Mom is On Your Shoulder! - theHumm June 2021

By Glenda Jones

Listen here, You! You can’t do whatever you please and think that no one is noticing. Your Mom is noticing, and she refuses to stay silent any longer. You’re being a bad person when you abuse others, send nasty emails or anonymous Tweets. Your Mom knows, and by golly, you are going to pay! She definitely doesn’t approve of your behaviour. You know full well what’s worse than a darn good spanking, don’t you? It’s when Mom stands in front of you, with her arms crossed, and quietly says, “You’ve disappointed me. I thought you were better than that.” Yikes, you’ve been reprimanded big time. And now you’re grounded big time.

The news is full of misbehaviour — from our military to our politicians to ordinary people venting their rage on social media. It all boils down to one simple “I learned this in Sunday school” phrase: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When bad behaviour happens it’s often premeditated, and really, everyone should have an automatic “stop” button before they sound off. The question is: Would you say that to your Mom? Would you treat your sister like that? Would you treat your pet like that? Does your husband deserve that? Does a salesperson deserve that?

What if you were the person on the other end of the venomous splat of invective? You would feel like you were hit with a shovel, being treated to ire that was not deserved. Behind masks, evil speakers and doers might think they are invisible — or worse, that the person they are abusing is invisible. Not so. There’s hurt, frustration and suffering that doesn’t need to be compounded by disgraceful actions. Everyone could stand a measure of compassion, so deliver on that, and back off, and stop harming before your conscience blows up entirely, and public shaming takes over to destroy your very soul.

The self-righteous perpetrators may think they own the right to lord their desires over others. Not so! Their mothers are listening, and there will come a time of reckoning when the mom-voice will shout: “What do you think you are doing? Shape up!”

Although your Mom was right when she told you that you can’t be bullied unless you accept it, and that everyone deserves respect and compassion, you have to have moxie to do as your Mom told you to: step up, put on the big panties, and take a stand — not only for yourself, but also for the little guy. “See it, say it.” It might be possible to turn off the social media and ignore the dreck, but it’s out there, lurking and waiting to demoralize a person. It’s a two-way street: you need strength of character to arm yourself against abuse too.

No one ever called children “Someone else” or “Not me”, so we have to stop blaming either of them for bad manners and incivility. Surely, at some point Mom let you know right from wrong. And if she didn’t, then your teacher must have tried. And if not the teacher, well, that’s when the law takes over. All the buck-passing in the world won’t fix the problem that was caused by not paying attention to your own conscience. Do these public figures not hear themselves denying moral ineptitude? “You were bad! Go to the corner and stay there! It’s your own fault so don’t cry foul and pretend you aren’t to blame”.

We need to tune into the old-fashioned parental advice and start taking responsibility for our own actions. It also behooves the rest of us to stop being complacent, and act the Mom role if she isn’t around. Don’t shy away from telling politicians you don’t accept their behaviour. That’s what elections are for, remember? If you’re really adamant, speak up, mean it, and take action.

We don’t have to accept intolerance. Heck, we don’t even have to accept bad manners, The cad who pushed into line ahead of you can be treated to your best “Sorry I impeded your very busy life but I’m here before you” smile. You can let him in with a deep sigh, and sniff if you like. Doing the right thing makes you a better person, whether it’s interceding on a friend’s behalf, picking up litter where you don’t want to see it, saying hello to the greeter at the grocery store, or returning your cart to that nice young fellow who cleans the handles. Do what you can to make things better. And for goodness sakes, make your Mom proud!

Frank Sammut —Fine Wood Working - theHumm June 2021

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

Kokopelli Custom Woodworking is Frank Sammut’s celebration of the natural beauty and wonder encapsulated in the trees that fall on his 87 acres of bush lot near Maberly. His lifelong fondness for working with his hands has culminated in a passion for creating one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture that showcase nature’s beauty. Wood speaks to him. And he creates poetry in response.

Frank’s artistic tables and benches are as much sculptures as the......

Mom is On Your Shoulder! - theHumm June 2021