Many of us mountaineers who don’t live in the political center of the West Virginia universe (i.e. the Kanawha Valley) have come to know about Jim Lewis through his anti-war activism related to the Iraq war. For example, he’s been a frequent guest on Hoppy Kercheval’s popular daily Metronews Talkline radio call-in show and has been one of the best informed and most articulate spokespersons for the anti-war position . . . very persuasive.
As I’ve learned more about Jim through Google research and communication with a friend who manages an e-mail network in which I participate, I happily found that Jim is a fellow 3rd Ager and a lifelong social activist from a Christian perspective. So, he bucks the stereotypes about those of us who are growing older by continuing spirited social involvement into his “retirement years” rather than disengaging from this kind of involvement. Actually there are more of those kinds of folks around than you might think.
Another thing that interests me about Jim is that his social and political involvement doesn’t focus mostly on issues like those the AARP pushes such as Social Security and Medicare and long-term care, etc. that address personal lifestyle security. Rather, he addresses causes that affect the entire community, not just folks with grey hair, which can make things better for everyone. I think that like Ken Hechler, Jim is an excellent role model in that regard.
For example, he authors a blog, Notes From Under the Fig Tree, which includes regularly-updated and thought-provoking articles on several current issues. Titles in his most recent blog include Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road, Traveling Toward A Burial Service On West Virginia Route 3, Judy Bonds—Opening Her Eyes And Paying Attention, The Pat Tillman Story, Connecting the Dots With Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, A Word On Six Geese-A-Laying And Gifts For Our Troops, and A Few Words To Jump-Start 2011.
By the sounds of these titles, I’m sure you can tell that Jim’s writing doesn’t address “Senior Citizenism” narrowly defined but intends to shake things up and make us think about what’s going on in our communities and country.
In comments about the recent death of Judy Bonds, a well-known opponent of mountaintop removal strip mining in southern West Virginia, Jim says of Judy’s mind-opening experience about this practice based upon an interaction with her grandson that demonstrates we are never too old to learn, especially from those who are much younger than us.
“I knew that something was very, very wrong,” said Judy Bonds. “So I began to open my eyes and pay attention.” That was a direct response to a question asked by her 6-year-old grandson. Standing in a creek full of dead fish, holding some in his hand, he had asked her, “What’s wrong with these fish?”
And boy-oh-boy did she pay attention. Paying attention, of course, is the first step toward making change happen when the powers-that-be want you to compromise your values in the name of some kind of unifying bipartisanship.
So, if you get a chance, learn more about Jim and his provocative and insightful comments at: http://www.figtreenotes.com. I’m sure you will be glad you did. A link that will take you to this blog is available at the right of this page.
