Everything's not going to be okay.

Everything is not going to be okay.

Everything is okay.

I heard a speaker close a talk with that line once and it's stuck with me ever since.

Home from teaching morning classes, eating leftover lunch of rice, veggies, seaweed wrapped chicken and kimuchi while checking news on the iPad I clicked on a Lady Gaga headline and got to thinking that.  
"It's okay!" 
Lady Gaga. Don't ya just love her! 
Compassionate. Positive. Hope instilling. Sincere. Spiritual and Strong and my God talk about talent! There was a clip of one of her recent performances in the story.  It was this. 

Watching it got me to thinking of a recent piece I read about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez  by one of my favorite political writers, Matt Taibbi. Politics is a different line of work of course, but like Lady Gaga, AOC too is Powerful. Compassionate. Hope instilling. Intelligent. Strong. She has a knack for making crusty old farts who attack her look like the out of touch ignorant relics they are to boot.  

On the drive home earlier I was listening to Racheal Maddow. It's tough listening to news of the GOP bending over for Trump and Trump bending over for Putin. Hearing about his racist monument wall, little brown kids torn away from their families at the border as millions ignore the plights of these poor refugee “least of these”, as they reject virtues they once held dear under the piss-poor nonsensical excuse "God chose Trump”, it all just leaves me dumbfounded and sad. Meanwhile Trump throws gas on the fires that are destroying the world my kids are to inherit as GOP wusses remain complicit in his dismantling of American democracy. It's infuriating. It's depressing. But then I think of Lady Gaga, AOC and so many younger than I heroes of resistance fighting from their respective corners of society and think:

It’s not going to be okay. It is okay!

Statistics comparing the average Trump/GOP voter with those who helped bring about the biggest Democratic victory since Watergate bare this out. Compare the numbers. Look at the average ages. The long arc of the Universe is indeed bending towards Justice just as Dr. MLK jr. said. The scared old racist, bigoted and nationalistic views are slowly giving way to inclusiveness, a desire to even the playing field (i.e. economic justice), and live on a life-sustaining planet.

That's not the case for your average Trump supporter. The changes terrify them. Thus the older, bitter and weak bemoaning the younger, bold and strong. The latter clearly holds the future. 

It's not just in the States either. I see it here in Japan and read of it in other countries as well.  The trend for younger generations around the globe leans progressive. They get it. What's more is this move towards more inclusion and social progress is nothing new. It's merely another leg of that long bend towards justice.

My own marriage is an apt example.  Not all that long ago interracial marriage was far from accepted. Indeed, anti miscegenation laws were still in place in many American States until Loving vs. Virginia overturned them the year after I was born--1967. Opponents of interracial marriage cited Old Testament verses for why the races must not intermix. Thus my Japanese wife of Buddhist heritage wouldn't have been very welcome in the Protestant lady's bridge club just a couple generations ago; my bi-racial kids would've had to know their place on the playground as well but now it's like "meh, no big deal". 

Times change. 

Attitudes change. 

Cultures change.

Backlash always accompanies change. MAGA hats are donned by many longing for the return of leaded gasoline, VHS tapes and the right to discriminate against the marginalized again. They're met by the Lady Gagas and AOCs of the world, who empower people to Resist and thus have become beacons in the brighter future that our world is headed in. 

It often sounds bleak nowadays. The news. My god it ranges from heartbreaking to hit the panic button terrifying at times. But that's okay. What we're living through is the last gasp a dying animal lashing out. The record number of women elected to congress in the 2018 midterms included openly gay, minorities, Muslims and even a MMA fighter lesbian Native American. The latter in Kansas of all places. How's that for change! Two years prior over three million more voted for Clinton than Trump. These aren't outliers. This is the norm. Lies, hate and voter suppression can only hold it back for so long. 

So we've got Trump hellbent on destroying the environment for financial gain and cowering behind a medieval wall along with the thirty some odd percent of predominantly older white Americans who still support him.  And then we've got AOC leading us in the other direction. The vision that she and the vast majority of the younger generation have is one that includes coexisting with others on a life sustaining planet and economic justice. Trump may have a self-proclaimed "really big brain" but her side has a detailed plan.  As a teacher to kids, a father to kids, a keen watcher of the direction kids and the younger generation are moving in, I'll bet dollars to doughnuts the trend towards the majority of them wanting policies like those that AOC and Lady Gaga are calling for only grows. But I won't argue it. Time will tell and sooner rather than later. 

So just wait and watch. 

RESIST! 

And know it's not going to be okay.  

It is okay.

Flu Recovery 101

My wife disagrees with me on this one, and in fairness I wouldn't make a habit of taking medical advice from a martial artists, not even the father of modern day karate--Gichen Funakoshi. I do on this one though. I can't recall the first time I tried it, only that I've been doing it for quite some years. The "it" is working out till breaking a good sweat to hasten recovery. This always includes doing karate kata, which was Funakoshi's advice.  And so I drug myself up off the futon to go run up Mt. Daisen this afternoon, citing Funakoshi in my defense as my wife voiced her disapproval.

