more Cowspiracy the documentary shows that the rainforest is being cut down for more animal farming, hastening the global problem of climate change. The trees, particularly in the rain forest, are considered the 'lungs of the planet' so we are shortchanging out very lifespan by allowing destruction of the forests.
The oceans are not faring much better, so again we likely are 'on our way out' given the intensity of our dependence on fossil fuels. Maybe because there are such major problems looming from poor diet to harming the earth, the stress is also likely 'killing us'. In a way it would give a person a reason to drink and not think, live wild and free and hope for the best when it comes time to cross over.
The whole idea of 'not existing' is one we also have collectively agreed to NTA, Not Think About. But much of that comes with a sense of 'completely ceasing to exist.' While scientists have held that view for lack of evidence of other possibilities. this is a time when there actually has been a lot of study on NDEs, Near Death Experiences. We are hearing from other cultures, mediums and even some religions that Maybe Life Does Keep Going Beyond Mortal Existence (#MLDKGBME) so What Does That Mean?
I will direct you to other posts, but the short version is that we may have had many many other lives and are evolving with love and wisdom in an upward spiral of higher frequencies. Even as humans many are sharing on youtube that we are moving from the 3D reality to 5D reality. Quantum science is exploring the world of thoughts, ideas, human connections, energy in everything everywhere..and coming up with the poetic and curious proposal that 'We are not alone. We are All One.'
That's been a way of I have explained what I have been learning for years...and I let that extra "L" in All to stand for Love, Light and Levity...even something that can help us feel we can have lucid dreams, fly, imagine and connect in ways we didn't think we could, whether with others in our circles or those beyond or who we haven't met yet (like future kids or grandkids...)
The books by Marc Anthony, Bill Phillips and other psychics have been helpful as have many programs in the past decade. Eve Wilson writes Riding the Wave of Change and Dr. Laurie Moore has a lot of to offer in the way of connecting with pets and more, all online for easy access for everyone. That would be a reason to have more computers at libraries (or separate centers) to allow for access on a daily basis and find ways to share in the learning.
The Course In Miracles (TCIM) is helping millions, and Marianne.com is running for President of the United States. Many of her ideas could inform each state, town and group to help them heal from the past and move together as caring members of a group or area. The healing can spread faster and echo each person's journey not just some who may seem in greatest need do to health or other kinds of challenges.
We are all equals and on a shared journey...so let's walk gently amidst the noise and haster...as Desiderata reflection goes. I read that often as a youth, so encourage that to be part of each one's walk as well as seasons change during the year and over one's life time. It all counts. Hope we can work together to improve our shared experiences, hold up meaningful safety agreements and see our families, friends, communities and others flourish year-round. Check out more ideas on NoLiesRadio.org and also on Transition Town sites about permaculture to cut down on our dependence on fossil fuels.
In the short run, Please Watch Your Youth, Minors and Young Adults. The transitions they are making seem so profound..and really do impact their lives. Encouraging adults to drive youth directly to places and supervise recreational outings that are safe and appropriate was going to be the first point of this post.
New and young drivers should learn basic car maintenance (check the oil, keep the tank of gas half full to not stress the system by almost running out or by running out of gas and stress others or create a road hazard. Same with check air pressure and tire quality. Drive when you are well rested and calm. That would mean Let Others Drive Minors and College or Young Adult People during the months of May and June and into July until they 'come back down to earth' and seem they are clear about their life path with decent sleep, some structure and people in their lives.
Too many youth, especially young men, can be driving fast because they can and it doesn't seem fast to them. They can forget there are others on the road, even animals crossing and basically they should be planning More Time to Get Where they are going regularly or to a new place.
On long drives there should be a break every 90 minutes or so to avoid cramps or clots in one's legs..and basically to not get 'sleepy on the road.' Driving in a decent manner is covered in other posts, but the idea would be to play fair so you and others get to where they are going. Don't be the one to push the limit and be cool and maybe wind up injured or dead or have a friend pay the price of your buzzed or reckless driving or stunts, or other risks, Even socially you gotta watch is, especially girls and women. So now that we've reviewed The Basics hope you still manage to have super summer and many seasons after that for years to come.
T
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