Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Settling in at Omaha has taken up most of the past month!  Not easy.  I've had to put aside Social-Uplift writing for most of it.

The difficulty is in finding a place I can afford.  I like where I'm at on 39th Street, if I can afford to stay.  Also, by hunting around the town, I've found an excellent Senior Center, Bill Norton, Manager at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Dodge Street.  I'm making use of two food pantries--one at First Presbyterian Church on Farnam, and one at First Baptist Church on Park Avenue.  And, I've returned to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (Dean Hurley remembered me from the last time I was here), where Mass is really divine and where there's a good adult group meeting before the choral service at 10:30.

I'm taking advantage of free meals, as always!

The difference between settling in this time and times before is that I'm really making use of the services provided for the poor and  indigent; and to this point my landlord has been understanding, too.  We'll see.

So, herein is a precis of my personal progress.

P.S.  I had 2 operations on my right ankle in Reno earlier in the year performed by Dr. Althausen.  He did a magnificent job.  I thought for sure I'd need a walker, a cane--maybe both--or a wheelchair (the condition when I entered the hospital looked so serious), but so far, as Althausen had said, I wouldn't need anything but to exercise it by walking! 

Sunday, October 2, 2011

--Have finished up the topic of social change in the Social-X series.

--The last topic (I think) in this series is that of social uplift.  This concept is an evolved, considered improvement on the social contract thesis that began the series.  When the social contract was stated, theorists did not append the notion of improving the welfare of persons who entered into contract nor overall, the social good that was assumed would also improve.  These notions came about as science began to make improvements on the way things were ordinarily done.  This lack of fully understanding the value of the social contract is a serious flaw in its typical statement.

John Dewey, the American philosopher in the early 20th Century developed the notion of social and cultural progress based on an analysis how science and technology were improving mankind's lot.  I studied under Dewey's illustrous student, Professor Sidney Hook of New York University.  I became convinced that the social contract indeed was just a simplistic, primordial idea in itself that could not explain cultural progress by positing mere contractual relationships among persons.  And so, I believe the notion of social uplift, as indicative of how mankind is improving his lot, is essential to understanding the dynamics of social interaction--certainly, in today's society.

--Well, I'm trying to adjust to being back in Omaha once again.

--I did enjoy writing about aspects of social change that still lie before us.