I'd been cooped up in my little office since early Friday morning. Leaving this room results in nasty looks. I fear leaving it without a medical mask on would result in certain painful death. They take the flu seriously and then some in Japan. Any room I step foot in ends up getting all of its windows opened. "Change the air" she says. She really hates my germs. The thing is I don't think I'm all that contagious anymore.  Even though the doc said I'm not clear till Tuesday and I have no scientific evidence to base it on, still I have this reason-based hunch.

I think it makes sense though. Up until Thursday there was no fever, just a mild cough, nose running like a sieve and intermittent sneezing fits. Now if I were a flu virus that needed to spread to survive then I'd make sure I was most contagious when my host was unaware of my presence yet snotting and sneezing all over the place, thus spreading my little flu virus babies far and wide to reach as many ill-fated hosts as possible.  That's not me today. No more snotty-snots and no more sneezing, but boy howdy was that me on Thursday! I thought it an early onset of bad allergies that hit every spring, or maybe a cold. Thus I taught all my usual classes and got in a good 45 minute workout at the town gym, where I felt good enough to keep adding plates till benching 105kg even. Usually I'll stop around 90 to 100 but I was feeling strong that day so flu? No way!  

If only. I woke shivering in the wee hours of Friday, got the thermometer and damn! 37.5 C. (99.5F) I acted accordingly by donning a mask and dragging my futon out of the bedroom and into my little office.  A little more sleep and one big ibuprophen gelcap later I'm feeling good enough to teach my 8:00 a.m. class but think it best to call Jim just in case. It's his company, L3, that I teach the morning business English class for. Good guy he is, I think it only apt he knows my condition so 6:30 a.m. call, he suggests I stay home. Fair enough. The fever returned so good call that was. My oldest boy stayed home from school Friday as well. No fever just cough and headache so we both went to Sakura clinic to get checked out.  A long cutip snaked up my nose into the backside of my cerebrum later and hey, I got flu type A! 

With universal health care in this land of course we can go to the hospital or clinic of our choice. Sakura clinic is the nearest one that offers the new flu drug so we went there. That and zero wait time there usually. The doctor is about 147 years old, wild white hair and repeats himself but all the better for a patient like me who doesn't always catch Japanese medical talk on the first run through. I guess these new flu meds have made it to the States now too. If you have the flu I can happily say from personal feeling like shit to feeling much better experience, the stuff works!

Once home I took the one dose cures all and went upstairs to lie down. The effect isn't instantaneous unfortunately.  I woke to a fever nearing 39 (102F) with all three layers of clothes so soaked in sweat I had to change everything I had on. Just before and for a few hours after that the flu monsters (hallucination-like dreams with ogres, two headed angry pink tigers, flampavomers, etc.) visited me, but all was well by dawn.  Peaceful sleep ensued for much of the day. Still not allowed downstairs or anywhere out of my quarantine facility, by afternoon I was feeling well enough to have early onset of stir craziness. 

Which brings us back to me citing Gichen Funakoshi as I headed out the door for a run, much to my wife's disapproval. But she can't blame this one on some crazy thing only Americans do.  Nope, not this one honey. I got this one from Japan! Gichen Funakoshi. 100% Japanese baby! There it is highlighted and dog eared right there on page XIV.  Haa!

"If a man who runs a temperature practices karate until sweat begins to pour from his body, he will soon find that his temperature has dropped to normal and that his illness has been cured."


Now again, I wouldn't make it a habit of taking medical advice from martial artists, but there's really no harm in doing so on this one I don't think.  I mean for one thing she'll cut me off, like smooches and everything! if I don't follow her sick bay rules, so I can't get too close to the kids, but dang it I'll go bonkers if I have to sit in this little room all day.  And while he doesn't say it I believe getting out in nature is great treatment for any ailment, and so out the door I went.  I'd broken a good sweat by the time I got to the base of Mt. Daisen. By the time I got to a flat opening near the summit I'd already reached "until sweat begins to pour from his body" stage but still had to follow the good karate master's advice so did a few kata before going on to the summit where I sat and absorbed a bit more of nature's energy before making my descent.  

cycling app for runs is better than having to add another app ;) 

So there you have it. If you get the flu be sure to try the new fangled flu meds from Japan.  Here it is again. Try this. 

And for even quicker recovery break a sweat I say! Run up a mountain. Do karate kata. Jump on one foot. Just move!

 My legs are feeling it now but the stir craziness is long gone.  My attitude is brighter as well, and for those of us who tend to fall into depression ditches this method is good defense from that too I've found.

Mt. Daisen -- Flu recovery dojo 

Later. I was allowed to poke my head in the door to say goodnight to three kids, one wife, and a cat just now. Dad's in quarantine so it's a big sleepover for everyone else I guess. I'm still a day or two away from those hugs and smooches but she's forgiven me for being me so I'll get'm again in time. No doubt she'd have been upset if I'd have died or worse on Mt. Daisen, but I didn't so all is well.  Funakoshi's advice is still golden for speeding up recovery. Sweat it out! 

My インフルエンザ（influenza) printout from the doc's office. Contagious diseases are serious business in densely populated Japan. Classrooms close, hand sanitizer alcohol spray bottles and mask wearing citizens abound. All of the kindergartens I teach at have had "beware of flu" signs posted for weeks now. I'd hoped to dodge the flu bullet this year but nope, it nailed me!