Two years ago, after that harrowing day when a mob violently invaded the U.S Capitol, I wrote a letter to them. There was and still is so much that was wrong with that scene and what led up to it. And yet I identified with the rioters' outrage that something was terribly unfair in our … Continue reading A Love Letter of Sorts to the January 6th Insurrectionists from a Biden Voter
Articles
Envisioning the Beloved Community
By John Bell, 2022 The Beloved Community is a notion often associated with Martin Luther King, Jr. He put a strong public spotlight on an idea that has been held deep in the hearts of humans for millennia. People everywhere have had the yearning to live in a peaceful, just, and sustainable world. Indigenous people, … Continue reading Envisioning the Beloved Community
“Are You Ready to Fight?”
What does "fighting" your political opponents mean?
Alida’s Unraveling
REFLECTIONS ON OUR MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM By John Bell “I’ll throw your baby out the window!” This is what Alida said about our new born when I invited her to come stay with us in the midst of her first of many psychotic breaks. Fortunately, my wife Dorothy was more level-headed and said “Absolutely not! … Continue reading Alida’s Unraveling
The Working Poor & the Middle Class: Friendly Advice for Presidential Candidates
Dear Candidate, I am happy that you have announced your campaign for the Presidency. I admire your long and effective public service. You talk compellingly about the middle class. However, except for two of the candidates, it is rare for you to refer to working class or low-income or poor people, and make their issues … Continue reading The Working Poor & the Middle Class: Friendly Advice for Presidential Candidates
Mafia Hit Man Transforms
by John Bell For years in the 1970s I taught ongoing peer counseling classes in my home in Harlem. A woman we will call Ellen (the names of the two characters have been changed to honor confidentiality and safety.) had been in one of these classes for about a year. The class was a multi-racial … Continue reading Mafia Hit Man Transforms
Begin Within 